Hamari Sanskriti, Hamara culture ??????

After reading a blog through Times of India I started thinking about "our INDIAN culture" & "our values". Arent we Indians these days using these catchphrases too often in the recent times??? What could be the reason for this shielding phrases?? Are we trying to hide something that is not so holy by using these kind of phrases?

Well to go into the depth of the matter, lets take our great "RAM SENE" and their wonderful ideology. It seems Sene is shouting at the top of its voice and telling us to go back in time to 1950's and 1960's because somehow we have lost "OUR INDIAN VALUES" and have become western!!!! Who are these "RAM SENE" people? They are a bunch of narrow minded, 'Ajeeb log' who wear Pant & Shirt and use Cellphones for communicating with their group workers, beat up girls and prove their masculinity to whom I dont know!!!! I really dont know who told these kind of hypocrites that Indian Culture is to live in the last century??? Some people say that it is because of democracy that "inke par nikal aaye hai"!! Well I totally disagree to these bunch of so called sensible people as well. Blaming democracy for all the wrong happenings is like being in a mode of denial! We sometimes think that "Indian Culture" is like pickles that can be stored and preserved in tight bottles with preservatives like Ram Sene in it. 

We are very much aware of the movie by Madhur Bhandarkar, Page 3. All that happened in the movie, all the realtionships are somehow called ajeeb rishte. Is it actually correct? Well yes and no. Yes that most of the happenings on Page 3 are "Ajeeb" but the news that we see as headlines on the front page is also quite Ajeeb as far as the so called "Indian Culture" is concerned. A 45 yr old father raped his 4 yr daughter, One tantric trying to woo people by his tactics... All this cannot be influence of the west, can it be??? But whom to blame?? These fathers and tantrics might not be pubbing or doing stuff that many think is influence from the west and is not "Indian", but whatever they are doing, is it right and "Indian" ? 

When I think about the "Traditional Indian values", I think from where does this "tradition" come from? If you think about our epics, The Mahabharata and The Ramayana could they be 2 of the most important sources reflecting our traditions?? Let me breif you up with The Mahabharata.TheMahabharata’s fundamental premise is about brothers killing brothers, about putting what is truly right above what the tag of a relationship is. On the other hand, Draupadi is “shared” between almost half a dozen brothers and it is her brother in law who attempts to strip her in public – after her husband(s) gamble her away, no less! Karna, a character who had more – well, I’ll just say guts – than most characters in the epic, is “illegitimate”, so he needs to be generally disowned for the family’s good name, and can only tell his mother that she would have five sons standing at the end of the day, anyways. He is the outcast. What role the “legitimate” Nakul and Sahdeva had in the whole tale still mystifies me, but they were allowed to hang around everywhere since they were above board, I guess. What genuine family bonding! My intention was not to point fingers at such a great epic, but I want to point out to those narrow minded bunch of people, that Tradition and Values tell you to do things in the right way. Brothers faught brothers because the second set of brothers were wrong in their doings. Is that wrong? Draupadi is shared by half a dozen brothers because of a promise by Yudhisthira and she simply supports her husband as she is his better half! Is that wrong? Karna was illegitimate but was truthful to his heart and a true warrior. All this might not sound wrong but just in the literal sense it sounds absurd!

The Ramayana is not very family-friendly either, is it? The entire backdrop for the exile came from within the extended ruling family of Ayodhya. And while Bharat (and Shatrughan, who, like Nakul and Sahdev, seems to be talked about primarily for being related to those who mattered) thought that he should worship his brother’s footwear, Ram himself was not particularly fastidious when it came to equations between other pairs of brothers – Bali had to be killed by Ram for Sugriva to get his crown, and when it came to Lanka, the popular saying Ghar ka bhedi Lanka dhaaye serves to give Vibhishana a permanent recall value, even if by means of a quite a left handed compliment. At the end of it all, what was the entire Lanka episode about, if a washerman’s perspective – not his own – was enough for Ram, the King, to ask Sita to now bring certifiable qualities? All it proves is that our obsessiveness with people thinking socially well of us, no matter what we may individually stand for, goes back a long, long way.

I think we handle our ‘social’ values somewhat in the same way we handle the power hierarchy. In visual terms, I sometimes find the red beacon on the vehicle and the redbindi on the forehead to be statements in a fairly similar tone – symbolising (a) respectability and legitimacy and (b) ‘keep off’ status!

We are, after all, obsessed with ‘status’ messages, socially and personally, and the ‘tag’ of a legitimate relationship is so socially aspirational, the way the safe government job is in the cow belt interior – even more so in recession time! Kitne Ajeeb…

This article was based on one of the articles I read and some of my views... But sometime I really feel that its not the Traditions and Values that should be a concern for us.... There is something more important than them!! What do u think???

- Karan.

Who are u???

AN AMERICAN VISITED INDIA AND WENT BACK TO AMERICA

WHERE HE MET HIS INDIAN FRIEND WHO ASKED HIM

HOW DID U FIND MY COUNTRY

THE AMERICAN SAID IT IS A GREAT COUNTRY

WITH SOLID ANCIENT HISTORY

AND IMMENSELY RICH WITH NATURAL RESOURCES.

THE INDIAN FRIEND THEN ASKED ….

HOW DID U FIND INDIANS …….??

INDIANS??

WHO INDIANS??

I DIDNT FIND OR MEET A SINGLE INDIAN

THERE IN INDIA …….

WHAT NONSENSE??

WHO ELSE COULD U MEET IN INDIA THEN……??

THE AMERICAN SAID ……...

IN KASHMIR I MET A KASHMIRI–

IN PUNJAB A PUNJABI—–

IN BIHAR,MAHARASTRA, RAJASTHAN, BENGAL,TAMILNADU,KERALA

BIHARI,MARATHI, MARWADI, BENGALI,TAMILIAN, MALAYALI………

 

THEN I MET

A MUSLIM,

A HINDU

A CHRISTIAN,

A JAIN,

A BUDDHIST

AND MANY MANY MANY MORE

BUT NOT A SINGLE INDIAN DID I MEET

…………………………………………………………...

THINK HOW SERIOUS THIS JOKE IS……………..

ALWAYS SAY I AM AN INDIAN IF YOU ARE FROM INDIA!!

Democracy...What is it???

And so it is here. Today marks the beginning of another extensive electoral exercise in our country. Millions will turn out to elect our next set of representatives in Parliament, and in a few weeks' time we'll know which dispensation will soon be running the affairs of this country. Elections in India are a supersized affair, often compared to a giant travelling circus, full of colour and thrills. It is all that, and more. It showcases the democratic principle that holds up the system of governance we chose for ourselves at the time of our independence. Sure, there are many critics at home and overseas who never tire of holding forth on how India's democracy is a sham. At best, they argue, it is just an electoral democracy. 

Democracies everywhere are flawed in some measure and India's is no different. There is much more to do, so many wrongs to set right, and we must not be lulled into complacency. But to put things in perspective, India's democracy is just a touch over 60 years old. Unlike in the developed world where democracy has been in vogue for much longer. Add to that the fact that no political entity in this world has such a diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious profile. Managing the contesting claims and ideas of a billion-plus constituents is bound to be chaotic, often disappointing and, at times, violent. 

America comes close in terms of size, but the diversity of identity and interests that is part of its narrative is not as complex as that of India. Smaller, multi-ethnic, developing democracies have often split up. And then there are cases like Pakistan. A homogeneous idea of nationhood on which that state was ostensibly conceived in 1947 has not taken our neighbour very far. 

For all its problems, our democracy still works. We have a free press, an independent judiciary and a military that takes its orders from a civilian government. And people here have booted out governments they did not think measured up time and again. And over the past few years, regional outfits have influenced politics in New Delhi more. This took some time coming but is a reflection of reality: India is more than just the Hindi heartland. Instead of constantly running India down, critics especially the home-grown variety could perhaps be more constructive and offer workable solutions to the problems that need redress. 

That said, the onus on making this system work better for more of us lies, in the last instance, on us, the electorate. And this process begins with some understanding of exactly what we should expect from our various officials and elected representatives, a comprehension that goes beyond civic textbook primers. Very often, we look for the right answers in the wrong places. For instance, why do we expect our local MP to fix the roads or order a new tubewell? That is not the job profile of MPs. 

Our members of Parliament should be debating and formulating policy on health, education, foreign affairs, and defence for instance. They are not really the executors of civic projects. There is a whole tier of officials and representatives starting with municipal councillors and panchayat officials tasked with that job and they are the ones we must hold accountable. However, there are any number of opinion surveys that speak of voters even the urban, educated, and aware voter wishing for MPs who would fix their bijli-paani problems. Understandably, the first pothole we encounter or frequent power cuts are our first interface with governance. But surely a national election is about more than just this? 

What we need to ask of our parliamentary candidates is where they stand on issues of national importance, not present them with a list of petty grievances. We need to put in place a larger blueprint for governance, which focuses on bringing about long-overdue changes in our federal system for instance, empowering our city government more. 

Where are those debates about foreign policy or the direction our economic reform process must take? Why aren't we talking that much about health and education? These are areas that need sustained attention if we are to realise our collective potential and great power aspirations. We, at least in the metros, get all hot and bothered about the health minister's zealous anti-smoking drive. Do we ask him about his record on tasks entrusted to him by his office? Robust debates which include all points of view, including those that we are against help fine-tune the national policy agenda, which only helps improve the quality of governance. 

US president Barack Obama is the flavour of the season and there are any number of people here who ask when we will get our own Obama. The question to ask is this: Do we put our prime ministerial candidates through the grill over their vision for this country? Do we assess their record or do we instinctively vote on the basis of our immediate concerns or kinship affiliations instead? It is pointless to complain that politicians today are indulging in the worst form of personality battles and offer little by way of substance if we continue to lap up what they dish out. We must hold them accountable and demand more. That power lies in your vote.

This was an article from The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/TOP-ARTICLE--Its-Showtime-Folks/articleshow/4406321.cms

After reading this I have started thinking that DO WE REALLY KNOW HOW MUCH POWER WE HAVE TO PUT CERTAIN PEOPLE IN POWER ?????

I would still request everyone in India please go and Vote!!!

Believe me or not.. One vote can change everything!!!

Democracy of India is the ultimate saviour for all!!! So believe in it and support it!!

- Karan 

Independent Candidates in Elections!!!

It is really strange of me to put election posts in abundance but I think somehow I am transforming into one individual who thinks that India is a country where "WE" need to speak as Individuals also...

Here is one article by Shobhaa De for The Times of India, where she talks about one Independent Candidate from South Mumbai for the Elections. The lady is Meera Sanyal...Lets see what Shobhaa has to say about it..

To that tantalising question — "Who's afraid of Meera Sanyal?" — there is only one answer: nobody. As of now, Meera Sanyal is an unknown entity. She does not belong to any political party or camp. She has not roped in a Bollywood star to campaign for her. She is not the daughter or daughter-in-law of a powerful family. She does not possess crores and crores of ill-gotten wealth. There is no godfather or godmother lurking in the shadows to back her. And the biggest strike against her candidacy? She cannot boast of a criminal record. She has never been booked for murder or the possession of guns. So, who the hell is she? And why has she decided to contest the elections, that too from a high profile constituency (South Mumbai)? 

Meera Sanyal is like you and me. An educated professional with a conscience. Someone who wants to put her hard-earned money where her mouth is. Someone who is willing to go beyond drawing room, arm-chair politics and say, "This is who i am. This is what i stand for. As a citizen of India, i am entitled to exercise my fundamental right to contest the elections — and hello! I am doing just that... regardless of the outcome." Brave woman. Why brave? Meera is aware it's a vicious jungle out there... and here she is, a prim and propah Malabar Hill memsaab, willing to get her hands dirty in a no-holds-barred contest where her rivals have more money, more clout, more everything. Except the one thing that counts or ought to — the right motive. 

Why would someone as successful as Meera (she's a well-regarded banker) want to chuck up a super career and jump into the political cesspool? And what chance does she have of winning? The answer to the first question comes from Meera herself, who says it was the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai that triggered something in her. Something compelling enough to arrive at this important decision. It has become a cliche to say, 'Become the change you want to see..' but in Meera's case, it seems to be the only reason she has taken the plunge. Has she thought it through? Does she know what she has put her foot into? Let us give some credit to this intelligent person. And let us acknowledge the obvious fact that Meera is now in the system for better or worse. 

As an independent candidate, she may not have the same advantages as her mighty rivals. But as a banker, i'm sure she knows how to hedge her bets. It is not about winning. It is about making a point. 'People Like Us' are very comfortable with a Meera. She speaks English with the right accent, quotes Toffler, wears pearls and likes her tofu. 'We' are comfortable with Meera. Our drawing rooms are always open to people like her. But the harsh reality suggests 'we' no longer count. Nobody really gives a damn for 'us'. Which makes Meera's decision all the more praiseworthy. Her supporters (steadily growing), point out that unless 'People Like Us' get into politics, India is doomed. It is one way of consoling ourselves, knowing full well the mood of the nation has changed. 

Meera is earnestly talking about public transport and security issues, in a city that is taken over by vested interests and distant bhais who call the shots. Meera will have to wade into South Mumbai's filthy shanty towns and convince those vote-for-note fellows that she's their woman. Of course, she'll have to lose those pearls first. And switch to earthy, homespun salwar kameezes before that. But how on earth will she communicate her objectives to a constituency that has been spoilt and nurtured over decades by politicos with pockets as deep as the ocean? 

Meera wants to be taken seriously. She deserves to be taken seriously. Meera is an important symbol. And an agent of change. The change we keep talking about. We should not hold her independent status against her. Remember V K Krishna Menon had stood as an independent, too. If more Meeras decide to get involved in the political process, their voices will be heard. Eventually. Her entry heralds a small but significant beginning. Will Meera be casting pearls before swine? Maybe. But the effort is worth it.

- Shobaa De (for The Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/Shobhaa-De-Meera-a-fresh-change/articleshow/4360420.cms

Elections & Your vote!!!

This is an extract from Mr Aamir Khan's Blog on Times of India Webpage.. Please read it and if you are in India then please go and vote the right person or at least the person about whom you know..

On April 6, I leave for a long vacation to North America with my son Junaid and my daughter Ira.

We're planning to do some serious skiing in Montana.

But, I'm also going to be air-dashing back to Mumbai for a day on April 30 to cast my vote.

I personally believe that it is very important for each of us to cast our vote; and I feel really bad that there a lot of people out there who don't give voting the kind of importance it deserves. If we don't make an informed choice, we only have ourselves to blame.

In earlier years, I didn't spend much time thinking about the election process. I went and cast my vote for Sunil Dutt saab; who was the Congress representative from my constituency in Pali Hill, Bandra.

However this election, a big change has happened.

Besides the Times of India's Lead India campaign, that I am proud to be part of; I'm also equally charged about working with this NGO called ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) that is a non-political, non-partisan and a non-Governmental organization whose main goal is to strengthen the democracy and governance in India by focusing on fair and transparent electoral processes.

ADR has on their board a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad and the National Institute of Design and some IIm alumni. I met these socially conscious group when I was shooting for my film Three Idiots in Bangalore. In a nutshell, when I learnt of the work that they were doing, I decided to come on board.

ADR and its partners have conducted election watch activities in more than 25 States; they're primarily responsible for collecting information from the election commission on all the candidates who are contesting elections (for e.g. his educational qualifications; his wealth, his criminal record (if there is any), so the voting public knows exactly who they are choosing as their leader.

As I said earlier, many people in India don't even bother to go out and cast their vote. This has to change; not only should India be known the world over as the biggest democracy, we should also aim at India being referred to as the best democracy.''

My company Aamir Khan Productions along with my friends Prasoon Joshi and Rakeysh Mehra have made three public service films that can be seen on television, internet sites, newspapers across the country. The messages in these three films are the same-please think before you cast

your vote.

I came on board this whole mission because I feel for the cause. At the end of it all, who you vote for is your prerogative; ADR or I are not telling you who to choose; but yes, we'd definitely like you to make an informed choice. And we are providing the information to you very easily. You have a choice of going on the website--

http://www.nationalelectionwatch.org/

or

 you can call (1-800-110-440); the helpline will be available from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm or through a sms to MYNETA (space)(Pincode) to 56070; and you can get a detailed sms on all that you need to know about each candidate to help you make the right choice.

Just one more thing-since elections are being held in the country in four phases, even the information will be available in a phased manner. Just, a week to 10 days before you cast your vote, you can get the complete details on candidates from your constituency.

I have one thing to add before I fly off for my holiday-in these elections "please make your vote count."

- Aamir Khan

India you have to vote because its not only your right but its also your duty!! Vote for India, vote for yourself

Little Zizou

This is a story of really sweet people. The Parsis. Parsis in India are regarded as very humble, down-to-earth and ever smiling people. "Deekra", "Java de ni"....are common sweet things that you hear from them. Mira Nair and Sooni Taraporevala have together created a very very simple story and presented it in a rather simpler manner. Xerxses Khodaiji a.k.a Little Zizou was a die hard fan of the soccer player Zinedine Zidane. He was a motherless kid who thought that his mother was an angel and would make sure that he meets his dream sportsperson. His brother Artaxerxses a.k.a Art was a typical teen who wanted to be cool in front of the girl he loved but never dared to speak to her or ask her out.

Basically the story is about 2 families in the Parsi community who basically are not in good terms with each other. Mr Cyrus II Khodaiji was one religious fanatic and he considered himself as the protector of the Parsi Religion. Mr Boman Pressvala (Boman Irani) didnt believe all this and was always against Khodaiji and regularly made fun of him in his news paper. This story revolves around this comical and sweet animosity between these two people. 

In the end Boman wins against Khodaiji and Cyrus II Khodaiji leaves the country forever. The essence of the film is its simplicity. It also shows how the parsi people did what they said when they came to India. When they came to India the King during that time told them that they would never blend in our culture and would be like stone in water. But the Parsis told that they would blend in Indian culture like sugar in water. And how correct they were. 

There are some small things that everyone knows but no one cares about them like for example telling your kid that how much you love him or telling your wife that you are the best person on this Earth! These small things are portrayed very well in this movie.

I would say its a must watch!!!!! 

-Karan

Things to do in 2009!! :)

Few tips for successful leadership life for  2009 :

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king , lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy , Enthusiasm , and Empathy.

5. Make time to practice meditation , yoga , and prayer.

6. Play more games.

7. Read more books than you did in 2008.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes' walk every day. And while you walk , smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.

Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.

Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30.. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful , beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is , it will change.

36. No matter how you feel , get up , dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning , thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So , be happy.

This list was sent to me by my Dad!! 

Thanks dad and I hope I try to do things that are listed in this list.

People reading this list I would recommend you to try these things.. :)

- Karan

2nd April 2009

There it is..I have stepped into the silver jubilee year of my Life as of 17:00 hours today! Happy bday to me! I just thought that I should note down somewhere that how I spent my 24th birthday!! What better than my blog?? Before the day began I was already wished by my dear ones!!! Well thanks to the time difference between Finland-Saudi Arabia-India-Philippines. It all started around 15 days ago. I had a horrible time with Makemytrip people regarding my ticket to India (PS. People, never buy tickets from makemytrip!!!!). After coming home with a headache and a pissed off mood, I get 2 not one but 2 birthday cards coming from Baroda :) It was my mom who was scared that our Indian post would not deliver it on time and etc etc so she had sent it so sooon!! But it was so sweet of her to send me both the cards she liked. One of them told me how much she cares for me and how much I mean to her and the other one said what the date 2nd April reminds her off and why 2nd April is so special for her. It was the most touching moment of my life. I simply forgot all my worries and my mood was totally chill!!!! Thanks Ma for those wonderful cards. Then it was yesterday when Krithi had wished me with a wonderful Smilebox Card. I never knew something like smilebox but believe me people its pretty unique and coooool. I simply loved the card. Thank you Krithi for a wonderful creation. The words that you wrote in the card extremely precious for me. Its really sad that you are not here on my birthday but somehow with your card and all the photos in it I felt you are right next to me! My Dad wanted to be wise as well. He thought it would be good that I receive my card one day sooner than a day late. Because unfortunately 123greetings doesnt ask what country you are planning to send the ecard to, so they send it according to US time which means I would get my card on 2nd April afternoon. But Dad, who is not only the coolest dad but also the smartest one told them to send it on 1st. Well the words in the card were priceless. It said how proud he was with me and my achievements. I just hope I always be worthy of getting such cards from him always. Thankyou Dad for your faith in me. People say its difficult to understand girls but I really believe it. I have a friend, Vrushali, she till now has wished me record number of times. I have already got 6 ecards and several orkut scraps from her for my bday :) Thankyou is something small but still I would like to thankyou for all your wishes for me Vrushali. At sharp 12:00 Midnight IST my mom called and wished me and gave me all the blessings. She normally likes to call early in the morning but this time she thought of giving dad some competition and wishing me b4 he does. But actually dad had called at around 9:30 at night and wished me a bit soon. :) For me both won because I just loved their wishes for me. I was not surprised but I was really and extremely touched by the traditional Ice-Cream party that my dearest and closest friends gave to me at midnight. I was not surprised because in our group of 4 best friends (Me, Narayan, Sarang and Deepa) its a tradition to celebrate bday's with bday Ice-Cream! But I was touched because Narayan was no longer our room mate (He is married to one wonderful person and is living somewhere far in a Family apartment) and believe me people I wasnt expecting him to come. Because to come here he has to change buses and to go back after midnight in Finland, is a headache. But sharp 12 o clock the door bell rings I go out to open the door and I see that Sarang is already there to open it and I see Narayan with Deepa and our traditional Chocolate Ice Cream. So we performed the ceremony of cutting the bday Ice Cream and celebrated my bday. Next day Narayan told me that he reached home at 4:15 in the morning (he had left our place at 12:30)!!!! He couldnt get the bus and so he was stuck at city centre for hours. I felt aweful!!!! But then thats what friends are! I am proud to have these 3 coooolest people as my friends. I would never want to be away from them. Guys you all simply rock. I love all 3 of you a lot. :) Then at around 1:00 A.M. I decided to sleep and I got up at 7:00 in the morning. After some 30 min or so Dad called up to wish me again :) And then that was followed by a call from mom to wish me good morning and Happy Birth"DAY". I was chatting with Krithi on yahoo and we had a wonderful talk as she continued to wish me. :) It is such a great feeling to get wishes from your dear ones before you actually begin your day! I got ready had breakfast and I was off to work (Its sad but what to do? Have to work and study to deserve those cool ecards from DAD :) ). We three, me deepa and sarang decided to go to the Chinese restaurant for lunch. It was awesome and stomach filling. Guys if anyone comes here to tampere I would surely take you there. After that a regular day at work. In the afternoon I went on Orkut and I was sooooooooooo happy to see my friends scrapping me Happy bday. I took all the time to reply them thank you's. I simply love it. People wishing me and me telling them thank you. I felt so important. I had calls from my verrrrrrrrrry good friends in India, Rahul, Subha and Viveka. I really miss them tooooo. Thank you guys for taking time and calling me :). Then I had family people calling me and wishing me. It was simply fantastic. I felt as if in a whole year of 365 days this one day everyone remembers me. It was the best feeling ever. Finally as icing on cake, Pasquale, My Italian flatmate called me when I was in office and wished me toooo. Well he knew it from Facebook :) And he also invited me for a wonderful Authentic Italian Pasta party. It was mouth watering and yummy pasta. Thank you all Italian Friends of mine for such a treat. Now that I am writing this blog I am thinking, WOW thats why there is only one birthday!! So that it is special and it stays with you for the rest of the 364 days so that again on the 365th day you get to be SPECIAL!! I love all the people around me. Thank you all of you for wishing me and remembering me on this special day of my life.

Once again Happy Birthday to me!!!

Love You All!!! 

Karan.