Boon or Bane -- Depends on us

Just a couple of days back, army chief had said that army is not a lucrative profession for Indian youth anymore as it pays less than their counterparts in other professions and cited this as one of the major reasons for the shortage of officers in army. Today I came across this link http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4131444.cms?TOI_mostcommented according to which any immigrant will get a green card in US if he serves 6 months in US army. It’s not difficult to guess that this step has been welcomed by a lot of people who see it as an easier and surer way to getting green cards at a time when people with H1B visa are losing jobs every second day. Is getting a green card such a great thing that for it one would even serve for other countries’ army at a time when our own country’s army is facing a severe shortage and our own country is facing severe security threats?

I do agree that life is much easier and happier in US than in India but then if we consider countries equivalent to families, then would we leave our families and work for and help other families if our own families are a bit different than what we want? If we find some one else’s parents better than ours then do we start living with them and treating them as our parents? And the worst part is that at the end of all this, people still claim to be Indian from the core of their hearts.

It’s even more painful to read below comments on that article :

“I dont understand why the people sitting in India are complaining. You dont have to do it, its a volunteer program, if someone wants to do it, let them. Why do you care?”

We care because we are Indians and want our country to be ahead of others!!

“Become a cook in the US army. Let them eat masala dosa and chole Bhature for lunch and dinner. No harm in trying it out. A good method for migrating. A cousin tried it out during the Vietnam war. He has done well. He is still an Indian by heart after 40 years in the US.”

He’s an Indian by heart only because he did not have a heart transplant from some US person’s heart. By no other reason, his Indian-ness can be justified.

It’s high time for people to realize that our country would have replaced US with the talent and resources we have. If only all people who migrated to US since 1947 had stayed here and worked for this country with the same passion, we would have become a super power.

This law could be a boon for us if people decide to come back and serve in Indian Army instead of serving in US Army.

Here I am sitting in my office @ night

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed from a maverick college life to strict professional life…...

How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks
but then why it gives lesss happiness….

How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe
but then why there are less people to use them

How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger
But then why there is less hunger…..

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day
but then why its feels like shop is far away…..

How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package
but then why there are less calls & even lesser messages……

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…...

How a general class journey changed to Flight journey
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment….

How an old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop
but then why there is less time to put it on……….

How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
But then why we always feel lonely n miss those college frnz.….

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed….. How it changed……..

I was at a loss of comments after this...see if you can add a few...

Every day when I leave my guest house at 730 in the morning, a small poor boy wearing the minimum clothes and that too in the worst conditions would be sitting at the gate selling flowers. Though I never bought flowers from him, we used to exchange glances and smiles. In this 1 year, we had never spoken to each other but still never missed to smile. One day, he took a few flowers in his hand and said something in tamil. With 1 years' experience of conversing with auto walas and shopkeepers I could make out that he was asking me to buy some of those. I told him that I did not need one and hurried towards my bus stop. He continued mentioning something about school and sister and followed me. Because of him, all my days here had started with a smile, so I thought I could do this much for him. I took 2 flowers and reached out for my wallet. Then I realized that I did not have change and had only 100 rupee note. I was still in two minds when that boy took the 100 rupee note and ran for change. I was already late for my bus and did not want to miss my bus and be late for office. I boarded the bus thinking that I paid 100 rupees for the smiles I started my days with all these days.

Next two days I did not see that boy at my gate. Wondered if he ran away with my money or was he sitting here all these days for an opportunity like this. Another day passed and on the next evening a girl came at my door. She was of the same age as that boy and was no better dressed than him. She first said something in tamil which I could not understand and then handed over 80 rupees. I tried asking her the reason but she could not understand me. We struggled for 5 mins but neither of us could understand anything. Then I called the care taker of my guest house and asked him to translate what the girl was saying. I had nothing to say after I understood what the girl was saying.

The boy who used to sell flowers at the doorstep was her brother and he had asked her to give me that money. He had met with an accident that day and was seriously injured. However before taking his last breath he had given his sister 95 rupees and had asked her to return it to me. The girl apologized further and said that 15 rupees was spent in her brothers' treatment and that she would return it after some days.

I was too touched to say anything and by the time I realized what I should do, she had left the place handing me the 80 rupees.

Life By Chance

The concluding dialogue of Luck By Chance was "Everyone choses success or failure, happiness or sadness". This made me think for hours. Did I chose my present state of mind? May be yes.

My life 2 yrs ago and my life now...what a hell lot of a difference!! And the reason for this difference is a few wrong decisions, a few wrong choices and an unclear state of mind.And all this is still continuing.

2 yrs ago, whenever I asked my heart and mind what I wanted in life, I always got an answer. Now when I ask my heart and mind, there never comes a clear answer. And immediately after taking a decision, there's a lull, my heart beat increases and my mind is flooded with questions like will it be right...what if this does not materialize...what if the other option was a better one...what if i m a loser at the end...instead of choosing from options I get trapped in them and lose my peace of mind...and thus day by day my life is becoming a mess.

With each passing day, I am forced to make more decisions and with each decision comes more of doubts and more of uncertainty and more of unhappiness. Earlier I used to believe that even if I have not chosen the best, I can make my choice to be the best for me. Now this seems to me a distant dream. And all these decisions have accumulated so much of sadness in me that the burden is killing me day by day. I want to throw out all sadness from within but am unable to find a way out.

But to avoid the same mistakes in future I should know my mistakes. The biggest mistakes of my life are :

Trying to make all my close ones happy - None of our actions can make all happy so it's worthless trying to make all happy. In the end of it, it's you who are most unhappy and dissatisfied.

Not being firm on what I want - Since childhood I had never been one of those kids who will do all possible tantrums to get a thing. I used to try for it once or twice and then be at peace with whatever I have. But now I realize, we have to be adamant if we really want something. Else the world will try to crush your dreams.


Being too accommodative about everything - I used to be satisfied with whatever I have if it makes someone else happy. But over a period of time, it just accumulates into sadness and hopelessness. Now I would fight with full enthusiasm to get what I want and would not be contended by anything less than that.


Believing that there's always a middle way - If you want something, then you have to decide on it and tread on that path come what may. If you try to find some middle way which would not involve too many radical reactions, then you are only fooling yourself. This is what I was trying to do all these times in my personal as well as professional life. Now I would not look for middle ways, it's either this way or that way.


It seems couple of my mistakes have already slipped out of my mind. Will continue to update this list as and when things happen and would try to make maximum out of it.