Sulabh tricks?

Yoga, Homeopathic therapy,Hinduism, Indian cuisine and Classical music have sure drawn the Westeners' attention to India. But Indian toilets too?

When I read the headline "US Army fascinated by Indian Sulabh toilets"  on one of the media channels' website, I was curious, no doubt. When, in the new-age Indian homes, it is difficult to find Indian-style toilets, what makes the West embrace the concept? Was it something to do with the posture or medical recommendations to aid lifestyle? Well, the headline had caught my attention and one click to get more details , answers my queries.

US Army is fascinated by Indian Sulabh toilets, so they want to implement the same (not in the U.S, but )in Afganistan!!

I for sure agree Sulabh toilets have been an extremely commendable step in the area of  Hygiene and cleanliness and it has to be appreciated that such benefits are extended to Afganistan too, but didn't the headline mis-lead? At least, I felt as if the web-site giggled and said "gotcha!!" when I had finished reading it and understand the complete story!  They got me to read their stuff,however!

A U-turn?

Just when we saw Sanias, Sainas, Malleshwaris and quite a handful of women sports-persons, putting India on the global map, a cloud of Sexual harassment claims hover around. Unfortunate, isn't it? It perhaps existed and rooted long ago, but coming to light now. It feels terrible to imagine what many might have gone through to uphold their passion for sports. And how many who could have brought glory to India backed out to show opposition for compromise ?

Just when people were opening up to different avenues, outside of academics, such bursts  of flame will sure make parents shun away from providing any encouragement to try the unconventional avenues. Who is to blame? The parents and guardians for not supporting their kids to try something that interests the latter? Or the dirty ugly world that sucks the modesty and kills the sportive spirit?

Every single time, we as a nation, take a U-turn, only the difference being the font of 'U', which seems to be getting only bigger!

 When there is a dearth in morality, how can we correlate the Indian population to strength? With monsters lurking all around, we will only go round and round.

Almost there

I hope I haven't lost it all. A lot of thoughts on mind and the lack of zeal (read lazy) to blog it.

Maybe blogging has lost casting its charm on me and I most certainly not happy about it. The last I remember doing anything to my blog is changing templates.. from horrible ones to more horrible ones!

Now, blogger has some cool templates and customizations, perhaps some reason to give blogging a retry.

Will come back, soon,perhaps!! Almost there, like you care??!!

Passion, face to face!

Does this mean that passion  earns its reward, someday?!
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/article388837.ece?homepage=true

Tall expectations!

As we passed by Richmond circle yesterday, we saw a foreign national lady, extremely tall and this discussion followed:

Me : I think there would be no one as short as I am, in the western countries!

He: Why not, there will be and they are called Dwarfs!!


Grrr... oh to be a 5-footer!!

Wish-list

Dear God,
   May I know if my wish-list is big or small?

Well, I am supposing that this question will compel You to take a look at it !! :)

Anti-theft Mobile

First, my Lunch-mate[LM], then my cab-mate[CM] and finally my soul-mate[SM], were all bewildered for the same reason -The wallpaper I had on my mobile.

Scene1 :  

Time: Afternoon
=============

LM: Oh, you have your own photo for wall-paper?
Me: Yes :)
LM: My friends sometimes steal my mobile to put mine, I remove it.
Me: Oh,is it? Why so?
LM: Come on! How can one have their own !

Me: Hmm.. (mutters... like me!)

Scene2: 

Time:  Evening
===========

CM: Heights!
Me:  What?
CM: You have your own photo for wall-paper!
Me: Hmm.. yeah, you see, I don't have a kid that I can put his/hers!
CM: Makes sense! I have put my kid's :)

Not bad.. could convince him!

Scene 3:

Time: Night
=========

SM: Funny.. Your photo for wallpaper??!!

Me: Funny? What? Photo?
SM: Come on.. how can one put one's own snap for wallpaper?
Me:Why not?
SM: Well.. no one does that!
Me: It is a Chinese way of saying that it is my mobile, picture communication, you see!

[Did I hear him mutter 'seeing this pic, no one will flick!']  Ok.. it works as anti-theft too. Cool!

Dear LM, CM and SM,

     I am as surprised as you are, for different reasons. You on how one can have, and me on why you consider it it a big no-no!  When we can have every other random person,puppies,kitties,trees and flowers for wallpapers, why not one's own? After all, it is boring to have good wallpapers, all the time!

Wafers or kith?

....not a tough choice really, I mean, is there a choice? Wafers, of course!

While we make friends, I am sure we also make some enemies or 'I-dislike-you' folks, every now and then.  About new friends made today, I am not sure but most certainly I would got some folks added to 'I-Dislike-Rashmi' bandwagon.

And you know what the problem is, a pack of yummy wafers!



It is so crunchy and one bite can be so noisy that your colleagues can't help but distract themselves from work and raise their eye-brows to give a weird glance. Besides that, they feel bad that  you are not considering yourself close to them that you don't offer them one.


It is so crispy that one bite and so many flakes fall on the carpet, to fetch enough blessings from the house-keeping staff.


It is so untidy that however efficiently you wipe your face, you will fail in removing that one nagging flake stuck somewhere near your cheek.


And the real worse part is that the wafers are so additive that you care less for the raised eye-brows, 'you-are-not-giving-it-to-me' looks,sweetened carpet, untidy face that got untidier still...

Well, Pardon me folks, one last bite...crunch...

Single again? Dream not!

She calls him up. He cuts her call. SMS conversation follows:

He: In a meeting.

She: Is it? Ok. Will talk later.

He:  Anything urgent?

She:Hmm... oh  yeah.. Indeed. It's decided. Calling it quits. Gonna divorce you!

He: Really?!! Coooool!!!

She: Aah? ok.. it's cabbage and beet-root for dinner today! .. and tomorrow too!! How dare you!!

He murmers, 'only gals can manage to give pleasant dreams and shatter them too! '

He: OK.. no divorce, no cabbage and beet-root, ok ?

She: Done!... I mean you ! Get home and bear the brunt!

He: I was only kidding!

She: I was too, but now, dead serious!

He murmers, 'Gals are like weather , so fickle! Gosh! '

For once, He is happy about late hours at work and the traffic jams!
Only gals have the ability to make the world ( with traffic jams) look beautiful, isn't it? :P

Dark and Lovely

I have been fairly dusky (pun intended) all my life. However, my mother feels I was fair when I was an infant and she finds it a mystery that I turned ‘slightly’ dusky. I can confidently say I was born dusky. The love for kids will make mothers blind or make them forget that black and white photos don’t give clarity or proof to the complexion.

If complexion gives an inferiority complex, it does not come as a shock. It has happened for ages and still does. However, for the upbringing I had , I least cared for what others said of my complexion. It takes importance more so because my sister is fair-skinned.

"Your Sis is very beautiful, isn’t she? She is fairer than you " or some such form was a very familiar observation and pronouncement I used to hear from relatives.

"Thank God, I am not beautiful. Else someone would fall in love with me and I would be compelled to go for love marriage. It would then be a head-ache for parents, isn’t it?” I would say with giggles.
That would suffice to shut their mouths, more often than not. I guess, they also got wary of their fair-skinned daughters and their love affairs!!


My sis is indeed beautiful, more for the person that she is than for the complexion she possesses. It didn’t need relatives to know that. I am so happy how we dealt with it so maturely even when we were kids. Never jealous or irritated with what others had to blurt. All goes to my parents who never once brought such bias or thoughts on to us.


I consider beauty-parlours the places where the inferiority complex is cashed upon. The more ugly(?!!) adjectives are given, thick eye-brows, dusky skin, rough feet, body hair etc, more the money is spent. After all, in a world where external beauty weighs more than the soul, people might be willing to be beautiful, rather look so. Not that I don’t visit parlours, but most certainly not to gain confidence! That has to come from within.

“ Ma’am, it would be good to get a bleach and facial done for your skin is dusky”,said the lady in the parlour.
“ No thanks” is all I had to say. Now that needs confidence, doesn’t it? I was more proud than what I could have been had I got it done for the sole reason that she suggested it.

Black is beautiful! Come on! You don’t think so? Ask you parents if they are ok with Love marriages?? :P

P.S: I do not belong to any Sena that opposes Love Marriages. Just love the look on parents’ faces when they get wary!! :D

Walk to Freedom

Once upon a time, in the centre of Bangalore city, Gandhinagar that is, there existed the Central Jail guarded with huge walls and fence all around. As the urge to peek at things is proportionate to the urge to hide them, we would gape at the walls with the hope that our sight would pierce through them to help us catch a glimpse of the dark world, so hyped in the movies. Thoughts of criminals as being different entities altogether harboured in our minds then. Back then, we were kids, you see!

As I went past the location today, I was reminded of the hide-and-seek game we played as kids.  There exists no such need anymore. I didn't mean to say that criminals are easy to see outside than within the boundaries of the jail. Transformation to the core has occured. Strange contrast one might call it, what was once a Central 'Jail' is now 'Freedom' Park! Yes, Central Jail is relocated to make space for a park for public.

While I write this, I am so reminded of a kannada song, so philosophical and touching but unrelated perhaps, which says "tappu maadadavru ellovre... tappe maadadoro ellovre..   kalrannella jailige haakodaadre bhoomige beli haakabelava?" meaning to say, "  Is there anyone who hasn't committed a mistake? If we have to jail the wrong-doers, we have to fence the whole world!!"