There was a theory that between any two people on this earth there are only
"6 degrees of seperation" meaning that the average number of aquaintances seperating any two people was 6.
I am writing "WAS" because this seems to have changed now.
Thanks to Facebook and its so many users this has come down to 4.74.
Just imagine ... any famous personality like Amitabh Bachchan or Sachin Tendulkar or Roger Federer or Angelina Jolie. According to this, a friend of their friend would be the friend of one our friends ... This sounds so incredible.
It is so unimaginable to think that we are no more strangers to anyone. That we could go to any person X and introduce ourselves. "Hello, our friends are friends ! So nice to meet you !"
Still, it will make no difference to our lives, I guess. Mainly because I don't know how easy it is to make use of this theory. And why should we anyways ?
We are destined to meet some people and they will become our friends.
Others will remain far away ... like stars ... even though only 4.74 persons away.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
One of Hundred
Chetan Bhagat has made it ... He's entered the list of top 100 influential people in the world. He is one of nine Indians besides our PM Manmohan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar.
If you don't know who Chetan Bhagat is.. Well, he is the author of Indian bestsellers like Five Point Someone, One Night at the Call Centre, 2 States and Three Mistakes of my Life .
What an achievement ! Usually it is politicians, sportsmen or actors who claim these spots. How powerful the written word still is for an author to make it.
Inspiration for anyone writing ...
If you don't know who Chetan Bhagat is.. Well, he is the author of Indian bestsellers like Five Point Someone, One Night at the Call Centre, 2 States and Three Mistakes of my Life .
What an achievement ! Usually it is politicians, sportsmen or actors who claim these spots. How powerful the written word still is for an author to make it.
Inspiration for anyone writing ...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
A Mother Nonetheless
I always feel that I have missed out on the "real" thing in life. That is, to give birth in labour,
I tried a lot for it. I went for Lamaze classes, went for long walks, read a lot about what to do when the time arrives, about the breathing rhythms to be practised during labour. Maybe I was too ready or maybe more and more anxious as the due date approached.
My due date was November 2. I reached the hospital on time with Roy and my parents but it seemed that Ryan did not want to come yet. We waited one day longer and then the doctors planned to induce labour, all the while monitoring Ryan's heart beat. Then suddenly things didn't seem to be OK and the doc rushed me into the operation theatre for a Caesarian section.
Quick moments, tension-filled moments where I was awake all the time due to the partial anaestetic. Finally everything was over when I heard the cries of the baby. Then they showed me in the operation theatre ... my son. I was so happy to see this crying little baby.
I always felt that experiencing labour pain while giving birth was one of the stages a woman had to go through in life. I still feel incomplete when I think about it. But God gifted me a healthy and lovely son. In the end it was a good bargain.
I tried a lot for it. I went for Lamaze classes, went for long walks, read a lot about what to do when the time arrives, about the breathing rhythms to be practised during labour. Maybe I was too ready or maybe more and more anxious as the due date approached.
My due date was November 2. I reached the hospital on time with Roy and my parents but it seemed that Ryan did not want to come yet. We waited one day longer and then the doctors planned to induce labour, all the while monitoring Ryan's heart beat. Then suddenly things didn't seem to be OK and the doc rushed me into the operation theatre for a Caesarian section.
Quick moments, tension-filled moments where I was awake all the time due to the partial anaestetic. Finally everything was over when I heard the cries of the baby. Then they showed me in the operation theatre ... my son. I was so happy to see this crying little baby.
I always felt that experiencing labour pain while giving birth was one of the stages a woman had to go through in life. I still feel incomplete when I think about it. But God gifted me a healthy and lovely son. In the end it was a good bargain.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Prayer
Prayer. - We all are very familiar with the word Prayer as it is part of our daily lives but do we ever think about the deeper meaning of Prayer ?
What is a Prayer ? It is our channel of communication with God.
Through prayer we ask God for favours, we ask God for help, we ask for forgiveness for the sins that we have committed, we also thank God for favours received in our life.
The great thing about Prayer is that we can pray any time any place. It is our toll free number to God and God is always reachable through this.
Even the person who does not pray would have at least once said in his/her life "Please let the traffic light be green, so I can reach office on time." Or "Please let India win this cricket match!" These are also prayers.
For whom do we pray? We pray for ourselves, we pray for our loved ones, we pray for our friends. Sometimes we also pray for people whom we do not know at all, strangers who are victims of an accident or illness or war.
A very few of us also pray for their enemies, praying that one day they become their friends as well.
What are the prayers that we pray ? There are many prayers in the Bible.
Perhaps the best-known prayer in the Bible is the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father Who Art in Heaven ..." (Matthew 6:9–13; Luke 11:2-4).
Prayers can be short or long.
In Mathew 6:7 and 8, Jesus tells us that if we say long prayers and useless repetitions God will not listen to us any better. He already knows our needs so no need for such things.
One of the shortest prayers would be "Lord save me". This is what Peter said in Mathew (14:30) after he walked on water. He got distracted by the wind and waves, and started to sink. He yelled “Lord Save Me!”
You can have a silent prayer also. You don't need to say anything because God is all-knowing, he knows what is in your mind.
Why do we pray?
We pray because we believe that God will listen and help us. Prayer and faith go hand in hand. If we have no faith in God, then praying is useless.
When should we pray ?
Ideally, we should pray in both good as well as bad times. Sadly, some pray only in a crisis, and others forget to offer a prayer of thanksgiving when God has helped to solve a problem or provide a blessing.
When you look inside the Bible, you can see how people pray and under what circumstances. 3 examples come to my mind:
1. Moses (Exodus 17:11)
"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning."
Usually when we pray we fold our hands, we stand or bow down on our knees. Here Moses had to raise his hands as he was praying for his people to defeat the enemy.This was not an easy task as Moses'hands were getting weak.So Aaron and Hur helped to support his hands at that time.
2. Daniel (Daniel 6)
This is an example that Prayer must sometimes be done at dangerous and life threathening times.
Daniel was an administrator under King Darius. The other administrators were jealous of Daniel because he was not corrupt and trustworthy. They made Darius issue a decree that noone was allowed to pray to any God other than Darius.
Daniel faced real danger in praying, but kept on praying, even though it led to the lion's den. But Because Daniel had trusted God and continued praying, God protected him from the lions.
3. Parable on Prayer (Luke 18:1-8) The persistent widow & the Judge
A widow kept coming to a judge asking him to give her protection from her opponent.The judge was initially not willing to help her but the widow was persistent. Finally the judge agreed to help the widow.
This parable of the persistent widow teaches us that we should be patient, persistent, and persevering in our prayer.
In our lives, we often lose heart in praying if there are delays in answers to our requests. Jesus uses this parable to teach us that, though answers often appear to take a long time in coming, we should persevere and not grow weary in praying to God.
God hears and answers our prayers. Maybe not always at the time and in the way we want, but at the time and in the manner that's right according to God.
What is a Prayer ? It is our channel of communication with God.
Through prayer we ask God for favours, we ask God for help, we ask for forgiveness for the sins that we have committed, we also thank God for favours received in our life.
The great thing about Prayer is that we can pray any time any place. It is our toll free number to God and God is always reachable through this.
Even the person who does not pray would have at least once said in his/her life "Please let the traffic light be green, so I can reach office on time." Or "Please let India win this cricket match!" These are also prayers.
For whom do we pray? We pray for ourselves, we pray for our loved ones, we pray for our friends. Sometimes we also pray for people whom we do not know at all, strangers who are victims of an accident or illness or war.
A very few of us also pray for their enemies, praying that one day they become their friends as well.
What are the prayers that we pray ? There are many prayers in the Bible.
Perhaps the best-known prayer in the Bible is the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father Who Art in Heaven ..." (Matthew 6:9–13; Luke 11:2-4).
Prayers can be short or long.
In Mathew 6:7 and 8, Jesus tells us that if we say long prayers and useless repetitions God will not listen to us any better. He already knows our needs so no need for such things.
One of the shortest prayers would be "Lord save me". This is what Peter said in Mathew (14:30) after he walked on water. He got distracted by the wind and waves, and started to sink. He yelled “Lord Save Me!”
You can have a silent prayer also. You don't need to say anything because God is all-knowing, he knows what is in your mind.
Why do we pray?
We pray because we believe that God will listen and help us. Prayer and faith go hand in hand. If we have no faith in God, then praying is useless.
When should we pray ?
Ideally, we should pray in both good as well as bad times. Sadly, some pray only in a crisis, and others forget to offer a prayer of thanksgiving when God has helped to solve a problem or provide a blessing.
When you look inside the Bible, you can see how people pray and under what circumstances. 3 examples come to my mind:
1. Moses (Exodus 17:11)
"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning."
Usually when we pray we fold our hands, we stand or bow down on our knees. Here Moses had to raise his hands as he was praying for his people to defeat the enemy.This was not an easy task as Moses'hands were getting weak.So Aaron and Hur helped to support his hands at that time.
2. Daniel (Daniel 6)
This is an example that Prayer must sometimes be done at dangerous and life threathening times.
Daniel was an administrator under King Darius. The other administrators were jealous of Daniel because he was not corrupt and trustworthy. They made Darius issue a decree that noone was allowed to pray to any God other than Darius.
Daniel faced real danger in praying, but kept on praying, even though it led to the lion's den. But Because Daniel had trusted God and continued praying, God protected him from the lions.
3. Parable on Prayer (Luke 18:1-8) The persistent widow & the Judge
A widow kept coming to a judge asking him to give her protection from her opponent.The judge was initially not willing to help her but the widow was persistent. Finally the judge agreed to help the widow.
This parable of the persistent widow teaches us that we should be patient, persistent, and persevering in our prayer.
In our lives, we often lose heart in praying if there are delays in answers to our requests. Jesus uses this parable to teach us that, though answers often appear to take a long time in coming, we should persevere and not grow weary in praying to God.
God hears and answers our prayers. Maybe not always at the time and in the way we want, but at the time and in the manner that's right according to God.
Friday, November 11, 2011
11-11-11
No, this is not a license plate number. It's today's date: 11-11-2011.
This being a fancy as well as auspicious number for most people,a lot of hype is being made around this date. There is very little that people wouldn't aspire to do on this date.
Many couples will get married today so as to engrave their wedding date in history, if their marriage lasts, that is.
If you couldn't become part of history then atleast make your child one. That seems to be the plan for others. A lot of expecting mothers who are due with their babies around this date will give birth today, naturally or not. They believe this will give their offspring the best possible headstart.
Then there is another group of people who bet on all things possibe they believe might happen today ... Sachin getting his 10000 test runs today ... Aishwarya Rai Bachchan giving birth today .....
What a crazy world we live in ... people trying to manipulate their destiny ..
as if otherwise we cannot live happy successful lives ..
Well, this is the case happening in Apna India (Our India). Maybe the rest of the world is more cool about it ...
This being a fancy as well as auspicious number for most people,a lot of hype is being made around this date. There is very little that people wouldn't aspire to do on this date.
Many couples will get married today so as to engrave their wedding date in history, if their marriage lasts, that is.
If you couldn't become part of history then atleast make your child one. That seems to be the plan for others. A lot of expecting mothers who are due with their babies around this date will give birth today, naturally or not. They believe this will give their offspring the best possible headstart.
Then there is another group of people who bet on all things possibe they believe might happen today ... Sachin getting his 10000 test runs today ... Aishwarya Rai Bachchan giving birth today .....
What a crazy world we live in ... people trying to manipulate their destiny ..
as if otherwise we cannot live happy successful lives ..
Well, this is the case happening in Apna India (Our India). Maybe the rest of the world is more cool about it ...
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Thank not all ?
I was walking with Y and I stopped at a small shop to get something. After paying I said "Thank You". Y asked me "Why do you say "Thank you" to this guy ? He's just an ordinary fellow."
I was surprised at Y's remark. I never thought that this guy doesn't deserve me thanking him.
I don't know if it is because I was brought up and living in Germany for most of my formative years, but there certainly it was only a common thing to do, to thank even for the smallest gesture. Here in India the picture is so different. You have the very rich, the rich, the average man , the poor and the very poor. People don't offer courtesies to people below a certain strata, especially not below themselves.
I for myself, I believe that every person deserves to be treated equally irrespective of whether they are at a higher or lower level than us. We ought to appreciate everyone around us, and definitely we'll get appreciated more as well. Sometimes that is all that people want. And so whenever I catch a glimpse of pride in their eyes when they reply back with "You're welcome!" I realize it was a good thing to do.
I was surprised at Y's remark. I never thought that this guy doesn't deserve me thanking him.
I don't know if it is because I was brought up and living in Germany for most of my formative years, but there certainly it was only a common thing to do, to thank even for the smallest gesture. Here in India the picture is so different. You have the very rich, the rich, the average man , the poor and the very poor. People don't offer courtesies to people below a certain strata, especially not below themselves.
I for myself, I believe that every person deserves to be treated equally irrespective of whether they are at a higher or lower level than us. We ought to appreciate everyone around us, and definitely we'll get appreciated more as well. Sometimes that is all that people want. And so whenever I catch a glimpse of pride in their eyes when they reply back with "You're welcome!" I realize it was a good thing to do.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Journey of a One Rupee Coin
Roy was telling me one day the journey of a one rupee coin ...
Roy had gone for some small errand and on his payment he received a one rupee coin as balance. Usually he would drop the coin in a coin box once at home, but this time he forgot and it was still in his track pants pocket.
And he forgot about it ...
Soon after the next day , he rushed in the early morning to collect one of his shirts given for ironing because we had to attend a function.He didn't take his wallet since he was to collect the other shirts later.
On handing over Roy's shirt the man who had ironed his shirt asked him for a token amount since this was the first business transaction of the day. Roy told him that he had not taken his wallet with him, but when he felt in his pocket he found the one rupee coin he had put the previous night. And he handed it over happily ...
This is the journey of the coin.It was not destined to land in a box full of other coins, instead it was to become the first earnings of that man. Likewise, so many coins and notes travel through our hands daily, but we hardly notice them individually. Each has its own fate, just like we ...
Roy had gone for some small errand and on his payment he received a one rupee coin as balance. Usually he would drop the coin in a coin box once at home, but this time he forgot and it was still in his track pants pocket.
And he forgot about it ...
Soon after the next day , he rushed in the early morning to collect one of his shirts given for ironing because we had to attend a function.He didn't take his wallet since he was to collect the other shirts later.
On handing over Roy's shirt the man who had ironed his shirt asked him for a token amount since this was the first business transaction of the day. Roy told him that he had not taken his wallet with him, but when he felt in his pocket he found the one rupee coin he had put the previous night. And he handed it over happily ...
This is the journey of the coin.It was not destined to land in a box full of other coins, instead it was to become the first earnings of that man. Likewise, so many coins and notes travel through our hands daily, but we hardly notice them individually. Each has its own fate, just like we ...
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