Nothing like humour to bring the message home. Do watch this video on YouTube...great laugh and a good way to start the day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus
Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
God Only Knows....
Of all the phrases and attitudes that have been attributed to us Indians, be it the ‘chalta hai’, ‘Jugad kar le’ or “Swalpa adjust maadi”, the one I like best is “God only knows…”
Did you do your exams well?
God only knows….
Will your son get married this year?
God only knows....
So, you’re moving out of Pune this April?
God only knows...
Will the electricity come back on by evening?
God only knows...
Will your daughter get admission into this school?
God only knows...
Point to be noted that in all the above circumstances God has little or no influence in the matter.
But it’s comforting to think that someone up there is concerned about our trials however insignificant and KNOWS what is going to happen. If not me, at least someone knows the events that will unfold…it’s the uncertainty that is killing us. The ‘not knowing’ what’s going to happen.
Scientists say the world is in peril today. They say they KNOW that the ocean levels have risen, that animals are going extinct, and that the earth is getting warmer. It’s not Myth anymore. They KNOW…which means you and I now have to live in the light of this knowledge.
It’s tough to live with such truth, you say. It’s not easy, I agree. But it doesn’t have to be all grim.
In my experience, all the things that we have cherished and enjoyed we have always preserved. Whether its our first born’s baby photos, that first jersey we wore on our holiday abroad, photographs of grandmas home, our sons wedding invite, our childs first scribble on paper, grandpas last letter to us, the first video of our daughter walking, our first home, ........the list is endless.
So that’s the trick. In all this doomsday speak, don’t forget to enjoy the earth!! Let life be a celebration! Enjoy the fruit you eat and give thanks for it. Be grateful for the water, the rain, the heat and the breeze. Look at the sky every evening and marvel at the sunset. Walk in your lawn and say thank you to the grass. Say hello to the pigeons that visit your window sill. Laugh at that street dog that barks at every vehicle that drives into your road, as if he were protecting his own! In Summer, don’t curse the heat and wait for winter. In winter, don’t say you ache for sunshine.
It works like magic and I say this with experience. As you acknowledge these tiny miracles in your life, habits and attitudes automatically change. Human beings rarely hurt that which they love.
So is it true, is the earth really going to end?
God knows that you know the answer to this one.....
Did you do your exams well?
God only knows….
Will your son get married this year?
God only knows....
So, you’re moving out of Pune this April?
God only knows...
Will the electricity come back on by evening?
God only knows...
Will your daughter get admission into this school?
God only knows...
Point to be noted that in all the above circumstances God has little or no influence in the matter.
But it’s comforting to think that someone up there is concerned about our trials however insignificant and KNOWS what is going to happen. If not me, at least someone knows the events that will unfold…it’s the uncertainty that is killing us. The ‘not knowing’ what’s going to happen.
Scientists say the world is in peril today. They say they KNOW that the ocean levels have risen, that animals are going extinct, and that the earth is getting warmer. It’s not Myth anymore. They KNOW…which means you and I now have to live in the light of this knowledge.
It’s tough to live with such truth, you say. It’s not easy, I agree. But it doesn’t have to be all grim.
In my experience, all the things that we have cherished and enjoyed we have always preserved. Whether its our first born’s baby photos, that first jersey we wore on our holiday abroad, photographs of grandmas home, our sons wedding invite, our childs first scribble on paper, grandpas last letter to us, the first video of our daughter walking, our first home, ........the list is endless.
So that’s the trick. In all this doomsday speak, don’t forget to enjoy the earth!! Let life be a celebration! Enjoy the fruit you eat and give thanks for it. Be grateful for the water, the rain, the heat and the breeze. Look at the sky every evening and marvel at the sunset. Walk in your lawn and say thank you to the grass. Say hello to the pigeons that visit your window sill. Laugh at that street dog that barks at every vehicle that drives into your road, as if he were protecting his own! In Summer, don’t curse the heat and wait for winter. In winter, don’t say you ache for sunshine.
It works like magic and I say this with experience. As you acknowledge these tiny miracles in your life, habits and attitudes automatically change. Human beings rarely hurt that which they love.
So is it true, is the earth really going to end?
God knows that you know the answer to this one.....
Friday, March 06, 2009
Questions
Calvin: I wonder if we can refuse to inherit the world.
Hobbes: I think if you are born, it’s too late.
For the past few years, I did not bother about government decisions on second language in schools, entrance tests for 3 year olds, or board exam regulations. Why? Because it didn’t matter. I was done with school and college and all this was not part of my reality.
Today I have vehement views on Marathi as a third language and am incensed that 2 year olds have to recite names of vegetables to gain admission into a crowded class of 60. Why? Because my kids are in the race now.
When did all this happen, I ask? Why didn’t somebody do something??
Answer: because Somebody did not care too. Somebody’s children had passed out of school long ago.
It is a harsh reality we all need to accept. The only legacy we will leave behind our children is our short sighted vision.
Unless the heap of garbage lies outside my window, unless the broken pipeline floods my street and the power cuts are in my neighbourhood, unless the footpaths are unpaved outside my building, unless the job cuts are in my industry or the terrorists kill my kin, only if the women molested are city dwellers like me, unless the water dries up in my well: I will not be moved into action.
What did our children do deserve us, I sometimes wonder? Is this all we have come to, after all those management degrees and seminars we have so proudly hosted and attended. Will our children only remember us for the movies and popcorn and restaurants that we took them to? Will they measure the success of our parenting in the number of toys, or computer games we bought them? Or birthday parties we hosted for them? Is being a ‘cool’ parent so divorced from being a responsible one?
Or is it that we don’t know what to do? Are we just clueless this time and don’t now how to admit it? Especially to our kids? Or is it pure laziness to take the first step.
I ask questions only in the hope that in the midst of all this, answers might emerge. I want to think well of our lot. I really do. But in all honesty, its getting difficult, wouldn’t you agree?
How else can we explain our silent joy at a million dollars being spent on acquiring simple rimmed glasses at an auction last night in New York, when not one of us has the audacity to bid for the vision the eyes behind those glasses had the ability to see.
Hobbes: I think if you are born, it’s too late.
For the past few years, I did not bother about government decisions on second language in schools, entrance tests for 3 year olds, or board exam regulations. Why? Because it didn’t matter. I was done with school and college and all this was not part of my reality.
Today I have vehement views on Marathi as a third language and am incensed that 2 year olds have to recite names of vegetables to gain admission into a crowded class of 60. Why? Because my kids are in the race now.
When did all this happen, I ask? Why didn’t somebody do something??
Answer: because Somebody did not care too. Somebody’s children had passed out of school long ago.
It is a harsh reality we all need to accept. The only legacy we will leave behind our children is our short sighted vision.
Unless the heap of garbage lies outside my window, unless the broken pipeline floods my street and the power cuts are in my neighbourhood, unless the footpaths are unpaved outside my building, unless the job cuts are in my industry or the terrorists kill my kin, only if the women molested are city dwellers like me, unless the water dries up in my well: I will not be moved into action.
What did our children do deserve us, I sometimes wonder? Is this all we have come to, after all those management degrees and seminars we have so proudly hosted and attended. Will our children only remember us for the movies and popcorn and restaurants that we took them to? Will they measure the success of our parenting in the number of toys, or computer games we bought them? Or birthday parties we hosted for them? Is being a ‘cool’ parent so divorced from being a responsible one?
Or is it that we don’t know what to do? Are we just clueless this time and don’t now how to admit it? Especially to our kids? Or is it pure laziness to take the first step.
I ask questions only in the hope that in the midst of all this, answers might emerge. I want to think well of our lot. I really do. But in all honesty, its getting difficult, wouldn’t you agree?
How else can we explain our silent joy at a million dollars being spent on acquiring simple rimmed glasses at an auction last night in New York, when not one of us has the audacity to bid for the vision the eyes behind those glasses had the ability to see.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Our Green Mantra Campaign
Green mantra is underway and has been greeted with an amazing response! A big thank you to all my creative and hard working students who gave in their best. Out T shirts, bags, calendars, bookmarks and jewelry sparked much interest and at the end of the day all the hard work was worth it.
Making the environment trendy and putting it on sale was the last thing on our agenda. But our idealism soon vanished once we realized that unless we create a BUZZ, nothing ever gets noticed. Let alone a humble grocery bag!!
I thank all my friends who came in for the event and greatly value their words of appreciation. We now embark on our “plastic-bag free” neighbourhood programme. Please feel free to write in with your ideas/suggestions and whether you would like to start a similar campaign for your neighborhood.
I am posting pictures of our t shirts, bags and other merchandise. If any of it interests you, please write in to gulmohardays@gmail.com
Making the environment trendy and putting it on sale was the last thing on our agenda. But our idealism soon vanished once we realized that unless we create a BUZZ, nothing ever gets noticed. Let alone a humble grocery bag!!
I thank all my friends who came in for the event and greatly value their words of appreciation. We now embark on our “plastic-bag free” neighbourhood programme. Please feel free to write in with your ideas/suggestions and whether you would like to start a similar campaign for your neighborhood.
I am posting pictures of our t shirts, bags and other merchandise. If any of it interests you, please write in to gulmohardays@gmail.com
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