Global Warming : an "Inconvenient Truth"

We all are facing the critical effects of Global Warming.. Rising temperature, evaporating water reserves, diminishing forests cover, sinking islands and melting ice caps.. well each word represents a scary prospect of unmanageable disaster.. We really don’t have time to even think, stand and stare.. Many efforts are being made by various countries, non profit organizations (NGOs) to slow down the rate of global warming.. but we need rapid individual as well as collective efforts to save this planet, Our very own Mother Earth..
Global warming, has another interesting side of this episode.. there are people who do not take global warming as something that is building up any tension..I would call them sceptic, careless, irresponsible people or group of morons...
Still I am hoping that no one is sceptic here about this waking up call of Nature.. People do talk about the aftermath of Global warming but I would like to share the remedies to be friendly with our environment.. For that we have to reconsider and redesign our lifestyle to survive further on this planet..

We cannot shut down our computers, Mobile phones and other electronic gadgets “Right” but can we try to minimise their usage?? For example a computer that runs 24 hours a day, uses more power than a refrigerator.. I know people who spend hour and hours to down load movies and games from computer.. Please don’t be merciless and watch your favourite movies in cinema halls or buy DVDs.. another solution is use a laptop to save energy.. Laptops are more environmental friendly than a desktop.. It consumes five times less electricity.. Don’t not over charge your laptops, cell phones and digital cameras.. and save electricity, water and environment.. Set your computer on Sleep-mode when not in use it saves energy by 40%..

Then we can replace the glowing bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). These use four times less energy and last some eight to ten times longer than the normal lighting equipments.. Can we keep an eye or be little careful while filling up our water tanks and coolers.. also don't over-water your garden.. Plants in our garden or pots need watering once a week or max twice.. do watering early morning for minimal water evaporation.. it is the best way of water conservation..

Let me be very honest I am going to talk about one of my bad habit, I do not turn off tap while brushing my teeth and soaping my hands.. Nothing but just laziness.. henceforth I will change myself and help to save water..

Drive less to save fuel (I know it’s impossible but try) try to walk (if the distance is not longer) use bike, carpool or take public transport once a week..

I cannot stop paper consumption.. So I will not give such kind of advise.. but we can stop using tissue papers.. go for the ancient way and use handkerchiefs instead. Because tissue paper is a major source of paper wastage.. It takes 6,000,000 (Six Lakh) trees per year to produce tissues for whole world.. Then avoid unnecessary paper printing.. recycle the paper as and when possible.. Please, please and please use both side of each paper for writing.. One much simpler and easier way to cut down the use of paper is to go for soft copies instead of hard (printed) copies to get the information and data stored in your computer..

It takes only a second to waste a beautiful sheet of paper but decades for a tree to grow..
Help.. Fight Global Warming..

Ye hai Bombay meri jaan..

It s been more than four years when I shifted to Mumbai.. A city where anything and everything is possible.. There are many similarities between Delhi (the place I born and brought up) and Mumbai (my present address).. Just like Delhi in Mumbai also I found carbon-dioxide more than oxygen, so have had no breathing trouble.. sach mazak nahi.. Like Delhi here also the roads are mostly used as a dustbin and cycle reaches faster than a car, same things happens in Delhi as well..
But still I found Mumbai is special and at the same time strangest place in many ways.. It is a craziest city to live in — a place you want to run away from but then you will always realise that you cannot live anywhere else now..
Lets talk about the strange things I got to know know about this place called Mumbai..
Mumbai’s ancient name was BOMBAY.. and why Bombay?? when it had no bomb and no bay either..
A very famous (and close to my heart) place called Churchgate, but actually it has neither a church nor a gate.. It is a Railway Station meant only for local trains..
I used to live in an area known as Andheri.. but trust me there was no darkness..
The list is huge, lets have a look..
· Bandara is a posh area of Mumbai.. but I have never seen or heard about even a single monkey (Bandar) in that area..
· Lower Parel is at the same level as Parel..
· The famous Mahalaxmi temple is at Haji Ali not at area known as Mahalaxmi..
· Teen bati is a junction of 3 roads, and has no lamp..
· No Iron smiths stay or work at Lohar chawl..
· There are manny Lokhandwala complexes now but not even one Lokhandwala has any Iron and steel market..
· You will not find ladyfingers at Bheendi Bazaar..
· Mirchi Gully does not sell chillies.. Like in Delhi Paranthe wali gali is famous for the prantha makers and you can have a variety of delicious paranthas there..
· Figs do not grow in Anjir Wadi..
· Sitafals do not grow in Sitafal Wadi..

Now some important features of a Mumbaikars life..
· Train timings (9.20, 7.50 etc) are very important events of life..
· People spend more time in travelling than they spend at home..
· Here people call an 8′ x 6′ clustered room a Hall..
· They have different sets of friend like school friends, college friends, office friends and a very unique community called Train Friends..
· Only in Bombay, I eat Chinese Dosa and have seen people ordering for Jain Chicken..

Who controls "Destiny" ??

"Destiny is not a matter of change, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan

This quote looks so impressive but is it true? Good thoughts, nice feelings to motivate a dead heart or the one who has lost interest in life and also hope to live, to struggle, to achieve something in life.. Otherwise I am little apprehensive and wonder how close is this to the reality of Life??
Destiny, is it really a matter of choice?? Can we choose our destiny??
If this is the Truth then why Priti could not shared the joy of becoming a parent with her husband?? Why Priti’s little daughter Prachiti, who was born soon after her father slipped into coma, has never played in her father's lap.. Has they selected their own destiny??
Well if I recall my meeting with 24 year old Priti Sawant, the answer I get back from myself is a big “NO”, It’s not us who choose our destiny..
Ok, Let me first introduce you to Priti..
Priti Sawant is wife of Parag Sawant, the last victim of Mumbai 7/11 Train blasts, Parag was travelling in the Churchgate-Virar train when the bomb went off on the same date.. Since then he has been in “COMA”.. In a simple language doctors describe it a vegetative state–neither alive nor dead.. or when a patient cannot feel any pain or emotions..
A few months ago I have read in a news paper that Parag has started recognizing his mother and now can also do simple math.. A 28 year old guy, who had been an assistant manager with a city-based construction company, can now tell you the answer of what is 6+2.. Well I was happy to know about Parag’s recovery.. and at the same time I was feeling sad to see how innocent people suffer at the hands of Destiny?? (well here i dont want to talk about the social insects also known as The Terrorists)
My personal meeting with Parag and his family happened around 2 year ago.. As usual I was looking for cases of coma patients..
A compiled information of Parag is, that he had got married just seven months before Mumbai Train Blasts, and at that time Priti was pregnant..
Soon after the good news of Priti’s pregnancy.. Parag was planning to change his unborn child’s destiny when he got a call of his own Destiny.. He fought and survived a long battle between his life and death, now again he is taking the initial lessons of life and simultaneously his daughter too.. Little Prachiti who knows nothing about life, destiny or this tragedy, is also learning some hard lessons of life..
That’s why I have named her Prachiti, means “Experience”.. as Priti said and was trying hard to match her smile with Prachiti..
Priti had no complaints against her or her daughter’s destiny.. rather I feel we are lucky enough that God has given us a chance to fight and win this battle.. Parag is alive and so does a hope of living a normal and happy life is also alive..

“Kismat uss din inhe (Parag) apne sath le zarur gayi thi par sath wapis le bhi aay.. warna kuch bhi ho sakta tha, jis aatanki hadse mei 187 logon ki maut huyi aur 900 ghayal huye wahan 187 ka 188 number banane mei kya der lagti, par kismat hum par meharban thi”..
Again KISMAT means DESTINY comes in the picture.. Most of us believe in the nature of justice.. If someone do something wrong we expect him/her to get punished for it.. So what about Destiny?? Who would punish her and when?? More difficult to understand is why good people suffer by the hands of DESTINY??
So don’t look back in past and don't look too far ahead either.. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time..

Well there's only now, there's only here.. No other path, no other way.. No day but today.. LIVE AND LET LIVE..

Lonely in Crowd..

पल पल बड़ते कदम, कुछ तेज़ तेज़ कुछ मधम मधम
वो चीख वो अंदाज़, क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??

आसमानों में टिमटिमाते दिये जैसे तारे,

जो इस तूफान में कुछ धुंधले हो रहे हैं

ये बरफ सी ठंडी आह, मासूम बियाबान रात,

क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??

याद है ज़िन्दगी भी है और तन्हाईं भी..

सिसकती हिचकियां भी हैं और सहमती रात भी

कभी आगोश में लेती हुयी माँ की पुकार को

और कभी धुंधली होती हुयी बच्चे की पुचकार को

क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??

वक्त में बेपनाह लडाई में, जब शाम का आंचल खिसक कर गिर गया

उस बाप की लाचारी भरी मुस्कान को

जो सोचता था शायद रोके न सही, हँसके मना लूँगा भगवान को

समझ में तुझे न आया "ज़िन्दगी" तू हवा है और तुझे बहना है

तेरी पशो पैनी पे भी ये आंसू रुकते नही

माँ का आँचल भरता नही

बाप की उदासी कम होती नही

बच्चे का दिल अब चिडिया जैसा चहकता नही

क्या मौत इसी को कहते हैं ??

जो अब आके भी मुझे नही आती..

Written by A Loner.. another Zindagi (not me)..

All I want to say is that "Nobody is a Loner on this planet EARTH, somewhere there must be someone who dreams of your smile, and finds in your presence that "ZINDAGI" is worthwhile, so whenever you feel you are alone, remember it’s not true, someone somewhere is waiting, to be with you..”

Does Love need a Reason..??

(This is a forwarded mail; I have received from one of my friends.. publishing it here with a hope that perhaps this could change views of people who take LOVE as a Friday movie or a seasonal fruit)

Once a lady when having a conversation with her lover, asked "Why do you like me..? Why do you love me?"
Man : I cannot tell the reason.. but I really like you..
Lady : You can't even tell me the reason... how can you say you like me? How can you say you love me?
Man : I really don t know the reason, but I can prove that I LOVE YOU..
Lady : Proof?? No! I want you to tell me the reason.. My friend s boyfriend can tell her why he loves her but not you!
Man : Ok..ok!!! Emmm... because you are beautiful, because your voice is sweet, because you are caring, because you are loving, because you are thoughtful, because of your smile, because of your every movement..
The lady felt very satisfied with the man s answer..
Unfortunately, a few days later, the Lady met with an accident and went in comma.
The Guy then placed a letter by her side..
Here is the content : Darling, Because of your sweet voice that I love you...Now can you talk? No! Therefore I cannot love you..
Because of your care and concern that I like you..Now that you cannot show them, therefore I cannot love you..
Because of your smile, because of your every movements that I love you..
Now can you smile? Now can you move? No, therefore I cannot love you..
If love needs a reason, like now, There is no reason for me to love you anymore..
Does love need a reason?
NO! Therefore, I still LOVE YOU...
"True love never dies for, it is lust that fades away.. Love bonds for a lifetime but lust just pushes away" Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.'
'Fate Determines Who Comes Into Our Lives, But Heart Determines Who Stays..'

If you don’t know something “LEARN”

Few years ago I joined a Delhi based television news agency.. had been appointed as a Producer for a weekly show “Khabrein Desh Bhar Se”..
Due to some unavoidable reasons my employer had to put this show on hold..and gave me another show based on Terrorism.. I got this news through my boss and trust me it actually left me in a terror like condition.. because my knowledge about terrorism was not more than any other comman citizen of India.. Had always focused more on the victims and less on the culprits in any terrorist attack. Moreover my forte was entertainment, soft and human interests stories.. I read my new agreement letter and before signing on it very furiously I mumbled “how someone can take such a drastic decision that too without my consent..

Now what to do? I asked myself.. I was between two kind of thoughts “I can do it vs I cannot do it” But the warrior, inside of me was not ready to give up.. Therefore I decided to start with the pre-production work and “phir dekha jayega jo hoga”

The first and biggest speed breaker I had to face was a herd of jealous male (senior) producers.. “ye kul paida huyi ladki kya jane Terrorism kis sher ka naam hai” and many more comments to break my confidence i heard but they made me stronger indeed..

I started reading, walking, living, breathing, and sleeping with the available data, stories about the Terrorism.. Books, internet sites, newspapers were my new friends.. and I was ready to start with the production of MY first episode.. Is there anything missing I looked back and tried to analyse my preparations.. “Oh Yes” my show needs living evidences to prove that in India its Pakistan who is supporting terrorism and providing needful infrastructure to these terrorists.. I need defence experts to talk in front of camera and share their experiences with the viewers..

I met a few senior journalists, my senior colleagues were against and opposing my efforts but my destiny was fully supporting me.. and there I met my saviour.. In our first meeting very sincerely i informed him that I am a new comer.. do not know even the ABC of terrorism.. and also about my nervousness..

"Look madam I don’t think the problem you are sharing with me is actually big or will remain with you forever".. He said very rudely.. but very soon I got to know that this is his style of making me confident.. He further added “Even I was a beginner when I started climbing on this ladder”..

“If you don’t know something then “LEARN” naa.. What is the problem, haan..

Is there any problem, I asked myself.. and my answer was Na Na..

I got all needful help from him.. made many episodes of that show.. and proved myself in front of my senior but insecure male colleagues ..

He taught me that do not pay attention on the howling mob.. stand and fight if you think you are right..

How many times did you laugh today?

Recedntly I have come to know that in the entire animal realm, it’s only WE, the humans are capable of laughter. Isn’t it a surprise??? Otherwise humans and animal have everything common. Animals can cry, they do have emotions, in their hour of need they also know the meaning of self defense. So what exactly made us different and special is “LAUGHTER” hahaha. Laughter is artless, I mean we can’t make it beautiful of ugly it’s a spontaneous reaction of a human body to something funny or pleasant. Laughter is infectious and at the same time is the best medicine as well. That reminds me sometime ago when early in the morning I have been to Juhu beach… I have experienced an entire different world out there. I met many groups; they have formed their laughter clubs and are promoting laughter as a "Therapy". They start their day with a laud laughter, no matter if its fake but they do meet every morning, and laugh together to start off a healthy day. What an intelligent idea to start a nice, energetic DAY. There I met a 77 year young lady (yes encase she more energetic, cheerful and eager to live the life than me) hahaha… though the fact is that she had a very rugged life. Her positive, vibrant aura forced me to go and talk to her. I was inquisitive to talk and know something about her. I did what I wanted to do. I spent sometime with her and got the reason of my inquisitiveness to know her. Beta ji kya janana chahte ho aap mere bare mei? I said I want to know the secret of your energy and aspiration to live and serve people even at the age of 77. She started narrating her SECRET… now hear her caredully... I got very sick. One after other, I caught up with several diseases, was totally bed ridden. My family prayed that my soul departed so that I could have ended from the sufferings.
I asked her then how the miracle happened?
She said this miracle happened with a free treatment and medicine called Laughter and a desire to live a healthy life. She said this laughter club gave me this new healthy and young life. and again she started laughing. She was laughing without any reason but soon I also joined her and I was laughing until tears rolled out. Trust me it’s a power booster dose, a real fun and healthy too!! I know two more people they don’t fall sick, they don’t cry either. Rather they make everybody to laugh. You wanna know who they are… arre our very own and lovable eternal funniest characters Santa ji te Banta ji. Hahaha. We all look nice when we laugh. Haan sach. So how many times did you laugh today? Please try if you want to stay young and healthy forever…

Life..

Zindagi-- The Life. It’s really hard to define... or rather it depends on every individual that how he/she would like to define it. Life keep changing its meaning and definition according to need and circumstances. For a kid life s all about how to get Chocolates or to make some reasonable excuse to take leave from school in case home work is not done. For a teenager life is proposing to his girl friend. For a youngster Life is to get a job with handsome salary package and then to get married with a nice, caring and loving girl. For a patient Life is how to get rid of hospital, medicines, doctors and the disease. Well the list is endless…

But, what is my definition of LIFE… Honestly I have no set definition of LIFE... I am and have been a part of many television reality shows therefore get opportunities to see and experience Zindagi at different level through different aspect…

Fortunately it is a profession where i get opportunity to entertain people through my creative sense and experience and at the same time to know and learn more about life. Because it’s better be wiser by the fate of the others than by your own.

And we are making people also to realize that their lives are not all that bad after all. It helps them to see that they are not the only ones with problems and dysfunctional lives and families. I still remember one incident when I met a lady who was suffering with a life threatening disease. She was a viewer of the show I had been working at that time, she must have watched the episode where a kidney patient was the player and he played with his full energy and witty sense, he really played well and won some ten lakh on that show.

During the audition for the next schedule I met her, she came hugged me and said after watching your show I have realized that what a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d have realized it sooner..

धरती, आकाश, चाँद, सूरज और जिंदगी इनका कभी कोई हमसफ़र नही होता.. आवारगी इनकी आदत है.. इनके सफर का कभी, कहीं, कोई अंत नही होता..