Day 27 - When you find all the answers in your cupboard!

Cleaning stuff gives me a big high. Whether its cleaning my cupboard, shoe rack, my dressing table drawer, my jewellery box, the attic, the medicine kit, the kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, what have you. Cleaning and organizing gives me the bliss that's unequivocal. Also, disposing off or chucking away all those things which are worn out, defunct, useless or don't use anymore is another pleasure altogether. As a kid, I won't be lying if I tell you that I used to actually envy (secretly) the job of the municipality sweepers. I thought they had a cool job and even felt that I could do their job with much more flourish, exactness and that's no 'sweeping' statement.
Obviously, I never could fulfill my childhood fantasy and the chance to wield my personal broom stick! But as the years moved on, so did my versions of 'What I would like to be, when I grow up?' fantasies.
So here I am, fulfilling one of my long withheld desire,  not as a professional (thankfully!) but as a hobbyist. To me, there is no greater joy than unearthing a few trinkets from the hidden crannies, extricating an old pair of jeans that I once again can fit into, finding a silk scarf I thought was lost forever and many such moments of discovery. Not to mention, the favorite cream bottles, oils, shampoos and moisturizing lotions which were unused for long but finding them to be still within their expiry dates. Fancy leather sandals which I thought had 'kicked' the bucket and then find them to still have many years in them. Also, the Tupperware storage containers I thought had been sent to next door neighbor to share some home cooked experiments and never came back, only to find them 'self-contained' and sitting smugly in a corner. And hey, I forgot to mention the many forgotten timeless classics that I stumble upon as I reach out my hand deep inside the library shelf. There is definitely serendipity at work here.


Just like all my previous 'clean-up' weekends, this one too went off exactly as expected, rummaging, clearing and cleaning, albeit with a small difference.
As I was cleaning the medicine cabinet and  going through the many tablet strips, ointments, balms, vitamin capsules, tubes, sprays, I had a sudden realization, as if like a shot in the arm .
I remembered a Hindi lesson that we learned way back in school, 'Mama ki Ainak'. The Mama in the story i.e. the Uncle goes around the whole house searching everywhere looking for his spectacles which have been misplaced, only to realize much later that they were sitting all along on his forehead.

Isn't our life exactly like this? We all go through life seeking answers for questions, problems, issues, difficult situations at one point or another. To find the key to the lock, we go out to hunt for it. Though each of us have our own method of seeking the right answers, the one thing common for sure is, we forget to look for it within us to begin with. We fail to realize that the 'magical solution' is not outside or anywhere else but lies within us. We are just not attuned to seek it where its supposed to be. So, just like 'Mama ki Ainak', we go about searching high and low, here and there to find it, obviously without any result. All we need to do is just 'change our lens' and perspective and then it becomes all crystal clear.
That weekend as I sat amongst the mess sifting the old medicines from the new, I didn't anticipate that my old childhood fantasy would eventually help me 'find' the simple elixir of life along with a few strips of Vitamin D3 tablets.

Next time, when I am searching for something (answers), I must remember to first check my cupboard (my soul) before I go out shopping (seeking) for it elsewhere.

Day 26 - Laughter is the best medicine!

"Laughter is the best medicine", a many times heard before quote. In school it was just something I learned by rote. During the carefree college days, I experienced, understood its true meaning and that's something to note. But in my busy life today, it's every other thing I dote on more and poor laughter gets the last vote.
Indeed a sad situation all too common nowadays, where laughter has been forgotten as we have all become wet blankets and dusty, old turncoats.

We have become more serious and grim and less funny than ever before. It's not a surprise then that we are all falling sick more often than earlier. We need laughter clubs to compel ourselves to laugh, that too with strangers. And we need TV sitcom marathons to help us find and tickle our rusty funny bones. The only laughter we hear (or rather see) nowadays is either in the form of LOL, LMAO or ROFL. A laughter which has lost its voice just like the songstress from yesteryear.

So I ask, where is that laughter which emanated from the bottom of our heart and our protruding belly? Or where is that full throated roaring laugh which came from the biggest guy in the nearby gully? When was the last time you laughed so hard that you cried or peed in your pants (yes, that also happens with some people)? Or when was the last time you laughed uncontrollably without any rhyme or rant?
It just seems such a long time ago, isn't it. Indeed a serious matter but laugh it off, we just can't! (ironically).

We take ourselves too seriously and attribute laughter as trivial and fluff. But what we don't realize is that it's our all time trump card more so when the going gets tough. Nothing can soften a hard stand or loosen a tight situation like good humor can. The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow, H. G. Wells once said, which all of us must remember as long as we can.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone" is the popular phrase we all know. Let us break away from our hardened shells, let our hair down and be at ease with our best friend 'laughter', we all used to know.

"A day without laughter is a day wasted" is what Charlie Chaplin once said. We need to reexamine how we lead our lives to know how without laughter it gets weighed.

To sum it up, Mark Twain very rightly said, "The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter".

Its time we stopped taking ourselves so seriously. Life is too short so lets enjoy a good laugh as we are not going to last here.

 

Day 25 - A to Z of love

 

We are in the middle of February and its the season to celebrate, declare, reinforce, remember, redeem, cherish, rekindle...what else but love! At the cost of sounding cliched, this feeling of love is truly in the air and all pervasive around the 14th of February. Whether one believes in Valentine's Day or not, the marketing blitzkrieg ensures that all of us are a part of this silly charade willy-nilly. But hey, who's complaining!


Whether its our parents, sister/brother, spouse, daughter/son, friend, neighbor or colleague the recipe for any  successful relationship remains the same, albeit with varying measures. Here is my list of those ingredients for making the sweet rich concoction of a strong healthy relationship.

Presenting my A to Z list that makes the essence of my relationships richer, fulfilling and long lasting.

A- Appreciate, what the relationship has to offer and Acceptance
B- Being yourself
C- Commitment
D- Devotion
E- Expressing openly
F- Freedom
G- Give and take, the cardinal rule of any relationship
H- Honesty
I - Independent yet with a sense of belonging
J - Just and balance in responsibilities
K - Keeping the faith and having patience
L - Lively
M - Meaningful interactions
N - Never taking for granted
O - Open and transparent.
P - Passion

Q - Quietude

R - Respect for each other
S - Stimulating
T - Trustworthy
U - Unrequited
V - Veritable
W - Willingness to make it happen
X - X Factor (for lack of relevant words starting with X :))
Y - Being Young at heart
Z - Zealous

All said and done, I must confess that the above is a wish list and I continue to work on many aspects to make my relationships stronger and healthier. Its always work in progress and I guess we just need to keep working hard at it.


I am sure you too may have your own ingredients or the A to Z list for your relationships. Whatever the recipe, let us celebrate the feeling of love and cherish what we have with and within us, all through the year and our lifetime. Not just on Valentine's Day.


Love & Peace,
xoxo

Day 24 - What a woodpecker and soldier ants taught me?

I stay in Goregaon, a part of the western suburbs situated just a few kilometers away from Sanjay Gandhi National Park aka Borivali National Park. On Sundays, the park seems even more close considering there is no traffic on the road (and which many Mumbaikars will endorse). But in spite of the close distance, I hate to admit that I have been to the National Park only once before. It is supposed to be the largest park in the world, located within city limits and truly a place to be visited many times over. But today was just my second visit to these sylvan surroundings. Such a shame!

A walk through the Shilonda trail inside the National Park was what the e-brochure of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) enticed me with its foliage of words. And so here I was, on a chilly morning in February, ready to bathe in the serenity of the green expanse and soak in the knowledge, the birds and the bees (pun unintended) had to offer. The brochure had mentioned that the trail is about 15 minutes walk from the main gate of the National Park and so it was. Typically, this trail is out of bounds for general visitors unless they have permission. Its accessible only through naturist clubs like the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and NIC etc. And that's exactly what excited me even more. I prefer quieter locations such as these where one can enjoy nature at peace, away from the din of the picnickers and the clamor of motley crowd. Its so unbelievably peaceful that its difficult to believe that this is the same noisy Mumbai just a few meters away.
The trail itself runs for about 2 km into the jungle up to a stream. The dense growth of deciduous trees mixed with the bamboo groves provide an elusive tranquil all through the walk in the woods.  The vast variety of birds, insects, butterflies add their own beauty which is a visual treat and a welcome respite. For any Mumbaikar this is truly the right place to relax, find solace and their true self. Neither a biologist, ornithologist nor an entomologist I am but a Sunday ensconced in the lap of mother nature was just the kind of getaway my frayed nerves were seeking for.

There were myriad of tidbits we heard all through this trail. But there was one fascinating fact, Mr. Jagdish Vakale, Naturalist at NIC and our guide recounted to the group that has still not left me.

He told us the intriguing fact about a bird and colony of ants. The ants are popularly called as soldier ants and crematogaster by the entomologists. They use dry leaves, their saliva and mud to build a robust nest for its colony. This nest resembles a Pagoda and hence gets its name as Pagoda Ants nest. This nest is almost impregnable to any species as these ants are known to be fierce and attacking and also the nest is as hard as a card board. However, there is  one bird in spite of these challenges actually considers this nest as its home and stays inside it along with the colony of ants. The bird is known as Rufus Wood pecker. This bird secretes a chemical, pheromone. And this is the same pheromone which the soldier ants also secrete and makes them think that the bird is part of its own family. So, in spite of Rufus Woodpecker not being an ant or an insect but a totally different species, the soldier ant allows it to stay in its well built nest.
Rufus Woodpecker on the other hand just does not stay there like a ghar jamai but it in turn   provides food to the ants. All the tidbits and insects it collects and hunts for its family does not get consumed completely. The babies eat a little and litter the nest with crumbs. This leftover is then eaten by the soldier ants. Thus saving the ants the energy to go out and hunt for food.

An incredible example of give and take between completely different species at work here. It shows how 2 different types, completely unlike each other, by helping one another in a symbiotic relationship can live together peacefully and graciously.

For me its a wonderful lesson which nature has provided! We as humans and considered as the most evolved species on earth can take a big leaf out of the Pagoda Ant's nest. I am sure there will always be differences and contrasts between each of us in the way we think, live, eat, drink, communicate, behave and function. However, its up to us to find out how we can use these differences to learn from other, respect each other, give and take and live in harmony and peace. On the occasion of Valentine's Day, a beautiful insight from nature on how to have beautiful and meaningful relationships.

Day 23 - When you find inspiration in most unusual places

I am returning from a short 1 day official trip to Bangalore. I was there to attend a focused group discussion. The objective of this group discussion was to help us outline a marketing strategy for one of our organization's project management certifications. It was an intense and fruitful discussion and we are hoping it will throw some light on our future course of action.
I am sitting in the plane at this moment, heading back to Mumbai. But what is consuming my thoughts right now is not what should be my next course of action (read, marketing strategy). Its the cab driver who has just dropped me off at the airport. Iqbal is the cab driver and this is not the first time he has dropped me off at the airport.
Every time my Bangalore visit gets confirmed, the next call goes to Iqbal for confirming the airport pick up. Its not just me, but all my colleagues traveling to Bangalore make use of his taxi services. I have been with PMI now for the last 3 and half years and every time me or my colleagues have flown to Bangalore, its always Iqbal's taxi. So much so that even Ashish (my hubby) and Aparna (my sis) have used his services for their local travels in Bangalore. They have also been happy with his services and further referred him to their peers and colleagues.
Now you may wonder, what's so special about this Iqbal? Why is he so popular and sought after? Let me answer that for you.
First, he is always punctual and reliable - he will always shows up on time, come hell or high water. Second, he is very resourceful - he will always find a way out of the maddening Bangalore traffic and drop you at the airport in time, even when you expected to miss your flight. Never have I or my colleagues missed a flight from Bangalore. Last but not least, he is extremely courteous and respectful. He always has a kind word to say. All these 3 characteristics have not only made him popular with with us but also helped his business grow through referrals as you can see.

Three years back, he used to work as a driver with Meru, the taxi fleet service. The next time when I met him, he had quit Meru and had started his own Taxi service with a brand new Logan. Later, the following year he had purchased a second Logan, which was being driven by his brother.
And this time when I met him, he had even better news. I heard him express that he was getting tired and stressed driving around the busy roads of Bangalore. He had plans to give up the taxi business in the next 3-4 years.
Cooking had been his life long passion and so he had plans to start a catering business soon after that. He said he was just waiting for his children to complete their education so he could then hang up his driver's boots forever and proudly don the chef's hat. A scene he had been dreaming off for very long.

Having seen him on all my intermittent visits to Bangalore, he had truly come a long way in a short span of time. His future plans did impress me and I am sure that just like his taxi business has gone places, his catering business would also sell like hot cakes. I can only imagine his mouth watering signature dishes getting word of mouth publicity all across the Silicon valley of India and beyond.

So, here I am sitting in the flight and thinking about Iqbal, who has been not just our typical 'go to' cab driver in Bangalore but a very successful marketeer too. He has through referrals and word of mouth marketing, not just built a successful business for himself but successfully planned for an early retirement to follow his lifelong passion.
All I can say is, one doesn't always need focused group discussions, market surveys and reams of research material to provide you key insights. We can indeed find them in the most unusual places.

Thank you Iqbal and wishing you Godspeed for your future plans!!!