Live and Let Live!

All of us are in this world for a reason.We have our own lives to live. In the process we come across so many others who touch our lives in many ways.Each one of us comes with built-in attitudes and abilities,likes and dislikes,views and opinions.We have to accept that what holds true for one may not always hold true for another.Each one is wired differently.Each one is unique.


In spite of all this it is a shame that there are people who show extreme displeasure when they see or hear someone having diverse views or opinions about something.They try their level best to convince them otherwise and if they do not budge they do not hesitate to show their displeasure.


I fail to understand this petty attitude.When will people learn to thrive in diversity???Diversity of beliefs,values,ideas,thought processes etc are bound to be there.Let us learn to accept them and move forward in life without trying to change everyone according to what we think is the best.


Try to see the beauty in the uniqueness around you.Society thrives on this.,make the most of it......

learn things,unlearn things and most importantly be more open to the views and ideas of others.


Live and let live!

Volume Kam Kar!!!!!!!!!!!

These days everyone carries a cell phone,be it the college student,housewife,executive,bus-driver,vegetable vendor or the fish-monger.I am not against the use of the cell phones as they do prove to be quite useful at times.What irks me no end is how these cell phones are misused and are a pain at times.

Imagine being at a crowded railway station (if you have been at the station during peak hours you will know what I mean) and having people walking at a snails pace as they are busy concentrating on their conversations with their cell-pals.It is a pain just waiting for them to move forward so that the rest can .At times they just freeze and continue their oh-so-important conversations causing a minor people-jam.(yes,I know that term does not exist)

During a ride in a public bus or a train it is a given that there will be at least one or two so-called music buffs who will play the music on the cell-phones loud enough for all of us to hear.Last time when I heard the music being played aloud in the train I asked the girl in question,a young college student,to use her head-phone to hear it instead of disturbing the whole compartment and she had the nerve to tell me that since no one else was complaining she would continue.After my rant about it being a public place and insisting on doing otherwise she gave in.

The same happened on my way to Ratnagiri by bus.A middle-aged man was playing music full blast and what's worse,he was singing along!!!I requested him to use his ear-phones or switch off the music and he looked at me as if I had requested him to do something obscene!!!!He could not digest the fact  that someone was actually telling him to do that.

What can I say about the other cell-phone horrors.There are those who scream so loudly on the phone that even those who are miles away can hear and are party to their private lives.So we can hear cuss words,lovey-dovey talk,politics,gossip,recipes and the like being shared with us unintentionally.This happens at the temples and cinema houses too.Here we are, busy having a one to one talk with the Almighty and we can hear someone sharing his tales......or we are in the middle of an emotional scene at the theatre and suddenly there is someone having a loud conversation on his cell-phone.

Then there are those irritating ring-tones that crop up everywhere-at the malls,cinema-houses,temples,schools and clinics.You are at the bus stop and there you hear it loud and clear..........My name is Sheila,Sheila ki jawaani......or you are at school and a parents cell-phone sings-Dhinka-chika-dhinka-chika!!!!

People have no cell phone etiquette at all .I wish each and every cell-phone came with a cell phone etiquette booklet just as they come with a user manual.But then,on second thoughts,who would read them anyway.It is high time we put our foot down and raise our voice to those who play loud music or keep their conversations on at places where they are not supposed to.let us give our best dirty looks to those whose cell-phone rings at the theatre,temple,school,college,conference or hospital.

It may be a small beginning but something should be done about this cell-phone menace.

What do you think???

Talking Pictures

There is an old Chinese saying- 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' 


I remembered this quote when one of my colleagues at school brought some old photographs of herself and her family.She was getting nostalgic on showing us the photographs and I could actually see her get lost in her past memories. This was when I went with my parents on so and so trip , this was when my daughter was just born , this was taken at my first school.........and so on she reminisced .


On further prodding , she revealed that she had taken these photographs from an old long forgotten bag that had not been opened for years . She was glad she did now as a flood of memories came flashing back.


In fact , then and there we decided to have a 'Picture Day' wherein each one of us would bring a few pictures from our albums and have a nice time talking about them.Just for laughs , we also decided upon the criteria for the pics.We will all be getting a childhood picture,a picture of our school days,a picture in a sexy pose and one in which we look really funny.What fun it will be to go through the yesteryears of our colleagues! What a way to bond!


I am constantly in touch with my memories.I sit with all the photo albums I have before me and leaf through each one of them with my daughter for company.It is a great feeling to revive all the wonderful moments we have spent together with family and friends.It is interesting and funny to see how things have changed over the years.


It is sad that during those days it was not so common to click photographs , so there are hardly any photographs of my childhood days and maybe that's why my childhood memories are just a blur.My daughter is lucky to have her life unfold before her in pictures as we have so many pictures of her, right from her birth to this day.


Really,these photographs talk.They tell us so much about those glorious moments that have gone by.In fact, this is exactly what made me so fond of photography in the first place-the thrill of seeing these pictures and reliving the moments that can be cherished forever.


As it is said in the song  ,' बातें भूल जाती है,यादें याद आती हैं.'


Truly , pictures really do talk and how!!!!!