Mamma Mia

I love my children....I mean which mother doesn't. There is something so strong in the maternal instinct which makes us want to nurture and protect our children from the rest of the world. (In all fairness, I am sure the same applies to Dads too but I am a Mom and so can't speak for Dads). There is a statement sometimes made about how a Mother can find incredible strength to lift a car if her child is trapped under it....I don't think that is humanly possible but it does give an idea of the deep bond that mothers have with their children. Before I had kids, I would sleep through the night without hearing a single sound....would not hear the alarm clock ring even if it was placed right next to my ears. So my biggest fear when I was pregnant with my son was....my child is going to cry through the night and stay hungry and I am going to sleep right through it. But to my surprise, not only did I wake up every 2 hours like clockwork in the first few months, I almost always woke up just a second before my son would start to cry. By the time my daughter was born....I was an experienced Mom who had complete faith in her maternal instincts. Even today, if one of my kids is sick, I rarely sleep through the night....waking up constantly to check on them.


But I have to admit, I have my 'OFF' days....days where within an hour of waking up, my children have called 'Mumma' at least a hundred times if not more. Mumma, can I....Mumma, what is....Mumma, how to....Mummy, why....Mumma, he is....Mumma, she is....Mumma, this....Mumma, that.....and really at the end of it all Mumma wants is not to hear the word 'Mumma' anymore! There have been times when I have told my son....Can you please not say 'Mumma' for just the next 5 minutes or so?....And he says, 'Sure Mumma'......and within the next 2 minutes or so asks...But why Mumma or are the 5 minutes up Mumma......I sometimes wonder if my Mom felt the same way when I was a child. If she did, I was of course blissfully ignorant of that while I expected her to come running everytime I yelled 'Amma'.


Now I have to be honest and admit that all my annoyance is superficial.....the reactions of a sometimes really tired body and mind....deep inside I love hearing 'Mumma' and I love the fact that my kids need me. Last week, my son was down with the flu. He woke up late one morning, half heartedly had some breakfast and went right back to sleep. It was almost 3 in the afternoon when he woke up again and as he walked down the stairs he called out 'Hi Mumma'.....the sweetest words I had heard all day! Similarly, when my daughter was a bit younger, she used to take naps in the morning. Her vocabulary at that time was limited but the two words she used a lot were 'Mumma' and 'No'....a lethal combination because she would call out to Mumma incessantly throughout the day and if Mumma asked her to do something she would emphatically say 'No'...Ah! The joys of motherhood. In those days, she almost always woke up from her morning naps crying (I still haven't figured out why she used to cry) and yelling 'Mumma' and I would drop everything I was doing as I sprinted up the stairs to go pick her up.


Time is flying by so quickly....before I know it my children will be all grown up....would have flown the nest....and will not be living with us anymore. At that time, perhaps the only way I will hear them calling me 'Mumma' would be at a end of a phone line. I am quite sure when I hear them calling me 'Mumma' then....I will have a lump in my throat....I will have a smile on my face....I will have infinite joy in my heart and I will for sure be misty-eyed.


Signing off to go hug and kiss my children and this quote by Pearl Buck


'Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together'.

Que sera sera

Que sera sera....Whatever will be, will be....I have started to believe more and more in this statement. Lately, it has happened over and over again....things that I was really excited about or really looking forward to....didn't happen for some reason or the other....leaving me a little or a lot disappointed depending on what it was. The reverse has also been true. Things that I did not ever expect to happen have been happening too....leaving me very excited and thrilled....and hence my belief in whatever has to happen will happen is getting stronger.

I remember watching the Hindi movie 'Pardes' many years ago when it was released. The movie's heroine who is from India visits USA and sees many different places here. When I watched the movie, I was in India with absolutely no plans of ever coming to the US. There is one portion in the movie where the heroine visits Las Vegas and while watching the movie, I remember thinking....What an interesting place! Would love to see it someday....And as destiny would have it, a year later I was married, I was here in the US and yes, we had already made a trip to Las Vegas....Que sera sera....whatever will be, will be.

I think no matter how old we get....there is still that part of us that is still a child....And when it doesn't get its way....that child in us gets very disappointed and starts to sulk. But more often than not, the adult in us quickly takes over and we kind of rationalize the situation thinking....Que sera sera....whatever will be, will be.

Sometimes, the mind is like a race horse....just running and running....dreaming of things to do, places to see, needs to be fulfilled, desires to be achieved....And obviously, no one gets everything they want....It is just not possible....And even if they do, new desires and dreams will crop up....and the cycle continues. So, the next time I feel disappointed when things don't go my way or feel excited when things do go my way, I hope to put everything in the right perspective by telling myself....Que sera sera....whatever will be, will be.

Signing off humming the song 'Que sera sera' by Doris Day and the words to the song written by Ray Evans below...

When I was just a little girl I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich, Here's what she said to me
Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see
Que sera sera, what will be, will be.

When I was young, I fell in love, I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead
Will we have rainbows day after day, Here's what my sweetheart said
Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see
Que sera sera, what will be, will be.

Now I have children of my own, They ask their mother, what will I be
Will I be handsome, will I be rich, I tell them tenderly
Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see
Que sera sera, what will be, will be.

Choti choti baatein - Little little things

We all have big moments in our lives which make us happy....getting married, a new job, our own home and perhaps the happiest moment in any one's life....the birth of a child. And then there are those little little things which happen randomly and yet leave us very very happy.


Yesterday, I was in the kitchen cooking and my kids were watching television. I couldn't see them....I could only hear them. And suddenly, I heard them both laughing....something on the television had them in splits. And a few minutes later, I realized I was laughing too....without even knowing what was amusing them....just hearing their squeals of laughter had filled my heart with joy and left me very happy. The laughter of my children is my little thing.


When we were in California, my late father-in-law had visited us and spent 6 months with us in our home there.....we did not know then that it was to be his last visit. During that visit he planted a plum tree in our backyard along with my husband and son. It was just a tiny little stick when we planted it. By the time it had grown to a tree in a year or so, my father in law was no more. But every season it flowered and we plucked the fruits, it took us back to those happy moments that we had spent planting the tree....the happiness in that memory always brought a smile to our faces.....that happy memory is our little thing.


When I worked at San Francisco, I had to take the train to get to work. Sometimes there would be a musician at the station....with a guitar playing a different tune every time I heard him. As I stepped out of the station, that tune would be the only sound I would hear....and it always brought a smile to my face and a skip in my step as I walked out of the station sub consciously trying to hum the tune in my head. Any music that fills my heart with joy is my little thing.


My son was about 3 years old when one rainy day I realized I hadn't got wet in the rain in a long long time. I had been so caught up in life that it had never occurred to me to simply go stand in the rain. So that morning I put on a raincoat for my son and along with him stepped out into our backyard and just stood in the rain without a care in the world. As my son splashed up and down in the rain water, happiness written all over his face....that seemingly insignificant moment became my little thing.


Last month, I called one of my best friends. She is in India and we don't get to talk to each other frequently. But as is the case of good friends, we always pick up where we left off without missing a beat. As we talked, I said something that made her laugh and as she was laughing she said...Wow, haven't laughed like this in such a long time...the kind of laughter that comes from deep within...her words which make me happy every time I think of them is my little thing.


A rainbow in the sky....a squirrel on the kitchen deck which makes my children very excited....Tiramisu (yes, I love that dessert)....a new recipe which turns out to be so good that my husband says 'this one's a keeper'....getting a phone call and hearing my Dad/Mom/Sister's voice on the other end....a phone call or e-mail from a friend....getting an idea for my next blog post and countless little little things which are the little little things in my life.


Signing off grateful for the choti choti baatein - the little little things in my life which bring me a lot of joy and happiness and this quote by Robert Brault


'Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.'

A Journey

Life is a journey. It begins the day we are born and continues until the day we leave this world. And what is really fascinating about this journey is that each person's journey is unique and their own. Even twins born almost at the same time to the same mother will each have a journey different from the other.


When I look back at my own journey, I think it has been good so far. It has been rich with experiences....good and bad....experiences which have helped me evolve. I have met many people along the way....some who have liked me, some who have not....some whom I have liked, some whom I have not. I have made many friends in this journey....some who are just acquaintances and some who will drop anything they are doing and come running if I ever need them. So yes, it has been a good journey thus far surrounded by loving family and friends.


And yet, in spite of that, there are days when my inner voice speaks to me. Most days this voice is quiet, some days it is a mere whisper and there are days like today when it is so loud that I cannot ignore it. It tells me that there is something in this world that I and only I am meant to do. I don't know what it is....is it a place I am supposed to see, a person I am supposed to meet, someone I am supposed to help, someone I am supposed to take care of, a new job that I need to do, something new I need to learn....I don't know...but I cannot shake off the thought that it is the one thing that will complete me....and I guess this is a question many people ask themselves at least once in their lives...what is the purpose of us being in this world?


I think it is good for me to listen to my inner voice because it is what makes me embrace every new opportunity, every experience, good or bad, with open arms with the expectation that it may provide an answer and end my search. I am also aware that I may perhaps never get an answer. So, in spite of being very content in my journey thus far, as long as my journey continues....my quest continues.


Signing off today in a rather philosophical state of mind and these lines from a Hindi movie song


'Zindagi ka safar hai yeh kaisa safar, koi samjha nahin koi jaana nahin....Hain yeh kaisi dagar chalte hai sab magar, koi samjha nahin koi jaana nahin. Translated: What this journey of life is, no one has understood, no one has known...What a path it is, everyone walks on it....yet no one has understood, no one has known.'

Me

I am a woman. I am a daughter, sister, wife, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, mother, aunt and friend. Is that all I am? No. I am also an employee (at work), a chef (when I plan and cook meals for my family), a disciplinarian (with my kids, of course), a teacher (to my kids), a chauffeur (when I run errands and drive my kids around), a tailor (when I sew the patches on my son's martial arts uniform even though I hate sewing). a doctor (when I make my kids feel better when they are sick with my hugs and kisses), an accountant (when I work on our personal tax returns, pay the bills and take charge of the finances at home), a housekeeper (when I keep my house in order), a referee (when my kids fight) and a magician (when I magically make tears disappear). Is that all I am? No. I am also someone who loves to write....loves to read....loves music....loves the rain....loves watching the colors of the sky at sunset....loves the beach. I am someone who loves watching movies whether they are Hindi, Malayalam or English....who laughs at the comic scenes in these movies and who cries during the emotional scenes in these movies. I am someone who is terrified of horror movies....but will still watch them with my hands over my eyes. I am someone who dances with her kids and sings while cooking. I am someone who loves trying out new recipes but is sometimes lazy to do it. I am someone who gets very upset over little things and generally thinks a lot about nothing. I am someone who gets very happy when her kids hug and kiss her for no reason at all. I am someone who talks nonstop with people who know me well and stays quiet with people who don't know me at all. I am someone who has an opinion on just about everything....whether I express it or not. I am someone who loves chocolate....loves to sometimes sit down and do nothing at all....loves quiet moments....loves to aimlessly surf television channels watching nothing in particular. Yes, I am 'ME'. And I work very hard at staying 'ME' so I can do justice to all the other roles I play in my life. I am a woman. I am 'ME'.


Signing off quite happy being 'ME' and this quote by Frederick Perls


'I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, then it is beautiful. If not, it can't be helped.'

Perfection

A few weeks ago, actress Madhuri Dixit who is a judge on the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' had the week's episodes dedicated to her. As the contestants performed to her songs, many actors, actresses, directors and friends gave her glowing tributes. At the end of it, she was asked how she felt receiving the compliments. She said....A compliment is a compliment. Whether you hear it for the first time or over and over again, it always feels good. She is right....We all love receiving compliments....even those of us who won't openly admit to it. I think human beings thrive on compliments. One compliment I love to receive is from the people at work....my bosses....every time they say....Good job....Another job well done....Perfect....It takes me back many years ago when I received a very important lesson on perfection.

I was 19 years old and in my last year of college, when I landed my first job at a life insurance company. I was young, over-confident and out to change the world....the classic attributes of any teenager. One of the things I had to do at work was to process policy claims....which included writing the checks associated with the policy payouts. In those days, nothing was computerized and so the checks had to be handwritten. One such check that I wrote....I made a mistake....the amount in words did not match up to the amount in figures. The check went to the supervisor who was the first signatory....he did not catch the mistake. Neither did the manager who was the second signatory. The check....for a huge amount too....was mailed to the policy holder whose bank refused to accept it. He was furious, landed up at the office with the check and met the Director. It did not take long for the Director to figure out who had written the check and I was summoned into his office. Once I got there, right in front of the policyholder, the Director proceeded to give me the scolding of my life. I had never been more humiliated in my life before and my reaction....which I am now very embarrassed to say....was to promptly burst into tears. You see, I had never faced failure in my life before....I was a model student throughout school and college and I had no idea what 'constructive criticism' meant. Seeing my reaction, the policyholder softened up almost immediately saying....Let it go....Just give me another check and I will be on my way. But the Director sternly said....She is going to apologize to you first and then she personally is going to make sure that you get a new check right now. I was upset but did say sorry and as I processed the new check, my frustration turned into indignation thinking....Who does he think he is? Why do I need this job anyway?....Yes, very angry thoughts.

That afternoon, after the policyholder left and after I had calmed down a bit, the Director summoned me into his office again. Once I got there, he said....I know you are angry but hear me out....You are young....This is your first job and you have a long way to go. Sloppy work will not get you anywhere....and you need to hold yourself to higher standards. If you decide to do something, give it your best regardless of whether you are being paid for it or not. Remember, perfection is not achieved easily....you have to consciously work very hard towards it...And regarding today's scolding....think of it as a Dad reprimanding his daughter and you will be able to put it in the right perspective.

I learnt a very valuable lesson that day. Yes, you have to work very hard to attain perfection. That morning changed my attitude towards anything I did....I always try to give it my best....whether it is work or my personal life...and yes, even today when I write personal checks to pay bills....I always check to ensure that the amount in words and figures match.

It's not like I never make mistakes....sometimes I do....it happens....after all, I am a human being and nowhere close to being perfect....but they never happen because I did not give my 100 percent to whatever it is that I was doing.

Signing off constantly striving to attain perfection in spite of knowing that no human being can be absolutely perfect and this quote by Lord Chesterfield

'Aim at perfection in everything though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.'

A blank canvas

A few years back I had seen the Hindi movie 'Dasvidaniya' (the movie name is Russian for 'Goodbye'...'Until we meet again'). The story of the movie is about a shy man Amar (brilliantly played by Vinay Pathak) who lives a regular...rather boring...life. One day, he finds out that he has stomach cancer and will die within 3 months. He then decides to live his life to the fullest in the 3 months left and makes a list of ten things that he wants to do before he dies. The list helps him to buy that car he always wanted to have, learn to play the guitar, mend his relationship with his younger brother, get back in touch with his childhood friend, take that foreign trip and finally, confess his love to the girl he has loved since his childhood (even though she is happily married and has a kid....he still musters the courage to finally let her know in dumb charade style because some things are best expressed without words....one of the best scenes of the movie).

We all have our own 'Dasvidaniya' lists, don't we? Things we want to do 'someday', people we want to get back in touch 'someday', places we want to visit 'someday'. For Amar in the movie, it took something as dramatic as a terminal illness to actually sit up and do the things he always wanted to do. As for me, I think the creation of this blog at the end of 2010 has been a turning point. One thing on my list for many years was to start writing again 'someday'....and the end of 2010 was when my 'someday' actually happened. I have started writing again and that led me to take an inward look at the other things that I have always wanted to do 'someday'. One such thing was to paint. I have never painted before in my life but it is something I have always wanted to try. For the past month or so, the desire to paint grew stronger and so I decided to check what was available out there. And to my pleasant surprise, I found a paint class about 15 minutes from where I lived. For a small fee, they held 2 hour art sessions where they taught a painting from start to finish...the classes were especially for those who had never painted before. Perfect! So, I registered for a 2 hour Saturday afternoon session. I was excited! But when Saturday morning came, I must admit I started having second thoughts wondering....What have I gotten myself into?....What if it doesn't work out?.....But then unless I tried it I would never know....so I decided to go.

I arrived and picked a spot. There was a blank canvas in front of me and some paint brushes. A little while later, an American lady walked in and ignoring all the other empty seats, picked the one besides me and sat down. We got talking and as we warmed up she finally confessed....Don't know what I am doing here....never done this before....am afraid I will mess it up. It was like she was echoing my thoughts and I couldn't help but smile as I told her...Same here. She laughed and said....We were meant to be sitting by each other, weren't we? Let's be each other's cheerleader. The painting we did was a fairly simple one called 'Field of flowers'. As the instructor taught us to blend the colors and paint the sky blue on the blank canvas in front of us....I cannot express in words how wonderful it felt. I can now understand why some people love to paint. To be able to visualize and use colors to fill up a blank canvas....that feeling is blissful. As we painted the sky, the grass, the flowers....each stroke of the brush, each color that I used, every minute detail....is now etched in my mind. Having the cheerful lady next to me as my painting companion only helped enhance the whole experience further. As I signed my name in white paint at the bottom of the painting, I did it with a lot of joy and a sense of accomplishment. It is a simple painting and no masterpiece but it is mine and it sits proudly in my home today as a reminder for me to keep trying new things.

Signing off hoping to check off many more items from my list and this quote by Pablo Picasso

'I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.'

The color RED

Been seeing a lot of red lately....no, not getting angry or mad....been actually seeing a lot of the color RED lately. In stores, on the television, on the Internet....all related to the merchandise being sold for Valentine's Day. Red heart shaped boxes selling chocolates, red teddy bears, red pillows....even saw bath towels with little red hearts in the aisle selling Valentine's Day merchandise. Yes, there is a blatant commercialization of this day....and a lot of pressure to find the right gifts. But it is here to stay....even schools celebrate it....I myself helped my son make heart shaped greeting cards yesterday for his classmates. Today, February 14th....Valentine's Day....the day love is celebrated....symbolized by red hearts.

Interestingly, the American Heart Association has a 'Go Red for Women' movement, a passionate and emotional social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health since heart disease is the number one cause of death among women 20 and older killing about one woman every minute. So, I am going to use today....Valentine's Day....the day of hearts to list out the symptoms of a heart attack and stroke as mentioned on the American Heart Association's website.

Symptoms of a heart attack:

1. Chest discomfort - Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
2. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body - Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
3. Shortness of breath - with or without chest discomfort.
4. Other signs - may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Symptoms of a stroke:

1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
3. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or co-ordination.
5. Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

So, take care of your heart but more importantly take care of and treasure all the loved ones you have in your heart....because finally, they are all that matter. And whether you celebrate today with gifts or no gifts, flowers or no flowers, chocolates or no chocolates, whether you choose to say it with diamonds or with one single rose or just simply with words, whether you are near the ones you love or far, whether in fact you don't celebrate today at all....there is no denying that today the ones you love....the ones in your heart....are for sure on your mind as well....as you think of them and be thankful that they are in your life.

Signing off knowing that today love is definitely 'in the air' and these passing thoughts

Love is closeness....but love is also giving each other space.

Love is being able to talk non-stop....but love is also that comfortable silence.

Love is being content when you are happy....but love is also that shoulder to cry on when you are sad.

Love is a skipped heart beat....but love also makes your heart beat rapidly.

Love is sunshine....but love is also that rain that drenches you completely.

Love wipes your tears....and love brings a smile to your face.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Alone moments

'Mein aur meri tanhayi aksar yeh baaten karte hai'....opening lines of a popular Hindi film song voiced by Amitabh Bachchan....translated as 'Me and my lonely moments often have these talks'....Lonely moments....Alone moments....we all have them. They creep up suddenly and force us to talk to the one person we shy away the most from talking to....ourselves. We don't like having this conversation because the answers to the questions asked during these moments are not something we want to hear. These answers remind us of things we don't like to think about....lost relationships, lost friendships, lost love, things we could have said differently, things we should have done differently, a different path that we should have chosen, what it is that we are trying to achieve, where are we trying to go and so on. These moments force us to face the real us. And while these moments make us sad, confused, frustrated and depressed, they are essential because it is these moments that redefines who we are. Even though these moments pull us down as we seek answers to the questions we face....it is precisely these moments that help us rise above. They help us improve ourselves so we don't make the same mistakes again. They help us work towards a better future for ourselves by not allowing us to get complacent. By introducing us to the real us, these moments help us be a better person. Sometimes, after these moments we call up friends we haven't spoken to for a long time just because we have been busy....we hug our loved ones....we muster up enough courage to say sorry to the ones we have hurt by our actions or our words....we find the strength to forgive those who have hurt us and let go of any resentment that we may have in our hearts....we decide to do something new....and we become thankful and treasure all that has been bestowed upon us. So, these alone moments are required in our lives and we need to have them....because they are what make us...US.


Signing off being constantly redefined by my 'Alone moments' and this quote by Paul Tillich


'Language....has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone.'

The final frontier

On January 8, 2011 Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a member of the United States House of Representatives was a victim of a shooting near Tucson, which is alleged to have been an assassination attempt on her. Today, she is recovering slowly and is in a rehabilitation facility. Last week, nearly a month after his wife's injury, her husband astronaut Mark Kelly said he knew he was ready to command a space shuttle mission planned for April. But his managers needed reassurance. And so, they tested his ability to focus on the complicated mission while spending time away from his wife for the first time since the shooting. The Navy and NASA veteran for 24 years made no mistakes and passed with flying colors. Later, at a news conference he mentioned how his training allowed him to 'compartmentalize' and set aside personal worries in the face of risky missions....an admirable trait which I think we all need to learn and imbibe in our own lives.



Space....the final frontier....the first line of the opening voice over in 'Star Trek'....one of my favorite TV shows growing up. The TV show was all about Space exploration.....imagining that there was life and other beings on the planets surrounding us. Quite captivating! It never ceases to amaze me how human beings not only conquered the road, the sea and the air but also set their sights onto outer space. We then set about figuring out how to get to space....eventually building rockets that allowed physical space exploration to become a reality and enabling humans to land on the moon. Today, we continue to explore space and learn new facts about the planets and area surrounding the earth.


One thing I know for sure....I won't be visiting space in this lifetime. So instead, what I hope to do is to continue to challenge myself mentally, to learn new things, to conquer my fears, to keep striving to do more, to not let complacency set in and to one day get to that place which for me will be my own personal 'final frontier'.


Signing off wondering if there is life on other planets and this quote by Robert H Goddard who successfully launched the world's first liquid rocket in 1926.


'The dreams of yesterday are the hopes of today and the reality of tomorrow.'

The color BLACK

A few weeks back, I was watching the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' on Indian television. The show is similar to the American reality show 'Dancing with the stars'. That week's theme was colors. One of the contestants and her choreographer were given the color 'Black'. They chose to do their act blindfolded....to depict darkness associated with the color black. Their act was good and after it was done, the contestant mentioned how difficult it was to perform the act since they were blindfolded and could not see anything. To this, one of the judges remarked how there were many such people in this world who could not see and the only color associated with their life was the color BLACK.


Yes, there are many in this world who have been denied eyesight. But so many of them have not let that come in their way. A few days ago, I read the story of Garima Goyal, who had to give up her dreams because of an irreversible and degenerating eye condition.....but who then decided to fight it out and has gone on to become one of India's first visually challenged media graduates. Her brother, Ashish Goyal, suffering from the same condition, has gone on to become the first blind person to graduate from Wharton and is the first blind trader at JP Morgan's London operations. Truly inspiring stories.


There are many such inspiring stories of historically famous people. Louis Braille, who invented Braille writing which enables people who are blind to read by feeling a series of organized bumps representing letters. Helen Keller, who was the first blind person to graduate college. Stevie Wonder, who is a prominent figure in popular music. Andrea Bocelli, who is an Italian tenor. None of these people let their visual impairment impede their lives.


I do believe strongly in the fact that things happen for a reason. The fact that I saw the dance reality show on the color black and then read about the Goyal brother and sister inspired me to write this blog post. But somehow today just writing did not feel sufficient. The need and desire to do something more arose. So today I did something which frankly had never ever crossed my mind before. I went on to the website http://www.donatelife.net/, picked my state in the US and signed up to become an eye donor. After I am gone, I hope to pass on the gift of sight to somebody else. My husband knows about my decision to donate my eyes and when my kids grow up, I will make sure they know too....so that when the time comes, my eyes can help someone else see.


Signing off being thankful for the blessing of eyesight that I have and this quote by Helen Keller


'The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision'.