Troubleland..really?? or it is our creation!!

It was a pleasant day yesterday and I and my husband ventured out for a cup of coffee. He hates coffee but loves me and in a blink of eye takes me out when I am craving for coffee. After enjoying my cup we marched out of the café. Being genteel, my husband pulled out the door for this educated smart sikh couple simultaneously entering the café. This guy did not even have the courtesy to say thanks. He barged in, not bothering to hold the door for his wife, left her out with a shut door.

What is it about females that make us so vulnerable?

Since ancient times, females have been manifested as the home bearer and men as the bread earner. Times have changed and centuries have passed still we can easily find markings of this old philosophy in our society. Be it educated, rich or poor it is still rooted in many people. Guess blaming men is not correct. It was Eve, a woman, who accepted the responsibility as a home bearer. But blaming her all together does not do any good because we can say for sure whether Adam respected her equally as she did or not. It is something about the female sect that we love carrying this torch and yet grieve about it. See the issue is not who will cook tonight and who will wash the dishes, rather being tight spotted is what my sect declines. It is about the whole perception of few men that this blog is all about.

From the time of our birth, every girl dreams of having her own home, pampering her interior decorator, relishing being a devoted wife and cherishing being a mother. In any relationship, divided duties and equal respect bring out the best in both partners. Our semantically complex world has many untapped areas and seems like we have mentally accepted victory on being a home bearer and wish to claim victory on other designations. Yet we have males and females like my yesterday’s collision. It saddens me watching men behave so disrespectful to their spouses, mother of his kids and even deepens the grief when females accept such decorum thus inculcate same etiquettes in their kids. Maybe these couples are so engrossed in their duties that they have forgotten being cultured towards each other.

We are being taught in schools to respect each other yet few boys end up being man disrespecting their mothers and wives. How can we claim that our education is intact and we are growing as an economy when basic humane conduct is not being injected in our generations? When kids are toddlers, imparting them this vital schooling is way too important than expecting masters and degrees when they finish their education. Rather it needs to be a crucial duty of parents to transmit etiquettes to their little angels so that we don’t have men dishonoring women.

“It is a man’s job to respect women but it’s a women’s job to give him something to respect…”

Let it go Happily!!!!

How tough is it to let go of the past and welcome the future?

I know it’s always hard to say things but it gets harsh when we have to let go of them because actual perspective builds up once you are in that situation. But haven’t we all been there? Letting go of your favorite bed time teddy, your best flavor of ice cream, your 1^st grade dress, your first bicycle and so on. I love them all… we all did… !!!

Today companies are changing their products at such a fast pace, it’s like me eating uncle chips. Hahha.. Yes I know it’s a weird comparison but for me uncle chips were the most important part of buying groceries while back in India. And then the unknown disaster happened. PepsiCo acquired the company manufacturing Uncle chips and decided to tap this brand’s customer base by introducing even more flavors of Lays. No no this blog is not on decline of uncle chips or all acquisitions of PepsiCo rather on an underlying subject of “Change”.

I am sure we all are familiar with this trend of products phasing out and even more in quantity being introduced. Today we have so many choices available everywhere and in everything. We can happily survive only if we accept this change with high spirits. However can we? Yes why not. I was a loyal customer of Uncle Chips since I remember eating. We have parted our ways with happiness. Again it’s easy to say to change however it is tough based on your relationship with the product, garment, flavor or even a person. At my husband’s workplace, one of his colleagues has Metathesiophobia, fear of change, and he procrastinate any new thing the team suggests to implement. We have so many people around who suffers from this but will not accept it because for them acceptance is part of change. I guess with such people around, team can never change, grow and prosper.

If we look around, everything changes every second… even nature. The earth that we have known is not the same anymore. Take our kids for instance. Today even a toddler knows how to operate a cell phone or an i-pad whereas when we were that age, we were so naïve.

This scares me a little also, if we all keep on changing, then nothing will be constant. What about relationships? Accordingly to a report published by UN’s Demographic and Social Statistics Division, Belgium has been ranked as top country in the world with highest divorce cases and a percentage of 71%. Sad isn’t it? A nation being ranked topper in broken relationships and hence a love-starved childhood for the kids. I guess this cannot be categorized under change as this is palpitation of a depressed mind for an uncertain future.

So accept change and do change but value the importance of things, relations and people around you. And yes it is not tough to let go of past and venture into future if you have the loving support of your family and friends and most importantly yours.

Rebirth of Feminism

We often tumble across this question, “Are you a feminist?” and I feel proud in saying that Yes I am. I believe in equality among men and women. God made men and women different which should be respected and appreciated but not to be marked as weakness of any one of both the sexes. People generally are very skeptical in getting related to this word and opt not to express on this subject yet it remains an important part of our daily lives. Lets brisk ourselves with the real Feminism and let’s not be afraid of this.

Many of you might not be aware that the word “Feminism” was born on the lands of France and achieved worldwide magnitude around 1900s. Around then, women were casted as a weak race meant for child birth and household chores. This theory brought a radical change in the thought process of both men and women, raising their voices on the forever on-going inequality on women and thus the revolution caught up speed. This was the first wave of this ocean that hit us all and I feel this was the best thing that humans witnessed. However the revolution brought with it another set of group with agenda “We hate Men”, with female members who were badly oppressed voicing out their hatred against men. An epic event in New York took the world with a shock when a small group of women bought tickets to a pageant show with banners reading “WOMEN’S LIBERATION,” and shouting “Freedom for Women” and “No More Miss America,” hereby exposing the public to an early second-wave feminist agenda.

The best take out from the second wave of Feminism was that this era focused on the notion and interests of all the oppressed groups: women, blacks and homosexuals yet hatred for men grew along. Well to be true I am not a fan of this radical movement as I strongly believe it is based on irrational vitriol on all men. By basic definition, Feminism means political, economic and social quality of the sexes and not one sex even if the same sex has been oppressed for ages known to mankind. It just does not make any sense how you can be unequal when equality is the actual agenda on hand. I feel this was the era when Feminism lost its essence.

In an interview, Sharon Stone was quoted: “The more famous and powerful I get the more power I have to hurt men.” Another quotation from famous author Marilyn French “All men are rapists, and that’s all they are.”

Is this what Feminism mean? Per me these sad presentations from such pivotal women portrays disturbing sentiments. I guess the real problem with the theory is it exploits the legitimate claims of equality as a blanket for neurotic interests. We have a right to anger if we are oppressed but we cannot turn anger into rage because that is meaningless. I would never ever think of a life without my loving husband, my darling father and my loved brother rather I would teach my kids about equality of all irrespective of sex, color and religion. We are just as strong as men yet we need them to escort us when we are alone as men are potential rapist. Blaming does not help solve the concern. The best medication is imparting right education to our kids so that no female has to go through a rapist.

I have experienced inequality during my childhood at the hands of my grandparents, when my brother was allowed to play cricket and I was asked not to because it’s a boy game. However small this act was but it builds in when added with many more examples. I feel I was blessed to have parents who stood up for me and allowed me to go out and explore life. Having so many friends who had a list of do’s and don’ts from their parents, my life turned out a blessing. I wonder how come people have become so comfortable living in this menace and choosing not to talk. I feel talking generates change and it should be a healthy part family conversations.

Today we have entered the era of modern Feminism and I am a firm believer and a supporter of this. This the age where both men and women flaunt their femininity to seek global perspectives. I feel proud in creating alliances with blacks, lesbian, gay, bi and importantly all religions. We have amazing women leaders like Malala Yousafzai, the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate who does not blink without quoting “Extremists have shown what frightens them most: A girl with a book”.

Very rightly said by this young revolutionary, education grows you as a person. For me, Feminism means being human to one and all. An amazing movement launched by British actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson to give a new face to equality called HeForShe. This project brings forward a new concept where men need to take up the mantle of speaking against inequality. Her speech gave me a sense of pride that if this 24 year old can arouse new meaning of Feminism in modern age then what is hampering us in walking away from this peril. 

Feminism is beyond the borders of race and color. Appreciating it not as a threat and as an opportunity only can take us forward in creating a safe and comfortable home for all.

For all those interested, here is the link of Emma Watson’s speech on HeForShe campaign. It is worth watch and definitely to be absorbed in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-iFl4qhBsE

Imminent Robot uprising!!

So recently a Canadian chatty and social media savvy robot, HitchBot, completed its 6000 Km journey across Canada and tweeted “I need to recharge, hitchhiking is tough”. Made using pool noodles, an old beer cooler bucket, Wellington boots, rubber gloves, solar panels and a computerized brain, this project aims at understanding human-robot interactions. This fascinating beer cooler turned hitchhiking robot met hundreds of people on its journey, attended a wedding, partied in Golden B.C., visited a powwow and met world famous albino groundhog, something which only humans intend to add to their wish list.

During our schooldays, we were not allowed use of calculator, even for higher mathematics and today kids even in grade 8th are using calculators to perform simple calculations. This is a very small example of how human dependency has elevated on machines. Focus on where to achieve not how to achieve is the mantra today. Programming Christmas lights during holidays so as to avoid the hassle of switching on the lights every day has become a chore in every neighborhood. Washing your car at automatic washing centers, an auto-pilot in an airplane, sophisticate burglary alarm, driver less trains and GPS are necessary robots alive in our daily lives.

At University of Toronto, Prof Goldie Nejat has come up with a unique idea of adding helping hand for long term care facilities. Two robots named Tangy and Casper will help health care providers with simple and repetitive tasks to make lives of senior citizens more comfortable. Gradually this technology can be used in homes as well. This reminds me of movie Bicentennial Man where an android wanted to be human, showing all possible humanly emotions. So imagine if machine can be tender and emotional it definitely can be destructive. We all have seen movies like Terminator, Matrix and Transformers: A mother sends a pre-programmed aging soldier from past to save his son's life in future, an ugly man-machine war with mechanic worms attacking humans and a sloppy camaro transformed into a gutsy robot send from another planet to save earth from another newly transformed villian robot. Scary isn’t it..

Artificial intelligence has taken over manual harsh workings and has improved efficiency at many companies. Amazon flaunts that their business has witnessed a swooping increase after deploying more than 15000 wheeled robots during Holiday season. Such technology can outsmart humans in no time. Although due to this technology, we got applications like Aidcolor which facilitate visually impaired people to identify color. Helping our country’s intelligence in scanning and netting out messages for possible threats and coding alerts is one of the many important benefits disposed by this technology. 

This dual faced robot revolution was born in Japan and is believed to be rooted in their Shinto faith wherein equal importance is imparted on both animate and inanimate objects. A very noble thought yes but putting my future in the hands of robotic era is a very dangerous notion. It is a virgin untapped arena where the possibility of a machine turning humane and nuclear stands still. Scary yes but that’s the future. 

Guess I just need to make peace with this concept in spite of my apprehensions as machines are here and they are good to stay!!

Is Art racist?

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - Henri Bergson, French Philosopher and Educator

So true!! You can only grasp what your mind is prepared to. So does this mean that artistic creations will suffer as they do not compliment ideologies of certain sect of people. What conspired in the murder of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly magazine, can be perceived as either “end of democracy” or “a start of an era of revolutionary art”. It all depends upon the pre-conceived notions of people who read this.

This French magazine’s new cover of Prophet Mohammed has drawn mixed reactions worldwide. To avoid racial criticism the magazine explained what the drawing is portraying however you cannot change the pre set perspectives of people. Hence many Muslims worldwide are feeling insulted. So who decides the division line in art? Does the religion give their dos and don’ts? So in a particular religion who will get this powerful role? Should government be given the power to censor art? Is that democracy?

The world of art is not new to criticism hence addressing racism both real and perceived is a sticky task. Historically artists, writers, painters and film makers worldwide were killed, slaughtered, disappeared and even send to exile because their art was considered racial. Recent image circulation of Russian socialite and Garage editor-in-chief Dasha Zhukova sitting on a bondage chair held up by a mannequin in the likeness of a black woman published on Dr. Martin Luther King Day drew attention worldwide. The message understood from this art was white dominance and black women as objects. However the real message portrayed by the artist was symbolizing chair as bondage and women their prey. This art was to bring out the message that even today women are being suffered in various aspects of society. One of the main roles of art is to talk about disturbing things and make people confront them in themselves. And both the artist and Russian socialite had to come out with apology.

I am not advocating acceptance of art as it is but where do we draw the line. How do we fence the creativity that is required to come up with art. Freedom of speech and expression is a right for all and protests should be expressed if artworks are deemed offensive. With intellectual understanding of a certain subject, real implications need be drawn of a certain art and artist.

I believe in meaningful art and society. Revolutionary art is what our world need today badly.   

Killers of Humanity!!!!!

Peshawar school massacre slaughtering 132 kids, Gun point hostage at Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney's Martin Place for 16 hours resulting in death of 2, Bomb Blast in Bangalore India killing 1 women and the recent shooting at French newspaper’s Paris office killing 12 marks the end of humanity on mother earth. The list does not stop here. Till date we have witnessed worst terrorist attacks killing innocents at sight. It’s like these radical groups lead by extremists leaders driven by religious ideologies just want to hurt innocents for no logical reason. And I would humbly request one and all, please do not blame Muslim community for these blood baths carried on by few radicals organizations.

As per the Terrorism report published by IEP (Institute of Economics and Peace), since 2000 there has been a fivefold increase in terrorist attacks and around 80% terrorist killings were in just five countries- Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria. However terrorism attacks cannot be regionalized as everybody suffers- physically and physiologically. The tactical attacks being carried out speak out loud about the strategic training delivered to terrorists. These rebels are armed with latest technological weapons and brilliant strategic planning. As per this report, Militant organization ISIL pays each member $ 400 per month along with a bonus every year with added premiums for a dependant. Many people joining these organizations are well educated and come from middle class families. In 2010 the estimated size of the Taliban was said to be 36,000 to 60,000. I seriously wonder what possibly can turn a human into a bomber killing innocents without a blink of eye.

I feel terrorism is a result of weak political arena and lack of legit governance. It affects working of a nation, group and individual rooting in fear to perform on global platform hence resulting in slowed economic growth and poverty.

This menace has been long standing now and need to be dealt with urgency and detailed tactical delivery. Leaders worldwide need to bring significant improvement in national security and counter terror intelligence groups so that this massacre can come to an end. 

Importantly we all need to stand up and be more vigilant in our own neighborhoods, whistling out an odd behavior yet respecting each and everyone’s religion and lastly nor least spread peace.

Let’s re-create a beautiful safe world so that our future generations can survive to see the beauty of our planet.

Say Yay Peace…. Yay peace…. Yay peace….

Making Workplace Homeplace

We all want to have a workplace stress free, welcoming and comfortable. It is really tough to bridge a balance between work and personal life. In fact juggling between so many activities and having a healthy life becomes a huge task in itself.

With world economy at the brink of rigorous ups and downs, there is always a risk of losing skilled employees. Hence it becomes top priority for the companies to have stress free and happy employees so that their efficiencies do not get affected and deliverables are achieved timely. This in turn enhances the performance of the companies. Several case studies had proved that companies offering such practices have high retention, satisfied employees and positive work attitude.

Companies use variety of approaches to inject friendly environment at workplace. However there is no right way of doing so as it varies from company to company and really depends upon individuals and leaders. The right culture mix for your company will likely emerge after experimentation and input from employees.

Colgate-Palmolive tops Forbes’s list of the 25 best big companies in the world for work-life balance. Founded in 1806, the New York-based consumer products giant currently employs over 35,000 workers. As per the employees, the company sets realistic goals and offers some great benefits, such as flexible work hours, telecommute options, and nearby back-up childcare centers, which is a nice perk for work-at-home parents. As a result, has a high rate of employee retention.

Walt Disney is recognized for their focus on training and team building, as well as the happiness of their employees. And Google is known for “promoting flexible schedules and personal and professional balance, where employees learn how to manage their time, multitask and collaborate.”

A number of companies offer work/life balance perks including flex time, daily workouts, on-site showers, and even stipends for fitness memberships and activities. Incorporating fun element is a vital thing. Having “town-hall” meetings and sharing success stories, company growth and giving an opportunity of Q&A to all employees builds in more focus in achieving the set goal.

Today salary is not the only thing attracting potential skill however company culture increases the worth of the company. Overall if the work environment is friendly, there is a perfect balance o quality and quantitative work directing company towards set goals.

Few take aways that ensure satisfied employee retention:

• ·         Having policies like “work life balance”
• ·         Adequate vacation time so that employees are not working while on holidays. Does not do much good
• ·         Flexibility of timings till all deliverables are getting met
• ·         Provide on site child care facilities so that newly turned moms and dads can work stress free
• ·         Paternity leaves are really important
• ·         Having mentor program so as to ensure employees are focused on improving areas
• ·         Investing in employees by offering various trainings and seminars
• ·         Getting regular employee surveys is a great way of finding out how they feel about workplace and what all improvements are required

What’s the Name for the Dot Over the i and j?

What’s the Name for the Dot Over the i and j?

Gateway to Happiness...

What is it about Happiness that people find it so hard to be happy? Why is it that for eternal happiness you have to join some ashram or courses and follow a regime? Nobody has been able to answer these questions and neither can I because it is not an external thing that can be incorporated rather it is something which need to be felt within yourself. And this exact practice seems tough for all to follow.

Okay let’s try and understand what exactly happiness is all about. It is purely a state of mind when you feel joyful, content, satisfied and high with positive spirits. So what are the hindrances in achieving these feelings? In today’s world, money pays a huge role in achieving happiness? Do you believe in that? I am guessing no here. Let’s dive in a little bit more here.

Reach out to a beggar and ask if he/she is happy? The only prompt revert you will get is a laid out palm for help. So if this beggar has no money, is he/she happy? Not at all rather the beggar is worried about food and place to sleep.

We all heard about famous quote “Health is wealth” which means everything is perfect if you are fit and fine. There are so many healthy options laid out for a fit breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now all you need to do is buy these items. To make a purchase you need money. Well here we go then, to follow “Health is wealth” you need wealth. However it is wrong to conclude direct proportion between happiness and money as long term happiness only comes with true friendship, beautiful marriage, stable job, meeting all expenses and living a healthy life.

In today’s world, money do play an important role in having an up and running home, spending quality time with family on holidays, giving out presents on festivals, owning a vehicle for family and fees for your kid’s education.

Have you all heard about term “Happynomics”------ well it is all about economics of happiness. Economists worldwide are deeply studying and researching on this very term as this leads to happiness of an individual, a community and even a nation. National happiness is most closely associated with health levels, prosperity, education and trust in public institutions. Democracy is a sure guide to happiness. The game of economic is purely managing your income against your expenses and yet having some savings left. Lower income does not lead to unhappiness however people enjoy simpler low cost things in their lives.

It is hard to be happy if your work is sucking up all your energy. This thing has been realized and so many companies have come up with options like “work life balance” at your workplace which means effective working in the required number of hours and spending quality time with friends and family. Options like giving a manageable health benefits to your employees and building day care facilities for employees who are newly turned moms and do not have help at home to manage toddlers. These things give more happiness and satisfaction than a big bonus check and company share options.

Psychologists Robert Biswas-Diener and Ed Diener found that happiness is region based as well. They found Latin Americans to be happiest people in the world, in spite of their thick poverty. Asian are least happy due to self developed negative responses. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is introducing a metric known as Gross National Happiness. Considerations will include how people use and balance their time, the health of the culture and community, and the quality of governance. (Sources: BBC and Time Magazine.)

So is wealth does not bring happiness, what does? There is a huge virgin area in your brain where positive thoughts origin day in and day out. We all tend to ignore this in our daily lives. Hence being optimist makes you happy. It all comes down to four basic keys to be followed for happiness ---- believe in more sensory experiences, enjoy your work and family time, live meaningful lives and last and not the least manage your expenses to your income with a minimum savings.

Happynomics first appeared in the grow Qatar blog.

Making mouthwatering Besan Ladoos

In India cooking sweets at home is a more like a daily chore and eating is a ritual. During my childhood days and even after that eating Besan ladoos cooked by my mom was one of my fav sweets. Although been a doctor, my mom was always up and busy with her work but whenever she could take out time, it was cooking these delicious sugar recipes for me and my brother. 

After shifting from India, I tried my hand at cooking Besan Ladoos and came out very well. There are numerous videos and recipes available on internet but if anybody is looking for a 4 step recipe for making these awesome Ladoos, you have reached your destination.

The total prep time for cooking Besan Ladoos is exact 40 minutes.. So here we go.

Ingredients:

4 cups Besan(gram flour), 2 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup Desi ghee (keep same cup for exact measurements), 12-15 cashew nuts and 12-14 almonds(dry fruits).

Recipe:

11)  Grind all cashew nuts and almonds in a mixer/blender and place them aside

22)  In a non stick pan, add ghee and once it is warm (not very hot), add besan (gram flour) and cook it at medium flame for about 45 mins. This need to be exact 45 mins so that Besan is cooked uniformly. The aroma of cooked Besan will tell you that it is done.

33) Add powdered sugar and grinded dry fruits to cooked Besan

44)  Let it cool for 10 mins and not more than that cause forming Laddos will be tough once this mix is too cool. Now begin the fun game of making balls. Go nuts and make any shape.

Enjoy these Ladoos anytime of the day just like me.. I am eating one while writing this blog. Cheers!!!!

How Christmas came along

So it is “Christ mass” season!!! We have Rudolph - the Red-nosed Reindeer, holly wreaths, decorated trees, mistletoe, season’s greetings, seasonal music, “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, receiving and giving gifts everywhere and of course Santa Claus is coming to town. Engaged in all these activities, the importance of sharing the origin of Christmas has been lost. So here it goes, this is my Christmas gift to all the readers…

Once upon a time, a long long long time ago, an angel was born in Bethlehem. He was Jesus, son of God, born in the world to fight against the wrong doings and bring a message of goodwill to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of knowing about this great event. They knew this was no ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child. And this marked the start of Chritmas…

However if you wish to know the real history behind this festival, please continue reading….

There is no mention of this festival in Bible. Per The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 edition, the Christian church used to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth. It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman church kept Christmas, and not until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival honoring “Christ.”

On the contrary, the pagan world has celebrated this festival for thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Nearly all aspects of this festival have their roots in Roman culture and religion.  It is considered likely the first Christmas celebrations were in reaction to the Roman Saturnalia (December 17-25^th), a harvest festival that marked the winter solstice—the return of the sun—and honored Saturn, the god of sowing. In ancient Rome, December 25th was the shortest day of the year. So actually the Romans were celebrating the pagan festival of Saturnalia and not Christmas. It occurred each year around the beginning of winter, or the winter solstice. This was the time when the sun had taken its lowest path across the sky and the days were beginning to lengthen, thus assuring another season of growth and warmth so that plantation can occur. Shocking isn’t it!!!!

As per ancient Greek writer, poet and historian Lucian (in his dialogue Saturnalia), this festival was a long period of lawlessness. There was a widespread of human sacrifice, Roman pagans used to sing and run naked from home to home consuming human shaped biscuits (which all Christmas celebrating people buy now from bakeries).  So in the 4th century CE, Christian leaders persuaded pagan masses to convert in Christianity promising they can continue to celebrate Saturnalia as Christians. However the concern was there was no relation between Saturnalia and Christian. To eradicate this issue, Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday. Here you go. That’s how Christmas came along as “Christ mass”.

No reading is complete without talking about Christmas tree. The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. But the Germans got it from the Romans, who got it from the Babylonians and the Egyptians. Actually the tree is an interpretation of these non Christian cultures wherein Evergreens were thought to represent the ever-burning fire of life, green affirms nature and ongoing life, red is a symbol of fire of spirits. All the decorative balls represent the planets. The bright star on the top of the tree points towards heaven, all the gods and symbolizes that spirit unites with nature.

The Christmas tress came in fashion by 1846 when popular royals, Queen Victoria and German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. However the credit of starting the Christmas tree tradition goes to Germans where trees were decorated at homes.

Now comes the turn of our sweet Santa Claus. Some of this elf’s characteristics date back many centuries. The belief that Santa enters the house through the chimney developed from an Old Norse legend. The Norse believed that the goddess Hertha appeared in the fireplace and brought good luck to the home.

Although there comes another European theory wherein the original Santa Claus, was a bishop by the name of St. Nicholas of Asia Minor of the fourth century, who used to give gifts to the needy under an evergreen tree.

And here is another factual intake for you. In 1931, the Coca Cola Corporation contracted the Swedish commercial artist Haddon Sundblom to create a coke-drinking Santa.  Sundblom modeled his Santa on his friend Lou Prentice, chosen for his cheerful, chubby face.  The corporation insisted that Santa’s fur-trimmed suit be bright, Coca Cola red.  And Santa was born – a blend of Christian crusader, pagan god, and commercial idol.

What so ever is said or written about Christmas’s origin, the fact remains the same in all cultures. Christmas is the season of happiness, goodwill and helping the needy. God is one and He says the same. Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Why Greenland named so....

The naming of Greenland is pretty contrary to its climatic appearances. Do you ever wonder that with a total ice cap of 80% of the island, how come the naming went all haywire? It is pretty interesting to know that there are many theories behind the naming of this country. One of the most exciting and traditional is the saga of Erik the Red Viking.

The Vikings were a race of Scandinavians (settlers of Northern Europe mainly Denmark, Norway and Sweden) commonly known as blood thirsty warriors who paved their way through Europe marking many well settled trade colonies. Before I start to narrate this theory, here is a small historic tale of Greenland.

Greenland was first inhabited about 4500 years ago. Due to extreme weather conditions, these inhabitants either died or left leaving their signs of presence near Maniitsoq (a town in western Greenland).  The next migration came from East, following southern coast exploration by Erik the Red Viking. It is believed that after being sent to exile from Iceland, he landed up discovering Greenland. This was a punishment rendered for committing a murder. Surviving for several years in Greenland, he ended up liking the island and wanted to settle more fully. Erik the Red is believed to have lived from circa 950 to 1003CE. However since he needed to convince others to come and live with him, after going back he painted the island as a wonderful place to settle in. So the naming has nothing to do with the arctic conditions however purely a marketing strategy by this Viking was. Interesting, isn’t it?

One theory is that the “green” in Greenland is actually a translation error. The word “grunt” actually means ground and it could be that Greenland was meant to be named Gruntland (or ground land).

Another theory follows as Scientists have estimated that the ice sheet that covers Greenland is between 400,000-800,000 years old! It covers approximately 80% of the island, and is about 3 kilometers thick in places… so the ancient settlers to the island probably didn’t see much difference in appearance or terrain from what we see today.

Here are few fun facts I came across while reading about Greenland:

v  Much of the island is covered by a sheet of ice. The only area that is not covered in ice is only clear because the air is so dry that ice cannot form and was used as a hunting ground by native inhabitants and several nations have used the island as a strategic launching point or a base during various conflicts and wars

v  Geographically Greenland is part of North America however nationally is part of Denmark. In 1946, US offered to buy Greenland however Denmark refused.

v  Capital of Greenland is Nuuk

v  Approximately 10-15,000 glaciers break off Greenland’s glaciers each year.

v  The ice cap of Greenland was first crossed in 1888 – on skis!

v  The sun never sets from May 25th to July 25th.

v  The Northern Lights can be seen on clear nights all throughout the year.

v  July is the only month when the temperature gets above the freezing point.

v  June 21, the longest day of the year, is a national holiday.

v  All of Greenland's cities are built along the coast because it is the only area in the country that is ice-free. Most of these cities are also along Greenland's west coast because the northeastern side is comprised of the Northeast Greenland National Park

v  The official languages of Greenland are Greenlandic and Danish, but English is also widely understood

v  Currency is Danish Krone

v  Fishing and fish exporting is a major part of the Greenlandic economy, with shrimp fishing industry being by far the biggest income generator

v  Transport between cities in Greenland is by air and boat as there are no connecting roads due to the many fjords

v  Football (soccer) is the national sport of Greenland. However, the Football Association of Greenland is not yet a member of world governing body FIFA because it cannot grow grass for regulation grass pitches

v  Greenland is the 12th largest country in the world, with a size of 2,166,086 square kilometers, making it the world’s largest island that is not a continent

One of my fav quotes from Khahil Gibran

This time it is Uber...

What conspired in New Delhi on 5^th Dec 2014 was yet another shameful act. A driver of an international renowned cab service provider, Uber, allegedly raped a 25 year old MNC executive. 

Utter negligence of this San Francisco, California based company in hiring the drivers with sound background and right attitude.

So the question arises, how to ensure that the booked cab comes with a driver of sound mind? Who to blame, the driver or the company providing the cab service? Nobody can take guarantee of anyone whether the one will commit a crime or not but these companies can definitely ensure that the drivers hired do not have any criminal background. The driver involved in this crime had a previous history of involvement in another rape case and yet he was hired by this company, now what does this say about the attitude of leader? The leaders have issued a statement that they cannot do a background check of 4000 drivers in India. Can we ask why?

In Thailand and Vietnam, Uber’s operations are reported to be illegal as the company and drivers were not authorized to run cab service.

In Portland, the company is in violation of more than 20 civil and criminal provisions.

Spanish phone companies have ordered to block Uber App following similar actions as around the world.

Now the irony is that in spite of all a black background why did the Indian government allowed this company to operate here? Is there no background check done when a company launches itself in a new country? If not this is high time, government should lay in place few important check points for any company to position itself.

Don’t know how many more crimes are required for these leaders to wake up and stand up!!!

Quick First Aid tips!!!

Giving first aid to someone in need is something everyone should be aware with. Through this post, I would like to share the best practices as to how and what first aid to render.

Since both my parents are doctors, I was fully exposed to cases coming in the hospital for various diseases and concerns. First aid was one thing that my parents felt was vital for me to learn; and I would like to share with you all as well.

This can save a person who is ill in becoming a serious case and thus can save lives. Do not even try to give someone first aid unless you don’t know what to do. The wrong actions can do more harm than good. I have tried my best to jot down almost all important things. You can find many websites with detailed information as well.

Immediate call for help: if someone is hurt, first and foremost call ambulance and if any accident to report, both ambulance and police need to be called so that right action can be taken.

Urgent first aid: at times you cannot wait for help to reach and immediate aid should be delivered. For those cases, here are some important things to know

-          Do not move a person as there might be a broken bone or internal injuries

-          Do not give them any food or liquid as they might need an operation

-          In case you are sure that there are no broken bones, turn the victim to one side just to avoid choking

-          Do not overcrowd the victim so that breathing is easy

-          If victim can move, take them away from sun and under any shade

-          Always be clam and explain to the victim about the situation and say that help is on its way

Bleeding:  This can cause immediate death if the wound is bleeding strongly. In such cases, always press the wound with a sterile handkerchief or a towel for 10-12 minutes till help arrives.

Artificial respiration: In case the victim has stopped breathing, immediately start with artificial respiration. The best way to do this is mouth-to-mouth. Put the victim on their back, get down on your knees, press the nose together and place your mouth on victim’s mouth. You need to blow real hard so that the chest rises up. Repeat the procedure till the victim starts breathing.

Always keep a first aid kit in your car, house, and office so that at these immediate situations, right kit is available.

Be Cinderella

“Dare if you want to. Don’t fear you’ll fall. Take a chance cause its better than never to chance it at all” Cinderella II

Being rescued by a charming and handsome knight and live happily ever after!!! It’s every girl’s dream to have a Cinderella story and indeed they do, just need to zoom in and change the perspective.

Right from birth, a girl is a princess for her father, her brother which changes once she gets married to a gentleman who is her knight in his own way. But I strongly feel that this fairy tale is not only about attaining the happiness of romance however having faith and confidence in you to reach your dreams.

The first and foremost is having confidence in yourself to dream and dream big and high up to the potential you can see and yes sure beyond that as well. This enthusiasm of seeing beyond the horizon itself covers half your path. Today people even fear to dream. Inner happiness scares them as that will make them follow path which their peers, parents, friends and family has abandoned. They will join meditation courses; will take trips for few weeks to ashrams but this all goes in vain once back to their lives. Cinderella was a story of this poor girl who dreamed to voice out that her true love will come no matter what. So this was a thought that you can dream anything and having faith in that will make it come true. This was precisely what happened in the end. There is a beautiful quote by Rumi..

 “If light is in your heart, you will find your way home”

Which means illumination in your heart makes you reach the place you call home…. Beautiful isn’t it. It blows me every time I read this.

By definition word “Cinderella” means ----- a person who reaches success even after having rigorous hardship. If you were unsuccessful once does not mean that you have failed rather it means that you have not won yet. Every chance you receive is an opportunity to do your best and just keep doing that.

We have so many live examples in front of us instead of this fairy tale like Dalia Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Benazir Bhutoo, Malala Yousafzai and the list goes on. Although these people gave up their lives for dreams of much bigger cause but we can extract so much of learning’s and faith from these legends.

Faith is a very subjective word; it can be on a concept, on a thought, on a person, on a saint or even on a book. Today we are having world wars because a single person’s faith is not being recognized worldwide. Having faith in a dream of someone who wants power creates destruction however on the other hand having faith in someone with a message of peace creates harmony. There is a very fine line difference when it comes to following a person. So whenever you are on that path, open your heart and your eyes to understand the difference.

The whole purpose of this blog is to make you all and me realize that always we know the difference between the right and wrong doings. We need to have faith and confidence in us and follow the path of happiness and peace. We do not need war but we do need love.

Be Cinderella for yourself and people around.

Game of Coffees!!

It is my first love, my soul mate, my lover, who never ever fails to make me blissful every time I take a sip of it. COFFEE!!! Yes I am a coffee lover. Before moving to Calgary after my wedding, I used to date Barista Lavazza atleast once a day. A decaff Americano with one brown sugar sachet and no milk used to make my day. A welcome smile in the café was like topping on the cake.

Personally I was never a fan of black coffee. During my childhood, my mother used to make milk coffee for me thrice a day so that I am up and fresh for my studies. Well then I used to enjoy coffee more than the books. My mother played a pivot role in my habit of reading and writing while sipping my fav coffee brand.

After coming down to Calgary I realized that the taste of coffee is really different then it was back in India. This really amazed me as how is it possible for the same bean, technique and brand to taste so different and I did start my research.

It all comes down to what we call terroir.

Like wine, coffee expresses regional characteristics and exhibits the effects of its terroir, or "taste of place." Differences in soil, altitude, rainfall, processing techniques, and even social conditions affect what's in the cup.  One of the most important conditions is the areas own traditions and for handling and processing coffee. WOW…Isn’t it amazing!!!

Well big coffee brands like Starbucks do manage to keep same coffee taste throughout the world because of their programmed filtration systems to treat the water which spins into same cup of your fav coffee. So the coffee in New York, USA will taste same as in New Delhi, India. However this does not mean that you need to visit Starbucks while you are travelling or shifted to a new place like me. I have found a small solution for this big problem. Always use filtered water. Yes you heard right!!! Filtered or treated water does the trick.

When I shifted to Calgary, I tried Tim Hortons, Starbucks for my coffee treats however going to these cafes every time you crave for coffee is not practical and may soon create a hole in your pocket. You can make a great cup of coffee at your home sweet home which tastes same as the one you had during your childhood.

First and foremost, always used Roasted coffee or in case you can grind the beans at your place in a powder form.. Bingo…!! In case you are buying roasted coffee from a store, please note that it should be fresh and not stale more than 2 weeks. The shelf life of roasted coffee is long however it kills the original taste of coffee. OR you can buy a coffee machine and use a T-Disc since they have all the flavors intact in the disc which your machine reads and pours the exact kind you like. There are many brands available in market like Black & Decker, Tassimo, Keurig, Hamilton and many more. My fav is Tassimo and I have a Tassimo T 65, amazing machine and great coffee.

So for all the coffee lovers, this blog is right from my heart. Grab your coffee, go out, read, write, enjoy and live life to the fullest…

Fabindia

“Bring customers a choice of products – and lifestyle – that offers an alternative to the mass-produced, while creating sustainable livelihoods in the rural sector” ------- the mantra been followed by Fabindia for 50+ years now and is very much installed in all the employees.

Established by John Bissell in 1960 and now under the leadership of William Bissell is the best-known urban middle class brand in India. The leaders strongly believe in empowering weavers so as to bring back the long lost culture to life thus making profits.

Entering into a Fabindia store, gives you an immense happy feeling as the aura and welcome smile on the faces of employees refreshes you for an incoming experience. The layout takes you to a time where handcrafted and weaved work was highly appreciated which badly craves one to go ahead for the purchase. The best part of this brand is that the layout and feel is same in almost all the stores.

The company operates on the model of community based businesses. Herein company works with SRCs(Supplier region companies) which further source products from weavers who are traditionally well versed in the craft but are not formally trained. Designers work directly with artisans teaching much required technical skills and ensuring the product quality.

SRCs provides innovation and design to the artisans who further incorporates same in the hand crafted products. The company made each and every artisans, craftsman, employees a shareholder thus giving the feel of a perfect equal team.

Brand has been successfully attracting revenues of Rs 1000 crore in 2013-2014 however the model fails in two very important aspects where it successfully losses a huge chunk of customers.

First and foremost is Brand Advertising- the company believes in advertising through “word of mouth”. It was with which the company started and seems to still stuck up on the brand for long now. Secondly and most important is Supply chain management. Since stores directly places orders with SRCs, the communities are lacking in understanding the product forecast and thus same product is not available in stores on second visit.

The combination of these two is really lethal. Carrying on with a beautiful mission and a vision, the company lacks on these two pillars due to which they are losing on a big chunk of customer base. The leaders need to re-invent strategies so as to lead the brand in more urban families.

Never the less the brand has successfully made it presence felt. Fabindia’s working model is an inspiration to many startups thus the concept of entrepreneur ship is taking good pace in India.

Gift of Hope!!!

It is everywhere!!! Donate to the needy; Help the underprivileged, Adopt a child, Give shelter to an animal going extinct, stop war, avoid pollution…. This is good work, great work for humanity and should be cultivated in ourselves and our kids.

But the irony is this…. all starts during holidays… Christmas, new years, thanksgiving, Asian holidays. The needy need basics everyday so that they can survive the hot and the freaking cold weather. Due to birth of great saints in Asian continent, people do charity on each and every important day of their lives. According to a population survey done by National Geographic, Asia consist of 60% of population compared to the whole world which means the volume of charity is huge in this part. However the point remains the same, it is done on few days of an year which means out of 365 days, charity is done on birthdays, new years, Christmas, Diwali, a new born kid, passing away of a family member and that’s it.

Our world is at the edge of a third world war, natural disasters occurring in each and every part of the world, killer diseases like Ebola taking so many lives and the list goes on. Relief organizations like Care, AAH, Greenpeace with selected members are working day in day out to save people and world however the goal seems beyond horizon as the destruction done is way too worse.

Does this mean this is the end of human race???? The answer lies within us and we all know that, just need to stand up together and work to achieve the same.

A Long day

Woke up with the phone ringing and it was papa calling from Delhi. It was 6 am in the morning and I was dead sleep. He was visiting Delhi for some conference and was due to be back in 2 days. I picked up the phone reluctantly, his voice was really weak and this washed away all my sleep. Somebody from mamma’s gym had called him saying that she has fainted while on running on treadmill. Ya, mama papa and my brother are regularly gymers and do not miss the workout for anything in the world.  

I had to rush to her gym; it was close by but since I have never visited any gym, took me time to sort out my way there. The call had worried us both; I was dreading all worst things possible, guess human tendency to always imagine the worst first.

Well, there she was, lying on floor, conscious.... “Thank god..bhagwanji she is ok” was my first thought. I woke her up, she struggled to speak and puked all of a sudden. With the help of her trainer, somehow managed to bring her to my car. I had never ever ever ever seen mama so blank, in so much pain that she could not speak up. I called up papa and he said to take her to the hospital. N believe me I am so scared of hospitals........its smell, its view makes me sicker than patients admitted there...

Well, both my parents are doctors, so is my brother, so is everyone in my family. Except for me and my nanaji, we are just not doctor material.

Till the time I reached, every big shot of Chandigarh was at the hospital, so papa had called everybody declaring an emergency. Mama was diagnosed with a heart attack and immediately had to be operated. She got two blockages in her heart and need urgent help. Now this was a blow in my face. Neither papa nor my brother was there, I did not understand alien doctor language, was felling completely uneducated among all these surgeons. Signing papers I did not understand, listening to surgeons explaining me the process and on top of all I was asked to audience her operation. Now how did I end up here?  No clue. But it was my mother, I love her and there was no fear big than the one of losing her. With no known face in the crowd I entered the theatre all dressed up like I was going to cut open someone myself. It was like those filmy moments when you enter a temple and there are drums playing welcoming you. Her operation went successful and I met her after the dressing. She seemed so much better, out of all pain. Phew... I love you mama...

All of a sudden I saw Ashu, my brother, walking towards me (well I called him after I picked mama from gym and he immediately started for Chandigarh) and I just remember him hugging me. That’s when it hit both of us, our parents have gone old!!!! It is a scary feeling, seeing your papa mama unwell in front of you, especially when they themselves are doctors.

Well papa reached by evening and mama was much better then. It took her a week to get discharged and three months to be up and running.

It’s been three years now since that long day visited me and still I get goose bumps if anyone from my family develops pain, fever or even cold.

Guess time is not going to wait for anything to happen, so just get up, hug your loved ones, say now whatever you want to, do now whatever you want to.... may there is no tomorrow. But this should not stop you from pursing your happiness....cause as they said, it is now or never...god bless u all....