A Love Story

She came to our house as tiny whiny scared little white bundle. She was beautiful and adorable. My family immediately got fond of her. My papa christened her as Mini. Mini the sweet little baby became a part of our family.

Mini started growing in our family and became a darling. She started making friends around the colony. All uncles and aunties around the place loved to take her on a walk in the evenings. Kids loved to play with her. And she made a great friend with Sheru who visited our house very regularly.

Sheru was very cute looking and handsome. And there didn't seem to be any harm to allow the friendship between Sheru and Mini.

As adolosence dawned on Mini, so did the friendship between Mini and Sheru deepened. They never drove each other ever unlike the way Mini drove any dog, cattle that passed our abode.

Then one fine day when Mini was one and half years old and the love season was on, Sheru was wooing Mini and in their own language Sheru proposed Mini and she accepted him. But something else was destined for them.

My family didn't approve of their love affair. And they drove Sheru away one day. Mini must be disheartened but she respected her family's decision.

And how did I come to know!!! Well last time when I had been home, I was told about her and Sheru's affair by Mom. And one pleasant evening, when I was strolling Mini around, and controlling her against shouting at passing dogs and cattle, I was surprised to notice something. Mini didn’t shout at a particular dog who was humbly looking at her and she indifferently crossed him. He was none other than her love Sheru.

I walked back home lost and sad thinking about their unfinished "love story".

Is dating a colleague a good idea?

Sometime back there was an article in Rediff Get Ahead...
[Affairs at the office are as old an issue as bad-tempered bosses। There are few workplaces around which don't have their share of love stories. Your office probably has one, too. However, not everyone takes to the idea of romance at the office lightly. Some management experts, for instance, believe these relationships can adversely affect productivity. Some offices have even gone to the extent of disallowing colleagues from dating each other, or marrying within the organisation. What do you think? Should they be encouraged? Have you had a relationship with a colleague? If so, what were the repercussions? ]

Well, the article asks about the repercussions with respect to the productivity at office level... I would like to emphasize on the issues that get raised at the personal front... "From a very normal perspective, I don't raise an eyebrow when people have an affair in office(It's quite natural, and morever its none of my concern). But lets look at it from a different perspective, having an affair elsewhere or being married and still having an affair in office!!!! Do we approve of it? Lets face it, that we all spend more time of our lives with our colleagues than our loved one / spouse. And to add to it if your GF/ BF/ fiancee/ spouse is not in the city, it even gives u a reason to get close to someone in the office. But let me ask one thing that is it morally correct? So many broken marriages/ relationships are because we think its OK to mingle with our office colleagues at a personal level also. For those who are single please go ahead and discover your partner in office yet maintainting the decorum of your work place. But for those who are not single that is committed or married, make friends, have fun but remember there is a very thin line between a friendship and an affair. Please stick to some morals and treat your work place as just your work place. Coz there is some one who trusts on you blindly and waits for you to come back home everyday just for him/ her. Especially, in the case of long distance relationships please take special care coz its easy to get swayed but it very difficult to maintain the trust of someone you love and who loves you."

My Sweet Family - My Inspiration

I belong to a nuclear family with very simple values. Honesty, truthfulness, hard-work, sincerity and dedication characterize my family and everyone is proud to be a part of this family. My family consists of my father (Madan Mohan Seth), mother (Mridula Seth), brother (Manhar Seth), sister-in law (Garima Seth), nephew (Soham Seth) and niece (Omisha Seth) besides me.

Before I start writing about each of us, I would like to mention that I had an elder brother (Squadron Leader Madhukar Seth) who expired in an air-crash on 13th December 2001 at a young age of 31. He was a genius with very different views about life and people. A very strong willed man, with zeal to top in any sphere of life he touched. Academically he was a topper, a Sword-of-Honor from NDA and an ace pilot in the Indian Air Force. My family and I miss him a lot.

My father, at 67, is a retired General Manager from National Aluminium Company Ltd. He has been recognized as a very assiduous professional through out his tenure in the various organizations he has worked in. Its because of his diligence and prescience, he has many attainments in his basket. He has been awarded nationally and internationally for research and developments in his area (metallurgy in general and Aluminium in particular).
Papa you are my inspiration to succeed in life against all odds.

My mother, at 58, is the backbone of our family. Our family revolves around her and she is indispensable for all of us. She is very intelligent and creative person. Her time-management and work-management skills are remarkable (I haven’t inherited an ounce of these skills in me). And the cuisines my mom prepares, one who eats once would come back again. She is a very good teacher. She has taught us, in our formative years and that has built the strong foundations that we have.
Mummy you are my inspiration to live.

My elder brother, dearly called “Raju Bhaiya” by me, is in Merchant Navy. He sails around the world and has touched almost all the major ports of the world. He is at a position where he manages the complete ship and manages it very well. Well, management is his strong point since I have started understanding him. He is a good manager of time and that makes him a extremely punctual person (inherited from my parents), a good manager of his finances, of his belongings and that is what reflects in his profession where he has proved to be good manager of people and work. I have to learn a lot from him. He is a very simple person and believes in simple living. He is a hard-working person who is at this level because of his sincerity and hard-work.
“Raju Bhaiya“ you are my inspiration to persevere and succeed.

And my “Raju Bhaiya” is married to my beautiful “Bhabhi”. She has a creative bent of mind. One should see the beautiful paintings and the hand arts she has worked on – starting from oil painting to glass painting. You name it and she has worked on that art. She is a good at cooking as well. She is a caring mother, has a jovial nature and loves to talk a lot on varied topics. She takes good care of my papa and mummy and which I should learn.
“Bhabhi” you are my inspiration to re-develop the creativity in me.

My bro and sis-in-law have gifted me and our family with sweet and adorable nephew and niece, dearly called by the name Babu and Binda respectively. Their presence brings lot of life in our family, gives all of us a reason to laugh together, and provides all of us the opportunity to be kids again with them. Until Babu came into out lives, I was the youngest in my family for 20 years and have enjoyed the pampering of the family, alone. But I never knew what pampering someone, loving someone unconditionally was all about until I first touched Babu (on his 22 day in this world). He was the first baby I had seen so closely in my life and I was absolutely no clue how to handle him. But gradually I learnt to take his care as he learnt to live his way in our family, his world. Then approximately 3.5 years later Babu went through the same feeling. He had someone younger to him now, in his lovely and beautiful sister, Binda, a name given to her by her elder brother (coz he couldn’t pronounce Behna – hindi for sister, he used to call her Binda). And thus our family was complete.
Babu and Binda you are my inspiration to revive the kid in me.

My family is my inspiration and I don’t have to look outward for any.

Who am I?

THAT'S ME -------------------------------->
100 Pointers to know me... Well read on as a starter to know me. And for those who tell that Lakshmi its so difficult to understand you... here are some notes on me :)... Atleast this is what I know about me.

1. I am lazy.
   
2. I am not sure whether I will be able to write about myself but I am trying.
   
3. I love to sleep. I can sleep up to 36 hours at a stretch.
   
4. My friends in college called me “Sleeping Beauty”. I don’t know about the beauty part but I am sure that my favorite time pass is sleeping.
   
5. Sometimes I do feel guilty that I sleep a lot and start doing important work to feel better that I haven’t wasted time.
   
6. I cannot wake up in the morning at all. It’s a pain for me.
   
7. I can stay awake the entire night without any problem and therefore in college I was also know as “Night Queen”.
   
8. I love to sing although I believe my singing capability has deteriorated over the years.
   
9. I really am passionate about dancing. I need a choreographer though. My mind can’t think of steps and moves.
   
10. I like to keep my home clean and hygienic but tend to mess up the entire house as I hate to fold clothes. So I end up piling it up endlessly. I have to improve.
    
11. But once in a while I get so irritated that I clean up the entire mess.
    
12. I love my family. I am too dependant on my mummy.
    
13. I enjoy playing with kids. I just love the sight of them. I kind of get attracted to get hold of them.
    
14. I enjoy reading comics – Archies, Tinkle. I want to read Tintin and Asterix series. I read Reader’s Digest but I feel that the quality is deteriorating every month. I hate filmy magazines. Besides I am fond of Erich Segals’, Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer (Read his Short Stories), Harry Potter and other varied authors.
    
15. I watch Cartoon Network and Pogo and wait for Tom and Jerry and Mr. Beans on both the channels.
    
16. I am a very independent girl. I like to do things alone.
    
17. I am emotional as well, but I try not to reveal my emotions to everyone. I am quite secretive about it and selective about what I talk to many people.
    
18. I just can talk for hours together if my listener is an active listener and is participating enthusiastically in the conversation. A passive listener would not enjoy the company of my intelligent talks. :) I would just exchange a hello-hi with such a person.
    
19. I relish good food. Once upon a time I was a foodie but since I am gaining weight off late I am kind of having a check on my eating habits. In college my friends had rhymed my name with “Lakshmi Seth hamesha khaali hai pet”.
    
20. I love to eat Gol-guppas (aka pani-puri), momos, and burger from Mc Donalds. I loved soft-drinks and chocolates but stopped them to check on my weight and skin problems.
    
21. I enjoy traveling a lot and especially with my family. Never had the company of friends with whom I could have planned a trip.
    
22. I have a few dreams and want to fulfill them. I want to learn to play atleast one instrument preferably Guitar but I guess the “Muhurat” hasn’t come yet.
    
23. I want to do MBA but am not sure whether it’s going to help me in my career. I am scared of the preparation of MBA not the exam but the marathon preparation that’s required for that.
    
24. It’s really difficult to get into my good friends list but once you are there, I can go out of my way to help you in times of need.
    
25. I am very lazy to make calls.
    
26. I love my work but only if it is interesting and would require me to use my brains. Any thing monotonous would never interest me and I start looking for a change of work/ environment.
    
27. I like change of environment soon. I hate monotony to such an extent that I would step out alone to see some color in life.
    
28. I am sometimes very temperamental.
    
29. I am argumentative but not quarrelsome. I like healthy discussions a lot.
    
30. I like company of people who are intellect-driven and just would not crap around on useless stuff.
    
31. I remember lot of friends from past and love the feeling if some old friend traces me and contacts me.
    
32. I enjoy the rains and would love to get wet in rain for hours only if it doesn’t get me into bad consequences like falling sick.
    
33. I am hydrophilic and that’s the reason I like swimming. Its difficult job to get me out of a pool or a beach.
    
34. I don’t believe in the existence of GOD but I do believe there is some supernatural force behind everything. To be frank I am too confused. I don’t believe in praying and the norms that are followed in prayers.
    
35. Like I believe there are some supernatural forces behind everything, I do believe in the existence of souls, zombies, yetis, numerology, astrology and all the miraculous and super natural thing. That’s because I believe that there can’t be smoke without a fire. If there are stories there has to be some base to it.
    
36. Given an opportunity it fun for me to enjoy events.
    
37. I have always been into extra-curricular activities in school and college.
    
38. I have a bad temper. Normally no one can find out that I have a bad temper but show dishonesty, and over smartness and you have had it. This is the reason “autowallas” of Bangalore have an extremely tough time with me.
    
39. I am generous at heart. I can cry easily seeing helpless, poor people but I don’t encourage begging; especially to the kids.
    
40. My first crush was when I joined college. He was my class-mate. That was my first and last crush.
    
41. I love to drive fast but I am generally not a safe driver. I end up having accidents.
    
42. I don’t enjoy flights. But have to board them to save time and spend money.
    
43. I cannot save money. I spend it all. I never have a bit of idea where did all my money go!!!
    
44. I like company of honest people. I detest hypocricy and lies.
    
45. I didn’t believe that there is something called destiny that can affect out lives but since February this year I strongly believe in destiny.
    
46. I love the food that my mummy and papa cooks. It’s just that whenever my papa cooks the taste is awesome, but he tends to put a little bit more of chilly. And we end up eating with watery eyes and nose.
    
47. I hate people who blow shrill horns on road. Literally feel like bashing them up (only if I could).
    
48. 99.9 % of the time I don’t litter in public places. One can find lot of wrappers and waste in my handbag if I forget to get rid of them in time.
    
49. I wanted to become a commercial pilot.
    
50. My papa and eldest brother wanted me to become a Doctor. My second brother wanted me to hit the bollywood. My mom left it all on me and I ended up doing Engineering.
    
51. I have been to library only once in my life. Just to check out how’s the environment. It’s too tensed up and I never went again.
    
52. I am too cool for exams. So cool that I don’t ever study till the last day. It’s only in the last few hours that I realize I should study. The only exam I fear is CAT because of the preparations that’s required for it.
    
53. I may or may not be enduring.
    
54. I am quite kiddish at heart.
    
55. I love shopping But on my money. Haven’t ever tried on other’s money. Will try after getting married. :) (By the way his money will be mine :) )
    
56. I am a good and patient listener.
    
57. I don’t like crowded places. Especially temples which are crowded.
    
58. I can remember birthdays well.
    
59. I don’t like cooking on a daily basis but my friends say I cook well.
    
60. I love perfumes.
    
61. I hate Indian politics. I don’t even follow it. It’s more of dirty game than administration that it should be.
    
62. Mysteries and discoveries really magnetize me.
    
63. Surprises thrill me.
    
64. And I respect knowledgeable and talented people. (It enthralls me to watch kids perform on SA RE GA MA on Zee TV/ Boogie Woogie in Sony TV/ 30 seconds to Fame on AXN).
    
65. I was a naughty kid, a resentful teenager and a calm and fun-loving adult.
    
66. I fell down many a times as a kid. I would have bruises almost through out the year. (A fren gave a nice saying "As kids we always wanted to grow up and fall in love, but now we realise that bruised elbows are easier to heal than broken hearts.")
    
67. I love to watch meaningful and well directed movies. Recent favorites are Parineeta, Rang de Basanti, Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai. I generally don’t get the urge to watch English movies but enjoy them when some one suggests me to watch them.
    
68. I love to photograph lovely moments.
    
69. Give me a pencil and a notebook. I’ll spoil it by writing my name over and over again. I guess it’s a disease but not infectious. (its called marginalia-mania)
    
70. I Google for my name and my family members name.
    
71. My name is quite unique (now don’t get bowled over, I know Lakshmi is the most common name in India). I am speaking about the complete name. Lakshmi is mostly found in South India and Seth is a North Indian surname. So the combination is unique. I always wondered as a kid, if there was another female by my name and Google helped me to find that out. There is just another lady and at a very good position, Vice president of some firm. (I hope the numerology is correct and I too fly high :p)
    
72. I can be impulsive and stubborn at times but try and reason out.
    
73. I have no self-discipline.
    
74. I have lots of good friends.
    
75. I have broken two mobiles. :) The current one is the 5th one.
    
76. I like well-dressed men with a smart walk and good humor. The list is long and visit Orkut to see what my definition of Ideal Match (Google should pay me for promoting Orkut :))
    
77. When I am angry I speak English, when I am in a sweet mood, I speak Bengali. Normally I express well in Hindi. Speaking Oriya is a compulsion at times as I stay in Bhubaneswar. I code in Java and ABAP. :) Close friends say I speak none of the language fluently :(
    
78. I love to watch intelligent advertisement and sometimes wish I was behind such acumen.
    
79. I sometimes feel I should go to a solitary land, just be alone and enjoy/ appreciate the freshness of nature.
    
80. I hope to do something for the society. I have a very strong urge to adopt a kid.
    
81. I like when it snows.
    
82. I was once stuck in a desert storm and trust me the experience of snow and desert storm happened within a span of 6 months. It was exhilarating.
    
83. I don’t idolize anyone, just learn from others and try to practice good qualities.
    
84. I have a habit of reading road-side signs, hoardings; basically anything and everything that crosses my eyes while I am commuting.
    
85. In jewelry, I love finger rings.
    
86. I am not one of those feminine kinds. I gel with guys more than girls. And I gel better with not very feminine girls.
    
87. I like a lot of luxury. I believe in life-style but can adjust in any circumstance.
    
88. I am very emotional with respect to some of my friends.
    
89. I love rose. I buy it and gift it to myself. :)
    
90. I love to gift others; especially my family members. Its gives immense satisfaction and happiness to see their faces glowing with pride and content.
    
91. I don’t like people who mishandle my things.
    
92. I have a diary where I have my collection. Only two people have read it till date but not completely.
    
93. I generally don’t use short forms anywhere… be it making notes or using Short Message Service (hee hee hee well thats SMS :) and wanted to prove what I said. Well I do use the basic ones like SMS / MMS) or mailing.
    
94. I am scared of well-grown fat lizards and that’s why I drive away all the lizards from my home when they are small in size. Eeeks! The thought itself gives me creeps.
    
95. I am open to ideas. I generally do not contradict people easily. I just listen to them with open mind.
    
96. I hate to say, I am never on time.
    
97. In class 1, spelling of "hundred" was the toughest for me. I cheated on mom many a times; would go and ask papa for the spelling and write in the notebook. :p "Examine" was a word I could not pronounce properly in class 4. (my mom had a tough time teaching that). "Unitary Method" in class 5 and "Discounts" in class 9 were again something I had to break my head into. (It was my papa's turn now. He was extremely irritated teaching me :) )
    
98. I love to manage people and plan work. Give me responsibility and you'll see the best of me.
    
99. It takes a lifetime to know someone so all these hundred points might make a difference but you got to know me personally to know me. (And how much does it take to know one self… More than a life I guess.)
    
100. Well I have lot of time now as my project is over so I thought of some introspection.