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The real purpose in life has its importance and the struggle you embark on, in your life to receive and to attain it, has the greatest wor...

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Of Blackberries, 4G, iPhones and drool




I am at home on a Sunday afternoon. The Delhi weather continues to be pleasant quite miraculously considering that the month of May (which is  peak summer time), is hardly a week away. I am penning down some random thoughts with malice towards none. 

This time it was a conscious decision to either get my blackberry repaired or do away with it. Before long, I started to enjoy the happenings at the self styled mobile service center cum accessory shop cum Mobile/Laptop Lamination Center which I had visited towards attaining this objective. I preferred this center to an authorized Blackberry service center for the quiet efficiency of the man running the show.

The service center occupies all of 30 Sq feet space in one of South Delhi's busy commercial hubs. At any given time there are at least 4 to 5 people in this space, besides the patrons and clients.

The 4 to 5 people are youngsters and boys who are at the beck and call of the buyers responding to their requests for fancy mobile covers, mobile guards, Key pad guards and so on.
They also take on the mantle of directing  the consumers who are interested in getting their mobile serviced, whatever be the model, to the one man service resource, Shanubhai, as he is respectfully called.

Shanubhai is the king of all he surveys. Get a problematic cell phone to him and within seconds he is ready with the extent of repair required,  an elaborate quote and the time it will take for getting the cell phone "back to life".

Then you have the rare patron who's unable to explain what problem he is having with his cell phone, partly since he is from one of the southern states of the country. A literal translation of what he wants to say doesn't help Shanubhai in understanding him.
"Doosre ko sunta hai, Hum ko sunta nahin hai ." Meaning that I am able to hear what the other person is saying but the other person is unable to hear what I am saying .
After Shanu bhai has lent his cell phone the magical touch, his worries are finally put to rest though he takes some time to actually get convinced on this, for more reasons than one.

To add to the direct clients he recieves, Shanubhai's services are also utilized by the Mobile shop next door. This is a one stop shop for cell phones, accessories and repair consultation.
The smart cookie that this guy is, he is able to charge a premium for the repairs through the use of technical jargon like charging jack, scroller assembly and the likes.

I begin to wonder how  the cell phone has become an integral a part of our lives and the amount we are ready to spend on it.

What a booming industry this has become in a matter of one decade and I cant think of a better example of blatant consumerism there can be in today's context without undermining the utility of the instrument as a communication device.

Coming back to my Blackberry, after a wait of almost 3 hours, I finally got it back in a working condition, So hopefully all's well that ends well.

Till next time then and keep smiling. :)





Monday, April 11, 2011

Just some unanswered questions...who's worrying? not me...

I once heard our VP say that if you do not drive the business will drive you. The business world is moving at a very fast pace and the only place where Dinosaurs are appreciated is in a block buster movie directed by  Steven Spielberg..

Delhi's been my Karmbhoomi for more than half a decade and has its own way of throwing challenges at me, so much so that I wonder if something's wrong if a day doesn't seem challenging enough. So having returned from a week long official trip to Dehradun, I am left as of now with some unanswered questions. Worried? Who? Me? Naah.! :)

Passport police verification does it require the individual's presence at his place of residence? The ill fated day when the Policeman arrived for the verification, I was on  tour. For two days consecutively the policeman has said that he will come home for the verification but hasn't bothered to do so. Today is the third day when he would be here supposedly. What will be his reaction when I tell him that I follow this Guru and we AOLites do not pay any bribe?

When will my blackberry be finally up and going. Got the charging jack replaced, replaced the charger as well but now the scroll ball mechanism has gone awry. This means another visit to the repair shop. And after all the iterations when will I finally be able to utilize the Blackberry for the actual purpose of sending and recieving mails?

How much time will it take for me to get set for the month of April and Q2. When will I be able to get a grip on and resolve pending problems to move ahead from them.

In the midst of all this will I be able to actually sneak away for a couple of days combining it with the Good Friday holiday to spend time with my family.

As I juggle with these thoughts it is time to start off with the tasks for the day. Thank God Its Ram Navami today and a Holiday in the Northern parts of India, another of the festivals celebrated only in certain parts of the country. Am I proud to experience the diversity of the country. The learning keeps happening all the time! 

Just like the olden days on Facebook...






Its strange how most of the people who like my status messages on Facebook happen to be school friends, people who were with me in the formative years of life, people whom I grew up with.

There are people with whom I interact with on a daily basis, people who have achieved a lot in their lives, just like my school friends, but the uncanny resemblance in the way we think happens only with this bunch of guys.

The latest example is "India against corruption."

Being an AOL ite, prompted by my Guru's (HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) vision for India, I was following the activities of those who were leading this movement, but when this became a national issue, I could see many of my school chums voicing their opinions strongly in favor of Anna Hazare's fast and against corruption.on facebook.

Thank you facebook for bringing us back together. I hope the party never ends.Well each one of us is 40 plus but its like school kids laughing on each other's jokes, egging each other on, pulling a fast one or pulling each other's legs in general.

Virtual back slapping bonhomie and camaraderie, appreciating each other's achievements or even the children's', complimenting each other on the newly found hobbies and on attempts at keeping fit and healthy, none of us are getting any younger, remember!

The lucky ones do get to meet each other during the periodic Saturday Do's in suburban Mumbai and the rest savor the Snaps and the Stories. Yes some of us have started showing signs of wising up, a receding hair line , but the child within each one is still the same and will never change forever. I am sure of that.

We are blessed to have some of our teachers as well on Facebook and it is indeed a pleasure as it is because of them that we all have become what we have.

Viva "HFHS Classs Of 1984"





Thursday, March 31, 2011

Billy Joel "She's Always A Woman"






"She's Always A Woman"  The deadly lyrics ----For want of the video...WIll post 
when I get it

(As recorded by Billy Joel)
BILLY JOEL

She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes
And she can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me.

She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe it
And she'll take what you give her, as long as it's free
Yes she steals like a thief, but she's always a woman to me.

Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh, and she never gives out, and she never gives in
She just changes her mind.

And she'll promise you more than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best and the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me.

Hmm, hmm, hmmm.

Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh, and she never gives out, and she never gives in
She just changes her mind.

She is frequently kind, and she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree
And the most she will do is throw shadows at you but
She's always a woman to me.

Hmm, hmm, hmmm.

(c) Copyright 1977 by Joelsongs, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

###

Thursday, March 24, 2011

What's in a name?

A spanish Principal partner calls me Rataaan, the Israeli lady another principal partner  calls me Rataan, A GM with an aspirant principal partner who goes by the name Yang, has never spoken to me, we have only have a "ping" conversation on Skype, Ping conversation with Mr. Yang, sounds all Chinese.
Like Mr. Yang Lisheng, Mo Duo Ping never introduces himself by his original name but is addressed as "Tarek" Mo. Another Chinese individual, a lady with whom I interact often, is known by the name "Ella"( Ella's picture appears above). It intrigues me as to how the Chinese decide on these English names, I find this to be quite an innovative concept which helps them to gain acceptance with their international clients. Also how do they feel when they are never called by their actually name. Dean, Leo, Ella and also Justin, Diego and the like...nice choices for names I must say.
Coming back to the way that I am addressed, this is certainly not restricted to foreigners, Delhi-ites invariably spell my name as Rattan Sethi , and the contortions on my face are most conveniently ignored. Very often I hear the person on the other side of the phone line, very respectfully saying, kaun Sethiji bol rahe hain? Koi gal nahin...after all as the great Bard once said "After all What's in a name?"

Monday, March 21, 2011

"Farhaan" in real life.

We had a training session on new products recently for a group of sales people hand-picked from all zones.
I have been correcting the answer papers of trainees, we asked them questions on Products and  the principles on which they were based as well as key benefits.

The basic acumen one needs to have is to be good at selling, most of this bunch I could find did possess this ability. If the knowledge is imparted in a systematic fashion the person who is focused will lap it up so easily. This was seen in the huge difference in the pre-test and post test scores of this bunch of lads who were primarily interested in selling the product and the thrill to them came from that part of the job.

The matter of concern was the two gentlemen who already had reasonably decent scores in the pre-test, to the tune of 60% or so These two trainees showed an increase of hardly 20% in the Post test and this was a low percentage of improvement when compared with the others. The issue which concerned me more was that one of the respndents was not consistent in his answers, he was missing out important points which he had mentioned in the Pre-test.

This brings me to the point that I think it is very important for one to be doing work that one is passionate about or at least one should have an outlet wherein he is able to do things that he is passionate about so that he is able to do his job  and do it reasonably well with utmost sincerity such that he can earn his daily bread.

I had some time back made a discovery of sorts when I found that a pathologist from one of the biggest Diagnostic lab chains in the country was also an avid wildlife photographer. He reminded me of the character "Farhan" played by R Madhavan in 3 idiots...? I had read about this passion of his on the internet when I googled his name. While interacting with him I could actually see just how "cool" this MD holder was, with no airs about the prestigious post he was holding. I was able to see the glint in his eyes when I spoke of his passion for photography and the almost immediate change in body language with the boyish grin writ large on his face.

Coming back to my trainees, well best wishes to all of them and to these two lads in particular, I sincerely wish that they are able to make the all important adjustment and come emerge as winners in their respective lives!




Saturday, March 19, 2011

ADD IN THE WORKPLACE




I read this somewhere on the web and liked it immensely, so am sharing it here......


"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others"....How True!

koi yeh kaise bataayen....




Koi ye kaise bataaye ke wo tanahaa kyon hai
wo jo apanaa thaa, wahee aaur kisee kaa kyon hai
yahee duniyaan hain to fir, ayesee ye duniyaan kyon hai
yahee hotaa hain to, aakhir yahee hotaa kyon hai?

ik jaraa haath badhaa de to, pakad le daaman
us ke seene mein samaa jaaye, humaaree dhadakan
itanee kurbat hain to fir faasalaa itanaa kyon hai?

dila-ye-barabaad se nikalaa naheen abatak koee
ik loote ghar pe diyaa karataa hain dastak koee
aas jo toot gayee hain fir se bandhaataa kyon hai?

tum masarrt kaa kaho yaa ise gam kaa rishtaa
kahate hain pyaar kaa rishtaa hain janam kaa rishtaa
hai janam kaa jo ye rishtaa to badalataa kyon hai?

This Hindi Lyrics site brings you the lyrics of the song Koi yeh kaise bataye ke from the Bollywood movie ARTH. We tried to make Koi yeh kaise bataye ke Lyrics as correct as possible, however if you have any corrections for Koi yeh kaise bataye ke Song Lyrics, please feel free to submit. Please note that we do not provide any Hindi mp3 or Bollywood songs on our site. We encourage you to buy Bollywood movie DVD, VCD or audio CD.

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Promise Of The Divine


If I had to promise you something, what would it be?
I can’t promise that you would always be comfortable…
Because comfort brings boredom and discomfort.
I can’t promise that all your desires will be fulfilled…
Because desires whether fulfilled or unfulfilled bring frustration.
I can’t promise that there will always be good times…
Because it is the tough times that make us appreciate joy.
I can’t promise that we will be rich or famous or powerful…
Because they can all be pathways to misery.
I can’t promise that we will always be together…
Because it is separation that makes togetherness so wonderful.
Yet if you are willing to walk with me,
If you are willing to value love over everything else
I promise that this will be the most rich and fulfilling life possible.
I promise your life will be an eternal celebration,

I promise you I will cherish you more than a king cherishes his crown,
And I shall love you more than  a mother loves her newborn.
If you are willing to walk into my arms,
If you are willing to live in my heart,
You will find the one you have waited forever….
You will meet yourself in my arms…
I promise.


Saturday, March 12, 2011

My Article in Medical Buyer Magazine.

The power of persistence

Received this from a very good friend... too good to keep it to myself... a good reminder to all of us who struggle in our lives...



In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an upcoming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge. The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.


He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do. Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.


Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are. Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

T3 Experience



For most of us who were born more than a quarter of a century ago, in fact closer to half a century ago, the T3 terminal at IGI airport is a welcome sight and is really a welcome change from the old terminal.






 I had a similar experience while travelling on Delhi's Metro trains. Its a pleasure to avail of the facilities within these two state of the art infrastructures adorning the nation's capital



Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The speed of the leader determines the speed of the team!

I had read this quote on a poster of one of my colleagues in an earlier organisation...In this context, how important is it for the leader to have a face to face interaction with his team on a regular basis and how important is it for the leader to be inspirational to his team members at every occasion? One thinks that at least during an interaction with the leader, the team member should feel inspired and more committed towards his work, more motivated to keep going at it and giving it one's best shot. Though it may sound hackneyed, Cliched or rather old fashioned to say that a leader must be a father figure to his subordinate the fact remains that he/she must be able to set an example, to be able to "Lead from the front". Working together on a project or during client interactions might serve as an important enabler towards this goal. Because ultimately that is where the income comes from,  the salaries comes from, the business keeps running especially when the team in question is responsible for running the business.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Blah Blah Blah....

Yesterday was a "fun"ny day,... We had a meeting of the team that is mooted to be running the organisation, an array of personalities, the combined experience of this team is 50 years, the difference in rank is tremendous, the energy in the team comes from the fact that it is composed of two  people below 30 and the wisdom from two individuals though differing greatly in designation, have a combined experience in vitro diagnostics of 40 years. My SBU is poised to take off and the year is all set to unfold although two months have already gone by. The transition from a private equity owned company to a part of a Multinational organization has been partially responsible for this delay. The other part being the inertia associated with getting things rolling. My load has been lightened with part of my responsibilities having been shared by my younger colleague, helping me bring in greater  focus to my job.
The pending issues will be rattled one by one and nothing can prevent a strong foray into the future (with the blessings of the almighty of course!)

Sunday, February 27, 2011

O Mitwa Sun Mitwa - Lagaan (2001)



Har sant kahe, saadhu kahe
Sach aur saahas hai jiske mann mein
Ant mein jeet usiki rahe

Aaja re aaja re, aaja re aaja re
Bhale kitne lambe ho raste, ho
Thake na tera yeh tan, ho
Aaja re aaja re, sun le pukaare dagariya
Rahe na yeh raste taraste, ho, tu aaja re
Is dharti ka hai raja tu, yeh baat jaan le tu
Kathinaayi se takraa ja tu, nahin haar maan le tu
Mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Yeh dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re
O mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re
Tu aaja re

Sun lo re mitwa
Jo hai tumre mann mein, vohi hamre mann mein
Jo sapna hai tumra, sapna vohi hamra hai
Jeevan mein


Haan, chale hum liye aasa ke diye nayanan mein
Diye hamri aasaaon ke kabhi bujh na paaye

Kabhi aandhiyaan jo aake inko bujhaaye


O mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Yeh dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re
O mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re
Tu aaja re

(Ta na, ta na na na, ta na na na na na
Ta na, ta na na na, ta na na na na
Ta na, ta na na na, ta na na na na na, aaja re) - 2

Sun lo re mitwa
Purwa bhi gaayegi, masti bhi chhaayegi
Milke pukaaro to
Phoolon waali jo rut hai, aayegi

Haan, sukh bhare din, dukh ke binlaayegi
Hum tum sajaaye aao, rangon ke mele

Rehte ho bolo kaahe tum yun akele
Mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Yeh dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re
O mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Yeh dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re
Tu aaja re

Har sant kahe, saadhu kahe
Sach aur saahas hai jiske mann mein
Ant mein jeet usiki rahe

O mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Yeh dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re


(O mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr hai re
Yeh dharti apni hai, apna ambar hai re) - 3
Tu aaja re, tu aaja re, tu aaja re
Tu aaja re

Rang De Basanti - Roobaroo



Aye saala abhi abhi huaa yaqeen ki aag hai mujh mein kahi hui subaah main chal gaya suraj ko main nigal gaya ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2  


jo gumshuda-sa khwaab tha voh mil gaya voh khil gaya woh loha tha pighal gaya kichhaa kichhaa machal gaya sitaar mein badal gaya ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2  


(dhuaan chhataa khula gagan mera nayi dagar naya safar mera jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera nazar mila zara) - 2  


aandhiyon se jaghad rahi hai lau meri ab mashaalon si bhad rahi hai lau meri naamo nishaan rahe na rahe ye 
kaaravaan rahe na rahe ujaale mein pee gaya roshan huaa jee gaya kyon sehte rahe ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2 


dhuaan chhataa khula gagan mera nayi dagar naya safar mera jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera nazar mila zara ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2 aye saala - 4

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein - Rock On!!



Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein
Hamesha yunhi chalti rahen

Yeh Hamari mulakatein
Hamesh Yunhi chalti rahen

Beeetein yunhi apne sare
Din raat
Baaton se nikalti rahe Nai Baat
Phir wohi Baatein leke
Geet koi hum likhe
Jo Dil ko Haan sab ki dil ko chu le


Baatein Suron mein yunhi
Peeghalti rahe
Baatein geeton mein yunhi
Dhalti rahe

Umm ummmm
umm umm

Naa na naana
hoo huuu

Geeton mein hi har gum ko
Khushiyon se hum saza de
Jo sune humse wo kaho na

Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein
Hamesha yunhi chalti rahen


Yeh Hamari mulakatein
Hamesh Yunhi chalti rahen

Beeetein yunhi apne sare
Din raat
Baaton se nikalti rahe Nai Baat
Phir wohi Baatein leke
Geet koi hum likhe
Jo Dil ko Haan sab ki dil ko chu le



Baatein Suron mein yunhi
Peeghalti rahe
Baatein geeton mein yunhi
Dhalti rahe

Umm ummmm
umm umm

Sattar Minute - Chak De! India


Jaane Nahi Denge Tujhe

Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin
Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin

Chahe tujhko rab bulaa le
Hum na rab se darne waale
Raahon mein dat ke
Khade hain hum 

Yaaron se nazrein Chura le
Chahe jitna dum laage le

Jaane na tujhko aise denge hum

Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin
Do kadam ka yeh safar hai
Umr chhoti si dagar hai
Ek kadam mein ladkhadaya
Kyon
Sunn le yaaron ki yeh baatein
Beetengi sab gum ki raatin
Yaaron se rootha hai saaale
Kyunn
Lyricsmasti.com

Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin
Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin


Maa ne khat mein kya likhaa
Tha
Jiye tu jug jug yeh kahaa tha
Chaar pal bhi jee na paaye tu
Yaaron se nazrein milaa le
Ek baar tu muskura de
uth ja saale yun sataaata hai
Kyonn

Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin
Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin
Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin
Jaane nahin denge tujhe
Jaane tujhe denge nahin

TUM HO TOH - ROCK ON!!

Tum ho to gata hai dil
Tum nahi to geet khaan
Tum ho to hai sab hasil
Tum nahi to kya hai yahan

Tum ho to hai sapno ke jaisa hasin ek sama

Jo tum ho to
Yeh lagta hai
Ki mil gaya har khushi
Jo tum na ho
Yeh lagta hai
Ki har khushi main hai kami
Tum ko hai mangti

Yeh zindagi

ouo uu uu uuuuu uuuuuuuuuho

o ho oooo ho
o oo o o O
Woh o oooo o O Oo O oo ho


Tum ho to
Rahein bhi hai
Tum nahi to raste khan
Tum ho to yahan sabhi hai hai
Tum nahi to kaun yahan

Tum ho to hai
Har ek pal meherban
Yeh jahaan

Jo tum ho to hawa main bhi
Mohabbaton main rang hai
Jo tum na ho

To phir koi na josh na umang hai

Tum mile to mileee
Yeh zingagi