In my opinion, there are three types of people :

1.If they do some good act, they will let everyone know about it
2.If they do some good act, everyone will come to know about it
3.If they do some good act, no one will know about it

I admire people belonging to 3rd group.It needs a strong and selfless mind to continue their act of goodness even after knowing that their acts are unknown to all but one..

What I have to say is, it doesn’t matter in which group you belong to, always try to do good because it is better than doing bad..!!

P.S 1: Almost all the time I belong to the first group(here everyone means my dear ones) and at times in third.

P.S 2: When I asked my friends, in which group they want to belong, almost everyone told “Second!!”.
Everyone like the impossible one!!

P.S 3:This post may be somewhat vague.I will make it clear by another post.

I have learned that even if we really wish for something we will not get it unless our desire for it is :

1.greater than all other desires we have
2.greater than other’s desire for it.

Information :

Here is a post, reading which I was inspired to learn a useful trick..Not giving chance for misunderstandings.Speed test is the thing which inspired me and not ogling .After reading this post I did a google search – how to mentally calculate day from date?Had a glance over many sites and out of that found a site where day calculation method is clearly written.Without taking much time a small trick is in my hand now..If you are interested you can learn this method taking a maximum of 30 minutes.

Inspiration :

I don’t know why this happens with me always.If I am inspired by something , people around me will also be inspired by that.Or am I inspiring them in a Tom sawyer way?? Anyways I am happy when I am able to inspire people to do some good things whether it is directly or not..

My Thought :

Very interesting thing which I noticed while demonstrating this trick is, out of more than 20 people, only one person told me a date which is not his birthday..14th feb 1988.(I failed in that because of my carelessness )Everyone else told me their birthdate and when I get correct the first time, they continued testing me by telling some other dates.The strange thing is all the dates they asked were birthdates of someone related to them..sometimes their brother’s or their sister’s or even their lover’s b’day.

An unnecessary thought came to my mind then..Why people( including me )are this much obsessed of their birthdates??Which date will those people, who don’t know their date of birth, tell if they are asked to tell one date??

P.S 1: I am a hard core fan of Tom Sawyer
P.S 2:This post is dedicated as a small guru-dakshina (the gift offered to a teacher in gratitude)to the person who inspired me to learn this trick.

It’s time to stop criticizing (for the sake of it) the bestseller book or the award winning movie. I can’t understand why people do that??Do you think when you criticize good movies/books you will be considered as a different person?You will be considered as a genius?Never.. I have seen some people who criticize all the award winning movies/books. When asked, they will say “Just made it for the sake of getting award..There is nothing in it”.Please please don’t criticize a good thing if you don’t have any valid reasons for it..I am not saying all award winning movies/books are amazing.Still..sometimes I get irritated when people criticize good movies/books.

Coming to a different story :

On 19th jan, there was a slum dog debate in CNN-IBN which makes me write this.Many were saying that foreigners are making money from India’s poverty.What is the problem in earning money by showing the truth?The makers of this movie showed only the truth and they did not exaggerate anything.In my opinion the movie is really good and it has succeeded in showing each and every fearing truth about our country.One person who really made me angry is AB.He is the person who once told “As an Indian, I need to live in my own land, on my own soil with dignity and without fear. And I need an assurance on that. I am ashamed to say this and not afraid to share this now with the rest of the cyber world, that last night as the events of the terror attack unfolded in front of me, I did something for the first time and one that I had hoped never ever to be in a situation to do. Before retiring for the night, I pulled out my licensed .32 revolver and put it under my pillow.For a very disturbed sleep.” And today he is shouting against SM because darker India is shown to the world.What a contradiction!!

To all the critics of SM : Have you ever thought why films like slumdog millionaire become a success in India?It is only because more than half of the country knows it.They are ready to accept it because it is just the truth.He, who is not in that majority..he who is a part of minority Indian..he who is is living in brighter India is not ready to accept the truth of Darker India..He is blaming westerners for making that movie..What a stupidity!!

He forgot to notice one thing..I don’t know whether the westerners who are happy(or not) to see Indian poverty notice that..India is rich in quality people..Even the people in slums of India is having a character which will be lacking for the cultured people outside India..I liked the way they showed the quality of people in the slum..the way they showed their love..whether it be Jasim or Latika..or Salim..Each character is showing that even if there is poverty in India , She is rich in quality people!!

I am confused by the way of westerner critics : When Aravind Adiga won Man Booker prize for The White Tiger ,they* told he was trying to move readers showing darker side of India..People from the same place made SM and when the same statement is made by some Indian critics they are giving a lot of explanation for that.Is it because The White Tiger is written by an Indian and SM is made by a Westerner?Is their review based on the creator and not the quality of the stuff?I don’t know..

I am not getting answers for making this much fuss about a movie.As I told earlier, I am getting irritated by the criticizism(for the sake of it) against The White Tiger and Slum Dog Millionaire because i liked both..

*I am not being against any particular critic.I happened to read a lot of review about WT made by westerners.It is sad to see that some of them are against that book just because it is from an Indian.

P.S : I love my INDIA..

Today my friend asked me the meaning of Icebreaker.I have come across this word a lot of times but have never took pain to find out its meaning in dictionary.Why should I? I know the meaning of icebreaker, it is something which is used to break ice..i.e, to melt ice.I even told him icebreaker is sodium chloride..Recollecting my high school chemistry..:)How stupid me!!

Even after hearing all this stupidity he was nice enough to tell me the correct meaning of icebreaker..

Icebreaker :

-Something done or said to relax an unduly formal atmosphere or situation.

-a beginning that relaxes a tense or formal atmosphere;

-anything serving to lessen formality or break down reserve

After explaining  me the meaning of it, he asked me to think of an IB game.Even though I don’t know Icebreaker I know Icebreaker games!! I told him an IB which we have played and was a great success..

Icebreaker Game :

Here it is after making some modification.If ever you get a chance try it out and let me know how it work out for you.This will be good if played in a team of 15-20.

1.Give a paper and pen to everyone in the team.

2.Ask them to write 3 or more facts about themselves/interesting things they have done which others in the team don’t know.(If the things are interesting and unbelivable your IB will become a success.

3.Collect all the papers. Shuffle it and give to team members.

4.Each person will start to read it aloud and others have to guess whose facts he is reading(If the team size is greater than 20 then the cooridinator can read the papers and if you don’t have much time then read some randomly selected ones..).

5.The guessed person can tell yes/no.

6.If the guessed person is correct,if he wants to tell something about the facts he can do it.

If everyone failed to guess the correct person, then the owner can come up himself.

7.Continue the guessing until all cards are completed.So that at the end everyone will come to know the correct owner of each paper.

This is a simple but good game which helps people to know more about each other and sometimes really humorous/unbelieavable facts can be revealed, which make people surprise and ask “Oh God he wrote that..Ican’t imagine!!”

P.S :When we played,there was a paper in which the following facts were written.

1.I have my lover’s pic in my valet.

2.I am a hard core fan of Julia roberts.

3.I used to sleep in the afternoons.

Everyone was busy guessing smart fresher guys.When all failed,our Group Acct Mgr,one serious person, more than 45 years old, told “Hey,I wrote it!!”

Godde..!!Everyone was shocked..If you play this , you too can hear some shocking facts..

It is a pleasant feeling when we get something which we have been longing for a long time..

Yesterday was a lovely day for me!!

Divya and I were coming to our home(flat) after meeting our junior in railway station.Near the bus stand(Hyderabad central), there is a book stall which I don’t miss whenever I stand there waiting for bus/cab.

It is a nice feeling to be inside that book shop.Not so big room with lot many books..Both old and new..Whenever I go there the smell of those books engross me and I love to be inside that room..

Once I get inside that shop I will come out with some books and an inspiring energy.An energy which makes me read many books and makes me converse with lot of dead/living authors.Usually I don’t get much time to spend there because my friends will start telling me..

“c’mon..here is the cab..now we will go..we will buy it next time..”(Next time also they will tell the same.. )

But this time was little different..only Divya and I were there..and she is an understanding friend..:)

Coming back,yesterday as a shopping was not planned, we dint take much money.We had only 480 rupees with us and also 2 debit cards.We went to that shop and found among many other books,the book which I was searching for a looong time ..

Shantaram!!

..When I saw that book I felt like I reached the top of Mt.Everest..(I don’t know exactly what that feeling is as I have never been there.. Guess it will be great!!)But it is not a great feeling to fell down  from the top of it which happened to me when I saw the price at the back..Rs.495.. There are no atms near by and also we can’t swipe our card in that shop.I kept the book back in its position with a tear-jerking feeling.

But my eyes dint stop going through all the books in those shelves.Shop owner and his daughter were having food at this time and as we dint want to disturb them we started searching the books ourselves.I told divya to search Gone with the wind *.Without taking much time we found it..Rs.195 and also Midnight’s children Rs.300..

Total 495.. Ha! Again the same situation.

At that time a beggar came to the shop.Hearing his voice ,shop owner-an old muslim uncle came out.

Shop Uncle :Annam thinna letha??(You dint have food?)

Beggar uncle:Lethu..(No)

He took some money from the table drawer and gave it to him and was about to go in.

I :how much does this book cost?

He showed me the back side.(Uncle I saw that..)

This is the original prize.but we will reduce it..

I was on cloud nine.How much u will reduce ?

After calculating, he told 450 for both.

Again I am on the top of Everest..This time  I will not fall down.. Now those books are mine..

“Shantaram..I have not forgotten u.Don’t go anywhere.Next time when I come here I will surely take you with me.”

On the way to our home(1 hour journey..) I was thinking of my father.

In our childhood he used to bring a lot of books.But never compelled us(My Brothers and I) to read those books except one “Voice of English”.I can’t find any other reason, other than my father’s over love for it, to hate that book.He never stopped his habit of buying books even though he saw us making paper boats with dictionary pages during rainy season.But when I grew up I understood why he dint stop his habit of buying books.After 5th or 6th std I stopped going out with my brothers during our summer vacation to play cricket or some local games.Those time my only companion were those books.I dint take much pain to read those books which I cant digest.Most of the books were high standard and was out of reach of a small girl.So after reading 1 or 2 pages I will stop reading it.But before going to hostel, after my tenth I managed to read all the books in our house.I know that will make only .00001% of total books in the world..or even less than that.But I love my father for helping me to develop the habit of reading( without my knowledge) which makes me a lot happy now..

So friends, what I have to say is,choose reading as your companion and you will never have to walk alone.It will open doors to those world you have never seen even in your dreams..Then you will realize you have more to discover in life than you’d ever thought of!! 

* Once I was about to buy gone with the wind for 890 rs but my friend stopped me telling that I will get it for lower prize..

P.S 1: Why I asserted the shop owner is a Muslim??

Now a days I am hearing a lot of people blaming muslims only because of a handful of terrorists.But the muslims I have met till now are noble persons..So I just wanted to add this uncle also in that list..

P.S:The conversation between two uncles is in Telugu.

P.S 2: If you read 1 book a week, then it will take 50 years to complete 2600 books..2600 is a very very small number when we consider the countless number of books..So start now itself !!

I regret the day I offered you lift because

you told me today that you may regret the day you  accepted my lift..

Can things be the same as

                            once they were ??

I cant see some of the faces which I saw yesterday..And the faces which I see around me now are filled with terror..

They have forgotten to smile..

They have forgotten to have fun..

Their faces are saying there is no other heartbreaking thing in life than waiting for the most awful thing..

People are not talking to each other..Some of them have lost the strength to face people..They are walking with their heads down..

I know days will no longer be the same as before..

Here I am standing still and all are moving fast around me..or is it the other way??Am I moving fast and all others are still??