Tought for the Day

"Sometimes facts are stranger than fiction.Every second has power to change your life"

Plastic Smile Please!!

When someone is wearing a plastic smile, he or she appear to be happier with a situation or events than they actually are. This is actually a description of the forced smile you might see in almost every face these days.





I have been observing a lot of people around me for the last few days and I am quickly able to identify the fake smile and believe me its so funny when you say yuk! again the same fake smile on the face.

I read a poem when I was in Ninth standard (almost 8-9 years back), I don't remember the poet or entire poem now. In the poem the poet was asked by child to teach how to smile? At that time I did not comprehend the poem..but thank God! Now, I figured out what he wanted to say and what was that poem all about.

I confess that even I also put a plastic smile these days and the frequency has seems to be increased, in the last few months!! May be, b'coz I am working in corporate sector or may be something else....but I am sure very soon this plastic smile gonna take over my real smile....I am afraid that one day I would forget the real smile...I wish to go back to my school days when I could always put real smile, where I had freedom to react....But yes..I ll not forget the plastic one..and in the world of text smiles I will never forget to :-). I think in some sense this (text) smile is more real. What's say?

But, whether it plastic smile or real smile or :)...you need to smile to live and to show the world "All is well".

So frenz,
Smile Please : ) [Real one please] :)
~Kislay

Bonding With Nature

Hi Guys...

Yoo... I am very happy that I bought a book called "The book of Nature" by Ruskin Bond. For the last few months I wanted to buy a book by Ruskin Bond. I have studied many short stories in school. So, whenever I used to go to book store I always wanted to buy one of Ruskin Bond's book at least...at least one book.....Today since morning I was thinking about nature ...and look..in the evening I bought a book as well..same on nature...It tell about Bond's bonding with nature..I must confess that I loved the cover...hope that I'll love the book as well :-)


Sharing the image of cover page here so that you can also feel greeny-greeny :))

Don't fly before you can walk – Inline Image

Hello People,

…
..
The government will keep a firm hold on its air carriers. The reason given for this is that the nationalised carriers provide public services which private carriers wouldn't (routes to remote areas in the north-east and elsewhere, and subsidised Haj pilgrimages are the two most cited).
But the actual reason that the sarkar (governemnt) is so possessive about its two airlines is that politicians and babus can use them for free junkets for themselves and their families.
…
….
Jug Suraiya..A well known columnist in Times of India, talking about government’s economic strategy that is not helping Air India and Indian Airlines in the column Don't fly before you can walk. He cited a good example of greed which is stopping the government to disinvest, which will further lead AI (Air India) and IA (Indian Arilines) running into profit.

One thing is clear that there are some mean people in government who are not ready to think about its people who have made them reach there.

But, I have felt that same kind of mingy desire exist in Indian society as well, where in people relates everything with money and stop thinking that money and other material does not bring happiness always. This needs to be cleared very much at the grass root level. There are other issues which can be tackled if you stop thinking in this way like the issues related with environment, the issues related with people below poverty line, issues related with helpless people or the issues related with violence etc etc.

We need to understand that only when we become more generous and more companionate, we will fulfill the cause of being human.

I just recalled the Mahtama Gandhi’s thought again to counter this greed:

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”

~ Kislay

Light up your life Mahatma's thought !!

This is the day Mahatma left us, leaving behind the philosophy and thought which still has power to change and inspire the world. At least today we should look into the history and grab a bit of it. Gandhi is a person whom the people in world still follows and consider the most inspiring person.

So, here are the two quotes by Gandhi that will inspire me and keep me motivated in recent future:

• “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”


• “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”

~Kislay

With KCK and MNIK Song numbers...Just Njoy

Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy....Last time I liked them is in Rock On. Now, they are back with a bang with Karthik Calling Karthik (KCK) and My Name is Khan (MNIK)..

Songs that you can not miss are :

1. Uff teri Ada (KCK)....will rock in Disco and Night Clubs for sure :-), you can listen this song numerous times in one go...at least I am doing the same
2. Hey Ya! (KCK)..nice romantic song
3. Sajda (MNIK) .... One of of the great contemporary sufi song ..I like this a lot!
4. All he Rahem (MNIK) awesome song...again with sufi touch....you can listen it every day once..just to thank the Good LORD....... I donno where he was hiding when Haiti earthquake happened..but still THANKS to GOD!!
5. Noor e Khuda (MNIK).....aaj kal kahan hai tu bata??....If you a fan of Adnaan Sami..go for it...he is stilling the show in this song..of course Shankar is good as well...n yes good chorus!!

Cheers
~ Kislay

Keep the Spark
Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008
By Chetan Bhagat

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Guyz....This one is really good by Chetan Bhagat. Life will not come again..so..letz njoy every bit of it :) Sorry for Copy & Paste..but itzz really good ..

http://www.chetanbhagat.com/speeches/speech_2.php
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost.

So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms. To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case,Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
One last thing about nurturing the spark - don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job,my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last
another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I’ve told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.
But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.

Disappointment’s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write
scripts , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it.
Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.
Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.

In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others. There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.
Thank You.

Tu Jaane Naa...

Hello Guys,

Atif Aslam and Kailash Kher rocks again in Tu Jaane Naa Song from Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani....

Difficult to decide who is better Kailash or Atif. Listen it here...

http://www.musicplug.in/songs.php?movieid=31952

Rock again :)

Cheers,
Kislay

Winners are too busy ;)

Hi Guys...Nice poster I found in the office today :)

Please welcome..Tata Nano - The people's car

Today suddenly in the office from page of TOI (Times of India) flashed in my eyes where on the left, small columns, there has been one add coming Nano –…. days to go. Today … was 1 and so I got excited as many others.

I started reading updates on internet. Tata motors journey..it has really come a long way now..and hope many more nano kind of projects in the store of Tata Motors. The story which started with TELCO in 1954, now accelerating as Tata Motors Ltd.

Thanks to Tata. The brand, which has given India a lot and striving to give more and more. Ratan Tata definitely will be having sleepless night for the last few days just like any mega star have before on Friday just before the release of their film or like Sachin had before India Pakistan match in world cup, 2004.But at the same time he will the most happy person of the world when tomorrow Nano will rock. The way he led TATA during Singur issue, shows his passion, vision and determination to provide the most adored child of Tata Motors, Nano, a bed of roses when it comes to this world.

Kudos to Nano Team, which was only of 4 guys, at the very begining. They have done extremely awesome job, considering the kind of pressure they had with few politically incorrect intentions. They have really travelled a lot on road, which had been less travelled so far, for making this happens.

The design team first looked at alternative ways of constructing a vehicle. There might have been several other debates and questions, but all questions had one direct question: 'What is the bare minimum a customer will accept'. Its very difficult to deliver quality if you are going to cost saving mode. But, lets keep our finger crossed and hope the quality be assured!

There have been many talks being made in the media so far. Nevertheless, to collect a few comments:

“Amazing! Please convey my best wishes to Mr. Tata. This is a benchmark kind of model. You Indians always make us think. This will be a great contribution to Indian economy.”
- Rick Wagoner, CEO, General Motors


“This is fantastic effort. We would be delighted to work with you, if possible.”
- Dr. Norbert, Chairman, BMW


“I congratulate you on three things: a modern and contemporary car design, sufficient internal volume, design and developed entirely on your own.”
- Luca Codero, Cahirman, FIAT

The above comments are from industry giants and experts, so it matters a lot. In addition, it is telling loudly how Nano has been loved by foreign nations and making hot top stories there as well. This is an achievent to be proud on. This is opportunity to feel the Indian-ness which hides somewhere in every Indian to say that yes.. we can deliver the change. Yes, we can win….

One interesting thing, you can build your own Nano..I also did.. on clicking

http://tatanano.inservices.tatamotors.com/tatamotors/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=182&Itemid=203

http://tatanano.inservices.tatamotors.com/tatamotors/ This will take you to the Nano home page.

So, watch out the roll out of Nano from the world of Tata…

:)

Jay Ho…..