Zindagi Rockz

So, here's a shoutout to all Bangaloreans, those who are originally from here and also to those who have come here from other places and made Bangalore your home.. This post is for you.. This post is also for all those who have 'nagged' me saying it's been a long time since I wrote something.. So here goes.. I love this city for many reasons, but "traffic" is not one of them.. Imagine this scene from my recent commute to office.. I'm in my car with the ignition on.. There is a sea of traffic in front of me.. The traffic is moving at a snail's pace.. I'm sure the tortoise from the fable "The hare and the tortoise" has already reached his destination.. But I'm still stuck at the same spot that I have been in from the past one hour.. There is absolutely no way I can move in any direction.. Despite this, the guy in the car behind me is honking like crazy.. Maybe he felt I drive a Batmobile and he thought I can activate the wings of my car...

It’s been a week after we laid my mom to rest.. And today we have gathered in fond memory of my mother,  to  remember the joy that her life brought to us and acknowledge the pain that her passing brings.    Mother Theresa said "give until it hurts, because real love hurts "..  The only person who comes to my mind every time I  think about this quote  is my mo ther.   Mummy was only 61 when she passed away unexpectedly on the morning of July 1 st .  Her death came at a time when the family was still coping with the untimely demise of my brother ,   Parikshith .    While ‘ Freni ’ was the name my mother was christened with, she was lovingly called ‘Sophie’ by her family. Sophie is a Greek word that represents wisdom, the pinnacle of intelligence, knowledge and experience. True to her name she bestowed wisdom  upon everyone that she crossed paths with. Hence, it was no surprise that t eaching was an apt profession for  h...

So I'm looking at all the status messages being shared by my colleagues from the HR fraternity about "International Human Resources Day"..  Well, here's a shoutout to all HR professionals all over the world who strive hard to make a difference at the workplace.. I can now picture my friends/acquaintances/colleagues roll their eyes while reading about this and remarking "Yeah, all through the year these HR people behave like they own the world and now they have a "Day" glorifying their profession?? Bite me!!! (lol)  Coming to our profession, yes we are that "annoying" class of people who keep initiating "employee engagement programmes" (read 'surveys', fun hours (yawn!) "Best employee of the month", Ethnic day celebrations and the list is endless) So while we're trying to bring about cheer at the workplace through these activities and trying to boost the morale of  our colleagues the question really is how do we ...

My brother and I share the same birthday month.. His birthday is on April 3rd and I celebrate mine on April 23rd.. When we were kids I used to bully him saying I'm 5 years elder than him and hence I'm the boss and he should listen to everything that I say.. On one of his birthdays after I wished him he said to me "Now I'm just 4 years younger than you".. And I just burst out laughing.. Then I told him that on 23rd I will again be 5 years elder than him.. He said that doesn't matter.. Today I'm only 4 years younger than you..  This and countless other memories of him have flooded my mind during the past few months.. All those memories of undiluted joy and fun..  As a kid he was very naughty and cheeky and always knew how to make us laugh.. He would regale us with stories about his classmates, teachers and friends.. And all those tales would always make me laugh..  Of course we would also fight like cats and dogs.. You know, the usual bickering that occurs b...

Today is Nikki's 10th Birthday.. "Time flies" is an understatement in this case considering the fact that I can still vividly recall the moments leading up to my labour and subsequent birth of my baby doll Nikki.. It's not just Nikki's birthday, it's also the day that a mother was born.. Of all the roles I have played till date the one I cherish the most is being a mother.. It's easy being Nikki's mom.. She's the most affectionate, caring and loving kid you will come across.. Also there is only one special child in the world and every mother has it.. So Nikki for me is the best kid around.. She's always been mature for her age.. But what actually forced her to "grow up" overnight was my transfer away from Bangalore.. I wondered how she would manage without me.. But as I write this post today I can proudly proclaim that she's independent and self sufficient.. Sometimes it makes me feel insecure.. You know every mother wants her chi...

Came across a few pics of happy times.. As I scrolled through the many pics it took me back to those times where I would laugh my hearty laugh and say outrageous things without second guessing or feeling worried about what other people think about me.. Those were the golden days.. and as I looked through those pics only one thought came to mind.. "happy memories"..  And then I realized why the photo gallery on our phone is our prized possession and we guard it with our lives.. Ask someone who's lost their phone and they'll tell you their only regret is that they lost all those photos.. Of course, now we have Google pics and iCloud where we can back up all those pics that help us relive those beautiful moments..  Though you can never go back to that time, you can reminisce those moments.. That joke to which everyone laughed until their sides hurt, that dinner party you went for where all your cards were getting declined and finally you emptied all your wallets and bare...

So, after spending last 3 weeks getting affected from Covid-19, recovering from it and after spending considerable amount of time in isolation and self pity I finally felt the need to pen down a few thoughts on the whole ordeal..  I won't go into the specifics.. There's enough literature to tell you what happens when someone is affected by Covid-19.. But the days running up to my getting affected were filled with news of colleagues getting affected and succumbing to Covid-19.. So imagine my horror when despite following all precautions including getting my first jab of the vaccination, I still managed to test positive.. When my report came, though I was expecting it to be positive, I still was in shock.. And although I got in touch with a doctor immediately who started me off on a line of treatment, carefully explaining to me what I can expect as the days go by.. The doctor was thorough and systematic.. But what he showed as professional expertise became a bitter pill for me to...