The story of Ginger & Turk

Heart is the place where all your passion comes from. Yes indeed.  And many times it may take the other side also. The side which you thought you may never turn in future. Probably that is why there is saying, ‘Never say, that will not happen to me. Life has its own ways of proving you wrong.’

I will like to narrate a story of my friend Shankar who followed his heart and made a magical decision.  He lives as at a room which he has taken on rent. I know him since 5 years. One day when I visited his room I found two cute puppies in his room.  I was awestruck. I almost yelled out loud, “Hey what are these cuties doing here? How have you not kicked them away yet?”

To which he came from inside and replied, “ Dude, these are my new pets !”

And this was the second shock for me. Never I in my life I could have imagined Shankar having pets, especially dogs.

I said, “ Don’t try to fool me. You can never have pets. These puppies must have entered when the door was open.”

To which he replied, “I am serious Vasant. If these weren't my pets, why would they have lingered around me legs instead of yours?”

So he was true. The puppies which were lingering around me and were now near him. To which I happily took one of them in my arms and started playing with.

The reason I could have never imagined Shankar having pets was that he was horribly afraid of dogs. I don’t know why but he was scared of them.

“So what made you change your choices dude? A few months ago when we met Oscar(A pet from my other friend) you were running away from that one month old puppy as if he was going to eat you.”

He said, “These puppies were born in the open space besides my room. There were a few more. I used to see them every day. But one day, their mother went missing. That morning I saw only these two roaming here and there. Till the evening their mother didn't return. Somehow she vanished. I just felt pity for them and took them to my room.”

Ginger

Ginger & Turk

“So now you are not afraid of dogs?”

“No !!! Look how cute they are! Well, when I saw them alone roaming the whole day without their mother, somewhere down in my heart I felt that I should take care of them. And now, when I have followed my heart, I am no longer afraid of dogs. In fact I am  loving them.”

“Wow ! So have you named them or not?”

“Yes, he is Ginger(pointing towards the one in his left) and this(pointing to this one in his other hand) is Turk

And in this way my friend who followed his heart got rid of his fear and for me and his friends, we got two puppies with whom we spent our evenings playing with.

Having fun with Ginger

“I am participating in the #DilKiDealOnSnapdealactivity at BlogAdda in association with SnapDeal.”

When I followed my heart and made this Diwali a special one !

Follow your heart, an advice which we receive in our life many times. But how many times do we really implement it? Well it is worth thinking. But when we do follow our heart and listen to it, those decisions are one of the best decisions we ever make.

The one incident I recall when I followed my heart and made everyone happy is during the last Diwali. It was Dussehra, when a few of my friends had gathered at my home. Someone coined the topic that we should do something different this upcoming Diwali. May be to spread smiles beyond our family and friend circle.  Something similar was in my mind. To which we came up with the idea everyone contributing some amount and donating it to an orphanage or any such organization which deals in social service or buying something out that amount and donating it to them. Well, only four of us were present there and all of us agreed. It was decided to put the issue on our very own Whatsapp group. I took the initiative and drafted a message and sent it. To my surprise, all the 12 members of the group agreed upon it unanimously. We explored Aurangabad for such organizations. And then we finalized one of them. Two of us visited the organization and asked for their requirements. They listed out some of the rations which they needed.

One of our friend, Bharat; had his birthday during the four days of Diwali. My heart said that why not to visit and make our donation on his birthday to make him feel more special. Again everyone unanimously agreed. When you follow your heart, it seems like everyone agrees to you. May be everyone’s heart said the same thing.

So we contributed a specific minimum decided amount per head. Anyone who wished to contribute more, was allowed to do on his/her wish. One more thing I experienced that that when you follow your heart, you feel a sense of enthusiasm. In our case, it was everyone in our group was feeling it. One of my friend from Mumbai was so happy about our initiative, he sent his donation amount from net banking and assured that he will be personally present the next time. Another friend of us also brought some sweets and clothes for the purpose.

On the decided day, though it was Diwali, when everyone was supposed to be celebrating with family, everyone spared time and was present there. Two of us went to market and brought the rations which were required. And then we to make our birthday boy feel special, we entered his name in the register and also donated the stuffs by his hands. That smile on his face and of course on all my friends’ faces was indeed magical.

And that is when I realized that when you follow your heart, the magic which follows afterwards spreads smiles not only on your face but also your closed ones. Another decision which we took at the same time was to continue our activity on each other’s birthdays.

Note : We all really don’t want to brag about our work so the amount has been purposefully not disclosed.

“I am participating in the #DilKiDealOnSnapdealactivity at BlogAdda in association with SnapDeal.”

An Alien’s diary

13th April 2015

Today I discovered a planet in the universe. After years of research I came to know about this planet called earth where there is life just like our planet. I have captured their TV signals and studied their ads to understand their lives. But people from this planet seem to be different than ours. I have planned to visit the earth in disguise to study the life on earth. But before that let me make a list of things which I need to study.

First of all I need to be aware while brushing my teeth. I came to know that while brushing the teeth early morning, beautiful actresses slam the door and enter the bathroom asking whether your toothpaste has salt or neem. How strange it is!

After that I also need to use the deodorant carefully. I also came to know that hot girls jump into the house after using the deodorants. Some may even run behind me on the roads.

The germs in the toilets on earth are as big as ghosts. Women out there use some toilet cleaning liquids just like weapons. Sometimes some actors also suddenly visit homes and clean the toilets. Strange!

Well I also noticed that the cosmetics here are more nourishing than the food the humans eat. The cosmetics are filled with natural ingredients and eatables with preservatives.  

To add to the list of strange things, people consider stains on clothes as good. (Daag ache hai!). Who in this universe except on earth will like stains on their clothes.  

Some of the chocolates are so strange that people behave as if they go mad after eating it. I saw an ad which showed two brothers named Ramesh & Suresh eat a chocolate forget their senses for a while eating consuming it.

People on earth also have developed malt food for their kids to grow taller, stronger and sharper. I intend to bring lots of it on way back to our planet so that I can sell it here. Kids on our planet will definitely be benefited by it.

Another product I came across is bathing soaps on earth make the women look like college going girls. Women using these soaps have children of 5 to 7 years but look, dance or play just like any college going girl. Even the people on earth don’t believe it unless the women’s daughter calls her ‘Mummy’.

The fairness creams on earth also seem to make people fair in 15 days. But I wonder why people in some parts are still dark. That is one of the points I will study during my stay there.

Another strange thing is that just like pets, the mobile networks on earth also follow the people wherever the people go. Recently there has been a rise in people studying through internet networks. Some also study weird faculties like economics and biology together using the internet network.

There is still confusion between their minds whether mangoes are available in which season. Some say there is a season while some say that mangoes are available the whole year.

There are many more doubts in my mind. I will come to know about the answers only after my visit to earth.

This Pepsi IPL, it's not just about cricket. It's time to crash with your own created ad! Make your own Pepsi ad & if it's chosen, it could play on TV during Pepsi IPL! And hey, it doesn't end here… Even if you're chosen as a finalist, you stand a chance of winning a prize amount of Rs.1 lakh! So what are you waiting for guys?

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Best Video Ads I've ever seen

When it comes to Ads, we generally have a negative approach towards them. It’s because Ads are the one which stand between us and our entertainment, ads are ones which distract us while browsing by way of pop ups may be on computers or smart phones. But how often do we look at the Ads as a creative side of human brain. Many ads offer the best entertainment in the smallest of the time frame. It is just that we don’t look at them in that way. Many Ad campaigns have made the identity of the respective companies and have helped them build their image. So here are a few of the best TV Ads I have ever seen.

1.       Aaila Sachin by Pepsi – One of my favorite ads of my childhood by my favorite sports icon then and even today, Sachin Tendulkar. A gang of school kids (I was of the same age when it aired on TV) in their school uniforms with bat and ball in their hands are seen wearing a mask of Sachin Tendulkar. They open a box of Pepsi bottles and start distributing it among themselves. And when one kid hands over the Pepsi to one of them, the guy removes his mask revealing himself who is none other than Sachin Tendulkar. To which the kid’s reaction was, “Aaila, Sachin”. Down the memory lane, this ad by Pepsi is one of my favorite Pepsi commercials.

2.       Raymond’s Complete Man – Raymond’s Video ads have always been classy. Their ads depict a lot without words. The one in this list was aired last year. A young couple is about to leave for office in their car when the lady suddenly remembers something and runs back into the house. She comes and sits in the card and again realizes something and rushes back home. This time she takes a lot of time so her husband also rushes into the house. And then, the lady comes out and her husband comes out with their small son. The lady leaves for the office while her hubby stays home to take care of their son. And the only line which is spoken is, ‘Many things make the complete man, being there is just one”.  Truly an Ad which states Actions speaks louder than words.

3.       Google Reunion – Though a lengthy one, the best ad depicting the benefits of the internet or say Google search. An old man in India talking to his granddaughter gets nostalgic and tells her about his friend in Pakistan and how they were separated during the India-Pakistan partition. The girl searches the internet and gets connected to her Grandpa’s friend through his grandson. The friend in Pakistan arrives in India with his grandson to meet his buddy first time after the partition.  Throughout the Ad we can see how they are benefitted by Google for the wonderful reunion.

4.       Mauka Mauka Ad (World Cup 2015) – Cricket World cup always comes up with and ads that are remembered for ages. The Mauka Mauka ad series this world cup is also one of them. Though there were many ads in this series, the one for India Vs Pakistan match remains the best. Depicting a Pakistani cricket lover’s wish for the last 24 years of world cup of bursting crackers which never came true. Thanks to Team India that they can still feature the Ad’s next part in the next world cup as they still haven’t captured their mauka (opportunity) to burst the crackers. 

5.       Chalo Dekhe Fir Wahi Sapna by Sachin Tendulkar for ICC WC 2015 – It was his dream to win the world cup for India. For my generation who ages less than Sachin’s career it was also a dream to win the World Cup as we never witnessed the 1983 saga. But this time he was not going to be with team but with us cheering for the team. The ad touches the heart of every cricket lover as one can hear the chants of Sachin Sachin. And when he says,” Chalo Dekhe fir se wahi sapna”, those goose bumpswhich a cricket lover gets can’t be explained in words.

6.       Saurav Ganguly’s Pepsi Ad – Find me one cricket lover who was not touched by this ad. There was a time in Dada’s career when he was out of the Team India and was surrounded by many controversies. The ad starts with, “Hi, mera naam saurav Ganguly hai, bhule to nahin?” And further stating his efforts to make a comeback to team India. And also that he was going to support his team and appeals everyone to join the Blue billion cricket fans.

7.       Airtel’s cutest Ad ever- One of the cutest ad by Airtel was aired last year includes a bride and a groom talking over their phones. Amidst all the celebrations the bride is talking to the groom over the phone. The groom naughtily says that tonight he is speaking to his girlfriend for the last time as she will be his wife from tomorrow.  Then this smart bride brings to his notice that their marriage is today as it was well past 12. Though there were few more ads in this series, this one remains my favorite with the catch line –‘Kuch rishteen din raat nahi dekha karte’

8.       Candyman’s naughty kid – Kids and their naughtiness is an integral part of many ads and when it comes to chocolates or candies it is at its peak. The kid in this ad eats the candy (chocolate) and a middle age man who has his car in the reverse gear asks him whether the car is touching or not (Lag raha hai kya). To it this naught kid asks him to reverse it more and suddenly the car hits the wall. The kid then says to the man, “Ab lag gaya!” (Now you've hit it). The ad is naught just like the kid.

This Pepsi IPL, it's not just about cricket. It's time to crash with your own created ad! Make your own Pepsi ad & if it's chosen, it could play on TV during Pepsi IPL! And hey, it doesn't end here… Even if you're chosen as a finalist, you stand a chance of winning a prize amount of Rs.1 lakh! So what are you waiting for guys?

“I am joining in on all the Pepsi IPL action in my own style with the #CrashThePepsiIPL activity at BlogAdda.”

The Traffic Signal Incident

Well first off all, I will thank IndiBlogger for this Happy Hours initiative. The following blog post is for Look up stories campaign by Housing.com (https://housing.com/lookup.)

I would like to narrate an incident which filled me up with optimism and hope for the future. It happened a few months ago during Diwali. To everyone’s surprise it was a cloudy day.  Diwali is not the time when we have cloudy days. And this overcast day made it more boring. I was thinking whether the next generation will have to study the different seasons in our country. It rains every time of the year except during the monsoons.  I was lying on the sofa and  watching news on the television.  All I could watch were the negative news. What a day I said.  Its overcast outside, which was making me feel dull. Nothing good to watch on the TV and I was also unable to sleep. Then suddenly my Mom called me from the kitchen, “ Vasant, go get some vegetables from the market.” And handed over me the list of vegetables to bring. Even though I was in no mood to go, I had to hurry up because the rains could have started pouring any time. I took my bike and headed towards the market. I hate going to the vegetable market. There is so much crowd and chaos out there.

At the market I saw a seller beating up a kid for stealing his fruits. That little boy seemed a beggar to me. I felt that these kids must  go to schools and get education because they are the future of our country. If they are educated they we earn their living.  My thoughts were brought to an end by the rain drops. 

‘Oh no! Rains during Diwali !’, (This isn’t the time for rains in this part of Maharashtra) I said to me and rushed to my bike.  The drizzle had just began but one look at the sky promised that it was going to be heavy later. I rushed towards my home but I had trouble riding my bike in the rains without any raincoat or helmet to cover me.  I reached a traffic signal. I speeded up so that I could get pass it before it turned red but to my distress it turned red and I had to wait.  As the timer showed last 15 seconds almost everyone behind me  honked and went away. Some also gave me look as if I was the one who was not complying the law.  I turned around to see only a lady with  a kid on the scooter beside me waiting for the signal turn green. That little kid asked his mother out of confusion, “Mummy, Why aren’t we going ?Everyone else has already left”

The lady explained the little boy by pointing towards the signal, “Beta, it hasn’t turned green. And we shall not go unless it turns green”

And she left only after the signal had turned green. Now that may seem  a very small gesture by that lady, but in the era when everyone wants their kids to win the rat race ( by any means), here I found a mother who not only explained her child to abide the law but also acted accordingly.

This little incident filled me up with hope and optimism for the next generation.  Just a little while ago I was worried about the next generation. But after the incident at the traffic signal, I realized that there are good people and they are trying their level best for a better tomorrow and in future words like kindness and ethics will also find a place beyond the textbooks.