This year's republic day

     I used to watch the republic day parade when i was a school kid, slowly things got busy and you just saw them in passing.It somehow seemed like its same year after year.And of course we just gave it a cursory glance in news after few years.This year 26th Jan was a Monday, a long weekend!I switched on the TV as Obama was the chief guest, which was the topic of discussion from weeks.The drizzling rain also didn't ditter the people watching and everything was so elegant and i felt myself feeling more and more proud with each passing moment of the parade.It made me feel proud to be able to resist moving abroad.Then an old colleague of mine who has moved abroad for higher studies pinged on watsapp  , that he was feeling proud and will be coming back to India, USA was not for him!
      And then i had to type in something.Past few weeks had been stressful, with work picking up like rocket and wedding preparations which seem to hit one hiccup after another.This parade itself made it all feel like so unimportant, work is always going to slump or peak.Wedding preparations do go wrong and they don't really seem to matter, afterall its just a day out of your life. There will always be contrary people, missed deadlines, failed promises, and what not.But life goes on, i am typically a person who gets pissed very rarely but if i do,i will generally have a realistic reason.Now, that also seems like unimportant.I am again rambling, i won't be a hypocrite and tell i always feel patriotic or will die for my country.But,yeah i do feel it few times a year.I also feel what millions of indians feel ,the pride of being part of such a diverse, beautiful, contrary, republic, amazing country. 

Hopeless

Sometimes there seems no hope,
You feel like you can't cope,
Life itself seems like there is no scope,
You feel as bad as swallowing a soap

God's appraisal system( Just for laughs)

      Sometimes i wonder how the world is all about show off.Everything in life to show off to someone or the other.You get judged by the degree you have, the job you have and ofcourse the salary you earn.God forbid you don't jump companies to reach that zenith of salary benchmark.You are a non conformist.Its all about tangible things.There is nothing like good heart ,manners, or a good person.Oh hell yeah, i sound bitter.Sometimes, i do vent out my bitterness here..
     H reports to me in office, nice guy and hardworker and all.This week i asked him to come late in afternoon to support something in EMEA timezone.And he was late to office.Only message he sent in morning "i am with a patient, won't be able to attend the training" after that he was very late and still not in office.His phone was not reachable and i was concerned for him.Someone checked with his roommate and he also had no clue.It later turned out that he helped a homeless lady by calling ambulance and taking her to an ngo and getting her operated.Apparently she had such a big wound that it was infested with worms. Isn't it a heartwarming story.He even later in evening pinged me to thank me to ask him to work late :).No, this story is not going to be used when he is judged , he will still be a guy who earns so and so in so and so company.Using this story as its fresh in my mind as just happened 2 days ago.
    Getting back on venting my bitterness, i long ago stopped disclosing my salary to random people who had random Q's like "Job kaha hai" " designation kya hai" " salary kya hai" .Wah bhai jaan na pehchaan , aur inte questions.Well, thats typical india for you.And boy, if you are female and some moronic male chauvinist gets hold of you.That's it, you end up feeling like worst sort of worm on earth. And trust me you someday somehow meet them, too often for my liking in past.Now, fast forward  i am completely changed since few years, its all about self worth and easy life.So,what triggered this venting today, well again i see that like a full circle, we are back to square one.I even contemplated changing countries to get away from this circle of evaluation based on tangibility.Well, strangely in the west its far more prevalent than here!I thought a place with  less difference with white or blue collar job will be more peaceful.Nah mate, you are there again being evaluated.Now any country is like India as you find Indians in Timbaktoo also sitting to evaluate you.I wish god had made these indicators when a person does good, he gets some brownie points and then he gets a Halo.I sound too stupid when i say this, why doesn't god have an appraisal system.All this getting evaluated after we die in hell or heaven might even not be true!God should even have a PIP(performance improvement plan), so we actually look forward to dying ;) [I did warn you that it sound's stupid].I am not PKfied , this was my thought process long before
    Lets define KPI's for this appraisal system,
- Save one life [No, a person telling i stopped from killing myself gets negative points :D )
- Educate someone [A person telling he educated his 5 children gets negative points, its like telling in office , you helped the chaiwala by taking long office breaks to drink tea]
- Create some laughter [ No, laughing at others and laughing at Kapils jokes is not counted]
- Appreciate someone genuinely [what's in it for me again is not counted]
- Be someone who resolves grudges than keeps them!You only have one life[ No, resolving grudges with wife doesn't count ;) ]

And evaluation(performance metric) is minus of years on earth.
- Minus a year each on earth when you are unethical
- Zero left  when you kill someone (Self defense is exempted)
- Minus 0.1 when you ignore such unethical people.
- Minus 0.1 when you make someone cry and lie!

This is all just something randomly i just typed up.Maybe Hirani can make PK-2 on this ?Who knows!Someday ,i might even sue him for original story idea!! Well, i sign off here.I hope someone reads it and define more KPI and performance metric to add more fun to this!




  

Reset of the year!

       And now the year starts again! Yes, well 2015 it is! It feels like yesterday that i was in engineering and in a bubble of ignorance! I finally did Pondicherry trip with beautiful journey troop.I was a little worried how my travel group would be! Boy, i couldn't have had asked for a more interesting group of girls!They were all fabulous and so chirpy.I just made me end my year with such a smile on my face and few new friends.The place itself was ok, nothing great, beaches were also ok, Last year's Gokarna's beach was far far better.But, Pondi has its own charm.I did spot some indian french couples.The french looking girls speaking perfect hindi was amazing!The Auroville township was interesting.You can read more about it on click
      I refrained from shopping as i din't see anything interesting.Though i couldn't try any authentic french cuisine.As there seem to be only south Indian delicacies everywhere.Anyways. it was  good break from work /home and everything.I sat on the beach reflecting on stuff i needed to think about.Maybe that clarity is still missing, but i somehow got my priorities right.The weekend before going to Pondi, i had gone with my cousin to this orphanage where he usually donates something monthly.Since, its been a long time i contributed anything, i too did some contri .We should try to give something back to world at large.Money isn't the only way, but the easiest i guess.It also is the reason for all the problems in the world!
      I refrained from making any resolutions as usual, as it just creates unrest and we end up missing the deadlines.I will continue my mantra of self development, zero expectation . self dependent , and travel some more!