Spiritual goal

The Fifa World Cup 2014 has reached a very interesting phase now. I have been thrilled to watch a number of matches, many of them were too intense to watch. Since I come from India, which is crazy about cricket, I am not in favour of any particular team participating in this contest. Instead, I love the game and appreciate each and every team for their amazing performance.

But since the Holy Month of Ramadan has begun, I kept wondering about the Muslim players participating in it. In fact, everyone in my surrounding was curious to know whether the players will be fasting or they will skip it. For the first time in about three decades, the FIFA World Cup has coincided with Ramadan. It has put those players in a difficult spot.

Many athletes participating in the Olympics 2012 had also faced such a hard situation. But they were allowed to eat during Ramadan so that they make no mistakes while competing for glory. They were allowed to make up  for those fasts later.

Germany’s Mesut Ozil, Barcary Sagna of France and many other players have stated that they will not be fasting during matches. I can understand because if they stay away from food and drinks from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, they might feel weak and their performance might be affected.

But I was surprised when I came to know that the Muslim players of a few teams like Algeria and Nigeria had decided to continue fasting irrespective of their matches. Although now Algeria and Nigeria are out, they were the true heroes for me.

They maintained their religious duty as well as their national duty.

(Published in The Gulf Today on July 5, 2014)

An Ode to Dad

Dear dad

Never be sad

Always keep smiling

If you wish to see me shining

I've so many times disappointed you

Plz forgive me because I love you

Father's Day today is,

Today I realise what a great boon my father is

I appreciate his patience as to tolerate me

How he selflessly spends on me

I don't deserve it yet he gives me the position

For my happiness, he has many times changed his decision

If you wish take my test

Yet I'll say my father is the best

He has a lot of tensions

Sometimes about home, sometimes about pensions

But the tension, he never shows

What's in his mind, no one knows

I never want to go far from him

In life, there is no fun without him

Father's Day is a special day,

Not like Sunday or Monday

To thank your father, today is the best day

This is Father's Day

 (Published in Time Out, weekly tabloid of The Gulf Today on July 3rd 2014)

Dearest dad

It was Father’s Day recently. I was very excited. It was a special day when I could tell my father how special he was to me, give him gifts and appreciate him for showering me with love and affection.

I planned many surprises for him. I bought a perfect gift for the perfect father, prepared a refreshing tea and baked a scrumptious and amazing cake. I wrote a beautiful poem. Trying to give him a surprise, I also decorated the room as much as I could.

This was my way of telling him how important he was in my life. He is the light of my life. It was an amazing day and one of the best memories of my life. My father was very happy and I too was satisfied to see my father happy and smiling.

The next day was just like any other day. I got up early in the morning, went to school and the rest moved on as usual.

On reaching school I told my friends about the special day and how I had planned so many surprises. They all were amazed. I recited  my poem too, which made them speechless.

Just then my close friend came and said, “And what did you do today? Your father is the same person even today and you are the same as you were yesterday. Then why don’t you celebrate Father’s Day today too?”

I began wondering at her words. True, why should we celebrate Father’s Day once a year? My father has not changed nor have I. Then what about the remaining 364 days? Should we not love our father on those days? Should we not make them happy every day?
(Published in The Gulf Today on June 21, 2014)

Beating boredom

Electronic gadgets have become so popular that almost every other person is seen carrying one and spending most of their free time playing with it.

But the excitement associated with owning a gadget has started turning into boredom as no one shall continue to do the same thing again and again. How long will you go on playing games or watching videos on a phone?

I feel that people should start exploring the unending possibilities associated with gadgets like smartphones and Tabs, which certainly go beyond playing games or watching television shows.

One can do many things to get rid of boredom. Try to learn something new that you have never tried before. Listen to music that you like, read books and magazines or invite a friend for a chat.

You can create a new challenge for yourselves. Improve your skills. Figure out what you really want to do and do it. Make a list of things that you wish to achieve and see what else you can find to do now.

Your imagination is a powerful tool in the fight against boredom. Think and write an interesting story. You can even share your feelings or write an account of that day in a diary or online journal, known as blog. Create an interest for the things in your surroundings.

If you do not own a gadget, then simply go out for a refreshing walk or just take a nap.

 (Published in The Gulf Today on June 7, 2014)

Sportive spirit

 While watching cricket matches, especially when it is between archrivals like Australia and England or India and Pakistan, I have noticed that the surrounding gets hot. Both the teams and their fans get engaged in the match so intensely that the fun of the game disappears. I always thought that the players must not be on talking terms.

Recently, when a famous reality show on Indian television channel featured former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and Virendra Sehwag, an aggressive right-handed batsman, I thought that serious talks will start very soon and it would be pretty boring.

But once they started sharing their experiences, I was surprised to know that they share light moments with their rivals on and off the field.

Gavaskar recalled an incident when Javed Miandad, a former Pakistani captain and leading run scorer in Test matches, was facing one of India’s extraordinary bowlers. He knew that this bowler can be a hard one to face. He came up with an idea. After each ball he started asking the bowler his room number.

The bowler got nervous and asked Miandad why was he asking that.

He replied, “I want to hit a six to your hotel room.”

On another occasion, Kapil Dev, who won India the first World Cup, was the guest. Going by his persona, I always thought he must be very serious off-field too. But once he started narrating one incident after another, he made us laugh our heart out. Even the serious situation before his historic knock of 175 runs during the 1983 World Cup seemed amusing.

Recalling his early days, Kapil said he was terrified during his first tour to Australia as he was not at ease with their accent and he had seen an Australian bowler who was terrific and had sent many to hospital.

In the evening, when he boarded a taxi, the taxi driver asked, “You have come here to die?”

Kapil Dev replied, “No, I have come to live. I have come to play cricket and I am not scared of that bowler.”

He felt embarrassed when another teammate explained that the driver had asked, “You have come here today?”
(Published in The Gulf Today on May 31, 2014)

A job to choose

My friends and I often have a discussion on choosing professions. By the end of the discussion, we realise that medical and engineering are the most preferred. It may be because they don’t know about other occupations or don’t give them much importance.

But my friends were surprised when I told them about my decision of changing my field after recently visiting KidZania Dubai.

KidZania is located in Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world, where children are allowed to work in adult jobs and earn salary in its currency called KidiZos. Children get a lot of exposure about different jobs and professions which may help them get interested in a particular profession.

I also tried my hands on many jobs like pilot, a baby care specialist, a government officer, doctor, radio newsreader, cashier, etc.

The best jobs in my opinion were the doctor and the pilot. As a pilot, I was taught how to carefully land or take off a plane and how to maintain balance. As a doctor I was taught how to perform a surgery, and other things that a doctor would do.

As a baby care specialist, I was taught how to take care of a baby in a hospital. As a radio newsreader, I was taught to read the news from the screen. As a worker in the milk factory, I was taught how to prepare milk of different flavours. As a hotel staff, I was taught how I should  serve the dishes and cutlery.

I was well paid for these jobs too. I had a lot of fun while learning these new occupations. I had never before known that all these could be so exciting.

This was one of the best days and it will linger in my memories forever.

I would suggest all those who are of my age and have difficulty in choosing a particular occupation should at least once visit this wonderful place.

(Published in The Gulf Today on May 24, 2014)

Leadership debate

India’s general election 2014, results of which were announced on Friday, remained focused on two personalities – Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party.

Recently, when I was in India, a discussion was going on among my relatives. I was also sitting there, listening to them.

Many of them were of the opinion that Rahul Gandhi was capable of becoming the prime minister of India. He should win the elections. Many of them even said that they were assured of Rahul Gandhi winning the elections because he belonged to the Gandhi family.

But there was another group that was against the idea of Rahul Gandhi becoming the prime minister of India.

They argued that he did not have any experience and wondered how he could rule a great country like India.

Opposing the idea, they said that just because he was the son of Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi and came from that illustrious family, he should not get the top job. A prime minister should have certain qualities that could help him become a successful leader too. “Rahul did not have that calibre.”

While the discussion was going on, my cousin interrupted them.

He said, “If a boy can become head of the student council again and again in my school just because he is the son of a teacher, then why can’t Rahul Gandhi become prime minister of the country? His mother has a bigger position to support him.”

This innocent argument silenced everyone.
 (Published in The Gulf Today on May 17, 2014)

Disconnection Fear

Nowadays, electronic gadgets have become so useful that it has become necessary for everyone to have at least one of them. It would be rare to find anyone who does not carry one of the gadgets.

Many schools have made it mandatory for students to carry one gadget. Recently, our school launched Intel Education Tablet for students which will help not only in IT classes but also in science, art & craft as well as Islamic and social studies.

But modern gadgets can affect the power to memorise too. At least that is what was revealed by a study conducted by Princeton University, a research university located in New Jersey.

During a lecture, a group of students were asked to take notes using pen and paper, while the remaining students used their laptops. Those who used pen and paper had less information but could remember almost everything they wrote. While the laptop users had written almost the whole lecture but could remember only little of their work.

It made me realise that still images leave a lasting impression on our mind, compared to videos as we can observe a lot while flipping through an album, while it is difficult to concentrate while watching videos.

The accessibility of the Internet through smart phones has made it easier to search information about anything, but teachers often suggest us to go through the textbooks as they give a detailed explanation which help memorise the info, unlike searching the Net which remains momentary.

Sometimes, I too feel like going back to nature. But won’t it disconnect me from other parts of the world?

I am perplexed! What do you think?

 (Published in The Gulf Today on May 10, 2014)

Delhi Charm

Delhi attracts millions of visitors every year who come from different parts of the world to explore various facets of the heritage sites located in different corners of the city. Luckily, I have visited all the sites in the city showcasing India’s glorious past, but the most fascinating to me was Humayun’s Tomb.

During my recent India trip, I decided to visit the site, once again.

It is quite surprising for every visitor who enters the huge compound to realise that the actual grave is located in the centre of the campus which is divided into four gardens. One may compare it only with the Taj Mahal, which is a big and beautiful tomb built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Humayun’s Tomb was built much earlier, in fact, the idea of Taj Mahal was derived from this tomb, as it was built by Emperor Humayun’s first wife.

As I went on further, I noticed that the restoration works were going on in full swing. Several craftsmen were busy carving and painting to give the original look to various parts of the historic site.

Later I came to know that the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in association with the Archaeological Survey of India carried out the restoration work. The preservation started only after it was declared as the Unesco World Heritage Site in 1993.

While returning, we passed by the famous Lotus Temple or the Baha’i House of Worship. This flower-like structure was amazing. A look at the petals gave the feel that it was smiling and inviting us. I couldn’t help admiring the architect of this wonderful house of worship. India’s national flower looked more beautiful when represented this way.

As I went inside, I was amazed by the brilliant inner architecture too. The peace and quietness was so soothing that I enjoyed even the birds chirping.

Although, it is only about 30 years old, this place is certainly going to be added to the list of India’s heritage sites.

I just wonder whether enough care will be taken to preserve this site from now on, so that it does not lose its sheen, and doesn’t need any restoration work to get back its glory, as is the case with Humayun’s Tomb.

 (Published in The Gulf Today on May 3, 2014)