Trash and litter in India! Who cares?

All around the globe,the world is taking a note of Indians economic growth. The country has made tremendous progress in the last 10-15 years. As an Indian it is something to be very proud of.

However, we must acknowledge, if there is any aspect in which India or Indians have not moved forward – or moved very sluggishly, – is in the field of environmental cleanliness and taking care of the surroundings.

By ‘surroundings cleanliness’, I mean caring about our neighborhood hygiene and upkeep beyond the doorsteps of our own homes and streets.
If you look around, on the streets or just outside your windows at the adjoining footpath below your home, trash and litter is everywhere. Nobody seems to care about the waste, and how we discard it. Littering a plastic cup on the road-side, after we done using it, is the norm.

No one realize anything wrong with it. Throwing our waste on the street, and right outside our own house is a part of the daily routines. That’s how we are, that’s what we think is normal. Having waste and garbage scattered around everywhere does not bother us. We are content within ourselves as long as our house is polished clean up to the front doorstep. When it comes to surroundings, that’s where our responsibilities seem to end. That’s where we tend to stop – our doorsteps.

I’m not blaming the trash throwers or people who don’t love their country.

But if you do love your country it is not necessary for you to join the army and fight in those ruthless wars day and night like our Indian soldiers do, to keep their fellow Indians on the streets safe.

Are they soldiers protecting you so that you can litter on the streets?

Are they sacrificing their lives on the border so that we forget our values?

Can we at least confront people who are messing up with our environment?

My aim is only to instigate people to do the right thing.

Here is the true Indian – Akshay Kumar.

    
A well known actor, but Indian by heart.

http://www.facebook.com/akshaykumarofficial
This is what he did today on the roads of Mumbai :

I’m going to start with an apology, I’m sorry for this negative message guys, its just that on days like today I cant stand the ignorance of some people. On my way to work this morning this guy really frustrated me. I had to get out of my car in the middle of Bombay traffic right by Mr Bachchan’s house, & literally pick up off the road an empty packet of cigarettes that this man decided to carelessly throw out his window without a second thought. Not only do we have to put up with the fact he smokes but we also have to deal with the fact that he doesn’t care a damn about his city or his motherland that God has so graciously provided for him. If we all treated the streets of India with as much love as we do our homes & temples, we would have 5 star ratings on cleaniness rather than being known as one of the dirtiest cities in the world.

I’m no angel, I drive a car, I fly in planes, sometimes I accidently leave the light on, but I consciously try everyday not to dirty or abuse our city. Question is do you? What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to our environment, something u walked away from that u wished deep down u hadn’t done? I know for sure the guy that littered in front of me today wont forget his actions. I must say I’m sorry for scaring him but don’t abuse India’s streets & maybe they wont abuse you! Dont forget, let me know ur bad habits 🙂 sometimes writing about them helps u confront & consciously strive to better them. I cant help it i love my country, i just cant cant stand those who dont…

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10 Signs you were born and raised in MUMBAI

 

 

 

• YOU HAVE A CAST IRON STOMACH

 

 

Wherever you are you’ll crave a vada pav. The city is packed with food carts and delectable street food that gets pared with spices, chutneys, and relishes. But the king of foods, often grossly referred to as “the Indian Burger,” is the vada pav: a fried potato patty with spices plus bread and spicy chutney. If it’s one of your favorite things to eat, you’re definitely a local. And anyone from Mumbai is immune street food bugs. You’ve grown up eating from food carts, been warned several times that it’s probably unhygienic, not to mention unhealthy. But it’s never stopped you. Plus, you’ve never felt sick from it — take that mom!

• YOUR USED TO TRAVELLING IN A PACKED LOCAL TRAIN

 

 

The local trains could make a can of sardines look comfy. And you’re used to battling with local fisherwomen for a spot to stand in. While the world tries to imagine the scenario, for you it’s just another Tuesday morning on the train on your way to work. Yes, there’s an entirely separate compartment for the fisherwomen and their straw baskets full of stinky fish, but they refuse to sit there and take great pleasure squatting by the doors, making life extremely inconvenient in the women’s compartment. And it doesn’t help that the train is always full and has no air conditioning…

• YOU DON’T GET STAR STRUCK

You’re so used to spotting Bollywood celebrities in certain restaurants and bars that it no longer phases you, whereas anyone from out of town would probably die of excitement.

• THE LOCAL TRAIN IS A GREAT SOURCE FOR RANDOM SHOPPING

 

There’s always someone trying to sell you things on the local train, especially odd items like nail polish, hairclips, a new toothbrush, or fruits. It’s also a very common sight to see women sitting and chopping their vegetables on the train so that they don’t have to do it when they get home. Ah, Mumbai life.

• TRAVELLING WITHIN THE CITY IS NOT YOUR THING

While it’s perfectly normal for most people to travel from one part of town to another, if you live in Mumbai you’d seriously rather travel to Pune, a city approximately four hours away, than go to Andheri or Malad — suburbs within the city that take forever to get to because of crazy traffic.

• CROWDS DON’T BOTHER YOU

 

In a city of over a million people, it’s difficult to avoid crowded areas. Nothing’s more crowded than a local train or walking down basically any street in the city. It’s adorable when people from other countries get flustered by the crowds, because to you, it’s perfectly normal, and anyway, their idea of a “crowd” is closer to your idea of sparsity.

• YOU SPEAK HINDI UNLIKE THAT IN ANY OTHER CITY IN INDIA

We have our own colloquial terms and words that the rest of India fondly refers to as ‘’Bombay Hindi’. The word bhai might mean brother for everyone else, but for you it’s how you’d address a drug lord. Supari doesn’t really mean the nut found in paan, but something a whole lot deadlier…like a hitman.

•  YOUR USED TO GOING TO THE BEACH AND NOT SPOTTING A SINGLE PERSON IN BEACHWEAR

 

Nowhere else in the world does someone go to a public beach and not spot a single woman in a bathing suit of any kind. Juhu beach and Chowpatty get flooded with people, but it’s all about eating chaat and seeing hordes of sari-clad ladies walk on the beach and try to get into the water while fully-clothed. No one swims, and you definitely won’t see anyone in a bikini.

• YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT REAL WINTER IS

Let’s be honest: this city has no winter season. You think 20 degrees is a blizzard. The lowest it reaches is about 18-odd degrees, and even that’s rare. When the temperature does get that low, everyone pulls out their sweaters and shawls and marvels at how refreshing the weather is. The rest of the time it’s awful heat or similarly terrible monsoon rains.

• SACHIN TENDULKAR IS YOUR GOD AND THE DAY HE RETIRED WAS THE MOST MISERABLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE

While cricket is almost a religion in India, and the greatest batsman ever is Sachin Tendulkar (at least, that’s what you’ll hear from his million fans), to a local, Sachin Tendulkar is even more than that. He’s the epitome of sporting heroes, and no one, seriously, no one, is more important.

The one suit that should be every guys first

  
When it comes to buying a first suit, many guys have no idea where to start.

But it’s actually easy. There’s really only one clear option. For their first suit, every guy should buy a single-breasted, two-button, dark gray suit with three inch notch lapels in the 500$-700$ range.

And here’s why it has to be that way:

• Why gray?

Because black is too formal for some settings and earth tones can be too informal. This is your first and mostly last suit. You need to be able to wear it anywhere. Navy is also acceptable, but it won’t serve as well if you have a funeral to attend.

  

 

• Why single-breasted, two-button?

Because single-breasted, two-button jackets are the dominant style in most situations. Other styles may be to adventurous for some weddings, parties or the like.

  

• Why three inch notch lapels?

Because notch lapels are preferred over the more formal peak lapels; over the more formal peak lapels ; they should measure around three inches, as skinny lapels severely limit the ties you can we as well as take the suits formally down another notch.

   

10 Things Successful People Do Everyday

If you want to be successful, one of the best things you can do is emulate other successful people. While every successful person has his or her own unique approach, there are a lot of common patterns you can find when you read their books and watch interviews and lectures. Here are 10 things that many successful people do each day!

1. They Focus on productivity, not being busy

We live in a pay-by-the-hour sort of world, but if you are an entrepreneur, you should never pay yourself like a boss would pay you! Do not reward yourself for spending time working; reward yourself for getting work done. When you run your own business, you are paid for products and services, not for time.

And what if you want to succeed in a corporate career? Look at it this way. When your productivity far outshines the productivity of your coworkers, you make an impact on your company, and you are the one who is likely to get the promotion!

2. They Set S.M.A.R.T Goals

What is success? Most people would probably define success as achieving a goal. But you can never be successful if you set unachievable goals. Many goals are unrealistic or too nebulous for follow-through.

Instead, try setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely. The acronym pretty much says it all. These are goals which are concrete, narrowly defined, and which you can measure your progress towards.

You can achieve them within a finite amount of time, and they are relevant to your overall success.

 3. They take the leap

What is the number one reason why many people never succeed at their goals in life? Probably a refusal to try! The higher you set your sights, the scarier the prospect of failure can be. But that is no reason not to try. What you never know can’t hurt you—or so you might think.

The truth is, however, it is hurting you ever day not to give yourself a chance. So take that leap you have been putting off. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You never know; it could be the leap that changes your life.

4. They excercise and eat right

Successful people who stay that way over the long term do not abuse their bodies. They take time each day to prepare and eat healthy meals and to work out. Even President Barack Obama manages to find time to get up every morning and exercise before work, often for 90 minutes a day.

If the most powerful (and busy) man in the world has time for a daily workout, so do you!
5. They lead balances lives

In the professional world, there is a lot of pressure always to be working. If you are not working 20 hours and sleeping 4, you must not want it badly enough. That is what people will tell you in pretty much any field.

However, that is simply not true, and people who live that way will eventually burn out and crash hard. They think they can sacrifice their health, relationships, and leisure time for a few hard years and then coast for the rest of their lives. Rarely if ever does entrepreneurship actually work this way. Most successful entrepreneurs work very hard for a long time.

That just makes it more important than ever to find time for other important things in your life, and especially for important people! A healthy, balanced life is necessary if you are going to have the strength to hang in there for the long term.

It also is essential to remember why you want success. Most of us want monetary success to support our lifestyles and families. But if you throw out your life and family along the way, what success will you have achieved?
6. They are realistically optimistic

Successful people focus on the positive wherever possible—but not blindly. Optimism helps us spot opportunities we would miss if we were focusing on the negative.

While you must always plan for the future and for potential pitfalls, you must believe there is a way across the chasms that gape below. Otherwise you will turn back long before the journey is complete, or take a fall along the way.
7. They make the most of their networks

The most successful people never try to go it alone if they do not have to, and they always look for opportunities to network and expand their circle of friends and business associates.

They realize that every conversation is an opportunity, and could hold the seed of potential for a new business relationship or venture. When they find themselves facing harsh times, they reach out to others for ideas. When others in their networks struggle, they offer solutions.

 

8. They keep failure in perspective

You have probably met business people who take pride in having very little experience with failure—or so they claim. But those people are typically lying to your or not as successful as they seem. Maybe they just got lucky and built an empire on a stroke of fate or a large inheritance.

In reality, success is typically built on a series of failures and lessons learned. Do not let your past failures weigh you down or make you feel like a failure. Successful people learn from failures every day and recognize that so long as they do, they are still on the road to success.
9. They log their progress

You cannot navigate toward a goal if you have no way to measure your progress. This goes back to setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. Remember that the “M” stands for “Measurable.” Many successful people keep a journal or log of some sort. This is true for stock traders, authors, business CEOs and others in all walks of life.

10. They Know how to set boundaries

Many of us are raised never to say the word “no,” but sometimes you have to say “no.” Not every business proposition is a good one, and not all partners are the right ones. Successful people realize they cannot take on every single project or work with every single person. They know they sometimes have to back off and take care of themselves first.

Of course, if you can say “no” in a creative way that still leaves the door open for future opportunities, that is often a great idea!

Do not be afraid to occasionally say “no” to your own ambition as well. This goes back to the work-life balance point discussed earlier. You need to sometimes say “no” to another hour of work and “yes” to taking a little time off. It may not feel like you are working hard enough, but you are! You need time for you too.

We hope you enjoyed these 10 tips and tricks for daily success! These are all simple changes you can make to your day-to-day life. So wake up today and start setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. Network, set boundaries when you need to, exercise, lead a balanced life, and take that leap you have been putting off!

 

If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.

 

RUDYARD KIPLING

 

Joseph Rudyard Kipling  (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936) was an English short-storywriter, poet and novelist.

Kipling’s works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888). His poems include “Mandalay” (1890), “Gunga Din” (1890), “The Gods of the Copybook Headings” (1919), “The White Man’s Burden” (1899), and “If—” (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children’s books are classics of children’s literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting “a versatile and luminous narrative gift”.

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in England, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: “Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known.” In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.

Kipling’s subsequent reputation has changed according to the political and social climate of the age and the resulting contrasting views about him continued for much of the 20th century.George Orwell called him a “prophet of British imperialism“. Literary critic Douglas Kerr wrote: “He [Kipling] is still an author who can inspire passionate disagreement and his place in literary and cultural history is far from settled. But as the age of the European empires recedes, he is recognised as an incomparable, if controversial, interpreter of how empire was experienced. That, and an increasing recognition of his extraordinary narrative gifts, make him a force to be reckoned with.”

The Art Of Choosing

Life is full of choices.

How do we make them?

An Apple store customer asks for the latest iPhone in black but suddenly changes his preference to white when he sees the choices others are making….

A young man and woman decide to marry – knowing that the first time they meet will be on their wedding day.

How did these people make their choices? How do any of us make ours?

Choice is a powerful tool to define ourselves and mould our lives – but what do we know about the wants, motivations, biases and influences that aid and hinder our endeavours?

Choice on the mind.. When we look in the mirror, we see some of the “instruments” necessary for choice. Our eyes, nose, ears and mouth gather information from our environment, while our arms and legs enable us to act on it.

We depend on these capabilities to effectively negotiate between hunger and satiation, safety and vulnerability, even between life and death. To be able to truly choose, we must evaluate all available options and select the best one, making the mind as vital to choice as the body.

Ironically, while the power of choice lies in its ability to unearth the best option possible out of all those presented sometimes the desire to choose is so strong that it can interfere with the pursuit of these very benefits.