Boost thy Happy Hormones.

Hey you!! Yes You!! Are you one of those gaining patches of white hair or bald patches too early?? Or  counting sheep at night and battling sleepy eyelids during the day, at work?? Or buying clothes a size bigger each time you shop? Or constantly playing host to psychogenic ailments?? Or that upward curve on your lip has been replaced by the downward curves on your forehead? These are signs of “Vitamin ME” deficiency, no time for “Yourself”. To avoid such a deficiency a person has to lead a PROPER life. “PRO” is derived from the word “PRO- fessional” and “PER” is derived from the word “PER-sonal”.  It is a balance between the two. In layman terms, it also means “right”.

Here are few remedies, to increase “Vitamin ME” quotient and increase supply of happy hormones:

       Life is a PIE

Draw an imaginary pie diagram or even better use a pen and paper to do so. Allocate priority to each one in your life. This may also be termed as the “Priority Pie”. For 100% fulfillment in life, time must be spent with each one. Spend time by yourself and with your family each day, do not limit it to the weekend, maybe not for yourself but for them.

This reminds me of an incident quoted in a book authored by Ravi Subramaniam, where he talks about a chap who was disturbed having been chucked out of his job. Hearing this news his little girl was delighted, and was dancing around the house. When asked the reason for her joy, her innocence spoke up “Daddy, now that you are at home, you will have more time to spend with me.” The father was moved by her words, what he perceived negatively, his daughter saw a positive streak in it. The idea is to reduce those few extra after office hours and devote time to family, friends, pets and most importantly yourself. There is a life waiting to be explored, memories waiting to be created, laughter waiting to be shared, hobbies waiting to be touched and your loved ones waiting for you.

      Maintain a book of Life

Each individual has a different life, each life has a different story. You don't need to be an author to write a story or publish it for the world to read. Dedicate a book to yourself, write your own story, write your personal goals, things on your bucket list, your happy moments, your achievements, your generous deeds, your fear fighting moments, out of world experiences and all other experiences that added value to your life. Stick pictures, make it more interesting. While you are young, this book will boost you to gather as many experiences, and when you are old or your memory begins to fade, flipping those pages will make you feel “Yes !! life was well lived.”

      Travel to offbeat places/travel solo

Education is not limited only to your class rooms, learning does not stop within your office walls. Travel, is a form of education or learning that happens beyond four walls. Apart from relaxation and enjoyment, travel makes you unravel different cultures, acquaint oneself with new people, learn different dialect, garner wonderful experiences and try different cuisines. Travel with an open mind and heart, to come back enriched and enlightened. Travel to offbeat places, small or big does not matter. Go for a trip with an objective of learning something new or discovering yourself. Travel solo atleast once in your life (maybe alone with an organized group), maybe even a weekend trip will do. It's a self confidence booster, and you would surely not need  anyone to rely on, for that short break.

Follow YOLO (You Only Live Once)

Life is not a game of Mario, we don't know how many lives we have. This life is all we know of, it maybe uncertain but that should not stop you from taking risks, doing stuff out of your comfort zone and living life to the fullest. Live a life where you do what you love. Don't let time slip by, it ain't coming back.  Make every minute matter.

Being Humane

Most importantly happiness is felt and personal growth occurs when you use your skills to educate or spend time with people who may not be as blessed as you are. No better way to lead a purposeful life. Just how lighting one candle spreads light, doing one act of kindness will emit happiness.

So, toil, burn the midnight oil, but every once in a while. There is life outside, waiting to be lived. Be limitless, don’t limit your life to just one thing, when there are so many things on your bucket list, and which you conveniently push for someday, only to regret someday that you did not do those.   

                                                                                                                  -  Ashwini Joshi

The Inner Voice

Rest all are asleep, the conscience stays awake,

 if you're not sleepy, a conversation it makes.

In the silence of the night, it makes some noise;

if you've slept in the day, prepare to hear the inner voice;

for no sleep in your eyes and you're  left with no choice.

In the busy bustling day, the voice talks to you,

tells you what you should or shouldn't do.

While in the silence of the night, it reminds you,

tells you what you did or didn't do.

It poses many questions, followed by advice,

what you do that's wrong and how to make it right.

Have you been a good daughter, mother or wife?

Are you doing your job well or not adding value to life?

Are you in pursuit of your passion or chasing that dream?

Or living in fear and living someone else's dream?

Are you consciously and daily taking care of your health?

Or you ignore that body as you are busy chasing wealth.

Are you happy in your heart or only on your face?

for no time for yourself, as you're running the rat race.

So, talks of life and advice on that, go on and on, non stop,

till you slowly fall asleep, as your eye lids begin to drop.

That constant friend, true guide, that inner voice, is your soul,

the only time it shall leave you, when it has to play a new role.

To listen or not to listen is a choice you have to make,

It's motto is to keep you happy, whatever decision you take.

So that tiny inner voice goes on and on, without a break,

and keeps whispering from inside, in life while you 're awake.

                                                                                                                               

-          Ashwini Joshi

Turtle story.

Under the warmth of the sand,

and not the heat of its mother,

the egg shell cracked open,

as the sand began to smother.

Out popped a turtle, and sadly no other.

T'was a sad welcome, no mother, no father.

T'was a cold and quiet night,

his mom had come, to the shore,

she had dropped many eggs, a hundred and four.

She hid them in a pit, and then she was gone,

Then few days later this baby was born.

This tiny innocent soul got me thinking,

who din’t know where he was, not even an inkling.

No food for his hunger, no hand to hold on to,

No parents to guide, no siblings by his side.

Yet his tiny feeble feet, began to march slow,

towards the big unknown sea, where only he could go.

Blessed are most humans, who have loved ones who care,

to train us and protect us till we are unaware.

PS: This poem is inspired by this teeny tiny creature I saw at the "Velas Turtle Festival  - Welcoming Baby Turtles", at Velas last year in March 2014.

-          Ashwini Joshi

AutoBAGraphy

Crimson hue, with a black shiny zipper;

Round stroller wheels and rock solid texture;

I was seated near the window, for the world to see;

I was waiting to be bought, for the world, to be seen.

A young man walked up, and looked at my price;

and as I was not expensive, for my size,

he made the decision so wise.

Hurrah!! atlast my chance had come;

For someone’s fellow traveler I had become.

Excited, I was from the first day I was made;

To travel all over the world, Italy, Spain and Adelaide;

And so, most of my dreams did come true,

as I experienced so many places new.

Travelled by buses, cars, ships, and trains,

I flew over the birds, as I travelled by planes.

In Luxurious resorts, inns and fancy cup boards I stayed,

best were the memories in the rustic village, that were made.

Fascinated were the kids with my wheels that would roll,

Pulling out my handle they would take me for a stroll.

Met many new people, and met the other bags,

we shared amazing travel stories, experiences and gags.

One day as I sat at the airport waiting for my flight,

A beautiful pink bag with a blue hat caught my sight,

Fell flat when I saw her, my joy knew no bound,

It felt my love of life, I had found.

Lucky I was and I am thankful to the one above,

The pink bag belonged to my owners lady love.

And indeed that was the best trip of my life,

As I had met my wife, in this journey called life.

       -          Ashwini Joshi

Soulmate

You made me laugh,

cause of you I cried,

Hid my feelings so true,

for you I lied.

For you I felt weak,

you kept me strong.

You said it was alright,

when things went wrong.

Loved the solid connect,

of our mind and our heart.

Drifted away sometimes,

but could never stay apart.

Talks of love and talks of life,

senseless talks and talks so wise,

giggles, cuddles, dates and drives,

only few things that limited our lives.

Companionship and closeness,

the heart would scream.

We knew it was not real,

was all just in dreams.

Sometimes in life,

I wonder why we meet,

if we only have to meet, depart and repeat.

Still someday when I am old,

I would rock on my chair,

reminiscing the best times in life,

when you were there.

And maybe shed a tear,

and a smile I shall wear.

Offsite Kerala 2014.

Pristine back waters awaited us, lush green plantations awaited us, the magnificence of the Zuri Resort awaited us….’Kerala’ – ‘Gods own country’ awaited us.

The departure time was scheduled at 6:55 in the evening, which was eventually delayed, we had a two hours journey on the airplane followed by two hours road travel to the ‘Zuri Resort – Kumarakom’, thereafter. Having ample time and options for dinner, we packed dinner in our tummies before boarding the airplane.

The plane flew with vigor, leaving the flickering city lights behind, dashing through dark clouds and soaring higher than them. Yeah!! we were finally off to Kerala. The agenda was to take the benefit of all the luxuries Zuri had to offer like the famous Kerala massage, cycling through the rustic village, fishing in the lagoon and obviously gorge on the local delicacies. My joy knew know bounds.

A warm Cochin welcomed us, we set outside with our luggage, a gentleman with a Charlie Chaplin style moustache holding a placard with “IPAMC” written on it waited outside. Speaking of moustache, as it is known rice is the staple diet of Kerala, I am sure moustache is their staple style (applicable to men only). Well, it was past midnight when we reached the resort tired and sleepy. Still the charm of the lobby could not go unappreciated. In the centre stood a huge figure of a ‘Kathakali’ dancer made of white stone, around this statue was a water fall. The waiting area had a contemporary and classy look. A melodious cry played as a background score. We were transported to our rooms in a buggy.

The cottage we stayed in was luxurious and spacious. It adopted international standards. Although, it did have a Keralite touch to it, like the decorative earthern ware, the flower shaped fans made of bamboo and the colorful masks of Kathakali dancers on the walls staring at us while we slept.

It was 7:30 in the morning, determined to explore and experience ‘Zuri’ to the fullest, we sprung out of our beds. The view outside the balcony was breathtaking, a huge man made lagoon was spread outside, surrounded by greenery. Cranes perched around the lagoon in search for their breakfast. The climate was cool as it had just rained. Although, the ideal thing to do was sip a hot cup of tea and enjoy the serenity, but we had planned to go for the 8 o clock session of yoga. We thought probably the session would be in some room, but to our surprise it was in the open, under a shed surrounded by the lagoon. After, an hour of breathing in fresh air and “Relaggzing” (peculiar pronunciation by the instructor for relaxing) our torso by the yogic movements, we headed for our breakfast. Breakfast was followed by a training session. It was simulation exercise, which was fun filled and with important take aways. (And by that I don’t mean the colorful Bandanas and cow boy hats we got as part of the exercise.)  

The scheduled time was 3pm to go sailing on the Vembanad lake. After a scrumptious meal, we rushed to board the premium house boat which was waiting at the shore. The heat was scorching, we did wish for some rains, to enhance our sailing experience, but the rain God must have been having a siesta. Nevertheless, we sat on the front deck of the boat, basking in the sun. Singing old and new melodies and shaking a leg or two we cruised along. The premium house boat also offered accommodation, a cosy bed room for two and a dining area, worth having a slumber for a night. While this was the scene inside. The view outside was picturesque. The lake we floated on was a huge body of clear water, far away on the shores a large number of coconut trees had lined up. As the boat moved the warm wind brushed our faces. As time passed, it started getting cooler, the Sun’s shift was about to end, and so was our boat ride.       

The third day of the trip and also the last day, I took a sneak peek into some exquisite areas. One being the swimming pool, which was made with immense thought. Three artificial elephants placed at the centre of the large pool, showered water into it through their trunks. The pool was at a height, and it was surrounded by the man made lagoon little lower. The lagoon was created for peddle boating and fishing. Where the lagoon ended, the massive Vembanad lake began. A bridge separated the two water bodies. Another masterpiece was one of the suite, which had a private pool in it over looking the Vembanad lake far away.

The excursion though short, it was a retreat from the fast paced life in the city and a treat for the body, mind and soul. Each one came back satiated due to one or more reasons. As for me, few reasons were that I came back with a) wonderful memories of the time spent with my besties, b) happy taste buds for the delectable meals offered and most importantly c) enhanced confidence for having succeeded in the art of cycling. Although, what I did not come back with, was my luggage which lay quietly at one corner of the reception while I boarded the bus to the airport. The bus was half way through when I got to know about the bag, I was lucky enough there was another lot of people traveling late that night. So eventually, I would be reunited with my bag the next day. However, I kept thinking “How could that happen to me, I am so particular about my luggage?” But then it dawned on me that a) I was reunited with my bag as it was wearing an Identity Card, so who says I am not particular and b) What would be a better way to end this travelogue, if there wasn’t a twist like this in the end. 

Mask of Kathakali dancer keeping a watch as we slept.

Flower shaped fan 

Premiuim houseboat on the Vembanad lake

Premium houseboat - cozy bedroom

How Mumbai became Mum-Bin.

How Mumbai became Mum-Bin.

If you observe the map of India in an atlas book, on a globe, from the moon or from any other planet, you see Mother India stretching her arms, right from Gujarat upto Arunachal Pradesh. The welcoming gesture of our country and its people, has attracted quite a bit of the population from our neighboring countries. The ever multiplying people within the country and the hordes of new entrants, are not only depleting the resources but also uglifying the country. What a pity!!

You go deep down in the western region of Maharashtra, you will find “Mumbai - The City of dreams”. A million people migrate to this city every year, hoping to turn their dreams to reality. This city offers enough opportunities to earn a farthing or two. Begging itself is a major business among the poorer section and may fetch you anything between 1000 to 3000 per month. This magical charm of the city is attracting more and more migrants from all over, especially from the lower strata of the society. This surge in the population, the increase in poverty, lack of education and filthy mannerisms of the people has turned this once rich and sparkling piece of paradise into a small dusty garbage pit, over spilling with human species. The blame cannot be placed on the uneducated class alone, there are certain educated people also who lack the civic sense and have contributed to this mess. “Mum–bai” is turning into “Mum- BIN” due to the following reasons:

          Litterartis: 

      You must have seen the colourful collage of waste materials on the railway stations or those  disgusting sights of wrappers, polythene bags, sanitary napkins, food and other waste material  strewn on the streets. You would have experienced the puke worthy sight and stink when you pass  a garbage bin with garbage overflowing at least half a meter around the bin. The credit for this goes  to the Litterartis.  The poor section litter due to lack of education on cleanliness, but the richer  section inspite of being educated litter due to lack of concern. 

             

         Defecators/Urinators:

      While you travel in the train, the sight you would wish for is cows grazing on green pastures or a  stream of clean water gushing down the mountains. Unfortunately, what you get to see is people in  their potty pose performing their early morning ritual. If your unluckier, you will have stinky swirls of  poop traveling in the same compartment as yours. In fact, recently a newspaper carried news of an  incident where human stool was thrown inside a moving train by some miscreants. How awful is  that? 

E     Even when you walk down the street, you have to keep your vigil as our streets are splattered with  shit at every 2 meters. Piddling and pooping on the road is not the act of the dogs or cows alone.  Humans do it too. The poo-er people don't care a shit, they do it anywhere. Dog owners don't care to  scoop away the poop their pooches left behind. Cow owners don’t clean the dung their animals    splattered on the streets. It is disgusting to experience such sights day in and day out.

         Sprainters:

 These category of people paint the town with colorful sprays emanating from their mouth,they  treat the roads, lifts, walls and other public property as their canvas. They ruminate over tobacco  or paan/paan masala in their mouth and spurt it out like a jet.

  

         Dumpsters:

 What is not worthy of being sold on OLX, finds its place on the roads. Damaged and old furniture, bug infected couches and other crappy disposables is being dumped on streets and public places everyday.  That’s the job of the Dumpsters.

Dirtying the city is easy, but cleaning the city is not, ask the sweepers, rag pickers or cleaners who are assigned that job. Cleaning the city may not be your job, but keeping the city clean is your duty. However, with the don’t carish attitude of the people, we Indian’s will continue to cut cow dung cakes, slip on banana peels, stomp on noisy wrappers, step on sticky sprays, have our hands glued to the chewing gum on that park bench and feast our eyes and nose to the overflowing garbage bins. UNLESS it is time for strict action.  The “CHALK “and “CANE” philosophy should be practiced. “CHALK” indicates awareness on the importance of cleanliness and hygiene MUST be provided specifically to the lower strata of the society. “CANE” indicates that any dirty act MUST result in harsh and nasty punishments to dissuade habitual offenders. In addition to this, the government MUST ACT to improve the infrastructure facilities in this area.

The dirtification of the city and the country in toto must be treated as a heinous crime, because it has given BIRTH to many diseases, and has led to many DEATHs.      

This write up was written for the "The Great Indian Litterbug" intitiative for Times of India.