Importance of Now

Live in the moment...

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well,” wrote famous American novelist and short story writer George RR Martin in his epic novel A Game of Thrones.

This is a wonderful yet amazingly true fact. Yet, some children do not realise this.

I have noticed majority of the children yearn to grow older, very soon. They wish to wake up the next morning to find themselves going out for work. But they have probably not yet realised the importance of childhood and its sweet memories.

When my friends and I were much younger, we used to take inspiration from our seniors and aspire to become seniors one day. Now that we have reached higher grade, and the younger students in our school refer to us as their seniors, we yet again wish to become junior and live the carefree life once again.

I have always found it a bit weird that where children want to turn into an adult sooner, an adult wants to head back to his golden age of innocence. Children wish to turn adults soon so that they can control their own lives, while adults wish to go back to their childhood era to be bound in the care and affection of their parents. 

Children want to skip education and examinations, while adults wish to go back to those times to escape from the tension of work.

The concept has often perplexed me that younger children dream about their future while the adults dwell in their past. I wonder why we do not live and enjoy the present so that when we look at our past later, we might find sweet memories and try to enjoy and work hard in the present so our future could become better than our present.

And I’m reminded of HW Longfellow’s poem “A Psalm of Life.” The poet says: 
“Trust no future, however pleasant! 
Let the dead Past bury its dead! 
Act, - act in the living Present! 
Heart within, and God o’erhead.”

(Published in The Gulf Today on May 14, 2016)

Love is hard to find

Love is hard to find indeed...

It is said that love is hard to find. It may be a topic of discussion that may attract hundreds of people who would be ready to speak “for” and “against” it.

With my little experience, I count myself among those who stand “for” it.

Love is hard to find especially in a world where violence is slowly taking over, despite serious attempts to promote peace and harmony world over. Looking around us, we can find its proof in everyday life. But the most disappointing experience was when people gathered at a programme to mark the 400th death anniversary of the legendary Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare, they forgot to even mention his timeless classic “Romeo and Juliet.”

I can’t even think of talking about the legendary poet-playwright and fail to mention his wonderful and everlasting love story.

“Romeo and Juliet” has the eternal glory. Although it had a tragic ending, it wonderfully exhibited the true love possessed by the two lovers. Romeo and Juliet did not let the enmity between their parents come in between their love.

It made me realise how easily the world is forgetting the true icons of love, be them Romeo-Juliet, or their counterparts in some other parts of the world including Shirin-Farhad, Heer-Ranjha and Laila-Majnu.

Unfortunately, people are talking more about icons of hatred and violence presented to the current generation through films and TV shows. 

The latest addition to the series is Clint Eastwood’s film         American Sniper.

Love is hard to find, indeed

(Published in The Gulf Today on May 7, 2016)

Labour Day

Since time immemorial, people across the world work to earn a livelihood for their family, which is also their contribution in the smooth functioning of the world. 

A teacher teaches the students who grow up to become successful people. A farmer works day and night to provide food for us. Yet, not all people get equal credit for their work.

I am pleased that the world has dedicated at least a day in the year to them. 

Every year on May 1, marked as International Labour Day, people acknowledge the work of not only labourers but also people from other professions.

Many people have the belief that Labour Day is celebrated only for the labourers and lower working class. But I believe that everyone else in the world do their best to make their profession among the best. And that it is not only for a particular group of people but for everyone who works hard to achieve something.

Sometimes, in order to earn a living, people forget to enjoy the nature’s blessings. 

Unfortunately, they are not given enough credit for their efforts. I feel sad when I think about it. I wonder how many times we would have stopped to pay attention to the garbage-picker on the road or to the office boys.

I am happy that the UAE is among those countries which understand the worth of workers. 

Thus, in order to appreciate their work, the government has organised a three-day celebration to mark the International Labour Day starting from April 29 to May 1. 

It is a celebration organised to give a day off to the workers and give sufficient credit for their work. 

I am sure that it will successfully highlight the importance of  labourers in today’s world and their unique role in the urbanisation of the world.

I hope that just as the governments of different countries have realised the fact that everyone is important for the well-being and advancement of a country, we, the public should also realise this and give importance to everyone.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 30, 2016)

Eco challenge

People across the world are busy organising various activities to mark the Earth Day that falls on April 22. When I think about the issue that affects the earth most, I find it is global warming.

Global warming is one of the most important crises of today’s world. This is probably the biggest human-caused problem and should be solved as fast as we can. The most terrible thing is that it is affecting not only our environment, but humans also. The worst consequence of it is that it increases poverty. 

Scientists have correctly stated that by 2030, most of the world’s population will be pushed into poverty if this goes on.

It is not a matter to ponder as to how global warming can increase poverty. For example, due to the high temperature, crops get burnt many times. This affects the income of farmers.

Similarly, fish, in order to save themselves, either go towards the North and South poles or are killed by the rising temperature thus lessening their population in a particular area. People depending on fisheries for their livelihood would soon no longer be able to earn their bread and butter.

Thus it is very important to save the world from the clutches of global warming. In order to stop global warming, many factories should be closed as they release the most greenhouse gases. 

Unfortunately, we humans have started depending a lot on such polluting machines and factories. Therefore, if we stop their use, again we will be affected.

We are in a situation where choosing any option will be harmful for us. We need to find out a neutral solution quickly before the problem increases.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 23, 2016)

Smell the real flowers

Most people are awaiting virtual reality, I am awaiting virtuous reality

I always wonder how flowers spark a variety of emotions. 

While the smell of fresh flowers positively alters our moods, their colours communicate a mood almost instantly. 

The white lilies bring peace to our mind, while the red roses depict the importance of love in the world.

A few days ago, I stopped by the nearby flower shop. I was pleased to see the colourful and inviting flowers decorating the shop. 

However, I was upset when I noticed that these flowers were artificial. 

On top of that, I even noticed that the attracting essence from the flowers was thanks to the spray used by the shopkeeper.

I had always had a craze for varieties of flowers. 

But looking at these lifeless ones that had no connection with the reality was very disappointing. I was even sad that these artificial flowers were sprayed with essence so that they would give the feeling that they were real.

These flowers helped me realise how far we are going from reality. 

Thanks to the social media sites, just like the flowers, we are getting distant from the real world.

We talk about our Facebook friends whom we do not even know in real life but forget to think about those living next door. 

We now prefer chatting on our phones rather than having a face-to-face communication. 

I hope that we will switch back to the real world from the artificial world before it is too late.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 16, 2016)

Pen, sword or keyboard?

 Or 

Today, a strong media to communicate with the world is on the palm of our hands. 

However, it is also true that this media scratches our palm at the first opportunity. At times, I have noticed that nothing is true in this digital world, neither the virtual friends nor their posts. 

A few days ago, while reading the newspaper, I came across a very important piece of news. It stated that last year, over 300,000 Indians became a victim of cybercrime. 

With the mushrooming of social media sites, virtual friendship has increased. But I have noticed that often, the obsession with social media and virtual friendship takes a dangerous turn and can lead one to become a victim of cybercrime. People probably do not understand that most of the time, a stranger in the virtual world remains a stranger.

While online, we should not only be careful of other people and strangers, but also we should be careful of ourselves.

Many cyber users try to praise themselves and raise their levels in front of others. They build their fake images in front of others on social sites. They photoshop their photographs and often make false claims about themselves on their posts. Often in such cases, people start believing the lies. 

People also forget that whatever they post is permanent. Their post cannot be undone. In the heat of the moment, they post a lot of things that are not even needed. Later on, they realise their folly. Even if we are excited, we should check once and then post.

During the last century, a pen was mightier than the sword, but has the keyboard become mightier than both in this century?

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 9, 2016)

Sparrow man

Birds need you this summer...

Sparrows are one of those birds which are now rarely seen, even though they were once found everywhere. It is disappointing that we humans are neglecting this important fact.

 

Yet, I am pleased that there are people in the world who still care about birds and other gifts of nature as well. I was surprised when I recently read about the “Sparrow Man.”

 

Edwin Joseph is a resident of the South Indian city of Bengaluru. He protects more than a hundred sparrows at his residence. He had nothing to do with a sanctuary. About 10 years ago, he and his wife had noticed a few sparrows in their garden and started providing them with food and water.

 

Slowly, more and more birds arrived and took shelter in the garden. Today, the man wakes up to the sound of the chirping of over two hundred sparrows.

 

I am happy that people are trying to conserve the priceless gifts of the nature to us. I wish that all of us could be like them so that our collective effort could save these innocent animals.

 

The least we could do for them could be keeping food crumbs on our window sills, try to decrease pollution and also spread the word among others so that they can join the cause with enthusiasm.

 

These little tricks might attract those species of living beings who had to give up their homes so that other living beings could get their homes. 

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 2, 2016)

Clean message

Earth Day is Every Day...#SaveEarth

Citizens of the world are coming up with new strategies to conserve our natural resources and protect our world from many natural threats. 

There are debates and discussions on issues such as carbon emission, global warming, water pollution, air pollution, land pollution. Experts suggest various ways to conserve Mother Nature by reducing and recycling waste, prevent damage to the desert, wetlands and other wildlife habitats.

However, upon noticing, I have realised that most of the people only stick to theories and do not apply them practically. 

I often notice people visiting beaches, parks and the corniche for partying. But it was sad to see them littering the area and leaving the trash behind.

It is extremely disappointing to see beautiful sites destroyed due to the carelessness of a few visitors. 

The trash left behind could harm people and spread pollution as well.

The municipalities put signs and also impose fines as they try their best to keep the city clean. It would be better if we spread the word among people, because it is a duty of the residents as well. We should also take some precautions before partying or camping.

We should be considerate and think about others. It is better not to light an open fire so that the land is not destroyed. We can prevent the use of glass bottles or such things. We could try not to leave behind the traces of camping.

If we all contribute together, we could do a much better work. We could enjoy the scenery and let those who come after us enjoy the same scene.

We should remember that these places are meeting places and campsites, not landfills.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 26, 2016)

Winner's Loss

As I sat on my writing table to pen down this week’s short take, my phone rang. It was a message on WhatsApp from my cousin, “What has reached you was never meant to miss you and what has missed you was never meant to reach you.”

Perplexed, I rang her to know what was going on in her mind.

Last night, she went to a get-together organized by her friends. To make the party more interesting, they decided to play a game. They put up ten gift packs, and started asking tricky questions. First person who answered correctly, would win a prize.

Fortunately my cousin gave a correct answer.

But the real difficulty came when she was asked to choose a number between one and ten to claim her prize, as there were gift boxes of various shapes and sizes with a number marked on it.

She said some random number. When she opened her gift, she realised it was a camera. She was overjoyed.

But it did not last long.

She got disappointed when she realised that other boxes had iPhone 6, iPad and laptop. She realised if she would have chosen a number after having a glance at the shapes and sizes of the boxes with various numbers, she could have been the luckiest person to hold an iPhone6.

She told me, “That camera is very expensive, but worthless for me. I am not a photography enthusiast. I feel like losing even after winning.”

This reminded me of a famous dialogue delivered onscreen by famous Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan in the movie ‘Baazigar,’ “Haar kar jeetney wale ko Baazigar kehte hain” (The one who wins after losing is the ultimate winner).

But I wonder what you will call someone who is overwhelmed by a sense of loss even after winning.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 19, 2016)

Special day for women

It is hard to be a woman. Respect them.

I was waiting for my school bus to arrive when I saw an innocent child waiting patiently for his bus and talking with his mother.

 

The child had noticed a nearby sign board and asked his mother, “Why have they written ‘Men at Work’?”

 

His mother replied, “Women work all the time but when men work, they need to put up signs.”

Although it was a light-hearted conversation between a mother and her son, I found her comment quite remarkable.

 

Often, a woman doesn’t get enough respect and appreciation for her efforts. A woman takes care of her children, fulfils the wishes of her family, prepares meals for them and manages other chores as well without feeling tired or irritated. Many times her appreciation is left unspoken.

 

A woman is an adorable mother, a cute daughter, a loving sister and an encouraging wife. There was a time when women were a dormant section of our society. But now, they have become important in all walks of life. Today, women are an integral part of the world.

 

I am happy that at least a part of the modern society has realised this and dedicated a day to appreciate women for all their efforts in making fruitful contributions to the society.

 

The International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8 every year, is that special day when women throughout the world are respected and the achievements of great ladies of past and present encourage the great ladies of the future.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 12, 2016)

Magic word

Is it too late now to say sorry?

When Canadian singer and songwriter Justin Bieber released his song, “Is it too late to say sorry now” at the end of 2015, it became a chartbuster instantly.

It was quite natural. Because “sorry” seems to be the hardest word to pronounce, yet he was apologising so effortlessly.

The song reflects the fact. Everyone makes mistakes, but very few accept them. Many people think that saying sorry is humiliating. Often in such cases, pride and ego come in between. I have seen that such people think that apologising would make them look smaller and the other person would become superior.

Many times it also happens that people fear that the person would refuse to accept their apologies, thus they refuse to apologise. While at other times, people feel that if they ask for forgiveness, they might lose their powers.

Many people often think that saying sorry is a sign of weakness. They feel that someone says sorry because the other person is stronger and the enmity would be tough. But I feel that apologising is a sign of strength. It needs great courage to accept one’s mistake, which is a gift.

Saying sorry means you respect others’ feelings. Accepting mistakes makes you a better person and people trust you. And the best thing probably is that you get relief. You know that you have done the right thing.

I wonder why, even after knowing all these, people do not accept their mistakes.

On the other hand, there are a few courageous people in our midst who come forward and say sorry. They prefer to say sorry to the other person and patch up, without thinking much about who was at fault. 

Because saying sorry does not always mean that you are accepting the mistake, it shows that you respect the relationship.

Is it too late to say sorry now?

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 5, 2016)

World of words

Asking me if I like reading is like asking me if I like breathing

Talking about classics, Mark Twain had once said, “Classic – a book which people praise and don’t read.”

Today I find the statement applicable in most of the cases. Most of the books just get dusty by resting on the shelf, unless it is prescribed in the syllabus, or it is a ledger book.

I am pleased to note that the UAE government has taken a great initiative by announcing the year 2016 as “Year of Reading” to promote reading and regain its lost uniqueness.

I feel privileged to be part of a country where education is given a high priority and whose government takes such an excellent step towards the promotion of reading. Thanks to this initiative, the diminishing habit of reading in our leisurely hours has become a hot topic of discussion in various circles. I hope it will bring significant changes in the society and people might start reading.

Reading is one such hobby that can contribute immensely in making any country a capital of knowledge. Modern governance ideas, new scientific inventions and many such things have been the product of reading. Reading opens our minds. Unfortunately, due to the addiction to all the new electronic gadgets, youngsters are getting farther from this beautiful world.

One must remember that whoever reads lives a thousand lives before dying. However, the one who never reads, can just live one life which too might turn out boring at a later stage.

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 27, 2016)

Love leads to life

“This fire that we call Loving is too strong for human minds. But just right for human souls.”

With the arrival of February, it appears that love fills the air as many people claim to fall in love, all over again. Across the world, people start preparing for Valentine’s Week, the seven special days observed before Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated on 14th February every year.

The season of love starts from Rose Day and ends on the much-awaited Valentine’s Day, passing many other days such as Chocolate Day, Promise Day, Teddy Bear Day and more. People try to win someone by giving them teddy bears, roses, chocolates, and great promises. 

I keep pondering whether love is really too easy. Is the battle of love so easy that it can be won in just seven days?

You may argue it is not about winning someone in seven days, but various ways to show their love. But, I beg to differ because I know at least one incident that proves my point.

Last year, my friend’s cousin wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day with someone special. 

She wished to receive a rose on the Rose Day and a teddy bear on the Teddy Day and celebrate all other days accordingly.

Lo and behold, she got that special person too. For the entire week, she was very pleased. She was showered with lots of gifts. There were roses, teddy bears, her favourite chocolates and lots of promises.

It seemed that her dream-come-true experience would have inspired Paulo Coelho to write, “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

But that was not true. The romantic journey that began a week ago with Rose Day, didn’t stop on Valentine’s Day.

It was now time to celebrate everything anti-valentine, Slap Day, Kick Day, the series that ends with Breakup Day. Each day stood for everything true and nothing romantic.

If the love won during the last seven days would have been so strong, the tragic week would not have followed. One must realise that love has no particular time or date.

The famous contemporary American author, Aberjhani, has rightly said: “This fire that we call Loving is too strong for human minds. But just right for human souls.”

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 20, 2016)

Fool’s paradise

A foolish servant is always a danger...

Domestic servants have become a necessity nowadays. However, not everyone is lucky enough to truly enjoy the services of a good servant. Some get servants with bad habits while many other servants might not complete their job well.

Yesterday when I visited a nearby park for a blissful stroll, I could not help overhearing a few women discussing this topic. One of them was afraid of hiring maids or servants at home after reading about numerous robbery incidents involving domestic help, while someone else considered hiring them a headache as most of the times they do not deliver their duties properly.

One of them said that if the servant turns out to be robber, he causes loss of wealth, but if he turns out to be foolish, he causes greater losses.

Sharing her experience one of them said that she had bought a new vacuum cleaner and told her maid that this machine could clean anything spotlessly. The next day, she saw the maid using the vacuum cleaner over her husband’s shirt.

When enquired, the maid’s reply stumped her. “I just wanted to clean the shirt spotlessly.”

After hearing this, another of them narrated an unfortunate yet humorous incident. Once, she had to go to a party. She asked her servant to wash the car. Later, when she saw the car, she was pleased as it was sparkling. But when she sat inside, she realised that everything was wet. Then the servant realised that he forgot to close the window. Needless to say, she could not attend the party.

The funniest of the lot, I felt was, when another lady said that her servant follows her instructions literally. Once she saw her servant watering the plants while it was raining. When she asked him about it, he reminded her that she had asked him to water the plants every evening.

After listening to their conversation, I realised that a fool’s paradise is truly a wise man’s hell.

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 13, 2016)

Compulsive shopping

Beware of Compulsive Shopping!

Shopping seems to have become one of the prime hobbies of many people, today. Among these shoppers are also some “shop-till-you-drop” personalities who would do anything to get a chance for shopping. But I always wonder, whether such a habit is right? Because such people often become compulsive buyers.

At first, I could not understand the difference between shopping and compulsive shopping. Later, I realised that shopping is buying some items that we need or like them so much that we decide to buy, while compulsive shopping is a type of mental attitude that compels people to buy anything they see.

I realised it when my cousin shared an incident. A few days ago, she had bought a new phone. One of her closest friends was so much smitten by that particular model of phone that she was spotted with the same phone the very next day. I could have ignored it as a one-off case if my cousin wouldn’t have told me that her friend does it always, whether it is a new dress, or a watch, purse or a lipstick.

I realised that compulsive buyers buy anything they see. Sometimes they buy things which are already owned by their close friends or relatives as they feel they should have it or sometimes they feel they should buy at least something when they go out. Due to all this, they end up buying anything they see in front of them, irrespective of their needs or liking.

I have noticed that this hobby is spreading like wildfire among shoppers. People spendmoney and time on such useless things without realising that it is all sheer wastage of resources.

Many think shopping might help them lift their moods or cheer them up. It might. But continuous and compulsive shopping will ultimately push them into depression. There are reasons such as the increasing debt due to excessive use of credit cards. Many times, due to the competition, people even break off friendships.

But every cloud has a silver lining. I have seen a few of them realising their mistakes.

One must realise that while shopping has become an integral part of our life, it should not become compulsive.

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 6, 2016)

Celebrating diversity of India

The Republic Day of India, celebrated every year on Jan.26 to commemorate the day when the constitution of India came into effect in 1950, is an occasion of utmost importance for every Indian. Their hearts are filled with proud feelings as they watch the grand Republic Day parade on their TV sets.

I have noticed that expatriate Indians miss all the pomp and grandeur with which the Republic Day is celebrated in India as the functions held in a foreign land are limited to flag hoisting and a few speeches delivered to highlight the occasion. 

Perhaps that was the reason that this year The Indian High School, Dubai, organised a series of programmes spread over two days to celebrate this special day.

The celebration began with a patriotic choir competition. About 20 Indian schools from various emirates had sent their best singers who sang many patriotic songs. I felt that the competition was just a way to bring all of them together. The main motive was to instil a sense of patriotism in the participants as well as the audience.

On the Republic Day, as always, a spectacular show was held. Over 2,000 students of The Indian High School, Dubai, participated and drew a beautiful pageant. They depicted the progress made by India since its independence. It was surprising to watch tiny tots performing with the great feeling of nationalism. The event had attracted thousands of Indians, who watched the performances with great pride.

But I was completely bowled over by the carnival that was held in the evening on the Republic Day to bring Indians from all walks of life together. It was indeed a reflection of the diversity of India. 

The traditional dances of different Indian states were showcased by students of various dance institutes based in the UAE. Similarly, there were stalls selling traditional items and food from various states.  Some stalls sold the spicy food of Maharashtra while many displayed the clothes of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The carnival depicted the most important value of our country, Unity in Diversity, the quality that differentiates our country from other countries.

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 30, 2016)

Say cheese

People make different types of New Year Resolutions. Some want to get healthy, others think of shifting to a better house while a few others think of changing their habits for good. But I have never seen anyone who has made a firm resolution of being happy for his lifetime or who has decided to keep smiling come what may. 

I have noticed that there are two types of people in this world, one who always carry a smile on their faces while people belonging to the second group always look grumpy. However, people enjoy being in the company of people who belong to the first category because they also make everyone in their surrounding happy.

Smile could be the simplest way to restore happiness in our life, and in some cases even bring people out of the state of depression. When we smile, we can feel the beautiful flowers and the fluffy clouds smiling back at us. We might not even realise but our smile can make other people forget their tensions.

However, there are people who do not like it that way. Whatever be the situation, they remain grumpy. They should understand that life is very short. Instead of finding reasons for crying, they should find reasons to smile.

One just needs to widen his mouth and he will see the world with a whole new perspective. Instead of cursing his work, he will start feeling that work helps him in learning new things. It is also quite common to find people blaming loneliness for their sadness that affects their work. But one must realise that loneliness also develops one’s creativity.

I have often seen people saying that they do not smile because they cannot find a reason. 

They remind me of the famous saying, “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 23, 2016)