Chitralekha Valentine Day Special - Lalitbhai, Rekha bhabhi's love story

LOVE IN THE VALLY

So here is an unique Love Story of Rekha-Lalit Sheth of 'Raj Travels' published in the latest issue of CHITRALEKHA - the Valentine Day Special. The Gujarati story is by Chitralekha' Senior Journalist KETAN MISTRY and the following English trans-Created by KIRAN CH RAIVADERA... Here it goes:

In ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, a blockbuster of the yesteryear’s Yahoo Boy Shami Kapoor, a boy named Rajeev visits Kashmir and gets enamoured of Champa, a Kashmiri girl. 

  

This real story does precisely match the reel story in all its twists and turns. And of course in terms of romance as well. 

  

Way back in 1976, Lalit Sheth, a wide-eyed Kolkata boy is struggling hard in Mumbai to grab his share of success in travel industry, organizing trips for his clients. Around the time, he happens to see an ad in the paper: 

  

‘Learn skiing in Gulmarg’s Jawaharlal Nehru Institute..’ 

  

The ad ignites the boy’s adventure instincts and he instantly decides to take a plunge in learning skiing. Having done the 10-day course in Gulmarg, he spots an impressive looking hotel-Jahangir- on his way from Gulmarg to Srinagar. 

  

The hotel’s manager reveals that this is a new hotel and obviously needs business. On his part, Lalit Sheth says that he too is fresh in business and looking for such hotels for his clients. He offers assurance to confirm booking of 60 rooms every season on condition that his cooks will take care of the hotel kitchen. 

  

This heralds the advent of Raj Travels’ Kashmir chapter, which understandably necessitates Lalit Sheth’s frequent visits to Kashmir. From this point onwards, Lalitbhai takes over narration of the most fascinating part of the story. 

  

“Coming from an orthodox Kashmiri Pandit family, Rekha used to take care of various responsibilities at the hotel, chiefly looking after connecting and transfer of calls. When I needed to talk to Mumbai or any other place, she would connect the line for me. It is a different story that neither of us realized when we felt connected. 

  

At the time, it was a sacrilege to even glance at Kashmiri girls, let alone fall in love with them. Neither had seen the other, their interactions being confined to only telephonic talks. It was love at first sound, so to speak, and not love at first sight… 

  

Lalitbhai muses about the girl: how the girl, who is gifted with such a melodious voice and soft-spoken demeanor must look..! 

  

On her part, Rekha wonders how this mild-mannered boy would look like. 

  

At the end of the one year of telephonic association, Lalitbhai once musters up courage and meets Rekha. It is only then he realizes that she is a Kashmir ki Kali. It is irresistible for him not to propose to her. 

But his proposing to her did not alter the situation a bit, which remained exactly like the Kashmir imbroglio. It was still not clear whether her response was positive or negative. In the meantime, Lalitbhai’s father passed away at Kolkata. His mother was quite liberal. Lalitbhai would often prod Rekha to break the news to their respective families. But Rekha kept deferring by repeating every time, ‘not now’ 

  

Recalling those days, Lalit Sheth says, ‘one day, in the beginning of 1978, I just marched into her house. After self-introduction, I blurted out everything. I also made it clear that we would marry each other only after they give us a green signal and not otherwise..’ 

  

This sudden attack was followed by the stunned family members breaking into an animated debate among themselves in Kashmiri, not a word of which could be fathomed by Lalitbhai. At the end of what turned out to be a long, intense deliberation, Lalitbhai could figure out that they had given them a nod. 

  

Their approval was followed by a long exchange of correspondence between Kashmir and Mumbai. Interestingly, in this extended exchange of letters, Rekha would invariably shoot off questionnaires instead of wasting her time in sharing sweet-nothings. 

  

‘How and who would your mother worship?’ 

  

‘What would she make for breakfast and lunch?’ 

  

‘How would she greet and welcome guests?’ 

  

The objective was to learn everything about Gujarati culture, their food habits, the manners and etiquette, but wedding was yet a distant possibility. 

  

Thinking that enough is enough, Lalitbhai resolved to sort out the matter once and for all and headed for Kashmir. But as luck would have it, he could not locate the beloved’s house. Armed with a sketchy address, he failed to reach the desired destination.  Realizing that it was a futile trip, Lalitbhai decided to return when he bumped into a teary-eyed Rekha coming from the opposite direction. In fact, her father was seriously indisposed, she revealed with tears rolling down her face. 

  

Both reached her home where the bed-ridden father held Lalit Sheth’s hands and said with a lump in his throat, ‘it is good that you came. I am not sure how long I shall survive. Why don’t you both get married tomorrow?’ 

  

Lalitbhai was stunned. Marriage? Tomorrow? No relatives, not even mother? But there was no option. Reminiscing about those days, he says, ‘when I reached my hotel, another crisis was awaiting me. Some local extremist elements protested against our proposed wedding. I started getting life threats but mercifully, Rekha’s maternal uncle was a senior cop who reassured us that once we reached Bhawani temple the next day, he would take control of the situation thereafter. Again, when we reached Srinagar airport after the ceremony was over, protestors had lined up agitations, but we were unharmed thanks to foolproof security’ 

  

Those days Lalitbhai did not possess his own house. Somehow he raised money and bought a house in Borivali. The rest was of course taken care of by wife Rekha, who lent the home a warm and caring touch. 

  

In his 32-year married life, Lalitbhai shares, they underwent a lot of vicissitudes. His enterprise Raj Travels got enmeshed in a financial squeeze, but all this while, Rekha stood by him like a solid rock. Those days, besides their two children, his uncle, aunt and their kids would stay at his house. Never ever did Rekha grumble for a moment about having to take care of as many as eight people in the family. ‘I always loved her but now to this love was added a sense of respect for the way she ran my family’. 

  

On her part, Rekha confesses that the first three months after she went to Kolkata following her marriage were pretty tough, for Lalit had left for Japan on his tour. ‘It was too humid out there and there was no phone. I could neither contact my parents nor Lalit. Even back home my parents and others too kept worrying about me. But later everything began to fall in place. My mother-in-law was too loving and understanding, she made me an expert in the language and Gujarati manners etc. 

           

Today, both can speak each other’s language. While Rekha does converse in and read Gujarati, Lalitbhai can speak Kashmiri. 

  

He says that those days a boy from the Dasha Sorathia Bania family marrying a Kashmiri girl had triggered a mini furore, but today ‘our family has become a symbol of national integration: my son Akash has married an Assamese girl Priyanka whereas my daughter Shreya has married to a Punjabi boy - Jiten!'

Kshitij M Kotak, BE (Computer) Kshitiz, as he prefers to be called in personal and professional life, is an IT (computer systems) infrastructure services specialist working as CEO for his own enterprise, Fortune Grecells P Ltd having the mantra: Simplifying Complex IT. Personally, Kshitiz is very impressed with life and achievements of Dhirubhai. And regrets that he can never be like him. He is more sensitive than most of his peers and very attached to people he loves. An ardent believer in Saibaba, Kshitiz believes that even the pain inflicted by Him is to ensure that God is challenging him to see if his faith in Him is unaltered and that God is pre-poneing his pain to now when it can be withstood easier than at a later age.

As a professional, Kshitiz believes that there are 3 essentials to IT support... Computer systems should never go down, and if they do, must be brought up urgently. DATA must be protected, come-what-may. IT must help in enforcing processes, improving productivity and ensuring accountability; thereby paying for itself many times over in a measurable manner. Fortune Grecells thus has it's deliverables clear and unadulterated with mission statement that is equally well-defined: Simple, Authentic and Innovative. Fortune Grecells was thus probably the first amongst it's class to offer RIMS to US chain of stores across India with support. Everything at Fortune Grecells is fastidiously simplified by removing all the intimidating garbage that marks technology world-wide. Visit www.ITEasily.com* when you wish to purchase any computer related products to experience this first-hand. Fortune Grecells service focus is Small & Medium Businesses, typically sized between 2 - 200 employees, as Kshitiz believes in the Gandhian principle of small, self-reliant enterprises being better for this country. For this very segment, where there are less time and resources devoted towards the most critical aspect of business, its data, Fortune Grecells has innovated a data protection solution known as IT's BLACKBOX at a price that is affordable to these growing businesses, underlined with a peace of mind mission statement that says "Never Lose Data... Nor Sleep". * ITEasily.com, currently in a state of beta testing through soft-launch works on the principle of Best IT products, BETTER prices, EASILY.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I may not be here,

If that is HIS wish;

But as The Sun rises tomorrow,

Tell him not to fear.

Tomorrow as The Sun sets,

Tell him to reflect his solemnity;

By cooling behind the clouds,

And will accompany him the seven colours.

Tomorrow as the trees cool the earth with their shade

And as the winds through them sing;

Tell them to bring me some

Fine music with soulful songs of nature.

Tomorrow as The Moon,

Comes across the sky,

Tell him to donate me where-ever I am

Little feeling of his shining cool reflection.

Tomorrow as the waves,

Fight with the shores;

Tell them not to...

For they lovingly embrace each other.

Tomorrow as the flowers bloom,

Tell them to refuse themselves upon me;

Since neither would they be garnishing me

Nor would I sense their pleasantly intoxicating nectar.

Tomorrow if someone rise

To sing before my pyre;

Stop them with the might of Fire that burns me;

And expose their treacheries as liars.

Tomorrow if she thinks of me

Cry, do not for me, tell her;

For I won't be there to wipe her tears

I longed all my life to be with her...

Tomorrow even if even a drop of life remains in me

I would pray to God today itself

That tomorrow

I must not be here.

......Written in Sept. 1986.

My Shangri-La

My Shangri-La
-------------
What I write is
Not for you.. or anyone.
I write;
I write to serve myself out
Of the truth of being alone:
I know no one except me has read but...
by mere writing I feel
My feelings are shared
With everyone.

I write for myself,
Not for the world;
Although not about me
My feelings find a vent
Through my poems:
If possible, I would stop
And look at the world;
Neither from Zenith,
Nor from beneath...
I try to discuss on parity
With my poems...
I tell them I love them:
They never argue!

Neither is the fear
Of non-acceptance,
Nor of dreaded rejection;
At last there is someone who understands.

Neither do I look for the tune
Nor do they ask me for rhyme;
I do everything for one person:
I, me, myself
And poems are just my revolting commandos
Creating my own world…
My very own Shangri-La:
Where I am there,
Unknown, alone, untouched:

Yet the feeling of someone
Desiring my company
Telling me:
I love you
Persists.

I no longer have a dream

Today, as I write this, marks 50 days from the day Mumbai was liberated from terror and the day of Mumbai marathon supposedly marking resilience of Mumbai, the spirit of Mumbaikars. As today morning unfolded with over 40,000 taking to streets for the marathon, I could only notice the sombre mood post the initial mass hysteria. As if the Mumbai Marathon today was serving a grim reminder of the never forgotten realization of hopelessness, helplessness; of being ineffective and unable.

Let me clarify though, that neither was anyone of my loved ones in any of the affected places of The Leopold Café, The Trident, The Taj, Nariman House, CST, nor was I in any of these places but still I had felt as if I was everywhere… glued to my television watching the horror unfold in real time, my mobile phone buzzing continuously with SMS as we heard gunshots that felt right out of my bedroom window and blasts that sent tremors on the terrace of my home from 5 km away; my teenage child insisting to sleep with us parents as I lay awake completely stunned, first from the horror of terrible events and subsequently the complete lack of government response bordering on absolute and total apathy.

Terror was not in Kashmir, not in Assam, nor in Malegaon. Terror was now at home.

The flash of some of the bravest officers’ minutes before they were killed was being played on television screen; the slimy attack outside Metro theatre was virtually beamed live. Pictures that unfurled later made it clear that the gunshots we heard practically just out of the bedroom window were actually those; marking the bare handed struggle of our brave policeman, ASI Tukaram Ombale who took the many bullets fired point-blank from the AK-47 making the impossible convincing by not letting go of the lone arrested fidayeen, Mohammed Ajmal.

Much has changed after those days; I ask the cabbie if he has checked the boot, and suspiciously look at the young tourists curiously photographing the GPO and CST from around my office with haversacks lugged on their backs. More than those 3 days, the aftermath has changed much inside me. As a young computer engineer, I always wanted to do something for my country, live and die in India. This love for my nation continued even when my subs took my letters of recommendation to seize opportunities abroad.

Now I am not so sure.

For years, I thought we symbolized the new India; the hard working middle class that is on the elevator to progress not just as a witness, but being a part of the process, somewhere making a difference. Now, I think I am useless, worthless… one who can be shot at by any 20-some year old who lands from a boat without being noticed, without being detected, without being questioned, without being caught even when being seen on CCTV installations strolling on streets brandishing AK47 slaughtering the best of my security forces.

There may be many who would share my feelings… of being incompetent to change anything.

The fact is supremely etched in my mind that my motherland was brutally raped in front of the whole world and till date we are tied up, unable to break the shackles like cowards, like impotents. In everything we do, the terror we witnessed overshadows. Mumbai marathon today stands testimony to this fact as it was supposedly celebrating the spirit of Mumbai.

What spirit? That damp feeling of emptiness? Of being truthful and thus losers?

Mumbai marathon celebrated the resilience of Mumbaikars. Are we resilient? Or are we dented permanently?

Ironically, the 40,000 odd of us who participated in the dream run have seen our dreams, run.

Why there seems to be no aim, no purpose to survive? Why even the vision appears blurred? The demons from Pakistan have succeeded in bringing to fore our own demons of self-doubt that we had battled successfully to ensure our hard work put us on the expressways of progress. Those demons, declared dead long ago, have returned with vengeance. And not only have they returned they now occupy the centre-stage in everything we do. These demons of self-doubt have robbed us of our dreams of a better India that we intended to make true.

So many transformations of India that I had earlier contemplated witnessing during my lifetime seem to have vanished in thin air, now they no longer appear possible. So much I wanted to do but suddenly everything seems to be in vain. So many dreams that I had are now destined to remain just - dreams.

Friends, demons and countrymen, I solemnly state…

I no longer have a dream…

• I no longer have a dream of my nation becoming the land of opportunities; prosperous and leading the world, if the economic progress is not backed up by stringent national security; for what good is prosperity without peace?




• I no longer have a dream that my security forces shall be motivated to protect my country, be paid excellent salaries, provided world class living and working conditions and insured generously for financial security of their loved ones posthumously, so that they can discharge their duty with honour.




• I no longer have a dream that the highly educated of my country shall feel safe, valued, respected and rewarded to not want to emigrate to better treating countries.




• I no longer have a dream that we shall remain a nation united when even noble thoughts and deeds are muddled by divisive politics and factionalism.




• I no longer have a dream that each of my country’s cities shall have the best in the world public transport for decongestion of roads and superior security for decongestion of fearsome thoughts.




• I no longer have a dream that the people of my countryside shall stop migrating to cities for want of proper education, healthcare facilities and lack of suitable employment opportunities.




• I no longer have a dream that the JAGAT KE TAT of my nation shall stop committing suicide because farming gives them nothing more than bent backs and the burden of debts from money-lenders.




• I no longer have a dream that the farm-labourers of my country shall own the piece of land they work upon to promote a sense of belonging and pride, not to mention doing them their rightful justice.




• I no longer have a dream that every single citizen of India shall be compulsorily educated for free till completing secondary education to make them prepared and mature to wither every storm and not be swayed by divisive politics and unethical people.




• I no longer have a dream that my country shall have excellent connectivity across the length, the breadth and the DEPTH; not only of roads and cellular phones, but also of Internet connectivity to make them truly competitive world citizens.




• I no longer have a dream that the farmers of my country shall be able to sell their produce online direct to buyers at market rates and shall not have to let go of 90% of value to middlemen.




• I no longer have a dream that my country shall make the rich farmers pay for electricity and taxes from the greater income generated due to better infrastructure created for their benefit.




• I no longer have a dream that my country shall issue a uniform national Identity card for each citizen that would provide for him and enable him to perform his duties as its citizen.




• I no longer have a dream that my nation shall make the law and implement it too to not only provide for a holiday to vote on the day of elections, but also make it cognisable offence not to vote as failing in national duty.




• I no longer have a dream that my elected government shall stop acting like profiteering extortionists not losing a single opportunity to squeeze the common man dry and wanting.




• I no longer have a dream that my elected representatives shall stop behaving as owners of each piece of land, building and infrastructure in the cities.




• I no longer have a dream that my country’s bureaucracy shall stop behaving like majority partner in private enterprises threatening them with dire consequences in response to their genuine problems.




• I no longer have a dream of India without upheavals when we cannot reduce the economic disparity, and respect an individual not by the car he drives, but the heart that cares; not by Satyam he owns but the satya he practices.




• I no longer have a dream that my government shall listen to my voice, or even be bothered to hear my voice till the time I become capable to vote them out of power.




• In a nation that prints promissory on currency notes “I agree to pay the bearer a sum of rupees …”, but not on the Re. 1 note… not on coins, ostensibly called CHILLER… the
  CHILLAR people, the common man is screaming in a muffled voice…
  
  
  
  I NO LONGER HAVE A DREAM.

Kshitij M Kotak, BE (Computer) Kshitiz, as he prefers to be called in personal and professional life, is an IT (computer systems) infrastructure services specialist working as CEO for his own enterprise, Fortune Grecells P Ltd having the mantra: Simplifying Complex IT. Personally, Kshitiz is very impressed with life and achievements of Dhirubhai. And regrets that he can never be like him. He is more sensitive than most of his peers and very attached to people he loves. An ardent believer of Shri Sathya Saibaba, Kshitiz believes that even the pain inflicted by Him is a challenge of God to see if his faith in Him is unaltered and God is pre-poneing his pain to now when it can be withstood easier than at a later age.

As a professional, Kshitiz believes that there are 3 essentials to IT support... IT systems should never go down, and if they do, must be brought up urgently. Critical business DATA must be protected, come-what-may. IT must help in enforcing processes, improving productivity and ensuring accountability; thereby paying for itself many times over in a measurable manner. Fortune Grecells thus has it's deliverables clear and unadulterated with mission statement that is equally well-defined: Simple, Authentic, Innovative. Fortune Grecells was thus probably the first amongst it's class to offer RIMS to US chain of stores across India with support. Everything at Fortune Grecells is fastidiously simplified by removing all the intimidating garbage that marks technology world-wide. Visit http://www.iteasily.com/* when you wish to purchase any computer related products to experience this first-hand. Fortune Grecells service focus is Small & Medium Businesses, typically sized between 2 - 200 employees, as Kshitiz believes in the Gandhian principle of small, self-reliant enterprises being better for this country. For this very segment, where there are less time and resources devoted towards the most critical aspect of business, its data, Fortune Grecells has innovated a data protection solution known as IT's BLACKBOX at a price that is affordable to these growing businesses, underlined with a peace of mind mission statement that says "Never Lose Data... Nor Sleep". * ITEasily.com, currently in a state of beta testing through soft-launch works on the principle of Best IT products, BETTER prices, EASILY.

DISCLAIMER:

Feel free to use the contents of this article, in full or parts thereof, with no restriction what-so-ever as far as you credit me with each article and publish the correct address of my blog as http://kshitijkotak.blogspot.com. I shall not entertain any claims what-so-ever for the contents on this blog.

Know yourself... don't love yourself

People say that to love someone else you need to love yourself first.

Cock-N-Bull! The fact is exactly reverse.

Tell me who knows a person better than oneself? But if we know ourselves correctly and are truthful to ourself and not habituated to bluffing ourselves into hellucinating that we are good, we should all know how bad we are?

How many men would not have imagined infidel at mere look over a desirable female! How many ladies may not have ever imagined inappropriate postures when lured, voluntarily or otherwise! Dont we know what dark thoughts go on within us when no one else can read them? How many of us can claim to have not let an inappropriate thought not cross our mind? And how many of us have not excused ourselves into believing that by thinking we are not sinning?

In fact, we cheat ourselves into accepting the dark side of ourselves as natural influence. We may not sin, but given a chance we would have. How many people realize this fact about themselves? Only an honest person would recognize how ugly he is and how many dark secrets he has to guard.

In India, a Vidhur (widower) does not go to Smashaan (crematorium) when his wife expires because socially if he goes to Smashan for lighting pyre of his wife, he would not be considered as a candidate for remarriage by our society.

Imagine: The wife with whom he has spent years, with whom he has had the closest physical intimacy possible except that of a child being in mother's womb, a wife who had vowed to go with her husband and vice versa in every walk of life at the lagna vedi (marraige fireplace), vowed togetherness mantra (holy recitals), cannot even accompany her on her last journey out of this world!

Technically, he is right, these recitals talk of walking together in every walk of life, not in death.

So, if a person knows himself correctly and has the spiritual understanding of the right and the wrong, knowing all the wrongs that a person does in life, how can he love himself?

Ask yourself, do you love yourself?
Then ask again, have you been truthful?
The answer may be an eye-opener...

Why I complain here you are...

Twinkle twinkle unhappy stars... why I complain here you are...

Happiness is within us, say all the GURU.

But the fact is, our happiness depends upon others. If someone we love leaves us we are unhappy, if someone doesn't respond to our caring, we are unhappy, if someone tells us some rude words, we are unhappy, if someone is ungrateful, we are unhappy. Unhappiness, unhappiness, we search for you everywhere. And you are so easy to embrace!

But are we really unhappy because of others?

Imagine this: someone you love leaves you and you say you are unhappy because he/she left you. Sounds familier?

In reality though, you are unhappy because you felt hurt that how can he/she leave me? You feel hurt and unhappy because your ego and self-esteem went for a toss when your loved one left you. You felt inferior when they went away. So, in reality are you unhappy because of yourself or others?

You are unhappy because of your own rejection of natural acceptance due to someone's action of not acceeding to your expectations of them, right? Or confused even further?

Lets take a simpler example: Do you know why does a wife weep when her husband is dead? She does not cry because she feels for the death and his pain while death overtook him but cries because she feels, "Now what would happen to me? How will I manage? How will I get all the comforts he brought in? Oh My God! I would have to work, earn, manage things and be insecure without anyone being around to take care of me." How true!

The fact is, we all are human beings, and humans by nature are self-centric (read: SELFISH). We think about I, me, myself. You know why we expect love from others? Because we love them. The day we get above this feeling of love and GAIN KNOWLEDGE of the real truth that we love only myself, I and me, we stop being dependent upon others. We finally realize that we don't love others but love our love for them.

But once we know... will we stop being unhappy?

Nope.

We shall be even more unhappy and angry with ourselves.

So... dont worry, be happy.

searching for treasure?

The moment of joy spent under the willow,
The tear of the eye that wets your pillow,
Sometimes pain and sometimes pleasure,
When given by friends, both are a treasure...

Do U Miss Someone?

Do U Miss Someone............

Have u ever missed someone and felt terrible
because u think that he/she doesn't miss u?

Missing someone is terrible
but at the same time, a sweet feeling.

U will be sitting around wondering if u meant
anything to him/her.

Thinking if he/she ever cares about u.
Rushing to the phone once it rings hoping that
it's him/her.

Looking out of the window hoping that he/she will
surprise u by appearing downstairs.

Sitting in front of the television but thinking of
him/her, missing the final episode of your favourite show.

Laying on your bed, thinking of the last time u
were out together.

Thinking of how nice it will be to sit under the
stars again, talking about everything, your dreams,plans,future.

Logging on to the internet hoping to see him/her online.
When u realise that he/she isn't online and did
not return your mail, U will start worrying if he/she is okay.

Missing someone is a way of growing up i guess.

It exposes u to loneliness.
It teaches u how to cope with being lonely and lets u
know that there is actually a feeling known as emptiness.....

Sometimes it feels good to miss someone.

U know that u really care and u indulge in the feeling of
loving/caring for him/her.

But missing someone and not knowing if he/she is
feeling the same is terrible.

U feel as if u are being left alone.
So if u miss someone, tell him/her and let them know.
At the same time, ask if they miss u.

Don't let the feeling of missing someone become jealousy or paranoia.
If u are the one being missed and u know it, let the other party know.
If u miss him/her too, tell them. Don't let them wait.

And if the one you are missing can't/doesn't reciprocate,
MOVE ON!!
Life is short, so instead of being hurt & waiting around-Move on!!

Belive in Urself & life, there's someone out there waiting to miss U too...

PAIN...

You tell me...
That being ordinary is not pain,
... I agreed!

You explained to me...
That failing repeatedly is not pain,
... I agreed!

You made me understand...
That being belittled by undeserving is not pain,
... I agreed!

You helped me make decision...
That letting go when you cannot hold back is not pain,
... I agreed!

You showed me life is worth living...
That not being able to end life when desired is not pain,
... I agreed!

But today when you...
Don't see my suffering; don't acknowledge my pain,
... I agree...

Your not understanding me is my pain!
Don't you see this?
Don't you agree?

Message from God... Worth reading...

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?
2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all...God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.
3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.
4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.
5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.
6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?
7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.
8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.
9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.
10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget......

Sometimes, people use us, and we let them, cz we are selfish...

Ram was used & abused in his personal life. He was ditched by his wife, who took divorce from him to marry someone else because Ram was not earning enough to keep her in the glory she wanted to afford. Believe me, they had a love marriage. And during the time they filed for a divorce & courts approved it, they stayed together... All the time Ram knew that she was going out with the person she ultimately got married to, while he was out to work.

The next day of divorce, Ram's ex-wife married her new love, her new boyfriend.

Ram, subsequent to divorce worked for an IT MNC & made huge money in salary & much more in incentives. Today, Ram has left all work & has taken a virtual Sanyas! He works for a supposed-to-be NGO, for free. His ex-wife has twins from her new husband & sometimes calls Ram to tell him that she wants to spend her life with him after the kids grow up.

Ram, you know it, you are being used and her lies of wanting to stay with you also are never going to be true. But still, you are continuing to live in the virtual cocoon built by gopsel of deceit because you want to live in that fairy tale someday.

Wake up Ram, I know God is there... but there is no guarantee you would be rewarded by Him for your good.


Kshitiz (23rd Jan, 2007)
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Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good human being is hoping the bull not to hurt you because you are a vegetarian... (I wish to know who wrote this one)

Proud to be Indian?!!!

We are Indians. We are proud to be Indians! After all, we have culture, values, parental respect and society that values the aged! We are God fearing Indians who donate millions for setting up temples or for etching own names on even a small marble plate in some community hall or some place of worship.

Scratch the surface of this donor & you would discover the same person who donated a fortune for a roof over God has rented out his 2nd flat to make more money but his 40 year old son stays in a single bedroom alloted to him by his earstwhile donor father, that too with his wife & teen-aged kids & he is accountable for every penny he spends on his wife & children to his father because as an Indian he respected the value of taking care of aged parents. This is not my pigmented figment of imagination, I really have a 40 year friend who leads such a life and his father has rented out another house and demands accountability for every rupee spent by him on his family. But we Indians are great! We live by values, doesn't matter however low that value is.

And we believe in God... What does God do to these people? Nothing... Just like the traffic police, if you are caught jumping a signal, you are subjected to a fine, God also sleeps when such people break the laws of humanity. We say, justice delayed is justice denied. What does God do? The same as Indian Law? If He decides to wake from His slumber to punish the tormentor, the tormentor will get punished, but you get punished every living moment of life, if you are the tormented.

Open the pages of any newspaper on any day and you would come across at least one news of honour killing. Some do it physically and brutally and get caught. Most do it silently, psychologically. Find any Indian parents whose children express wish to get married to someone genuinely good, BUT of their own choice, & parents overnight get transformed into 10 headed Ravans, with each of the brains in the 10 heads of Ravan starting to work synchronously towards separating the lovers. How many Indians have seen this happen in their friend's home, or their neighbour's, or their own!

How many proud pappas of obedient daughters should be hanged till death for gifting their daughters a life time of rape by getting them married to someone other than the one they wanted to marry? How many parents should be imprisoned for life because they imprisoned their children by deceiving them into separation from someone they loved? Most do not even come to know of the tricks played by their family. They use tactics of threat, the eternal ones being telling the young man to get lost from their homes, and the young woman witnessing father or mother sitting with a filling of cough syrup in a bottle of poison and threatening to commit suicide if she decided to not make her dreams commit suicide. Such are our values.

In my opinion, these people should be stripped of the very powers they vest, their homes, their financial powers, and also their very status as parents. Yes, we are Indians, of the 21st century. Proud Indians, with culture, with 330 million Gods, but not enough human.

God - please awaken...

You always tell me to keep faith in God and keep working hard.

Professional:
You know that all that I worked hard for is dis-credited & rewards given to people whose only job in life is licking boots of their bosses. There are clients who are 100 times bigger than me, but are not ashamed to ask for favours from me. However, when it comes to providing security to me their professional compulsions suddenly become the nucleus of discussion. Where was the professionalism when they asked for and took favours?

Do you know that almost every customer expects me to cheat? Otherwise I am not to earn. The problem is, I cannot cheat. I can't cheat for the fake fear of God, so am I to languish? Why does the teaching, "Good work is always noticed & REWARDED", not leave me alone while singling me out to NEVER REWARD. Forget being thankful for the extra miles we go, there are customers who are always feigning dissatisfaction to ensure that I am under pressure and they can extract much more than they deserve or pay for.

I am into knowledge services and it has taken me years to learn what I have learnt, without help, without support, with people downgrading me at all times. Now do you know there are people who ask me, "How much does it cost you to provide this service?" As if I am to earn some profits above my labour costs. What about the years and months I have spent to learn my expertize! They will pay everyone who can demand and can take them to ranson, but I have to give everyone every single accounts statement I have to prove my costs. And then, I have to fight for profits. Why am I pitted against people who are loss makers for the companies I serve, but since they have the ability to lick, they are provided with every amenity and are provided amnesty against every crime (even forgery and conspiring against their own company and taking bribes) because their USP is that they know how to lick and suck up to their seniors. Under these circumstances I am discouraged to provide any explanations or to prove my point? I am honest, I am competent, accept me as I am, or get lost... unfortunately, I cant say it in so many words to people who should listen to this...

Family:
Family members usually extract assistance from me gave but gave me a thumbs-down when I needed help. Some of them even politiked to put me down permanently, but when they could not stomp over me, they maligned me. I will talk of 2002 when I needed work but I was summarily thrown out by a FAMILY MEMBER whose work I did for years and who I had saved from huge damages and legal hassles as also from probable imprisonment. Instead of standing by and assisting, he misbehaved with me, made allegations against me which were later proven wrong, but I had to leave my position.

Even earlier, when I was fighting for my most precious belonging, family members took anti-posture. In fact, not outsiders, but my parents cheated me and all the other relatives toed their line since their interests lay in aligning with them... after all, what could I have ever been: A LOSER!? Can you imagine being cheated by your own parents... who are supposed to be our shelter and supposed to be our most trust-worthy, unselfish confidante? But I guess, they are supposed to be... thats it. It is said that when you need advise, you get plenty of help; but when you need help, all you get is advise. Family members are like that, they come to greet and eat, but when it comes to stand-up for you, they squat.

Friends:
Friends are supposed to be your pillars of strength, but you know that so many of my friends used me as needed me and subsequently displayed their true qualities when they made it big in life. I wrote CVs for my friends who could not get jobs. I wrote not only their CV, but also trained them for interviews, mock tests and reahersals. They got the job, settled in life, but never acknowledged that in the thick of ill health I toiled for them ignoring my personal welfare. Instead of showing gratitude, they snapped contact once they achieved foreign placements which defined their career path.

You also know about my friend whose nincompoop brothers I trained to become a respectable human from the raw animals they were. You also know that I became a victim of Blood Pressure training them for which they rewarded me by unceremoniously leaving my company when I never anticipated. Do you know that they even fraudulently took away money which I have not even asked them to return? Then there is this great friend whose company I bailed out for years. Now he wants money but does not provide services and worse, he also fails to acknowledge that problems exist.

My pillars of strengths are parasites, eating away my strength.

I have lost hope - even from God:
Tell you honestly, this country is of swines, crooks & pigs. World believes the best form of habitat is through democracy, where everyone is equal. But if democracy was good, God would have been democratic, He would have been an equal father of all in this world. Instead, it is God where inequality begins. He gives opportunities to some & leaves all others to fend for themselves. Looks, ascendants, history, intelligence & money; where did God give us equally?

I know from Bill Gates' book to not expect the world to be fair with me. But then, what wrong have I done that everywhere I have been cheated? Am I paying for my past life's sins? Or am I doing wrong in this life? I do not even want to cheat my customers, when in business my only aim should be to make money. Can't God reward me for my nobility? Can't He see that I have been good to His subjects? Can't He take up my cause and punish the guilty? Why is God so helpless? He is supposed to be The Almighty. I have faith in Him since there is no one else to turn to... and by birth we are taught to pray to Him... What would He do if I am out to punish my tormentors? Why should I suffer? I am burning from within... my soul is suffering... why does He not step in? Why should He do something for me after I am beyond repair?

I have been damaged, having suffered diabetes and a hypertensive heart condition in the past quarter. Will God step in only after my death? Or would He be kind enough to kill me to not extend my suffering!

Wake up God - I

All of us try to do good deeds, or at least do deeds that we think to be good. Why? Because we all fear God, believe that God exists & our karma, good or bad, catches up with us. Essentially, we try to be good for our own selfish motives, for we crave to lead a good life & be rewarded by God. If there is anything more compelling, its the fear of God striking us back for our bad karma, multiplying the punishment many times over.

The primary question however remains is, does God exist? I believe yes, he exists, but now-a-days it seems that He wakes up ONLY for the rich & successful; just like the law, the police & the banks. At the temples too, there are 2 queues (if not more), for the VIPs and for the ordinary masses (And they say, for Him, all are equal).

Everyday we come across people who have similar story to tell with varying characterizations. Find me one person who has not wasted his life's important years & sometimes even an opportunity of a lifetime for others? It could be you, your neighbour or a relative. These victims have risked their lives, careers, finances, relations, EVERYTHING - for others who ultimately dumped them unceremoniously once their use was over and done with.

And pray, what does God do to their dupers? He has rewarded the manipulators. The poor victims have lived as losers to see their tormentors enjoying success, all the while burning from within with helpless frustration & impotent anger which ruins their health, social standing and balance of mind, severly affecting their quality of life and their dependents', as well as ultimately shortening their life span.

The victims are never able to pay back the tormentors because they are scared. Scared of God. If their God, their conscience within, would have allowed them to harm, they would not have taken home the bitter taste of being used & abused in the 1st place, but would have struck back with a vengeance. Since he has God within him, the poor guy is left languishing, witnessing the glory of scoundrels who ruined him while the crooked one basks in glory earned out of victim's contribution?

The tormentor keeps intimidating perpetually; only the victim's identity changes. God neither punishes the guilty nor shows them their place under the Sun. The good ones suffer because they believe that God exists, & KARMA ticks.

Time to wake up, God... make Your presence felt, I would want to keep praying to You & not be out to scientifically verify Your very existance. (Not that this threat bothers You, You might only laugh off my thoughts as "being foolish" as I keep waiting to see your awakening.)

Kshitiz (21st January, 2007)
(Modified slightly on 1st February, 2009)