Life - or something like it

Most of us are scared to use this word thinking it to be bad. It has been instilled in us since childhood, Saying 'NO' is considered to be wrong. When did we forget the art of saying 'No'? I am sure most of us at the age of two were quite capable of doing so, did we forget it as we grew older? We have been taught to be people pleaser's, whether we like it or not, we want to avoid the anxiety the word 'NO' will cause and hence we land up with too much on our plate. Self Help Gurus might call this low self esteem or a sign of weakness but I believe it is inherent nature in us to be agreeable and try to fit in. How many times have you been asked for a favour by a friend or relative and you wanted to refuse but you did not? 1) Friends expecting you to always be there for them. 2) Relatives making excessive demand of your time. 3) Your boss wants you to handle additional work because your colleague is off on a holiday and you are already working late

I am currently hooked on to books and Movies which have World War II as their central theme. And when we talk about World War II, how can we forget the book 'Band of Brothers' written by Stephen Ambrose. Book Review The book is an International Bestseller in which the author pays tribute to the men of Easy Company, a rifle company which is part of the 506th Parachute Regiment , 101st Airborne Division of U.S. Army. Easy Company along with Dog, Fox and Battalion HQ companies made up the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The book starts with the rigorous training of 140 men and seven officers at Camp Toccoa, Georgia who are part of the Easy Company in the summer of 1942. They came from all walks of life and all corners of the country. The book describes the intense training to toughen up the soldiers.What made their bond strong was a intense desire to kill Germans and do their country proud. By late spring of 1944 Easy Company had become an elite

I swear, 'Some other Dude did it'(SODDI), I was not even there, I have been framed. This is a conspiracy and now I will be called a cold-hearted killer. Oh! have I lost you? Hang on, as the mystery unfolds...  One morning as I stepped in the bath tub to have a shower I was greeted by a many legged guest who looked like a younger brother to the picture below and was trying to oust me from my own bathtub by scurrying hither thither. I don't take kindly to such behavior and so I blasted the poor guy with a jet of hot water and totally drowned the sucker. His death was quick and hopefully painless.  But now, I am being haunted by his death, I have nightmares in which  hundreds of his relatives are out to attack me and some of them are vicious and look like this.   The nightmare starts with a cold dark night. As I am running through the forest, I hear leaves rustle, I turn to see a giant Spider running towards me. I am running with my heart pounding and I see more and more

Social media like Facbook, orkut and twitter have literally exploded in our faces these days. Friends and relatives are coming out of the woodwork as though, after a long period of hibernation. Everyday I get friend requests from people I have lost contact with for more than a decade.  The conversations start with excitement as we have so much catching up to do. After the initial furore things cool down once we discover that we are not the same people any more, the ones who bunked classes together, had beers and danced like maniacs to the beat of Hindi movie songs, gave a shoulder to cry to broken hearted classmates as they sighed and yearned for the attractive girls of the class.  All of us have changed, we have families, jobs and responsibilities. We are no longer the carefree people who thought that the world lay at our feet and we could conquer it all. The bond with classmates though not broken is not what it was earlier, it has weathered as time has elapsed.  There are some pe

Hamid tossed in bed just like every night and tried to fall sleep. He could clearly hear the ticking of the bedside clock as the minutes dragged on. He turned over to see his wife Mahtab sleeping next to him and his one year old son Mohsin in the crib by her side. Mahtab had come to UK just over two years back from Pakistan and Mohsin came in the world 10 months later. He was the apple of their eyes, a sweet and bubbly child, full of laughter. Mahtab stirred and in a sleepy voice said " Not able to sleep? Should we go to the doctor? Are the dreams still haunting you?" He said " There is nothing a Doctor can do, you go back to sleep, It is nearly time for Namaz." Mahtab's brows creased with worry, she checked on Mohsin and slipped back under the covers.  Hamid got up from the bed silently and started to prepare for the morning prayers. After his prayers he sat near the window with a cup of tea and waited for the sun to rise.  The sun rose behind the tree

There is no dictionary meaning for eve teasing, Wikepedia describes it as : " Eve teasing   is a   euphemism   used in   India ,   Bangladesh , and   Pakistan   for public   sexual harassment ,   street harassment   or molestation of women by men, with Eve being a reference to the biblical   Eve ." After I moved to UK, I literally felt free, the lack of 'Roadside Romeos' was quite a pleasant change. I do not have to think twice about what I am wearing or how I look in a particular dress. I do not have to keep adjusting my Dupatta or check myself in the mirror many times to see if my dress was transparent or low cut.  There are no catcalls or random comments hurled at me or any other woman walking in the street. All women can actually take a walk without being X-rayed with lusting eyes or lasciviousness grins. Men will not rub against you, grope you or pinch you. You can actually give a smile and say 'good morning' to  a perfect stranger without the

This post has been itching my mind for past few days and how much ever I try to make it humorous, the funny words just refuse to come. I have been working for the past decade or so and had the chance to work in different companies with different work ethics and environment. Indian companies have evolved and so has the work culture. We now spend most of our waking hours at the workplace and it is like a second home to us. The workplace is like a big dysfunctional family with some members we want to completely avoid and others who bring comfort to us. The work culture has changed drastically in recent times with people having long work hours and the pressure to perform. With the influx of more and more young blood each day at the workplace most of us have become expendable. There is fear of getting overshadowed in this race to climb the corporate ladder. In such situations anything and everything has become acceptable. There is an insane rush to get promoted and stand out from the