२४०१ : दोन ओळींचा दिलासा

कधी कधी फार मोठं काही घडण्याची गरज नसते. दोन ओळींचा एक साधा मेसेजही मनाला दिलासा देऊन जातो. आज तसंच काहीसं घडलं.

आज अचानक फोनवर एक मेसेज आला. साधा मेसेज भलत्याच सोशल असलेल्या सोशल मीडियावर नाही. आणि कदाचित मी जेथे राहते त्या ठिकाणाचे महत्त्व असेल म्हणून तो मराठीत होता.

मी जेव्हा तो मेसेज पहिल्यांदा वाचला तेव्हा नीटसा समजला नाही. पुन्हा एकदा वाचला तेव्हा त्याचं महत्त्व उमगलं. त्या फक्त दोन-तीन ओळी आहेत; पण त्या वाचून जो दिलासा मिळाला तो मोजमापाच्या पल्याड आहे.

सद्य परिस्थितीत असा मेसेज वाचायला मिळणं खूप महत्त्वाचं आहे. मला हे ठाऊक नाही की हा फक्त दिलासा देण्यासाठी पाठवलेला मेसेज आहे, की ह्या मागे व्यवस्थित संख्याशास्त्राचा अभ्यास झाला आहे. हा मेसेज त्यांनी कसा तयार केला असेल? म्हणजे ह्या मागची आकडेवारी त्यांना कुठून मिळाली असेल? तंत्रज्ञानाचा नक्कीच पुरेपूर वापर केलेला दिसतो.

आपल्या कडे थेट युद्धस्थिती नसली तरी जगात काही ठिकाणी युद्धस्थिती आहे. आणि अशा देशांवर आपण स्वयंपाकासाठी लागणाऱ्या इंधनासाठी बऱ्याच प्रमाणात अवलंबून आहोत. वृत्तपत्रे, बातम्या आणि इतर ठिकाणी जेव्हा सतत असे ऐकायला मिळते की असं होणार, तसं होणार… ते काहींना घाबरवून टाकणारंही असतं.

अशा वेळी असा मेसेज मिळाला की "सगळं काही ठीक आहे, आटोक्यात आहे, तुटवडा नाही आहे"  इतकं हायसं वाटलं की सांगता सोय नाही.

हा दिलासा फक्त माझ्यासाठी नाही, तर प्रत्येकासाठी आहे ज्यांना इंधनाची, गॅसची गरज आहे.

प्रार्थनेत बळ असतं यात शंकाच नाही. आणि त्याच वेळी तंत्रज्ञानाचा वापर करून काढलेली आकडेवारीही किती समाधान देऊन जाते हे लक्षात आलं.

आता इथून पुढे सगळेच जरा अधिक सांभाळून गॅस वापरतील यात दुमत नाही. पुरवून-पुरवून वापर केला जाईल  सर्व स्तरांवर. कारण असा मेसेज प्रत्येकापर्यंत पोचला असणारच.

म्हणजे बघा, त्या दोन ओळींची कमाल!

तसंही सगळेच गॅस आणि जिन्नस जपून वापरतात. पण आता कदाचित अजून थोडी जास्त जागरूकता येईल.

दोन ओळी, चार शब्द पाठवावे असे ज्यांना सुचले त्यांना प्रणाम आणि मनःपूर्वक धन्यवाद.

तुमच्याही आयुष्यात असा एखादा छोटा मेसेज कधी दिलासा देऊन गेला आहे का?

2400: The "Just an Option" Myth

I recently came across a podcast featuring two iconic actresses who have dominated the industry for three decades. One statement struck a chord with me: "Because you didn't know anything else, or couldn't do anything else, you became an actor."

It immediately transported me back through my own memory lane. As academicians, we have often been met with a similar bias: "You only became a teacher because you couldn't get a job in the industry. It was just an option." There was even a time I was told, "Since you are in teaching, don't celebrate Engineer’s Day; you aren't a real engineer anymore."

After 28 years in the "industry of education," I can say with absolute certainty: Engineering is not just a job title; it is a mindset.

Whether it is counseling, acting, writing, or training, there is an "Engineered Approach" to excellence. Knowingly or unknowingly, we apply models, perform data analysis, forecast outcomes, test hypotheses, and iterate for better results. That is the very essence of engineering.

Here are my reflections on professional respect:

1. Universal Challenges: Every domain has its hurdles. The percentage of difficulty may vary, but the struggle for excellence is universal.

2. The Futility of Cribbing: Every working professional is a vital cog in the machine. Constant complaining about others' choices is often more about the critic's nature than the subject's competence.

3. The "5-Second Rule" of Criticism: If you have a critique about something a person cannot fix in five seconds, and you aren't contributing to their upliftment keep quiet. Focus on serving your own entities with excellence.

4. The Ecosystem of Growth: If every engineer stayed on the factory floor, who would cultivate the next generation of innovators? We need the bridge the guest lectures, the hackathons, and the internships to turn students into practitioners.

My mantra remains: "Live and Let Live." Enjoy your work, respect the "engineered" effort in every field, and keep moving forward.

2399: Carrot story

Looking back at my school days, I realize how much I cherished the consistency of homemade food. In the winters of my childhood, my mother’s red carrot pickle was a staple. Back then, red carrots were the only variety we knew, appearing only for a fleeting season. That pickle had a taste that was truly "out of this world." I used to literally hog it; it paired perfectly with almost every dish on the table.

Interestingly, Carrot Halwa wasn't part of the traditional Maharashtrian culture in our home back then. Instead, my mother made the world's best carrot kheer. It had the most appealing color, a rich taste, and provided a deep sense of satisfaction. In winter, carrots would find their way into our rice, our curries, and, of course, the fresh salads we enjoyed daily.

Now, it is my turn in the kitchen. Over the years, the "Halwa culture" took over, and I added it to my repertoire. Carrot curries both dry and gravy-based became tiffin norms. Grated carrot salad, which we fondly call koshimbir, became a regular side. At my home, red carrots are now mandatory in poha; their presence, color, and taste are a healthy addition to almost all breakfast items, from upma and dosa to uttapam and parathas.

The list is truly endless. Recently, I discovered carrot wadi (mithai). When my kids were small, I often made carrot cakes. I even heard a celebrity mother on a reality show recently speak about colorful carrot puris, an idea that sparked my curiosity. From being a must-have in my grilled sandwiches to providing the perfect texture in veg cutlets, the carrot is a versatile hero. Even in our evening bhel, amidst the potatoes and tomatoes, a handful of grated carrots adds a healthy, fun crunch.

As winter draws to a close, I find myself waiting for the red variety to return next year, making do with the orange ones in the meantime. Reflecting on this journey, it feels as if a film has been rolling in front of my eyes, a colorful, nutritious, and soul-warming story of a simple vegetable.

2398: Decluttering 2.0

The silsila (sequence) of decluttering continues, and with it, new layers of my past are unfolding.

My first stop today was the "Spam" folder, a quick reminder of the digital "weeds" that need regular pulling. But the real journey began when I reached the "Drafts." I found myself stuck there, lost in thought. Looking at those incomplete emails, I tried to remember: Why did I leave this half-cooked? What stopped me from hitting send? Some made me smile, others made me wonder if I should finally finish them or simply pick up the phone and call. Cleaning this folder isn't just a task; it’s an emotional negotiation with my past self.

From there, I switched to the "Sent" folder, and that is where the true "treasure" lay. Using filters to navigate by day and month, I randomly picked emails to read. I found notes of gratitude, detailed narrations of experiences, and professional exchanges that now feel like certificates of my hard work and consistency.

What struck me most was how these emails have "witnessed" my transformation. The tone, the pace, and the concerns of my full-time work era are so different from my current "re-attaired" phase. The change in my life isn't just a memory; it is documented and captured in black and white within these folders.

It is fascinating to see my own evolution through the "Sent" items of my life. I am eager to see what else will unfold as I continue this deep dive into my digital archives.

2397: Importance of De-cluttering

This morning, a notification from Gmail acted as a wake-up call: my storage was nearly full. I started with my Drive, clearing out old files to create some breathing room, and then moved to my inbox.

Initially, the process was slow and tedious. I began with the most recent emails, deleting advertisements and "garbage" information. It felt like a boring chore until I changed my strategy. I decided to "walk the aisle" from the very beginning, jumping to the oldest pages of my inbox.

Suddenly, boredom turned into a journey of discovery. I found old bank statements from years ago. Seeing my old salary and expenditure details was surprisingly satisfying, it was heartening to see how well I managed life even then! I crossed paths with forgotten invitations, messages from old friends, students, and relatives. My inbox had become a time capsule of my own life.

I realized why I had been so careless with my storage: for years, I relied on my office email with its "unlimited" space. My personal account didn't have that luxury, and I had let it become a storehouse for digital clutter.

This experience taught me two vital lessons:

1. The Power of the "Unsubscribe": Deleting isn't enough; we must stop the clutter at the source.

2. Mental Hygiene: Just as we wouldn't store garbage in a spotlessly clean home, we shouldn't store unwanted thoughts in our minds.

Clutter both digital and mental will always keep pouring in. By setting aside just 10 minutes a day to clean up, we can ensure we always feel "lightweight" and ready for the present. Thank you, Gmail, for knocking on my door today and turning a cleanup into a celebration of memories.

#DigitalDeclutter #Mindfulness #MentalHealth #GmailCleanUp #ProductivityTips #LifeLessons #MemoryLane #WeekendForever 

2396: Technical Brilliance with Spiritual Depth

I have always believed that things happen automatically, people meet surprisingly, and the right information appears ironically just when you require it most. Today was no different. A thumbnail appeared on my giant TV screen that was too interesting to ignore, a 17-minute video in Marathi that left me utterly speechless.

The speaker was narrating the astonishing work and legacy of the saints, from Sant Dnyaneshwar to Sant Tukaram. His speech was a masterclass: time-bound, loaded with apt stories, and deeply rooted in the experiences of that era. There was no over-boarding, no unnecessary pauses, and a flow that demonstrated a legendary grip on the subject.

My father, who is a university in himself and my ultimate hero always said: "Clarity of speech comes from the super-clarity of deep thoughts and dedicated study." Today, I saw that truth in action.

Out of curiosity, I checked the speaker’s profile and was left in awe. He is a highly reputed tech person and a well-known researcher in the field. To hear someone from a hardcore technical background provide such accurate citations and spiritual details was remarkable. I believe I had met him once before when he was an invited speaker at my previous workplace, but I only knew his "tech" side then.

Usually, we see individuals who are either tech-savvy with proven track records or highly spiritual. To find someone who is both is rare. He is clearly a voracious reader of literature and a consistent practitioner of spirituality.

Seeing this "dual-mastery" has motivated me deeply. It is a reminder that being "intelligent" isn't just about the algorithms we write or the AI we use, it’s about the depth of the soul and the clarity of the mind.

2395: Spoon tap

It started in 2018. As my "absent-minded" professor might recall, a certain Hindi blockbuster was sweeping the nation, and a famous ghagra from the film was the talk of the town. Coincidentally, I had purchased a dress that mirrored that style. Whenever I wore it, I felt a surge of "sky-high" motivation. I wasn't just wearing a dress; I was stepping into the persona of someone legendary. It gave me a confidence that was, and still is, impossible to put into words.

The Nano-Scale Kitchen Experiments: Life moved into the kitchen. When my children were young, I began experimenting on a "nano-scale." One of my "patented" home-cooked inventions was the Wrap. Born out of a necessity to make cabbage curry appealing, I combined the curry with roti, butter, spices, and a generous amount of cheese. We would devour them with tomato sauce in no time. It was simple, it was "us," and it was our little secret.

Walking the Talk: Now, the kids are flying high, the entire sky belongs to them. With more time in my hands and inspired by the latest season of MasterChef, I decided to "walk the talk." No longer content with just feeding a family, I wanted to innovate. I had the ingredients, the time, and the learnings from the show.

The Iterative Process: 1.0 to 4.0 I challenged myself to skip the cheese and elevate the health quotient:

• Version 1.0: Simple roti with cabbage lightly cooked with chickpea flour for binding.

• Version 2.0: I introduced homemade hung curd. That first bite was a "spoon-tap" moment for myself. I reached that same sky-high feeling from 2018. It was healthy, homemade, and superb.

• Version 3.0: I experimented with the base, mixing green leafy vegetables directly into the dough.

• Version 4.0 (The Final Cut): A mixed-veg stuffing finished with fresh hung curd for that final "punch."

The Diva and the Nano-Researcher Beyond wow. Simple, homemade, and tasting of pure success. This journey from a cabbage wrap to a sophisticated 4.0 version has made me feel like a "Diva" and a self-declared "Nano-level MasterChef."

This is why we must stay inspired by the world around us whether it's a reality show or a blockbuster movie. It keeps us "unstoppable" in our pursuit of variety and excellence.