And I thought my problems were bigger…

Whenever I get time I try my best not to miss this television show called “Lift Karade”.

This show is anchored by Karan Johar the famous director/ producer of Hindi Films and the show is produced in association of Yash Raj Films and Sony Television.

Lift Karade has a very simple format but an amazing concept. Like any other reality shows these days, the participants compete against each other to prove that they are the number one fan of the invited celebrity of the week. I thought that is the reason the show is called lift karade, as a common man you get a chance to meet your role model. There is another element of this show that they also help an individual who is in serious need of financial help. I think that is the prime reason the show is called lift karade.

How?

These participants have to do some real time selling and earn money; the participant who earns the maximum will get a chance to meet their role model. The money they earn is multiplied hundreds of times and is given to this particular needy.

This week story was on Swarna Kaur, an 80 years old lady (mother and a grand mother) from a very small village in Punjab. Trust me friends after watching the entire show reel on Swarna Kaur the first thing I did, thanked god for whatever I am blessed with. My problems seemed like a micro-organism front of hers.

Her family consists of three members, her son and two grand children. Son is in his 40’s but is mentally unstable and is nothing more than just any other still object lying in her house. A major road accident was the reason for his condition. His wife left him and the two children couple of years back as she didn’t wanted to mess up her life with such a man. Swarna has two more sons but they also chose not to help her out and the brother and always kept themselves away from this family. Swarna’s house hold condition is miserable; there is hardly anything to eat and no money for other necessities.

Although, at this stage of life Swarna is helpless but she has not lost hopes and is doing whatever possible to bring up the two grand children and also take care of mentally unstable son. Swarana is illiterate and not even a skilled laborer so getting some monthly paying job is out of the question. I was in tears when I watched the way she manages to get some food for the family. She cleans and collects cow-dung from every house in the village and in return the villagers just give the family some food to eat and at times some money. I was shocked to know that someone in this world was still dependent on this type of batter system, which was taught to me in my 4th grade at school under a topic called obsolete civil systems of the society.

We get so irritated and frustrated when there is a power-cut at home or stuck in middle of a traffic jam or bad day at work or an argument with a colleague or a delay in salary and we end up saying things like life sucks etc etc. Guys, just for a heck of it try to be without food for just 2 days and you will definitely realize how difficult it is. Think about people like Swarna, who are actually handicap in managing their one time daily meal and also at times the entire family sleeps without food. I am sure our biggest of the problems are tiny front of such actual problems. Let us all appreciate and thank god for whatever we are blessed with.

As they say, no matter how good or bad the time is; it definitely changes one day.

Swarna must have never thought in her wildest dreams that someone sitting thousands of kilometers away from her at Mumbai has come up with such a concept which will change her life forever. Truly, this show 100% stands up to its name “Lift Karade”. She received an amount of rupees eleven lakh from this show. Plus a lakh more, personally donated by the legendary actor Dharmendra (celebrity of the week).

Learning - no matter whatever downs we are going through in our lives, we must never lose hopes and keep fighting because no matter how good or bad the time is; it definitely changes one day.

Tyda Jungle Bells

April 2007

Our MBA was in its final phase. We all were aware of the fact that it was also last stage of our beautiful college-life, and the real-life was waiting for us outside the college gates.

I don’t exactly remember how everything got planned but we, a bunch of friend decided to travel to this beautiful place called Tyda Jungle bells, it is about 6-7 hours drive from Vizag, but we tried our hands on both first train and then a car drive.

All we knew about Tyda from Google search was it is a place situated in middle of dense forests near Araku Valley (a hill station neighboring Vizag). It has AP tourism cottages and people just go there to relax and chill out.

Day 1 Vizag: we had an amazing fun, it was a jam packed day full of site-seeing, eating by road-side, beaches, water sports, rope-ways, pubing and at last amazing sleepy after doing so much in just one day.

Next day we boarded a train to a place called Bora Caves which was on the way to Araku Valley, the train was one of its own kind of an experience, wooden seats people were sitting and sleeping wherever they got chance too. Finally, even we all managed to find some place, to be specific it was exactly the way Shahrukh Khan traveled in the movie Swades, to a village. We reached Bora Cave after 4 hours and soon got done with caves-tour in just an hour and started on a memorable journey to Tyda Jungle Bells.

On the way we passed by Araku Valley and if I am not wrong we reached Tyda in just 2 hours of car drive. We had our booking from 10 in the morning but we reached about 5 in the evening.

Tyda: Oh my god! It was heaven on earth, I have been an avid tourist aroundIndia but trust me guys this one was something special. I was already feeling tranquilized, romantic, dreamy, and wonderful, there was some magic in the air.


We got the keys at the reception office and then the attendant guided us towards are cottage for which we had to walk around 250 yards up the hill into the forest. The wooden cottage was simply astonishing; two walls were completely glass and other two wooden. Down the hills there was an open restaurant which served a limited menu. When I went and spoke to the restaurant in-charge, seeing him I got reminded of a bhatakti hui atma from ramsay movies. Attendant told us that there is no means of communication with the outside world from this place no telephones, no televisions, only way to commute is by own car or city bus.


Wow! the girls were little scared but I was so trilled...

I looked at the sky above; there was a lovely spray of clouds. I looked at the majestic mountain. The cool breeze was almost kissing our faces. I looked at the valley and there was all darkness and not a single movement till the eternity it was all so quiet and composed. Everything was perfect, pure bliss. It was all like a dream. I wished if I would stay there forever without speaking a word, my soul was completely lost in the scenery.

As I came back out of this lovely dreamy feeling, the breeze, the sky, the day, had all ceased to exit and it was all getting darker.

Yes, we all headed for our dinner after which there was a lovely campfire and dance show arranged by the local tribes for our entertainments. After that we all went back to our cottage and crash landed on our beds into the real dreamy world.