Bit of This and Bit of That

  My class teacher in grade 5 selected me to participate in an inter class elocution competition. All that was explained to me was that I had to give a ‘bhashan’ – a speech on the given topic.   With the excitement to learn something new and the pride of being among the selected few, I told my mother all about it. She too had little knowledge about what to do and how to go about it. Internet was not heard of in those days. She spoke to a fellow parent of my school who she knew could guide me. She obliged and wrote the complete speech and wished me luck. So, I assumed I had to mug it up and blurt it out on the D-day. And so, I did. Surprisingly, I even won a prize. This is how public speaking was introduced to me. I went on to participate in many such competitions and win a few. Over a period, I realized that there was something lacking in the way I spoke but was too naive to identify it. When I was working at Infosys, I heard about the Toastmasters’ Club where the members ho...

Mona and Laxmi have been my friends long before I knew what friendship really is - since the time we were in kindergarten, to be precise. Now I don’t really remember how we met, what we talked about or why we liked each other then. But I do remember we discussed Ram ya Bhoot, Katti Batti and shared tiffin then. We grew up to do group studies, make blank calls, exchange notes, watch movies, dream and discuss about our ambitions, gossip and share our sukh-dukh with each other.   But the most memorable experiences are those of group studies at Mona or Laxmi’s place. We would gather with our books after dinner and promise to study hard till dawn. After an hour or so, one of us would feel drowsy and the other two would motivate her, mock her and make her remember the promises made to each other. From Laxmi’s “Bhagwan ke liye mujhe sone do” to Mona’s utmost comfort in her ‘maxi’ and from the Maggi noodles made by Mona’s mom to the tea prepared by Laxmi would make the night memorable and ...

To all those who haven’t seen me of late, I have gained weight and I don’t want you’ll to tell me the same. I prefer to assume everybody whom I haven’t met since the pandemic struck has gained weight too. It makes me feel better and less guilty. It is not that I didn’t try to remain fit (in the initial days) or to lose weight (later) but exercising didn’t seem to suit me at all. Every time I exercised seriously and regularly for a couple of weeks; all the forces of nature would conspire against me. First, I sprained my leg and my motivation dipped to an all-time low, but the needle of the weighing machine continued its journey rightwards. Again, after seeking inspiration from some of my acquaintances who kept getting fitter, I restarted my exercise regime. This time I got caught in a bout of illness and weakness seeped into my bones. A quick check on the weighing machine after the recovery showed that the needle never lost its motivation to break records. Now, I have resolved to try mo...

OTT platforms have been around for a while but had no place in my life till the pandemic struck. Out of boredom of the mundane life within the four walls of the house, I subscribed to some of these platforms. I was done with watching the movies I wished in a few weeks’ time, but life still remained the same. I thought of trying out some popular web series for a change. Now those who know me, will agree that I humbly belong to the old school of thought and the explicit and sometimes violent content full of profane language was not my idea of entertainment. So, I could not bear more than say fifteen minutes of these supposedly popular web series and stayed away from them for quite some time. When one of my friends strongly recommended a particular series, I gathered all my strength and conviction to watch it. Once the first episode was borne, the curiosity to watch further was kindled; making it appear not so intolerable. By the end of it, I was glad of having tried it and hoped to watch...

  The COVID-19 pandemic is not yet done with our little world and while it knocked us down in the beginning, it also taught us many a thing. Yes, everyone seems to be on a learning spree nowadays. The children are learning to code. The senior citizens are learning the nuances of social networking. The youth are experimenting in the kitchen, on the canvass or in their career. Those like me, who are staring at a midlife crisis, are done with coding and cooking and want to begin afresh. So, after a lot of deliberation, I too got on the bandwagon of learning and took up a foreign language course. It will also serve to tick one more item off my bucket list. Well, it does give me a thrill to learn again but not without the anxiety pangs to perform well. I’d be lying if I said I am not enjoying but there are times when I begin to contemplate what I stand to gain from this learning. Will it aid a career change? Or will it make me a more learned person? I do not have the answers yet but as ...

I return after a long hiatus to fill up the lacuna created in my life. I would like to begin with some good news hoping to create a good omen to revive my blog. I wrote and published my first book English Compositions this August. I confess, I never expected to sell more than a few books, which I was sure my family members would definitely buy out of obligation. The aim was only to aid a few students in their journey to write better. So, when the book was listed on Amazon and I informed my acquaintances of the same, I thought my work was over. But when my book sales showed a steady growth in the third consecutive month, I sat up and realized I haven’t thanked my readers. So, I take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who had faith in my writing skills, believed in me and bought my book. Thank you to those who recommended it to their friends and continue to spread the word. Thank you to everyone who has sent me genuine feedback- it means more than you know. And for those w...