Early morning sights at Gandhi Bazaar

Lotus at the flower market !






Check out the purple vegetable in between the various vegetable trays.




Yes Please !

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A little Girl

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The Many Faces of a Girl !

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Hi all !! I am Shobha.. Welcome to my little world ! Mischievious, Naughty, smart, intelligent, friendly, loving - yes thats me! Want to know more ! Come allllong :)

Be my friend and I will show you what friendship is all about !



You might have friends and dolls.. but I have a sister.. Isnt she cute and delicate !




Dear Sis, Have all the fun in the world. I am always there to take care of you .




Meet my best Friends ! Together we rock.. !


Hmm.. Dont I look great in traditional Indian dress !



Prayer time :) Ma!..Pa!.. Didi!.. And everybody say that I should pray sincerely!



So what if I am boisterous otherwise.. I can feel shy too :) !



As I am growing up.. I follow my mommy's footsteps


Thats a glimpse of the girl that is called "ME"

Poised, composed, Pensive, Thotful - I am ready to take on the world. Join hands with me.. Together we can make the world a beautiful and playful place to live.



* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

This post goes out to Shruti ( my dear friend from college ) and her daughter Shobha.

Shruti and Shobha, I hope you like the pictures.

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A stranger in need , is a friend indeed

One of Raghav's colleague left this post on my blog and I thot it was beautiful post . I want to share it with all of you . Maya you should start your own blog :)

Hi Veena,
This is the first time that I am visiting ur Blog.Just felt like sharing this piece with u....dont know why, but, this article of yours reminded me of this incident....This was when I was working with TVS. I would take my scooty till Devegowda Petrol bunk, park it near the TVS show room, and then take my company bus.and, one day, it was almost 9 in the night when I came, and probably because I was a little tired (not that I had worked very hard:-)),I opened my seat lock to put my bag under the seat and I also put my scooty key inside and shut it..(scooty has a self lock ,as in u dont need the key to lock it). and then....for a moment, I was blank.....My mobile, my purse..everything was in my bag....and there I stood helples...all alone in the dark....Almost for 5 min, I was clueless as to what to do...I tried forcing open the seat....but in vain... and then...I could see a silhoutte, I went in the direction to find the watchman of the Showroom.

I tried telling him my story...but, shortly realised that he could understand only Hindi.And in my broken Hindi, I asked him, if he could lend me some money, so that I could call my father. I am not sure if he understood all that I spoke, but he still did give me a 100 rupee note, I told him that I needed only 10, but, he reluctantly withdrew his 100 rupee note, and handed me a 10 rupee note.And, then I called my father.......and...

I wont bore u with the rest of the story...What I wanted to convey is this...Later, I go to him with a 10 rupee note in my hand, and thank him for his kindness, which I am again not sure if he understood....But, he refused to accept the note and said.."Agar Hum apko dus rupay denge tho hum gareeb nahi ho jayenge memsaab"......I was speechless....I dint know what to do....I felt very small in front of him....He was not more than a stranger to me.....

All the incidents, instances where man had fallen so low for the sake of money...all the politicians, people in power...all this came flowing to my mind.And, here there was, certainly not a rich person, and I knew for sure that 10 rupees did mean a lot to him....Just a few days ago, readiing so many things in the newspaper I had concluded to myself..."Man's greed has no limits"....But, I was wrong.....Even to this day, I dont have words to describe that person, no adjectives that I can apend....and the paucity of words still remain.Just felt like sharing this with u....hope I have not bored u.....:-)
October 22, 2007 4:59 AM
Maya

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Hampi - The beauty of Ruins

" If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi"

Finally on last sunday, hubby and I packed our bags and started enroute our long pending trip to Hampi. Expectations full in our hearts we wondered how this new place is going to be.

It was late when we started ( it was 4 pm in the evening ) , so we decided to halt at Chittradurga. Morning, wide eyed and excited we started our journey to Hampi. Hardly 50 km from Chittradurga, we got to watch the first of our surprises - Windmills here - Windmills there - Windmills everywhere . Below is a picture of the wind mills standing proudly in front of the rising sun.






Smiling to ourselves, we moved ahead . Finally we reached Hospet , where we checked in to a hotel. Freshened up , we now left to Hampi which is just 20 km from Hospet.


We entered Hampi and got a glimpse of what Hampi was all about - Gosh there was stone architecture everywhere . We went to the Hampi market place and went to the KSRTC office where we got introduced to the "interesting person" who was going to be our guide for the next 1 day.

Rates settled, our guide, Shiva Prasad informs us- I too am not from here - I am from Bangalore - I am here to write a book on Hampi and to earn while I do this, I act as a guide to the tourists here ". He gave us his card, which showed his qualification as BA, MA, BTS, MTS. Boy !


Hampi is located between 5 mountains and the river Tungabadra divides Hampi into North Hampi and South Hampi. Hampi was earlier Kishkinda , the kingdom of the monkeys ( Where Vali and Sugreeva ruled ), as described in the Ramayana. Around 1300 century, the Vijaynagar dynasty was started by the two brothers Hukka and Bukka and their guide VidyaRanya.

Shiva Prasad informed us that there were two routes that would take us around Hampi - One was motorable - which we planned to cover the first day itself and the other that had to be covered thru walk.
Hmm.. Dont want to bore you with data - But need to add this. There were many kings in the Vijaynagar dynasty . The kingdoms of all these kings , have the same architecture - all of them have a temple, named after the king, a market place, a kitchen and a hall for travellers to have food and rest. And you will see this architecture repeating itself again and again.
Hampi comes across as a open stone museum under the wide blue sky. Below is the picture of one of the untouched and beautiful temples on the backdrop of sunset.


Below picture shows a balance, that the king used to measure gold/silver against his weight

Shown below isone of the huge sprawling areas of market that are visible everywhere in Hampi. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear the hustle and bustle of the people in the busy market.



End of the first day , we saw lotus on land.. Arre, I am talking about the lotus Mahal , the queens mahal , guys !








Below are the few pieces of architecture in the temples that caught my eye. The below architecture, show business men from all over the world who came to Hampi for trade. Note the different dresses and headgears of the business men.






This one shows Hanuman killing Ravana's soldiers - one with his tail , one with his right leg and one with his left leg. :)

We had been in Hampi for only a day - but it felt we had been there for ages already. On our return journey, we said bye to our very knowledgable guide and asked him to inform us when his book got released.

As we returned , we felt the pride and gratitude in all the creations that the people all over the world have left for people like us. Smile in our minds, we started our journey back with a promise to start our tasks back home with full of enery, vigour and creativity.

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Amanat Ali - Tujhse naraaz nahin zindagi

All the top singers of the 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge' touch you by soulful rendition of the songs they sing and the humility they display. I especially admire Amanat Ali , from Pakistan , who manages to reach out to the hearts of all the people all over the world by the truthfulness of his voice. I am touched by the person he is and the way he sings.

I am a huge fan of yours Amanat ! I think this rendition of "Tujhse naraaz nahin Zindagi" is much - much better than the original track. I just couldnt resist putting up this video.

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Ajab si adayaen hain..!

Check this song out.. ! Sangeet lovers.. tell me what you think of it.. ! I loved it. !

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Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein haihoo
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein hai

Dil ko banade jo patang saa se
Yeh teri woh haawaien hai
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein haihoo
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein hai

Dil ko banade jo patang saa se
Yeh teri woh haawaien hai

Aai aise raat hai jo
Bhahut khushnaseeb hai
Chahe jise door se duniya
Woh mere kareeb hai
Kitna kuch kehna hai
Phir bhi hai dil mein
Saawal hai kahin
Sapno mein jo roj kaha hai
Woh phir se kahun ya nahi
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein haihoo
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein hai
Dil ko banade jo patang saa se
Yeh teri woh haawaien hai

Tere saath saath esha
Koi noor aaya hai
Chand teri roshni ka
Halka sa ek saaya hai
Teri nazaron ne dil ka
Kiya jo hasarAsar yeh hua

Abb inmein hi doob ke ho jau paar
Yehi hai Dua
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein haihoo
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein hai

Dil ko banade jo patang saa se
Yeh teri woh haawaien hai
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein haihoo
Aankhon mein teri
Ajab si ajab si adayein hai
Dil ko banade jo patang saa se
Yeh teri woh haawaien hai

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Uthe sab ke kadam

This song brought a smile back on my face again. Belated Happy Birthday Latha ji ! Thank you for all the melodious songs that you have given to the world!!

Get this widget Track details eSnips Social DNA

Movie Name: Baton Baton Mein (1979)

Singer: Amit Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Pearl Padamsee

Music Director: Rajesh Roshan

Lyrics: Yogesh

Year: 1979

Producer: Basu Chatterjee

Director: Basu Chatterjee

Actors: Amol Palekar, Asrani, David, Pearl Padamsee, Shobhini Singh, Tina Munim, Tun Tun

Theme: Comedy
Uthe Sabake Kadam, Taraa Ram\-Pam\-Pam

Ajii Aise Giit Gaayaa Karo

Kabhii Khushii Kabhii Gam, Taraa Ram\-Pam\-Pam

Ha.Nso.N Aur Ha.Nsaayaa Karo


Vo Pyaare Din Aur Vo Pyaarii Raate.

NYaad Hame Hai.N Vo Mulaakaate

.NNahii.N Koi Gam

Mujhe Nahii.N Hai Gilaa

Zi.Ndagii Kii Raah Me.N

Milaa Hai Jabase Tuu Mere Hamadam

Shabanam Ham Hai.N Aur Tum Sholaa Ban Jaayaa Karo



Kabhii Khushii ...
Ra.Ng Nayaa Hai Ruup Nayaa Hai

Jiine Kaa To Jaane Kahaa.N Dha.Ng Gayaa Hai

Kise Hai Fikar Inhe.N Kyaa Pasa.Nd

Pyaar Ke Jahaa.N Me.N Razaama.Nd Jab Ham Tum Tum Ham

Ban Gae Hai.N Sanam Bedha.Dak Mere Ghar Aayaa Karo

Kabhii Khushii ...
Laa Laa ...

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Real or Imaginary ?

Was looking up the meaning of "imaginary numbers" and was quite impressed by wikipedia's explanation of imaginary numbers. Note, how in the explanation of numbers, you can see how science and philosophy converge .



In mathematics, an imaginary number (or purely imaginary number) is a complex number whose square is a negative real number. Imaginary numbers were defined in 1572 by Rafael Bombelli. At the time, such numbers were thought not to exist, much as zero and the negative numbers were regarded by some as fictitious or useless. Many other mathematicians were slow to believe in imaginary numbers at first, including Descartes who wrote about them in his La Géométrie, where the term was meant to be derogatory.[1]


Any complex number, z, can be written as
where and are real numbers and is the imaginary unit, which has the defined property that:


i(square) = -1

Applications of imaginary numbers

Despite their name, imaginary numbers are as "real" as real numbers.[2] (See the definition of complex numbers on how they can be constructed using set theory.) One way to understand this is by realizing that numbers themselves are abstractions, and the abstractions can be valid even when they are not recognized in a given context. For example, fractions such as ⅔ and ⅛ are meaningless to a person counting stones, but essential to a person comparing the sizes of different collections of stones. Similarly, negative numbers such as − 3 and − 5 are meaningless when keeping score in a football game, but essential when keeping track of monetary debits and credits.[1]

For most human tasks, real numbers (or even rational numbers) offer an adequate description of data, and imaginary numbers have no meaning; however, in many areas of science and mathematics, imaginary numbers (and complex numbers in general) are essential for describing reality. Imaginary numbers have essential concrete applications in a variety of sciences and related areas such as signal processing, control theory, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, cartography, and many others.
For example, in electrical engineering, when analyzing AC circuitry, the values for the electrical voltage (and current) are expressed as imaginary or complex numbers known as phasors. These are real voltages that can cause damage/harm to either humans or equipment even if their values sometimes contain no "real part". The study of AC (alternating current) entails introduction to electricity governed by trigonometric (i.e. oscillating) functions. From calculus, one knows that differentiating or integrating either "+/- sin(t)" or "+/- cos(t)" four times (with respect to "t," of course) results in the original function "+/- sin(t)" or "+/- cos(t)." From complex algebra, one knows that multiplying the imaginary unit quantity "i" by itself four times will result in the number 1 (identity). Thus, calculus can be represented by the algebraic properties of the imaginary unit quantity (this was exploited by Charles Proteus Steinmetz).

Specifically, Euler's formula is used extensively to express signals (e.g., electromagnetic) that vary periodically over time as a combination of sine and cosine functions. Euler's formula accomplishes this more conveniently via an expression of exponential functions with imaginary exponents. Euler's formula states that, for any real number x,

Some programming languages also have built-in support for imaginary numbers. For example, in the Python interpreter, one may use them by appending a lowercase or uppercase J to the number:[3]

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Barish ..!! Barish..!!!

Traffic jams! long waits! Funny ideas on how to pass time in the endless waits at the traffic jams-- Tea seller will make a good business here- Why dont people start selling magazines and newspapers! watching people doing weird things--actually saw a man climb up a truck and look back, remove a camera from his pocket , click snaps-these software engineers ! they are ready for anything ! :) - Barish ! :)

Start office at 8 pm and reach home at 12 pm ! Know your co-passengers and their life histories in that time ! :) Ya..Barish!

Pick up an uncle from the bustop - Cant come without an umbrella - Can you help ? -- Ya Sure..! Uff Barish!

Barish , as we return from office. Barish, as we go out for dinner - Barish as we return from dinner ! Barish on weekends and Barish on Weekdays !
Whats wrong with the weather ? !

Oh Shit ! I realized that it was the Season of Baarish !! :) !

Baarish has arrived and made the announcement of its onset loud and clear !!

P.S. For those who dont know hindi - Baarish means Rain .

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Have you seen the world today

Well on tuesday evening I had an opportunity to see the beauty of the world around me. I was driving to a function on tuesday evening and I was late . So actually i was rushing.

As I was twisting and turning the car in the heavy traffic, noticed a tempo in front of me..Uff! This tempo just wouldnt give me side. Then I looked up .. and saw three boys( perhaps returning home from work ? ) , between the age of 7 - 10 , curious and wide eyed , soaking in their eyes, all the world had to show them. I looked at them and couldnt help notice their innocence.

The boys also spotted me now and were trying to see me thru the corner of their eyes. I couldnt stop- I smiled at them. The boys first looked at each other - Nervous , scared, curious .. "Was that a mistake " they seemed to ask each other ??- Then they looked back at me. And I smiled again.

They smiled back and waved back..( Their master in the front of the tempo oblivious to the drama at the back ;) ) And yes ! we were friends !!

They noticed that I wanted to rush , so they started giving me directions on how close I could come to their tempo. ( so Funny, Hilarious . so sweet :)) I had company for my journey.

At one point I put the right indicator on. They saw that , smiled, they put their hand up and shouted " Bye aunty " :)..

Small incident , but memories for a lifetime.

Did YOU see the world around today.

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Fear ?

This post goes to all those people who deal everyday with some or the other kind of fear..

Raghav ( my husband ) and me were having tea and we had just finished one more session of my emotional outbursts , when I asked him, "Enjoyed the session , ?? :) ". To which he replies. " Hmm.. Yaa. Kaisa kaisa sochti ho yaar " :) Now I am curious . "Kyon Kaisa sochti hoon?". To which he replies--" Sochti ho- O my God , ab main chai peene waali hoon.. O God, ab haath ko dhakka lagega tho chai girega.. O God, chai gira to jal jaaongi .. O shit, chai gira , aur main jal gayi !!".. Sunne waala phir tumse poochega - " Tho kya tum chai nahi peeti.. ?? ".. And you reply .. " Nahin , main roz chai peeti hoon " ! Poor person who listens to you !.. He will be totally stumped !!..

Found this conversation extremely hilarious .

But on a serious note, For all the people who hide behind "fear " -- Time to give up thinking Small about yourself and take on bigger challenges in life !!

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Leadership

A leader who really inspires me -Rishi Prabhakar Guruji. Another leader who inspires is Mahatma Gandhi for his strength of his conviction and his high levels of integrity.

Here are my thoughts on what qualities a leader should have :

1. Maintaining high levels of integrity- Integrity is having an empowering context for life. Integrity is honouring your word. Integrity is managing yourself as a leader.

2. Being Responsible. Responsibility begins with willingness of being the cause in the matter in ones life. Ultimately , it is a context in which one chooses to live.

3. Leadership is living for the moment. Leadership is having fun every moment of your life.

4. Creating opportunities for others

5. Having a Vision and Following on it : Dreaming big and going out and achieving it.
6. Leadership is about enrolling people in to your goals and your life and "registering" them into your life. Leadership is about Ability to inspire and carry people along with you .

7. Leadership is about your ability and willingness to learn new things moment to moment in your life.
8. Managing Self - When one manages self, the world manages itself.

9. Leadership is not about having followers. More often than not, a leader will not have people agreeing with them.

10. No one is a permanent leader. Leadership is an act taken moment to moment .

Times of India has this article on Lead India. TOI rates leaders on the following points :

Honesty

Efficiency

Ability to inspire

Education

Ability to judge people

Ability to carry people along

Courage of conviction

Willingness to learn

Vision

Fairness

Charisma

Ability to delegate

What do you think are the 10 most important characteristics of a leader ?

Satya, Bijesh, Raghav ?

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Independence day at office

Boy, did we have fun today. Had independence day celebrations at office. Raghu, Megha, Nikhila , me got the celebrations going. Megha and me went and got the baloons and flags.

Both the incidents were stories of their own. At the baloon shop we asked for the "Tricolor" baloons and the aunty ( the shopowner ) asked "Which three colors? ". Meghs was stumped for sometime. Then she recovered and said "Orange, white and green".

At the flag shop we saw a lot of small flags on the counter. We picked up around 20 flags and asked the owner "how much ?" .. and he looks surprised and says.. no it is not for sale.. our turn to be surprised now.. to which he replies .. These are just for the school kids for the school accross the road. ( Thats nice na ! ) To which we asked if he would be willing to give it to "office kids".. And he said no :(. Finally though he let us pick up 10 Flags for free.

We all decorated the room. Put the music on. Amit absollllllllutely loved the old songs I played -Thought he said something like "Naye film me bhi gaane hai" . :) . Prabhu lovvvved the loud music on my comp. It did not disturb him at all.

Few of us sang songs , Latha said a joke . Build factory and doc team joined . We inspired them enough to get their traditional dresses out on thursday! :)

Hey, how can i forget Thiju looked really good in the lungi. What a sport man. He got the 'Best Traditionally dressed male award'. None of the girls other than me came in a saree- so I got the 'Best Traditionally dressed award'. Bala(square) and the AFCT guys also came in kurtas. Good show :)

Boy, Did I really enjoy being in the office today.

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Going Home!!

Lets go home !!!

Best Friends.. :)

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GUIDE - A review

Yesterday as I was studying, I was subject to involuntary viewing of "Guide" . This review is about my thoughts on this epic movie.

As I was watching, I started by admiring and being intrigued by the relationship between the guide and the enstranged wife( Rosie ) of the archeologist and how he guides her to break free and express herself in the way she would like to i.e. by dancing. Slowly I started to watch how beautifully the character of the GUIDE had been etched - Every part of his personality was so well defined. The songs in this movie be it any one of it- Tere Mere Sapne, Piya tose naina, Mohse chal, Din Dhal jaaye, Gaata rahe mera dil , Aaj phir jeene ki tammana hai, Wahan kaun hai tera- is so very meaningful, and soulful. I need to buy the CD for this movie.

In the second part of the movie, one is intrigued by how well the "humaness" of the Guide is portrayed. How the strong character of the GUIDE, gets carried away by wine and wealth. Due to his vices, the deep respect between the GUIDE and Rosie gets shaken and they start drifting apart. If in the first part you get carried away by the "strength and power of the character" of the GUIDE- in the second part you feel the disgust at how the guide wastes his life away.

The third part of the movie is about the spiritual growth of the GUIDE. The GUIDE who is a normal selfish character is made a saint by the love and trust shown by the naive villagers. The GUIDE rebels against this but he slowly starts trusting the "trust" of the villagers. I especially remember one dailogue, where the guide after a few days of fasting( he is subject to involuntary fasting to end the famine in the village, due to some misunderstanding between the villagers and him ) says something like - The question now isnt about "Who am I and what I am doing . The Question is about is there something like GOD or not in the universe. If there no GOD, then is there any use of living a world like that- In which case I wouldnt mind laying my life down rather than living in such a world. But if there is a GOD, then I want to see if he melts at the honest prayer of these simple villagers " . One is amazed as to how the "I" or the "EGO" of the GUIDE dies slowly , and how the GUIDE expands himself to become one with the Universe or GOD.

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Ragpicker - A hard day's work

Did not upload this on topshot - or maybe I should. I think the light near the head of the subject is not enough.

What do you think?

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Sony Ericsson TopShot - Yipeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally got the mail I was waiting for -- It goes something like this --

"
Dear Veena Mithare

Thank you for entering in the Top Shot Imaging Contest.

We have selected your shot to be featured in our Top Shot Gallery, which means you also qualify to be considered for the Grand Prize.

You can view your shot here:
http://www.sonyericsson.com/topshot
"

Once you go to topshot- > Go to 'View topshot gallery' - > Page 8- >2 column, Bottom Row.

Yipeeeee!!

July 25th :

Hey guys,

Ths photo is moved to page 11 - > 1st row - > 3 rd photo.( The photo is of a 77 yr old "classy" relative of ours' in a dark pink saree )

:(

Damn why do they move the snaps!!

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Kruti - A source of joy !

Had a great day today. Got up early in the morning to discuss the next kruti project. Small B ( ;) ) had some ideas. Will not disclose it yet.

Ok, ok, we are making a movie this time - a short film. In this regard , and also for entertainment, watched "The little terrorist " - Its a very well done 15 mins film - I believe it was an oscar nomination. What I liked about the movie is how the movie portrays that human beings are all the same , whether they are on this side of the border or that. How the Indian family connects to the 10-11 year old pakistani boy. This one is a must watch.

Some other movies that are going to inspire us(me for sure ) is 'To kill a mocking bird', 'Sound of music', 'Dor' , 'Iqbal' for the beauty of its story, direction, acting, cinematography. - "Jhankar Beats" for its humour.

Some more things we need to do on kruti is start updating the kruti blog regularly and make it more active.

For now, Veena start planning out your studies , the way you plan out and executes kruti projects.

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Paintings

Long time since I have taken up my brush..These beautiful paintings inspire me to start a new painting. Each one of them a master piece. Hard to pick up a favorite, but the 2nd one catches my eye everytime.

Sunday, July 22 :

The first one is a favorite today.

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Leadership

Ordinary people don't spend much time on the extra mile. But who ever said you were ordinary
Leadership is shown when a salesperson makes extra calls at the end of an exhausting day not because it's the easy thing to do but because it's the right thing to do.

Leadership is shown by the manager who finishes a report that has taken the very best from him, then goes back to it a little later to polish and improve it even more.

Leadership is shown by a team that delivers on their value promise to a customer and then digs even deeper to wow them.

Please think about this idea. I think it's a deeply important one. Those among us who craft extraordinary careers and spectacular lives are those who spend most of their time giving their best out on the extra mile. Yes, ordinary people don't spend much time on the extra mile. But who ever said you were ordinary

from .. The Greatness guide - Robin Sharma

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Poorna / Wholeness

Really like this shloka ( Read it for the first time in C R Rajgopalachari's Ramayana )-



Poornamadah Poornanidam

Poornath Poornamudhachyathe

Poornasaya Poornamaadaya

Poornamevaavashishyathe



This is Whole, That is Whole,

From Wholeness Emerges Wholeness

And If You Take Away Wholeness From Wholeness,

Wholeness Still Remains.

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My home

I had been to my parents place for the past 4 days. Sunday afternoon when I came back, there my house was , extending its warmth, love. ( Something I always feel when I come back from a vacation).

This one goes out to our home . Nothing describes our home better than this beautiful song . This song has been one of my all time favorites.




http://www.esnips.com/r/hmfl/doc/b16247db-880a-46ad-b774-b340fa48e0a7/yeh-tera-ghar-ye-mera-ghar





Dressed in white and tasteful , my house is always inviting and friendly. Its a place to share thoughts and relax after a tired day. My house is a place where one finds comfort. A place where the young feel free and enjoy themselves, the elderly chat in leisure. My house is a place where friends come and share their joy and sorrows. The house has been our friend. It has calmed us down when we would be in our storms. It has been mischievious when we would be in buoyant moods.





This house has seen so many things -- This house has provided shelter to one of my friend who married his college sweetheart secretly and the couple took refuge in our house for a week. This house has seen Raghav and me grow in the last 5 years. Its seen us both quit our long association with Wipro( where we both worked for a long long time ) and form new bondings in our new work places. This house has been magnanimous enough to readily extend its warmth when my in laws came in and envelop them in its affability. To house so many of our relatives. This house has seen the celebration of birthdays / anniversaries of so many of our friends and relatives. It has nested pigeons and watched the antics of young monkeys who would barge in to our home. This house has seen Kruti take shape.

This house has given me the pleasure of watching the sky change colours with its beautiful sunrises and moon rises ( what with 2 of its windows facing east ). This house has taught me that wind flows mostly from east to west . ( And with that it taught us the real importance of Vaastu Shastra ).

My house is a place where we dream our futures. Its a place that houses us as our dreams take shape.

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Ageless Beauty

Couldnt help watching this distant relative** of mine. Everytime she smiled, my heart skipped a beat. Truly an ageless beauty.

I asked her son , must have been very pretty when she was younger.. and he replies.. "Oh ya.

She was "



Tumala vayas kithi( How old are you ) I asked - 77 she replies !

• 
  
  
  

  All of this captured on my k790i ( Thanks Raghav for gifting me this )

** ( She is my sister-in-law's mother-in-law. Hope you got the relation between me and my sister in law, because the other kind of sister-in-law's mother-in-law would be my mother ;) Sorry couldnt help adding this . :) )

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My brother, my life

My brother, my life
Dear brother, you came here for a vacation. And I remember thinking , great !Then the first day - Dad complimenting you on all your accomplishments .I sat there - feeling very small. Sure!.. But even then I did notice a lot of love and admiration for me in your eyes. Something felt good. Something felt complete within me.

There was this pooja where Vayun( your four month old son ) was going to be fed for the first time. Mom said something like " There is this poja . Do you think you will be able to make it ?" I was a little hurt. And you said. " I definately want you to be there . No excuses". I was touched.

Then I remember that day. I came home - and Vayun was in your arms - crying. You were singing a song to him . He would calm down with the song - but was generally cranky. Saw a new Saru and a new Vinay that day. I was touched by the love you both poured on him. I was touched by parenthood itself. I remember thinking that each and every person in this universe is somebody's child and his parents would have nurtured him in the same unconditional way.

Over the past 2 weeks, I came and met you , Saru and Vayun. We hardly had any time to speak to each other. You or I were generally busy. Dear Vinay, I realized your presence got me closer to all my existing bondings. And yesterday, on the morning of the day you were leaving, we actually got to speak to each other. And you know what , I realized that I felt totally fulfilled and complete as a person when you were around.

Dear Brother, I then realized how much you were a part of my life.

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The after effects of my play :)

Last time when we had taken the children out after the play( last to last sunday ? ), the children had mentioned that kids who hardly had any interest in english have started enjoying the language. Even if they did not know the language, they have started taking pains to learn it and read up books they wouldnt have read before. Made us feel glad and proud of our achievements. I got fulfilled that the aim of me doing the play had got fulfilled.
Then one fine day I get a call from someone ( ? ! ) and the conversation goes as below.. uhum.. uhum. :)

I say - hello. The guy says- Hi , I am from Infosys. I heard about Arabian Nights - A few of my friends and I at Infosys wanted to do a team outing, and were wondering when you are having your next show :) I am shocked.And I say.. sorry, but we are not having any repeat performance for Arabian nights. To which he says, but that cant be true. I heard the play was very good and was looking forward to seeing it. Ok, so when is your next play. :) I am more shocked , feel like laughing too. Actually i am giggling by now. I tell him, " Look we did this play because the slum children with whom I work, wanted to learn english and what a better way than to do a english play :) " Now , its his turn to be shocked.And he says- are you serious? You mean the performers were slum children ! And you guys were doing the play for the first time ! And I am laughing at his shock. Tongue in Cheek I add- " I knew we were good.But I did not know we were so good " Hero has also recovered by now . And he said " Yaa.. yaa..actually I heard the play was very good.. "

On a serious note I asked him , that if his team was interested in watching the play and if Infosys could sponsor it, we wouldnt mind coming to Infosys and performing :) To which he said it would be a good idea and he would check with his HR. But he hasnt come back yet. Where are you "Mr. Gagan Singh"? The Children and Kruti are itching to give a outstanding performance again.

One of the major divisions within our company ( HP ) , have recognised Kruti as one of the outstanding 'Social contribution' projects and have awarded Kruti too.

Today When I went to the slum, I had one more pleasant surprise. 4 - 5 children after getting inspired by the Arabian nights have , requested their parents to shift them into English medium and are now going to go to English medium schools.

Actually when I see the list of accomplishments above, I am kind of satisfied. That at my age if I have accomplished what I have , then my life has been worth lived.

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Study for my CAT

HI,

Wanted to declare my plan for today.
Need to study for Quant and Verbal today. One chapter of both.

Next need to study my J2EE related stuff.

Then have fun in the evening.

Yaa- one more thing.Tried getting Rajamani aunty( The kuchipudi teacher ) to meet Saraswati and the other girls( from the slum ). But things did not work out for today.

Have asked if next friday is convinient for all. Lets see.

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Love and Respect

I am supposed to be studying.. but here i am scrapping away to glory...

Thats ok..

Guess what .. yesterday was in the market with Aayee ( my mother in law ) and Chaitra ( my cousin ) and we were buying something from the foot path seller... when i noticed a measuring tape flying away in the wind.. and i said.. "madam, your measuring tape is flying away".. she looked at me gratefully took it back.. then I smiled at her .. and asked in a childlike manner... " Is it for sale, I would like to buy it.. " .. she smiled and said.. " No .." and then she suddenly melted and said... " Take it .. I can always get another one " .. and then we tried offering her money... which she just wouldnt accept.. God knows what or whom did i remind her of :)

Just reconfirms my belief that all people need is a lot of Love and Respect... You give them this and they will be ready to do anything for you ..

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My plans..

Here are few things I want to do in the next 20 years..
a. Be a mother to two beautiful childrenb.
b. Create Music
c. Have a school for Kruti where creativity is encouraged.. Something like Shantiniketan. A place where people come, relax and express themselves.
d. Do my MBA in IIMBe.
e. Spread joy, happiness , laughter :)
Will write more about the kruti school soon...

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Life an orchestra

Get the feeling sometimes that I am a conductor conducting a musical symphony. Pulling a section here , resting a section there and all the while creating music.

All the while I am aware that "I" need to be invisible and let the energy of universe flow freely. Create a space where people express themselves and yet connect to all others in the orchestra of the universe.

There are times a musician is out of synch of the group and all each one of us need to do at that time is wait for the musician to be part of the symphony.

The world is a canvas for me to create . Let my thoughts and creativity flow.

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some poems I like

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.
1. The Road Not Taken
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler,
long I stood And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I— I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Poem lyrics of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.


Mind Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action---

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

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On Faith and God


Who is God? The idol in temple ? Sri Satya Sai baba ? The Holy Cross ? A lot of us would question these images of God. And yet a lot of us derive unquestionable strength out of them- a lot of us sail through seemingly unbelievable situations because of the blessings of God. Some of my friends would say “I don’t believe in God” –“I can’t call a living person as God”—“I refuse to bow down to a Guru”-- “ I believe that I if I do good to others, good will be done to me—I don’t need a God to help me out”

I relate to God as that power in whose care and blessings I have total “Faith” or “Trust” in. That power for different people could mean different images. For some this power manifests itself in their religious Guru’s blessings in whose teachings and directions they totally trust. For some their family deity holds this power. The faith in the point of worship is so much (so unquestionable) that no matter what the situation a person is in, they have the faith that they will sail through their problems.

I believe that more than the “Divine Power” that one relates to, it is the “Faith” that one has in it that sees one through.

If one trusts that “My Guruji will see me through this and I trust his decision totally on this situation”. He will. A prayer bereft of “I”( “I hope Guruji does this for me”,“ I hope this business deal works”), personal benefits always bears fruits.Total submission to His decisions gives one his peace of mind --“I am in this situation, which is difficult for me. Help me.” No matter what the results, they must be accepted as God’s decision. Whatever a person achieves in his life is due to His divine Grace and whatever he finds difficult to attain is because he is not meant to achieve it. He has different plans for the person. God for me is “Enjoying every moment of your life” and the trust that “some force around me is taking care of me and I trust this force totally”.

Is there a God? -- Do we understand force around this world? Science has evolved so much and yet, the more we discover, the further away from the “Ultimate Truth” we seem to be. Do we understand why some people seem to have everything and yet some seem to be continuously suffering. Lets call that incomprehensible entity that controls this--- “God”

There are people around us saying-- “I believe that whatever I accomplish is because of my hard work, my doings , why acknowledge an external force for my hard work”, “ Why do I have to suffer so much because of somebody else’s wrong doings--- what wrong have I done” “Why did I have to go thru this” Yet what I believe the attitude is that “Any good done is because of Me and Me alone”, anything that doesn’t work out for me is because of “him”, “her”, “them” or even “God”


One should attribute all the “Positives and Negatives” in one’s life to either totally themselves. i.e. take full responsibility for situations that don’t work for themselves else give up everything to Him. Submit oneself totally to Him and accept that whether good or bad it happens because of Him. For ultimately its your faith in God that will carry you through.

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Heard this on the astha channel today

swamiji was saying

You can be conquered only if you are already feeling 'not good enough' or guilty about something.... only three kind of people can conquer you...politicians can conquer your external needs.. spiritual leaders can conquer your inner self ... and 'silly people or fools' can conquer your mind...

You can only spread happiness and joy only if you are happy and joyful within yourself..

How come you consider yourself smaller than anyone or anybody !

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Akhiyoan ke jharokoan se ..

What lyrics.. !

Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se Maine Dekha Jo Saanware
Tum Door Nazar Aaye Badi Door Nazar Aaye
Band Karke Jharokhon Ko Zara Baithee Jo Sochne
Man Mein Tumhi Muskaye Man Mein Tumhi Muskaye
Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se

Ek Man Tha Mere Paas Woh Ab Khone Laga Hai
Paakar Tujhe Hai Mujhe Kuchh Hone Laga Hai
Ek Tere Bharose Pe Sab Baithee Hoon Bhool Ke
Yoon Hi Umar Guzar Jaye Tere Saath Guzar Jaye
Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se...

Jeeti Hoon Tujhe Dekh Ke Marti Hoon Tumhi Pe
Tum Ho Jahan Saajan Meri Duniya Hai Wahin Pe
Din Raat Dua Maange Mera Man Tere Waaste
Kabhi Apni Ummeedon Ka Kahin Phool Na Murjhaye
Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se...

Maein Jab Se Tere Pyar Ke Rangon Mein Rangi Hoon
Jaagte Hue Soi Nahin Neendon Mein Jagi Hoon
Mere Pyar Bhare Sapne Kahin Koi Na Chheen Le
Man Soch Ke Ghabraye Yahi Soch Ke Ghabraye
Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se...

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Hi ,

Booked the hall for Ranga shankara.. was nervous ... but paid the cheque and said hi to Arundati nag .. :) .. called a whole lot of people.. !!

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had a wonderful morning meeting at landmark today.. :)

Asked Pradeep all the questions i always had.. Is life something that has to be handled at all times ???????????????????????

Till my college I never had to handle so many things.. Why now.. and the answers I got was amazing..

Yes, Life is a challenge to be handled at all times.. Things happen and you can choose your reaction to it..

Then I asked, how i deal with life is keep concentrating on the goals ... and achieve my results.. this is not what ILP has taught me.. this is what I would have done even otherwise..

And then Pradeep said.. that is like you saying that you want to put the ball in the basket and I will not care about the people who come in my way..

And then I asked ( though I knew the answer by now ) What do I do about the people who come in my way..

And then Pradeep said, enroll them in what you are doing and enjoy the game and not the result.. !

And then I said, it is so scary to take action, any action I take doesnt mean that I will win ..

But what is winning and losing.. all you need to do is take action and enjoy :)

Profound isnt it !

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just remembered an incident .. so couldnt resist putting this on the blog..

yesterday as we were practicing.. Anju had a line to say something like... " Your majesty, I always tell a story at bedtime to my sister... Please let me tell her a story before I die ! "

She said ..

" Your majesty, I always tell a story at bedtime to my sister... Please let me tell her a story after I die ! "

we all were shocked for a second.. and then burst out laughing.. ! :)

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Had a good evening at the slum today.. All the three plays have started.. Priyanka seems to be taking a lot of initiative... Kashi and Anju are showing interest .. Like Shweta's and Priyanka's spirit.. am i glad to have them.. !

so many things to do .. so many lives to touch.. so many tasks to accomplish..


The woods are lovely dark and deep
But i have promises to keep
And miles to go before i sleep
And miles to go before i sleep

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Went to RAnga Shankara today.. till I was outsite the gate, i was sure about the date i wanted to do the play on and everything.. once i was inside... felt suddenly unsure.. what was i doing here.. do i want to do this ...:)... Then i remembered ..

Courage is not the absence of fear.. it is going beyond the fear and acting..

LIfe is what you say it to be.. ! You dont take action and you create a negative circle .. you do and create a positive one..

Went ahead and gave the application for the first week of april :)

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VeenaMithare

Thank God.. Thot my blog spot was lost.. ! :(

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HI,

Just created a blog :)

luv,
Veena.

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