Dry baby Happy baby

It was 15th January 2014, when my wife delivered a baby boy. Everyone in my family was on cloud nine as he was the first child in our family after me. My parents were dancing with joy and I was running in the hospital with sweets. He was soft and delicate and I was even frightened to touch him.

After 3 days we brought the baby home. He used to only sleep, eat and cry. This routine went on for next 6 months. The time between 6 to 9 months was really interesting as he used to crawl from one place to another in the house and enjoy every moment of it.

The next 3 months were even more interesting as he started trying to stand while holding onto a support.  It was Sunday morning and he was standing against the couch when suddenly he came running towards me. I let my arms open and embraced him tightly.  That was one of the most memorable moments of my life seeing him take his first step.

As baby grew up he became more active and jolly.

Some of the activities which made him happy were

a. Running in the house from one corner to another.
b. Playing with neighbor’s pet dog.
c. Dancing on his favorite songs.
d. Playing with his toys which included superman, spiderman and batman.
e. Painting a new modern art everyday on the paper as well on his clothes.
f.  One of us making funny faces in front of him.
g. And the activity that he enjoyed the most was watching TV and playing with mobile.

Everything was going on well when I left for a business trip to United States of America.
When I came back my wife told that the baby is not keeping well for past few days as he is getting lot of rashes near his thigh. Also the diaper was not able to soak up the urine which resulted in keeping the baby wet from outside. I was stressed as I can’t see him in any trouble.

I contacted one of my friends who also had a boy of my son’s age.
He told me to use the new Pampers dry pants which keeps baby dry from all sides.
His personal experience of using it for his son was really good.

I started using Pamper dry pants and within few days his rashes and irritation reduced in great proportion. It kept baby dry not only from outside but also from inside. Its magical gel locked in moisture keeping the baby’s skin dry and healthy for up to 12 hours.
His laugh, smile and naughtiness was back and so was my happiness. I would sincerely like to express my thanks and gratitude to Pampers for bringing back the cute smile on my son’s face.



This is post is written as a part of contest by Pampers on Indiblogger

The moment that changed my life.!!!

I was born in a middle class family. My father was a doctor and mother was a housewife.
From childhood only people used to call be junior doctor.

I was very happy to hear such comments and used to imagine myself as a doctor.

As I grew older I got more interested in mathematics.
My uncle was a broker and I used to spend a lot of time sitting at his office.
Numbers and graphs used to attract me. Analyzing the graphs of different scripts of share market was my favorite pastime.

One day while I was sitting at the terminal, uncle and his friends were predicting the result of Infosys.
For past 3 quarters Infosys quarterly numbers were below expectation and the stock plunged 7-8%.

This time I had an intuition that Infosys will outperform and the stock will rally more than 5%.
Uncle started laughing at my prediction and told to focus on studies as share market was not my cup of coffee.

I requested uncle to believe in my prediction once and buy 100 shares of Infosys for me.
As I was like a son to him so he fulfilled my wish.

It was time for announcement of result and everyone was glued to the computer screen.
7% increase in profit and 14% increase in revenue were the numbers displaying on the screen.
Everyone was shocked to see the result except me.
I was jumping with joy as my prediction got true and the stock price was up by 6% within 10 minutes

of the announcement of result.

When my father came to know about this he told me to focus on studies and not get involved into share market as it was just another form of gambling. He also stopped my visit to uncle’s office.

My 10^th board exams were in two months so he asked me to focus on science as I had to take biology in 11^th class. I was not interested in biology but had to opt for it as it was my father’s dream to see me as a doctor.

I was a sportsman who used to love playing all kind of sports.
I used to devote two hours daily to some or other game in order to refresh myself after attending boring lectures of biology.

12^th board exams turned out to be a nightmare for me as I failed in biology.
In the next attempt also I could only pass with grace marks.

My parents were really tensed as no decent medical college was willing to give admission to me.

At that time my uncle came to our house and had a talk with my father.

He requested him to let me do what I was interested in which was trading in share market.
He asked my father to give 6 months of time after which he could ask me to do whatever he wants.

I gave some certifications and started working at my uncle's brokerage firm.

In 3 months my skills started showing results and I became the talk of the firm.

After 6 months I was making more profit than many experienced people at the firm.

My uncle called my father to his office and showed my portfolio to him.

My father was delighted with joy when everyone at the firm was chanting my name.
They were congratulating him for having a son like me.

My father had tears in his eyes and he hugged me tightly.
He told me to continue my career in share market and become a successful broker.
It was that moment in my life which filled me with optimism and hope for the future.

Today I am running my own brokerage firm and my father is very proud of it.

This post is part of contest Look Up Stories by Housing on Indiblogger.

Painting the world again.The Remade !!

The world that we live in is not the one which almighty had created billions of years ago.
For him everyone was equal in all sense, but things have changed a lot today.

Religion, caste, money and skin tone has brought a huge difference in the way we see another human being. Hatred, superiority and cruelty has increased manifold because of this.
People have become selfish, egoistic and snobbish which has made the world a living hell for many.

As charity starts from home, change also follow the same route.
If you want to change the world, you first need to change yourself.
The above para defines almost everything which needs a full stop and if you own any of those the first step is to dump them off.

God helps the brave and give them power to march ahead in their mission for the welfare of humanity.
If I get a chance to change the world, I will remake it in the best possible way I can.

Building stands tall if the foundation is good. Children are the foundation. If molded properly they will become great leaders otherwise it is quite easy to take the wrong path and become medium of mass destruction.
From school itself, values like humanity, humbleness and honesty will be incorporated in them.
Always provide a helping hand to those in need will be taught with utmost sincerity.

Education system will include more practical examples than just theoretical knowledge.
50% weight will be given to the analytical skills and 50% to Sports, music and arts.
Reservation based on any factor will be stopped and people will be awarded based on their capability.

There will be no boundaries or limitations based on caste and religion.
Only 2 groups will be there, one who believes in a supreme power and the other who doesn't.
Everyone would be able to love, marry and have kids with anyone he/she wants without worrying about religion, caste, color or nationality.

There will be no privilege or special rules made for any group of people or individual.

Strictly no restrictions will be imposed on the way you want to look and dress yourself.

Democracy will exist in this world but there will be only 2 parties.
All politicians will be highly educated and experienced.

Jurisdiction will be the most transparent body in the world having highly intellectual people running it.

Taxes collected from common man will be used judiciously for their development.
The utilization of every penny will be available online for people to check and be assured that their money is used in the right direction.

There will common police which will take care of law and order around the world.
As there will be common police so there will be no need of individual army for each country.

Top most priority will be given to persevering nature and its elements.
Poaching will be strictly banned.

Basic necessities of life will be provided to only those people having 2 or less than 2 children.

Plants for mass energy generation using solar or hydro power will be built.
Automobiles and factories which are the two biggest source of pollution will be constructed such that they run on above two energy mediums.

If I am able to do all the things I have stated above I would proudly and happily say,
“Here’s the World, Remade!”



“I am participating in the #TheWorldRemade activity at BlogAdda in association with India Today #Conclave15 “.

Live life king size - Befikar Umar Bhar

Today's world is full of struggle, competition and inconsistency.
You have a job today, but you might not have it tomorrow.
A person loves you today but she might hate you tomorrow.

Nothing is permanent. You are a successful person living a prosperous and happy life when suddenly a tragedy can change everything.

Everyone wants to get name, fame and money.
In this race of earning money people are burdened with responsibilities, expectations and tensions.
He has to put aside his own dreams and aspirations to fulfill those of others. But I don’t want a life full of compromises and sacrifices.

I want a life without any constraints, nothing to hold me back.
A life where I can do what I want in the present without worrying about the future.

If such a life was possible I would spend it doing the top 5 things on my bucket list.

1. Travel around the world -:
I love to explore new places, meet new people and understand different cultures.
There are lots of beautiful and amazing places in the world which are unique in themselves and visiting each one of them is my dream.

I want to go to South Africa and explore the wildlife present there.
I want to visit Paris and kiss my girlfriend in front of the Eiffel tower.
I want to visit Egypt and study the mysterious pyramids.
In short a world tour full of adventure and new learning is at the top of my priority list.

2. Build a chain of coins & stamps museums -:
The second thing on my bucket list is to own a chain of coins & stamps museums.
Collecting rare Indian coins and foreign currencies is my passion from childhood.
I have around 30 countries coins and more than 1000 old Indian coins.
There are more than 5000 stamps in my collection covering around 50 countries of the world.

Coins and Stamps are an intrinsic component of the cultural heritage of a country mirroring its economic history. By preserving them we are preserving the heritage of a country.
My dream is to create the biggest coins and stamps museum in the world.

3. Blog & write stories
Blogging is my passion and to become an author is my dream.
I am blogging since 2011 and in the next 5 years I want to see my blog among top 100 blogs of India.
Also I love to pen down stories, especially non fictional which are inspired from real life. My dream is to get my own love story published as a novel.

4. Play games

During my childhood I used to love playing video games.
As I grew up I started playing table tennis and badminton.

Cricket, basketball and volleyball were compulsory in our school so I took interest in them too.
In no time I was part of my school cricket, table tennis, basketball and badminton team.

After I left school I lost all my touch as I was stuck in a hectic schedule.
Today I am a working professional who has no time to play any game.

If I get a life without any worries and tensions, I will definitely devote a large chunk of it in playing games.

5. Social Work

From childhood itself I loved to help others and do something for the welfare of the society.
I always wanted to start an NGO for the orphan children and work for the betterment of their future.

Also I want a society free from all kind of discriminations, reservations and superstitions. If I get an ideal life I will definitely work towards building a society as mentioned above.

This post is part of contest Befikar Umar Bhar by IDBI on Indiblogger.

Watch this amazing video

Experience #UnconditionalLove with the Zenfone - Ideal Valentine

Today is 14^th February, the day of love which is celebrated worldwide as Valentine’s Day.
On this day there are 2 types of people, one who has a partner and the other who doesn't.

I fall in the first category and I am really happy as I have got my ideal valentine.
My partner has no demands but it fulfills all my wishes.

It has everything you want in a partner because it is none other than ASUS Zenfone 6.

The first thing that you look in a partner is good looks.
ASUS Zenfone 6 has a great look and feel. 6 inch screen makes it look grand and presentable.
I love my partner to be tall and slim and ASUS Zenfone 6 is the perfect match.

Also the touch is amazing which makes you fall for it.

The second thing I love to do with my partner is click pictures, especially selfies.
ASUS Zenfone 6 comes with a selfie mode which helps me click amazing pictures.
13 megapixel camera gives me some great quality images.
So be it a sunny day or a full moon night, relaxing at a beach or trekking on a mountain, with ASUS Zenfone 6 it is easy to click those moments which we can cherish in future.

The next thing that I look in my partner is beauty with brain.
Communication between us should be smooth and interactive.
The response should not be delayed but quick and crispy.
The inbuilt ZenUI in ASUS Zenphone 6 helps to improve the performance and better the communication.
The Intel processor is really powerful which makes the processing amazingly fast.
Whatever I ask it, the answer should be fast and accurate.
I like if my partner handles multi tasking easily and Zenphone never disappoints me.

Now comes the fourth and penultimate thing which I want in my valentine is it should not get exhaust or tired easily.

I want my partner to be active and sporty like me. I would love to talk to it day and night. 

I am adventurous, outgoing and explorer who is always on a move and I want my partner to be with me always.

ASUS Zenphone 6 matches my requirements perfectly.
With a gigantic battery which last for more than 12 hours this amazing phone is the top battery performer in its segment.
Watching movies, listening to music and playing games together for hours is what I would love to do with my partner and Zenphone is the perfect partner in crime.

Finally the last thing that I look in my valentine is it should not cost me a bomb.
Anything looks pleasant and lovely only when it fits my budget.
If my valentine demands are quite expensive making me beg for money, it's better to stay single.
Zenfone 6 is a decent deal. 

Under Rs 15,000 it’s a remarkable partner which will fulfill all your demands without asking anything in return. 

Imagine no fights, no mood swings and no expectations with your peace of mind intact.

This post is part of contest #UnconditionalLove with Zenfone 

Enjoy the amazing video

When she fought to replace the "ORs" with "ANDs" in her life..

Every human being has the freedom to follow his/her dreams and choose to do what he/she is passionate about. Religion, caste, color, tradition, gender and superstition should never serve as an obstacle in anyone’s life.

Future of a person should depend on his/her capability and not on the above factors.

In this post I want to highlight the case of one of my friend, Ruchi who fought for her dreams and finally achieved them with flying colors.

 Ruchi was the youngest of all her siblings who included 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

Her father owned a grocery shop and mother was a housewife.

Her parents were quite simple but the family at her mom’s side was quite aggressive and dominating.

Her Mamas were into politics and believed in violence than peaceful negotiation.

Also they were quite narrow minded and used to treat women of their house badly.

For them woman only had 6 labels throughout her life.

#Cook   #HomeCleaner  #Housewife  #SexObject  #ChildProducer  #ChildCareTaker

Ruchi was born and brought up in Mumbai and hence she was an independent and ambitious girl who loved freedom. During summer vacations she along with her mom and other siblings used to visit her Mama’s place which was in Uttar Pradesh. When she was in school things were fine as she was small and used to listen to her Mama but things changed when she entered junior college.

All her friends were now serious about their career and also motivated her to choose one.

Most of them suggested her to join the aviation or hospitability industry as she was damn good looking, had charming personality and great articulation skills.

After pondering on their suggestions and also discussing with her favorite teachers she finally decided to give it a try.

She told her parents about her decision and asked for their consent.

In starting her parents were a bit worried as she would be away from home most of the times travelling to places which won’t be safe for her but finally were convinced.

One week before the interview of Indigo, her mamas suddenly came to Mumbai.

She was sure that her mom had casually informed them about the interview but didn’t think about the consequences.

As they entered the house one of them slapped Ruchi and asked her mother to send her with them.

According to them she had forgotten all her customs, traditions and sanskars , gone out of hand, hence it was necessary to bring her back to line.
From now on she will only learn household work were their clear instructions.

Her mother was too frightened to protest but Ruchi was ready for such situations.

She called her friend at once whose father was a police inspector and complained about the physical and mental harassment her mamas had caused her.

For a second her mamas were shocked to hear her words.

Though they were into politics in Uttar Pradesh but in Mumbai they were just a common man.

Police came in no time and were going to arrest them. Frightened they asked for forgiveness and promised never to interfere in her family matters.

Ruchi gave them one last warning and requested police to give them a last chance.

Finally her big day came.
She gave interview of 3 Airlines and got selected in all of them.

Today she is a senior cabin crew member who is enjoying her life to the fullest.

Not only her parents but also her friends like me are so proud of her.

She is an inspiration to all those who wants to free themselves from different labels given by the society or family members and live their dreams.

“This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus“.

She is above all labels...My Mom !!!

She is the one who has brought me into this world, taught me the principles of life and made me understand the difference between right and wrong.

She is the one who has comprised and sacrificed her pleasures so that I can enjoy mines.

She is the one who can feel my pain, my sadness just by hearing my voice.

She is the one who is in tears even if I get a small bruise.

She is my everything, a friend, a teacher, a girlfriend, a critic and most importantly my
well-wisher.

She is none other than my “MOTHER”.

It’s a great honor for me to write about her and describe the amazing personality she is.
Thanks to Blogadda and Gillette for giving me this opportunity.

My mom was interested in painting from her school time.
She had won lot of competitions and was a renowned face of the institute wherever she studied.

When she got married there were some problems in the family because of which my father had to separate out. He was still studying M.D and source of income was just the stipend which he used to get from the college.

Somehow he managed a rented flat, not really a flat but just a room which was partitioned in middle by a curtain to separate out the bedroom and kitchen.

After a year of marriage my elder brother was born.
There were multiple responsibilities on my mom now.

She had no time to follow her passion which was painting.
A new home and a new dispensary of dad were the top priorities.

2 years later I was born and hence came more responsibilities and pressure on her.
She devoted her complete time in taking care of me and bhaiya.

For the next 10 years she was happy to be labeled as a supportive wife, caring mother and a responsible housewife. Till that time we got our new home and my father also purchased a new place for his dispensary. It was then, when my father motivated her to start painting again. He decorated the new house with her paintings which she made before marriage.

First it was difficult for my mom but slowly and steadily she got her touch back.
Her first exhibition was put in the yearly program of our community. There was none who passed by without appreciating the art on display.

After that there was no stopping for her and today she is counted among one of the renowned painters of Indore.

Whenever I get an opportunity to visit her exhibitions which I mostly do, it feels proud to be a son of such a great artist.

“This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus“.

The most memorable Valentine day of this world..

A very happy new year to every soul on this earth.
With start of the year come new responsibilities and resolutions.
                           

I also have made few resolutions and one of them is to make this coming Valentine, super duper and ultra special for my beloved.

I was lying on my bed and planning for a beach side dinner date when something mysterious happened at the window.

There was a dark circle visible on my study table, as dark as a black hole.
Suddenly a beam of light came out of it leaving something on the table and disappearing in fraction of seconds. It was a potion, something like what we have seen in harry potter movies.

Well I hoped it didn't work like that. As I came near to the table there was something written on it.
The golden words read –“Once in a century God chooses a human being whose love is pious and divine. You are the lucky one. To honor it he is giving you a magical potion.
After gulping it you will have unlimited powers for a day through which you can make your beloved feel the most special person on this earth.

I was standing there agape.
Is this for real ?
Unlimited powers for day, was I dreaming?

I pinched myself, wow !!! it was for real and not a dream.
It was 11 p.m., just an hour left for the special day to start.
When the clock hit 12 I called my beloved and told her to get ready in the morning by 10 a.m. as there were lots of surprises planned for the day. She was damn excited and couldn't control it, so she kept on asking me to reveal some of them but I was reluctant to disclose any. I told her to sleep tight and wake up fresh as the day was just going to be Legendary :)

After talking to her I was ready to start my work as everything had to be nothing less than perfect. Quickly I drank the potion. For few seconds I couldn't feel anything but then I felt very light and energetic.

To see if the powers were really working I asked for a Lamborghini parked outside my house.
I rushed to see if the magic really worked and to my delight it did.
Wow..!!!!! I was laughing, dancing and behaving like a mental.

Before anyone could see it I made it to disappear and started working on my plan.
I made a note of all the things she liked, right from meeting APJ Abdul Kalam ji, eating wafers and Chinese cuisines, watching Doraemon and living in her own fantasy world where there are fairies, castles and mermaids.

Finally it was 8 a.m. in the morning and I was ready with my surprises.
I picked her up from her place in a Lamborghini. She was like Wow..!!!!
“Where did you get the Lamborghini from?” ,her voice was full of surprise.
I told her not to ask questions and just relax and enjoy.

As we reached Gateway of India, the Lamborghini turned itself into a water Scooter.
“Where are we going and how is all this happening? Are you Ankit only?”, she was now scared.

I kissed her gently on the lips and told her the complete story that happened with me last night.
I asked her to trust me and enjoy the surprises I have planned for her.

After riding for an hour we reached an Island.
There were dolphins and mermaids swimming around it.

In the middle there was a castle which looked the same as we see in fairy tales.

The Island was a bit different from the normal ones.
There were cute Doraemons roaming around the entire place. 

Small fairies in the shape of butterflies were busy making everything colorful and lively. 

There were flowers which on touching converted to wafers , chocolates and Maggi.
My girl was mesmerized as she couldn’t believe on her eyes. Slowly she touched the cute Doraemon which in return kissed her hand.
This made her dance with joy.
Next she took the fairy shaped butterfly on her hand. It waved her wand and tada..!!!!
Magic happened and my GF was now looking like Cinderella.
                                        

A Unicorn came flying towards us. 

                                            

We sat on it and it took us to the castle.
As we entered the castle a guide came to our service.
There were 5 halls in the castle.
Hall A had all the games in this world which you can play live.
As my gal loved to play board games so there were big structure of snake and ladder and Ludo placed right in the front.

After playing that for an hour we went to Hall B which had all the variety of cuisines in the world.

As it was lunch time so we had the yummiest food in the world and moved to hall C.
Here you could watch any movie of your choice. We ordered for DDLJ our favorite movie.

Hall D was next in line which had one of the most amazing dance floors.
Most romantic songs of all time were played and we soaked into each other.

After being in each other arms for more than 2 hours it was time to take her to the final Hall E.
It was like a church which was decorated for a marriage function. Our friends were sitting in front row.
I took her hand in mines and popped the question –“Will you marry me”.

                                    

She said yes with tears in eyes. And then came a voice, “you can now kiss the bride”.
It was none other than the great APJ Abdul Kalam ji.

                                  

Finally we took his blessing and left for home. Dreams come true but your love should be true..:)

This post has been written for Baggout’s blogging contest on Valentine day.
Baggout provides awesome deals on Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, Snapdeal , Amazon and 100+ other online stores.

Rediscovering my lost passion..!!!

New year is here and my Facebook timeline is flooded with status messages.
Some of them talk about things which people don’t want to carry from 2014 to 2015, while most of them are about the new year resolutions.

Every year I also take a lot of resolutions but fail to follow even one of them.
This time I wanted the opposite to happen and for helping me I had got a friend.

I was interested in collecting coins from my school time.

When I was in class 8th our school took us to a coins exhibition. We were told how these ancient coins are a way to preserve our heritage and history. I got inspired from the presentation that was shown to us and from that day I started pursuing coins collection as my hobby. 

My collection grew with each passing year and when I was in class 12th I got the opportunity to participate in one of my first coins exhibition. Everyone congratulated me for this achievement.
It was a proud movement for me and my family.

Coin collection was my hobby but my dream was to become an Engineer.
To pursue my dream I took admission in a renowned Engineer College.  As time passed my hectic schedule didn't allow me to pay attention on my hobby. Slowly other things took priority over my love for collecting coins.

During my 4 years of Engineering I was only successful in adding 10 more coins to my collection.
After college I joined an MNC and my schedule became more hectic.

One day after coming from office while browsing my mails I saw a comment on my blog.
It was on the post where I had described about my collection. It read, “Very nice collection, I hope everyone had a hobby like you”. I had tears in my eyes. For last 6 years I had given priority to everything except it but now I had realized my mistake. My passion, my love was ignored for so long but not anymore. I made a resolution for the new year to rediscover my passion.

As I used to travel a lot so I wanted a device, preferably a tab where I could read and explore about new coins and connect with coin dealers and collectors. Also as I was out of touch for last 6 years so I had to cover up a lot and for that I needed a device whose processing speed was real fast.

Another criterion was the price which had to be around 10k so that it could fit in my budget.

A good friend of mine suggested Micromax Canvas Tab P666. It was available in the market for 10k and had nice specifications. I brought it the next day and quickly downloaded the apps related to the coin world.  I was really amazed to see the apps running with a super speed. I could quickly navigate through and download pictures of all those coins which I wanted to add to my collection. Buying coins online was now an easy and fast process.

In the limited time available I was easily able to continue with my passion and achieve the resolution I had made. All thanks to my new friend Micromax Canvas Tab P666.

This post is part of contest Rediscover your passion with Micromax Canvas Tab on Indiblogger

Here is the amazing video of Micromax Canvas Tab P666

When I failed to impress her Dad...

I was going to meet my GF's dad.
It was a big day for both of  us. Her father was reluctant to meet a guy from a different community but finally after so much of persuasion he agreed to meet me.

I was having a very hectic schedule and because of that I didn't got time even to shave my face.
But for me it was a daily routine so I didn't cared much about that and reached my GF's home.

I was greeted my her with a puzzled and angry face as if I had committed some crime.
Anyways she escorted me to the dinning table where dinner was ready to be served.
Her parents, sister and niece all were waiting for me.

I greeted her parents and took a seat.
Her father asked me about my hometown, job and future plans.
I confidently answered all his questions as this was the most important interview of my life.

While we were having a conversation on meeting my parents some of the part of my beard got soaked in the soup that was served.
My GF's niece started laughing. It was hell lot embarrassing.

After finishing the dinner when I was leaving for my home my GF didn't even cared to escort me to the main gate of their society.

I took a rickshaw for my home.When I saw myself in the mirror of rickshaw I was scared for the first time.
A full grown beard was hanging like some bird's nest.

Next day my GF called and said Dad didn't liked you much, he was saying you wanted to marry a junglee like him. So remain happy with your beard and don't talk to me.

I said sorry so many times and promised her that on next meeting with her family I will come well groomed, Without wasting a second I quickly purchased Gillete shaving kit.
The day of meeting came and I was all set to impress her father this time with my clean shaven face.

‘This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette”

 I would like to tag the following people for #WillYouShave challenge.
Please acknowledge me when you are writing a blogpost for the challenge.

Ankita Singhal  Make a Change

Sushmita My World

The time when telling truth was the right thing to do..

Telling a truth needs courage and gut.
There are lots of times when we lie or just stay calm to avoid any future trouble or for the happiness of others.
Though it provides a temporary solution but in the longer run it can make things worse.
So it is important to speak the truth when it is needed the most.

One such incident happened with me when I was in 8^th class.
We had a professor whose real name I can’t reveal here so I will call him Mr. Joseph.
He used to teach us Mathematics. From childhood itself I used to love playing with numbers so mathematics was my favorite subject.
In every class I used to be the favorite student of my Mathematics teacher and this time was no exception.

Mr. Joseph used to teach 4 different classes so sometimes he used to involve me in counting the total marks of the papers he checked and also preparing the assignments.

I used to consider him one of the best mathematics teachers in our school as he was from IIT.
One day while I was filling out marks of 9^th class students I noticed something weird in the performance register. Every professor had to maintain a performance register where he needs to fill marks for every student of a class he teaches in.

There were 4 main exams for which marks were maintained which included quarterly, half yearly, pre-annual and annual exam.

For 5 students there was a red star drawn at the start of their name.
When I went through the names I recognized one of them as my neighbor Rahul.
I was surprised to see his numbers which were too high for a student like him.
He was weak in mathematics and used to get just passing marks in his previous class exams.

I could smell something fishy here and for knowing the truth it was important to speak to Rahul.
It was Sunday and we were playing cricket. As we were in the same team I used that opportunity to have a conversation with him regarding his studies.

He was very happy that our school hired a teacher like Mr. Joseph who was a boon for students like him.
It was nothing less than a miracle for him to score more than 80 in each of his mathematics exam this year.
He gave complete credit to the sincere teaching of Mr. Joseph which made him built the basic concepts.

I was not at all convinced by his points as I was being taught by the same teacher. No doubt he was good but making a boundary passing student score 80 was a big deal.

Now my only chance was to take Rahul to a pub and make him drink.
Once drunk every person starts speaking truth and I expected the same to happen.
My idea worked and Rahul confessed to give 10k to Mr. Joseph to make him pass in all the exams with flying colors.

Now that I knew the truth I had to tell it to our school principal before it was too late but I had no evidence to support it. Also I was a bit scared because Mr. Joseph was my teacher too. If I couldn't prove him guilty he was definitely going to take revenge and get me failed.

Also Rahul’s career was on stake. If he got failed he won’t be allowed to take PCM as his main subjects in 11^th class.

I decided to keep mum. For few days it was fine but then I started having sleepless nights as my inner self was pinching me.There was something illegal and wrong going on and I couldn't just keep calm about it. Rest for students like Rahul who gave him money I decided to take classes for them and make them prepare for the final exams.

I was close to one of my previous Mathematics teacher Mr. Sharma. I told him everything after which both of us went to the principal to make him aware about the truth.
I requested him to tap Rahul’s mobile number as he was going to pay remaining 5k to Mr. Joseph.

As expected Rahul got a call from Mr. Joseph who called him at a nearby café to pay the remaining amount. We along with police caught them red handed. I requested principal not to detain Rahul and other students who gave money to Mr. Joseph. I assured him that I would help them in preparing for the final exams.

My hard work reaped fruits and Rahul along with other students got pass in the final exams.
I was damn happy and more then that I was relaxed as I spoke the truth.
If I had kept it to myself I couldn't have lived in peace.

This entry is a part of Kitna Chain Hota hai na Sachchai Mein contest by Kinley-IndiBlogger to know more about the contest kindly click here

Vacation with Kids - How to make it memorable !!

Vacation is a word which brings a smile on anyone’s face.
It provides the needed refreshment and energy which helps a person to return back to his hectic schedule. Vacations are like dose which needs to be taken once every 3 months.

Every vacation has different experiences and memories.
When you are with your friends you enjoy the freedom more.
When it is family you tend to focus more on things you and your family members can do together.
And when it is with colleagues you tend to do things through which you can know the other side of the person.

But there is another vacation which is the most special of all. It is when children accompany you. The charm and excitement of this vacation is huge as they are there to add their magic.

Children are lively souls interested in anything and everything that they come across.
Their innocent talks, curious mind and way of looking at things make the trip more interesting and entertaining.

Children add energy to the group. If you are tired of roaming around, just a glimpse of their innocent faces brings back the energy in your body.

There are places where you tend to get bored and lose out interest but when you have children around it is always fun.

Watching them run here and there and try out new things is just amazing.
They are excited about each and everything they do and it also pumps you up.
Even if you have some tension or worry, it vanishes after seeing their happy and jolly faces.

Seeing them go crazy makes you remember your childhood vacations.
You become nostalgic and feel to relive those moments again with your children.

But there are also times on a vacation when your kids might get annoyed with you.
Some of the examples are as below -:
1. You want to spend more time with your partner and as a result give less time to your kids.
2. The travelling is of more than a day.
3. Due to some mismanagement you have to spend a sleepless night.

Such situations can cause trouble and make your lively kids dull.
So it is good to avoid such things or preplan them if can’t be avoided.

Whenever I go with my kids for a trip I keep the following things in mind to make it memorable and ensure that they have the best of times.
1. First of all I choose a destination which has lot of things for children like theme parks, zoos, museums, aquariums etc. This way they can learn while having fun.
2. Next in line is accommodation. As my kids love swimming pools and indoor sports like squash and billiards, I always choose a resort or hotel which has all of them.
3. One of my kids love Chinese while the other hop over Italian so I make sure to choose a hotel which provides multi-cuisines.
4. Finally depending upon the climate of the place I make sure to keep the required clothes and other stuff for them.

All the times, please remember that you are on a vacation so don’t be a Hitler and impose your rules on the kids. Play, enjoy and go crazy with them as vacation is just a short time but memories are forever.

This post is written for contest Teddy Travelogues on Indiblogger

When I overcame my phobia and rose above the fear..

Fear is the biggest enemy of a human being.
Because of it people lose their calmness, happiness and a peaceful sleep.

It makes you sweat, go insane and sometimes even take away your life.
A person who shows courage and takes risks to overcome it tastes victory.

Everyone has a fear and when it becomes large it converts to phobia.
Some common phobias are -:
Acrophobia – fear of heights.
Nyctophobia – fear of darkness.
Xenophobia – fear of strangers.
Herpetophobia – fear of reptiles.
Arachnophobia – fear of spiders.
Phasmophobia – fear of ghosts.
Atychiphobia – fear of failure
Monophobia – fear of being alone or isolated.
Necrophobia – fear of death.

And here comes the phobias which caught me, Glossophobia – fear of speaking in public and Anthropophobia – fear of company of people.

From childhood itself I was a shy person. I was hesitant in speaking to people especially the
opposite sex. Tough a bright student in school I never helped a girl when she came up with her doubts.
Consequences of the same were really bad for me. I was called stubborn, uncooperative and a rude person. People especially girls used to hate me and would look for an opportunity to defame me.

If a person has knowledge but he is not able to articulate it properly than it’s of no use.
When you are given the stage you should be able to address the people but I couldn't.
Stage fear is common but if you want to succeed in the long run it had to be overcome.

The two phobias were drastically affecting my life.
I was losing friends and missing out on opportunities. Severe depression and isolation took hold of me.
Finding solace nowhere I started spending hours browsing internet for solutions though I used to watch videos more.

One fine day I came across this site called Toastmasters.
On further reading about it I came to know that it was one of the best clubs in the world for public speaking.  There was a session scheduled in my city on Saturday.
I decided to give it a try.
Loved the way people spoke there and also the interaction. Impressed by the overall ambience I decided to join the local toastmasters club.

Starting was like hell.
If a girl asked a question to me I used to become so uncomfortable and hesitant that I had to leave the session in the middle. 

My first speech was really horrible where I couldn't give my introduction also properly.

People used to mock at me but there were also few generous and humble souls who used to treat me like their friends and encourage me.

Their efforts along with my determination started to show positive results.
Now I could atleast speak to an opposite sex by looking into her eyes.
My confidence which was a like a dead soul, now started to rise like a phoenix from ashes.
At the end of 3 months I could speak fluently on stage.

There were house elections in my school.
Every time I was chosen as a candidate for the house captain but I used to back out because of my phobias. This time was different.
It was the moment to prove myself and face my fear.
Risk involved was huge as trust and efforts of lot of people were on stack and more than anything my own self respect. One moment of fear could make me go blank. 

Embarrassment and a piece of mockery for next 3 years was really unbearable so I decided to give it a second thought.

I called Mr Iyer, my godfather at toastmasters. He just told me two things.
1. To stay calm and face the world with full confidence.
2. The people I was addressing had gathered to hear me so I should fulfill my duty.

Sound of claps filled the atmosphere as I said those final two words “Thank You”.
There was a standing ovation. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
It was a speech I could have never imagined to give even in my dreams.
Finally I had overcome my fears and phobias.
I was reborn, ready to live my life to the fullest.

This post is written as part of Rise above fear contest on Indiblogger. 

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