Basic Manifesto !!!

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.....at least 4 litres a day.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. In other words one big
meal, one medium meal & one small meal (preferably in the night).
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees & plants and eat less food that is manufactured in
plants. ( have as much of natural food as possible)
4. Live Life with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Take time out to practice meditation & yoga, and say your prayers.
6. Play more games. It enlivens your spirits & keeps you fit as as well.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. It helps you regroup your thoughts.
9. Body needs rest. Sleep for at least 6 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It improves the face value
of you, your surroundings & the world in general.

Personality:
1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Discipline your mind to avoid/overlook negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the present moment. Its mostly gives positive results.
3. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. It only drains your mind & spirits.
6. Dream more while you are awake. It helps build your objectives & goals.
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. Be grateful for all that life has given
you.
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. It will
ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Spread Love instead. It makes you feel nice.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. Dont give this charge to anyone else.
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the
curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a
lifetime.
13. Smile more & more.... Its the easiest thing to do. It is infectious yet good.
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. Allow others to smile as well.

Society:
1. Call your family often. They look forward to your call.
2. Each day do something good for others. Do this without any expectation in return.
3. Forgive everyone for everything. Its not worth bearing a grudge.
4. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 10 whenever you can.
5. Try to make at least three people smile each day. Its a good challenge to take.
6. What other people think of you is none of your business. Do not be affected by other's opinion.
7. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them.
8. Love your Country, your Motherland. Be prepared to do anything for her, anytime.
9. Religion is supposed to bind us & not fragment. Honour every other religion.
10. Exercise your right to Vote...always....use it Constructively & not Destructively. Your Vote
can be decisive in making or breaking the Governance. Exercise your Choice....

Life:
1. Stay in the present moment. It helps you do the right thing.
2. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
3. GOD heals everything & everyone. Be grateful for His Love.
4. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
5. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. Life is a stage where you have to
perform. Give your best shot....always.
6. The best is yet to come. Keep the Hope alive. It keeps you going through thick & thin.
7. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
8. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy. Its your Nature to be happy.
9. Breathe deep.....it increases your 'Prana'.....the subtle life force energy.
10. Finally, remember, everyone one of us gets 24 hours in a day. No more, no less. Make the
best of it......& with a Smile.

The Graduate......once again !!!!

Back home late from work yesterday night, I just decided to flip through the channels of TV & managed to watch a movie……could not get the title as I connected slightly late. The movie was intriguing enough to hold my attention, as the story line was just bizarre.
Set in the American backdrop of late 90’s, it was about a girl, Sarah (Jennifer Aniston), a reporter by profession who is engaged to this handsome young man. Both so much in love that they cannot stay apart & are travelling together to attend the marriage of her younger daughter. It looked a simple romantic movie till now, with touches of cheeky comedy. But it turned turtle after that into a most unbelievable plot. A quirky connection to a blockbuster movie of yesteryears, ‘The Graduate’, (Dustin Hoffman’s debut as the central role), just got the ball rolling. 'The Graduate' was a major hit, where Dustin Hoffman, fresh out of college, gets involved with an elderly lady, Anne Bancroft(Mrs Robinson) & lands up in bed with her. However, later he realizes that his love lies with another girl (Anne Bancroft’s step daughter), & he manages to run away with her after some comical twists to the tale. Simon &Garfunkel had given some immortal music score in the movie, one of them being ‘Mrs Robinson’.
Pulling ahead from ‘The Graduate’, in this movie, Sarah meets her grandmother(supposedly Mrs Robinson’s character) & gets to know that her mother had gone off with another man a month before her marriage. A man with whom her grandmother had an affair which led them to having sex. With her mind working up many disturbing questions, Sarah decides to go looking for this mysterious man,(thinking he might be her real father) who turns out to be an extremely rich vagabond (played by Kevin Costner). Sarah gets charmed by Mr Charming Vagabond & ends up in bed with him, not knowing where she is headed to. She has ended up in bed with a man who had earlier slept with her mother & her grandmother…whew!!!...some storyline!!!!.....very confusing........complicated & utterly unbelievable.
Sarah’s loyal boyfriend, is completely outraged & cannot accept such betrayal, & decides to end the relationship (what else can you expect). He interestingly still gives Sarah one last chance to forgive & forget, by marrying him immediately, but she is too confused to respond…..quite understandable, given the series of events that she has gone through. However, Sarah comes back to him after some more emotional melodrama at her home, understanding finally where her real love is, & he too accepts her back & the movie ends in a happy note with their marriage!!!! Jennifer Aniston was superb in the twists of emotions, as an actor, & so was her flummoxed boyfriend(cannot place who the actor was).

It took me time to digest the bizarre storyline movie & I kept thinking till quite late. My mind immediately went back to the popular English tele serials of the early 90’s like ‘Santa Barbara’ where characters had multiple layers of emotions & intricacies,……characters getting in & out of relations, just like we change clothes, with a series of justifications, however inexplicable it may seem. Those days too, I was at my wits end to understand how such things could happen, & would always end up blaming the script writer for the storyline. However, we have seen traces of same twists & turns in our own “Saas bhi kabhi Bahu thi’, with people, especially women glued to the TV, lapping up the morbid saga of ‘Emotional Atyachar’.
Is this where culture & morals are heading to??? Is this what we are adapting & emoting from West???? Indian culture is witnessing the darker effects of the Wild West. The basic fabric of our society is pushing towards bankruptcy, in terms of relations. Marriages are becoming farcical & relations are getting strained by the day. Are we going back in time zones to jungle days, where what mattered was pure survival, without a trace of worry for others. Life today seems too fast paced with materialistic needs overtaking the moral values.
Time to think & introspect. Time to get back to our roots.

Final Frontier....Kiwi Land tamed !!!!

Dhoni & his youngistan band of marauding cricketers are scripting history. They have encountered & overcome the final frontier….the Kiwi land. After a brief stutter on the opening games of T20, the Indian Men in Blue, donning a new, darker shade, have blown the New Zealanders into smithereens.
Considered to be extremely tough due to bouncy & seaming pitches, accompanied with windy conditions, New Zealand has been invincible to most of the countries over the years, & India had never won a ODI series here. The last test series victory about 40 years ago. But Dhoni & his men are on a song right now. Nothing seems to be beyond their reach, as they continue their winning streak. The batting has been blazing at the top with enough protection in the middle, & no target seems out of reach. Sachin, Sehwag, & Gambhir,have been giving exceptional starts & then Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni, & Yusuf Pathan have been carrying on the run onslaught. Sehwag in particular seems to be in the best form of his career. Having given the license to fire at will, he seems to be taking batting to completely unbelievable heights. No wonder he has now become the fastest centurion in India for ODIs & I wont be surprised, if he breaks his own record again….soon. Not for nothing is Sachin quoting that this has been the best batting lineup he has played with in his career. He himself has been in superb touch & seems certain to carry on till the next World Cup. The bowling looks to be in safe hands of Zaheer, Ishant & Pravin for pace & Bhajji for spin, with cover up from Yuvi, Veeru & Yusuf. The team looks hungry for more & more success, & Dhoni has been able to build a wonderful camaraderie amongst all. A special mention needs to be made for coach Gary Kirsten, who has done wonders to the team, being focussed at his role. Unlike the Chappel days, when players seemed to be wrapped in fear & inconsistent performance, the team today looks clean & tight knit.
Having won the ODI 3-1, Indians need to keep the same momentum & intensity going into the test matches ahead. With Dravid & Laksman joining the team, it certainly is a strong batting line. However, the Kiwis would be taking heart from the win in the last ODI & would attempt to keep the pitches seaming, to suit their game. Its going to be an intruiging series.
Way to go India.........keep it up.

Meanwhile, the Aussies have managed to pull back at the Proteas in the test matches & are back at No 1 position. While most of us expected the South Africans to canter home against a new look Aussie team, somewhere, I believe, the overconfidence played its devil part & the SA team were nowhere near their world beating form. Two test matches lost on the trot & captain Greame Smith out with an injury, its again going to be a long haul for them. They have always been touted as the proverbial chokers, and they seem to lose the plot only when they are just about to close it. Wake up guys, you need to show more consistency to stay at the top. Full marks to Ricky Ponting & his new look team to regain the top spot…..so soon.

I reckon, its going to be a three way fight between Australia, South Africa & India for the top slot both in the test matches & the ODIs. C’mon Men in Blue…..its for you to conquer & reign…..
Chak de or Jai ho…… it’s the Indian tricolor that all of us are drooling to see & sing & dance…….