Blog@GraceJunction

His glittering teeth would have got him millions of rupees had he been noticed by any toothpaste/toothbrush manufacturing companies. I had always found it one of the most endearing smiles in the world. But that day it was devoid of all that spirited charm and excitement.

I asked him, “What happened Pappu?” (that’s what they called him. Plus, I never bothered to ask him his real name)

“I was really enjoying my vacation back home in Rajasthan. I had really begun deciphering my cousins’ school textbooks but my uncle called me back to Ahmedabad,” said the 7-year-old.

Like many boys of his age, Pappu has been working at this tea-stall in front of my office building. And while I may try to be righteous enough and complain to my colleagues of how these kids are deprived of their basic rights, I end up like others apparently doing nothing about it (while it is now I realise I could have done something about it…not that it’s too late.) (more…)

Citius. Altius. Fortius.

Well, you guessed it right. I couldn’t keep myself from being bitten by the Olympic Games bug. The grandeur of the event this year has finally caught the attention of many a nonchalant audience like me.

And in all these of watching a few hundred athletes compete for those precious (and not so precious) metals, it is probably for the first time that I was able to sit back and gauge upon the gravity of their endeavour. All thanks to our very own gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, not forgetting the record stint of Michael Phelps and the extravagant Chinese hosts.

However, what will stay on with me forever is none of these current events but one of the past Olympic Games; somewhere in the middle of the First and the Second World War. It dates to the Paris Olympic held in 1924 which, among several champions, featured a humble athlete who went on to clinch a gold medal in the 400 metres running race. (more…)

“Most likely, you shall be debarred from the university”

My heart sunk as I heard my exam supervisor blurt these words out. “But everyone’s doing it!” I tried to justify. After all, why was it that she only caught me (and this stupid neighbour of mine) of all the 20-odd students in a 20×18 classroom?

But it had to be me. I was so ashamed since I was in (Yes!) my second year of post graduate. One of the most decisive years of one’s life. And here I was, almost ruining it with an act that I thought was being committed by all and so I had the equal liberty to do so too. Yes, I was caught copying.

Well, it’s been some years now. Yet, just when I thought I had had it pushed into the depths of my memory, it popped up again one day. The other day the newspapers carried a news article mentioning that an IPS officer had been caught copying during an LLB examination. (more…)

First, the caveat: advertisements (ads) are deceptive.

Now I know I didn’t let out a well-hidden secret as a favour. Rather everyone’s aware of it some or the other point of time. Yet, allow me to rest my case.

Recently I saw a television commercial (TVC) that went something like this: (more…)

“Vinay! Will you go out or should I kick you out?” my mother would question me. Even before you start wondering what prank I would have got into, let me clarify that it was no punishment. Rather this is what my mom would force me to do every summer when I was a kid (yes, you are right, I have grown up); go out and play.

It was an ordeal for both of us; for me to convince her to allow me some more TV time and for her to kick me out to play some outdoor games. And once out, I would be gone for hours (not that my mom regretted it).

And yet after all these years, living now in a densely populated locality in Ahmedabad one would expect some better activity across the lanes than solving confused ideas between self and one’s canine friends. But I hardly come any kid happily marching down the streets to play cricket (or any other sport for that matter), except only when there’s a power cut which again is a rarity in the city. (more…)

“Trust me mom, you will love this place.  It has all the amenities that you need or want, more than what you ever got so far.  Weren’t you always looking forward for your own suite with an attached bathroom?  And how much you love satin bed sheets and pillow covers!  This place has got everything,” said the young suave executive on the phone, sipping his hot cuppa. 

Eavesdropping is a journalist’s forte (If I may be excused).  The tea stall tends to offer enough fodder to chew, especially when somebody is referring to an article appearing in a newspaper.  But what I heard, for once, led me to some introspection. The guy was talking about an article (or story, as it is referred to) that had appeared that day.  The story talked about some city-based industrialists joining hands to construct a ‘state-of-the-art’ old-age home with ‘five star facilities’.   It further said that the need for such an old-age home is felt because of NRIs leaving the country with their parents behind.  These NRIs can anyways afford to enroll their parents at this upcoming high class old-age home.  (more…)

Picture this: A young marketing manager in his early twenties living in a posh locality and earning a handsome Rs 60,000 per month (and thankfully a bachelor) is contemplating suicide.

And why not? The guy just finds out that he is supposed to pay equated monthly installments (EMIs) worth Rs 80,000. No wonder, the very thought of burly collection executives thumping at his door might be giving him sleepless nights.

But who is to be blamed? The one who takes such loans or the one who gives?

From the time when applying for a loan was an ordeal to a time when it has been made a child’s play, the sheer availability of money has led many to take the plunge. From the time when providing all the right documents to assure your credibility to the bank or a financial institution was like walking through fire, to a time when one can avail credit even through a phone call. (more…)