"...What about Chacha Choudhary...?"

"...What about Chacha Choudhary...?" 

...asked V, who has seen most of the Chacha Choudhary cartoons on Youtube last year.

I have been trying to get my 7 yo daughter, V, to develop the habit of reading for a while now, but in vain. A few days back, the school introduced them to the library and she developed an interest after reading some pages there. I figured she is now receptive to books, so I tried finding some online/whatsapp based libraries but nothing worked out. 

After some thought, I decided to check on something which I was fairly sure did not exist. But there was no harm in trying. About 30 years back, my mom (or was it the sisters, can't recall) had introduced me to a library near our home. It was situated in a community centre which offers a lot of facilities for the community. I decided to check if the library is still there. So after V came home from school yesterday evening, I took her along to check. To my delight, the library was very much there, pretty much in the same shape. I could see the shelves I saw 30 years back and I felt as if I was smelling the books I smelled back then. 

V & I rushed to the enrollment counter. "Sir, please join from August 1st" said the kind lady. I felt a bit sad, but she was quick to add "The fees are monthly and even if you enroll today, you have to pay the entire July fees. There are hardly 10 days left,'' she said, empathetically. "Oh, ok. But what are the fees?" I enquired. "Rs. 50 a month plus some deposits. In all, it will be Rs. 300+ a quarter" she said, earnestly. On hearing that, I started grinning like a maniac. 50 bucks a month! To access to such a treasure trove for my child! "I don't mind the fees, please enroll us from today" I said, all excited, as if someone had asked a kid if they wanted to have their favorite ice cream for dinner daily. 

We finished the enrollment and rushed back to the book shelves. "What do you want to take today?" I asked V. She wanted to read Chacha Choudhary but unfortunately those weren't available at the moment. "I read a bit of Famous Five and Secret Seven at the school library and liked it. But, some of my friends are reading Harry Potter, so do they have those here?" asked the little round face with the eyebrows pointing towards the sky. After a long hunt, we failed to find it. I asked the librarian and she promptly pointed us to where the book was. So with The Philosopher's Stone in tow, we left the library, discussing how books are more magical than the movies that are based on them...

The episode reminded me of a quote by Neil Gaiman - "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

When did you last (encourage your child to) read a book? Perhaps today might be a good day to start reading about how to slay that dragon you've been worried about!

"...Tiger Point is even more foggier, you will love it..."

"...Tiger Point is even more foggier, you will love it..."

...i told my 7 yo daughter, V. 

For a while now, I have been plotting to take V to Tiger Point at Lonavla (the hill station near Mumbai). I love going there to experience the chilly & dense fog. Its like walking in the clouds. I kept building up a narrative around it. Finally, last Saturday, we left for it. 100+ kms & 3 hrs, said google maps. Good things don't come easy anyways, I thought.

V loves Maggie. I told her what an awesome experience it is to enjoy a bowl of Maggie & corn bhajji along with slices of raw mango (topped up with salt & chilli powder) at the chilly foggy point. En route on the expressway, we came across a few patches of dense fog. "Look at the beautiful fog V! But Tiger point is even better! The fog is more dense there!" I kept telling her each time we passed through a foggy patch.

Finally, we reached Lonavla, but we encountered an unusual 20 min congestion on the way to Tiger Point. Probably the weekend traffic, I told my self, hoping against hope. Finally, we reached the point where cops were refusing entry to the road ahead. Apparently, the water levels were rising & hence the road ahead was out of bounds. "But we travelled over a hundred kms for this!" I protested, in vain. 

The little Missy was upset, and quite obviously. I had built it up a bit too much. I had to initiate damage control, so I tried navigating to another place I had heard about. "Pawna lake is a beautiful place, might be foggy too, lets go there" I said. It was an hour away. I began driving towards it but soon realised I was going too far without being sure of what the place had to offer. So I moved to Plan C. Another spot (Tungarli Lake) was just 15 min away. "This one is close by & I have heard a lot about it too. I am sure it will be great!" I announced. But, we had to turn back 600 meters from the place due to another traffic chaos involving a narrow steep incline coupled with a heavy downpour. There was no plan D. We decided to just drive down to the main market for a quick bite. After savoring some Maggie & vada pav in the market, we left for home. 

"You know what! There is another nice foggy patch on the way to the expressway. Though not as good as Tiger point." I told V. We reached the spot. It was quite foggy, but not as good as Tiger Point. Then it hit me. I had been unknowingly ruining the moment. "This! This is exactly what Tiger Point feels like!! You see how dense the fog is?" I said, knowing in my heart it was a lie for the greater good. "Yes, it is so pretty!" Pat came the reply. We stepped out & took a couple of snaps. I bought some corn bhajji & raw mango before leaving for home.

Sometimes we create a trap of heightened expectations, thereby running a risk of ruining the actual experience that is waiting eagerly for us. 

Circumstances 1, Papa 0. But I am determined to even the score out before the monsoon ends.

"...dedication ho toh iske jaisa..."

"...dedication ho to iske jaisa..."

...said the leader, putting both his hands on the guy's shoulders. ["One should be as dedicated as him"] Let's call this guy Ahmed & the leader....erm, Gabbar.

It was a Monday. Gabbar had called for a meeting. He was one of those kinds who loved a big cabin with a lot of white boards. For every small thing, a meeting was called. Everyone had to sit & brainstorm about something or other. Gabbar would take notes on the 4 white boards and, at the end of it, take snaps of the art using his phone.  

He started the meeting by talking about how a situation had come up over the weekend in which he & Ahmed spent the Sunday in the office. "I needed one of you to come. I called up Ahmed coz I know he is very helpful & I could bank on him." he said, adding what I quoted above. Ahmed was a nice guy. Very humble, very helpful. The go-to person for everyone.

We had a five-day work week, but Gabbar loved going to the office every Saturday too. Ahmed started visiting the office every Saturday for a few hours as well. This, after working till 9-9.30 pm often.

One Friday morning, Ahmed walked into the office dressed up nicely. A brand new classy blue shirt & his favourite jeans. "Birthday hai kya?" asked one of the friends. "Nahi re, it's my parents' wedding anniversary. I am treating them today. First time since I started earning." he said, with his wide & humble smile.

Gabbar called us for a meeting at 6 pm. The clock touched 6.30 and we signalled Ahmed to leave. Ahmed behaved as if we did not exist in the room. Around 7.15, one guy gathered courage & said out loud "Arre Ahmed, you had to leave early for your parents' anniversary dinner right?" Ahmed just smiled. "Wish them on my behalf too Ahmed" said Gabbar with a wide grin. "But on Fridays all the restaurants are packed. I suggest you take them out for a lavish lunch tomorrow at a nice place, instead. Or do you need to leave now?" asked Gabbar, looking at one of the white boards. "No Sir, I'll wait,'' replied Ahmed, still smiling. The meeting continued for another 40 odd minutes. 

One day, Ahmed did not turn up at work. One became three. We then found out that Ahmed had been diagnosed with very high blood pressure along with some other heart related ailments. Stress was blamed for his condition. Ahmed did not report to work for another week. "Ahmed is a strong guy, he will be back with a bang soon,'' said Gabbar in one of the meetings. Ahmed resigned 4 days later, requesting to be relieved immediately. He took a 3 month break to recover from his ill health. After 3 more months, he was able to land a new job.

Last week I bumped into Ahmed (and that's why this incident came to my mind). "How's work & life?" I asked. "Dono ekdum mast" ["both are good"] he replied, flashing the same humble yet wide smile, just as a little girl came running from behind, holding a stick loaded with vibrant pink cotton candy, staring cautiously at the stranger that was talking to her dad...

Alt text

𝗔𝗹𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁. The provision that needs more awareness and use. 

Also referred to as an alt description or an alt attribute, alt text is critical for those with disabilities because it describes the function and appearance of a photo or graphic they cannot see. For the last couple of years, I have been trying to add alt texts to all the images I share with my posts on #LinkedIn. I am aware some of my connections use screen reader software and I need to write better alt texts to be more #inclusive. While I have so far only used it on #LinkedIn , yesterday I realized I need to start using it on all platforms and pages that I publish on. 

Yesterday #NASA posted a beautiful image of galaxies never seen before. While looking at it on #Twitter, I wondered what they had added in the Alt text for the image. On reading the alt text I realised how beautifully they have described the image and, as a result, I went about checking the alt text of all their images shared yesterday. Great work by the #NASA communications team in ensuring these spectacles are savoured by those who have visual disabilities. 

Infact, #Leena Nair, CEO of CHANEL always goes a step ahead and adds her alt texts in the post body just at the end.

Do you use Alt Text while sharing images on social media? If not, today is a good day to start being more #Inclusive .

[While I am able to add alt text to all social media pages, am yet to figure how to add it to this blog.]

"...time hi nahi mila..."

"...time hi nahi mila..."

Simran : Did you do book your routine medical check-up?

Raj : Nahi yaar, time hi nahi mila...

Simran : Did you research about that health/life insurance policy you need to buy?

Raj : Kahaan yaar, itna time kiske paas hai...

Simran : What about that course to upskill?

Raj : Course wourse ke liye time nahi hai...

Simran : What about visiting the bank to foreclose that loan?

Raj : Maybe next month, abhi ye sab ke liye time nahi hai...

Simran : Did you take the kid's watch to the repair shop?

Raj : Let's just order a new one online, market jaane ka time nahi hai...

Simran : What about joining that gym you've been talking about?

Raj : Kaam itna hai aajkal, gym jaane ka time kiske pass hai?

Simran : How many books did you read in 2022?

Raj : Office aur ghar ke kaam se fursat mile tab na...

Simran : Car servicing was due last month, send it this weekend!

Raj : Ye weekend bilkul time nahi hai...

Simran : Last day to pay school fees is tomorrow!

Raj : Okay, kal I will pay, aaj time nahi hai...

Simran : Did you call your brother to wish him for his birthday?

Raj : Subah se time hi nahi mila aaj...

Simran : Were you able to crack the Wordle today? I get to learn so many new words by playing it daily!

Raj : Haven't played it for past 3 days, time hi nahi mila...

Simran : Did you read that story posted by Jimish yesterday?

Raj : That dude writes very lengthy stories, itne lambe posts padhne ka mere pass time nahi hai...

Simran : Btw, the latest season of Game Of Thrones dropped. Lets watch an episode daily?

Raj : It was mind blowing! I binged the whole season yesterday night 🤟

For those not well versed with Hindi, all of Raj's responses indicate he does not get the time to complete those tasks. Perhaps we all have given such a response atleast once in the recent past. Was it really about lack of time? Maybe we could have done that task had we prioritized it over other trivial tasks (like infinitely scrolling on social media for example). I guess it almost always is about prioritization and not time.

Social media addiction often makes us lose sight of our productivity & goals. Monitoring screen (& apps) time is definitely a good start to realize the extent of the rot. Enable and start tracking it right away if you don't. 

"Time nahi mila" is the biggest & most frequent lie we so often tell ourselves (& others) without realizing it. I wanted to write about this since the last 14 days, but till this moment, time hi nahi mila....

"...this tailor dude charges so much! Pakka he must have built a nice bungalow in his village..."

"...this tailor dude charges so much! Pakka he must have built a nice bungalow in his village..." 

...I told my wife, as I was leaving yesterday evening to visit him. This tailor sits in a small lane with his sewing machine. Lets call him Prabhu.

Prabhu is very talented. He has been operating from the same location for the last 30+ years. He looked 25 then, he looks 30 now, if you discount the salt and pepper look he sports. The guy is very jolly and always smiling. I have been visiting him since I was 10. First, with my elder sisters whenever they had to get some alterations done and then for the wife's requirements over the last decade. Yesterday, it was to get my daughter's jeans altered. 

Prabhu asked me to wait for 10 min. Having nothing to do, I realized how little I knew about this bloke I have been meeting for over 30 years. So I decided to strike up a conversation. 

"Bhai, you always work till late daily. Don't think you leave before 11 pm any day! Doesnt your wife get annoyed?" I enquired, cheekily. "Sir, my wife passed away a few years back" he looked up at me with a sad smile and continued to push the piece of cloth under the rattling needle. I felt my foot in my mouth and went speechless for the next few seconds, not knowing what to say next. 

After a pause, I tried asking a neutral question. "Do you stay alone here then?" "I have a daughter. My mother looks after her. I come to work around noon, so I see her in the mornings. By the time I am home, she is in bed." he said, as he picked up a brown thread and passed it through the needle hole effortlessly in the first attempt like a magician. "That's nice, I have a daughter too,'' I said. "By the way, I have never seen you missing from work except for Mondays (the weekly off here). Don't you take a break to go out with your daughter and mom on some trips?" I asked. "I am burdened with a huge debt sir. Providing for my daughter's education and my mom's medical needs is all I can think of,'' he said, as I shifted my gaze towards the box of colorful threads, with my other foot squarely in my mouth as well now. In the background, I continued to hear the sewing machine needle at work. Piercing the jeans on the sewing board and piercing the presumptuous thoughts in my mind with equal intensity.

- There are people who are always positive and smiling and there are people who are always grumpy and negative. Perhaps both kinds may be fighting their personal battles, but the former are very good at maintaining a happy facade - a great capability.

- Asking questions for the heck of starting a conversation isn't always a great idea. Questions like "Aren't you married?" "Dont you have kids?" can be so inappropriate besides the ones I asked.

- It takes such experiences for us to realize that sometimes we aren't grateful enough for what we have. #Gratitude.

"He doesn't have a bungalow in the village, I was wrong..." I told the wife after reaching home...

"..Guys, I am f%#@&.."

"...guys, I am *&?%₹#... I am unable to withdraw my money..." 

... posted a guy in one of my WhatsApp groups earlier today.

If you are on Instagram, you will see influencers ( atleast the moral ones ) use these #Hashtags - #ad #collab #paidpartnership whenever they promote or collaborate - basically making money from the promotion. It is a very transparent way of doing business. Your followers know you are paid to promote the product/service. 

Cut to LinkedIn/Facebook. You will see a lot of influencers posting epic shit and opening their wisdom hatches about how to make money via stocks & cryptos and how investing in FDs is a cardinal sin ( which our fathers and forefathers committed ). Yet, they will never once disclose that they are promoting something they are paid to promote. "10 apps I use the most" they will post and sneak in the 1 app that has paid them to make that post. "7 ways to make 15% per annum with ease" they will say, while a lot of their own money is locked away in fixed deposits and liquid funds.

- Be careful about who you follow 

- Be careful about what you believe about the content the folks you follow publish

- Be careful about the fake empathy/sympathy posts they will make over the next few months as things start cracking.

The job of an influencer is to influence, so you can't blame them. How much do we get influenced is a reflection of our gullibility.