Coming soon.....

Major overhauling of the blog going on. Please check back soon for updates. Thank you. 

Ignite Hyderabad Volume #5 - A night full of ideas

Hello Biryani Lovers!

If you're in Hyderabad on July, 6 come join me for a night full of ideas to get enlightened and take back home a bag full of awesomeness.

The video below shall help you learn what Ignite really is about. 

Like our Facebook page or follow our twitter handle or use #ignitehyd in your tweets.
Most importantly, do not forget to register for the event. Remember it is FREE event, and we've had all of our events housefull. Make sure you reach before/on time.


Come say Hello! to me, I'd love to meetup. :)
 

Dreaming about providence

When was the last time you did nothing? I mean literally nothing, not even thinking? When was it? Can you remember? Was there any such moment? If you are sane you wouldn't be able to recall any such moment.

Let me tell you a story so that you can understand what I'm trying to suggest.

Far away from the constant echoes of the city traffic, besides a plush green field was a beautiful little mansion. A farmer lived there with his wife, cherishing every moment of togetherness. Like on any regular day the moist air kissed his cheeks while he gazed at the waving crops. The sun was going down and the night wasn't far from falling. The coldness of soon approaching winter could be felt in the atmosphere.

 A few feet below his legs that caressed the bosom of the earth, there was someone else who knew winter was not far. A mouse - It took the mouse several weeks to carefully gather his food that was kept in a burrow to keep the food safe and to keep him breathing all through the winter, towards the end of which the mouse would again embark on its wild goose chase for food. 

Neither of them was aware of each other’s existence yet they both were happy and enjoyed every micro second of what life offered them. The following evening, the owner on his regular routine took an archaic wooden stick to which was attached a rusty plough and started digging the ground for he had to embed some seeds in the chest of the earth which he'd harvest post winter. Little did his innocence hint him that there lay a mouse with its winter secured & comfortably numb to the incoming sabotage. He was patient and in his usual style started to plough the ground foot by foot. It took only a handful of minutes for the entire winter food of the mouse to be tumble upside down while it ran in haste to save his self. The mouse and his entire winter have been compromised in a few blows of plough and it still ran without a trace of understanding into the oblivion. The farmer totally unaware of the catastrophe he just committed, calmly buried the seeds, leveled the mud sprinkled water and went back into the mansion to sip some tea in the warm arms of his wife. 

How often are you caught oblivious in our lives like the mouse of the story? How often do your plans fail? Are you now used to embracing pain & grief in life? Do you continue to live for the promised joy? Do you always find yourself alone while you wait for Godot? Do you have a backup plan for life? How often do you spend time thinking absolutely & literally nothing? Do you readily accept defeat? Are you a fighter? Are you free?

Do you dream of providence when you find yourself in such a scenario? Do you introspect? Do you invoke divine intervention? Should you? Ponder!


(inspired by the poem 'To A Mouse' by Robert Burns)

How to become a Standard Bearer?

New Year is around the corner and everyone is either worried about the parties to attend or is worried about the new year's resolution. Here is a very beautiful essay by Mr. Mirza Yawar Baig the Chairman of Standard Bearers Academy.  I hope you read it and find fetch some food for thought for the year ahead.

Being a standard bearer is all about raising your standards and constantly endeavoring to achieve success without compromising on the fundamentals. Hope you enjoy the read, and do not miss the video that is there towards the conclusion.

How to become a standard bearer from Mirza Yawar Baig

Why the world should have ended on 21/12/2012 ?

The Mayan calendar effectively ends today. For many it meant that the world would end. Question this, if Mayan's were so good at predicting the future would they still not be around? Would they not have predicted their own peril? I am a moron, i don't have the answers. I guess you do.

This life we have been living and will still do post 21.12.2012 is extremely over-rated. It is a camouflage which only a handful decipher. All the bling bling of life and the world attracts us instantly but to a large extent it is hollow and we all are to a very great extent hypocrites.

Here are a few reasons that made me hope the world would end today and the Mayans stand by their calendar. Lest!

1. The world should have ended for the atrocities, the crimes, the ruthlessness of the blood thirsty and greed filled leaders would still continue beyond 21.12.2012

2. The world should have ended for religion would still be used as the opium of masses beyond 21.12.2012

3. The world should have ended for the Arabs (& Brunei) would still continue to build hollow palaces and have cars gold plated while the African women get raped and the African innocence is staved to death even beyond 21.12.2012

4. The world should have ended for Palestine and Israel would still continue slaughtering each other while the America feeds the Israel and Arabs stare in the face of Palestine even beyond 21.12.2012

5. The world should have ended for Krokodil(Desomorphine) will still continue to eat the Russian and the Eurpoean junkies while the government turns a blind eye even beyond 21.12.2012

6. The world should have ended for daughters would still be treated as a curse in India and despite the development women are ill-treated even beyond 21.12.2012

7. The world should have ended for every teenage and adult alike prefer online lives and projected selves to offline lives and real selves even beyond 21.12.2012

8. The world should have ended for bombs would still explode in Pakistan killing innocent civilians while the US makes a grim face at it and the world watches on even beyond 21.12.2012

9. The world should have ended for North Korea will still be ruled by its dead president and no nation would dare question its nuclear weapons even beyond 21.12.2012

10. The world should have ended for Europe would still consider veil oppressive and promotes modern female slavery in the guise of liberty while Feminists applaud even beyond 21.12.2012

11. The world should have ended for people would still judge each other by their religion without knowing what the scriptures preach even beyond 21.12.2012

12. The world should have ended for we all are living a highly over rated, so called social life where we'll give condolences via Twitter even  after 21.12.2012

13. The world should have ended for Iran would still be a subject of constant criticism by the West for the alleged nuclear warheads even beyond 21.12.2012

14. The world should have ended for the rich devotees would still donate kilograms of gold to the Tirupati lord while the poor still makes his/her livelihood by selling off the devotees hair even beyond 21.12.2012

15. The world should have ended for Gangnam style and the likes would still be a rage to the world while Albert HUBO goes unnoticed even beyond 21.12.2012
 
16. The world should have ended for merciless merceneries try to kill Malala while children in Afghanistan risk their lives for education even beyond 21.12.2012
 
17. The world should have ended for educated illiterates would still demand for dowry and harass the brides while the groom looks on even beyond 21.12.2012
 
18. The world should have ended for the Illuminati would still control the world and its economy while everyone else would regard it as a mere conspiracy theory even beyond 21.12.2012
 
19. The world should have ended for individuals would still be regarded as mentally unstable despite killing innocents and slaughtering the happiness of numerous even beyond 21.12.2012
 
20. The world should have ended for  the Westboro Baptist Church would still be the most hated family in the America while presidents win the elections by pleasing the gay community even beyond 21.12.2012
 
21. The world should have ended for the rich will get richer while the poor gets poorer while people like me do nothing but blog about it even beyond 21.12.2012


My eternal optimism still reckons me to believe Louis Armstrong and makes me say "What a Wonderful World!"

Facebook Messages get a new look

While you were busy updating your status, uploading that pic from last week parties and commenting and liking and you know the drill........while you were busy facebooking, Facebook silently upgraded the way you share messages on Facebook 

Facebook announced on 22nd August 2012, that they've improved the messaging features and overhauled the look. I just received the upgrade and hence sharing the info.

Here's how the new layout will look like.


My observations on the new features & layout:

• Looks very much like MS-Outlook, isn't it?
• You can now see thumbnails of pictures in a better fashion than before. 
• The typebox is more or less how it was before. 
• The recent messages list in the left is what I liked best. I don't have to go back a step to change the message window. 
• You can now know, if the person you've messaged has seen it or not. It will also give you the exact time the message was viewed. A privacy threat? Nah...
• If you wish to learn more about Facebook Messages and care to improve them click here. 
• I am happy with the new layout, expecting Facebook to keep surprising me time and again. 

What do you feel? Leave a comment and let's get talking. 

Celebrating India - Book Release Function

If you're reading this and if you happen to be in Hyderabad today, kindly consider yourself invited to the release function of the book 'Celebrating India' by Nivasini Publishers.
The contents of this book are quite unusual. Short stories, poems, illustrations, photographs, lesser known facts, everything and anything that relates to the spirit of India can be found in this book. There isn't a single author to this book. The content submission was requested nation wide and the best of the best has been chosen to be part of this book.

The venue and timings and other details are in the poster above. I'm going to be at the venue. Let's catchup!