My Top 15 Favorite Blog Posts of 2011

I have written many articles and poems in this year and it was a wonderful experience being able to write regularly all through the year. What’s more satisfying is that how well some of my articles have been received and shared over the internet! As 2011 draws to an end, I am writing this post to highlight my favorite 15 posts which I wrote in the year 2011.

1. 10 Things I am glad I had done (or do) in my life

I wrote this post in the beginning of the year on Jan 20, and has remained my favorite ever since. I often read this post again and again to measure myself against the 10 points I wrote in this article.

2. Only If You Knew

What if you are a poor and illiterate child who is exploited by the world around you and have no idea how to fight it? What do you say to the normal human being going about his life chasing his dreams and making his mark in the world? This poem is imagined from this little poor child to the average middle class Indian.

3. What is Jan Lokpal Bill?

I wrote this post before most of the country has heard of the Jan Lokpal Bill or Anna Hazare, on 12 March 2011. It was a chance encounter with IAC during the Dandi March 2 in Bangalore that I came to know about it, and wrote an article on it. That article later got widely popular as Anna Hazare fever caught on to the whole nation. See the number of shares (2000+) and the number of comments (200+) this article has got.

4. Why God Made Mothers?

Will not say much about it, just that I wrote this poem as a tribute to every mother and her undying love for her kid.

5. How letting go of SaleRaja could be one of my best decisions ever?

Very often we put in a lot of effort in something only to see it fail or not work out as expected. I wrote this post recalling a similar experience which I had with SaleRaja and how difficult was it for me for it to let go. But once I made the decision, there were so many things waiting for me which I could not see earlier. Read this post to realize that sometimes you have to let go of the life you have planned for yourself to get what life has planned for us.

6. What I learned when Deepali said “Theek Theek Laga Lo” 🙂

In April, I remembered an old incident which happened when I was in InfoEdge in Noida and wrote a post about it. It highlights the importance of having fun at the workplace and how we can do much more productive work in a fun environment rather than being serious all day.

7. Messenger of Hope

As the whole country got behing Anna Hazare during his fast unto death in April, I wrote this poem highlighting how Anna has come as our Messenger of Hope.

8. Never sacrifice happiness for achievement

An article I wrote in May highlighting the importance of enjoying and cherishing every minute of the journey while we go toward our destination. It is about how we should start living in the NOW and enjoy whatever we are doing.

Wishing a very Happy New Year 2012 to all of you

Wishing a very Happy New Year 2012 to all of you

9. Don’t allow yourself to use the word “tired”

I wrote this post stressing on the importance of language and the words we use in our daily conversations. And one of the quickest ways to improve your way of being is to change the words you use, to others and to yourself too.

10. 5 Benefits of Early Morning Exercise You Don’t Know

We all know the benefits of early morning exercise to our health. But I wrote this post to highlight some other benefits from getting up early and exercising. Like how it is a personal victory to start your day, how it gives us free time later in the day and keeps us stress free and feeling confident which eventually impacts every other area of our life too.

11. Why Will I Not Trade Any Year of My Career for even a MIT / Harvard Degree?

One of my favorite posts, I wrote this one taking a look back at 6 years of my professional career. I take a look at a few things which didn’t span out as expected, and how I am glad for those as I found new directions and ways to walk on at those unforeseen turns. I also highlight how much I have changed in the last 6 years, yet remaining the same person at the core. Must read…

12. Its Part of The Game

A poem about the fact that how everything is part of the game. That how life’s successes and failures are just two sides of the same coin and that there is no reason to be upset or dejected at the failures. Instead we must take the lessons from them and continue playing the game.

13. 7 Lessons from SaleRaja and other start-ups I have been associated with

Here are seven important points I would like to share with one and all who might be interested in starting a web based business based on my experiences. Some of the points are being passionate, prioritizing stuff, having fun while working and working with people smarter than yourself who share the same value system.

14. Why we should break the Safety Wall around us (to be Happy)

I wrote this article on my birthday. It highlights the need to get out of our comfort zone for us to be really happy and fully experience life. Most of the the times we thing being comfortable is being happy, but if we got in the world totally vulnerable to risks and still being able to dream big, we will realize what being alive and happy is really all about. Don’t just read this article, do it to believe it!

15. She is my dearest

A different poem from what I usually write, this is one of my favorite poems I wrote this year. Will not say much about it, just read it 🙂

 

I know I said I would give the 15 top blog posts but while I am at it, I found four more (and anyways, I am not much for rules) which I would like to share with you. So here you go with the 4 bonus posts below –

 

Is the Innovation ladder leaning against the right wall?

In this article I have tried to bring out the gap between the areas where all the technology driven innovation is happening and where the real need it. I have tried to  impress upon the point that “Are we innovating for solving the right problems?”

I Sent You

A poem I wrote in September about a confused young man who looks to God to answer many of his questions. And how God replies to his doubts!

How to write regularly, and get better at it in 10 easy steps

After writing so much in all of 2011, I decide to share my experience with my readers. In this post I list 10 important points I think will help anybody write regularly.

The Two Kinds of Choices and Decisions

This was a post I wrote just last month about the two kinds of choices we have to make in our life, and how both types of choices are very important. There is only one way we can move ahead in life and that is by choosing its choices, whether we make it or when life chooses a path for us.

In Love, All Over Again

(As imagined from a man willing to fall in love again with the girl of his dreams, even after loving her all life long.)

 

All Over Again

All Over Again

Every time I see you,
I feel I am going insane!
You make me want to,
Go and sing in the rain!!

I love hearing your voice,
Even if I have nothing to say!
It gives me a reason to rejoice,
Even if you are miles away!!

When your hand touches mine,
I feel a rush of blood to the head!
The feeling seems almost divine,
I can’t wait to see what’s ahead!!

There is no sight better,
Than seeing you smile!
The sound of your laughter,
Makes it all worthwhile!!

I know together we belong,
And a lot is ours to attain!
After loving you all lifelong,
I can fall for you all over again!!

My weekly tweets archive for the week ending 2011-12-19

Six Indians who will not be with us in 2012

Another year is coming to an end. As 2011 says good-bye for ever and we welcome 2012, let’s take a look at who all 2011 took with it. I can distinctly remember the passing away of some great personalities this year, who will forever be missed in the years to come. There are people from all walks of life – from art, sports, technology and bollywood who were luminaries in their respective fields but are no more with us today.

Shammi Kapoor - The Elvis Presley of India

The Elvis Presley of India

Shammi Kapoor

The original ‘yahoo‘ man, the youth icon of the 60s, Shammi Kapoor was as famous for his boyish looks and trademark dance movies as he was for his acting. Some of his most famous movies were Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Professor, China Town, Junglee, Kashmir Ki Kali, and Brahmachari, among others. He was often hailed as the ‘Elvis Presley‘ of India. Later in this life, he also appeared in a lot of character roles and those were always well received. His demise has certainly left a big gap in Indian cinema.

MF Hussain

Often called India’s Picasso, he was without doubt the best artist ‘in the country‘, which is actually ironical as he spent his last years outside the country due to controversies over his paintings. While the Indian leaders called his death a ‘national loss‘, they were unable to promise him security from death threats from right wing Hindu activists. He was one of the first Indian artists to command huge respect and prices for his paintings in the international scene. His paintings were known for his understanding of the human situation, and how he portrayed the same in paint. He had received awards like Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vidhushan from the Indian government.

MAK Pataudi - Youngest Test Captain of India

Youngest Test Captain of India

MAK Pataudi

Every now and then a man dies leading to countrywide mourning of unknown magnitude. It amazed me to watch the whole country, and so many politicians, former cricketers and bollywood legends mourning his passing away recently. There are many stories about he applied his cricketing brain to use to fox the opponents as a captain and how he batted with only one eye. Noted historian and cricket writer Mukul Kesavan, writing about Pataudi said: “He wasn’t just the Nawab of Pataudi – he was a Tiger. For us it wasn’t just a name, it was an attitude”

Jagjit Singh

He was the ghazal king of India. Young or old, I can bet you have heard and cherished listening to his ghazals. He transformed the way ghazals were sung, and he brought them into the mainstream from just being a ‘niche‘ earlier. He has sung in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Sindhi, Gujarati and Nepali. His music for films like Prem Geet, Arth and Saath Saath was well known. He composed and recorded songs for over 80 albums in a career spanning over five decades.

Jagjit Singh - The Ghazal King

Jagjit Singh - The Ghazal King

Dev Anand

Just as losing the above four legends was not enough, the Evergreen Romantic Superstar of Indian Cinema Dev Anand passed away on 3rd December at the age of 88. He had millions of fans in his career which span a whopping 65 years. He was known for his youthfulness, style and good looks. He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India and also got the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002. He acted in movies like Guide (his most famous), C.I.D., Kala Pani, Pocketmaar, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Asli Naqli, Jewel Thief, Prem Pujari, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Banarasi Babu. He continued to make films and act in them till his death, with his last movie being Chargesheet this year itself.

Bhupen Hazarika

He was a film maker, a lyricist, a singer, a poet and a political activist, all rolled into one. His career spanned over 70 years in which he put Assamese cinema on the map and in 1992, he was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke award. His songs often touched on important social issues and always promoted justice and empathy. People like Hazarika might no longer exist in bodily form, but their memories will forever remain with us in the form of their work, whether it is Harazika’s songs, Dev Sahab’s acting, Shammi Kapoor’s dancing to songs like Suku Suku, or the paintings of MF Hussain.

Some other luminaries who passed away this year are Steve Jobs, Dennis Ritchie, Joe Frazier, Sathya Sai Baba and Elizabeth Taylor.

India, Its Government, the Opposition and Anna Hazare

With the recent Anna Hazare led movement against corruption and the amazing support that it has received from the common man, everybody is busy pointing out the failure of the government. The media, social activists and the common man, have all come out and criticized the government and its ministers of the way they have handled the issue of corruption. But what about the opposition? How have they fared over the past few years? And on a general note, what is the role of the opposition in a democracy?

What is the role of the opposition?

I feel the role of opposition in a democracy is as important as that of the ruling coalition. The most important job which the opposition has is the responsibility for keeping the government in check and making sure they are delivering their promises to the public. Just because you are sitting in the opposition, it doesn’t mean that you are not liable or don’t have any commitment to the public who have elected you.

In fact, in my opinion you can do more good in opposition if you are really committed to serving the people of your country. The opposition should be sensible, intelligent and wise. They must use their intellect and reasoning critically and constructively. The opposition should work and interact with the people of the country and bring the concerns of the people to the government, if the government is not already doing so. Within the parliament and other democratic structures, they should engage in constructive debates and help/support the government in the common objective of serving the nation. They should also act as a deterrent in case any party or office bearer try to misuse his/her office for personal gains.

Anna Hazare's rally in Delhi

Anna Hazare Anti-Corruption Rally, Delhi (photo courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/ishanz/)

What is not the role of the opposition?

The opposition should not be the opposition just for the sake of it. Also, they should not criticize and oppose every government policy just because they are sitting in the opposition. They should not disrupt the working of parliament and other constitutional structures. All their actions have to be directed towards the common cause (which they share with the government) of serving the nation. In the Indian scenario, it is clearly visible how the opposition have lost their credibility and status as they oppose each government policy and indulge in mindless accusation of government leaders.

What has Anna Hazare done?

No matter how good or sincere Anna Hazare is, he would not have been able to gain the public support if the opposition had been doing its job properly. Anna Hazare has only stepped into the vacuum left by the non-governance by the ruling coalition and the total ineffectiveness of the opposition parties to check that. The situation has come to a point where the public was totally hopeless and helpless, and only in this space Anna Hazare and IAC have stepped in. They are doing the job of the opposition, to pressurize (and support) the government to do their job. (I have answered some FAQs about the movement here)

Today’s opposition parties might be tomorrow’s ruling parties, and their approach and analysis can backfire on them tomorrow, if they show negative thinking and only care about coming back to power. Opposition is the back-bone of a healthy democratic setup, and a good opposition is necessary for the success of parliamentary democracy.  I hope our opposition realizes this, sooner than later.