Mission Megma: Doing Right

The past week had been terrible. Unmet expectations, sundry drawbacks, exhausting but not adequately rewarding work pressure, and the big tug of war between the material and the immaterial needs. 'Disappointed' was the big word of the week. 

And with this down and out state of mind I sat down to read about the latest half story of Tata Capital's Do Right - Half Story initiative. This half story is about Mr. Chandrakumar Pradhan and his dilapidated 3-room school in Megma, a sleepy remote village located on the Indo-Nepal border, on the Singalila ridge at an altitude of approx 10,000 ft. above sea level.  A cursory glance through the story and I learn that Mr. Pradhan has retired as the Principal of Saraswati Mandir School, where he had been working since he was 19 years old. 

Even after retirement, Mr. Pradhan continues to teach the 20 odd students here, all for his passion for teaching. The humble 3-room school is in a state of disrepair, with walls peeling off, blackboards cracked up and not-so black any-more and benches that are all run-down and shaky. There's not enough stationary too. When the basic supplies run out, Mrs Neela, the only other teacher at the school, a mother figure for the students, helps them with practising their lessons on the floor, with chalk outlines and stones placed on top of them.

The run-down Saraswati Mandir School in Megma, on the Indo-Nepal border

Cracked and not-so-black blackboard in the classroom

The students come from economically weaker families but want to continue studying

The students at this school come from economically weaker families. There are days when they have to go without meals. They use their pencils right till they become stubs in their little hands, so the idea of good stationary items and a decent school kit is but a distant dream for them.  And this is just what Mr. Pradhan wishes for his students - basic stationary and supplies to keep their love for learning alive.

Mr. Chandrakumar Pradhan features in this video and shares his dreams for his school with the viewers. Despite the many shortcoming he faces everyday, the warmth and happy tilt in his voice and the light in his eyes lighten up my spirit too. 

 

The dedication and passion is inspiring indeed - but what warms up my heart is the selfless spirit - Mr. Pradhan does it all, and gives private tuitions too - without charging a single rupee for his services.  Wow! Here we are, the lesser mortals, expressing disappointment over this and that, and here's this gentleman - warm and encouraging with much passion for his work, despite the many challenges he faces everyday.

Mr. Pradhan's half story inspires us all. It inspires us to be selfless and to think beyond the I-Me-Myself syndrome that we have all got caught up in. It motivates us all to be more giving and to reach out to those who are less privileged than we are. So let us all help Mr. Pradhan in his selfless mission of educating the kids with lesser means and ensuring that every house in this remote village is educated.

 With the kindness of many 'Do-Righters', his immediate need of blackboards for the school and stationary kits for the 20 students has been met with. But we all know, a humble school with humble students has many a humble needs - uniforms, woollens, basic furniture...little things that make the process and experience of learning better and cherished. So do contribute whatever you can towards this noble cause. Let us all 'Do Right' and make Mission Megma our own. A happy ending to the Megma half story is in our hands.

Mr. Pradhan, working at the school since he was 19

About the Do Right - Half Stories initiative:

Tata Capital's Do Right - Half Stories campaign is a journey to identify unique stories of courage, perseverance and determination from some of the remotest parts of the country, highlighting the challenges faced by the individuals/communities living there and letting ordinary citizens step in and support their needs and dreams, effectively scripting a happy end to their stories.

For more details about this heart warming initiative by Tata Capital, please do visit the Do Right website. Details of how you can help and support the cause are given on the website.

Kotak Jifi Indimeet: Socialising Over Social Bank Accounts

The latest edition of IndiBlogger's very popular Indimeets saw coming together of over 600 bloggers (yes!) for the exclusive launch of Kotak Jifi - Kotak Mahindra's fully integrated social bank account - a first of its kind bank account that goes beyond conventional banking by incorporating social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter alongside mainstream banking.

Over 600 bloggers attended the exclusive launch

While Indimeets are always super fun what with the great camaraderie amongst bloggers on display, this Meet scored brownie points for simultaneously and seamlessly bringing together bloggers from three cities together (Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore), all at the same time. While the chief guest launched Kotak Jifi in Mumbai - bloggers from Delhi and Bangalore were part of it all through web streaming.

Welcome!

In Delhi, the venue of the launch was the trendy B-Bar, a hip place to hang out and grab a drink or two (or more!) with friends. The nicely done up bar welcomed us with drinks on the house! That bought smiles and giggles galore on many a happy faces and in no time the bar was overflowing with drinks and fun banter among bloggers. 

While the attendance at the bar counter steadily increased, members from the indiblogger team too was coming into its own, checking on the first timers, guiding them with the registrations and initiating many a fun introductions and idle banter! Let me share this here that it's very heart-warming to see how team Indiblogger ensures that every one is comfortable and that no new member feels out of place in the fun riot that many indimeets turn into before and after the meet agenda.

Needless to say, in no time everyone was happy and high enough to participate in the selfie contest that had just been announced - click selfies with new and old friends and if  you win, you get rewarded with cool goodies and shopping vouchers!

The crowded bar! Drinks on the house!

While the drinks and banter flowed, it was time to discover who the secret chief guest was - invited to launch Kotak Jifi - and it was none other than the acclaimed writer Chetan Bhagat, who himself is well versed with the demands and more of social networking platforms, with an overwhelming twitter follower tally of 2.42 million! So who better to talk about a bank account that is based on social media platforms than Chetan Bhagat. The ever so witty and soft spoken Bhagat not just took the bloggers through the concept and idea behind Kotak Jifi, but along with Mr. K.V.S Manian, Kotak's Consumer Banking Head, also fielded questions about the nitty gritty involved in banking through social media platforms.

The stage's set in Delhi, ready for the launch

Mr. Chetan Bhagat with Kotak's Consumer Banking Head, Mr. KVS Manian

And here's what Kotak Jifi is all about - a bank account on the go!

• Kotak Jifi is a first-of-its-kind online social bank account integrated with Facebook and Twitter.
• Targeted at the young tech-savvy crowd, Jifi is a 0 minimum balance current account.
• Bank account updates, cheque book requests and other account activities are all a tweet/message away - account holders can receive account updates on Twitter as Direct Message by simply tweeting to the bank's twitter handle a pre-determined hashtag. 
• Account holders can earn transaction and social points online transactions and on referring friends to open accounts.
• Besides social media integration, Jifi account holders will also have access to all conventional bank offerings including branch and ATM network, a platinum debit card and internet & phone banking access.
• And here's some more finer details about Kotak Jifi -  

Quick pointers on going Jifi-y!

Jifi's detail introduction done, it was time for lunch, where quite a few people had a tad tough time dealing with the limited menu and the chaos to not to miss out on the desserts. Nevertheless, a not so exciting lunch break gave way to the very exciting Kotak Premier League. Hold your horses if you think the bloggers padded up for a quick 20-20 match on B-Bar's polished floors! Hahah! For KPL was in fact a tweet challenge amongst bloggers divided into 6 teams - with all posting creative tweets about Jifi. The team with the maximum tweets took home the much sought after shopping vouchers!

And then followed the photo-ops! Plus lots of bonding and networking! It's so much fun when all the indibloggers came together to fit into one big photo - and it looks like a huge Indi family! One can only be there to have an idea of the good energy that fills the place!  Looking forward to attending more of these happy and happening Indimeets in the future too!

And it's all wrapped up with a group photo

That's all about the Kotak Jifi Indimeet! Hope you enjoyed the post, and if you were there too, then would love to read about your experience! 
This post has been written under the #JifiIsHereExperiences blogging drive post the launch of Kotak Jifi organised by Kotak Mahindra Bank in association with IndiBlogger.

Sunsilk Real FM - A Movie That Entertains, Inspires and Integrates

The film Sunsilk ReaI FM is a beautiful, inspiring story re-affirming the time-worn English saying - Where there's a will, there's a way. 

But before I review the film for you, let me very honestly start from the start. While on my way to the special screening of the film, I was pre-occupied with quite a few assumptions. And frankly, some of these assumptions were a bit cynical too.

• I assumed the film Sunsilk ReaI FM would actually be an advertisement stretched enough to call it a 'short film'.
• I assumed every few seconds the characters would break into paeans applauding the wonderful quality of each other's hair groomed with Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner.
• I assumed the film would  blatantly suggest to the viewers how Sunsilk would help redeem their dull and lacklustre hair.
• And yes, I also assumed that post the film screening, the bloggers present would be asked to write a review glorifying Sunsilk and how it had the potential to turn your nothing-to-write-home-about hair into your crowning glory!

And now, as I write this, an amused smile plays on my lips. And it's laced with some guilt too. For none of my assumptions about the film came true. Sunsilk ReaI FM is neither an advertisement, nor a short film. There's no blatant product placement either. In fact it is a warm film about three friends who come together for a cause - and succeed in overcoming all the odds that come their way.

Film written by Anurag Basu, directed by Akarsh Khurana

Again before I review the film for you, here's a something on how the film came about. Sunsilk ReaI FM is the result of a tie-up between Hindustan Unilever Ltd and MTV Films, to present to the the viewers an eclectic mix of films based on brand philosophies of different HUL products. And first film in this series of special films is Sunsilk Real FM, written by acclaimed film maker Anurag Basu.

And now about the film!

The story of Sunsilk Real FM revolves around three friends who come together during a tough situation to overcome all odds and take a challenge head-on. Rhea, one of the protagonist is a young vibrant girl who's leading a happy-go-lucky life with two of her best friends. Rhea's father (played by veteran actor Benjamin Gilani)  runs an FM station, where trouble has been brewing lately - while the revenue of the station is falling, the staff has been  aggressively demanding a raise. The situation turns grim when a large chunk of the station staff quits and Rhea's father, unable to bear the unpleasant development suffers a heart attack. Under such trying circumstances Rhea takes it upon herself to run the radio station. She seeks help from her best pals who all come together and decide to give it all a good shot, despite their apparent clueless-ness about how stations work.

Bloggers enjoying the special screening

But of course running a radio station is no easy task and more so on a super special day - 15th August. As the new programming team figures out how to work the studio machines, they also have to contend with the onerous task of churning out unique content for the Independence Day Special that they plan to run throughout the day. And the unique idea strikes just in time - play songs from all the 28 states! Unique indeed, but plausible? And therein comes the moral of the story - where there's a will, there's a way!

Let's take on the challenge!

Everyone at the studio channelises their networks across the city to reach out to singers from different states - from Bihar to Chattissgarh to Kerala  - they find them all! Facebook, twitter and the other social media platforms - they are all explored to source the singers, and indeed every single one of them comes carrying the earthy flavour of the state they belong to! In the end Mission Save the Radio Station is accomplished and how! Friends bond, old animosity is forgiven, the rouges tersely tackled and the good reputation of the station restored.

The 3 USPs of the film

It entertains -
Sunsilk Real FM kept me entertained throughout, and going by the laughter floating around in the screening whole, it was clear that everyone watching the movie was having a good time.  The plot is fast-paced and the one situation smoothly gives way to the next one. And yes, there are jokes and poor jokes (yes!) galore in the movie! Plus the subtle and sometimes not so subtle hint of romance too kept us all in splits! 

It inspires -
Sunsilk Real FM is an entertaining film, but it also carries a strong message - to never give up! The film inspires us all (and not just the women folk) to take all the challenges head-on and stand our ground! The happy-go-lucky Rhea does not buckle down when her fathers is hospitalised, rather she takes it upon herself to make her dad's radio station keep running. And in this, she uses all the resources she has at her disposal. And her determination also rubs off on the some of the staff who had earlier quit the station. They return and decide to give Rhea a helping hand.

It integrates -
Another big USP of the film is it's incredible music! The earthy folk/regional songs from across India! Where would one get to listen to the soulful strains of singers from Kashmir to Nagaland, from Rajasthan to Andhra Pradesh, all at one place. The music in the film is one big integrator! It's heart-warming to see all of India coming together under one big musical umbrella! As the songs from different states start appearing the audience too mentally starts putting together a list of the states yet to figure in the programme!

So while Sunsilk Real FM is definitely not a branding exercise, the film has beautifully and subtly incorporated the Sunsilk brand philosophy in its narrative. A very healthy amalgamation of creative content and commerce, indeed! 

This film review has been written under the #SunsilkRealFMExperiences exclusive screening organised by Sunsilk in association with IndiBlogger. Looking forward to more of these special screenings of interesting and offbeat film projects.

Mrs. Khanna and Katherine

Mrs. Khanna did not really get to know Katherine much. The pre-wedding formalities, the hustle and bustle of first marriage function at home and then the frenzy of lunches and dinners that followed the wedding ...looking back, everything seemed like an event that had happened long long ago, though it had only been a year that her son Kabir had married Katherine Davis, his British colleague in London.

It's been a year already! She somehow seemed to marvel at the year gone by. The train of thought was picking up speed when she recalled that even at that time of Kabir's wedding, she did not know much about Katherine. All she knew and could understand was the fact that she was a pleasant girl from a good family and she and her son Kabir loved each other a lot. They wanted to get married and like all loving parents, Mrs and Mr Khanna and Katherine's parents Mrs. and Mr. Davis had all met and had found each other agreeable enough to allow their 'kids' to marry each other.

What followed was a full blown Punjabi wedding. Relatives and friends flying in, hotel bookings being managed, shopping, budgeting, gift packing and all the other jazz that Indian, specially Punjabi weddings are known for. While most of her time was spent planning and executing details about the impending wedding, there were moments when she had some time for herself - and it was during these moments that the idea of a foreigner daughter-in-law tried to intimidate her, which she would try and shrug off - more out of exhaustion than intimidation.

The wedding functions and the post wedding rituals and ceremonies - everything went off well, very smoothly in fact. The three weeks after the wedding had flown by in a jiffy - and soon it was time for Kabir and Katherine to report back to work in London. They left with promises to have Mrs. and Mr. Khanna come over to London as soon as possible. But for the Khannas, the 'as soon as possible' only came after a year, what with their full time jobs as banking professionals. 

Ans now, seated in her plush seat on-board the British Airways flight headed to London, Mrs. Khanna was again feeling the old tinge of intimidation. After all, for the first time she would be spending two months at a go with her British daughter-in-law Katherine. Seated next to her, Mr. Khanna was oblivious to her trepidation and seemed to be enjoying British Airways's hospitality - resting comfortably in his seat and indulging good food and good wine. 

They landed at the Heathrow Airport right on time and post the checking out formalities waited for Kabir to show up at the arrivals. He had messaged earlier to say he would be there to receive them. But what a pleasant surprise it was for both of them to find Katherine beaming at the arrivals! Dressed up in beautiful salwaar kameez, she had a huge bouquet in one hand and a lovely hand made placard in the other. Done up in bright colours, the placard read - 

WELCOME HOME!

Mrs. Khanna stood there, staring at the placard, the many wires in head and heart de-tangling themselves - tears filling up her eyes and love filling up her heart. So far away from India, so far away from home, she had discovered a daughter in a loving daughter-in-law. And standing there, at the bustling Heathrow airport, she knew she was going to love London.

Hope this story inspires all mothers-in-law to be friends with their daughters-in law, and of course vice versa. Hope you enjoyed reading this story, and if you related to it in any way, then please do share your thoughts.  

What's That Smell, Minto Aunty?

Minto aunty is one gorgeous woman. Our new next door neighbour, her face always looks like a flower in bloom. Rose tinted cheeks, perfectly arched eyes-brows, kohl lined eyes and those pink pout-y lips - one look at her and you are bound to give her a second, and a third and a fourth look too.

A self-assured smile always plays on her lips, further upping her smugness quotient. But sir, give her a compliment or two, and all hell is bound to break lose for you. Or so we have discovered. For the patronizing soul that she is, Minto aunty will consider it most humble and obvious to come over and hug you and then thank you for your gracious compliments. And it’s then when the hell breaks loose. For this lady smells. And smells real bad.

Yes sir, you read that right. Minto aunty, is one of those women who believe in just keeping their face polished.  And why not! Who sees beyond the face, one would say. Not random people of course. But then in all likelihood Minto aunty seems to have underestimated random people's sense of smell too. 

Turns out that during one of those candid confessions session at a kitty party, she candidly confessed that she was not a big fan of daily baths. 
'Oh, c'mon Mrs. Verma! We don't work in the fields, do we? Why the daily shower then? Plus I always feel so cold!', she is said to have slurred after a glass too many of fine drinks. 

Ah, so the stinky secret was out. Quite a bit of gossip has been floating in the ladies' circles since Minto aunty's confession. And of course obnoxious smells too. For those who have had the bad luck of complimenting Minto aunty and then being hugged in return seem unable to get over the trauma her smelly armpits inflicted on them. And thus quite a few retaliatory action plans are in the pipeline. Kitty circle says here birthday is around the corner. How about gifting her with an year's supply of deodorant? Or antiperspirants? How about aroma candles? 

But then suddenly there's an idea that clicks with everyone. How about a geyser and packs of body wash? That would make a great gift! Killing two birds with one stone, as you say! A gift that cannot be stacked away in some corner of the house! Might as well set it up on the bathroom wall and make some use of it. 

And add to that a group of kids pestering her to put on the geyser, pronto!

Yes, so this is the deal. The Do Good Women's Association of our colony has decided to gift Minto aunty with a new geyser. A fine birthday gift this will make, and a polite reminder too - what's with the smell, woman?

Project Hope: Your Little Loan Will Light Up a Village

I write this to request you for a little loan. Yes, I write this to ask you to lend a little of your hard-earned money - money that will help light up many a dark homes of Jaynagar, a poor far flung West Bengal village.  It will help Ayonara Molla buy a solar lantern for her home.

Ayonara Molla and her neighbours in the village of Jaynagar are frequently bogged down by the irregular electricity supply to the village. Like in many other parts of the country, electricity supply is erratic here, with frequent power cuts that many a times last up to 12 hours at a time. Other power alternatives are either expensive and so beyond their meagre means or are less heavy on the pocket but unhealthy. These women now wish to buy solar lanterns for their homes and it is for this reason that they are looking for a loan of Rs. 8000 - to buy solar-powered lanterns. These lanterns last up to 8 to 10 hours on full charge and need no additional fuel except the light from the sun.

Having a cheap alternative source of light will not only improve the quality of life of these villagers but would also help them to efficiently continue with their daily work even after sunset. Having a regular and cheap power alternative will also ensure that their children can continue with their studies despite the frequent power cuts.

The Hope Project: To help Ayonara and many needy women like her, Milaap has come up with the Hope Project - a campaign to inspire urban masses towards empowering rural women through small monetary contributions.  Your contribution , or loan as we call it - would be just that, a loan, and not charity or donation. Once the need of the borrower is met, the money you loan would gradually be repaid to your Milaap account. Subsequently you will have the choice of either re-lending your money to some other needy borrower or withdrawing the amount from your Milaap account.

Here's how Milaap's loan cycle works

Choose a borrower from the listed profiles, based on the impact area you are most concerned about

Make your loan online, all of your money get disbursed through field partners

As the borrower repays your loan, the amount get accumulated in your Milaap account 

You can either withdraw the repaid amount, or re-lend to another needy borrower.

The Hope Project: To help Ayonara and many needy women like her, Milaap has come up with the Hope Project - a campaign to inspire urban masses towards empowering rural women through small monetary contributions. Your contribution, or loan as we call it - would be just that, a loan, and not charity or donation. Once the need of the borrower is met, the money you loan would gradually be repaid to your Milaap account. Subsequently you will have the choice of either re-lending your money to some other needy borrower or withdrawing the amount from your Milaap account.

Your little help will go a long way in helping someone lead a better life. Please do your good deed of the day, and contribute whatever you can to light up Ayonara and her neighbours' lives. The payment can be made through Debit/Credit cards and net Banking, and you can make the payment in Indian currency or US dollars.

Here's the link to make your contribution: http://milaap.org/fund/anoyara-molla-and-group/2096?&referrer_id=8827

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

'If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.' - Mother Teresa

This post has been written for the Hope Project undertaken by Milaap on Indiblogger.

Blogging: Writing, Inspiring, Networking

As I think about what to write for this prompt, my mind wanders down memory lane, and stops around the nooks of the building where I am a trainee journalist writing report after mundane report on this and that, and sulking about the inanity of it all. Some where around this time a colleague introduces me to the big and wondrous world of blogging. A blog, he explains, is an online diary of sorts where one could share their writings and photos. And that if I wanted, I could start my own blog and could unleash the creativity that I always cribbed about. And that's how I make my own blog - finalizing a name for it, gradually putting all the layout together, and finally getting down to write the first tentative uncertain posts.

Now that I reminisce about it all, my blog was my virtual diary indeed, where I could pour my heart out - I could WRITE about anything and everything. Random conversation with the rickshawala, an hour spent observing the mad woman across the street, a story about a lovelorn girl, musings about a hindi film from the 60s, comments on the lyrics of a particular song - my blog was the place where I could write anything without the fear of it being edited or modified to suit someone else's fancy.

Blogging for me initially was just about venting my observations and musings, and readers did not really matter. Though I must acknowledge that when friends and random readers came visiting and left a comment or two, it felt good and I would beam around a bit and would read and re-read my own posts, wondering what was in there that captured someone's interest.  The comments and interaction encouraged me to write more. It also helped me NETWORK with many fellow bloggers - blogger shared what they wrote, who read my posts, helped when I faltered, complimented when I won and pulled me up when I fell short of words. Bloggers, who with the passage of time have now become my buddies. 

It's now been a few years since I have been blogging. From writing about random observations and musings, I have moved on to experimenting with many creative themes and prompts, all thanks to the many blogging communities. From posts on big and small social and political issues to fictional tales about car tyre going flat on a deserted road, these communities give me ample opportunity to write more often and write on topics beyond my comfort zone. Just recently I got an opportunity to write on gendercide - deliberate and systematic killing of the female child, and the post was very well received and remains one of the most read post of my blog. The detailed post inspired many readers to do their bit against this heinous practice. It gave me a high too. Yes. A sense of pride in the fact that the what I write is motivating enough to INSPIRE people to do their bit towards the cause. Isn't it an exhilarating feeling to read comments where readers say that your post was beautifully written and it has inspired them.  You bet it is! :)

I am no slogan shouting, placard holding activist, neither a big-shot writer who has best-sellers to her name. I am just another eager soul who wants to share the incessant monologues that go on inside her head. Incesant monologues, random asides, musings, sane thoughts and insane tirades, quips, banters and what nots. It feels nice to scribble them down on the blog. And it feels even nicer when somebody stops by to read them all and leaves a warm comment or two. 

Blogging indeed has been a big, big blessing. 

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

This week the entry must contain the words - write, inspire  & network.

Love

Love helped sell everything - from cosmetics to lingerie, from whole wheat bread to even washing powder - one just had to weave a story around love and it would sell.

And now, after years of helping sell commodities, love too was reduced to being one of the lot - a commodity that could be sold, bought, showcased and flaunted. They who materialized the world, had now materialized love too. Like you flaunted your worldly possessions, you had to flaunt love too - to show the world that you loved to love. Whether or not you carried the flame in your heart was a a different story altogether.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

This week's word prompt is love and sentence limitation is 5.

Gifts I Would Gift Thee

Dear Rehaan

What gifts do I give thee?
A cupboard
full of books
or a hundred
seas to see?
Or do you want something
that excites you more
Dora's company
and a new world to explore!

My nephew Rehaan is a curious little boy of four. As a toddler he developed a liking for books, thanks to the many bed-time stories that his mother read out to him, night after night. As he grew older, the love for books too grew and soon enough he was taking unsteady steps towards his book shelf to pull out random books and browse through the pages. Many a times, thrilled by the big colourful pictures, he would bring back the book to whoever was sitting close enough and would make them read out the stories therein.

Now as he is getting older, his interests are getting diverse and much more amusing. From dismantling his little bicycle to joining track after tricky tracks of his toy train set, he enjoys it all. Then there is his ever increasing love for story books. Besides the many books he keep getting as gifts, he also enjoys the company of Peppa Pig and Dora the Explorer, popular kid characters from the world of cartoons. 

For long  I have wanted to gift him something special and often wonder - what should I gift a young boy of four? Toys, toys and some more toys? Box-full of favourite animation series? Chocolates galore? No, if I am his Santa, I'd rather give him something else. Something more lasting than a toy or chocolate hamper.

1. Gift of Healthy Body, Mind and Spirit

Oh this sounds pretty philosophical, right? But wouldn't these make just the perfect gift for a child! Body, mind and spirit, all healthy and in sync with each other. Since childhood we have been fed on the adage - 'Health is Wealth', and yes it indeed is. All our worldly riches and material possessions are pointless if our fragile health does not permit us to enjoy them. So as Santa, I would want to bestow my little Rehaan with good health, and with it a healthy mind and a positive and happy outlook towards life, that is, a positive spirit - for this triumvirate indeed holds the key to lead a happy and harmonious life.

2. Gift of Good Conscience

This might start sounding like a moral science lesson now! Preachers say conscience is a gift of God, and by default it guides as to do good and avoid all that is evil. But as we grow older and the material world starts manifesting itself on us in its myriad ways, many a times the conscience finds it difficult to have a stronger say during moments of evil temptations. Gift of good conscience will ensure that while ambling along in the journey of life he sticks to the road of goodness. The gift will stand him in good stead when faced with treacherousness choices between what is good and what is just seemingly good.

3. Gift of a Strong Spine

No, no - I am not talking abut some magical relief for back pains here! Rehaan has none and I thank God for that! I want him to be someone who is not afraid to take a stand. Some one who is not weak-willed or 'spineless' so to say. As Santa, I would gift him with the gift of a strong spine, to ensure that he grows up to be a brave young man, someone who has a good mind of his own and who knows to stand for what is right.

4. Gift of Good Humour

Gift of laughter and the ability to make others laugh - this would make for a wonderful gift for anyone. In recent times good sense of humour is slowly turning into something of a rarity. Sarcastic jokes, racial slurs and jokes replete with innuendos often pass off as humour. No, none of these for Rehaan. The gift of good humour would ensure that he brings cheerfulness and gives out positive ibes wherever he goes. This special gift would not just help him make light of life's difficult phases but would also help him cheer up others too.

5. Gift of a Deep Piggy Bank

Since childhood we were taught or rather preached about not attaching much significance to money. 'Money cannot buy you happiness', was every elder's constant refrain. But the way things are in the present scenario, it seems money, even if not the only means of happiness, sure is a deciding factor in sizing up your happiness quotient. The new mantra people are debating now is whether or not money makes the world go round. Well I have my opinion reserved on this, but yes, one must add here that with the inflation rate skyrocketing, I would most definitely gift a deep piggy bank to Rehaan to inculcate the habit of saving from an early age. The piggy bank would ensure that he not just learns the importance of saving but also the importance of spending money wisely.

 So these are the 5 gifts I would gift my baby nephew Rehaan. Of course this is not a definitive list and there's so much more to add here - the good values of honesty and integrity, good education and of course sound and secure insurance and investment plans. By and by these would be joining the gift list too. For now let me watch him practice being an elf for the his school Christmas play!

Alice(s) in Wonderland

While growing up in the far-flung areas of our country, I never really had a best friend. Best friend in the sense many speak of the word - one friend that you have grown up with, that one friend you went to school with, the one who knows you inside out. This lack of a best friend was one of the many pitfalls of being born to parents with transferable jobs. Nonetheless, though I did not have a best friend so to say, I did have lots of good friends - friends from all across the country.

It was only when I started college and shifted into a hostel that I met the girl who was to turn into my proverbial best friend. Our friendship started with random hi, hellos, graduating to exchange of class notes and in no time we were bonding over endless chat sessions about latest political updates, the exhaustive books collection in the college library and the current affairs - yes, you read that right - as mass communication students, these topics were the things that kept as pre-occupied! 

Fun for us was doing all quirky things! Getting up at 6 in the morning to check-out our favourite News anchors, watching movies all night long, buying matching stuff from the stores and threatening auto-drivers with dire consequences if he did not abide by the traffic rules!

When it came to girly things like make-up and fashion, we were like Alice(s) in Wonderland! We would wonder with amazement at every little thing we would discover in our friends' make-up boxes! And on the make-up counters at the malls! Stuff that was fancier than your regular kohl pencil, eye-liner, and lipstick!  There were hundred different brushes to put the make up on, there were exotic concealers to hide marks and blemishes on your face, eye-shadows, blush-ons and what not! An array of products to turn you from a plain Jane into a glowing princess in no time - provided one knew what to apply and where! 

So Alices(s) in Wonderland we were, wearing down the sales-girls at different brand counters with our nincompoop queries about some product or the other! More often than not, we did not buy the products despite our incessant questions, for we knew we will not use them after all. And the rare occasions when we let our minds and hearts be convinced about a product, all sorts of experiments would start once we reached our hostel rooms, and these experiments would then soon turn into laugh riots! 

Once we got this fancy face-pack from some cosmetics shop and it promised super glowing skin within minutes of applying and lo and behold, as soon as we reached our room, we were all set to put it on! But once we had applied it on our scrubbed faces we forgot about the goodness of the product or wondering whether it will actually work wonders on our skin like it promised, our new experiment was to see who looked more ghastly or rather GHOSTLY with the face pack on! In a while friends from adjoining rooms too joined us in our experiment and one ghostly sight we all made with this black mud pack on our faces!

And now when I see this beautiful Dove soap hamper, I know how this new experiment is going to turn out! My best friend is again going to be the guinea pig for this experiment! As my partner in crime in many offbeat experiments, she will be game for this one too! Anything for good, glowing skin, and quirky photographs!