Awakening in Sleeplessness

Some sleepless nights wake you up from a long slumber. Sounds contradictory, I know it does but if we think upon it and analyse our own experiences, this might be true. It surely is for me & writing this writeup about it sure,y makes the thought more crude. Insomnia is a condition which none of us would cherish. Likewise, last night was my turn to be hit by this disease, disease, as I call it. Sick of watching same old stuff on tv, listening to same old music, reading the same old book, didn't wanted to do any of these...coz insomnia isn't just irritating rather full of monotony too. In such a condition what can you do...eat a lot..just lay down on bed staring at the ceiling..listening to the dogs barking outside..wondering about stupid things & attracting more reasons for being awake..or playing with your gadgets. In today's time our cell phones and our tablets are our favourite gadgets. I mean it's even impossible to think life without them. Just think  how would we able to sit idle doing nothing if there were no gadgets. Cell phones are the best time killers, or rather time wasters. But when insomnia strikes, they are our saviour. I also picked up my cell phone & bang on..Facebook, what's app, all on. But to my dismay even those things couldn't  hold me for long, so I just thot of going through my mails..old mails..remembering the old times. Wow, i came across so many old memories that I had almost completely forgotten about. They are special, even today. But weird that I would have never remembered them if i had not gone through them. I was so glad I read those mails, I was actually reliving old moments. Then  I came across a mail from someone unknown who had commented on my previous blogs. 'OMG I used to write' that was like a realisation, long forgotten. I know it sounds stupid but there are times when you need to be reminded of the things you already know of. You just need a reminder, maybe coz we have become so tech savvy that we depend on gadgets for our routine reminders, may be. But  writing was something I was natural at( & still am). I never had to think about what to write. But today I had to remind myself of My Self. My own blog gave me inspiration to write again. When I had started writing, I had never thought that one day, I will  inspire my self. I just wrote, people read & commented & their comments inspired me to write more. But today I want to say it again, life is actually inspiring. You never know what might inspire you, coz the qualities are innate but we just need to feel inspired, & for inspiration we need awareness. Awareness of who we are, who we were & who we want to be. Similarly, in life also when in blues, we turn to friends & what do they do, they remind us of who we are. How strong we have been throughout, how we fought with our difficulties in past & we get inspired again by our own deeds. Life surely is inspiring and we should never forget who we are, how strong we have been and inspire ourselves time n again so that we can go on!  At times it's important to look back, but when looking back,don't look back on your sufferings, look back on the way you fought those and came out as a warrior. Look back and fight ahead. My sleeplessness surely woke me up from a long slumber. I hope this inspiration that led me to write this, is passed on to all of you & you too get inspired . You never know there would be some old mail or message or picture or note kept somewhere which might just remind you of who you are! Be Yourself.. Happy Living

PERFECTION lies in imPERFECTION !

Weekends are normally devoted to family when everybody gets a chance to sit, eat, and have fun together! But the problem arises when it comes to watching the idiot box together. The more the no. of channels has risen, the more difficult it is to decide as to what to miss out watching. Goodness gracious that no SAAS BAHU shows are shown during weekends; else there would have been several world wars in every second home over TV. 

On a recent Sunday, I & my family were having a good time together & we sat to watch the TV. It wasn't difficult to find something interesting to watch, thanks to the Bollywood award events. Most of the Sundays in the month of Jan & Feb are usually dedicated to award ceremonies on TV. Gone are the days when there were just a handful of award functions & people used to long to watch them on TV. But making a choice over what to watch is a task. In this confusion, I came across an event WAVE which, in no time I figured out, was about celebrating Womanhood. Being a woman, I felt pride in it that there is an event which actually gives recognition to woman & acknowledges them for their achievements; be it small or huge.

There were woman not only from the film industry but also from various other streams which we normally are least inclined towards. But what took me for a surprise was not just the entire idea of awarding woman; it was something more that enthralled me, a sort of realization that awakened me & enlightening experience which inspired me to the core. Among all the successful women present there, there was a special lady Miss MALINI CHIB, whose limitations made her special

Miss Malini Chib, holds two Masters Degrees, is an activist, an academic, a lecturer, a writer and a researcher. She is the Founder and Co-Chairperson of the ADAPT Rights Group of the organization, and also heads the Library and Media Services. She lent her skills organizing an 'Inclusive Job Fair' for disabled youth.

You must be wondering what is so special about her achievements. Well, I wasn’t amazed just with all of the above, what actually moved me was the real Malini Chib, her real achievement which evolved through her failure. I may not address it as a failure anymore coz she made the best out of it. Malini has Cerebral Palsy, a neurological condition similar to adult stroke, which makes body movement and speech extremely difficult. From a diagnosis of brain damage and mental retardation, to the formidable fight that she and her parents put up over the years, she carved her way & proved herself a winner.

As life had become a tear and a smile for her, Malini narrates in her book “One Little Finger” , the story of her heroic battle against adversity, prejudice, stigmas, stereotypes, of her will to succeed and her search for an identity in a contrary world. And in the process of self-realization, she has become a beacon of hope for everyone

Had it not been for Malini Chib’s disorder, she would have been a regular successful person who may not have been awarded. So the award for her achievements wasn’t just for her tangible achievements, it was for something more deep & beyond the physical existence; for her achievements over her disability.

Many a times, we get frustrated with petty issues & complain God for not making us perfect. We are so lost in the entire idea of being perfect that we don’t even realize whatever God has given us, makes us perfect in our special way. We are blind folded by the word PERFECTION; hence we overlook the good things He bestowed on us.

Each one of us is blessed with unique qualities which make us special in our own ways & it’s on us how we perceive them, as disabilities or use them to be perfect. Perfection doesn’t come with a perfect body; it actually comes with a beautiful heart & a balanced mind. This life will throw stones at us, we will come across speed breakers & potholes on our path but we need to surpass them. It’s our choice whether to give up & let our limitations win or stand up steady to tell the difficulties that we are more difficult!

Malini Chib is not only a perfect example but also a perfect Ideal & Inspiration for the entire human race. She reminds us how perfect we are, how gifted we are to be born without any disabilities, but she also inspires us that no limitation is so huge to let our spirits die. No disability can disable the will power & determination in us.

Just the way the word 'impossible' says I M POSSIBLE; Malini Chib converted her imperfection into I M PERFECT !  

 

Malini Chib is the perfect teacher who can teach us the most important lesson of life; “PERFECTION is hidden in imPERFECTION”

CHEERzzz...

Don't Kill JESSICA !

No One Killed Jessica....the most talked about & long awaited film these days for obvious reasons that its based on a true story of  "Jessica Lal" but what added to the anxiety for this film are veteran actors Rani Mukherjee & Vidya Balan. This curiosity & anxiety struck me hard & I rushed to watch this movie on the second day of release. When I settled down on my seat in the theater waiting for the show to begin, I already knew somewhere that the movie would be worth humongous accolades, the promos conveyed it all! Being a person with interest in media, I had kept in mind to notice every minute details of the technicalities & creative aspects of the film as I felt that this film could make me aware of something more than just the case of  "Jessica Lal".

As the film begun, I was all geared up for the interesting journey of "Jessica Lal", to encounter the reality through the director's eye!

I think u guys must be feeling that this write up is a review of the film. Dont worry pals, I am not here to give u any reviews about the work, technicalities, creativity, the screenplay, edit, etc. etc. I am sure u must have had enuf of those by now! What I am about to share here with u guys is beyond the cinematic review, something what I realized at the hindsight!

Now continuing with my story of watching this wonderful representation of realistic & meaningful cinema... the experience was surely mesmerizing & being a FACEBOOK addict (juz like many of u reading this) I wanted to post an update about this the moment I stepped out of the theater. So many thoughts, so many feelings I wanted to put into words that I couldn't resist myself from writing an entire post on this!

Its astonishing how, while watching the film, I got so carried away with the entire realistic feel & look of the movie that I actually could relate to & empathize with each emotion the deceased protagonist & the super girl of the movie conveyed. And when I stepped out of the theater, I had learnt more than what I had expected, more than jus the technicalities, more than just the creativity, I had learnt that how powerful & loud is the voice of Silence! How a single ray of hope finds its own way out to the dawn from the deepest & darkest tunnels of failure & dissatisfaction!

Most of us feel & believe that words are the strongest mode to express our emotions, but there is something which is more powerful than words, more louder than the voice of words, creates more impact than the harshness of words, that doesn't need to be heard but needs to be felt..the voice of SILENCE ! The character of "Sabrina" which Vidya Balan portrays, clearly displays that it takes courage to be silent..it takes courage to win through silence..it takes courage to be patient enough to let the power of silence pervade in the most loudest place. Its easy to give up silence & be harsh with words, but whats difficult & worthy of applause is to have the courage & strength to be silent! Most of us face this difficulty of holding on to silence in our routine lives & often give up, coz we lack patience & we hate to wait.... Many believe that being silent is a sign of being fragile but the truth is that one needs to understand the power & depth of silence to know the power of Silence & being Silent is actually a sign of courage!

We need to understand that Hope is the only power that keeps us going even through the toughest & most rudest & meanest times. Hope is the be-all & end-all for any being, the one who never leaves hope, is the one who  sails through & comes out a winner. I know its somewhere quite easy to write all this & give the so called GYAAN about it, but when it comes to implementing it, its way too difficult at certain stages of life. Sometimes the wait becomes too long & we loose on our patience, but try to bounce back with a new hope that there will be an end to this wait, this prolongation... its just a test of our hope, patience & silence & we all want to be a winner. So never give in & defeat the failure with Hope, Patience & Strength of Silence. The first ray of sunlight comes exactly after the moment when its the darkest at nite ! So guys its all about Perseverance... Just be rigid & adamant, of course, at good things, to win any situation.

A very nice thought has come to my mind inspired from this season of the year, I read about this one few days back in the Speaking Tree.. "A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creation, but look what they can do when they are stick together!"

We always underestimate the power of the weak & fragile & take it for granted that the weak is the looser! But this actually isn't the case..there's immense power beneath the rug, jus dig in it a lil hard & u will encounter the POWER deep within !

There's a Jessica, Sabrina & Meera in each one of us... we just need to meet her!

Take Care.. Keeep Smiling :)

Thank your Santaclaus :)

25th December 2010, the last Christmas of this fast paced decade.

I know it’s a lil late to write about Christmas now, as we are already in the new decade on the 4th day of the New Year. But as they say, better late than never & for something’s, it’s actually never too late :)

Holi, Diwali, birthdays, weddings all were over by the year end & now it was time for the most awaited last festival of the year 2010..Christmas.
Christmas is the only festival & occasion which is the most closest to any child's heart. Thanks to our dearest cutest loving Santa Claus :) who gives us a chance to make a wish & he would make it true on Christmas.

In our childhood, most of us believed that there actually existed a Santa Claus who would come down on Christmas Eve through the chimney & place our gifts near our Christmas tree. We all believed in this story & for many of us, it did actually come true, thanks to our loving parents who always knew our wishes & knew what we wanted as gifts & made them true. But being kids, we actually believed that Santa Claus visited our homes every Christmas & we always longed to meet Santa Claus & waited the entire year for Christmas. We could only see glimpses of him in cartoons, hoping that one day, we might just get lucky enough to meet him, sit on his lap & tour the world in his cart loaded with gifts ridden by reindeer. 

As we grew up, we realized that it was all our imagination that kept him alive. Such an image & depiction of Santa Claus merely exited in cartoons which are made to please the kids. Never did we give it a thought that there could be a real Santa Claus in our lives in the most unexpected & unprecedented form. When we were kids, our parents were our Santa Claus but we never realized this & now as grown ups, even though we know this fact, never are we grateful to them for being there as our Santa Claus. Seldom do we cherish their presence in our lives as our friend, philosopher, guide, mentor & parents. 

When I see the lil kids on road as beggars or the people who are less fortunate than us or even orphans who might not be even aware of who their parents are, I feel blessed that God gave me the most wonderful parents who are my Santa Claus since the moment I was conceived.

I feel truly gratified by their presence in my life, they do their very best to make my all wishes come true & make me feel the most blessed child on earth. They forgo their own needs & desires for me, just to see a smile on my face; they face all the pains so that I can lead a happy & the most wonderful life. Just like Santa Claus, even our parents expect nothing in return of all the happiness & pleasures they give us. This Christmas, I wanna thank them for all that they have done for me & all the love they showered on me even when I was at my worst with them. For all the times, they forgave me & gave me another chance to improve myself. For all the times they trusted me, laid their faith in me, they let me fly like a bird, to take charge of my life, for all the sleepless nites they had when I was up late nite studying for my exams, for all the times they starved when I was unwell, for the tears that rolled in mumma’s eye on my 1st day of school, for the times they stood outside the exam centers waiting for me to finish up the exam & take me home safely, for all the times they fed me the best food, gave me the best clothes I could ever wear, teaching me nice things, imparting core values in me & making me who I am today !

I do several mistakes, commit errors, at times misunderstand their possessiveness & care & sometimes even hurt them with harsh words.. but they still love me unconditionally despite of everything, forever…

My life couldn't have been better if not for them! They make my each day Christmas for me !

I hope all you guys had a nice & a wonderful Christmas & Santa Claus did make your wishes true… I wish he always does!
But don’t ever let go off the real Santa Claus of your lives & thank them for always being there… yesterday, today & tomorrow! Sometimes, it’s not so late to express your love through words, hugs or just a smile :) 

Merry X’mas !

Memories are blessings !

Each moment we live is a memory which we will cherish sometime in future. We always want to grab the happy & special moments of our life to live them time & again. We want to pause the time there itself, but time moves on.. & especially when we are in our best times, it seems as if time takes to heels.  But when in adversity, we wish time to fly, we outrageously wish if there was a delete & fast forward option in real life also. Alas, we are not blessed with such an option in real life. But we are blessed with a power in our mind & hearts wherein we can save what we cherish & relish… Memories!

Memories are good, memories are bad. Memories make us smile, memories make us weep. Memories embarrass us, memories make us proud. Some memories we wish to live a hundred times while some we wish to erase forever. Memories never leave us alone, they are our best companion. Whenever we want to re-live them & feel the same joy, we just close our eyes & the flashes start hitting us.

Most of us are busy climbing the ladder of success only to find it is leaning on the wrong wall coz the most relieving things in life aren’t things actually & the greatest joys of living are in the li’l things & experiences & moment life bestows on us! Life teaches us that whatever we are chasing is in a way taking us away from the real happiness & treasures of life, which is life itself. Hence, whenever we get an opportunity, we want to claw the best time by making it memorable. The trivial things, which we oversee in our chase for the great achievements, sometimes turn out to be the most special ones.

The best gift a person can give to someone is his time. Especially in today’s fast paced way of living. People might forget you or your words but they can never forget how you made them feel, they can never forget the memories you gave them. On a friend’s birthday, receiving an expensive gift from you would not make him so happy as spending his birthday eve by ruining his face with his birthday cake will. In today’s tech savvy & facebook addicted world, it’s a child’s play to get in touch with a long lost friend but there’s something which this tech savvy world cannot replace, your personal touch, your emotions, your moments with a special one! Ask yourself; what gives you more happiness, birthday wishes received on your facebook wall or birthday wishes when your buddies land in your house at midnight or early morning just to make your birthday weird.

A mother wants to capture every tiniest memory of her kid, the day her li'l baby starts walking, talking, says his first broken word, his first day at school, etc. not for any accolade, but coz she knows that this is her best asset which she will cherish even when her kid will be no more a kid, he will be a grown up, when she might be bed ridden & her kid would not have few minutes to spend with her, the same kid whom she helped to take his first step, might not help her take her last, she will still relish those memories & love her kid unconditionally.

Make memories, they are always close to your heart whether they are good or end up as bad... Never regret them coz they build your life. One day you'll realize how your journey called life went through some beautiful & bizarre moments...but in the end they made your life a wonderful moment which you might not be blessed with again!

Each day each moment is a wonderful opportunity bestowed on us by the Almighty, it’s on us how we transform the opportunity in to serendipity by making it special in our own special & simple ways, to make wonderful memories worth cherishing even after giving up to mortality.

Everything in this world is mortal, except for memories. They never die, they just remain immortal in our hearts & minds & give us the freedom of living yesterday in today & today in tomorrow!

There's only one secret to conquer immortality.. Memories ! 

Memories make our life.. life !

The li'l things YOU do for me :)

The 1st thing that would have come to your mind after reading the title of my new post must be "Who is this You..is this me?" no mysteries here dear friends...you will unveil it by the end of this brief post :)

Mood swings are something which I am sure each one of us is struck by at least once in a day, be it happy to sad or depressing to merry. Some days begin with a million dollar smile, when you feel like a bird flying in its own melody & music, while some begin with a sad, low & gloomy moment when you have that " BEWARE" like look on your face (if anybody tries to mess with you, they have had it).

Many a times it gets quiet difficult to figure out the reason for such a mood swing. Seldom are we able to understand our own selves in such a situation. Hard do we strive to bounce back to normalcy, but to no avail! 

Shopping, watching a hilarious movie with friends, dining at our favorite joint, hanging with friends at our ADDA, reading our favorite book... etc. etc..are some of the things we resort to in such times. But are they actually helpful? do we really feel the same happiness from within? can these things get that million dollar smile back on our face??? Seldom they do....

In our chase of these worldly materialistic pleasures, we often oversee the li'l things that our mother nature does for us.. Ever noticed the cute li'l puppies playing around.. a butterfly with flamboyant colors flying around.. a wonderful smile of a new born.. the dazzling beauty of the colorful nature around.. a flock of birds flying in the illuminating blue sky..

Try to spare some time from your busy & hectic schedules & spend sometime with our mother nature who has given us immense reasons to smile.. to be happy.. to be overwhelmed & to be thankful for.. the world is beautiful, you just need to have an eye for it & some time to spend with it! Look around & cherish the li'l things that mother nature does for us. It takes nothing from us except for our worries & tensions & gives us reasons to be happy, feel lively, feel blessed & be inspired to have that million dollar smile. 

When struck by a mood swing, try to get rid of it by spending sometime with mother nature to notice & appreciate the li'l things it does for us & you will have that smile back which will beautify your face  :)

Thank you mother nature for the li'l things you do for us :)

Happy Living.. Keep Smiling.. coz it costs nothing :)

The 1st Step :)

Finally...here I am with The 1st step :) 

A very dear friend of mine once suggested me to start writing.. he took all the pains to persuade me by all means ( he does it until now) but to no avail. It's not that I don't value his suggestions or do not consider them. But I feel its something else in us that lets us take The 1st step.

Undoubtedly, only when we are inspired & motivated by something or someone, do we begin to think "Yes, I could also do that". Inspiration & motivation open up our wings of imagination & then we start seeing our self the way we want to in the dream we wish to. "But is it that an easy task to accomplish that dream?" , we ask our self.

Considering the practicality of life, the mind would probably say "NO".. but, our heart, it will never let us down, it will always say "YES".

LIFE IS INSPIRING.. it inspires us to smile, to laugh, to cry, to think, to dream, to sacrifice, to imagine, to love, to hate & to live!!!

But what actually makes us do these things is the willingness we have in our self. The willingness to live, to dream, to love, to laugh, to smile, to make friends & sometimes to write :)

Inspiration is somewhere around us.. We just need to see through, but the real willingness to be inspired is within us! No person, no experience can inspire us unless we wish to get inspired & take The 1st step!

Life is within us, we just need to realize it, feel it & then we will be inspired to take The 1st step to our dreams ;)

I wish each one of us realizes our dreams & takes the 1st step towards it.

Not forgetting my friends & loved ones here, I owe my 1st step to all of them who believe in me & my dreams. 

HAPPY LIVING.. KEEP DREAMING ! Realize your willingness & don't ever let it die & as my dear friend always says "BBK"