The Night is at its darkest just before the dawn !

When silence lingers in the still breeze;

even known shadows spy behind the dark trees,

These are times when fear consumes the mind;

for in dark times all directions seem to turn blind.

Hope turns to despair; 

Despair turns to fear; 

But keep your faith; 

For victory is near !

Behind every darkness, a ray of light always lingers on;

Remember the night is at its darkest, just before the dawn !

In search of the one :)

I have always believed.....
Life is a journey with God at the driver's seat....
It is he who decided the stations we stop and the strangers we meet along the way.....
He is kind enough to give us angles in the form of our parents to take care and guide us through most of its parts.....
After crossing the 1st four or 5 stations, to entertain us that we don't get bored & lonely and our journey stays colorful, he invites strangers in our train
Some of these strangers sit next to our seats to become our friends, colleagues who will keep us company till they get off at some other station along the way to board their respective connecting trains
Then, to ensure that we don't miss our friends too much after they are gone, he chooses some one special for us....
Someone whom he decides will give us company throughout the rest of our journey....sharing our joys & our sorrows
But in that search of the special one, he makes us meet many strangers
Some we like, some we may not but each adding some color in our lives...some dark and some bright, with the hope that for every such one that we meet along the way, we are one step closer to finding that special one
So enjoy the ride :)

Credit Crisis from A TaPooRi PersPective :) (Part 1)

We are amidst the biggest financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of 1930.....
Generally speaking, we are in historic times as such an event generally takes place only once in a 100 yrs.....(can u actually believe that :O !)

I am pretty sure no one who was born during the Great Depression is in a working condition today :) ....(personally don't know any 85 yr old's working today !)

Am sure most of you must have watched Munna-Bhai MBBS……So, carrying on from the same patented Indian TaPooRi style lingo, here is my version of “Circuit” explaining the credit crisis to “Munna bhai”

Part 1:

Munnabhai: Aye Circuit, kya rey, dhanda ekdum solid manda hogela hai. Hafta mangne jaata hai, tho public bolta hai, “naukri nahi hai bhai”, "dhanda nahi hai bhai" ….apun ko halfta lene mein saala “guilty feeling hota hai”……saala apun itna paper mein padhta ki mandi chal rela hai…dhanda doob rela hai….bada bada seth log haath upar kar-rela hai, naukri-chokri-tokri ka band-baj rela hai. Saala apun ko kuch samaj mein nai aarela hai. Circuit, tereko pata rehenge, saala Dalal Street ke paan-paati wale gaali mein hafta vasuli karneko dus saal se baithtai naa tu…..Tereko tho rojich ye sab dikta rehenga....... kayde se samjha apun ko !

Circuit: Fikaar not bhai…..Kya hai, dus saal, vho Dadal-Ish-Street ke paan paati vali gaali mein baithke apun ne jhak nahi maara...! Bole tho degree-vegree nahi rehenga apun ke pass lekin, MBA-BIM-B-A tho takkar de sakta hai bhai :) ...

Dalal-ish-Street mein baithke dhanda karne wale naa bhai, bole tho "satta khor" (English mein bole tho Trader) hote hai. Aap-Apun jaise Ghoodon (horse) mein saniwar-mangalvar matka nahi lagate. Ye log tho ekdum "shair markit" mein karodon ka satta khelte hai.....chintu-pintu nahi samajneka in bhai logon ko. Isliye tho kitne saalon se dadal-ish-street ka "hafte ka galla" solid chal rela tha bhai....! Lekin, kya hua "Abhi ke solid mandi ne in "saattakoron" ki bhi pungi baja daali bhai".

Apun samjha-ta-hai kya hua….Bhai bole tho, "Ekum locha ho-gaya....!"...."Saala, Amrica ke banks mein baithe hua bada-bada paise wala gora-chamdi wale PUNTURO-NE khud rokda kamane vaste akkha duniya ke dhande hi vaat laga dali....Bole tho TOTAL FULL-is-STOP laga dala bhai !"

Munnabhai: “Aila….Aisa kya” Kya boltai….Apun ko pata tha, ye saala American, itna phudakte rehta hai ki ekdin saala khud tho dubega aur khud ke saath akkha duniya ko apne saath leke doobenga…… Tho suna egg-zactly ye karnama kaise hua…..!

Circuit: Bhai bole tho…..Akkha duniya, udhari pe chalta hai……(English mein bole tho “Credit”)…..Aur udhari mein, aap vishwas nahi karoge “American udhar mein bhi No-1 hai bhai”……ye gora puntur….jitna paise ka style maarta hai…..Mercedes, BMW, Mehenga-mehenga mobile, mehenga suit-boot pehenke mast chikni chokri ko baggal mein rakhke ghoomte raita naaa, saala utna-ich Upar se Neeche tak ekdum UDHARI mein doobela rehtai bhai……Saala kabhi kabhi tho “inki Chaddi” bhi udhari ki hoti hai bhai…..Abhi kya hua naa, itna natak hone ke waste, suit-boot tho chodo, “Chaddi” bhi utar gaili hai bhai...!

Ye pura natak jo hai naa bhai, do cheezon ke wajah se hua....

Pihila tho: Sarr ke upar udhari

Aur doosra: Ghar aur Zaameen.

Bhai, aap-ich socho, duniya mein ab tak jitna bhi locha hua , sab kuch aakhri mein "ghar aur zaamen" mein aakar-ich atakta hai. Saala, bhai-bhai ko thokta hai....kai ke liye "zaameen ke liye-makaan ke liye"....ye, purane zaamane ka bahut saara raja-maharaja roj ek doosre ko thok-neka, aap ich sochon kyun....Simple....."zaameen ke liye" aur kabhi kabhi "item" ke liye...! India-Pakistan ka kabse itna locha chal-rela hai ! Kai-ke-liye, phir se "zameen ke liye"

Munnabhai: Aila Circuit, tera tubelight ekdum petne laga bidu :) Kya baat hai :)

Circuit: Hehe bhai....Tho bhai aap socho, jab akka country saala "udhari" mein naachenga tho ek na ek din tho nasha utrenga-ich naa :)

Tho ye Bank ka bada bada-puntur logon ko ekdum style mein rehneki charbi chad gaili thi. Fir, thodi unke ulti khopdi ko idea aaya…..! Aap poocho kya….!

Munnabhai: Kya ?

Circuit: Hushaar khopdi ne dimag ladaya ki “aakha zindagi mein Makaan ke bhaw (bole tho cost) kabhi nahi girta”. Aap-ich socho bhai. “Pichle 30 saal se Mumbai mein jab “jhopadpaatti ke bhaw nahi gira, tho saala makaan ka kya khaakh girenga”…..Bole-tho idea ekdum solid tha bhai….Gora Puntur-ron ko apun maan gaya bhai. Unho-ne dimag ladaya ki “Apun aaj se maakan aur zameen ke vaste andha-dhun udhari baatenga”….!

Saala “bhikari ho yaa seth” agar “makaan” chahiye tho apun usko “bula bula ke paisa batenga”…..

Munnabhai: Circuit, Bhikari ko bhi paisa batenga ????

Circuit: Bhai bole tho “udhar aakhaa public-ich bhikhari hai” ...saaare ke saare ekdum naak tak udhar mein doobe-le hai…jab apun bhikhari boltai tho apun ka ye matlab ki “chindi khor”

Matlab, vaasuli ke time pe jiska haath upar karne ka full scope….vho-ich udhar ka "bhikhari" hai bhai….

Munnabhai: Aisa kya….Tho Circuit, apun ko samjha ye Amrican puntur ko dimag nahi tha kya ki “bhikhari” ko bula bula ke paisa denga….

Circuit: Ye-ich tho Idea hai bhai “bhikari ko ghar ke vaste paisa baatenga vho bhi accha sood (interest) lekar….tho bhikari, jhopadpatti se flat mein rehna chalu karenga....Vho bhi khud ki aukaad bhooolkar standard mein style marne lagen-ga…....Chindi chor form mein aake paanch dus hafte bhi denga...aur jab finally haath upar karenga....tho apun ka shana Putur "Ghar" par kabza karenga aur jyada bhaw mein bechenga.....Bole tho, dono side se profit-ich-profit bhai ! Hai naa solid idea bhai ! :)

(to be continued in Part 2)

In search of God !

Humans pass through a cycle of Happiness & Sorrow. It' generally in the dark times that humans tend to take recourse to God. Probably, if there wasn't any sorrow in the lives of human's, may be God wouldn't have even existed for us. After all the name "God" is a human creation of faith. "Faith" is that ability which can make people stand in 11 hr claustrophobic queues in Temples, Mosques, Churches just to witness the sight of idol whom they come to think as God !
How ironic isn't it, when it was Jesus Christ, himself who wrote in Aramaic (Aramaic, believed to be the language spoken by Jesus in his time) that

"The Kingdom of God is inside you and all around you,
Not in a mansion of wood and stone.
Split a piece of wood and God is there,
Lift a stone and you will find God."

Yet we all pray in temples & churches. Many of us even experience miracles and have our wishes fulfilled by praying in such holy places of worship. But some skeptics have even come to question the very existence of God.
Well, I don't disagree to the fact when they say,
"You can't see God. You can't hear God & some even can't feel God's presence". Some even argue that if God really is the cause of our happiness in lives then is he is also the cause of all the bomb blasts & hideous the acts of terrorism happening all around the world.
They go on to add further that, all that happens in the universe is just a scientific process of evolution.

This whole argument got me thinking as how do you prove to some one who does not believe in the existence of God at all, that there is ONE.

A lot of thinking got me to ONE answer. While, I always believed there may not be many God's, which are basically the interpretations of faith's of various religions across the world, there exists a force whose powerful presence can always be felt & which oversees & regulates all that is happening around us. Man has chosen to name this "Force" as God & in his evolution of religion has chosen to give it various names, shapes & identities.
This force is "Jesus to the Christians", "Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Lakshmi, Parvati, Sarawati, Ganpati ......to the Hindus", "Allah to the Muslims" & so on.

Bet, this is still an argument which wouldn't suffice many Atheists. How do you prove the existence of a Force to a person who can't feel one ? Let me try !

Across the universe, there is one common link which binds all matter, be it Humans, animals, planets, meteors, galaxies, stars, sun's & even inanimate objects. If you think about it, there is something common with you & the pencil/pen which you hold in your hand. All of us are born out of matter & all matter reflect "Energy". Can you think of it, even a pencil lying on the table has energy. Both of you are born out of matter & both of you reflect energy. So, you see, even you & a wooden pencil have some connection !

ENERGY is the common link between all the elements of this universe. Found in every element, space & time in varying degree's of proportion. It is something that regulates matter & has the ability to emanate various different forms of energy. It cannot be seen but only experienced. We know this energy by its many forms, Electric, Kinetic, Thermal, etc etc. Switching on the light bulb to see it emit light is an experience of that energy. There is also an energy called "Cosmic energy" which flows throughout the universe. Its the supreme of all the energies as it regulates matter & the energies that emanates from it. It is this Cosmic energy that regulates the laws of the universe. The evolution of Life, The famous Big Bang theory, the rotation of the planets, the movements of the stars, I can go On & On.......

"Its everywhere, all around us..............!"

Do you know even a silent prayer or 2 people chatting in a rooms builds ups energy. A silent prayer would build cosmic energy. How many times have you felt positive vibes by meeting someone. How many times have you been to a place & felt happiness or peace just because of being in that place. Its the energy of that place being in harmony with the energy inside you. We all recognize the presence of an Aura surrounding every human. What do you think that "Aura" is & what it radiates ?. Just chant "OM" & you will feel vibrations all over your body. This vibration is the reflection of the energy within you. It can only be experienced but cannot be seen or heard. If you really want to experience its power. Be a part of a group of at least 10 people & hear them chant "OM" at the same time. You will feel this energy inside you. Believed to be the sound that travels throughout the universe & in cosmic in its very nature. That's the reason, saying "OM" will give you the glimpse of the cosmic energy inside you. Some thing that connects you to this universe.......!

Places of worship are generally great build ups of positive cosmic energies since 100's of years. The number of people who pray in such places with Hope, builds up an energy full of positivity in these places of worship. This energy build up which is based on faith manifests itself into miracles and fulfilled wishes in the lives of many humans.

"Intuition" among various species can be explained by the presence of cosmic energy traveling through space & time.

This energy which exists inside us & all over us & travels through space & time is referred to us Humans as God !. Hence, the saying......

""The Kingdom of God is inside you and all around you,
Not in a mansion of wood and stone.
Split a piece of wood and God is there,
Lift a stone and you will find God."........................!

God Bless !!! :)

A gift of love: Truly heart touching !

I read this article on the newspapers about 3-4 yrs back and to this date, this story stays in my mind as one of the most truly heart touching story I have ever read...........................

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan, 34, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. And all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan, and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task.

Soon, however, Mark realized the arrangement wasn't working. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But she was still so fragile, so angry - how would she react? Just as he predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again.

"I'm blind!", she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I am going? I feel like you're abandoning me."

Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day.

He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus-riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, And his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure do envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"

The driver responded, "It must feel good to be taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and again asked, "What do you mean?"

The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building.

Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady." Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.

Truly heart touching, isn't it ????

Help ! Lehman goes under !

The events of 9/15/2008 reminded me of the 9/11 days. If the collapse of the "World Trade Center" had the world in shock, the fall of the 160 year old powerful investment bank "Lehman Brothers" too had the everybody in the financial markets in a sense of sheer disbelief of what alien meteor exactly hit us all this weekend.

"Lehman goes down" was the word on the street.

Reminicent of the CNN commentator reporting "WTC goes down" in the 9/11 days. The entire financial markets falling in a state of tizzy accompanied with gloom, anxiousness and anxiety surrounding the fate of the markets and financial sector at large. With everyone wondering "who's next ???" & "When will this turmoil comes to an end"

It was really heart-breaking to see the once elite employee club of Lehman gasp over their future in a sense of desperation and disbelief.

The two events of the day that I am sure will stand out in my memory were....

1.) The scene of a Lehman employee crying out in the news in sheer anxiety shouting

"Bank of America saved Merill, what did we do wrong ! what did we do wrong !"

2.) An email of a Lehman employee sent to a colleague of mine with "HELP" as the subject line.

A senior analyst in the firm, the lady wrote.

"Pls help !!! . I recently bought a house on loan and I am without a job. The housing interest rates have risen 1.5% and without a job I wouldn't be able to pay off my mortgage. Pls help by fwding my resume to recruiters and HR consultants."

Bet she would have never imagined to see this day ! "

Then, there were a few of us who felt saddened by the closure of Lehman. To start with, Lehman was regarded as one of the best pay-masters among all investment banks.

So, for us in the financial world, its an insurmountable loss as we all have an one less ship to sail on :(

Secondly, having the job market flooded with 2200 employees of Lehman Brothers working in Mumbai (who would be practically ready to work for pea-nuts) atleast for the time being isn't exactly a good news for us.

In the midst of this chaos, what struck me was USA, a land which prided itself on financial innovation, (they invented capital markets) let one of its own creations (sub-prime, Asset Backed securities & Mortgage backed securities) be its greatest undoing with the ripple effects felt throughout the world economies. None of us has the luxury of being isolated with any thing that happens in the US these days.

One only hopes that there wouldn't be any further bloodbath on Wall-Street to spare the misery of the white-collared souls living throughout the world underneath its reign !

Jodha Akbar- Khichadi No- 1

The amount of people who come to me & say they actually liked "Jodha Akbar" compelled me enough to write a piece on it.

Theme of "Jodha Akbar"

Intercast cast arranged marriage with parents consent where two people who don't know each other marry & on the night of the wedding the Girl tells the Boy

"Pls don't touch me until I know u"

STRAIGHT & SIMPLE that's it.

Now, Mr.Ashutosh Gowariker (Director) managed to make a near 4 hour movie out of this storyline is pretty laudable. So, how did he drag the plot....??? ( 4 ghante ki movie jo banani hai :D

SIMPLE:

TROY +
CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON +
EKTA KAPOOR SOAP OPERA'S +
26th JAN REPUBLIC DAY FUNCTION +
DONT TOUCH ME TILL I KNOW YOU
= 4 HR LONG DRAG MOVIE = JODHA AKBAR.

Pick up the Hrithik's sword fighting antiques from Brad Pitt (Achiles of Troy),
& who can forget the famous Eric Bana & Brad Pitt fight scene which in Jodha Akbar is basically Hrithik fighting with his dadi wala bro-in-law....
Then a lot of Ash's sword fighting scenes directly inspired from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
The typical Saans-Bahu squabble scenes from the Ekta Kapoor soap opera legacy.....
The loooooooooooooong song "Azemo-shan Shahenshah (Long live the king)- Directly inspired from our Republic Day function. (I bet not many would have thought of that one :) + DON'T touch me until I know you also partly inspired from scenes of Ajay Devgan & Ash in Hum Dil De chuke Sanam (if you can remember :)

The first time, that I was literally praying for the interval (took 2 hrs, Can u imagine that :O