Miscommunicate..!

It's been a long time since I have sat down to pen what I feel but both you and I know that it's a busy world out there. :P Moreover, you're sometimes stuck in a situation where you want to express something but the subtlety that is vastly required just doesn’t come through! Here I am with not-so-subtle words in mind attempting for a subtle post, again. 

Communication - How many times do we come across this term! The whole world revolves around effective communication, and to be able to communicate well is one of the key factors to one’s success. But do we really know the meaning of communication? One of the most naïve ways of defining communication is to say – “Improving one’s vocabulary in a language to be able to use many words”.  Is it true? If not, how else can it be defined? Should we actually make time, sit down and really evaluate how we communicate?  Is it seriously necessary? 

We all would have had moments in life when what we say is misinterpreted. Misunderstanding has become a part and parcel of our daily lives. We might get away with it when the situation isn’t very serious but isn’t it better to make sure we avoid the worst? We mean something; the other person understands it entirely differently; the whole conversation goes for a toss; both parties are at loss. 

So as far as I am concerned, Communication is definitely not the way you speak but the way the other person understands you. It is of course impossible to get into the mind of the listener to understand how he/she is interpreting what we are saying but it is definitely in our hands to say what we have to say, properly. A very lame and a vague sentence the previous one is, I know, but often we are just this much away from fine tuning it. 
  
When our words are misinterpreted, it generally won’t be the listener’s fault (unless, of course, the person is a very bad listener). It just shows the extent to which we have failed to put forth our views correctly, our inability to communicate what we feel as what we feel. It is me and only ME who can be blamed if I am misinterpreted! 
  

Communicating effectively is like answering a VTU paper. :P You have loads to say but you are forced to summarize it in a few words that appear ‘effective’. Similarly, you can’t give long explanations and say that you are trying to communicate correctly. Today’s world doesn’t have that much time at disposal. KISS is the formula  –  Keep It Short n Sweet. 
   
Past ten days have been a lesson in life for me in communication which made me sit down and write this. All of us evolve with time and are always in constant pursuit to become better individuals. These ten days have made me a better listener, a better communicator, a better thinker as a whole. I have a couple of people whom I need to be grateful for, for teaching me this lesson. Even though I was on the wrong side, they have been sweet and kind enough to correct me when needed in the best way possible. As for who they are, they know it! :)
   
Finally, now you might feel that all that you’ve read till now was known to you. But it’s sometimes nice to know what we already know although what seems easy to read might not be that easy to implement. 
   
Until next time, CHEERS! :)

With a heavy heart, I walk ......

At the end of this post, you will realize that I have used a few words far too redundantly and also that things might seem a bit incomplete, confusing and out of place. I really do hope that you also realize the reason for it.

You and I meet a lot of people in life. Each person is different. Each one's character, attitude, vision, behavior, thinking etc. always seem to be a mystery that all of us have to crack in life. The better skill we have in analyzing a person, the lesser are the chances of us getting cheated by someone. 

You might get a feeling that I have started off this post with negativity in mind, but at the end of the day, you realize that it is this negativity that we all have to accept. It is this negativity that makes us think twice before speaking something to someone. It is this negativity that keeps us on guard all the time in everything we do. It is also the same negativity that sometimes influences what we dream. Isn't it? 

On how many occasions have you had the "What if...?" question in your mind before saying/doing what you actually want to but end up doing something else because that "What if...?" got the better of you!

In spite of all this, sometimes, life gives you a dose of luck. It is then that you find someone really special, that someone whom you can share absolutely anything and everything with. If you are really lucky, He sends that person to you as soon as you/they are born. He/she is one person you will never have the "What if...?" question with, you will never think about negativity with! Fortunately, I have been in His class of extremely lucky people coz He sent my brother, Shreyas to be the 'someone special' for me! :) 

On 5th August 2009, I come home after college to be told by Mom that Shreyas had secured a seat in the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi. Mixed Emotions - that day, I realized how it feels. Thoughts came rushing into my mind. Good ones, bad ones, sad ones, happy ones...! :) :( "Wow! He has made it in life.. :D" to "Shit! One bed in my room will be empty from now :(", my mind was going black and blue! But, isn't this life? Some things have to leave to make room for others. You have to face this reality and accept it!

Shreyas has been more than a brother to me. What 'more' ? I don't know! Because I feel, there are no words in English to express the feeling that I am having right now, probably the reason for this redundancy. The innumerable amazing times we've had together still keeps running in my head like an old black and white movie with the clicking sounds of the moving reel. The times we used to team up to try our best to beat Mom and Dad at carrom which generally used to go in vain (we've won only once if I remember right) to the times we used to explore the dug up MORIs in front of our houses to the times we encouraged each other to pull the 'unfortunate' ball out of the toilet just to make sure we don't need to buy a new one to the times we used to fight and finally end up crying (both of us physically hurt, him because of me and me because of my parents :P) to the times we used to advice each other on what and what not to do to the times we purposefully yet jokingly tortured our Mom saying she was partial to the other son to the times we've literally made our doggy think (I guess) that we guys were crazy to the times we have enjoyed to the core during highway drives to the times we say to each other, "muchkoND biDo nimmajji, I will carry the luggage"..... Oh man!!

He left for Kochi again today. Saying goodbye to him everytime he leaves is one of the toughest things I have done. The ever jovial mood at home when he is here, the pleasant 'noise pollution' that he creates, the charming and the cheerful attitude of his are irreplaceable! 


At the station, as soon as the train leaves the platform, mind becomes blank for sometime and then a sudden surge of thoughts, the exact same feeling I had on Aug 5 2009 followed by the count of the number of weeks before I see him again. There is just no end to the number of times I want to wave my hand at him at the n'th moment. 

'Finally', everything becomes silent. With a heavy heart, I walk ......

Sweet India!!

India is the sweetest country in the world. A nice statement any time. Reading this, one might feel happy about its literal meaning or one might be reading it with a raised eyebrow. To add to the above quote is this one - India is expected to stay the sweetest country in 2020. 

In the year 2000, when statistics about the number of people affected with Diabetes Mellitus in the world was taken, it was a staggering revelation that India was at the top of that chart with a dreadful figure of 31.7 million affected people, followed by China at 20.8 and the US at 17.7. In the year 2030, it is projected that India will have an appalling 79.4 million people affected by Diabetes with China at 42.2 and the US at 30.3 million. Those are some figures that make us skip a heartbeat for a second!

Here's more. One person in the world is dying of Diabetes every 10 seconds. There are two new diabetic cases in the world being identified every 10 seconds. And what's worse is these statistics tell us that by the year 2025, there will be as many as 70 million new diabetic cases in the world.

One might think for a moment, what is an Engineer like me trying to convey by giving statistics of a health problem. Shouldn't this be done by a Doctor rather than an Engineer? Hmmm... May be, may be not. Here's why.

India is expected to become a World Economic Super Power by 2020. Steps are also being taken to preserve Wildlife and Nature for a better future. But have we ever considered giving a thought about the health of the people of future India? Isn't it imperative that tomorrow's bright days are enjoyed by healthy Indians? In this regard, looking at the statistics projected, here is my simple VISION for FUTURE INDIA - A HEALTHY INDIA!!

Modernizing India was excellent but it came with its fair share of problems. Modernized Indians started to speak about stress (a word 'unknown' to people when I was in primary) in turn bringing into picture many diseases that were unheard of. However, with all the state-of-the-art equipment in place due to modernization, the longevity of people improved resulting in the average life-span of man increasing from 60 to 80 years in just two decades. Now, is it a boon to live longer or is it a bane that a person acquires an awful disease at a young age and it becomes a virtual partner for him for the rest of his life?

Hence, it is high time that a word is spread among all Indians educating them about Diabetes and measures to prevent it. It is sad to note that people in the IT sector are nearly the highest to be affected by this disease. NOW is just the right time to start controlling Diabetes by learning more about it and taking necessary action.

For this vision to materialize, every Indian has to follow 4 simple steps. They are:

• Decrease the consumption of Sugar. Sugar is also known as 'White Poison'. The main cause of Diabetes is excessive sugar in the body.
• Practice YOGA. It has been proved that Yogasanas are the only form of physical exercise in the world that stimulate the inner organs of the human body. Organs like Kidneys and Pancreas are exercised through Yoga which increases the secretion of Insulin thereby decreasing the risk of Diabetes considerably.
• Practice PRANAYAMA. Pranayama is 'controlled breathing'. The slower a person breathes, the healthier he will be. It helps in calming down the mind resulting in a less-stressed lifestyle.
• Physical Exercise. Taking a walk to the grocery store instead of taking the bike helps a lot. Personally, I feel that pets are the best stress-busters around.

So, my friends, WE as citizens of this great nation should take up the responsibility of building a better tomorrow. By creating awareness about deadly Diabetes in every individual, we can rest assured that we are heading towards a better and a healthier future India. On this special day, the 64th celebration of Independent India, I urge all of my fellow Indians to pledge in working towards this humongous task of ensuring that we have a wealthy India with healthy people for our progeny. After all, the greatest wealth for any country is the good health of its people.

We must always remember - It is better to PREVENT and PREPARE than to REPENT and REPAIR!

Happy Independence Day! :)

'

Extracting 118 Horses....

POWER!!

Something that car/speed-freaks like me crave for. Time is yet to come when we Indians start seeing supercars with massive V10 or V12 engines on our roads. But right now for us, anything over 100BHP is 'awesome'.

A decent 118BHP at 6600revs for disposal at the right foot is exactly what our New Honda City offers. Any power enthusiast would floor the throttle at every chance he gets to feel that rush of adrenaline through his body.

One fine afternoon, a Honda City is cruising at 120kmph in 5th gear on the Mysore-Bangalore highway. It is barely 3 months old and the engine is still running in. It has not been revved much before and to sum up all the treatment that it had gotten until then, there is only one word – SMOOTH.

Suddenly, the driver hears a honk behind. He glances at his rear-view mirror and sees a car asking for room. He makes way thinking, "Who the hell wants to overtake a car at 120?", and gazes in admiration as a beauty overtakes him. It is a Mercedes Benz SLK 200 Kompressor.

"I want to keep up with the Merc", is the ONLY thing running in his mind right now. Everything else is a total blur. He downshifts by two and starts chasing the SLK but is only losing ground. Fortunately, after a few hundred meters, the Merc gets stuck behind an 800 and the City makes its way nearer to the supercharged wonder.

The road clears up now and the Kompressor starts to unleash its 165BHP on the flat tarmac again.

"Now is the time", he thinks. “I will touch the RED LINE for the first time!”.

In second gear now, tacho is reading 2100 and speedo 20. He thumps the pedal to metal with full force and the City springs into life. He glances at the speedo and the needle is rocketing up like there is no tomorrow. He is pushed back in his seat, the car roaring with increase in revs and his Dad and Mom astonished by the sudden surge. The car is flooded with 118 horses of incredible power at 6600revs later reaching 100 in 2nd at 7000revs. He clicks the right paddle to upshift and continues further to touch 130 in 3rd.

Back on the road, the Merc has not raced away. A Honda was able to compete with a Merc and it did better than expected. The City is now powering its way on the road chasing the Kompressor, doing nearly 150. Suddenly, he is shot back to senses saying, “Oh God! This is crazy!”, and the City then slows down.

He now looks at the odo and it is reading 1472. He thinks, “1028 until I do it again!!”. :)

My First Blog.

Yeah. Puneeth is here :)  

And this is my first blog. I really don't know what to write now. But I will start off very soon.

Checking out the site, the features, the user-friendliness (yes, I am an s/w engg now. Have to use at least ONE term that I have learned in the past 4 years) etc.

Catch you soon :)