Past Forward

In my earlier post, we discussed the importance of leading your life as per your choice and not on the advice of others . In life, we are presented with situations when our minds are perplexed and not able to take instant decisions. Let me give you two instances while being on the road: one, an example from my own life and the other, a typical situation. Situation 1: A few years back I was driving on my way to office on a particularly busy stretch which at that time was unusually empty. I was driving at moderate speed on the right line parallel to the divider. The road was filled with potholes and with experience I thought I  knew how to negotiate them. Trucks were usually parked in a straight line parallel to the left edge of the road. One particular large pothole came into view a little late and I swerved to the left to avoid it, fully conscious that no other vehicle was around. Unknown to me just at that moment a bike was riding beside me and as I took the sudden left…Whamm

Food hygiene in India remains a major concern. When I was growing up there was a belief that street food is unhealthy and should be avoided. Packaged food was preferred since it was supposed to be tested as per existing law and a general belief that large companies would not take a chance with their products or their reputation. This belief literally went for a toss once the Maggi controversy surfaced. The incident revealed a can worms and opened up a Pandora's box. It not only appears that the laws were not in place to adequately address such issues but there was sufficient lax in implementation of the existing laws. We would still want to believe that international food chains operating in India have taken adequate safety measures akin to that of their US or European parent's health standards. They advertise their products showing pride from their foreign origin or international reputation and legacy. But when it comes to serving locally, their products and hygiene stan

The Great Indian Cricket Bubble has finally burst this week with the IPL betting and match fixing controversy gobbling up 2 teams and once again bringing the ‘gentleman’s game’ into disrepute. On the brighter side India hogged the headlines over the weekend in another continent when tennis history was created. The women’s doubles and mixed doubles were won by Sania Mirza and Leader Paes respectively with their common partner, Martina Hingis. To top it, the boy’s doubles title was won by Sumit Nangal of India with his Viatnamese partner. Truly a fantabulous achievement, especially in our country, where only one sport has the privilege to be on the cover pages screaming headlines, for good or bad. I wonder why? Why has cricket assumed so much importance in our nation’s lifeline that we do not seem to be able to survive without it? If that is so, why is cricket not our national sport, as many would wrongly believe?   Our modern sporting history got off to a rich start.

The recent comment by India's Union Home Minister has sparked an interesting debate. In his speech given in Hindi to a group of students of an institute in Noida, he said in 'English bolne se gyan nahi hota (one doesn't gain knowledge just by speaking in English). One should speak English when needed'. He further added "I am not talking about only Hindi but all Indian languages. Khali angrez nahin bano. Pehle Bharatiya bano. (Don't become an Englishman. Be an Indian first)". Leaving the political battle and media outcry that followed this comment, I was intrigued as to why he was crying over spilt milk. Due to India's large population, Hindi, being the language spoken by the majority, has become the fourth most spoken language in the world. There are 2 more Indian languages that have made the cut to the top 10 - Bengali and Punjabi. However English, placed third, is widely used and accepted all over the world. India is no exception to this, d

In my previous posts I suggested a few thoughts on extracting valuable time from our daily activities to pursue our aspirations and goals. But I also understand that it is easier said than done. Very often it boils down to one inspiring day when we wake up with a lot of enthusiasm. Something has gone right the previous day or there is something exciting anticipated in the coming day. We make a conscious choice to have a fresh start and we do it also. However, just like the theory of diminishing marginal utility, the enthusiasm wears out faster than the bullet train. And once there is lack of enthusiasm, the initiative loses the thrust and life goes back to square one. This is how we are caught in the endless web of routine life. The vicious circle continues day in and day out. With every passing day its stranglehold increases on us till we are absolutely sure that we have reached the point of no return. That’s when you hear these statements: ‘You do not have age on your side a

I recently completed a year of reinvigorating this almost decade old blog. It was with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm that I openly declared my new found passion. My purpose was to bring to the forefront all anything and everything that affects one's life - from feelings to thoughts from experiences to anecdotes. My endeavor was also to contribute regularly, penning atleast once in a month. How have I fared one year down the line? Not too badly. Although I did not do it once a month, the overall average would be slightly higher than one, since at times I have posted more than once. What have I been upto in the meanwhile? In short what's the progress? Plenty, I would say, on many counts. Since I took to writing, I resurrected another old time activity - contributing articles to the media. And was it pure luck or was it something worth it - I can never be sure - the very first article I wrote found its way (with amendments though) to the editorial page of India's se

We are all leading very hectic lives. Time is always less and there are plenty of things to do. Does it always make you happy to do those things that one ends up doing? The daily activities somewhere become a drag on our lives. If done regularly, the slowly they get into a routine and finally become a part of your life. And once they become a part of your life, you begin to feel that something is amiss if those activities are not done. Let me give you an example of this. Reading the newspaper has become a daily habit for most of us. Most likely we would have picked it up from observing our parents doing the same in our formative years and the habit has stayed. The morning wait for the newspaper vendor to throw the newspaper at our doorstep is a routine activity. If there is a delay, it does give us some anxious moments. And there is a momentary joy in holding a fresh print and unfolding the pages. With the advent of smart phones, the news updates are delivered right into our hands

India’s current form in the league matches of the ICC World Cup 2015 belies their disastrous tour of Australia which concluded only a month ago. The World Cup always evokes emotions from my school days. March is always a tough month for any school kid, more so when exams are knocking on your doors. But even such important things are sidelined when the World Cup wave sweeps your city. What could be bigger in this cricket crazy country? The tournament had returned to India for a second time in almost a decade. India’s performance had been quite dramatic throughout the tournament. After the league stage, India qualified for the knock-out round and their opponents in the quarter final was none other than our neighbours and oft-hailed ‘arch’ rivals, Pakistan. The contest offered mouth-watering prospects. And it transpired that the quarter final fell in Bangalore’s kitty! What more could anyone in the Garden City ask for? All roads led to Chinnaswamy Stadium that fateful day.  

The cakes and pastry 'season' comes alive in the later half of December and spreads over in January. The last week of the year sparks a festive season worldwide and India joins the revelry diligently every. Since our school days Christmas was synonymous with celebration and cakes! It continues and although cakes are available all throughout the year, they attain significance quite unparalleled at any other time. A visit to any place, be it a 5 star restaurant or the local grocery store, is incomplete without indulging the sweet tooth. Bakeries are at their best and go all out to woo customers. But only a handful is able to deliver the ‘different’ experience, which makes them out in the crowd.   Angels In My Kitchen is one such patisserie. Its outlet in Cyber Hub has a select and faithful fan following. It did have first mover advantage for some time, being the lone bakery, but inspite of other places selling cakes in some form or other, Angels has done remarkable wel