Wake Up India

My heart moves every time I see a Bomb Blast in some part of my motherland. I go dumb when I see acts of war on cities like Mumbai. How long is my country going to suffer like this? How long my country men's bodies will be lying, soaked in their own blood, like street dogs?

We seem to bother only when something happens and then after a few days we go back to our routine and act like nothing happened. Everyone talks about what happened but no one talks about what can "WE" do to avert this kind of situation in future. Most of us will ask What can we do? I say, if we don't then who will? Are we waiting for God himself to come down on earth and save us? It's "WE" who will have to do something about it.

I was talking to few friends of mine on this issue and they said that the problem is that we don't vote and I cannot agree more on that. The URBAN India needs to vote and they need to vote Big time. Just discussing politics over cup of coffee or in lunch breaks is not enough to save our Nation. We do need to create a VOTE BANK of people, who vote not based on Religion or Caste, but who vote based on issues. We do need to create a pressure group for the people in politics, to consider our vote too.

I understand it is important to vote. But I need to go one step ahead. I would like "US" to dive deep in that dirty field of Politics and get our own shot at government. Instead of choosing people who would like t make decisions for us, I would want like-minded people to make decision for ourselves and the betterment of whole nation. We are much better than any politician at any given day. Then why can't we ourselves get the job done. Even if we vote today and no matter how much better one candidate is from another. At the end of the day they are all same. They all are corrupt, they all care for their vote banks. All they can think is about their own Posts and how to save it.

For once, for god sake can't they think about the people who are dying? Can't they think about the injustices done across the country. And if they can't then we will. Its time now to stand for ourselves and stop relying on these politicians.

Its time now for India to get a fresh set of PATRIOTS who will actually make this country a better place to live. Its time for India to get into deserving hands, who will shed their blood to get India the respect that it deserves in Global Community. Its time for we people to rise. Rise above our petty daily needs and sacrifice a little for our motherland. Its time for a REVOLUTION which will bring the change that we need to see.

If you are really interested in doing something for our country then get in touch with me and we will make this happen. If you are still not convinced Its we who will bring the country to prosperity then sit back and watch US... BUT, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE.........

JAI HIND

A Wednesday: An exciting thriller

When I decided to watch A Wednesday, I had no idea what I am going to get. I had no expectations. I had never even heard of this movie. Didn't even know who all were there in the movie other than Naseeruddin Shah.

But when once I started watching the movie, I forgot everything. I was so glued to the movie that lost sense of space and time. I was so mesmerized. There has been a lot of movies made on Terrorism in India and abroad but this is a class apart. I can't reveal much about the story else it would spoil the fun of watching this thriller. But it is one of the best thrillers Bollywood has made in long long time. The debutant director Neeraj Pandey's effort is to be applauded. Making such a masterpiece in any attempt is great, but Neeraj has achieved a great feat in his first outing.

I am so helpless that I can't even mention the summary of the movie or it would give away everything. All I can say is it is a must watch movie. The actors involved have done a great job. Every actors suit their character and every one has delivered a great performance. Yes, there are some loopholes in the story but but they are not so big that it cannot be ignored.

The biggest stars of the movie are Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah and above all of them is the captain of the Ship, Neeraj Pandey. A tightly woven 100 minutes will keep you spell bound and when you come to end of the movie, I bet you will get your hands together and applaud everyone's efforts.

This movie gives Bollywood a new talented director. Let's give a standing ovation to the Man of the Moment, Neeraj Pandey, who had the guts of making a path breaking movie beating all stereotype by making such a masterpiece by having 2 old aged heros.

Well done Neeraj. Hoping to get more such flicks from your kitty...

Well Done Abhinav!!

Olympic Gold Medal, a life time dream of any Athlete. For an Indian it has been a dream which has eluded us for over a century but only till now. Abhinav Bindra is only the man of the moment for others but for us Indians he is the man of century. He has achieved something which many promising talents have failed to achieve in 112 years of Modern Olympics history.

This is a moment when even we Indians can hold our head in pride. A lot of people would argue that it is just one Gold but lets remind ourselves that This is not just another gold. This is THE GOLD which over 1 billion people have been waiting for so many years. This is Gold which has wait period of more than a century, longer than the life span of any of us.

Its very easy to be critical about anything. But there are moments which you have to rise above everything else and applaud. We all need to applaud for Abhinav Bindra for what he has achieved is no rare feat. It is not just a medal, It is out national pride. I strongly believe what he has achieved is much much bigger than any of our sporting wins in history of Indian Sports. This win would be remembered forever. First of any kind is always remembered. No matter how many gold medals we win in future, First will always be First.

It takes a lot of determination to be the best in whole world and Abhinav has proved he is nothing short of BEST. Winning world championship was not enough for him. He decided to give us most treasured Independence Day Gift.

All I can say is he is the Biggest Star of Indian Sports and We hope there are more like to come. But for now, Lets celebrate and heave all praises on Abhinav, the man who made dreams of billion people come true.

Is India capable of fighting Terrorism?

After reading the piece of news that Delhi High Court has lifted 7 year old ban on Student Islamic Movement of India (known as SIMI), I was forced to think hard. What exactly is going on? In last seven years, Both BJP and Congress have ruled the country and they made most Indians believe that SIMI was a terrorist organization, providing logistic supports to Lashkar and Al-Qaeda. But After renewing the ban 3 times in last so many years, Government is not able to convince court of its own beliefs. How did that happen?

According to court, Government do not have enough proof to get SIMI declared as a terrorist outfit. What a shame? On what basis, did Government ban the organization in first place. Is it just another political stunt by congress to gain loosing Muslim vote? I would love to think otherwise. But having said that what is the answer to the question? Honestly, I don't know.

My idea here is not to defend or oppose the ban on SIMI. My real concern is Terrorism against India and how are we handling it? I am sure everyone will agree that we are soft on terror. But its easy to blame government for everything non-functioning. The real question is why is Government soft on terror? Why can't we go ahead and nuke the countries (I Hope you understand whom am I talking about!!) supporting terrorists inside our country. The answer is its not so simple. Lets discuss reasons behind it.

1. First Reason is We are not America. We definitely have the muscle power to do such an act. But unfortunately, we do not have enough friends in world to support our actions. Lack of proper foreign policies indeed.

2. It has taken ages for us to build some good relations with some powerful countries in the world. The last thing we would want now is to do something stupid and get immunized by the international community.

So, the question is what do we do to curb the terror? We can't sit back and watch hundreds of our countrymen die for nothing. It can be us or our family next. This truly is an alarming situation and something needs to be done and done real fast. Having said that, if the solution was so simple then it would have been implemented long back and we would not have been in such a situation. In my opinion, the answer lies in Judicial System of India. And not only solution of this problem but it is answer to most of our major problems.

We need to tighten the Judicial System in India. The court cases run longer than the age of the suspects. There are over 2.5 crore criminal cases pending in India. whew... that's a huge number. With population of 100 crore... that means 1 criminal case against every 4th man. Very shocking number indeed. And this is all due to our ever corrupt system and non-working judicial system. People who commit crime have no fear of getting the punishment. And this is what leads to fundamentals of terrorism.

People in India are willing to do anything for a few hundred bucks. I have heard of reports where officials at the border let terrorist in country for some sum of money. I hope this is just an allegation and not true at all. But looking at the current scenario in India, I can expect anything to happen.

We need higher punishment ratios. We need some fast tracked court, to handle sensitive cases of terrorism. Death penalty for Terrorists is not enough. They need to be kept alive and die everyday. If they can do barbaric acts, we need to show them that we can match them. Any one with even slightest of links with these masterminds or executioners need to be treated in same way. We can't let them off, just cause they actually did not pull the trigger, they only helped in putting the support together. they are equally responsible.

And when we start getting fast and hard results, people will start fearing before doing or even helping out in such heinous acts. I am sure the rates of such incidents will go down and peace will dawn on our nation.

What do you guys think we should do to curb terror. Do share your opinions. til next time.. ADIOS..

Take your chances.

I ended my last post with "But for nothing on this earth I am going to miss Finale on August 2nd". But unfortunately that's exactly what happened. I missed it and that too for very stupid reason which I cannot even mention out here.. The moral of the story is "Don't take anything for sure".

No matter how many plans you make.. no matter how perfect you think it out. But life always has its own plans and leaves you no choice but to follow it. Anyways, what is done is done and no use in frowning over it. I also believe in When life closes one door, it opens another. So, I used this miss chance of watching Fireworks to watch a a critically acclaimed and also commercially very successful movie "The Dark Knight".

Having heard praises from all around, I went in with very very high expectations from this movie. And trust me, It exceeded all my expectations. Even after exhaustive 2:30 hrs, you are left with pleading for more. What a performance!!! No No, I am not talking about the "Batman" Christian Bale, he was good too like every other actor in movie.. I am talking about "The Joker" played by Heath Ledger who simply stood out of so many good performances. Man, every single appearance of his on screen, every time he said "Why so serious??" were just mesmerizing. Such an effortless act. I believe this performance of his is much much better than his Academy Award nominated performance as Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain. Its so unfortunate that the actor is no more between us. We are so fateful that we will not be able to watch any other masterpiece from such a prodigy.

That's what I mean by Life always has its own plans. Such a genius actor, just acted in 20 movies and at an age of 28, died of prescription drug overdose. What a waste of such a genius. I close this post with all my tributes to Heath Ledger. A genius who could have been a Master. A short but well lived life.

HSBC Celebration of Light 2008 Vancouver Canada

WOW.. this is all I can say after viewing such a magnificent display of fireworks. That was breathtaking. I don't think there are any words or even images that could describe the beautiful images which are fresh in my mind even after a week of seeing those spectacular views.

Find Some Images of the Event here.......

To give you guys a little background of what I am talking about? I am talking about the Annual International Competition of Fireworks display which takes place in summers in Vancouver in Canada. To give a little History on this, This competition has been hosted in Vancouver since 1990 earlier known as "Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire". But in year 2000, when Canadian Government banned advertisement of Tobacco in the country, Benson & Hedges pulled out from this million dollar event, later to be rescued by HSBC Bank. So, from 2001 the event was rechristened to HSBC Celebration of Light.

Generally 3 Countries participate in the contest. All the participating countries get one day each to display their stuffs for 30 mins based on a theme chosen by them. Then there is one finale where each country displays their skills for the last time and the winner is announced. The firework display is supported by Music on the beach. The fireworks and music are so synced that you would be amazed. for more details you can get information here.

This is my first year in Canada and I try not to miss any chance to view anything unique. But I had my other reasons to go to this event and that was my new Camera Canon EOS 40D. After failed attempt to capture beautiful images of fireworks on Canada Day on July 1 2008 on Canada Place, I had to get the fireworks images worth viewing else I would have stopped believing in my own photography skills. But more on that later.

This time I made sure I would be on English Bay quite before time to book a spot to set up my tripod and camera. But unfortunately Life is not as you plan it and it always manages to give you surprises, no matter how much you plan. So, even though I planned to reach English bay by 7:00 pm, I could manage to reach there only by 8:30 pm. I did not expect such huge crowd to turn up. The road were blocked by Police, even for Public Transports and thus we had to walk a long way to actually get there.

But after all the hiccups, My wife and I did manage to get a nice spot which gave a good view of the Ships in middle of the sea from where Fireworks were suppose to happen. Now it was period of long wait of 90 mins as Fireworks were scheduled to start by 10:00 pm. It was July 23 and was turn of last years winners Canada to show off their skills in front of their home crowd whose strength of presence was estimated to 100,000. Thus the crowd was excited and so was I.

Then the clock struck 10:00 pm and the music for the fireworks started and so did the fireworks. And it was so mesmerizing that people were just awing at each firework. I was busy clicking images from my camera, having my fingers crossed, hoping atleast a few pictures turn out worth the pain that we took. But leave aside the pain, the display was so majestic that we were lost into the view before us. It was a feeling which only be felt and not described. Everything was so synchronized that it seemed it was godly. You can view some images here.

When the display finally concluded, We were left with hoping it would have continued a bit longer. Those 30 magical minutes passed in a dash and we were left asking for more and more and more. I could not wait to come back again to see the rest of the country's fireworks. USA presented on July 26 and China on July 30. I already missed the USA's presentation and am most likely to miss China's presentation. But for nothing on this earth I am going to miss Finale on August 2nd. And will surly share my views on it soon. Till then take care.

Find Some Images of the Event here.......

He who fails to plan, plans to fail

"He who fails to plan, plans to fail" - Anonymous

A humble proverb with a very profound message.
A message which believes in actions rather than just words.
A message which speaks of thinking ahead.
A message which talks about transforming your dreams into reality.

Dreaming of success is what every one does. But only a few know, what it takes to get there. And These are the few achievers, who precisely know the importance of PLANNING. Planning has got all that needs to get you there.

Imagine, facing an examination without any preparations, without any groundwork, without any planning. Trying to succeed falls under the same class. You just can't dream of achieving without having a plan in hand. It's like aiming a target with eyes closed. Imagine how many attempts would be needed to actually hit the bull's eye? It would be more of luck than skill to achieve it.

What does it mean?? It implicates that Dreams be jotted down, milestones be penned, paths be defined and finally be executed. Easier said than done. But believe me, only route to Accomplishment has to cross this bridge of schematic approach.

Ambiguous dreams and plain talking leads us nowhere.
Everyday schedules has to be composed.
Schedules need to be Monitored.
Results be transcribed.
Accomplishments be lauded and Failures be reviewed.

All this on daily basis will get us in groove and set us free on path of Victory.
We will feel the difference, grow in confidence and Success will elude us no more.

Dare to Dream

"Dare To Dream" The Magic words.
Words that create history.
Words that build present.
Words that shape future.

These are the words which have power to change the destiny of an individual, power to turn the tides of the fortune, power to make special out of ordinary.

It all starts with Dreaming.
Dreaming, not for just surviving.
Dreaming, not for just existing.
Dreaming, not for just thriving.

But Dreaming to achieve.
Dreaming to excel.
Dreaming to accomplish.

But Dreaming alone can't get you there. You have to be realistic with your dreams. You have to plan it, You have to execute it and You have to get it to the finish.

But then said that, it does start with Dreaming.
Do you have the guts to Dream?
Dreams to rise above the rest.
Dreams to make impossible possible.
Dreams to outshine the world.

Yes it does start with dreaming.
If people would not have had dreams of reaching horizon, we would have not crossed continents.
If someone would not have had dreams of flying, we would not have been piercing the skies.
If no one would have had dreams of reaching for stars, we would not have reached the moon.

Everyone has dreams.
Everyone has aspirations.
Everyone wants something or the other.

So, What's your Dream?
Do you Dream of being the wealthiest person of the world?
Or do you Dream of being the most powerful face of the earth?
Or do you Dream of being the King of Kings?
Or do you Dream of owning a house on the banks of a lovely river and fishing with your beloved?
Or do you Dream of engrossing all the pains of your loved ones and sprinkle them with all the happiness that they deserve?

The answer most of you would give is "Oh Yes, I do Dream. Dream of ..............".
Thats great to hear. I would say You have taken that first step.
But now it is time for that first effort.
Dreaming was great, but it is time now to turn it into GOAL.
and as someone has said "Goal is nothing but Dreams with a Deadline".
So, make your goals, plan your steps and and finally execute and execute and execute..... until you succeed.

But more on that later. For Now, start dreaming, but don't sleep as you have to rise.
You have to rise and shine above the world.

Sky is the Limit

"When things are no more the same ,
Try once more and play the game.
Wipe the tear and stop the cry;
Sky is the limit if you try" - Anonymous

"Sky is the Limit" a phrase which is often uttered but rarely implemented. It implicates Sky is our limit but it itself has no limits, which ultimately turns out that our potentials are unlimited.

The question here arises that Are we all born with limitations? Is our present a mirror of future? Are we incapable of springing out of the rot that we are into?

I would say it's our Brain that plays games and makes us believe
No, you can't run that extra mile.
No, you can't jump that extra feet.
No, you can't climb that extra inch
No, you can't scale that extra depth.

If any of the above was true then
Budhiya Singh, a six year old kid, would not have run 60 km in a stretch.
Sergei Bubka would not have broke his own world record 35 times.
Sir Edmun Hillary would not have climbed, the so called in-scalable, Mt Everest.
Patrick Musimu would not have dived 209.6 meters, the deepest ever by any human.

We often wonder how do these guys do this?
How can someone break his own world record 35 times when it takes ONE IN MILLIONS to break it once?

The answer to this is PERSEVERANCE.
No matter how many times you fall.
No matter how many times you fail.
No matter how many times you falter.

You have to keep up trying. Keep trying like the SPIDER, who would fall a hundred times before it actually scales the heights. You need to push your self and push continuously.

We all have failed.
We all have fallen.
Haven't we fallen the first time we tried to walk?
Haven't we faltered the first time we tried to speak?

If we would have given up,
then it would not have been possible to walk today.
then it would not have been possible to talk today.

It has taken perseverance to achieve these. It is pushing your limits. It is breaking your barriers.
We cannot sit back and frown over our destiny. Instead, Lets Push Ourselves. Push our potential an extra inch everyday and one day you would find your self at the Sweet Success Spot, where you have always wanted to be. That extra bit of perseverance will get you there. Lets wait no more and start TODAY.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God... (Isaiah 41:10a)

The above lines are from Bible and holds a message. It implicates fear not as it is God who has lead you into a situation and remember what ever he wants you to do is his wish too.

I am neither very religious nor a non-believer. But my point is Why do you fear?

FEAR, I believe is our major enemy in path to success.
Fear of loosing.
Fear of falling.
Fear of embarrassment.
Fear of disgrace.

We spend all our life fearing of something or the other.
Fear of not fulfilling Parents Dream.
Fear of not fulfilling Partner's Demands.
Fear of not fulfilling Children's Wishes.
Fear of not fulfilling everyones expectations.

When was the last time you lived for yourself?
When was the last time you said I want to do this 'cause I want to?

Fear, Fear and Fear. Till when are we supposed to hold ourself back? Till when are we supposed to curb our potential and hamper our success. I don't ask you to be selfish but what I mean is go ahead and do some thing for your dreams, your aspirations, your desires. Live your life fearless. Fearless like a river, flowing through unknown course, breaking all their barriers, wanting to achieve their purpose of meeting the Sea.

Most of us would get stomped over by their Fear and will go back in their shells. Where as there would few people who would rise and say "I am not going down without a fight" and these would be the people who would make their Fear their strength and Rise above the mediocre.

But the question is how do we get there? I would suggest start with a small step.
Go join the dance class you always wanted to.
Go ahead scale the height of nearby mountain.
Sing out loud when your heart wishes.
Run wildly in the rain which you have not done since your childhood.

Do something what you enjoy. Be proud of what you do. Pat yourself for anything you achieved no matter how small that is. Take that baby step towards your dream. Enjoy every moment of accomplishment, every second of realization.

This will boost your confidence and you will make a habit of it. Your Fears will vanish and life will be more beautiful than ever. And You will slowly but steadily scale the heights of sweet Success.

Let me thank all you guys for patiently reading my blogs. Thank you all for your feedbacks. Hope this second blog has helped you introspect yourself and inspired you to achieve what you want to. Keep your comments flowing in and be tuned in for more.... till then Adiós..

To Be or Not To Be

"To Be Or Not To Be" (from Hamlet 3/1) by William Shakespeare.
Who hasn't heard of these lines before? I guess most of us has.
For those who haven't, let me quote the exact lines from the greatest Writer ever.

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation"


But why am I quoting him here?? The people who know me would be surprised...
They would be thinking Amit and Shakespeare?? What a strange combination.
None of my close ones would believe this to be true.

But friends, isn't blogging and Amit a strange combination in the first place?
Ain't I already extrovert enough to keep expressing my self to everyone I bump into?
Why would I choose a medium like blog to communicate to others?

I know all of you would be going through a lot of questions.
But we will answer all of them over time. But to start with All of you know I am unpredictable.
So, Here I am with my First Ever blog to the world. Don't be surprised..

Let me return to my actual point. "To Be Or Not To Be".
I have been fascinated by these words since I can't even remember.
I always found a great meaning behind these 6 words.

I have always been inspired by them, I have always been challenged by them.
I have always felt that These words interrogated my existence.
Is the life all about getting born, living and dying??
Is the life all about getting up in the morning, going to office, coming back and sleep?
Were we humans made to do mundane stuff over and over??
Why can't majority of us make a mark in life?
Why only few of us rise and say "World, watch out, I DO EXIST"??


These are some questions which haunt me always.
Why can't I be one of them? The greats who accomplished so much in life were they so different?
Were they Born Talented?? Don't we possess those qualities?
Can only your talent get you to the top?

I believe the answer to this question is "NO".
I believe everyone is Special and has ability to get there.
It's just that our minds are made to find excuses from long and risky path.
We get bogged down by our limitations, our fears, our laziness and our will power.
It's US who let ourselves down.

We just need more confidence in ourselves.
I guess these questions are enough though provoking..
I hope I have succeeded at least a bit in provoking your though process.
And I believe path to success start right here.

We together can dig deep into it and find a solution.
We will deal with each hurdles of success one by one.
So, do keep tuned in for more updates...

and do keep posting your thoughts..
As I Said it all starts with THINKing.