Gifting a SMILE….

In a world occupied by billions, how many people manage to stay happy?? How many among the billions get a reason to smile? A world where everyday people suffer from diseases, poverty, lack of food, education and shelter, it’s difficult for them to stay happy and celebrate their life.

Someone truly said, “A little effort of ours can change someone’s life, even if it’s for a day or for some moments”, spreading happiness and gifting a smile on anyone’s face is the least we can do as humans and spread HUMANITY. One morning, I decided to take a step ahead making myself free from the shackles of selfish desires and make this world a beautiful place to stay. And with this one decision, I visited an NGO called “Aakanksha”, in Pune, which works for improving the life of few under-privileged children and believe me, that was the HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE because I gifted a smile on someone’s face, my little friends.




WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY





And, when I returned from Aakanksha, I had tears in my eyes for the simple reason, for the first time in my life I had done something for those small children in my own little ways.That one day changed my whole life, needless to mention, I understood the real meaning of “HUMANITY”. I have believed that every step that we take to help anyone, may be our friends, family or strangers at the time of their need and bring a smile on their face is a small step towards making this world a beautiful place. From that day onwards, I have visited few orphanages and old age homes in Pune and everytime I have been there, it has made me a better human being.

Now that I am going back to Pune, I am excited to meet my little friends again. Indeed, this life would have been so meaningless, if I would not have taken the decision of visiting an NGO. A life full of selfish desires and endless greed is an apathetic life and I am happy to be away from it.

So, the next time, when you wake up in the morning and suddenly something of this sort stuck your mind, don’t be late in your decision. You never know, your presence can change someone’s life.

GIFT A SMILE and TAKE A STEP TOWARDS HUMANITY!!!

BELIEVE in Yourself

A thousand failures and then one success wiping out all those failures and the bad memories associated with it. It takes nothing but courage to face those thousand failures and still stand undeterred. There will be people questioning you, doubting your abilities, laughing on your failures and demotivating you, but those moments will be the testing times for you. Patience and belief on yourself is what you need.Keep on trying, keep on working towards your goal. Let the people criticize your efforts, for their criticism will turn to praise, let them doubt you for their doubt will make you confident, let them question your identity for their questions will make them see your success as an answer. As a child, I have read a beautiful poem by an eminent poet Harivansh Rai Bacchan which I would like to post today as a dedication to the never dying spirit, courage and every little effort that we take everday to become successful. THIS IS AN ODE TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO REACH THEIR GOAL IN LIFE…WAKE UP MY FRIENDS AND BE READY TO WRITE YOUR OWN SUCCESS STORY….

Lehron se Darkar nauka par nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti

Nanhi cheenti jab daana lekar chalti hai,
chadhti deewaron par, sau bar phisalti hai.
Man ka vishwas ragon mein saahas bharta hai,
chadhkar girna, girkar chadhna na akharta hai.
Akhir uski mehnat bekar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

Dubkiyan sindhu mein gotakhor lagata hai,
ja ja kar khali haath lautkar aata hai
Milte nahi sahaj hi moti gehre paani mein,
badhta dugna utsah isi hairani mein.
Muthi uski khali har bar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahi hoti.

Asaflta ek chunauti hai, ise sweekar karo,
kya kami reh gayi, dekho aur sudhar karo.

Jab tak na safal ho, neend chain ko tyago tum,
Sangharsh ka maidan chhodkar mat bhago tum.
Kuch kiye bina hi jai jaikar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

You cannot take your boat across the sea
If you are afraid of the waves,
The one who tries
Never fails.


The tiny ant carries a small grain in its mouth,
Climbs up on the wall, slips and falls a hundred times,
The determination in the mind fills your body with courage,
Then climbing up and falling down does not hurt,
Ultimately, its (the ant’s) efforts do not go waste,
The one who tries
Never fails.

The diver dives into the water of the sea,
He returns empty handed a number of times,
Not easy it is to find a pearl in the deep waters,
But this in turn doubles his enthusiasm,
His hands are not empty every time,
The one who tries
Never fails.

Failure is a challenge, accept it,
Recognise your shortcomings, rectify them.
Till you are successful, shun rest and sleep,
Never run away from the battlefield of hard work,
You cannot get praise without working for it,
The one who tries
Never fails.

I was a DONKEY…

When we sometimes say, “Tu GADHA hai(you are a donkey)..”, we literally mean it..So, like every human being, even I was a DONKEY at some point of time. A boy with no brain, no thinking capability and used to blindly follow/listen to what others say. And, the result was SUFFERING!!!So, here goes my part of story when I was a literal DONKEY.Time and again, I have proved it and that too with a vengeance :)

During my 10th Pre-test exam, I like an innocent child sitting in the bus was mugging up all the hindi proverbs, author’s name, poems and prose for my HINDI exam. When we reached school, suddenly we came to know that due to the sudden demise of Chief Minister’s death, exam has been cancelled and the day has been declared a holiday. Like all students, I was pretty happy and merry making inside the bus and thanked the Chief Minister’s soul for passing away on that auspicious day. But, unlike all students, I forgot to ask whether the next exam would be HINDI or it would be conducted last. So, for the next two days, sitting at home, I only studied HINDI (we had breaks after every exam). Studying Hindi for 4 days had made me a master of Hindi Literature and I was in a position to talk anything and everything even in my sleep. Now, the D-Day arrived, the next exam day!!

I touched my maa’s feet and promised her that I would score the highest in Hindi paper in my class and like every mom, my MAA was proud of me thinking “MERA BETA KUCH KAR DIKHAYEGA!!”. Feeling proud of my achievement, I entered the class smiling and suddenly got a shock of my life. The whole class was busy turning the pages of SCIENCE book and I was the only one who entered with my HINDI book. I felt as if an earthquake had come, my legs started shaking and my whole body trembling and tears started rolling down my eyes. Seeing me crying like a woman who has just lost her husband, banging my head on the table, all my teachers came and started consoling and motivating me. They said, “Ashutosh, you can do well!! You have 15 mins for the exam to start” and I was like, “What the F***!! 15 mins and I had to complete Physics, Chemistry and Biology!!”. But, being an optimist since the day I was born, I started preparing for my science exam. Trust me, those 3 hours of exam were like 3 ages. And, then the big moment, facing the wrath of my PAPA.

Papa: Beta, how was your hindi exam?? I am sure, you would have done well (within a smile on his face)
Donkey Myself: Today, we had SCIENCE exam

And suddenly, the expression changed and if by any chance, I was not his son, he would have killed me that day for my stupidity…

Papa: Great, no wonder you would fail in SCIENCE exam this time and that too, 10th Pretest exam….

Days passed, and the results were declared. I took the report card and approached my father..

Papa:So, how much did you score in Science exam? 10??
Donkey Myself: NO
Papa: 20?
Donkey Myself: N0
Papa:30??
Donkey Myself: No
Papa: Did you pass the Science exam??
Donkey Myself: I scored 54 out of 100….

And, then, I could see a big smile on my PAPA’s face!! Can you believe and imagine a father hugging a son for scoring 54 out of 100 in Science exam?? But, that day, this miracle happened!!! My Papa was proud to have a donkey son!!!

So, you see, the donkeys can be unpredictable too…

And, then, in one of the organizations, like every other employee, I was doing timepaas with my colleague bitching about my project manager in office communicator in one window and chatting with my project manager discussing about the release of newsletter in the other window. Taking the legacy of donkeyness ahead, the donkey in ME couldn’t have done good to myself. So, here it goes….

This is something I wrote in the chat window

” You know HE is a DOG, bloody, he has screwed my ass like anything. He thinks me as a donkey and asks me to take up the responsibilities of others. Am I a donkey?? If at all I get a chance, I will just shoot him. He is a big time ASSHOLE…”

and pressed ENTER!!!

And, then happily working, I wondered, why my friend has not replied to my innovative ways of bitching my manager. I opened a new window (since I closed the window the last time I spoke to her) and asked

Donkey Me: What happened? You didn’t reply…Do you love the manager or what?
Namrata: I didn’t receive any message
Donkey me: How can it be possible?? I just sent it to you.
Namrata: Are you sure you send it to me only??

And, when I checked, the other chat windows, BANG, I had sent that innovative message to my manager as an answer to the release of Newsletter. No wonder, my manager called me to his desk. I knew, that day was going to be my last day in HSBC.

My Manager: Was the message for me??
DONKEY Me: No. Not at all….
My Manager: AM I A DONKEY?
Donkey Me: That remains to be seen if you believe my words(thinking in my mind). Well, I was actually talking about the Professor in my college. You know, you are a nice manager, don’t you?? I mean common, you are the one from whom I have learnt a lot. How can I say bad things about you??You are an example of perfection to the whole team (HARAMKHORI at my BEST :) )

Manager (A big smile on his face): Thanks Ashutosh!! I am proud to have you in my team

No wonder, he proved me right believing me. So, as I said before, every human being was a DONKEY at some point of his life. Now, if you think, it’s a behaviour of a DONKEY to publicly accept being a donkey in the past now infront of everyone, then it remains to be seen…

“Dimaag hai khaali aur soch aadha,
papa se kiya tha maine jo wadaa,
bana na main koi doctor ya engineer
reh gaya banke sirf main GADHA!!!!

Why we LOVE our MAA???

When everyone was busy waiting for the New Year to come and embrace them, partying with friends, dancing in pubs and freaking out on roads, I was busy packing my bags. I had to catch a bus early morning to my papa’s place. So, sharp on 31st Dec, 10 pm, I closed my eyes and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning at 5 in the morning, I was shocked to see an array of messages and missed calls on my mobile. Well, not bothering much,I boarded the bus.

When I got down from the bus and started walking towards my papa’s place (he is currently posted in a very small town in Chittoor district), I saw an angel standing on the balcony with a smile on her face. There is an aura in her face, an angel whom I have been seeing since my birth. Neither with a magic wand nor with feathers, this angel is very much like us. I climbed the steps, approached towards her, and touched her feet. Seeing a smile on her face was enough for me to rejoice. Yes, I was in a mood to celebrate my new year with the angel. Undoubtedly, my day has begun with a special person, and I was sure that having seen her in the morning will surely make this year a memorable one. Needless to say, the ANGEL is my MAA.

If there’s one reason for me to live in this world, then it’s surely is my MAA who teaches me to be a better human being with every passing day. Life would have been really difficult if she would not have been with me constantly driving me to do good everyday. My MAA has taught me few lessons in my life which I would like to share with you all in my first post in this new year:

1. People die, if anything remains after death, is their words. Not everyone is capable to help the people who are suffering, but the only way we can make a difference in their lives is through our words. We should never hurt anyone with our words for soulful words can bring a smile on others face. You can be a leader, an inspiration, a guiding force, a mentor…only through your words……

2. EGO can never be an answer to any constructive relationship. A humbled life is a life worth living. That’s probably the reason behind the humbled attitude of great people. A life with baggage full of egos is a life filled with loneliness.

3. There is a time in everyone’s life because of some incident, people stop believing in GOD. But, my MAA says, “That’s the time when your faith in GOD should be stronger“. Everything happens for a reason, may be we are not able to visualize the good while suffering but definitely there is some good stored for us in the future. Every single suffering that we undergo makes us stronger and help us becoming a better human being.

4. It’s difficult but always try to be happy. In a life, where every second people suffer due to some or the other reason and sometimes have to face a cruel destiny, it’s very necessary to be happy with what we have and live those small moments which brings happiness in our lives rather than constantly cursing our destiny. In a race to become successful, we sometimes forget humanity. Humanity is all about loving people around us and spreading happiness in their lives and it is only possible when we are happy with ourselves.

5. Respect is the greatest thing that we can achieve in our life. Not every human being is born with a silver spoon or build a million dollar fortune in their life, but one thing which every single human being can earn is RESPECT and truly RESPECT is something which cannot be commanded. It only comes the way we live our lives and the way we behave with others everyday.

Someone have truly said, that GOD cannot be everywhere, that’s why he created “MOTHER”. If ever you have hurt your parents knowingly or unknowingly, make it a point to apologize to them later. Their tears can awfully spell doom in your lives. Trust me, a mother’s blessings and prayers can do wonders in their children lives.

Feel blessed if your mother is besides you, the way I am. She is the one who makes all sacrifices throughout her life to make you a better human being and give you a life worth living, isn’t it our duty to make her happy in the smallest possible ways we can in her times of need??