Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Not Everything Needs to Go Viral!!

 Not Everything Needs to Go Viral!!

Lately, I've been reflecting on the wave of viral videos that flood our timelines.The Coldplay concert couple, someone dancing,singing, eating with their hands on a subway, someone tossing something in a wooded area. Are these really moments for public consumption?

Sure, behaviors can be unusual or inappropriate depending on the setting. But does that give a random bystander the higher moral ground to record and broadcast it to millions?

What happens between two individuals,as long as it’s within the confines of law,should remain just that: between them.

It reminds me of the time I used to travel to the city for work. Every day on the subway, there was a man who talked loudly on his phone, clearly annoying everyone. One day, someone finally called him out. Embarassed,he got off at the next station to finish his call. That moment was enough to teach him a lesson . No cameras, hashtags, or public shaming. Imagine if someone had filmed him instead, posted it, and made him a meme.

We forget that behind every viral video is a human being .Someone with family, kids, parents, coworkers. They have histories, responsibilities, vulnerabilities. The internet doesn’t forget , but we seem to forget that.

It might just be a content, A meme, a reel, a trend. But it could be someone's dignity, reputation, or mental health spiraling because of that one clip.

Let’s not ruin lives for a few likes or laughs. A little empathy goes a long way.

Not Everything Needs to Go Viral!!!

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Run. Debug. Repeat.......

Running a marathon is a lot like a production deployment. The training runs and test environments never fully prepare you for the real thing.

Training runs ≠ race day.

Test env ≠ prod.

The stakes are higher, the pressure’s real, and there’s always that one unexpected surprise.

Everything is going great… until the 10th mile hits you like a critical bug in prod.Sudden back pain. Severe. Game over? No Go Perhaps...

You look at your options with more than 50% of the distance remaining:Throw away the race and exit at the Half Marathon Finish Line or..

Problem-solving mode kicks in ..

Throw the race or Throw the belt.

Guess what went flying?

Just like in production: when it breaks, you get to the basics..

Anything non-critical? See ya.

The goal is the finish line, be it deployment or a marathon

Finish line > mystery error 404

Spoiler: I made it to the finish line. No belt. Lots of sweat and emotions. some tough choices. 100% worth it.



Lesson learned:

Whether it’s a marathon or a deployment, success is often less about what you carry and more about what you’re willing to let go of to keep moving forward.

#TechLife #MarathonMode #ProblemSolving #LetItGo

And if you are curious: which one’s tougher, the long run or the last-minute rollback? Your guess is as good as mine.. 😊

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Chhole Bhature Chase: The Half Marathon Edition


 Piping chhole(chickpeas) with fluffy just out of the wok bhature is our catch-all 🍴. Its for all emotions(Bored,Tired,Happy,Sad,"kuch achha khana hai","aaj khana nahin banana hai"..πŸ˜ƒ) and distances (FM,HM,10K,5k,1 mile and  0 miles 😴) .

So, last year-end I signed up to train for a spring full marathon. Though I didn't believe that I was ready, my husband of 2 decades felt it was high time I spent more time outside pacing the pavement than indulging in my favorite nagging-at-home hobby ..whatever πŸ˜ƒ. And thus began my journey at a pace closer to 15 min/mile. Sometimes walkers on the pavement would ask me"Aren't you cold dear" on my fourth mile and I would simply smile back thinking "Naa. just running in slow motion."   My lovely coach always encouraging me with her words of wisdom that slow and steady is good and on race day I would rewrite a different story. The story of me finishing 26.2 miles in 61/2 hours.. Naa scratch that.. Me dodging the dreaded straggler's bus..🚌

Ah, this weekend was a rollercoaster ride of running woes!  My long run distance was 13 miles and my regular go-to loop had ice ❄❄ built up. A blend of last-minute switch to a new loop in our nearby park, wind πŸƒ, and cold πŸ₯Ά turned my slow-mo long run into "Is my apple watch even working today " kind of ordeal..Looping around a lonely trail in a park🌳 I had surely completed my first solo Half Marathon distance of this year but it still didn't feel good enough. At 3 hours and 42 minutes it went beyond any stretch of my imagination

Slightly dejected, I reach home only to be greeted by the magical aroma of Chhole Bhature running through the air. All feelings of disappointment melt away with each savory bite. Happiness isn't just in the air – it's in every spicy bite.πŸ˜‹

Me: "I think I will be DQed"

Son, in a puzzled surprise: "What's a DQ in running?"

Me:Never mind...

Why worry my dear...

when Chhole Bhature is here πŸ˜‹πŸ˜‹   


Sunday, September 17, 2023

#MyMovieMusings:Rorschach(Malyalam dubbed in Hindi).

I stand still and stare at the visually captivating scene on screen.

While a brilliant background score plays,the camera/drone takes a long shot of the actor(Mamooty)lying in despair on the rocks surrounded by water,the mood of the movie is set..A mysterious NRI sets foot in a village looking for his missing pregnant wife..Visually stunning and eerily thrilling,its what movies,masti,magic is all about..The spectacle of cinema which gets you zipping thousand miles away onto A long lonely road unwinding through the murky green forests whilst intertwining with Seemingly simple villagers with dark secrets and grey hues..

Brace yourself for twists & turns galore..

A story that effortlessly sways between past and present,between an eerie grey abandoned house and poverty stricken crimson rooftop houses,between a loving husband and a revengeful stranger,between life and the dead,between soul and the spirit,between lost love and all lost..

A story not be missed for its sheer brilliant storytelling,special effects, histrionics and unabashed abandonment of moral compass..

Hell Hath No Fury
Like a Man who lost it all
Hero or Villain who's to say
His redemption is HIS Fall..

#MyMovieMusings:Rocky and Rani ki Prem(whatever!!!) Kahani

 So,2022 ki Super smart,Super Sassy,Super Slim,Saree in stilletoes ,South Delhi ki Rani meets our utterly outlandish,90's ka Govinda-ish yet suave,Super rich Dilli ka Rocking Munda Rocky.

Humara IQ kam hai toh kyaa huaa, dil waale hain is the anthem our Dilli dude swears by...😁😁He swerves around in his flashy car and flashier clothes mouthing funny one liners..
West Bengal is in West naa...Obvio....🀣
The 2 meet trying to set Rocky Dude's senior citizen Dada Kamal with his long lost love Jamini,Rani's Senior Citizen Dadi. 😍All while Dude's Dadi Dhanlakshmi is still alive and well..
Their love triangle is an epic laugh riot..🀣🀣Dada Kamal and Girl Friend Jamini croon the ever golden abhi naa jaao chhod ke while Dadi Dhanlkashmi faints in utter disbelief..
haal kaisa hai janaab ka.. kyaa khayal hai aapka??
But make no mistake , Dadi Dhanlakshmi is no feeble grandmom..She plots and plans her pawns and Checkmate!!!!
Cliches and overexaggerated stereotypes you will find galore but doesn't take away from the freshness and funny moments(Intense moments are unitentionally comical too) of the film..
Nayi soch,swad puraana
Dhanlakshmi ladoo zaroor khaana
whatever!!!
Dhanlakshmi Schemes(Oops!! Rocky and Rani ki Prem Kahani) is like an elaborate buffet of many delicacies in your plate that you savor till the last bite...
Sweet & Savory.. Cliche yet Current...
And finally 2022 ki Super smart,Super Suave,Super Slim,Saree in stilletoes,South Dilli ki Rani marries our utterly outlandish,90's ka Govinda-ish yet suave,Super rich Delhi ka Rocking Munda Rocky.
While the end credits play on screen, I search for "Manmarziyan" from the movie Lootera starring a subdued Ranbir and charming Sonakshi as my simple dessert after the elaborate KJO buffet..
"Yun to solah saavan aaye gaye
Gaur nahin kiya hamne..
Bheega man ka aangan is martaba..
Kya jaane kya kiya tumne.."
plays in the background as I revel in some Bollywood time well spent..

VeganTales: #PuccaPunjabitoVeganPunjabi

 "And why exactly are you doing this?" quizzed my senior citizen ,originally hailing from Amritsar, Passionate Punjabi,"Food is magic" believer cook aunty in utter disbelief..πŸ˜’πŸ˜’

Before I could reply,aunty retorts her point again"Makki di roti and sarson daa saag without white butter,no gajar ka halwa in winters,no lassi ,no paneer and dal tadka without gheau(ghee in punjabi).Bacche agar khaana enjoy nahin kitaa te kee haasil kitta.(If you didnt enjoy food then what did you gain)...😧 As long as health allows eat and make merry.πŸ’ƒ" She closes her arguments and gets back to making butter chicken πŸ” for the rest of my non vegan family..

Yayy Its my first veganniversary todayπŸŽ‚ and my Mom's Birthday too!! And to answer my Maa's rhetorical question "ek spoon gajar halwa se kyaa farak padegaa(what difference will a  spoon make)" It wouldn't Maa but it just helps maintain the vegan status quo that began by denying the Pucca Punjabi me,the sinful pleasures of lassi,makhan,ghee and dahi ... #veganhappy  😊😊

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Another Birthday πŸŽ‚πŸŽ‚

An Ode to all the wonderful people in my life today!! People who have inspired me and made me a better person..

With a twinkle in my eye... I look back at the year go So many people inspiring me Something, they wouldn't know

Just a drop in the ocean, Am I A drop that turns into dew.. The world, my ceaseless Canvas My People, it's radiant hue..

Wait "Its my birthday again" Another year to be crazy.... With A Dash of Laughter & Some Dreams, a tad bit lazy...

Monday, May 15, 2023

Mother's Day 2023

Hmm, staying true to my talent of hamesha being late, here I am again a day late with my mother's day post..Talking about always being late toh, main michael schumacher toh hoon nahin that I can zip zap my way through the single lanes of edison and crowded 287 in peak hourπŸ˜„..To which maa would always say in her cool nonchalant style "10 minute jaldee nikla karo naa.." ☺️
You to me epitomize cool n composure!! You haven't changed a bit though I have grown from a tantrum throwing 4-5 year old to a tantrum dodging 45 year old.. From my schooling years,to college,to starting work,to my pregnancies,to moving from one place to another,to getting back to work you have seen the worst and best of me(which everyone says is my kids..whatever!!! 🀷‍♀️)
So,here's to another roller coaster ride with your kids,your grandkids,your granddogs and their forever maa/Nani can you do this even when you are saat samundar paar...
The greys in our hair
Have a story to say....
I see a Me in You Maa..
Rejoicing along the way.....

Friday, March 31, 2023

Fear of The Fury

 " And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

-Abraham Lincoln

Shivers ran down my spine as I glanced at my TV.

As the news of the devastating earthquake in Turkey started flashing on screen I stood there motionless, my heart skipping a thousand beats..As I immersed myself in the household chores my mind kept racing back to 2001 when I was in Ahmedabad and we were at the receiving end of nature’s fury then…

The sudden rumblings awoke us from sleep on a Friday morning. It was 26th Jan, My sister's birthday. My mom grabbed my sister and I and rushed out of our eighth floor high rise apartment. We were left with no option but to stand outside the house with our neighbors and cry and pray to the God aloud. We cried and hugged as the building shook and shook and shook!!!!!There was fear written on our faces. Fear of the untamed fury !!!!!!!!!!

We rushed down the building as it ceased to shake. For the next 3 months we stayed at a rented house as there were cracks in the building that required repairs. Our neighbors had become an extended family sharing the same fear, the same feeling of homelessness and the same gratitude to have survived this disaster.

It has been more than 2 decades since this brush with catastrophe but the memories of the day are still vivid. I still reckon the jitters, the fear and the uncertainty of life….


How often do we forget
In our materialistic quest

Some sorrows to share
Laughs galore to pair

A Handful of love to give
In every moment to live

Life is not in years
But in smiles and tears

Life is short, Life is uncertain
LIVE before it draws it’s curtain!!!!!!!!!!


Tuesday, March 28, 2023

The Ever Elusive Words..

A world of words

This exquisite world I see..... 

Words I dream, Words I live

Yet they so elude me...  

Words elude me.....Writing is not just an isolated example..Be it  professional meetings or casual conversations..They so often leave me lurching in the dark amidst a tete-a-tete...Post 100 count into striking a talk  words cease to flow  and I stand speechless ,a silent exterior masking a tumultuous interior.. Words jostle inside my brain but fail to see the light of the day as my brain ceases to process them any further and cuts them short in their endeavour.. 

Concision is all I can churn in the name of creative writing...

I have come to believe that my poor under developed brain is equipped with a 100 count word-o-meter..A single expression more and it shrieks aloud!!!!!!!!!!!   

No Rhyme,No Reason

Work On my brain 

Of Very few words am I 

A person sound yet inane....

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Fear of The Fury

 " And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” -Abraham Lincoln Shivers ran down ...