Sunday, August 11, 2013
Who is paying the price for Chinese development: Poor Sharks in Indian Ocean
Today is a big day for Tsui and his family. 16-year-old boy in Shanghai, Tsui is having shark fin soup for the first time in his life. The delicacy is highly enjoyed by his mother and father too, who told Tsui about the relevance of shark fin soup in the society. Since Ming dynasty, shark fin soup has been served as a banquet dish in China. Even today, shark fin soup is a part of Chinese culture and served to honour guests in weddings. It symbolises prosperity, wealth, and social status.
Terribly, these fins are chopped off as soon as shark is taken out of sea. Rest of her body are dumped in sea so that no data for their killing can be recorded. After all, Chinese always do things differently. Shark fin trade figures have always been elusive and till now no authority in the world knows how many sharks have been killed for shark fin soup. Imagine, what would it feel like if someone cuts of all your limbs and dumped your body into the sea, while you’re still alive? The finless sharks can’t reproduce. More than 80% of them die as soon as they are dumped in sea, which gives rise to water pollution and pose a danger to the lives of other species.
Over a decade, development in China has led to the growth of middle-class. They can now afford the delicacy (shark fin soup) once enjoyed by a privileged few. Moreover, status is becoming vital not just at weddings and family get-togethers, but also in business and diplomacy. That is why, Chinese external affair ministry has been serving shark fin soup to the foreign delegates. The problem is so deeply rooted in Chinese traditions that some communities believe that if you have never had shark fin soup in a lifetime, you will be born in a poor family in your next life.
It is unfortunate that except New York Times, no other news media group has come forward to highlight this growing obsession of Chinese with shark fin soup. Surprisingly, Asian media, especially CCTV has come up with the reports that shark fin soup served in Chinese restaurants is fake and that actual shark fin can’t be consumed, as it is full of mercury and devoid of nutritional value. Scientists however completely reject the findings. CCTV reports clearly indicate how media can easily cover up such crime. I also condemn some of the world’s famous chefs like Gordon Ramsay to taste shark fin soup in Hong Kong and China. Trust me, it doesn’t spread any awareness. It only promotes it among viewers. When these viewers travel China, they look for shark fin soup in the menus of restaurants. This is how, you promote it Chef Ramsay.
When China was an underdeveloped economy, shark fin soup was not easily available in the country. But today when Chinese industry is ruling the world, shark fin soup is becoming an affordable dish in the country. Not only the growing income of middle class in China is responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent sharks, the whole world is responsible for contribution to this heinous crime. Our attitude to easily forgive the rich and powerful nations like China and the US is responsible for it. We protest when 10 Americans are killed in a bomb blast and never pay attention to 800 deaths in Iraq in a month or innocent killing of civilians by American aircraft in Yemen.
Shark fins are often traded from poor African countries like Mozambique, where fishermen are lured to kill sharks for money. Countries like Mozambique are centre for Chinese industry. So it becomes extremely easy for Chinese to accelerate the trade. It is high time for WWF to look into the matter. Else the world has to pay price for destroying the marine ecosystem for royal Chinese obsession. If Chinese want to rule the world, they have to change their mindset, like their industry. Alas! Both mass media and social media are restricted in China. Otherwise, a medium like FB and blogspot would have definitely contributed by promoted some videos(given below) to spread awareness among common man in China. Besides, there is a need to spread awareness in schools in China. Hats off to Teramartin, a young documentary film maker. She has been promoting a documentary on shark fin trade in schools of China. Butu sometimes she comes across reluctant from school authorities, sometimes it is extremely difficult for her to make the parents understand that she is not doing this to brainwash their children. She is just trying to help out a few hundred of sharks that are left in the oceans of the world.
Earlier I was scared of sharks, but now I am scared for sharks!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Gudnyt!
Saw this cute little doggie sleeping on a car parked in front of my house. It is so unfortunate that even dogs don't find space on roads.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Let's strive for “Lakshmi’, not just money
The best thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon is to read African literature, some light-hearted editorials, and blogs of my friends :) I know today is not Sunday. So what? I wrote the following post on Sunday. I’m a lazy cow, truly! :P
No I wasn’t lost. I was enjoying every bit of my profession. An ex-editor of mine once told me that to experience true journalism; one must work in a newspaper. So I am here in a newspaper, that has provided the best learning experience in my career so far. A newspaper that caters to a small city that lies in a corner of my Delhi. I travelled to this city first time in 2007, using its unreliable public transport. It was an awful experience. First time I came across a rickshaw puller who quoted 60 rupees for a distance of three kilometres. First time I saw some rural folks pulling out water from a hand pump near their shanties, located in the midst of high rises. I wondered what donkeys were doing outside the office of Yatra.com! Well! that was all I could see as a first-time visitor to the ‘Millennium City.’
My second visit to the City was to appear for an interview in the newspaper (I didn’t know the name of publication at that time). I heard a lot about the Editor and his vision. And that was enough! The first thing that captured my attention in the office was a big map of the city. That reminds me, I just loved Geography during my middle school! On map, the city looks amazing, finely divided by the National Highway. It looks somewhat messy on left, but organised into sectors and societies on the right. My field work in the city helped me understand it better. After all, the best way to explore a place is to take a road trip. Initially, one might take interest in shinny and glitzy buildings on the right side of the National Highway and a few shopping malls. For a Delhiite, especially somebody who is born and brought up in crammed lanes of West Delhi, the high rises were of course a treat for the eyes.
I later discovered that the city is not limited to a few malls and office complexes. It has some amazing architectural delights ignored for years in the city, rich flora and fauna in Aravallis, left to decay at the mercy of a few real estate developers and industrialists, a bunch of ‘enthusiasts’ (this is what they call themselves) who make sure that money from corporate reach their pockets, and last but not the least, many young cosmopolitan people, who have given an identity to the place. Following the agenda of my organisation, I decided to look at the positives first. I went to a plush office of an international company. As usual, I received a warm welcome (One of the best things of being a journalist is you will be welcomed everywhere – by restaurateurs, as they want a good food review, by entrepreneurs, as they have dozens of rack-to-riches stories to tell you, and of course by pretty ladies; they don’t want to miss out on opportunity to be featured on Page 3). The CEO of a company, that deals in graphic and content, was called. During our conversation, he asked me, “How much salary do you get?” I felt a little embarrassed. But then I thought what I am getting is pretty decent. I answered the question honestly. “If you join our company as an intern, we might offer you a raise of 10 grands,” he laughs out. Then I asked him about the kind of work his company does. He said, “We entertain the world with our unique stories and beautiful graphics. We are world leader in the field of graphics and content.” “Great! So do I. I bring real stories to people,” I said. It sounded absurd to them and one of them questioned, “Who reads newspapers these days?” This particular incident had a great impact on the view I had about my profession. When I write, I make sure everything is correct. I ensure it is a balanced story, written in an interesting manner to give a nice reading experience to a reader. But if nobody reads newspapers, am I writing for myself? Why do I think the money I am earning is enough to live a good life?
After a couple of days, I went to attend an alumni meet in my school. It was such a great feeling to connect with your teachers and classmates after a long time, that too on Saraswati Puja, one of my favourite festivals (No, I am not Bengali, but I admire Bengali culture a lot, since I have done my schooling in a Bengali school). Suddenly, a friend of mine asked, “I am going to states this summer. How about you people?” She was shocked to know that I am confined to reporting work in a small city located near Delhi. Some of my classmates, who chose teaching as a profession, were so much looked down upon. I was thankfully admired a lot, due to the glamour attached to my profession, not because of my talent. After all, anybody can write :)
All this made me draw a conclusion that this is what young India wants. This is what it respects. This is what they are working for – money! It promises to make life prosperous.. Opps! luxurious. Then why we call Americans “greedy and materialistic”. An entrepreneur decked up with expensive jewellery and branded accessories is always admired over a teacher who dresses up in a cotton Sari, but imparts education to hundreds of kids. Similarly, children of politicians live a lavish life than journalists who expose scams and risk their lives to get information on matters that really matter!
But the best thing about these professions is they never bore you. A child of a politician or an entrepreneur might get bored with shopping and eating, as generally they have no set goals in their lives. They are usually satisfied with the black money their parents have made and have no ambition in life. After all, money makes money! While a journalist gets an opportunity to meet so many people and bring their problems to the world, a teacher draws satisfaction in the fact that she dedicates half of her to nurture young minds. Not just teaching and journalism, professions like nursing, farming, and stay-at-home mothers are also not highly paid jobs in India.
Undoubtedly, every profession contributes to the success of the nation. But there is a need to have more control over the future generations of super-rich politicians and entrepreneurs, who in a way promote consumerism among youngsters. We can learn a lot from the western world, where people like Mark Zuckerberg, become a billionaire at the age of 26. Without the support of his family or any political party, he has made strides in the world with his revolutionised social networking site. His country not only gave ample opportunities to a youngster, but also appreciated his efforts in a great way. Have you ever heard of any young Indian entrepreneur, except the inheritants of businessmen who started Reliance and Tata. Anyways, they are not innovators; they are just the legacy holders. Unfortunately, our entertainment industry is also mired in the vicious circle. Please don’t expect to see any Shahrukh Khan and Rajesh Khanna in the near future, as a Bachchan is a superhero who can entertain the whole country... and can drain funds of many production houses!
If we want to respect talent and innovation, over money, we have to come out of the clutches of international companies, that use Indian workforce as clerks. We have to give right values to our future generation. We have to make sure that they work to acquire ‘Lakshmi’, not just money. Goddess Lakshmi is shown holding a half-blossomed lotus and a lot of gold coins falling from her hand. The coins symbolise wealth and the lotus symbolises peace and purity. The owl sitting on the left side of Goddess Lakshmi represents darkness, as it is a night bird. All this states that if one you don’t keep a balance when you get a lot of money, you are bound to become a nuisance to yourself and to others around you. Also, it states that peace and purity are as important as earning money. Young India should therefore respect the talent and innovation over inherited status and money.
Cheers!
Shilpy
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Facebook Mania
I always considered myself lucky to have lived an obsession free life. But last Sunday when I got up and the first thing I did was facebooking, I found I am getting addicted to the growing syndrome of social networking- Facebookmania. Gradually, I discovered it’s not just me but a large number of folks getting into the grip of Facebookmania. Then started my research and I end up finding five weird things people do on Facebook. Five weird things that show the height of Facebook obsession:
Posting strange pics: A frnd of mine got injured last month. First thing she did after getting back from hospital was.. she clicked her pic and uploaded it on facebook. And all her frnds hovered over her account with “what happened,” “are you allrite”, “is this a joke”, “take care”, “will give you a call in evening”, “you look sexy in plaster” and much more.
Aggressive status updates: Life is always easy for single species. Don’t agree?? Ask a guy who left her GF a couple of weeks back. It was a mutual break up but his GF hacked his account and updated her relationship status as follows: “In a relationship with SWINE” and this underlined link directs visitors to her bf’s account. So this poor guy had to shut down his account as he couldn’t write anything like this.. otherwise all his female frnds would have flown out of his account.
Posting updates in odd hours: It was the most important day of her life. Right from her grandma to her dad’s sister’s sister-in-law, everyone eagerly waited for this to happen- yes, her wedding. While guests were lining up to bless the newly-wed couple, Bride was busy posting updating on Facebook mobile- “I’m so happy.. I’m getting married today”…. n comments started flooding in.. “God bless u both”, “sorry I cudnt make it”, “enjoy sweetie”…
Keeping an eye: Yes, social media sites have turned out to be major detective tools. It’s easy. Your boss or colleague can send frnd request to your frnds and keep a watch on what you do whole day. Who you chat with? What is your nick name? What do you wear in parties? Not only it saves money, it also keeps them busy. Why the hell your office would spend on hidden cameras... why the hell your spouse would hire a detective when Facebook is here to serve all your needs. This is, however, eating into the business of detective agencies.
Cat fight: Coming across a hate comment on facebook is very common. Hate comments come in around March-April when people get promotions. You hate your colleague who has been getting all the praise… you hate that gal because she has got latest collection of Versace, go facebooking, post hate updates and get sympathy. What if I haven’t got promotion, at least my aggression has found a way. This is what facebook is widely used for these days- Emotional pleasure.
Don’t worry if you have never done this or if you’ve never come across such stuff. It simply shows your facebookmania is curable. So take good care of yourself, switch off notifications on your mobile and take a deep breath when you find it hard to resist yourself from facebooking.
My apologies to Facebook
Shilpy Arora
Posting strange pics: A frnd of mine got injured last month. First thing she did after getting back from hospital was.. she clicked her pic and uploaded it on facebook. And all her frnds hovered over her account with “what happened,” “are you allrite”, “is this a joke”, “take care”, “will give you a call in evening”, “you look sexy in plaster” and much more.
Aggressive status updates: Life is always easy for single species. Don’t agree?? Ask a guy who left her GF a couple of weeks back. It was a mutual break up but his GF hacked his account and updated her relationship status as follows: “In a relationship with SWINE” and this underlined link directs visitors to her bf’s account. So this poor guy had to shut down his account as he couldn’t write anything like this.. otherwise all his female frnds would have flown out of his account.
Posting updates in odd hours: It was the most important day of her life. Right from her grandma to her dad’s sister’s sister-in-law, everyone eagerly waited for this to happen- yes, her wedding. While guests were lining up to bless the newly-wed couple, Bride was busy posting updating on Facebook mobile- “I’m so happy.. I’m getting married today”…. n comments started flooding in.. “God bless u both”, “sorry I cudnt make it”, “enjoy sweetie”…
Keeping an eye: Yes, social media sites have turned out to be major detective tools. It’s easy. Your boss or colleague can send frnd request to your frnds and keep a watch on what you do whole day. Who you chat with? What is your nick name? What do you wear in parties? Not only it saves money, it also keeps them busy. Why the hell your office would spend on hidden cameras... why the hell your spouse would hire a detective when Facebook is here to serve all your needs. This is, however, eating into the business of detective agencies.
Cat fight: Coming across a hate comment on facebook is very common. Hate comments come in around March-April when people get promotions. You hate your colleague who has been getting all the praise… you hate that gal because she has got latest collection of Versace, go facebooking, post hate updates and get sympathy. What if I haven’t got promotion, at least my aggression has found a way. This is what facebook is widely used for these days- Emotional pleasure.
Don’t worry if you have never done this or if you’ve never come across such stuff. It simply shows your facebookmania is curable. So take good care of yourself, switch off notifications on your mobile and take a deep breath when you find it hard to resist yourself from facebooking.
My apologies to Facebook
Shilpy Arora
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Smiling 24/7
I don’t think the following text qualifies to be a post. You will not find anything logical in it. But it will surely bring a smile to you. I’ve penned down how my day starts and what makes a difference in its each hour, each minute and each second is a big smile
6.00 get up- with a usual smile curve on my face, switching off alarm, looking at strange painting on the wall. Don’t know why my sis has brought this painting but it’s really lucky to get my first smile.
6.15 morning walk- Morning walk is definitely one of the reasons why my teeth twinkle all the time and make my smile special… lol… believe me a smile to uncles and little kids make a difference… I like the way elderly come to community parks and share thoughts with each other and my smile brings smile to their face that brings a lot of satisfaction.
7.00 yoga- Yoga is as much important to me as air and water. One hour yoga ensures my Smile lasts all day long.
8.00 getting ready for office- Well, my smile is for everybody, not limited to human domain. Now my smiling face looks at heavenly mirror of my dressing table.. Whenever I stretch the smile curve, mirror does the same. Oh god! I wish there could be a copyright. But I don’t mind as far as it brings a divine smile.
8.45 catching metro - Though I turn into an athlete at 8.40 to catch my 8.50 train, smile never fades away. You must be wondering how could you keep the smile intact while running. Well, it’s not that difficult. Nobody, be it car cleaners, school kids or vegetable sellers, can afford to miss a glance of a gal whose sunglasses are jumping down to her nose, whose handbag is slipping off her shoulder and her office files making the run more difficult. But she doesn’t give up… runs till her last breath. How can anyone miss such a brave sight? And you feel like celebrity. Doesn't it deserve a smile?
9.00 struggling for space in metro- Gone are the days when we used to sit in metro and count seats of city’s new luxury. Today, you are lucky if you get space to stand on your toes. Despite of all pushins and pushouts, I don’t let my smile go away.
9.30 reaching office- Metro is a blessing as travelling to Noida from Delhi has become pretty easy. So now everyone, right from office guard to my boss welcome me with an instant smile. A smile is something that can be returned with a smile only. So the moment this smiling queen (me.. offcourse) enters office, smile waves spread all over.
10.00 kicking work- Believe it or not, now-a-days our true friend is actually a machine that was initially made to store data but now heralded into all aspects of our lives. Yeah, I’m talking about office computer. Don’t tell me you think it doesn’t need smile. Think again. Your computer needs it more than anything. There is a great correlation between your smile and computer. If computer hangs up, your curve goes down. If it doesn’t open pages immediately, you go crazy. If it doesn’t open your facebook page, your mind flies out of office and you wonder what your friends would be writing on your wall. And the moment computer comes in action; it brings a 1000 watt smile on your face. Isn’t it correlated?? Hence, moral of story is -keep the smile intact to get continuous facebook access…lol.
1.30 lunch-I know I skipped breakfast explanation of smile. After all you people need some respite too, to smile. Well, lunch brings more smiles than breakfast because it is usually shared. From Paranthas to Bihari cuisine and yummy South Indian Kheer, I relish various cuisines in lunch… n smile is bound to come.
6.00 leaving office- Yes, I get tired, I get exhausted, rush to reach home early but again goodbye smiles pep me up. I can’t tell you how much I luv these smiles. They have potential to challenge energy drinks. These smiles are truly natural energy booster… lol
7.00 Reaching home- Just to accompany my smile, I often meet friends on my way to home. But this week a friend of mine is busy with spine exercises, so reach home early. My mirror keeps the smile intact till evening. No matter when I look into it, it always smiles to me. Everything in my room, from skipping rope to exercise cycle, live in harmony as they share something common- smile. With smiles all over, I keep up my workout regime.
9.30 dinner with family- No, it is not as diverse as lunch. But still I enjoy it because whenever I find time, I let my smile spread in kitchen as well. Yeah, I cook (sometimes) to bring smile to all time cook of our family, my mum offcourse. Another reason why dinner time brings curves is it lets you interact with family after a long busy day
10.30 night walk- uhhh! time that brings a lot of smiles. You recount how many smiles you spread in a day, how many smiles you got back, how many smiles you missed and finally how many are yet to be given…
11.30 back to dream world- The moment I go back to smiling teddy bears lying on my bed, I get another reason to smile. That now I gonna enter into the dream world. I’ve spent more than 1/4th of my life in dreams. See, you don’t need to struggle for a long time to get a visa to fly to Seychelles. Just close your eyes and Seychelles tour is right here. This is what dreams let you do. And smile is bound to sprout up.
Love you all who swap this luxury with me. Someone has rightly said “The world always looks brighter from behind a smile”. More you give, more you get.
Keep Smiling
Shilpy :)))))))))))))
6.00 get up- with a usual smile curve on my face, switching off alarm, looking at strange painting on the wall. Don’t know why my sis has brought this painting but it’s really lucky to get my first smile.
6.15 morning walk- Morning walk is definitely one of the reasons why my teeth twinkle all the time and make my smile special… lol… believe me a smile to uncles and little kids make a difference… I like the way elderly come to community parks and share thoughts with each other and my smile brings smile to their face that brings a lot of satisfaction.
7.00 yoga- Yoga is as much important to me as air and water. One hour yoga ensures my Smile lasts all day long.
8.00 getting ready for office- Well, my smile is for everybody, not limited to human domain. Now my smiling face looks at heavenly mirror of my dressing table.. Whenever I stretch the smile curve, mirror does the same. Oh god! I wish there could be a copyright. But I don’t mind as far as it brings a divine smile.
8.45 catching metro - Though I turn into an athlete at 8.40 to catch my 8.50 train, smile never fades away. You must be wondering how could you keep the smile intact while running. Well, it’s not that difficult. Nobody, be it car cleaners, school kids or vegetable sellers, can afford to miss a glance of a gal whose sunglasses are jumping down to her nose, whose handbag is slipping off her shoulder and her office files making the run more difficult. But she doesn’t give up… runs till her last breath. How can anyone miss such a brave sight? And you feel like celebrity. Doesn't it deserve a smile?
9.00 struggling for space in metro- Gone are the days when we used to sit in metro and count seats of city’s new luxury. Today, you are lucky if you get space to stand on your toes. Despite of all pushins and pushouts, I don’t let my smile go away.
9.30 reaching office- Metro is a blessing as travelling to Noida from Delhi has become pretty easy. So now everyone, right from office guard to my boss welcome me with an instant smile. A smile is something that can be returned with a smile only. So the moment this smiling queen (me.. offcourse) enters office, smile waves spread all over.
10.00 kicking work- Believe it or not, now-a-days our true friend is actually a machine that was initially made to store data but now heralded into all aspects of our lives. Yeah, I’m talking about office computer. Don’t tell me you think it doesn’t need smile. Think again. Your computer needs it more than anything. There is a great correlation between your smile and computer. If computer hangs up, your curve goes down. If it doesn’t open pages immediately, you go crazy. If it doesn’t open your facebook page, your mind flies out of office and you wonder what your friends would be writing on your wall. And the moment computer comes in action; it brings a 1000 watt smile on your face. Isn’t it correlated?? Hence, moral of story is -keep the smile intact to get continuous facebook access…lol.
1.30 lunch-I know I skipped breakfast explanation of smile. After all you people need some respite too, to smile. Well, lunch brings more smiles than breakfast because it is usually shared. From Paranthas to Bihari cuisine and yummy South Indian Kheer, I relish various cuisines in lunch… n smile is bound to come.
6.00 leaving office- Yes, I get tired, I get exhausted, rush to reach home early but again goodbye smiles pep me up. I can’t tell you how much I luv these smiles. They have potential to challenge energy drinks. These smiles are truly natural energy booster… lol
7.00 Reaching home- Just to accompany my smile, I often meet friends on my way to home. But this week a friend of mine is busy with spine exercises, so reach home early. My mirror keeps the smile intact till evening. No matter when I look into it, it always smiles to me. Everything in my room, from skipping rope to exercise cycle, live in harmony as they share something common- smile. With smiles all over, I keep up my workout regime.
9.30 dinner with family- No, it is not as diverse as lunch. But still I enjoy it because whenever I find time, I let my smile spread in kitchen as well. Yeah, I cook (sometimes) to bring smile to all time cook of our family, my mum offcourse. Another reason why dinner time brings curves is it lets you interact with family after a long busy day
10.30 night walk- uhhh! time that brings a lot of smiles. You recount how many smiles you spread in a day, how many smiles you got back, how many smiles you missed and finally how many are yet to be given…
11.30 back to dream world- The moment I go back to smiling teddy bears lying on my bed, I get another reason to smile. That now I gonna enter into the dream world. I’ve spent more than 1/4th of my life in dreams. See, you don’t need to struggle for a long time to get a visa to fly to Seychelles. Just close your eyes and Seychelles tour is right here. This is what dreams let you do. And smile is bound to sprout up.
Love you all who swap this luxury with me. Someone has rightly said “The world always looks brighter from behind a smile”. More you give, more you get.
Keep Smiling
Shilpy :)))))))))))))
Sunday, May 9, 2010
"Mama... don't come home"
With mother’s day around the corner, I wanted to write something to thank my mom for her selfless contribution, for the care I’ve got from her, for the closeness we've enjoyed through the years. But on second thought I decided to pen down story of a mother who has been living away from her son, who has lost a part of her soul, who is left with nothing but a few memories.
Four years have gone by but she (Gurpreet) still remembers her son (Mandeep). Every year, on January 15, she lights her house. Nobody in neighborhood asks the reason. Because they all know it. January 15 is her son’s birthday who left her because of the growing differences between his mother and his wife.
She cooks his favorite desserts every weekend and distributes it among neighborhood kids. Being fond of knitting, she has made several pullovers and mufflers for her grandson. But she fears if she dies before she meets him.
As Gurpreet lives alone, I often visit her place and spend some time with her. Gurpreet is my mother’s friend. Me and my mother have spoken to Mandeep so many times on this issue. But he says he wants to enjoy life with his family. Unfortunately, Gurpreet who has given 27 years of her life to him is not his family. And offcourse, being a doctor, he makes good money and doesn’t need any kind of financial support.
Like any middle class parents, Gurpreet and her husband put in everything to build their son’s career. It is, however, shocking that Mandeep gives credit to his wife. After all, behind every successful man, there is a woman. And that woman is either your GF or wife, never your mother.
Mandeep has not met her mother since they got separated. In fact, he has refused to give his phone number and address to his parents. "Shilpy, she is such an embarrassment. She doesn't dress up nicely. She doesn't know how to serve my high profile doctor friends," said Mandeep when I called him two years back. And that was the last time he spoke to his mother.
He has tried all tactics to stay away from his parents. But last year, Gurpreet managed to get his address from one of his friends. With all pullovers and mufflers and love she has gathered over the years, she went to meet him. Mandeep opened the door and before his mother could say anything, he said “Mama, don’t come home…my wife doesn’t like it.”
Gurpreet came back and wrote a letter to her son- "I'm so sorry son, I am an embarrassment for you and your wife. You know, when you were three years old, you got high fever and doctor said treatment would cost more than 5,000 bucks. Your dad, a carpenter, couldn't afford such an amount. He sold his blood for your treatment. When you cleared medical entrance, we were so proud that now we have got strength. But unfortunately we were living a lie. No, I am not upset with you. After all, you hurt the one you love. I miss the times when you were young. All I am left with is your memories. I think I have taken a lot of your time. Bye son...and give my love to your son. And don't love him the way we loved you. Because I don't want you to suffer the way we have suffered without you."
My question to all you people who leave their parents is- How did life bring you to this place where you could dare to call yourself a doctor or engineer? Whose shoulders have supported you and whose hands have guided you?
Go back to your childhood and you will get the answers. Your journey began in the lap of mother. You spent 20-22 years of life blissfully with your parents. Never once had the thought of going out of house crossed your mind. Then why it happens after you get a partner. What makes you forget sacrifices made by your mother, what makes you forget her love, what makes you say “Mama... don’t come home.”
I regard no man as poor who has a mother…
Happy Mother’s Day
Shilpy Arora
Four years have gone by but she (Gurpreet) still remembers her son (Mandeep). Every year, on January 15, she lights her house. Nobody in neighborhood asks the reason. Because they all know it. January 15 is her son’s birthday who left her because of the growing differences between his mother and his wife.
She cooks his favorite desserts every weekend and distributes it among neighborhood kids. Being fond of knitting, she has made several pullovers and mufflers for her grandson. But she fears if she dies before she meets him.
As Gurpreet lives alone, I often visit her place and spend some time with her. Gurpreet is my mother’s friend. Me and my mother have spoken to Mandeep so many times on this issue. But he says he wants to enjoy life with his family. Unfortunately, Gurpreet who has given 27 years of her life to him is not his family. And offcourse, being a doctor, he makes good money and doesn’t need any kind of financial support.
Like any middle class parents, Gurpreet and her husband put in everything to build their son’s career. It is, however, shocking that Mandeep gives credit to his wife. After all, behind every successful man, there is a woman. And that woman is either your GF or wife, never your mother.
Mandeep has not met her mother since they got separated. In fact, he has refused to give his phone number and address to his parents. "Shilpy, she is such an embarrassment. She doesn't dress up nicely. She doesn't know how to serve my high profile doctor friends," said Mandeep when I called him two years back. And that was the last time he spoke to his mother.
He has tried all tactics to stay away from his parents. But last year, Gurpreet managed to get his address from one of his friends. With all pullovers and mufflers and love she has gathered over the years, she went to meet him. Mandeep opened the door and before his mother could say anything, he said “Mama, don’t come home…my wife doesn’t like it.”
Gurpreet came back and wrote a letter to her son- "I'm so sorry son, I am an embarrassment for you and your wife. You know, when you were three years old, you got high fever and doctor said treatment would cost more than 5,000 bucks. Your dad, a carpenter, couldn't afford such an amount. He sold his blood for your treatment. When you cleared medical entrance, we were so proud that now we have got strength. But unfortunately we were living a lie. No, I am not upset with you. After all, you hurt the one you love. I miss the times when you were young. All I am left with is your memories. I think I have taken a lot of your time. Bye son...and give my love to your son. And don't love him the way we loved you. Because I don't want you to suffer the way we have suffered without you."
My question to all you people who leave their parents is- How did life bring you to this place where you could dare to call yourself a doctor or engineer? Whose shoulders have supported you and whose hands have guided you?
Go back to your childhood and you will get the answers. Your journey began in the lap of mother. You spent 20-22 years of life blissfully with your parents. Never once had the thought of going out of house crossed your mind. Then why it happens after you get a partner. What makes you forget sacrifices made by your mother, what makes you forget her love, what makes you say “Mama... don’t come home.”
I regard no man as poor who has a mother…
Happy Mother’s Day
Shilpy Arora
Monday, May 3, 2010
10 Days with Content Development Company
Yes, I joined this content development company a couple of months back. Left my high-profile journalistic position and joined it just for the sake of money. Money suddenly become important to this gal who once said to her sub-editor “money doesn’t matter sir” (off course during her college days when she was struggling to get internship with UNI).. well, coming back to content development companies that expect you to write over 4,000 words and edit 10, 000 words in a day... after all revenue they are getting is just $1 for an article… hell
Day 1: Team of 12 new joinees … my boss.. opps! Content manager briefed the team on how to write, what to write, where to copy (I mean research) from?.. all that I mugged up during my college days. Long session dedicated to do’s and don’ts…gowd… it was tiring… but zeal remained till the end of the day. It was 100% … yes I wanted to put in 100% effort to satisfy my workaholic soul. Everyone was friendly and open.. but guys were guys... didn’t tell me their relationship status... no I didn’t ask them.. They changed the conversation when I asked “do you live with your family in Delhi?”
Day 2: Assignments started pouring in my mail box with 3-4 pages of instructions. And yes with strict deadlines. After all what do you need time for?? Type keywords in Google and do your research (copying from different sources). But, “REFER TO AT LEAST TWO SOURCES” - Mantra of good writing. Say if you’re writing on ‘preganancy’ and you’ve never been pregnant, open first few Google results, collect 1000 words, use synonymous and rewrite the content. “That’s it. I think it can be done in an hour on first day, in 45 min on second day and may be on third day, you’ll write down a piece in less than 35 min,” says our content manager… “wow... am I so talented?? Yes, I’m... I’m” I kept on telling myself. But I could complete just two articles that day. Thank god there were writers who couldn’t complete even one.
Day 3: Meeting with boss.. kinda round table discussion. Boss- “so how many article u did yesterday”… Me- “2”… Boss- “wat?” (with a strange smile).. n u Rohit (not his real name)..”sir 1” n u Priya.. “sir 1 and a half”..Boss- “all right, I think you all need a bit of training”… “but we not gonna spend working hours for training.,.. I’ll give just 15 min to each of you and that’s enough”. After all, it is simple research and re-writing but “CONTENT SHUOLD NOT BE PLAGIARIZED.”
Day 4: Everyone scratching head and cribbing about the alien topics … warehouses in Virginia, how to plan second pregnancy, day care centres in Texas to name a few. Boss entered “gud afternoon folks, let’s start a kinda feedback session. I’ll go through everybody’s content one by one”.. I was the first one he looked at. “so u Shilpy, show me your write-up” Me- “Here it is- ‘How to write a Facebook profile”.. Boss- “well-written, mindblowing title, superb intro but u need to structure it well… on that note I’ll give u…ummm…. 6.5 on 10.”… “u need to work hard Shilpy”. moving to other writer- “fabulous…flawless.. I’ll give you 7.5 on 10”… next writer.. “I don’t know what to say.. I’m not able to understand anything”… boss- “I think I should give it a second thought.” All employess “It???” “My decision of setting up a team of writers,” says boss… employess fainted.
Day 5: Numbers all over. No coffee breaks, no chit-chat. HR enters “hey guys, I need to talk to you- Priya, saurabh, sarthak”. All were asked to leave because they got horrible remarks from editor in US. Company fired almost 7 writers on day 5.
Day 6: Boss- “Our Company has decided to revise salary structure we decided at the time of hiring.” Employees- “What???” (all staring at him). “Yes, I think I expected too much from you guys. Nobody is performing upto my expectations.” Meeting over. Employees back to their workstations. All updated their CVs on job sites and kick started job hunting.
Day 7: Day starts with resignation of three employees and a hate mail sent by a fired guy to everyone including our boss. By afternoon, two more joined in. Boss was busy with hiring and training sessions. Numbers vanished out of our minds. And requests for leaves started flooding in. After all job hunting is not that easy and half day leaves aren’t enough.
Day 8: Top performer of our team got fired. Yeah, it was very serious. His content was plagiarized. “No matter how excellent your performance is or how good your numbers are, no company on earth can tolerate plagiarism,”- HR manager. I’s short of words. He was my only good friend left in office. As usual, I couldn’t control my tongue and asked HR to talk to boss or else I talk to him. “No, its fine… part of life”- he said.
Day 9: I moved to another cubicle. Now we were just four people left in writing team. Hiring was still on but company couldn’t hire a single good writer. GREAT WRITERS ARE BORN, NOT MADE. Suddenly boss became over-friendly… started throwing parties everyday. What’s more? He kept his plans to review salary structure on hold. And HR tried all tactics to lure us. They can’t afford to loose four diamonds, unpolished offcourse.
Day 10: Finally arrives my farewell day. I throw a party. Thank god you gave me chance to meet some amazing people including my boss. Thank god I learned a few management tips from him. Thank god you made me realize.. “If you're not making mistakes, you're not doing anything”.
Enjoy!
Shilpy :)
Day 1: Team of 12 new joinees … my boss.. opps! Content manager briefed the team on how to write, what to write, where to copy (I mean research) from?.. all that I mugged up during my college days. Long session dedicated to do’s and don’ts…gowd… it was tiring… but zeal remained till the end of the day. It was 100% … yes I wanted to put in 100% effort to satisfy my workaholic soul. Everyone was friendly and open.. but guys were guys... didn’t tell me their relationship status... no I didn’t ask them.. They changed the conversation when I asked “do you live with your family in Delhi?”
Day 2: Assignments started pouring in my mail box with 3-4 pages of instructions. And yes with strict deadlines. After all what do you need time for?? Type keywords in Google and do your research (copying from different sources). But, “REFER TO AT LEAST TWO SOURCES” - Mantra of good writing. Say if you’re writing on ‘preganancy’ and you’ve never been pregnant, open first few Google results, collect 1000 words, use synonymous and rewrite the content. “That’s it. I think it can be done in an hour on first day, in 45 min on second day and may be on third day, you’ll write down a piece in less than 35 min,” says our content manager… “wow... am I so talented?? Yes, I’m... I’m” I kept on telling myself. But I could complete just two articles that day. Thank god there were writers who couldn’t complete even one.
Day 3: Meeting with boss.. kinda round table discussion. Boss- “so how many article u did yesterday”… Me- “2”… Boss- “wat?” (with a strange smile).. n u Rohit (not his real name)..”sir 1” n u Priya.. “sir 1 and a half”..Boss- “all right, I think you all need a bit of training”… “but we not gonna spend working hours for training.,.. I’ll give just 15 min to each of you and that’s enough”. After all, it is simple research and re-writing but “CONTENT SHUOLD NOT BE PLAGIARIZED.”
Day 4: Everyone scratching head and cribbing about the alien topics … warehouses in Virginia, how to plan second pregnancy, day care centres in Texas to name a few. Boss entered “gud afternoon folks, let’s start a kinda feedback session. I’ll go through everybody’s content one by one”.. I was the first one he looked at. “so u Shilpy, show me your write-up” Me- “Here it is- ‘How to write a Facebook profile”.. Boss- “well-written, mindblowing title, superb intro but u need to structure it well… on that note I’ll give u…ummm…. 6.5 on 10.”… “u need to work hard Shilpy”. moving to other writer- “fabulous…flawless.. I’ll give you 7.5 on 10”… next writer.. “I don’t know what to say.. I’m not able to understand anything”… boss- “I think I should give it a second thought.” All employess “It???” “My decision of setting up a team of writers,” says boss… employess fainted.
Day 5: Numbers all over. No coffee breaks, no chit-chat. HR enters “hey guys, I need to talk to you- Priya, saurabh, sarthak”. All were asked to leave because they got horrible remarks from editor in US. Company fired almost 7 writers on day 5.
Day 6: Boss- “Our Company has decided to revise salary structure we decided at the time of hiring.” Employees- “What???” (all staring at him). “Yes, I think I expected too much from you guys. Nobody is performing upto my expectations.” Meeting over. Employees back to their workstations. All updated their CVs on job sites and kick started job hunting.
Day 7: Day starts with resignation of three employees and a hate mail sent by a fired guy to everyone including our boss. By afternoon, two more joined in. Boss was busy with hiring and training sessions. Numbers vanished out of our minds. And requests for leaves started flooding in. After all job hunting is not that easy and half day leaves aren’t enough.
Day 8: Top performer of our team got fired. Yeah, it was very serious. His content was plagiarized. “No matter how excellent your performance is or how good your numbers are, no company on earth can tolerate plagiarism,”- HR manager. I’s short of words. He was my only good friend left in office. As usual, I couldn’t control my tongue and asked HR to talk to boss or else I talk to him. “No, its fine… part of life”- he said.
Day 9: I moved to another cubicle. Now we were just four people left in writing team. Hiring was still on but company couldn’t hire a single good writer. GREAT WRITERS ARE BORN, NOT MADE. Suddenly boss became over-friendly… started throwing parties everyday. What’s more? He kept his plans to review salary structure on hold. And HR tried all tactics to lure us. They can’t afford to loose four diamonds, unpolished offcourse.
Day 10: Finally arrives my farewell day. I throw a party. Thank god you gave me chance to meet some amazing people including my boss. Thank god I learned a few management tips from him. Thank god you made me realize.. “If you're not making mistakes, you're not doing anything”.
Enjoy!
Shilpy :)
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