Diwali a Festival of Lights and Sweets.

This is a festival which is celebrated by Hindus in India and worldwide.

Diwali or Deepavali popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a five day festival which starts on Dhanteras and ends on Bhai Dooj.

For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes.

For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of nirvana by Lord Mahavira.

The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali", which means "row of lamps".

During Diwali small clay lamps filled with oil are lit to signify the triumph of good over evil.

Nowadays there are huge Electric Bulb lit Lanterns or Kandils which are hung outside the homes.

These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome. The Goddess Lakshmi signifies wealth and people aspire to become wealthy.

Firecrackers are burst in order to drive away evil spirits.

During Diwali as it is a joyous occasion, people wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.

Day 1 Dhanteras:

 The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year.

People buy gold and silver ornaments on this day.

Day 2 Naraka Chaturdasi:

This marks the vanquishing of the demon Narakasura by Lord Krishna.

Day 3: Amavasya:

On this day people worship Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.

This day tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarfs incarnation, vanquished the Bali, and banished him to Patala.

Day 4: It is on the fourth day of Diwali, Kartika Shudda Padyami that Bali went to patala and took the reins of his new kingdom in there.

Day 5 Bhai Dooj:

 This day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj), where sisters invite their brothers to their homes. This signifies the bonding between brothers & sisters and also strengthens family ties.

While the story behind Diwali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region, the essence is the same – to rejoice the triumph of good over evil.

Barfi …………… Don’t miss it.

Movies are made in Bollywood but most of them are generally mediocre and staid.

The themes are routine, one gets bored by the loud music and prancing around trees by the Heroes & heroines.

Once in a while a good movie comes to the theatres and it catches your attention.

Barfi is one of them.

Anurag Basu has done a great job and made the movie what it is.

Ranbir Kapoor has outperformed along with Priyanka Chopra.

The movie is about a Deaf & Mute individual, who is not bothered by his handicap but exudes mirth and excitement in life.

He falls in love with a young girl played by Ileana d’ Cruz and unfortunately her parents marry her off to another man.

Ranbir is heartbroken but manages to continue with his life and befriends his childhood friend Priyanka who is an autistic.

Her portrayal of the autistic individual is excellent and her mannerisms are near perfection.

She cannot have eye contact and is not so verbose in her communication.

Barfi -Ranbir is also not able to communicate easily with her because of his own impairment but they live on.

Priyanka undergoes problems with her family and Ranbir saves her and both go to Kolkatta.

It is very interesting to see Barfi employed in a shop and fends for Priyanka.

Then Ileana suddenly comes into his life so Priyanka is upset and goes back to her special care home for the handicapped.

Barfi is not aware of her whereabouts and tries to locate her.

He goes through lots of hardships, sufferings and ultimately reaches the home where Priyanka lives.

Barfi manages to rescue her and they live together thereafter.

The movie is woven around a plot of kidnapping where Priyanka is missing and ransom notes are sent to her parent’s home. This adds to the mystery and keeps us guessing about the existence of Priyanka.

The movie oscillates from the present to the past and well directed to keep the audience glued to their seats and unravel the suspense.

Both Ranbir & Priyanka have acted well and deserve all the accolades.

A great movie and worth the visit to the cinema hall.

Don’t miss it.  

You can be waylaid anywhere!!!!

I live in Mumbai India, and being a crowded city one would expect that you can be robbed.

Well poverty is the key thing that drives people to rob.

That was the notion we all carry, isn’t it.

India is a large country with a huge population next to china and people are poor, job opportunities are less, people are illiterate so thefts are inevitable.

We are extremely careful in Mumbai while commuting on trains and buses and I am sure many of us would have lost our wallets in this public transport system in Mumbai.

We had always thought if these things happen here in Mumbai then it was considered as a normal occurrence.

But what happened to me in a foreign country was both surprising and hard to believe.

I was travelling from Interlaken to Zurich Airport by early morning train.

I had to change train at Berne.

When I got down at Zurich Airport Station, I managed to unload my bags and as I took the escalator I lost my wallet from my back pocket.

I noticed that I had lost my wallet but could not do anything as the escalator was going upwards.

I contacted the police personnel there in the station and was directed to a police station in the station premises.

I reported the theft and rang up my banks to block my cards.

I was aghast that I could lose my wallet in Switzerland.

The Trains were not crowded, there were less people on the station yet my pocket got picked.

I wonder how the thief did it, as generally in Mumbai the pick pockets usually operate in crowded locals but here in Switzerland the thief was so good that despite the fat there were very less people he managed to con me.

I wonder what makes one rob others in a place like Switzerland.

It is a country with less population and everything is so disciplined that I could not believe that I was robbed.

The police at the Zurich Airport station confirmed that thieves are very active in this area and they were alerting the general public about it.

Can we really believe that thefts occur only in places where there are crowds?

Can it occur where there are more people?

With my experience it is no, it can occur anywhere, so guard your things carefully when you travel.

Be Patient and Calm in Adversity.

How often have we encountered problems in our lives and we become nervous, lose patience and above all become a nervous wreck.

Life is full of challenges and one ought to understand that one cannot always get things alright.

There would be ups and downs in life.

The fact that so many are having problems but yet try to get surmount them, should be an eye opener to us.

We ought to understand that there are many people all over the world who have a brave face and succeed in life.

Take the case of IPL games being played in India.

These are classic Short cricket games with twenty overs being played and one cannot know the outcome until we watch till the end.

Yesterday in Chennai v/s KKR, Dwayne Bravo hit a super sixer to cover the deficit of 5 runs needed in the last ball and Chennai became a winner.

The next match Kieron Pollard was at crease with Ambati Rayudu and Mumbai Indians were struggling. 

They needed 13 runs in the last over and he hit one six and 2 successive boundaries to clinch the win against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

What one learns in these examples is never ever give up in life.

Be Patient, calm and be perseverant, one would tend to win.

Stay Focussed, and be determined in life.

We saw two great matches of tennis in Australian open in Melbourne.

Women’s Final:

Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova in two straight sets 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday 28.01.12.

Remember Maria is three times Grand Slam winner and is more experienced than Victoria.

In the first set Maria as usual was leading 2 nil and Victoria was struggling to put up a fight.

Her game was not up to the mark, and looking at her trailing 2 nil in the first set, one would have thought that Victoria stands no chance in defeating Maria.

The Transformation:

Victoria was not to lose so easily, her grit and determination paid. She gathered her wits and won the next game.

She was not disturbed by her first two games, but her efforts did pay in the third game.

There was no looking back after wards.

She went on to win the first set 6-3, conceding only one game after the first two games were won by Maria.

The second set saw Victoria very confident and defiant and her body language said it all.

She served very well and did not lose a single game resulting in 6-0 victory.

It was a shock for Maria who just could not handle Victoria’s shots.

It looked as if Maria had given up and Victoria emerged as the new Champ in women’s Tennis.

She hails from Belarus and it is a tiny country compared to India.

The game of Tennis match between the two showed that nobody is permanent in her or his place as champ, as there is always somebody who would come forward to take that place.

Only experience is not enough, as skills and techniques also matter.

Men’s Final at Melbourne on 29.01.12.

The final match was between two titans Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic.

The match started at 8 pm Australian time and it went on for 5 Hours 53 Minutes making it a longest final match. The match came to an end at 2 am Australian time.

What we saw there was something which is worth understanding.

The First Set was a tough one.Nadal winning it on Tie breaker. So it was not easy for him.

The next two sets saw Djokovic defeating Nadal in straight sets. The grit showed by Novak was great and the defeat of the first set did not make him weak.

The fourth set was a comeback by Nadal and it was not easy for both as over 4 hours had already elapsed by then. It was a grueling match and both were getting exhausted.

This brought the score to 2 sets each.

The fifth set would be the decisive one and both were on their toes to win it.

As expected both gave their best and the match went into Tie breaker.

The points were won with long rallies sometimes extending up to 31.

The players needed patience to take points as the rallies were long.

The balls were tossed on all corners of the court and drop shots, volleys, were tried out to put the opponent out.

It was indeed the longest Set ever played and at last perseverance, patience, grit and determination did pay for Novak.

He won the Championship after 5 Hours 53 minutes.

Both are great players and this match proved Novak better.

Rafael is not to be forgotten, as he would definitely spring back in the next tournament.

Grit, determination and being focused help us to achieve our goal.

The Year 2011 is gone let’s bring in the New Year 2012

The Past Year 2011:


The year 2011 had its ups & downs like every year.
 We saw the biggest scam in the mobile telephony where the figures are so huge, that we cannot even figure out.
 Anna Hazare led a crusade against corruption and it was an eye opener for the world to witness such a Gandhian Peace movement in today’s times.
 It mustered great support in Ram Lila Grounds and the Indian Government and the polity were shaken up to respect the sentiments of the people.
 What happened later was not at all comforting.
 Despite the assurance given to Anna about the introduction of Lok Pal Bill, the Government dilly dallied as usual in the typical bureaucratic way the government is used to conduct their affairs.
 This led to Anna once again calling for a hunger movement in Mumbai from 27Th December.

  Lok Pal Bill.


The Government scurried and introduced the Lok Pal bill in Lok sabha, which got passed because they had majority.
 However the same bill got a bashing in Rajya Sabha where the opposition had a majority.
 All this indicates that in our country petty politics takes precedence over real issues and now the Lok Pal Bill is in abeyance until the next budget session.
 The nation would have to wait till then. It is ironic that we as a country have not the courage and will to arrest corruption; it indicates the degeneration of moral values in our country.
 Meanwhile Anna’s movement in Mumbai petered out due to lack of mass appeal; he had to call off his hunger movement.

  The New Year: 2012

 What is in store for us in the New Year?
 Would there be better polity? 
Would the Lok Pal Bill be passed in the budget session in February 2012?
 Can there be transparency in governance?
 The government has put in place the accountability & governance in public limited companies, but the same Government is not ready to be accountable for its doings.
 What is in store for us in 2012 remains to be seen.

  Here is wishing India All The Best in 2012 and hope there is peace, happiness and good governance in our country.