Donate blood!

I happened to read quite a bit about blood donation and blood banks today and was taken aback to know the amount of hardship we have to undergo if we needed a pint of blood. There is so much blood shortage everywhere.

Who can we blame for this situation? Who else, but ourselves. Despite being all educated and sophisticated, a lot of us still hesitate to donate blood. We are either too scared or too busy.

Some recent articles that talk of blood shortages:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-18/hyderabad/29555775_1_donation-camp-blood-safety-blood-donations

http://www.anhourago.in/show.aspx?l=8450468&d=502

Its pathetic to know how a family has to literally hop from bank to bank, from hospital to hospital, to fetch blood for a child who has to be given blood once every month for a medical condition that she has. Also, due to the high demand of blood, some blood banks sell them for high prices, and people are forced to buy.

Or, you can't get blood unless you give a replacement blood, which means, when you need blood, its up to you to find someone of the same blood group(sometimes they accept other blood groups also, depending upon the demand) who can give blood, which is very difficult to find.

What will we end up doing if we are put up in situation? We don't have to worry because we know someone from the blood bank or a relative is a doctor or we have enough money to buy blood, however expensive it may be? Still, none of this will help if there is no blood available.

Donating blood, is infact a healthy act in terms of the donor's health also.

1. Lower iron levels in the body every time you give blood, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

2. Helps lower your risk of cancer. Consistent blood donation is associated with lowered risks for cancers including liver, lung, colon, stomach and throat cancers. Risk levels dropped in correlation with how often participants donated blood.

3. Help the body function more efficiently by allowing it to replenish the blood supply regularly. . This process of replenishment can help the body stay healthy and work more efficiently and productively.

Above all, the satisfaction obtained is boundless.

Something that I didn't know before - A normal healthy person can donate blood once in every 56 days. If we all donate regularly, imagine how much can be collected.

There won't be any discomfort after donating, usually. Sometimes there might be a little giddiness, but it won't exist more than a few minutes. They say its advisable to eat well before and after giving blood.

I remember donating blood in my college Lion's club blood drive, because they were giving cookies, fruits and juice and also because we could escape from the afternoon session of classes. A group of us planned and went to give at the same time, so we can also have fun, simultaneously. Unfortunately, they weren't able to take enough from me as the veins were too small or blocked(don't remember exactly), but it was fun. I didn't know then, how much a blood donation meant.

A wide-spread myth - Women can't donate blood, which is not true at all.

Sometimes, I tend to have silly questions like "what is the purpose of life?" What is life apart from family, friends, job, money? It is acts like these that will keep us going.

Donate blood, as blood can't be manufactured and others deserve it too :)

Rage for BUYING engineering college seats

I guess this post had to come from me immediately after the announcement of the XII grade results both the State Board and CBSC. I got to a talk to a few people rigorously involved in engineering admissions and have some observations/suggestions. Better late than never!

First of all, the increasing demand of buying a seat in the management quota has exponentially increased, reasons being many. All I can think of are:
1. I expected "x" marks in my board exams and fell short by a whisker. I aimed for a seat in "y" college, which I don't think I would be able to get now. I think I deserve a seat in the college, so am going to buy it.
2. Reservations due to caste system. The students belonging to OC(forward caste) are facing more pressure due to comparatively high cut-off range for them. On what basis are these reservations done? I have no idea. Is this the question of affordability or the facilities available for children at home? Does it mean students who belong to OC are rich? No way. I have known of children of the temple priests who study with great difficulty and the parents not being able to afford to give them higher education. They belong to OC. I have also known of a lot of students from MBC(Most Backward Caste), who come from very wealthy families. Not sure based on what all these obsolete reservations are made.
3. Peer pressure - A lot of my friends have already got a seat through the management quota, not willing to wait for the counseling, which is more than a month from now.
4. Status - I want to be raising my collars and say that I am studying in "y" college.
5. Some reasons that parents give - I don't want my son to go to a mediocre college, as there will be no competition.

Why does everyone want to go to "y" college? This is what people have to say.
"Y" is a good college. Now, on what basis do you rate a college? Based on which college sets the highest cut-off for admissions? Based on infrastructure? Based on the faculty? Whichever it maybe, I would say it least matters, unless you have very high marks, so you have 3 colleges from the same category to choose from.

For the rest of the students, I would say, the right thing to do is wait your turn.

Why am I so confident in telling so? According to me, there is nothing called a "good" or a "bad" college. This might hold good for schools but surely not for colleges. You might want to choose a "good" school, because that is the prime time, when students have to be moulded properly. This doesn't apply for colleges. The students are adults now. They know what they want to do. They have that discretion.

Technology and exposure and networking(and what not???) is boundless these days. I don't have to depend on my lecturer to teach me a particular subject. I open my computer and the world is in front of me. I am connected to all my friends, thanx to facebook, and I can have open discussions on what they are doing, be it the reference books or project ideas. What more do I need?

How does the college that I am attending matter anymore? What matters is my INTEREST. If I am not passionate about doing something, then studying in "y" college is also not going to help me grow.

I heard this from a reliable source. He had gone to a few engineering colleges to enquire about the availability and cost of management seats and this is what was done to him. The security guard, asked him to leave all this things(cell phone, paper, pen, wallet, etc.) outside. Once he went in, the guy at the counter made a phone call to an anonymous person who was quoting the price of the seats and cut the phone abruptly. No cell phones are allowed inside, fearing that someone might record what was happening in there and let it out. They themselves know what they are doing is not right.

But, if we go to them and buy the seat, are we right? Doesn't it mean that we are blindly encouraging them? I read an article in ibnlive, that says it is illegal to offer management seats until the counselling is over(read the last but one paragraph).

Guys, wake up! Irrespective of what college you study in, your degree is still going to be given by "Anna University".

Anna University hasn't announced the rank yet, but don't fret thinking if you would get an admission during counselling. I saw this website that approximately tells you where you stand. They also have a college finder, so you have an idea of what to expect.
http://www.tneahelp.in/tneacutoff.html

I personally think its a good feeling to study in a college where I deserve to, which is what I did. The attitude to prove yourself will be more and you will work harder. This will not happen when you buy the seat. It will be taken for granted.

Also take into account the money involved. It can be used for something more useful, like a developing your own project idea or doing masters.

Don't go by what others have to tell you. Its your future. You know what you want better than anybody else does. And, nobody else cares about you as much as you do. Think before you act!

Good luck!

Let go of the past, you are what you choose to be NOW!

This is what I consider the most important message in the movie, "Kung Fu Panda 2". Po, the panda, was under the impression that his father was the goose, until he started thinking who he really was and how would a goose be a Panda's dad. Since then, he started having vague nightmares of his mom and dad, but nothing was clear to him. When he went in search Shen, the peacock, who was determined to destroy the whole of China, he met up with a master, the goat, who revealed Po's past.

Shen was conquering a village where the Pandas were living, and during the struggle, Po's dad had to abandon Po in order to save him. The goose found Po and brought him up like his own son. On hearing the story of his past Po freaks out, which is when the goat says "Let go of the past, you are what you choose to be".

Letting go of the past, is one important virtue that I think all of us must cultivate. It not only helps us, but also the people around us. I have experienced this a lot of times. When I have the past grudges in mind, my approach drastically changes. And holding bad memories of the past in interactions with the concerned people, only increases the animosity.

I tried doing this instead. I slowly tried getting rid of bad memories involving someone. It did wade away little by little, and with time, the memories didn't matter to me anymore. Of course, I've not succeeded in winning over all my bad memories as yet, working on it, though.

Also, celebrating the bad past of a person, decreases the chance to change himself for the better, instead it provokes him more and might change him for the worse. Instead, just let go, and if he really changes for good, please welcome.

Another important message in the film is about inner peace. "Anything is possible with inner peace". The biggest excuse that I've been giving is not starting to meditate. I've heard and read that connecting to ourselves is an experience by itself. I'm not sure what prevents me from doing it, but I'm mentioning it here, so I'm forced to do it. Will keep you posted on how it goes :)

And Po meeting Shen close to the village he was born, makes me ponder a lot about destiny, which is again debatable and am not much talking about now, maybe in the future, if I am destined to ;)

On our walk back home after the movie, I was told that the Panda might have been chosen as the dragon warrior to signify "Tao"(black and white), might be true, as there was the symbol of Tao in a couple of places in the movie.

Watching children laugh at the cinemas, made me laugh more. Heights of creativity, lots of humor and highest level of message conveyed, make this movie a wholesome package. The movie ended with Po's dad saying "My son is alive", which makes me wait for a sequel :)

Pranchiyettan and the Saint

Got to catch this movie yesterday and absolutely loved it. It is the first ever Malayalam film that I saw. I didn't understand the language much, but subtitles were of great help. I believe Mammooty uses the typical Trissur accent in the movie, I wasn't able to enjoy much of that though, but his acting was totally laudable.

The hero, Pranchi(Mammooty) is a wealthy man who stays discontented in life for the most part. When he goes to the church, he sees Saint Francis, whom Pranchi is a staunch believer of. The fictional conversation that happens between Pranchi and the Saint is what the whole film is about.

Pranchi keeps cribbing to the saint about a lot of encounters with different people and calls himself a failure. His attempts to make himself a big man in society end up in vain. Now he wants to adopt a boy as his son and asks the Saint if that will also end up otherwise.

This is when the saint gives him a vision of what is happening in the lives of other people to whom Prachi thought he lost. And everyone one of them were having their own set of problems.

The learning for me from this film - staying contented with what is destined to me. I will still try working towards my goal, but if I end up not-succeeding, I'd better not call it failure. There is a big picture that I am not aware of, so I'd rather not jump into conclusions.

The movie reminds me of another famous saying - Count your blessings. I never know the value of anything I have, until I lose it. I know this for a fact, but I've not grown a bit.

More than calling the conversation between Pranchi and the Saint a fiction or fantasy, I like calling it introspection and realization. Since Saint Francis was the one who Prachi always looked up to, he got his realization through him.

The message was conveyed in a very humorous way.

Knowing the language would have been a plus for me, but I am contented with everything else that the movie had to give :)

Indians ridiculing India?

I came across this article in "The NY times" today and felt very bad. It was written by an Indian, sadly, he chose to write of India's (so-called)downfall and some of the reasons he gives are way too trivial.

First of all, I wouldn't prefer to give the article such a topic - "Uncompromising practicality could be India's downfall". Downfall? All of us know India is growing in leaps and bounds.

Changing lanes at will, jumping traffic lights, clinging on to the train doors, are these even reasons?

Corruption(more among politicians, the whole nation isn't corrupt) is an ongoing problem and the awareness among the people has increased, which is evident from the recent Assembly election results, where there is a change in Government in many of the states.

I think we tend to do this sometimes - generalize the exceptions. That is what is done here. How fair is it to take a few examples, and then apply it to "all Indians"?

Which country in the world would not have such problems/people? Somehow, a lot of us take pride in calling India bad. I haven't much heard much from people of other countries, talking ill of their own nations.

Time to think..... Jai Hind!

A short film teaching life's lessons

Got to watch a short film a couple of days back, was amazed as to how, such important life messages could be communicated so clearly and effectively in an eight-minute film.

Its a tamil short film named "5 rooba"(5 rupees), the link as below. For those who don't have the time to watch the video or don't understand the language, the gist of the movie is as below.

There is this little boy who sees a balloon vendor in his village and wants to buy a particular balloon, but doesn't have the money. The vendor asks him to get the money and buy the balloon when he comes again, the following week. This boy comes back home and tells his mom that he wants the balloon that costs Rs.5. His mom asks him to save the 50 paise that she gives him everyday to get something for himself to eat, so he could get the balloon with the money he saved.

He starts saving the money. While coming back from school one day, he sees his friends eating at a road-side shop. I can totally imagine how hungry he would be after a tiring day at school and seeing other kids eat, surely would tempt him to get something for himself too and skip his saving-for-the-balloon. Still, he walks back home straight, keeping the goal in mind. This shows how firm and undistracted he was towards attaining what he wanted to.

He finally saves Rs.5 and very happily leaves to school one morning. When he comes back home, to his dismay he doesn't find the money that he had taken to school in the morning. Not losing hope, he runs back to school in search of it, but fails. He tells his mom that he is ready to give-up his desire and can be contented with what he already has, because of a mistake he committed. Seeing him disappointed on not being able to achieve what he wanted to, his mom feels bad and so she takes a new 5-rupee-note and gives it to him, but lies to him that she saw him dropping it on the ground. She does so, so her son doesn't feel guilty for having lost the money.

This is exactly what our parents do for us. Each of them have their own way of bringing us up, but their ultimate aim is to make sure we are happy always, and grow up as good individuals. The toughest task is to balance both of these. The conflict arises when they don't exactly know what we are passionate about, which makes us think they wouldn't want to support us. They do a lot of things(sacrifices) for us, and don't even let us know if its something that might make us feel sad, like the mom in the movie did. The boy didn't know till the end that he had actually lost the money.

He takes the money and goes to the place where he can find the balloon-vendor, and waits. The vendor finally appears, but tells him that the same balloon is now Rs.6, but agrees to sell it for Rs.5 and asks the boy to give him Re.1 later. His happiness knew no bounds. He holds the balloon and starts screaming and running. Unfortunately, he trips and falls and the balloon breaks.

I'm sure we have seen similar situations in our lives as well. We work towards attaining/achieving something and after all the hard work and time spent for it, we either end up not getting it, or having got it, it is very short-lived. Sometimes we blame others for what happened to us, not knowing what the complete picture is. If the boy hadn't got the balloon in the first place, there are many choices for him - blaming his mom for not having encouraged him to get it or blaming the person who stole his money or the balloon-vendor for increasing the price and so on.

I think the ideal thing to do is to analyze if our work towards attaining the goal was sufficient/good enough. If not, we have to start working towards to it, rather than wasting time thinking who we can blame for our failure. We are not here to prove a point to anybody else. We are here for our own purpose.

Despite all the hard-work, if we still end up not getting what we wanted, it is still fair to continue doing what we have to do, with the same spirit, which is what the boy did. Knowing that he lost the balloon, for which he worked so hard, he started saving money again, hoping he can buy it again the following week.

Everything is short-lived, so we might as well not attach ourselves much.

Its a simple story, but the messages it conveys are of a very high value(destiny, non-attachment to the fruits of action, parents' love, hard-work, taking responsibility for one's own actions). The lessons that I have learnt from various books so far, are so clearly and easily conveyed in this single short film. Hats-off to the creators and I hope they come up with many more of such creations.

Grow and become child-like

I spent a week with my 4-year-old nephew, and it was a revelation.

I've never spent a lot of time with kids, so this was an experience by itself and a much-needed change from my daily routine.

A lot of realizations.... My brother said, it was not long ago when we were kids, visiting our aunts/uncles for vacations. We could hardly believe that we ourselves are uncles and aunts now. I recall my childhood when my brother and me used to consider our dad out-dated for anything he did. Each time he tells a story about his childhood, be it how inexpensive things used to be, how they knew the value for money, how there was comparatively less vehicles and lesser pollution, how they were contended with the simple life-style they led, and much more, I used to either get bored of his same-old-stories or not even care to listen what he tried to convey.

Now I can easily picturise myself in his position. If I keep telling this - when I was a child, I could cycle to school without traffic hassles, I paid a lot lesser school fees, I used to listen to my dad's words implicitly, didn't know how a laptop looked like, iphones didn't even exist et all, any kid who gets to hear this, will no doubt call me a fool. Life is a circle, you get what you give. I envy these kids for the amount of exposure they get and how well they use it.

I took my nephew to the Microsoft visitor center, which housed almost all of Microsoft's recent products, presuming he will get all excited, but he proved me wrong. He behaved as though he was a pro at everything out there, but apparently I hear he is very new to Microsoft products(an apple expert, though :). By the time I would read the instructions to figure out what can be done with a certain gadget, he would have tried his hands on it and succeeded.

We show him a Windows phone at the Microsoft store and ask him what it was and he inadvertently shouts "Its an ipod". We couldn't control laughing and had to plan to take him to the apple store, so he feels at-home ;)

His eagerness to learn and focus is tremendous. Be it chess or ping-pong, its a delight watching him play. Though a beginner, the terminologies he uses would make anyone think he is a champ. Wish I could be as flexible a learner as him.

Unconditional love can come only from kids. He keeps saying "I love you" and "I miss you" and you can fall flat for it. He doesn't love me because I gave/will give him something. He loves me, for no reasons at all.

You scold him very badly, and he is sure to forget all of it in less than 10 minutes. Wonder how kids can have no ego at all.

I wish I could grow, and become child-like :)

I love you "best-buy" and miss you so much and hope we will get to spend time together soon.

I pray that he always remain healthy and happy.