In Awe.

I was a little hesitant about putting this up on my blog but then I said its my blog I might as well put up what I like ,so here is a song my mom and I hum upon seeing the breathtakingly beautiful moon that is up in the sky around the middle of the month according to the Urdu calender. If anyone has noticed one can really see why so many poets and writers have written pages praising the moon and its sheen. There is this strange magnetism or attraction that a full moon has, and not just for the werewolves ( if they really do exist ) one can be bowled over and duly impressed.

     So I found the song titled Chaudhavin ka Chand from a movie by the same name and listened to the whole thing ( we only know the opening stanza ). Despite being an oldie and slow, the song is still very beautiful. Its about a man who compares the beauty of the one he loves to the beauty of the moon.  So listen to the song and decide for yourself-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Vw2fL1Hw4

At the Day's End.

Going through more than a bit of dry spell. So until I cook up something please enjoy one of my favourite poems-

Is anybody happier because you passed his way?

The day is almost over and it's toiling time is through,

Is there anybody now to say a kindly word to you?

Does anybody remember that you spoke to him today?

Can you say tonight, in parting with a day that's slipping fast,

That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?

Did you waste the day, or lose it? Was it well or sorely spent?

Is a single heart rejoicing over what you said or did?

Dis you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think God will say,

you have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?

I am right, you are not!

Why is it that we fail to see?
Why is it that we refuse to meet?
To see another's point of view,
To wear his shoes, to take his seat.

Why do we engrave our opinions and thoughts?
Why do we fix and bind and seal our minds?
To be so very sure that we are right,
It’s the others who are are in binds.

Why do we feel wronged and hurt?
Why do we feel like our honour is on the line?
To hear another say- think my way,
To accept that his view is, just as fine.

Who is to say what’s wrong, what’s right?
Who is to say by what we should abide?
To see past our egos and imaginary status,
To push the mirage of self righteousness aside.

How hard is it to let go?
How hard it is to step down from our perch high?
To understand what another says and why,
To not at his assumed ignorance sigh.

I have seen it often and a lot,
People vigorously argue and scream.
Why don’t you see how right I am?
Come see just what I mean.

It’s not about sense and sensibility,
Truly some know and some know not,
It’s just that in the moment of heat,
Let’s see the tolerance you’ve got.

Everybody is right and everybody is wrong,
At some point or some other time.
It’s all about how much dignity you have,
If with differences in opinions you are fine.

Here winning or losing is not,
Imposing your will on minds and hearts.
It’s about whether you could open your mind,
And walk in another’s shoes for a start.

Disappointed.

I suppose by this time every body's shock about the Satyam scandal had lost it's edge. For a lot of people it has been an awful week. Without rhyme or reason a lot of money, credibility and faith has been lost.

I was also shocked to know about such a major, major fraud. 7000 crs is not a small amount in any sense. And even more shocked to know about the role played by the auditing firm in the whole scheme of things. Granted 'innocent until proven guilty' but still.....

There will be an investigation and questions will be asked. The auditors might or might nor be guilty. But that's a different issue. Once credibility is lost, it is very hard to gain it back. However much you might scream your innocence from rooftops, in the minds of people there shall always be a black mark against them.

Why only talk of Satyam's auditors? In this mess Price Waterhouse Coopers are not the only ones to take a beating. The whole profession is. From someone who has an insider's view to how it feels to see your profession be caught in a mud slinging scenario, its terrible.PWC was a brand. To work there was a admirable thing. Other CA's set their standards by how PWC worked. It's as if a mentor has been defiled. 

Right now, for sure no body can talk about the extent to which PWC was an accomplice to the whole plan. It might have been privy to the whole thing, who knows. But just imagine the implication of the situations. Infosys has just released it's 3rd quarter results. Weren't you a little skeptical and paused for a second when they reported a growth in figures? For a split second the thought ran through my mind- I wonder if some thing's wrong? Who are their auditors?

It was still believed that this profession, having so many controls and checks and I suppose even due to small number of members , was one of the last professional bodies in India. I have seen that image fade away so quickly. It will take some time yet until people trust us again.

Plans for Change.

Another piece on the same lines. Until I move past this writer's block, bear with me.

It all depends upon the way you see,

Whether the glass is half full or empty.

Do you cheer for the new year coming in?

And with renewed vigour, once again begin?

Or are you one to mourn the year past?

And wish you could make it, for a bit, last?

They say time's like a river flowing on,

Once past what's gone is gone.

Its that time of the year when everyone,

Thinks of what to do or what's done.

Its time to take stock and see for yourself,

Whats good and what needs help.

But then I think why do we have to wait,

Why can't we begin early or a little late?

This whole scheme of cleaning our mess

Putting our plans of change to test.

With what resolutions did your new year start

Or are you already, with them, losing heart?

Except for a change of calender and a diary to go

There is really not much change to show.

There's light at the end of every tunnel, so they say

And we are sure to change for the better one day.

So until then stop waiting for a beginning new,

Act upon it today, instead of making it due.

For it's not the date or the time when you do,

The moment you realize will be dawn for you.

Think Again.

" Poets need not go to Niagara to write about the force of falling water"

- Robert Frost

New Beginnings.

  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 May the new year be filled with simple pleasures,

May it bring you a host of countless treasures!