Goodbye Movember!

Wikimedia Commons

See that woman behind Tom Cruise? She's got that glint in her eye because... Yes, you guessed it - thanks to Cruise's drop-dead gorgeous, clean-shaven appearance! The last one month has been all about beards, beards and still more beards. Now, no one's denying that there is a certain (albeit odd and distinctly devilish) charm to hairy faces and overgrown stubble. But I think, the ladies will agree that the appeal of clean-shaven, well-groomed faces is simply timeless!

I've seen the men in my life moan and groan when they realise they haven't shaved on an important day. Imagine walking into an interview for your dream job with a face that screams "irresponsible". Like it or not, we do associate the ideal, able professional with a no-nonsense haircut and clean-shaven good looks. Still don't believe me? Well even Scottish actor James McAvoy confessed, "I always have a beard between jobs. I just let it grow until they pay me to shave it."

I've heard this story of a guy who was rejected by the parents of the woman he loved, simply because he had chosen to sport a rugged beard that day. Hard to believe? Well it seems that many Indian parents are allergic to the roguish sensibility that comes parceled with a healthy beard. So if you want a good chance at getting your girl to say, "I do," you should probably go say the same words to your razor first.

Then there's the issue of men with facial hair that's really enthusiastic in some spots and practically non-existent in others. All the more reason to create a clean slate. Take a cue from Tom Ford's advice, "I hate tricky facial hair. If your facial hair is too spotty in places, shave. Just forget about it." If you need more inspiration, here's a glimpse of celebrities who look hottest clean-shaven:

Daniel Craig (Wikimedia Commons)

Ranbir Kapoor (Wikimedia Commons)

Shah Rukh Khan (Wikimedia Commons)

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (Wikimedia Commons)

George Clooney (Wikimedia Commons)

Jude Law (Wikimedia Commons)

My friend landed his current job with an excellent pay hike as well as a promotion, during an interview where he sported / did not sport a beard. Not much of a guessing game there. There are some moments in life where you have to shake off the lure of your preferences; moments that are so monumentally important that they can make or break your life. At moments like these, your answer to that primordial question 'Will you shave?' - it's got to be yes. It's what differentiates us from the apemen after all. It's what makes us civilised and suave, new-age men and women (yeah, for women, it's not much of a dilemma - whether to shave or not).

To shave or not to shave? If you're still pondering over that question, I suggest you shake off the Movember blues and go pick up that razor that is crying for your attention!

Want to go to Paris? Click here. 

This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette

An ode to Bombay winters.

I'll tell you about Bombay winters
The ones many will scoff at
The ones often called a poor substitute
For snow and frost and curling mist

But I'll tell you about early morning mist
That most miss
Wrapped in their dreams and coverlets and groggy exist
That mist that roams in the laden darkness
And the gifted quiet of pre-dawn solitude
That mist that creeps in through windows aflutter
And watches the shadows of wishes dance across your sleeping face

I'll tell you about the crispy cool streets
And its lightly jacketed denizens
Sporting secret smiles, painted by the wispy wintry air
That wordless, weightless freedom
From sultry heat that sticks to the back of one's hair
That sudden gust of joy reflected in shining eyes
Eyes that feast upon the Bombay winter sky.

I'll tell you about Bombay winters
Magical, subtle and short-lived
Yet, more memorable than months of stifling heat.

I'll tell you that it gladdens me
As much as the snowy slopes of Ooty
And the unbearably stormy chills of Garudmachi
Because the Bombay winter -
She struts into my heart with her understated elegance
Her delightfully cool demeanour
And she lifts my spirits
Colours my day
With so many shades of silvery grey.

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Have you touched the face of God?

Wikimedia Commons

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God

-   John Gillespie Maggie (‘High Flight’)

Who doesn’t want to fly? To run on land is fine, but to soar amidst wispy clouds and bright bits of firmament would be quite something else. Once, before the advent of aeroplanes, men and women devised methods to fly that we might laugh at today. They tried to strap on wings to their arms and imitate birds, they built hot air balloons that blew wherever the wind desired and in Douglas Adams’ ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, they even threw themselves at the ground, in the hope that they’d soar into the enchanting sky! John Maggie died at the tender age of 19 as a result of a mid-air collision. But his passionate words continue to inspire flyers till date.

Wikimedia Commons

It took a long time indeed to get to where we are today and we have many enterprising innovators to thank. We have English baronets and the Wright brothers to pay tribute to, even as we enjoy the plethora of flight options we have today. It’s nothing short of a modern-day marvel – the idea that one can traverse 6112 km between Delhi and Frankfurt in merely eight hours and twenty minutes, via the new Lufthansa A380 aircraft #LufthansaA380 (http://a380.lufthansa.com/TAKEPART/#/DE/EN/home). That’s less than an overnight bus ride from Pune to Hyderabad! We’ve really come a long way.

Wikimedia Commons

Visit the airport today and the sheer number of carriers is mind-boggling. Time was when the Indian airspace was solely dominated by Indian Airlines and Air India – government-owned airlines. Today, we have a multitude of Indian and international players providing an enviable cocktail of flight options to highfliers. When I began my first full-time job at a business news channel, I was asked to identify industries that I was interested in. My first choice was aviation. There seemed to be something in the news every day, about this dynamic industry! And that was the year in which I’d taken my first solo flight, all starry-eyed and expectant. I was amazed at the ease with which I floated from Mumbai to Cochin airport. I kept reading about the problems some airlines were facing, the price wars among others, the entry and exit of top honchos and the introduction of hitherto unheard of airlines!

Here are a few statistics to put things in perspective:

·         India is the world’s ninth largest civil aviation market;
·         The Indian civil aviation industry is worth around US$ 16 billion;
·         The Indian aviation industry handles 2.5 billion passengers and has over 87 airlines flying to and from India;
·         The foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in air transport during April 2000 to July 2014 stood at Rs 2,348 crore (US$ 383.63 million), as per data released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP);
·         The total aircraft movements and passengers have registered a compound annual growth rate of 3.3 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively during FY11 to FY14.

Wikimedia Commons

And now, the latest development in the world of aviation is the launch of Lufthansa’s jumbo A380 #LufthansaA380, with a mind-boggling capacity of 520 passengers in India. The aircraft will fly privileged passengers from New Delhi to Frankfurt every day. The mention of Frankfurt reminds me of my favourite cartoon Heidi, which I have been watching all over again, since the past couple weeks. Heidi is the story of a Swiss girl, who has to leave her home in the Alps to be a companion to a wheelchair-bound young girl in the city of Frankfurt. Now the Lufthansa A380 is the largest commercial aircraft in history and it’s fitting that it will be flying to a majestic destination like Frankfurt.

Wikimedia Commons

Frankfurt has the distinction of being one of the few cities in the European Union to have a Manhattan-like skyline thanks to its numerous skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. Germany’s business capital is bound to have a vibrant cultural scene and for art lovers, it is nothing short of paradise. The stunning city is home to Städel Institute of Art with the Municipal Gallery, the Museum of Applied Art and the Schirn Kunsthalle gallery. Those who enjoy immersing themselves in nature will be wowed by the parks, forests and bits of unspoilt wilderness in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main-Area. And here is a behind the scenes look at the most efficient and comfortable way to get there (https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1010481858977855&set=vb.139211742771542&type=2&theater):

Post by Lufthansa India.

Wikimedia Commons

The first commercial flight took place between St. Petersburg and Tampa and covered just 21 miles of bay waters. The flight took 23 minutes and was piloted by Tony Jannus and his one paying passenger. The plane was a Benoist XIV with a seating capacity of just two! And now we have the Lufthansa A380 with a capacity of 520 passengers! What better evidence of the fact that bigger is better for Indian aviation than the reality that flights can today carry thousands and millions of passengers everyday, to their dream destinations? Imagine if these wonderful crafts were still the privilege of the astonishingly rich alone. You and I, we’d still be taking ferries, braving storms and spending months to touch foreign shores.

This post was written as a part of the Indiblogger and Lufthansa A380 – The dawn of a new era initiative to celebrate ‘why bigger is better for Indian aviation’

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The road not taken: What could have been.

I define myself primarily as a writer. It doesn't matter what I write about or for whom. What matters is, I work with words. I arrange them in a way that they (hopefully) create value. But I did not always plan on doing this for 48 hours a week.

Back in school, I loved animals and plants. I observed birds, wrote about exotic species and obsessively memorised the details of butterflies I hoped to spot. I entertained dreams of becoming an environmentalist or studying biodiversity, at the very least. The reason I didn't do it is really silly - I wasn't great at mathematics. And I was under the (perhaps erroneous) impression that it is impossible to get ahead in the science stream without a passion and an aptitude for numbers. I chose the safer route - I went for Arts. Languages and social sciences were my fortes. There was no way I could go wrong with that. And indeed, I didn't.

Yet when I saw LinkedIn's new hashtag #RoadNotTaken, the one regret that came to mind was the passion I sacrificed at the altar of practicality. There were many things I know now, that I wish someone had told me then. I wish someone had told me that you do not have to study journalism or writing or English, to be a good and even a professional writer. I wish I had known that subject matter expertise actually allows you more scope in writing, as it gives you in-depth knowledge of one area, rather than a shallow overview of many. I wish I had known that one did not have to excel at mathematics in order to study biology. I wish someone had alerted me about the fact that being a scientist was an excellent choice for my introverted personality. Above all, I wish I had had the courage to explore something beyond my obvious strengths.

However, the thing about the #RoadNotTaken is, you'll never know where it might have led. Maybe, aiming to be an environmentalist would have turned out to be a monumental mistake. Yet, I do believe that there are no mistakes in life. There are only choices and consequences. If you're fortunate enough to get an opportunity to take the #RoadNotTaken even after you've made a choice, I suggest you don't let it go. Because the 'what ifs' always return to haunt you, sometime or the other.

The other thing I want to emphasise on is the need to guide students better and make all kinds of practical job-related information available to them. They need much more than a cursory knowledge of the top three careers related to each stream - Arts, Science and Commerce. They need to know about salaries, long-term prospects and the trade-off in choosing one discipline over the other. They require access to well-informed career advisors and counsellors. And they need to be told that fear has no place in the quest for success and fulfilment. Then perhaps, there will be fewer #RoadsNotTaken.

Do you have a #RoadNotTaken story to share? I'd love to hear it.

This post was originally published at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141120110448-47567319--roadnottaken-what-could-have-been

Want to go to Paris? Click here.  

The touch of love

I never thought I'd be a victim of the 'seven year itch'. After all, these were just pop cultural terms you read in magazines and on social media. Little did they invade your own life and confront you with their unsavoury meanings. I was so wrong.

You know how it gets with married couples after a while. You live together, you share everything and eventually, you fall into this comfortable routine that starts to become second nature to both of you. There's nothing wrong with this. The only problem is, eventually, you forget that you're a couple that's meant to love each other and revel in each other's companionship. You forget that you're more than just two people living under the same roof, sharing the same food and the same bed. You forget that eating together is an act of love, and so is spending your days and nights together.

A few days before our seventh wedding anniversary, I came across the new TVC for Parachute Advansed Body Lotion. I was randomly flipping through TV channels on a lazy Sunday and suddenly, these sensual images of the entwining hands of a man and woman arrested my attention. The simple phenomenon of skin-to-skin contact - it seemed so magical as demonstrated in the advertisement. Suddenly, I was seized by a desire to hold my husband's hand. I wanted to feel his reassuring warmth and slip my softness into his. But alas, the skin on my fingers were peeling, thanks to the winter coolness. I was pretty sure our contact would be nothing like what I saw in the ad! Something would have to be done.

I went to http://www.pblskin.com/ to see what this product was all about. I saw that they had three delectable variants, although I only knew about the lavender coloured bottle - deep nourish, soft touch and butter smooth. All the lotions claimed to give you softer skin in seven days. 'Just a gimmick', I thought. But I wanted to do something to make our anniversary special. I stopped weighing the pros and cons and went ahead and ordered the 'butter smooth' variety, meant for rough, dry skin.

If I told you that my husband couldn't stop feeling my skin during our anniversary dinner, you'd probably think I was exaggerating. But I'm not. That lotion worked wonders, both on my skin and my relationship with my husband of seven years. It's not like he's never wanted to touch me before, but the knowledge that my skin was silky smooth, emboldened me to take the initiative myself. I'd forgotten how good it felt to have his fingertips caress the sensitive skin in the crook of my arm and at the nape of my neck.

Do you want to #BringBackTheTouch in your relationship as well? I suggest you try Parachute Advansed Body Lotion. It's perhaps the most affordable option in the winter lotion market right now. And it's superbly effective as well. What more does a woman need?

(This post was written as a part of Indiblogger and Parachute Advansed Body Lotion's #BringBackTheTouch campaign)

The right to dignity

At Pandharpur, a pilgrimage town. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Little Babli thinks it's normal to go about her morning ablutions in full view of the world. Her parents have instructed her to sit with her back facing the world, and so she never sees what they really think of her. Babli is an open target for diseases of various kinds, and even abduction. But this is the only way she knows. She has never used a toilet except when she goes to the school or the doctor. She lives in a shanty with no water supply. Whose fault is this? Her parents? Her destiny? Or society at large?

The lines of children, men and women that we routinely see along the railway lines and along dusty city lanes have become the subject of one of the many jokes that are routinely cracked around India. But for the innocent little children who are subjected to numerous health and safety hazards every single day, it's not really funny at all.

Nobody chooses to subject themselves to the indignity of open defecation. It is a result of poor sanitation facilities, which is the responsibility of the government and society as a whole. The following measures might serve to discourage such undesirable practices:

• Public toilets within every kilometre, with minimal or no charge
• Fines for open defecation in an area with access to public toilets
• Awareness campaigns in schools on the need for sanitation
• Fund-raising and petitioning for building more public toilets

One organisation that is working towards making this world a happier, safer place for Babli and her friends is Domex. Domex, HUL’s flagship sanitation brand, currently runs the Domex Toilet Academy (DTA) programme. Domex Toilet Academy was launched on 19th November 2013. It aims to become a sustainable and long-term solution to provide sanitation that benefits the local community and helps stimulate the local economy. The Toilet Academy claims to make toilets accessible and affordable, while promoting the benefits of clean toilets and good hygiene. According to Domex, their effort has resulted in bringing a change in the villages of Maharashtra and Orissa and the brand aims to build 24000 toilets by 2015 in rural areas faced with the problem of open defecation.This is a noble goal indeed, which if achieved, will go a long way in bringing a smile on Babli's face.

Maintenance is the biggest issue when it comes to public toilets. Often, what starts out as good initiatives falls into disrepair due to lack of funds and monitoring. Take the case of railway station toilets in Mumbai for instance. Most of them are absolutely unusable, apart from the ones at major stations like CST and Churchgate. We need sustained efforts to make low-cost public sanitation available at every corner of the country. And we need to change a mindset that thinks urinating in public spaces is completely acceptable.

You can bring about the change in the lives of millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All you need to do is click on the 'Contribute' tab on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute Rs.5 on your behalf to eradicate open defecation, thereby helping kids like Babli live a dignified life.

(This post has been submitted as part of Indiblogger's #ToiletforBabli initiative, in association with Domex)

Fleeting magic

One hour amidst winding woodsy paths

And secret staircases and hidden, tuneful birds

Grew wings in my memory,

Stretched time,

Let moments wander,

Into the realm of hours.

Now when I dance backwards into time,

I find the music slower, prettier,

Our words longer, more punctuated,

And it almost makes up -

For the sorry shortness of that golden hour.

It's funny how, 

I remember the silences better than the words

And the fleeting magic better 

Than the emptiness that came after.

Now when I dance backwards into time,

I can smell the sunny, sweet scent of the Southern air

I can see the trees watching us with languid eyes

I can feel the sweat making ticklish inroads down my back

I can hear the buzz of honey-thirsty bees 

And I wonder how much of it is embellished memory.

And it's funny how,

I remember the light on your hair better than the light itself

And the arc of your smiles better

Than the arc of the path that brought us there.

Fulfil your Diwali wishes, Quikr!

21st October, 2014 - Day 1

They say there are no free lunches in life. But as BlogAdda (www.blogadda.com) and Quikr (www.quikr.com) have taught me, there are certainly free shopping sprees! What they did was choose a few bloggers, offer them 5000 rupees and ask them to pick up items of their choice, equivalent to that amount. And I was among the chosen few! Since I lost my phone a week ago, this seemed like the Universe telling me - "Don't weep child, you'll be compensated amply for your loss." So, I logged on to http://mumbai.quikr.com/ and my journey down genie road began. You may log on to www.quikr.com and choose your own city, if you want to traverse this lovely goodie-laden journey along with me.

What's Quikr? I'm sure you've seen a few ads and so have I, but even I wasn't sure what to expect when I logged on. I knew that Quikr is a marketplace where anyone can sell - both individuals and dealers, at prices of their choice. Additionally, one can sell both new and used items. Finally, it is a free service for both buyers and sellers, who can interact and negotiate without any middle agent. Now this was an entirely new landscape for me because I'd only bought from physical shops and online retailers until then. So, I saw twelve categories on the website:

I was most attracted to the 'mobiles and tablets' and 'electronics and appliances' categories. But the other categories piqued my curiosity as well. I learnt that one can not only sell products on Quikr but services as well! How versatile is that? There's no other medium in India that offers such a diverse array of options for community buying and selling. Anyway, now on my Diwali wish-list were the following items (in order of priority):

1. 1 TB Seagate hard disk
2. 16GB Sandisk memory card
3. Headphones or neckband 
4. Flip cover for my Micromax Canvas Doodle 3 phone
5. Portable charger with around 5000 mAh or more
6. Bluetooth headset

Initially, I spent hours simply browsing the website and acquainting myself with the kind of ads and offers. Some seemed professional; others more amateurish. It felt like walking through a virtual market - with stalls of different natures and statures, offering deals that ranged from unbelievably low (for the used items) to reasonably priced (matching the market rate or slightly lower or higher). The conclusion I drew? This would require considerable sifting. But there was also the prospect of ending up with something really attractively priced. Quikr makes you work hard - but the rewards more than make up for it!

I went to the Mobiles and Tablets section - http://mumbai.quikr.com/Mobiles-Tablets/cId-18224598 and was bombarded with an offer for a phone exchange, which I wished I'd seen before I bought a replacement for my lost one!

Ah, but I was in the wrong place. The Mobiles and Tablets section listed headsets, chargers and earphones. What I was looking for was a 1 TB hard disk so that I would never have to delete a beloved film or television show again! So I clicked on 'Electronics and Appliances' (http://mumbai.quikr.com/Electronics-Appliances/cId-18222212679) and went to 'Computer Peripherals' (http://mumbai.quikr.com/Computer-Peripherals/w18222211294). There, you will find printers, speakers, keyboards, processors, antiviruses and of course, hard disks. I had more than a thousand results for '1TB hard disk' and that's where the filters came in handy. I wanted a new item, preferably from a dealer and I wanted it to be a Seagate product. I shortlisted two or three options which I 'saved'. Ads you saved are saved in a tab, from where you can easily access and compare all your options.

So if I was okay with a used item, I could get the hard disk for as low as 2800 rupees. However, even the brand new ones were available at reasonable rates. Most of them seemed to match the market rate of 4000 to 4500 rupees, until I found one dealer who was selling it at 3900 rupees - and that too a Backup plus slim model, which is currently retailing for anything between 4500 and 5000 rupees. Now this was a steal! I wasn't sure how exactly to approach the dealer who was located in Andheri. So I'll list the steps that go into purchasing a product on Quikr - from selection till delivery:

1. Search for the product or go to the parent category and look for it;
2. Save the best ads and compare;
3. Click on 'reply to ad' and send a message via Quikr to the chosen dealers;
OR
3. Call the chosen dealers directly (the numbers are always listed);
4. Negotiate the price (though most aren't willing to budge!), get doubts cleared;
5. Set up a place and time for the delivery or arrange for it to be couriered;
6. Unwrap and start using your new find!

22nd October, 2014 - Day 2

As I write this, I'll tell you that I've just received the first item from my shopping spree - a Sandisk 16GB memory card at just 412 rupees! If you want one too, you should contact these guys: http://mumbai.quikr.com/SanDisk-MicroSD-Card-16-GB-Class-4-Price-Rs.412-W0QQAdIdZ183096431 (Other options are available at http://mumbai.quikr.com/Mobile-Accessories/w18222211259)

Or you can search for other brands and memory card sizes here: http://mumbai.quikr.com/Mobile-Accessories/w18222211259. What I got was a really good deal because currently, other online retailers are selling a 16GB Sandisk memory card at anything between 450 and 500 rupees. My dealer Mumbaikaprice was located close by - so they delivered the card right to my office! It doesn't get simpler than that. What's more, one can search as per area - so that you can find a dealer close to you and have the product delivered as soon as possible. Here is what my memory card looks like (as you can see, it came in genuine packaging):

The memory card and the hard disk were essential items on my wishlist but I was really confused about the third item. The memory card cost me 412 and the hard disk would cost me 3900 rupees; so I was left with around 688 rupees. I could get either a pair of headphones or a portable speaker. However, a portable charger with good battery power would be difficult to get under 900 rupees. So I searched for headphones (located in the mobile accessories section: http://mumbai.quikr.com/Mobile-Accessories/w18222211259) and found a mind-boggling array of options. And then this one caught my eye: http://mumbai.quikr.com/Monster-beats-by-dr-dre-Mixr-devid-guetta-headphones-W0QQAdIdZ184113001

Now where on earth do you get Dr Dre headphones for just 650 rupees? They normally retail for anything over 16000 rupees. There had to be a catch. I clicked on 'reply ad' and sent a message to the retailer, expressing an interest in the product, along with my cell phone number. Lo and behold! I got a call back in what seemed like seconds. What Quikr does is send a mobile alert to sellers whenever there is a response to any of their advertisements. That way, they don't have to wait to log on to check and respond to purchase requests. Nitin, the dealer told me that the headphones were a copy. I wondered whether it was worth the risk. Well for 650 rupees, I could take a chance. He offered me four colours - white, black, red and blue. I picked my favourite - red. Nitin was gracious enough to deliver either close to my residence or to my workplace. The very next day after calling, I had my brand new headphones in my hands:

Finally, it was time to clinch the costliest deal on my wishlist. My 1TB Seagate external hard disk http://mumbai.quikr.com/Brand-new-sealed-seagate-backup-plus-1-tb-portable-external-hard-disk-cheapest-W0QQAdIdZ170753138 (Other options are available at: http://mumbai.quikr.com/Computer-Peripherals/w18222211294)

In this case, the dealer, Ashwin did not respond to my message - so I called him from my end. He was able to tell me all about the product - yes, it had a warranty - yes, it was genuine and unused - no, he would not negotiate - yes, it would work on all devices. We have arranged to meet tonight at a location that is convenient for both of us and I can't wait to use all my new Diwali purchases once I'm home!

23rd October, 2014 - Day 3

I'm listening to Sona Mohapatra's 'ambar sariya' on my new headphones as I write this and the sound quality is brilliant - I can hear every beat, every nuance of Sona's voice. My favourite track never sounded better! Here is a better look at my new babies:

Right after checking the sound quality of my Dr Dre headphones, I plugged in my brand new, shiny hard disk into my laptop. I knew it was a slim model - yet I was unprepared for how small, sleek and conveniently sized it was! The folder opened as soon as I plugged it in - no installing of drivers. And I was gratified to see 931 GB space available for all my music, movies and photographs! I began transferring my essential files immediately - around 250 GB of data. The whole transfer happened rapidly and the speed was around 20 MBs per second. If only my memory card was that fast!

And now for the story of how I ended up with this lovely 1 TB hard disk at just 3900 rupees. After several calls and messages, Ashwin and I arranged to meet at Koperkhairane station, which was to be frank, quite out of the way for me. I thought he was being quite inflexible until I realised that he worked at Koperkhairane. He wasn't a dealer! He told me that he'd ordered a few hard disks for a client project and he was selling the three pieces that remained at a steal. I was more than happy with the explanation. I was just happy I had struck off the top three items from my Diwali wishlist, all thanks to Quikr,which turned out to be as quick as promised! (I ended up on the wrong side of Koperkhairane though and ended up burning quite a few calories getting to the right one. I later made up for this with a sumptuous plate of dahi puri). This photograph will show you how small the hard disk is:

I also inserted my new sandisk memory card into my (also new) Micromax Canvas Doodle 3 A102 phone and found my phone to be significantly faster after transferring all my data into the sd card. To recap my original wishlist:

1. 1 TB Seagate hard disk - GOT IT! (Rs 3900)
2. 16GB Sandisk memory card - GOT IT! (Rs 420 instead of 412 because the delivery boy didn't have change)
3. Headphones or neckband - GOT IT! (Rs 650)
4. Flip cover for my Micromax Canvas Doodle 3 phone
5. Portable charger with around 5000 mAh or more
6. Bluetooth headset

I might just get the other three items on Quikr as well, if I can find them at good rates (and I have no doubt I will). In fact, after seeing all the used items advertised on Quikr, I'm wondering if I should get rid of a few items I don't want through this wonderful website. I remember the time when my sister had wanted to sell her perfectly good guitar because she wasn't learning to play it any more. What if she'd advertised it on Quikr? Perhaps, she'd have gotten a better deal than what she eventually got. Another misconception I'd had about Quikr was cleared by the end of my shopping spree - that it was cumbersome and long-drawn. I had all my products within two days of starting to look for them! That was actually quicker than online retailers, who take more than a week to deliver items in most cases. What's more, I now had the contact details of a couple of good dealers whom I might contact in future as well, if I need mobile accessories.

You may still ask (as did I) why you should opt for Quikr and go to the trouble of calling and coordinating when you can just buy products at the click of a button. Well you know how we keep saying that you get gadgets at cheaper rates from a Lamington Road or a Manish Market? And we also lack the time or motivation in most cases to actually comb the streets of these markets and find a product that works for us. So, what if there was an online platform where you could find all these sellers, as well as individuals selling unwanted secondhand products from the comfort of your home or office? That platform is nothing but Quikr and in my opinion, there is definitely a market for a platform like Quikr. I mean, where else do you get a used Kinetic scooter for Rs 2500? (I'm not kidding. Check this out: http://mumbai.quikr.com/Amazing-Kinetic-Scooter-at-a-great-price-W0QQAdIdZ174923201 and http://mumbai.quikr.com/Scooters/w18222213048 for other options) And don't forget, you can even find jobs and homes on Quikr! If you have found some, befikar, do share your stories. :)

P.S.: For more information on how BlogAdda and Quikr made this magical experience of getting three excellent goodies in 5000 rupees possible, do visit http://adda.at/QuikBA 

Healthy, happy and wise

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I've never been a big subscriber of the 'healthy, wealthy and wise' axiom. I'd rather be healthy, happy and wise. And isn't that what we'd wish for our children? Growing up, my sister was a great source of worry for our mother. She was under-weight, disliked food and constantly made mom run around the house in order to feed her a single morsel of food. These words on Indiblogger's contest page particularly ring true: 'Our Children are our pride and joy. We love them and care for them and we let their warmth and energy fill our hearts and our homes. When this precious source of energy falls sick, its effects are felt throughout the house and it sometimes feels like the house itself has fallen ill'. Mom eventually emerged victorious in her battle for a healthier child. She was well-versed with Ayurveda and the magical healing properties of herbs like amla and guduchi. She would prepare potions and poultices using precious powders, sourced from local Ayurvedic stores and slip them into my sister's diet. Over time, she grew robust and active. Even today, we go back to those remedies for everyday ailments like cold, cough and stomach aches. 

However, today's moms don't need to go to all the effort that mine did. Today, there is an easier solution. Dabur Chyawanprash, a time-tested, age-old formulation has a number of herbs like Amla, known to be one of the best antioxidants, Giloy (Guduchi), known to have immuno-modulatory properties, and has more than 40 other natural ingredients. Read more about this modern-age version of a traditional favourite at https://www.liveveda.com/daburchyawanprash/3x_immunity.aspx. Chyawanprash in itself is not a modern invention. In ancient times, everyone was advised to have a spoonful of this delicious tonic with warm milk everyday for increased immunity; more so during winters when infections and viruses abound. But our schedules today don't allow us to spend time researching and preparing medicines painstakingly. Young mothers today often juggle their families and work commitments. In such a scenario, Dabur Chywanprash presents itself as the perfect solution to a healthy generation and a healthier nation. If you're not convinced, take a look at the product details: https://www.liveveda.com/daburchyawanprash/.

If you've ever lived with small children, you know that their energy (or the lack of it) can be endearingly infectious. I remember, on the days when my sister fell really sick, I'd feel as though a cloud of gloom had descended upon the house. I'd pray for her to get well quickly so that we could get back to what I considered was our 'normal' life. Happiness is normal. So is health. So, don't be okay with ill health and assume that time will heal everything. Sometimes, time needs a little support from nature and technology. Allow your children to benefit from the best antioxidants, known to have immuno-modulatory properties, and more than 40 other natural ingredients in Dabur Chwayanprash. In fact, daily consumption of this tonic can multiply your child's immunity by three. Why forsake all that frolic and laughter to the polluted atmosphere that we have to tolerate every day of our lives? Children have delicate systems and they need powerful nutrition to battle all the negative elements and bugs.

This post is an entry for Indiblogger's contest 'A healthy child makes for a happy home'. Please visit https://www.indiblogger.in/happyhours/dabur-healthy-child-happy-home/# for more details.

Why has the light grown dimmer?

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When I was a child, we celebrated most festivals with as much fervour as we could muster. But something happened over the years – something that dimmed the light in our lives. There were financial difficulties, family connections waned, faith in rituals faltered and a peaceful detachment replaced the sweets and fireworks of my salad days. But Pepsico’s new campaign ‘Ghar wali Diwali’ inspires me to take a jaunty walk down memory lane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7lMDWJOXA

We are a Tamilian Brahmin family and if you belong to one too, the memories I’m going to share might seem quite familiar. Mom would insist on being up at the crack of dawn, often at 6 AM and having an ‘oil bath’. That entailed oiling the hair and the body and/or adding a few drops of fragrant sesame oil to the warm bathwater. I don’t know about the spiritual significance of this practice but it certainly soothed the senses, eased any random aches and pains and most importantly, made all of us very hungry for what came next. Oh yes, the Diwali breakfast consisting of fruits, sweetmeats and carefully prepared savouries was the highlight of the festival for my eight-year old self. I’ve always had a massive sweet tooth and relished these treats with all the gusto of an experienced epicurean. There would be boondi, rawa and besan laddoos, white and brown chaklis and murrukus, coconut barfis, and sheedes (fried balls of spiced flour). Mom would have been busy preparing these the previous day, with happy assistance from the rest of the family. But we could not sit down for this sumptuous feast unless we were dressed in brand-new clothes. It was auspicious to ring in Diwali in fresh attire, mom would say. Hence, Diwali clothes shopping would commence up to a month before the festival.  I would invariably pick a fancy frock or if I was in the mood for ethnic wear, a bright yellow lehenga. Once we had nourished ourselves, mom and dad would perform a small puja and we would all thank the deity for blessing us with all that we had. The rest of the day would be spent burning fuljadis – a noise-free form of pretty fireworks and then taking a tour of the area post sunset to admire all the pretty lanterns that people had put up. We put up our own – a bright red star for at least two weeks after Dipavali. in the evening, we also lit earthen diyas and placed them in the veranda, so that their lovely golden glow would illuminate the world outside, as well as the flames of courage and goodness in our own hearts.

But when I look around me and see the sheer number of people who are living away from their families, in their pursuit for a ‘better’ life, I realise how precious these memories are. And how fortunate I am, that I can recreate them this very year, with my family here in Mumbai. Thinking about the prospect of spending this lovely festival all alone makes me want to embrace its full glory once again. May the lights shine brighter this year. And may there be joy and togetherness for all those who are reading this.

Are you assailed by memories and desires of your own after reading my story? Visit https://www.gharwalidiwali.com/ to share your own story and stand the chance to send a surprise Diwali gift hamper home. Wish you a very happy Diwali, wherever you are, and in whatever way you may be celebrating (as long as it’s pollution-free :) ).

LifeBook

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Year:          2055

Invention:    LifeBook

Purpose:     To record all moments of the user and post to social media in real time.

Ratio:         60:30:10 (60% pictures, 30% video, 10% audio)

Reset to default?

It was the fifth time that day that I was going through the settings of my LifeBook. Two hours since I had woken up and the app had not made a single post on my behalf. I had already received five calls from friends and family about my well-being. Panic was starting to set in. Ever since I had been configured in 2045, LifeBook had never failed to record my every moment. Sensors had been implanted at strategic points in my body, supported by an app that sourced data from every area of my life – my words, actions, meetings, feelings, activity on the web and in the offline world. Together, it was a Hyper Intelligent (HI) software that mapped and recorded the user’s life down to the last detail. But today, the app had let me down.

I rode to work in a daze, struggling to remember all the events that had occurred since morning. I wasn’t used to making an effort to recall anything at all. A number? An event in time? The name of a café I’d visited? All I had to do was search my memory archive on LifeBook and it told me what I needed to know. Doctors have raised concerns about possible signs of deterioration of the human memory due to disuse but the makers of LifeBook have successfully refuted every accusation made against the HI software. I had never paid much attention to those reports either. But today, as I faltered while trying to recall what I had eaten for breakfast, I felt a twinge of unease.

When I reached the agency where I sell my skills (writing, research, sketching, voiceovers), my colleague Riya made a beeline for my desk. “I thought you’d dropped off the face of the planet!” I had seven new skill requests in my inbox. Having four different saleable skills helped. I shuddered as I recalled my parents narrate how in their time, everyone sold their skills to one buyer only and that too at the buyer’s terms. Mine was a seller’s world. And I commanded a pretty good price. “Yeah my LifeBook stopped working.” Riya’s eyes widened like saucers. “Are you serious? You do know that the software has never malfunctioned a single time since its launch?” I nodded wearily. I did know. And that was why if I reported it, I was afraid it would take really long to get resolved. “I’m hoping it’ll correct itself without any external intervention. I’m going to give it 24 hours.”

At tea break, all my colleagues (co-freelancers) discussed various items they had seen from the broadcast of each other’s LifeBooks. A dish someone had cooked last night. A broken-down vehicle this morning. A picture of a colleague’s baby. A joke someone had cracked yesterday. A sunrise someone captured today. I felt oddly left out. No one mentioned me at all. I felt stripped of all my consequence. Without my LifeBook, wasn’t I the least bit interesting? I slunk off to have my tea alone on the terrace. There were zero notifications on my phone. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, Youtube, SoundCloud, Vimeo, Flickr – LifeBook hadn’t posted anything anywhere. On a normal day, I’d have at least four (non-identical) posts on every one of these websites. That was the frequency I’d set for my LifeBook – one post per platform for every hour. This was the lowest frequency possible. Most opted for at least four posts per hour but I’m a private person. Yet, for the first time in ten years, I felt lonely. I felt like no one cared about me. I felt – insignificant.

“I want you to create a sequel of the ad you wrote for me last month,” Nova Cosmetics, my second buyer for the day told me. My blood ran cold as I realized I had very little recollection of the ad copy I had written. LifeBook’s cloud storage device contained all the work I had created till date. Nobody used offline storage any more. I think my tagline had had something to do with identity but I wasn’t sure. “Would you happen to have a copy of that ad?” I asked hopefully. “We do. We will transfer it to your cloud.” Uh oh. “No, I’d prefer an email.” “Email?!” He sounded incredulous. LifeBook offered unlimited storage and you could send files directly to a certain folder in a person’s cloud. Also, it was synced to your sensors and app data, which made work easier. Nevertheless, I somehow convinced my buyer to send me an old-school email. If word got around that my LifeBook wasn’t working, business would suffer serious damage.

By evening, I was monumentally depressed. All my social media accounts were powered by LifeBook. So, not only was I shut out from the world, the world was also shut to me. I was done with the day’s work and for the first time in years, I contemplated doing something outdoorsy. All recreation was now at our fingertips. Workouts, jogging, walking – everything happened in simulated environments with the perfect air component levels, breeze and designated green components. HI devices allowed us to summon portable screens to watch the films of our choice or surf the Internet. Movie theatres had long since gone out of business. Hardly anyone ventured into the ‘Wild’ anymore – ungoverned, uncontrolled natural territory. But today, I felt like doing something vaguely dangerous. I was without my LifeBook. No one would ever have to know.

From atop a mountain that I had laboriously climbed over the last two hours, I looked down at the city, sparkling like a jewel in the amber glow of the setting sun. I felt weightless, nameless and timeless. There was no LifeBook to take a picture of that stunning view. No LifeBook to post about the sudden stillness in my heart. No LifeBook to record the sound of the wind at this altitude. No LifeBook to remind me this evening ever happened. But I was thankful for one thing – there was no LifeBook to capture the moisture slowly trickling down my face and into the grass, as I lay back to gaze at that stoic, starry night.

A new philosophy for a happy life.

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I'm the last person who should be writing on happiness. I'm far from the bubbliest, sunniest person you'll meet. But this essay is not about that sort of happiness - the everyday light-heartedness that often masks suppressed dissatisfaction. This essay is about lasting happiness - the kind that should run through your whole life like a leitmotif of contentment.

It's simple really. Figure out what makes you the happiest and then, allow every action you take in life to be influenced by them. Of course, your happiness list will be populated by multiple items. Sort them in order of priority mentally. The most important item should influence your decisions the most, the next most important factor should have a secondary influence and so on. So a list of happiness influencers might look something like this:

1. Being with the one I love the most (partner)
2. Being with the other people I love (family and friends)
3. Writing
4. Travel and nature
5. Financial security
6. Art, music and literature

How do I apply this list? If I go a month without any exposure to art (theatre, art house cinema, classical music), I will be unhappy. However, if I go a month without meeting my partner, my unhappiness quotient will be much, much higher. Therefore, if it comes to a choice between the two, I should prioritise time with my partner, at least four times out of five. The math may not be totally accurate but you get the gist.

On my list, financial security comes fifth while being with the people I love is number one and two. So if I get a fantastic job offer in a city far away from the ones I love, I might be tempted to accept it. But if I do, I won't last more than a few weeks. Because the distance would make me intensely unhappy. Would the sacrifice be worth it in the long run? The answer is debatable but in view of my happiness list, I'd say no.

If you allow your actions to be influenced by anything other than the items on this list, you will be unhappy. One might say - 'why would I do that? It would be totally illogical.' But it happens more often than you would imagine. In fact, it happens all the time. And here's why:

We have only a vague idea of what really makes us happy. If you don't know what exactly you want, you'll never go anywhere in life. That's harder said than done of course. So, conduct an experiment. Maintain a log of the moments during which you were really content and see which ones get repeated the most. Sooner or later, you'll figure out what makes you tick.

We invest more in 'should' than 'want'. I should make my parents proud. I should earn a good salary and work for a respectable company. I should earn more than my peers. I should accomplish the goals I had when I started out. Well at some point, you should start doing what you really want to do. Because all those shoulds are dictated by society, insecurity and sometimes, overly involved well-wishers - none of whom/which are going to contribute to your long-term happiness.

We are taught to be future-oriented. I think I read this in 'The Elephant and the Flea'. We live our whole lives in preparation for an unseen future. It's sad - we toil, save and plan for this time when we will finally allow ourselves to be happy. But before that time comes, often, our time is up in life!

So in a nutshell, learn to recognise what makes you the happiest and every time you make a decision in life, check if it's motivated by one of your happiness influencers. Your happiness quotient will never drop.

(I'm not sure about this but I think the list of happiness influencers varies for men and women and that can cause some dissension. Men (by large) might place financial security higher while women prioritise love. Is this true or am I wrong in my assumption? It would be great if you could comment and let me know what you think.)

The Way of the World

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We sit in our little nooks
The ones we call our own
The portions we carved out for ourselves
In this almighty world
And we look upon the earth
Like observers, untouched
By wars, riots, famines, tsunamis
Only if the roof came crashing down
Or the waters swept us out of our nooks
Would we realise that
We're more than observers
Or participants even
We ARE the world.
Indistinct, in-disparate
From a distance, just one big bustling ball
From a distance, they wouldn't know
That we draw borders
And we fight
Over You and I
Us and Them
From a distance, they wouldn't dream
Of all the insanity we indulge in
And label as -
The Way of the World.