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)

Showing off with jargons

Keep it Simple!

Revealing the secrets of becoming a good writer, Ernest Hemingway once said, “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”

Yet, in today’s world many writers use jargon which are special words and expressions, but difficult to understand. 

Often, writers use jargon just to show off. However, these types of writings and sentences confuse the readers so much that they do not even pay attention to it. They just ignore these words and continue reading.

One of my cousins, who wants to become a popular writer, often says that he will invent new words and try to form them by mixing two different words in absurd manners. I just wonder how many people will be able to understand this language.

I have also noticed that often, people other than writers also use jargons. They try to change a normal sentence into a sentence which means the same but sounds like beating around the bush.

On one occasion, a company sacked a few of its employees, but claimed that it does not sack its staff. Later, the HR department of the company tried to justify their action by saying, “Our company is downsizing people and trying to give our employees an opportunity for career change.”

Similarly, politicians too use jargons. Recently, while discussing recession on a TV talk show one of the panellists refused to accept that his country is going through recession. Instead, he said that it is a period of economic adjustment.

I have also noticed that many writers often try to form abbreviations of terms which are not known to the common people. 

At least, they should mention its full form once so that it is easily understood by the readers.

I believe that a writer should have clarity in his sentence, be precise in the choice of words, and the most important of all, let jargons and abbreviations “RIP.”

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

Proper Protection

It is common to notice youngsters having fun with smart balance wheels, also called hoverboards. It has become a craze among children across the UAE.

Unfortunately, most of them do not realise that these fun gadgets could be dangerous, too. It is hard to balance on these vehicles. Most children frequently lose control over the movement of the hoverboards. Consequently, they slip off it and get injured. There have been many cases in which children have fractured their limbs or sprained their ankles.

To top it all off, children ride them on the roadside, without realising the fatal consequences. Recently a six-year old child was run over by a car in Abu Dhabi while he was using a hoverboard. The injuries caused by this dangerous vehicle have increased significantly during the recent months.

Most of these children are too young to understand the dangers. They enjoy using the hoverboard. Parents are the ones who need to take special precautions. They should make sure that the child wears helmets as well as elbow and knee pads while riding.

These cases have increased so much that the authorities have decided to intervene. They have already banned hoverboard in the malls as well as footpaths and roads, in Dubai. I am pleased that the government is taking such precautions for the well-being of young children.

(Published in Gulf News on January 11, 2016)

Shakespeare still on stage

China will be organising a month-long festival of musical plays based on the stories penned by William Shakespeare to mark the 400th death anniversary of the Bard of Avon.

The news came as a surprise to me because China is a place where English is less spoken. 

However, Shakespeare’s writings and plays are so good and timeless that they have been reaching every corner of the world even after four centuries of his death. It is not only China. People in many other countries are also under the magical spell of his plays as generation after generation read them in original or their adapted versions in their native languages.

One thing I have noticed is that his plays are very realistic. People feel connected to the characters while reading those stories and start imagining as if those incidents are taking place in their surroundings. 

Be it the famous love story Romeo Juliet in which two lovers are separated due to the enmity between their families, or  Twelfth Night that portrays the confusion that occurs when dealing with twins, his stories always had a connection to the common people. Maybe this is the reason why his stories are popular even after 400 years of conception. 

During these four centuries, his writings came to us in different forms, like plays, books or movies. For example, his famous play Macbeth inspired the Indian filmmaker, Vishal Bhardwaj, who later made popular film Maqbool based on it. Similarly his other movies, Haider and Omkara, were based on Hamlet and Othello respectively.

There have been many famous poets and writers before as well as now, but no other playwright, poet or author has matched the popularity of William Shakespeare. He had a different standard. 

Thinking about his timeless popularity, I have realised that it is important for a writer to set the plot of his story in a manner that appeals to the masses if he wants to make it evergreen and universal. No one can be compared to him.

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

Knowledge for All

A recent editorial in Gulf News highlighted various initiatives by the UAE government promote reading, and I was glad to hear of it. Reading is an excellent habit. It should be encouraged not only among the children of the Middle East but also across the world.

The detachment between books and children is a common sight in today’s world. Most children are more interested in video games and movies rather than books.

Youngsters have forgotten that reading brings knowledge and knowledge is empowerment. I have also noticed that children sometimes hide their phones under theirbooks so as to pretend that they are reading, while all the time they are on their smartphones.

As a book-lover myself, I feel happy that UAE is taking the initiative to remind these youngsters about the benefits of reading.

These programs would  be very useful in inculcating a passion for books among many young readers. I am proud to be a part this country, which takes bold steps to instil the love of reading among the youths.

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 3, 2016)