If that makes you happy!

What a tiring day it had been. Today was one of the busiest days in the past few weeks. But now it was over. I was walking back to home, and all I could think of was the lovely awesome food that my wife would have cooked up for me. She was probably the best cook I've ever known. And just the thought of her food made me drool. Moreover, she had called me during the day and said that today's dinner was going to be a special one. She said she'd cook all my favorite dishes. Maybe she realized the fact that I had a tiring day, and this was her way of pepping me up. I just couldn't wait to get back home and have that food. That was all I wanted at that moment.

Reaching home, she told me that she'd get the dinner on table while I could go and freshen up. All excited for the dinner, I quickly came back to the dinner table, in anticipation of a scrumptious meal. That was all that I wanted at that point of time. 
It was finally infront of me, the serving bowl. I could smell Chicken Biryani, Mutter Paneer & my favorite of all, Gajar ka Halwa. In anticipation of either of these, I removed the lid of the bowl. 
Me: Oat meal?!?!?
She: Oh yeah!
Me: But you called me in the afternoon. Shouldn't there be some Chicken Biryani... and Paneer... and some Gajar Ka Halwa, instead of this stupid oat meal?
She: Oh yeah, I cooked all of them! But they are just for me. 
Me: Huh? What happened to you? Why are you doing this?
She: *Rubs her cheek with her hand*
And then I realized what this was all about.
Me:  We have talked about this before. And, are you in your senses? C'mon now pass me some Biryani and Paneer.
She: ALL YOU'RE HAVING IS OAT MEAL TILL YOU GET THAT STUBBLE OFF YOUR FACE. 

I had no choice, but to have that oat meals for my dinner. What was supposed to be a scrumptious meal, turned out to be a insipid one. 
After checking up my mails, and watching the late evening show, it was time for bed now. Walking towards my bedroom, I extended my hand to open the door. And what happened then left me stunned. The door was locked!
Me: Honey, open the door!
She: You know what? I feel like sleeping all alone on the bed today. I left something for you at the couch. 
All of this, just because of my stubble. Really? I had no choice, but to spend the rest of the night on the couch and hoping that everything would be fine by the morning. 

I woke up the next day with an aching back. What a terrible night it had been. I didn't knew what was in store for me today, but all I hoped was everything to settle down. But it wasn't going to be that easy.
I saw my wife having the morning tea.
Me: Good Morning, honey! Where is my tea? *I acted as if nothing happened*
No reply from her. I tried again. 
Me: Let me give you some company with your tea.
She: Help yourself. 
She never did this. Past 7 years, she would always make the morning tea for me. All the change just because of my stubble? I was hurt at this moment, that we were fighting and cribbing over such a petty issue. I mean it was weekend, and everyone wants to spend their weekend the lazy way. I couldn't help it. So, I decided to give her some time and let the matter cool all by itself. 

Having oat meals again for breakfast and lunch, I came to know I was wrong. This isn't going to be easy. She looked determined and strong. I tried to get her on my side.
Me: Remember the movie you've been waiting for months to release? Let's watch it tonight. 
She: I'm going nowhere with that shadow on your face.
Me: Oh c'mon, don't do this. How does this even matter?
She: It matters to me. 
Me: WHAT KIND OF STUPIDITY IT IS? ALL I'M HAVING IS OAT MEALS AND NO TEA. I'M BEING TREATED AS IF I'VE COMMITTED A CRIME OR SOMETHING. BUT REMEMBER ONE THING, THIS AIN'T GONNA CHANGE ME. I AM NOT SHAVING, NO MATTER WHAT.

And I left the room. I knew me shouting made the matters worse, but that was almost involuntary. I was hurt. I was worried. I was scared. I didn't liked it. She has been behaving so differently ever since last night. I hated that. No food, no tea and such a behavior crippled me up. I really wanted this to end. It was worse that a nightmare. 
Whole day I kept on thinking of her. What she used to be, and what has now happened to her. This made me sad. Really sad. 

Few hours later...
I walked down to the room where she was sitting. She saw me...
She: Oh.My.God! I can't believe it. You really shaved. I'm so happy for you. 
And she came up jumping and hugged me. For the first time in past two days, I saw a smile on her face. And this somehow made me feel better.
Me: It's the least I could do. I've been thinking whole day of what all happened in the past two days. I realized how important you were to me and how my life changed completely when you didn't talked to me. My heart sinks when I don't see a smile on that face. I realized I'm nothing with you. You make me complete. And the least I could do for you was to shave, if that makes you happy!
She: Awww...
She hugged me even tighter.
Me: So, now that everything is over, movie?
She: Hell yeah!

***

PS: This is a work of fiction.

This post is a part of the 'Shave or Crave' movement in association with BlogAdda.com

Review: The Bankster

The Bankster - by Ravi Subramanian

Synopsis
Bankers build their careers on trust, or so everyone thinks, till a series of murders threaten to destroy the reputation that the Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) has built over the years. Who is behind these killings, and what is their motive? Is the banker at GB2 fast turning into a bankster? Or was he always one?

When Karan Panjabi, press reporter and ex-banker, digs deeper, he realizes that he has stumbled upon a global conspiracy with far-reaching ramifications - a secret that could not only destroy the bank, but also cast a shadow on the entire nation.
With only thirty-six hours at his disposal, he must fight the clock and trust no one if he is to stay alive and uncover the truth.

About the Author
Ravi Subramanian, an alumnus of IIM Bangalore, has spent two decades working his way up the ladder of power in the amazingly exciting and adrenaline-pumping world of global banks in India. It is but natural that his stories are set against the backdrop of the financial services industry. He lives in Mumbai with his wife Dharini and daughter Anusha. In 2008, he won the Golden Quill Readers Choice award for his debut novel, If god was a Banker.

Review
The cover of the book is appealing. The use of dark shades and the person in shadow with a briefcase in one hand and a revolver in another in the backdrop of the skyline gives you an impression of an impressive thriller. The cover is sure to catch your attention and shine out among others on a book shelf. 

The story is like a jig saw puzzle. Four completely different stories going on, but when the jig saw puzzle completes itself towards a meaning, it just blows away your mind.
Mumbai: Four key employees of GB2 have committed suicide, or that's what it seems like. When Karan Panjabi digs deep into the actual cause of such ruthful events, he realizes that he is now a part of a global conspiracy, and there is no way turning back.
Kerela: Krishnan Menon, would do anything to fulfill his promise made to his dying son, who died in a nuclear disaster in Ukraine. He actively leads a protest against a nuclear power plant to be set up in the vicinity of his neighborhood. Gaining support from an NGO and a local MLA, it is too late for him to realize what he is now a part of.
Angola: Mr. Joseph Braganza, a covert CIA agent, completes a deal for armaments and blood diamonds worth millions of dollars.
Vienna: When two capable investigating officers comes to know what they had assumed to be an accident, is actually a murder, they'll give whatever it takes to reach the culprits to keep their success rate unchanged. 

The way the author switches between these four stories in a seamless manner is a thing to be appreciated. The plot will definitively keep you hooked. The protagonist  arrives pretty late in the plot, but once he is there the plot progresses at a blazing speed. You'd just want to read more and more. And what happens in the end, will leave you completely dumbstruck. All the while, whatever calculations you make about the end, it turns out to be completely opposite. You'll wish for the story to stay in Mumbai when it'll take you to Kerala  which makes you keep turning the pages. Never during your whole read you'll feel that you are left fragmented, it's the beauty of the author's narration that everything seems to be in a flow. Author's knowledge about the banking industry clearly stands out in the plot. 

But, there are a few minor issues here and there. The fact that author uses certain hindi words, is something that I don't really appreciate. Though the author wanted to create an "indianized" effect, this might prove to be an hindrance for the international audience. I would have liked if the author would have atleast italicized the words. Also, spoon feeding at certain sections could have been avoided. There were also certain sections, which really didn't had any relevance with the plot and could have been omitted  There are also a few typographical errors here and there. But these were just minor blemishes.

On the whole, I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves reading thriller. It will surely keep you hooked and the end would leave you surprised. This is really worth it, buy and you won't regret it.

Rating: 4/5

Book: The Bankster
Author: Ravi Subramanian
ISBN: 8129120488
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Pages: 364
Genre: Fiction
Language: English

Ravi Subramanian's presence on website(s) and social networks

• Website: http://www.ravisubramanian.in/index.asp
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Authorravisubramanian
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SubramanianRavi
• Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/authorravisubramanian
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/AuthorRavi

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free!

An Evening: Lighting up the Night

My cellphone woke me up. It was a text message from one of my friend. "Good Morning", it said. Who the f*** wishes good morning at 12 noon, I thought. It's still bed time for me. But as they say, once you lose the flow, it's hard to regain it. I woke up, only to see both of my room-mates fast asleep. First thing I did was to switch on my laptop. Drank water, and ate left-overs of the previous night's CS (Counter Strike) party.

After going through all those regular email and social networking sites, what caught my attention was my Google Calender. Light the Night - 18:00 - Phoenix Market City, it said. And then in a moment, all my Early Morning Blues evaded in no time. What I had been waiting for, had finally come. 

Light the Night - an event where you literally 'light the night'. Started off with the idea of breaking the world record for the most number of sky lanterns released at the same time. But this pre-event was just about creating a greener Diwali; Full of lights, but minus that discomfort to your ears. I was introduced to this by one of my senior, just out of chance. At the very moment I heard about this, something had caught my attention, and I just wanted to be a part of it. That was one day. And then, today, where I was just hours away from it.

I soon called up all other 7 people who were supposed to accompany me. I could reach all but one. I got ready, had the first meal of the day from the hostel canteen, and then finally everyone was ready. Head count. 6 it was, including me. One was missing. Shrey. 3 calls, no answer. Ran to the third floor, took the stairs. And what I see is him sleeping at 4:00 PM. A few word exchanges, a few kicks, and a few slaps were all that took me to wake him up. He was quick in getting ready for the day. 

Next thing was reaching the destination. Not sure of exactly how to reach, we took a chance, putting our luck to test. Thankfully we managed to reach the destination, safely and well in time. Reaching there, the sight was a treat to our eyes. The whole venue was decorated comparable to a bride on her wedding day.

Photo Credits - The Photowallas

Photo Credits - The PicSnapr's Photography

And the good thing was, this was just the beginning. Completing all the formalities, holding the lanterns in our hands, we were all excited for the moment. But before the main event, we got to see some spectacular b-boying moves along with that awesome beat-boxing, and not to forget that witty anchor. 

Photo Credits - The PicSnapr's Photography

Till finally, it was time to brighten up the sky, and light the lanterns. And what I saw next left me complete dumbstruck. It was an awe-inspiring moment. Literally, a heavenly feeling. You just didn't wanted all this to end. All I wished for at that moment, was to pause, lay back and enjoy the sight, forever. Those flickering lanterns, flying up into the skying, with no limits and no where to go, signifying all your sorrows and sadness in your life to let go, towards infinity, with no limits; to make space for happiness to come.

Photo Credits - The PicSnapr's Photography

My shoes were glued to the ground. 

I couldn't move, rather I didn't wanted to move,

for I-don't-know how long. 

I didn't cared. 

I was lost.

And I loved it.

Photo Credits - The Photowallas

But even in all this, it's hard to ignore the fact that all you had since morning was just a veg puff and a samosa. Without much torture to my tummy, we decided to have something at the adjoining food court. Trust me, we were all so hungry that we literally pounced on our food. Then in all this someone caught an eye on the watch. S***, we are late. We then had two options. Hurry up and run to hostel, or stay there and enjoy some more, cause anyway we are late. And I'm glad we chose the latter. With some more bakchodi to be done, we were finally out of the venue.

If getting there was not certain, how could coming back be? And then somebody yells, Bus stop is nearby, let's walk. No harm, we all thought. What was supposed to be nearby, turned out to be 3 Kms. I'm still not able to figure out who said it was nearby. But thanks to Shrey's useless ways of passing time, 3 Kms seemed like 300 Mts. 

Time to switch our bus at Silk Board bus junction. Another walk of 100 meters. Now imagine you are discussing something really serious on a walk with your friend, when another friend runs past you yelling on top of his voice, RUN, RUN RUN. All I could do was to run involuntary behind him. It didn't took long for me to realize this was all just to catch a bus. Inside the bus, I started searching for someone. Then I realized, he wasn't there. Where's Abhishek?, I said. Must be somewhere here only, he replied. Doing a head count and upon calling him I realized, it was 4 of us who had managed for catch the bus while the other 3 were left back there. This realization was followed by all sorts of frustrations that come through one's mouth, and the best thing to do in such a situation is to hand over the phone to someone else, and that's exactly what I did. We reached the college first, but waited for them outside since we had common gate passes. Since it was already late at night, the bus frequency was very low. Waiting for another half hour, three of them came. It looked like a scene from a C-grade remake of the male version of Charlie's Angels. After this, getting inside 10 people when you have made a gate pass for only 6, was a piece of cake. It's 11:40 PM, we're screwed, one said. Screw you, the other replied and went to the security guard to burst some crackers along with him. The guards were kind enough to give us a few, just like that. 

11:45 PM, it was, and we entered the hostel. Usually, I would have taken stairs directly to first floor, but this time it was different. We were forced to head to the warden's office. Trying all sorts hand actions, and all sorts of dialect variations, we tried to explain him where we had gone (He understood little Hindi and English). And, as expected, we were made to write an apology letter. And this was the part which I enjoyed the most. There is a saying, If you don't know what to write, then tie the goat to tree and explain about the tree. That's exactly what I did. It was less of an apology letter and more of an report of what all we did and about the event. I wrote everything, right from who the sponsors were, to the bus number we took, to what we ate, and even the amount of bill. Whoever reads it (I doubt anyone would even read it), will have a really tough time figuring out which part I am actually apologizing. 

One thing I've noticed, when you're in hostel, you're always a bhukkadd. My tummy was again trying to make his presence felt. Upon reaching the hostel canteen, what we find is that it just got closed. But thanks to the sweet canteen uncle, he understood our situation, rather our tummy's situation, and opened it again. Grabbing all that we'll be needing, we got back to our rooms, to do what we love doing, to do what we were doing all these days - Play CS!

Celebrations... Genuine Celebrations!

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 33; the thirty-third edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be a part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is 'Celebrations'.

Rawalpindi, Pakistan: It was a time of happiness and enjoyment for Afzal was getting married. He was the eldest of all, and so the family witnessed a marriage after a very long time. Everyone was happy, including Afzal for he loved his soon-to-be, Nafiza,  like anything. They both knew each other since the days of their school. Their love bloomed when they were quite young and continued till the time they passed out their college. Soon, they talked to their parents about their love. And now, they were both getting married. Both their families had the atmosphere of complete blissfulness. Afzal was in the Pakistani military, and so he was back at home at the perfect moment. His presence at home did had an effect on everyone's face and heart. He was truly the most loved in his family.

Patiala, India: Everyone back there at Amanjeet's family was overjoyed when they heard that he's going to be a father very soon. Almost 6 months, he's not returned home for he served for the Indian Military. He was the youngest of all in his family and continued his family tradition to serve for the military which has been going on since past three generations. He had so wanted to be back home, with his family, his wife. But his professional life demanded something else.

There was a possibility that both the neighboring countries, India and Pakistan might soon come into a war. For this very reason he was asked to stay back at the military camp. But his heart and soul was back at his home. 
And so weeks after Afzal gets married, he is called back to the frontier to fight for his country. 

Finally, Amanjeet gets a letter from his home which also had a photograph of his new born baby. He family did miss him, and that too on a occasion like this. But he was helpless, for the war was decided. He can't leave the battlefield now. He'll have to stay there, fight, survive and then return back home.

Both Afzal and Amanjeet were into the same war. Sadly, on the opposite side, all prepared to destroy what may come in their way to defend their country. 

Two weeks later, Amanjeet returns home, while all that reaches Afzal's home is his corpse...

Amanjeet is really happy to be back home and so is everyone else in his home. Manpreet is what they named his son. Tears came out through their eyes when they saw their loved one come back to home in his uniform. The whole atmosphere in the house is full of joy and energy for Amanjeet has yet again returned back safely and for the fact that the family was now complete, with their latest addition. They couldn't have wished for anything else, anything better than this. It was a moment of utter blissfulness.

While at Afzal's home, sadness was all that was there. They had lost their most loved one. Sacrificing his life for the safety of others. The world has just been torn apart for Nafiza. Her love, her soulmate went away, far away. She could not be consoled. She along with all others in the family were shattered in the sorrow of the loss of their love one. His presence was irreplaceable. 

***

What we see here is two completely different consequences of an event, a war between two countries. While on one side, we have Amanjeet's family, who is enjoying every moment of their life, for their son returned, as a survivor and as a father.
On the other side, is Afzal's family, who are shattered for the immense loss they had to face. It's truly a sad moment for them.
To put it in other words,

What's a reason for celebration for one, is the reason for someone else's sorrow. 

Can this be called an actually celebration? Considering the fact, that the reason you are celebrating is actually a reason for loss of someone's life, someone who was newly married, who was the most loved in his family, someone who was so patriotic that he was all ready to fight for his country. 
In my view, celebrating something like this is completely absurd. Surely, there is a happiness of homecoming, but that shouldn't extend to celebrate others defeat. One should always realize the other side of the coin, of the path of your success, and appreciate their effort for what they did. This was one example, and there could be a thousand more examples, where knowingly or unknowingly, we enjoy the fact that the other is harmed. 

In a war like this, thousands and thousand of lives are lost. Families are destroyed, fathers are lost, sons are lost, husbands are lost. Why? Just over some petty issues which could have been solved otherwise. And what do we do after that? Celebrate over our win, not concerned with the amount of lives, the amount of homes that are destroyed in a event like this. 
Instead imagine a situation where you live in peacefully with your neighbors, when there is no war, no loss, and still people get to celebrate, for a genuine reason, for the right reason. That's what real celebration is all about, when you celebrate together!

***

"Believe nothing, merely because you have been told it, or because it is traditional or because you yourself have imagined it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect your teacher. But whatever after due consideration and analysis you find to be conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings, that doctrine, believe and cling to and take it as your guide."

--The Buddha

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective post can be checked here. To be a part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. 

Introduced By: Harshal Gupta, Participation Count: 01  

My Hat's Off to You!!

That usual boring mechanical class was going on, when we were interrupted by an announcement. 

"Everyone assemble in seminar hall. This is related to 'Maaya'"

Instantly the whole class was filled with puzzled questions, "What is Maaya?", "Who is Maaya?"... "Should we use 'what' or 'who'?"

In a few moments, the whole seminar hall was jam packed, and then the 'lady' introduced us to 'Maaya'.
Maaya turned out to be our college fest, actually more than a mere fest, much much more than that!

It was then I realized, it doesn't matter whether Maaya is a 'who' or a 'what', all it means is two days full of enjoyment, fun and bliss at it's peak. Two days, when our college takes a swap from 'school' to an actual 'college'. 

A previous year Maaya video was shown, which already gave me goosebumps. I don't know why, but the whole atmosphere in that hall was different. Totally different from what had been there a month before that, different from those monotonous classes.

The next thing was volunteers. Anything big, such as this, isn't possible without volunteers. I was actually so excited to work for this, that I gave my name for 8 different departments. 

Believe me, after everyone came out of that hall, there was a totally different energy among my classmates. It was completely at a different level. 

In a few days, we were all called up at hostel to explain what and how campaigning and security is done. Both of these were something new and exciting for me. Going to different colleges, representing your own college to talk about your own fest was something new for me.
And as soon as I listened 'You will surely be given a Maaya t-shirt for security', this clinged to me. A Maaya t-shirt, what a feeling, nothing can be better than that. That was my state of mind at that time. Almost instantly I was up for both these things and gave my name.

But no experience is fruitful until you gain something out of it. It was the time of the EMCEE auditions which I screwed up. Everything can't be your forte, and you need to accept that fact with the broadest of smile. Entertaining crowd is something that doesn't comes to me naturally. But no harm in trying, right? :)

In about the same time, I was chilling out at my hostel room when my phone notified me for a message! It was the 'man' 's message. I didn't knew him before this. He messaged me as CC (Core Committee) member for the publicity department. All he told me was to meet him tomorrow in the college. And then came the shocking surprise, when he suddenly said I'll make you an OC (Organizing Committee) member. This was something which was completely unexpected. But I was all up for a new experience, a chance to learn!

And then, finally it was our day for campaigning. CMRIT was the college we were given. One of my team mates had really good friends there, so selling tickets there wasn't a problem for us... or that's what WE THOUGHT. We were greeted with a surprise, that was - their internal test. We weren't allowed to campaigning there. But after roaming back and forth places we were finally able to complete the formalities. Above that, was going to streets, stopping the most random people and persuading them; probably one of the most difficult job! But you always learn something with an experience; lesson learned here - Respect a salesman, you have no idea what he's going through and he would surely curse you if you don't buy his stuff!

Simultaneously, publicity thing was going on with me. Honestly I had a great time working there, for two reasons. Working with machines, I wouldn't mind even at 2 in the morning. The second reason is surely the 'man'!
When you're working, you actually end up getting into troubles, and then getting out of it in the best possible way! You actually don't have to worry about anything when you have people who can say the most aggressive things in the most politest way! I just can't say how amazing that night was. Only a pack of popcorn was missing! (Only few would get this, don't scratch your head too much! )

And who could forget those bunking periods to sit in the control room! And listening to those all sorts of conversations going there. I actually remember someone was asking everyone whether they have seen '2 girls 1 cup' video. (Don't go search this on Google  you might end up watching you don't want to, trust me!) That was the best part!

And then finally the day came, for which a lot of people were putting up efforts for weeks.

Day 1:
I slept late, but for a change, I managed to wake up early. That was how excited I was for this. First thing they did was to send us to the gates for security. Many around me were actually cribbing out this. That they are made to do a work of a security personnel. 
No one told you to volunteer for this, you yourself volunteered for this!
Leaving this apart, doing this was actually quite good, a lot better than what it seems. You actually have a lot of authority when you do this. And probably the only time when you can question even your seniors to show their ID's. 

Following this was an event I had been waiting for since a long time. Counter Strike. We have been practicing for this since a few weeks, I got back into touch with this game just because of this. Right since the morning till the evening, I was helping everyone there in their struggle with the dabba computers in the lab! Though with a few glitches, we finally ended up pulling a successful and enjoying show up there, and managed to reach the semi's! 
Not much was left after this for the day, as I had missed most of the events outside the web of that room! 

Even after being refused by the warden (MC) for not letting us go out for dinner, we finally managed to have a nice dinner - Dominos to the rescue! 

So mesmerized with all the event happenings throughout the day, we were in no mood to sleep that night, irrelevant it was that we were dead tired! And what happened was this...

Day 2:
*Sleeping, when suddenly ringtone rings...*
'Man' calling... 
Yeah..
Meet me near the main gate right away
Fine...
*Disconnected*

First of all, thank you for waking me up that day! Within few mins I had a quick shower, and headed towards the gate. What a lovely weather! As soon as I reached there, I was back at the security job! Two hours and I ran like anything, far away from the gate. 
Then was something which was quite interesting, Treasure Hunt. Finally, after doing 5 sit-ups, 5 push ups, eating a chilly and running a half marathon, we finally managed to get at the second position! All I hate about getting a second position, is that you end up with a sweaty t-shirt. 

Another session with security, and then I had the best time since a long time, the highlight of the two day event! Crossroads. Aurko - was the band, you got everyone in the crowd on their feet, even those who weren't supposed to. It was like you were completely disconnected from the stage there. I was lost into another world. I didn't cared who was on my right or left. I didn't cared what was that person doing outside there. I didn't cared what happened. All I wanted was to live that moment, the moment of utter bliss. Forget everything, let free and enjoy that moment! 

Being lost in that live concert, you don't realize how time passes by. And it takes a while for you to dissolve the fact that all this has now come to an end! All that fun, all that madness. Everything, no more! 
For the first time, these two days made me feel this is actually a college, and what I come to know is that all this is going to end very soon! 

But in all this, there were actually few people, without whom this wouldn't have been possible. The whole team who worked behind the stage to get this where it is! Truly, amazing amount of effort has been put up by every single on them! Seriously, thank you to all the seniors for such a wonderful time I had all this time. You guys are actually wonderful! Thank you so much! 

Though all of them might not know me, but I actually know quite a few of them! And there are somethings which I have observed in the past few days! 

Sapna (lady): Every time I see her, she looks so calm and composed as if it's a park she's walking in. But I can imagine the headache she carries with herself, and still managing to keep a smile on her face,  that's truly commendable! 

Ayush: Every time I see him, he's super busy. Every time someone talks to him, it's like I have exactly 35 seconds, say what you wanna say, I have a train to catch! Haha, but on a serious note, all through the 2 days, he looked to me the most busiest person. Every part of the campus I went, he was there! 

Sandy: The cyber guy. I've seen him almost everywhere. Working on the website, working for the stage, hosting an event. And with the same amount of energy everytime. (And yeah, someone from the team wants you dead :P )

RK: He's someone who knows when to work and when to have fun. And when it comes to work, he's dead serious about it! 

Saurabh: I've come to know him in the past few days. All I feel like is to smile when I look at him. And yeah, he gave a really tough time to his opponents for the Fifa tournament. 

Neha: Someone told me you're a photographer. I saw your photos, and trust me, they look straight out of National Geographic's archives. They're my next postcards! I'm your fan! :D

Prasraban (THE MAN): I don't know what to say about him. From all of them, I know him the most. He's a man whom I admire now, for the way he works. Knows exactly what to be like in what situation. I've seen him in the most decent and sweet looking manner infront of his HOD's, seen him crack jokes with his friends and have seen him dead serious when it comes to work. He would assign you work in such a way that you won't be able to say no. (He made me write his record books! :P ) No matter what time is it, he's always full of energy and with that smile! Would give you a piece of advice every now and then, which are quite helpful (Like APU is a nice hideout place to make your teammates believe that you're working while you're actually attending your class :P )

and many more, who have put in an equal amount of effort. To all of you, 

Thank you so much for all the efforts you've put in to give us all an amazing time! You guys are truly amazing! :D

As soon as this was over, I was going through mixed emotions. Happy after such an exuberant performance, sad because all this was ending. But hey, there is still something which suppresses that feeling of sadness - the thought of Maaya '13.

It only gets better... 

The Power of Ideas & FbCI4MF!

2004: A undergraduate student with an idea to connect with his classmates beyond lecture hours, created an online platform where they could share their stories. Gradually with time, this expanded, and today if we consider that as a country, it's the third most populated country of the world - Facebook!

A simple basic idea, to just connect with his classmates, resulted into a major which has a revenue of approximately $3.5 billion dollars. 

This is the power of ideas. Small or big, doesn't matter, it always has that hidden potential which not many would realize. One may not know that however small an idea, can develop into something really big. 

A small idea blooms in one's mind. One may encourage it or not. That depends on person to person. But I'm sure, something constructive would surely come out of it if worked upon. It just depends on us how effectively we utilize our resources to nurture that idea. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. When you feel a necessity for something, you start looking for a solution to that, which results back into an idea. When encouraged, this idea leads to an invention. Thomas Edison - inventor of incandescent bulb was actually afraid of dark. Benjamin Franklin - inventor of bifocal lens was actually tired of switching between his two spectacles. Examples like these are endless. Imagine our world today if they wouldn't have encouraged their ideas. What would the world would have been like. Think of the impact these inventions have on our lives. THAT is the power of ideas. Our brain works in such strange ways, giving us signals, it just depends how effectively we identify them.

The start will always with a very small and with a basic idea. Some would implement that. However small the starting be, it would surely grow into something big. 

Not just one, there are numerous cases for this that debating on such topic is just of no use. Hundreds of example all around you. Take this case.

One of my really good friend, Karan Asthana, while chatting to someone on facebook, he made a really small observation. A really small one which I think many would just ignore. This observation then gradually grew into an small idea. 

Like this page if you want a dislike button for facebook!, Like this page if you like the old facebook interface and want that back!, Hit like if you want more smileys for facebook chat. 

You'll find such facebook pages all over. 99.99% of them are just fake, just wanting to gain more likes. Total noobs, as they call. 

And then there was this page which was created by Karan - Fb Chat Icon 4 Middle Finger. He actually made an effort to implement that idea. The idea was to get more smileys for the facebook chat. Which resulted into this facebook page. 

This is how you can use the smileys.

What's the plus plus point is that it is very simple to use. Simple keywords. One need not remember those random numbers now. Also, the best part is that one need not install any kind of extensions or any sort of third party software. No ads, no pop-ups, and simple to use keywords. 

This small idea - and the result? The page is going really good, his ideas still work, you can actually use a middle finger, like and a \m/ smiley on your facebook chat. All because of this page. What more? This page has around 13K likes now. And there is no looking back now. 

Recently the page celebrated it's 10000 likes!

He really looks forward to take this page to the next level. Already thinking of branding and advertising. And is already planning his next step!

One small idea of his, in such a short span of time this has started taking shape. Who knows where this will lead, but something good would come out of this. This is a perfect live example for me to learn how to encourage your ideas regardless how small or stupid it might look at the beginning. 

We just need to take the first step. That first step, and everything then falls into place all by itself!

When they say...

An Idea can change your life

...they actually mean it!

Note: This post is not an sponsored post in any way. The author just wanted to give a live example from his own personal life to support his views on the power of ideas. 

Award and Tag Time!! :D

Alright, it's been nearly two months since my last post. And that has made this a completely deserted place. A lot has happened with me in these two months. But hey, we won't talk about my blog's declining statistics or what happened with me. Because that's past; what we will look at is the future. 

I should have done this earlier, but it's been nearly 4 months, and finally it's the right time for this! 

Yay!!! This is my second blogger award, but the excitement is the same as it is my first. My happiness is indescribable. The least I could do is to THANK Kirti for her kind heart and realizing the potential of this place. Seriously, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :D

So, as per the traditions, let's come back to the rules:

• Create a new post.
• Thank the lovely person who nominated you for the award.
• Pass it on to your fellow bloggers.
• State 7 random facts about you.
• Claim and post the award pic.

The post is created, and I won't leave another opportunity to thank her. Thank you, again!! :D

Passing on this award to other bloggers is probably the most difficult part of this award, but at the same time it's the best part. To showcase the blogs you follow. :-)

Without wasting much time,

• Harshal Gupta - life unfurled & impressions..!!  
• Rujuta Xavier - Being Me and Other Things
• Ruchita - My Not So Ordinary Life & Undiscovered Indian Treasures 
• Nikhil Poddar - The Nikiller
• Pooja Pradeep - Sweet Somethingz
• Nikita - Euphoria
• Avik Ranjan - vividuss

7 random facts about me. (Sorry, this might bore you! :P )

• I can survive without food, but not without internet.
• Once in 3-4 days, I observe a one hour break, where I keep my mobile phone on switched off mode.
• At one point, I wanted to be an IB and a RAW agent.
• I'm a YouTube addict. For me, there hours is equal to minutes. ;)
• I have something naturally against Blackberry. (I know I'm gonna get a lot of hate comments for this :P )
• When I started blogging, I had no idea of it's potential.
• Super Meat Boy is my current obsession.

So, I guess this is all for the award! Thank you Kirti, once again! :)

Another thing is that I got lucky and got tagged twice in a day. That's another thing that I got this like 2-3 months ago. Again, sorry for that! I'll combine both of them into one. Thank you Kirti (again :P ) and Rujuta! :D

Coming to the rules: 

• Link back the blogger who tagged you.
• Post the rules.
• Answer the questions asked by the person who tagged you.
• Tag eleven new bloggers.
• Set eleven new questions for the bloggers tagged by you.
• Inform them about the tag.

Facing Rujuta's questions first:

Q. What's your most priced possession? 

A. As of now, my phone! :P

Q. Will you eat a bug or other creepy thing to survive in wilderness?

A. Probably yes. And I'll record it too, so that I can be the next Bear Grylls. :P

Q. Your views on marraige.

A. Too immature with no experience to comment on such a touchy topic.

Q. What does India lack?

A. Bureaucrats who wants to work for the betterment of the nation.

Q. Your best feature.

A. I'm not a salesman that can market myself :P 

Q. Whom will you never forgive in life and why?

A. None, actually. Everyone has their own constraints in their own life. One should just learn not to let these affect yourself.

Q. Which is your most favorite moment in your life?

A. TCS organizes a IT quiz every year for school children across all major cities of the country. Most favorite moment would be when I was one of 12 students who was selected from a bunch of around 1300 students. 

Q. Are you where to intend to be or has a mixture of crazy circumstances brought you to where you are today?

A. I'm very much sure what I'm doing and what I want to do. :-)

Q. Define God.

A. An undefinable thing which affects us and is present all around us, in the form of humans! 

Q. Do you believe in Gandhi's principle's?

A. To an extent, yes!

Q. Will you follow my blog? 

A. I'm already following! :-)

Coming to Kirti's questions:

Q. What does music mean to you?

A. A means which could lead to different directions according to the path you choose. For me, music is a way to relax and sooth yourself.

Q. Poem or a story?

A. Story. Not because one is in any better than other, but just because I take time to understand a poem. I don't know why.

Q. The deepest desire of your heart.

A. To innovate something revolutionary.

Q. Your idea of a romantic story.

A. I hate romantic stories :-/

Q. Walking or cycling? (and why?)

A. Walking. You get to know and enjoy the surroundings better that way! 

Q. What does blogging mean to you?

A. Flush out my chemically triggered thoughts into a place, which surprisingly people like to read! :P

Q. The favorite character you have created so far. Someone you feel like using in all your stories.

A. Teja. (Though haven't used it much, but it appealed to me somehow)

Q. The favorite character you have read and loved. And why?

A. Robert Langdon. C'mon I need not explain, it's obvious!

Q. If you get to impersonate one superhero/heroine who would it be. And why?

A. Flash.

Q. Your idea of fun when you are out with your friends.

A. Doing things without caring what the world would think, which otherwise you would have avoided if you were alone.

Q. The song that is playing in your head at the moment.

A. Satellite Heart by Anya Marina :D (And yeah, I liked the song before I came to know it's from the movie Twlight :| )

Now, it's my turn to tag eleven different bloggers, so here I go! 

• Harshal Gupta 
• Vineet Nag
• Sunaina Patnaik
• Avik Ranjan
• Shesha Chaturvedi
• Rose
• Nikita
• Ruchita
• Gayathri
• Pooja Pradeep
• Asmita Srivastava

Now, my best part, asking questions!! Yay!! :D

1. Would you rather go to an urban place or a deserted place for a vacation?
2. One thing which you think is most unique to you.
3. Blogspot or Wordpress?
4. One thing which India needs urgently.
5. Do you believe that Anna Hazare's lokpal bill is the ultimate solution to corruption?
6. What is God for you? Do you believe in idols?
7. What kind of blogs do you like to read?
8. One word that would describe you.
9. Your favorite movie. And why?
10. Person you admire the most.
11. Will you follow me? ;-)

So, I guess, this is the end of one of my longest post. Thank you for bearing me. Will be back soon! Cheers! :D

And then... I realized...

Hi! My name is Hairlo, and this is my story.


2 months ago...


It was my first day at the school. I had always been the introvert type. It has always been difficult for me to be friends with others. I had always waited for others to take the first step. But still I made some wonderful friends. With the same intention I sat there. 


As the day passed, it was the recess time. By this time, we had talked a lot and were quite comfortable. They accustomed with all the things that I needed to know and things that would help me stay in the new school. I had started to feel comfortable in my new school.


As days passed way, we had a lot of fun. We used to go to school together. Used to talk whole day. Used to bunk together. Used to have lunch together. Used to make fun of others. Literally, we did everything together. We were like always glued to each other.


Time passed, and I thought I had discovered the best friends of my life. I enjoyed all my time with them. We were the best buddies. 


And just when I had thought that this bond between us was un-breakable, things started to change. 


I had a fight with a boy from the other section. The issue was small. He had pushed me, probably accidentally. I wanted him to apologize for this, and he simply refused. This small issue grew into a big fight. Due to the popularity of that guy, almost everyone from the school supported him. I was left alone. And the worst part? My friends too supported him. Those friends, whom I had thought would be by my side throughout my life, had betrayed me. They didn't supported me. I didn't care where the majority was. All I cared was where were the person whom I trusted. 


My friends left me. Dryness, Hairfall, roughness and split-ends had left me. 


Just when I was about to break, there was one who was with me. For him, it didn't mattered where everyone was, he supported me. This is unexpected, but it was true. His name was Dove. Out of nowhere, I had someone who supported me. Who was with me, no matter where the world was. He was my true friend.


Present day...


It was then I realized that a true friend is one who is with you in the baddest of times. I had got my true friend, who I could trust, whom I knew would be by my side always...
... and that was the end of (my) hair(lo) problems!


Note: This is purely a work of fiction.


PS: This entry is for the 'Dove' contest at Indiblogger. 

Kyra - The Secret Agent!

We were all so enjoying. All five of us, together after nearly two years. It was our re-union. It was 9:00 AM in the morning, when something beeped in my bag.

Beep Beep -- It was my SNH!

It was my SNH (Someone Needs Help) Beeper. Yeah, this was about my secret personality. I'm a secret agent!

Hi, I'm Elena, and I'm an engineering student. All through my childhood I was a normal child, until last year, when Venus - the goddess of beauty, gave me an responsibility. The responsibility of protecting the feminine race of the planet earth. It all started few million years ago. 

Venus gives special powers to Elena!

A great war was underway, the "Starty" race was against the "Planty" race. They were serious rivals. It was then that Venus, the goddess, intervened, and tried to cease the war. But the evil starty vowed to come back, and destroy the whole race of planty. It was only two years back that the planty got to know about the plans of starty. Through their member, the Sun, they wanted to destroy the whole race of feminine race, and hence wanted to bring a miserable death to the whole of planet earth. And so, Venus, gave me the special powers to protect the females of this planet. And now, everytime someone is in danger, my SNH beeps. This was my secret. 

I told my other four friends, that I had some important work, and I'll have to leave immidieatly. It was our re-union, so they protested at first, but then they finally understood. It was now time for Elena to change into Kyra! 

Elena changed into Kyra!

I was now completely transformed into my secret personality, Kyra! I opened my GPS, and saw that someone needed my help in the south of India. 14.5 E , 74.3N. It would take me another 10 mins to reach there. 

Gokarna!

I finally reached the destination and found them!

Kyra: Hey! Hey, you!

Kyra finally reaches the location!

Melina: Are you talking to me?

Kyra: Yeah! Do you have any idea what are you doing?

Melina: Well, I'm on a holiday here. And we're going to the beach to enjoy.

Kyra: Without your arms and ammunation? Don't you know the starty are against you?

Melina: Stary? Starty who?

Kyra: Umm.. I mean the sun, It's too hot there. Have you taken the precautions?

Melina: Eh.. What precautions?

Kyra: Well, there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from the evil effects of the sun. Like...

• Wear protective clothing
• Wear sunglasses
• Be careful near sand, water and snow, as they can reflect harmful rays towards you
• Drink lots and lots of water
• Avoid being in sun for too long
• And the most important one...

Melina: And?

Kyra: Always use a sun screen when you're out in the sun.

Melina: But I'm always confused for sun-screens. Which one should I use?

Kyra: You are right, there are dozens of sun screens available. But I only use Lakme Sunscreen. It kind of suits me, and is subtle on my screen.
Melina: Oh, Okay! I'll use Lakme only. But what is SPF?
Kyra: SPF actually means Sun Protection Factor. More the SPF, the more it will protect your skin. However, I'd recommend you SPF 30. 
Melina: Thank you so much! I think I'll go and buy a sunscreen.
Kyra: Here, take one!

Kyra gifts sunscreen to Melina!

Melina: Oh. Thank you!
Kyra: Your welcome! Enjoy the beach! 


I was happy. Another female has been saved from the starty's and I had lived up to the responsibilities I had been given. But the war between the starty's and the planty's still continues ...


Note: This post is for 'The Lakme Diva Blogger Contest' at Indiblogger.