RESOLUTIONS OR REVOLUTIONS!!!

Well, all of us, in fact, the entire world begins the new year with a LONG list of resolutions. And, the most common one, lose weight, lose weight and lose weight.

Dieting has become an instant fad, not only among youngsters but also among the older group too. I sometimes don’t understand, whether it is “DIETING” or “DIE-EATING”.

Come on, new year is a time to chill out. Eat heartily. What’s the use of placing all sorts of restrictions on your eating habits?

Some other people go one step ahead in making resolutions. They are the ones, who pledge to quit or minimize smoking / drinking. January 1st……it’s such a convenient time of the year. A year, that they spend on countless cigarette packets and hell lot of alcohol bottles. And, as soon as the year seems to be ending, “I am going to quit smoking” and “I won’t drink more than 2 pegs”……such dialogues begin. The first month of the year is followed very religiously and then slowly, the devil takes over….

Work-ridden people are starved for more holidays and more quality time with family. Their resolutions last for a long time. I mean, enough for one nice holiday. The kids are happy, the wife is happy, until……the cell-phone starts ringing.

Waking up early, is a big pain in the neck for half the population in the world and so is going to bed early, a huge problem to solve. No doubt, they make sweet and simple resolutions. But few days in to it and you realize, that habits are hard to break. Breaking alarm clocks is just so simple…

Messy people wish to get organized. They spend hours in cleaning stuff and getting everything in order. And finally, when they are done, they don’t remember where they put the things. A dis-organized place seemed so accessible in getting what you wanted! Now, have to litter the room again!

Short-tempered people like me make wonderful poetic resolutions, that we’ll never lose our temper on silly matters. We’ll count up to 100 when we are enraged, so that our anger cools down. Well, even before we reach 10, we are boiling up. We control our anger till that time and suddenly it dawns upon us that letting it out will make us feel much better than now.

Sulky, pessimistic people opt for a resolution that they will stay positive in life, enjoy it to the fullest. They go on amazingly well for quite a bit of time. But, suddenly start wondering whether something is wrong with their life! And ofcourse, no life can be perfect, so why even try to make it so???

Students want to perform well  in school/college, teachers want to be more cooler, parents want to be friends to their children, children want to be big very soon, teenagers want more freedom, youngsters want new boyfriends/girlfriends, some want to fall in love, some want to get married, others want to break marriages, some more others want extra-marital affairs, most of them want money, a considerable amount of people want fame, some want beautiful face, others want a sexy body…….there are millions and millions of resolutions.

The funny part is, everyone wants to be a part of the normal tradition and make resolutions. But they seem more like revolutions to everyone. Getting out of the comfort zone and wanting something that you wish to have but will have to slog for it.

I have never known anyone actually making and keeping the resolution throughout the year. There might be such “weird” people living in this world. But, thats alright. It’s normal.

OK. Get-Set, you all get ready too. Here comes the new year. Make resolutions. Break resolutions. Whatever you do, just enjoy this life to the fullest. You live only once! Who knows, there might never be a next time….

HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.

LOSS

The worst loss you face

Is that of a relationship

It’s neither love, nor respect

or some great friendship

It pains more when you lose

the relationship with your soul

It hurts more when you realize

You are playing no role

You fail to be in touch

of your own emotions

Your ideas get faulty

Embedded in wrong notions

Solutions are few

And disasters are plenty

Infinite masks

But no real identity

You live with guilt

Of mistakes not done

You hate your life

And from joys you run

Sometimes its better

To give yourself forgiveness

Sometimes its better

To get carried away with madness

Whatever you do

No punishment is so great

That it will hurt you throughout life

And make you wait

Next day would be better

And filled with hope

With promising future

And strength to cope

Its up to you

What have you retained

At the end of the day

What lessons you gained

There are many things in life

At one time you lose

But just like your happiness

Your sorrow also do you choose!!!!

DEATH OF DEMOCRACY

Pakistan, I guess, has so much internal hatred stacked within, that is more deadly than a nuclear bomb…..enough to weaken it from inside…..and self-destruct!!!

Coping up with emergency for such a long time since last couple of months, the pakistanis have  yet again, started a nation-wide war……The beloved daughter of their nation is DEAD. Benazir Bhutto is DEAD……

Benazir Bhutto was born on June 21, 1953 at Karachi and was the eldest child of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who founded the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).  He was first the president then the prime minister of Pakistan from 1971-1977.  But, was mercilessly executed by General Zia-ul-haq.

She gained her degrees in politics from Harvard and Oxford, came back to Pakistan, inherited the leadership fro PPP and thus, started her life-long battle against the unstable ruling of Pakistan.

She became prime-minister in 1988, was sacked on basis of corruption charges. Gained power agian in 1993 and lasted for just 3 more years before Nawaz Sharif came to power.

Got lost in Dubai later on, when her husband and she were sentenced to 5 years of jail and $8.6 million on charges of taking kick-backs from a Swiss company hired to fight customs fraud.

AND, she came back! Oh, why did she?

It’s said that, everything is pre-determined…..death too. Maybe , it’s the power of death that draws you towards itself. Benazir was drawn too. Drawn, to the country of her birth, to die there as a martyr.

She was lucky once…..when a suicide bomber attacked her rally last month but this time, she wasn’t as lucky…..the 3 sniper bullets made her pay for her good deeds rather than her sins.

Now, what about the impact on the world? What impact on the US of A…..have their plans gone horribly wrong? India is definitely on the edge. Pakistan is on the brink of a civil war. Situation, totally out of control. India will have a high time if the jehadis cross over during the war. India’s security then, will be in danger.

US, definitely doesn’t know how to react. This is what they might have never-calculated. And, although, they have never owned publicly, but they still seem to have a significant role in her return to pakistan (so the experts feel).

Benazir, had once said, “Whether or not the rulers allow me to take part in the elections, I will return home at any cost, not for the reason that i want to become prime minister…. (but because) I owe to the nation to fulfill my pledge I have made to it.”

She is immortal. She returned for her people. Her name is written in this bloody sub-continental history as that of a great leader and motivator.

She fulfilled her pledge, alright….but, it remained incomplete…..

Her restless soul will avenge this hatred. Not for herself, but for her people. Perhaps, one day Pakistan will see beyond dictatorship.

On that day, the nation will be born again and truely a new chapter of India-Pakistan FRIENDSHIP will be written!!!

LIFE IS A GAME

I work towards a better tomorrow,

I know that times do change….

Life is not to be taken seriously,

It’s just a simple game!

There are players who help you

To reach milestones

And also those who play unfair

They will see that you are hurt badly

And ones who support you are rare.

At times you may feel,

You have lost it.

But never do lose your hope.

Troubles are plenty and joys are few.

But with determination you learn to cope.

You may think you have little in hand

And destiny plays the lead role

Part by part life may seem difficult

But, it’s beautiful if taken as a whole.

I am happy today because I know

People see me and smile

I would love to be reason for other’s happiness

Even for a little while.

In the end, it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose

You know you played your share.

You may have lost the battle but will win the war

Once you learn to play fair .

I work towards a better tomorrow,

I know that times do change….

Life is not to be taken seriously,

It’s just a simple game!

I R IDIOT

Few years ago, we used to watch a cartoon I AM WEASEL on the Cartoon Network. It was a story of a smart weasel and an idiot baboon. The baboon, apparently, weak in his grammar skills, never managed to get any sentence right….While introducing himself, he always used to say, “I R BABOON”. What a stupid fella!

You know what, just like this so-called stupid baboon, we label so many kids as stupid too. Every kid, today, invariably gets suffocated under the burden of expectations that his parents place on him. Good marks in school, best at sports, that’s what each parent wants to hear. No one is willing to accept that our child can be just plain ordinary.

Now, how many of us, what’s DYSLEXIA is all about. It’s a common curable problem. I am sorry, I must say “a common manageable problem”. But, alas, very misunderstood and people are not aware at all. Parents as well as teachers at school, so conveniently dub the kids as “duffers” , when the kids are below average in their day-to-day school work.

Dyslexia is a very normal problem. It’s a learning disability that specifically manifests in form of difficulty in writing, as well as reading and spelling.

Children suffering from this disorder, normally get confused between the letters b,d,p,q and mix them up. Sometimes, the letters are written backwards, or upside down or like mirror images. However, dyslexia is not a visual problem at all. Sometimes, they have difficulty in understanding arithmetic, there is left-right confusion, poor short-term memory, problem in processing a lot of information together etc..

But, that’s alright. A little patience with these kids, and they can be the best at anything they hope to be. They are as normal as you and me and just as sane. Language therapy and working on their writing abilities can help do wonders.

Did you know, great personalities like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Thomas Alva Edison, all were dyslexic. So are, Abhishek Bacchhan, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise…

And, well, Agatha Christie, the great writer herself was a dyslexic.

I recommend, you watch, the Bollywood movie, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. It’s an excellent film dealing with an 8 year old dyslexic kid and how he overcomes his disability and depression to pursue his passion of painting!

Brilliant portray of emotions and an amazing movie of competent and commendable actors.

It’s a film with a message. An universal message, that “Every child is special”.

As, Aamir Khan, says in the movie, Dyslexia is just a problem with the wiring in the brain. That’s it. Nothing else.

Every kid, every child, every little bud that’s about to flower, deserves the best in Life…..deserves a life worth living.

AND, I R NO IDIOT

You and me, all of us are SPECIAL…

TWO FRIENDS

(This is one of those rare poems of mine, which is based on a personal experience.

I remember, someone had once told me to control temper otherwise it will cause more destruction than anyone can imagine. The worst part of life is taking people who care for you, as granted and never thinking about the relationship.

So, when you forget to keep your emotions in check, they just are vented out in the wrong way often destroying the beauty of the relationship that might be very important to you.

Thus begins the poem…..)

—————————————————————————————————-

Once there were two friends and both of them were near.

Each one thought that the other one was so very dear.

Glad they were that their friendship

Was strong and great.

Glad they were that their love for each other

Was more than any hate.

They realized attachment happened suddenly

in a very short time span.

Together they said, would care for each other

and help whenever they can.

Forever they decided will their friendship remain

and never know a fall.

But even before they knew what happened,

it reached a dead end wall.

Just because of a trouble,

Misunderstandings did creep.

After a brief spell of anger,

One of them did weep.

A single moment of rage

and nothing worthwhile was left.

Lost amidst the egos,

No promises were kept.

Life moved on, all was fine

and their friendship lay forgotten.

Beautiful once the memories were

Which now lay rotten.

It hurt them for some time

but happiness still remained there.

So it hardly mattered

when they didn’t show any care.

Their friend”ship” sank one day

When it rocked on the waves of mistrust.

Their feelings for each other

were soon left to rust.

Thus ended the story of two wonderful friends

Who lost their relationship and never made amends…

UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE

Understanding people is perhaps the most complex of all arts, being well aware of the fact that sometimes we are not able to understand our own selves.

Many people and most Aquarians may be well-acquainted to this acclamation as any person falling within the limits of the Aquarian sun-sign is as unpredictable as the Indian Weather Bureau, which seems to predict the weather for other countries rather than India for their every forecast seems to be unreliable as any Indian Prime minister’s mind, who has a tough time deciding whether Pakistan is a friend or foe!

Among many such unreliable issues is that of any Indian batsmen batting, which seems to go on fine (in fact, exceptionally fantastic) when batting against strong teams but ridiculously falters against weak ones. As if Tiger Woods is taking his first practice lessons with the bat (instead of the golf club), painfully crashing the hopes of millions of Indian cricket team fans who love to watch the ball being hit, ‘high and far’, instead of ‘low and near’. (Maybe, that’s why Indians have never been able to understand golf!!!)

So, don’t you think it is difficult to understand oneself and others when such unreliability is corrupting  this entire country. These days even I go on interpreting people’s words in the exact opposite way and am surprised as to how I succeed, as, people do tend to change or rationalize their thoughts so often and begin to curse exactly those ideas which once, they themselves regarded as epitomes of truth and maturity.

Ironically, I may be wrong to some extent accusing Aquarians of being unpredictable when, we Taureans nurse our obstinacy as carefully as an injured body part; faithfully stating that ’stubbornness’  is the most essential virtue conferred by God on mankind and it’s a privilege to have it running through your veins!

But then, we can never have a Caparicornian diplomacy, or a Cancerian smoothness or not even a Piscean confusion…

Our lives have become just like everyday newspapers. As is the 365 days (sometimes 366) of the year repeat themselves over and over again. Just as a sizzling news, situations remain the same; only people involved and the time and place differ. History, does repeat itself!!!

Making way through all these current problems, ‘humor’ may be the only solution to them, now that even ‘prestigious’ people like ‘us’ try to take things as lightly as possible ultimately realizing that, it doesn’t matter whether world changes or not, but there is always going to remain an element of HOPE which will faithfully support our imagination and careless attitude.

Now that I know, surely Life isn’t a bed of roses but then, it isn’t a sea of thorns, either!!!!