#PictureStory 12 : Indulgence

They had their backs to each other. He kept turning and stealing glances at her every now and then. There would be times when she would also look towards him but then look away.

She thought that she was fooling him but he kept playing all along, just so that she felt happy about this trick of hers. This was his way of indulging her, even if it meant smiling only from a distance at her. A smile that she couldn't see. An indulgence that she couldn't feel.

Pic details: Clicked at Gardens By the Bay, Singapore in April, 2015

#PictureStory 11 : Boundaries

"It's been four months since I have known you. I have crossed two boundaries already." said Karan

"What boundaries?" asked Gayatri

"The boundaries that exist around you! The first boundary is 'Boundary of Acquaintaince', which can accommodate many people. The second is the 'Boundary of Comfort', where you give access to only a few. Thanks for allowing me to reach there." said Karan

"Haha! You seem to have figured me out quite well in four months! Is there any other boundary?" Gayatri laughed

"Yes. The 'Boundary of Love'. There is space for only one person there, and currently that space is occupied. That's a long distance from the boundary that I am at." said Karan while looking into the distant sea.

Pic Details: Clicked on the Phi Phi islands in 2014

#PictureStory 10 : Handsome

"Do you think I am handsome?" asked Nathan while tucking his shirt and trying to hide the little paunch that had started emerging.

"It depends on who you ask" said Melanie casually, while brushing her hair and looking in the mirror.

"That's not the answer to my question." said Nathan while looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"Women who think that their prettiness is lesser than your handsomeness will find you handsome and vice versa. It is all about relativity." continued Melanie

"What do you thin Melanie?"

"I think I am quite pretty, Nathan" smiled Melanie

"You are smart and sassy. That's why I am with you Melanie" smiled back Nathan.

"I know. Now let's leave for the party Mr. Handsome." laughed out Melanie

Pic details: Clicked in a hotel room in Phuket, Thailand in Aug, 2014

#PictureStory 9 : Staircase

Today the staircase looked empty and abandoned. But every step of this staircase had a story to tell, each of them had witnessed many moments of joy, celebration, agony, pain and various other emotions.

These steps had felt the delight in the footsteps of an elated kid running up and down and it had also seen the nerves of a young bride walking down with trepidation.

The staircase had always been the silent witness in the transition of one emotional stage to another in a person's life. Today, the staircase was missing those footsteps.

Pic Details: Clicked in the lobby of Hotel Palladium in Mumbai, India.

#PictureStory 8 : Threshold

He stood at the threshold of life. He had to make a choice now - whether to step in or stay outside. His heart knew the answer but his ego stood its ground, making his feet feel heavier than they really were.

Pic Details: Clicked outside the Jain Dadabari at Mehrauli, Delhi in Nov'14

#PictureStory 7 : Melange

A melange of colours, interwoven to create poetry.
They hang up in the air, bringing alive the festivity and creating a unique hue during the Festival of Lights - Diwali.

Pic details: Taken in Select CityWalk Mall in New Delhi, India in Oct 2014

#PictureStory 6 : Riot

Let the clouds pass by. Let the sea call out to them. Let the sun create a riot of colours. And just feel lucky to witness this magic unfold in front of your eyes!

Pic Details: Clicked at the a Bang Tao Beach in Phuket in August, 2014

#PictureStory 5 : Clouds

As mountains and with our peaks, we thought that we stood tallest amongst all! That was our pride.

But today, as these planes fly above us, we accept with all humility that it is stupid to ever think that there is no one above you, because that is when you will be proven wrong.

Pic details: Clicked on a flight from Kathmandu to Delhi in Sept, 2014

#PictureStory 4 : Solitude

Today the kids have not come to play. All of us stand in solitude. We are not sure whether to enjoy this rain and great weather or to miss those kids and their laughter who find joy in hanging around us.

Pic Details: Clicked at Lavasa, India in July, 2014

#PictureStory 3 : Fiery

They say humans have mood swings. I say I have far more mood swings than humans. I change mood every month, every day and sometimes every few hours too!

Don't even attempt to understand my mood. You will fail miserably. Today I show you my fiery mood!

Pic details: Clicked on a flight from Phuket to Bangkok in Aug, 2014

#PictureStory 2: Fairy tale

I am not a part of any imagination or an illustration from a kid's fairy tale. I am a place that exists. Very few people visit me and I prefer it that way.

Pic Details: Clicked in Brugge, Belgium in 2012.

#PictureStory 1: Stability

As clouds travelled in one direction and cars travelled in another, it was the tree that stood its ground showing how life can move to and fro, but it is the stability within that allows you to face it all!

Pic details: Clicked at Worli Seaface, Mumbai

Don’t Fall for That Resolution Trap!

Image Source: www.forbes.com

Yes, you read that headline right. Another year is here upon us and there will be people all around you talking about their New Year resolutions, flaunting them like gold medals only to be disappointed a few weeks or months later when they fail to keep up with their resolutions. 

Statistics worldwide have shown that only a small percentage of people are able to keep their resolutions, while most of them start faltering and then feeling miserable. One of the best proofs of that is in the increase in the number of gym memberships at the start of the year and then the actual number of people really coming to the gym from the third month onwards. 

Resolutions are inherently flawed as they are set on the premise that you cannot break them and the minute they are broken, people tend to think that they cannot be fixed or mended resulting in disappointment with oneself, waiting for yet another year with another set of resolutions to conquer. 

I stopped keeping resolutions many years back when I realized about this flaw. I believe that a ‘Theme’ based approach for the year is a more powerful way of achieving something because there is no concept of breaking it. You keep doing things and moving forward with a theme-based approach and every incremental gain is another step closer to your goal. 

Let me explain by sharing with you all the Theme that I have chosen for myself for 2019. My theme for this year is ‘Value and Growth’. So, everything that I do should help me in delivering Value or Growth. 

Now it is important to elaborate further on what I want to do to stay true to this theme: 

1. Increase my own value intellectually, financially and emotionally: As you can see, through this single statement, I can push my boundaries on my knowledge, my reading, my relationships and my investments. 

2. Give value to people through knowledge, content and charity: It is not only about the value that I seek for myself but the value that I give out to others and there are various ways to do it. I can give my professional knowledge to my juniors and people I know or work with, I can share content on social media and digital platforms to known and unknown people which they find valuable, and I can give value back to society through financial support or any other kind of support to people who need it and do not have the means. 

3. Growth for self, for others and for the organisation that I work for: I can grow significantly and also be the catalyst of growth for others – people and companies by following points 1 and 2 consistently throughout the year. 

Now as you can see, everything that I do or achieve will only help me in staying true to my theme and by the end of the year, I will only feel nice about the distance I have travelled rather than feeling miserable about a resolution that I broke. 

So, what will your theme for the year going to be?