Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening my friends out
there! This is 11:30pm. 14th June, 2013, Friday in India. Hope you all are very
well in your life. I was so busy today; because, in West Bengal, ‘Jamai Sashti’
is a big occasion and we have celebrated it today. I will share with you all
the fun and rituals about it in ‘Festivals of India’.
Friends, today my friend Shruta wants to share something
with you as a guest blogger. Nowadays, Facebook, twitter and all the social
network or web-pages has organized various contests. This are good but has some
side effects, which could be dangerous for anybody, anytime. Shruta has written
about it. Please read, I think you like it.
Contest Dramma
"One of my friends recently won a Makeover by participating in Leading
Company’s contest on Facebook. She received an email from the Company advising the date and
time and the venue at the Company’s Institute and that she would be contacted
by their representatives. She was very excited and soon it was confirmed by
them that she would be picked up by a cab along with another winner and they
would be driven to the Company Institute and dropped back home also. She asked
them if she could blog the whole experience so that her other friends could
enjoy it, they refused. This should have
been the First Alarm Bell, which she did not acknowledge.
The day of the makeover dawned and she waited at the appointed
time, but no cab turned up. On contacting the Company representatives they
asked her to wait for some time and then 45 minutes later a cab did arrive. Her
hubby dropped her till the cab, but there was no winner (as mentioned) in the
email. This was the Second Alarm Bell, which she ignored. Her hubby checked
with the driver whether the venue was the same which was selected, to which the
cab driver gave a vague answer of a closer venue. They assumed that the other
contestant was to be picked up perhaps. The Third Alarm Bell, where it was not
communicated clearly of the venue. But the hubby mentally noted the Cab number
(unknown to her) and let her go alone with an unknown driver to an undisclosed
destination, not wanting to dampen her high spirits.
On reaching the venue, it turned out to be an ordinary beauty parlor,
but she still did not let her spirits down, as she was confident that it was a
reputed company’s contest she had won. On entering the beauty parlor, she tried
contacting her hubby and family but couldn’t reach them. Fourth Alarm Bell, but
still she assumed must be low battery of the phone preventing her from calling
(there had been phone jammers installed in the beauty parlor). The photographer
was there and Company representatives, who were there to help her choose the
hair color, guide her etc.
After nearly 2 hours, the Makeover and photo session complete,
she came out of the beauty parlor and called her hubby, who by now had panicked
as she had been unreachable for 2 hours. She returned home safely and happy.
After reaching home, when the whole events played back in her
mind, she realized the vulnerable situation she had been put through and if
anything had gone wrong in any part of this event, no one was either
contactable or responsible.
Findings:
1. They were not representatives of the Company – but just an
Event Management company who hold contests on Facebook
2. They had not communicated the change of venue and put her
risk
3. The beauty parlor had phone jammers and if anything side or
risky business was conducted, she was trapped
4. If she was lost,
kidnapped, raped or harmed, no one was answerable or responsible
Conclusions:
How many times we are lured by such gifts and winnings and we
blindly take them at face value. This virtual world is not what it appears to
be.
She told me the whole story and was badly shaken and wanted to
quit participating in contests.
Simple Solutions:
I told her not the quit. But be careful. Do not accept gifts
which have to be paid for or where you have to go collect it or go to some
unknown place. Safety is first priority. Such opportunities will always come in
the future but we should be alive and safe to enjoy them. She agreed and we had
a good laugh.
Moral of the incident:
But the truth is today’s youth want to achieve so many things
in a short time that they risk their own lives as well as put others in a
vulnerable situation. In the above case there were four alarm bells warning,
but all ignored. They should stop for a minute and think
if this is what they really want. Focus and adjust their goals. There is no
shame in lowering your targets and aims in life. You have won already by being
safe and being alive. Rest of the enjoyment and this journey called Life is
Bonus!!!"
By- Shruta Padave, Guest
Blogger
That’s all for today! Think about today’s topic and be careful
when you join any contest. Take care of your family! Have a good day/
afternoon/evening/night! Namaskar.
Image-courtesy:https://www.google.co.in/search?q=contest+images
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