P.S…Mum I Love You

Remember VIRUS from 3 idiots? And his Power nap of 7.5 minutes? :):)

I, too, am on a Power Break these days; Power Break of 3-4 days. I am with my parents, especially my Mum, having loads of fun and frolic, yummy food and dishes, shopping, long chats about dresses, hairstyles, lifestyle, home, furnishings, relationships and much more. It’s total fun-a world away from the world.

Courtesy: Google Doodle

But it’s not been the same since ever. It’s the same oh-so strict and tough Mom who ensured every intricate detail to inculcate discipline in our lives. Getting up on time, fixed playing hours, home-work on time, no bunk from schools, eating all veggies and that porridge, keeping our rooms and Almira tidy-in short, a total no-non-sense. Whether school or extra curricular activities, she has always inspired spontaneously. That’s how she nurtured a few skills too, in us. But at the same time, kept us always grounded. I remember getting even 98% marks at a time in school and still feeling ‘I could have performed better, had I attempted that exam question as she had taught me to’.

Like all other mothers, she has been protective too but never let her tears or emotions dwindle us. Instead, she kept things so convenient for us, providing all the comforts required, which we could never even realize as kids. Warm and nutritious food, clean and ironed clothes, neat and tidy rooms, in short taking care of our minutest necessity without even making us realize she’s doing it for us. Now that I manage my household, I can comprehend what pain she’s been taking all these years to make sure we are conveniently carrying out our chores and assignments. It’s now that I recognize she’s so much like me only (I know it’s vice-versa, but  I knew only myself till so many years) but she kept herself aside in nourishing us perfectly.

Courtesy: Google Images

Even today I wonder how convenient things seem to be, when she’s there, how I don’t need to put any effort in any planning or scheduling, how her mere presence makes everything seem so simple, so conducive. How sharing every minute detail with her gives so much of assurance and confidence that we are on the right track. How she always has some better idea/suggestion in every respect (sorry Papa, this is applicable to you as well, but it’s Mother’s Day, so today you can surely call me Mummy ki Chamchi).

Don’t know if I can ever become that indispensable part for my family but wherever I am, whatever I am, I’ll always need my Mommy.

P.S…Mum I Love You!!!

It’s the time to think ‘inside’ the box

What is the most interesting thing you have come across lately? What one single thing that amazed/shocked you in recent times?

The huge percentiles that people accomplish in CAT & other exams year after year or the cut-off list ending at mere 95% for the top universities; the dance performances by those young chaps in dance reality shows or Archana Pooran Singh’s hysterically continuous laughter in those comedy shows; the flashing breaking news for Sachin’s ‘shatakon ka shatak’ or latest news on Bollywood celebrities’ break-ups and patch-ups; the anti-corruption movements, indefinite fasts by variety of people or the news of murderous killings and accidents. What exactly makes you feel shocked? What is something that you never heard of before?

Yes, this is what I am trying to point out, as Simran at Radio City says, “the shock value of things has reduced to a great extent”.

Oh that dress is so common!

Hmm that dance is so average!

No no! his child is not very outstanding

Huh this hairdo is so usual

(Or as my boss says, “Oh is elevation ko dekh ke maza nhi aaya, do something nice/interesting)

Last Sunday I somehow managed to get a glimpse of  our handsome star Hrithik Roshan at Ambience Mall, where they announced to select a girl who could get a chance to dance with Hrithik. Now how they can select, and that too, randomly? One has to be really eye catching, drawing attention. A screeching voice came from the enormous crowd, “Hrithik we want to see you shirtless” and obviously she became the lucky one to reach the podium.

Hence, there is no limit to people exceeding limits today. In such a scenario, it’s really tough to genuinely utilize your talent and carve a niche in this world. The easy access to information in our era, has somehow made things seem so boring, so used-to, so common.

This is precisely the reason why we often see people adopting weird and even unfair means, at times, to seek attention. That is why there is a long queue of people  who strongly believe that negative publicity is still a publicity. Dolly Bindra, Pooja Mishra, Rakhi Sawant, Poonam Pandey, The Dirty Picture are some fresh examples. Even kids know this dialogue now-“Kuch logon ka naam un ke kaam se hota hai, mera naam badnaam hoke hua“. Then it reminds me the weirdest song of recent times Kolaveri Di, to which still my heart is amazed how can that ridiculous song be so popular, in spite of that my head knows the fact very well. How the oh-so usual film Delhi Belly turned into a blockbuster because of its bold and abusive language is another example that unless it is something striking, something weird, things don’t catch our eyes.

Looking close-by in our surrounds too, we often feel the intensity of such emotions when people behave in a certain manner that may guarantee them a tag called ‘different’ or ‘not like others’ or ‘not belonging to the herds’. The ones who can speak endlessly, present  their thought-provoking ideas which are actually total non-sense, the ones who dress so weird to carry a unique attitude  and confident image or the ones who show-off they are only comfortable having paranthas with fork or a poor banana too, with a fork. (Remember Delhi Belly, once again?)

When such things irritate us so much, we must put an end to them and of course, should start from ourselves. Getting a limelight is difficult, but going beyond sensibility to fetch that limelight-is it a right choice baby? If your answer is no, the rest of the post is for you.

Since there is no limit to excellence or talent in this world, that doesn’t mean we should not discover our own. You never know how many unexplored piles of talent lie within you. I read a sensible article few days back and arrived at a conclusion that keeping only you as a benchmark and striving to bring out the best in you, can ensure a much fulfilling, satisfying and contented lifetime than a rat race where in the end you still remain a rat. At least you are satisfied at the end of each day and even by the end of your life, that you lived a great life.

As Vinita Dawra Nangia pointed out rightly in her blog “The fight is not to leave others behind, but to achieve one’s own full potential.” Or else refer to Aamir Khan’s dialogue in 3 idiots “Chase excellence and success would follow.” Hence short cuts are only for those who believe they can not excel.

Living once again…this New Year

So guys, I believe the New Year bash is finally over. After spending around a week in wrapping up 2011, rewinding all the important as well as beautiful things it brought by, making your houses as well as minds clutter-free, resolving the dilemma of making New Year Resolutions or not, having good food, fun and frolic, sending and receiving so many New Year wishes across friends and family, and above all, spending a lazily luxurious Sunday at the start of this fabulous year 2012, you might be back to the normal lives now.

Like most of you, the only words I could hear/read in this time is – HAPPY NEW YEAR. It seems as if everybody is programmed to utter those words before beginning any conversation or write them on their pages to do their bit; their bit in wishing that the current year brings all the joys and happiness to you, that your dreams may come true, that you make all success in this current year.

But you also know well, happiness doesn’t come solely through wishes. Being simply happy for the rest of the year, is not an easy game. It requires certain efforts on our part too. Although I had shared this post last year on the ways to stay happy, I believe, by now, you too might have made certain efforts in the earlier years of your lives, understanding what all can make you happy.

But this year, come forward to understand what takes you aback, what spoils your peace of mind. See why you become vulnerable to the situations and how you allow them to pre-dominate and encroach on your time. Hence, before focusing on other targets that you have lined up for this year, strike at the very basic necessity of living better. Learn to let go, to forgive; whether it’s somebody else or you, yourself. Make an actual new start this new year. Promise yourself to be stronger than the situations, to at least not let petty things overwhelm you and your peace, to not let them drain out your new energy and enthusiasm.

I am sure this de-cluttering, this unloading of resentments can let you focus 100% on the things that are genuinely important, that can make a difference in your lives indeed. Only then, those hundreds and thousands of wishes will work wonders.

To let a happy start to my New Year, I pampered us with this rich Vanilla Fruit and Nut Cake made at home. After all, they say You Live, Only Once. Then why not live happily.

Festivity in the Air

Phew! I have been on my toes since past few so many days, busy-busy-busy all the time. Everyday late to bed and consequently late to rise. And then, rushing for the daily chores to manage reaching work, somehow on time. I am drained out. But you know what? I am not complaining, rather I am grandstanding, I am flaunting. Flaunting what? That I am busy; busy with the festive season and its preparations .

Such is the scenario of almost every Indian home this season-better known as ‘the festive season’, when the color and fragrance of the days and nights are entirely disparate from the rest of the year. Every slightest detail demonstrates that something significant is going on. Starting from Navratri, unfurls the array of Dussehra, Karwa Chauth, Ahoyi, Dhanteras, Diwali and finally Bhai Duj. Since all this merriment is disseminated throughout a month-it takes a shape of season than merely a festival.

Furthermore, the preparations consume a lot of time; and people do that wholeheartedly. After all, it’s something peculiar as to our daily routines. The extensive cleansing and embellishing of houses, purchasing gifts and sweets for friends & family and for self too, the dance and decoration, the huge discount offers prevalent at every smallest shop to the largest shopping mall, the ornate patterns in which items are displayed to allure the customers, the heads-of-the-family fretting over towering expenses-bespeak of the ongoing season-the festive season.

You see happy faces all around; can hear the crackers go off and see children waving off the sparklers in streets. You come across people wishing each other happiness and prosperity, all set to get more sociable than routine lives, ecstatic in anticipation to see their friends and family, having lots of fun and frolic. Even at work, there is jubilation, people adorned in gorgeous dresses, looking superb-all in joys of a break, a special time in everybody’s life when festivity is in the air itself. North to south, east to west-there are celebrations in their own style, in their own patterns. This is the time when you start preparing for the coming New year.

And above all else, the dawn and dusk too, start metamorphosing their timing, the hot and humid sun starts moderating its fury, heated air starts transforming into  cool breeze, summers start coalescing into winters and going out for a walk leaves you more rejuvenated, more florid.

Due to all these substantial reasons, I advanced taking some time out from my overly busy schedule and wish you all a very Happy Diwali before I leave home for my share of celebrations.

Show these ‘Netiquettes’ @ your workplace

Okayyy, before you secretively assume that I am probably about to make a subtle shift from Architecture to HR, let me elucidate the incidence that led me to probe, compose and finally publish this blog-post.

Last weekend, we visited a common friend in Delhi. At dinner, he completely astonished me by narrating his exit interview where he explicitly stated that all he had learnt in that company, was ‘the business of emails’. At whichever stage of career we are, all of us certainly have some notions about communicating in business-working through emails, the etiquette that governs this system, and anyhow, some experiences of their violation too. But the story he continued further, was both hilarious and frightening.

One of his colleagues was fond of writing long-long mails as if framing answer to an essay-type question. Although, those mails were never addressed to my friend but he was always there, in the poor Cc list to become the victim of those brutal mails written. Their whole team wondered how much energy could that colleague summon up to hunt for those bragging words and turn them into offensively direct sentences, that just make you pull your hair apart.

It all led me to clarify my opinion about emails and their purpose. It made me sure that emails are definitely your face, your image because several people whom you never met (or hardly see), recognize you only by name, with your image imprinted in their minds through the carefully crafted emails you send them Various factors that help us make that impression are hence, summarized below (excuse me for a long post this time, but it’s not complete if I don’t mention the following).

1. Be short and precise

The very well-evident lesson from this incidence is-to keep the email messages short. They should be clear, concise and crisply worded. At work, few people have time to read every word of your letter, proposal that crosses their computer. Emails should clearly serve the purpose of providing information or communicating the action required. Nobody is in a mood to judge your vocabulary or writing skills and appreciate you for a good piece of write-up. So better serve the purpose and use some other medium to liberate out your essay-writing skills.

2. Language and content

Content of your email should be in a pyramidal structure. The inverted pyramid structure exhibits importance of message in the first few seconds of browsing through the mail, otherwise it will be unpreventably shifted to ‘to-do-later‘ list.

Typo errors or grammatical mistakes are often annoying to the people who care for. Inevitably, it creates a negative impression too. So never forget to run that spell-check before pressing the ‘Send’ button. Moreover, use specifically gender neutral language; avoid any sort of stage directions or vague words or even 1st & 2nd person. Unlike other forms of writing, emails should be framed in passive voice with no direct name-taking business.Even avoid meager active sentences, such as:

Objectionable: I am sending you this file.

Preferable: This file is being sent to you in this email.

3. Format the email properly

A readable and well composed format is highly effective in composing emails, which can be done by taking care of a few things:

• Readable and simple font type and size
• Color of text and the background should complement each other and not strain eyes
• Even if, you need more room to write, the mail should be structured in short readable paragraphs
• Blank or vague subject lines are often the most irritating. So go for brief, yet descriptive subjects
• Signature attached at the bottom of email should identify yourself clearly, mentioning all the required details about you especially your contact.

4. Professionalism

The level of formality, organization of the content, the word choices depend on the purpose you are trying to accomplish and the image you want to communicate. So not taking care of few things can flash lack of professionalism.

• Using all Caps is one of them, CAPITAL LETTERS indicate shouting words.
• Also resist the urge to use jargons and acronyms even if you know the reader will understand. FYI, FYNA, PFA-distinguish between an sms and an official email.
• Using emoticons, exclamation or question marks like ‘!!! ???’ should be kept under check.
• Moreover use the ‘Cc button’ and ‘Reply all’ judiciously. Reconsider before sending your email.

5. Some other things to remember

Attachments should be positively checked before sending and above all attached for sure. Hmm, now you are saying ‘yes, it happens-people write ‘please find attached’ but nothing is attached though’.

Instead of adding read/delivery receipts, better ask people for acknowledging your email, if it’s that important. Moreover, incorporating a salutation in the mail should be done carefully depending upon the person to whom you are addressing.

There are several websites that provide abundant knowledge on the business etiquette and email writing is one of the most important. But as far as writing nasty mails is concerned, I feel the right ideology is ‘To praise in public and criticize in private’. Writing such mails can serve no purpose except igniting the blame game and elongating the process of work actually getting done. It’s better to talk on phone, clear out the negative air in-between and focus totally on business while writing an  email.

So how have been your experiences in dealing with official emails? What are your methods or observations? How do you react at poorly worded emails? Share here in the comments box and enlighten us all.