Lamp of Happiness...

I wrote this poem while watching the early sunrise of this morning...

hope you like it...

Tender as a shooting bud of the plant is emerging,

Fresh as the first flower of this day is blossoming,

Subtle as a gentle breeze of the morning is blowing,

And warmth as the first ray of dawn is radiating,

The lamp of happiness burns bright, till eternity...

Never Give Up...

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all" - J.K.Rowling

Sometimes things don't seem to work our way and we get disappointed.There are occasions when you succeed but there is every chance that you may get to face loss and failures, they are but a part of life.

It is natural to feel upset when things go wrong but how to deal with a problem is more important than the problem itself. Everyone fails at something at some point in their lives, so nothing to worry, we are after all human and not a machine.

The battle is not lost when we fail, but we lose when we decide to give up the fight. Failure is quite common but staying determined and focussed with a "Never Give Up" attitude is what leads us to success.

Have the strength to try again and again and never give up, nothing can stop you from reaching your goal :)

Fire in a Star...

I read this book "Joker in the Pack : An Irreverent View of Life at IIMs" by Ritesh Sharma and Neeraj Pahlajani and found the below lines really motivating :

We see a star,

and admire its glitter,

the twinkle catching our eye,

and all through our lives,

we only see the twinkle,

whenever we see the star.

We know but fail to see,

that all it takes to be a star,

is an unending fire.

A fire that's beneath the surface,

the fire that made it the star it is...

And had we seen the star this way,

we might as well have woken up to the fact,

that the only thing separating us,

from being a star,

is the lack of fire within our hearts.

I loved reading the book Joker in the Pack, I guess you read and loved it too...

But if you didn't, then check whats this book is actually about --> http://jokerinthepack.in/aboutthebook.htm

Beyond Barriers... turns 2 :)

Beyond Barriers... celebrates its 2nd birthday today, I'm sharing this joy with all of you here in blogosphere :)

I've started this blog on my birthday and today as I celebrate my 24th b'day, I recollect all those old memories ---> "Beyond Barriers" 1st Birthday :) and Welcome to Beyond Barriers...

Many thanks to all my friends for their constant support, motivation, wishes and encouragement.

Cheers, Sai :)

3 to look at...

While reading an article in a magazine, I found these 3 things worthy enough to make a note and now share with you :)

3 types of people :

Those who make things happen

Those who watch things happen

Those who wonder what happened

3 which can never be retrieved :

A spoken word

Time passed

Neglected Opportunity

3 which makes life so simple :

Be grateful for everything

Forgive those who hurt you

Give without expecting anything in return

Have a nice day, take care :)

Is he not Fortunate??

This incident dates back to a couple of years ago when I visited one of my uncle’s house. My uncle has a son who is in primary school. The kid got a tight scolding from both his parents and was upset and went into sulking.

He skipped his lunch as a part of his protest. I tried to comfort him, asked him whats the matter and this is what he had to say :

“One of my friends bought an Xbox game console, we together played a couple of games. Video games are a big craze in our school, all my friends talk about their achievements."

He continued, "After returning home, I asked my parents to buy an Xbox for me too. They said its a threat to academics, so they’ll buy it during the summer vacation and not now. I insisted but was scolded badly”, tears rolled in the little lad's eyes as he spoke.

After hearing to his story, I was trying to figure out how to convince the boy to cheerup and eat something.

"Try to understand that your parents want you to always be happy and fulfill your wishes but they even think of your future and academics are more important than fun games."

The boy said, "My cousin is so lucky to have everything he desires, am not atleast half fortunate as he is".

I took his palm into my hands and said, “Man, you talk about being fortunate?? Well, as you are resting yourself underneath a fan and a blanket, over a million children of your age in this world are homeless and struggling to get basic requirements like - proper food, clothing and shelter".

He was silent as I continued, “A ten-year old boy who was working till midnight, serving tea to lorry drivers on the roadside is again on the same job in cold weather. Child labour activists tried their best to liberate the boy, but remained helpless because he was an orphan and being raised by his cruel uncle who runs a tea stall”.

Another boy is riding his cycle braving heavy rain on the uphill, drenching himself but safeguarding the newspapers with polythene covers, to bring you the morning newspapers on time.

Now tell me, “Are you not atleast 1% fortunate than them? No, you are 100% fortunate, so work hard studying for your final exams, your good scores will help you do justice to your parents efforts and not games on Xbox.”

The kid nodded his head and stepped out to eat his meals. My uncle and aunt were surprised, “What did you tell him, he seems to have come to terms with what we said and wait till summer vacation for the Xbox”.

I was so glad to hear that he wrote his final exams well and his parents were happy and they bought Xbox for him during his summer vacation. The kid had many stories to tell on phone to me about how he won exciting games on the gaming console.

We are all so fortunate to have got all that we have now and contentment and satisfaction in life is the key for a tension free life...

Optimism, very Contagious…

Is your glass half-full or half-empty?

Cheerfulness comes straight from the heart, but sometimes we find it hard to be cheerful and optimistic towards others. On those days when nothing in your life seems to be going right, it can be really tough to see the silver lining on those dark clouds. However, it's during these times when the ability to see the good in even the worst situations is important. An optimistic attitude benefits not only our mental health, but influences our physical well-being as well.

Always be sure to smile. It'll make you and also everyone around you feel good! If you're having a bad day, identify it and think up ways to make it better. There's always something positive to pick in everything.

Stay in the company of optimists, you’ll turn one. We find some people displaying optimism and cheering everyone around them in every way. Yes, try looking only at the positive aspect of everything and you’ll notice a change in your daily life.

Your optimism will start turning contagious to people around you…

PS: Many thanks to Ramesh Bhai, his comment is the motivation behind me writing this post today.

The Window...

I miss all my friends here in blogger, I'm sorry for staying silent so long, ok I search for no excuses, the reason was I became a bit lazy and increased no. of sleeping hours since the advent of monsoons :)

The other day I came across an old newspaper cutting in my cupboard, author unknown. But found it really nice and felt like sharing it with my friends here.

A young couple moved into a new neigbourhood. The next morning, while they were having breakfast, the wife sees her neighbour hang the wash outside. "The laundry is not very clean. That lady doesn't know how to wash properly, perhaps she needs a better laundry soap", she says.

Her husband looked on but remained silent.

Everytime the neighbour hanged her wash to dry, the young wife would make the same comments. About a month later, oneday the wife was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, "Look, she has finally learned how to wash correctly, I wonder who taught her this".

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our window panes".

And so is with life : What we see while watching others, depends upon the "Purity of the Window" through which we look.

Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good in the person whom we are about to judge.

Have a nice week ahead :)

Happy Mother's Day :)

Some shower their Mothers with flowers and gifts; others will lavish hugs as a token of affection. We all have unique ways to celebrate this special day.

Today’s Mom is loving, caring and ready to read the pulse of her new-age children :)

Mom, you’re "The Best". Wishing “ Happy Mother’s Day ” to my own Ma & to all the Mothers out there :)

Three Cheers for Moms everywhere :)

Husband vs Wife - The Funny Verdict :)

You can draw humour from this post only if you catch up with these two previous posts - "Husband vs Wife, who’ll Win?? " and "Husband vs Wife, Part 2 " :)

“Stop the blah blah, time for the verdict, now I talk, you both listen, ok?” my voice was loud and commanding. They just nodded.

“The verdict is that - both of you are wrong. Yes, you couple are so stubborn, why can’t one of you compromise? Ego problem? Don’t imitate the older generation, just move along like best friends.”

I looked at my cousin, “Well, tomorrow you wear that purple saree for sometime to make your hubby happy.” Now turned to her husband, “Food and clothing need personal choice; so instead of you choosing, you should take her for shopping and give her the freedom to pick her favourite dress, whatever it may be - that’ll make your wife happy”.

So saying, I got up from the couch, reached for two sweets from the plate which she handed me earlier, gave the husband and wife one sweet each and I too ate one, “Always be happy in life; misunderstandings are common, just learn to compromise and put love before ego.”

They looked at me in complete bewilderment. The husband finally broke his silence, “Hey Sai, is the verdict all over so soon?”

“I’m a 23 year old bachelor, I never had a girl in my life till now, so what more can you expect from me?"

Now his wife took over, “Sai, thanks for your patience, did we trouble you with our argument?”. I was sarcastic enough, “Oh trouble? No no not at all, this was more entertaining than Aamir’s 3 Idiots, hey just kidding.”

“Still such weird expressions on your faces? Ok I agree, that’s my worst attempt at a joke, com’on!!!”. Finally both of them laughed.

“Well, one suggestion from my side to both of you. Instead of living separate, I suggest you both live at your parent’s home and every time there is a misunderstanding, you will have experienced players to guide you in the right direction”.

The husband had a point, “My parents also have arguments sometimes”.

“Then there would be two movies played at a time on the same screen, it’ll be - Double Dhamaka!!!”

Husband vs Wife, Part 2

Dear Reader, this post is the continuation to "Husband vs Wife, who’ll Win?? " make sure not to miss the first part :)

“Out of every ten good suggestions given to a woman, she’ll follow the eleventh one’, quoted some scholar, I realize how true his words are”, said the husband.

Wife got enraged, “Some egoistic male quoted it and now another one supports it, so sick and self-centered you males are, but without the presence of women, you are but useless fools on this planet.”

As she was ready to curse the whole human race, I interrupted, “Now, it is time you both stop arguing and listen to me. One of you tell me clearly what this argument is actually about”, I gave the choice.

The husband's version, “She wore blue saree to the function at her parent’s home and not the purple one which I’ve given as a gift on her birthday last week. I’m upset that she doesn’t care for what I wish”.

He had another point, “Infact the one I gave is much costlier than that ordinary blue saree of hers. And what will her family think of me? Can’t I afford to provide more luxuries to my wife than what her parents gave her before?”

The wife was ready to strike back, “It’s been almost two years since we got married and my family knows just everything about you, there is no need to show off to them that you keep me happy.”

She had more to say, “And don’t compare the cost, the blue one is a new one too but I choose it cause it gives a homely look and as it was my mother’s place, I wanted to move around at ease, feel the joy of home. If I wore the purple one, it is so heavy that I’ll have to sit at one corner like those elderly ladies”.

“You want to feel the joy of home? So, is this not your home? Am I not giving you enough care and affection? You know how much I love you but still you call home only the place where your parents live, isn’t it??” he turned emotional as he said that.

“Why do you exaggerate that point? A girl has two homes, one, her parents and other, her in-laws, she desires to love both. Did I ever complain on this home? I’m more than happy here, I know how much you care for me, but still sometimes you don’t have patience to understand me”.

The husband spoke again, “So, I'm the one who should always understand you but you won’t take any pains to understand how I feel in front of your family.”

Wife had a point to tell me, “Sai, though ours is a love marriage, my family never had any kinda objection and agreed to our decision. They are not materialistic people and never counted on money or luxuries and I fail to understand why he thinks the same way every time”.

It was a war of words in the beginning. Now suddenly it took a sentimental and emotional turn. I was feeling so helpless, neither I was able to stop the husband nor his wife.

Another ten minutes passed by and they were still arguing on the same topic. It was such a big test for my patience and thanks to my mother, I inherited a mountain of patience from her.

I decided that it is time I come up with some plan to divert this argument, just do something right away or else this looks like it’ll never gonna end and I’m trapped.

Eager to know what happened next?

Then you’ll have to wait just a little more, my next post “Husband vs Wife, Part 3" is already on its way here, it'll share with you the last part :)

Husband vs Wife, who’ll Win??

“On your way, will you give this bag of clothes at your cousin’s place?”, asked my mother. Like usual, I agreed to her and took the bag.

It was a golden summer evening and driving through an empty, traffic free road was rejuvenating.

I had to deliver the bag now. After reaching the place, I rang the door bell. The door opened in a flash.

“Why didn’t you wear the purple saree to the function this morning?” he shouted.

I was totally shocked, “What?”

“Hey Sai, how are you doing man, long time, just come in”, he showed me the way into the house.

“You were saying something about a saree?” I enquired. “Oh, I was talking to your sister; she is in the kitchen, so I had to say it loud”.

I sat on the couch and he sat opposite to me. “Mom told me to give this bag”, I handed him the bag of clothes. He turned his head around to say aloud, “Sai is here and your aunt sent you some clothes”.

She walked out of the kitchen, “Hi Sai, how is everyone at home”. She handed me a plate with varieties of sweets and biscuits and a glass of mango juice”.

“I have no mood for savouring this stuff now; gotta go, but I would prefer a glass of chilled water”.

“Oh, I forgot, I should’ve given you a glass of water first”, she said.

“Yes, the same way how you forgot to wear the purple saree but wore a blue one instead”, said her husband.

Her face boiled as he said those words. “Now I’ve had enough of your sarcastic comments, don’t force on everything, learn to understand others likes and dislikes”.

“That saree was a gift from me on your birthday. I’ve selected it with all my love for you. But you don’t care to wear what your husband picks for you”.

Within 5 minutes, there started a typical husband-wife argument and I was searching for ways to step out and run away.

“Sai, tell me who among us is wrong?” said my cousin as the onus now shifted onto me.

“He is a honest guy, though he is your brother, still he is impartial, it clearly shows that you are at fault” the husband pointed his index finger at wife.

I looked tensed. Well, if I support either one of them, it will leave the other person angry; I was in a big fix.

“I’m not clear with the topic you are discussing, there’s a friend waiting for me, so gotta go”, I was planning my escape route.

“Unless you tell us who is right and who is wrong, you are going nowhere brother. Did I make myself abundantly clear??", voiced the husband.

"Yes, clear", I nodded. I was wondering whether it was an order or a request, it sounded like both.

The rest is continued in my next post - Part 2 :)

Any guesses on how I managed the situation and came out safe? Well, stay tuned; read my next post “Husband vs Wife Part 2” to know it all.

My dear friend, anyhow my next post tells you what I've done but do spare a minute please to tell me what would you do if you were in my shoes?

Support one of them or turn a diplomat?

In Pursuit of Happiness…

Tell me any one random situation which makes you happy?

The little boy next door said, “Watching rain drops dance and walking barefoot on dew covered grass makes me happy” and his 2 year old sister said, “Smelling garden fresh roses makes me happy”.

My neighbour said, “Listening to good music, reading good fiction, watching cricket and movies makes me happy”.

It was my mother’s turn next, “Cooking for family, relatives, friends and visitors and watch the gleam of satisfaction in their eyes as they eat. Then later, treasure the compliments they give me, that makes me so happy.”

In our lives, we are all united in one big chase and it is - the pursuit of happiness.

Happiness is not a permanent state of being, we can’t say that now I have achieved this, I’ll be happy for the rest of my life; we are not primed to feel continuous satisfaction, all we have are happy moments.

Simple joys like watching sunrise, recognizing the smell of first rain, embracing evening breeze, etc leave us with a feel of happiness.

Happiness is also connected to our age. What makes us happy as a teenager might look completely silly at thirty.

For a person who is surrounded by a caring, loving family, happiness goes beyond just planning and achieving goals in life.

Happiness is always within us; it is that inner satisfaction we feel. And helping without expecting a reward gives us true happiness.

To a lot of us, happiness comes in tiny packets, it’s simply the everyday miracle of finding the cell phone, car keys, searching for something since long and suddenly we find it, it definitely gives us a smile.

Things like short commutes, playing with a group of kids, an evening with life-long friends, a book that brings joy - have nothing to do with a fat wallet, all they need is open heartiness.

Whatever you do, make sure that you don’t derive happiness from hurting others. Approach life with a sense of humour and when worries lash, face them boldly.

When you don’t have any regrets in life and have a healthy body and a happy family, happiness is all yours.

Yes, I was Wrong...

“Yes, I was wrong, I admit it was my mistake”, the room turned silent and everyone looked surprised. It was a brave confession indeed.

Aiming to be a perfectionist? No one is perfect, we all make mistakes, it is part of being human; but the question is how many of us have the guts and courage to admit?

How many of us accept our mistakes?

Ego stops us and we start sensing an inferior feeling when accept our mistakes.

We teach the modern day kids about the virtues of being truthful but when we commit mistakes, we are always looking at a scapegoat who can take the fall.

Along with courage, it even takes a lot of integrity to admit to one's mistakes. It is so difficult to practice this.

“There are no mistakes, only lessons”, says my mother.

We justify mistakes for the sake of our ego. Sometimes it is best to say, very simply, “Yes, I made a mistake”, marking an end to an argument.

Accepting the blame, even when you have not done any mistake by resisting the temptation of justifying, for the sake of loved ones is the quality of a wise man.

There are people who deny their mistakes; they even go for counter allegations. But a dignified apology can go a long way to restoring trust.

The most powerful trait of a person is to readily accept his/her shortcomings. Nothing can be more appreciable and so truly respected.

Yeah, the best thing is to stick to the truth. Simply accept what we are and what we did. This way, we can improve a lot.

I accept my mistakes and make sure not to repeat the same again. It is the key for a much better life.

Alarming Alarms...

I woke up, took a glance at the table clock, it showed 4:10am. Thank God, 50 more valuable minutes for the alarm to actually scream into my ears. I went back to sleep with a warm smile.

After a good long sleep, I woke up shocked. The clock shows the same time, 4:10am. The battery is dead. I sprang out of bed in a flash, grabbed my mobile from the table, it was 6:35am and I have to be present at office by 7:00am today.

Every second counted as I rushed like mad and crazy. Shaved, showered, got dressed up and stepped out of my room. After locking the door behind me, turned my back to find the next door guy walking towards me, "Can you lend me your calculator for today? yes, the scientific one", he asked.

"Yaar, you could've asked me a little earlier".

"Five minutes ago, I rang your door bell, there was no response", he said.

"Oh, may be I was in the shower then, I'm in a hurry today, I'm late for office, today we have a meeting, there is a Powerpoint presentation and I have to be present one hour early. I'm sorry but I don't have time to get back into the house. I'll definitely give it in the evening after I'm back home".

His face turned pale, "I need the calculator for solving exercise problems. Tomorrow I'm having my semester exam, what should I do the whole day if you give it in the evening? help me".

I looked at my watch, it showed 6:50am, "Please try to understand my situation buddy, it'll be hard for me to fight through the traffic in just 10 minutes and reach office. I know I'll be late, but I can't handle if it gets too late. You could've asked me yesterday itself. Look, I have no problem lending it to you but I have to go now".

He continued, "I've got a simple one but all I need is the scientific calculator and if you don't give it now, it will ruin my chance to retain top position in my class". It looked like I've taken his calculator and not returning it back.

By the time I'm having this conversation, I could've opened the lock and given him, but the problem was I don't remember where the calculator was and it does take some time to search for it.

"No way, I'm already late". I just ran down the stairs hurriedly, I didn't even bother to hear what he replied back. I knew that such a gesture from me dilutes our friendship, but I had no choice, my boss would shout at me if I delay further.

I reached the parking lot, put my hand in pocket to take out the bike keys. "How the hell can I ever forget my bike keys? This happens to be the first time that I'm so absent minded". God is with him today, I thought and ran back upstairs.

The corridor was empty. I rang his door bell and by the time he opened, I've unlocked my room, I shouted, "Hey dude, cheer up man, come here, I'll give you the calculator, prepare well for your exam. God recommends that you be must be helped right now".

There was a burst of joy in his face, "You came back for my sake? to gimme the calculator?".

"I'm sorry, I came back not for that but in fact I forgot my bike keys and I realize that I can be really so absent minded when in a hurry".

I gave him the scientific calculator, went to office 20 minutes late and I supported myself with two excuses, one was that the alarm clock had a dead battery and the other being the great Indian traffic jams.

Lending the calculator was something that I can smile at, that even absent mindedness can do good at times.

A Wonderful Contest :)

Check out this wonderful contest Silhouette Short Fiction Contest at The Clarity of Night

Here is my story - Entry #160

Destiny's Lonely Child

The autumn evening drifts through the window. I see a lonely bird flying high as the naked branches of leaf-stripped trees are sculpted black against a distant sky.

Birds returned home after all their day’s transactions finally came to an end. Just darkness remains and now sitting with me face to face in my room was loneliness.

“Never have I called out, why are you after me?” was my question.

“You are destiny’s lonely child”, came the reply. “I am here to lead you through the lonely road of life, a road through the wretched deserts with no boundaries.”

“I’ve already left my footprints on the wide city roads, on the narrow side streets and on all highways and alleys. I can find my own way, who are you to lead me?”

“You always believed that you are destined for loneliness and here I am - your destiny. I was born from your belief.”

“So, you are my destiny? Well, my veins seem still and my blood feels ice; I see dry leaves and wings of dead doves. Now tell me am I dead or wandering in the land of the dead?”

“Living a lonely life is a long, grief filled journey progressing from darkness to darkness. You are as good as dead; it’s just that a breathing corpse does not decompose”. He laughed raucously as he spoke those words.

His laughter echoed pain through the empty walls inside my heart.

-xxx-

My dear friend, do share your opinion on my story, your favourite line in it and what changes would make it a much better piece. Thank You :)

You can read more of my writing pieces on loneliness here on my Blog ---> My Flavour of Loneliness

My sincere thanks to Jason Evans for giving me this opportunity to be a part of the wonderful contest.