All About That Blog!

It is the faith of the people that brings them to Father Agnel's church to follow a rather peculiar tradition. They come from all over and all religions to hug and kiss a bust of Fr Agnel’s statue and revere him with colourful flowers, candles of wishes and prayers for miracles. While tying their garlands of adoration around the statue, many whisper in its ears, with the deepest conviction—the unanswered prayers of their past.  Some would not make their whispers too obvious while others would even carry their children up to the figurine so that they, too, may speak to the bust. I’ve always found idol worship hard to believe. Revering statues made of stone and clay seems like such a nomad thing to do because you are giving in to the belief that God dwells in that statue instead of the living things around you.  But I watched on as the followers of this late priest came in Sunday after Sunday with such devotion in hopes that their prayers to the almighty would be answered throug...

There is a kind of consistency to the way we live our lives. Not necessarily evident when you look at it up close and personal, but definitely noticeable when you’re standing at a distance. We do like to play the blame game with Gods of destiny and leave our lives to be designed by fate.  But this is also true when it comes to the genius that lives within you.   Motivational speakers will tell you that there’s a genius that dwells close to you to help you in your time of absolute dire need. So the genius acts like the elves in the shoemaker's store who come in when the master is asleep and leave the shop in the morning giving all the shoes a little more than a professional touch. Much like the poor old shoe maker who couldn’t take credit for the masterpieces; the people of pure brilliance sometimes avoid taking credit for their work as they fear that it would drown out any future episodes of great works of art. People often say they're waiting for that ha...

If you want a permanent tattoo and you’re living in India, why scar your body with needles?   Just stand out in the sun with a stencil of your desired impression and voilà! A tattoo that may not necessarily be brought on by endless pain and bleeding, stays with you for days on end. I went to an amusement park in early April, wearing my favourite strappy sandals and it looks like I haven’t removed my shoes since then. The memories of the amusement park are still so fresh that even the roller coaster rides, the screaming and the measly proportion of good food did not need constant reminding.  And that’s when I began to wonder why do we need to have a constant reminder of a long lost love, a deceased parent, reminiscence of a pet, a dream or a deep set desire bound by stranded hope or even a string of words you once read in a book of faith.  And the answer was right in front of me. Sometimes we don’t have a choice. You just get scarred, people leave a ma...

Am I really the only one who sees so many similarities between the corporate world and your love life? It’s like when you’re on a date, throw on a wardrobe of formal outfits with a bunch of your High School diplomas and you've got yourself an interview! You always have to share the same level of optimism. In fact, the level of optimism should be optimum! Eagerness on the other hand can be treated both ways. You can either look like a willing participant to be able to do anything you’re offered (in this case a partner or a job) or you could look completely desperate. Looking desperate may get you through the interview/date but it definitely won’t do the job. The key is to play a little hard to get (by not asking too many questions and answering to the point). Of course you have to look fabulous for both occasions because even though looks aren't everything they can help. ;) Presentation is important but do not go overboard. Also don’t miss out on the simple signs...

How many times have you heard an aunt, uncle or even your parent say, ‘Don’t tell them what you are doing with your life because of evil eyesight.’  I never understood their logic of keeping certain cards hidden. They treat life situations like a game of poker and believe that their strongest contender is the evil eye. My mother is a staunch believer in God but one thing that always upsets her which even God cannot pacify is when I finish of the last of the leftovers in the serving dish. She always says, ‘Never eat food directly out of the vessel it is cooked in, because it will rain on your wedding day.’ Other than the fact that I serve myself last and I hate having too many dishes to wash, I like eating in the vessels in my own home. It seems unpretentious to me. But I can understand my mother’s concern for certain things that go wrong in life. You do need an entity besides the almighty for all the things that are not going according to plan. Now it probably w...

In modern times we might be looking for the easy way out in many things but the whole social arena is more complex now, than ever before. The age of instant everything is upon us. From Instant Coffee & Tea to Instant Maggi & Instant Relationships! This urgency has made us so impatient that if we know a person will not reply to our messages right away, we probably won't message them at all. Our attention span has shortened to that of a goldfish. Meeting people has become almost obsolete because now you hold in your hand a device that is mutating to such an extent so as to include the most bizarre conveniences. Firstly, you may notice that you are sitting with one group but talking to a whole different group of friends. Secondly, the amenities mentioned earlier, which are provided by your cell phone allow you to operate your washing machine/AC while you are supposedly ‘socialising.’ The word has redefined itself, which is all but fine until you realise that it’s a cr...

We had a computer when I was very young. Of course its use was limited to playing ‘Minesweeper’ and ‘Paint’ and other such programmes. And all day long I can remember the musical noise that would fill the house by the clicking of keys and whirring and buzzing of this machine.  At any time of the day you would find me, either with this contraption or with my grandfather’s typewriter that had me equally fascinated. Somehow I always knew I had something to say. I would write as though I was talking to someone and I did not pay any heed to whoever was listening on the other side.  Now every time I played with precious ink by typing on the typewriter, I’d get a yelling for wasting my time and I remember them saying ‘Your words are nonsensical,’ and then they would laugh about what I had written (which was pretty much about my day at school). Firstly, it is not unusual to confuse your fascination for something with passion and talent for something else. This com...

When we look back at our lives and glance over the trail of bread crumbs leading us back to the start, the first thought in some of our heads is, ‘Do I regret any of it?’  Regret is surely one of the bogeymen in the grown up world. Nobody sincerely regrets their mistakes because we are all so afraid of the sheer intensity of what that might do to our lives. If you really think about it, you will hear yourself comforting the child within with the words, ‘It all happens for a reason.’ Blaming it on destiny is a convenient theory, and just one side of this rusted coin, some (like me) would say. The other side believes in God. Not surprisingly, a recent survey conducted shows that almost half of the world's population believes in the existence of a God like entity and the other half are strong advocates for destiny. In times of great sorrow my mother would always console me by saying, ‘This too shall pass.’ It has been a somewhat catchy phrase in our family. And after you...

In many ways ‘writing’ is like starting a new business. You got to be witty and attractive with a flow of edgy ideas. Now this might come as a shock to most in the age bracket 20 - 30 that there are 13 year olds out there writing some extensive blogs as they are of the certified age to do so. The competition out there is so fierce; it leaves you feeling old even at 23!  If that is not enough to scare you, research shows that one of the causes of poverty is failure in the business arena. The Big Bad City thus compels us to go down on our knees and look up towards the heavens and pray for a miracle or at least  for a slight change in the markets. Being a student of Economics, I was always taught that 'monopoly' is to be revered as the sacred sanctum of perfect markets. However to be a monopolist you have to drive in the opposite lane with oncoming traffic in your face. Only then will you be truly noticed. But how can you be original...