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Gone are the 365 days and here comes the new year. burring away the past, sorrows, tears and all the bad, bring in the new year to gives us new hope, dreams, aspiration, smiles and more. Slowly the past fades away from our lives as the coming days become more vibrant. Each one of us need to think for themselves what they want. The coming year to be paced as same as the previous one or to be better and be socially conscious and responsible, doing something not only for themselves but serving others. Apart from blaming others, we need to be the change. So this coming year, let us all decide for ourselves whats best and without being selfish, let us together create a environment that is united and help to spread love, joy and happiness.

After the week long stock of stored groceries its time for the market to be set once again. Every area in India has its own 'market day' every week, where you get the best bargains, sufficient enough to last the entire  7 days or more. While a few local sellers get their stuff ready and set out their carts , some of them just lay down a old sack with neatly stacked vegetables freshly plucked from their own farms or gardens. Some of them use the Indian weight of measures while some of them who are barely educated carry on the old tradition of selling it in small portions like two hand fulls. In a moments time everything is set and layed out & one would not recognize that its the same road of yesterday.The sellers yell and shout out their best offers & prices. Hundreds of women and men with their cloth carry bags march to the market.  Their eyes and ears have to be sharp as each one sells it cheaper than the other to attract the crowd. What you by for Rs 20 here may be sold for Rs 10 a few steps further. So everyone out there is on their quest to get the best buy. There is so much of noise- traffic and chaos all over and if you are suffering from Agoraphobia this is definitely not the place for you to be. Admist the rush you have to make your way through, just like in a game, dodging and making sure you don't bang into anyone and drop their bags or you'l land up in a tiff. Every seller has his own story and your mind begins to wander, especially when you see the kids with pitiful eyes sitting with their mother to sell a few homegrown vegetables or a old lady who can barely walk and see, selling bananas from her backyard tree. Not forgetting that some women haven't forgotten their roots and even though they have big bungalows and are rich owners, they keep the culture and family tradition alive of selling in the market like a simpleton. So much to look at and so much of vegetables and fruits to buy, a day in a market in India has a experience of its own. Everything gets sold out by mid- noon and people wait for the next week for them to come back again.

Sweet are the memories when dad would take us for short trips. Once he took us for his friends wedding to a remote village in the heart of Alibaug, a small village on the outskirts of Maharashtra. Being kids, me and my brother became the center of attraction as we were known as the children from the city. We were greeted by his parents and neighbours and not forgetting they would give us whatever we asked for. However little they had they gave it with all their heart. They were farmers and we lived under their thatched roof which was surrounded by fields. Soon it was time to leave and we bid good bye with tears in our eyes. Days passed and years too and the memories  faded away while a few moments remained.
                 After so many years again we visited the same place. Everything around changed, us too, but not the people there. As soon as we entered, the old man came running to greet us with tears in his eyes. He couldn't stopped smiling and shouting out " they are come" by taking our names. He then called out to his wife and they spoke about the good old days & how we roamed around the house and played when we visited them as kids. Not forgetting they made us stay for lunch and their hospitality was overwhelming. It made me compare everything to the city. People earn and with so much yet are self- centered and here with little that people have, they give their best. True happiness lies within the art of giving. And they gave us something that many cant, they gave us so much LOVE. Beautiful was the day and precious were the moments that will last forever.

Christmas is the reason of the season. Its time to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house with Christmas streamers and lighting  And  not forgetting the crib where Christ was born. Sweets are ready - Cards- Decoration - Gifts- Planning for Christmas night and much more with so much of joy and excitement from within. Its time to celebrate ! But are we actually celebrating the birth of Christ with the true meaning of Christmas or do we just need a reason to celebrate and party all night long ? Feels like the true meaning of Christmas is being detached over the years.Getting drunk & Sleeping around- spending lavishly on food, outfits and decorations rather than feeding the hungry and helping underprivileged. There are so many things that Christ would not at all be happy about. Are we all so engrossed in other things that we forget the true meaning of Christmas and that Christ was born for a reason- to forgive us and make us better people. A meal with your family, organizing a Christmas party for the underprivileged, aged or orphans by carol singing around the town, wishing far relatives & everyone around with a smile, being secret Santa to someone and so many other things to do. So this Christmas let us all get together and celebrate the birth of Christ and not forgetting the real reason for the celebration.

                                

Criticism is a part of life. Some may criticize you, while on the other hand you may be praised for the same thing by others. Some may think good of you but may never have the interest to tell you. while the most successful people were always criticized for their work before they made it to the top. they were hurt and put down but never gave up in following their dreams. With their hard work and dedication they achieved what they wanted to and those who criticized them have learnt their lesson forever.
                        Also never underestimate anyone. Britain's Got Talent, Opera singer runner up winner, Susan Boyle,  was compared to a pig from the village she came from by the judge. But her talent and voice took everyone by surprise and she received a standing ovation . So no matter what people say we must never give up. People have mouths - will talk and not forgetting that we are a part of people too. we talk too about others, knowingly or unknowingly. So in the end what matters is that we should be aware and believe in ourselves and find our way through.Because no one knows what you really are and you have all the right to prove it to them.

 

So the wait is finally over. Here we are in 2012 and soon it'l be the 21st, the day that many foreseen it to be the last. No wonder is it the last date mentioned in the Mayan calendar. Many are excited to see if what had been predicted hundreds of years ago will come true but There's also a fear among every soul of the kind of death they would have as it was depicted in many films and writings that were inspired by these predictions.However what if the things mentioned really happen? Definitely we all are going to die a horrid death and along with that the bad and evil of the world will go away.The good and the bad both die taking away our achievements, dreams , relationships, possessions and everything we were hoping for. The mind starts flickering and getting paranoid and soon a million of questions will flow in asking ourselves if our life was worthy enough? Were you able to fulfill all your wishes? Did u still have negativity around you and a troubled life or are you ready to die in peace? soon every hour, every minute and every second gets precious and feels like a 24 hr time bomb that would explode. But however true or not true, atleast we'l know how it feels like to have just  a few hours to live and respect every moment of our life and make sure we do our best to make it worth living.

The cold misty road stayed silent before sunrise with not a single means of public transport to reach me to the station. Then suddenly out of the blue a rickshaw stopped near me. Without any hesitation and entered it as i was in a hurry to reach or else i would miss my train. When the rick started i realized it was just me and the rick driver. As it passed some distance i started to feel the loneliness and the dark stretch made me thing all the worst possible things of how the man would be. What if he was a kidnapper or a lunatic or worst a ghost.i began to think about all the stories i'hv been hearing of as a child about strangers. i bent myself a bit to check is human hands and feet if they were normal and not turned like the so called gheeras. Then i squeesed myself into the darkest corner and looked out at the road to see if we were on the right track. what if he would take the wrong turn i thought. Perhaps i would jump of as soon as he slows down or scream for help. Heart beats started increasing as it got darker where the street lamps weren't working. But soon after sometime i reached the station safely just to realize how stupid my mind was to think like that about a person. The whole thing about news hype gets into the head completely sometimes and makes us observe people in a way that they' r sometimes not.

Within the past few years India has undergone a major cultural, financial and social change.Also India has seen a major development of infrastructures and facilities which were not available before.When unemployment had become a major problem, the increasing number of domestic and international call centers and BPO's gave jobs to many thus stabilizing their financial conditions of themselves and their families. The same people who could barely have just two simple meals and day and sufficient for travelling, now ate lavishly, opened saving accounts,built homes, invested for their future and also went for short trips occasionally. And all this for working just for the usual 8-9 hours a day and talking on the phone and assisting. Sounds like a easy dream right?   But whats the cost of all this is? there is no day and no night for those working cause of the odd timings, hard work, and most importantly they are likely to receive criticism and a skeptic attitude from the society. Why? why working in a call center is viewed to be a just piece of cake and the efforts, time and hard work that one puts into making that cake is not counted. Don't others with high qualifications and those with socially accepted jobs have bad habits too ? Definitely we need a change in our perceptions and need to know that hellooo!! working in a call center is not as easy at it seems and those working there should  not be looked down upon.

Staying in India and you are bound by cultures and traditions. Most importantly what every child is taught from childhood is to respect. Respect for elders. But with along respect what happens most of the time is loss of freedom of speech and rights. A mother may beat its child if it does wrong and with respect the child is silenced even though sometimes it is not his fault at all. A teacher who is least bothered about paying attention to see if the child is able to learn but more bothered about when she is going to finish her portion. A relative who may speak filthy and who has lost his dignity. A rich buisnessman who beats his wife and children after drinking. Aren't these something to bother about? does age and status always has to come in between and stub us? Respect is something that doesn't come with age and status but is earned with a individuals character. His ability to help when in need, to handle things, his struggles throughout his life, survival stories, and within all this the time, months and years he spent in stabilizing not only his own life but also the ones around him and the society is what counts.