Govinda Aalaa Re…

Hey, I am not talking about Bollywood film star Govinda. I am talking about ‘Govinda’ who burst the Dahi-Handi or Matki on Janmashtami Day. (For those who even don’t know what Janmashtami is – it was the day or rather night on which Shree Krishna was born. The next day is celebrated to enjoy this great event.)

All Indian festivals have a hidden meaning behind it which we have forgotten today but we love to celebrate, enjoy and hence we celebrate all the Indian (and some of the foreign) festivals pompously, with lot of enthusiasm and at times with lot of money too! But some of the festivals we celebrate completely forgetting the very idea behind the festival only to have fun and may be for some other dirty motives. Dahi-Handi is such one festival.

To celebrate Krishna’s birth is just one reason but why burst Dahi filled Matki? Do we know? There is an interesting story behind it. In Gokul, where lord Krishna spent his childhood there were lot of cows and there was lot of Butter produced. Neighbouring village of Mathura was ruled by demon Kans (Krishna’s maternal uncle) and all the butter produced in Gokul had to be exported to Mathura and the poor people and children of Gokul were unfortunate and could not enjoy their own home-grown Makkhan.

When Krishna came to know about this, he made a plan. This Makkhan or butter was stored in the Matkis tied in the homes of Gokul-niwasees. So what Krishna did was, he gathered his Gowala-friends (or Govinda) and made pyramid like structure and burst this Matkis filled with Butter (or Dahi which is not actually the correct translation of butter) and shared it with all his Gowala-friends so that it was consumed before being exported to Mathura. This was even the poor Gowala-Friends of Krishna who could not afford to have Makkhan, got to eat it! What a noble cause and what a great task!

But today, we celebrate Matki utsav with the prizes of Lakhs of Rupees. Who gains out of it? Sometimes Govindas are not even awarded with the prize money announced. The gain is of Politicians who have made the festival a dirty celebration by associating large sums of money with it and by making the whole city a battle ground on this day.

This year there is a prize of Rs. 25 Lakhs announced for bursting the Dahi-handi and that’s not all. There is going to be Gold Dahi-handi, bollywood stars, Laavani Dance shows, DJ, Prizes of Mobile and ambulance and plethora of other attractive prizes. What is all these for? Enjoyment, fun. And Politicians purely have ulterior motive of getting mileage and publicity. They encourage higher and higher pyramids made by Govindas (There has to be ten or more layers for 25 Lakh prize money this year) but if a Govinda dies or accidentally looses his limb or becomes handicap no politician would go and look after him and his family. There are insurance going to be provided to Govindas this year but what about the loss of life or a limb of a human being?

There are other problems like Traffic Jam, tussle between two or more Govinda groups, Drunk Govindas driving rashly and carelessly on streets causing accidents or other untoward incidents and more.

How women can be left behind? This is equality-age and this year even women Govinda Teams will burst Matkis and have claimed equal amount of prize money.

I love all Indian festivals and love celebrating them with enthusiasm and great fervour but hate this indecent, abnormal urbanized avatar of them.

Sachin Tendulkar Book controversy

A few days ago I came across a news piece on Sachin Tendulkar's autobiographical type book with collection of some rare pictures of his life. There were many salient features of this book such as only ten copies of this book were going to be published and they were priced at a whopping price of around Thirty Seven Lakh Indian rupees.(only good part was this whole amount was supposed to go for charity purpose) but
the main attraction (?) of this book was that each copy of the book was supposed to contain Sachin Tendulkar's autograph with his own blood!
Now this made me restless! I thought how Sachin Tendulkar could have agreed to do such a stunt? Though neither I am a sports person nor do I have any special liking for cricket, I surely have special respect for Sachin. He most certainly is a great Indian personality and is also a good human being. So definitely this piece of news about his blood-signed book made me think negative about the whole idea and Sachin himself. Look at the media power! It can surely change perceptions. I was not happy about this news.
After reading this news in all major newspapers, finally there was clarification by Sachin Tendulkar himself that he had not agreed to sign copies of this book with his blood and this false piece of information was complete rubbish. Now came the clarification from the publishers that they were misunderstood and misquoted by the media. If such was the case why the clarification came by Sachin first? This was a cheap publicity stunt. Even for a good cause one shall not rely on such petty measures. Media also has a responsibility. It shall verify the facts before publishing news but in today's cut throat competition that cares about veracity of any news item? 'We shall be the first to break the news' is the mantra of any news agency, news paper.
Thank God Sachin didn't sign the book with his blood!

My Tweets during Mar - May 2010...

Last week thr was a program-talk cndcted in a school in Bharuch on my book 'Mahek'-I was phone-interviewd 4 it.Felt vry good!
6:14 AM Mar 2nd

Didnt go 2 office as I ws nt feelin well ystrdy.Saw Natrang marathi film in the eve.vry good film,music,location,theme,dance.I liked it.
6:18 AM Mar 6th

Busy wid the work on my fifth gujarati book 'Internet Corner' series.Wd finish a day or two.
6:27 AM Mar 6th

Enjyd anther superb marathi film 'Harishchandrachi factory'.Simply loved it.Language nvr bcme barrier in enjyin a gr8 wrk of art of any form
4:51 AM Mar 7th

The workload in office affects your mood and vice versa.Ideally it shouldn't.why can't v follow all we undrstnd?
5:36 AM Mar 11th

How good U feel when U make others feel good..!Why then we all not always do things that make others happy?
8:12 AM Mar 12th

After two holidays of the weekend why still ye dil maange more..?!I always feel yet so mny things 2 cmplete.1more holiday shd hv bn there..
8:04 AM Mar 14th

Saw a movie Ramchand Pakistani ystrdy.Very beautiful short film.Nice location,costumes & vry good theme.Also enjoyed Metro again.
8:06 AM Mar 14th

Tdy was the silver jubilee of my blog-based gujarati column in JanmabhoomiPravasi.Also news of 2nd &3rd edition of my books got published.
8:12 AM Mar 14th

Tdy I was eagerly waiting for JanmabhoomiPravasi.Newspprwalla threw 4 othr pprs bt frgt 2 put Janmabhoomi only!Finlly I gt it in the eve.
8:16 AM Mar 14th

While shopping for GudiPadwa ystrdy broke my leg @ Devii jewellers,Andhri.Can't evn walk properly.Had 2 tk leave frm offc 2.sitting @ home !
11:24 PM Mar 16th

My loving mom applyin turmeric-salt-water paste on my swollen leg.How caring & loving moms are!Paste may or mayNot work bt my mom's love wd!
10:30 AM Mar 18th

It was World HouseSparrow Day tdy & I celebrated it!wd every dy put a small pan filled wth wtr 4 my fav brd sparrow & othrs.Pls save Nature.
11:06 AM Mar 20th

Watched LSD tdy mornin or rather wasted my precious mornin hrs.DevD & NoSmoker lovers would like it!Ppl mk anythin in name of offbit.A pity!
12:58 AM Mar 21st

Having fast & accompanying ur frnds 4 lunch @ subway joint is difficlt!Hd 2 c thm eatin nice-lukin,temptin sndwchs &fill myslf wid jst chip!
12:30 AM Mar 24th

Charges of food items @ joints like pizzahut,CCD,subway etc. r more 4 the ambience thr.It's cool,hip,young & relyxin!Prfct plc 2 pass time!
12:38 AM Mar 24th

A genuine smile can make ur day at the same time a statement or a question can make u feel really really bad ...
4:50 AM Mar 25th

Travellin long dist generates a kinda excitement...specially whn u r goin to meet ur wife aftr almost a month!Leavin 4 mahesana tonight.
5:00 AM Mar 26th

Have come here for my wife's Seemant(GodBharai) but would not be able 2 c the ceremony as husband can't c this ritual.Strange ritual!
1:42 AM Mar 27th

Aftr a lng time attnded an evenin Aarti in a temple.Somnath temple @Mahesana.I feel a cosmic energy flowin thru me whnevr I attend Aarti.
6:06 AM Mar 27th

Loud noise of gongs in an Aarti seems like sweet music to my ears.In Mumbai when does one get time to attend Aarti in a temple?But One shd.
6:09 AM Mar 27th

As I was in Mahesana whr 'EarthHour' was not follwd,I followd it in my own way.switchd off mobile.went 2 terrace & sat,walked & talked alone
8:17 AM Mar 27th

Mahesana 2 Ahmdbad is 2 hrs jrny.I wnted 2 go by bus sittin.Bt sundy rush so all buses came jampackd.Took pvt jeep.It gt punctured halfway!
5:59 AM Mar 28th

Goin frm Mahesana 2 Ahmdbd in a jampacked bus now standing.Hope I reach in time & don't miss my train frm Ahmdbd 2 Mumbai!
6:01 AM Mar 28th

Caught train frm Ahmdbd in a filmy style!9:5 ws trains dept. time & I rchd pltfrm @ 9 & hd 2 run entire lngth of train 2 ctch my lst coach!
9:21 AM Mar 28th

Erly mornin my colleagues fooled me skillfully!I enjyd!Thn I also teamed up & fooled anthr teammmbr Antik!Sch inncnt prnks dn't hrm & r ok!
8:23 AM Apr 1st

It is so embarassin to keep smbdy waitin 4 u. Antik, sorry 2 keep u waitin 4 half-an-hour...
11:59 PM Apr 2nd

Pampered myself with a designer haircut @ JavedHabib's.Got a new hip kewl hairstyle!I wanna maintain it 4 a lng time this time.Gud exprnce!
12:25 AM Apr 4th

Aftr more thn 15days break due to hurting my leg,would strt gym again.Bck 2 Normal routine now after 3 days grt holidays!Gud Nite...
12:00 PM Apr 4th

Goin 4 a movie in theater (WellDoneAbba) after a long time!Its a diff & nice experience to enjy a movie in theater...
5:52 AM Apr 5th

Wht a film WellDoneAbba is!so mny messgs givn 2 society in a simple,light yet touchy way! Well Dn BenegalSaab! Well dn Boman,Minisha&Samir!
10:09 AM Apr 5th

Sm ppl talk & speak so loudly in bus/train.A lady on last seat is blabberin & disturbin all.A truly loud-mouthd woman!
10:15 AM Apr 5th

Added twitter application on my facebook so now My Tweets can be read from my facebook page as well...
10:56 AM Apr 6th

Enjoyd bhajji,sandwish & chai in MaitriBen & DeepaBen's cmpny @ jbims canteen.rmembrd my MBA days.School&College life is bst period of life!
11:25 AM Apr 7th

Got vry late from offc tdy.Hope 2 have a kool weekend.The week was quite hectic @ work.Wanna relyx for 2 days now!
9:34 AM Apr 9th

Goin 4 a re-union of my school friends.Would see most of them aftr 15 years!I think it wd b grt fun meetin pals of my alma-mater...
8:38 AM Apr 10th

Why weekend has to pass so fast??Did gym,read newspprs,met my school sir,surfd net,took a nap & wd c hindi play Chanakya now...bsy sunday!
6:12 AM Apr 11th

Chanakya - A good political,historical,hindi play...Very good performance by Manoj Joshi.I enjoyed!Good end of the weekend.Good night...
10:59 AM Apr 11th

First thing I do aftr wakin up everymornin is chant:karaagre vasate laxmi karamadhye saraswati karamoole tu govind prabhaate kar darshanam.
12:41 AM Apr 14th

I actually see laxmi at top of my hands,saraswati in middl and krishna at the bottom.wht can be better to start day than remembrin them??
12:44 AM Apr 14th

Thr r 2 more shlokas I chant everymorning,2nd:samudra vasane devi parvata stanamandalai: vishnupatni namastubhyam paad sparsham kshamasva me
12:48 AM Apr 14th

3rd shloka in Trikal sandhya: Vasudev sutam devam kansa chaanuramardanam devaki paramaanandam krushnam vande jagat gurum...
12:50 AM Apr 14th

Ystrday a gujju play with my voice was aired on AllIndiaRadio Samvaadita.But due to me being in Gujarat,I cld nt hear it.Dad has recorded it
1:08 AM Apr 15th

Its hot like hell here in Gujarat.In M'bai,sitting in AC offc all day long,can't mk out hw summer is & dn't evn wanna knw!!
10:17 PM Apr 15th

Have enjoyd many movies on the first day of release @ WideAngle - Mahesana.One more tdy:PaathShaalaa.With beloved wife & in-laws.
8:39 AM Apr 16th

Enjoying the overnight journey from Mahesana to Borivali in Aravali Xpress.Intrnt srfin,Readin&Music.Who says U cant enjy a jrny alone?
8:43 AM Apr 17th

Rehearsing 4 my gujarati play OmShreeMadBhagwat after a long time!V r doin 37th shw on Fri. @ Kalidas,Mulund...
9:32 AM Apr 21st

Goin 2 Mulund 4 my 37th show of OmShreemadBhagwat.we hv done shows in almost all theaters of Mumbai.Tdy 1st time @ kalidas.Excited!
6:16 AM Apr 23rd

I am reading The Professional by SubrotoBagchi & a Gujarati novel 'Karmachaari' by JeetendraThakkar prsntly aprt frm daily doses of
newspprs
1:14 AM Apr 25th

Trying to link twitter with my facebook page.Hope I succeed...#fb
12:12 PM Apr 28th

So mny things 2 do & so littl time!I wnt 2 lrn drivin but gym,office & other activities dn't let me do it!Hope I m able 2 do it in May..#fb
12:43 PM Apr 28th

Enjoying GoGreen even. orgnisd by my compny with Rahul vaidya's sweet musical songs...
8:06 AM Apr 30th

Ranakpur Exprss sucks!since lst 2 hrs it has rchd mumbai but movin like a snail & it hs stopped jst bfor borivali since lst 15 min..bored!!
9:54 PM May 2nd

Stranded due to stupid motormen strike..lakhs of travellers by mumbai local railway on streets now...me came upto andhri by bus.hp 2 rch Mld
9:11 AM May 3rd

@ant1k By putting lakhs of commuters in stranded state whatever action motormen have taken do not make them wise anyway.They r surely stupid
2:53 AM May 4th via web in reply to ant1k

@ant1k Also their strike is just for the purpose of pay hike.Not unfav. work condition.So u have to update urself first bfor tweeting...
2:55 AM May 4th via web in reply to ant1k

waitin 4 my office bus since lst 20min. + headache = not feeling good
6:38 AM May 6th

Shouted at my mother on 'Mothers Day' today and now feeling bad about it...'Sorry Mom' I wd say & she wd forgive me.Why mothers r so good??
1:45 AM May 9th

Internet Surfing is addictive.Evrytime I decide I will sit 4 half an hour only and I end up spending more than an hour & still not satisfied
11:53 AM May 13th

Mom,wife & sistrs r awy frm home.Me & dad havin mixed feelings of liberty & missing them.Also realizin women r really grt!
9:43 AM May 20th

I dont know how to cook,wash clothes,utensils,keep the home clean etc.etc.I strongly feel I shall learn all these,now whn my fmily is away..
9:47 AM May 20th

I wanna learn driving a bike and car too.I guess I would join a car training school soon...
9:48 AM May 20th

The new shfit concept in my office is amazin!for 10 days I have 2 go at 12noon.10 days @ 8am & 10days @9.30...Its cool,I liked it!
10:47 PM May 20th

I witnssd a terribl accidnt of a rickshaw getting skid & turned upside down in BKC.Hope driver & passngrs r safe.
11:11 AM May 25th

Heard abt Hindu-Muslim riots being strted again in Gujarat.Why cnt v humans live in peace rathr whn politicians wud let us live peacefully
9:18 PM May 26th

Let's Grow Up...

Every morning I take a bus from Bandra station to reach my office at Bandra Kurla Complex. There is a long queue at the bus stop, if buses do not come one after the other in time. Usually there are BEST officers at this bus stop to manage the queue and discipline. But one day they were not present. I was standing in the queue and bus came little late and stood little ahead than the place where it should have stopped. 5-6 people got in to the moving bus even before it came on the stop. Few more people who were not in the queue ran along with the bus and as soon as bus stopped tried to get in before all of us who were standing in the queue in the scorching heat for a long time.
Why are we such a lot? Why do we always need somebody to supervise us?
Didn’t those people who got into the bus without standing in the queue see us? Didn’t they know we were all standing in the queue from a long time and trying to maintain discipline? They should have at least respected that fact and should have waited till we all got in and then they should have boarded the bus. But the BEST officer was not present. So they took advantage of that fact and breached the discipline, broke the rules and didn’t care about the queue.
When would we get mature? I feel sad when we show apathy towards normal code of conduct in public. People spit anywhere on the roads, throw garbage, food and chocolate wrappers without thinking about it for a second.
These days there is a new trend in Mumbai. Every Monday night you will find lot many people on the S.V.Road walking bare feet individually or in groups. They start from Meera road, Dahisar, Borivali or Malad or Andheri or any suburb on western side and walk all the way up to Dadar to have darshan of Siddhi Vinayak. Now I don’t know how many of these genuine Ganesh Bhakts are. Many youngsters walk all this long distance only because their friends are walking. It is like a picnic for them. There are many noble people who serve these Ganesh bhakts water, ice creams, food etc. etc. at regular intervals along the entire path from Borivali to Dadar. They give these things in plastic cups. And the Ganesh bhakts after eating and drinking throw the plastic cups without thinking for a moment on the road. I have seen this many times and have got shocked to see their ignorance and apathy. Plastic is anyway harmful for the environment but the garbage they throw on the road makes our city dirtier and worse. I want to appeal the noble donors that they shall keep dustbins near their stalls where they offer the food, drinks etc. BMC shall also put dustbins at regular intervals on S.V. Road where people can throw garbage.
I think we all play some part in creating awareness about cleanliness and code of conduct at the public places. Teachers shall teach about it in the school and colleges. Parents shall talk about it with their children and they should first themselves follow the same so that their children can learn it from their behaviour. We educated people shall try to prevent ignorant and illiterate people from doing wrong in polite and good manner when we observe such thing at public place. Let’s all contribute towards this good cause and make our city and country a better place for living!

Effective Communication

I saw Hindi movie PaathShaalaa recently. The movie started with title credits. There were three things simultaneously going on, on the screen. There were names of main actors and of the people who would have worked day in day out for making this movie, being flashed on the screen with red big fonts. The images of newspaper clippings containing recent news related to schools & students (mostly or almost all) negative in nature like 'A student commits suicide’,’ A teacher beat student to death' etc. etc., were being flashed in the background. And at the same time, a nice music track was being played in the background. Now a normal human being can concentrate on one thing at a time. My attention was on reading the news item clippings and I missed reading all important names of people involved in making this movie. At the end of the movie as audience do not wait an instant after the movie is over so there also I could not read the names & credits. I didn't know who directed the movie and who produced it. This was major communication failure.
You should see how title credits are given in Shyam Benegal directed "Well Done Abba". Along with the picture of a well (central theme of this movie) was displayed with photograph and name of each and every character of the movie along with his or her real name. What a great idea! By this way director has also given due credit to all actors. And audience can also read and know each actor's real name. This is classic example of effective communication.
When you communicate with somebody the idea or message should reach the person or group clearly then only the communication is successful.
While making a corporate power point presentation also one has to use as simple a template as possible. If you use gaudy background or very flashy template, the central idea or message of the presentation may get lost.
Hope I communicated properly and my idea/message has reached you, dear blog-Reader!