The world as I see

Got an invitation from a friend to Google Wave.Explored some of it features and its actually cool.Its basically a collaborative tool integrating services like e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, and social networking into a one single product.I guess it was time for regular email-instant messaging to evolve into something like this. Basically you can create a thread of conversation or something known as a 'wave' wherein you can add people from your contact list and there you are...ready to go.You can start instant messaging and as you type, people on the other side can actually see what you are typing. You can also add your own attachments to the conversations just as in your regular email.So its basically like a dashboard where you can share images, video, audio and text.At any point of time you have an option of following or un-following a wave. Besides regular formatting features you have feature like striking your text,highlighting it, instant spell checks, editing of con

'Incredible India' campaign has won World Travel Award for the year 2009.Now isn't that something to feel elated about. I mean I understand we have much serious issues still dangling over our heads, in our overly populous and poverty stricken country and have a long way to go but doesn't this give a confidence of an improving, growing India. Well "Incredible India" was an initiative started by Government of India, way back in year 2002, with an effort towards reviving tourism industry, when it was hit by a slump. Attack on World Trade Center, the war on Afghanistan and the attack on the Indian Parliament had hit it badly then. It was Amitabh Kant, the former joint secretary in the ministry of tourism, who realized that India still gave a mixed and confused picture to any foreign visitor.So he along with his colleagues came up with this idea of branding India as Incredible.The work was not over by just making few videos.It had just begun.Apart from a meaningfu

It was a fresh, radiant morning.As I gently placed my toothbrush on the parapet of my terrace and began splashing water on my face, I saw a crow hopping towards my brush.I stood still making sure not to disturb him.It quickly looked around in all directions and then swiftly landed its beak on the brush getting the taste of the toothpaste.As it flew off, I couldn't help smiling to myself. I started brushing my teeth wondering how little I knew about birds.As I looked up in the sky I found some crows flying hither and tither.Looking further higher were some eagles gliding happily. And how could I forget these sparrows all around me, comfortably seated on wires, chirping endlessly, as if they had so much to say and nobody had time to listen.Back home in Delhi, I remembered a cuckoo used to sing so beautifully in the backyard of our quarters during summers but the best I enjoy is watching those huge bunch of gray and white pigeons on old Delhi streets, flying in unison in a pat

Friendship is an amazing relationship.Too inappropriate to be framed within words.Unlike most relationships, in this one, you get to choose the person with whom you are binding with and sometimes it just happens.You meet someone out of coincidence, talk to them and slowly you find a strange connection binding you together. Slowly you become a part of each other's lives and find yourselves to be inseparable, wondering "How was I living without him/her till now?" When you are down and you need a shoulder to cry, all you have to do is call a friend.When you cannot lift up your spirits on your own, just drop at your friends place and he/she will glad to see you.When the whole world goes against you and you try your best to defend your actions, convincing your near and dear ones, but all in vain. Don't frown thinking everybody has left you. Just look over your shoulder and you will see a friend still standing next to you, oblivious of reactions of all the people. A frien

Micheal Jackson is dead. Tribute to a man who tried to bridge the gap between people of various creeds and colors through his music.He was a legend in his own way. I will always remember this song of his, which he composed along with Lionel Richie.

We are born, we live and then one day we die.As we grow up we amongst all shades of love, develop some for our motherland. Few of us carry it ahead and allow it to evolve into a sense of service for the nation. These few men, give up on thought about themselves and take up duty towards many of us. Their life, joy, youth is dedicated towards this nation. They are the real heroes many a times unsung, but they never really care. They know they are the sons of this soil. And its them who actually pay the real debt of being born on this land. It moistens your eyes to see how the rigours of their hard, disciplined training moulds their innocent youth into hard,tough,unattached soldiers serving with just one desire - to serve the nation. In this world where we mostly have men whose lives are spend tending and attending to the needs of just one family, that is theirs and you can see them sometimes getting bogged down by it, but on the other hand there are these men who tend to so many familie

The phone rang and I wondered who it might be.On hearing my friends voice after a long time, I was happy to hear from him. After completing college, he had decided to move to US, for his masters. He completed his masters and took up a job there thinking he would stay for few more years, before returning back to India. Its been 9 years now and he hasn't returned back yet.He is happily settled in US now. But he still remembers each and every thing about India.He misses days he spent here. When I asked him if he ever wished to come back here, he replied "This place has opportunities. Its so clean and everything is so systematic.It will be difficult for me to adjust to India now". On hearing this I asked "Won't you ever return back to India then?" To this he added "Just see how chaotic that place is. And then there is so much of struggle for existence at each and every step. And besides, you can never change the mindset of people, in India.Tum kitna bhi j

It was still Wednesday, which meant a few more days for a weekend to arrive. Weekend after a long hectic week at work, meant like a fresh breeze in a hot Indian summer. Radha glanced first at her watch and then at a huge mass of vehicles ahead of her "Will I be able to make it to office on time?". This was the question that crossed her mind as she saw no signs of traffic easing. She looked around. There were people on bikes, in cars, in buses, in auto-rickshaws, in cabs and in all sort of vehicles found typically on the Indian roads. The vehicles surrounded her from all sides. She could hear engines roaring noisily, burning all the precious fuel and emitting all toxic gases to this environment. With most of the trees cut down for widening roads , she wondered who will clean this polluted air. Most of the people on the roads were youngsters, mostly of her age, rushing to their workplaces. Nobody had time to think about trees, air, pollution or fuel getting over one day. They

As Meera stood by the window of her apartment, watching people struggle their way home, the raindrops splattered on the glass loosing their form. The traffic on the road was in a chaos due to immense rains since morning. It was just 6:30 pm in the evening and the sky looked already too dark and fierce. Looking up in the sky she could make out the sky was full of thick dense clouds with no signs of rains coming to a halt. Just then the door bell rang and she rushed to open it. "It must be Shyaam" she thought and she was right. As Shyaam entered the door he remarked “Ah! this rain” taking the bag off his shoulders. “Oh common don’t be so cynical; rains bring life” added Meera taking his lunch box from his hands.” I wish everybody out there could think the same way” he replied back. As Shyaam went to take a bath, Meera got a cup of tea for him. He settled on a sofa and picking the remote up, started changing the channels in search of some sensible news. After switching back and

Eclipse is when three celestial bodies fall in one staright line while moving in their own trajectories.The term is mostly associated with Solar or Lunar eclipse that can be viewed from earth.Lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere in the world whereas a Solar eclipse can be viewed from only certain parts of the world. So when the sun, moon and the earth fall in one line, one of the most interesting cosmic phenomenon occurs which is known as eclipse. In India, eclipse is greeted differently.It is considred to be a bad omen.It is supposed to bring misfortunes like wars,floods or some personal bad luck,etc etc.Now amongst some of the things that are done as a customary in India during the eclipse are food is neither eaten nor cooked.All food cooked before eclipse is thrown away.People take a dip in water bodies and chant mantras to ward of the evil effects of eclipse.Pregnant women are not supposed to go out during eclipse.And as soon as it is over people take bath again, clean their k