Why a Non-Catholic, like Me, Loves Christmas

Christmas Cake

Unlike other holidays celebrated in India, Christmas isn’t about making noise, wasting water, risking your life or killing an animal. Christmas is simply a time of the year where one is supposed to feel grateful to the Lord and one another, while bonding with family and loved ones.

Christmas has not yet been commercialized

I would say Christmas in India is better than Christmas in western countries since it has not yet been commercialized to such an extent. As a rule, though I am non-catholic, I spend Christmas vacation with family and New Year’s Eve with friends and acquaintances. If at all I choose to travel with family I choose a quaint place and avoid strenuous sports or activities.

Comedian Kautuk Srivastav loves it!

Even Kautuk Srivastava of SnG Comedy loves Christmas. Watch their Video Podcast here:

There are also several NGOs with whom you can volunteer during the Christmas vacations. The Robinhood Army also plans a lot of fun things to do for street children during the Christmas vacations. They organize games and magic shows for the children.

Sweets and Goodies

I know I this goes against what I said previously. But I would be remiss if I only focused on the emotional bonding and introspection related aspects of Christmas and not the gifts and sweets that come with it. Some of my catholic friends also send chocolates or plum cakes or regular cakes to my house. Visiting their house is also an amazing experience, since I get to feel genuine love and affection and am fed like a pig that is about to be slaughtered (Forgive the grim metaphor).

Conclusion – Why Christmas is the Best

I love Christmas because it is a time of sober celebration and emotional bonding. This year I believe I have been a good boy and hope Santa gives me the thing I ask for every year – ‘Peace on Earth’. I urge all my readers to also plan a peaceful and meaningful Christmas this year. Take Care!

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Transferkar- Ab Toh Sab Kar Rahe Hai

What’s your favourite TV show? Let me guess, its Game of Thrones. How do I know? No, I’m not psychic. I just know that, that’s the answer 90% of today’s urban youth would give. We live in a golden age of television. Shows are becoming high budget. In fact, each episode of Game of Thrones is like a short movie. So, obviously, you would want to watch these shows as per your convenience and on the device which suits you best.

But here comes the dilemma – Mom and/or Dad’s show airs at the same time. Therefore, Pappu can’t watch his show, right? Wrong. Gone are those days where mummy and papa’s shows would come in the way of us watching our favourite TV shows. Tata Sky brings you the Tata Sky+ Transfer set top box. The Tata Sky+ Transfer is a  Personal Video Recorder ( or “PVR” as they call it), which, among other things, allows the user to recorded content and transfer that content to other devices like smart phones and tablets via WiFi. 

I travel almost for 2 hours from my home to Churchgate. It generally takes me 45 minutes in bus from my home to Andheri station and 1 hour from Andheri to Churchgate station. I used to think of ways to convert my commuting time into entertainment time. 

For that purpose one of my colleagues suggested to go for Tata Sky+ Transfer, as he also records his favorite show through Tata Sky+ Transfer and transfer his favourite show  to his mobile device and enjoys unlimited entertainment during his travelling. 

I too recorded my favourite television  show  i.e."Games of thrones", and now even I watch it on my mobile phone while commuting.  This is the simplest way through which Tata Sky Trasfer+ satisfies my entertainment needs during my travelling hours and  allows me to utilize my precious time. 

Transfer feature is available on iOS and Android devices (and after all, if don’t have an Android or iOS device, you might as well be living under a rock).

The Tata Sky+ Transfer has a 500 GB hard disk that can record up to approximately 625 hours of content. Its capable of recording at 1080i high definition picture quality and delivers a Dolby Digital Plus (with up to 7.1 channels of premium quality Surround Sound). Not only that, the user also has the power to Pause and Rewind Live TV. What more do you need?

So, picture this – ‘Wrestlemania’ is about to start. But you have to go for some boring family function. What do you do? Simple, you use your Tata Sky+ Transfer to record the event. When you come back home, you can watch Randy Orton give an RKO or Undertaker give a  Tombstone.  That’s right. You don’t have to miss a single move. Also, you can transfer it to your tablet or smart phone and watch it while traveling. Don’t you just love it when the other commuters of bus or train look at you with envy, when you are watching something awesome, which they are missing out on? Well, it may be bad to say so, but I’ll admit it nevertheless- It feels good.

The Tata Sky+ Transfer ensures that you don’t miss a single second of your TV shows or movies. I urge all readers to get it ASAP. To know more about the Tata Sky+ Transfer go here: http://www.tatasky.com/transfer/

Also, check out these hilarious videos:

My Mom, My First Expert...

(Image taken from here.)

‘Mere paas maa hai...’ is easily the most famous Hindi movie dialogue. The line has made an impact, because of the simple truth contained in them. Whoever has a mother has everything. A lot of holy and great things are compared to mothers, including our country. The truth, of course, is that nothing can compare to a mother. It’s a special relationship; the one between a person and his/her mother.

My mother and I share many traditions. Sometimes when it rains, we go out for a walk. The rest of the people run for shelter or open their raindrops hitting our face. Neither of us cares what the bystanders think. When we take our ‘monsoon walks’, it’s as though we are in a different world. When we reach home my mother always makes sure she wipes my head dry with a towel, to make sure I don’t get a cold. She never lets me wipe her hair, until she is done with mine.

(Image taken from here.)

When I was in junior college, my mom, on my request, started teaching me how to bake. Every Sunday we would be near the oven. Sweating, but still having fun. She ate my first few cakes, though I never considered them edible. Instead of criticizing, she advised.  Thanks to that I’ve become a master baker. We still bake together occasionally.

Recently, my mom and I started a new tradition. It pained me to see my mom’s white hair. So I insisted that she let me colour her hair about every 20 days. I know it may sound like a chore, but it’s an activity in which I take tremendous pleasure. During the hair colouring sessions we talk about love, happiness and life in general. The discussions aren’t eventful, yet for some reason they linger in my memory, and I believe they will continue to do so till I die. Funny, isn’t it?

(Image taken from here.)

Since the moment I was born, my mother has sacrificed everything for me. She has faced hunger, sadness, isolation from friends and even pain, just so that I wouldn’t have to. Whenever I fell down, she was always there to pick me up. Whenever I was trying to destroy any obstacles in my life, she was there, to help me and to give me moral support. She knows what I need before even I know it. She knows me better than I know myself. She is an expert in me.When I think about all the people who love me, and there are a few, I think that the only person who truly loves me ‘unconditionally’ is my mother. What has more value than that? It’s a sweet burden; when someone gives you so much that you can never repay them. The only debt that we cannot repay is that which we owe to our mothers.

Recently, I was breaking my head to think what I should get my mother for Mother’s Day. What can you get the person who has given you everything? But then it struck me. Having only one day for mothers is does not do them justice. They gave us everything, and the only way we can show them even the smallest bit of appreciation is by giving them all we’ve got, each and every day. And that’s what I’m going to do.

If your mother is around, go and give her a hug. She doesn’t expect it, but she will never forget it. Also, tell her everyday how important she is to you. Or better yet, show her how much she means to you. 

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Pursuit of Happiness (Its easier to find than you think)!

You know we can spend thousands and lakhs on going around the world or attending lavish events. Some people climb mountains and cross seas to look for happiness. Yet what most people don't realize is that happiness sis in he simpler and smallest of things. Here are a few of the simple things that make me happy:-

• Taking a walk in the garden with my beautiful wife and baby girl, surrounded by the trees and with the sound of children playing in the background. The colourful butterflies crossing our paths, as if waving to us as they pass by. At such times I'm really happy and find that I am closest to family.
• Sitting with old friends, and getting nostalgic. Narrating stories from yesteryear while drinking refreshing Coca-Cola. Truly, even something as simple as a bottle of Coca-Cola can put a smile on a persons face. 

• Playing fetch with my dog, Tommy. That makes both of us happy. Dogs are truly man's best friend.  You won't believe the amount of joy my canine friend gives me.       
• Surprising my parents. A child is really satisfied when he can put a smile on his/her parent's face. That's when the child actually feels that his/her mission is accomplished.
• Binge watching TV shows with my wife, while drinking my favourite refreshment - Coca-Cola. I don't watch an episode per week. I'm more of an entire season in a day kind of guy. Be it Game of Thrones or Madmen or, my current favourite,  House of Cards, watching these shows with a Coca-Cola in one hand and my wife in the other also brings me happiness.
• Writing for my blog. Yup, as my regular readers are probably aware, I update my blog frequently. This is a place where I spill my emotions, my inner feelings and my deepest thoughts. I do it because I love it. Few things gives me more joy than a seeing a well-written blog post of mine getting appreciated. 
• Listening to old movie songs. My favourite singer is K.L. Saigal. His song, 'Do Naina Matware' really plays with the strings of my heart. The new songs cannot compare to the old ones. I hope that one day the new songs will also become melodious. But does it ever happen? No. It's only noise!
• Eating cake
• Playing hide and seek with my little girl. When I play with her, I also become a child once again. It may sound silly for a grown man to say so, but I do enjoy playing hide and seek.
• Watching the sunset with along with my best friend – a bottle of Coca-Cola

So these are a few of the things that make me happy. What are the simple things that make you happy? Leave your answers in the comments below. 

For more happiness: http://cokeurl.com/96jnc

My Baby - Happy and Dry

Outside my building there is a beautiful garden. I take my baby out for a stroll every week. The scent of the flowers, the sound of children playing, the blue sky all just overwhelm her with happiness. But the thing that makes her truly happy are the butterflies. She tries to catch them with her tiny hands. If you saw it even you would agree that it’s the cutest thing you have ever seen. That moment is also the happiest moment of my day.

Truly, there is nothing more enjoyable for a parent than watching his/her child being happy. But there were times when I would take her to the garden and she would still be cranky. I could not understand why. I would try to play with her and make funny faces, but nothing would work. Her mom would also be upset at these times.

One day we were in the park, and she started crying. Kavita Autny, who lived in our neighborhood, came to our rescue. She examined the baby in a cursory manner. We eagerly waited as she continued with her diagnosis. After she was done, she put the baby down and simply told us to change the brand of diapers. She recommended we shift to Pampers Baby Dry Pants. At first we were skeptical. Would changing the brand of diapers really make such a big difference? Nonethelss, we took the advise, because we were desperate. Only a parent will understand how important a child’s happiness is to a parent. My wife brought home the Pampers baby dry pants. They worked like magic! My baby was never upset again.

Whereas, most diaper brands only ensure that their diapers are leak-proof and guarantee dryness on the outside, only Pampers Baby Dry Pants guarantees dryness for the baby on the inside. That is what is truly important. Pampers Baby Dry Pants are a dream come true for those parents who have babies. The Magic Gel in the Pampers Baby Dry Pants locks in moisture so that the baby’s skin remains healthy and dry for a whole of twelve hours.  

Now our baby is happy all the time. A dry baby is a happy baby. And a happy baby is a happy home. So what’s the secret to our baby’s happiness? 1) Butterflies and 2) Pampers Baby Dry Pants

There is a good news for all you out there having babies. There is cureenyl upto 25% off on Pampers diapers on amazon.in. I urge all of you to buy in bulk now. If you don’t believe me you can first try a free sample. Simply go to https://www.rewardme.in/tag/Pampers. Once yor baby goes Papmers. He/she will never want to go back. Your baby’s happiness is only a few clicks away.