My Life, My Experience, My Learning - An Open Book!

As I sit down to put my thoughts today, words fail me. Not because, I have nothing to write. I am unable to figure out where to start from. But start, I must. Write, I must. I have never been the best when it comes to expressing my emotions face to face. I have always hidden behind the garb of writing/penning my thoughts down as an easier way out. Maybe, that is my comfort zone 😊! But this post is not about me. It is about a thoroughbred gentleman, because of who, I am in existence today – My dearest Appa 😊! I have tried to bring as part of this blog some known and unknown facets about Appa in no order as such. For those who know him for longer than I, please feel free to add in your best moments with him in the comments section. For those who don’t know him, I have tried to put some thoughts interlaced with memories. Many happy returns of the day, Pops! 80 does not come easy and to everyone. As we celebrate your 80 th birthday today, I bow in absolute gratitude to the God Alm...

Yes, am sure we all can do our bit. Given that most of the India is under complete lock down, i am unsure how many of us can go out and volunteer for this noble cause. The only way out is to contribute to the relief funds or noble causes furthered by NGOs. Given the vast expanse of population spread across large land mass in India, the help has to go in from the formal (Government) and informal (NGOs) means. This is the only way the poor and needy of all kind can be attended to. I have put together a few of these initiatives. I would encourage each one of you to evaluate these and contribute in your capacity against any or all of these. Every contribution that we make will touch a needy soul or family and help them wade through these troubled times. 1. Thamate Centre for Rural Empowerment: To support the many Manual Scavengers who put their lives in grave danger to keep Namma Bengaluru clean. This is a great opportunity to say "Thank You" to these brave men and their ...

We as a nation were in euphoria, when our Honorable Government took extreme measures to evacuate our fellow countrymen stuck in different parts of the world to bring them back home safe amidst Covid-19 pandemic. Air-India and India Air Force charters were the bankable options. As has been the case previously, they performed admirably in the current crisis. Most notable amongst these were Operation Wuhan (723 Indian Nationals, 43 Foreign Nationals & 15 tonnes of Medical assistance including Masks, Gloves etc.) & Operation Italy (263 Indian Nationals). This was indeed praiseworthy as the Government showed empathy and care for Indians across the globe. A job well done and we as Indians rightfully felt a sense of immense pride! In the course of the past month and half, we have seen the Covid-19 crisis getting grimmer and more serious within India. Janta Curfew (14 hours of self quarantine on 22 March) was a success and a failure. Success because many of us self quarantined o...

To begin with “Happy Ugadi” to everybody, quite late in the night after the festivities have ended. Ugadi is celebrated to usher in the new year as per the Hindu Panchang (calendar). A new year filled with hope of newer beginnings and success. Ugadi is usually celebrated in the South Indian States of Karnataka, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh. The same becomes Gudhi Padwa for Maharashtrians, Cheti Chand for Sindhis & Sajibu Nongma Panba for Manipuris.  These are unprecedented times for humanity. The entire world seems to be reeling in distress with limited visibility on the cure for the virus. Healthcare systems and workers are under stress like never before. Humanity has not experienced a situation like this in the past 50-70 years. Conversation yesterday with Amma went this way – “in my lifetime, I have not seen a situation like this where the country has to be locked down.” She got into the Club 70 last year. Just to provide a context, the wars of 1962, 1965, 1971, 1999 ...

Phew – this has been giving me sleepless nights for a while now. What better way to lay this to rest, than pen a few lines down? You are free to respond 1-1 or on my FB Page, Blog Page or my Twitter Handle. I have had the fortune or misfortune; whichever way, one can look at it for having to scout and set up a conversation for a loved one with a Clinical Psychologist and a Psychiatrist in the recent past. This look out brought to the fore facets, that I previously never paid any attention to. More about that in the post ahead. The loved one was advised by the set of doctors to get a consultation done by a Clinical Psychologist and only if needed by a Psychiatrist. The suspicion of anxiety, stress & depression affecting recuperation loomed large. The doctors needed clarity, so did the loved one and I. We had to now go ahead and get an appointment with one, before our next consultations with the doctors. I thought that would be easy, just like I had fixed up all pr...

It was Wednesday, 12 th February 2020. It was also Sankashti Chathurthi, a highly auspicious day in the Hindu calendar dedicated to Lord Ganesha – the one who provides we beings with boundless energy to overcome any obstacles, be it personal or professional. It was also the day when YVR Rao uncle left us all for heavenly abode. Lord Ganesha – in you we entrust YVR Rao uncle and am sure you will look after him very well! A sense of disbelief and shock took over our household, when we got to know of his ill-health in the first week of February. It seemed an uphill task for uncle, but he had fought and overcome adversity previously as well. Deep down in my heart, I believed that he would fight through again and come out a victor. I have never seen anybody fight adversity like uncle: Cheerful and Smiling, as though treating adversity with contempt! The sight of him @ Apollo was inspiring – he was fighting it out, recognized all of us, spoke a few words but was not willing to gi...

Phew, time flies and you are already seventy, With a curious mind, smile, energy and temper of Twenty 😊 ! You are the most generous, most gracious, Yet the most tempestuous, most impetuous 😊 ! You have the most curious mind, Yet the most indifferent mind 😊 ! You treat everyone the same, With abundance of love n anger all at the same time 😊 ! You have the cleanest & noblest of hearts filled with good intention, Yet you would allow yourself piercing words for damage infliction 😊 ! Your nervous energy keeps the house going, You make us run and at times we all take hiding to avoid your beating 😊 ! Your desire for cleanliness, orderliness and predictability is commendable, Your neglect for your own inner n outer health is reprehensible 😊 ! With time, age and experience, you are bogged down by inertia and negativity, Now is the time to break free and embrace positivity 😊 ! Eldest of 8 siblings, responsibility was your compani...

Abey Saale (Euphoria) to Amma, please hodibeda (Mercy Petition) – 120 minutes of madness, a life lesson learnt! Circa – 1988, Gora Colony (Near Kevadia) After spending a brief while at the Kevadia camp site, we had moved to our new abode – an independent home @ Gora Colony. Brexit happened in 1947, but we still had enough remnants of the imperial past. Gora Colony was apparently used to house British officers’ way back and had ever since retained the same name. Guess the country was less nationalist then 😊! Kevadia Camp Site and Gora Colony were connected by a bridge on the River Narmada. It was a sight to see Narmada in full spate during the monsoons. The connectivity with Kevadia would be lost owing to the dangerous water levels along the bridge. We all would walk down from Gora Colony which was at an elevation to the bridge to just catch a glimpse of the gorgeous Narmada. My love and admiration for flowing water started with Narmada. Maybe for the first time I saw a ...

Circa – 1987, Gujarat Spinning Mills Limited Public School (GSLPS), Rajpipla, Gujarat As family: Amma, Appa and I had recently moved to Kevadia, Gujarat from Kudremukh, Karnataka. Appa had chosen to expand his horizons beyond Govt Sector companies that he had served successfully till now. The project in hand to be associated was alluring – Sardar Sarovar Dam and financially rewarding for those times. It was a huge transition for the entire family, the enormity of that only dawns upon me today. But such were those simpler times, you just packed and moved on to the next destination. Life was possibly simpler, or the people kept it simple. Kevadia Colony was no Kudremukh by any stretch of imagination then. We moved in during the summer and the extreme heat of the summer surely had me perspiring like never before 😊 . I had not broken a sweat in Kudremukh and here I was bathed in it profusely 😊 . Obviously, Kevadia Colony was still a camp site and Kudremukh back then ...