Being an Indian . . . .

Yep--okay--that's true--a handful of us are bribable--but rest of us are of exemplary integrity. Absolutely incorruptible. These men and women run the system. My faith in the system is unwavering.

. . . . ?

Tamam Umr Ka Hisab Ma ngati Hai Zindagi
Ma ngati Hai Zindagi
Yeh Mera Dil Kahe To Kya, kay Khud Se Sharmasar Hai

. . . . ?

Yeh Kis Mukaam Par Hayaat, Mujhako Leke Aa Gai
na Bas Khushi Pe Jaha n, na Gam Pe Ikhtiyaar Hai

. . . . ?

Mere Liye Bhi Kya Koi Udas Beqarar Hai ?

Stage-managed or real?

I believe that EVERYTHING is stage-managed. All interactions are pseudo. Is that my delusion? Is that my schizophrenia or reality?

Jekyll and Hyde . . . .

She displays Jekyll and Hyde type symptoms -- happy one moment, a clawing spitfire the next! :-)

Soul-searching . . . .

You'd be fairly well aware of your dwarfishness. You've got to realize that you're a Lilliputian. That's the stepping stone to a Brobdingnagian personality.

Marry me . . . .

Some previous experience is preferred! ;-)

Marry me . . . .

No previous experience required! ;-)

Classless society

I don't believe in class distinctions. I believe in a classless society. I believe that--fundamentally--all men and women are equal.

Justice DENIED!

Kargil war hero's father knocks on UN's door for justice

http://in.news.yahoo.com/kargil-war-hero-s-father-knocks-on-un-s-door-for-justice-132435738.html

My Comments: Incredible India! -- Tight-rope walking

Is this destiny of our children?

Incredible India!: Tight-rope walking

Maybe . . . .

Maybe is a bad word. It keeps you in endless uncertainty!

No . . . .

Learning to say ‘NO’ decisively and firmly is the first step towards assertiveness and non-victim attitude.

In-house martial arts . . . .

Schools and colleges should have mandatory in-house martial arts instructor and dojo.

Optimism . . . .

It's not late. It's the start of a new day. :-)

Intrinsically . . . .

Something is intrinsically wrong with me since childhood! :(

Rain dance . . . .

Life with her is an incessant rain dance! :-)

Modern-day men . . . .

Knights in shining armor is a big myth. In reality: Most modern-day men are weak-kneed, lecher and opportunistic.

Anti-Bullying Alliance

Together we can stop bullying and create safe environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn.

http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org/

 

Anti-bullying week

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-bullying_week

International STAND UP to Bullying Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_STAND_UP_to_Bullying_Day

Anti-Bullying Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Bullying_Day

Anti-bullying cells . . . .

Schools and colleges should have mandatory anti-bullying cells.

Incredible India!

With a double PhD, this man was begging in the streets

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/with-a-double-phd-this-man-was-begging-in-the-streets-298541?ndtv_rhs

Fear . . . .

Fear is good. It keeps you safe. It's from God. People who aren’t fearful of anything are foolhardy -- Not brave or courageous. Overcoming your fear is being gutsy. Absence of fear is foolhardiness -- fear is a natural thing -- overcoming, overpowering it -- is bravery.

Marriage . . . .

Marriage is lifelong romance! :-)

'tujh ko . . . . '

'tujh ko ruswa na kiya -- khud bhi pashayma na hua'

'justaju . . . .'

'justaju jis ki thi -- usko tow na paaya hamnay'

'safar . . . .'

‎'umr ka lamba safar tai kiya tanha hamnay . . . .'

Israel . . . .

Israel has a fundamental, basic and legitimate right to EXIST! Nobody could take that from ‘em. Israelis -- I believe -- are amazing and resolute people -- who’re being unlawfully and wrongly persecuted – since ages.

Pakistan: Get this straight . . . .

Pakistan should understand that we're men and women of principles, intellect, idealism and courage. We don't have kangaroo courts like you've. We follow a stringent and proper judicial system even to prosecute a terrorist like Ajmal Kasab -- And, we just hanged him -- this is what we'd continue to do to heinous and hyenic cowards like him.

'kah nahi saktay . . . .'

'kah nahi saktay kis ka arma hai . . . .'

My marriage . . . .

I'm better off pertinaciously single than marrying a typical, mediocre, myopic, hypocrite girl -- who's also vile and incorrigibly promiscuous and -- God knows -- barren too!

Windows Server 2012

I'm downloading Windows Server 2012 Evaluation. I'm too old for this now--guys! :-)

My Comments: Ekalavya

I believe that that was the beginning of idealism.

Ekalavya

Drona gets worried and demands that Eklavya turn over his right thumb as gurudakshina.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekalavya

 

Ratty. . . .

It cost me eighty rupees to zap a tiny rat. I used a Glue Trap. But I realized that it’s so inhumane.

A eunuch – sissy . . . .

I wanted to be a soldier. But—somehow—I turned into a eunuch – sissy.

Real-life, true-life . . . .

In real-life, true-life your girl is most often taken by someone else. You don't get to marry her.

Marriage . . . .

Marriage isn’t the be-all and end-all of life.

Present and past . . . .

To understand your present – you need to know your past / history first.

My Comments: Be a Black Cat guys

Be a Black Cat guys. Now--that'd be a true life of perfect chivalry: courage, honor, justice, and a readiness to help the weak.

Intellect, idealism and courage . . . .

The Indian Army is looking for a few good men and women. For the best and the brightest amongst them. Men/Women with intellect, idealism and courage. Men/Women who can lead and inspire others. Think about it, it’s a challenge that’ll change your life forever. And that’s a soldier’s word.

Forty something . . . .

I’m forty something and a confirmed bachelor!

Godliness . . . .

You’d be an extraordinary person if you’d learn, adapt and exercise the attributes of God. For instance: forgiveness, generosity, mercy etc.

Ego . . . .

I've learnt that you’d be egoless. You shouldn’t be egoistic.

DR. WAYNE DYER

WAYNE W. DYER, PH.D., is an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. He's the author of over 30 books, has created many audio programs and videos, and has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows.
His books Manifest Your Destiny, Wisdom of the Ages, There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, and the New York Times bestsellers 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, The Power of Intention, Inspiration, Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life, Excuses Begone, and now Wishes Fulfilled have all been featured as National Public Television specials.
Dyer holds a Doctorate in Educational Counseling from Wayne State University and was an associate professor at St. John's University in New York.
Dr. Wayne Dyer is affectionately called the “father of motivation” by his fans. Despite his childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes, Dr. Dyer has overcome many obstacles to make his dreams come true. Today he spends much of his time showing others how to do the same.
When he's not traveling the globe delivering his uplifting message, Wayne is writing from his home in Maui.

http://www.drwaynedyer.com/

This book CHANGED my LIFE!

Pulling Your Own Strings: Dynamic Techniques for Dealing with Other People and Living Your Life As You Choose by Dr. Wayne Dyer. This book CHANGED my LIFE!

I've learnt . . . .

I've learnt not to hold grudges; and to forgive; but at the same time be assertive.

Social conscience . . . .

You’d be good-hearted and have a clear social conscience. That’s all. Nothing else matters.

Secondary OS . . . .

Yesterday: My computer was acting crazy (unresponsive) -- so I'd to Restore it to a previous state. And, I've Ubuntu installed so that way I'd go online and do things. So I mean you'd have a Secondary Operating System like some Linux plus your Primary OS like Windows 7.

Alternate OS . . . .

I'd strongly recommend that you've an alternate Operating System like Ubuntu.

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

 

A trustee of the John Grier orphanage has offered to send Judy Abbott to college. The only requirements are that she must write to him every month, and that she can never know who he is. Judy's life at college is a whirlwind of friends, classes, parties, and a growing friendship with the handsome Jervis Pendleton. With so much happening in her life, Judy can scarcely stop writing to the mysterious "Daddy-Long-Legs"!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daddy-Long-Legs_(novel)

 

Straightforwardness

I believe in straightforwardness.

Naked Voices: Stories & Sketches

In this collection of sixteen stories and three sketches, translated by Rakhshanda Jalil, Manto brazenly celebrates the warts of a seemingly decent society as well as its dark underbelly - tired and overworked prostitutes in 'The Candle's Tears' or 'Loser all the Way'; ruthless as also humane pimps in 'The Hundred Candle Watt Bulb' and 'Sahay'; the utter helplessness of men in the face of a sexual encounter in 'Naked Voices' and 'Coward'; and the madness perpetrated by the Partition as witnessed in 'By God!' and 'Yazid'. In one of the three sketches, which form part of this collection, the author brilliantly reveals himself to the world in a schizophrenic piece titled 'Saadat Hasan' calling 'Manto the writer' a liar, a thief and a failure! And in another titled 'In a Letter to Uncle Sam', Manto superbly couches his anti-imperialistic views in an innocent letter from a poor nephew to a capitalist and prosperous uncle in America.

My comments: BOKU

This is AMAZING! Give it a try, young people! :-)

BOKU

BOKU Mobile Billing lets you pay effortlessly online using just your mobile number.
Save money and spend wisely anywhere with BOKU Accounts

http://www.boku.com/consumers/

Type A and Type B personality theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_A_and_Type_B_personality_theory

Chauvinism . . . .

I love my country; but I'm not chauvinistic! :-)

Trial by fire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_by_fire

Trial by ordeal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_by_ordeal

Dr. Rakhshanda Jalil

Dr. Rakhshanda Jalil has edited two collections of short stories: Urdu Stories (Srishti, 2002) and a selection by Pakistani women writers called Neither Night Nor Day (Harper Collins, 2007); a collection of essays on the little known monuments of Delhi, called Invisible City (Niyogi, 2008, revised third edition 2011); two co-authored books, Partners in Freedom: Jamia Millia Islamia (Niyogi, 2006) and Journey to a Holy Land: A Pilgrim’s Diary (OUP, 2009). She was co-editor of Third Frame, a journal devoted to literature, culture and society brought out by the Cambridge University Press. She has edited and introduced a volume of essays entitled Qurratulain Hyder and the River of Fire: The Meaning, Scope and Significance of her Legacy (Aakar, 2010; and Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2010).

She has published eight works of translations: Premchand’s short stories entitled The Temple and the Mosque (Harper Collins, 1992; revised and enlarged 2011); a collection of satirical writing in Hindi by Asghar Wajahat entitled Lies: Half Told (Srishti, 2002); 32 satirical cameos by Saadat Hasan Manto entitled Black Borders (Rupa & Co., 2003); Through the Closed Doorway, nazms by Urdu poet Shahryar (Rupa & Co. 2004); short stories by Intizar Husain entitled Circle and Other Stories (Rupa & Co. 2004; Sang-e-Meel, Lahore, 2012); a collection of Premchand’s short stories for children called A Winter’s Tale and Other Stories (Puffin, 2007); Naked Voices and other Stories – a collection of stories and sketches by Saadat Hasan Manto translated by her from Urdu (Roli, 2008);  and Panchlight and Other Stories by Hindi writer Phanishwarnath Renu (Orient Blackswan, 2010).

She runs an organization called Hindustani Awaaz, devoted to the popularization of Hindi-Urdu literature and culture and blogs at www.hindustaniawaaz-rakhshanda.blogspot.com and another at IBN Live. Her debut collection of fiction, Release & Other Stories, was published by Harper Collins (India, 2011), and received critical acclaim.

Her Ph. D. on the 'Progressive Writers' Movement as Reflected in Urdu Literature' is being published by Oxford University Press. She was, till recently, Senior Associate Fellow at Council for Social Development, New Delhi and Associate Editor of their journal, Social Change. With over 15 books behind her, she now contributes regularly to national and international newspapers and magazines, writing book reviews, opinion pieces and travelogues. She also contributes regularly to Himal (Kathmandu), The Herald (Karachi) and The Friday Times (Lahore).

At present, she is engaged in an IGNCA-sponsored book-length study of Dr Rashid Jahan, communist doctor and writer.

Indian English (Pushpendra Mohta)

http://www.quora.com/India/What-are-some-English-phrases-and-terms-commonly-heard-in-India-but-rarely-used-elsewhere/answer/Pushpendra-Mohta

Indian English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_English

Example of bad Indian English! :-)

Mala's mixed fruit jam: The ideal fruit-filled accompaniment for your cakes, bakes and morning toast! Roll it in a chapatti or just savour it on its own for a heavenly taste of fruity goodness.

Saadat Hasan Manto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saadat_Hasan_Manto

Mosquito repellent

Mosquito repellent (appliance) should be battery-operated / battery-powered.

On the warpath . . . .

My life has (perpetually) been on the warpath. I’ve to fight my (persistently tormenting) demons everyday.

Ideals . . . .

There’s a time when our ideals used to be Mahatma Gandhi and Panditji. Now—our youngsters are making heroes out of a pack of riffraff.

Listen to Zakir Hussain, people!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtRPB8xHP8M&feature=related

Islam and Science

I've learnt that Islam has all the answers. Science doesn't have all the answers.

Wizards . . . .

Wizards stay up late and never log off! :-)

Calligraphers . . . .

I’ve learnt that there’re people who earn their living by writing names (of invitees) on wedding cards. They’re calligraphers. They use special pens and ink.

Morgiana . . . .

I'm in love with Morgiana since I was very young! LOL Do you remember Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves?

Sticky Notes . . . .

Sticky Notes aren't working! I need a wife! :-)

CSR and Wren & Martin

We used to get Competition Success Review (CSR) – so I knew many things! And, my brother #1 used to teach me English from Wren & Martin.

The Doon School

I wanted to go to the Doon school instead I went to a blackboard jungle! We’re very poor – simply couldn’t afford it.

Jab we met . . . .

We met in a museum -- after a decade or so -- just like shy protagonists in some romantic movie or novel. But it wasn’t awkward. It’s beautiful and thrilling. She gave me a chewing gum. :-) And, called me hunchbacked! :-)

Deviant people . . . .

I have been a failure in my personal and professional life. But there’re more deviant people out there.

India -- my country . . . .

I’ve realized that I know very little about India – about my own country. The more I read about it – the more proud I feel.

Volatility . . . .

I live in such uncertainty and volatility.

Marriage . . . .

Marriage is good. Good food – if she turns out to be a good cook. And, good conversations -- if she turns out to be a good conversationalist.

The Old Man & His God by Sudha Murty

‘People often ask me how it is that so many interesting things happen only to me. To them I reply that in life’s journey we all meet strange people and undergo many experiences that touch us and sometimes even change us. If you have a sensitive mind and record your observations regularly, you will see your life too is a vast storehouse of stories.’

As she goes about her work with the villagers, slumdwellers and the common men and women of India Sudha Murty, writer, social worker and teacher, listens to them and records what they have to say. Their accounts of the struggles and hardships which they have at times overcome, and at other times been overwhelmed by, are put together in this book. A blind old man in a little Shiva temple offers the author shelter and peace in the midst of a storm and emerges as the most generous, unselfish soul she has ever met. A little stone bench under a banyan tree in a village in Karnataka is the perfect place for travellers to rest and forget their burdens for a while as they chat with the man sitting there patiently listening to them, a better counsellor than one can find anywhere in the city.

There are stories about people’s generosity—and selfishness—in times of natural disasters like the tsunami; women struggling to speak out in a world that refuses to listen to them and tales of young professionals trying to find their feet as they climb up the corporate ladder.

Told simply and directly from the heart, The Old Man and His God is a collection of snapshots of the varied facets of human nature and a mirror to the souls of the people of India.

The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk by Sudha Murty

Over the years, Sudha Murty has come across some fascinating people whose lives make for interesting stories and have astonishing lessons to reveal. Take Vishnu, who achieves every material success but never knows happiness; or Venkat, who talks so much that he has no time to listen. In other stories, a young girl goes on a train journey that changes her life forever; an impoverished village woman provides bathing water to hundreds of people in a drought-stricken area; a do-gooder ghost decides to teach a disconsolate young man Sanskrit; and in the title story, a woman in a flooded village in Odisha teaches the author a life lesson she will never forget.

Mahashweta by Sudha Murty

‘Anupama looked into the mirror and shivered with shock. A small white patch had now appeared on her arm.’

Anupama’s fairytale marriage to Anand falls apart when she discovers a white patch on her foot and learns that she has leukoderma. Abandoned by her uncaring in-laws and insensitive husband, she is forced to return to her father’s home in the village. The social stigma of a married woman living with her parents, her stepmother’s continual barbs and the ostracism that accompanies her skin condition force her to contemplate suicide. Determined to rebuild her life against all odds, Anupama goes to Bombay where she finds success, respect and the promise of an enduring friendship.

Mahashweta is an inspiring story of courage and resilience in a world marred by illusions and betrayals. This poignant tale offers hope and solace to the victims of the prejudices that govern society even today.

Ambivalence . . . .

The greatest conflicts are not between two people but between one person and himself. – Garth Brooks

Jonathan Livingston Seagull / Richard Bach

"Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight--how to get from shore to food and back again," writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull. "For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight." Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes the story soar. Ultimately this is a fable about the importance of seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe, or neighborhood finds your ambition threatening. (At one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock.) By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan gets the ultimate payoff: transcendence. Ultimately, he learns the meaning of love and kindness.

The Bridge Across Forever / Richard Bach

If you've ever felt alone in a world of strangers, missing someone you've never met, you'll find a message from your love in The Bridge Across Forever / Richard Bach.

"I stood looking out the window at nothing, noise roaring in my head.

She's wrong. Of course she's wrong. The woman doesn't understand who I am or how I think.

Too bad, I thought.

Then I crumpled her letter and threw it away."

"What if we're soulmates, I thought while she sobbed. What if we're the ones we've been looking for our whole lives long. We've touched and we've shared this quick taste of what love on earth can be, and now, because of my fears, are we going to separate and never meet again? Will I go on the rest of my days looking for the one I've already found, and was too frightened to love?

"There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go."

Bestselling author Richard Bach explores the meaning of fate and soul mates in this modern-day fairytale based on his real-life relationship with actor Leslie Parrish. "This is a story about a knight who was dying, and the princess who saved his life," Bach writes in his opening greeting. "It's a story about beauty and beasts and spells and fortresses, about death-powers that seem and life-powers that are." Yes, it is all that, and more. On the earthly plane this is about the riveting love affair between two fully human people who are willing to explore time travel and other dimensions together even as they grapple with the earthly struggles of intimacy, commitment, smothering, and whose turn it is to cook.

Richard Bach

"A tiny change today brings us to a dramatically different tomorrow. There are grand rewards for those who pick the high hard roads, but those rewards are hidden by years. Every choice is made in the uncaring blind, no guarantees from the world around us."

"Character comes from following our highest sense of right, from trusting ideals without being sure they'll work. One challenge of our adventure on earth is to rise above dead systems -- wars, religions, nations, destructions -- to refuse to be a part of them, and express instead the highest selves we know how to be."

-- One / Richard Bach

World citizen

World citizen has a variety of similar meanings, often referring to a person who disapproves of traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_citizen
 

Survival International

 

Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands, culture and their own way of living. Survival works for the people who they call "some of the most vulnerable on earth". A part of their mission is to educate people from misconceptions that help justify violations of human rights against indigenous people, and the risks that they face from the advancement of corporations, governments and also good intentions based on an idea of "development" that is forced upon them. Survival believes that in fact their alternative way of living is not lacking, they represent a model of sustainability in the environment that they are a part of and they possess a rich culture from which we could learn.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_International

 

http://www.survivalinternational.org/

Osho: My Mentor. My Guru.

There is no need to believe in anything — that is the fundamental of science. That is the scientific approach to reality: do not believe, inquire. The moment you believe, inquiry stops. Keep your mind open — neither believe nor disbelieve. Just remain alert and search and doubt everything until you come to a point which is indubitable — that's what truth is. You cannot doubt it. It is not a question of believing in it, it is a totally different phenomenon. It is so much a certainty, overwhelming you so much, that there is no way to doubt it.

Osho: My Mentor. My Guru.

Neither belief nor disbelief . . ."What I am saying is: neither belief nor disbelief is needed -- because you don't know, so how you believe? and you don't know, so how can you disbelieve? When belief and disbelief are both dropped, there is silence. When belief and disbelief have both disappeared, you are open to truth; then you don't have any prejudice, then your mind is no more projecting. Then you become receptive. Neither believe nor disbelieve. Just be watchful, receptive, open! -- and you will know."-- Walk without feet, Fly without wings and Think without mind / Osho

Osho: My Mentor. My Guru.

Question: Who are you? Answer: Whomsoever you think, because it depends on you. If you look at me with total emptiness, I will be different. If you look at me with ideas, those ideas will color me; if you come to me with a prejudice, then I will be different. I am just a mirror. Your own face will be reflected. There is a saying that if a monkey looks into the mirror he will not find an apostle looking at him through the mirror. Only a monkey will be looking through the mirror. So it depends on the way you look at me. I have disappeared completely so I cannot impose on you who I am. I have nothing to impose. There is just a nothingness, a mirror. Now you have complete freedom. If you really want to know who I am, you have to be as absolutely empty as I am. Then two mirrors will be facing each other, and only emptiness will be mirrored. Infinite emptiness will be mirrored: two mirrors facing each other. But if you have some idea, then you will see your own idea in me. -- Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic / Osho

I'm . . . .

I'm bored, broke and bewildered!

Anti-hero

anti-hero, principal character of a modern literary or dramatic work who lacks the attributes of the traditional protagonist or hero. The anti-hero's lack of courage, honesty, or grace, his weaknesses and confusion, often reflect modern man's ambivalence toward traditional moral and social virtues. Literary characters that can be considered anti-heroes are: Leopold Bloom in James Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922), Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman (1949), the bombardier Yossarian in Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22 (1961), and the protagonists of many of Philip Roth's and Kurt Vonnegut's novels.Read more: anti-hero — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0804235.html#ixzz26kjvxUjB

Unsung hero

Camera-shy

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/camera-shy

Does this ring a bell, people? :-)

Teamwork

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/teamwork

Fishy eyes . . . .

Dull and expressionless -- of a schizophrenic!

Paging you -- BBM people! :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pager

Naiyer Masud

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naiyer_Masud

Ironical

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/ironical

How texting is putting the squeeze on academic writing

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/09/04/nl-texting-language-student-writing-905.html

Remote control . . . .

YouTube should come with a remote control! :-)

Like rabies . . . .

Poverty is like rabies. Don't glorify it.

Fatima Bhutto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_Bhutto

http://fatimabhutto.com.pk/

Pakistan: Nation on the verge of a nervous breakdown / Fatima Bhutto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6KdaLzjDY

I'm Archie!

Are you Veronica?

Are you Betty? :-)

Karma . . . .

In the ultimate analysis -- it's Karma, my friend! :-)

Like Larry King . . . .

I'm wearing suspenders like old-time! I'm sort of looking like Larry King! LOL

Reincarnation . . . .

Wish we'd the concept of reincarnation -- transmigration in Islam! I'd have started my life afresh! :-) And, would've married my girl! :-)

Cowrie

One thing that I'd never learn is money management!

People watching . . . .

I've this habit since childhood: I amuse myself by watching people. Passers-by -- their body language, mannerism etc. I'd love to seriously study Human Psychology. But my memory is warped and zapped. And, I read everything: even hoardings! :-)

Nobody is stranger . . . .

I believe that the world is an extended family! :-)

Gossippers . . . .

All girls by default are gossippers! LOL

Leanings . . . .

I think I've communistic leanings from the beginning.

Conscience . . . .

Our conscience is our (moral) compass.

A genuine concern . . . .

All of us should've a genuine concern for poor people. A genuine desire to help 'em.

Zapped . . . .

My memory is zapped!

Suspenders . . . .

I miss wearing suspenders! :( SULK! That's a talisman! It turns me into an egghead/geek/nerd!

A regretful incident . . . .

Couple of days back -- a mute person (he's probably deaf too) approached me near a theater -- he's pointing towards the movie poster -- and he'd already some money with him -- he wanted the rest to buy a ticket -- I didn't give him -- and since then I'm regretting. I'd have given him some money -- a ticket costs peanuts. He'd have enjoyed the movie (if he genuinely wanted to see it). My mind was so occupied at that time.

On the couch . . . .

I'm on the couch since ten years or so.

Pariah . . . .

I didn't realize -- somehow -- I've become a despicable pariah!

Larry King

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_King

Wobbly legs . . . .

My legs are wobbly
I can't walk properly.

I can't . . . .

Wobbly legs: I can't walk properly.

The 100 Most Influential People in the World

They are the people who inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world. Meet the breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders and icons who make up this year's TIME 100

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2111975,00.html

Life is like a coin . . . .

Life has two sides, like a coin: A positive side and a negative side. I Blog about both.

Caravan

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/caravan

Caravan

Badal Gayee Teri Manzilein Bhi

Bichhad Gaya Mein Bhi Caravan Se

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/caravan

Like Richard Bach . . . .

Wish I were a barnstormer like Richard Bach.
Wish I'd write like him.

List of Top Ten Famous Messages In Bottles

http://listsoplenty.com/blog/?p=10967

Tearjerker . . . .

I've Schizophrenia. I've something else too: It's making me very weak -- sluggish, skeletal and hunchbacked. My memory is warped. If I don't see/hear from someone; they stop existing for me; I'm forgetting 'em totally. I can't tell the 'passage of time' -- duration. Past memories are vague. I barely remember what I did yesterday -- day before yesterday -- last week. My hands are bending. It's affecting my eyesight too. I'm slowly becoming retarded. I hadn't realized this up till now. I've realized it now: I'm not a normal person. I'm abnormal. Something is terribly wrong with me since childhood. That's my sob story! I (erroneously) believed that I'd get married -- relocate to an English-speaking country – particularly America -- and be successful and all that. Anyway, it's Destiny. It's from Allah.

Utopian!

I think I'm a Utopian! :-)

India . . . .

We're one billion plus strong. Have a System that's robust and resilient. There're still many people of scrupulous and incorruptible integrity. And, my faith in the System is steadfast and unfaltering.

Word salad

Wizards stay up late . . . .
Or is that a quirk of fate?

India . . . .

One billion plus: People. We've a System: Robust and resilient. Still many people of: Scrupulous and incorruptible integrity. My faith in the System: Steadfast and unfaltering.

Disagreement . . . .

Disagreement . . . .

What's happening in my life?

I'd start reading: Earnestly and voraciously! :-) I'd Tweet too!

Disagreement . . . .

Sporadic disagreements are good for a relationship to flourish. :-)

Changing the World – One Pair at a Time

Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has delivered over 17 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. The shoes have been distributed to people in over 127 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States. Soles4Souls has been featured in Runner's World, Ladies’ Home Journal, National Geographic’s Green Guide, and The New York Times. It has appeared on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, BBC, CNN and thousands of regional news outlets across North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Anyone can join our cause, and we need your help.

Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear (both new and used).

The idea behind gifts of shoes is nothing new to the Soles4Souls team, as they coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 million pairs donated for these disasters. The team originally operated as www.katrinashoes.org with several churches partnering in the collection and distribution of footwear.

http://www.barefootweek.com/

Ice pellets

Ice pellets (also referred to as sleet by the United States National Weather Service[1]) are a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent balls of ice. Ice pellets are usually smaller than hailstones[2] and are different from graupel, which is made of rime, or rain and snow mixed, which is soft. Ice pellets often bounce when they hit the ground, and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain. The METAR code for ice pellets is PL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_pellets

Telly and Silly billy

Turn off the telly
Read a book silly.

Hourglass

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives," spoken by Macdonald Carey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hourglass

The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA)

The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) is an independent left oriented women's organisation committed to achieving democracy, equality and women's emancipation. AIDWA members are from all strata in society, regardless of class, caste and community. It has an organizational presence in 22 states in India, with a current membership of more than 9 million. About two-thirds of the organsation's strength is derived from poor rural and urban women.

AIDWA was founded in 1981 as a national level mass organisation of women. However, several state units of the organisation came into existence in the crucible of the freedom struggle, each with a commendable record of anti-imperialist and pro-working class actions.

AIDWA believes the emancipation of women in India requires fundamental systemic change. It upholds secular values and challenges and resists cultural practices demeaning to women.

http://aidwaonline.org/

Joy of giving . . . .

I've learnt that giving (irrespective of race, religion, creed or political convictions) -- even just a wee bit -- even at a micro level -- unselfishly and unconditionally gives you joy. Sudha Murty Ji says the same thing -- giving back to society. It's not about money always -- most important thing you'd give to an underprivileged person is dignity and respect. A little chitchat. A pat on the back. Sharing a smoke. Having Chai together. Empathy. Mercy. Compassion.

Good Old Days

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_bell

Introspection

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/introspection

Asha

"Asha" means "hope" in Hindi. We give people living in slum areas hope by allowing them to realise their potential, regardless of their background, caste or religious beliefs.

Around 400,000 people in more than 50 slum colonies of Delhi benefit from our work.

Our methods address deep-rooted social problems alongside those created by poverty. We involve community members in every aspect of our work, changing deeply-ingrained attitudes and bringing about positive developments that last. We make a difference to slum dwellers through:

Empowerment…Asha works to motivate and empower people, giving them the confidence and ability to work together and influence their fellow slum residents, council officials, police, school authorities and others. Learn more.

Healthcare…Networks of trained community volunteers provide basic healthcare to their fellow slum residents. They encourage people to keep themselves healthy and to receive the full benefits of healthcare provided by Asha: community-based health centres or mobile clinics, a polyclinic providing a higher level of healthcare, and effective links with local hospitals. Learn more.

Education…Many NGOs provide education for disadvantaged children, but Asha goes further. It motivates and encourages parents to send their children to school, and makes whole communities aware of the value of education. Asha provides textbooks, sample papers, career advice and help with university applications that make a college education an option - something that was unthinkable before. Learn more.

Financial inclusion…A groundbreaking scheme gives slum dwellers the chance to take control of their finances. Unlike microcredit schemes, which form self-help groups and have ‘middlemen’ dealing with banks on their behalf, Asha’s approach allows slum residents to have direct relationships with banks. They can open accounts with zero balance and can benefit from loans at extremely favourable rates, enabling them to greatly increase their incomes and improve their quality of life. Learn more.

Environmental improvements…It's nearly impossible for people to stay healthy if they live somewhere without clean water or sanitation. Asha makes slums safer places to live by helping residents get access to water, toilets, paved roads, street lighting and other amenities. Learn more.

http://www.asha-india.org/

Portrait of a Bedouin (UAE)

Portrait of a Bedouin (UAE)

Man in the street

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/man-in-the-street

The Art of Simple Living

My past, present and future

My past is vague; future is bleak; and present is uncertain. This sounds like Pakistan's story! Fatima Bhutto would definitely agree with me! LOL

Droid mind-set . . . .

Anything UNSOLICITED is SPAM -- that includes Chain Mails, Forwards etc. That's for droids. :-)

My kind of humor . . . .

Humor is spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous, impromptu thing -- not forwards. That's for droids. :-)

Social injustice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_injustice

Social justice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice

The conductor with a Ph.D.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/article2834547.ece

No relief for RTC bus conductors

Issuing tickets is becoming a tough task for RTC conductors in the city.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3367956.ece

Young fisherman

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/fisherman

Black Cats

Maidaan men agar ham dat jaaen

Mushkil hai ke piichhe hat jaaen

http://www.nsg.gov.in/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Guard

Kuchh yaad unhein bhi kar lo

Kuchh yaad unhein bhi kar lo
Jo laut ke ghar na aaye

Happy Independence Day, People! :-)

Equality

http://dictionary.infoplease.com/equality