Thursday 20 November 2014

3 Ways of dealing with all Champoos in this World


During my recent travel, I met an extremely irritating, rude character, who thought he was the only smart Alec alive on planet Earth blessed with rights to insult everyone around, irrespective of their age, sex and experience.

I gave this character a Nickname: Mr.Champoo Champiwaala. This world has many Champoo-like characters, only the names and faces change.
(The character depicted above is Ralph Wiggum from 'The Simpsons')

It angered me great extents that every lie repeated by Champoo more than 3 times was believed to be 'the ultimate truth'; while the honest ones had to sit silently and tolerate insult. Champoo got away with spending money collected for a good cause like it was his father's legacy, while he conveniently turned away deserving creditors as cheaters.

Meeting any Champoo can be a terribly unpleasant and unsettling experience. Here are my 3 ways of dealing with these extremely irritating characters:

Become Mr. Champoo's AEI (pronounced as आई ). 
(आई is Mother)

(This Blog does not support spanking of children; 
The Cartoon above is not to be taken literally and is only used for representative depiction)


A: Act
I once witnessed an incident where Champoo insulted a 60 year old and brought tears to this man’s eyes and all the ‘Good-hearted Pandavaas’ sat around and watched in silence.

Whether it is hurtful behaviour of a friend or horrid dominating in-laws; Whether it is rudeness of a government employee or getting cheated by a shopkeeper: "ACT": Don't sit quite, Do something;

This is not about 'Moral-Policing'; 

The Only 2 Questions to ask are:

Thursday 30 October 2014

Finding Aladdin's Magic Lamp

As children, we were all mesmerised by the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.

The thought has surely crossed my mind several times 'Oh! I wish I had the Genie and the Magic Lamp'

But Wait!! 

Many of my wishes do come true; I think about something and BINGO!!! my seemingly impossible wish comes true. Some wishes simply don't materialise; Whats the secret! 

Does each ONE OF US have an Invisible MAGIC LAMP ALREADY thats simply waiting to be discovered.

Lets see if we can find our Magic Lamp. Lets Say….



  • Each one of us is Aladdin, who is born with inherent skills but not the means for gaining access to grand results that we refer to as 'Magic'.
  • My Mind, Intellect, Memory and Ego act as the Evil Magician. These inner faculties lead to the cave and thus help find my Inner Magic and they also lead me to judge, bring mistrust, remind me of past events when I failed, tell me grand results are not possible and thus cheat me into believing that I am a 'nobody' and I can achieve nothing.

Thursday 4 September 2014

11 More Things I love about Mumbai

History of Mumbai:

Bombay was the first British Indian possession, which came as a part of the royal dowry in 1661 to King Charles II of England on his marriage to the Portuguese princess, Infanta Catherine de Braganza. 
(the 7 islands ceded by the Portuguese to the British in 1661)
Ironically enough, Bombay also set the stage for the birth of the country's historic freedom movement, as well as for some of its major landmarks, including Gandhiji's 1942 call to the British to "Quit India". 
(The first bonfire of foreign goods was lit in Bombay in 1921. Hats, caps, shawls and suits went up in a blaze. “In burning my foreign clothes I burn my shame,” said Gandhi)

It was in Bombay that the Indian National Congress was born in 1885. It led the country's struggle for political independence and indirectly to the liquidation of the British Empire.

The name "Bombay" was changed to "Mumbai" on August 12, 1996.
(Information Source: Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai)

I have already shared my first list of "11 Things I love about Mumbai" in a earlier post;

Here is my list of "11 MORE things that make me a Proud Mumbaikar".

1. In 1890, Mahadeo Havaji Bachche started a lunch delivery service with about a hundred men. The commercial arm was registered in 1968 as Mumbai Tiffin Box Supplier's Association
Between 175,000 and 200,000 lunch boxes are moved by 4,500 to 5,000 dabbawalas, all with an nominal fee and with utmost punctuality. It is frequently claimed that dabbawalas make less than one mistake in every six million deliveries. Dabbawaalas are surely a Pride of Amchi Mumbai.
(Information Source: wikipedia) 

2. Want to witness Magic: Visit Mumbai in the Rainy season. I love the lush greenery, flooded roads, the magical Rains, the lashing sea.
Please ignore the pot holes and the open Manholes. After all this is not Alice in Wonderland, this is Us Mortals in BMC-land. Did you know, that established in 1882, BMC was India's first municipal corporation.

3. Founded in 1880,  currently a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, diverse settlement. Dharavi's total population estimates vary between 300,000 to about 1 million.
I love it that a small one-room school in the heart of the largest slum has grown into an institute for 350 children. Hats off to 'Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir'(SSRVM) Team, Dharavi for bringing this challenging and beautiful transformation.

4. I love it how in Mumbai every single vegetable seller, milkman, shopkeeper, 

Thursday 17 July 2014

10 things scarier than Friday the 13th

Fear induced by superstition has its own place in our lives. But there are few things that can be scarier than a black cat crossing your path on friday the 13th :)

As kids, we have experienced many such gross moments, as we grew up the events changed, but fear in different forms, surely remained.

Here is my list of top 10 things scarier than Friday the 13th:

#10: Birthdays!!! A joy when we are young, a terror as we cross 40!


Well, the increasing number of candles on the cake surely make birthdays scary. 

(I know for sure, I am growing younger by the day. So, Who was the smart alec who invented the idea of having candles on the cake? Lets find him and make his candle burn on both ends!!)

#9: My friend Johann shared that having lived in a joint family, the scariest thing is being 

Thursday 13 February 2014

Bullseye : A Short Story

Since time immemorial, stories have helped drive home a message; Messages that have brought a change in our perspectives, our attitudes and mind-set, in general.

My earlier posts, "Walking the Path" & "Commitment meter" were very well received & this inspired me to share one more Short Story.

Once there was a warrior, an Archer. He was the best one from those times.

Being the best also brings along a little ego. Ego can make a person think that he is better than even than the teacher who taught him his skills.

And filled with his big ego, one day the archer went to his own teacher & challenged him in archery.

The teacher simply smiled and said, 'What good will it bring you, if you defeat me? If you defeat my teacher, then yes, you will undoubtedly become the best archer in the world'.

Thursday 9 January 2014

Decoding Superstition

The Last blogpost 'Top 3 most bizarre Superstitions' was a narration of superstitions that are not so commonly known, yet experienced first hand during my travel in India.

I have often wondered, what could be the probable reason for the invention of Superstitions in the first place! 

Could there be a logic behind the fear induced by superstitions? Or have they arisen simply because they provide comfort in dire situations!

Lets decode some 'commonly' known superstitions:

1. If a Black cat crosses your path it brings bad luck:


Ever wondered what would happen if this Superstition did not exist. 
Without the fear attached to the bad luck brought by a black cat crossing our path, we would probably become more careless when walking on the street & might even stumble into the black cats oblivious of their presence thanks to the way they merge with the night darkness.

This superstition surely makes us alert when walking on the streets.

2. Walking under a ladder brings bad luck:

Walking under the open ladder can be hazardous not only for the person who's climbed up on it but also for the person walking below the ladder. A loss of balance could hurt a person. 

Getting hurt is never a good idea, & this superstitions ensures, we are careful with ladders.

Safety first, Superstition later.

3. Bird Droppings bring You Good luck:




Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to have bird droppings on you, if this superstition did not exist. Making it out to be a sign of good luck, not only saves us from  embarrassment but also changes the reactions of people around us from 'Oh! Shit' to 'Oh, Good Luck'.

A welcome superstition indeed.


4. Hanging up Garlic, wards off the evil eye:


Garlic is used in food & also has high medicinal value. Ayurveda study shows that garlic has Antibacterial and Antiviral properties, is used to treat skin infections, reduces blood pressure & cholesterol, combat allergies, is a remedy for respiratory problems & used for Cancer prevention.

With so many medicinal properties, there is little doubt that it wards off the evil eye / When you hang a Garlic at a visible place, it would probably remind you to use garlic on a regular basis thus warding off the ill effects on ones health. 

5. To give someone a wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck:




A new Wallet can bring happiness to a person with lots of money.
But imagine to gift someone a wallet, when he is going through a financial crisis. Filling up the wallet ensures a smile on the face of the receiver, no matter what!

Message for the week:
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says “When You have  a pure heart and a clear Intention, Nothing can deter you & Nature will Support you”.


There is no substitute for hard work & commitment.  Check your Intentions,. Actions will get fruitful results, sooner or later.