Experiences

We tend to be involved a lot in other people’s business than our own. You must have heard the phase ‘being judgemental’. So, is ‘being judgemental’ good or bad? Isn’t it crucial to be judgemental while interviewing a candidate for a job, or choosing your friends or relations? Everyone makes judgements all the times then why, only certain people are accused of being judgemental. Is it a crucial skill or an unconscious bad habit? The answer lies in the fine difference between making judgements and being judgemental. Making judgements comes from a balanced and neutral mind but on the other hand being judgemental comes from an imbalanced and reactive mind. Although, judging people and things is a very natural human behaviour but the problem comes when we look at people and things through our black and white filter of beliefs without knowing the whole truth. When we have an opinion of someone’s behaviour with no basis for making that assessment other than prejudiced conception then we...

Life as we know is fleeting, changeable and imperfect. All things human are short lived and perishable. It is true that “Change is universal and permanent, rest everything is transient”. In fact, the very existence of homo-sapiens on Earth is because of evolution or in other words a series of changes brought in by nature. Changes can be gradual like one’s depleting health condition or sudden like demonetisation. But, sooner or later we all have to face difficult times, and the way we deal with this can make a huge difference to our quality of life.  It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters. The nature in its wildest form teaches us the same, survival of the fittest. You must have heard the story of two frogs. There were two frogs, both were kept in separate tumblers filled with normal water. For one of it the temperature was raised very slowly every day, so that it can adjust to the change but beyond a certain point its body was deteriorated and it finall...

Right after my board exams got over we decided to go for a family pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi. It seemed right to visit the shrine as the results were going to be out soon. The trip which was supposed to be a family pilgrimage turned out to be tiresome excursion. It took us more than 24 hours and different connecting trains to reach Katra which was the junction point for all pilgrims going for the holy pilgrimage. Many people from far off lands of India were here, occasionally a few foreign tourists could also be spotted. Old people, youth as well as young children flocked together, preparing themselves for the long walk to the shrine. It seemed to be a world fair going on.  We booked a room nearer to the starting point. Everything seemed to be overpriced, but that’s understandable because tourism was the only source of income for many local people. After having breakfast we started our journey on foot. Thousands of people were going to the sanctum, most were on foot, s...

Ever thought about surname? Sure, I did. My surname is Shaw and that is not so common in India. Quite often I am asked, where do you belong to, what’s your native place, are you a Christian, are you a Muslim or more directly how come your surname is Shaw. Once I was asked are you an Anglo-Indian. So every time I meet a new person, I have to explain why is my name Shaw. But, sometimes I also get complemented on having such a cool surname. It’s actually quite a tale behind my surname. People have weird surnames, some are funny too. Especially in India, which is a land of diversity, you can find all kinds of surname. Your surname or as for south India your initials are supposed to carry your family legacy with it. Some people have their father’s name, grandfather’s name, community’s name or even villages name as a part of their surname. With all these sub-names, you tend to have quite a big name, so you have to use initials. But, in my case I have a short and cool surname. ...

Grocery shopping is an art which requires awareness and experience to master. In India, most of the people buy grocery from small vendors in a place called mandi or bazaar. In order to bag the best of fresh pieces for a good price, you need skills which I find lacking among the millennials. There have been instances where the fruits which I had bought were not of good quality or sometimes I have paid much higher price for the items bought. Here green grocery is not like packaged goods in supermarkets which would have a MRP and best before date therefore skills are required in a mandi bazaar. The demand-supply ratio is the basis of these mandis. The prices fluctuate quite often in a wide range. One has to be aware of the current prices otherwise you might end up paying much higher price for the items bought. These skills come with experience which requires the best of hand-picked fresh pieces to be selected from the lot. Good quality fruits and vegetables are chosen on the basis o...