Eid is celebrated with pomp and gaiety and breakfast is had with dates, which are considered a ritual, and sweets. Elders and children, wear new clothes and the smiles are visible everywhere. They greet one and all, irrespective of caste, colour and creed chanting ‘Eid mubarak’.

During the festival Muslims exchange gifts, and greet everyone as a mark of solidarity and brotherhood. It is believed that the Prophet of Islam saw the moon on this day and said, “O God make this moon a symbol of peace for us’, thereby the Prophet expressed the true spirit of Eid to promote spiritual harmony and a peaceful environment in the world.

Muslims throng the Idgaahs’ on this day to offer two units of collective prayers to recall the teachings of Islam, advocate peace, spirituality  and pray to God to bestow His blessings upon all to spread the word of love and affection amongst people,

September Eleventh Twenty Ten, symbolizes peace and universal brotherhood. We should look forward to a harmonious co-existence and thoughts should be of exchange of love and mutual co-existence. There should be love in the air as today is also the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celeberated with pomp and gaiety by Hindus all over the world as the birthday of Lord Ganesha. This festival is also known as Vinayak Chaturthi. It is elaborately celebrated in Maharashtra State and ends today after a ten day celebrations.

The life like clay statues of Lord Ganesha are made, decorated and placed on raised platforms in homes or in elaborately decorated outdoor tents for people to view and pay their homage.

Coconut and flowers are offered to the Lord and sandal paste is applied to the idol and shalokas are chanted.
 
Lord Ganesha is worshipped for 10 days and on the 11th day, the idol is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of all man.

All join in this final procession shouting “Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya” (O father Ganesha, come again early next year). After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and camphor is made, people carry the idol to the river to immerse it.

The whole community comes to worship Ganesha in beautifully done tents. These also serve as the venue for free medical checkup, blood donation camps, charity for the poor, dramatic performances, films, devotional songs, etc. during the days of the festival.

And today, eleventh day of the ninth month, some wiser sense has prevailed on Pastor Terry Jones of Florida that he has agreed not to burn the copies of Quran in the church in Florida. He was categorically told by Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State USA, not to venture with this blasphemous misdeed and somehow he agreed last night.

The Rev Terry Jones had said that more than 100 death threats would not put him off Saturday’s event, when he plans to lead the burning of 200 copies of the Muslim holy book at his Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, Florida. Unfortunately the twin towers of New York were destroyed on this date, but this is no way to avenge that.

David Petraeus, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, warned of retaliatory action against US troops after protests took place in the capital Kabul at which effigies of Jones were burned alongside the American flag.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs echoed the concerns raised by Petraeus. “Any type of activity like that that puts our troops in harm’s way would be a concern to this administration,” Gibbs said.

Jones had said that he “understood” those concerns but would press ahead anyway. But wiser sense has prevailed and he has agreed not to do it now. Good for the peace in the world.

At a meal last night marking the breaking of the Ramadan fast at the state department, Clinton said: “We sit down together for this meal on a day when the news is carrying reports that a pastor down in Gainesville, Florida, plans to burn the holy Qur’an on September 11. I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths, from evangelical Christians to Jewish rabbis as well as secular US leaders and opinion-makers.
 
India condemns  the plan of a small Florida Church pastor to burn copies of the holy Quran to mark the 9/11 attacks and called on US authorities to take “strong action” to prevent such an “outrage” being committed.  Union Home Minister P Chidambaram while deploring Pastor Terry Jones’s move to burn copies of Islam’s holiest text on September 11 also urged the Indian media to exercise “great restraint” over the coverage of the act to help maintain peace and harmony.

The Rev. Terry Jones has rightly agreed not to go ahead with this plan as he is supposed to respect other religions as much as he respects his own and being a Pastor of the Church he should have known that all along. And this would have serious ramifications all over the world which the myopic Pastor could never have visualised.

If you love your religion, first learn to respect others’ religion also. Let’s move forward on this nine, eleven twenty ten and try to bring a lasting peace all over the world.

Ravi Matah.

Stevan Slater, the flight attendant who has become media sensation, was released on $2,500 bail on Monday night. He told reporters he was surprised by all the attention his story had generated.

Steven Slater

Agreed, after take-off, your first requirement is to get a drink and nibble. It’s the duty of the steward or the stewardess to serve you because you have paid for it in the ticket, but you have no right whatsoever, to be rude to them.

There he comes, pulling the trolley, with bottles, snacks, disposable glasses and paper napkins, smiling and asking every passenger ‘what would you like to drink Sir/Madam’? He puts a napkin on the make-shift dining table and then puts the disposable glasses and plastic cutlery on it along with the drink of your choice.

After about 20 minutes the trolley is pulled in again,  bringing dinner for you. Half and hour later they come to pick up the ‘crockery’ and the left-overs.

Anytime you press the bell, the light goes ‘on’ above your seat, and pronto, the attendant is there with his/her smile. Every time they have to walk the aisle from the kitchen to the passenger and God knows how many aisle-miles they have to walk during the time of their total service. And still they offer service with a smile.

I remember, on a KLM Dutch airline flight from Delhi-Frankfurt, I wanted another ‘phial’ of red wine, and could not get it even asking the stewardess twice for it.

Not that I crave for red wine, but on that day I liked to have another one, so what do I do, shout for it, create a racket or break an egg on her head? No, they are also humans.

Don’t they get tired or frustrated? Do spare a thought for the thousands who are serving people with a smile?  From the outside their job looks glamorous, high-heeled, perfumed and mascara et el, but from within it is anything but rosy.

Throughout their life, they stay away from their families, away from their loved ones, and serve absolute strangers everyday. Most of the time they are on long-haul flights of 14 to 15 hours duration and they are able to meet their kith and kins once a fortnight.

They leave important work behind, like nursing their ailing parents, and serve strangers.  Hundreds of times it has been reported that brutes have misbehaved with the air-hostesses. The Airlines should also address the problems faced by the attendants in dealing with some of the passengers, rather than shoving their grievances under the carpet.

On Jet Blue Flight 1052  from Pittsburgh to New York, Slater had asked a passenger to sit after she got up to retrieve her luggage and she defied him. When he asked again, he was hit by her with the piece of luggage she held in her hand. Slater demanded an apology, which was not forthcoming, and after addressing the passenger on the public address system, he glided down, with two beers in his hand and went home.

For how long can they stand this torture? There is always a breaking point, and when it came, Slater took the gliding path down to the tarmac. And allow me to add that world-wide the low cost airlines pay very less, which also adds to the frustration.

“It’s been very, very appreciated,” Slater told ABC News station WABC-TV. “It seems like something here has resonated with a few people.”

“Every flight attendant has had this frustration and has had the desire to do something like that that you would lose your job,” he told ABC News. “I think everyone has fantasized about that. The public can be challenging.”

Slater told reporters he is looking forward to “a little beach time, enjoying the rest of the summer.

Your comments on this issue are welcome.

Ravi Matah.

Shortly before 11 pm, the Clintons got down from a van outside the Beekman Arms Hotel. The former first lady, in a long, green dress, waved to the cheering crowd waiting behind metal barricades outside and quickly went into the hotel. 

Chelsea Clinton & Marc Mezvinsky

Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton later announced in a statement that their daughter wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky at a Beaux Arts riverside estate called Astor Courts. 

“Today, we watched with great pride and overwhelming emotion as Chelsea and Marc wed in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts, surrounded by family and their close friends,” the Clintons said. 

“We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together, and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family. On behalf of the newlyweds, we want to give special thanks to the people of Rhinebeck for welcoming us and to everyone for their well-wishes on this special day.” 

Clinton is Methodist and Mezvinsky is Jewish, was led by Rabbi James Ponet and the Rev. William Shillady, the family said. The groom wore a tallit, or prayer sawl, and a yarmulke. 

The bride wore a dress designed by Vera Wang, the family said. The strapless dress had a swirling silk organza ball skirt and train, and was accented by an embellished belt. 

A friend of the couple read the Leo Marks poem “The Life That I Have,” according to the family. 

It is estimated that 400 to 500 guests gathered at the historic estate. The ceremony was conducted by a rabbi and a reverend as Chelsea Clinton is Methodist and Mezvinsky is Jewish, according to the family. 

The road to Astor Courts was blocked off Saturday and the sky above was declared a no-fly zone by federal aviation officials. Police and security guards fanned out around this usually sleepy town. It is estimated that the security alone would have cost the Clinton’s $200,000  because of all the high-level politicians and global celebrities. 

The family had released no details of the wedding but the event became obvious when more than a half-dozen busloads of wedding guests,  men in black tie, women in dresses, were transported from a hotel in the village to the riverside ceremony as the amazed residents of the town looked on. 

Celebrities spotted in Rhinebeck for the event included actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, fashion designer Vera Wang, Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state during Bill Clinton’s second term as president and Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic National Committee chairman. 

Also attending were former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright — who was spotted lunching in town before the wedding Saturday, presidential adviser Vernon Jordan and numerous young couples presumed to be friends of the bride and groom. 

Actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen — longtime married friends of the Clinton family — told CNN that despite the public spectacle of the wedding, “it’s been a very personal experience for them. 

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hotel where many of the guests are staying were rewarded Friday night when the Clintons exited a van arm-in-arm outside the Beekman Arms Hotel. 

Chelsea Clinton and Mezvinsky were friends as teenagers in Washington, and both attended Stanford University. They now live in New York, where Mezvinsky works at G3 Capital, a Manhattan hedge fund. 

Clinton completed her master’s degree in public health earlier this year at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. 

Mezvinsky is a son of former US Reps Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky of Pennsylvania and Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa, longtime friends of the Clintons. His parents are divorced. 

The only notable absentee at the ceremony was U.S. President Barrack Obama (and family) who had earlier said that he had not been invited and jocularly added that “two presidents at one place would cause lot of security problems”.

Ravi Matah.

Though the drive became a bit enjoyable because of the greenery all round and the lovely view of the mountains beyond, but there was no enjoyment after hard days toil at office. 

Then one day I retired and had to sit at home. Now what?  Fetch the milk, wait for the newspaper, pay the telephone and electricity bills and pay the maid. That was all, what was left of ‘life’. Or sit down on the bench in the park, waiting for someone to come and talk to you?

Or simply wait for your kid who might call you before lunch time from US, and that too once a week? 

After retirement I became my wife’s errand boy – go fetch this, go fetch that – her driver to the kitty parties and the do-it-yourself man for the various chores at home. 

I tried to blog a little and watched TV to get some entertainment out of it. But  watching TV, was  difficult  as I could not enjoy the quarrel-filled stories which the so called soap-opera showed. Rather, some of the advertisements of soaps and detergents were better than the soaps. 

The Serials have become a pain in the neck. Just see the number of problems they depict in the Serials. One wonders where this world has come to? Why can’t they show some love, affection, sacrifice, the will to do something for someone, help someone? 

The six-yards clad damsels were only showing off their hour-glass figures on the small screen and creating more nonsense than any sense. They are simply there to scheme and conspire against their own family members. 

Every new serial starts off very well but after 3 to 4 episodes they start putting in so many problems that it becomes disgusting to watch. The story/script writer and the director are capable of creating one new problem every day, and before it is solved, another one would crop up. For instance, look at 12/24 Karol Bagh serial. It started off so well that we were enjoying it and now, the family in the story is given a new problem every day. 

What are they trying to teach the new generation?  Misbehaviour at it’s glorious best? Not even that, we now think that if someone gets a DIL like Anita (in 12/24) what will they do? The peace in their house will go for a toss.

The  TV channels churn out one pathetic story after another full of quarrels with no respite to the viewer. There is a total vaccum,  so far as good educative programmes or comedy programmes are concerned. When will they make the viewer laugh?

It is a fact that it is the parent’s responsibility to educate their children, but what to do if this nonsense penetrates your house with closed doors. Most of Indian households have only one TV and the family watches it together. 

When will these nuts improve the quality of the serials? When will they stop showing extra-marital affairs in the serials? Why can’t they make some comedy serials like Here’s Lucy, Friends, Different Strokes, all in the family etc., which contain some message for the kids also? 

The only channel doing well so far as comedy is concerned is SAB TV. It definitely provides some entertainment here and there and the viewers can laugh a bit.

After a hard day’s work people need some entertainment or the cat-fight in the bedroom? And one serial ‘Kasauti Zindagi Ki’ was so irritating, it created quarrels and fights, even in the most decent of the Indian households.

Ever thought why did Barjatiya’s magnum opus  ‘Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun’ minted money world wide during its initial release?  There were no fights, no quarrels, total love and some genuine comedy. That is what the public demands today. 

All that is left for us to watch is 2 or 3 sports and  news channels, who give the same breaking news 254 times a day. It is high time we switched over to entertaining people with decent comedy and made people laugh after a day’s work and contribute to some peace in every household.

Ravi Matah

Yes, today’s paper is right here but who opened the obituary columns on page 8? 

What the hell, this is my picture in the Obituary column. But what is my photo doing here, I am alive and I called my wife. 

Nobody listened. Nobody came. What the hell’s going on? 

Where is my mobile, I will give her a call. I remembered, it was kept in the next room. 

Funny, but one sec., – what had happened last evening? The doctor had said that I had a gastric problem for which I took medicines and slept. Yes I had a sound sleep. 

And now it’s morning. What time is it? Shit, it’s 10.00AM. And I still have to get dressed, plus an hour’s drive through lousy traffic to the office. 

Where the hell is everyone? Why didn’t she listen when I had called? 

And what is this commotion in the next room? I wondered. 

So many people were there. Some of them were crying and those two people standing by the side of the sofa, smiling while whispering something? 

Strange, everything looked strange. 

And, Oh my God, I am lying there on the sofa? 

I shouted at the top of my voice, I am here, but nobody listened. ‘Look at me’, I shouted again. But again no one paid attention. 

They were busy looking at me on the sofa.  I went back to my bed room. 

“Am I dead?” I asked myself.  Where is my wife, my children, my mom-dad, my friends? 

I found them in the other room, all of them were crying, trying to console each other. 

My wife was crying and  she was  looking sad. 

My little kid was not sure what happened, but he was crying as his mom was sad. What will he do? His education is still half-way through. 

How can I go just like this?  I have so many things to attend to. I have to tell him that I care for him. 

How can I go without telling my wife that she is so beautiful and most caring wife in this world? 

How can I go without telling my friends that life was so wonderful in their presence and had to thank them for their valued support. 

I had still to tell those two idiots smiling in the corner that I would have broken their jaws which I couldn’t do, because of official considerations. 

I can also see a person standing in the corner, trying to hide his tears. 

Oh… he was once my best friend, but a small misunderstanding made us part ways, but love has it’s roots. And I went close to him to say how sorry I was about that incident and tried to shake hands with him, but no response. 

It seems he is not able to see me. Am I really dead, oh God. 

Now, who is this fellow bringing flowers and holding some clothes in his hand? Nobody ever gave me flowers during my life time. Why now? 

And there was the sound of the vehicle entering the gate. Oh, it was the ambulance to take me away to the cremation ground. 

Oh God, please just give me few more days to wind up the mess.” 

Now she will have to take care of the household problems. How will she manage? 

I just sat down near ME; I felt like crying. 

My wife entered  the room, she looked beautiful.  “You are beautiful,” I shouted. 

She didn’t hear my words, in fact, she never heard me. 

I wasn’t given time enough to tell my wife, my parents, my friends, how much I loved them.  “God!” I screamed, I wanted a little more time. Why did this have to end so abruptly?  I cried.

One more chance please, to hug my child, to say sorry to my friends for things I couldn’t do for them, and convey my thanks to them for being a part of my life. 

Then I looked up and cried.  I shouted.”God! One more chance please”. 

“You shouted in your sleep,” said my wife as she gently woke me up. “Did you have a nightmare?” 

I was sleeping, thank God I was alive and all was just a dream. 

My wife was there and finally she could hear me.  The grand-pa clock struck six. 

This was the happiest moment of my life. 

I hugged her and whispered,”You are the most beautiful and caring wife in this whole world.” 

 ”Thank you God for this second chance”.

Ravi Matah.

Twitter basically revolves around the principle of followers.  In this social network, if you follow people, they follow you. Its’ reciprocal. Each and every tweet is different, with no language barrier whatsoever. Most of the tweets are in English though very few use their own dialect. The original product name for the service was twttr, inspired by Flickr. 

Twitter

I am getting a feeling now that ‘twitter’ is an addiction. Just wondering what these million people used to do just four years ago? Dawn to dusk and well past midnight I find them there only. They can be termed as ‘twittaholics’. Twitter was conceived as an off-shoot from the SMS somewhere in March 2006. People tell each other what they had for breakfast, recommend songs to one another, tell tips about future education and now some of them have started to tell you how to make money online while tweeting. 

Current news travels the fastest. Though, Americans think that ‘twitter’ can be a potential tool for terrorism but I feel that this is one of the fastest modes to transporting news ‘as it happens’ across the globe. Actress Brittany Murphy (32) expired and the world knew of her sad and tragic demise within hours. In India, if CNN-IBN news channel is to air some important discussion, a tweet on twitter will send millions of watchers to the prime time news episode. Such is the power of twitter. 

Though twitter has provided a maximum of 140 characters in a tweet, people have developed the knack to convey their message within the prescribed format, by using abbreviations, which of course are easily understood by all readers. 

Intellectual content is also shared while tweeting. Healthy discussions take place. The language by and large is decent but very few of the twitters are in the habit of using foul language also in their tweets, which should be avoided to keep the content clean. 

Then there is another facility called ‘trending topics’. One can choose the topic and flow across smoothly in the stream of all those who are on that topic. For example a trending topic can be #Michael Jackson, #poetry, #love, #elections, #micro-poetry and various others. 

To enjoy tweeting, you have to filter people. You got to find like minded people and bring them to your lists so also you have to be a part of other people lists. People issue hash-tagged messages which their group members understand and follow the discussions/topics all through the day. Interesting questions such as ‘where is this beauty parlour located’ are also asked and replied. 

This is a good way to keep in touch with friends and make friends with people unknown, crossing barriers of caste, colour, creed or sex. No one knows whether ‘its black or its white’. A tweet is a tweet and has to be honorably dealt with in that manner. And if you want to find a ‘Gem’ across seven seas, you can also do that. 

Using Twitter for intellectual communication is about sending your views to another, free of cost in the minimum possible time. Yes, those texting tweets with mobile phones have to pay heavy phone bills. 

Manufacturers across the globe have also received a magnificent tool in twitter to text-message  their products. The information flows across to millions of readers across the globe. Well known celebrities including film stars and top-notch editors of prominent channels, have also logged in on twitter with the sole intent of enhancing their image. Certain manufacturers pay substantial sums of money to these celebrities to send down one tweet recommending their products. 

Then there is the facility of an inbox wherein all the tweets, which have your mention, will be stored automatically. One has to be careful what to write on.  Always be discreet on Twitter because every line is safely stored. A few months ago a lady tweeted a friend using derogatory words about the house in which she was staying and the land lord sent her a legal notice for defaming the owners’ premises. 

Come, jump in the band-wagon called ‘twitter’ and enjoy meeting people and convey your thoughts and belief, instantly and free of charge. If you join the twitter, it will at least make you a ‘somebody’ out of a ‘nobody’.

Ravi Matah

It is the Headquarters of Microsoft and Boeing companies. The people there are well educated and the weather during August to October (summer and fall  days) is the best in the year. The leaves on the trees turn from green to light yellow and then to brown after which they fall.

Recently we got a chance to re-visit Seattle and would like to share its beauty and grandeur with my readers.

Seattle Centre

Fall - Wnter

Seattle’s official nickname is the “Emerald City”; the reference is to the lush evergreen forests of the area. Seattle has a reputation of heavy coffee consumption; coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and Tully’s. 

United States Census Bureau conducted a survey  which indicated that Seattle was the most educated city in the U.S., with 52.5% of residents aged 25 and older having a bachelor’s degree. People are courteous, well mannered and decent. 

Seattle also boasts of having many beautiful Malls and Stores.  The most popular ones are Fred Meyers, Best Buy, J.C.Penny, Wal-Mart, Target, Ross and many more.

Best Buy

 QFC and Safeway are the food stores with several branches all over the City but Costco is the most popular food store as it sells goods at wholesale rates. Essentials are affordable, but luxury items are very expensive. 

‘Best Buy’ is exclusively for those who want to buy electronic items; ‘Fred Meyers’, ‘J.C. Penny’, ‘Ross’, ‘Target’ and ‘Wal-Mart’ are famous for ready made garments. 

Kids’R US is famous for children clothing and Toys’R US is frequented  for kid’s toys. U.S. is basically a consumerist market and they know how to project, showcase and sell a product. The ‘sales’ there are genuine and goods are fabulously cheap  during  ‘Thanks giving’ and “Christmas’. During these days the whole City is brightly lit up and there is ‘liveliness’ all-round. 

Walmart

Each store has a laid down ‘return’ policy and if you don’t wish to keep an article already purchased – it can be returned – without any questions. And refund includes the taxes also which you had paid on it. 

Lake Washington

Seattle has the most beautiful lakes and Lake Washington is the biggest.  It is the largest natural lake in King County and the second largest in Washington (after Lake Chelan). It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and Kenmore on the north, and surrounds Mercer Island. It is fed by the Sammamish River at its north end and the Cedar River at its south. Then there is Lake Sammamish, Beaver Lake and many others.

Lake Sammimish

The entire city is dust-free and there is no pollution. Smoking is not permitted in public places and one can light a cigarette at least 25 feet away from residential areas.  Even though it rains for at least ten months in a year, there is no water accumulation on the roads as the drainage system is very efficient. 

Residential areas are far away from the Malls. People have to commute for 10 to 15 miles to buy groceries and other household goods. 

Bellevue market is for the rich and famous and the location is rated as one of the most favoured places to live and set up a business.

As of July 2008, the city had an estimated population of 598,541, making it the twenty-fifth most populous city in the U.S. 

Seattle Needle

A pedestrian is the king of the road. Once you start walking on the road from the side-walk, the  traffic comes to a halt and will not move until you have crossed the road. It is the biggest crime, if a driver hits a pedestrian. 

Restaurants are  neat and clean and provide American, Mexican, Chinese, Mongolian, Spanish and Italian foods.  There are lots of noodles and burger joints also. The most popular ones are ‘Cheese-s-Cheese’, McDonalds, Red Robbins, Mongolian, Pabla, ‘Take and Bake’,  to name only a few. 

Seattle-Needle is the most famous land mark in Central Seattle which is 605 feet high and has visitors all through the year. From the top of Seattle-Needle the view is breath-taking.  High rise buildings all around and  clean roads will be visible everywhere. 

Sunset in Seattle

Elliott Bay

The Argosy harbour cruise rides at Elliott Bay are also very popular and they take you all along the city’s beach and back, from where the city looks very remarkable. This view of Seattle Needle has been clicked from the deck of the cruise.

The view of the sunset from 28th floor Seattle centre building is breathtaking as the sun appers to go down into the Pacific Ocean.

Seattle one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I can say for sure that if America is King, Seattle is it’s crown.

Ravi Matah

For leaders it is the payjama/kurta and a half jacket, all whites. Sometimes it is the traditional Dhoti/kurta and jacket. And this is their dress code for over half a century even while attending international conferences.

 Formal

In the U.S., the dress code is different. The people in West are happy in casual clothes and prefer to wear jeans and tee-shirts with jacket in their offices also. On the East coast, people prefer formal suits and tie, the traditional London style dress. The U.S. Senators, top business executives, doctors and lawyers always wear suits and tie whenever they attend meetings or are in public view.

 The suits are mostly blue. Barrack Obama, the President of United States is mostly seen in his immaculate blue suits, white shirt and tie , which is with blue or red stripes. He looks good wearing the black bow also, with the graceful first lady, Michelle Obama by his side. (And I wont mention his picture, sans shirt, splashed all over the world).

 He stands out in all the meetings, well dressed cheerful and energetic. After all, the dress does makes a difference to the man-in-charge. He was immaculately dressed, when he gave the speech on Health Reforms, telecast live on CNN News channel, and was looking cool, calm, calculative and had commitment, courage and charishma, visible all through.

 Women

Six yards wonder

In India, the six yards wonder, the saree, was considered as the most graceful attire. A saree has no rival and is an iconic image of

 Indian femininity. It is a graceful attire and was worn almost daily. I dont know why it is dying a slow death.

 Despite it’s grace and elegance, the saree is now worn only on weddings, functions and kitty parties. In Indian soap operas, the saas-bahu (MIL_DIL) quarrel serials, every actress wears a saree, impeccably ironed and draped, while scheming against someone. But in real life, few Indian women have the time to wear it and maintain the wardrobe of starched cottons and silks.

In U.S. women prefer jeans and t-shirt or skirts with tunic.

Indian Bridal Dress

 Girls

Girls have now almost abandoned traditional clothing. They dont buy sarees – they buy jeans. It is sad that saree is gradually dying out with time. The day is not far off when a proud papa will give his newly wed darling daughter – eleven jeans and eleven tops, instead of sarees, as a farewell gift on her wedding. Her friends would probably be jealous!. Yes – neighbours’ envy – owners pride. For the weddings, girls prefer heavy Sarees ar lehenga-choli in India. The girls in U.S. wear the tradional white wedding gowns.

How much effect does a dress have on performance? I think a lot. Appropriate dress projects your personality and gives you the requisite confidence and uplifts your morale. A neck-tie was considered a dignified apparel in India. But nowadays, its’ status has downgraded a bit by the door to door salesmen and restaurant waiters.

U.S. Bridal Dress

I am of the opinion that the performance of a person is directly attributed to the way he presents himself or herself and should always ‘dress’, befitting the occassion.

 To conclude,  - ‘a man is he who shaves daily, polishes his shoes daily and reads the newpaper daily’ – all good things will follow.

Ravi Matah

Diwali

Every year on the dark nights of Diwali, the sound of fireworks announce the celebrations of the favorite festival of Indians. Homes are decorated and thousands of lamps are lit to create a world of fantasy. Of all the festivals celebrated in India, Diwali is by far the most glamorous and important. It is enthusiastically enjoyed by people of every religion; its’ radiance creates an atmosphere of joy and festivity.

Deepavali has also been a significant festival in Sikhism since the illumination of the town of Amritsar commemorating the return of Guru Har Gobind Ji (1595-1644), the sixth Guru of Sikhism, who was imprisoned along with 52 other Hindu kings at Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir. After freeing the other prisoners, he went to the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in the holy city of Amritsar, where he was welcomed happily by the people who lit candles and divas to greet the Guru.

The ancient stories of why Diwali is celebrated, are different. In UP, Punjab, Haryana and the surrounding areas, Diwali is the day when King Rama’s coronation was celebrated in Ayodhya after his epic war with Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The royal families of Ayodhya and Mithila ordered that the cities and far-flung boundaries of these kingdoms be lit up with rows of lamps, glittering on dark nights to welcome home the divine King Lord Rama and Ma Sita after 14 years of exile, ending with a war in which the whole of Lanka was destroyed.

Diwali cracker

In each legend and story of Diwali lies the significance of the victory of good over evil and it is with each Diwali and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason and hope.

A day prior to Diwali most of the families buy new utensils and this day is known as ‘Dhan-teras’. On the day of Diwali festival, doorways are decorated with flowers. Rangolis are drawn with different colored powders to welcome guests outside the main door entrance. The ‘pooja room’ inside the house is also cleaned and decorated with flowers and decorative paperwork which is available ready-made in the market. Oil diyas are arranged in and around the house. All members of the family get together before dinner to pray to the Gods starting with prayers to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Luxmi. The prayer chanted in their honour, is meant to seek wealth and financial stability. The rest of the prayer and aarti follows.

Diwali Sweets

On the day of Deepavali/Diwali, some North Indian business communities start their financial year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day. According to individual financial status, most families host lavish festive meals as well.

Many families completely clean their homes and throw open their windows, as a way of welcoming the Goddess Luxmi inside their homes.

All the simple rituals of Diwali are significant and have a story to tell. The illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers is an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the Gods aware of their plentiful state and thanking Him for small mercies.

Happy Diwali to all.

Ravi Matah

greetings telegram sent  to me by my sister from Delhi on my birthday. I heaved a sigh of relief. Where are those days? With the technological advancement in the field of communications – the telegram and the postal letter seem to have no place in our lives now. Neither does the postman come home anymore, except for asking bakshish on Dewali – eh!

Yes, the postman does come sometimes, to deliver important documents from the bank or the Post Office savings section or to deliver the UTI dividend cheques. The banks, however, have opted to use the courier services to deliver ATM Cards and their related pin number letters.

My neice got married and went to Chicago in Nov. 1981. My sister used to send her a  letter which probably reached her in 20 days and it took another 25 days to receive the reply. When we got the letter we all were very happy ‘chitti aayee hai’. In those days, I was more concerned about the stamp on the envelope.

With the advent of the internet, things became very easy. We could send mail to any part of the world and it would reach there in a second or two. And if the person is awake, depending upon the time zone, I could get the reply in as much time. It was followed by the messenger – now you could chaat with your loved ones. This was followed by the web-cam wherein you could see them also while chatting. And the computer itself was replaced by the laptop – lol!

Now you have no need  to buy and post greeting cards anymore. They can be sent online also. And making friends on the international stage has also become very easy. Now it’s a very small world. You can chaat with a thousand people at a time  on  ”Twitter’.

It was in 1960 when I heard the voice coming out of a small instrument. It was called a transistor – the pocket edition radio. I asked a friend – where does the man sit inside this small package? He said ‘dont worry, one day you will see the man also who is talking inside the box’.

And what  he said came to be true. In 1980, while I was posted at Delhi, we bought our first black and white TV. Yes, we could see the man who is talking. After seven years we upgraded to a 21″ colour and just last year we got a 29′ TV.

A man is a bundle of weaknesses, and my first weakness was ‘music’. I had a 78 rpm record player, the one with a handle key and needles. With the passage of time it was replaced by  a small cassette player and folowed it up by a cassette deck – a stereo system. Then by His grace we bought a CD player which didn’t last even for six months because the technology had improved and had to be replaced by a DVD player which I got from States, where my daughter stays with her family. United States is now one second away from India – via the internet of course.

A year ago, my son bought a small hard disc which can store upto 150 movies and 3000 songs. It gives an excellent reproduction of quality picture as well as sound.

The rest of the entire equipment visible in the showcase is now called ‘clutter’. God only knows what will come next. Whatever comes, I am not worried as I have hung my boots and have handed over this charge to my son who  now wants the 52″ LCD TV and I told him that it’s his job now to spend and enjoy.

Ravi Matah.