Sparkling Diwali

Just a day more to go ... and I will be off on my much awaited vacation! Yippee! 3 whole weeks! Two weeks at home in Simla and the other in Delhi.

A - My bro is already home and has taken charge of my room and (according to mom) has been keeping himself busy by throwing out my stuff. Can't wait to get home and THULP him into PULP. God! Have missed my irritating bro more than I thought I would.

AD, RM, SP and TK have all promised to come up to Simla for my bday. . Is that sweet or is that sweet?! My friend AK is sending me a whole bunch of CDs for my b'day :) I have got AK (whose b'day is 6 days after mine) a Harley Davidson Motorcycle figurine, since he loves bikes and keeps forwarding me trivia about it. Shhh.. its a surprise. Don't tell him.

I am gonna be deep in work for the next two days, planning and handing over my work to my deputee. I hope she can hold the fort and we don’t have any major screw-ups and I get called back from my vacation.

See you guys in the second week of November. Till, then daarhlings, take care and have loads of fun!

Winning is everything

From when I was a kid I was always taugh that playing is more important that winning. This was with reference to games & sports. It was always more important to take part in a game or a sport, enjoy it as much as you could without worrying about winning.

I used to play badminton. I played my first school tournament at the age of 9 which I lost. The next year I played again... and lost again. When I was 11 I reached the finals but lost yet again. All the years that I lost I smiled at my opponent, shook hands with her and vowed to myself that I would perform better next year. After all how many years can I lose ? - Finally a few years later I did win. I won fairly. I never played dirty. I played straight and I won. I was the happiest kid that day. That was then.

This is now.

I applied the same rules to my professional life. When I started working I was idealistic. I always played by the rules and was always fair to people I worked with and the company too.

What I found over the years is that work is not a 'fair' game. I have seen so many cases where a more deserving person did not get a promotion and a less deserving one did not get one. 'Workplace politics'. A wonderful game. To win this game you have to be cunning, deceitful and a liar. In this game winning is everything.

I was never taught the above 'traits'. I was happy doing what I was doing and I still am and I still don't get involved in workplace politics. The lesson I learnt as a kid still prevails. I hope it doesn't ever change. Winning is definitely not everything. Playing fair is...

Mickey

The tidings in my inbox caught me unawares. There was an email from my ex-roomie RD (from the Brigittine Convent Hostel days) which said "My boss is in India and more specifically in Bangalore. Will you take him out to dinner tonight?"

I had to round up my thoughts, which had immediately begun to disperse in tangential directions. Keeping up a conversation with a stranger is trying enough, let alone a boss! To spice things up, my grasp of the American accent is comparable to dancing on a cake of soap. And, my ma would implode, sans dynamite, if I told her I was going on a date with a "Mickey"!

I said yes, I would take him out but it would have to be lunch.

Mickey Oliel is an Israeli. He's lived most of his life in Israel. He moved to California just three years ago with his wife and three kids.

From my part, there was never an awkward moment in that "date". The conversation hopped from one topic to another in tandem with the dishes that appeared on the table, and both were smoothly lapped up. We spoke about Mickey's travels and my desire to see the world. About life in Israel and the war in Iraq. Mickey was a soldier in the Israeli army for four years. So was his wife.

What started as a lunch meeting stretched to a coffee at Cafe Day and later drinks at "Urban Edge". Where ever we went, we were the center of attraction. Anyone with blonde hair invites curious stares, more so if he's hanging around with a girl barely half his height!

We spoke of LOTR and Mickey's family. How America was wonderful, but still not "home". And how, if I really wish to see the world, I should just "pack my bags and start" !

I think both of us were trying to relate to another stage in life. Speaking with a stranger has the potential to unlock introspection. I thought I could see Mickey's life of some twenty years ago, coming back to him. I saw through him another phase, the future tense impending in my life.... sans 3 children, of course!

Happy Onam

I didn't know I was part of some Mallu mailing lists until this email made its way to my inbox. Hmmm I wonder who could have added me in? The only Mallu I know is RM aka Mathiachins but I doubt if he would be celebrating Oman. RM professes to have been born a Mallu Syrian Christian and does not necessarily prescribe to the views of one.

That's so true for a lot of us! I too am a Hindu by birth and not by choice. I say "not by choice" because I was never given that choice. But in my case if I was given the choice, I'm sure I would still have elected to be a Hindu again.

I like Hinduism because it is not rigid. It says there is no one path to God, there are beaucoup . Hinduism does not suffocate the soul with endless, pointless laws that prohibit this or that. I don't have to go to the temple to proclaim my faith. It gives me the freedom to worship as many Gods as I so choose, or none at all. It is more "accepting" and "inclusive" in nature, than "rejecting" and "exclusive". It does not make demands that I lead my life based on rules framed centuries ago.

I hate religious fanaticism. My heart breaks each time I hear about people breaking up for the singular reason of being born into different faiths. How can a silly thing like believing in different forms of the same God hinder the blossoming love between two passionate souls?

Two of my friends had to go through the ordeal of leaving their true loves simply because their families were opposed to the idea of them marrying outside their faith. They had to make the difficult choice of being selfish and standing by their love or giving in to the rationale of their families that religious differences do come in the way of a happy married life.

I am the selfish sort and would have rebelled, but it's easy for me to say so as I've never actually been in such a situation and knowing my folks they would 've never opposed to my marrying anyone if they were convinced we were truly in love.

Well, one of my friends has moved on and has just started seeing someone else (so much for "true love"), but the other is still in love with his ex and is desperately trying to convince himself that he is strong enough to sacrifice his love to familial pressure. I feel terrible when I see him living this lie. I can only hope he's strong enough to listen to his heart and stop fooling himself and the people around.

-----Original Message-----
From: The Mallu Club
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 6:56 AM
To:
Subject: Onam Celebrations

Hi

We invite you all to celebrate Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala. The "Mallu Club" has arranged for a special dinner tonight at "The Bangalore Club", as part of Onam celebrations. Later, there would also be a tug-of-war competition in association with Onam celebrations. Be there at 7:00 pm sharp!

A brief Intro to Onam:
Onam, the popular harvest festival of Kerala is a happy blend of myth and reality. The ten-day Onam festival falls in August-September, coinciding with the beginning of the harvest season.

The Legend :
The celebration of the festival of Onam is based on the myth of Mahabali, a celebrated emperor of the asuras. Onam is celebrated to welcome Mahabali back to Earth and relive a period of peace and prosperity in the mythical past when Mahabali ruled over mankind. According to local belief, in a war that took place between the gods and the asuras, the asuras won. Deeply hurt by the defeat of the gods, Aditi, their mother, prayed to Lord Vishnu to destroy Mahabali, the asura king.

Consequently, Lord Vishnu, in the guise of a Brahmin boy, Vamanan, went to Mahabali and asked to grant him three steps of land. As soon as the wish was granted the boy grew into an awesome giant. With the first step he covered the whole sky, blotting out the stars. With the second he straddled the nether world. One more step and the earth would be destroyed. At that moment, Mahabali bowed his head and offered it for the last step. Vamanan pushed Mahabali deep down into the earth. However pleased by his honesty and generosity, the lord granted him a wish that he could he could visit his kingdom and people on a particular day once a year.

The Festivities :
Preparation of a floral carpet called "Athappookkalam" in front of houses, from the first day of 'Atham' to the tenth day of 'Thiruvonam' is part of the festivities.This is a symbolic gesture to welcome King Mahabali.

One of the important event of 'ONAM' festival is the vegetarian feast (ONAM SADYA ), lavishly served ,as it used to be during the glorious period of the rule of King Mahabali.

Other events include kaikottikali, pulikali (the leopard dance) and the famous boat races.

Cheers,
Mallu Club
"We Aim to Entertain!"