Why care? Image credit : antphotos from Flickr

Before you pronounce a death sentence for my blog( after reading the title ), i beseech thee, that thou shall lend me a patient ear.

Shagun and i love the Indian culture. So much so that we talk about it everyday. Sometimes our day starts with and very often ends with it. Plenty in the middle too.
And somewhere in the midst of these jaunty talks, one of us often goes “Goohn ka keeda, Goohn me raazi”.
Over and over again, now for years.

Now, but why?
Let’s talk about our dear maid servant.

Bhaiya, yeh bagal ke plot mein feink detein hun. Khali hai. Chalega.

Meaning “Brother, i ‘ll throw this garbage on the adjacent plot of land, since it is vacant. That will work just fine.”

And “bhaiya” looked back with a belligerent look.
I asked her how would she like me to throw my garbage in her house right now!

But, she argued “it is vacant, so no problem. Everyone does that.”.

I said, maintaining the belligerent look and tone ( in situations like these,that comes naturally to me without knowing or trying )

“Yes. Let me know when you and your family are away and your house is vacant. I will conveniently throw garbage then. That will work right? I promise i will do this behind your back.
Carry one with this mentality and very soon Hindustan would effectively mean Kudadaan, if it already isn’t!”

Scared, she went back to work quietly. She got the message.
We wouldn’t tolerate nonsense and lack of civic sense in the name of the “great Indian culture”.

Shagun, who all this while had been watching from a distance, looked at me and we both went “Goohn ka keeda, Goohn me raazi!”

Don’t you hate it and pull your hair in despair and anger when people just carry on with such attitudes. Why do Indians don’t add value to their work? Why is it always about just getting it done? Why do they not see or appreciate or yearn to do things well and right?
What infected our nation? Where did this plague come from? What a dirty picture?

Not only do we not add value, worse we also discourage it.

Our plumber is another great example.
He came over the other day with his assistant, to look at our underground and overhead water tanks.

One quick look inside each and a decision was made.

These require cleaning. There is a lot of accumulated calcium.

That was fine with us.

But then the assistant began taking off his shoes and shirt.

He exposed his hairy and sweaty chest. His feet. You don’t need to know anymore about those.”

I thought about all the beautiful things in life in that one moment. How ethereal sometimes life can be.
And in the next moment i saw myself drinking water from our filter which was just about to be violated.

I stood in denial and in somewhat a zombie mode.

Don’t you have some equipment or some disposable plastic overalls with matching shoes and gloves?

Why was i even thinking about asking him this.

He replied,

” no need Sir. Such equipment is not required. We will do a good job. Don’t worry. All is well.”

The happenings between that moment and the time that they were done and gone, have been obliterated from my memory. It was like a virus on my hard disk. Momentarily quarantined and forever deleted thereafter.

Shagun who all this while had been watching from a distance again, looked at me and we both went “Goohn ka keeda, Goohn me raazi!”

( Secret: I have known some rare times when the phrase “Goohn ka keeda, Goohn me raazi”, would have been befitting to describe me too! But i have made the effort to not remain so. That much i can say:) )

How would you like your design? Image Credit: Collin Harman

Sidd: Thanks for stopping by my website and considering me for your project.How would you like your design?
Client: Oh don’t mention.We are clear about this. We want it, cheap and best.

Sidd: Thank you for your prompt reply.I am sorry but i will have to turn down this project.
Client: Why? I haven’t even told you the details yet. This is going to be one hell of a project.You’re going to love this one.

Sidd: May i take the liberty of speaking straight with you sire?
Client: Absolutely. Go ahead. Shoot. I like people who talk straight and honest.

Sidd: That this is going to be one hell of project. I agree. But not quite for the same reasons as you do, perhaps.
Client: I don’t understand that. I meant that this is a very important and big project.If this goes well, i am sure it will bring a lot of business for you.Plus, i know you are a “love-the-challenge”, type and i foresee, lot’s of challenges ahead on this one.

Sidd: I think you do sire. You do understand me well on this. Sure, this is going to be one hell of a project. And yes, the challenges will be great, i too can foresee that. And most likely too great to be overcome.
Client: Now i really don’t understand you. You seem to like the challenge part, but are you saying that this is going to be too much for you? That you won’t be able to rise to the challenge.

Sidd: Yes, sire that is right.
Client: I wish i could understand this better. So in other words, are you doing this project or not?

Sidd: Sorry, sire.No.
Client: Alright then. Thanks for your time. But i still don’t know why you turned down that project. I haven’t even told you any specifics and it’s over already.

Sidd: Sire, i am afraid that you did tell me enough.
Client: Now look young man. Please don’t play with words. I need a clear and precise explanation. Do you have one or not?

Sidd: I most certainly do sire.
Client: What?

Sidd: Sire, that cheap & best don’t go together. That which is best, will not come cheap and that which is cheap will not be the best. That alone sire was enough for me to make up mind. And not the first time, sire.
I wish you all the best with your project.If you will, excuse me for now sire.
Client: I see.Alright, go on.

Sidd: Thank you sire.

We all grow up with hobbies. You grow up with dreams wanting to be involved in something you love and cherish a lot. You dream that someday your passion we also be your job.But, sadly this happens for a very few. The very very few.

Before we can take stock of the situation, we find ourselves married well and truly to a job, that which is just a job.
This job is a regular 10-5 one, that you go through Monday to Friday ( and painfully sometimes on Saturday ) and wait upon the month end to bring in the money.And then all over again starting with the dreaded and hated Monday.
It usually is a secure job, often revered and well or satisfactorily paying. It allows your wife to shop, kids to get an education, your family to have a holiday once in a while, a nice or at least a decent car in the garage of a decent house.It also pays your bills.It does the usual tricks and keeps you well placed in the society. Well how the world looks at it, you are made. Sub-consciously maybe even you believe the same. But here is one slight problem in the the whole gamble. There’s no love in it !! It’s just a Cash Job.

You have it made in the eyes of the world, but the you in you lights up not at the office desk. It lights-up elsewhere. In the heart of hearts lays your passion buried. A dream, a wish, a desire. You find yourself yearning to be engaged in this passion. You find time after work, on weekends and ” even during office! This is what ticks you. This is your thrill. This is what makes you forget all else and dive into a never-ending thirst for more. All of us , creatives ( and perhaps all else too ) have this second job. This is our love. For the love of it. This is about the passion in our hearts. This is about our Love Job.

This job doesn’t pay your bills( certainly not well enough ).This job doesn’t provide security( mostly ). This job most likely is insignificant in the eyes of the world ( at least mine is ), but for you, this is it. If money is no object, you wouldn’t want anything else to do.You would have long quit the Cash Job. That is the passion you have for it. The frustration of being chained in that for which you have little or no love and seeing time pass you by , with you away from pursuing the passion of your heart is nightmarish. I believe many of us lie chained in such a way, leave a few fortunate/courageous/wise/smart ones.

I am no stranger to the theory myself, with the last few years spent pursuing the passion of my heart. I tell you one thing, I have hated Sundays and days of rest during my time as a web designer, a freelance web designer. Only because that keeps Alice away from Wonderland. Though I do realise that self-discipline is important, it can be hard when your passion is overbearing.Breaks are important and you need them. Yet what a wonderful contrast from the dreaded Mondays and the unbearably awaited weekends.

I come to work ( room adjacent to my bedroom) every morning with great anticipation about the great learning/knowledge that lies ahead in the day. I sleep every night with tonnes of ideas about the next day and the current projects. It is simply awesome.
I am a qualified Merchant Marine, a job that brings in some really decent money. A job that pays bills and allows some luxury as well.As it stands, I have traded that with something that just doesn’t measure up in terms of the money. But totally overshadows in the areas of satisfaction and love. Yahooooo !

But if you can’t pay the bills then you got a big problem.How are you going to survive if the cash flow stops ? What about the responsibilities ? There is a tonnes of situations that do arise when money stops flowing in.What can one do then ?
I think the trick is to maintain a balance. How you do that is really up to you. It is probably unwise to totally let-go of your Cash cow to delve into this other job that your passion leads you into. Well if you can monetize ( like in my case ) this other job, then you have landed the perfect job. If you haven’t then you can probably maintain a balance and keep working at it. It takes hard work and much patience to be able to become skilled in any profession. It may be faster when you love what you do, but it will still take some significant time. So you better not let the cash cow go.

Keep working hard,focused and patient as you work to make a final transition. But avoid any hasty & unwise decisions that tell you that you were born on Crypton and that you are super-man because of which you will do the impossible – make the transition and make the money real quick. That just doesn’t happen.There ain’t no fun in the money that is not the labour of your love and hard work, both.
Enough said.

Life is short and there is no sense of having regrets. Time is a non-renewable resource.
Make sure you make the most of it.

Photo Credits: mania & captainosaka
This article was inspired by Hugh MacLeod’s How to Be Creative

Moving away from being generic, here’s what I am alluding to.

I often get into a fitness/discipline drive without specifying a timeline.
It seems like you set a goal for yourself that you would want to work at for a lifetime. At least that’s what it becomes technically when you don’t specify a timeline. A burn out thereafter is pretty inevitable.
So this time around I am doing it differently. And here’s how that is.
Instead of gaping into the never-ending abyss of a black hole, I have set myself a 30 day challenge.
In the next 30 days, starting today, I am going to stick to a certain plan and see what the results are like.
Only in the next 30 days. And guess what I am more excited than I have ever been at the start of such routines.
My routine is clear, time-bound and simple. No bells and whistles. And that is what I think can make or break a plan !

I think mentally I am encouraged to know that the fruit of my result sits 30 days away and not somewhere there.
That a small change could make such a difference is rather stupefying. Nonetheless I am all gung-ho !
So here’s a day-to-day to score card :
{ Avoid sugar => No processed sugar, i.e. No Coke,Ice cream,biscuits (except about 4-6 in the morning),chocolates, etc.. Fruits are fine }

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Infographic
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Date	Avoid Sugar	Physical Exhertion	Controlled Diet	Weight
06/May				81.6 kg
07/May				80.6 kg
08/May				80.0 kg
09/May				79.6 kg
10/May				79.8 kg
11/May				79.2 kg
12/May				79.2 kg
13/May				Missed
14/May				79.6 kg
15/May				79.6 kg
16/May				79.6 kg
17/May				79.6 kg
18/May				79.3 kg
19/May				78.8 kg
20/May				79.0 kg
21/May				79.0 kg
22/May				78.8 kg
23/May				78.6 kg
24/May				78.2 kg
25/May				78.3 kg
26/May				78.4 kg
27/May				78.2 kg
28/May				78.5 kg
29/May				78.4 kg
30/May				78.5 kg
31/May				78.6 kg
1/June				78.3 kg
2/June				78.0 kg
3/June				78.2 kg
4/June				78.1 kg

Photo Credit

On the 31st of December 2010 God threw us a challenge.
There were two litters of pups, each about 2-3 weeks old then and born to regular Indian dogs( street dogs ) on the street, quite near to Anjali’s( Shagun’s mother; And shagun is my wife ) place.
We’d stop by and pay these little wonders a visit whenever we visited Anjali.

On the fateful night we were returning home late. It had been raining for a while and as a result the gutters were half-full.
As we passed were the pups lived (they lived in a dry gutter ), they were no where to been seen. It was late in the night and the rain was coming down good. We stopped and ventured out to see where they were.
Still no where to be seen , we began to hear their little cries.

The tiny heartbeats were in the middle of the gutter, stranded on bricks, cold and wet and stuck because the water was high on either side. It was dreadful and heart wrenching. We feared death for all by the morning.
2-3 weeks old pups, wet and cold ( late December in Dehradun can be unforgiving ), holding onto dear life with water rising on both sides.

I must admit that we were overcome by compassion. We didn’t know what else to do other than to get them out and take them home.
It was a decision that was not made in the head. But logic only goes so far.

It took us the next 1-2 hours to get them out of the gutter. I had to enter it partially. I had never imagined that I would be out wet, in near zero degrees temperature, rescuing pups from a gutter.Finally,we did manage to pull them all out and took them home.
We had no clue what we would do with them the next day. We just had to take them home, some place safe; we couldn’t in our conscience just let the moment pass and leave the dogs to die. We did what we felt called to.

Today it’s just over a month and a half and the tiny heartbeats are twice the size.
Shagun has always had a huge heart for animals but I had been pretty ordinary. She has her way of looking at animals and strangely she would find them all cute and feel so much love for God’s creations. I wasn’t all that.

But I have since changed.I know a love and appreciation in my heart for God’s creation like never before. That which was ordinary once is amazing and awesome now to me. In my heart I have changed. I feel and perceive differently for animals.

I really can’t believe that , that’s how I am now. God never fails to amuse.
Well so much for the little pups and their tiny story. There is something more that I would like to share with you all.

Indian dogs often just called street dogs or desi, are a common sight in India.
Very interestingly most people would like to see our streets cleared of street dogs as well as all other strays but are still waiting for some Miracle to happen. They want to see them gone but don’t want to have anything to do with bringing about the change.

When we had advertised our dogs for adoption, we got some queries. However nearly all of them would immediately lose interest, once they got to know that these were just streets dogs – the ordinary Indian Dogs.

Well that off-course is very well understandable.

For most people keeping a dog is not about the their love for the Dog; it is about their love for themselves.
The dog must be an expensive, special breed to help them correct the identity crisis in their lives.
These attributes of the dog must deliver well for them in the society to keep-up the show-off and their pride.
Our desi dogs would understandably only borrow from their entire setup of things.
What in the world would their neighbours, relatives, friends, family think of them ? CHEAP !
They’d be ashamed of themselves.

We met many such people among those who showed interest in adopting our little heartbeats.
Well enough said.
PFA ( People for Animals ) is now running a campaign wherein they are supporting people who adopt street dogs by providing free vaccinations and sterilisations. Hahaha ! A few good men !

Here’s another side of the story.
Our pups are 8 in number and that means :-

1. Huge investment of our time and taking care – We fell in love with them
2. Increased monthly expenses – we are also planning kids pretty soon !
3. Being constantly told how foolish we are – but we are called to be unconventional
4. A whole lot more discipline in our lives – see the benefit !
5. A good 8kgf in weight loss for me over 1.5 months – for good; I needed that bad !
6. Abundant supply of unconditional love – Here Human – this is your chance to learn it right
7. A lot more dependence on God – How it ought to be

To end this little post, I am posting some photographs of our little wonders.
By the way, I haven’t told you their names. They are Koko, Piper, Brandy, Waffles, Jemma, Frisky, Barney and Fluffy.
Here’s the pictures :-

If our little story has made any sense to you at all and you’d like to help us out as we meet different challenges raising these pups , then please consider supporting us :-

It’s an awesome team of mostly like minded and greatly motivated humans and a perfect being !

Us human beings , we were always being watched over by this third and senior most member. We often, the two of us drew blanks. We often ran out of Ideas. Actually we didn’t even know what to do with this project when we started. Ahhhh, that’s how it was.

So our third team member who is actually the first team member stepped in. He gave us the ideas, the inspiration and the strength to move this forward. If there is anything that is good about our work, then blame it on God and my wife. For that which is poor, praise to me !

It was and continues to be a miraculous experience for both my wife and I. We have loved the long hours of work and the team spirit.

God offered us a fine  launch, as M.S. Dhoni ( India cricket team captain ) got married at Vishranti Resorts ( www.vishrantiresorts.com ),a day after the website launch. Very gracious of Him to love us with all our shortcomings. Very humbling as well.

Just joyous and thankful, very much.

I am usually against T.V. reality shows. Now that can’t be a very strict statement, without inviting a flurry of questions from one and all. So for my post here, I’ll say that many of them in India and more specifically these dance talent shows.

I just finished watching one episode each of Chak Dhoom Dhoom and Dance India Dance, both airing simultaneously. It is quite rare for me to be watching TV and not be watching National Geographic, Discovery, Animal Planet and/or Fox History on it. Well good that I did watch these two for a change, for something was waiting to be unlearned.

Ever since these shows started , some years back, I have held the same opinion about them. NO GOOD, mostly.

They attract a few passionate and many lost.
Hello, not everyone can be a professional singer ! Not everyone can be a professional dancer ! Not everyone can be a celebrity ( liked I really cared that , that’s what people want to be also ) !

My friend the expression “everyone” in India usually translates into a huge number , given the fact that we are many many many here. This means many go back home disappointed ,crying, disillusioned and sometimes ready to die (suicidal I mean) !

The effect that these shows have on kids and parents is phenomenal. Many a dream is born and most shattered.Once shattered, then what ? Good question as I ask myself too .

The answer is not all that great. Like I said before, it can be suicidal also. The hype and the focus are so great that the consequences of losing are devastating. Our kids don’t know how to lose and our parents only making things worse.

It’s interesting how the judges at such shows give “quick fix” answers to losing candidates ! Oh, boy “quick fixes” don’t work.

I also wonder what’s wrong with the parents ? If it’s not for your child then it’s not for your child. Don’t try to make it his or hers. ! But they never seem to get that. Tonnes of pressure on kids to perform and do exceedingly well and nothing else. To encourage a child to be all that he/she can be as against this one or two things, is what the parents should be doing. It’s just some reality show. It’s not the end of your child’s life or his/her career. Sort of reminds me of the kick-butt movie ” 3 Idiots “, where one the idiots narrates that within minutes of his birth his father had already declared what his son would take up as a career ! Moronic or what ?

Enough bashing. Here’s the turn along the road.

Boy, I did see some very very talented kids from really really poor backgrounds getting the opportunity ! That excited me and I watched on. I saw these very passionate dancers from severely poverty stricken backgrounds getting the chance to make things happen. And that was good. They did well and were recognized and things seemed to be fitting for me. I saw extreme passion in them and tonnes of hopes clinging onto this one chance. My heart melted to see India’s talent that has not chance.

I understand that parallel to this, some singing reality shows too provided a chance to hidden talent from the financially poor backgrounds. I liked that and all of this made me re-think .Things had to be unlearned.

They were some monkey advertisements that played during the shows, which I would like to talk about in another post ( specially that jumping jack Akshay Kumar going ” Button Khula Hai ” ).

My wife and I are planning for kids next year. I pray we can do things right and better as parents. Those would be our 2 cents.

I was driving on E.C. Road ( take a look here ) and saw this rather familiar site.
This time around though, I took notice rather differently.

Perched on top this pole holding/relaying electricity cables, were two dare-devils or shall I say lesser life forms .

About 15-20 meters in the air ( could even be more, maybe 25 m ), without safety harnesses or safety belts were two employees of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation. They were fixing something up there.
This I saw from a distance and as I came near to them ,I pulled over in shock.

The rest of the gang stood below with a service vehicle that belonged to the “kabadi bazaar” I guess and looked decades old.

There right then, I knew again, Life was so cheap, at least here in India.
Who would give a damn if they fell to their death ?
Did anyone in UPCL ( Uttarakhand Power Corporation ) actually know that this was happening ? And If they did, what made them not care ?
Did anyone care at all ?

Having worked on-board ships, where safety is paramount, this made me very angry.

It is so stupid. It is a shame and is right in India’s face, with all the darn development , what about the value of human life ?
I talked with the gang below, and they said, they had being doing this for about 25 years now.

Can you believe that ? For 25 years no one saw that ? Or saw that and didn’t care .
And this is not the only area of such negligence. All Govt. departments are plagued with such stuff.

But in the end, I guess we could give or take a few, when there are millions to expend.

Somewhere, that it must equate to, that life is cheap and expendable here in India.

Beyond the boundaries of my home and apart from my family, the rest of the world can go to hell.

I am about me and only me.

I really enjoyed reading this letter. For those in love with Graphic and Web Design, I hope you too will enjoy this.
The original article can be found here .Please note that I am not the author of this article.

Dear Design Community,

I don’t really know if I can consider myself a part of you, but I have the strong urge to tell you how I feel about you.

About six month ago, when I first met you, I was completely overwhelmed – your creativity and beauty struck me and I felt that this would be the place where I would finally feel at home! Coming from a place where rationality and the workings of the brain were center of my live, I could ultimately see the holistic functioning of all that inside of you.

After I had spend some cozy moments with you, I began to hear some criticism about you. Some of your members started to impose on you! They claimed that you became shallow and lost your old charm, that your discussions and post were becoming dull. You became greedy, they said, and you transformed into a business oriented capitalist who just wanted to grow to increase profit, no … I mean traffic.

Your critics blame the list makers and wannabe designers of destroying you and seducing you to become a tool for their foolery. I was shocked at first, but then I started to see their points. I must admit, I became one of the critics. My heart broke that moment because I saw your ugly sides, your repetitive behavior, your boring arguments, your endless lists…

After I fell into a hole of grief and anger, I decided to give you another chance. I felt that I would just need to look at your beautiful sides and ignore your ugly ones in order to fall in love with you again. So I began to turn to your talented, well established members, their fruitful posts and discussions, their oh-so in-depth analysis of design processes and incredible helpful tips on how to get creative.

After a while, I got completely confused: where was the so proclaimed value and where were the insightful elaborations on web design and design theory? Where were the unique and different stories and inventions that everybody was hailing so much? Where were the design bloggers that don’t care about traffic, money and spreading their wisdom instead of just their words (and lists… and thoughtful comments)? Was your modest and decorous side full of shit after all?

And then it hit me.

I don’t love you because of your beauty, your intelligence and merit. I don’t love you because of your fruitful discussions and in-depth analysis of design processes and tips on getting inspired. I don’t love you because of your wit, your arrogance and your pride.

I love you for being a shelter to so many different opinions and strong, creative and passionate minds.

I love you for being a cultural and social tool, a capitalist opportunity and a tool for hearing tiny voices.

I love you for having so many facets and sides, so many wannabes and so many geeks.

I love you for making it difficult to discover the gems, but once they are found, you make them timeless.

I love you for giving me incredible inspiration each single day from all across the globe in so many languages.

I love you unconditionally, design community!

My wife and I drove around today just to be with our respective parents and spend some quality time together.
We covered some good distances in-between houses, allowing us a chance to check out stuff going on,on the roads.

The cops were out boy. There were many of them. And they were well placed in different parts of the town.

The cops were out handing pardon sentences for minor offenses. And so it was.

Many pardon sentences were granted to all our “can-never-die-in-road-accidents” dudes tripling out on motor bikes without any helmets. On any other day, 9 out of 10 people typically, can be seen wearing head gear on motorbikes and riding with a single pillion. But today being the 366th day of the year, which is not mentioned in the Indian Constitution; on which God excuses himself from his normal routines at planet earth and on which it is impossible to die in India by a road accident,our boys were high on Marijuana, riding motorbikes with some monkey like charm. And that my friend was ok by the cops.

Brawls, and drink driving/riding on the roads were common feature. One some days , people just have very high entertainment value and on some very high nuisance value. Sometimes, they can be incredibly blessed to, have both on the same day. And so was the case today.

Cannabis,whiskey,beer,”no head gear”,blind cops and who knows what else was a life-saver today, on (Holi day)a great day in the Great Indian Culture.

Oh, and some played decent.