And I Miss....

Dated June 6, 2009 on Facebook Notes.

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From the past two years spent at SIMC ....



1. The Orientation Day - 15th June 07: Nervous faces...racing heartbeats...curious minds...familiar voices...and anxious thoughts!


2. Kothari - Room # 205, 306, 405, 406: New place but the warmest people!


3. Viman Nagar Campus - Classroom # 501 - The beige carpet, the somewhat uncomfortable chairs but the beauty sleeping on them! :)


4. Backbenchers - Rocking Stars of Batch 2009


5. Tapri: cutting chai, wada pav, samosa pav wid mirchi, kanda bhaji...and our sweetest Mavshi! :)


6. Hira General Stores: Our Savior for the whole goddam year...Bread, Butter, Cheese, Maggi, Colddrinks, Ciggarettes (Not for me), Gossips, Wafers, Biscuits, Ice-Creams, Coffee...ohhh its neverendin!


7. Trips: Panchgani and Khandala - Bestest Times Ever...the bondin...the sobbin...the carin...the sharin..the madness..the dancin...the joy! Happiness! :)


8. Gujju Garba: Miss ma lovely gujju ladies and the not so gujju ladies who joined us at MRA/ Khandala and danced their heart out! ;) Navratri night at Lavale !!!


9. AS aka The Anupam Siddhartha: The warmer side of him away from SIMC Land!


10. Birthday Parties: Both @ Kothari Rooms/Terrace and Lavale Campus :)


11. The LIFT: Viman Nagar Campus - One which was strictly for Staff but crowded with 14 SIMCians @ daily rush hours! ;)


12. The Warning Letter Tension: Phew...Not Wearing Sleeveless...Capris...Skirts...Transparent Clothes lol...Shaved Beards...ROUND Neck Tees...Graphic Teess...Oh Gawd...we survived it!


13. ATTENDANCE!!!!! Present Sir...Present Ma'am....Yes...I am Here...OHHH F*** I missed it! lollllll


14. Lavale Campus: The vastness...the hills...the weather...the architecture....the people...the MESS...the canteen...the Hostel...the swimming pool...the Gym...the TT / Badminton Courts...the Cycles...The Recreation Area....The Amphitheatre :)...The Coffee Shop :)


15. Bus Trips: From Lavale to SB Road and Back...the most important introspection was done during those! ;)


16. Screenings: Movie for the Day - "How much/many can you Tolerate?" lolllllllll


17. The Debates in class....non-stop...arguments...fights...throwing the professor out of the freakin class! lolll...Remember days of Nandita Khaire, Ramashastri....:)


18. UKC and Conference Room: The long long lectures...."U B*******...good for nothing...useless Rascals!" lollllllll.....I Wish we had one last Farewell Speech from him ;)


19. The Breakfast: The best meal in the mess....ohhh I so miss it!


20. The Students' Council: President's call/sms...Hot hot discussions...planning...some more planning....brainstormin...DISPERSE! ;)


21. Projects/ Assignments / Exams/ Class Tests / Self STUDY/ TNG's - Deadlines!!! Bring it on!!


22. The COMPULSION OF Events - FOC, DAM, seminars, conferences, talks, chats, sleeps!!! blah blah blah OM Shanti! (PR Batch 09)


23. The Learnings - About communication, PR, AD, Journo, AV...most of all about people, about yourself and about LIFE!


24. PR Batch 2009 - Each and every soul...I still remember your roll numbers by heart! ;) Miss you all!


25. SIMC Batch 2009 - We really did BRING IT ON! From Orkut community to Facebook Networking...Please stay connected! ;)


And I Miss all of it...hope you all do!!! :)



Cheers,

Drashti

Who are we to judge?

"Don’t be judgmental. See people in a better light and like them for what they are. Because no matter what your perception is…someone somewhere surely sees them as a ‘masterpiece’ of all of God’s creations!"

This is something I’d written a while ago and since it was my gtalk status message for the longest time, a lot of people took the liberty to copy and post it as their statuses or their FB walls. Nevertheless, that’s when I realized that people do resonate with this thought and I think I should delve into a deeper thinking about it.

How often do we find ourselves being judged or judging others? I guess the occurrence of this phenomenon is very frequent and moreover at a subconscious level. You meet people and you start judging them – the way they are dressed, the way they speak, the way they behave, how smart or dumb they are, how well they live up to your preconceived notions, are they worthy of knowing and spending your precious time with or just letting go of? And I have seen this happening not just in professional lives but at a higher rate in personal relationships and acquaintances. Every time I find myself in this situation, I ask myself “who am I to pass judgments about this person I hardly even know?” It takes us a lifetime to understand people, even those whom we’ve been with and known for years. Then how can we judge people whom we’ve barely spent any time with or those whom we don’t have the patience to understand better? There are so many instances when we find ourselves judging our parents, our siblings, our closest friends and our better-halves. Why do we have to make them the victims of our judgment? Aren’t these the people who love you unconditionally? The one’s who know you inside-out? The one’s who’d be there for you during the sunny days and the darkest nights? The one’s whom we call our support system, those we depend upon, those we trust and care about? If they mean so much to us, then what gives us the right or for that matter even a thought of judging them!

Life’s pretty simple and relationships can be equally simpler if we try and see people in a better light. I do believe that people are complex beings, some not so very amiable and some that make you smile by just being themselves. But at the end, it’s how you see them, at what pedestal you put them, with what value you tag them and the amount of power you give them to influence you. I had read a quote somewhere which said, “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are!” Doesn’t it make sense? When we begin seeing people differently, appreciate their positive sides and ignore the negative…we not only help them by being fair but help ourselves become better human beings. It’s as simple as that.

For the past few months now, I’ve been at the centre stage of this process I refer to as “the arranged marriage circus”. And I don’t call it a circus because it’s a hilarious thing to be a part of but I call it by that name so that I can laugh about it a little and get over the emotional trauma thprocess leads to or the punch that it gives to your self esteem and self respect time and again. I have been told that one must be practical about this whole thing because after all it’s an arrangement between two people…two families. I’ve been trying to be as practical as I can be but deep down I am an emotional fool and what I fail to understand is that how “marriage” – the most important resolution of one’s life, the deepest emotional risk….can be a well-thought practical decision rather than a deeper heartfelt commitment?

I had made it very clear to my parents from day 1 that I won’t judge a guy I meet by his first impression. It’s just not fair to him or me. How can one conclude whether a person is ‘eligible’ to be your life partner after speaking random things with him/her for an hour or two over a cup of coffee? This is not a job interview wherein the job description or the aptitude needs to fit a set of pre-decided company requirements. Isn’t it supposed to be a process of understanding people beyond their face value, knowing them better than just a few words they rambled when you first met, finding a common ground of things that make each other happy or sad and finally isn’t it all about letting your heart feel rather than letting your mind decide? Fortunately or unfortunately, it’s only me who’s been thinking so much and analyzing things while other’s don’t really know what the hell they are up to.

Well we’ll just have to wait and watch for what’s in store and how life’s going to unfold for me. But I’d like to leave you’ll with a thought to ponder upon…"Who are we to judge someone when each one of us is God’s masterpiece?” The next time you find yourself turning on the ‘Judgment’ button – STOP! Give it a moment and THINK! :)

It’s Not That...

It’s not that she is lonely

Or that her friends aren’t enough

But sometimes she needs a pal

Who melts her from inside while on the surface she seems tough!

It’s not that she wants to belong

Just because everyone around is taken

But sometimes she desires a companion

Who knows her in a way that even she had forsaken!

It’s not that she is fragile

Or that she needs someone to lean on

But sometimes she wants a pillar

Whose existence is the only thing that never leaves her alone!

It’s not that she is running out of time

Or that she’s ageing faster than she could perceive

But sometimes she wishes to live with a devoted soul

The moments shared with whom is the only life she’ll ever believe!

It’s not that she is scared

Of walking this life’s path in darkness

But sometimes she yearns for a ray of light

That shows her how hitches can also bring along happiness!

It’s not that she feels incomplete

Or that love is what would fill the space

But sometimes her heart aches for a lover

Who adores the emptiness in her with all its grace!

- Drashti :)

Better Late Than Never !!!

Phew…this busy-hectic-workaholic (I’d like to believe that) life of mine has kept me away from a lot of things I used to do just for “myself”. Things like dreaming, writing, sketching, dancing amongst others. And while I kept doing things that weren’t really the one’s I would want to see myself doing, one day I realized that I was turning 25! Oh hell yeah…I turned onto the other side of the twinkling twenties on 28^th June this year. Growing a year older is always a depressing moment for me and turning 25 surely felt the worst. Anyways so I decided that since life seems to be moving at a pace that I am unable to catch up with, it's about time I go back to doing things that give me joy – so here I come back to what I love doing most – talk CRAP!

When I graduated from SIMC in 2009, I had read this article in Mumbai Mirror titled “Unsteady Quarters” and I think that’s the topic I want to write about in my blog at this point in time.

As Wikipedia cites “The quarter-life crisis occurs shortly after a young person – usually an educated professional, in this context – enters the "real world".

I believe this so called “quarter life crisis” doesn’t leave a single soul. We all go through it in someway or the other, some with a greater intensity and some lesser. But moreover I feel that it’s not really about a job or a relationship. It doesn’t circle around friends or family. It truly is about who “You” are from the realms of your very own existence to what you or others perceive you to be. This is a phase where we struggle not to mend a poorly paying job or an unfulfilled relationship, a friendship that’s gotten bitter or a rift with our parents. We struggle and struggle really hard to put together pieces of ourselves - some which are broken over the years, some which are lost on the way, some that are newly found and those that we are yet to create.

Taking cues from my own life over the last 5 years and those of my close friends, I have come to the conclusion that we all want to find just one and I repeat just one “identity” that defines what we are and not what we or others want us to be. Yes! We do work hard and party harder. We do want a fat salary to get deposited into our accounts each month end. We do want to get rewarded for our talent and efforts. We do want to make our parents proud. We do want to gift them a world tour fully paid by us. We madly want to fall in love. We want to nurture a strong relationship. We want to be committed and we want to plan a life.

But hey! Before we accomplish all of these…we want to find “ourselves”. We want to know what makes us happy and what makes us cry. What matters and what we care a damn about.

And that is why it’s called a crisis! Because you may suddenly realize that a job paying a fat salary does not bring you as much happiness as a job where you love what you do every minute of those hours you are stuck in office. Your parents who didn’t seem to understand why you scored such low marks for all these years have now become your best friends who know and understand what exactly you want out of life. The huge circles of friends are now reduced to just a handful of close friends who you know are going to stick with you through the most difficult times. It has now dawned upon you that a high school sweetheart might not always turn out to be the one you get married to because after so many years of being in a relationship and growing together, you know that he or she is not the one. It is not that you’ve stopped loving them…you just aren’t “in love” with them.

Like I always say, “get to know your own self first…it’ll be much easier to know what you want out of your life and from others who are of part of your life!”

So dear friends, quarter life crisis to me is nothing but a phase of introspection, that of self awareness and getting to know the only person whom you haven’t spent enough time with – and that is “YOU, Yourself and Thee.” :)

Being "The Change"

“Aspiring, Achieving, Being the Change….”

When you decide to “Be the change, that you want to see in the world”, you realize how clear your vision of the world has become. This is exactly what I learnt, in the most cherished moments that I spent at “The Akanksha Foundation” as part of my social communication internship in the month of April 2008.

The curriculum at Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, alongwith media studies helps us become better individuals, stronger and more kind hearted by the time we leave this sacred village of knowledge. And this was proven by the one month of social communication internships, scheduled in the month of April 2008. As said earlier, I did my stint of social work or let me put as selfless work at the Akanksha Foundation, which is a non – profit organization based out of Mumbai working towards the education of the less privileged children from the slums of the city.

The first day at Akanksha was a thriller, purely because there were so many people who were eager to welcome me and share their personal experiences and journey at Akanksha. It indeed set the right mood to jump onto the joy ride that I saw, each employee or rather didi’s and bhaiyya’s of Akanksha took, everyday of their lives. The smiling faces, the abundant energy and the vibrant walls coloured by kids, made the office the most comfortable place to be in. The main purpose of my tenure with them was to assist Ruchika didi, General Manager with all the presentations, designing, writing scripts, gifts, certificates and other event co-ordination for the Annual General Meeting to be held on 23rd April, from start till end. My challenge was to ensure everything was perfectly in place for the gala day and that it was a flawless evening of celebration, an evening that each member of the organization eagerly awaited for the entire year. The AGM is the annual event whereby all Akanksha students, teachers, mentors, volunteers, staff members, donors and board members come together to celebrate the year gone by and look forward for another beautiful year bringing smiles to millions who are a part of the mission.

The most interesting part about doing anything at Akanksha was the touch of youth and innocence in all the work. Every little space in the organization had a feeling of happiness and sunshine. My work started from day 1, by designing invites for the AGM, the theme for which was Sunshine 2008. Even for making the invites we used actual hand painted artwork made by the kids at their Art class which made the invite an imperfectly perfect piece of beauty. From then on every design I created, like the presentation templates, the centre score cards as well as the diary which was gifted at the AGM, was a creation made out of something drawn and painted by the children themselves. What this showed to me was that children who are the very essence for Akanksha’s existence are present in every part of their being. They are the focus and at no
point are they forgotten in the mundane chores at the office.

I was humbled by the affection and love I received from each member I worked with in the office for my different projects. I was more than welcomed and helped at every stage by one and all, and this feeling made me a part of the organization even though for a short period of time. I could ask any didi or bhaiyya to provide me with needed information or seek their guidance without hesitation and they would readily help me with their ever smiling faces. Another lesson learnt, always help people around you and do it with all your heart.

The work that I completed as part of the AGM preparations was designing the invites, certificates, diary, presentations and score cards; preparing a short film for the graduating students of the year 2008, helped in the scripting of the acts to be played on stage on the final day, content re-development for the website and the final day event co-ordination. The motivation that Ruchi didi provided me at all times was something I will never forget all my life. It was purely because of her belief in me and my work that I could handle the whole event confidently. It makes me feel honoured to have had Ruchi didi and Shaheen didi as my mentors. Their dedication and involvement with the organization is worth applause and it makes me proud to have been associated with such clean hearted and selfless women of substance.
During the one month I spent with them, I got to learn everything about the organization since the AGM was an all encompassing event which involved each little part of Akanksha’s functions for the entire year. In the beginning itself I got an opportunity to interact with members from all departments and understand what their role was in this fun family. It was indeed a humbling experience to witness the amount of selfless work every individual puts in and this boosted my confidence and made me work harder for the days to come. Thanks to my boss, Ruchi didi, everyone in the office knew I came from SIMC and was treated with respect and love. They readily shared their work and helped me with my projects without hesitation. I also got an opportunity to get involved in teachers’ meetings, staff meetings, goal setting meetings and volunteer briefings, which made me, see through the vision and mission of Akanksha very clearly.

All my days at Akanksha were fruitful only when I saw the million smiles in the Sophia Bhabha Auditorium on the day of the AGM and saw the event flow as graciously as I has envisioned. It gives me immense pleasure to have been a part of an organization that gives millions of children a reason to live, a reason to smile and to ASPIRE, ACHIEVE and BE THE CHANGE!!!

Personal Growth and Learning

Though I spent a very short time at the office, I learnt many small things that make huge differences, and more importantly a difference in someone else’s life. The people at Akanksha have taught me to be more patient and tolerant with colleagues, to understand human beings in a better way, to be extremely happy with the work that I do and do it with all my heart, smile at every obstacle and accept challenges with courage and determination. The enthusiasm and eager will of every individual working with Akanksha has shown me that it gives us immense satisfaction and inner peace to work towards the betterment and happiness of others, especially those who need our help and support at a very young age. The most important thing that I take back from Akanksha is, if you have a dream, you must see it turn into Reality!

Mumbai...Ma Jaan....Quite Literally ! ;)

I have been cotemplating to pen down my views on this topic for a very very long time...and today I have finally managed to get ma hands on ma keyboard, to write what I feel about the city I love the most, the city I cannot Dream to live without....



As everyone puts it, " MUMBAI is the city the of dreams, a city that never sleeps, a place where you find happiness and bliss, a place of crowded trains, heavy traffic jams, dirt and filth on roads, crazy rains...blah blah blah.." yes...Mumbai is all about this and much much more....



Having spent 22 years of my life in this city, I can proudly say that it has made me what I am and it will continue to teach me more every single day...Mumbai is where millions of people move in & move out off, in the "pursuit of happiness" : Happiness more often = Money..But I believe that this is a place where one finds himself, his ownself..Yes, u might argue that a place of solace and peace is sumthing that this city doesnt really identify itself with, but if you truly give urself a chance u will know...Its in the midst of the crowd that u realize where u really wanna go..the crowded trains teach u to be strong...to understand the struggles of earning that daily bread, the heavy traffic jams make u more patient and teach u to never say die...the long queue's at bus stands in scorching heat, teach u the essence of reaching ur destination..they give u the real test in will power management :) Eatin a wada pav and cutting chai for a meal teaches u that we eat to live and not vice versa..that eating out and spending in luxurious resto's is not as satisfyin as a roadside dosa (pani puri etc..) This city teaches u not to give up, because the minute u think u can't, jus walk on the roads and observe..there are people all around u...strugglin to achieve..watever makes them happy (or unhappy)...and u wud realize that in the end all it takes is the belief in urself...that u can...that nothin is impossible unless u allow ur will to give up...



Its true..this city never sleeps...move out at 3 am and u will find the cars racing on the streets, the newspaper guy piling up his papers, the early mornin breakfast man with his idli sambar on a bicycle...the lights buzzing energy all around in the darkness..
..to be continued...

CrEaTiVe SeLf InTroDuCtIoN - Drashti Vora

Amidst the rhythmic rains, 20 years ago,
To the world she opened her eyes,
Lightning up her parents life,
Like the rainbow spreading colours across the skies.

She grew up to be a shy little kid,
Living with millions of fantasies within her mind,
An obedient daughter and papa – mamma’s pride,
Oh she was truly one of her kind.

Slowly moving away from her Barbie doll play,
She turned to become a notorious child,
Playing funny pranks on everyone she knew,
And making her teachers go really wild.

Stubborn and pampered as she was,
She wanted the best in everything she got,
But yet being the best friend one could ever have,
Fun and laughter to her friends she always brought.

As time flew by, she evolved as a matured girl,
Setting high goals and even higher aspirations,
She strived hard in pursuit of her dreams,
With the belief in her self and strong determination.

Never losing focus from her objectives,
Step by step she achieved the best,
Making her parents proud in every single way,
Since she was unique and different from the rest.

She makes her own rules and abides by them,
And walks ahead in life with her values and principles,
It’s her philosophies of life, which make her the person that she is,
Giving her the courage to overcome all of life’s obstacles.

Understanding the true essence of life,
While sailing through hardships by keeping her calm,
She has now emerged into a woman of substance,
But is yet an innocent kid who refuses to lose her girly charm.


- Drashti
Written in January 2007 as part of the admission projects at SIMC.