SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR!!

“Sab par dish savaar hai..dish savaar hai..blares my idiot box in between the over-rated serials. Very true. Ever wondered why suddenly there is an increase in consumerism, right from electronic goods to the furniture’s to the hotel business?? Its obvious because when you have a personality like mr. bachchan filling the screens with his larger than life image and a strong baritone, asking you to eat a particular chocolate, we’ll run for the stores to try it out . Gone are the days when fresh new faces who just had modeling as their main job advertised soaps and perfumes and toys and eatables. Nowadays, every single entity has something called its “brand value”. The more famous the personality, the more the brand value. No matter how big or small a company’s product is,it always has someone famous publicizing it. It doesn’t matter that the product is crappy and is just a reason for a hole in our pockets. This industry has grown so mush that companies now have a separate publicity unit who design evry possible trick to fool people. Be it shahrukh khan with his dish tv’s, toothpastes , home décor’ or amitabh bachchan with his banking solutions, chocolate ,creams or deepika with soaps and creams, consumers today are spoilt for choice. Nobody knows what to buy anymore. There is too much variety out there. Earlier, when I still believed that santa was real, I thought that when such bollywood stars entice us with such products, they used the same items at their homes. Little did I know that this was just another day’s work for them and it didn’t matter  that people would be following them blindly.  As soon as srk would just finish his byhearted lines for so and so product, out would I go with my dad’s wallet to the local store and ask the uncle trying desperately to get that product into my hands. Most of the times, it wouldn’t have even reached his store. Dejected, I used to come back dreaming of the day when I used to use the same product that my srk would be using. Slowly I realized that people all over the country were just being taken for a ride. Nobody used the products they endorsed. And even if they did they wouldn’t let people know. It’s very important for us the consumers to know that every product no matter how good or bad stands on its own. Stars endorsing it wouldn’t increase its effectiveness or guaranteed results. While ash with her eternal beauty  lured me into buying her soap, deepika with her pretty smile enlightens me on the fact that hers is the highway to one’s freshness !oh  god! Product attack!! What to do? Whom to choose? Whom to reject? What if iam trusting the wrong brand? Will my skin be more shiny using this product or that one? Which toothpaste will give me that perfect smile? Which brand of mobile will I look more stylish with? Million more questions shooting around in my head. But I think consumers today are also very smart. They know how to gain maximum benefit from all the best brands out there without hurting their favourite stars.  “this product gives me the ultimate comfort”,an actor says.  Really? Do they really believe their own words? Hard to find out. After all they are actors by profession. Well, that says it all. My fellow bloggers, please don’t fall to these whims and fancies. choose whatever suits for you and your wallet. Till then adios and keep enjoying the varied advertisements by your favourite stars.  Lets see who covets the award for the "salesperson of the year".

AUNTYJI...AUNTYJI..

The standard etiquette in our country requires me to behave very sweetly and give a lot of respect to friends of my parents.be it the neighbor or someone far away who had seen you when you were barely crawling. but my question is how much is too much? what if you overdo it? and the biggest dilemma of all.what if the person on the other side is too much. i know. iit puts avery wrong picture in your mind right now.but seriously, haven't you ever come across that one super-irritating auntyji who would do everything from pulling your cheeks (it doesnt give the effect when you are a 19 or 20 year old) to commenting or even deciding about your future? this is specially common in the gal community. let me describe you a typical scene that unfolds when you go to meet someone with your parents. you greet them,sit down and reach out to the refreshment spread laid out to you,when whoosh! auntyji swoops down on you saying "oh..girls today drink all sorts of things,its very important to keep track of them", my hand is half way to the table and the orange juice looks very inviting,but thanks to auntyji orange juice becomes vodka! i mean, what does she want to say? that we girls shouldn't drink anything? because of our world-famous modesty,we shut our mouths,give a weak fake smile cum hidden anger. this gives the auntyji a green signal to delve further into our personal lives. guess whats the next comment about. obviously its about you looks,looks, and oh..looks. "she looks nice, has a little bit of fat around her face, but looks very thin and lean.she should eat more". suddenly,the samosas don't look so appealing either. even our parents nowadays don't say anything about us. but it looks like auntyji has put up a permanent tent giving free and very unwanted advice. and if she has a son, then forget about yourself. she'll ask every little detail about you,every little detail."hobbies?","cooking?","why jeans all the time?",cmon we  are the young generation, aren't we? basically she is just checking things off her imaginary checklist for the perfect bride! utter crap. i don't understand the need for so much interest. auntyji,don;t you have your serials to do all the gossip for you? trust me, all the guys out there have it easy. but the majority gals out there dread going to the neighbourhood's  sheela aunty or parvathy aunty. take it easy auntyjis. you'll find some other entertainment through tv and find someone equivalent to your son! till that time,take it easy, and don't forget... "AUNTYJI,AUNTYJI, GET UP AND DANCE.

LIVES PREDICTED!!

first of all, wishing everyone a very happy new year 2012!! hope you all get joy and be prosperous in this year!! come new year, all the newspapers have an entire page dedicated to astrology,numerology and some other psychic things which i never understand!! ever noticed it?? ha..ha..cm-on, am very sure you all must be following it very religiously!! and maybe hoping that your lives turn out exactly like the ones other fancy-name people chart out!! personally, i have always been interested in these readings!! its very amusing to see how the entire humongous population is divided into 12 groups based merely on their birth dates!! are we as a person so predictable??  lets take the example of aquarians..am one...are these predictions telling me that there is a large group of humans who share the same destiny as mine?? its really heart-breaking to read that a part of my fellow adams and eves have the same personality as mine!! so much for "every person is unique" speech from your parents!! how the hell can you predict what course will i take in my life?? i don't even know what am i gonna do tomorrow. if you are so accurate on predicting the mystic future,how come we don't see any astrologer before any  events like the tsunamis or a terrorist attack?? in one of the papers today, my stars foretold(oh god!! it feels soo damn funny whenever i say that) that this year is going to be full of mystery and surprises!! it told me that i should expect unexpected changes! how will it become unexpected if i expect it? further more, as i delve into the page long calendar of my life in 2012, iam enlightened with that the fact that due to the transition of planet venus into my "marriage zone",i will suddenly make plans !! so basically am gonna get married in september! hmm..wonder what my mother has to say to this!! ironically, as i open the shiny embollished pages of another newspaper, another astrologer makes me aware of the fact that overall, i will have a very uneventful year and very quiet phase in my life!! i was already getting prepared to get married in september and look at this!! someone tells me it will be very uneventful!!:(.. all i can say is that am sure people who give these predictions are unsure about themselves!! we have to realise that this is a job for them too!! the best part is one of the numerologists says that this year india will rise to be a super-power if it can handle its internal political processes!! voila...something which nobody could ever say,right??  the financial market is gonna see ups and downs it  says..news flash!! financial markets have in this instability engrained in their roots itself!! there's nothing new to say it again and again!! reading all these so called predictions in the morning i realise that even i can be an astrologer!! i can just say that india will definitely becom e world-power in the coming years!! iam predicting that this year our government is gonna go through some tough times! i can also predict that all the long buried skeletons are gonna tumble out of our closets!! hopefully,someone will give me a job in this area!! gotta go..another prediction on its way from another newspaper!! who knows?? i may fall in love this year or become a superstar!!;););) 

FREEDOM

Its been a long time since i wrote about the life through my eyes now!! owe to the demanding and complex edcuation system of our country!! exams ,exams and more exams..they never seem to end!! but luckily ended before the new year!! nobody likes to start the new year by writing exams!!:(:(...talking of new year don't you think 2011 has passes off too soon but with lots of dhamakas?? i do..i think that 2011 has been the most eventful year in recent times!! with the country rising to anna hazare's call and fall of  monarchy in other parts of the world and loss of many legends, we sure have been through a lot within a constricted window of time!! personally, i had a wonderful year or i think so.. my year is ending on the stress of a lot of exams but also on the stress relieving activities ,i got to do!! recently i had the opportunity of visiting the global vipassana pagoda in gorai,mumbai!! having read about it in the newspapers,i was really curious about it!! basically it is a dhyhan mandir  dedicated to the Buddha..it contains budhha's ashes too making the place very pious!! it stands tall at 325 feet and stands unsupported !! till now gol gumbaz in bijapur,karnataka was known for this feat!!its foundation stone was laid in october 1997 and completed in november 2008!! it has a seating capacity of 8000 persons!! all the costs were borne by grateful donators who practised vipassana!!  around 3000 truck loads of sands were utilised in 90 million man hours!! this pagoda is designed after the shwe dagon pagoda in burma!! there are two more smaller pagodas one north and the other south which acted as the prototype for the main pagoda!! to look at the pagoda merely is like washing your sins in the river ganga..because the entire ambience is so peaceful and serene!! right at the to[p of pagoda is a umbrella shaped canopy!! it is more than 40 feet high and has more than 400 bells.i flag called dhamma dhaja is made of gold and studded with genuine diamonds and rubies!! and at the top of canopy is a crystal!! it is said that the budhha practised vipassana meditation  which means to see things as they are!! then it was  reintroduced by shri.s.n.goenka! after 2000 years!!
he inturn was inspired by sayagyi u ba khin!! the pagoda has teachings of buddha inscribed all around its outer diameter!! it has no entry fee and no charge for the ever smiling tour guides too!! truly it focuses on spreading the idea of vipassana!! there is a 10 day start up course on vipassana which according to many followers is very effective!! in today's world of ever rising tensions and stress this pagoda stands as an evidence to the fact that traditions brave even through the toughest times!! i was really a better person if not changed!! its very true that our own minds can be our greatest enemy sometimes!! coming back and looking back at the scenic pagoda surrounded by the gorai beach backwaters, it felt like some part of my soul had opened up!! making a short stop at the gorai and manori beach, walking on the pristine sands washed by the frothy waves, i let go of all my tension and stress!! trust me, just a simple walk on the beach and feeling the waves wash your feet is  very therapeutic.. it was just pure heaven except for the occasional dog who kept on barking at me for no reason!! in all, am happy that having a very eventful year, i could have the opportunity of giving up all the stress at the end!! :):)   merry christmas and a very happy new year to you all!! lets begin with new hopes and aspirations and dreams!!    

THE EDUCATED INDIA!!!

Months ago, the president of USA mentioned india and china in his speech inspiring the youngsters in  his  country to buckle up and study harder as we are giving tough competition!! that put me into thinking!! are we really that competitive and educated?? am not talking about the already successful people who are making our country proud abroad!! the present generation, the future of tomorrow!!! are we really the people who are gonna build india --a superpower?? do we even realise the amount of responsibility and effort required to even push india forward?? honestly i don't see that anywhere...i cant even imagine any of my friends telling me that they enjoy school or college and want to use it as a medium to take our country to newer heights!!! why is this happening??? why isn't anone interested in their education anymore?? is it so tedious and boring that we students can't even have a favourite subject?? the root of the problem lies at the curriculum we are being offered!! our education platter consists of only the same old rice and dal with an occasional pickle!! although it is enough for survival, it doesn't satisfy your palette!! and not healthy too.. every day every class we taught to be robots and not build them.... age old concepts are being drilled into our heads!! we are my friends being prepared for the EXAMS and not our lives!! exams whose mere reference drives students in a frenzy!! why?? are we gonna build the same machines again and again?? or we gonna live in the same structures all our lives?? the daily rigorous schedule comprising of all the dinosaurus concepts leaves no room for innovativeness!! all we students  do everyday is to go to school,push the textbooks into our fragile minds and come back and again push harder and finally puke them out!! so the ultimate result is a cattle of citizens who know only how to reproduce things and not invent them!! that is why, we indians are the hard-workers!! karnataka alone produces 1.5 lakh engineers every year!!! how many of them do you think are the vishweshariya or the next nobel laureates?? you ask any student today about their favourite class or subject they will probably come up with an obsolete answer after a long time!!! its a very serious issue. can we with our robotic knowledge stand up to the world and declare that we are tough competition?? are we ready for a future which is gonna present us with unknown challenges and scenarios?? its time we changed our monotonous thinking and got rid of our morose textbooks!!! we need to think out of the box!! innovativeness should be our motto now!! else, we will always remain in the ditches we have created for ourselves!! never moving forward nor backward!!! wake up guys!! time to put our minds to work and give our textbooks a break,a long long break!!!what is the solution you ask?? involve people from the industries in our curriculum. don't just bring them to give us lectures... include hands-on work with them..this way we'll realise the current needs of the public and also come to terms with the technology available!! this will form a solid base for our future endeavors and hopefully innovations.. make the timetable more active not just physically but also mentally..unleash the inborn powers in us through puzzles and challenges!! lets not get rusted... lets apply our brains completely and produce something which is gonna blow everyone's minds away!! i know its not going to be easy, to bring about this change, we all need join hands and start a revolution..only then its possible to reach out to everyone...lets not waste time waiting  for another anna hazare to wake us up.. we have that will power in us..let's do this...:):)

MOGAMBO!!!

"Mogambo khush hua", the historic line synonymous with one of the most loved villains of Bollywood,  Mr.amrish puri!! the crazy yet intelligent general in the movie mr. india who's only plan is to conquer India has definitely redefined the parameters of a villain!! but considering his devious ways to satisfy his selfish needs, i couldn't help but imagine mogambo in our real lives!! doesn't a mogambo exist in all of us?? maybe its inborn in us...lies dormant for a really long time but bursts open some day suddenly!! Mr. mogambo had his minions greet him by "hail mogambo"..that showed complete dominance over them...i think even in real life we all somewhere would want people to give us our respect,OK,maybe more than what we deserve!! when i was a child, me and my friends would steal guavas from a tree which wasn't exactly anybody's property!! but a lady claimed it to be hers as the tree was in her compound!! her mogambo used to come out every time we attempted to climb it!! she used to scream and warn us all the time..but you generally don't heed to such things when you have ripe and fresh green guavas right before you!! we all do have mogambos hidden in one of the many dungeons of our heart!! it surfaces whenever people reach inside of you and harm your head and heart!! you get offended... someone told me that you only get hurt when you realize that the accusations are true!! your friend tells you you are selfish!! and you make a face that resembles shock and betrayal..you never expected anyone and most of all,your friend to find out that you are selfish!! that gives life to your mogambo!! admit it, you get hurt and hurl abuses at your friend inside your head!! secretly, your mogambo devises a plan to get back at your friend!! in the movie, mr mogambo forces his disobedient workers to jump into concentrated acid!! sometime in your life, you will wish for the same thing!! be it for the corrupt politician, or the road-side hawker who doesn't give you enough discount or even that khadoos professor who refused to give you that all-important one mark!! your mind is structured like the fortress of mr mogambo!! secretive, highly-guarded and well-equipped!! impossible for anyone to get into it and the temple for all your strategies!! am not saying that we all are mogambos but like the brain -freeze you get when you eat icecream ,the ugly is a part of your living!! some let their mogambos lay dormant all their lives,some nourish and cultivate them and some well, don't even realize their mogambos even though it comes to surface every now and then!! but like all bollywood movies and their happily-ever-after endings, we all too manage to not kill but atleast gag our respective mogambos!! after all, you don't want to break your mask or wash your dirty laundry in full public view!!! there's nothing wrong in keeping your mogambo alive,it does protect you sometimes but don't let it turn you insipid and avaricious!! make good use of it..:):) good luck fighting with the ever-green mogambo!! mogambo khush hua....ha..ha...:):)

SOULMATE:):)!!!

First of all, let me tell you the reason for this topic today..its the result of a shahrukh movie-weekend!!! boy, he does manage to bring out hidden emotions in everyone!! anyways, the first time i heard about soulmates was in one of my earlier romantic books ,the name of which i don't remember!! the book describes the prosaic life of a guy and his journey of finding his s"soulmate"..now why the quotations?? first of all, i don't really know what a soul-mate means... the dictionary describes  the soul as "the part of a man which feels,thinks and desires,its basically the essence of a life..so consequently, a soul-mate should mean the soul of another person who matches your soul perfectly.. the book also stated that you can find only one soul-mate in your life!! surprising!! considering the fact that the world is getting overloaded with every  human-being coming into this world every six seconds!!  so basically, you have just one person in this entire world whom you can call your soul-mate.... unbelievable!! one of my friends told me that a soul-mate can be anyone.. maybe your childhood sweetheart or a random person you would meet and feel like you have known him for a long time!! how is that possible??  in today's world of soo much uncertainty, how can you be soo sure of one single person??  moreover, has your soul-mate have to be your partner like a boyfriend or a girlfriend?? why can't it be your mother or father?? they gave birth to you.. obviously, your souls are connected!!  or even your friends.. it could be them too!!  am perplexed!!! how in the world am i gonna find my soul-mate?? the movies say that your heart will know it... but how?? personally, my heart needs to go click-click when i see my kind of a partner!! trust me, even after roaming around the country with my father, and seeing scores of people, my heart never went click-click!! it does go for shahrukh khan but whose doesn't?? :):)...also, can i have more than one soul-mate?? you have to consider that its possible..you can get along and pour your hearts out to more than one person,right?? hmm...a huge question mark!!! but i guess, i'll never have an answer to that question mark!! because everybody has their own ideas and theories especially in this matter.!!! for me, this concept has been over-rated... but all the best to all of them in search of their "soul-mates"...hope you find the perfect one!!! me i guess i have to keep on finding the answer for one of my million questions!!! adios...:):)