Teetotaler

Maybe not the best I saw; for all I know greener pastures could thaw But come again, I look forward to everything and anything yet in store; Bigger, brighter, Brighter , bigger A whirlpool of events that churn into a shimmer Cos all is not permanent and a good thing at that ! Everything to change at a drop of a hat A positive adobe on my head A feel I get when I hit the bed……. 2011 , You’ve made me wiser, older and kinder- Thank you for that Hearty Welcome 2012- I shall embrace you with all due respect J

What’s Bangalore’s biggest nightmare? Those in mansions and bungalows can escape it once they are inside their homes. The roadside, slums, villages are filled with it. It is the city’s most dreaded enemy. With rising piles of garbage across town, Bangalore is on the verge of saturation with added pressure on landfills and age- old technologies. Solid waste management takes committed and responsible implementation of waste collection, handling and disposal. With the deep corruption and irresponsible officials, which includes regulators and engineers, it will be very hard to solve this crisis. All those contractors mishandling their contracts should be jailed and be kept away from getting such contracts, so future contractors do an honest job, hopefully. But can anyone point out the exact reason for this crisis? The success and failure of waste management can be attributed to several factors that may seem obvious such as proper disposal of waste, participation of the community, hiring th

Poverty eradication through networking of women’s groups Kuttiyamma maintains a garden in front of her house. Red roses and lilies bloom there. Her life and status have changed since she shifted to her newly constructed home in Ayyappan Koil Panchayath in Idukkki district of Kerala. She is no more a destitute who lives on charity. Today there are millions like Kuttiyamma who can happily say that they are secure and prosperous. Thanks to “Kudumbashree”, one of the largest women empowering projects in the country. In a country where the poor become poorer as years and decades take a toll, various programmes have been initiated for the eradication of poverty. But despite all the initiatives, there was no significant achievement in the poverty scenario in the country. The poor remained as poor. In the post independence era there is no dearth of programmes and projects to tackle the poverty situation prevailing in the country. But all the programmes were supply driven and not need based

ATTENTION! According to the statistics for 2007, released by the National Criminal Records Bureau, Tamil Nadu had a total cognizable crime rate of 261.7 per one lakh population, while that of Chennai was 256.9.  The crime rate, defined as the number of crime trends as it balances incidence with growth in population. Chennai’s crime rate ensures that the metro is ranked a creditable 24 th among 35 major cities in the country while Coimbatore stands at the 22nd position and Madurai at the 30 th .  However the situation in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru can send a chill of apprehension down anyone’s spine.  Delhi has earned the skeptical distinction of being the most unsafe metro in the country, topping the list of the number of crimes. According to latest government statistics, Delhi accounted for 13.2 per cent of a total of 3,43,749 crimes reported in 35 mega cities across the country in 2009 followed by Bengaluru (9.4 %) and Mumbai (9.1%). Now picturise the following situation: Cha

Today morning while I was leaving for work, a lady asked me to wait for her to enter the lift before closing it as she had to lock the door of her house. However I had already pressed the button to go downstairs and before I knew it I had reached the basement. I felt as though I had snubbed her request and waited till she reached the basement. I thought it was necessary to apologize. When she arrived I quickly told her a sorry and headed outside. She had a puzzled expression on her face and asked” You waited all this while just to say sorry?” I said “Yes, actually I didn’t mean to press the button. “ She said it was alright and that I didn’t have to wait. Her puzzled expression kept me thinking. These days courtesy is taken for granted or rather to say our hectic , super- sonic paced life has made us ignore the importance of being courteous. Nowadays   I feel people feel glad rather than guilty if they cut the line , save a minute or two and complete their task. But honestly speaking

NGO is a very generic term given to something very noble and specific. There is more to it than just non- governmental organization. What are the problems that they face? Their challenges? Is anyone listening to them? There are many NGOs in India working for the poor and needy. They try to enhance the lives of people in many ways. Not many people realize that these NGOs that try to help people also face many problems at various levels. Last week the team from Innovation Alchemy returned from an eighteen day visit to the NGOs in Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan who are the winners of the 2011 Development Marketplace. The visit was made to do needs assessment of the winners that will help them in the long run. Bihar Development Trust( BDT), Saran Renewable Energy(SRE), Nidan  in Bihar; Adhikar, Healing Heritage Producers Company, WOSCA (Women’s Organisation for Socio- Cultural  Awareness) in Orissa; Rangsutra Craft’s India ltd. ,Sadhna, BAIF – Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation are a fe

Today, I’ll live it up………… Today, is the time to reap……… Today, nothing in the past I’ll regret………. Today I know life is an asset…………….. Today is very special……………… Today injustice has a new face……………. Today I shall slow down my pace………… Today I’ll not let go of this craze………… Today I see those majestic clouds………… Today I can recognize the crowd…………… Today I won’t fear the next event………… Today I promise life till the end……………….. Today I’ll enjoy monotony……………… Today I’ll smell the flower’s stem…………….. Today I’ll see the roots grow………………. Today I wonder how can I have a foe……………. Today is life’s gift…………… Today I locked it in my shelf…………. Today I won’t change the key……………. Today shall never  be history………………… (Some very very random thoughts :) )

Ouch! Yesterday I was a little rusty at the lectern.   Nope, no, not that sort of rusty. I think it went pretty fine.   But personally I feel I could’ve done better had I been giving consecutive projects.   Well I can’t help it, can I?   After all I need my degree right?   Can’t holiday at home in the name of toastmastering! It was the third project from the Advanced Communication Series. “Special Occasions Speeches” where I had to present a three to five-minute “roast”.   The first two being “to propose a toast” and “to speak in honour of someone” respectively.   I was pretty excited about the delivery as the project involves poking fun at an individual and honoring him at the same time.   It needs wit, humour, anecdotes, etc.   And I decided to roast my father, himself a toastmaster.   Well the poor soul had to be the victim of a roast for the second time.   The deed already being committed by my brother at first! It was fun poking fun at an individual. After all how many of us get a

100 coconuts, 50 sacks of sugar, a gold chain that weighs 99 gms!   Rings a bell?   Yes, you’ve got it right! Offerings.   People nowadays throng temples and other places of worship to outweigh the previous year’s offerings they’ve made.   Seeking the Almighty’s blessings has become some sort of contract where one person tries to outshine (sometimes outweigh) the other. But what they don’t realize in the process is that offering God material possessions is of no use.   Rather God himself will be pleased if these ‘gifts’ were put to good use. Why not fund a child with the cash?   Why not use it to start a cleanliness drive?   The comparison might sound a little absurd to many.   Many might think I’m talking philosophy here. (Just because her family is well off and her parents have given her everything in a silver platter!!)   Well true! But why not repay God in a more reasonable way? Think about it.   What if God himself is searching for a messenger?   Probably we are ‘the’ ones.   He m

Sometimes I dwell Deep into my mind that swells Into something onto the verge of hate? Can’t place my finger on the state. A diversion,  an assimilation Don’t want to venture into a                misconception Who am I to introspect? The longest possible distance          From miss perfect! An arm around the shoulder                 of a foe? No, no can’t sink so low! Stop to think is it really sinking Reality hits after deep thinking Shutting both eyes to ignore Anything that would perhaps roar Giving a feeling so heavenly Making pilgrimages not-so-divinely That’s what makes us one union After all aren’t we all human?? Something I penned down I guess after 5th sem or so. When certain feelings were too strong... Best way to convey anything.  No fear, no criticism.

Call it a coincidence or perhaps just another phase.  Just when I'm going to get started with yet another event which hopefully directs me towards the lighthouse that I seek,  I decide to start a blog.  Often I've wondered as to why would anyone just put up posts when a pocket diary can do the job.  Is it for praise? feedback?boredom?  No! Not at all. To me there is some sort of satisfaction that I will definetly derive once I cross the initial barriers and at least make an attempt to coin down something close to my heart.  Easy as it may sound,  its not an easy task. First to get yourself  started, then making it appealing at least to the eyes,  finally when everything seems right and on track you get confused.  Am I doing it the right way?? Talk about the complex Human mind! (Or maybe just a sleepy one). For all I know I feel proud and excited about my first attempt.  I wish to turn this into a jolly- good learning experience and someday,  sometime I shall pat myself o