I was going through the self help section at a book store recently. It had books on everything right from talking to strangers, feeling confident, making friends, and more than a dozen titles on being happy. Here’s my two cents on being happy.

Firstly, do we need a book to know how to be happy? Happiness is a feeling which comes from within. It cannot come by reading books. No one else in the world knows us better than ourselves. Only ‘We’ know what makes us the happiest. For some it is the latest gadget while for some it’s the best jewelry. Some people even get happy when they get the food they like while some others find happiness in success. Some of us get a thrill out of creative effort while some of us find happiness in our family or friends. It’s totally up to us to realize what makes us happy. Some people can earn Rs10 a day and sleep happily while others earning 10,000 a day might not be happy. It’s just our state of mind.

One thing common among all the people on earth is Pursuit of happiness. Someone rightly said “What we want from life is continuous and genuine happiness”. We all have only one motto in life – to be HAPPY. Some want to be successful to be happy, some want to be rich to be happy while some want to be famous to be happy.

Since childhood, we have known happiness as a conditional feeling. For example, as a kid, if you got a new toy you were happy. Slowly it graduated to good marks, good job, good pay, nice family….. We learnt to get happy on conditions. If I buy a new car I will be happy. If I can buy a new house I will be happy. Most of the times we relate happiness with things that have not happened.

We human beings have this common habit of forgetting the joys and remembering the bad times. We never ever think of being happy with what we have. I don’t say that we should not pursue success, money, fame or love. I just want us to remember the reason why we want success, money, fame or love. We always see happiness as something that will happen tomorrow. We forget to experience it today. The desperation, need or anxiety to achieve the means of happiness does not let us find happiness around us. There is no secret for happiness which we do not know or which a book can tell us. Everything is within us. We should learn to look inward for happiness. Care for people around you, try to make someone happy, and try to enjoy the life you have. Be grateful for what ever you have and you will be happy. Don’t relate happiness with future. It is in your present.

If you are already happy, your attitude towards your goals changes. You are more confident in your approach. Be happy that you have friends and family to share your sorrows. Be happy that you have not been struck by a calamity or tragedy. Be happy that you have a good home to live in and good food to eat.

Let us start being happy with ourselves first and other things will come on their own. Happiness does not need any investment. It just needs a mindset that we are happy. Being satisfied and happy gives you the feeling of joy and bliss which I guess is the ultimate aim of our every action. Let us not forget to be happy in this pursuit of happiness.

Popularity: 35%

With recession hitting hard, everyone is suddenly measuring the depth of their pockets. Some have suddenly found out of holes in their pockets that they never knew existed. Some others found out that their pockets were really just an inch deep. Those living in the now are the most hit, but will definitely manage around simply because this is the now for them. And those who planned and planned and planned and never really did anything with their money are perhaps the least hit!

The IT and stock boom brought with it some very interesting new Indian mentality. The average conservative middle class next door neighbor suddenly became a self proclaimed entrepreneur. Someone who would think twice before buying a finer grade of rice became an overnight investor. Stocks and shares, lands and homes, gold and platinum – you name it -  it was a worthy investment. Bank loans were lucrative, credit ratings and securities were a think of the past.

Everyone had the trendiest mobile and the coolest ringtone, multiple accounts in the finest banks, the snazziest cars and the poshest houses… Somewhere down the years, the conservative Indian seems to have almost disappeared. Prosperity slowly gave way to greed. Showoff became the order of the day. One car was no longer enough. Investment in real estate became a shortcut to climb the social status ladder. Gadgets and gizmos became displays of prosperity and stocks became money multipliers. Home loans, car loans, a dozen credit cards, a handful of personal loans – Whoopie! life was suddenly full of credit … And without much ado, the living within the means Indian suddenly started living beyond his means!

Sadly though, as we look around, some of our ‘most financially stable’ friends and relatives are coming to terms with reality catching up. Some optimistic ones are hanging on, some wiser ones are desperately weighing options and some others are still coming to terms with what hit them. I can but pray for them and help some as best as I can. How many of them will end up being smarter and conservative next time around is a wild guess … but for now one thing is clear … The conservative Indian is making a comeback. And about time too!

No, its not pointing and saying its wrong to dream big or to take risk … but then lets be honest – for every successful story reported out there are probably a hundred that don’t make the cut and are lost forever in feelings of loss and grief. There is a fine line – a line of calculated risk. A line that gently reminds us what our elders taught us. A line that we dare defy and assume that we are invincible. A line that we may pay a price for crossing. Something that no longer says “Yeh dil maange more” …

Yes, its debatable – Indeed there is opportunity in these turbulent times… and I am no expert at that!  I leave that out of scope for now. As of now, I am just one more conservative Indian

Image Credit: NateOne

Popularity: 11%

“Yet again the communal clashes in the city has left the streets  burning with the flames of hatred killing thousands of people all over “.

This is Naina Sahay reporting live from Mumbai, Kal Tak. 

Naina was a young, flamboyant journalist who had earned herself a lot of accolades for her brave reporting and blunt comments that supported the truth. Her parents passed away when she was barely the age of 12 in an accident leaving behind a lot of responsibilities and a younger brother to take care of.

As she grew up she started working at a very young age in order to give her brother the best of life she could. She gave him love of a mother, father as well as sister. And in the process earned a living through whatever jobs she could lay her hands on. Naina got introduced to the field of journalism through a friend and since then there was no looking back. 

Naina just kept on climbing the success ladder to earn herself a life she truly deserved. From scratch, today she owns a good house, car and everything. But what Naina truly cared for was Armaan, her younger brother. She could never live without him. A slight fever and the girl who could report under waist deep water during Mumbai floods would go paranoid.

A small wound on Armaan would make her go berserk  and a drop of tear from Armaan’s eyes would just make Naina depressed. Probably that’s the reason why Naina was unmarried because she could not live without her brother and would want to give him her undivided attention.

But then one incident shattered her life.

In the year 1993 communal riots broke out in Mumbai .People were behind each other’s lives. Dead bodies were lying on the roads. Injured unattended and bloody and gory sight’s everywhere. People were scared to get out of their houses yet Naina risked her life to deliver news to people.  So many times the bullets must have just missed her but even through such tensed situation she would remain calm and help the injured on the streets. While doing her duty her finger constantly clicked Armaan’s number at the interval of every half an hour to ensure his safety.  

Suddenly one day Naina heard a cry of help. On drawing closer to the sound she realized there was a man badly injured and was probably taking his last breadth. The man in a hushed voice called Naina closer. Naina hesitantly went closer. The man revealed a sensational news that would rock the nation and he also had photo evidence to back his story. Naina was shocked at the evidence. Before Naina could ask him any questions the man closed his eyes forever.

The man said that the current Chief Minister was involved in the clashes of Hindu and Muslim communities and he had started communal rights in order to degrade his political rivalry. Naina had a very important evidence and also the power to stop the future bombings that were planned to kill the leader of the opposition party which would leave the entire city burning and spoil the situation even more.

Naina hurried to her house and kept the photograph with Armaan. She went to her Head Office to make arrangement for her breaking news. But what Naina wasn’t aware of was the man who followed her to her house.

While Naina was in the office preparing for the prime event the man entered her house. Armaan heard the noise and went in the front room. The man attacked Armaan, Armaan resisted and tried to fight back but the man just removed a gun and shot down six bullets into Armaan. Armaan’s knees gave away, he fell down and instantly his life was snatched by the cruelty of the world. The man ransacked the entire house and found the photograph and ran away with it.

Naina with her boss returned to her house. Her feet trembled, beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, she collapsed the darkness was’nt only for the moment but for the rest of her life.  Seeing the pool of blood which Armaan was in, disturbed the mental state of Naina.

The news was’nt deliverd but the death of Armaan resulted in the suicide of the courageous self of what Naina used to be. Yet again the politics of our country silenced the truth. She lost her mental balance, she lost her voice and what was left was a silent suicide which was never recorded..

Statistics have shown thousands of people suicide due to different reasons but have we ever thought of the loss of individuality that people suffer at the hands of our ignorance…It is high time we follow the philosophy of LIVE AND LET LIVE… It is high time we understand that we are not divided on the basis of religion, caste, creed or sex but we all belong to a much higher sect that is Humanity.

We all have 2 eyes 2 hands 1 nose 2 feet, so why the heck are we fighting for our so called differences. Let’s all join in this human chain of understanding and love so that we make India, a better place to live in.

Popularity: 53%

Image Credit: bbjee

About a couple of weeks back, we ran a story Mamata sings for Singur, Tata says Tata Tata, bye bye. When we ran this article we were pretty sure that Tata would eventually move out of Bengal. And they did, leaving a thousand farmers wondering about their future.

West Bengal is supposed to be the intellectual capital of India. With the likes of Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji and thousands of learned men, this land of the learned has slowly and steadily become the land of agitators, unions, addas, lazy babus and most of all “pointless” fighters. Their greed and fight for unjust right has always landed them in trouble with Corporate India. Now, every corporate or multinational that plans for India will plan India sans Bengal.

I am happy for the farmers of Singur that they got back their land. But I am not happy with the fact that thousands of farmers who were in the brink of rejoicing a great future for their children, a secured job and an opportunity for growth will miss it indefinitely until a new Corporate messiah dawns the soil of West Bengal.

I will not be surprised, if a few of these farmers take some extreme steps. We have already seen this happening in other parts of the country where farmers took their lives after they landed themselves in financial crisis and Singur is no exception.

In a smart and quick move Tata Motors on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gujarat government for relocating the Nano plant to Gujarat. The plant will be located in Sanand, near Ahmedabad and will have an initial capacity of 2.50 lakh units, which will be expanded up to 5 lakh units. The project, comprising the mother plant and the vendor park, will come up on an area of about 1,100 acres.. This project is expected to generate over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.

It is learned that the launch of Nano, will be slightly delayed – apparently in the first quarter of 2009. Tatas had earlier said the rollout will be in the last quarter of this calendar year.

According to sources close to Tata Motors, the company would assemble the first few units from their Pune and Pantnagar plants. Tata Motors currently makes  the Ace Minitrucks from its Pantnagar facility.  It would be interesting to watch Tata sticking to its original promise.

Whatever said, Budha’s loss is Modi’s gain in the fight for Nanoland.

On a different note, immediately after Tata’s exit from Bengal Karan Thapar ran a “War of Words” show on CNN IBN featuring CPM politician Neelotpal Basu, Trinamool politician Trivedi, industrialist Sanjeev Goenka and industrialist Rahul Bajaj. Here is the link – Tata gone, West Bengal wonders whom to blame

Popularity: 16%

On Tuesday – September 2^nd, 2008, businessman Sanjeev Nanda was found guilty of committing a crime. No prize for guessing the right reasons – Drunken driving leading to culpable homicide.

It took nine long years to provide justice. Justice was delayed but yes – eventually delivered.

Sanjeev Nanda, grandson of a former Navy chief Suresh Nanda, was allegedly drunk when he mowed down three policemen and three bystanders on January 10, 1999, in South Delhi.

A Delhi court found Nanda guilty under the Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The law prescribes 10 years of imprisonment as maximum punishment. In most cases, the conviction is under Section 304 (1) – causing death by rash and negligent act – in which the maximum sentence is two years.

Now the key questions

If he has taken the lives of 6 people and is found guilty, is 10 years sufficient ?

Do we have strict rules and regulations in India where the guilty are punished severely ?

Are the penalties good enough ?

I think the law in India relating to traffic violations, road crimes, drunken driving etc needs to be relooked at.

When I lived in New Jersey and I had applied for a license, it took me one full month to read the whole book prescribed by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to understand and be ready for the test. The rules are so strict that I could not even take out the car even with a permit, unless I was supervised by a fully licensed driver sitting by my side. This went on for 3 months until I was given a provisional license. The provisional licence lasted only a year. And for every offence, the penalty was so high that it made me really cautious while driving.

No wonder the accidents are very rare in this part of the world and everyone here enjoys a drive down the road.

Of course – we did not have pavement dwellers or pedestrian policemen waiting to be killed.

I think as much it is the responsibility of the individual drivers to be responsible for their actions, the solution also lies with the government in providing shelter to the pavement dwellers, restricting mid-road midnight outing etc.

Time we changed the obvious !

Popularity: 6%

Credit: Just a Artist and a Photographer in Cleveland Ohio's photostream

Ideas just die if not translated into actions!!! I learnt this only after 30 years of my existence!

One of these days I was combating the slumber attack after a nice lunch, of course while at work.

These attacks are pretty common and obvious when one is at work, and mostly they happen either when one is in meetings, conference calls or post lunch hours.

Well mine happened during the post-lunch hours. I spoke (hushed) to my peers to get enlightened with this bright idea of tackling them. Well, at times you just don’t want to confront certain attacks, rather get along with them.

So, my dear idea-man offered me his free advice – one of the best ideas, I say. The idea was to sneak out of the office, head straight into the cellar parking, get into your car and take a nap (well, you can call it a power nap).

I have dozed off many a times behind the wheel (both, when the wheels were stationary and also when in motion – some risky stunts) but never during office hours.

That idea-day, I was so thrilled that there was no more slumber attack, it had already receded.

The following day, after lunch, back at my desk, when I sensed the attack, I decided to give a shot at what we had conspired the previous day. I borrowed the friend’s car- keys (of course I didn’t need the car, so borrowed only the car-key). Reached the cellar, got into the car and pushed the seat back and helped the attackers take control.

I had planned for a good 1 hour, but some people just wait for your most pleasurable moments to happen so they can disturb you in ways you wouldn’t have even imagined. I get a call from a friend from the US asking for some silly information, then one stupid insurance telemarketer, and then my own wake-up alarm. Well, even with these kabaab mein haddis, I managed to get a good 30-45 mins of it, the power nap J

Now I completely agree that ideas definitely need implementation. They – idea-generation & idea-execution – are just complementary, one for the other!

Popularity: 17%