Smile Stories

Tough times

• Smiling when its toughest reaps the richest rewards:)

Connected

• A smile keeps you connected with both the inside and the outside world :) 

Curvy beauty

• The curve that beautifies: A Smile :) 

Say it with a smile

• A smile is the best punctuation mark in a conversation.:)

Who you are

• People can see through an artificial smile and see YOU through a genuine one :)

Peppy

• A smile is a nice pep up:) 

Confidence

• A smile is a sign of self confidence:)

Conveying the message

• A smile conveys much more than words can ever convey:)

An infection worth spreading

• Smile and spread the infection of happiness:)

           ......Keep Smiling :)

Jeetu Aur Mithu

Delhi has the best weather at this time of the year. I am sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon and taking a break from what i have been doing since morning, I am penning down some random thoughts with malice towards none, just offering some points to ponder....

I think a role or a job function can be played in different ways by two individuals, be it high flying executives or people around us doing the most menial jobs. 

In my Society there are two watchmen, one of whom is usually in the night shift and goes by the name Jeetendra or Jeetu, whereas the day shift watchman's name is Mithanlal and is called Mithu.

Jeetu serves as my Man Friday occasionally. He has taken up the job of washing my car every morning. On some occasions Jeetu helps me by lugging the 20 litre can of mineral water to my apartment on the 3rd floor, a duty which the grocery store owner has never considered his own.

He also takes up on himself to pass on my laundry clothes to the Dhobi. 

Jeetu also makes that extra effort to ensure that I get to park the car properly. Besides this Jeetu is often seen chatting with the people staying in the colony and answering to shouts from residents for help on some chore or the other.

Mithu on the other hand is this  fellow you would see besides the colony gate, rooted to his seat with a face depicting disdain.

The disdain however, is readily replaced with a greedy grin when he wants something out of you like Baksheesh on festive occasions. If at all he does the work of giving the clothes for ironing there isnt an iota of humility in doing the service.

The contrast doesn't end here between the two people manning the gates of our society.

The one with a neat looking uniform and a military like appearance is Mithu while Jeetu is the unkempt fellow often wearing a dirty looking cloth around his head.

Mithu rooted to his seat as ever!

Jeetu in his WInter Attire

Appearances are indeed deceptive.

One comes across all  kinds of characters in the Corporate world, but the likes of Mithu are fast becoming extinct and rightly so,  with service and engagement levels ruling the roost in the ways in which companies function.

To me the difference between Jeetu and Mithu can be summarised as the difference between existing as a watchman and playing the role of a watchman while living a life.

Till next time then and have a great Sunday Evening.

A Few Of my favourite scenes from the movie 3 idiots

I've summarized my favourite  scenes from the movie 3 IDIOTS. One scene I have missed out is Chatur's Speech probably because I found it a bit too gross.  Some of the scenes really touched a chord with many of us and for me it is definitely one of this decade's best movies.
                            

Favorite Scene 1: You Were Wrong!

This scene marked Virus's change of Heart . The two great actors sharing screen space was a treat to watch throughout the film with Boman playing the perfect foil to  Aamir playing the ebullient Rancho .   

Favourite Scenes 2: Abba Maan Gaye!

One Of the Climax scenes...packed with fulltoo emosun. Many many people would have derived vicarious pleasure from this scene reminiscing that crucial period of their life when their future was being decided. Parixit Sahni has pitched in quite well and he must be getting used to playing the distraught father in Raju Hirani's films. First Lage raho Munna Bhai,  3 Idiots...I for one am looking forward to the next gem of a cameo from him.

Favorite Scene 3: Kitna Jhooth Bologe

After having stirred emotions with the song "Jaane Nahi Denge Tujhe" and having interspersed the Lyrics with some Hilarious lines (mouthed by Aamir to Cheer up his friend Sharman Joshi), this short sentence from Sharman after coming to senses is the piece de resistance of this sequence in the film.

Favorite Scene 4: Declaration Of Defeat

The revelation of  Ranchhoddas Chanchad's actual identity interspersed with Kareena repeatedly saying "I will not change my surname to Wangdu"and the change in look on Chatur's(Omi Vaidya) face, make this a rib tickling sequence which appears towards the end of the film .

There are many more gripping sequences in 3 Idiots but I have chosen the few that appealed to me the most.

Random thoughts...

Life is a scream!!!

Simplicity

"A simple person is one with the strength to keep the complexities within himself."

Confidence

"Confidence is an abstract notion, what confidence means is the ability to think clearly in all kinds of circumstances and in addition to it the ability to take decisions at all times."

Resourcefulness

The difference between the Haves and Have Nots is not that of resources but of resourcefulness. 

Experience

"Experience can be a great Teacher, however it is helps only provided you choose to be a Good student."

Action

Has the idiom "Actions speak louder than words" has become outdated with the maxim that holds good now being "Words speak louder than action."....food for thought :)

Middle age

Neonate(new born), infant, baby, toddler, child, pre teen, adolescent, teenager, juvenile, youngster, youth, middle agedddddddddd, did the people who defined the english language run out of words...the terms to describe the stages of life seem to dry up once one reaches middle age.....so stay young : )

Class Snaps- HFHS, Andheri, Mumbai. Courtesy: HFHS schoolmates.

Class I

 Class I- I am in the 1st row (standing) fifth from left. Not many memories except from the seeds of long-lasting friendship sown with some of my classmates, with whom I am in touch, through Facebook and Whatsapp mostly but also personally met a couple of them in recent times like Rajeev Warrier, PV Ramakrishnan, Jagdish Damodaran and Jaideep Shetty.

Class III

Class III-I am on the extreme left in the 1st row (Standing). I was encouraged by Ms. Sacrament Rosario was our class teacher  to participate in the English Elocution Competition which I won. I recited the poem "The Lone Dog". I had enjoyed reciting the poem but hardly understood what the poem was about. I am capturing the poem below for those who may like to go through.the wordings

Lone Dog

Louis Untermeyer, ed. (1885–1977). Modern British Poetry. 1920.

Irene Rutherford Mcleod. 1891–

" I'M a lean dog, a keen dog, a wild dog, and lone; I'm a rough dog, a tough dog, hunting on my own; I'm a bad dog, a mad dog, teasing silly sheep; I love to sit and bay the moon, to keep fat souls from sleep. I'll never be a lap dog, licking dirty feet, A sleek dog, a meek dog, cringing for my meat, Not for me the fireside, the well-filled plate, But shut door, and sharp stone, and cuff and kick, and hate. Not for me the other dogs, running by my side, Some have run a short while, but none of them would bide. O mine is still the lone trail, the hard trail, the best, Wide wind, and wild stars, and hunger of the quest!"

Class IV

Class IV: I am at the extreme right in the 1st row(Standing). I did not have much to write home about except an above average performance in academics.

Class VI

Class VI: I am 2nd from left in the front row(Sitting). My class teacher was Mr. Charles Johnson. He was a one of a kind personality who was quite good to me but somehow I wasn't able to excel in Class VI although I did participate in a couple of competitions without any luck.

Class VII

I am third from right on the front row. I did quite well in Class VII, I won the 2nd prize for Hindi elocution and was above average in academics. Our class teacher Ms. Nancy was quite strict but quite enterprising in the sense that she encouraged us to participate in extra curricular activities.

Fr. Tony Fonseca

I do not have the Class VIII photograph with me. Class VIII was undoubtedly my best year in school . Here is a picture of my class teacher Late Father Tony Fonseca, a great footballer himself. I won prizes for Elocution, Quizzing and being part of the interclass football team.( A Defender!) ...

Class X

Here is a picture of  my last year in school.....the picture of the Class of 1984, Holy Family High School, Andheri, Mumbai.I am sitting in the front row next to our class teacher Mr. Shetty(No relation of mine)! I again won a prize for Hindi elocution. A few of us got together last year...the year we completed 25 years as ex students of our beloved school.......Great Great Fun!!! The picture appears in this blog.