Mearl Colaco

Birthday is a day every year…. which I am sure is special to each one of us. A day on which we receive gifts and lots of hugs & kisses from our loved ones. It is infact a special day, filled with celebrations with friends and family, but believe me, I kind of find birthday celebrations real embarrassing and accepting gifts even more uncomfortable. On my birthdays, I like staying away from the rest of the world. No cutting the birthday cake, no gifts, no parties, for me please. I make it a point to take a casual off from office too, because it’s kind of a ritual in office to cut the birthday cake with colleagues. People put you in the spotlight….just because it’s your birthday. No big deal…what say!!! Life is beautiful …but I do not see birthdays as a day where you have achieved anything…….it’s just the day which comes the same day every year. Infact, it is worthier to be in the spotlight, if you have achieved your goal with your hardwork and commitment. But yeah…..I love celebratin...

After the terrorist attack, the best thing that has happened to us here is India, is that each citizen of this multicultural country is strongly united and we have realized the power of being united even better. If anybody or anyone thinks that they can divide and rule in our country, then you better get a reality check done. That’s never going to happen!! We have seen this unity exhibited at the rally in Mumbai and other metros in India, where hundreds of people, including children and senior citizens, gathered on 3rd Dec 2008, to mourn the death of victims and martyrs and to demand security for the common man. The common man like you and me, when united can bring about a change….a reform in the government, in the administrative system and take self ownership of our own security and the security of our brothers and sisters of this country. This unity, undeniably tells the people who want to terrorise our country or the world, that IF YOU THINK WE ARE AFRAID THAT YOU’LL DESTROY US…….....

We love our Mumbai…..We love the India we live in. India is the front runner in the global economy. Even with this economic downturn, India has managed to sustain its growth and from a developing country, India is not far from becoming a superpower developed country. India is one of the largest democracies of the world and each citizen of this country has the right to talk and write about the people they put in power. Probably, I would have not had the guts to write this article in my blog, if India was a land of dictators. Hence, here am I using my right to speak about matters that make me and the citizens of India watchful after the recent terrorists attack which took the whole of Mumbai and the whole of India under ransom. We can’t take this lying down anymore…….we just CANNOT!!!. Each citizen of India is just fed-up with the security of this country. Where on earth, are the citizens of India safe!!! We keep talking about “The Mumbai Spirit” , here in India. A serial bombing happen...

The Wednesday, 26th Nov 2008, 9:30 p.m., was when our city Mumbai was attacked by terrorists, who had no religion, no faith and no nationality. But the terrorists who disrupted normal life in India until today, the 29th Nov 2008, 8a.m., definitely were cold-blooded and ruthless. Their only motive was to disrupt the fast paced life of our city Mumbai and terrorise the citizens of India and people all over the world. They used Mumbai, India as a soft target to show their audacity and power to the rest of the world. We need to fight these terrorists together and in collaboration with countries all over the world. We need to bloody finish them up completely. The National Security Guards (NSG), the Indian Army and the Police Officers have saved the lives of citizens and innocent civilians, by taking charge of the situation at the right time. We salute each one of our soldiers for their selfless work and we especially thank all those martyred soldiers for sacrificing their lives for the sak...

I have been working for a few years now and have met and listened to a few CEO’s earlier in my career span. Each one creates their impact on you with their own style and motivational statements. Though, not forgetting to mention here that these statements lasts in your mind for a mere few minutes and that’s it………BOOM………everything heard then simply evaporates!! In the morning of 21st Nov 2008, when I entered office, I was informed that the CEO would visit our Mumbai office and address each one of us for a brief 15 mins. This was the first time the CEO was visiting Mumbai, India and I was looking forward to his first impression. Each employee, was told to remain seated at their own desk, since the CEO would like to say hello to each employee at his/her desk. Oh-My-Goodness me……..please spare me, with these childish instructions. We are not school children any longer…C’mon lets grow up!! As Jack Welch says, "I think that ideally that is how a company works. It becomes a place of i...

I am sure you are as excited as I am, about India’s first mission to the moon. I have been tracking the unmanned Chandrayaan-I spacecraft since its successful launch on 22nd Oct 2008. Since my childhood days, I have been very passionate about the moon. If anybody ever asked me then, about what is that extra-ordinary thing you would like to do in life, my answer would instantly be “I want to go to the moon”. Even today, my dream remains intact. But offcourse today, I understand that this extra-ordinary dream will always remain unfulfilled. However, it makes me proud and I am in a complete state of exhilaration, that India has successfully landed on the moon and the spacecraft has hoisted the Indian flag on the moon on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday, the 14th Nov 2008 at 8:31p.m IST, which is also celebrated as Children’s Da y in India. I happened to be doing a show on radio on 14th Nov 2008 and my entire show script only talked about India’s mission to the moon and I was the lu...

YOU…….I mean you my friends, can now help India eradicate illiteracy by dedicating only 2 hours of your time per week to teach the less fortunate children of India. In India, the adult literacy rate is 61.3% and the youth literacy rate is 73.3%. We need to work towards making this 100%. The children are the future of the world and our future lies in their hands. They need to have the basic education to move ahead in life. As the great Albert Einstein said, "Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children. So lets come together and share the knowledge that we have inherited from our teachers and professors and pass it down to the underprivileged children of the world. Teach India is a social initiative from the Times of India that brings together children in need of education a...

People confuse Fashion with Style. They are two different things altogether. Fashion is something that you can learn, cultivate and something that you can buy. But Style is something that you are born with…something you possess in your genes. You can buy the most fashionable accessories and clothing but if you cannot carry them…….you will feel & look out of place. If something looks good on your colleague, a movie star, a model, a friend, or someone you envy, it’s not necessary it will look good on you as well. You need to identify your body type and then flatter it to the maximum with the right stuff. Sometimes you need to take some risks. One should try something really different, something outside your comfort zone. Something funky and fun. By doing this, you'll find out something new an amazing about yourself, and this is what style is all about. Try it out.....you may become a trend setter for others to follow. M y Style “Comfort & Simplicity” is what is my stylin...

The image depicts the Common Man - drawn by Laxman The common man of India is not over-reacting to the current circumstances in India. Each one of us infact is terrified with the several blasts that have shattered busy metros/ cities in India. We are afraid and helpless and we the so called “common man” cannot do anything to prevent this from happening. We feel powerless!!! The recent bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Malegoan have traumatized each citizen of this country - each common man of this country. When we go out of our home on our daily voyage, we are not sure, whether we will return home at all……..or even if we return home, would we be back in one piece. Is it that the group of people causing this destruction in India is smarter and intelligent than the Indian police and the so called state authorities? This is an earnest call to the state authorities, the various democratic parties in India, to come together and fight this war against terror. We cannot a...

Peace loving Christian population in India, which constitute a mere 2.3% of the Indian population are being persecuted and victimized since Dec 2007 and the situation is not getting any better even today. Each day there is news flashing on all newspapers and displayed on prime time television that Christian churches are wrecked, holy statues are broken down, Christians are beaten and burnt alive……my question is, Why are Christians harassed for being Christians???? Faith under attack Faith is under attack here in India. We should be ashamed of the way we treat our Catholic brothers and sisters in India……but the feeling of guilt and shame will only be felt if you have a conscious. It is obvious that the people who are causing this kind of disharmony amongst the citizens of India are without a conscious or should I say they are deceiving their soul. An individual can decide which faith he wants to follow. Whether he follows Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity or Buddhism, it is the fai...

Open the newspapers today and you will find a supplement to “fitness mantras”….Switch on the TV and you will find an exclusive “good health” show telecast….Tune in to radio and you are forced to listen to the R.J. giving you fitness tips or probably an on-air broadcast show on exercise and its benefits…. Let me first clear the air….……I do not intend to blog about how to stay fit!! I am sure the radio stations, telecasters, and print media have contributed enough and you and me by now know the tricks of the trait. My experiences I only wish to share with you my personal experiences….I was one of those kinds who never really moved my butt to go that extra mile (just to specify here….where working out is concerned)…..I always wished “Fitness came in a bottle.” But then one day the fitness bug bit me too and I am glad it did. It has been 3-4yrs since I have been working out and believe me it’s a DRUG . Although I am not a hard core gym freak or someone who works out to build those muscles ...

Mumbai…Mumbai…..Mumbai, a city that never sleeps, a city whose roads are always buzzing with traffic honks (at times, you cannot even hear yourself), a city suffering from chaotic traffic…….but even with all this, Mumbai is a city that rocks….there is no other place in India like Mumbai!!!! Ask any Mumbaite (the guys/ gals born and brought up here) to live in any other city/ metro/ town in India, the answer would be NA NA. If you ask me, I will definitely give you the same answer. Well I can survive in a place outside Mumbai for maybe 5-6 days or maybe 15 days maximum but beyond that, I tend to get nostalgic. I tried to figure out what is it that makes me like this city so much……but I never really found a concrete answer. Okay now, before I get carried over further, talking passionately about Mumbai, let me get to the point on why my blog article carries the title “People driving around in Mumbai should be awarded an Oscar’s”. It’s been 9 months since I have been driving around on Mumb...

It is difficult for me and I believe for many of you reading this article, to express our love for our Mother. We almost everytime take her selfless and unconditional love for granted. We just seem to think that the love that our mother shows for us in her words and actions are just suppose to be that way. Mom’s do not express their love for us because they are compelled to take care of us or be that way…..but their love for us is simply so natural and so pure. Sometimes, it makes me think, how can Mom’s be the way they are…..what makes them so selfless towards their children. No matter how old her son/ daughter may be, he will always remain a child for her and a Mother will dedicate her whole self for her child. The whole world celebrates Mother’s day once every year. We express our love for our Mother on that one day….if you ask me, everyday should be celebrated as Mother’s day. In India, Mother’s day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. H ere is a excerpt of a...

A picture of Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight." Courtesy of Warner Bros. Last 2 weeks were real busy and hence I did not find the time to blog. For those of you who visited my blog and did not find anything new.....I apologise and at the same time thank you for visiting my blog. I had my cousins home last weekend and although initially I made many plans to take them out, all didn't work out well, because it was raining real hard in Mumbai. I actualy didn't know what to do, so we ended up in a multiplex (Movie Theatre) and for the first time, I watched two movies on one single day back to back. The movie which I watched and thouroughly enjoyed is Batman- The Dark Knight. A Super-Duper film and I recommend you go and watch this film.....you will enjoy it for sure. This is one of the best Batman movies I have ever seen. The Joker who is the bad boy (the so called Villian) in the film has done a good job...Kudos to late Heath Ledger's who inacted the role...

“Hello people……Good morning, Namaste, Salaam Mumbai…….you are tuned in to MUST RADIO on the Evening drive with your host and dost for this evening Simply Mearl.” This is how I start all my shows on radio…..The best part about radio is that it allows me to be myself. You can be fun, speak to different enthusiastic people/ callers from different walks of life . In a corporate lifestyle, its good enough but you just do not get an opportunity to be fun all the while. You are forced to maintain decorum in office and get used to people with different attitudes vis-à-vis Radio. Not all days are exciting and bright and there is nothing big always happening in the city to talk about on Radio. But you need to CREATE excitement for your listeners. As an R.J., you need to make believe, you need to create exciting and interesting stuff to talk about each and every day. There is no DULL day!!!! You need to know who your target audience is, are they people who are driving to work, are they student...

P hoto: With colleagues (click on the image to see a bigger view) I was hoping hard that the training programme which I was scheduled to attend in Jun 2008 would be conducted at a place that I haven't visited. P hoto: With family (click on the image to see a bigger view) But to my suprise, the training was scheduled in Dubai, a place I had been to and done all the sight-seeing. A place I had explored and enjoyed to my hearts content. There was nothing more I could or wanted to do in Dubai. However, I must mention and say it loud that this trip got even better!!!! If you ask me why, I would not be able to answer that question but yes maybe because I got to meet up with family, friends, & colleagues AGAIN. Then again, the training was enriching and the classroom atmosphere was lively which made the whole programme worthwhile and complete fun. Apart from the training, the project manager organised a Desert Safari and took the participants to the best food joints for our lunche...

Vijay Dinanath Chauhan ishstyle ;-) - Total filmi!!! Having been born and brought up in Mumbai, a place which is home to the world's largest film industry namely Bollywood, I must say each Mumbaite unknowingly cracks filmi dialogues in his/her dialy conversations. We speak Hinglish in Mumbai, which is the city's self created language which has flavours of both Hindi and English dialects. Bollywood churns up more films annually as compared to Hollywood and other film industries in the world. No wonder, the popularity of this film industry is on a rise, not just in India but also abroad. Here are a few film dialogues - some of them inspirational, some funny......Enjoy!!! Hamari zindagi bhi hamare hindi filmon ke jaisa hi hai.. jaha pe end mein sab kuch theek ho jaata hai.. "Happies Endings".. Lekin agar End mein sab kuch theek na ho to woh the end nahi hain.... Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!!! - Film: Om Shanti Om Kitni shiddat se tumhe paane ki koshish ki hain.. Ki...

Recently I visited Dubai to attend a company training. It was a 3-day training program, however since my relatives and friends are living in Dubai, I left 2 days in advance and stayed over at their place. I visited various places like the Emirates mall, Hyper Panda mall, The Global village, Sharjah, Burj Dubai, dined at some good restaurants in Dubai. It was real good fun and the best part of it all...it was a weekend in Dubai and the crowd was simply fantastic and to add to the fun, the weather was pleasant!!! After all the fun and frolic with family, I had to get a little serious since I had my training scheduled for the next few days.....however must say the workshop was real good fun as well. It was a working day and a friend in Dubai arranged a four hour Dubai bus tour for me. A big hug from me to her for this wonderful arrangement. The tour bus and the amazing tour guide ( she talked about the history of Dubai and also of the many wives the King had...hehehehehhe ) showed us pla...