Love Thy Parents

How can i rob them of their happiness, how can i tell them i just cannot make it, when all i know is that ,my presence makes them feel alive. Am i living for them, or are they living for me, or is it just a mutual understanding, that we share . Calling this as a symbiotic relationship would be too inanimate, because more than them needing me, i need them.
For the past one year or so, i have been travelling up and down between two big cities of India. One ,where my heart is, and the other where my mind is. One that gives me peace of mind, and the other which gives me professional satisfaction. One is the key to my future success probably, and the other is the meaning of my existence. I never knew, that to realize a goal, i would have to sacrifice my family/my parents . But , sure enough, i am not the only one. Many of us have to leave the security of our homes, for better opportunities. Thats the way it is.

And like every unselfish parents, they don't complain, but only encourage. They have fulfilled their responsibility as parents, but have i been able to fulfill my responsibility as a child ? They may not speak up, but i do see in their eyes, the emptiness of being alone. I simply cannot understand, how in the world can anyone leave their parents alone, especially when they need us the most. It is easy to pass life, when one is younger and independent, but with age, emotional dependence takes its position on the priority list. And that is the reason why, i am never able to say a NO , when they ask me , if i am coming over the weekend .
Even if i have the worst of situations, i vow to be at their service first . Everything else comes second, My parents come first in this world.  What more can i ask for, if i am given this chance to look after them, in their old age. My only wish is, if only i could earn a lot of money, so that they do not have to worry about their future. If only i could make them more proud, so that they can raise their heads high up and say that ,she is my Daughter. My only wish is that, their every wish and need gets fulfilled, even before they ask for it .
Because that is how ,they have brought me up, in all these years, giving me everything that i ever wanted.

And if that requires me to stay away from them, run around every weekend, i will do that, as long as i can.

Finally,a message for every Son/ Daughter out there : All this while , we lived for ourselves, doing whatever we wanted, and later on in life, we will be living for our own children. Lets just find a little time in between, to live for our Parents, because of whom , we have reached this far. Lets not leave them alone when they need us. Afterall, all that they need is a little bit of our time. And probably, watching us, our children would learn the same.

Sometimes..

Sometimes i wish to feel the air
sometimes i wish to touch the stars
sometimes i wish to go too far
sometimes i wish to dance in the rain
sometimes i wish to laugh at pain
sometimes i wish to close my eyes
sometimes i wish to loosen all ties.
sometimes i wish to break all bonds,
sometimes i wish to sing aloud
sometimes i wish to live without any bound.

Heal The world

A touching song and even more touching Video. There are so many innocent little abandoned children waiting to be loved, hugged and cared for .

And here is just another version of the same song, aimed to spread the message of Peace across the world.

A righteous song for Humanity and Mankind.

If only it was possible to create such a world. If only each one of us could understand ,what the world really needs is not power, but love. If only we could stop playing with arms and weapons, and restore the faith in universal brotherhood.

My Pennies, My Thoughts: Protecting yourself from you

My Pennies, My Thoughts: Protecting yourself from you: You are your own worst enemy. You can beat yourself up for spending too much money, but you can also rationalize every purchase. You ...

Life is too short,lets just live it "Every day".

A tribute

She left in silence,but she lent a voice to the nation.

She has no name,she has no face,her identity is in every woman.

She struggled, yet she had the strength to carry on.

She was in pain,yet she had the spirit to live.

Her name is the synonym for courage,she is an inspiration.

She is not she, she is you and me.

 

Living in Bangalore

It has been a little more than a year, since i moved to Bangalore in 2011, searching for better opportunities and a better future. And, after having spent a considerable amount of time here, i still do not know, what it is that i like and dislike about the city.
Given the fact that i do not accept changes in my life too easily, it was and it still is difficult for me to survive in Bangalore air. There are a lot of things that i appreciate about a typical Bangalore city lifestyle, yet there are many things that i wish could have been better, just like in any other big metropolitan city. To start with the good things, i feel the city is full of opportunities for young professionals and has so much to offer in terms of jobs, since it is a hot spot for setting up base in India by all the big MNCs. While the smaller towns lack the infrastucture and opportunities, the bigger cities like my own city Delhi is saturated, or the companies are just too obsessed with highly qualified, experienced people to join them.

The other thing that i like about Bangalore is the professional attitude of the people, and the very formal culture. It goes well with me, as i find a majority of people can speak English well and it is the common language for conversation.I also appreciate the fact, that women here are more independent and educated than in any other part of the country. Something that i do not find so common in Delhi, where women complete their education and get married to become full time house wives.

But Bangalore has a long way to go still. I can't stand the fact that it is a highly unplanned city and commuting is a big problem here. I myself end up changing three buses in the morning to reach my office, which is just some 9-10 km away from my home. Negotiating with Auto-rickshaw drivers is another headache as they seem to dictate their own terms/charges to drop you to your destination. The bus conductors would take money from you, but not give you a ticket for small distances. The ridiculous part is that the Bangalore International airport, that is supposed to connect the city with the rest of the country, is itself located somewhere on the outskirts of the city.

I sometimes feel that the city is too lonely and all bricks and Mortar, because you can't find any place to hang out on a weekend. All you see are the grand malls, which don't really excite me for a weekend getaway. The major Indian festivals are a low key affair. You can't find many good places to shop at reasonable price.The city does not have the concept of street shopping. Even for daily groceries, you have to rush to supermarkets, which are convenient, yet expensive.

Had career and money not been so important, i don't think i would have ever landed up in
Bangalore.

Every now and then, i miss my own city Delhi, which is a truly colorful city, more vibrant, a haven for cultural programmes and art lovers, a shopper's delight, with a rich Mughal History to boast of, and a lot many other things that you can think of doing on a weekend, given its close proximity to the hill stations and beautiful landscapes.If you are hungry, you don't necessarily have to rush to a KFC or McD to grab a bite, you can just stop by a street side dhaba or stall and have your fill.To top this all,I definitely don't ignore the fact, that it is crime capital of India, and people are known to be loud and harsh here, but that is just a facet of any big city that has a huge lot of Immigrant population coming down to earn daily bread (By immigrants, i mean people who work here as daily wage labourers, unlike in Bangalore which has an educated lot of immigrants to take pride of).
Still, i would like to thank Bangalore for the experience and exposure it has given to me, and making me more confident to face the unknown terrains. Its a good city in many aspects.

And, here's hoping to get back to my own city someday.

Here's my scorecard for the two cities :

Bangalore                                                       Delhi
Career Opportunities *****                           Career Opportunities **
People *****                                                 People ***
Culture***                                                      Culture ****
Leisure **                                                      Leisure *****
Shopping **                                                   Shopping *****