Guess This Voice

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Who is Ameen Sayani interviewig in this clip?

Personality Test

Let your choice of colors and shapes tell you more about your personality!

Relax, look at the pictures and see which you are most attracted to.

Results posted below. I picked #1

Personality Test Results:

1. Freedom loving
Freedom is important to you - nothing is worse than when you feel tied down. You may find you move jobs or location frequently because the idea of staying in one place too long unnerves you. The same can apply to relationships! People see you as fun loving, and you are. You attempt to enjoy life to the full, in accordance with the motto: "You only live once." You tend to attract less energetic people as friends or partners, like moths to a flame, they see you as the light. Careful they don't drain you! You are very curious and open about everything new and thrive on change. Quite simply, you are a breath of fresh air.

2. Independent and unconventional
Your lifestyle is highly individualistic

. You do not follow the crowd, on the contrary, you seek to live according to your own ideas and convictions, even if this means swimming against the tide. You need a free and unattached life that allows you to determine your own course. You have an artistic bent in your work or leisure activities. Your urge for freedom sometimes causes you to do exactly the opposite of what is expected of you. You are rather unique, so don't bother comparing yourself to anyone else. Live life your way.

3. Sensitive and reflective
You are comfortable spending hours alone with your thoughts and rarely become bored. You dislike superficiality; you'd rather be alone than have to suffer through small talk. Your relationships with your friends are very strong, which gives you the inner tranquillity and harmony that you require. You love deeply but if someone betrays you it is next to impossible to forgive. You are an old soul, someone who has lived many times before and has seen it all. All you crave now is simplicity and the chance to focus your attention on a meaningful existence.

4. Down to earth and charming
You have a natural authentic charm, what you see is what you get. People admire you because you seem so 'together'. You have both feet planted firmly on the ground and they can depend on you. While others complicate their life with ifs and buts, you know your own mind. You provide security and space to those close to you. You are a rock, and although others may not tell you, you are the sun around which they revolve. You dislike superficiality and tend to be skeptical toward the whims of trends. Where others crash and burn, you motor on, quietly achieving all you need to do. You are a woman (or man) of substance.

5. Professional and self-assured
You take charge of your life, and place less faith in your luck and more in your own actions. You solve problems in a practical, uncomplicated manner. You take a realistic view of things in your daily life and tackle them without fuss. You are given responsibility at work, because people know that you can be depended upon. You project self-assurance to others. You are a born leader and organiser. Although you work well in a team, ideally you should be the one giving the orders. After all, you are usually right!

6. Peaceful and timeless
You are easy-going yet discreet. There is a timeless elegance about you (think Audrey Hepburn). You make friends effortlessly, yet enjoy your privacy and independence. You like to get away from it all and be alone from time to time to contemplate the meaning of life. You need space, so you escape to hideaways, but you are not a loner. You are at peace with yourself and the world, and you appreciate life and what this world has to offer. You have a strong life purpose and when you discover it, you project your personal brand of magic on the world.

7. Cultured and classical
Cultured and sophisticated you value the things money can't necessarily buy - good conversation, original ideas, music and the arts. You have a fair mind and can see both sides of an argument. You rarely let emotions get the better of you, preferring to assess situations rationally. Calm, logical and yet compassionate and kind. You have 'old-fashioned' principles, which at heart make you a real lady (or gentleman). A timeless, vintage classic - the sort of person everyone secretly admires and likes to copy.

8. Sensitive and spiritual
You are a highly sensitive and spiritual person. You refuse to see life only from a rational view point. You have great intuition and trust your feelings. You must have dreams to aspire towards or you won't feel happy. You like to improve yourself, and in so doing make a difference in the world - even if only in little ways. You find it hard to understand people who are only guided rationality. You form true relationships with open souls, people who know there is more to life than we can touch, see or hear. Your psychic sense is highly evolved, trust it and work with it.

9. Dynamic and sparkly
You are a mover and a shaker! You are willing to take risks in return for interesting and varied work. Routine tends to have a paralysing effect on you. Being stuck behind a desk 9-5 would destroy your soul and enthusiasm for life. You need to be given the chance to express your ideas and put them into action. You have a rainbow personality, and can cheer others up, even on the gloomiest of days. If you ever feel you have lost your sparkle it is because the situation you find yourself in is not right for you. Follow your enthusiasm, even if it means you chop and change for years. The journey is as important as the destination.

Candlemas

Candlemas is a Christian holiday celebrated annually on February 2. It celebrates three occasions according to Christian belief: the presentation of the child Jesus; Jesus’ first entry into the temple; and it celebrates the Virgin Mary’s purification (mainly in Catholic churches).

The Candlemas Bells, also known as Snowdrops, symbolize hope according to Christian belief.

©iStockphoto.com/ gaspr13

What do people do?

Many Christians consider Jesus as the “light of the world” so it is fitting that candles are blessed on this day and that a candle-lit procession precedes the mass. It is traditional to eat crepes on Candlemas in some parts of Europe, such as France. Each family member prepares and cooks a crepe while holding a coin in hand. This is believed to assure wealth and happiness until the next Candlemas celebration.
Candlemas is also known as Candelaria in Spanish speaking countries. Whoever finds baby figures hidden inside the Rosca de Reyes (Kings Cake) on Epiphany on January 6 is obliged to bring food to a gathering held on February 2. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate this event by bringing beeswax candles to their local church and requesting for these candles to be blessed to be used in the church or at home. Some Christians observe the practice of leaving Christmas decorations up until Candlemas.

Public life

Many Christians observe Candlemas but it is not a public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Background

Candlemas primarily focuses on Jesus’ early life. Many Christians believe that Jesus’ mother Mary presented him to God at the Temple in Jerusalem after observing the traditional 40-day period of purification (of mothers) following his birth. According to a New Testament gospel, a Jewish man named Simeon held the baby in his arms and said that he would be a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). It is for this reason that this event is called Candlemas.
Many people believe that some of Candlemas’ activities stem from pagan observances such as Imbolc, a Gaelic festival, or the Roman feast of Lupercalia. However, others have argued that there is too little evidence to shed light on Candlemas’ substitution for these festivals. Either way, Candlemas occurs at a period between the December solstice and the March equinox, so many people traditionally marked that time of the year as winter’s “halfway point” while waiting for the spring.
According to some sources, Christians began Candlemas in Jerusalem as early as the fourth century and the lighting of candles began in the fifth century. Other sources say that Candlemas was observed by blessing candles since the 11th century. An early writing dating back to around 380 CE mentioned that a feast of the Presentation occurred in a church in Jerusalem. It was observed on February 14. The feast was observed on February 2 in regions where Christ's birth was celebrated on December 25.
Candlemas is known as the “Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple” in many eastern churches. Other traditional names in the western churches include the “Feast for the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary” as well as the “Meeting of the Lord”. It is also Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada on February 2. According to folklore, the badger comes out to test the weather in the United Kingdom.

Symbols

Snowdrops (galanthas nivalis) are known as Candlemas Bells because they often bloom early in the year, even before Candlemas. Some varieties bloom all winter (in the northern hemisphere).  The superstitious used to believe that these flowers should not be brought into the house prior to Candlemas.  However, it is also believed in more recent times that these flowers purify a home.
According to folklore, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and pointed them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered the world. Many Christians see the flower as a symbol of Jesus Christ being this hope for the world. Candles that are lit during Candlemas also symbolize Jesus as the “light of the world”.

Note: Please note that the seasons and seasonal changes mentioned in relation to Candlemas refer to the northern hemisphere in this article.

Courtesy timeanddate.com

Kaifi Azmi's 'Aurat' (with translation)

Aurat
Woman

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me

qalb-e-mahoul meiN larzaaN sharar-e-jang haiN aaj
hausley waqt ke aur ziist ke yakrang haiN aaj
aabgiinoN meiN tapaaN walwale-e- sang haiN aaj
husn aur ishq ham aawaaz-o-humaahang haiN aaj
jis meiN jaltaa huuN usi aag meiN jalnaa hai tujhe

Today
sparks of war waver in the air
time and life have the same spirit
delicate decanters hiss with the heat of rocks
beauty and love harmonise melodiously
You too have to be ignited by the fire that burns me

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me

zindagii jehad meiN hai sabr ke qaabuu meiN nahiiN
nabz-e-hastii kaa lahuu kaamptii aaNsuu meiN nahii
uRne khulne meiN hai nakhat kham-e-gesu meiN nahiiN
jannat aik aur hai jo mard ke pahluu meiN nahiiN
uskii aazaad ravish par bhii machalnaa hai tujhe

Life is in struggle, not in the restraint of patience
The blood of pulsating life is not in trembling tears
Fragrance lies in free-flight, not in the tresses, of hair
There is another Paradise which is not by the side of men
On its free pathways too you have yet to pirouette

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me
goshey goshey meiN sulagtii hai chitaa tere liye
farz kaa bhes badaltii hai qazaa tere liye
qahar hai terii har narm adaa tere liye
zahar hii zahar hai duniyaa kii havaa tere liye
rut badal Daal agar phuulnaa phalnaa hai tujhe

For you burning pyres wait at every corner
death disguised as duty
your every delicate gesture, a curse
nothing but poison in the breeze
Change the season if you wish to flourish

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me

qadr ab tak terii tarriikh ne jaanii hii nahiiN
tujh meiN shole bhii haiN bas ashkfishaanii hii nahiiN
tu haqiiqat bhii hai dilchasp kahaanii hii nahiiN
terii hastii bhii hai ik chiiz javaanii hii nahiiN
apnii tarrikh kaa unvaan badalnaa hai tujhe

History has not known your worth thus far
You have burning embers too, not merely tears
You're reality too, not a mere amusing anecdote
Your personality is something too, not just your youth
You've to change the title of your history

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me

toRkar rasm ke but baRe qadamat se nikal
zof-e-ishrat se nikal, vaham-e-nazaakat se nikal
nafs ke khiiNche hue halq-e-azmal se nikal
yeh bhii ek qaid hii hai, qaid-e-muhabbat se nikal
raah kaa khaar hii kyaa gul bhii kuchalnaa hai tujhe

Emerge out of
ancient bondage, break the idols of tradition,
the weakness of pleasure, this mirage of fragility
these self-drawn boundaries of imagined greatness
the bondage of love, for this too is a bondage
Not merely the thorns on the path but you have to trample on flowers too

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me

toR yeh azm-shikan dagdag-e-paNd bhii toR
terii khaatir hai jo zanjiir vah saugandh bhii toR
tauq yeh bhii zammruud kaa gulband bhii toR
toR paimana-e-mardaan-e-khirdmaNd bhii toR
banke tuufaan chhalaknaa hai ubalnaa hai tujhe

Shatter
these resolve breaking suspicions of sermons
these vows that have become shackles
this too, this necklace of emeralds
these standards set by the wise men
You have to turn into a tempest, bubble and boil over

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me

tuu falaatuno-arastuu haii tuu zohraa parviiN
tere qabze meiN hai garduuN, terii Thokar meiN zamiiN
haaN, uThaa, jald uThaa paae-muqqadar se jabiiN
maiN bhii rukne kaa nahii waqt bhii rukne kaa nahiiN
laRkhaRaayegii kahaaN tak ki sambhalnaa hai tujhe

You are Aristotle's philosophy, Venus, Pleiades
You control the sky, the earth at your feet
Yes, raise, fast, raise your forehead from the feet of fate
I too am not going to pause, nor will the time
How long would you falter, you have to be firm

uTh merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
Get up, my love, you have to walk with me

A Book is Judged by its Cover

A Book is Judged by its Cover

My visit with my 61 year old handicapped (with a history of spasticity) sister on a wheelchair to the High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, Mumbai on Sunday 18 August 2013, just three days after our beloved country celebrated it’s 67^th Independence Day, perhaps, proves this.

Dressed in casual trouser/shirt & chappals, I approached the entrance to the Palladium where I was surprised, nay shocked, to find my entry blocked by the Security personnel, who tried to turn me away by saying that the door to the Big Bazaar side was closed. I told him that I had been here on 15^th August, 2013 and it was open then, how come it was closed now? He put me onto his senior who held us up at the gate for more than twenty minutes, whilst he was communicating with a senior manager.

People were entering through the Palladium gates and my sister was getting fretful and I was losing patience. I asked the security person to state on what basis he was refusing entry to me and my handicapped sister. But he had no answer to this. I found this quite infuriating. It made a few people stop and turn their heads. But it took two ladies (one named Ismat) and a gentleman to intervene in this situation. They told the Security person that they knew a very senior person managing this mall complex. The gentlemen also added they were from The Times of India and this issue could really hit in the media in a big way. This was communicated to the senior manager by the security person, who now came rushing to the gates. We were allowed inside. My sister likes ice-cream.  So I bought her a softee cone at McDonald’s. Ismat and the other lady who had helped us came and met us near McDonald’s.  To pacify us and assuage the hurt, another manager came. Lunch was offered. But I refused. We were provided an escort to Big Bazaar where I did my shopping and was escorted to the exit and a taxi outside.

After the Reliance Fresh Signature Store incident, this somewhat similar experience, has forced me to think beyond the reasons for their occurrence and recurrence. More than anger, which, of course, is there initially, these incidents sadden me.

The handicapped individual is almost a persona non grata, unproductive,  a dead investment generally in the eyes of most people. The alms-seeking beggar- stereotype of a person in a wheelchair must change. Unless this happens at the individual level and positive thoughts/concept translate into action, no amount of governmental measures or efforts by NGOs shall change the world of the handicapped in India, in any substantial manner.

My email to Mr.Mukesh D.Ambani is now an OPEN email to Mr.Mukesh D. Ambani

From:
Shakir Roshanali Virpurwala
3/10 The Hajiali Municipal Officers CHS Ltd, Govt. Colony Road, Nr.
Lala Lajpatrai College, Haji Ali Park, Mumbai – 400 034 (INDIA) Tel:
8898041648 Mobile: 8097960591 / 9221108353 email:
shakirvirpurwala@gmail.com, shakirvirpurwala@yahoo.com

Email To:
Mr. Mukesh D. Ambani
Chairman – Reliance Group of Industries
Email: Mambani@ril.com

Ref: My visit to Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop No.5 Tirupati
Apartments, Off Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai
400026. On 10th August 2013 at 2.00 p.m.

Sub: Unbecoming, rude and humiliating behavior of the Security personnel.

Respected Sir,

I have always believed and as is generally perceived, that the
Reliance Group of Industries, especially the retail consumer catering
chains like Reliance Communications and Reliance Retail Limited have
always held protecting the profit margins as the mainstay/priority in
their primer of corporate/work philosophy/ethos. Often this is at the
cost of customer service and satisfaction. But my recent experience to
Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop No.5 Tirupati Apartments, Off
Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai 400026 on 10th August
2013 at 2.00 p.m. went far beyond this.

A little introductory background is necessary before I proceed to my
core complaint. I am a post-graduate (M.A.) in English Literature. I
have a 61 year old bonafide handicapped (with a history of spasticity)
sister, who I stay with at the above address. Since October 2012 she
has been, bed-ridden initially and then confined largely to the
wheelchair due to left femur fracture for which she was operated
twice. I am the only caretaker in the house and she cannot be left
alone for extended period of time. I used to do my groceries, fruits &
vegetables shopping from the Byculla or Dadar market, but since our
ailing mother expired in 2012, I was forced for economy of logistics
to shop from nearby Reliance Fresh Stores at Tardeo, Mumbai Central
and Bhulabhai Desai Road. The Tardeo store closed some years ago and
the Mumbai Central store is quite far. The most accessible store for
us is at Bhulabhai Desai Road, off Mahalaxmi Temple, to which I can
easily wheel-chair my sister in a few minutes. I normally park her
wheelchair on the side of the road, under the shade of a tree from
where she can view the inside of the store. I am constrained to leave
her outside because Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop No.5 Tirupati
Apartments, Off Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai
400026 is not a handicapped-user-friendly store.

On 10th August 2013, I reached Reliance Fresh Signature Store, Shop
No.5 Tirupati Apartments, Off Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai
Road, Mumbai 400026 at about 2.00 p.m.with my sister on the wheelchair
Since there were cars parked along the whole side of the road, I took
her onto the footpath and parked her wheelchair unobtrusively on the
footpath, carefully avoiding obstructing the Entrance & Exit of the
store. No sooner had I done this, the security person came charging
and bellowed that ‘Yahan nahi khadaa rakhne ka, aap udhar-uidhar
(pointing) aage lagao’ There was something in his tone, which I could
not detect at the time.I asked him why and he said ‘Nahi, yahan hamare
sab customers aate-jaate hai. Tum udhar aage lagao.’ I told him that I
have parked the vehicle in such a way that neither the customers
entering nor those leaving will be inconvenienced. But, he still
repeated what he had said earlier. This time I sensed what his tone
was implying. He had somehow jumped to the conclusion that we were a
begging-couple seeking alms! I looked at him squarely in the eyes and
asked ‘Aap spasht roop se kahiye. Aap kya kehna chahtein hain?’ Now he
wavered a little and started realizing his mistake. One of the
employees of the store also came and whispered something to him. He
changed his stance and tone suddenly. He said that my sister cries and
asks for me and this disturbs the customers. But by then the damage
and humiliation was done. I said I am a customer, too. By way of right
my handicapped sister should also be granted access to the store. But
the store architects and designers never seem to have given a thought
to this and maybe this should be brought to (your) Mr. Mukesh Ambani’s
notice.’

The smaller issue which this incident raises is: A customer coming to
a Reliance Fresh Signature Store in a car is a valued client and one
who comes in a wheelchair is a beggar? Was the security person, at the
store, justified in the conclusion that he jumped to? And why should
the Reliance Fresh chain of stores not be handicapped-user /
wheelchair friendly?

One of the larger issue lies in the way of the world. When it comes to
taking, exploiting, benefitting (call it what you may) the world
squeezes every ounce of juice out of you and then, like dried pulp,
leaves you to waste? They say life is the best teacher. My variegated
experience-filled life has taught me many things. As an individual, as
a friend, as a teacher I have shared these ‘Teachings of Life’ most
generously, for I have always believed that insights / knowledge
shared does not diminish/reduce/lessen but it only
increases/multiplies manifold and when translated into positive
feelings, thoughts and action makes humanity at large, evolve. Today,
my world is limited to the care and improving the quality of life, of
my handicapped sister, which brings me to the prime issue of attitude,
towards the handicapped, of Society at large which is epitomized by
the thoughts and actions of the security person in the incident I have
related. A handicapped individual is a stereotype, a beggar, to be
kept away. The welfare of the handicapped is the concern of the
government and NGO’s. But that will not change anything significantly
until the attitude, the feelings, the thoughts for the handicapped
change at the base level with individuals and translate positively
into helpful action.

--
Warm Regards
*Shakir Roshanali Virpurwala* *M.A. **( English Literature )
*E N G L I S H L A N G U A G E S K I L L S E N H A N C E M E N T
*English Teacher / Online Spoken & Written English Tutor / Personal Trainer
/ Copywriter*


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