I made it to the Guinness Book of World Records

Well, its a dream come true and I have full bragging rights! I made it to the Guinness Book of World Records! My name will be etched into the most coveted book which celebrates unique feats achieved by people.

So how did I manage this difficult task? Well, all that I had to do was to wear a cap and a t-shirt and stand in a predefined Spot :)
Never thought that getting into the book and making a world record would be this easy!

The record that was attempted was that of the 'Largest Human Image of an Organ'. It was organized in Gurgaon , a city bordering India's capital city, and approximately 900 people took part. The organisers demarcated an area of land where in markings of an human heart were made. The markings were such that the heart had all the chambers and vessels as per medical textbooks. People who took part were given either white, blue, red or pink T-shirts and caps to wear and were asked to stand in predefined spots in the demarcated area.

That me on the screen next to the stage- celebrity moment

Participants standing on Predefined spots

This what the final picture looked like-birds eye view

The formation took near about one hour and a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records inspected the formation for any short coming. After complete satisfaction of the representative we  were told that the Guinness Record had been set and that we had made history!!

It was indeed great to be a part of this fun event and earn a place for myself in the world renouned book!

Safe to say that I once had a big heart which made history!

Magical Monday/11

Mondays are full of madness! Mondays for most people brings out the colour blue (Monday Blues). But like so many things, is it just a figment of our imagination? So if we change our attitute, is it possible to change Manic Monday into Magic Monday? What if we feed it into our system that Monday will be a grand day? It will be a day when our energy levels will be the higest because we will be refreshed after a break and that we will start a new week with zest and high spirits! What if we tell ourselves at the start of the week that this week we will be unstoppable, be a powerhouse and race ahead,  could it change things? I believe it could :)

And believing is the first step towards changing things for good !! :)

This is my 11th  post in the Magical Monday series of inspirational stories aimed at motivating us to bring out our best on the first day of the week! 

Today my post is not about just one person but a group of persons who dare to be different and are ready to push the envelope to experience something new and different.

In our day to day life we worry about petty things and lose out on precious moments. Here's a group of people who have risen above these trivial pursuits to achieve something rare. These people have been selected to be a part of a mission to Mars , the Mars One Mission but here is the catch, the mission only provides a one way ticket to mars. Selected from more than 200,000 applicants, the 50 men and 50 women are a step closer to taking part in the one-way mission. 

The top 10 candidates in this mission are:
1. Christian O Knudsen

Age: 34
From: Denmark

2. Mikolaj Zielinski
Age: 38
From: Poland

3.Josh Richards

Age: 29
From: Australia

4.Etsuko Shimabukuro

Age: 50
From: Japan 

5.Dianne McGrath

Age: 45
From: Australia

6. Steve Schild

Age: 30
From: Switzerland

7. Ryan MacDonald

Age: 21
From: United Kingdom 

8.Lennart Lopin

Age: 36
From: Germany, living in US

9.Robert P Schröder

Age: 27
From: Germany 

10.Joanna Hindle

Age: 42
From: Canada 

This human expedition will take place in 2024. The Dutch not-for-profit organisation is raising money to fund this trip and the participants do not have to pay. 

 Missions are planned beforehand to do vital groundwork before the first human expedition takes place. In 2018, a lander would be sent to the planet as a trial-run for technologies that the real mission will need. That will be accompanied by a communications satellite to beam messages back and forth. In 2020, an “intelligent” rover is sent to Mars, along with a trailer. The rover’s job is to scope out a good landing site, far enough north for the soil to contain a good amount of water, but equatorial enough to get plenty of sunlight. Two years after that, in 2022, six cargo missions head off for Mars. They include another rover, two living units and two life support units. These land near the first rover, which tows them into position and sets up solar panels to power the units. The life support unit is meant to produce a breathable atmosphere in the habitat, 3,000 litres of water, and 120kg of oxygen kept in storage.

The second crew will leave in 2026.

I am so in awe of all these people who are willing to risk everything , even their lives for something new and challenging. I think this takes a lot of courage and so immensely inspiring. Would you be able to take part?

Self Love - journey of self discovery/ part 1

They say the key to happiness is self love and self discovery! I couldn't agree more to this but putting this into practice in this fast paced life requires effort.

As a part of my journey of self love and self discovery,  one of the key elements was to put my body into great shape and the second was to spend more time exploring and enjoying nature!

Baby steps taken to  achieve my goals - a sports bicycle to keep my body fit and explore the surroundings !

And a few weekends of doing this activity makes me feel a whole lot better.

Here are the some of the shots taken while cycling around my neighbourhood.

Caught The Beautiful Sunset

Idols of hindu deities in a local temple

Labourer kids and their shanties in the background

My neighbourhood is a upcoming sector of one of the biggests metros in India . As there is a lot of construction ongoing around the area where I live,  a lot of migrant labourers have moved here. However, they live in make shift shanties and the general living conditions are poor.

Cakes made out of cow dung 

In a small little village, close to where I stay the villagers use cow dung as fuel to cook food. They make cakes out of wet cow dung and let it dry in sun. These cakes are then burnt in mud stoves as fuel and cook food.

This is what I love about the area where I live...This is where the rustic meets city life!

Magical Mondays/10

Mondays are full of madness! Mondays for most people brings out the colour blue (Monday Blues). But like so many things, is it just a figment of our imagination? So if we change our attitute, is it possible to change Manic Monday into Magic Monday? What if we feed it into our system that Monday will be a grand day? It will be a day when our energy levels will be the higest because we will be refreshed after a break and that we will start a new week with zest and high spirits! What if we tell ourselves at the start of the week that this week we will be unstoppable, be a powerhouse and race ahead,  could it change things? I believe it could :)

And believing is the first step towards changing things for good !! :)

This is my tenth  post in the Magical Monday series of inspirational stories aimed at motivating us to bring out our best on the first day of the week! 

Today the story is of a brave officer of the Indian army, Colonel M N Rai, who died fighting militants in  Jammu and Kashmir, a militancy-hit region of India 

Rai, a commanding officer of 42 Rashtriya Rifles,  was killed during an encounter in Tral in Pulawama district last month while fighting militants. He was just 39.

 Colonel M N Rai

Rai along with being a brave soldier was a good leader and a motivator. He had taken a number of initiatives for the positive engagement of youth  (like organising cricket and football tournaments) in Tral, the distubed area where he was posted. He organized these matches to keep the youth positively and proactively engaged ensuring that the youth do not stray into the ranks of militancy.

Under his leadership, the narrative in Tral was changing. He earned the admiration of all the administration for his meticulous planning

Unfortunately Rai died a day after he was conferred a bravery award, the Yudh Seva medal, for outstanding contribution in planning and conduct of operations including a gun battle with militants in south Kashmir last year.

Even though he was at the rank of a commanding officer, very senior rank, he chose to fight from the front with their men at all times.

His status on a social media site stated his mindset clearly: "Play your role in life with such passion, that even after the curtains come down, the applause doesn't stop."

A New Journey Begins

So finally the cold winter wave seems to be retreating and more bright sunny days are replacing the gloomy, cold,  foggy winter days here in north India! As the beautiful spring sets in, everything seems to be undergoing a change. There is a bit more colour in the surroundings, the flowers are blooming,  the grass is greener.. its like an injection of life has been given to a patient on his death bed.

This beautiful change can be thought provoking and thus left me thinking on how to enjoy this spring to the fullest! Well, I had a moment of enlightenment where the Gods whispered in my ears and told me that the best possible way was to integrate wellness with fitness by getting a sports bicycle. This would help me breathe in the freshness of the outdoors , pay attention to the little details of the natural beauty that surrounds us while sweating it out.. After all God is in the details!

So off I went to get myself that perfect bicycle that would help me achieve my new resolution of fitness and nature appreciation.

And Voila, I am the proud owner of a Hercules Atom 18 Speed Bicycle.

It is a lean and stylish bike. It has a low stylish frame, and the seat contains high-quality polyurethane sponge that offers a comfortable seating. The seat is attached to a top-notch spring that prevents you from suffering a back-ache in case you are riding on rough roads. Having a low frame, mounting and unmounting the bike is easy. The cycle comes with 18 speed complete Shimano gear system that allows you to change the speed of your bike as per your preference. The tyres are 26-inches wide in size and are made from supreme quality rubber. These tyres are built for speed and offer high-level endurance against sharp objects on the road. So you do not have to worry about your tyres getting punctured during an intense ride. The overall frame of the bike is made of stainless steel that enhances its durability. It also comes with a stand for you to park the bike once you are done with your session.

I took this baby out for a ride today and it was awesomeness! Good suspension, brakes and comfort!

I did some 10+ kilometers in about an hour! So, wish me best guys as I embark on my new fitness and wellness journey ;)

A Historic Radio Show

A monthly radio show hosted by India's Prime minister, Narendra Modi had a special guest on 27.01.2015. President Barak Obama, who was visiting India as the chief guest for India's 66th Republic day held on 26.01.2015 joined the prime Minister's radio show on the next day.

It was indeed a historic moment when 2 very influential people addressed the nation together but what was even more heartening was that the 2 answered many questions raised by people from general public which were unrelated to politics, strategic planning or economics.

Their bromance was very evident from the way both took cues ftomeach other and worked together to make the radio show a huge success.

Both the premiers highlighted the fact that they had similar stories where in both of them rose from very humble background were able to rise to the higest level by sheer will and perseverance.

Modi shared an antidote of his visit to the White House which touched his heart. He reminisced that at that time President Barak Obama gifted him a book written by an Indian spiritual Guru, Swami Vivekanand and that he was touched when the president leafed through pages of the book to give him an insight about it as he was well verse with it.

Obama ' s response to a question by a caller about his daughters was that they were very keen to Visit India and were very impressed by India's rich history and story of independence. He emphasised that this was partly because of his influence as he shared these stories with his daughters.  

It was indeed heartening to hear the light hearted conversation of the two heads of nations and their comraderie definitely sets an example for other world leaders to follow.

All in all the radio show was a brilliant concept and a total hit! It left me charged enough to write this post on the same day itself!

Magical Monday/9

Mondays are full of madness! Mondays for most people brings out the colour blue (Monday Blues). But like so many things, is it just a figment of our imagination? So if we change our attitute, is it possible to change Manic Monday into Magic Monday? What if we feed it into our system that Monday will be a grand day? It will be a day when our energy levels will be the higest because we will be refreshed after a break and that we will start a new week with zest and high spirits! What if we tell ourselves at the start of the week that this week we will be unstoppable, be a powerhouse and race ahead,  could it change things? I believe it could :)

And believing is the first step towards changing things for good !! :)

This is my ninth  post in the Magical Monday series of inspirational stories aimed at motivating us to bring out our best on the first day of the week! 

Today the story is about a politician and activist from Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi (born June 1945) who has been kept under house arrest for almost 15 years of the past 20 years having been released only recently in 2010.  As of 2014, she is listed as the 61st most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

She is the chairperson of the National League of Democracy which is the oppisition political party in Burma. Even though her party won the 1990 general elections , she was not allowed to take charge and was instead put under house arrest making her one of the world's most prominent political prisoners.

Aung San Suu ki had political leanings right from her childhood as her father was the founder of the modern Burmese army and negotiated Burma's independence from the British Empire in 1947. However, she lost her father as he was assassinated by his rivals in 1947 itself.

Suu Kyi's mother gained prominence as a political figure in the newly formed Burmese government and was appointed Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal and this gave an oppurtunity to Suu Ki to complete her graduate degree in New Delhi, India. 

She then moved to Oxford to complete a B.A. degree in Psycology, Politics and Economics and following that to New York City to work with UN for 3 years. Around this time she met her husband Dr M Aris and moved into family life (married in 1972). She had two sons, Alexander Aris (born in 1973) and Kim (born in 1977).

In 1988 Suu Kyi returned to Burma, at first to tend for her ailing mother but later to lead the pro-democracy movement. Aris' visit in Christmas 1995 turned out to be the last time that he and Suu Kyi met, as Suu Kyi remained in Burma and the Burmese dictatorship denied him any further entry visas. Aris was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 which was later found to be terminal. Despite appeals from prominent figures and organizations, the Burmese government would not grant Aris a visa, saying that they did not have the facilities to care for him, and instead urged Aung San Suu Kyi to leave the country to visit him. She was at that time temporarily free from house arrest but was unwilling to depart, fearing that she would be refused re-entry if she left, as she did not trust the military junta ' s assurance that she could return.

Aris died on his 53rd birthday on 27 March 1999. Since 1989, when his wife was first placed under house arrest, he had seen her only five times, the last of which was for Christmas in 1995. She was also separated from her children, who live in the United Kingdom, but starting in 2011, they have visited her in Burma.

Twice her cavalcade was attacked and there was a threat to her life. In1996, the motorcade that she was traveling in with other National League for Democracy  leaders was attacked in Yangon. About 200 men swooped down on the motorcade, wielding metal chains, metal batons, stones and other weapons. The car that Aung San Suu Kyi was in had its rear window smashed. The NLD lodged an official complaint with the police, and according to reports the government launched an investigation, but no action was taken.

In May 2003, a government sponsored mob attacked her caravan in a northern village, murdering and wounding many of her supporters. Aung San Suu Kyi fled the scene with the help of her driver but was arrested later and imprisoned by the government. 

It was only in 2010 , after a lot of pressure from UN that Suu Ki was released from house arrest.

Even when such difficult circumstances were created for this brave woman she held her footing steadfast and fought for her beliefs peacefully never giving into the pressure.

Lohri festival

The festival of Lohri is celebrated in northern parts of India in the first month of the year. It is celebrated by setting up a hon fire and praying to the fire. People set up bonfires, pray,sing and dance around the fire.

The story behind the festival:
There is a large tract of semi-arid terrain lying between the rivers Chenab and Ravi called the Saandal Bar. (It now falls in the districts of Sheikhupura and Faislabad, in Pakistan).

The people of this area were known to provide the stiffest opposition to the Mughals.They never paid any taxes; rather, they openly defied the authorities and indulged in looting the royal caravans and treasures.

'Saandal', a warlord of Bhatti Rajput clan led these tribals. Prince Jahangir, the heir apparent, fired with zeal to prove his prowess carried out campaigns to consolidate the Mughal authority in the region. He captured and executed Saandal and his son, Farid. Their skins were peeled off and hung at the Delhi gate of the Fort of Lahore to instil a sense of fear amongst the rebels.

However, the son of Farid, Abdullah or Dullah as he is fondly called,  remained unfazed and continued his defiant activities. Dullah earned notoriety in the eyes of authorities. He, like Robin Hood, looted wealthy landlords and Imperial officers and distributed the booty amongst the poor. He came to be regarded as a father figure for the distressed and oppressed. and became a living legend, embodiment of the chivalrous and secular, socio-cultural character of the region.

Dullah was the contemporary of yet another Super Human, Poet Divine, Sri Guru Arjan Dev JI, the Fifth Sikh Guru, who sacrificed his life at the altar of humanity at Lahore.

It is believed that Dullah had restored the prestige of an innocent girl whose modesty was outraged by a Mughal general. Dullah had adopted this girl as his daughter and arranged her marriage in the Jungles of 'Saandal Bar'. As there was no priest nearby to chant the Vedic Hymns and solemnise the marriage Dullah lit a bonfire and people, who by then, were also free from sowing wheat crop, gathered in strength. They composed an impromtu song: Sundari Mundariye……
The bride and the groom were asked to take pheras of the bonfire as people sang this hilarious song.

(The 'ho's are in chorus…..)

 Sunder mundriye ho! ( Oh, you pretty lass)
Tera kaun vicaharaa ho! (Who is your protector, you  pitiable one? )
Dullah Bhatti walla ho! (There's this man called Dullah, from Village Bhatti)
Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho! (Dullah's  getting her married as his own daughter)
Ser shakkar payee  ho! (He gave 1 kg sugar!)
Kudi da laal pathaka ho! (The girls is wearing a red suit!)
Kudi da saalu paatta ho! (But her shawl is torn!)
Saalu kaun samete ho! (Who will stitch her shawl?)
Chacha gaali dese ho! (Her Uncle is scolding her)
Chacha choori kutti ho! (The uncle made choori{a Punjabi dish}!)
zamidara lutti ho! (The landlords ate it!)
Zamindaar sudhaye ho! (Dullah gave the landlords lots more to eat!)
Ginn-ginn bhole aaye   ho! (Lots of innocent guys came)
Ek bhola reh gaya! (One innocent boy got left behind)
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya! (The police arrested him!)
Sipahee ne mari itt! (The policeman hit him with a brick!)
Phannve ro te phannve pit! (Now, you may cry or howl!)
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi (Give us our Lohri  & may you live long as a couple!)

Til (Sesame seeds) and Rorhi (a form of sweet jaggery in Punjabi) are meant to keep the body warm. These two terms Til+ Rorhi combined to form Tilrorhi, which eventually was corrupted to ----"Lohri"

Magical Monday/8

Mondays are full of madness! Mondays for most people brings out the colour blue (Monday Blues). But like so many things, is it just a figment of our imagination? So if we change our attitute, is it possible to change Manic Monday into Magic Monday? What if we feed it into our system that Monday will be a grand day? It will be a day when our energy levels will be the higest because we will be refreshed after a break and that we will start a new week with zest and high spirits! What if we tell ourselves at the start of the week that this week we will be unstoppable, be a powerhouse and race ahead,  could it change things? I believe it could :)

And believing is the first step towards changing things for good !! :)

This is my eighth post in the Magical Monday series of inspirational stories aimed at motivating us to bring out our best on the first day of the week! The story today is of a lady with a heart of gold, a pure spirit who by many was considered nothing less then a reincarnation of God in human form. 

Mother Teresa (1910-1997) was a Roman Catholic nun who was born in Macedonia but worked most of her life for the underprivileged and needy in India.

Right in her early years she was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and by age 12 had become convinced that she should commit herself to a religious life. She left her family at the age of 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto and never saw her family again.

She moved to India in 1929 and spent nearly 20 years teaching in a school in Calcutta, India. She was deeply moved by the poverty in the country and began her missionary work with the poor in 1948 where she worked for the destitute and starving. She also received basic medical training in the Holy Family Hospital. Her initial efforts were fraught with difficulties and self doubt as at the time she had no income and had to resort to begging for food and supplies.

Although through her initial years as a missionary she did contemplate giving up these efforts and return to her comfortable life as a teacher in the convent but she kept on working towards her goal putting aside these doubts and founded the Missionaries of Charity. It began as a small congregation with 13 members in 1950 and today it consists of over 4500 sisters active in 133 countries where they run hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; dispensaries and mobile clinics; children's and family counselling programmes; orphanages; and schools. 

In 1952, Mother Teresa opened the first Home for the Dying in space made available by the city of Calcutta , a hindu temple, where she gave medical attention to people who were brought in and gave them a right to die with dignity. 

By 1996, Mother Teresa was operating 517 missions in more than 100 countries. Over the years, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity grew from twelve to thousands serving the "poorest of the poor" in 450 centres around the world.

Mother Teresa was the recipient of numerous honours including the 1979 Noble Peace Prize. 

This lady with the purest of purest soul was an angel to many and served people selflessly, tending to them with her love and care.

Magical Monday/7

Mondays are full of madness! Mondays for most people brings out the colour blue (Monday Blues). But like so many things, is it just a figment of our imagination? So if we change our attitute, is it possible to change Manic Monday into Magic Monday? What if we feed it into our system that Monday will be a grand day? It will be a day when our energy levels will be the higest because we will be refreshed after a break and that we will start a new week with zest and high spirits! What if we tell ourselves at the start of the week that this week we will be unstoppable, be a powerhouse and race ahead,  could it change things? I believe it could :)

And believing is the first step towards changing things for good !! :)

This is my seventh post in the Magical Monday series of inspirational stories aimed at motivating us to bring out our best on the first day of the week! Today the story is about a hero that I gave worshipped through out my life. The doctor who adorns innumerable posters and who's face is considered to be the symbol of revolution. Popularly known as 'Che' , Ernesto Guevara was an Argentine Revolutionary and a major figure in the Cuban Revolution. 

Che,  as a young medical student traveled extentively through South America and was heavily influenced by the poverty, poor health and hunger that gripped people. He documented these experiences in a book  titled 'Motor Cycle Diaries' which went on to become a best seller and is revered even now.

His unsuppresable desire to help overturn what he saw as the capitalist exploitation of Latin America by the United States prompted his involvement in Guatemala's  social reforms.

He later moved to Cuba to work with the likes of Fidel Castro towards overthrowing U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Guevara soon rose to prominence and played a pivotal role in the victorious two-year guerrilla campaign that deposed the Batista regime.

Following the Cuban Revolution Guevara performed a number of key roles in the new government. These included reviewing the appeals and firing squads for those convicted as was criminals during the rerevolutionary tribunals, instituting agrarian land reforms as minister of industries, helping spearhead a successful nationwide literacy campaign, serving as both national bank president and instructional director for Cuba's armed forces and traversing the globe as a diplomat on behalf of Cuban socialism.

Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to foment revolution abroad, in Bolivia where he was captured by CIA-assisted Bolivian forces and was assassinated in 1967 at an age of 39 by them.

As the year ends, I am sharing the story of my personal favourite hero who's story fills me up with a desire to change things around me to make things better for those who are less fortunate. A good note to start the new year with!