The Drive

On a gloomy night, as the stars make their way in the dark sky blanketing the monsoon chills, you're awakened by the silence of your own self.

Silence so loud, the only thing you listen is the rhythm of your own dreams making their way, drawing their road map to achievement.

Wide awakening to the melody of your dreams 

But, hold on...

A dream without the drive to take flight is like a candle without light.
A plan without the drive to execute is like a song on mute.
A goal without the drive to win is like an idea of a sin.

The only milestone between the candle and the flame is the drive 

Move on and remember...

A dream becomes a living reality when you let the fire of the drive grow within you.

No Strings Attached

The communication jigsaw

The communication jigsaw

"She's friendlier than she sounded over the phone." I said it loud in my head as I was walking out of the office after a quick chat with the human resource executive. It was one of the places I was interning last winter. On a rare cold winter afternoon in Mumbai, my co-intern and I were waiting for the authorities to reach the work place and assign us some actual work rather than asking us to arrive before time to admire the office interiors.(By before time I mean 2:00 pm). In a typical media house, a normal working day doesn't start before 3.00 pm for the creative department ,whereas for the other end of the organization which includes the admin and management sector, 2.00 pm means more than half of their day is over.

The two of us were waiting at the reception as we hadn't been confirmed on board, one of the human resource executive was leaving for lunch, She looked at us and stopped to wave, she introduced herself first because our acquaintance with her was limited to the initial telephonic conversation during the pre-recruitment period.The conversation started off with us addressing our dilemma about the internship, she was quick to help and in no time the encounter turned into a chatty conversation. She then glanced at her watch and said, "I need to leave for lunch, let me know if you guys need any help." Within two minutes of her departure for lunch, we also walked out of the office because she had directed us and gave an assurance that she will co-ordinate with the creative team rather seeing us waitredundantly. She was probably doing just her job, even though she wasn't the concerned person to handle the interns, she did take a step out of her way.To see someone
being friendly and helpful who sounded rather snooty over the phone was a drastic change of impression.

The whole incident reminded me of a friend, who couldn't judge the guy she really liked. She would term it as, "He's prince charming in person, and a retard in tin foil on Whatsapp." For those of you who are wondering what is the whole personality paradox about?  She meant that he was extremely talkative when they met, and treated her in the best way, but on Whatsapp he seemed to be a different person altogether, someone who kept the conversations concise and replied in a way to which I would describe as 'Blah.'

The two instances are a clear example of differences in personalities influenced by the mode of communication. We often see an introvert individual who appears to be a party animal according to his/her Facebook profile. We all know someone who is more talkative over the phone than in person, on the other hand there also exist personalities like my friend's love interest and the human resources executive who are better communicators when there's a physical presence of the other person around them.

Why do personalities vary as per mode of communication? There is no accurate answer to this particular question,it's not personality but maybe it's the differences in choices and comfort.There's a large group of people who are more comfortable to refrain from an eye contact. They are certainly thankful to Alexander Graham Bell for inventing a device that could pick voices and people could talk to each other, miles away without having to make an eye contact. This completely makes sense when radio jockeys most commonly say that they were introverts when they started their career. Isn't radio
a perfect medium for the vocally gifted to connect to the world at large without making an eye contact?
An appealing voice personality can paint the picture of a strong individual.
But just as every coin, telephonic conversation has its other side as well.What if  the other person you're talking to has a consistent tone for every emotion? In such a situation it would be difficult to tell a sarcastic comment from a serious reply unless you know the other person really well.

                                                     

With the advent of cellphones, a large group of people began fascinating over text messages which have now become a way of life, A text message in the modern context is a digital letter,which has given meaning to real time communication in the fast pacing world.
Why do we utilize the text message? Sometimes when we are running out of time to call someone, a text message does the task for us in the middle of an important event. A text message is also a helping hand when one needs to circulate a message to a larger group.

Other than the day-to-day life situations, when do we tend to use the text message?
Times when it is troublesome to get a situation across verbally. A verbal conversation could be demanding in case of a situation where there's too much to express but very little to tell. Times when situations provoke emotional outburst, love at its extreme level may find its source of communication
 in a text message. There's always a situation otherwise too, when anguish is at its peak and one is battling between words and rage, a text message serves as an ideal  platform of expression.
Just as every book comes with a start and end, a text message also comes with advantages and disadvantages.A series of incorrectly intercepted text messages can lead to more damage in a relationship than the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki did. Before one even realizes, a Mills&Boon chapter could turn into the Exorcist series.

Telephonic conversations and text messages are today's world, but what probably continues to retain
over the years is the warmth of meeting a friend. Because hugs can only be exchanged personally and not virtually. Conversations seem more meaningful when you can see the other person's reactions and learn about their opinions depending upon their body language. You wouldn't know how passionate is someone  about a subject until you see the spark in their eyes. Neither would you know their hatred towards a subject until you see the rage in their eyes.But just as there's sugar to sweeten a coffee and spice to flavor food, a rendezvous or a meeting has its drawback too. As many disputes happen, I've grown up listening to a recurrent and perhaps dramatic statement of "It's not what he/she said, but how he/she said." If facial expression
and voice modulation are methods of communication,it isn't necessary that they only serve good. In certain cases, a misunderstood expression or pitch of the voice could act as a wind crumpling a paper.

As we relentlessly try to put  pieces together and the solve the jigsaw puzzle that communication is,I would like to bring in what Mark Twain once said,
 "Let us make the special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation," 

Have a conversational week!








       

100 x Happy Days

100 x Happy Days

   It was suddenly NOT hot, as vague and lame as it sounds that was the exact sentiment of the moment which occurred on Wednesday afternoon;when I was coming back from college around 3.30 pm. Living in the suburbs, a rickshaw ride is usually what gets me home from the station. Sitting on the glossy blue colored jacketed seats of the auto rickshaw, like most of the times when I am traveling alone, my eyes were fixated to my phone. As I recall, it was instagram, that kept me buried in my phone,precisely speaking, a page called Sarcasm Only, which has pretty much become my anecdote to the routine boredom. I remember, just as I giggled to an e-card which read,"Let me know, if you ever need any help eating your feelings."
 I felt the change in the movement of wind, the breeze brushed through my face, being a quiet place in afternoon, I could hear the sound of leaves swaying in the lane,and it was suddenly not hot. By now, if you are looking for relevance to the subject, I promise, you shall seek the answer soon. Coming back to the moment; nothing about the change of wind may be amusing, but this change in wind, made me look up from my phone and I realized, I was in the middle of my favorite place in the vicinity. The lane which I had just entered, is a conjunction point for anyone, wanting to go or coming back from the station or the commercial area. Surrounded by banyan trees, the lane is situated in the middle of a golf course, each time you gaze to your left, or right, you see the calm green dissolving in your weary eyes.

    As ordinary as the event of occurrence may sound, this was what, got me to write, after what seems like an eternity . When I experienced the sudden change of wind, I shifted my focus from the phone(REEL WORLD) to the outside(REAL WORLD), this moment, which barely lasted for a fraction of 30 seconds, made me realize that, this has been happening for quite sometime now. How often do I navigate my attention to the tiniest of things? These things, unlike most of the other things in the world, which don't command or even expect much in return. I certainly don't intend, to preach, The Art Of Living, lessons, but this tiny incident made me wonder and realize, How am I really reflecting upon life? I then questioned myself, When was the last time I appreciated a moment or a thing which was as little and beautiful?

I instantaneously had the answer to this question, it was while, I had participated in a social media self challenge, popular on instagarm by the title, '100 Happy Days'(Story behind 100 happy days). In order, to click a picture of something, that made me happy on that respective day, I started admiring the tiniest of things, which in turn, had made me feel like a kid, who seizes every moment, and celebrates the joy of every ordinary thing, in our day-to-day lives. This incident from Wednesday got me to think, that all of us could have a 100 x happy day challenge, but we don't necessarily need to click and post a picture every time, though one can sure do that, a better idea could be to capture a mental image of every such moment. In case, you're wondering, what does the 'x' in the 100 x happy days mean? The 'x' stands as a multiplication sign to the number of days we live rather than exist, a 100 x(multiplied) by the number of days, each one of us is gifted with.

    As and when, you feel, you are loosing out on happiness in this fast-pacing,bizarre world, Pause.Take a moment and find the calm within you, in this chaotic world, For; there is harmony in this clutter, and clarity in discord. Learn to embrace beauty in every aspect of life, and then as Abhraham Lincoln had said:

"Most folks are as happy, as they make up their minds to be."

A picture from my 100 happy days challenge: Chasing the sunset

  

It's December Already

It's December already

So time flies; through a frosty January, lazy February, tiresome March, hot April, tanned May,a blah June-July, rainy August followed by September buzzing with activity (me celebrating my birthday for a week), festive October- November, and it's December already! No, I didn't realize it today, my eureka moment took place on 1st December at 13:05 hours(the old habit of remembering minute details). Moving on, like always the reason for picking on such a random topic, is the impact that December has, it leaves you in a mixed emotional state. If asked to define December in one word, I would say eventful. Though November marks many events in itself, December is that time of the year when the temperature begins dipping down, leaving you with that tingly cold feet, making it difficult to pull yourself out of the bed. This dripping temperature reminds us that Christmas is nearing, a time for togetherness, the fragrance of fresh plump cake, a time to find sock filled with present, and most importantly, a time to reminiscent these childhood memories is nearing!

One of my personal favorite movie associated with Christmas is: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) from the popular Home Alone series.
What makes this movie my favorite association with Christmas?  

The one particular scene, wherein; lost Kevin McCallister and his mom reunite before the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. This very scene, reinforces the 'Make a Wish' notion of December.

As I mentioned in the beginning, December is an eventful month. Of course, it's Christmas and, what makes it all the more eventful, is that 6 days after Christmas, the clock ticking away, marks the beginning of a new year, which intrigues hope, a hope for a better tomorrow.  Loosing weight, quit smoking, learning something new, eating healthy, saving money,traveling new places, being less stressed, form a part of the most commonly broken New Year's Resolution. It's in this month of the year, when all the memories from the entire year, amalgamate making you feel, as if the book you were reading just came to an end. There's happiness, hope and this unsettled state of mind which I refer to as 'The December Sentiment'. This month is eventful even otherwise,  number of weddings,festivals ranging from intra college level to nation wide musical events take place. Sunburn is one of  the biggest example for this eventful- fest'ful (my definition for full of fests) month. It's also vacation time for your friends and family from the other end of the hemisphere. A time when they come home,which makes you keep a tab of the dates and look forward to December, for it to near soon, an awaited time to see a favorite face after a long time.

 As I close this chapter, I would like to quote John Geddes: 

 "December's wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane,obscuring summer's memory." 

Have an eventful December as happiness jingles your way. 

The Namesake

The Namesake

As I think of compiling a new post on this tiresome Tuesday evening, I exactly know the subject I wish to highlight. To begin with, the title, as it says 'The Namesake' is inspired by Jhumpa Lahiri's very first novel The Namesake (2003) which was later made into a movie by Mira Nair, The Namesake (film)
Name: A  noun which plays a dominant role in an individual's life. How is it, that one can define the word Name?

As I search on Google: Name meaning. I find myself with the following result:

   name

neɪm/

noun

1. 1.

   a word or set of words by which a person or thing is known, addressed, or referred to.

   "my name is John Parsons"

   synonyms:

   title, denomination, designation, honorific, tag, epithet, label

The aspect that fascinates me about this result, is the synonyms to the word name: title, denomination,designation,honorific,tag,epithet and label. The synonym which  particularly catches my attention is TAG.

The word Tag in itself, is fascinating enough, as we know tag is a label attached to someone or something. For those of you, who find themselves trapped here; between definitions for basic words, I promise, to not make it a thesaurus lingo, it's just the literal meaning of certain words that never cease to amuse me.
When a child is born,his name is a resultant of endless suggestions, family tree legacy, based on a certain experience by either of the parent, religious and cultural beliefs, and sometimes, even based on the day of the week,a child is born! When I started researching; as to how does an individual's name describes his personality, I happen to come across this interesting piece, which spoke about various superstitions people possess regarding the day of an individual's birth. As per the belief, the day on which an individual is born, has some sort of a magical impact on the individual's personality. Interestingly, the nursery rhyme Monday's Child depicts this ideology.

The nursery rhyme called 'Monday's Child', is considered as a fortune telling song, though it is popular as a nursery rhyme for children. It is intended to help young children remember the days of a week.
Here's the video for the same:

Names and the growing up phase

Name plays an important role at various stages of life, the most obvious one being, 'The Introductory stage', When an individual introduces him/herself, it always begins with a greeting followed by their name.The first exposure to this stage begins at school. Starting with, pre-school level, followed by primary, and secondary schooling. 

Phase one to stage 1(Pre-school) : Names don't really make much of a difference in peer groups. Because, during the early phase of life: Childhood, there's merely more to concern, as long as there's sharing a laughter and play.

Stage 2(Primary school): The time, when he/she learns to differentiate between the people they like and dislike. This is the age group, when an individual also start forming silly interpretations of names. I remember from my personal experience, how my fellow classmates broke down my first name: Seema, into 2 syllables See and Ma. They said See characterized the action 'seeing' and Ma: mother, thus Seema means See Mother. It did sound like a funny story then.According to me, the most interesting phase is:
Stage 3: (Secondary school ): The period of time,when people try to shorten their name, present it in a certain fashion in order to sound 'cool'. At 14,I remember some of my friends spelled my first name: Seema, as Cma, oh yes, it was so cool or rather I should say 'kewl', back then.This points out to another incident, which still remains fresh in my memories. Back in 10th grade, during my introductory session with this fellow student, from the academic classes, after hearing my first name, she quickly responded- Your name is Seema?I remember replying, very much. She exclaimed, Well it's so simple!
I wondered then, if simplicity of a name was a such an enormous issue?
It was 2010,I clearly remember, I was a victim viewer of the Indian romantic comedy film, I Hate luv storys. In this movie,Imran khan plays the character of a guy named Jay Dhingra, who fancies being addressed as 'J' or 'Jey' His character in the movie sets a perfect example, of how an individual presents his name in a certain fashion to sound cool. What amused me more was, on the first day of my college which was in August 2010, (just a month after the release of this movie). First year junior college; during the introductory session a guy, named JAY took pride in being addressed as J.

What role does a name play? 

Though, the purpose of a name is to give an individual an identity of their own, to act as a 'Title' for every individual, so one does not get mixed up when someone is calling out to a person, every head in the room doesn't have to turn around. Though it's a title, names tend to build an instant impression. When a book is written, each character is named wisely, because the name itself paints a picture of an individual accordingly. The same is applicable with movies, rather any form of story telling. Some of the common character names include:
Katie (nick name for Katherine,Kathleen or Kate), paints a  picture of purity and feminism. A tender looking beautiful girl, a happy person. On the the other hand, an ancient popular name Elizabeth paints the picture of a rich,strong headed, sharp looking girl.
Bollywood has had a similar impact on names. When we come across guys named, Rahul or Raj, the first image that pops in our head, is that of an Indian cinematic character running behind the trees. Whereas,female characters named like Sonia,Tanya are often seen portraying a negative image.
It's just not the character traits that we associate with names, it is also the profession of a person that we associate with a name.
For instance, a name such as Prabhkar Sharma, paints the picture of a Hindi writer, Abhjeet Rai of a singer, and Kunal Singhania of an industrialist.

Off names and Change

Name Changes are often seen as a popular trend specially in the media centric world. It is said that; "When you're a star, a name can make or break your career." Some of the popular celebrity name changes are:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
 - William Shakespeare
 
As the title reads, The Namesake. Like my primary classmates, I would also like to the break down the word Namesake in 2 syllables: The 'name' and 'sake',I would say, name change records wouldn't increase rapidly,if we start considering name only for it's sake. After all; the rose by any other name would smell as sweet!

Have a contented week. 

One Unit, Variable Personalities

One Unit, Variable Personalities



To begin with,like most of my other posts this one isn't arbitrary, written out of boredom.This is something based on series of experience.So anyway, I've always wondered what is an office unit all about. I hope most of you who still haven't started working yet think about it too. Otherwise this subject will add up to the list of things based on my futile thinking . Getting back to the topic,offices vary depending upon the workforce and mechanics, of course it varies technically,mechanically and blah. But I believe beyond everything else,an office is all about the people. The people working in an office make it what it is. After all they are the one's who build up the whole atmosphere of it. To be honest,from a layman's point of view,me for that matter, an office is one of the most dull places filled with bored,worried,confused and some rare happy faces. But what's so fascinating about an office? Okay I know I already mentioned it's all about it's people. But againindispensablenating? (Sorry the interrogation affair doesn't seem to get over). So like always,after I come up a question,I'll be answering it too! And I would say, fascinating aspect about the people is that it's rather enthralling to witness such variable personalities all under a single unit in perfect symphony.
Yes,it's obvious when you're supposed to work with a bunch of people you end up living in harmony with or without choice,but if you look at it through a philosopher's eye, One could say- An office is like an individual's hand with 5 variable sized fingers altogether forming a perfect fist. (Sincere apologies, I genuinely didn't intend to put you off to sleep) 

   

So I would say an office is comprised of the following people,in the order of appearance  right from entering the office to the exit:

1. The Frustrated / Happy/ Too Cool Receptionist:- Okay so you enter the office,the receptionist is the first person you see. If there's one receptionist,he/she will be supremely frustrated in life. One of those abandoned looking citizens.Well if there are two receptionists,my observation has it, they have to be two opposite personalities. (Okay,I know it sounds like an idea of some perfect couple) But it  stands true. One of the receptionists has to be the happy to help jovial kind of a person whereas the other one is just too cool in his/her fantasy world complied by the foreign accent which develops up in a Mumbai environment,Like isn't that WOW?
2.  The Subordinate:- This is my personal favorite aspect of the entire office unit. Irrespective of the working background you belong to, the subordinate is even cooler than the cool receptionist and even more dominating than probably than CEO himself.  All he/she needs is few people working at his command.Even if few means two people,it's quite a treat for him. I'm sure he/she has faced enough torture all his life throughout because otherwise no one really cribs about every second thing happening around and thinks he/she runs the office. 
3. The Indispensable Crew:- So who forms a part of the indispensable crew? The indispensable one's of course  (Okay,please do not run away). But seriously the adjective indispensable is just right for this group in particular, the office wouldn't be as secure,clean and organized without their presence. These individuals are one's who ensure that every person entering the office comes in with an actual purpose(though planting a bomb is a purpose actual enough) but here it obviously implies an actual purpose under the office norms. The security deserves a salute on that one. And talking about cleanliness,yes ensuring that everything is spick and span including a telephone(I'm not making it up) It requires ALOT of patience and lastly the resource allocatement team, coordinating every single thing .Okay I missed out another set of important people,the organization drivers.They'll drive you home and make sure you're enthralled enough,they know EVERY minute detail about the office even though they're not even present in the office premises. But otherwise kudos to them, they drive you home safely and share some honest piece of word. 
4. The Efficient Employee:- So this person is one of the most amazing people you would come across in an office. This person knows where he/she stands and has learnt to respect his position well enough  and also the people around him.This individual is always a helping  hand to the confused-traumatized amateur individuals. And but of course such people are the most loved and respected ones at the office. Obviously,they well deserve it.
5. The Humble Official :- If one needs a clear example of how an individual at an authoritative level should be as a person.This particular character in the office teaches you to enjoy the position while respecting others around you whether it is the junior officials,the subordinates or even the clerk for the matter. Just what you call savoring success with dignity. If you really want to learn something about work, people and not to forget lessons of life,he/she is the person one must approach.
6. The Incredible Cool Administer:- To explain the incredible part of the story,if we subtract any unethical possibility this individual is obviously incredible at his/her job to be the administer. And it's rather surprising when you see almost every second person struggling hard to put pieces together and this individual gets done with his/her job which mind you involves manifold of everyone else. And for the Cool aspect, well it's obviously cool when you see this individual interacting with every  person in the office when he/she  is already occupied enough with a number of tasks and responsibility to meet a thousand things on earth. Even if the interaction is all about a new reform or an item song for that matter,he/she will find time for it. Yes I mean sometimes the Yo Oh So Cool attitude is rather funny but nevertheless it's Not Harmful.
7. 
   
8. So next time you think aboutn office or you rather happen to be at your work place do think beyond the workload and endless office demands. The black and white unit has a variable to it which is colorful,do look out for these variable personalities. After all creating a world of people based on their traits isn't one of the worst ideas.