Dreams Unlimited

The citizens of Mumbai have finally spoken. They came out in large numbers to vote, to make a difference, to participate in the decision making process. Their commitment is really strong. Their interest did not dwindle with the passing time. They have shown that they still care. After all who would have thought that the voter turnout in Mumbai after the 26/11 carnage would be a whooping 43.5%. All that was expected was just a 15% increase in the turnout compared to the 47% turnout in Mumbai five years back in 2004. Must say, this city never fails to surprise me. Way to go!!! After all, which individual with all his senses intact would choose to stand in long tortuous queues in the sweltering heat just to press a button when they can clearly spend the long weekend with their family holidaying somewhere or even perhaps relaxing at home. How many times do we overworked, underpaid, underappreciated (as we believe) Mumbaikars get a mandatory paid holiday? Very rarely, right. So why waste it

Today is the day that Mumbai votes and this year's election is special as the 26/11 attacks have been a wake up call. Many citizens have realised that apathy is not helping, they need to do something. So strong was the feeling in some that the number of independent candidates contesting have risen. And they have not chosen to contest against the weak. They want to defeat the best. And according to me it is a very smart thing to do. It is a win-win situation either ways. If you win then your victory will be hailed, for you have defeated the best and even if you lose, you gain respect because you had the guts to pick such a strong opponent, not to forget all the publicity you would garner-it would ensure that you have a strong foothold and you can definitely come back again-this time against a candidate you are sure to defeat. Brilliant strategy!!! And my bet is that most of these independents will try again next year with renewed vigor(if they dont win that is). My wishes to them. B

Life has a way of throwing surprises when you least expect it. A disastrous event can spoil the flow of things or one positive incident can make you forget even the most difficult phase in your life. Success is a very relative term and so is happiness- some think they know what they want and the smart ones know that even if they want something it is just a temporary phase. Once you get what you desire you no longer want it and crave for something else. Sometimes you can surprise yourself specially when you do something you never imagined yourself capable of. Thats when you taste true victory. I was reading "Its Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong.His is a classic tale of overcoming all obstacles and set backs to achieve the impossible- he won Tour de France(7 times),the most rigorous and competitive cycling tournament after battling cancer. Many people wrote him off long back. but he fought back. He proved them all wrong. The only thing that he kept saying to himself was t