'A TRIBUTE TO MJ - THE LEGEND'

Though my heart is heavy, eyes moist and full of grief but I still definitely want to write (while listening to MJ's music) and dedicate this blog to the memory of the greatest pop icon of my generation. That's the biggest tribute I can offer to MJ (Michael Jackson). I was shocked when I read my US-based brother-in-law's status update on Facebook yesterday (26.06.09) early morning, informing me about his untimely death the day before (25.06.09) when we were all sleeping in India. At first I thought it to be a prank; another one of those rumours circulating on the net. But then I immediately confirmed it on TV. However, the news has still not sunk in. I have been one of his most ardent but silent fans since I first gyrated to his 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' songs way back in school in 1983. That was the time when the American pop culture was just starting to hit the Indian shores. And I was among the few lucky ones to have watched all his 'Thriller' videos even before they were released in India. The entire world was stunned by a black guy who was conquering the world music stage from nowhere. The kind of mass hysteria, the 'King of Pop' generated during those times was to be seen to be believed.

I have literally grown up on MJ's music after he first shone on the music scene with his hit album 'Off The Wall' in 1979. And I am proud and privileged to have lived in the same era when the legend, 'Michael Joseph Jackson' walked this Earth. Because he was a true phenomenon who took entertainment to another level, be it his addictive music, shrieks and shouts, astonishing dance steps and spectacular videos. He was one electrifying performer par excellence.I am pretty confident that the memories of his exhilarating musical brilliance and genius will definitely surpass his eccentricities and controversies which mired his short but enigmatic life. When one of my friends on FB (obviously after reading my status update on my tribute to MJ) jokingly commented or rather taunted that I should attend his funeral, I felt it was nothing less than belittling the icon and the genuine sentiments of a fan. Though now I have taken it in my stride and sincerely hope that better sense prevails after he reads this blog so as to appreciate the connection between one of the greatest entertainers, the world has seen in the last century and the emotions of a passionate fan. As Shahrukh Khan rightly said : 'He lost his youth when MJ passed away'.The same is so true for me and many of his fans in their forties.

Like my friend, millions around the world love to hate him but many more millions are also fans of his gravity defying dance moves and the legendary 'Moonwalk'. However, apart from his exceptional dances I am also a big fan of his brilliant lyrics, enthralling videos and his mesmerizing voice in some of his greatest songs like ''Heal the World, Cry, Childhood, Lost Children, Earth Song, History, Billie Jean, Human Nature, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel, You are Not Alone, Stranger in Moscow, Man in the Mirror, Black or White, Remember the Time, Speechless, Smile, We are the World''.....the list is endless. So let's try to remember MJ for the heights he achieved in his lifetime and not for his falls. At the end of it all, he was also a mortal like all of us. Even the great 'Elvis' had his share of weaknesses and drug problems. And as if, we all are God. But MJ's genius transcends not one but many lifetimes and generations. If you have been following his music, you would know what a compassionate, benevolent, philanthropic and peace-loving musician he was. I am truly overwhelmed by the fact that many Indians who are legends in their own right like Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, A.R.Rehman and Javed Akhtar are also his fans. Amitabh dedicated a blog to him yesterday. And I am gratified to be following suit.

So let us all play a requiem in his honour by praying : "May his soul rest in peace and God give strength to not only his three young children and his family but to his innumerable fans all across the Globe to withstand this unbearable loss." I am 'speechless' but his music will live on forever.......and in MJ's words, 'Will heal the world and make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race.' I will always remember you, Michael from the core of my heart.

A CASE OF TWO EMAIL ID's - VERY HAZARDOUS???

At the outset, I would like to state that I certainly desire your feedback on this blog entry which dwells on an issue pertinant to most of us. This post is a direct consequence of the very few but indispensable and unfortunate responses generated by this blog, though not directly aimed at it. It is also inspired and triggered by a mail of one of my school friends based overseas who wanted me to tread the fine line between a person’s official and personal mail ids and thereby tickle the readers of this blog for their reactions. 'Unfortunate' in the sense, that a handful out of my several friends who are in the loop informing them of the latest blog entries, insisted that the mail informing them such and the reader’s responses on the blog should not be routed through their official mail ids (their ‘official’ status was made known to all only now, after these ids were in circulation for ages) by clicking the ‘Reply All’ tab. If at all such responses have to come, then they should be sent only to their personal ids. They (till date only four of my cherished readers : 'The Fantastic Four') are feeling offended as the responses are obstructing their privacy or more so because of the prowling eyes of their incoming mail office servers. These servers and thereby their bosses are hawkishly watching their personal stuff. I do appreciate their concern and afford them their two cents. But as a brisk rejoinder, I would request all to read further, allowing me to put in my two pennies worth.

Nobody would disagree that emails have made the entire world’s life very comfortable and miserable at the same time. The way we communicate in the 21st century has undergone a massive change from the days when we just relied on the ubiquitous postman.The two way communication is not just fast but instant. So who needs to post a letter anymore and wait for innumerable days to get the reply, particularly when connecting with somebody who is abroad. But we all get flustered, when we find our inboxes being bombarded with spam and frivolous mails. Such mails are a hazard and cause a lot of exasperation. But do personal harmless mails from friends on work ids also have this vexing effect ? They should not, but you never know.

The main bone of contention is whether it is ethical to mail private and personal matters to work mail ids ? Certainly not. But who made them public in the first place ? The owner himself. And in my opinion, he only needs to find a solution to this self-generated problem if he feels ruffled at the sight of unofficial incoming mails, since it will never be the other way round. My experience with the e-group formed for our school silver jubilee reunion tells me that nobody does it on purpose. Atleast I and several others don’t. It happens out of one's impetuosity. Hence this blog also aims at bridging any ill-feelings between the '84 batchmates of our school e-group due to the plethora of bouncing emails. We have been friends since childhood and let us strive to remain that. Majority of the people in the Corporate sector have at least two mail ids, one official and the other personal. But when these Corporate honchos hand over their business cards or mail ids to us, you will notice that ten out of ten times, only the official mail id is flaunted (to tell aloud where they have reached on the corporate ladder) as they are barred from printing their personal mail ids on their cards. And these are the same people who later complain about unofficial mails flooding their official inboxes. Once their official mail id is made public, they loose control over what reaches their inboxes as they themselves entered into a mutual consent of two-way communication. Maybe only official on their part. But everybody is not always official and ethical with friends. That's not what friends are for :-). They are suffering of their own folly. Nobody known to them has the time and inclination to send them unofficial mails unless they consider them friends or close enough.

In my opinion, if it infuriates them so much then they should have never leaked their official ids, even to friends. Either they should specifically distinguish between the two mail ids beforehand or never dispense with their work ids outside their office. But in case they have thrown caution to the winds, then also technology affords them ample opportunity. I am sure this fastidious lot are no luddites if they rely on email rather than the non-spamming postman. They can simply ignore and delete (or block the offending senders like myself) the private mails received on their work ids instead of making such a hullabaloo about it. It just takes a second. But they would not deign to do that and the best part is that they want to have the cake and eat it too. Instead of resorting to the instant policy of ‘press the button to shoo your worries away’ they will have the tenacity to request the sender(s) to definitely keep them in the loop but on an alternative mail id (hinting as though they are enjoying every bit of it, but are scared to admit it due to their prowling bosses and inflated official egos). I say this because many of my other friends who are in the top echelons of the corporate world, have never ever complained regarding this malice, if at all it is so hazardous. But how can all friends be alike in their approach ? Have I forgotten the good old school and college days ? Or am I too foolish or naïve to understand this ?

My own independent research also tells me that corporates are more concerned about those employees who consistently receive and spend more time on porn and the ludicrous erotic stuff instead of the amiable innocuous stuff. So dear readers, here is an opportunity for you to decide. I vehemently request for your views on this matter. And last but not the least, I would also like to mention that in case the sender and the receiver are members of an e-group, then the recepient should only complain to the administrator of the e-group to change or delete his mail id and not vent his ire on other members when mails and counter-mails often bounce back and forth. Why the F*** did ‘His Royal Highness’ give the official id to the e-group in the first place, if he is the regal one and the rest downtrodden. I would like to confess that I am still in two minds whether it is uncourteous and uncouth to reply back telling the respondent (who is not a stranger in the first place) to remove his work id and add the personal id instead, when self-help is just on your keyboard. Simply ignore, block or delete such mails. The sender and your prying office server will get the message anyway. What say….?

IPL and BOLLYWOOD...

How long will the Marriage last ?...after the fall and fall of the famous and mighty.

With the Indian Premier League-IPL (Cricket’s equivalent to Soccer's English Premier League) Season-Two currently in its final stages in South Africa, for cricket fanatics what mattered most was an exciting game of cricket accompanied with a chilled bottle of suds every evening during the month long duration of the championship and hopefully they got it that way. In my opinion both the fanatics and connoisseurs of cricket alike are nonchalant about the owners (or their antecedents) of the teams participating in the league. I also give a damn…..and rightly so, it should be the least of our concerns. But cricket having been catapulted to a status of religion in India, when some of the team owners represent our top bollywood brigade then an eyebrow or two are bound to be raised alongwith a multitude of media hypes and glares. Two of our very famous bollywood actors, Shahrukh Khan and Preiti Zinta embraced the league as major investors last year in its first season played in India and the third being Shilpa Shetty, a never so popular Bollywood actress unlike the other two (who merely became famous in the last year or so, courtesy a British reality TV programme called ‘Big Brother’) also jumped on the bandwagon this year by investing alongwith his rich UK-based boyfriend in the last year’s tournament winners, the Rajasthan Royals (RR). There are no two questions about the fact that the actors and the firangi (a term used for foreigners) cheerleaders have brought along with them a lot of glamour in the T-20 format of the gentleman’s game, but in my opinion it is only the quality of cricket played on the twenty-two yard strip which emerges the victor in the end. Sorry to say, but their teams, particularly SRK's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have hardly indulged in that kind of play. It’s been a morbid and sordid tale of horrors for SRK and his men who couldn’t qualify for the last four stage, second time in succession. And Preiti’s and Shilpa’s teams too met with a similar fate in the current season.

I feel empathetic towards King Khan whose team, KKR finished last on the points table with a very disappointing performance to say the least. Even worst than the first season.They only won three out of their fourteen league matches, the worst in the short history of the league and thereby discovered new and bizarre ways of ‘How to lose a match’ or more aptly put, 'How to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory' particularly in the last over. Their last two victories, I guess came a little too late when they had already been bludgeoned out of the tournament like a brutal sixer off Yusuf Pathan's bat. However, they would atleast take pride in the fact that they shattered the dreams of defending champions, Rajasthan Royals (Shilpa’s team) of reaching the semi-finals. Shilpa would definitely brand them as party poopers. For a second, let’s cut from real to reel and I can vividly remember that scene from a hit bollywood movie named ‘Baazigar’ in which SRK pushed Shilpa from the rooftop to her end. Sometimes life and fate can be so cruel that they imitate art. It would be a repeat act for SRK who would be dancing in the aisles crooning, “ Sanam, hum doobenge to tumhe saath lekar doobenge” meaning, “Dear, If I drown, I'll make you drown with me” .

Neither did SRK’s energized (despite the actor’s fashionable sling) and refurbished promotional video nor did his charisma work wonders as it does on the silver screen. Even the young female cheerleaders selected by him through a heavily promoted talent hunt show on TV, were not allowed to perform in South Africa. Such horrendous has been his luck with the IPL venture in both seasons that he would be so dismayed and cursing himself for making such a rash business decision. I am sure he would soon like to forget it as his worst nightmare. Shahrukh maybe the king of the bollywood box-office but ultimately it is not the seventy mm screen on which he has to perform as a superstar but the cricket field on which his pack of eleven players have to mesmerize the fans with their performance. The team’s performance has severely deteriorated as compared to the last season despite a highly publicized change in team policies a’la the controversial multiple captain theory and their subsequent defence by Shahrukh. But no amount of Shahrukh can save a non-performing, under-confident and demotivated bunch of cricketers. Same goes with Preiti Zinta’s team, Kings XI Punjab and Shilpa’s RR, being last year’s loosing semi-finalists and champions respectively. Both have not performed any better and could not even surpass or score past measly totals of hundred odd in their all important last league matches, when it mattered the most to ensure a last four berth. The actors ought to know by now that there are no re-takes in cricket unlike their films.

It’s very difficult to assign any one reason for the unflagging failures of the three teams. Or are the actors just jinxed for their teams ? Particularly in the case of KKR, the sacking of Ganguly (first season’s skipper), the multiple captain theory, the foreign coach’s emphasis on foreign players in the playing eleven put the team on a backfoot even before the start of the championship. Recently, there have also been overtures of racism within the team. And in the case of Kings XI Punjab, has the team been affected by the Preiti-Ness Wadia rumored break-up ? Well this is anybody’s guess. It appears that gossipmongers have been in good business all throughout the IPL. But all this grapevine in the media combined with the immense pressure of belonging to a famous actor’s team could have definitely buried the players under the burden and anxiety of non-performance.

The marriage of IPL and Bollywood and the subsequent honeymoon extended well into the second season but the extended honeymoon period seems to be fizzling out by now. So I won’t be astounded if any or all of them sell their stakes before the third season (the murmurs have already been heard in the media, as Shahrukh after excersing his franchise in India didn’t even return back to South Africa to motivate his devastated team). As per 'The Economic Times' dated 21st May'09, many private equity funds are envincing interest for a stake sale in KKR. The same report also carries a story stating that KKR is the most valued team in the IPL (a UK based valuation company has given it a brand value of 42.1 million dollars) despite all the controversies and lacklustre performance. But I totally fail to comprehend this. If you ask me, the value should be put on team performance and not on the star value of the owners or underperforming star cricketers. Anyway, having burnt their fingers twice over, the actors would have definitely realized that they should now concentrate in the craft which made them famous in the first place rather than making a mockery of themselves on the cricket field which is the least of their forte. So friends, I would suggest that the next time an actor thinks of investing in an IPL team it should be a win-win situation for all of us. The actor ought to think twice about the impending doom but you and me would fortunately know on whom to put our money on :-).

THE FACEBOOK GENERATION...

...love them or loathe them but you cannot ignore them.

Hi ! Are you on FB ? Are you on FB ? Aren't you on FB ? What the heck, how LS :-( [short for low society]. That's how a youngster will greet you in today's times. And I am not fibbing if I tell you that I am thoroughly enjoying being part of the Facebook (FB) generation. For the uninitiated, Facebook is an extremely popular social networking website on the world wide web. It is my fifteen year old daughter who introduced me to the medium last year sometime in March, 2008…..and I considered myself to be very net savvy :-). As of now I find FB better suited to my tastes and sensibilities like its ever growing 200 million users around the world and more enjoyable than Twitter which is mainly a real time short messaging service akin to micro-blogging. Twitter, though is trying to catch up fast but is still laggards behind FB. Hence I am restricting my experiences mainly to FB though I have a twitter account too. FB is a great idea to stay connected with hundreds and thousands of friends and relatives all around the world ranging from children to adults to the young at heart and that too in real time without draining your pocket on international calls. But beware, your very own children will never want you as their friends on FB for reasons which would become obvious once you read further ;-).

I love and so does the entire FB generation, the way you can post all kinds of messages (except the ones hinting at profanity) on the walls (a space on each user’s profile) of your friends for them to see instantly and send them virtual gifts in the form of icons alongwith messages. Also the fact that whenever you log on to your home page on FB it highlights what your friends have been upto on FB alongwith the 'Top Stories' of the day. However, if you want to be a little private then you can send your friends an email, only for them to read. The best part is I can do most of this stuff from my iphone without ever logging on to my computer. The ‘Looking For’…dating or ...a relationship and the ‘Relationship Status’ are quite interesting aspects of each user's personal profile. The latter may range from 'single' to 'married' to 'in an open relationship with…….' or 'in a complicated relationship with…….' . This info pretty well generates a lot of curiosity among friends about the user’s intentions :-). Incidentally, you can chat too and upload your profile photo (what’s facebook without a user’s face), family photos and videos on your wall to share with your friends.The 'Poke' feature which is often referred to as Facebook flirting and a little controversial is something I would rather refrain from so as not to offend my friends of the opposite sex :-). After using the medium for over a year, I applaud the creators for initiating a great social networking tool which has brought me so very close to my cross-country friends and relatives. I have been able to locate my long lost school friends (through the extremely helpful friend finder tool in FB) whom I first knew as toddlers but had lost track of after passing out from school a good 25 years ago. It seems the entire world is on FB today. The connection with my school friends through FB has been extremely gratifying to say the least and pretty nostalgic too. Some of us even met over dinner at my house last Christmas. The friends you make later in life may be very good but nothing can beat the bonhomie and banter of friends who have grown up with you since kindergarten. I love and thank FB for that and we will soon be having a silver jubilee reunion of our class of '84 in December this year.

Another interesting but at times frustrating (when I don’t understand the acronym or emoticon) is the chat lingo or dialect the FB generation has created to interact with each other. It’s basically a mélange of acronyms, characters, emoticons and abbreviations. When I started, the concept was a little alien to me and I had to take classes from my daughter :D. I hope you get this :D sign right the next time you read it elsewhere as it symbolises that I am smiling big while writing this sentence. You have others like :P which means sticking out your tongue to tease, :S meaning the person is confused, :O signifying a shocked face, :@ signifying a very angry face and so on. And then there is my sister (she'll kill me for this) in the US who starts or ends almost every sentence on FB with LOL !, short for laughing out loud. Another very common acronym used is OMG!, short for Oh my God. Many users casually use acronyms specifying the F-word in a very blatant and unabashed fashion without a tad bit of remorse and definitely not for the prudish. Writing complete words and sentences is totally out of sync and uncool for this gen-next. Write complete words on FB and you are murdering their lingo. So Beware :-). Every word in the thesaurus has been abbreviated for sake of brevity and paucity of time to type. My daughter interestingly calls them and herself the "Phataphat Generation”. They are always in a hurry to do things. So my dear friends better catch up with this lingo if you want to survive the FB generation or be part of it and I pride in the fact that I have caught up with it sooner than later, though still gasping for breath. To be a cool parent, be as cool as your kid and speak their language and I bet they will love you for that. However, I still get infuriated at times though, of what have we made of the conservative Queen's English we were taught in our formative years. Particularly so when I see my daughter jotting down her notes in school in FB lingo, I get flustered. In my opinion, the parents should caution their kids to restrict this lingo only on the net and not carry it to their classrooms and examination halls. But you never know, maybe ten….twenty years from now this disease would have communicated and multiplied across generations, that I foresee even exams being written in this dialect. Also by that time, many out of this FB lot would have become teachers and examiners and be well equipped in handling their new mother tongue. Currently, the fall back of all this is that many people open a FB account out of curiousity but never come back again or their status updates are very intermittent. Now don’t tell me you’re soooo... overloaded with work to update your status.They don't or maybe can't even upload their profile photo. My due sympathies are with the lot. But alas this lot was never meant to be on FB in the first place.Or they rather pull up their socks like me:-)

Let's finally talk about the very hilarious ‘Status Updates’ which the users give on FB on a daily basis or any time they feel like. These are a way to convey to their friends, what they are upto or are feeling at that point of time or about their current whereabouts. On FB they ask you, “What’s on your mind ?" and on Twitter they ask you, “What are you doing ?“. I have one very interesting friend (no offence please) whose several status updates are mainly by way of Hindi poetry and lyrics written in English making his updates very philosophical. It’s so difficult to understand his state of mind. Then there are others who post updates as funny, nonsensical and cheesy as ‘I am in the loo’, ‘F*** my life’ or 'What the F***'. The way you can publicly advertise on your profile that you are a fan of some famous personality, celebrity, company, brand or something as uncanny as the 'smell of petrol' is not only incredible but maybe brings a sense of fulfillment to the user's wishes. FB has special pages dedicated to the famous. In a way, being a fan of something or somebody highlights one's characteristics and an insight of the user's personal profile to others. You will also find many social groups and networks who form a community to address any matter of public interest or voice a concern and accordingly any FB user can become its member if he feels for that cause. For example, the “Pink Chaddi” group ( 'Chaddi' being a term for undergarments) formed on FB to muster support for the freedom of women and retaliate against the beating up of young girls in a Mangalore pub by members of Sri Ram Sene in January this year. I see users being totally immersed in the numerous fun applications and quizzes on FB to whale away their free time and the quiz results once posted on their walls are really intriguing to say the least.

Though this generation has become so addicted to the Facebook way of life but when there was a recent poll amongst its users on whether they would like to pay to use FB, then millions of users came together to form a group venting their ire. FB was started as a free site and should remain one. What say guys 'n' gals ? Also when FB recently announced major changes in its terms and conditions of service there was a major hue and cry by its users and FB had to revert back to the previous terms. That’s the strength of this generation. This is also the same generation which is least hesitant to announce private matters like divorce or separation on their walls and many a times posts fake and multiple identities on these sites.You either hate them or love them or better still, be a part of them as you cannot ignore them. I decided the latter. For better or for worse....you decide. But it definitely keeps me vibrant and in sync with my kids ;-). However, a word of caution for the young girls and women on FB, Twitter & other sites would not be out of place : Never add strangers to your friend lists even if they pop up as mutual friends, as would be evident from a south delhi based rich and educated young man recently arrested for raping girls and videotaping the acts. He had lured his victims from social networking sites of FB and others only. But honestly my idea is not to frighten you away from FB and the like :-).

FITNESS FIRST.....

This is only my second post but very close to my heart and the title is not in any way an advertisement for a popular gym of the same name.

These days Gyms and health clubs are mushrooming in every nook 'n' corner of your city. But do you really need to join them because of peer pressure or for the sake of your health ? Let's decide. I am neither any of the bollywood khans nor a six packer like them but still fit enough to share my own hands-on experiences with you. This could be a startling revelation for those who are not very well acquainted with me and my school friends of the 1984 batch whom I had lost track of till recently. Fitness has become a religion for me. But I would have ignored the word like many others, five years ago when I walked this earth carrying more than 90 Kgs. (198 lbs.) of weight on a medium height of just about 5 feet 7 inches. This love affair with fitness started sometime in Sept'04 when my physician diagnosed me with high BP and cholesterol. He literally scared the living daylights out of me as my dad had just undergone his bypass. It was in my genes. Eat & Die OR Exercise, Eat & Live if you love your family, he strictly told me. He being a black belt was more into prescribing fitness than medicines.

If I loved my family then I had the onerous task of loosing more than 15 kgs.(33 lbs.) in three months as I loved food particularly the butter chicken & KFC variety. I did not join VLCC or some other slimming centre nor did I go on some fad diet. However, I initially decided to quit the BC's, KFC's, Mc Chickens, deep fried stuff and restrict my sweet temptations & the number of chapattis for my meals from four to two on each occasion. To make matters more tough I had to start my morning walks. And by Dec'04 I was 7 Kgs. (15 lbs.) light but thereafter was not getting the desired results. So in Jan'05 I decided to join a neighbourhood gym and by June'05 reached my target weight of 75 Kgs. (165 lbs.) after doing all kinds of cardio (particularly the treadmill) and weight training. And now I consistently weigh around 72 Kgs. (158 lbs.) with no signs of hypertension or cholesterol. I eat well and the junk variety too at times to indulge myself, otherwise there's no point in sweating :-). During my journey I changed a couple of gyms and till November, 2008 was going to the DLF City Club gym in Gurgaon after which it closed down for renovation. I was getting so irritated and cranky on missing my workouts that my wife told me that I was acting like a baby whose favourite toy had been taken away. Exercise had become a part and parcel of my life. I had learnt to respect my body more than anything else. It started taking a toll on me. So out of frustration, I again decided to join the ill-equipped neighbourhood gym where it all started. I had a particular fondness for running on the treadmill and also the bad habit of resting my hands on its side arms gasping for breath for a few minutes every now & then while running. To the purists of running this could be cheating. But I couldn't help it otherwise, having become so habitual.

One fine day on a cold January'09 morning, one of the gym assistants who came as a blessing in disguise in my life told me not to hold on to the treadmill arms while running as they would break. I just ignored his remark & continued the same routine for the next couple of days. On the third day, the moron (then....) saw me again leaning on the treadmill and kind of rebuked me. I felt so perplexed and embarrased in front of other gym members. There and then I decided to quit this gym and wait for my club gym to reopen. I used to call them every second day enquiring about its re-opening schedule. But they had other plans and the opening lingered on till 2nd April'09 with double the earlier rates. Fortunately by this time, I had taken to outdoor running out of sheer desperation to become a part of the running brigade and derided the idea of joining a gym altogether. Since Feb'09, God bless the gym assistant (....now), for I have been running outdoors five days a week for about 8 Kms. on most days and stretching myself to 10 kms. on some days covered over an avg. time span of 55 mins. to an hour & 10 mins. and enjoying it thoroughly. It was his rebuke that day which luckily taught me the virtues of outdoor running. Silly boy though......lost on his gym income :P. My knees are not hurting anymore which had started after running on the treadmill for four years. I never knew I was built for such mammoth distances till my daughter incidentally showed me the Chinese calender according to which I am a horse who loves to exercise :-). Now planning to buy some free weights to keep up with my weight training schedule at home only.

My confidence has grown manifold since I became fit. I totally believe in the adage : "You are what you eat". But you become what you exercise. So do exercise, be it running, gymming or yoga if you love your family and dread the sight of a cardiac surgeon. I would say, just stop making excuses and saying I will start from Monday but instead start right away by putting on your running shoes (if you don't like the gym) and ipod to run for a fitter life. Or it would be even better to take up some regular sport from your nostalgic school days. Just like we tend to eat the food we enjoy more often, we should all try to take up that exercise which we enjoy the most and keep re-inventing in the process. You will build your stamina over days, months & years....but don't get disheartened. So Just Do It. Being slim doesn't necessarily imply your wellness or fitness levels unless you exercise. Why wait for the heavens to fall, like in my case :-). If Anil Ambani at 50, being one of the busiest and richest industrialists of our country can find the time to run & exercise, then so can you and me.

I hope by now this post inspires all the readers to make fitness a way of life and not just a passing fad by helping them decide what they really want to do with their bodies. My Then and Now pictures above showing me in 2004 (Left) & 2009 (Right) should prove a point.

RECESSIONNN......WHAT SAY???

This is my first attempt at blogging. So please excuse me for obvious mistakes. Will try to improve with each of my subsequent posts and would be glad to take note of the reader's criticisms and brickbats. But do share your comments & views.

Recession has become an oft-repeated word these days. As the title of this blog suggests, I would like to dwell on whether there is actually a severe recession in India like the other parts of the world, particularly the northern parts of India like the upcoming suburbs of Gurgaon and cities like Chandigarh (where Ed-Hardy is opening its second store after Delhi) and Ludhiana (where Mercedes, BMW's & Audis are still being sold like hot cakes). I am in doubt, going by the serpentine queues in the newly opened Blu-O bowling lounge and the Rockman's Beer Island in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon. I was a visitor there with my wife last Saturday and we had to wait for more than an hour for our turn at bowling. Same was the case with the Beer Island. It was pretty jam packed and surprisingly enough if you look at the exorbitantly priced menu there. I also saw people shopping for the top brands like crazy as if there was no tomorrow. How can you justify the DLF Emporio mall if things are so bad. Another case in point are my neighbours. Three of them just bought their Audis A6 ( I wonder if it is a fad ? ) which again left me flummoxed about all the talk centering around the word 'recession'. I am in the CA & financial consultancy profession and thought that if they were my clients and had I asked my fees from them, then in typical today's fashion they would have replied something like this as many others: "You will have to wait Mister. The company is in a liquidity crunch because of the recession. We will have to cut down on your fees too." And I would have typically said to myself : But what about their Audis & BMW's. Lies & excuses but nothing else. F*** my life!

Though people have been loosing jobs in India in some sectors but not at the same frantic pace as in US where pink slips are being handed over each week on a friday and times are like the 'Great Depression' of the world war era. In India, the Export, Real Estate & the IT sector could be the worst affected but in my opinion India is still better cushioned from global downturn than other countries. For this we should thank our huge populace (at last we should not sulk about are billions) and its equally huge domestic consumption, appetite and saving habits. And not to forget the parallel black economy which mainly exists in India. Our domestic industry should & will thrive on our billions. Our GDP growth is still being projected at 6%, very high as compared to the western world.

I thought and thought about the above queues, the opulent cars and the utterance of the word "recession " wherever you go (even my ten year old knows what the fuss is all about now :-) ) but ultimately concluded that people are going to eat anyway and entertain themselves too be it bowling, beer, movies, fashion, cars or cricket. Damn the recession.... What if I died tomorrow.... But alas! in the process and excess some get sick too. As they say the food, entertainment and healthcare business are recession proof & thrive the most during depressing times. Will anybody volunteer to take me as their partner for these business ideas ? Please count me in though not as an investor.... are you mad who has the money now ? So instead let's raise a toast to our fellow Indians and try to enjoy these times whatever they may be. Stop sulking and Cheers !!!