Childhood Memories

Well now since I back to solid ground after those mesmerizing and magical days when my marriage was fixed, I was just trying to recall some of the moments during these days. It was congratulations all around, right from my relatives to my colleagues in office. I have not received so many congratulations in my entire life. Maybe I may not also again, as this is such an important turning point of my life.

Well I will like to take my dear readers to a very small point which kept recurring amidst these congratulatory messages and celebrations i.e. talk about my childhood. The main talk amongst our family members was my acts during my childhood. They were describing the various pranks I played, the manner I spoke etc etc. This is the not the first time I am seeing this happen with people when their marriage is fixed. I have seen this happen with my other relatives as well.

Why does the topic of childhood crop up during this marriage time? It does not happen when a person passes his/her school or when he/she gets a job for the first time. Then why only marriage???? The only reason I can think of as I mentioned is maybe this is the most important point in a person’s life after his/her birth. The other things like studies; jobs etc are mere milestones in our lives whereas birth, marriage and parent hood are the major junctions in our life.

Well, this post is similar to my earlier one in the sense that I don’t have the answers with me. So if any one has them then please do let me know.

A great transformation!!!!!!!!

The shift from being a bachelor without commitments to a bachelor whose marriage is fixed is really a huge transformation. This too if it is happening in a matter of 2 to 3 days feels as if I am in some other world. My life is never the same since last Sunday morning. Till last Sunday there was no sense of direction, no particular person to think of and lots and lots of free thoughts. Ever since that fateful morning its been thoughts concentrated on a fixed date or fixed person.

I am sure this is what happens with all of us. Why is it that we humans behave in this manner when it comes to life partners? What makes a person so dear to one in a matter of few days or hours? You meet ur life partner, speak for few minutes and once decided u r speaking to each other as if u know each other for years. However while making friends that’s not the case. We speak to them cautiously, we evaluate them continuously and the relationship becomes strong only over a period of time.

I suppose this is the only relationship after a child-parent one which is fixed and strong right from the start. Even in case of Siblings, it is not always that they accept each other from the start. The elder sibling carries with it some apprehension about their younger siblings. They fear loss of attention and excise caution when dealing with them atleast during the initial years.

Well if u expect that I have answers to this then I am sorry. I am also passing through this particular phase of life and these doubts have crept into my mind since last week. I will definitely update my readers if I am able to find any answers. However if some one can provide me with some answers then yes you are most welcome!!!!!!!!!

Is this home sickness?????

Home sickness is one of the common topics which is discussed amongst the expatriate population in UAE, especially if the group is bachelors or forced bachelors. "I feel Home Sick", " it all because of Home sickness" are common phrases u get to hear especially when a new person joins u or when u come across a gloomy face of ur friend. Now my post this time talks about home sickness. I have come across this situation several times when I leave UAE.

This thought on home sickness started when I left for Jordan for a business trip. As I write this, I am in Jordan and I feel I can exactly write what I am feeling now or rather what home sickness means to me know. Well to me if I say I am home sick, that means I am missing UAE, though actually home sickness would mean I would be missing my home back in India!!!!!!. This happens even when I am in India. Though I am happy that I am with my family or friends, there is something in the back of my mind which says I miss this place!!!!

This actually has got me thinking abt the meaning of home sickness. I feel the greatest contributor of Home sickness is not leaving behind families back home or anything of that sort. Yes they are contributors, but not in a big way, since communication technologies have become so advanced that u can still stay in touch with your families on a day to day basis, a far cry from what it was before.

So if communication helps us to keep in touch with our families no matter where we are, then what actually makes us home sick?????? According to me it is abt the attachment to the place where u live. It is always nice to c different places and get to know different cultures. But the moment you get used to living in a particular place, you tend to feel that the place is the best. You tend to miss the place whenever u r away from it. I wonder how many of u have noticed, in all films which have characters who are working abroad or r staying away from homes, the focus when they return home is not abt meeting their family, though it is an essential part of it. It is abt the way the character goes visiting his favourite place in his home town or how he spends time etc.

So friends, according to me very soon our perception of home sickness would be what I am facing now (for a temporary period!!!!!!!). I hope u agree with me

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

“Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna” the immortal song sung by Kishore Kumar from the movie Chalte Chalte, was in my mind this week. The reason being one of the employees in my company whom I am very close will be leaving the company this week. The person whom I am referring to, I should say is one of the best individual I have met. I consider this person not only as a friend but as my elder sister. The relationship we shared was not only the professional, as would be expected between any 2 employees in an organization. We have had several good times in our offices with a bunch of some other colleagues. These good times ranged from, chit chats during the long coffee or tea breaks (as you call it) during the Ramadan Time or the long discussions on certain professional issues and not to forget the cooking lessons I had from her (especially the Bhaigan Bhartha which I will never forget!!!!!!!!!). Coming back to my topic for this post, this situation kept me thinking about the number of people we meet in our lives, whom we are close with and whom we look to in times of trouble. Parting with these people is always difficult. We would never have words to express or convey anything to them. Even as I write, I am not able to express it in any other words. But this is life. People come, meet and part but real friends keep in touch. This reminds me of a saying one of my close friends told me when we were parting ways after our CA course. He said it is always good to stay apart in order to keep the relationship. He said we will feel that it is not possible to be away from each other but the beauty of life is such that you adapt to the situation and carry on with it. His saying is true till today as we still share an excellent relationship even though we are miles apart. And before I end, with respect to the good times I shared with didi, all these will be good memories and here again I end with some beautiful words from the movie Yaadein “Yaadein Yaad Aati Hain, Baatein Bhool Jaati Hain, Yeh Yaadein Kisi Dil-O-Jaanam Ke , Chale Jaane Ke Baad Aati Hain” All the best to you Didi

Strangers or r they really strangers????????

The heat is catching up as days go by. Today was no better. It was as if we were being smoked in a furnace. So it is in this heat when I was walking towards my office that a thought crossed my mind in order to divert my attention from the heat. Its this thought that I am sharing with all of u today.

How many people do you meet regularly on a daily basis on your way to the office? Yet these people whom u meet are total strangers. You may know how they walk, how they talk, or even how they behave. You may even recognize their voice or smile yet u don’t know them, their name or even where they come from.

Life is so strange, isn’t it!!! here we have people whom we “know” or whom we claim we know very well but still you may not be able to identify him with certain characteristics whereas u may be able to identify a total stranger even without knowing the name.

Well to end this topic, I did count the number of people whom I meet regularly and I was able to count at least 4 such people. I meet them everyday but do not know where they work or their names or anything other than that they walk to their destination on the same route that I take to the office.

The Art of Negotiation

Its been a long time since I have written a post. Well this is usually my starting line in most of my earlier posts. So I thought I will not break the tradition when I am writing after this reasonably long time. What remains to be seen is that how many hits my post will get after this as most must have forgotten my id. Anyways friends I hope to start written more frequently after this. Before I go to the topic a special thanks to my friend who has encouraged/inspired me to start writing again.


I do not know how many books have been written on the art of negotiation or develop you negotiation skills. I have even met a holder of the degree called “Certified Negotiator “.

Well some events which I witnessed during the past one month made me think on these different books and degrees.

I am referring to the period when my parents where in UAE and when we used to go out for shopping. In all these cases my cousin sister also used to accompany us. The manner in which my mother and sister used to negotiate with the shop keepers especially in the Friday Market (Masafi) left me bowled. I can vouch for a million dirham (since I am in UAE I would quote DirhamJ) that they would never have gone through any of the books which educate the people on the Art of Negotiation!!!!!!!!!

This is the typical scenario with any home maker. You may take any house wife or the working class woman who are sharp negotiators. They follow a very simple technique. They first decide on the price they would pay for the product. Afterwards they start the conversation with the shopkeeper in a very nice and calm manner that the shopkeeper is carried away. Then as the saying goes when “Strike when the iron is Hot” is applied with the deal makers strike the price!!!!!!!!! This negotiation is taking place daily in their life from negotiating with a hawker selling vegetable in the street to a big purchases like that of home appliances.

So coming back to the topic of the books on negotiation, these writers have to learn a lot from these simple unassuming home makers who go about negotiating for small and big things as if it is a daily routine. This is in stark contrast from big corporations who throw parties when they successfully negotiate a “big deal”.

So friends do take notice of these small negotiations which happen around us all the time. You will appreciate and learn a hell lot more than what you would by reading the so called “Best Sellers”.