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When will the racist in me die?

400 A.D.  u ntouchability  was born. The same was  practised  in India for many years even after India’s victory over British Raj in 1947. Even today, though not visible, the feeling of superiority of caste and birth is still present. 1858 – 1947, discrimination on basis of skin color was seen across. While in India, British Easy India Company treated Indians and dogs at same level, in many other parts of the world, whites were ruling on blacks. Interestingly, in early 1900s, African-Americans held ‘paper bag parties’, wherein they used to pinup a brown paper bag on the front door; and anyone whose skin was darker than the bag was denied entry to the party. This practice is said to have been exercised till 1950s. It is also said that a paper bag ‘test’ was even used to determine admission to historically black universities and colleges. Year 2015, the world is no different.     Recently, India was in news for its racist nature. ...
Recent posts

Working under a low performing boss is injurious to growth

And the Star Performer of the year is……!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The appraisal time has just ended and there is a mixed feeling among employees.  Post an appraisal, most of the firms look more like a mourning house. The management generally fails to realize the real source of performance and ends up crediting the ‘ butter packs ’ for someone else’s work. What surprises me the most is how easily the wrong names get picked for best perks? . . . I am leading a team of 5 of which – two walk out of the job, one is fired and I rate the other two as poor performers. In short my team did not perform, I didn’t get any business. Will I still be considered as a good manager? Should I be expecting a good raise in my salary? Probably not. But, the facts state that even after loss of good resources and poor team performance, I become the Star Performer of the Year! How??? A low performing employee is one such inheritance that no one wants, and from a business perspective it is belie...

AUNTY mat kaho na !!!

2007...It was a Friday evening. By the end of another usual day in office, I went to see a school friend. Walking down a lane somewhere in Andheri (a city in itself, in Mumbai), I got lost. While wandering in the concrete jungle I met a girl, somewhere in her early teens. I enquired her about the route to my destination, "excuse me, can you tell me the way to four bunglow!". To which she quipped, "AUNTY.......", the rest of the statement did not register in my mind. My brain went into an endless loop trying to process the novel word that was just used to address me. That was my first tryst with this utterance. Being just 25 I was finding it difficult to accept the gesture that the teenager showed towards me. But knowing children to be purest form of souls, I had already lost the choice of doubting my aging factor. That moment I ignored the thought of getting to my friend's place. It was a Black Friday...it was my doom's day. 2010...A Tuesday morning. Pul...

"Mera Bharat Mahan"

"Mera Bharat Mahan" , no I am not being satirical....I am speaking my heart. I don't remember when was the last time I really felt so good about India!! In fact, just a few days back  I asked my husband, "given a choice of good job anywhere...where would you prefer to stay?" To which, his answer was..INDIA.. Well, to be  honest, somehow I was not convinced. If the same question was thrown at me, I would have said US or Europe or may be another place...but India!!! I was not sure then, but today. Today, I am more than happy to be in India. So, why am I feeling so strong about this country today!! What went right, or may be wrong, that I sit back and smile at this day, to an extent that I am writing about it!! Before I tell you about it, you must know when it's about encounter with strange, weird, bizarre things, my timings are really great. Now, to start with, the first peculiar thing here is -my office hours 7.00 am- 4.00 pm. Working in media means yo...

Just another tryst...!!!

On my way to office, I generally take a train to Kurla , from there another train to Dadar and finally a bus to Worli . Today was no exception, untill I boarded my second train to Dadar.... . After hanging out of the train for quite sometime, finally, when I got a chance to step inside the haphazardly crammed compartment, I saw one of God's unique creations, a lady in salwar kameez (probably heading to office). She had a huge built, was tall and had a heavy voice. She stood in front of me, or say, there I was standing right under her nose. I had to get to the other end of the compartment. Seeing no place to move, I asked the lady where was she getting down. " Matunga ", she said, in an unconcerned tone. I cleared my throat to match her thick voice and asked her to exchange the place as it would have been convenient for both of us. I moved, but she didn't. Instead she screamed at me in marathi , " pudhey chal, rasta addu nako (move ahead, don't block the wa...

WHAT IF !!!

Have you ever played the game "what if!!" It was lazy sunday afternoon, post a heavy lunch when I prodded my husband with an innocuous question "if given a choice, to change ANY ONE thing in this WORLD, what would you like to change?" Never did I realize that the same question would end up being a reason for unravelling quite some interesting facts that provoked me to come up with this blog. "How about a world without religion!!!" a bold thought peeped in some corner of my destructive mind. What is religion?? to me its a lifestyle,an adherence,a discipline,a belief endorsed by a group of like minded people in an attempt to be attached to a supreme power named "GOD" And in this process we come across the teachings of sincerity, responsibility,honesty, love and care,etc etc. But on second thought how many of us trully follow these teachings!! Does a person really need to be a metophoric "religious" person in order to imbibe th...