Social Media V/s Long Phone Calls.

As soon as I landed at Mumbai, I checked my blackberry it was full of messages and also I got my Facebook Notifications. I was happy to see so many people writing to me. What made me more happy was a call from home. However, what made me more happy was a call from home asking if I have reached safely.

Coming back from a foreign trip after 2 months where I was not using a cell phone, I realised that there is something missing in my daily schedule. It took a month for me to realize that the thing was ‘Phone calls’. It might be a thing of the ‘passe’ with the encroachment of the messenger on the phone. You have Blackberry, Whats app, E buddy, Message Packs and now even facebook chat on phone.

So what’s missing in this age of high tech communication? Well firstly a phone call establishes one to one connection. As you are involved with the person you are talking to and you guess their expression through their tone. While the chat system, enables multiple communication so there is no guarantee that your message has the desired effect on the listener. Besides, smileys are not equipped enough to covey emotions. Take the example of your birthday. What will you like more? Someone singing Happy Birthday to you.. or someone writing on a chat’ Hey, Happy Birthday! Cheers J‘.

Also, the chats have a standard format wherein you start with something like ‘Hey! Wass up?’ and then you speak a few lines. After that there is a kind of an awkward moment and you stop texting. Besides, once a phone call is made one topic leads to other and you end up sharing so much information and emotions that there is a sense of satisfaction. The chats seldom provide you that.

So, I thought I should call up my good friend and hold a conversation with her. However, we were sans topic in the 2^nd minute. This was the impact social media had created. As, I write this blog through a medium which is nothing else but social media, I make a genuine effort to start using the telephone. As it makes me nostalgic and the long night conversations which I had which took me to the height of self-discovery begin again.

Can you hear my appeal? Hello!

Learning the Musical Way

Intro: All of you must have enjoyed listening to a particular song or a piece of music. After all, music is a mode of expression and a peaceful treat! But have you ever tried learning the musical way?

Music is not only a stress-buster but it also teaches many things. Learning a musical instrument not only develops a talent but it also teaches many qualities which one may not learn through any other activity. There are a lot of musical instruments to choose from.One can choose any instrument according to his interests. And if you think it is boring and useless thing to learn a musical instrument. Just go through the following benefits of music, your decision will surely change!

The biggest advantage of learning music is that the person playing it gets involved with it. There is a passion related to music and one cannot get away from it. The passion is contagious. Playing music builds up concentration as to play something good, you have to listen it well and play it with full attention. You have timing, counting, dynamics, mood, speed involved in perfect playing of a musical instrument.You also need co-ordination between the mind and the body for this. When one develops both of these skills, confidence and show-manship are next to follow as one has to finally present what he has learnt.

Playing music also has other added advantages. Over all, the process to learn to play music is relatively slow. But, like many things, there are times you may advance quickly, and times when you may struggle. Thus, it teaches patience and perseverance. If you really start to enjoy your music, you tend to start meeting likeminded people. Thus, the social network increases. It also encourages discipline and team-work. Playing music is something that can be done in just about any mood. So, the sorrow when one has in a bad mood can be greatly lessened. And most important, it encourages creativity! It is clean,good and healthy fun. On the positive aspects of playing music, John Thapa , a music teacher feels “ Music is a good teacher as it not only deveops talents but also the learning process is very enjoyable and challenging. Nashikites have understood this concept to some extent. As, every month I’ve twenty new admissions for learning some musical instrument!”

Come on, friends…whether old or small, music is for you all! Start learning a musical instrument from now on for even though you don’t excel in it, you will surely excel in other spheres of your personality!

Devotion through filmy songs?

Film songs pep up the fun quotient and make the event enjoyable.

Ganeshotsav is one of the most celebrated festivals as it has it all; devotion, social gathering, beautiful pandals and even gives social messages. But there are certain unjustified actions on the part of the mandals like expressing devotion by playing bollywood numbers at loud volume. This loud noise not only disturbs concentration,

But causes a lot of health problems.

When asked is this way of expressing devotion justified, Rakesh, who is a member of a Ganpati mandal answers, “I personally think that Ganesh festival is an occasion for people to get together and entertain themselves. Film songs pep up the fun quotient and make the event enjoyable. There is no harm in playing film songs at the mandals. But care should be taken that vulgar songs should not be played.”

There are some whose exams are going on and can’t study because of the ‘music’. Saurabh, a student preparing for SSC tells, “There are 3 mandals in our locality and each wants to display its popularity by competing with sound systems. They play latest songs at high decibels. Due to this, the sound is mixed and no song is properly heard. Though they follow the ten pm limit, the sound is enough to dilute the holy atmosphere at the mandals. I feel that people should refrain from playing them.”

While some people like Ronit Sarkar have a neutral view, “Ganeshotsav like every aspect of our life is being commercialized. Film songs can be played as they add to the entertainment but more importance should be given to the rituals and the volume should be up to the level that people in 10 meters radius can hear.”

Some amount of entertainment is always necessary to add colour to our rich tradition and customs but this should not be at the cost of other citizens’ inconvenience. As to behave as responsible citizens is our greatest tradition!

Happy New Year!

The new Year is going too fast. I hope everyday of the year is considered as the birth of a new life so that we get engrossed in celebration and don’t realize how the time passes. So the biggest advantage of new year is that it makes you the best thing about yourself i.e. ‘life’.

Other benefit of the new year being it makes you think. Well to think is important as in our normal routine we are doing things according to others thinking. We are mere puppets in the stage of the world. New Year empowers us with the power of being the director of the next year. It helps you to decide your own story yourself.

Another joy of new year is that it brings you close to your loved ones. As in forming your plans for the new year you start forming a mental list of people who you want to spend the new year with. Although you may end up spending new year with someone else completely, the feeling of wishing those people in the mental list is priceless.

The best thing you can gift yourself on the new year is the time for yourself as no one else in the world has the power to gift you such a gift. It may in the form of spending on something you don’t usually do.

If you recollect the new years so far and the resolutions you made, you can’t actually remember them. That doesn’t stop us from taking a resolution every year. The whole point of taking a resolution is not achieving it, it is realizing the importance of a particular aspect of your life which you think you are missing. Sometimes even acknowledgement is important.

If all the resolutions you made would have made shall have come true would you have enjoyed life so much like you are doing now. Its really fun at not being perfect.

If you are still not convinced that there is something new about this new year let narrate an anecdote to you.

I was travelling by train from my hometown Nasik to Mumbai, the city where I’m pursuing my graduation on 31^st. I really didn’t have any plan of the new year. The journey was not that comfortable as I didn’t have a reserved seat. Finally when Kalyan arrived a group of passengers got down and I got some place to sit comfortably.

I tried to grab some sleep so that I could be awake to spend the new year. My sleep was broken by a beggar with most parts of her body burnt. I was terrified as it was not the most pleasant sights to be woken up with. I usually don’t encourage beggars but she was determined. I asked her to move ahead but she argued that she needed money to celebrate the new year like me celebrating.

I was taken aback by thought of celebrating a year of hope even by a beggar with his body burnt. So if you are depressed just find yourself in the beggars shoes and you will realize that you don’t need a ‘burning desire’ to be happy about the coming year.

Lastly, if your celebration was simple and self-satisfactory be happy about it. As with time you will realize that people who will ask you how did you celebrate your new year are actually the ones who want to show off about their celebrations. They are actually not happy about the fresh annum ahead and are trying to compensate it with materialistic pleasure.

The old year is over,

The new year has arrived,

Celebrate the joy of life,

As a year is always a date which will come and go

How you make this date into a fulfilling day

Is the real talent you have to show!

Speed Dating.

Gone are the days when girls would wait for their ‘Prince Charming’ or guys would go through all the filmy ordeals to get their ‘Miss Perfect!’ After all, it’s the age of ‘fast food’, and if its influence was not enough, the intrusion of western culture has affected our social bonding also. Formerly, being seen with a person of the opposite sex was met with suspiciously raised eye-brows and countered with infinite questions. Not to forget the wagging tongues of the rumour mongers. But now, it has become a routine and everyday affair. No wonder, one finds teenagers boasting of their latest crush, albeit a little nonchalantly..

When asked about the transition, Vishal, a 2^nd year commerce student says, “I remember getting embarrassed in class 10^th when I was paired up with a classmate. Then, I would even find it strange to talk with girls. But, times have changed and how! I have more friends in girls than guys.” On being asked about his love life he adds smilingly, “Well, I had three girlfriends till now and my list of crushes is unending. Nowadays, guys are good at multi-tasking when it come to having girlfriends!”

Girls, who were considered to be emotional and sensitive, are now bold and frank about relationships. Dhvani supports this point and tells, “The girls no longer wait for the guy to approach them. They are open enough to tell about their guy friends and even introduce them at home. Though girls are comparatively slower than guys to enter into relationships, now they are willing to experiment. Even parents are becoming more open minded and accommodating. They just need to be kept informed.”

Coming to the point, what it requires to make a date, Siddharth, replies, “Actually, it doesn’t require looks or intelligence. You just need to be well-groomed and well-spoken. Guys also need have some money to spend. You also don’t need to be emotional and possessive about such relationships.”

All said and done, what are you waiting for? After all it is very difficult to wait for the right person especially if the wrong ones are so cute and exciting. So, Happy Experimenting!

Quanti-tea!

Well this article is meant to focus on the functioning of the pantry car of the Indian Railways:

Trains are generally associated with the freshness of travelling and nothing better than the tea for the company. However, being an avid tea-lover, I have come across this problem of Quantity of the tea. Well, you may argue that our nation has other issues to focus on, then why such an irrelevant issue on getting a minute amount of tea lesser in every cup which others actually ignore.
Whenever, I asked the pantry boy he always had an answer, that he is forced by the manager to serve less volumes of the beverage. On further inquiry, the pantry car manager shrugged the blame to the pantry contractor.
And I believe the quotation which the contractor gives to the government includes the billing for the indegrients of 200ml of tea. I argued this fact with the manager and he said 'Take one cup free but don't bother me.'
The question was not of one cup. It was of lakhs of cups served everyday. So, i counter questioned him this time ' If you can give me one cup free, without me actually paying and you not accounting for it. Why can't you in the similar way, honestly check if the glasses are filled up to the prescribed quantity?'
He didn't reply but I had got my answer.
After all, its the right quantity of honesty required on the individual level not the quantity of blame-game, to serve the perfect quanti- tea!

P.N.: I'm not sure what effect this caused on the pantry car manager. Yet, I believe if we all begin and start asking the right questions to the 'wrong people' some quantity of pause for a cause can be nurtured