Happy New Year!

December is usually associated with winter, christmas, vacation, holidays, parties and so on. The list is incomplete if I don't mention about new year resolutions. The short-lived new year resolutions! Most of us start listing resolutions for the new year around December. As we move closer to the last day of the year, the list gets shorter. Some lists just vanish by the time it's 1st January. There are some rare species who go all the way and stick to their resolutions. So how do we make good resolutions and complete them? Resolutions are those missed opportunities that knock our door again every year to make a fresh start, change something for good, learn from our mistakes and correct them, face new challenges, conquer our fears, achieve our goals and follow our dreams. The core ingredient of resolutions is commitment. If there is something we have always wanted to do but have not been able to start yet, I think new year is the best time to take the first step. Many people consider resolutions as an over-rated concept. If we really want to do something, why wait until 1st January? Well, that's absolutely right. The problem is we like procrastination. We keep postponing our plans to that one Monday for some lame excuses. That Monday never comes. Making resolutions on the new year gives us a definite time to make a start. Also, like goals, if we have SMART resolutions, it's easier to track our progress with definite timelines.

This new year, I have made a resolution to unfriend procrastination. This blog post is my first success. I have drafted many blog posts only in my mind for a long time. I am happy I have taken the first step. I plan to blog more often this year.
Wish you all a very happy, productive and enterprising new year! 

How much is too much?

Last week, one of my friends shared a piece of article from the New York Times with me. The writer had glorified the Indian Loksabha election calling it 'the greatest show on earth'. I felt very proud to read the international perception of the election. However, what I witnessed on the poll day in Pune was heart-breaking. Thousands of people had no existence on the voter's list! The voting machines were tampered with at some voting center. This is either a conspiracy or sheer lack of responsibility and accountability of the administration. The ulterior motive behind such malpractices is an open secret.
Thanks to social media, there was an increased awareness about voting in the nation this time. Especially the youth was very enthusiastic to bring in change in the system. Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter were all oozing out with energy. There was definitely a positive sign that the voting percentage will profoundly increase. Alas! Some people ensured increased voting remains an ambitious reality.
Are the political parties testing our patience? The government spends enormous money to conduct elections. Political parties spend extravagantly to promote their candidates. All this money comes from the taxes we pay from time to time. What we get in return is the denial to cast a vote, our fundamental right. There is a limit to what and how much common people can tolerate. Things are getting worse day by day. How much more can we take? Time to stand up and raise our voices before it gets too much.
Election in my constituency will take place next week. In spite of being eligible to vote for around 10 years, I have still not been able to vote till date. I was never listed as a voter in spite of filling up the form multiple times. This year, at least a voter's card has been issued to me. So I am optimistic. I hope I don't fall prey to any conspiracy and can execute my right to vote.

The High-Spirited Mumbai!

I have been visiting Mumbai since my childhood to meet some of my relatives. I have always disliked the city for it's crowded and cramped localities and humid weather. The only things I have loved about the city are the punctual local trains, the glitz and glamour (thanks to Bollywood), and the fashion streets of course. I visited Mumbai again last week after a long time. Surprizingly, I enjoyed my stay in Mumbai this time. Whatever I saw and observed around in this trip changed my perspective about the city.
Mumbai! As they say, it's a city of dreams. Exodus of aspirants move to Mumbai every year, holding big dreams in their eyes. Mumbai does not disappoint anyone. It absorbs all the people. All the man-made boundaries smudge in the city and everyone becomes just a Mumbaikar. And the Mumbai spirit is well-known in the world. The 'never die' attitude! This city is always on the run, but I have never heard a single Mumbaikar complain about it. Land and time are the costliest in Mumbai. Mumbaikars may have very little of these two, but they master the art of using these limitations constructively. Even a one-room house is well-equipped and beautifully decorated and the busiest person enjoys various shades of life. We must learn the art of living from these people. They work hard, earn money, spend money, and enjoy life to the fullest! Even in the fast-paced life, they never fail to enjoy an evening with family at Juhu Choupaty or to help a needy friend or neighbour. Everyone knows here that 'money' is the only big daddy and one has to work harder to earn it. And people do work hard day-in day-out. If one is ready to work hard, Mumbai gives plenty of opportunities to earn a lot of money. At the same time, it costs you a bomb too, to lead a decent life.
Mumbai presents people with great challenges in life, no doubt. However, in my opinion, Mumbai teaches people how to live their lives!

The First Impressions

I have been hearing this proverb from my childhood days; first impression is the last impression. However, I have always experienced the reverse. My first impression of a certain thing definitely changes in course of time. Be it an impression of a song, a person, or a movie. If I like something at the first go, I definitely start disliking it soon. On the other hand, if I don't like something initially, I get addicted to it soon. It usually happens with persons and songs. I still remember the first time I saw Hrithik Roshan on television. I hated him. I told my mom, any tom dick and harry can get into films these days. But when I watched his first movie, I started liking him. By the time his third movie was released, I was a die-hard HR fan. I am still one!

I often realise that first impressions are misleading. They do not give us a complete picture. There are multiple aspects to a person, song, movie, relation and other things. We do not give them a chance to reveal all the layers and go on to frame judgements. No doubt first impression sets a ground. However, we can't decide whether that ground is capable to hold a single floor building or a multi-storeyd building. Only time can prove that.