Tid Bit from My Diary

How responsible are we with our words when we report about those mindless massacres by various terrorist organizations. A few days back there was a devastating blast in a shrine in Sehwan claiming many innocent lives. I read a report the following day on this deadly attack. It read somewhat like this: “ Over 100 people died when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the shrine in Sehwan in the outskirts of Hyderabad city in Sindh. ISIS has taken credit for the attack that prompted the new Army chief to swear revenge ”. Finding a news article on a fresh Violent incident has become too routine an affair and it no longer leave a lasting impact in the conscious mind, even though it goes on to instill another dose of fear in our subconscious mind. But I was quite annoyed to read that “ISIS has taken CREDIT for this heinous act. Credit since my early days has been associated with “praise, approval, or honor”. “She got her due credit for the invention or her boss took the credit ins...

B eing clean is a sign of goodness and spiritual purity and w e need to make our country clean. I believe that the cleanliness drive should start by cleansing our mind and heart before following it through to our surrounding and environment. But before we proceed, let decide to do one another thing .. draw a line. On one side of the line we place our way of life, perception of right or wrong and on the other side our political belief, politics, stubbornness and the likes. Those who fail to have a positive mindset should not be allowed to hold back rest of us from moving in the right direction. One such right direction is the ambitious “Clean India Mission” (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan) launched by the Prime Minister in October 2014. The goal of drastically improving the country by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It is disgusting to see some citizens including few so called leaders ridiculing this mission because they don’t agree with the ideology of the party...

One of these days while browsing a magazine, this small news clipping caught my attention. I made a note of it with my phone cam. Few days later I heard a radio program while in the car that spoke about the same subject. Arguably, o ne has to win jackpot with the right set of genes to live long. It also suggested that one’s lifestyle and geographical location plays equal vital roles. The information available from various sources differed but what I discovered about the world of centenarians is simply amazing. An article published on 12 July 2011 reported that the highest number of centenarians of the world resides in the US . Japan does not have as many centenarians but it has a higher proportion of its population aged 100 years or more. Japan’s average life expectancy of 82.9 years is the longest lifespan among  the OECD countries as illustrated below. On 11 September 2015, Japan Times quoted  Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare estimating the number of cent...

Glamour of The Red Carpet We have grown up seeing red carpets rolled out for VIPs and celebrities at every occasions. But, is the Red carpet red enough or it’s time for a change? I went about digging its past to propose a new future. The earliest known reference in literature according to Wikipedia is found in the play Agamemnon by Aeschylus , written in 458 BC. Clytemnestra , the vengeful wife of  Agamemnon offered a red path to walk upon his return from Troy. Agamemnon, was wary of disrespecting Zeus and his fellow deities by walking on such luxury and responded: "I am a mortal, a man; I cannot trample upon these tinted splendors without fear thrown in my path." In 1821, President James Monroe was honored in South Carolina with a red carpet laid out to the river. Red as a color has long been associated with prestige, royalty and aristocracy and royalty with the passage of time gave way to film royalty. Walking the red carpet became most glorified when the movie...

Last weekend we went to see a musical concert. The show was named "Under the Mistletoe", where musicians from Qatar performed to a packed auditorium. There were orchestra, wind symphony, singers and choirs performing separately and then coming together in unison for the grand finale. This was extra special for us as our daughter was one of the performers. It's the second consecutive year she had performed in the Christmas show as part of the choir and we were probably among the first few to book our tickets. I have uploaded the performances of the Choir and the Grand Finale in YouTube and invite you to get into the holiday mood for 2016. Where are you father Christmas Joy to the World Tap Tap Tap Tiny Little Baby Born in Bethlehem The grand finale was particularly enjoyable as everyone got cranked up for the festive mood.

In democracy, there is a strange feeling when it turns out that the person or motion you did not support has won. A feeling that resonates among thousands of Americans today after Trump’s triumphant win. Many Indians had similar feeling after the last general election and more recently after the demonetization of currency. As a result of that they are still burning inside with frustration. Let us not take a bipartite approach to life or belief as Mr. George W Bush’s dictated once upon a time ..   “you are with us or with the terrorists” , he said. Let’s look at the bigger picture and try to accept the good even if it is with the customary “Umm!” and “Uuuh!” Life offers multiple shades of grey between black and white! One doesn’t necessarily has to sweat in making THE decision as there are abundant opportunities to be selective while cherry picking own likes and dislikes. Now that enough bytes and energy has been expended in support, opposition, criticism and debates on vario...

We are a country of 1.25 billion and since gaining independence from the British Raj, only a small percentage of Indians have served the armed forces. Even a smaller percentage got wounded in action or have been martyred. But these small number of shoulders protect Our Freedom, Our Dignity, Our opportunities and carry Our Dreams and Hopes. They spend sleepless nights guarding our cities and borders so that we could sleep in peace. This post is to honor all current as well as ex-service men-women who served our nation during peace, war or natural calamities at great cost to themselves and their families. We Salute you!