DMC Issue 12

My dear readers,

It is a pleasure to get back to writing after a long hiatus. Well the void was due to various reasons, but today I still find that no reason is justified when you cant make time for what you love to do. Hence I have learnt another lesson by life, for life. :)

Tears of joy...or a cry for help?

Most of us have been taught right from our schooling days that man is a social animal. Whenever I heard this from my teachers in school, I always used to amuse myself by thinking that if men were social animals, women might be socializing animals....and I wondered how interesting this aspect would be! Well, on a serious note, 'humans' are always on a perpetual mission of craving for something materialistic, emotional and spiritual all through theirs lives. I guess when God forbade 'the 1st couple' from eating 'the fruit', HE did so since HE knew that men & women will get too social as animals. Unfortunately HIS fears came true, thanks to a crawling catalyst! The point I'am getting to is that does this habit or nature of craving and asking embedded in our mind since birth or it evolves through the years and situations.

A young Indian mother hopped in the train one morning, carrying her couple-of-months old (guessing the age) baby in her arms. The baby was the cynosure of all eyes in the compartment since God had blessed him with a very pretty and smiling face. The mother looked to be all excited to have a metro ride with her tiny little baby. They both were talking in their own baa baa boo boo language which I'am sure had many grammatical mistakes made by the mother because I could see that the baby was not able to understand what the Mum was saying most of the times.

It begins now! Here came a station and the train obviously halted there, passengers got in and few disembarked. Apart from the sounds and chaos in the station, what one could hear very loudly and clearly was the cry of a baby. It shot out in the train as though someone sounded a siren for war or a drill. We all turned and looked at the direction of the sound and saw this Indian baby crying uncontrollably. The Mom was trying her best to first of all stop her baby from crying and also from attracting attention by all passengers around her. But you see, there's one talent that babies love to show and compete with fellow babies...that talent is crying and it takes an effort, at times even by the Mum to calm the baby down. Unfortunately our lady here was finding it very difficult to stop her baby's outburst. All this happened until the time the train was non-mobile at the station. As soon as the train continued its journey, the baby 'instantaneously' stopped crying. Everyone felt relieved more-so the mother. I got back to listening to songs on my iPhone and it was all fine...until the next station. The train began to slow down as it approached the station and the baby act began again. This time it was with superb characterization. The kiddo first made up a frown on his face, slowly lifted his head to look up to his mom as though asking "now what happened again?", the mom, perplexed had just began to looked at him, the train stopped and he started.....oooaaaaaa oooooaaaaa.... Instead of looking at her baby and calming him down, she looked at us around her and started smiling and giggled as though her kid performed exactly as she taught him for this play called 'cry-stop-cry'! Well, this continued for at least for 3 stations more until where I got out at my station and this duo continued the journey. I wonder if it continued later on too.

Just like this baby, most of us become crying babies when we need something in life or are dis-pared from doing or having something we love or like alot. When we enjoy doing something or being with someone it becomes a part of our life. When it is detached or placed away from us for a while or permanently, we cry. When one need or prayer is answered or when one desire or possession is granted, our hearts and minds are immediately ready for the next 'ask'. This takes us back to the basic mantra of humans being social animals. But unlike this baby; whose reason to cry was the temporary pause in its feeling of being in a train (without even having the knowledge or understanding of what it is all about), our needs and wants, prayers and desires too; most of the times are irrational and one too many. Also, we seldom thank God for answering our prayers (which our numerous) but proactively make ourselves available for every possible opportunity where we can ask or shamelessly plead to God time and again to answer every need. It's a different thing that God is all merciful, loving and kind in ignoring our greed and yet answering our prayers (if it is HIS will). Why is it so difficult for us to shed tears of joy and contentment about the fact that we are alive today and have been given the opportunity to be worthy of receiving the grace of another day tomorrow in our lives? And why is it so easy to cry and crib about things that we (most of the times) don't need direly and keep trying to get God to hear and answer us 'always'.

Know this my dear friends, when you shed a tear of thanks, gratitude and humility to God, HE answers our prayers even before we can find words to express what we need. Don't we know that he had already planned and destined our lives even before we were conceived?

Socialize....with humans and animals. Don't be greedy social animals...lest you cry, for something or the other, all the time!

Now please smile... :)

DMC Issue 11

Brave as a 'child'

Travelling back home from work one evening in the metro, I couldn't take my eyes off this adorable little girl tucked cozily between her Dad and Mom. She was very pleasingly smiling at people seated on the opposite seats and had no dearth of the glee in her beautiful and innocent eyes. I assume that she might have been around 3 years old and she probably was an Egyptian. Well I could assume that because now I am a bit familiar with certain body language and appearance of Arab Nationals here in the UAE, just as how an Indian would know just by looking at a fellow Indian and say from which city or community he / she might belongs to. So...back to the little girl. After passing a few stations, the girl got up and sat alone, not far from her parents when this new passenger who came and sat beside her. This passenger was a young Arab lady and the minute she looked at this little girl in no time she had tears in her eyes. She was trying to control her tears and overwhelming emotion as she drew herself closer to the girl and gave her a 'bear hug' and kept kissing her arm. I was unable to understand the whole scenario because all this while there was something very important that wasn't yet visible to my eyes. The Arab lady then sat the girl on her lap, gave her phone to play and just when the girl held the phone with just one arm and tried to 'manage' it with the other, that's when I saw that this little angel had an amputated arm, from the elbow! Yes...my eyes were moist the very second I saw this appalling yet joyful sight of this bundle of gladness. Appalling because she was so young and was bearing such a rude reality of life as part of her body and joyful because there was not a single wrinkle of sadness nor an utterance of a single word of pain or complaint. Instead, the little miracle - as I think of her, was a powerful and heartfelt persona of happiness, strength, courage and life! Her face was like an oasis of pure happiness for someone in a desert of lost hope. Her indescribable acceptance of disability was a lesson for a life time for all those who think that the world is not kind and welcoming to them just because they have dark skin or are bald, short, lean, fat and what not.

One has to always realize that though physical disability deprives us from living a life unlike normal folk, but an individual with a heart and mind that does not have faith in God, or the will power to bear life's challenges head on, to conquer it with wisdom and perseverance, is more handicapped than that one person in some part of the world, who is still living a 'contended' life, with no arms and no legs too!

A spineless heart is worse than a severed arm!

DMC Issue 10

Make Up!

It has been an eventful week!

Last week I had a surprise opportunity of meeting International Cricket commentator Charu Sharma, in the metro! I can also now boast of having met with an Indian global celebrity from the world of cricket. It was a very hectic day at work and then this incident brought some relief to my headache.

Just a couple of days ago there were these two ladies who gave a very animated display of fast track make up, on board the fast track Dubai metro! They were seated on either end of the compartment and were oblivious of the fact that both were exhibiting the same talent to the same audience. For us passengers it was like as though watching free Maybelline TV - LIVE in the literal sense of the word. I am sure there is no need to explain which gender of the audience was glued to their ‘screens’ during this telecast!

These ladies might have had a badly burnt toast during breakfast, tea or coffee spilled all over the table, husband left the towel on the bed…again, kids late to school, an early meeting OR let’s give Roger something interesting to write!! No matter what the reason, no matter what upsets us, when we need to get on with life inspite of all our disappointments or failures or expectations not met, we make sure that we all put on our make-up; whatever that may be and move on with life. Some of us make an effort to indulge in applying more than one layer of it and some of us have the natural ability to be strong and be natural to make up for the unhappiness we experience. At the end of the day what is important is that we need to make sure that nothing lets us crumble or sulk or sinks us into the abyss of sadness, when every minute of life is a gift from God, to be lived to the fullest! When something goes wrong, let’s face it, learn from it and let’s do something worthwhile and make up for the lost happiness! Let’s do something which leaves a glow in our lives and in others and not just on our faces. Something brighter than the glow of any ‘foundation’ or ‘masakara’!

Cheers!!

DMC Issue 9

Multicultural

It’s always a pleasure to meet new and interesting people around you. It gets even more interesting at times when you get to meet people from different countries. I’ve had a wonderful experience last Saturday and I am glad that it has also resulted in a wonderful new chapter in my life.

I was in the train, on my way to the first ever Dubai Coffee Meet by InterNations (professional networking community), last Saturday evening. It was long train trip (longer than my usual rides). I got down at my destination and had to figure out the directions to go to the Hotel; the venue of the get-together. While I was exiting from the station, there was this African guy who to whom I asked for directions. He said “eet eez naut wayri faa maa frend!! You nee to go straight fom heeere aand den tayk a raaayt and woak fo faee minots and you aa gona bee dey evan beefo you no!” This was an interesting brush with the African-English slang. I then kept walking as the guy directed me, but got lost in no time because there were many turns on the way. So I again approached one guy on the road to check for directions again. This guy was a Spanish National. He was returning back to his hotel after his evening walk, engrossed in listening songs on his iPod. When I spoke to him, he guided me well and also said that he is put up in the same hotel and that I could walk with him there. I switched of his iPod and strated chatting with me very inquisitively about India, Dubai, Spain and the people in general. It was a good chat and he was very glad to know that I too was in favour of Barcelona winning the Champions League Match that evening. And just like the African man said, in no time we reached the hotel. But the worst part of the walk was the humidity in the air. I was sweating profusely and was really irriatated with the weather. Anyways, as soon as we got in the hotel, we greeted eachother ‘‘ciao’ and the Spanish guy got going to his room. I then navigated myself to the coffee & snack bar of the hotel, the place where the get-together was arranged. There were a group of about 6 people, each one from a different country, all of them atleast 8 to 10 years older to me, but as energetic and excited about the meeting as me. As time passed on, 5 more members joined in and we had some very interesting conversations about work and life in general, enjoying a lovely cup of coffee. We exchanged contact infos, interests and ideas. I made two new friends too. One of them is the guy who started this group, he is from Lebanon and a lady who is originally from Iran, but lived most of her live in the US and now is the Managing Director of a industrial hardware company in Dubai.

Had a great time until 8.30pm and then this new lady friend of mine dropped me to the nearest metro station in her car and I rode back home in the train, happy!

Met people from about 6 Nationalities, shared football passion and love for my favourite team with a guy from that very country, received genuine ML from an African national and enjoyed a tasty cup of coffee with some very interesting people from around the world. All in one evening, at one place, in DUBAI!!!

DMC Issue 8

Mind it!

Hi readers,

Even before the word evolution was coined, there have been numerous phenomena, civilizations, demographics and all those elements which might have had even a modest aspiration to ‘improvise’; have been evolving. We will also get to witness many other evolutions in the years to come, as long as the human brain remains as the supreme free download torrent of ideas. Now in order to answer your mind’s inquisitiveness, as to where I am actually heading towards with the evolution aspect, I‘d like to straight away get to this week’s agenda on track!

On my way back home from work, there was this group of friends; 3 guys and 2 gals, having a very animated chat. I couldn’t but notice them because they were all standing right infront of my seat. Among them was this pair who is the inspiration for my current issue of DMC. I figured out that they were having a tiff about something and the girl was in no mood of talking to the guy. She kept giving cold looks to him every time he tried to amuse him with his comic faces or silly nothings, neither was she interested in the laughs and fun the rest of the group was enjoying. Suddenly the girl said something to the guy. She said it so ‘loud’ and clear that the guy literally stopped his clown gimmicks and replied back in a very rather courteous manner. Though whatever she told the guy was loud and clear to him, it was softer than even a whisper to everyone else around. Actually the girl said whatever she said, without actually making a sound. She typed something on the message application on her cell phone and showed it to the guy. He read it and the big smile on his face changed into a sad frown, at the speed of light. Now I obviously wouldn’t know what was written in that message, however what I was reminded of was the classic way of evolving a new usage of a tool or a thing which already has set functions to be performed. We message or talk on the phone with people who are far away from us. But this girl evolved another way of using her phone in that particular situation of hers. There are sign languages for those special people who cannot talk or hear, there is brail for those who cannot see. But those who have all their communication senses normal and active; have smart phones at their disposal! But yet when one chooses to type a message on the phone and not send it, not to dial a number to call or not use a hi-tech phone in ways it should be used, it is very interesting to see which other way it is put to use. Phone companies spend months and years to develop the most sophisticated of technologies to address to the unique demands of consumer expectations. This girl in picture was using a Blackberry. Tell me, would the Blackberry guys would have ever thought that their phone’s features would be put to such shame, as one of their customers is using their phone and not actually using any of its features the way they need to be used and yet has actually communicated with another person!

Our mind can evolve new ideas or improvised usage of things which are already improvised and built to address the very function which we intend to execute. This is why; what no thief can enter, nor moth can destroy; is our mind. This is why we are called human. But all things kept aside, what we fail to remember is that we are also called to ‘be human’. Let’s evolve ideas and ways to always make the world a safe and a happy place to live!

DMC Issue 7

Friendship…how far does it sail!

On my ride back home a few evenings ago, when the train door opened and as I was about to get in, I saw this big gang of young college girls squatted in a circle inside the train. What a sight that was! All of them chirping with their high tone voices, laughing and having a great time. As soon as I saw them, even before I could get in, I figured out that there isn’t place to even actually get in. I moved quickly to the next door to get inside. Thankfully I was quick enough because the doors shut within a few seconds. What I did notice was that when I was made to play this ‘catch the next door' game by those young lasses, they all mischievously began giggling as the other passengers too had to get in through other doors. They enjoyed this ‘rasta rokho’ until they got down 4 stops after. This incident reminded me of my college days and my rides in our local buses with classmates and friends. Wow, those days and those experiences with friends are priceless.

This group of girl friends in the train depicted that phase of life which most people in cities around the world experience. Having fun with their group of college friends is an integral part of that special phase of life. The mischief, the friendship, the naughtiness, the loud behavior and all that comes with it. But this incident in the train showed me more than what met the eye. All of them were on the same ‘track’ and the track was towards one direction and it’s just that each one of them or a couple them got down at different stations. Isn’t life EXACTLY as this situation? We are with college friends for so many years of our acquaintance with them and in that period of time we all journey towards the same direction of life, which is; acquiring a good education and achieving a degree, which then helps us in getting a good job. One goal but different destinations. Studying the same course (common track), reaching towards the same goal – degree. However, seldom do all our friends end up together at a common destination. We all study together for a few years, but there is no guarantee that we end up working at common place for another few years. We are all on the same journey, but we choose our individual destinations. And happy are those who are lucky to get an opportunity to work in the same company and be together everyday for a few more years, just like those two girls who got down at a common station and walked back home together.

Happy are those who are blessed with true friends and with lasting friendships! I am glad that I have such friends and also lucky that few among them have remained with me since my childhood!

DMC Issue 6

11 - 05 - 2011

Addiction or Vanity!

I am all glued to my new iPhone 4 since the time I bought it. Well why not; the makers of Apple products actually intensify their new product research programs to such levels that when the product actually hits the market, people camp outside Apple stores to buy them. And we all know this piece of info, but yet I thought it could be FYI to those who don’t.

Have got some awesome songs on the phone which keeps me melodiously occupied through my journey to work and back home. So much so that I forgot to disembark from my train at my station yesterday! Thankfully I realized it at the very next station and swiftly got out off the train.

Well, the world has so much to give us, materialistic and emotional. I wonder if there is an invisible ‘fevicol ka jod’ that keeps us so attached to few things and actually makes us forget the world. A mind blowing invention is the touch sensor to various appliances. Something so fascinating ought to capture one’s imagination and fascination into the wilderness of technology. But what is more attaching or detachable in life? And which of the later is easier? I for one think that attachment is even at time instinctive but detachment from something super techie and excitingly intriguing is tougher than finding a needle in a stack of hay.

Almost 6 out of every 10 people on the train are plugged with earphones attached to their phones for the obvious reason. But when you actually just look at them, it feels like you are seated in the compartment for people with hearing impairment. There is a strange silence in the train in the mornings. You will hardly find people talking to eachother. This is where, on the tracks, you learn that silence is Blackberry or iPhone or Nokia or choose your brand!

Have a good weekend readers!