Puzzling perceptions

Certain occupations are so much associated with their workplaces that they seem to be inseparable and any change astounds us.

Like, we don’t need to ask a doctor where s/he works, as it is clear that a doctor works for a hospital. So when we meet a doctor we automatically ask him/her which hospital s/he works for. It is similar with other professions like an engineer, an architect, and others.

But recently I was surprised when we had a guest who was a doctor by profession. I asked him, “Uncle, which hospital do you work for?”

He burst into laughter along with my father. He replied, “I work for a college, not for a hospital.”

I was taken aback. I got confused what could be the use of a doctor in a college. He explained that he provided medical facilities to the students.

Another puzzling moment was when I met my new classmate, whose father was an engineer. I asked her, “Which company does he work for?”

I was surprised when she replied that her father worked for a school. He helped in constructing new buildings.

An encounter with a lawyer was another hilarious moment. I asked him, “Uncle, which court do you go to — High Court or District Court?” “I work for the Railways,” he replied.

I then remembered the incident when I noticed that many people perceived that an editor only worked for a newspaper or a magazine. I was astonished by this observation because an editor could edit anything like storybooks, novels and dictionary too. It is really hard to change certain perceptions.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 23, 2013)

Nature care

The park is a good place to relax, educate, entertain. The greenery soothes our eyes, while rides, swings and slides are the additional advantages. 

I visit the park in my neighbourhood daily. But I enjoy much more nowadays. Not only because my holidays are on, I relish more now as the weather is pleasant and the breeze is more refreshing.

Recently, I have noticed a larger number of people visiting the park. While most of them visit just for fun, many others are seen walking or doing exercises to get a slim body, perhaps taking advantage of the good weather.  

It is always nice to see more people in the park, but the thing I hate is that occasional visitors rarely care about the facilities. They litter the ground, harm plants, pluck flowers.  I have also seen another set of people who keep occupying the rides and exercise machines for long without thinking about others, while many adults occupy facilities meant for children.

It is our right to enjoy these facilities, but it is also our duty to protect the machines as well as nature’s gift.

I recently read an interesting quote of India’s Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi. “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed. What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” 

I really wonder what gives people the right to ruin this beautiful planet of ours. Nature is not a place to visit. It is our home.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 16, 2013)

What’s in a name?

                                     

While surfing through the Net, I got stuck with William Shakespeare’s often-mentioned quote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”

I am sure many people would have disagreed with him then, as people still differ with his observation. Many are of the opinion that a name has everything to do with quality while others think that a person’s nature depends on his name.

But I think that Shakespeare was right as I have noticed many people in my surroundings who don’t live up to their name.

I had a classmate whose name was Rice. Everyone found it strange because the rice grain can be easily broken but she was very strong and it was very difficult to persuade her to change her stand.

While writing this, I remember Sweety Aunty, my neighbour who has now shifted to America. I could never understand how she got nicknamed as Sweety, because she was never sweet to the neighbours. She was always ready to fight.

I recently read about a boy named Brian who always said that he was very brainy and he used to write his name as “Brain.” But he didn’t even have a bit of brain. He always used to do something foolish. 

I have also read about a man whose name was Alive, but he was never lively. Whenever he was told something, he would never react. Another character was called Happy, who never looked cheerful whether it was his birthday or his job or any other occasion.

And how can I forget my neighbour Lucky Uncle. I always thought what a wonderful name he has got. I had the impression that he must be very lucky, until I heard his tragic story. As usual, Shakespeare was right once again.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 9, 2013)

Strength of confidence

If a person has confidence that he can accomplish a task, he will do it. But if a person has talent without confidence, then even his talent is of no use. I have seen many examples of this.

Like, during the class tests I have heard many of my classmates saying, “O God! I have learnt everything, but I don’t know whether I will write the answers correctly. I am so scared.” And sometime, they really make mistakes.

Similarly, I have heard of one of my uncles who was never confident while going for interviews. Everytime he would say, “Oh! I don’t think I will get the job as many brilliant people will be there.”

I recently watched the movie, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. It was about an ordinary man who became the head of a famous company as he was confident of becoming one.

Recently, our Hindi teacher also told us that if we have confidence in ourselves, we can achieve our goals in life. 

She narrated us her story. She said that she used to get scared when she had to give her exams. When her final exams for Grade 12 were approaching, she was worried. But she recovered her confidence and started preparing for the exam. She was surprised when the result was declared. She had passed with flying colours.

This story inspired us all. We all had many thoughts in our mind. We discussed with each other after listening to the story. One of my classmates said that as the exams are approaching, we will also prepare for it and will give our final exam with full confidence. 

I read an interesting quote by Alfred Tennyson. “Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control: These three alone lead life to sovereign power.”

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 2, 2013)

Wealthy Message

When I go on vacations, my grandmother narrates many value-based stories. One of her favourite topics is money. She tells me about the importance of money and happiness. At first, I was not able to understand anything. But now when I meet people, I recall those stories and try to understand what she really meant.

I have met many people who think that money is everything. They say that we can live like kings if we have money. But I don’t think in those terms. I have seen many people who earn little money but keep smiling. I have also seen wealthy people, but many of them remain tense. Thus it’s not necessary that money is everything. We should not care so much for money as money can’t buy happiness. I see many examples of this in my daily life.

One example of this I can mention is about my friends. They keep on discussing electronic gadgets. Once a friend said that she had got an iPad2, but she wanted an iPad4. Another said that she had Blackberry phone, but she was asking her parents to buy Samsung Galaxy S III. Another of my friends said that she would love to have an iPhone5.

It seems that they spend more time looking for new gadgets in the market than looking towards other people around them. I have noticed that our conductor lives a peaceful life with a simple mobile in his hand. Similarly, the watchman of our building gets very little money, but he keeps smiling.

Recently I was reading a book, where I noticed a very important sentence: “Money can buy almost everything, but not the dignity and respect of being who we are.”

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 23, 2013)

Amazing Sharjah

Sharjah is a modern city where people not only live peacefully, but also lead a joyous life. Here we do not only get to see clean roads and breathe clean air in a healthy atmosphere, but we also see tall and stunning towers, the fountains, the forts and the historical places that make Sharjah even more beautiful. That’s not all. Sharjah also protects its culture and showcases the heritage through different mediums.

Sharjah’s close association with marine life showcased at the just-concluded Sharjah Light Festival 2013 was quite impressive.

I realised this when I went to watch the Sharjah Light Festival shows at various places. At Al Qasba, the main venue, I was  surprised to see a huge crowd. There was hardly any place to sit.

While waiting for the event to begin, I observed it was not just the show that people were interested in. It was like a picnic spot as many people had brought pizzas, burgers and other snacks with them to enjoy. The entire atmosphere was charged.

I was curious to know what was going to be shown this year. In the beginning, the focus was on pearling and then we were shown the marine creatures, as well as boating and fishing in ancient days. But the most impressive was the last sequence when the entire Al Qasba building became a cruise ship and started floating.

When I went to watch the show on the internal façade of Al Qasba, it was even more surprising as the crowd was even bigger than outside the building. 

It was difficult to find a place to stand and watch the show from the bridge or on the sides of the canal. I had to wait for the crowd to leave the place so that I could watch the next show, which was quite awesome.

I felt fortunate to be a resident of Sharjah as people travel to faraway places to watch such amazing shows.

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 16, 2013)

Teamwork ethic

To cooperate with others is a common training that everyone gets at a very early age, both at school and home. We can even co-operate with others not only by helping them finish the work but also by sharing our things with those who need it.

But there are a few people who never co-operate with others. One of my friends never co-operated with us whether she was a part of a group project or not. And that is why she was getting isolated until the day when we decided to not mention her name in the credit line of a project. Then she realised that co-operating with others is very necessary and especially if you are part of a group.

A great example of co-operation was seen recently when we participated in the Republic Day celebrations at our school. Thousands of girls and boys participated in parades and group dances. It would not have been possible without everyone’s co-operation. They co-operated with each other and had practised very hard to make this a successful event. 

It is a great feeling when we work as a team. I got that opportunity again. Soon, we will be celebrating the Annual Day of my school. We all are excited. And we are practising a lot for each act. All categories are having children in groups who are putting great effort together to make this programme a successful one. Our teachers are also happy with our efforts. We have realised that if we co-operate with each other and do lots of hard work, we will be successful. 

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 9, 2013)

Net gain

Internet provides an opportunity to people to connect, inform and inspire others across the world. YouTube has made the Net even more popular as it also allows people around the world to watch and share videos. In fact, YouTube has become a popular medium of entertainment and research.

Recently, I realised that YouTube has also become the world’s greatest platform to show your talent as millions of people around the world watch it.

Last year, a south Indian actor became the most popular singer as his unique song “Why This Kolaveri Di” became an instant hit. He had just uploaded the video of the song recording on YouTube and millions of people watched it on the Net.

The Korean pop singer Psy became a household name after he uploaded his song “Opa Gangnam Style” on YouTube. He was barely known outside his country, today he is an international celebrity. Today we see many versions of the song and people dancing on that song. 

The most outstanding case was the success of the song “One Pound Fish.” It is a very funny video which is all about a Pakistani who got a job in the UK as a fish-monger. He used to sing this song to attract customers. One of the customers had made a video of him and put it on YouTube. Millions of people have watched that video and he has become a singer now. 

I believe, every person has a talent in him/her, but many of us are scared to show it to others. We must have that courage to display it, because there is an international platform like YouTube which is available for free and which can make you an international celebrity overnight.

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 2, 2013)

UAE’s cultural beauty

Every place has its unique traditions and cultures. We can find a lot of traditional differences as we travel outside our native place. Born and brought up in the UAE, I have always been interested in knowing the traditional system of the host country. 

I have seen many traditional practices of the UAE. But I always wondered how the Emiratis welcome their guests in the traditional way. Recently, I got that rare chance when I went to Al Ghail Fort, located on a hill in Kalba.

We were welcomed by the Emiratis in a very traditional manner. They welcomed us happily by singing the welcome song, while a few of them were dancing with sticks. That was a moment to relish. Everyone there was enjoying. 

They also offered us the traditional coffee known as Kahva with dates. We were given hot and crispy dosa-like dish called Al-Muhalla to eat which was stuffed with cheese and it was so tasty that everyone was asking for it again and again. 

I got to see the bedouin lifestyle closely. A few of them were sitting nearby and showing the visitors the traditional skills of making ropes and baskets with leaves of palm trees. They said that if dates are kept in those baskets and closed tightly, it will remain fresh even after a year. A few others  showed us how to knit fishing nets.

This trip was a thrilling one and also a learning experience for me because it taught me many things about the bedouin lifestyle. I got to know a lot about the culture of the UAE from this trip. It was highly enlightening. I would love to know more about this country and share with you.

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 26, 2013)

Save Nature

Nature has done a lot for us but still many of us keep damaging it in many ways. We must preserve nature as it provides us with everything which we need for living. I realised the need most during my recent visit to Kalba where an eco-friendly tourism project is being developed.

We stepped out of the bus before a bridge, which connects Kalba town with the protected area. It was a great sight to see clean blue water below the bridge flowing like a river.

When we talk about sea and adventure, it is always about clean beaches, motorboat, jetski, bonfire and barbecue party. Thus when I entered the protected area, I was surprised to see mangrove trees that grow in mud between the sea and land, and transparent seawater enabling us to see marine creatures rarely found on the beaches.

There were many nature-friendly activities arranged for us. Some children took bicycles to explore the area, while many others tried their hand at archery. Boating was another option.

I was scared when it was my turn to get on the boat. I could not row the boat properly as the oar was very heavy, so I just sat quietly and enjoyed the pleasant scenery around. I also saw fish and other sea creatures below the transparent water.

Later, we were informed that the government is developing an eco-friendly tourism project while trying to preserve the natural habitat of the marine creatures.

They have been planting various trees and are planning to bring more marine creatures and birds to make it a popular tourist spot. No apartments or hotels will be built around it.

It was not just a thrilling experience for me but more knowledgeable and an eye-opening trip. I would be happy to play my role in saving nature.

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 19, 2013)