Growing Better

There’s something that comes naturally to all of us; something which our bodies are programmed to do; something which requires the most basic of things (food, air, water). That something, is Growing Up. What does not come naturally to most of us, is Growing Better. It may sometimes require a continuous conscious effort. Trust me, it is easier said than done. What makes this journey difficult, is the fact that one doesn’t realize the need for it.

They say “Offence is the best Defence”. This defence mechanism is deeply engraved in human nature. In times of confrontation or quandary, our first reaction is this defence – we oppose, and sometimes even fight, with the situation, the idea, the person. What we sometimes fail to realize, is that maybe the fight in which we are stuck, is with ourself. It is quite challenging to accept that “I can be wrong too”. Understanding an alternate point of view requires peace within self. It must be based on the foundation of trust and respect, which would help us in appreciating what is desired of us and what “realistic” expectations we must have of others. This is probably what would start our journey to Growing Better; better within ourself, before being accepted as better by people around us.

Another aspect of Growing Better is being stable with respect to situations and people. Now this demands even more effort from within, although to some it may come as naturally as a personality trait. But for those unlucky ones who struggle with it daily, it sure is a herculean task. This might lead to our being happy or sad at the drop of a hat, which takes a toll on our health as well as our relationships. To become “as calm as a summer sea”, we must possess the depth of one. Let us not get ruffled and lose our cool over matters which do not matter in the long run. From what I understand, only Life and Death matter in the long run.

Our biggest asset during this transformation is positivity which comes from faith and hope. Faith in the Supreme Being, faith in self and faith in our loved ones is undoubtedly the major strength we need to harness. Muscles get stronger when they are exerted, and same is the case here. Being mentally tough in trying circumstances gives us the strength to keep moving ahead towards overcoming the odds.

Hopefully, the author would also understand the above, and Grow Better.

Daddy

this one is from the Wonder Years, and is dedicated to the King himself...

"When I was a kid, anytime I needed a lift, it was my Grandfather. The guy was always good for a ride. Sure, he was as old as the hills, but to me, Granps was Hercules in bifocals... Superman in suspenders. He was ageless, timeless, one man in a million. You could always count on him."

Love you Daddy.

Bhopal

जीवन के इन तथ्यों में

छोटा सा ये ख्याल अच्छा

बड़े शहरों की चमक-धमक से तो

मेरा प्यारा सा भोपाल अच्छा

लम्बे-चौड़े फ्लाई ओवर से

वी आई पी सड़क अच्छी

मामा के होटल पे

गरम चाय कड़क अच्छी

दिन भर की मेहनत के बाद

झील किनारे शाम अच्छी

ऊपर वाला सबका एक

मंदिर मस्जिद तमाम अच्छी

अमूल नेसले के टेट्रा पैक से

केसर दूध मलाई अच्छी

पोहा जलेबी चौक का

ब्रिजवासी की मिठाई अच्छी

main aur tu... part 2

Main andhera, tu bhoot
Main sach, tu jhoot

Main seep, tu moti
Main pant, tu dhooti

Main exercise, tu pasina
Main husn, tu hasina

Main pyaaz, tu aansu
Main toilet, tu susu

Main suraj, tu dhoop
Main kapda, tu sookh

Main genhu, tu aata
Main metro, tu bata

Main pen, tu siyahi
Main chor, tu sipahi

Main gora, tu saanwla
Main mann, tu baanwla


Main paan, tu peek
Main pipe, tu leak

Main tambaaku, tu pouch
Main dard, tu ouch


Main baasuri, tu baas
Main bahu, tu saas

Main sabji, tu curry
Main mast, tu worry

Main chuha, tu rat
Main meow, tu cat

Main bacteria, tu bimari
Main garib, tu bhikari

Main roti, tu niwala
Main biwi, tu saala

Main dulhan, tu ghunghat
Main kuan, tu panghat

Main dard, tu balm
Main sita, tu ram

Main powder, tu gaal
Main china, tu wall

main aur tu... part 1

Main cable, tu TV

Main interview, tu CV

Main employee, tu boss

Main sikka, tu toss

Main cycle, tu pedal

Main race, tu medal

Main ghadi, tu time

Main soda, tu lime

Main dard, tu dawa

Main belan, tu tawa

Main gaadi, tu petrol

Main keemti, tu anmol

Main shayar, tu gazal

Main kisaan, tu fasal

Main google, tu search

Main bachat, tu kharch

Main phone, tu call

Main bat, tu ball

Main baalti, tu mug

Main wire, tu plug

Main angoothi, tu heera

Main dhaniya, tu jeera

Little Miss Hubbard

When young Miss Hubbard

opened her cupboard

she couldn't decide what to wear,

Would the Pink jacket do

or the gown shining Blue

would match her new footwear.

After hours she decided

to wear a green skirt she sighted

which along with a yellow top would do.

But tying its ribbons in a knot

would take even more time she thought

'coz in such matters she didn't have a clue.

When months passed by

and her thoughts wouldn't reply

that poor little Miss Hubbard

Took scarfs Twenty One

and wore them like a Nun

and now she's called Old Mother Hubbard.

Dinner

Asked a close friend of mine

Hey Gullu, at what time you dine?

I replied, at Eleven

At Three, at Five, at Seven

At Eight and a quarter past Nine.

Heart Surgeon

ek heart surgeon ne jab ek hasina ka dil khola

tab aks apna usme dekh kar chauka, aur bola

shukriya mohtarma, jo aapne humein is kaabil samjha...

tab hosh mein aayi hasina, aur boli...

dard-e-dil ko surgeon sahab, aapne galat samjha...

The Hare & The Tortoise

Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race. The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The hare woke up and realized that he'd lost the race. The moral – “Slow and steady wins the race.” This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with.

 

THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE…

 

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed. This time, the hare went all out and ran without 
stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles. The moral – “Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.”

THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE…

 

The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there's no way it can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. It thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometres on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race. The moral – “First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.”

THE STORY STILL HASN'T ENDED…

 

The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier. The moral – “It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.”

 

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person 
with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership. Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could. In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both. The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

Reading inspires Kids

came across this commercial on youtube, on how a kid expresses himself while the teacher is busy teaching the basics of English grammar.