I am human

I am human .I try to be kind.
It is my job to forgive mistakes... but not carelessness. nor stop trying to fix the mistakes.
It is my job to accept that things may evolve, on their own..making my efforts looks quite fruitless. But I am not to accept that there is nothing I can do about them.
Patience is often a virtue, but silent expectation is not.
Expectation is also in the form of selfishness, and knowing the difference is my job.
Being able to see beyond the obvious, with people, is my job. But not letting them feel uncomfortable for it, is also it.

I know that the daily is not what Life is about.. but Life is not without the daily.

Seeing the beautiful in the daily is truly a gift. And my job. Because I have the privilege of having a daily to come to.

Knowing that there is something beyond... is the quirkiest thing. Why? Because its impact is everywhere, but nowhere. :)

Online activism

Age of online-activism... a fallout of the revolution of the internet on social networking and the subsequent internet-isation of causes people believe in.

I recently found this website: www.bhookh.com that helps feel hungry children in India. It also tells me 1/3 rd of all of the worlds' hungry are in India..that 5 indians may be dying of hunger every minute.

God help us live with that knowledge. Its heart-breaking to see those children's faces. I wish there was more I could do than a click. But this organzation claims that a click can help. If it can, then my dear readers: please click on the link! and add it to your favourites toolbar. :)

It seems to strike me more because of some time I spent tutoring children at a nearby village when in M.B.A. Led by one spirited professor, we used to go every Sunday, laden with vitamin supplements and bananas. It was incredible that children with so little in their stomach could have so much energy!
How much difference does it make to have one banana every Sunday? Well, other than nutrition, it told them someone cared, somewhere...at some point, in some way. I hope they remember that. Always.

Maathrubhaasha

मुझे अभी अभी याद आया की गूगलऔर ब्लागस्पाट में हम हिन्दी में लिख भी सकते हैं!! बड़ी खुशी होती हैं की हम अपनी मथ्रुभाषा में लिखे!! शायद यहीं बड़ी गवाह हैं की हम अपनी मुल्क को कितने 'मिस' करते हैं!! मेरा भारत जैसे कोई नहीं यार! चाहे न्यू - यार्क ले या सन डिएगो ही! हम हिन्दुस्तानी का दिल थो है किस और देश के पास??

oh it was soo good to realize I could write in Hindi! The special bond of language and culture... very peaceful feeling. To transliterate to those who can't read hindi:
' I just remembered that google and blogspot offer the option of writing in hindi! Its amazing to write in mother-tongue! Maybe this sense of triumph is the biggest reminder how much I miss India. :) There really is no country that can compare to one's home-country! Be it New York or even San Diego, where I live! After all... who else can have the warmth of heart that a hindustani does?

Taking a bow

One of the best things my Mom told me about the (ahem!) M.B.A program at ASB was .... 'Raje! I want you to be able to look back at your time here, after all the struggle and sleep-deprivation and rest.... With a smile and say 'Wow! That was some experience'... and be thankful that you went through it!'

Well, Im glad she did. In fact, I just smiled to myself today, thinking of how I struggled to make it to the 7 A.M classes and the set meal-timings... and feel Im the better for it! I will never know the value of freedom to use cellphones, or why not to use it in Corporate meetings if it wasn't so strict then. I would never know how important 'work-culture' is... unless I saw the strict following of some protocol back in ASB. e.g. the prayer time each morning. Today, Im glad it was there, so that we graduates never got carried away by our tech-savvy nature and cleverness!

Wow... Im glad that my Mom gave me an apt (elusive) goal.. because it gave me a reason to forgive the imperfect, overlook the harsh and cherish the beautiful, about this experience. :)

Thanks Mom! (bowing) I actually achieved what you set me to do. :)

Finally -- why is this something I like? Well, I realize that this is the only way to look back on things, and feel a sense of peace. One day, I hope.. no, I know, that I shall look back on this current time-crunch in another Master's degree, and smile thinking of how I used to groan about another pop-quiz! (Atleast, I hope so!) Is someone up there listening? Hey if you are -- I need a vantage point of view.. about 8 months from now. :) thanks!
Lol... :D Im sure God too has a sense of humor. ;) I can imagine Him smiling indulgently.