Heal the world, make it a better place!

Today we live in an environment where people do anything for economic benefits. They kill animals, cull trees, pollute the surroundings with a “who cares” attitude. In such a scenario our environment is changing, almost every day. Hence it is imperative that we understand the problems that our planet is facing and the magnitude of the consequences.

Currently the pressing issues that we are facing are:

Global Warming: Climate changes influenced by man because of the production of greenhouse gases like carbon monoxide, methane etc. Rising temperatures, melting of the polar ice caps, flash floods are some of the consequences which are going to change the entire geography of the human race.

Pollution: Polluting the air, water, soil is very easy but to bring it back to usual, it takes years. Today’s high car emissions polluting the air, oil spills polluting the ocean waters, toxins releases by various big industries are one of the major contributors to environment pollution.

Overpopulation: Every natural resource in this world is limited and the splurge in the world’s population is pushing it to unsustainable thresholds.

Deforestation: Erasing the green cover and making it available for residential or commercial purposes for the human habitats is on the rise. Forests regulate temperature, rainfalls and by cleaning the trees up, we are putting our future in the greatest of dangers.

Above are some of the major environmental issues that we are facing but besides that we have many more like Resources scarcity, weakening of the Ozone layer, Genetic Engineering, Rise in the urban spread, water pollution etc.

Having said these, it is quite vital that we bring in some changes to our daily life and also push the Government to bring in policies for safeguarding the future. Here are a few easy things can we adopt to contribute to environments betterment:

• Stop littering and use the garbage bin
• Always carry your own bag for a grocery shopping and avoid usage of plastic
• Take public transport once a week for travel
• Join a car pooling group
• Take a walk or ride bicycle for distances less than 2-3 kms
• Use the stairs more often than the elevator/escalator
• Turn off the taps while shaving or brushing teeth. Use the mug
• Think twice before you hit the “PRINT” button and if at all, use the “print on both sides” options
• Unplug the electronic devices and make sure you switch off all them completely if the appliances are not in use
• Drive at 40-50 kms/hr.
• Always use a timer while using air-conditioners
• Use energy efficient lightings
• Buy more of e-books than hard copies
• Avoid charging your phone while sleeping.
• Before buying new clothes, make you sure donate your old stuff

The above are just few of simple things which we can do immediately and it is not rocket science.

Yes, it is true that we cannot clean the ocean water, we cannot fill in the holes in ozone layer, we can’t create forests forests in a day or two but raising awareness in our neighborhoods, by teaching our kids & families the rules of cleanliness, joining hands with a hew NGOs like Green Yatra, we can make the world a much better place to live in. At the end of the day when are a part of the problem, we need to be a part of the solution as well.

Think positive, Do positive and Be positive!

What is optimism? As per the Oxford Dictionary - optimism is hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something. Let's take an example. We are in the last leg of the cricket World Cup 2015 and the entire nation is optimistic that we are going to retain the cup.The nation was positive that the Mr. Narendra Modi would bring in a much wanted change and hence he is our Prime Minister now. The recession hit America was positive that it would jump back to normality over a period of time. Optimism actually can mean different things to different people but for me it's mostly making the best of the bad outcomes in life or looking at the brighter side of life as a whole. So let me take an example of a real life scenario and see how optimism changed my life.

Smoking kills, everybody knows but how many believe in it?  And for people who believe in that truth, why do they do it at the first place? Why are they still indulging in that habit?  Why don’t people quit it forever? Why aren't they able to do it? Ever thought about it?

I have been a smoker myself and I used to puff up quite a few of them. I am an early entrant in this area which was during my teens and have been consistent if not a chain smoker. Hence I am doing “walk-the-talk” and not giving a sermon here!

Normally teens start smoking because they feel it is “cool”. Well even I thought smoking is fun, kind of psychological pleasure. It is quite natural that you do not realize the consequences of this habit at that age and hence care a damn about what people say. I used to smoke a couple of packs when I was in junior college and that gave me a hunk feel. Slowly it followed me at home as well. Whenever I was alone at house, the amount of sticks increased in arithmetic progression and if it was a night out with friends, the numbers followed the geometric progression pattern. My clothes used to stink of nicotine and my shirt or jean pockets had leftovers of tobacco. Finally it had to happen! My parents back home came to know about this habit of mine and they give me piece of their mind. Although it was a tough few sessions to handle but I did not care much because I earned my own pocket money through tuition and so the “give-a-damn” attitude continued. I graduated from college, joined work and the routine came along harder. This time I had more money at my disposal and hence I started buying costlier brands of the cigarettes with an increment in the quantity as well. I did not realize the toll that my body is taking because all these deeds. Did I try to quit in the middle? Yes, I did but was never successful. But then came a time when I had to put my foot down and say this is it!  

I am a complete sportsperson and an active cricketer. I understand that sports and smokes have such negative relationship but I never could actually sense it. In a game of cricket, earlier I could bowl 6 overs on the trot but later the number came down gradually. Thirty minutes under the sun and I would feel tired. One chase to save a boundary and the tongue sticks out! Two laps in the swimming pool and I would gasp for breath. Cigarette is regarded as a stress buster but now this was giving me stress in return. I was ashamed of my fitness level and I immediately knew the root cause. I decided to quit smoking immediately!

Mark Twain said – “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times!” He was 100% right. Kicking the habit was easy but sustaining that was very tough! The most important attribute because of which I was able to sustain this life changing move was “positivity”. I started disbelieving the fact that smoking is an addiction. No, it is not and I really feel it is not how much ever scientifically proven it is. I added positivity by analyzing the amount of savings that I can generate just by doing away with this habit. I always had an excuse to smoke but now I started thinking of reasons why I shouldn't with only one question. Which was more important – sport or smoke and the answer was easy to pick. By putting more efforts on conditioning my body and mind through a lot of physical activities, I stayed positive about the end result. Like the great Dalai Lama says - "Choose to be optimistic. It feels better", I was quite optimistic that it is tough but not impossible and finally here I am, after being quit smoking completely for close to 5 years now.

I have come a long way on this habit and if I really put my head around it, I recognize that there’s nothing great about this. Although I completely agree that it is the most difficult habit to resign but I can truly tell you that it’s a package of pleasure worth kicking! Think all positive effects of quitting smoking, Do positive things to quit smoking and be positive that you can quit smoking! Quitter wins, sometimes!

Optimism is everywhere and with that you can achieve literally anything in life. Stay strong and never give up - that is my story on optimism!

Chai pe nahi, breakfast pe bulana hai!

Mayer Hawthorne said – “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I definitely have a hearty breakfast before I do anything.” And we as Indians literally beg to differ to that concept and usually we are the first to skip breakfast citing n number of reasons. Children getting late to school compromise on breakfast, working parents due to want of time grabs something and rushes to office and most importantly for the housewives & moms breakfast is generally a cup of tea with a couple of biscuits that too way past the breakfast timings! Have we not experienced this very often in each of our households?

All these we have indulged in very conventional type of food when it comes to breakfast like idly, dosa, pongal, vada, upma when it comes to the southern part of the country. These are little heavy on our stomach, requires a lot of ingredients and eats up a humongous of time before it comes to the table. But the question is can we bring in a change in the system of breakfast to make it more interesting, more delicious, more nutritious, more compelling and absolutely uncompromisable?

Dhan te dan!! The answer is yes! Here comes the welcome change in the form of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes has redefined the very concept of breakfast. We all have heard about a three course or four course meals but have you heard about a three or four course breakfast, at least in India? Never! But Gupta ji’s home has all the recipes ready to meet such demand of a breakfast spread. The most important point here is the time consumption. With Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, nobody can give an excuse of “no time”. Out of the lavish 116 spread, each dish doesn't take more than 15 minutes of time and hence throw that excuse of “no time” goes out of the window. Not only that, one has a recipe or an exclusive dish to match every occasion and to celebrate it. At the Gupta ji’s household from celebrating Sunita mousi’s home visit cancellation to impressing the kid’s first crush; from getting back the authority on remote to preparing tiffin for a competition in school to a “Sanskaar” session at home – Kellogg’s Corn Flakes has a perfect breakfast recipe for everything. Isn't that exciting?

Secondly this gives way to the old school of thoughts where one invites another over lunch or dinner. Now with this versatility on the breakfast spread and lesser time consumption in the areas of preparation, who would even have one percent of apprehension? So #KelloggsWaleGuptaji, like many others, I am waiting for the breakfast invite and to be a part of the Kellogg’s Corn Flakes family.

Here’s my wish list for the nashta:

Welcome drink: 

• Kellogg's® Oats Peppy Papaya Drink

 Starter

• Kellogg's® Oats Veggie Nutri Cutlets
• Cheese Curd Dip
• Grilled Cornflake Polenta Sticks
• Basil Curd Dip

Soup & Salad

• Cornflakes Mushroom Soup
• Crunchy Fruit Salad

Main

• Apple Cornflakes Pancakes
• Mayo Cornflakes Sandwich
• Cornflake Dahi Upma
• Cornflakes Anjeer Porridge
• Kellogg's® Oats Tamrind Rice

Dessert

• Cornflake Walnut Chocolate Muffin
• Cornflake Coconut Ladoos
• Cornflakes Kewra Badam Kheer
• Black Forest Shake

  

To naashte mein kab bula rahen hain #KelloggsWaleGuptaji?

We are always better - Together!

Life isn’t easy all the times. The smallest of things like missing project deadlines, unhappy appraisals, credit cards EMIs, high housing loan interest, traffic, load shedding in the night, Chennai Auto rickshaws fare negotiations, SPAM emails, low phone battery, flattened tire, personal loan phone calls, houseful signs for movie to the largest of events like demise of somebody close, financial losses, health problems can drain you completely. In such situations you brains refuses to work and this effects everything in you and around you. One such year for me was 2013! I had hit lowest point of my life and I needed a break bigtime.

I packed my bags and headed to Kolkata for a week’s break. The beauty of Kolkata lies in its people and being born & brought up there, I had no dearth of friends. For me the first stress buster has always been cricket. In our complex or apartments in Kolkata, we started of something what is called “Gully Cricket”. The uniqueness of this cricket was it is played by plastic ping pong balls. We have a bi yearly tournament called the Shantikunja Premier League (SPL) and the second edition of it happens in Dec that too with day and night match schedules. My friend pulled me into his team “RED BULL” and with a series of victory, we won the tournament.

If you ask me the best time to visit Kolkata is the Dec –Jan apart from the Durga Puja time. I was right there during the best of the winters with the best of my friends and during such times what’s fun without a road trip!! Hence on the chilly Christmas day, four of us decided to take a road trip to this place called Falta which was 50kms from Kolkata. The place is right on the banks of Ganges and pretty scenic. We booked a cottage at Hotel SeaBird and started our day out. We had a few drinks, hogged on some good food and spoke our heart out.  Since we knew each other from our childhood, we had so much to talk about. Reliving our schooldays, discussing about ex-girlfriends, movies, life abroad, Indian Tax system, gadgets, medical facilities in India, law and order, our time just flew! We had so many things to talk and discuss that a night wasn't enough. The food was fantastic to complement the occasion and added to that was a splendid location overseeing the river Ganges. One of my friends is a singer and we had small jamming session playing the guitar as well.  In the night we took a stroll to the banks and by looking at the vastness we felt how small we were. We slept for an hour or so and early morning took a boat ride on the river. It was beautiful! Soon after a filling breakfast we packed our bags and were on our way back listening to the Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik songs of our times!

Outside Hotel SeaBird

Boat ride on the river Ganges

Life had been tough and it will still be! It’s not only me, it’s a known phenomenon for everybody and nobody can escape it. The trick is how to come back to normal from such demotivation, such falls, such situations. It is such small events of togetherness bring you back to life! For me these friends, these moments of togetherness are like rechargers. After this quick get together, I could recoup, infuse positivity, feel motivated, plan on the next set of events, execute and achieve success. Trust me, it works.. that’s the power of being together!

#together

Start A New Life - From Kolkata to Chennai

It was a hot & humid sultry afternoon in May 2000 when my cousin gave me this news. My dad was getting transferred from Kolkata to Chennai. I was 19 then and at the peak of my youth. I did not know how to react to this at that time. I am basically born and brought up in the "city of joy" and hence for me Kolkata is my hometown. Culturally I am a bong but racially a Palakkad Tamilian. I don't know to write tamizh but I am well versed with Bengali. Because of this homogenous mix I was quite popular and the Bongs loved me. It was a huge matter of pride when Bengalis appreciated my diction and love towards Kolkata. With a huge set of friends I was quite settled.

Then came this transfer bomb which created ripples in my life. When you are in first year of college you have your own set of friends and way of life. With 19 years in a place, you would have figured out how to live, way of having fun but this location change derailed it. While in the beginning I was against this move and I decided to stay back in a hostel or at a relative’s place, later my dad's emotional blackmails impelled me to reconsider. Finally I decided to move to Chennai tagging along with my family. 

In June 2000 we reach Chennai. Fighting the hot and humid conditions we reached our new den, our new house. I hated it... 'Hated' was an understatement. I wasn't comfortable with the people around in our colony. I just wanted to get out of this place. 

Next was the college. In Kolkata I had completed my first year B.Com and getting admission directly into the second year in Chennai was a difficult task. Finally I chose a college which was close to my house with help of some influences. The first day in college gave me a culture shock in the form of girls and boys sitting separately. I hated Chennai more! 

My Tamizh was bad especially not local and my accent was like Palakkad'ish resembling the Kameshwaran of Michael Madana Kaamarajan! People used to make fun of me and I hated it. 

Adapting to this change was hard. It was getting tougher and tougher day by day! I had to do something about this because as the famous life-coach Tony Robbins said - Change is inevitable, progress is optional! I had to lift myself up. I starting looking at what best ways should I adapt to bring this change? I got the first cue when I realized I need to do something to keep myself happy. Immediately I started to play cricket with a club close by. My neighbor used to take me out for some prominent leagues and that kept me quite happy. Next step - make friends. The question was how? It was sheer coincidence that I friend of mine suggested for some part time work. Wow! that was a great idea! I immediately got placed in MusicWorld for a part-time job especially because of my multi lingo skills. This move was a great one. Not only did it keep me busy but also was I making friends and was also learning business, customer service plus getting paid as well. My team, customers loved me there and I think that was a changing point in my life. From there I never looked back.

This approach changed my life. I got good scores in academics, and then got placed in multinationals with a decent pay.

Today I look back and think what would have happened if I had been in Kolkata? or If hadn't changed to the situation in Chennai? Life would have been difficult!

From this entire experience, I think the best and most important parts to manage a change are:

1) Are you aware of the need to change? Now I call this as "Awareness". I was in a different city Chennai, talking a simply different language, with a different thought process, living in a different culture but was I aware that I need to switch to survive here?

2) Do you really want to change? Is there a need? What is the benefit? I call this as the "Need" step

3) "Capability" is the third step where one needs to understand if he/she has the capability to manage the change. Here how do I read Tamizh? How to speak local Tamizh? If I don't have the capability, then how to develop? This is the third part of the phase

4) Finally for every small achievements, celebrate and reinforce! 

Making a big life change is pretty scary but, you know what's even scarier? Regret!!! #StartANewLife

HMT Watches, it's legacy& my madness

Recently I heard in some news sources that the famous Indian watch manufacturer Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) is closing down. When I told dad about it, he was quite heartbroken. He has a couple of watches which is more than 40 years old and he treasures it. HMT is considered as an household name in India and the tagline of the product runs as "timekeepers to the nation" . The HMT watches are an integral part of the Indians because it brings in a lot of nostalgia. HMT watches are typical gifts which a parent promises to give their sons/daughters when they clear their board exams. In the 1970s and 80s, like the Bajaj scooters, HMT watches were sought-after dowry gifts and cherished status symbols at a time when household incomes were low. It's a part every wedding as it's one of the gifts given to the groom & bride. An HMT watch exemplifies goes on for decades because it gets passed from generation to generation, from a father to a son to a grandson.

Today the unit is getting shut down because it is getting saddled with losses for close to a decade. Growing competition from Indian rival Titan and the entry of foreign quartz watches after import restrictions were lifted in the 1980s and HMT’s failure to adapt to change led to falling sales, a slump from which the company never recovered. This watch making public sector unit has been ailing since 1999 when the Government took actions including pumping in capital to restore it's operations and boost its performance. It went through a restructure to make it like a Royal Enfield brand however nothing big has changed. The company has close to 1100 employees including 180 odd executives. 

Like many others hearing its shutdown even I frantically started to look out for two models i.e. HMT Janata & HMT Pilot. I called up literally all the HMT retail outlets in Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata but in vain. The answer was the same NO everywhere. While inquiring about the models availability, the person from the Bangalore office blamed the customers for not been loyal & the government's policy equally responsible for the company's demise.

My review on HMT Janata:

Finally after a lot of search and wait, I got the Janata from the HMT official website.Among the first watches to be made by HMT, the Janata was a favourite of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. This winding watch was plain, affordable and had more than 25 variants. Janata watches have been known to tick on for more than 40 years.

Pic source: HMT official website

The size of the dial is smaller than I thought compared to an usual men's watch however this is how it was manufactured and so be it! The the whole thing is rather thin, due to the the manually-wound movement. The seconds hand mentioned in the image is red however the watch I got delivered had it as silver colored. I love the handwinding mechanical movements and since this was the first time I am using one, it created some problems. After a brief usage I found the watch stopping quite frequently despite giving the key but then later I found that I was doing it anti-lock wise instead of clockwise. Pl remember usually if you key the watch in the reverse way it may screw up the watch springs but since this was coming from the house of HMT it withstood my err. Now it works absolutely perfect!

The strap with the pack is a sad one. It's made out of cheap rubber however I went ahead and changed the entire strap which cost me more than the watch in itself. The person in the strap store (and I think it was Titan) was surprised seeing my watch and he really appreciated for wearing old watches despite changing times.

Now I am waiting for HMT Pilot and the stock is awaited for a long time now in the HMT stores. The pieces are available in e-retails but it comes at a premium.

Pic source: HMT official website

I am a watch collector myself with around 8-9 watches and Janata would be right on top. I am dying to add the Pilot piece into the collection and without these a collectors box would never be complete.

My Bullet, My Life!

My first post was on my Bullet which I bought way back in 2006. It was a 2004 make RE Electra 4S with cast iron engine and right leg gear. I had tubeless tyres and original harley parts in the form of gear shifts and brakes.

During that time the RE Classic was just launched. It's craze pushed me to dispose this to get a new one which eventually never happened!
I sold to at a throw-away price only to repent for the next 8 long years! I was using my brother's Bajaj Pulsar 180 for my daily commutation however it was in 2012 that me and my brother decided to go for a new RE Bullet. I had enough of the bikes! I did not for a Classic because a) the height was a little low and b) there were lot of technical complaints. So I stuck to my old choice - RE Electra.

I got my Bullet delivered a year later (yes! that was hell of a waiting period!) and here we are with the life coming a full circle, finally!

My thoughts on Bullet based on my experience:

• Never sell an old Bullet. It's gold!
• Never indulge in huge modifications. This will only pull down the performances and invites recurring issues.
• Stick to RE authorised services and worst-come-worst a Bullet specialist. It's very difficult for a 100 cc two wheeler to understand the dynamics of a Bullet.
• Never go below the petrol reserve capacity. I would prefer to have the tank filled to the brim every time it hits reserve. Make sure you have a petrol lock to avoid thefts.
• Identify a puncture mechanic who would be available on the call. At least keep a good track of all the puncture shops on the roads that you travel frequently. It's a pain on the wrong place to drag your machine when the tyres are flat!
• Avoid rash driving and squeezing in between vehicles. You may have done this on a 100 Cc bike but this may be fatal on a Bullet given it's size. Never ever try this!
• Rust is a common problem. Always wipe off the water on the guards post rains. 
• Always talk to fellow Bulleteers and ask for opinions & insights. This is gold dust!
• A little Petrol/Oil leak is normal. Don't worry.. it's marking it's territory! :)
• Never triple carry people. The Bullet may have extra space but it is manufactured only to carry two aaram se!. Remember - it's against traffic rules as well! 
• Wear a helmet - always! You have brains and you gotto protect it!

While I am looking forward for some of the future Bullet trips, do get in touch if you have planned one. Would love to tag along! :)

Keep riding.. keep thumping!

Made like a gun, goes like a bullet!

Some brilliant Quotes:

http://www.quora.com/Royal-Enfield/What-are-the-best-quotes-one-liners-for-riders