What's Your Raashi?

A Flop Movie but a Superhit Question - "What your Raashi/Zodiac Sign?"

This is something we ask very commonly to the new people we meet. I can vouch for the gals , can't say for sure if the boys do the same. The discussions on zodiac signs, their qualities, their weaknesses is a common theme everywhere from schools to workplace to parties. Thank God, Linda Goodman wrote Sun Signs, Love Signs, Relationship Signs and so on to give us so many avenues of discussions. I have read the first two so many times that I am thoroughly confused about signs and often end up mixing the qualities and then justifying myself in discussions.

There are times when we project ourselves just like our zodiac sign qualities, it says a cancer girl should be an introvert, so I stay quiet in the gatherings. One starts projecting the image as described by these signs and take up the eccentricities associated with them to feel a part of the group/sign. Even more dangerous situation is, when we start creating an image of a person based on his/her zodiac sign. Oh, she is a idealist...after all she is a Piscean or his eyes are so hypnotic because he is a Scorpion. The person may or may not have those qualities but we push, kick and fit them to their respective qualities.

We end up playing this guessing game about Zodiac Signs – a common conversation:

A: Oh what’s your Zodiac Sign?
B: Can you guess?
A: I think you must be a Leo coz you have the leadership qualities.
B: No
A: Ok you could be Aries coz you are so out going types …
B: No one last try-
A: You must be…….
If we guessed right we feel well informed and well read and if by chance we are not – we sheepishly mumble – “You must be an exception”.

I do not mean to say that these signs are all false, but they are meant to give us a broad framework to understand a person. The problem occurs when we convert this framework into concrete guidelines. To colour your judgment and perception of a person just on the basis of his/her zodiac sign is not only a foolish thing to do but also a very dangerous habit. And one time or the other we all do it. Lots of time we say – I can't get along with this person because he/she, is of a zodiac sign, I never get along with. Thereby, letting go of an opportunity to understand the person. 
 

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata he….Am I also unknowingly but deliberately picking up the qualities that go with my Zodiac “ Cancer”? Do I sometimes behave the way it says a typical Cancerian should? Or Am I trying to be something I am actually not just to satisfy the parameters of a group I am supposed to a part of – My Zodiac Sign. Is it just me or do you also feel the same?Still, I check the Daily Horoscope the first thing in the morning but believe it only if it says all positive things about my Zodiac Sign.

P.S: I met this outgoing gal in the mall last Weekend, very confident and stylish- I think She must be a Leo or a Scorpion, what is your call?

Are you Fine?

It's been a long time,

Things have changed a lot.

Somewhere from a place, deep inside

Asked a voice , Are you fine?

Some blurred images, some lines forgotten,

A song, a poem & a dormant memory triggered...

A few scattered memories, some long lost notes,
Nothing is left to recall, those days ages ago...

What do I want , I asked myself,

I am confused but don't know why...

Maybe, it was just a thought sleeping inside,

I just wondered, Are you Fine?

PJs - The Life Savior at Office

Monday Morning Blues, Tuesday Afternoon’s Laziness, Sleepy Wednesdays, Intolerable Thursdays, Never Ending Fridays and those Torturous Saturdays; Offices end up being boring….no matter how much you enjoy your work. And, this is because we humans by nature are born lazy.

Now the question is- How to ensure that we work and atleast justify a part of the salary we earn? The Salary is inversely proportional to the amount of work a person does in the office, Uff you don't believe me - see around in your office, the peon probably works longer and harder than anyone else but earns the least. Oho, I m going off track here. Now, to combat the situation in the office adopt our method – Form a PJ Association. For the serious employees PJ here stands for Poor Jokes – Santa Banta, Haathi Cheeti, Rajnikanthisms etc. Even CID shayari and jingle shayari can be included in the list of charter for the Association.

Steps to follow:

i. Find out like minded people 1-2 initially and form an Association. Decide on basic rules like type of PJs, frequency and timings etc.

ii. After you start the association, start with a close knit group and send them first few emails. Please remember as you are doing all this in office timings, take care to stay away from the Office Gossips and Management Spies. P.S - use personal email IDs only.

iii. Slowly expand your email list. Include a couple of  junior members if you feel some respondents send great PJs in reply to your emails.

Now see, I forgot the most important tip –

iv. where to find the content to keep the PJ Association running and healthy. Bolo Google baba ki jai – Nothing is impossible to find on www.google.com.

v. Just type the kind of Pjs you are looking for and you find the material. Be very choosy – pick the worst of the lot to be a part of PJ gang.

A few examples of highly graded PJs:

1. Sehwag 99run par pahunch k out ho gaya

Sehwag 99run par pahunch k out ho gaya

DAYA...Gaadi start karo Finger Prints Match ho gaya...

2. Santa was busy in removing a wheel from auto,

Banta asks: Y r u removing a wheel from ur auto?

Santa: Can't u read 'Parking for two wheelers only'

3. India is a nation, dadar is a station..wah....india is a nation,dadar is a station..wah....DON'T FALL IN LUV,FIRST COMPLETE UR EDUCATION.

 

4. 1 ladki ne kiya ladke ko gaal pe kiss
1 ladki ne kiya ladke ko gaal pe kiss

Mutual funds are subjected to market risks..!!!!

 

5. what is the cube of 13?

Its : SUROOR

wondering how? thats bcoz....
TERA * TERA * TERA = SUROOR

6. The world will not end in 2012, Rajnikanth has bought a computer with a 3 year warranty.

You will see that life of the people would become easier in office after receiving a couple of emails from the PJ Association members everyday. So start one soon at your office and get good wishes along with the salary that you earn - with no extra time required.

For any further details(How to start and continue), you may get in touch with me or My PJ Association Partner Shweta Khanna Bhatia. We are open to partnerships and branch associations, only condition is that you should be as crazy as us and send us some PJs to clear our entrance test.

 

Devil in Me is Provoking Me

There are situations when we feel like acting a little out of way, a little revengeful, overcome by a deep need of taking revenge. Inherent in all human beings is this need to get even with those who hurt us. In the process of becoming civilized (if we can call ourselves civilized) , we became better at hiding our true dark feelings under the cover of pleasant and balance personality. But still there are moments when we feel like acting upon those instincts. I have just penned down a few such moments when I felt that devil in me was provoking me:

(Before you read further, keep in mind that such thoughts have not disappeared so be all encouraging with comments)

1. Have you ever had moments when you felt like ignoring a good friend because of a nasty argument? I have had many such moments, but never did I just ignore the friend, I ensured that the person I ignored knew that I was ignoring him/her. Else why put the effort into the exercise.

2. Do you sometimes feel like giving fire to a rumour about something so ridiculous that you do not even feel like defending yourself, maybe like having an affair with a close “friend” or being accused of acting rude when you were just thinking? I just love just occasions when I can glib about anything though the sensible part of me asks me to stay away.

3. One of the best is picking up a fight with someone who backstabs you, Specially when you know that the other person can not match you in screaming and would back off. But the high that you get in putting the person in place publicly is something that is hard to compare.

4. Ever played tit for tat???Acted like typical hindi serial vamp to someone just because the person irritates you with snide remarks? Done something like bitching publicly and telling half true stories about him/her. ( Do not ask if I had done the same)

5. Have you ever put someone deliberately in a fix and then sweetly offered to help him/her out to gain brownie points?

I can go on and on in this list but then the Devil does not know when to stop. I don’t think it is wrong to sometimes act on these dark thoughts, what I do not like is not acknowledging that we sometimes act like this. I have deliberately not mentioned names here coz the people who were involved know what I am talking about and the devil in me wants to play a little Word Play with them. It is not difficult to put them in a difficult spot but then Angel in me would not be happy with it. (Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, you see).

To jao jee lo apni zindagi, maaf kiya….for the time being.

Neena…….A Decade Long Story

Friends are one relation that I understand the most. I have been lucky to have a few of the best people in the world as my friends.

Now, since the time I started writing this blog, I have looked for excuses not to write about one person who is closest to me, knows me the best and has been with me through all my darkest and brightest phases. The excuses were many – I didn’t know how to start, I was superstitious, I couldn’t find words. But Neena, today I have decided to let go of all my inhibitions and dedicate this post to you.

I am not an easy person to be friends with even today, and was even worse a decade ago. I first met Neena in the college first year ( SGTB Khalsa College, North Campus) , unlike in films I do not remember the first time I saw her or talked to her. All that I remember is that we became friends…aka Laurel and Hardy minus the height difference. I was too thin and she was a little healthy but of the same height. She was (& is) basketball crazy and I didn’t even know how many players made a team. But somehow we became friends and still are. To be honest the whole credit of us being friends goes to her, else I would have lost touch with her years ago. During one of my lowest phases, I would not even reply with "hmmmm" or even "yes/no" to when she called but persistent gal that she is , she continued her calls and brought me out of that miserable phase.

With our choices so different, we have never liked each others’ crushes (Thank God) but have never shied off expressing our dislike. We have torn each others choices apart and then stood by each other, though we knew that decision was not right coz, we never take decisions for each other. But believe, ” This is what I feel for the situation but no matter what you do I am right beside you”. No judgments and no attitude. We have survived and grown up together.

I have lovely memories of watching most pathetic movies(like Janwar), eating indigestible chowmein in canteen, spending entire day at book fairs, going for shopping and ending up buying nothing, becoming hoarse while cheering for our college’s basketball team, fostering our love for Mills and Boon so much that Uncle at Chotta Gol Chakkar in Knags almost adopted us. Look at things that we share - our love for books, our craving for spicy Chinese food (we specially ask for extra spicy stuff), the way we can listen to each other for hours, our no nonsense attitude , enjoying each others success and most important the connection which has no reason. The Laurel and Hardy difference has disappeared coz she reduced and I put on some weight. This year we are celebrating eleven years(Shagun ke gyarah) of our friendship- a lovely relation that has stood all highs and lows of life.

Looking back into the past decade, filled with strength of our friendship, I can only say – When I prayed for a friend, God sent me the Best.

Love You Neena .

P.S : I know Neena I have only touched the surface but then I am still superstitious, kahin nazar na lag jaaye...Touche'Wood.

Hai...Kya Dinn the

I was at the New Delhi Railway Station last week after a long time and caught sight of something that was an integral part of my Summer Holidays. It was before Cartoon Network, Pogo, Disney etc. came into existence, when Summer Holidays meant travel to Naani’s house, enjoying the train journey, spending hours and hours pouring over…. COMICS – Chacha Chaudhary, Pinky, Angara, Nagraaj, Nandan, Champak and so many of them.

 

I went through the nostalgic journey into the  memory lanes and came out with those memorable dialogues – “ Jab Saabu ko gussa aata he to kahi jwalamukhi phat ta he” or Chacha Chaudhary ka dimaag computer se bhi tej chalta he” or “ Nagraj se koi bachh nai sakta” and another awesome piece was description of Angara : “ Bhaalu ki khaal, cheetah sa tej. Lomdi ka dimaag, n ullu ki ankhein…Angara jungle ka rakhwala”. I am sure each one of us has his/her favourite dialogues and characters in these comics. Those were the innocent days; fighting to read our favourite comics, arguing with the shopkeeper that how dare he give my favourite one to someone else, loving the sight of those digests – Billu 3, Pinky 10, sharing the ones we had read and so on. Comics were a part of life and their characters loved with the sweetness of childhood.

A lot of these memories are centered around the visits to Naani’s House. Though sometimes, to show off that I was a serious reader, I would read a Champak or Nandan over others but would soon secretly regret my decision. This would lead to exerting authority over my cousins, as I am the eldest, to hand over their comics to me. There was this shop near my naani’s place which used to rent these comics – 50 paise a day for the thin ones and Rs. 2 for the digests. We would daily rush to the shop to get new ones and spend more than a hundred rupees in the week we stayed there, during Summer Holidays. The shopkeeper loved us and he would keep our favourites aside, after all we were his regular customers. All this came rushing back, making me slightly emotional for the days long ago, when comics filled the afternoons of long Summer Breaks.

 

Then I grew up, classics and thrillers replaced the comics , but at the moment I am craving to get my hands on any of the comics to recapture those days.