Neeraj Jain, December 26, 2007

Hey friends,

It feels great to write on rediffiland after such a loooooooong time. Well, now December is about to end and winter has not really set its foot in Delhi. The season of winter has changed a lot in Delhi. Around 4-5 years back winter used to arrive in the middle of November. There used to be a really dense fog. When going out, it was difficult to see people just right next to you. Therefore, you had to take a lot of precautions when walking on the road. Big circles of air used to come out every time I used to open my mouth. People used to wear 3-4 layers of woolens.

Winter has changed a lot. Now winter does not set in Delhi till the middle of January. People just wear one sweater or a jacket. You have to try hard to see a fog. I am missing the earlier winter seasons of Delhi and hoping that the winter will be more cold this season.

If you are also missing the cold climate of yesteryears, please do comment.

Neeraj Jain, 14th November

What a miracle? The doctors of Sparsh Hospital at Bangalore successfully completed an operation on Lakshmi and separated her from her parastic twin. Kudos to her parents and the chief surgeon who made it possible!

Lakshmi suffered from a rare disease. She had four hands and four legs. As a result, she could not walk besides other difficulties. She was born to poor parents in Bihar. One circus owner tried to buy this girl from them in return of huge money. However, her parents really loved Lakshmi. They were hopeful of getting some relief for Lakshmi. They came to Delhi. However, no health facility offered a solution. Therefore, they returned to Bihar.

Dr. Sharan Patil came to know about Lakshmi’s condition through newspapers. He immediately met her parents in Bihar and decided to operate upon her without charging any money. Unbelievable, but true. He and his team of 30 doctors performed a 27-hour operation costing 25 lakhs without charging money from her parents. He put his career at stake just in the hope of giving a new life to a poor girl.

The medical team cut her spine and closed the gap between her pelvis bones. Now she is recovering fast. Dr. Sharan is hopeful that she will start walking in 1-2 months. I also hope the same for Lakshmi. A person like Dr. Sharan is very hard to find. I pray to God to fulfill all his wishes.

Hey friendz, what are your thoughts on this? Have you ever met such kind of humble person as Dr. Sharan? Do comment.

Neeraj Jain, 29th October

In our everyday lives, most of us use perfumes or deodorants. We use deodorants to keep away body odour. On the other hand, we use perfumes to keep ourselves fresh and cast a favorable impression on others.

Go to any Archies or any gift shop. You will find many perfumes and deodorants. Some come cheap while others cast a dent in your pocket. Some are mild while others are strong. The most common varieties that you find are Rose, Peach, musk, and sandalwood. Have you wondered which is the best perfume? I would say: none. This is because these perfumes are synthetic and contain very small amount of plant extracts. Their effects vanish after an hour or so. You do not feel the fragrance for a long time.

If you want to savour the best perfume, this season, the autumn season, is the best time. Just go to any temple nearby. If you are fortunate, you will find a harsingar tree now. Its orange buds give such a strong and refreshing smell that you can feel its fragrance from a long distance.

If you do not like going to temples, you just need to go out of your residential area and visit the arterial  roads. I mean roads which branch out from the main road. Trees are in full bloom now. Their fragrance is so strong that your nose will automatically open up.

Just move out of your residential areas and experience the best perfumes of this world. I am sure; you will forget all perfumes available in the market. If you have already experienced the natural perfumes, please share your thoughts. 

Neeraj Jain, October 08

I am so addicted to the Internet that I am online for more than 12 hours. I check my mails many times during a day. I also visit orkut on a daily basis. All my things are online. Therefore, it is difficult for me to predict a life without the Internet.

However, I am also a die hard traveler. Whenever I get an opportunity, I like to escape to the hills. I had planned a trip to Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Muzaffarnagar for three days. I did not want to take the laptop along because there are thieves everywhere. Besides, the laptop is bulky and I was in no mood to endure the pain of carrying one while traveling. Therefore, I decided to give the Internet a miss for three days.

In Haridwar, I found an iWay just a stone's throw away from Mansa Devi temple. I was delighted. However, my pleasure was short-lived. The moment I mumbled "Internet", the owner spoke in straight voice "Photo I-Card." I guess that iWays are very particular about identifying their customers. I was not carrying any photo-id card not even my driving license. All that I have was an ATM card of ICICI bank. Therefore, I had to leave the iWay dejected. Then in the evening, I scanned all shops on the Hardiwar main road but could not find another café. I decided that I will check my mails the next day at Rishikesh.

The next day at Rishikesh, I found a posh-looking cybercafé. Fortunately, it was not an iWay. When I entered there, the owner did not ask for any photo card. Therefore, I was relieved. However, 4-5 foreigners were already browsing the Internet and 2-3 foreigners were waiting. I asked the owner "Internet karna hai". He told me that my turn would take time. I realized that I would need to wait for more than an hour. So I decided to say bye to the Internet and left the place.

My next day was at Muzaffarnagar. Here, I could not find a single cybercafé in vicinity. In late evening, I returned to my home at night. I was dying to use the Internet on my laptop. After having my food and watching few minutes of TV, I logged into both my e-mail and orkut accounts. There were around 200 unread e-mails in my inbox. This number could have been more had my trip not been on holidays. My orkut account was flooded with birthday wishes. I was relieved and very delighted. I have scored a major victory. I have survived for three days being completely off the Internet. Now I can safely say that I have a life beyond the Internet.

What has been your experience being away from the Internet? Let the world know.