A father's work ethic is the cement that binds the bricks of the family together!

I clearly and distinctly remember this day the 20th of July as much as I remember my son's or wife's or mom's birthday. It had a great significance...in my life - or shall I say in giving me life.

It was this day way back in 1977, that my dad joined the profession he wanted to and it was something he believed would change his life forever. Change it did and how?

He joined the Reserve Bank of India at its Hyderabad office and life turned for him. Being a mathematician by education, he always wanted to join either the academic institutions or RBI, in those days banking was considered a great career choice especially if it was the federal / central bank of  India.

As always in the 70s arranged marriage was the norm and my dad and mom's arriage was arranged by some common relatives. I was informed by my maternal grandmom that one of the the main reasons for the alliance to be finalised was my dad's job! So you see, I do owe a bit of my existence to the Reserve Bank of India - haha.

I believe that the first time I knew about the importance of this date was in 1987 - I was in my third grade and my dad had taken us out for a fantastic dinner at Paradise. He told me with great pride that it was in this day way back in 1977 that he first joined the bank and we were celebrating his first decade in RBI. I thought it was very cool. But what I thought was cooler was the fact that my dad always ensured he gave something away for the needy on that day. It struck a chord with me too and to this day I always try and do something good on this day in his memory.

The work ethic that my dad had was phenomenal...I never saw him take an off just to stay back and relax in the house. He always used to ensure he reached office before time, every work day. I donot remember a single instance where we were late for anything. Punctuality was a quality he instilled in me just by being himself. Of course my mom contributed to his sense of time as she herself was very time conscious too. "Samayo rakshati rakshitaha" meaning; come what may, if we respect time, then time will be kind to us. I follow this principle to this day and it helps me so much in trying to lead a stress-free and happy life.

I never saw him take a leave for himself, he always put family before self. He ensured that his leaves always are used either during my school holidays or when my mom needed his help during  family weddings or before important festival days. This was another message which I understood very well - family always comes first. Work is important but you should always remember that its the family's happiness that you work so hard for.

There were also several instances of him being in a position of authority by virtue of his designation and the department he used to work for, but not once had I seen him take the slightest of help from anyone because of his official capacity. He kept himself clean and ensured that living a simple life is the best way to ensure happiness for a long term. Another of his qualities which motivates me to be incorruptible as well...in spite of so many temptations (sic) in the present day world.

Some of the traits that most successful heads of family have is their dedication to work. And the way to measure success according to me is to see how happy the family is? If you have earned millions but the family is not happy about it at all, then that may not be the ideal way of moving forward in life. But at the same time if you have successfully ensured that the entire family is happy with the the way things have materialised as a result of one's work showing how much the work has contributed to this happiness, then Bingo! You have made it!

A small blog will never be enough for me to write about how my father has influenced my day to day activities, but surely it may serve as a snippet.

Miss you dad on this wonderful day! I promise to try and be happy as often as I can!

A Royal Salute to your integrity and work ethic! Love you and I am sure you are spreading joy wherever you are!

Embezzlement by Teesta and her husband Javed Anand.


Between FY 2003-04 and FY 2013-14 (10 years) Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) together received a total amount of Rs. 9.7 crore. It is alleged that 39.5% of this total amount was transferred to the personal accounts of Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand. The break-up of the same according to the figures of the Investigating Officer are:

Sr No	Particulars	Amount (Rs.)	% of total receipts of Sabrang Trust and CJP	Average (over 10 years) payments/reimbursements per month	Remarks
1	Salary/honorarium to Teesta Setalvad	46,91,250	4.8	Around Rs. 39,000 p.m.	The payments to Teesta Setalvad were not as trustee but for her executing projects as per signed agreements with donor agencies.
2	Salary/honorarium to Javed Anand	28,34,804	2.9	Around 23,500 p.m.	The payments to Teesta Setalvad were not as trustee but for her executing/administering projects as per signed agreements with donor agencies.
3	Reimbursement of shared office expenses to Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt. Ltd. (SC&P)	1,69,84,669	17.5	Around Rs. 1,40,000 p.m. OR an average of Rs.70,000 p.m. each for the two trusts.	Formed in 1993, Sabrang Communications was provided rent-free office space (around 700 sq ft carpet area) by Mr. Atul Setalvad, father of Teesta Setalvad. Sabrang Trust was formed in late 1995 but became active only from 2003 onwards. CJP was formed in 2002. Between 1993 and 2002, Sabrang Communications spent lakhs of rupees on office renovation, furniture and fixture, air-conditioning, 12 computers, printers, photocopier, scanners, books and videos etc. It also hired and trained a team of 10 staff members. The trustees of Sabrang Trust and CJP (other than Teesta and Javed) wanted to save on infrastructure and establishment expenses of their respective trusts. Further, the 10 member staff team (excluding Teesta and Javed had been trained in addressing the issue of communalism (Sabrang Communications published the magazine ‘Communalism Combat’). Since communalism was also a principal concern for Sabrang Trust (advocacy and secular education in schools) and CJP (legal intervention), the trustees wishing to save on staff costs also, the two trusts entered into a costs-sharing arrangement with Sabrang Communications (SC). Expenses on staff and office infrastructure were initially incurred by SC and a mutually agreed upon percentage of total expenses incurred by SC was reimbursed reimbursed by Sabrang Trust and CJP. An average monthly expense of Rs. 70,000 over 10 years by each trust on shared staff AND office expenses (electricity, telephone, mobile, internet bills, repair/maintenance/renovation/upgrading of office premise/equipments cannot be considered excessive. Not a rupee was ever charged as rent to either of the trusts, neither Teesta nor Javed benefited even by a rupee through the costs-sharing agreements through frequently reviewed and revised decisions of the other trustees.
4	Cash withdrawals	1,08,73,782	11.2	Around Rs. 90,000 p.m., OR an average of Rs. 45,000 p.m. each for the two trusts.	Through his allegation the investigating officer has effectively confirmed that over the years, only 11.2% of the expenses of the trusts were incurred through cash payments, while the remaining 88.8 % was through cheque payments. No organisation in the world can operate without petty cash expenses.
5	Reimbursement for expenses through credit card of Teesta Setalvad	26,33,105	2.7	Around Rs. 36,500 p.m. over a 6 year period OR Rs. 18,250 p.m. each for the two trusts.	Teesta has provided documentation to establish that only those expenses pertaining to the activities of Sabrang Trust and CJP were claimed from and reimbursed by the two trusts. No personal expenses incurred through her personal credit card was ever charged to the trusts. The same has also been confirmed by the auditors of Sabrang Trust and auditors of CJP.
6	Reimbursement for expenses through credit card of Javed Anand	3,33,016	0.3	Around Rs. 4,600 p.m. over a 6 year period OR Rs. 2,300 p.m. each for the two trusts.	Javed has provided documentation to establish that only those expenses pertaining to the activities of Sabrang Trust and CJP were claimed from and reimbursed by the two trusts. No personal expenses incurred through his personal credit card was ever charged to the trusts. The same has also been confirmed by the auditors of Sabrang Trust and auditors of CJP.
7	Total amounts alleged transferred/utilized for personal expenses by Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand	3,85,00,896	39.5
8	Total funds received by Sabrang Trust and CJP between FY 2003-04 and FY 2013-14.	9,74,75,100	100

love you mom

"The more I grow old, the more I realise my mom's love for me was the most unconditional and she was my best friend ever"

I believe there is a super sub species to homo sapiens, and all mothers belong to that super sub species...may be it can be "homo sapiens maternalis".

the super sub species are known to have the below qualities which no other human being has:

- live for their offspring selflessly
- their love for their children grows by the minute
- most protective of their children
- provide the best life for their children
- sacrifice their own time, career, happiness, for that of their kids
- never ask for anything in return
- only know the way to "give"
- they seldom complain and even when they complain its only for the good of their children, not themselves...


The list goes on and on and on - I could write for innumerable pages...

This reminds me of the discussion that Phoebe and Joey have in the all time hit TV series "FRIENDS" - - - is there a truly selfless act in this world...

I will have to say yes - - - mother's love for their children is truly selfless.

Each day without complaints, when my mom used to wake up before everyone else in the house, prepare breakfast, take care of my shortcomings, encourage me, motivate me, guide me, mentor me, love me, and make me who I am... there was nothing she expected.

A mother's love for the kid begins even before the baby is born...and lasts through the time and difficulties and differences and many days of joy and many days of sorrow - winding, wearing, weeping, changing, caring, sharing,

Motherhood is the place where all the love begins and ends

A mother understands what her children do not say -

A mother's love perceives no impossibilities - so much so that I can feel her love even from another world!

Love you mom - have a wonderful 57th birthday!

Hunger kya?

Today morning someone had sent me a video of a hungry child looking for food at street stalls. As he has no money he waits and watches and waits for some kind of luck to lay his hands on some of the finest street food, like samosas, pani puri, jalebi, etc.  After long hours of wait, a jalebi falls off from a vendor's hand while he is packing some for a customer. This boy picks that jalebi fallen on the road, runs away from the street, tears a poster on a wall, wraps the jalebi in a part of that paper and runs as fast as he can. Through lanes and by-lanes, avoiding bicycles, street dogs, potholes and stones...runs as if he is going to miss a train...only to reach a small one room living space where a younger toddler - his brother  is waiting for him with anticipation. This young boy feeds his kid brother and feels happy about it but tears start rolling down his cheek when he sees that that toddler is trying to feed him as well. An amazing story of many a homes in India. Poverty is still there! Just that the way poverty is being depicted has changed. 

The most basic of feelings that life provides is "Hunger" - "Hunger is a sensation that represents the physiological need to eat food."
From rats to Humans, from a tadpole to a Whale, hunger leads the way the species develops. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was no sensation of hunger, would the fittest fight hard to survive, would Charles Darwin rewrite his theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest --- will it have any meaning at all?

We have reached a condition in the world where there is surplus in every field. When we have surplus of nuclear power we try to share it, when there is surplus of manpower, we share it.

What are we doing with the surplus of food and water we have as a human race?

Is there no way that all the brilliant leaders of the world including our beloved PM (whom I happen to admire by the way) come together to ensure no child goes waiting for hours to ensure something falls off a vendor's hands to ensure his tiny toddling brother gets something to eat?

I am aware of a food helpline but is there anyone who uses it regularly or makes everyone aware of how to actually use it...?

Cant we pool up all our resources and ensure we provide food every day to one in need?

Ice Bucket and Rice bucket have proven to be short lived internet fancy challenges...can we have a world hunger free challenge...where all of us (starting with me) can contribute a portion of the food we eat to the extremely hungry...can the governments just ensure that a mechanism exists to ensure there is no one who goes hungry in the world...

Is it too much to ask to spare some food to ensure that hunger doesn't destroy people?

Yes - Hunger if not dealt with in the right manner can lead to several social issues both individually and as a group...so much so that it can drive the entire section of the society crazy...if one recollects RK Narayan's Guide - the part where people are ready to kill each other to fulfil their hunger and thirst - you will understand the dangers that hunger provides.

That's fiction, but even in reality most law students will know the Queen v Dudley and Stephens case where a little boy is killed and eaten by sailors to ensure they live, when trapped in the middle of nowhere --- HUNGER makes humans do strange things which no one can imagine.


My sincere appeal is to see that the hungry dont go neglected - we don't want to make Dudleys and Stephens out of everyone. I am sure "acche din ayenge" but before the true good times begin, can some interim mechanism be made to ensure that the issue of hunger is addressed properly.

Lets wait and watch - meanwhile I am going to the temple in the opposite street to give some food to the hungry...do your bit!

Cheers!

Every cloud has a silver lining! - is it enough to believe in it?

Every cloud has a silver lining!

The trained attitude in humans makes them think in a positive manner and more often than not the people who see the glass half full are more than the people who see the glass half empty - if not for this training that we receive across countries, cultures, languages, religions, castes, communities and all kinds of barriers, the survival of the human race wouldn't have been possible.

This attitude is what makes us the dominating race in this world!

Its like believing there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...

Does the cloud actually have a silver lining?

Will the rainbow ever lead you to the pot of gold?

If you are going to sit in your LAZBOY and think "AAL IZ WELL" like Aamir Khan said in 3 idiots - its not going to happen...

The humans who put their best foot forward and work hard will definitely see the pot of gold in some form or other, 

Hard work always always gives good results === talent may give good results.

If one understands the above sentence life will be extremely smooth and fruitful.

Whether there is a cloud or not , whether there is a silver lining or not, whether in the silver lining there may be several clouds with silver lining again - - - life must go on and the hard work must not stop at any level.

Once you are satisfied with life, that's it you are done for good!

Keep aiming for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, if that's what motivates you - but there should never be a gap or pause in  your quest for it.

No success comes without hard work and I believe its almost impossible to defeat a person who never gives up.

Cheers!

D