Smile Please :)

Okay...I am not having my picture taken by a professional photographer. Nor am I taking anyone's picture.

I am usually just walking or thinking about something, mostly minding my own business, when perfect strangers have come up to me and asked me to smile. This almost always surprises me; it leaves me with a feeling of disbelief that I have an effect on strangers in my vicinity. Is it possible that my inner thoughts are so transparent that they invariably assume an expression on my face.

If you are reading this and you find it "strange", let me humor you with my last encounter of this kind. A few weeks ago I was getting off work and walking to my car. As I sat in and looked up, there was a guy in front of me on the sidewalk extending his fingers on his face in the sign of a 'u' while mouthing the word 'smile'. I sat there staring at his back as he walked by, all the while thinking whether I had imagined this or not. And the only reason I am sure that it was not my imagination is that this has happened at least a half dozen times before.

So at least it is clear that people like other people to smile, or at least show some sign of happiness, as they walk by them. My dad always ends an e-mail or a phone call with me with the words 'Keep Smiling'. They say a smile is contagious. I am sure that is true and that it can have a positive effect on other people. But what is so wrong about not smiling all the time? Am I not being true to all my other feelings by expressing them as well?

I believe it takes a lot of energy to seem happy and upbeat all the time, unmindful of what is really happening inside. But it also has to be emotionally unhealthy to some degree to not seem sad or angry or hurt when you are in fact experiencing those emotions.

So this goes out to the people who despite being strangers have shown concern for my happiness. I value your actions and thank you for making me think about this. I will try to smile as much as I can but please forgive me if sometimes my face does not betray my heart.

Whats in a title?

Whats in a title? Apparently everything. Choosing a topic to write about is the hardest part of blogging. It takes me forever to decide what I want to write about. Which kind of defies conventional blogging. Especially by the younger generation. They jot down anything and everything that comes to mind. Which makes sense too, I suppose. Blogging is meant to relieve your mind of your most present thoughts - however insignificant they might be, not really caring about the proper grammar or vocabulary.

I, however, already having referred myself as part of the older generation (which is quite sad), write short essays. Choosing the appropriate topic, delving on the correct vocabulary, double-and triple-checking the grammar. I want every new post to be an art form within itself, when it is really just supposed to be a reflection of your inner-most feelings. I am being an idealist while bloggers are supposed to be realists. I try to (and TRY is the keyword here) end every post with something my mind construes as 'deep', something that I think would leave the readers pondering, forcing them to think about the topic for a minute or two after they have finished reading it.

All the more evidence that this is no longer my generation. Which is not necessarily depressing. Every year as I get older, I get to step aside and glimpse at the future. The "new people" of the world. Younger, smarter, they seem to be so much more aware and in control of their surroundings than we were at their age. How will their world be? And the world of the people after them? In this technologically advanced age (at least our generation thinks it is), when the next day is different from the last, it is exciting to wait for the change that is to come in just a few years.

Happy Independence!

We are independent. Free to do what our heart desires. But we have not known any other way. We have not born the hardships of slavery nor experienced the cruelty of submission.

And as every year advances the true meaning of independence will keep fading, eventually leading to it being just another holiday.

I am not trying to preach or lecture, simply stating the fact as I see it.


It is not an altogether sorry state of affairs either. We are proud of our heritage, our history, our freedom struggle. And we should be - it was after all a very unique freedom struggle. Our leader taught the whole world that nonviolence can be a very effective weapon causing the least amount of casualties.

This day is dedicated to my grandparents and the people of their generation who seemed to have a higher purpose in life. They fought for our country. They chose the right path. They set out to oust a regime and they succeeded.

Have we stood up to their expectations? Let us be optimistic today and say YES! India is a global power today. Let us each take a bit of credit for that and be proud of ourselves and our country.

Jai Hind!

Olympics - the original symbol of global unity

Olympic games are the ultimate mecca for athletes. It is their time of glory and recognition. The whole world comes together to applaud their performances. We forget our differences and celebrate the achievements of the human body and mind.

Healthy competition promotes a sense of pride and accomplishment; but never arrogance and over-confidence. I believe that, in general, great athletes have a more open outlook on life than the rest of us. Their physical struggles give them emotional endurance as well as a feeling of calmness during times of crisis.

It is a great national honor to host the Olympics. China stands to gain substantially this year by exposing to the world their culture, their lifestyles, their economic and political standpoints, and all their other human potential. It brings closer their dream of becoming the next superpower. China is selling and the world is buying Brand China.

We watched yesterday as Michael Phelps took his 9th gold medal in the 200m free style swimming. I guess everyone expected that. What they did not expect was Natalie Coughlin taking the gold in women's 100m backstroke swimming, beating the favorite Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry.

Also, yesterday all Indians rejoiced at the victory of Abhinav Bindra (in shooting) and India's first individual olympic gold medal ever. Hopefully this will help in turning things around for Indian athletes and they will find the encouragement and support they need to succeed at this level.

Past is history? Not really...

Indian civilization and the Hindu religion are the oldest known in the world, yet we know so little of them. Partly because of the vast amount of information contained therein, partly because of the history of invasions in India by foreign lands and rulers, resulting in the destruction of historic documents, scriptures, texts, and thought, and also partly because of our relative disinterest in becoming familiar with our own history.

Today I read about ancient Indian civilizations of Mohenjo-daro as well as ancient Indian universities of Taxila and Nalanda, among the first known of their kind. Taxila was flourishing around 700BC, while Nalanda was founded much later - around 427 CE. Pioneers in the field of economics, mathematics, law, and medicine, like Chanakya (also known as Kautilya), Emperor Chandragupta, and Charaka studied there. Chanakya also taught at Taxila in his later life and authored the famous Arthashastra there.

The Nalanda library is thought to have contained numerous volumes of Hindu and Buddhist scriptures written by a collection of great minds of their time. These texts held within their pages the treasures of vedas, astrology, alchemy, mathematics, and anatomy. The entire university, including the library was burned to the ground and the students and teachers murdered by Mughal invaders in the 12th century.

Which should really just make everyone think: WHY? Why the destruction of progress? Especially progress that is beneficial to all humankind. Why the belief that only that which is mine shall persist and all else perish?

I personally feel cheated out of my right to have been able to gain from our ancestors' knowledge. To be able to visit the ancient sites where our ancestors led their lives and hoped to leave their legacy behind for future generations. How much the world would have been different today if the expansion of knowledge, education, and thought had been allowed to continue unhindered. And how much would the world be different tomorrow without the senseless destruction of progress that is happening today.

Road Trips

Road trips in America are a lot of fun, especially in the summer time. I love driving on the wide open roads to long distance places, preferrably not alone. The most we have driven is to New York and back (about 12 hours each way). Someday we plan to drive west to the Grand Canyon or Las Vegas or Lake Tahoe or the Yosemite park (only if the gas prices drop significantly or after I get a new Prius hybrid :).

American highways are so driver-friendly and inviting that driving becomes a pleasure unlike in other developing countries. The road network is extensive and leads to every tiny town in even the most rural areas.

Eating on the road has its own exciting qualities. Stopping at local diners and sampling their specialties or trying a new food item at a service plaza or just munching on some snacks in the car is very comforting. The only thing better would be to have roadside Dhabas that serve spicy indian fast food.



The best time to go on a road trip is the fall season. It is almost like drifting through a color pallette consisting of various shades of yellow, orange and red. The setting sun also paints the sky in equally enchanting hues. You get the unbelievable feeling of having entered into an artist's renderings.


And finally, there is always the anticipation of arriving at the destination - whether it be a beach, a resort, an amusement park or a friend's house. But remember that it is always the journey to the destination that gives you time for yourself - to ponder life's infinite questions and possibly even come up with a few sensible answers.

Amitabh Bachchan

Yesterday I read a few blogs written by Amitabh Bachchan and I was moved. I had uncovered yet another dimension of his personality. He writes so well that not only is he the son of a great poet, but a poet himself. His words have a lyrical quality and it is hard to imagine that they have come from the mind of the most famous actor in India.

Very few people can show humility after achieving great stardom, much less strive toward the betterment of others. If we have a role model today in India, there is none greater than him. He has set an example not only for the people in his profession but for everyone else. After all, being a good human being should ideally be the goal of everyone.

I hope and pray that he is continually able to entertain us and enrich our lives at the same time.

Food :)

I love food. I love eating food, I love talking about food, I love watching the food network, I love making food (although I am not very good at it yet). It makes me happy and content from within when I think about food.

One of my ideal jobs is being a food critic. The other one is being a book critic. If I could eat and read all day and get paid for it, I would be set for life :)

I am a vegetarian. I once gave a speech in one of my classes about being a vegetarian. The research involved regarding cruelty to animals was quite saddening.


I enjoy various world cuisines. My favorite type of food, after Indian food of course, is Italian. I love the creamy flavors of Italian sauces, particularly the alfredo sauce and the muscarpone sauce. I also love Italian bread – the chiabatta and the fucassia drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. And how could I not mention Italian chesses - the ricotta, the mozzarella, the parmesan oregiano. Of course last, but not least, Italian Pizzas - especially Pizza Margharita...yummm!



I love Mexican cuisine for its spicy flavors. All the different peppers with varying levels of heat are so enticing – the jalapenos, the habaneros, the chile-relenos, the poblanos. The combination of hot sauces, cheeses and flour tortillas in several cooking styles like the enchiladas, the burritos, the quesadillas, make my mouth water anytime.



Coming close in terms of flavor is the Mediterranean cuisine. We never have any trouble finding delicious vegetarian food at a middle-eastern restaurant. They usually have an entire section dedicated to vegetarian dishes. The simplest and tastiest dish is the Hummus. I once made it and it turned out pretty good. My other favorite is the falafel in a pita sandwich with tahini sauce and other veggies. I also love the thin crust pizzas with baba ganoush and feta cheese topping and most mediterranean restaurants often have a great variety of fresh fruit juices that perfectly complement the food (my personal favorite – the guava juice).

I am going to have to devote an entire blog to Indian food, there is just so much there :)

BTW...did anybody watch the Next Food Network Star? The season finale was on Sunday Night and the winner was Aaron McCargo Jr.

So thats it for today, feel free to share your favorite foods/restaurants with me...

The Dark Knight

Hello again!
Maybe my first blog was a little too serious for a first blog. How about something fun and exciting? How was everyone's weekend?
We watched The Dark Knight and it was amazing! very very cool movie, and wouldn't have been so without the Joker!
Just makes you think what would have transpired in the last moments of Heath Ledger's life, was he affected by the Joker, even if just a little...

Anyways, getting back to something fun, I love amusement parks. Last saturday we had been to the Six flags Kentucky Kingdom. The water park was pretty cool, but the people who worked there couldn't have been more slow in letting people through the lines. A couple of the water park rides were completely worth the wait tho!
Well, I am signing off, gotta get back to work :)
Leave me a comment and don't forget to vote in my poll!

Hello Bloggers!

This is my first blog and the inspiration came from my brother Kartik, who has recently started blogging. I knew I was going to start blogging sooner or later; I'd always been tempted, but somehow did not get the time or the motivation before.

There is something exciting about putting yourself out there in the open, risking criticism from friends as well as perfect strangers. There is also the basic human instinct to know what other people think about what you have to say. Then there is also the point about some people just being more articulate in writing than in speech. And that probably constitutes most of the bloggers, because people who can say exactly what they want and how they want it just don't feel the need to write it down in words.

"We are living in a crazy world!" - is an expression you get to hear a lot these days. But it is a crazy world relative to what? When has the world not been crazy? Well, maybe now the issues and situations are just getting completely out of control and we are running out of time to fix them. And when we don't understand or know how to solve problems, we focus our attention on something else.

The reason that I get surprised or shocked when I read about political indifference or human ignorance that causes hate crimes or yet another terrorist attack on unsuspecting civilians, is that it completely defies the law of human nature. There is no sorrow compared to the sorrow of people who have lost their loved ones in violent and senseless killings. Let us all try to look towards the amazing realities of the life we live and not give in to hatred.

This blog is dedicated to the people who lost their lives in the Bangalore and Ahmedabad bombings recently.