MERRY X-mas

I googled "Merry Christmas" and guess what! Ok I'l tell you anyway.
There was no reference of Christmas being a Christian advent (apart from the old faithful Wikipedia's). The bigger shock (rather anticlimax) was that I got the same kind of results for a "Christmas" search.

True, while Christmas celebration and the "holiday season" transcends all religion and regions in the present global village, I find it kind of disappointing in the over-commercialisation of this lovely and yet significant day.

Carefully trying to avoid being a Scrooge, while as expressing my views on this, I would like to hear your opinions as well.

Firstly, what would kids nowadays associate as the "Mascot" of Christmas? No prize for guessing here. Santa Claus, not of the Santa & Banta jokes. Ol Saint Nick the great patronizer. Nothing dastardly wrong here except to learn that some kids think Christmas is Santa's birthday. Even church programs include having a Santa for the kids. Its almost taboo to leave out Santa for Christmas nowadays. Google image search for Christmas has almost all Santa themes, and none of nativity on the first page.

Secondly, whats with all the decorations, and all so very expensive? Do we know that the Christmas tree tradition is of pagan origin. I have no qualms about the idea per se. But this I do - why should we incorporate the use of something which does not exist in our country or state in our celebration. Jesus was born in Israel. Christmas trees was apparently started by the Norwegian people. We want a Christmas tree, fine! Lets use our own - maybe the Jamun tree, lets use mango leaves and palm leaves for decoration. Holly is not Indian (and far from being a native of Mizoram). We pay 5000 bucks for a plastic imitation of an old pagan European custom symbol, which is made in China and sold in India so we can feel closer to the meaning of the incarnation of God???????

Don't get me started on shopping, seriously.

Ok I can already feel the "hambug" accusation here, but, I am not a spoilsport. I just think that rather than having the "traditional" X-mas symbolism adapted from an different region, lets have our own. Why, we already have (sort of)a few Christmas tradition in Mizoram, which, when done in the right spirit, are quite....Christmas-sy or simply "Masi". Like - roasting chicken, eating "chhangban" kan, carol rounds, visiting orphanages, and the uplifting festive mood across all ages AND the community feast.
Let us hold on to these and not try to "dilute" our own style and "tradition" blindly. Lets tell our future kids what Christmas is really all about. Lets learn and pass on that its better to give than receive.

Peace on earth good will to Man is indeed the greatest gift of all
"Aw a va mawi em he ni lawmawm hun tawite hi"

What's in a name

How many times have you been asked “What is your good name?”

My “good” name? It’s Mr. I’m-getting-really-bugged-with-Indian-English; would you like to know my “bad” name as well? By the way how do you know this is not my good name? Were you expecting a better one? Or shall I tell you my worse name, umm actually that was what my teacher called me when I didn’t know who build the Taj Mahal…..I think?? Or was it the one I was called with when my dad found out I gave myself a half-day off from school, without informing the teacher…oops slipped my mind, it happens, you know!! Anyway coming back to the name bit, what’s so good in a name? I mean there is nothing bad about your name, or having a name; it’s just a name, what you are called as by your friends, colleagues and family..and the rest of the 6 billion souls ; if only they met you, and read your name tag, well if you happen to have one on when they met you, of course not all at a time, I mean that would be statistically or physically impossible; and why on earth would you be having a name tag unless you were going for a conference or an interview, in which case, you are more likely to be having a number…like in prison.

And what is this thing called “Surname” or is it “Sur name”? Whatever the correct term is, I can do without it? Me, I have my Name, my family’s name and that’s it. Of course I also got my “pet” names, shortened names modified and sometimes affectionate ones – by which I am called, hollered, yelled at or texted. But, I ask you dear sir/madam, what in the name of…umm…what in the world is a “SUR”? To me, it doesn’t sound very pleasant, reminding me of similar sounding words like “sour” or “slur”

So I ask you again dear friends, what is a “sur”? but then, what’s in a name?

Of black pen, Bullet & "Bai"

There are very few things in life that could give a child a feeling of achievement as that of the transition from using a pencil to pen. The mighty, mighty pen -the symbol of maturity. As far as I can remember, I had been using black pens (black inked or refills, not a physically black coloured pen…duh). Why?I cant entirely explain, but I have been giving it some thought lately. Maybe because I wanted to escape the uniformity of using blue pens which is so cliché. I guess you can say I have a fetish for slightly unusual (not so, but just different) things (or this could be the extension of one’s need to be unique). I remember hanging out with frens who were not so popular – like a lanky Bengali lad, one very dirty boy (he never washed his clothes on weekdays) and another who by now had been convicted. I didn’t play or enjoy football as a kid, which was and still is almost religiously followed in Mizoram. And I still don’t. But I still play active basketball when most guys my age are happy to sit back and watch EPL on TV and call themselves “sport-lovers.” (not to mean a certain wedding planner here). I drive a 2^nd hand Bullet in spite of being very conscious about fuel price and mileage (the Indian effect), cos a Bullet is different and it totally rocks !! After years of ridicule, I am finally enjoying pork but I don’t go ga-ga over it or willing to kill for a piece. In fact, I have always opted for vegetarian food during my undergraduate years (very non tribal-like, I know). I don’t eat “bai” …why? don’t ask me cos I don’t know, I just don’t eat it. I don’t drink tea…tho I enjoy iced tea, and there’s a heaven n hell difference between the two. When my frens cram the whole night for a test or exam, I sleep at ten…..not because I know everything, but because I really don’t think much of last minute slogging.

I guess everyone is unique in his own way and when we learn to appreciate each others uniqueness and difference maybe we'll be better off a a species. And I write with a black pen.

Lessons from the other MJ

Of course you know him, at least if you are under 40 years Or if you remotely follow sports in some way, you cannot not know him. Ladies & gents, I'm talking about "His royal airness" "The best ever?" "?the greatest athlete of all time"....standing 6 foot 6, less than 5% body fat, soaring over guys almost a foot taller than him, poetry in motion ....the greatest Basketballer you would have ever seen -MICHAEL JORDAN.

Ok maybe I overdid the intro....and yes I'm not going to talk ablout him or his life but rather another basketball great....nicknamed The Admiral....the 7foot center of San Antonio Spurs - David Robinson. At the start of his illustrious career, MJ was at his peak, winning the NBA championship 3 times in a row. When Robinson watched that momentous ceremony on TV seeing MJ kissing the trophy, tears flowing down his cheeks, he thought "Something is wrong with this picture", "Is that what I want to be doing in my life?" "Sweat, bleed and give my all...so that in the end I can kiss a piece of metal?"

David Robinson rose in his career to be inducted into the NBA hall of fame, remembered as onr of the best Big Men to have played the game, won the championship and gave a beautiful testimony professing his faith in God in front of millions of TV viewers. He is also a well known philantrophist, an exemplary role model who has donated thousands to help kids finish their schooling.

David Robinson saw the big picture; he saw what many people missed out; saw what really mattered, rather at that point, he saw what DIDNT or WILL NOT matter in the big picture of life. Like many other basketball stars, his biggest inspiration was the great Michael Jordan, but of course, how? quite differently!

Patience - All we need is just a little

On a scale of 1 -10, I would consider myself score maybe 8, if you ask me how patient I am. Maybe bordering on to 9 if you take the subset of the Indian population. Thankfully,over the past 3 decades I have learnt to control my once fiery temper and fidgety mind to what I would now label serene, calm, somewhat still-irritable-but-stable and a little laid back.

However certain things in life, however silly they may sound, still do tick me off like-

1. Mosquitoes (especially those which start buzzing after u turned off the lights)

2. Child labour and unwarranted beating of children

3. Indians never able to queue for anything

4. Auto drivers cramping the roads trying to overtake other vehicles when it least matters

5. People lighting a cigarette in my house without taking prior permission

6. The sight of all Indian passengers rising up from their seats as soon as the plane touch down ( is it too much for them to comprehend that we all will be waiting together for luggage to arrive anyway)

7. Cruelty to animals

8. Those who treat the whole world as a big dustbin

9. The ever increasing cost of chicken biryani (or the shrinking serving portion)

10. People who think that elevator buttons have a “hurry” sensor which responds to excessive and rapid pressing

Hey I’m not that gloomy or “recess”-ed. Many things do make me happy as I have already posted and will do again. Til then, happy thanksgiving!

It's a small victory

It's a small victory for the common guy like me

1. To check out your old school snaps and realise that you are now taller than the big bully of Class5
2. To find Rs.100 in one of ur pant pockets/in a book/under the matress
3. To cook a full course meal (rice, alu & dal) and enjoy it thoroughly
4. To meet ur high school crush (who gave u the cold shoulder) and finding out she's not all that hot
5. To top-up ur pre-paid mobile phone with full talktime offers
6. To score a 3-pointer in a basketball game OR hit a six in cricket
7. To meet a celebrity
8. To wake up at 6 am and not feel sleepy
9. ...and to have a good "go" in the morning
10. To be able to complete this post knowing that I have night duty coming up, form entries and a seminar the next day and still feel good enough to be able to post this

An Evening Ride

Ol ye Faithful - O'Pooja at the start of the climb of Balumathi Hill, Vellore countryside


One of the 10 hairpin bends on the way to the top


Miles to go


a breathtaker on the roadside


Glazed


Going back


Mansion on the hilltop


Btw, my bike broke down on the way back