A Heritage Walk in Pune With Kalpak

And our own little heritage walk in Pune. I’ve been going to Pune so often since the early nineties but never made time to go check out some of the heritage structures that were not further than five kilometers from Kothrud. And we want to see the world??

Anyway Kalpak and I decided to strike certain things off the list this time. We quickly zoned in on the plan. The first step to that always is meeting at the usual rendezvous, Good Luck Cafe at Deccan. There we polished off some bun omelette, cheese omelette, chote samose and chai and headed off on his new snazzy Royal Enfield 500 cc. Not more than 2-3 kilometres or so from Deccan we parked the shiny new bike near the Vishrambaag Wada. Kalpak is good company for these kind of visits specially because he has enough knowledge on the background and he kept me filled up on the info as we walked along.

Kalpak, great company

We walked along by the side of the old structure building which now seemed to house a post office and some other offices. We were told at the one official looking ticket counter that being a Monday, it was closed. Disappointment! Anyway we walked up, saw the impressive façade of the building, complete with its rather fancy woodwork. Lots of wood in these structures. This was the residence of Peshwa Bajirao II in early 19^th century and was also the place from where he was arrested by the British later, signaling an end to the Peshwa regime. The inside apparently houses a school, a museum kind of a place with some artifacts. Built in 1807, it is in really good shape. Vishrambaag Wada was the centre where several education institutes were started. Rather intriguingly the PMC (which operated in those premises till 1959) bought the property form the British Government. How the British managed to sell something they did not own is a mystery. Currently it is under restoration though.

Then, we hopped across the road to a quiet Tulsi Baug. Most shops were shut being a Monday, thus making one of Pune’s busiest markets rather bearable. We were also lucky to find that this holiday has been utilized to put up photographs of journalists in a street exhibition called ‘Sadak Chaap’. We stared at some lovely photographs and moved on. We wanted to find the Ram Mandir which was somewhere here (apparently the name Tulsibaug comes from Tulshibaug Wada which is the Ram, Ganpati and Shankar temple). We finally asked a young man selling jeans and he pointed out to the temple rising behind the shops.

Ram Mandir, Tulshibaug

Next was the entry to the Tulshibaug Ram Temple, through one of the narrowest by lanes opposite a Hanuman temple on the main road. Even as we walked on, one of the Shahbad tiles that covered the drain broke. No serious damage. The temple looked like some work was in progress. It was impressive though with some ornate carvings on the spire. Could do with a flooring I felt around the temple. It is of 1965 vintage. I saw some quaint shops selling small cooking toy utensils made of brass or copper. Very quaint.
We exited from the temple and walked over to the Mandai or the Mahatma Phule Mandai, the vegetable market. It was a beautiful British structure, apparently built in the pre-independence era, with a central office and some eight branches where the shops (526) are located.

Section of the Mandai from top

It was a lazy afternoon and no one was really buying r selling anything but the fruits and vegetables looked really fresh. We climbed up the stairs and took a look around – wooden steps and well maintained too. Lots of shops with puja items as well. In comparison with the magnificent structure there is the new structure which is an eyesore. I mean, could we not just copy that old structure which is so aesthetic looking? It does bother one to see how our aesthetics have deteriorated and how easily satisfied we are to display our lack of sensibilities sometimes. Anyway we climbed up the parking lot which was some five floors and had a good look around. Nice. Oh, the Ganesh mandal of Mandai is one of the most popular ones in Pune.

Mandai, another view

Done with the Mandai, we walked down the road to the famous Dadgusheth Halwai Ganapati temple. It is a small temple which is right on the road but with heavy security. The idol is apparently insured for one crore. The temple as built in 1893 by Dagadusheth Halwai a sweet seller. The temple has some history in the Independence movement too as Bal Gangadhar Tilak used the Ganpati festival for public to congregate together. We went in and prayed to the beautiful idol and marveled at the jewellery and the décor. Beautiful stuff.

By now we were feeling a bit low on fuel and found the popular Joshi vadewale right in front of Dagdusheth temple. We ordered ourselves vada pav and some masala taak from the next store and refreshed ourselves. Onward then, to Shaniwar Wada.

Shaniwar Wada

As we walked along Kalpak filled me in on the details of the Peshwas and their history. We circled the Shaniwar Wada and its impressive looking walls. The Shaniwar Wada, a palace in the fort, was built in 1746 and was the main head quarters of the Peshwas until the British overpowered them in 1818. We went to the main façade, saw the statue of one of the Peshwas on a horse and then entered the Wada.

Shaniwar Wada from the Main Gate

Now inside the Wada there is nothing but the foundations because the entire palace of the Peshwas had been burnt down in an unexplained fire! Now this is a huge let down. There are the remnants of a complex fountain of a thousand jets that is shaped like a lotus. We walked along and found a place to rest our backs and watch the sky. The sound and light show was at 7-8 (Marathi) and 8-9 (English).

We started back after a short rest, bought some bhel outside and walked back to the bike a good couple of kilometers away. There's much we can do with three hours. A thoroughly enjoyable heritage walk with Kalpak who is just perfect company for this kind of a work. Thanks a lot for your time, energy and wonderful company Kalpak and let's do some more the next time we're in Pune.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success - Deepak Chopra

Milind recommended this book to me and did one better, he lent it to me. A compact and content rich book that explained the laws of success with the trademark lucidity and simplicity that Deepak Chopra is known for. Without much ado, the seven laws then:

1) The law of Pure Potentiality: Also the law of pure consciousness, of all possibility, infinite creativity and the law of unity. Deepak Chopra talks of self-referral (where you look within for answers) and object-referral (where you seek approval from the outside) and advocates self-referral which is the path of love and all positive emotions while object referral is about fear and approval based. The other attributes of consciousness are - pure knowledge, infinite silence, perfect balance, invincibility, simplicity and bliss.
For Practice - Deepak Chopra advocates spending time in silence, in meditation, practicing non-judgement. And by spending time with nature and being in stillness.

2) The law of giving, and receiving: To keep the flow of life you must learn to give, to receive. If you want to receive, give. Keep the wealth circulating. Give gifts. Especially give that which you want to receive or help people to get that. The best gifts he says are those of caring, affection, appreciation and love.
For Practice - Chopra advocates giving something when you meet anyone. Giving could be in the form of compliments, laughter and smiles. Or give a gift. When you receive be grateful.

3) The law of karma - Also the law of action and consequence. As you sow, so you reap. To think before sowing, which makes it the act of conscious decision making. Deepak Chopra asks us to be aware of the choices we make. To step back and be the witness. One sure way of deciding between choices is by identifying comfort or discomfort. If you are comfortable, plunge headlong. If not refrain.
Practice this - Witness the choices you make, ask yourself the consequences of the choice you are considering and whether those choices will bring fulfillment and happiness to you and those affected by it.

4) The law of least effort: Actions motivated by love. It is about acceptance of all that is. It is as it should be. It is about responsibility - no blaming anyone, including yourself. Instead have a creative response to the situation. Defencelessness is another attribute where you do not feel the need to defend. You are open to all possibilities.
Practice this - Acceptance that things are as they are, taking responsibility to having creative solutions instead of blaming and defencelessness where there is no need to defend and thereby being open to all possibilities.

5) The law of intention and desire: Here he says that attention energises, intention transforms. The 5 steps to set your intention going 1) Slip into the gap (between thoughts) 2) release your intention and esire 3) Be in a  state of self-referral 4) relinquish your attachment to outcome 5) and please let the universe handle the details.
Practice this - List your desires, release your list and be aware moment to moment

6) The law of detachment: It is about being open to uncertainty. Deepak Chopra says the security is about one way, while uncertainty opens up an exciting world of the unknown. He says, don't force solutions, regard problems as opportunities. Where preparedness meets opportunity, solutions will appear.
 Practice this - Commit to detachment, do not impose ideas on how things should be, factor in uncertainty as an essential part of your life and your actions and remain open to all possibilities

7) The law of dharma: Also about the purpose in life. Deepak Chopra urges you to find the one unique talent that god has given you to express yourself the best. That is the purpose of your life - to discover your true self, your higher self to express your divinity and while expressing it, being of service to humanity. Chopra says that you must look at each act from the point of view of 'how can I help' and not 'what's in it for me'.
Practice this - Seek your higher self, discover your higher talents and see how it serves humanity best.

Tremendous lucidity in this little book. I have no doubt that by following these seven laws one will find bliss and whatever else one truly wants. But let me try and simplify it further and see if I can find one key to the seven.
The practices advocated are -
1) Silence - Looking inward
2) Meditation
3) Non-judgment
4) Stillness - Even in movement
5) Time with nature - Experiencing oneness and separation
6) Giving every time we meet someone - Material and non-material like love, smiles,
7) Making conscious choices - being aware
8) Being the witness - stepping out to make conscious choices
9) Acceptance - that it is all as it should be
10) Responsibility - for everything, there is no blame, just a creative solution
11) Defencelessness - nothing to defend
12)  Being aware of your desires - putting your intent forward
13) Detachment to outcome - act but detach to one outcome
14) Being open to uncertainty
15) Seeking the higher self through our unique talents and using it to serve humanity.

Being fully aware 'in the now' appears to be one key. Great read and one that we could do well to practice to make lives more fun and bearable. Recommended without reservation.

God Explained In A Taxi Ride - Paul Arden

'God Explained in a Taxi Ride' by Paul Arden goes with a line on the back cover that says that it is the world's second best book on god. The first one is whatever you choose of course.  Also this 125 page illustrated book tries to explain 'once and for all' what god is in the length of a taxi ride. It takes you about half an hour to read.

Paul Arden builds up his case and says we don't need middle men to find god, especially if they cannot answer certain questions like why we cannot see him or who is the holy ghost. He talks clearly of war, atheism, religion, heathens and the connections, argues for more sense of humour, more tolerance and understanding for peace to exist. He talks of how we pay for our faith in religions and concludes that perhaps we can find our own concept of god. His take - whatever you call it, words describe only the force behind creation - the one that made the sunrises and sunsets and all else that we take for granted in our lives. God. And that's what he believes in.
  
Paul Arden was Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi and now a writer who has written two other books 'Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite' and 'It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be.'

The title of 'God Explained In A Taxi Ride' is interesting and hooks you, the presentation is fun and easy on the reader, and it gets over quick, as promised. But the content is ordinary, and it  certainly is not the second best book on god by any length of imagination nor does it explain the concept of god once and for all. To me its a collection of thoughts on god that did not have a logical structure and thereby did not lead up to the big answer. But the disclaimer comes early in the book - there are no answers. So what was it all about? But the book does not take up too much time during or after the read so its worth a flip.
Would I buy it? No.

Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie

Started the year with a classic, a children's fantasy story that is wonderfully told by the Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie, a book I've not read in all these years. Reading Peter Pan showed me how wonderfully creative writers can be, how beautifully such stories can be told and so simply. With no excessive dramatization at all Barrie led me through a breathtaking journey of high drama, deep emotion, love and romance, courage and hope, and told it with the simplicity of a child. So matter-of-factly.

Peter Pan, captain of the lost children comes back from his island Neverland to get his shadow which gets left behind in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Darling. The boy who never grows up, the one with his milk teeth, the one whose cockiness is what gets Captain Hook's goat, the one who fights courageously and draws everyone to him, Peter Pan, finds that his shadow cannot be stuck to himself with soap and is distraught. Wendy, Mrs. Darling's daughter helps Peter by sewing the shadow on, and Peter invites her to Neverland, which is where he lives but which is also the map in a child's mind. To go there she must fly and she learns to do that so do her younger brothers John and Michael. At Neverland they encounter the lost children who so crave for a mother, the jealous fairy Tinker Bell who does not like this growing affection between Peter and Wendy, a gang of pirates led by Captain Hook who has an axe to grind with Peter, mermaids and Indians - oh, its a non-stop adventure that draws you deep into it.

But its the writing that keeps you riveted. Barrie writes so easily the scenes that depict the finest and subtlest of human emotions, the ones that normal writers struggle to express in pages, in the most casual manner without compromising on the emotion one bit. The jealousy between Tinker Bell and Wendy, the lost boys craving for a mother, Hook's vengeance against Peter and his cockiness, the romance between Wendy and Peter, the little scene when Tinker flies in to save Peter and gets a hit, her sadness at Peter being such a silly ass for not understanding her feelings for him - they are told in such simple terms with the greatest effect. Wendy's caring nature for the lost boys and Peter and the manner in which she willingly becomes their mother despite being a child herself is wonderful stuff. Barrie shows women in wonderful light, gets into the Neverland areas of children's minds and makes so many points that adults can take from this book. Could one write like this, so easily and so creatively and draw a reader into such worlds, could one use words so cleverly? I'd not have known if I had not read this book. Loved it.

Interview - Meeting Vijay Lokapally

Vijay Lokapally is a popular, well-known name in cricketing circles in India and abroad. He has been writing on cricket and sports (and other subjects) for over three decades for The Hindu and other publications. All sports lovers have at some point or the other, read his wonderfully incisive and insightful pieces and I for one have always admired the way he gets to the bottom of things quickly and simply. For some reason, after reading his straight-to-the-point articles, I always imagined that Vijay would be a serious, strict, no-nonsense person. But the Vijay I met was completely different.

As I sat quietly in my chair in the PCA stadium at Mohali last week waiting for the Hyderabad-Punjab season opener to begin, I saw a fiftyish, kurta clad, long haired, jhola wala-type of a gentleman who had 'creative' and/or 'writer' written all over him in the way he walked, talked and cocked his head. He came by near me, tried opening a rather reluctant gate that led into the ground and found it stuck. 'Is it locked?' he asked in that simple matter-of-fact manner of his that makes him so easy to talk to. Absolutely no airs. It did not appear so and I said as much. He pushed harder and it opened and he walked away with a smile.


Vijay Lokapally and I at the PCA, Mohali

After a while he returned and asked if I had a newspaper. I had a copy of The Tribune and I gave it to him. We got talking and he told me his name was Vijay and that he was from the Hindu. 'Vijay Lokapally?' I asked, quickly putting two and two together, and he nodded. So here was Vijay Lokapally, I thought. He appeared focussed on his own world, seemingly unaffected by his status as one of India's premier sports journos, and did not throw his weight about as I have seen some do. He had an easy way of talking to strangers, to the men in power, to the younger people, to the waiters - he got his job done without being offensively overbearing or snobbish.

I remembered Satish telling me about how he met Vijay in Trinidad during a World Cup match or some such almost a decade ago, and how they scaled a wall to get their hands on some mangoes. Vijay had then arranged a session of relaxation techniques from the Hapkido school from Satish (who is a black belt and some more) to a few members of the Indian cricket team then. When I recounted that incident later while we were sipping tea, Vijay remembered Satish fondly and the mango incident, and soon we were sipping tea, enjoying lunch together in the press area and talking cricket, Hyderabad and much more. Nothing like Hyderabad chai, he announced on the first day, and we recounted and rated the chai in several Hyderabadi Irani cafes.

Over the four days that we spent together watching the match, we spoke much cricket. We also spoke, among many other things, the new book he contributed to - 'House Full' - on the best of Indian cinema from the 1950s to the 1960s. I could not let one of India's leading sports writers, the author of Sehwag's biography, get away so easily without asking a few questions, so on the last day I cornered him with my questions. He answered patiently but pointedly in that seemingly absent minded manner of his.

Q. How did you get started as a sports journalist?
A. I used to write some freelance stuff but I think the break came when I wrote a piece on Bishen Singh Bedi when he retired, which I sent to the Patriot. Bedi read that piece, took the trouble to contact me, and I met him. He congratulated me on writing that piece and gave me a note of appreciation which I still have with me. Encouraged, I started writing more, short stories, sports writing and so on, for the Patriot. And then when the Asian Games came in 1982 I got accredited and covered the same for the Patriot. After four years, in 1986, I
joined the Hindu and have been with the Hindu ever since.

Q. Why have I became a sports journalist? Chiefly because of my love for cricket, for sports. It is wonderful covering events where there are real heroes - sporting heroes are real heroes as they perform on the
field.

Q. How would you rate sports journalism as a career option now?
A. The industry is booming. Media is growing. India is doing well in sports other than cricket which is a good thing for sports journalism. These days there are more options for sports journalists other than print - like electronic media for instance. Sadly radio has not picked up.

One could start as a sports journalist with a starting salary of Rs. 25000 plus. And the perks are that sports journalism gives you a great opportunity to travel, to meet new people and see the world through a different perspective.

Q. What do you require to be a good sports journalist?
A. You need good, strong language of course. You should have a flair to write. You should understand the sport and more importantly the emotions that go with that sport.

Q. How does one go on to become a sports journalist?
A. There are many good media schools that one can go to study journalism. Almost all media houses have a journalism schools. The Hindu has the Asian College of Journalism which is among the best. Most media houses recruit from their own colleges.

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job?
A. The fact that The Hindu gave me the space to develop as a complete journalist. With The Hindu I could do reporting, write features, write for Frontline and Metro Plus on various subjects (films, music, books).
Reporting is what I like the most. I like the fact that it helps to contribute everyday to readers by observing and relaying to someone who has not watched what you did.

Q. What do you dislike most about your job?
A. Press conferences. That is not creative journalism. I don't like glorifying officials.

Q. What are the best 5 memories or experiences of yours from your three decade long career?
The 1982 Asian Games being the first big event I covered.
V. V. S. Laxman's 281 not out at Kolkata.
Meeting the Bedser brothers in the commentary box at Lord's (London) in 1996.
Meeting Subhash Gupte in Jamaica in 1997.
The 1992 tour of South Africa.

Q. Who were the 5 most interesting people you met?
A: Ravi Shankar, Indira Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Garry Sobers, Jagjit Singh.

Q: People who impacted your life....
A: In journalism - P.V.R. Menon of the Patriot, S. Krishnan and K.P. Mohan (a flawless journalist) of The Hindu. Above all my parents. I came from a middle class family but my father gave me all that I wanted.

Q: Cricket writers you like...
Ray Robinson, Jack Fingleton, Peter Roebuck, Neville Cardus, E. W. Swanton and Sujit Mukherjee.

Q. Who were your sporting heroes?
A. Tiger Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, G.R. Viswanath, Kapil Dev (asking me to help him with his two books and acknowledging the same generously), Prakash Padukone and Garry Sobers.

Q. Where do you think sports journalism is heading to?
A. Journalism will become more challenging in the future. It will change. There are already new demands. There is a shift towards news from behind the scenes. The format is getting shorter. Everyone is looking for angles. Going for locker room stories.

Q. What has your three decade long journey taught you?
A. I made a lot of friends. I met larger than life heroes who have taught me how to be humble by just being who they are. People like Sachin Tendulkar, Prakash Padukone, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender
Sehwag and others. I am also grateful for the fact that I got this opportunity even though there were many contemporaries who were better than me. Knowing that has helped me stay grounded.

Q. What is your advice to budding sports journalists?
A. Be honest when you write and do not get swayed. Be balanced when criticizing a player. There is a thin line between a player's off day and a bad shot or a careless mistake. Remember that sports is about celebration. It is the most positive section in the newspaper. You must enhance that spirit.

Q: Who are the people close to you?
A: My little family-----Sunanda (wife), Akshay (son), niece (Alekhya Rao), Ajay (brother), my dearest childhood friend Ghaus Mohammad (a reputed sports commentator) and my wonderful colleagues K. P. Mohan, Rakesh Rao, Kamesh Srinivasan and Y. B. Sarangi. Working with them is a most pleasant experience.

Q. Any advice for your son?
A. Don't take things for granted. Be prepared for tomorrow. Never miss reading the morning newspaper.

On all four days of the match Vijay was at the ground by 9 a.m., half an hour before the game started. The rest of the sports journalist landed up anytime between 11 a.m. and 1230 p.m. or sometimes even later. He did not miss a ball. Nor did he lose a chance to write a story, to squeeze out an opportunity hungrily as he did. He did a piece on Sunil Joshi and Pragyan Ojha, the two left arm spinners, he certainly got something out of Harbhajan and Laxman, I saw him talking to Bhupinder Singh Sr about the art of swing and reverse swing and so on, he engaged in conversations with Daljit Singh, M.P. Pandove, Secretary of Punjab Cricket Association, Sushil Kapoor, Arun Sharma (Punjab coach), Jivanjot Singh the debutant who got a double hundred, researched some about young Akshat Reddy, and more, had time for chai and lunches with me, picked the people he wanted to write about during the day's play with an astute eye and did his research on them, organised with his photographer the kind of pictures he wanted, and all this in that seemingly forgetful, mild mannered way. One can easily see why Vijay has been so successful - he is extremely disciplined, has a keen eye for opportunities for stories and a big appetite for writing, meeting people and calling a spade a spade. He is a thorough professional who believes in doing his job well, puts in the effort, remains true to his story and is constantly at it.

When we parted on the final day, I promised to send him a copy of 'The Men Within' and he promised to stay in touch and to call me when in Hyderabad next. To me Vijay Lokapally certainly is one of those who leaves, in his own manner, a lasting impression and the feeling that there is much more to him, which makes you look forward to meeting him again. Until then Vijay, looking forward to more of your writing – on cricket, cinema and all else.

An Apology to The Girl

For all these days after the Delhi gang rape and the subsequent death of the young girl who so badly wanted to live, I really had no words to write about it. There was a deep sense of something heavy building up but no words. It is not the one incident nor the brazenness and the brutality of the entire act that shut me up but the continued silence over many such acts that go on in our country almost every day. Every hour we hear of gang rapes, of incest where fathers rape their children, of teachers raping students, of infants and little children being raped, of policemen, of politicians - there is just no respite. When and how will it stop?

In almost all cases I find little outrage or protest (save the Delhi incident). There is some protest and it all dies down. We hear the same statements from people in power - they should be more careful, they should dress better, they should stay at home. Would they tell the women leaders in their parties to follow what they are advocating? I am sure they would not. In fact people in power should take the blame, feel the shame that they have not been able to discharge their duty and if nothing else, make amends and do something concrete about preventing further incidents. But they still blame the women, their friends and relatives - and absolve themselves of all blame. If we have a bunch of excuse seekers in power who prefer silence to action we cannot really expect any change. Life goes on. Another woman, another girl, another child and the same story again.

What happens to the rapists is best left to the law. But it's time this story moved to another plane. Let us face it - men cannot really accept women and their independence and success in our society. Men, even today get all their power from dominating over the one person they can dominate - the woman in the house, the maid, the helpless child, the school child, the lonely woman. Otherwise most men are mere apologies for life with no conviction, no power and no principles. Most men are happier looking for women they can control. Now how will an educated woman be controlled? She will be polite and nice but will she listen to any nonsense that the man may pile on her? In effect as women get more and more educated and free, the more insecure men will get. In time they will behave like the Taliban.

Man to woman, there is much difference. Men are by nature insecure, less focussed and indecisive. Women outscore men in many areas more so with their courage, conviction and capacity to love. They are the superior gender without any doubt. And they have been oppressed for all these years, perhaps with their own tacit approval, because they know that men will constantly sulk if they are challenged and beaten. It is better that men are made to feel superior. At least they won't sulk and will do some work.

But as I see it men will become more insecure and more desperate and frustrated and impotent as women get more independent, educated and stronger. It is then that men will hunt like animals in a pack like this. Worse, they will be led by people who have similar mindsets - what with the number of leaders with criminal cases sitting in our Assemblies and the Parliament. Nothing can be expected really from such a system. What one needs is not so much fats track courts but a solution that is sensitive, lasting and of a long term nature.

Yesterday I saw a small group of young girls and boys, about ten to fifteen, led by a couple of middle aged men, carrying candles and posters and sloganeering in our colony. I never saw anything like that in the past thirty years here. 'Hang the rapists' they were shouting, the fifteen year olds. How much anger must you have to want such vengeance. I wonder if this is what we should be teaching these children - about instant justice, about vengeance.

There are perhaps two ways to deal with this - one within and one without. First the within. If we have to learn anything from this incident and all those other incidents that go on, it is that we in society, men and women, must stand up when the smaller crimes are going on around us. It is a mindset, a diseased mindset that treats women in such fashion and that has to be condemned in our homes, in our neighbourhoods. Almost every house has a story - from the richest to the poorest, the highest to the lowest, successful to unsuccessful - women have and are being abused, molested and raped under the guise of family, tradition, culture and gender. Some subtly and some not so subtly. If we have to teach the youngsters to stand up and do what is right, it is best to show them by our actions. By cleaning up our homes.

Then the without. In public space the only way up for women is to assert themselves in the elections. They form half the population and they should have more representation in law making. They should have their own - and sensible ones - who can represent them more vocally and push with greater authority. The line has been crossed now and it is time women get together and stop being the sacrificing victims that men take for granted. If you do not want to stay at home and put up with all this nonsense, its high time women as a group control the politics. There are enough women leaders and if you ask me they are the ones who are more sensible, who have more guts and who appear to be real leaders. Most of them are articulate and grounded. Its time to pitch strongly for more women in law making to get some balance into this extremely chauvinistic and hypocritical society we live in. 

10 Things I Would Like to Do More Of This Year

This is not as simple as it looks. But let me try it.

Some place outside Pune

1) Smile - Should not be too difficult I guess. The idea is to meet everyone with a smile, even strangers. And specially people whom I tend to look through like waiters, valets, shop assistants. Hopefully leave them with a smile too.

2) Not Crib - This one thing should save me a lot of time. I will now have a lot of time to be more creative and productive. But I guess I will sorely miss this cribbing activity which puts the blame on everyone else. Time to grow up I guess.

3) Share - If nothing else in terms of ideas, blogs. I also want to do some lectures in schools and colleges and share in such fora.

4) Say yes - Taking life as it comes and saying yes to it without being too suspicious. I guess I have been wary of life springing little surprises on me and have treated it more like a prankster rather than as someone who is giving me newer opportunities. Might help to trust it a bit more.

5) Work - In terms of more focussed and prioritised work. I am certain now that my time has to be better utilised and that all of it will now go to activities that shall please me or grow me. I will choose now and get my work done first - which will mean that I will get some serious work done this year.

6) Listen - Should help get work done more easily. I do think I tend to butt in a  lot more and also force my viewpoint sometimes. Would like to do more interviews. Meet more new people. Say one a week would be good.

7) Feel - Be more in touch with my feelings and not ignore or suppress them. This will need a little bit of sensitising myself to my own feelings which I suspect have now gone numb over the many years of being suppressed. Ah, to free them and see them at the outer tip of my skin. I will be fully aware, free finally.

8) Care - Perhaps look at the other end of the spectrum that I always seem to totally trash and stick to what I think is the right point  of view.

9) Learn - New things certainly. The key is to act. To put myself out of my comfort zone and jump into the deep end. Oh, and there are tonnes of stuff that I can learn and stuff I have been meaning to learn.

10) Express - In terms of being more spontaneous, more courageous, more open in all spheres of my life. Write more, sing more, laugh more.

Seems like a lot. Maybe I shall reduce it to 3 things - grow, smile and express. That should cover all.