More than just Physics? : Spiritual :-)

Read it here: More than just Physics? : Spiritual :-)

Yes, I love Science. I have always loved Science.


Love,
Mishti :-)

6 Steps To Ace The Indian Job Race

According to a recent survey results, more than 80% of Indianengineering graduates are unemployable. Industry experts believe graduates lack the requisite talent to make the cut. And by requisite talent, they mean: communication skills, confidence, problem-solving capabilities, and other generic abilities sought by the employers in Indian job markets. While the percentage represents a grim situation for engineering graduates, it alarms us of the need for empowering the Indian youth with skill-set that they deserve to acquire as a part of their graduating curriculum, and hereby I present the 6 Steps To Ace The Indian Job Race:

1. Create Your Job Resume Sooner

Resume created within the first month in your college will do you good in 5 ways:

• Kick-start your "need to communicate".
• Provide you the document to update your marks and extra-curricular achievements, as and when they happen. It feels great to write "I led a team!!" Try it.
• Give you the enthusiasm to set a new momentum for your professional life ahead.
• Help you analyze yourself over your graduation tenure and ultimately equips you with the tool to create a Resume that reflects the most authentic image of yourself
• Prepare you appropriately to face the world out there

Remember: Success happens when preparation and 

opportunity

 meet.

2. Create Your LinkedIn Profile

A social profile on LinkedIn will help you in 4 different ways:

• Get connected to your school-friends, friends from anygeographic location, professional circles of your elders and parents, etc.
• Read about industry experts and learn from their experiences
• Join online groups and share your thoughts, for discussions and learning
• Be inspired from activities of other LinkedIn members

Remember: College years are your best time of learning, learning, and learning

3. Talk To Yourself

Stand in front of the mirror and answer to the question: Tell me about yourself. Can you stand straight, confident, and face yourself for more than a minute? You are great if you can! Next, tell yourself about yourself. Practise doing this on a regular basis. This exercise will not only help you build an extra-ordinary self confidence, but also will drive you to get involved inproductive pursuits to talk about yourself. That in turn, will keep increasing yourprofessional skill-sets that you'lldiscover as you go along.

Remember: Every interview usually begins with you talking about yourself.

4. Get Hands-On Experience in Projects & Internships

Paid, or unpaid, Projects and Internships give you an edge in the Indian job market. Write thousands of emails to Professors/Research Associates/ Laboratories etc. for project assistance opportunities in your areas of studies. Somebody, somewhere, is always in need of sincere students. Reach out to your elders, uncles, sisters, cousins working in esteemed organizations, seeking to serve, and to learn "on job" skills. Form groups of friends, and develop a product, try to market it, sell it, and make a fortune out of it. Do anything that you love to do. A steady involvement in Projects and Internship opportunities hone your problem-solving abilities.

Remember: As professionals, you are going to solve problems. So, get the ground running as soon and as much as you can!

5. Update Your Resume

As soon as your semester marks are out, update it in your Resume. It will help you introspect, and improve your performance. As soon as the Annual Fest is over, update your Resume with your 'experience as the Lead Guitarist' for yourCollege music-team. etc. Creating a Resume in the first month into your college makes sense, only when you keep updating it more regularly.

Remember: A well-maintained Resume is always better than a last-minute word document.

6. Practise Gratitude On Daily Basis

Nomatter how many medals you win, how many A+ grades you score, and how many more bullet points you get to add in the 'achievements' section in your Resume, to secure a job, you must be humble enough to deserve that position. Be thankful to your parents, siblings, friends, project-mates, hostel friends, neighbours, pets, and to the universe for giving you with the resources (internet, books, et. al.) and all the opportunities that help you ace the job race.

Remember: Gratitude breeds happiness. Say a genuine 'Thank You', every day.

Best Wishes,

Mishti.

Education, & its *roots*

Education starts at home. The moment we are born, we start 'sensing' things, and with 'sense' starts our 'educating'. And while the innocent-full-of-love parents are still basking in the joy of seeing their baby, they start educating the child with all their care :-)

As always, let me share some experiences on "educating". The 1st and the most important aspect of educating is "Listening". Something that my parents excelled at. As you all know by now, I was the creative & rebellious kid around, and it needed a different kind of 'parenting' towards me, than towards my "too nice and docile" elder sister. I had loads of questions and curiosity, to begin my parents' days with :D My mom, the ever creative & hard-working in her own pursuits while doing all household chores, paid attention to every little thing I did or said. Nothing was "silly" , or "unimportant" to her. She used to be brutally honest with me, even about the "philosophical" questions I'd throw at a nascent age, wouldn't make her wonder. She would rather think about it, and tell me the best answer known to her. And about the sibling squabbles, well, Mom always "listened to both the sides", and took the decision that "was right". 

With such kind of education give by my mom, which allowed my creativity to nurture freely, my mind to question without fear, and to help us arrive at "righteous conclusions to squabbles, however silly", she indeed was developing a model of education that continues to help me grow up. 

While mom stayed mostly at home, while going out for Teaching classes etc., I felt 'cared for', and 'supported' and somehow I emulated her ways of 'conducting herself in the society', the woman of character that she is, afterall. Dad was working with the Indian Railways in the Operating Division, and he would come home everyday by 6PM sharp, but on most days, he'd bring work home. And I used to be over-enthusiastic about his *works*. Frankly, those days (my school-days), I had no idea about things like 'work pressure', and 'getting tired'. And you know how ? My Dad *never* uttered those words at home, infront of us. As soon as he would come home, he would ask for water, I'd give him, and I'd make different snacks for him as well, and loved to watch him unwind. Yeah, I loved to sit beside him....as he sat on the chair on the terrace, after a long day. On some days, he used to be very tired & just closed his eyes; I'd watch him simply...and ask him questions, to which he'd answer most patiently. On other days, he'd be relaxed, & would tell me about the Galaxy, the Stars, etc. [Terrace used to be & still is, one of my favourite places @ my home]. So, what am trying to say is: He would *never* let me know how tired he is, and what *work worries* he has. And i was stupid enough to not realize the same...and continued growing up with utmost enthusiasm towards life, in general. And that, I believe, built in me, the audacity and the courage to "DREAM".

Because, you see, a child can only dream, in a fearless / worry-less environment provided by "truly educated" parents. I used to 'overhear' my parents talking about my Dad's work-pressure & my mom sharing supportive words, hopeful messages etc., but Dad or Mom, never told their problems to us. On the contrary, Dad always used to share with me the stories of great soldiers from Indian History, great Political leaders who became martyrs for the Nations, great Footballers, great Musicians et. al. and told me that I must always dream big.....and that, he'd support me with all his might :) It was so encouraging, indeed. And like I said, I used to talk more with Mom...as she took care of my school needs etc., so, about my concerns on "I want to do this / that", Mom would give it a thought and would tell me to take the most logical step, even if that required me to do something totally new. She would tell me "You gotta do what you gotta do". So, I was constantly inspired! :)

Ofcourse, there were those moments that called for "strict parental scolding", when I did/said something really wrong / put up a fight with someone, then Mom/Dad would get together and give me a long scolding, to which I'd listen to, with a long face, followed by crying :P (And they would let me cry, as long as I could) :) They would never argue with me, nomatter what I'd "opine" on Any matter; they would rather listen, and they would share their points of views that made me think in dimensions that I might have missed. But yes, if I would "do any Wrong action / Say somthing Wrong", they would tell me I am wrong and would teach me how to take a corrective action / replace the wrong speech with words of Kindness and Love & practise Forgiveness. That's how I'd learn not to repeat my mistakes but develop "human values". Am grateful to my parents, and their "Education", so to say.

Education, which gave me lot of knowledge about courage, faith & righteousness; confidence and grit to take action to fulfill dreams, humility to say a genuine sorry and mean it, power to discriminate between Right and Wrong...in order to develop the ability to choose 'right action' over wrong........always in life, respect towards everyone, and courage to dream big.

Love,

Mishti :)

of Good Music

I have huge respect for humble people. And well, one can be truly called humble when one achieves greatest of individual potential and yet remains down to earth. In my knowledge, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty is one such musician. As a kid, I used to hear about him from my parents discussing about his music, and my mom happens to hail from his neighbouring hometown, so mom knows some realities of his upbringing and initial musical training and his journey, per se. You may read some information about him @ Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty 

People in the music fraternity in the entire world, know him. So, what has he done after accomplishing prestigious Indian and International acclaim? He has developed scientific methods of structured training courses for small children, and he has opened a school that trains children in Indian Classical Music. Not just that, he has his own Facebook Page, and I can tell he posts the FB Posts, himself :-) and, THAT takes humility. To embrace change as our social life changes, while appreciating the goodness of social-media, by actively being a part of it to engage with the world: All this, so that he can take the Indian music to the masses. I mean, at this age, when he is 60+ years old, and has all the money he needs, he could easily sit on his laurels and enjoy the comforts. But his actions speak for his dedication and a life-long devotion: Music.

I love to be living in this era in India, where I witness a new breed of ultra-talented Indian Classical Musicians, of my generation !! :-) Am really proud of them. I mean, in these times of fast-paced life, easy distractions, it is very very difficult for young children to even sit at one place for over a minute; I see them all around me; Smartfones add to the fidgeting :D So, yeah, during such challenging environments, it's so heart-warming to see parents and children devoted into nurturing Indian Classical Music. Hats off to them! :-)

Today I got to listen to a song that had me mind-blown in a nice way :-) Pandit Ji posted it on his Facebook wall, saying it is a 11-beat song made for the 1st time in the history of world music. Created by Sayani Palit. By default I counted the beats, and was awestruck with the brilliance demonstrated by all percussionists. What perfection. What finesse. And the singing of the vocalist speaks of her years long 'sadhana'. This is one of the Best songs, ever made. And I convey my thanks to all the musicians for creating such a beautiful piece of music. Have a listen:

God bless.

Mishti.

Happy outlet :-)

Some days are like that: Overwhelming. I mean, when a small speck like me, who is struggling hard to put together many scattered pieces while fighting harder to keep calm other agents that are more bothered about keeping their visibility turned on, then at the end of it, the respectable big guy who has been keeping an eye on each and every movement of all the small specks, acknowledges the small speck and says a sentence that has "sweet girl" in its phrasing, I feel humbled :-) He is an '87 batch IAS officer, and also, he takes interest in Indian Classical Music. He has been instrumental in driving some key national schemes despite bureaucratic troubles that were not under his control. I've been fortunate to interact with him a couple of times, on formal occasions of review meetings and official callings.

And then, I get to know one of my classmates, who has been to IIMA after IIT Kharagpur & served the corporate world for a while, cracked the UPSC '14. I mean, he is one of my friends whom I've grown up with; that introvert kid whom I always like to speak to, that nice boy who supported the group-activities I was involved in, that humble guy who had a rare charm of his own, who was always driven to "do something good, to give back to the society". THAT friend of mine, Sudhir, cracked one of the toughest Civil Services exam held in India. I am just so happy today. :) Even today, he said "I wanted to get into Civil services to be able to give back to society". And he is not there on FB, or any social site, unlike me :P Well, that's about my 'Leo' sunsign !! God made me this way; I've been a social kid eversince I started talking :D So, someday, Sudhir would be an Joint Secretary / Secretary / Commissioner & Secretary / Others, in some Department in some Ministry in the Indian Govt. And we'd relish our good old times discussing future of the next generation.....among other things :) God bless.

Then, a colleague-turned-friend. Let's call him 'A'. For a workaholic person like me, there is literally no time to spend 'quality time' with 'colleagues'. It's all about work. Period. However, this new colleague has a sensitive side to his being. Unlike many hard-bred men, he takes 'care' of work. It's a difference that am probably unable to express in words. May be, if you know someone who 'loves' his/her work; you'd know what I mean. And I admire such kind of genuine sincerity. We have had differences. Am an opinionated person; and when a Leo gets upset, the entire world should just stay calm :D :P Ofcourse, it takes as little time for me to calm down, as it takes for my temperature to shoot up :P :D So, 'A' is aware of this, now :) And he keeps sharing his wisdom and told me "You behave like a kid sometimes", to which I said "I behave like a kid a LOT of times; it's just that you don't notice, which is good! :P". So, 'A' has been through some tough times recently, which I came to know, only after I trusted him with my thoughts and words, & he kept my trust.... patiently listened to all that I was going through. 'A' is the most simple, and the most sensitive friend I have. Am just so glad today, as I relax and think of a wonderful phase of life that passed by....in the last 1 year. I have a friend, who is so nice, I realize. I pray 'A' achieves all his dreams; he the sweetest 'guy' I know, and I wish him all the sweetness of this world. :) The predominant feeling I have on such a day is the feeling of "gratitude". Friendship is such a beautiful relationship, borne out of formal beginnings, some rough interjections, empathy for each other, understanding, and a renewed faith in the bonding. 

As I relish this day, a lovely day of good feeling, am listening to the song: "aaj phir tumpe pyaar aaya hai"....that channelizes my mushy emotions....as am once again deep in love with Life ^_^ :-)

God bless.

Mishti :)

My brother 'Raja' :-)

I have a cousin brother. His name is 'Raja'. He is 21 years old and he lives in a village in the eastern part of West Bengal, with his family of three. I remember we had last met some 20 years ago, when we used to visit them, and he used to visit us along with his parents. He used to be very naughty, and I used to be equally encouraging ! :) Anyhow, as time flew, we grew up, I got busy with loads of learning and gearing up to face the world, and when mobile phones came into existence, I didn't know how many of us in the family had access. Yet, we never forgot each other. Our relationship was just there. Tight and warm. 

We got connected over phone, few weeks back when mom visited his village, and I especially told my mom to call me from there so that I get to talk to Raja, the naughty kid that I loved !! :-) He is a big boy now. He graduated from college last year, and is employed with the local Police Station in his area. We spoke, and we spoke for more than an hour in one go!! I couldn't believe in his sweetness, it was so real. Am still basking in his innocence as I see his SMS that reads "Goodnight my Mishti didi. Sweet dreams". :-)

I say my thanks to God, for keeping me warm and loved. Raja believes my love and blessings are always there with him even though I couldn't stay in touch with him all this while, and I do assure him of the same. I pray to God that his faith in my love only grows deeper. Am in love with "innocence", yet again. And perhaps, innocence is like food to my soul. Thanks to Raja, my cute little brother. 

Warm regards,

Mishti.

Patriotism - 2

A message of conviction, truth, and reflection shared by an Indian called Mohan. I feel grateful to you, dear brother, for feeling so much for the nation, and for doing it right: Expressing your feeling. Thank you. Jai Hind.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Arvind,

It has been three years since I started following every tiny move of yours. I say this with conviction, if Swami Vivekananda was alive today, he would not say “Give me a few men and women who are pure and selfless, and I shallshake the world.”, he shall rather say “Give me a few Arvinds and I shall shake the world.” However, I doubt if the Indians today would even allow the great saint to make an honest statement.

Of late, I strongly feel that “You do not deserve politics”, note that I do not say “Politics does not deserve you”. Your brutal honesty and standing to a principle is affecting the political movement in a very serious way. There are millions to pull the rug under your feet, at every possible corner of India, including within the party. There are so many times I have wondered, “should Arvind be so transparent to talk about this in public”, but the more I learn about you, the more I realize that there is no shade of gray in your world. Just revisit the past three days. If you/AAP were “traditional”, a few random news could have been anonymously leaked to get feelers from the public and volunteers and based on the reaction, you could have strategically made a decision. But your transparency caused a problem! You decided to go to the governor, the reason is/was obvious, you then realized that it was a wrong strategy and you openly admitted the mistake and closed the chapter. Now, how do you expect your nasty opponents to understand your naiveness in being transparent? You are now in the jail, your three days in the jail is not that you or the party is unable to pay the Rs. 10000, I am sure there are at least 10000 people willing to pay the Rs.10000 to get you out, but you being in the jail symbolizes the state of the country. People are making ridiculous arguments about you not obliging to the law, but do they realize that the same law has the corrupt you spoke about in the parliament and you in the jail? It is not that they do not realize it, our country has become so rotten that a majority prefers it to be corrupt! They call your act of going to the jail a drama, while they ignore that you have as a principle never sought bail for anything you said which was not wrong. Standing for one’s principles is seen as a drama!

The fourth pillar of democracy is degenerating every day. It takes thousands of crores to run a media house and we do not have the capabilities or resources. While all TV channels were busy criticizing you yesterday, how many channels spoke about the judgement delivered (http://goo.gl/ixAT8G) against the yet to be crowned king? Who will bring justice to the 6 innocents? No one will speak, and the moment you embrace them, you become a minority appeaser. If you ask for a fair trail, you be will called a traitor. Every investigating agency will be in their clutches, and they can show the lack of evidence in every case they desire, and the judiciary will also close the cases. But when a common man dares to talk about it, it will ask him to bring a meticulous docket of evidence! The very same day you were arrested, the soon to be crowned king also made it clear to not use the CAG reports to go behind the corrupt. Did the media talk about it, no. They would rather show your video and talk ill about you, but will not touch the root cause of this case ie., the statement you made.

Coming to the party, while I admire your conviction to go to jail for your principles, I strongly disagree to the party cadre congregating in front of the jail and soliciting other volunteers to join. It is time for us to do internal introspection. Who are the leaders of the party who are making such hasty decisions? Your act of going to the jail, was a voluntary decision to make a point. Then why should they protest outside? The party seems to be making a lot of hasty decisions, and some decisions show a clear absence of rationale. The very same Swami Vivekananda told “Infinite patience, infinite purity, and infinite perseverance are the secret of success in a good cause.”, while AAP has the purity, you have to ensure that patience and perseverance is inculcated. We have tolerated 66 years, a few additional years will do no unprecedented damage, but the fall of the AAP will be the end of the dream of the great saint!

I hope that these three days in the jail give you time to rethink on where we are, where we need to be, and how do we get there. I expect to see a very rejuvenated Arvind, who is much needed for this country than ever before!

Jai hind!

Mohan

The beauty of relationships :-)

This is perhaps an ode to all my friends and cousins. They are the people who helped me understand the beauty of relationships :-)

You know how any relationship is formed ? It is formed out of 'respect'. And how do you know if someone is respectful towards you or not ? Simply by the way they 'respond to you (i.e. your words and actions)'. Secondly, the beauty of any relationship is in the depth of character and not in the length of time. Clashes and misunderstandings are part of any relationship, but double-standards are not :-)

A respectful relationship is respectful. Period. With that, I just mean that a person who doesn't want to give you enough time over phone while she/he calls you for her/his "certain requirement from you" while you silly-ly try to tell some random things about your life, if the same person praises you Highly on your Facebook timeline, it is a clear sign of double-standard. And I make sincere efforts to stay dis-connected with such people :P hehe :D

You know what beautiful relationships are ? They are the ones that have fought together, cried together, broke bonds together, and yet came back together and made peace, with the same simplicity as they left. Above all, beautiful relationships start with mutual-respect for each other, for who the person is, and NOT "how the person can benefit me, and in how many ways". And honestly, relationships don't take time to build, they just take honesty, trust, and mutual-respect, to build.

Love.

Mishti :-)

Nagaland :-)

I have experienced the most life-changing and the most beautiful experiences of life, in the last 10 months in Nagaland. Simple people. No demands from life. No desires from human-beings. Plain love. Simple joys. Always willing to serve. Selfless. Yet perfectionists. Hard-working. Forgiving. Inspiring. Respectful towards all and everyone. Accepting. Endearing. The list of positive adjectives will go on and on...

And not just humans. Even the animals & insects. Butterflies accompany me while I walk to office :-) Can you imagine that ? If you can, you can as well realize the bliss of it :-) I toh smile away....relishing every moment of my walk on the roads by the hills, sharing my journey (literally) with these colourful butterflies :-)

In this lifetime, I guess I'll keep writing about Nagaland......every now and then. Angels live here. Truly.

Feeling grateful.

Mishti :-)

Just Talking...

Ego: This is another area of human-being I do not understand. Perhaps because I do not have it. You know how a new-born child is like? Without any ego. So, with a lack of ego, it has been extremely difficult for me to connect to people. Because people-with-ego don't like to hear the truth. And I don't know how to be diplomatic, ever. So? I become the bad person. Not that I mind. But I feel sad that people get upset, or anything negative. Everybody should be happy, always. Everybody should be at peace, at all times. Life is short, and I have no right to cause any pain to anyone, I think.

Anyhow. As Swami Vivekananda says "Anything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything". And being the incorrigible fan of SV, I refuse to change in this area of my being. It is better to shed tears in solitude while going through pain, rather than to deviate from ideals of life.

God bless you all.

Mishti.

Control Freaks

Control freaks, and their typical habits:

1. Easily say "No, I will not do this". Not because their logic is better than others, but because "They" want to "control". [They love Power over humans and things :)]

2. Easily complain.

3. Won't think twice before making a judgement. Making irrational judgement, to them,  is their birthright.

4. Diminish progress.

5. Give fake smiles

6. Has no respect for Anybody but themselves

7. Are LAZY. And that, obviously, makes others' people's life difficult.

Why this post ? 

To remind myself of my job: Forgive them.

God bless.

Forever forgiving.

Mishti.

Travelling

When life is centered around 1 idea, it is easy to make choices that matter. Travelling on work was a choice I made long time ago. Travelling, to me, is the most powerful tool of self-development and creating some value in the society at large. I learn so much, while travelling to different places, meeting with extra-ordinary people, getting involved in their outstanding life missions, contributing to their cultures, listening to their life stories, sharing my own, and adding a unique value to their lives and to mine. These are the reasons that motivate me to travel & will continue to do so :-)

Keep travelling!
Mishti :-)

What matters

This title could well encompass a whole host of factors, issues, circumstantial occurrences & so much more. But I will not get into them here at my Blog. Blog is a cute cosy space for sharing warmth and love, in crisp form :D So, yeah, I was born small. I mean, really, small in size :)) And when friends of my age were growing taller & I was not, it was a "matter of concern" to my parents. They got me to doctor & I was prescribed doses medicines for 6 months long but all that went in vain, I think, as I could only manage 5'2" :D

But apparently, the "matter of concern" was somehow taken care of. After then, as I reached adolescence, my parents' friends grew concerned about my tom-boyish attitude & "ugly" looks. They would comment directly & discuss openly how difficult it is, to raise me & to get me married. It used to hurt me badly. I don't know about others, but I feel hurt when you tell me that my ugliness is a "qualifier" for something. But you see, I am a quiet person. I write so much. I do not express as much. I was worse, back then, when I wrote silly poems, to express :D 

But you know? Dad is the most kind man I know. He listened patiently, to all the rants of his friends, but never retorted badly. And he *knew* how I felt. After these 'friends' left, he would quietly come to me, sit by my side, look at me, and say "Don't worry about what they say. The day when you emerge an Engineer, nobody will question your looks". I used to feel so positive then, and I hugged my dad. I mean, it's not that I had to become an engineer to feel happy, it's just that Dad was so sensitive. His love and warmth was all that "matter" to me. I personally never bothered about what people talk. I forgive their narrow-mindedness.

And then, I grew up further. Got admission to one of the NICE engineering colleges in India :-) It aroused the curiosity among "people". They continued ranting about my lack of efforts in grooming, and then my Dad spoke up. He said to them: She is my girl who believes in simple living and high thinking. They stopped talking, for good. 

I feel grateful for having a Dad, who understood my depths, who was sensitive enough to provide me with the warmth that I could never "ask for" at times when I felt hurt. It is just not fair that he is no more. Anyhow, what matters is, his sensitivity, his depth of understanding, his patience, his warmth, and his love is nurtured in me, by me, or so I believe.

Love.

Mishti.

The Kite

Kites rise the "highest" against the wind. Perhaps because that's how they move forward towards freedom that they seek, just like any natural phenomenon. Similarly, I find most strength and loads of drive, when the winds of life are blowing against my journey of life. That is when I 'really' progress. Visualizing the flying kite itself generates a feeling of re-assurance :-)

And, yet again, I pray for the rain Gods to have mercy. It's too hot there in Kolkata, Chennai, and Orissa. I have friends and family there, so they tell me how things are. And I thank God, for keeping me at a still-cold place: Kohima. It's quite pleasant here. I hope it gets pleasant everywhere else, soon, as well.

God Bless

Mishti

The Horrible Employee

Yeah, that's me. I have never been able to adhere to "norms". Why? Because to me, every problem is unique. You cannot have blanket solution to all problems & excel, both, at the same time. I strive for excellence, if not perfection. So, here are my million dollar tips to straight-forward excellence :D

1. Be pro-active. Client will never be co-operative. You and your Manager are solely responsible to drive success!

2. If your Manager doesn't manage, communicate to the next-level Manager. If that hierarchy doesn't exist, your Project is doomed to fail. :-) 

3. Learn to anticipate problems, and take actions. This is different from being pro-active. To know how, read below.

3a. When you anticipate, you actually do a realistic analysis of your initiatives already set in motion (while you were pro-active & planned & executed those initiatives).

3b. When you anticipate, you *do* get an idea of 'possible pitfalls'. Act on your hunch, communicate it to all concerned, take preventive measures, and stay agile to change.

3c. When Plan A fails, kick-start Plan B, and if Plan B poses issues, "Innovate". Usually, one cannot afford time & resources for a Plan C. So, innovation is key, to buy in time and money.

I am the horrible employee who loves to do all the above, but then organizations and clients have certain working mechanisms that don't gel with mine. So, I remain horrible :D And I crave a lot of freedom! But if you want to succeed in a job, and if you follow what I suggest, you will rock it ! :-)

Have a good day!
Mishti.

Patriotism

Being born in a family of two simple people (My mom and dad) who have selflessly served the society (& continue to do so), I think it was natural that I always loved to be an Indian, and wanted to do something. My 1st step towards serving the nation is perhaps my thought "I want to speak on 26th January in the assembly speech" that I expressed to my mom, who then encouraged me to go and express the same thought to my teachers who conducted the programme. I was 10 years old then. 

I drafted my own speech. Dad helped me refine it. I practised speaking it. Addressed the entire school assembly on 26th January, 1993, during the morning assembly.

In my speech...speaking about my Nation, remembering the sacrifices of our Martyrs, recounting the glorious past of Indian civilization, and adding a message of hope for a better India, I felt amazing. My journey to serve the Nation had hence begun. Accompanying my parents in the social causes they selflessly served, fueled in me the zeal in me to continue serving the people & thereby, do something towards the betterment of India.

And then, "Arvind Kejriwal" happened to Indian media. And I started understanding the basics of Politics. This post is dedicated to salute the spirit of patriotism, in India, with an inspiring video from Facebook:

Jai Hind.

Mishti.

"Interesting"

It is such a gratifying feeling when mum doesn't believe that I can cook 'sukto', an apparently difficult Bong dish to prepare & excel @ it :D And since I eat too less, it's all the more important for me to eat "interesting". And the creative keeda in me loves to be @ play, most of the time.

Tonight, it was [ Peanut butter spread over Roti ] = dipped in warm milk. Ummmm...delicious it was ^_^

I do understand why mum has a hard time 'dealing with me & my eating habit'. I just tell her 'I just want things to be interesting', and she finds little sense in making food interesting, because it will be eaten it 'small amounts'. Do you see the bone of contention there? :D ha ha ha...

And I alllllways like 'tiny' things. Small amounts. Little stuffed toys. Okay, lemme remember all the tiny "stuffed toys" who live on one of my beds: 

1. a green colored small frog [mum and sis laughed asking "where do you find these stuffs??"] :D :D

2. a bright pink colored small pig (that looks cute)

3. a fluorescent colored miniature Dianosaur (mum says 'do you really need to keep this?') I say YES! :D :D

4. a colorful doll with hair-braids and TALL legs :P

5. an orange colored Horse [DO NOT laugh !! :P Sister said "You are crazy". I said 'oh ya, I Am! :D :D]

6. a HUGE soft-pink colored Teddy Bear (Okay, sister gifted me this one, on my 30th birthday ^_^ )

7. I have given away some of the stuffed toys to children who visited my home....

So yes, life's gotta be "interesting".

Craziness rocks! 

Mishti :-)

In the road to Truth

In the journey of life where each one of us are seeking some truth or the other, the most difficult times were the ones when I struggled (& succeeded. You see, *Struggle ke aage jeet hai. Darr ke aage toh maut hai...because, jo darr gaya wo marr gaya, no?* :P) the hardest to keep my heart as large as it is and NOT letting it shrink under the pressure of selfish desires.

It took me to forgive myself, forgive others, learn from my mistake, become a wiser person, and become a better human being. The feeling is awesome :-)

It feels like I have crossed a big hurdle, and reached closer to my Truth. It's a trimphant feeling. And, from a triumphant feeling, comes the feeling of "responsibility". Howz that, one might think.

Well, for example, when you win a trophy, the world remains a witness to that. And you set an example that etches a memory that makes *you* solely responsible for it (the memory). The world then keeps reminding you of your own victory, in a way, putting you on a pedestal, to keep performing, as you continue your journey of life. Similarly, in the road to Truth, when I feel triumphant even in a small way, the 'consciousness' builds and I am reminded of my own responsibility, by some invisible force that I call 'God'. The next 6 months are going to be one of the most defining phase of my life so far. Am excited and looking forward to it. 

In another news, I feel great to look at the cool bunch of kids rocking the Bollywood industry: Arijit Singh (playback singing), Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal (singing), Siddharth Malhotra (acting), Ayan Mukherjee (directing), Vir Das (acting & comedy), Parth Shashank Bhalerao (my latest favourite kid!) :-)

Thank you,

Mishti.

Thoughts

I firmly believe that 'thoughts' define a human being. I mean, a person may have ultra-uber education degrees, achievements, both at individual level and a family-oriented collective level. But the same person may not  be as much refined in the way he/she *thinks*. 

With that, I refer both to simple/complicated 'ways' of thinking and narrow/broad-minded thoughts. A person may have simple 'way' of thinking, but may have narrow-minded thoughts, while a person might think in complicated ways (analyzing pros and cons, logically & rationally) but may have broad-minded thoughts (pertaining to outlook towards people & life). 

So yes, while simple/complicated 'ways' of thinking might 'change' as a human being evolves through his/her journey of life, the same human being is always defined by his thoughts: narrow or broad-minded. And so far, in my 30 years of existence on earth, I haven't seen a single person turning from being narrow-minded to broad-minded, or vice-versa :-)

I do have a lot of fun observing people :D For example, if you point out a certain flaw to narrow-minded people, they take it seriously and try to justify that as well :-) While, if you do the same thing to broad-minded people, they act in a more mature way, encouraging the dialogue & discussion, henceforth :-)

Who do I think I am ? :D Ofcourse am broad-minded enough to have equal respect for all human beings. :-) 

Peace.

Mishti :-)

Music: healing and strengthening

It is not from any research study but rather from my personal experience of 'loss' and 'embracing' (Sarode) music as the sole cohort for my own revival that I say that music heals, and strengthens.

This is the reason I strongly believe in the power of music alone, for upliftment of the masses, and to perpetuate peace in the society. In times of turmoils: emotional, political, financial, and others, 'good' music heals and restores restfulness. 'Good' music unites people, communities, and nations.

And there is a good reason why I say 'good' music, and not just 'music'. Well, any music that can touch your soul and make you forget the outside world, is good music. 'Good' music is like my food for soul.

Feeling so much.

Mishti.

Charlie

[Speaking in my mind: Why am I blogging so much these days? :) Well, I know for sure, that, these are the best days...as similar to those that I had...when i used to blog in the past. So, let me keep writing, as long as it serves some of God's purpose through me. Because, when in the 'Down' (of 'ups-and-downs') of Life, I do not write, but rather I prepare myself to write again when the 'Up' comes :D]

Okay. So, Sir Charles Chaplin makes headlines in my Blog today. His autobiography is the *only* book I ever held close to my heart (literally) after I finished reading it. And I'd love to re-read the book many times in this lifetime. His is a life of wretched / painful beginning, of pursuing his dreams, of realizing the hard realities of life, of being shy & not being able to do much to get what he wanted, of modesty (he was too witty and intelligent, yet so humble), of pain and how he overcomes it, of complete faith in ones own guts and instinct that ensures true success, of gratitude, of celebration, of principles, of mistakes, of forgiveness, of strength of character, of sensitivity, of love, of portraying such human qualities through the characters he created and directed in his films, of life-changing decisions, and of a-thoroughly-inspiring Life.

Info about one of his master-pieces: Caught In The Rain

Respect.

Mishti :-)

1st Prize: Sur :-)

Somebody is playing the Flute these days, in one of the hotel rooms. Musicians, have a way of perpetuating beauty and peace in the surroundings, I tell you. And while I cannot still call myself a musician, I just know that "when people play instruments or sing, they forget themselves completely, and only the listeners and the surrounding benefit from their music".

Now, with those of you who believe in the concept of re-incarnation,  let me share with you a thought-provoking-and-nice Fact here :-)

When you take re-birth as a human, God gives prizes in various forms. For example: If you have done a LOT of good works in your lifetime, you have been honest, respectful, etc. etc. .... basically if you have done the best, you will be born with the 1st Prize --> Sur. And if you have done a bit lesser than the best, you will be born with the 2nd Prize --> Good Looks. And if you have done a bit lesser than that, you will be born with the 3rd Prize --> Intelligence.

The logic behind this:
1st Prize

Sur: You see, musicians win hearts of millions...with their Sur, either Sur in voice (Singers), or Sur in fingers (Instrumentalists), or both, thereby creating a domino effect in the society, perpetuating peace and harmony, inspiring millions of people in their respective pursuits. It is a BIG DEAL, to be born with Sur. Oh yes, Sur is always a gift. People are 'born' with Sur in their voice / fingers :-)

2nd Prize

Good Looks: :D Well, we all know about that. Good looking people melt hearts. They are great at creating wonders just with their presence. For example: Actors / Actresses in the films. When they come out to support Causes / Charity Houses, people do believe in them, and come in huge numbers to listen to what they are saying. So, yes, good looks are definitely a *Coveted* gift of gab :-)

3rd Prize

Intelligence: Academicians / Doctors / Engineers conduct breakthrough research, publish Papers, become great business leaders and create a significant impact, if not in the lives of Millions, but definitely in the lives of 1000s of people in the world. It is *SO* worth it :-)

All musicians in this world are creating something unique and beautiful. 

Peace, and harmony. Love, and warmth. Rest, and calm.

God bless.

Mishti :-)

#Nutrition #PleaseDonate

Our village school kids are getting a stand-fan and lunch, next weekend. To sit in the day-long classes, without a fan has gotten impossible to my belief, even though the kids never complained. And lunch? They are happy to get a whole-some lunch atleast once in a month [Because, we don't have 30 members who are willing to contribute Rs. 300 each, per month. We have only 1 member, so far].  I continue to pay for the fan and the lunch, for the next weekend, just as I've been doing in many more ways. 

An experience:

Nutrition is not a health-issue. 
It is an issue of Dignity, Self-Esteem, and Confidence. How? Read below:

There is a family of two, in the village. Father has abandoned the family. Mother works as house-maid in nearby town, and struggles to raise one son, who is enrolled in the village school and reads in Class VIII. The mother is unable to cook during the day. So, the son gets to eat only the dinner meal.

Now, we, the volunteers of The Green Corner, conduct classes on Saturdays and Sundays, in batches. On both the days, during lunch break, we ask the children to go home, eat, and come back for classes. They do comply with our instructions. One boy, last week, wrote a Letter to Dip (Secretary), who also conducts the overall execution of the weekend classes. In the letter, he wrote about how grateful he is, to get such a nice opportunity of learning, and he also expressed his grief about not being able to tell the fact that even though he goes back home (for lunch break), he spends idle time and comes back, without eating. He could not say this earlier because he felt shy of letting know of the poverty he lives through, every day. In the letter, he also mentioned about his medical condition that he suffers from, about which nothing could be done as his mom earns enough to provide only for the dinner food. Dip (who, almost cried, while narrating this whole incident to me, saying : Reshma di, your heart will break into pieces when you come back to Kolkata and read this letter), took action. He took the boy to a doctor (who prescribed medicines), and now the boy is under medication. [His medical condition: Watery eyes and headache, almost everyday].

The fact that the boy wrote a letter and the honesty with which he expressed his thoughts are clear indication that Nutrition is the most basic attribute to any "development": be it building self-confidence, self-esteem, courage, sense of dignity, and the power to dream.

I personally appeal to all of you once again, to please start contributing Rs. 300 per month. Till now, we have only 1 member who has deposited the amount in the bank account that I had provided over email. Let us all come together, and do this much for the children of our Nation.

Jai Hind.

Mishti.

Bliss of Being Different :)

Happy thoughts have no reason to pop-up as I get them mostly during my productive pursuits during the day. It's pretty spontaneous, so to say. This post is about one such happy thought that is related to me & my family. All of them: Mom, Dad, Sis are extroverts. Am the introvert. And there is a very very fine balance that I've found over the years, sharing my life with them :-)

Salient characteristics of extroverts:

1. They love to do lot of outdoors.

2. They love to dress-up, make-up, and be their best at everything they do.

3. They are brilliant at expressing themselves.

4. They all live for the moment. 

I am in love with them, because of all the above characteristics. They inspire me to live a meaningful life. I've learnt to dress-up, do make-up simply by observing them doing so :D And, while am a complete disaster at expressing myself (because I think the other person is more important, always) apart from the 'dislikes' that I cannot live with, they revel at pull me up to see the world and move-on. That's why I love every moment I spend with them around. Their drive to go outdoors inspires me to literally go out and make a significant impact in this world, even though I cherish sitting inside, readings books, and playing my Sarode. And while they discuss *so much about so many things*, I simply love to sleep :)) I do listen and contribute during those moments of discussions, though. That's what make us gel well and compliment each other :)

They do have issues with my calm-ness at times, and they do wonder how do I manage to live the way I live. Well, that is entirely between me and God :-) Mom and sis love me unconditionally & I leave no stone unturned to love them back. Instead, it helps, to be an introvert. I love to listen to all of their activities, conquests, while learning a lot, from their experiences. And they get a lot of freedom and no interference from my side :D 

P.S. 

1. I was doing some serious office ka work while this thought popped-up. 

2. That's how an introvert mind works :P

3. Back to work now! More concentration. :)

Keep smiling...

Mishti :-)

Positivity Tip 1 :D

Am not kidding when I say music keeps me happy & positive most of the times :-) Truth is, having born healthy to a big family with diverse interests & tastes, and in a town which is termed 'mini-India' (by Jawaharlal Nehru) because of its diverse & cosmopolitan populace, I've grown up embracing cross-culture norms, learning to solve & deal with community-specific issues so much so that staying positive has perhaps become a basic trait over time. And, so, falling in love with 'music' happened easily and as early as I could sense it. With that, I do mean that music & positivity are directly proportional to each other :-)

The funny moments started happening in class IX - X, when I solved Math with the music playing on the Phillips ka tape recorder. Mom would gleefully wonder and say "How can you solve Math problems with the music on?" And as usual came my straight-forward response: "Music makes me solve them faster". Later in life, mom has come to know about the research evidences that say music really works to improve concentration and quality of any productive output. I must mention here that my mom is an avid reader and perhaps I got my love for books & reading from her as well :-) I do digress. :D

Would love to share this beautiful melody I received in my email inbox, from Gaana.com [I have no idea how many music websites am subscribed to. Hehe :D I wonder can we insert smileys in Blogger ? ]:

Stay positive.

Mishti :-)

The Change :-)

It is indeed a change from how it used to be 5 years back in terms of blogging and how it is now. I had started blogging with a purpose to 'improve my English writing' :D Gradually I started sharing the unique experiences of life that add smiles and beauty in this world, and eventually I ended up talking about the silly happiness stuff amidst busy work-life and then I stopped blogging.

"Sharing" seems secondary now that Life seems so short. "Living" is primary and is the *only* alternative. And I think my blog space will mostly cover the productive aspects of my life. Okay, I like this clarity now.

Ciao soon!
Mishti :-)

In the wake of 'heat'

Literally, Kolkata has never been so hot, they are saying. I pray to God to keep safe the people who live on streets. And I worry we urgently need some fans for our village school. Will try to buy one, atleast, by the next weekend, for sure. 

I salute the AAP volunteers on ground. In this scorching heat, they are all out there under the Sun, working tirelessly, dedicated to the service of the Nation. 

May it rain soon.

Mishti.

Prayers..

As a kid I prayed unconsciously, as in, without understanding the meaning of 'soul' or 'divinity' and such things. I prayed because praying seemed like an independent avenue to build myself up. As I grew up and read books of Swami Vivekananda, I  gradually learnt about 'soul' and such things, and I now pray consciously.

After Dad's departure, my prayers have now become a spontaneous act of seeking assurance from the unseen Divine. The sole avenue to build myself up.

Prayers.

Mishti.

the Big News for now! :-)

The Big News for now is better written down, in bullets :D

1. The GREEN Corner is organizing a cultural event on 15th May, 2014

2. Our beloved children will present some creative performances in the event.

3. We are inviting some eminent social-activists to grace the occasion with their support.

4. And, we request everyone to be a part of our journey and stay tuned! :-)

All updates are available in our Facebook Page.

This NGO is a like a dream come true to me and my like-minded young friends in Kolkata. We are deeply concerned about the holistic education of rural children who are equally talented and enthusiastic, sometimes, more so, than the children born to parents who can afford that education. These children would just go happy on days when they can eat 3 full meals, but we are on our journey to empower them with the developmental tools and the much-needed guidance, to become socially & financially equal with urban kids. It's indeed a matter of opportunity that separates children in the underprivileged society from those born to privileged homes. And as representatives of that privileged class of society, we take it as our duty to provide these rural children with equal opportunities of growth. God bless.

Jai Hind.

Mishti :-)

of Secrets

With 'Secrets' I remember that dialogue of Kareena from 'Jab We Met' : Abb bata bhi do...itna bhi kya secret hai yaar? :D :P 

Well, in my case, sometimes I wonder why God gives me all these secrets of people from all over my life. This is not new. From school-time, to hostel-times, to office-times, somehow I always had friends who trusted me with the deepest of their secrets and said: Kisi ko nahi batana, okay? I said: Nahi bataungi, Chill. And I never blurted out those secrets as I respect them and loved them.

Many of those secrets I've forgotten by now. [I love the lack of grammar in my writing! ha ha :))] And many secrets keep popping up in my mind and i just say to them: 'shut down!' . My life is already and beautifully multi-'tasking' and this duty to keep secrets adds to the meaning of it. 

You see, when they trust you, you gotta keep that trust. But am a silly cute human being as well, who gets tired maintaining & safe-keeping that 'safe' of 'people's secrets' :-( Nevertheless, these people are pretty nice, and I find them sweet enough. So that makes it up for everything :D ^_^

Sweet nothings...

Mishti :-)

Argument: I failed, because I never learnt to win

Why such a grim title? Because, after grim, comes glee :P :D

One of my greatest failures in my life has been: Failure to continue an argument and win it :-) The reasons of my failure are so straight-forward that I feel it does not make sense. I mean, one should be able to argue and win, no? That's like an accomplishment, isn't it? I don't know. What I know is: even if I start an argument, I feel it is based on a selfish need & hence is unnecessary, and so either I apologize, or I justify why I said that, but I don't see sense in continuing it simply because it disturbs "peace".

Moreover, ever since I grew up to start making friends, going to school, somehow the elders always picked me up to 'solve' situations, 'monitor' kids etc. etc. things that I perhaps never wanted to do, deliberately. But my natural obedience towards elders led me to listen more, analyze more, and arrive at solutions. I never got a chance to 'create disputable situations', or, argue over a matter to reach a conclusion, and thanks to my mom, even if I wanted to argue over things, she always taught me: You should try to look at your faults first, correct them, forgive others, and learn to become a better person from the whole experience. As a small kid, I obeyed her. And on doing it as a habit, it became a part of my natural trait. I never learnt to continue even my own arguments, forget about winning them. In the corporate world, where people pitch for their cases of promotion, argue over things to verbally assert their high-performance, I've only managed to objectively state my achievements, and hence could never sound strong enough, for a winning candidate. And somehow I feel.....when you objectively state something, they don't take you seriously, & perhaps they doubt your ability to perform if they trust you with a bigger responsibility. 

However, all this grim side has a glee side to it: my favourite side. The glee side is: I've learnt to grow up faster as a more mature person, I've learnt to bless others even if I didn't get what I wanted, I've learnt to be humble, I've learnt to accept every person the way they are, I've learnt to wish for others' happiness because I feel great when people are happy even when my happiness is at stake, I've learnt to make peace among people, I've learnt to bring people closer & love more, I've learnt to be more sensitive towards other people's needs, I've learnt to seek the deeper truths of life & found them, I've learnt about the existence of God and love Him, I've learnt to sacrifice, and I've learnt to be selfless. Having learnt all of this, I've learnt to be at peace, under all circumstances. 

And the best part that is above and beyond all the grim & the glee is: FAITH :-) You know what faith is like? Faith is like: Suppose there is something that you "logically" don't think will happen because of the existing factors that govern the 'happening of that thing'. But if you stay happy, and don't doubt it at all, don't fret about it, and blindly keep the faith instead, that thing actually happens! Out of my incapability to argue, and strong urge to maintain peace and wanting other people's happiness, I've developed a deep faith in God :-) The faith that He is the ultimate doer, and He is doing the best.

One may wonder what is this post all about? :D It is about one trait of failure and many gifts of success :-)

Keep the smile on ! :-)

Mishti.

15 Years

Well. It is actually 'more than' 15 years of my involvement in social service(s). The interview that was published in T2 said I have been exploring education, arts and music as avenues of social impact among the underprivileged for the last 15 years now. And some of you wanted to know what exactly have I been doing? This blog post is an attempt to share my long story.

Am born in a lower middle class family in a small town of the largest district in West Bengal. All of my fore-fathers from Dad's side are farmers, owned farms, and mostly lived in villages. My Dad and his siblings were the 1st ones to get into town schools. Dad's dad couldn't afford my Dad's science education in +2. Dad pursued Arts, did his M.A. in Political Science, cracked U.P.S.C. written exam, while doing small teaching jobs and supporting the family throughout. He helped (read: with all the money, moral support, and inspiration to Dream big, stretch limits of one's potential and not to stay complacent with the clerical job after B.Com) my Chaacha pursue C.A. and set-up his own Firm, and did everything to get my Bua finish her education and get married as per her wish. All this, before my Dad got married. So, eversince I was born, I have seen many of our relatives from villages often visiting our place in Kharagpur, discuss various matters (Agricultural, Education, Music, Property, family marriages etc.) with my Dad. I've grown up in a joint-family set-up, where my Dad had taken complete responsibility of one 'distant cousin after another' to get them enrolled in school, teach them music, and provide them with expenses of medical care for diseases for which medical-care facilities were not available in the villages. These uncles, and aunts grew up at our place, my Dad got them married as well, and we all rejoiced every family gathering with humble celebrations and lot of music ! :-)

So, what was I doing in all of this ? You see, Dad did the most part. Mom supported him thoroughly, by taking care of those uncles & aunts [who were not too older than me and my sis] equally as she reared us (me and my sis) up: feeding us all, in time, providing timely food to Chaacha as he was preparing for his C.A. exams (for 5 years), etc. etc. I and my sister used to teach (how to spell words, how to write names and sentences, how to pronounce them well) whenever we had time. And over the years, I saw spectacular improvement in their behaviour, social manners, way to talk to shop-keepers etc. : the kind of human development that wouldn't be possible if they remained in the remote villages they came from. Seeds of "serving the underprivileged" were sown in my heart and soul, as a natural process of my upbringing.

My parents never forced me into doing any of this. Infact, mom would have been happier if I spent more time in doing my riyaz (i.e. practising Music) :-) But I loved to read, write, paint our bedroom walls with Mickey Mouses & Donald Ducks, play with my friends in neighbours, and spend quality time teaching those uncles and aunts :-) I "really enjoyed" doing all this. So, yes, by getting an open opportunity to be at myself and do what all I loved to do, I developed a deep love for these family members. They all love my Dad and mom a lot, and visit our home till now whenever they find time :-) "Charity begins at Home" is the philosophy that I have "lived for real".

I will not get into the scientific analysis of the impact of education, arts, and music. Am sure there are many analytical and research forums doing the needful. What is unique to me is the real-life experience I have had. When 1 kid from an under-privileged community is supported financially and morally, an entire community gets uplifted. And as a privileged child, I strongly feel it is my duty to serve that sector of humanity. 

Last week, one of my friends from IIT Bombay said he wants to learn 'how to sing' even though he can humm Bollywood numbers. He said "I want to sing to my friends out there, and not just to myself inside closed doors. But to 'present' a song, I need to sing it "properly", and that will come with training. I also think that....singing will help me communicate better". And I said a loud YES to that ! :-) We joked that, since he is also going to be married in the next 2-3 years, a wifey will love more a hubby who can sing :D

So, you see? Education helps us build confidence. Music helps us become better 'communicators'. Arts nurture our creative side (and there is no denying the fact that Every individual has a creative side), which in turn, helps us become better human beings who can empower other human beings.

My point is: While the facilities of education, music and arts are easily available to urban children, the rural children are completely deprived of that opportunity. And I take it as my personal responsibility to provide those children an access to these avenues. The GREEN Corner is my NGO that is dedicated towards doing exactly the same. And the 'business plan' that is mentioned in the interview is a forward-looking idea to empower the rural women. Empowering a rural woman has a cumulative effect that we all know. However, since it is a big project and requires a lot of ground-work and investments, the implementation is on hold. God willing, if I do receive enough funds and interested volunteers for the necessary ground-work, I would love to kick-start the implementation at the earliest.

So, that's my story of 15 years. Feel free to drop in your comments and questions. I'd love to interact and learn from our discussions. Thank you :-)

Happy to serve.

Mishti :-)