Winning doesn’t matter…celebration of participation does…

SSRVM (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir) Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore North, celebrated its annual sports day on Saturday, November 7, 2009. All parents were invited to be a part of the event, and so I was there.

The Sports Day sought witness to Pujya Guruji Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s message of ‘celebration,’ wherein all the students were encouraged to inculcate the spirit of being a real sportsman, without giving in too much of a heck to the actual results; of course, every child that participated is invariably a winner.

Gyan aside.....the school captain and vice captains dressed in respective house uniforms welcomed the Chief Guest, Ms. Hilda D Mellow, a sports journalist with Mumbai Times. She flew all the way to Bangalore to wish the SSRVM children. Amidst lot of energy and fervor given by band, the torch was lighted and after the motivating speech by the chief guest (who had an interesting background and reason to choose sports writing as her career), all the houses performed a round of march past and gave a deserving salute that the guest deserved.

Then the real excitement picked up.....there was some amazing display of aerodynamics and Taek-Won-do. The synchronized display of self defence moves followed by Taek-won-do dance and tile-breaking feats by children indeed did cast a magical spell on the entire audience.

All parents and teachers watched with abated breaths and children performed stunts at ease. The Taek-won-do display was followed by sizzling stars wherein the first to fifth graders performed some amazing formations and some aerobics holding beautiful properties in their little hands. They were all bublling with lots of energy and the energy infected everyone seated and watched them.

The event was further highlighted by group competitive events including relay, passing the ball, passing through hoop, filling the bottle and dressing the tree for all; from eighth to the first graders. I really appreciated the idea and philosophy behind organizing such group events; first thing they definitely did include participation from all children from the respective grades, then such events will implicitly teach them how cooperation and team spirit and respecting the otherwise less-abled or skilled peers becomes important in their day-to-day lives.

All of the competitions sought to keep up the spirit of Art of Living and parents watched these events with as much enthusiasm as the children exuded while performing. There was a different kind of musical-chairs competition held for all parents. The entire ground reverberated with feverish enthu as the tempo set in with the teachers and the children cheering parents, subtly voicing the spirit of oneness. It doesnt matter who won that, I had lot of fun in being eliminated at the first stop when bespectacled parents were asked to leave the place. The fun was unstoppable until the winner was picked.

And, did I tell about the different student houses at SSRVM? You guys need to know about it. They are Shakthi(might), Bhakthi(devotion), Yukti(astute), and shanthi(calm). I believe all these forces are very much interrelated and essential to make a balanced humanbeing.

So, as regards, the sports event I was talking, all 4 houses won prizes in various events and the prizes were distributed by the Chief Guest. It must have been a precious moment for all those parents of kids who received some recognition. The event came to a close after the Principal, SSRVM Vidyaranyapura, Ms. Mamta rendered her vote of thanks to all those who pooled in efforts to make it as brilliant as it turned out to be.


Not end of it....
There was dance by all students after the prize distribution for a song named 'Vasudaika Kutumbakam' which means world is one family, and it had been a visual treat to say the least to all the spectators.

The winners didn't jeer the losers here. Yes, quite the contrary, the losers took pride they have made the winners .....How nice?

No wonder the beat of the song and the children's dance have been so damn inviting that even the chief guest and the SSRVM trustee (Sri. Ravidra Prasad ji) and a many parents joined in tapping their feet and vocalling the peppy tune of Vasudaika Kutumbakam.

The event came to a close with our National Anthem. It may have ended in just 3 hours, but, I, as a proud parent of SSRVM student, had a great day out not only witnessing the 10th annual sports day at SSRVM, vidyaranyapura but taking something out of it.

I can loudly say that I'd seen a great force in every child there; that can take the future generation to path of peace as well as harmony. In all, I saw all kids celebrating for what they are and that had given some message to everyone of the parents.....I'll cherish these memories for a long time to come and sharing it with you all guys gives me a sense of satisfaction.

To reiterate that, my 6-year-old kid’s answer to 7 wonders of the world: To See, To Hear, To Talk, To Touch, To Feel To Share and To Love! When we don't realize these seven wonders we are blessed with and celebrate them every moment.......we are as good as anything that doesn't have life, ain't?

Friendship day greetings to all buddies!

The tradition of dedicating one day in the honor of friends began first in the United States in 1935and the first Sunday in August is celebrated as Friendship Day. There is a small story behind this day!

During 1935 in United States there lived two friends who loved each other so much that they believed they were born for each of them. The US government killed one of the friends on the first Saturday in August for some reason. His friend who heard that his death could not take the news and so committed suicide i.e., on Sunday. It is in their remembrance that a day has been dedicated for all good friends!

If you believe you have got such a friend, then I say you are blessed!
If you believe you can do such a thing for your buddy, I salute you!
If you dont have a friend at all.....you are as good as dead!

Listen to Rod Stewart's voice crying 'That's what friends are for' here and let me know if you have not related it to your own life or if you never had tears rolling down your eyes!


That's What Friends Are For - Click here for more free videos

The Lyrics here:

And I, never thought I'd feel this way
And as far as I am concerned
I'm glad I have got the chance to to say
That I do believe.... I love you

And if, I should ever go away
Well then close your eyes
and try... to feel the way we do......today
And then ..if you can remember
keep smiling
keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me
for sure...that's what friends are for
For good times
and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for......


Well you came and opened me
And now there's so much more I see
and so ...by the way I thank you...oh
And then... for the times when we're apart
Well then close your eyes and you love
That these words are coming from my heart
And then if you can remember

Keep smiling ...Keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me
for sure......That's what friends are for
in good times
and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for.......
Keep smiling ...Keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me
for sure
That's what friends are for....
For good times
and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for.............
Keep smiling ...Keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me
for sure...because I tell you
That's what friends are for
For good times
and those bad times
I'll be on your side forever more

That's what friends are for.............

I dont leave for sure...
I don't leave for sure...
I don't leave for sure...
That's what friends are for.....

Susan Boyle is not Britain’s Got Talent Winner….yet

Winner of Britain's Got Talent- not Susan Boyle. She had lost to the 10-member dance team. However it was Susan Boyle who came to the finals as odds-on favorite. The Scottish Singing Sensation Susan Boyle may have lost Britain’s Got Talent 2009, but she has won so much of fan following she will find hard to cope up with. The spinster singer Susan Boyle, who suddenly rose from nowhere to stardom, falters in handling the unbelievable pressure building on her ever since she started her journey in Britain’s Got Talent.

It was her audition song ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ that brought her so much of a fame and fan following. She had rendered the same song in the finals, unfortunately last two weeks had seen negative stories and blogs building up about the street performer (she remained a spinster to look after her ailing mother) and that must have affected her ratings and influenced people in a vote-deciding finale of the BGT. The 10-member dance troupe from Essex and East London, Diversity is Britain’s Got Talent winner and they have got about 25 per cent of the 4 million telephonic votes. Susan Boyle with 20% votes came a close second in the show.

Even after losing, Susan was smiling. "The best people won. They are very entertaining," the singer was quoted of saying.

Susan Boyle should not have repeated her opening song once again in the decider final, which might have been another reason for poor votes and her downfall.

No matter what, Susan Boyle is now a new brand and a sensation who will remain in our memories as an IDOL for some years to come. To challenge a team itself she shows that she’d gotten the talent to face a final of a reality show!

Susan will be reckoned an IDOL and a wonderful woman!

Cyclone Aila Bangla asche

West Bengal is under Cyclone Aila alert. According to Meteorological Department the cyclone that was generated in the east of Paradip, is expected to cross West Bengal coast this afternoon with a wind speed of 140 kilometer per hour.

The Meteorological Department forecasted heavy rains and gale winds to sweep over Bangladesh as well as West Bengal for the next 24 hours. The West Bengal government had declared a red alert and army put on alert as well. State is also gearing up for contingency relief operations.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee took a stock of the situation. Meanwhile 2 people were killed in a tree collapse incident due to the gusty winds and the storm. The State capital Kolkata Police urged that the schools be closed today afternoon. Several private and public offices in Kolkata declared a holiday following the Cyclone Aila alert.

Caught in Zoozoomania with the ZooZooper Ads

The best thing that happened to the Indian advertisement amidst the DLF IPL 2009 is the latest IPL 2009 Vodafone TV ads.

The creativity behind the making of these zoo zoo ads deserves special mention. And, no, these ads don’t feature the pug or the girl. They have ZooZoos; indeed the zoozoo ads have been made in South Africa and they stood out at the end of the IPL 2009. I came to know that the Zoozoos have got a fan club on social networking sites with over 26,000 fans and the number is increasing everyday.

The zoozooper ads have achieved a talk value that is so envious and an example of how creativity can create abuzz for a brand. There have been reports that even hi-profile digital addicts too coming to talk about the ZooZoo ads.


These are real faces behind the cute and adorable zoo zoos!

Now that’s what is the potential of these squeaky creatures, they have overpowered people with zoozoomania, apart from winning PETA Glitterbox award. Let’s talk more about the ZooZoos. Vodafone has been generous enough; it is now giving back cool stuff including Zoozoo screensavers, zoozoo wallpapers, zoozoo sounds (including the zoozoo laughter and zoozoo music) zoozoo ringtones, along with other IPL related stuff. But it’s not enough and there is actually room for more.

There is room to create more of the zoozooism and stories. Vodafone has been creative to brand consolidation through zoozoo quizzes. With the viewers mind evolving in the internet time, ad creation agencies must think out of box to create lasting impressions. I don’t demean the pug ad or the girl ad of vodafone. They do have a high cuteness quotient, but the zoozoo ads have not only high just cuteness quotient, but also high creative quotient. In fact, they have added brand value quotient to Vodafone.

It’s now in the hands of ad agency and the zoozooper team to keep the zoozoomania going and make the best use of it. Cool and not-to-get bored inspiring ads from Ogilvy and Mather, the creatives behind the zoozooper ads.

Momma's moments

At times.....
I still can’t believe that you’re my own
At times.....
I keep pondering as to what good I’ve done at all to be blessed with a girl like you
At times.....
Even as you are asleep I would be gazing at you with all my admiratiom
At times......
I keep smiling and grinning long at what you have said or done ....and gone
At times......
You make me wonder with those no-answer questions and difficult-to-unravel doubts you shoot with so much wisdom
At times.....
I long to have your arms hugging me tight
At times......
I believe that it’s you and you alone that can get me going
At times......
When you listen to momma's stories with deep concentration I wonder nothing else matter to me
At times......
When you are at school I feel so emptied and alone I see there is no place I really belong to without you
At times.....
I wonder at the protector in you for me, a chuddy buddy counselor in you for me and the punisher in you for me of course
And .....At times....
Just at times once in a year like this I get a chance to wish you an Eventful Birthday and Godspeed!

For my darling daughter Sravanthi who turned 6 on the 10th May-You mean more than the world to me!

New Zealand hunts for couple who became accidental millionaires

In what is supposed to be a costly error by New Zealand's Westpac Bank, a person accidentally became a millionaire after inappropriately withdrawing millions in a day in Wellington.

A customer asked his Westpac Bank to give him an overdraft for 10,000 New Zealand dollars and in an admitted blunder, the Westpac Bank gave him overdraft facility for 10 million dollars.

The customer tried to pocket in 6.7 million dollars but Westpac Bank could recover 2.8 million dollars that makes him swindle away 3.9 million New Zealand dollars out of the country. Both bank and New Zealand police are clueless about the identity of the customer.

However, according to police sources, the customer was believed to have fled with his girlfriend to Hong Kong.

The Interpol has been put on alert and the New Zealand police are inquiring the Hong Kong and Beijing police of any emigration suspects. According to Detective although they have some doubt on one Leo Gao who owns auto servicing station in Rotorua which is now in receivership with a woman who is supposedly the man’s girlfriend, one Kara Young, as the couple who must have fled out of the country with the money.

Westpac Bank is pursuing on taking a serious criminal and civil action to recover all the inappropriately withdrawn money.

IPL 2009 Vodafone TV Commercials with ZooZoos Win PETA 2009 Glitterbox Award

IPL 2009 Vodafone TV Commercials have not only won hearts of millions of viewers (these are certainly programskip worthy and channelskip worthy commercials that we have seen in the recent times), but the crew behind the making of these commercials won the first PETA (People for Ethical Treatment for Animals) 2009 Glitterbox Award.

The Glitterbox Award is presented to the Vodafone IPL 2009 TV ad makers for using humans instead of real animals in promoting a brand. We know that the current Vodafone TV commercials are ZooZoos based!

It should be remembered in this context that PETA had raised objections to earlier Vodafone TVCs that used a PUG and a parakeet.

The Vodafone Pug commercial became so popular that it had surprisingly increased people's love for the pugs and each pug pup was selling at even 50,000 rupees by the breeders.

The current ZooZoos ads are not only a welcome change by the PETA but they are taken so refreshing by the viewers. A message conveyed candidly without having to use an animal. The creativity of these ads is appreciated by many competitors as well.

In fact, my 6-year-old daughter started loving these zoozoos lately that she was asking me if ZooZoos are available as soft toys. I was pondering after she had asked me that ZooZoo soft toys will be great hit to further consolidate Vodafone's market share or take the brand further!

Anyways, Congratulations to the creative team behind the Vodafone IPL 2009 TV commercials that won the PETA 2009 Glitterbox Award.

Alfie Patten discovers he was not the father of Chantelle Stedman's baby

Alfie Patten discovers he was not the father of his 15-year-old girl friend Chantelle Stedman.

The 13-year-old baby-faced Briton boy Alfie Patten who took pride and thought to have become father of his girlfriend 15-year-old Chantelle Stedman’s baby, had a shock of his life when the paternity test voted him out!.

According to reports it’s another boy, one 15-year-old Tyler Barker, who lives in the same neighborhood as Chantelle Stedman in the Eastbourne, is the father of baby Maisie Roxxane.

Tyler Barker told that he had lost his virginity to 15-year-old Chantelle on a night during last May after drinking together at her home.

Tyler Barker told Daily Mirror that he hadn’t used any forms of contraception and that Chantelle told she would use an after pill later in the morning. Had the tests proved Alfie’s paternity true, he would have bee father at as young as 13 years of age.

The entire episode of Alfie Patten and Chantelle Stedman whips the educationists in England calling for better sex education in England. England holds the distinction of having highest rate of teen pregnancies in the Western Europe.