Mother’s Day is always special, but I feel mothers are so special that everyday we should celebrate her being in our life. A single day isn’t enough to express how you feel about your mother, but you can always make it special. She is one who gives us life and teaches us to be what we are today. In every person’s life, first love is his or her mother. My mother devoted her all life for her kids and for her family. She always stood by us. In return for her selfless love, she expects nothing but love and respect.
She knows every single little thing about us. We always take her for granted because we are closest to her, but I realised the pain and love she gave us when I became mother myself.
She is an our angel and she is our God. I love you Mom, happy Mother’s Day đ .
Do you love cycling? If yes, then itâs not only a excellent sport for you but also an indirect support to our environment. Turning it on!!! Cycling is not only good for your body, joints and overall health, but is also a duty that we do to save our mother Nature. In today fast moving world, air pollution is major concern for all. Our young generation today is not able to breath fresh air; the carbon footprint is increasing day by day. The continuous emission of CO2 from various sources into the atmosphere is adding up to an ecological imbalance and the which we drive is just one of them. Suppose, each time a person chooses to ride a bicycle over driving a car or riding a bike will certainly  cut down on some amount of CO2 emission leading to control a very small percentage in the air pollution, which would eventually grow percentage wise and benefit our community. In case the more people pedal and the less they drive, we can indirectly contribute to  building a healthy nature and better future. In major countries, traffic is currently the main source of air & noise pollution in populated metro cities, and which results in disruptive sleep patterns, increases stress, anxiety and ruins the quality of our life.
If we take up cycling and give up on motor travelling, we would help ourselves in many ways. Moreover, Cycling has many health benefits such as building endurance, power, strengthening muscle, developing stamina and improving overall health. It is a really fun-filled way to get fit â compared to other physical activities that are confined to places with limited timings. Cycling can be done any time and anywhere in the world. It increases your cardiovascular fitness adding strength and flexibility. It also reduces anxiety and depression to some extent. So letâs take initiative to âPedal more & live moreâ
Last month from 14 February to 11 March three men from Mumbai, chose to pedal a distance of almost more than 2100 k, the Idea was to start from âWagah Borderâ Amritsar and cycle all the way to âPowaiâ in Mumbai and creating environmental awareness to reduce CARBON FOOT PRINT and inspire localities on the way to take up cycling as a hobby and promote it. The mission was named as âTRIO from Wagah To Mumbai 2100 kmâ.  The Trio was led by Mr. Jugal Kishore Sharma, (68 years) a retired Civil Engineer from BMC, who had already covered a similar track on cycle but from Mumbai to Amritsar lat year during June, 2nd companion Mr. Rajesh Sharma (52 years), who is a marine engineer and the 3rd companion Mr. Raj Mhatre (42 years), a professional cyclist who holds several records and titles of championship for cycling from the Raigad district. All of them chose a cycle route to raise attention towards the rising pollution level affecting the youth of our country. They were also encouraged by the public through their mission to adopt cycling in their daily routine to stay fit and healthy reducing carbon Foot Print. During their journey, they have covered five states â Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Mr. Raj Mahatre (L), Mr.Jugal Kishore Sharma (C) and Mr.Rajesh Sharma (R)
Mr. Rajesh Sharma mentioned that nowadays, if you just pass by a bus stop in the morning you will find mothers & school going children covering their face with a mask to protect themselves from pollution, how pity is the scenario to a traveler sitting in the car with his car AC on and the young generation covering their faces with mask!!! Its high time to control the damage already done. So, people should come ahead and promote cycling to work, office, college & school. The concept of One Person One car should be stopped immediately!!! People should promote pedaling from all aspects of commuting.
Mr. Jugal Kishore Sharma took second such a trip last year in April;Â it was self sponsored trip. He said we want to create awareness of the benefits of cycling and need to control use of motor vehicles to save the environment. He also has a message to the youngsters and public. Youngsters should take up cycling a a part of their routine and public should respect and promote cyclists by giving them way to ride cycles during the traffic hours. Lastly, he has taken a mission that would keep planning such missions and promote cycling on different lines and tracks across the country.
Mr. Raj Mhatre, cyclist (Raigad District) said that he had almost spent his life cycling and holds major titles of championship from Raigad district. He was contacted by Mr. Jugal Kishore Sharma to participate in the Mission to cycle from Wagha to Mumbai. Raj Mhatre agreed from the very word âGo” it was a splendid journey of 25 days, where not only local people, but even local media supported them to amplify this cause. Raj Mhatre has a message for all the youngsters and children to promote cycling and reduce the carbon footprint! contributing our role to mother earth to help us survive and give a best future and better world đ
Start the year right by committing to a healthier lifestyle.  By introducing a few simple and practical lifestyle changes, you can make a positive impact on not only your health, but your happiness and sense of well-being..
Most New Years Resolutions lists are triggered by a feeling of enthusiasm for the possibilities of weight loss, eating right and dusting off that gym pass.
More often than not, most resolutions are unrealistic. âIâm going to drop three dress sizes in 4 weeksâ, âI will go to the gym every day â and âI am completely abstaining from alcoholâ
Setting small, realistic goals, one step at a time is more often than not the more sensible approach in achieving your long term goals.
When taking these small steps, here are some examples:
I will limit my intake of soft drinks and alcohol and high-sugar fruit juices.  Stick to water and herbal teas.
This Ganesh Chaturthi was very special for me, as it was my hubby’s birthday and I was in Mumbai after My daughter’s birth in Himachal. My daughter also turned one this year in May and loved watching colorful streets, decorated pandals and lights everywhere. It is that time of the year again when the streets are dotted with pandits and loud music of the dhols & drums take off the air to celebration as the city wears a festive look. I love this time of year.
Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten day Hindu festival celebrated to honor the elephant-headed God Ganesha’s birthday and arrival at people’s houses. He is the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. He is considered as Vighnharta mean Superhero to people in their bad times. The Ganesha Festival is made special by worshiping the elephant God, meeting relatives and friends with preparation of mouth watering dishes and gifting memorable(s) being presented to near and dear ones. You can see the lords very favorite & famous sweet called “MODAK” in every sweet shop throughout the city.
We also visited some pandals additional to our friends place and had lot of fun eating sweets, singing Aarti’s (Prayers to praise the Lord) and even got some return gifts. I can say it was really a well spent day!
Here are some pictures that I took this time, with decors of beautifully decorated pandals and at our friends place.
Two days back I received message from my dad saying âA friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone outâ. How true…Since childhood my dad taught me to choose friends wisely, and luckily I always got very true and good friends.
I believe true friends are always available, whether you are happy or sad, excited or exhausted, they will always listen to you. I feel I am very lucky in that case though I have very few friends but my friends are always there for me. Your friends are like extended family. On 7th August it’s friendship day so I decided to write on an Amazing ideas what we can gift to our friends as token of strong bond.
Personalized Photo Mug: Print your friend and your picture on Coffee Mug and send it to your friend or else send mug with special messages. Printed photo mug will bring smile to their face every morning.
Friendship Band: Friendship Band is very common Idea. Send friendship bracelets for friends to make them feel special. You can send handmade friendship band to your friend which will bring smile on his or her face. You can also send friendship band with name of your friend on it.
Chocolates: There are hundreds of reasons that make chocolates one of the most popular gifts for any occasion. No doubt that every one of us loves receiving chocolates as chocolates makes a yummy and delicious friendship day gift. And if you send your friend favorite box of chocolates he or she will love that.
Flowers: Fresh Flowers are the best and the easiest way to convey emotions and hence they make a wonderful gift for friends. Ideally, you must choose your friends favorite flower. Yellow color flowers are also symbol of friendship.
Books &Â CD’s:Â Books are said to be Manâs best friend, such gift would turn out to be one of the most precious ones for friends who are really fond of reading. It is important to keep in mind the choice of your friend while selecting the book. You may also gift music CD’s to friends who are fond of music. You may also give a personalized CD by recording your friendâs favorite songs.
 So enjoy you friendship day. Happy Friendship day to all đ
He is friend and our hero….A Father is an angel (A guardian Angel) in our life. Who always standâs by us during thick and thin of our life. A best friend one could probably ask for, a father brings a unique contribution to parenting that no one else can replicate. I belong to generation where fathers never said âHe LOVE’s YOUâ, not because they did not want to but because they really didn’t want to express their love in words ONLY! My father was strongest person who always stood by me & always tried to provide me the best of what he could- be it best education, best information and discipline. My father is my first hero and also my  friend. I have never told my dad that what I feel for him, I saw him working hard day and night for our bright future. I learnt life lessons by observing him. I adore and miss time when I used to play chess & carom with him. He is my guide and a philosopher.
Coming to the very next generation, my one year old daughter also adores her father too! When her father is back from work she only wants to be with him, she starts throwing tantrums and feels on top of the world. She plays, giggles and dances with him And I feel really overwhelmed & happy when I see them both playing together. Her father communicates in a unique and different manner with her. The interaction has different tones of language & approach.
A number of studies suggest that those fathers, who are involved and playful with their children, eventually nurture their children with better linguistic and cognitive capacities and tactics that can handle stress in a better way. I feel father & kids relation is cherish-able, It is as important as any mothers & their kids relation. If a mother gives you birth in this new world then father teaches you to survive in this world. He provides you wing to fly high. I adore my relationship with my father.
So what special we can do for our father:
Tell him how much you love him.However busy you are, call him at least once a day. Ask him how his day was, did they eat etc. Just keep the conversation going and be a good listener.
To make your dad happy, share some moments of your life with him. Share your daily activities, new hobbies, new friends, and details of your life with him. When you receive any awards, accolades or appreciations share it with him. It gives him immense pleasure seeing his child successful.
You can always teach him how to use the latest technology. If he is not a tech savvy! For instance how to use Skype, video calling, chatting. Once a week you can have a video chat with him.
You can always discuss the problems you are facing at work or can take his advice on any investment ideas. He would be so elated to share his knowledge with you. Express your wishes, and make him familiar with your goals and dreams. After all, no one can be a better friend than your dad.
Spend time with him; go for dinner date with him. Your father might be an extremely busy man, or he may be reserved and silent. But one thing that he always cherishes deep down is spending time with you, in whatever way he can.
Fathers day is around so plan something for your father, Happy Fathers Week đ
After reading my last blog Untold Saga my father narrated me one more story of my Grandfather. He said that after returning from Pakistan to India, My Grandfather took a break for some time, due to the partitions issues and the chaos created, his parents and family didn’t want him to leave home. It was after long three years that things settled down a bit and he joined The Bakhra Canal project as a Supervisor, This canal was constructed from River Sutlej through Nangal dam and the water from the dam also reaches parts of Rajasthan. Its construction was taken up first after Independence, for the welfare & development of the people of Northern India. The construction of this project was started in the year 1948 and was completed in 1963.
He was a very loyal and hard-working man. It was his sheer hard work and dedication that got him felicitated by the then Prime minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. He was awarded with Silver coins kept in a green colour velvet bag which my grandmother had treasured.
Bhakra-Nangal Project: A view of the Nangal Hydel Canal 1952
After this project my Grandfather got transferred to Sukhna Lake project, which is currently a very beautiful lake that lies in the foothills of Shivalik range & inside Chandigarh adding scenic beauty. The unique thing about Sukhna Lake is that it is a man-made lake. My grandfather was posted there as a supervisor from early 60’s till he took his last breath in 1968…..
It was also there where a very interesting incident happened somewhere between 1960-’63. There used to be a guard working under my grandfather whose duty was to look after the water drain gates. Once, an executive engineer came to the site for inspection. He was about to enter the drain gate area for checking where the guard did stop him, not allowing the Engineer and other officials to enter that area. Well, that was his job. He was told not to allow anyone to enter that area and he was just being loyal to his job. Any ways, officials tried to convince him to let them enter as the person standing there was a big officer and he might have to face the consequences of not letting them in. Any other person hearing this would have allowed to enter for the sake of his job, but this guard struck to his decision and said he will not allow anyone to enter in any case without the permission of Pandit ji (my grandfather, people in his workplace used to address him as Pandit ji). Well this was his loyalty for his job, for his boss that fear of losing his job didn’t deter him from his loyalty towards his job.
Then executive engineer had to send his car to bring my grandfather to the site. It was only after grandpa’s order that the guard allowed to enter the drain gate area.
Then all the other officials there were concerned that executive engineer might get angry after this incident. On the contrary engineer got mighty impressed with the loyalty of the guard and rewarded him with Rs 50; it was a huge amount considering that the guard at that time was paid Rs 55 as salary for whole month. Loyalty pays.
Make 2016 a New Year for a New You.
