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Anu

Anu Krishna  |1746 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Apr 19, 2024

Anu Krishna is a mind coach and relationship expert.
The co-founder of Unfear Changemakers LLP, she has received her neuro linguistic programming training from National Federation of NeuroLinguistic Programming, USA, and her energy work specialisation from the Institute for Inner Studies, Manila.
She is an executive member of the Indian Association of Adolescent Health.... more
Asked by Anonymous - Apr 18, 2024Hindi
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Relationship

Hi Anu I am a 36 year old IT pro with a beautiful family (wife and 2 kids) 1 year back, i had a coworker (shes married but widowed with 1 kid) with whom i had to work on a project..we shared a good friendship and unfortunately on one occasion, under the influence of alcohol, i went overboard and had a deep sexual chat with her..it was mutual and the next day i really felt bad and apologized to her.she also said it was ok.. After that i avoided her but she kept on giving singals to continue the relationship, i sternly avoided her and pleaded with her in message and call to leave me..during the time of sexual chat, i never knew she was a widow else i wud not have done that..shes now harassing me and stalking me on social media..i really feel bad for what i did to her and am over ridden with guilt..she says lets be friends as she has no one to turn on to.. but i pretend to be as she still has that chat messages and if she raises an ombuds i will be out of the job..but worse of all, i do not want this to destroy my family life. I love my wife and kids and she wont take this easily if i disclose this to her .pls suggest a way out of this..i am really desperate..it was jus a chat and i am a train wreck now..

Ans: Dear Anonymous,
This is a bit messy...It could land you into a lot of trouble and obviously you didn't know that when you were chatting with her, right?
Avoiding her hasn't worked and the best thing possibly now would be to just be polite yet firm where she feels that she is not being snubbed. Also consider taking your wife into confidence as this will eliminate the chance of ruining your peace at home. Come clean and confess to your wife and request her to support you; of course she might give you a earful, listen to all of it.
You have a price to pay for the fun that you had that one time; so take it in your stride and tread carefully...be kind to the woman and be honest with your wife. You can only pray that this can keep you out of trouble.
And the next time you drink, kindly keep your phone away...

All the best!
Asked on - Apr 24, 2024 | Answered on Apr 24, 2024
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Hi Anu, Thanks for your response. Two things here..first I can't tell my wife now as she had lost her mom 5 months back and she's in a recent quarrel with her dad and brother on their family dispute...so breaking this news now will break her mentally..also, I have got a better offer from another company and I am not sure how this woman will take it....as of now she communicates thru office chat and the moment if she knows I got another offer, I am not sure how she will react..I really want to avoid her and I really feel sorry for kindling her feelings without realizing the repercussions...just one chat is running my life and now she's citing all the previous conversations between us and saying all those were used by me to butter her up. Those were not intimate conversations they were just casual conversations which now she feels I was trying to butter her up.. fearing her, I cannot risk my career.. pls suggest..I am.sorry for bothering you..
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for acknowledging.
The only way to counter the co-worker is to share this secret with your wife. That will give you a fair level playing field with her. This is the only thing that she can use against you so this is the best way to disarm her and then you hope that all will be well.
But if you don't want to, there isn't much that you can do...this co-worker can use the chats to her advantage...
By not taking one way or the other, you seem to be hoping for some sort of a miracle to get you out of this hot pot. But hey, every action has a consequence, right? So, knowing what the consequence is now, do your best to control the damage and hope.

All the best!

You may like to see similar questions and answers below

Anu

Anu Krishna  |1746 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Nov 01, 2022

Relationship
Hi Anu,Hope you are well. I have recently started reading your column and I like the way you give suggestions and help people to overcome whatever issues they are going through in this beautiful journey called life.There is something that I would like to tell you and would need your suggestion and advise.There is a lady whom I know for over 4 decades living close to my house. Her father and my father are colleagues and used to work together and they are best friends. She knows me right from a very early age and she is quite elder to me by 8 or 10 years perhaps.Recently I happened to send her some MMS porn clips which I got from a group. I thought she will shout at me and block me...but she didn't do that. I still send her sometimes when I get such clips. Recently she said that this is not real. I don't know what she means by that. During my adult years when I was 21-22 years old I used to fantasise having a physical relationship with her. I had my own reasons because of the way she used to behave with me when I’d go to her house. But I never tried initiating it maybe because of lack of confidence or fear of getting scolded by her. Her kids are studying in America (masters level) and United Kingdom (graduation level).Few months ago I lied to her that there is a lady near my office who is the divorcee and is trying to get close to me physically and she is inviting me to her house a couple of times. The reason I told her this lie was to know how she will react... The moment I told her this she told me don't go to such people, just avoid her and tell her that you are in a relationship with me. I even told her that the lady who is the divorcee is asking me if I am having a physical relationship with her whom I know since childhood days. She just laughed and said your divorcee friend is mad...She even said that the divorcee friend (whom I created out of my imagination) is stuck because of my childhood friend.Whenever I ask my childhood friend to meet up she always tells me that she is busy and that she does not like anyone coming to her house because her husband might not like it.Anu what do you think? Is my childhood friend whom I know for 4 decades interested in having a sexual relationship with me but is not initiating it thinking that it will affect our married lives. Women will not do anything that will disturb their life security system. She is very rich because her husband is a corporate employee holding a leadership position and well paid around a crore per year. Will she allow me if I initiate sex with her?Please understand that I don't know how to initiate that as she doesn't want me to visit her in her house. She doesn't go out much but rather spends time home and goes out with her husband for Sunday church mass sometimes or goes to the nearby chapel for praying. I am happily married for the last 12 years.Last week also I sent her an MMS and she replied with an emoji (a grinning face with star eyes). What does this mean?Is she really wanting to have sex with me but waiting for me to initiate or she is doing time pass with me? I am willing to get physical with her.Please advise me... Thanks for reading this till the end.
Ans:

Dear SS,

Thank you for the kind acknowledgement on my columns. Much appreciated.

Why exactly is it important for you to pursue a new relationship?

As for your childhood friend, do know that being much older than you are, phases of life and its experiences are different for her than they are for you.

So, her wanting a relationship -- physical or otherwise -- maybe out of her want or lack of something in her life.

Shall we focus on you for the moment? Again, what is this interest in pursuing a relationship with her or alternatively wanting to know that if she wants one, so you can initiate it?

Where are you in terms of your ‘happily married’ life?

How does your wife feel about you being so interested in another woman besides her? Or does she not have a whiff of it as yet?

Why are you sending your childhood friend porn clips? What are you seeking from her? Or are you looking for a casual fling?

Not to sound like I am judging you here, there might be a possibility of exploring something new and different which I do see in many couples that I work with.

It could be because of the missing spark or the predictability within the marriage.

What if you spiced things up within the marriage?

Will you still feel the need to seek the company of another woman on chat or in any physical or emotional manner?

What I can suggest is: pour your energies in your marriage and it is possible that you begin to de-focus from your childhood friend and have a more meaningful connection with her.

Also, I fail to understand why she is so against you mentioning other women.

Whatever funny games that you both have been playing is rather childish testing each other and get a kick out of it.

Time to grow up and focus on your core relationships and nourish it to feel more full and content from within.

Good luck!

..Read more

Anu

Anu Krishna  |1746 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Feb 22, 2023

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Relationship
Hi, I am 45 years old man married with two kids. I got into relationship with a married colleague 5 years back. She got divorced. I am not sure if our relationship was the reason for the divorce. I wanted to divorce my wife and get married to my colleague. But then during pandemic I and my colleague were physically separated. Not sure if the separation helped her realise our relationship was not going anywhere or it was not right. She called and told me that I scarred her life and didn’t want to keep in touch with me. Since then I am not in touch with her. I made attempts to but she blocked me totally. She’s in the same town but I never made an attempt to forcefully meet her. She didn’t marry again so far and don’t what’s happening in her life. But I feel guilty did I spoil her life? I really love her but if I really did why did I not know where this all will end up. I don’t think I was the reason for her break up because she developed friendship with me when her marriage was not going well. I don’t know if it was error of judgment, feel so guilty about the whole situation. Since I have been in relationship with her, never had a sexual relationship with my wife and even I don’t. Don’t know if it’s my failed or failing marriage is whole reason for this . I feel terribly guilty for my ex colleague’s situation. It’s eating me up. I question my own character, am I a sexual predator? I lose my sleep about this and not able come to terms. Need your advice, do I need a see a therapist and what kind?
Ans: Dear Rajesh,
You have the choice of playing the 'victim' or move on with life accepting things for the way they are!
Why you stepped out of marriage or why your married colleague entered into a relationship with you or why she walked out of it or why she blames you.
These WHYs will only keep making you go in circles. You need answers to these only if the two of you are still going to be involved. When that chapter of your life is over, why mull over it? This is playing the 'victim', feeling sorry for yourself and feeling guilty and trying to go back in time and thinking of what you could have done to have a different outcome. As long as these WHYs help you move on, it's fine, but if it's only going to mess with your mind and send you on a wild goose chase, kindly STOP! Sexual predator as you call yourself is just a label you choose to carry after the accusation made by your colleague after she called the relationship off. So, she takes the call and then blames you and then you decide to carry the guilt for what two consenting adults decided when they were in a relationship. Quit this mindset and seriously MOVE ON!

Can you instead focus on where your life is now and what you can do to make it better?
Indulge in a new hobby and make a few new friends and be with your family that loves you. Spend time with your children who will fill your life with a lot of happiness.
Soon, when you are ready, things might open up for a new relationship then.
So release the OLD and welcome the NEW.

Best wishes!

..Read more

Anu

Anu Krishna  |1746 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Apr 24, 2024

Listen
Relationship
Hi Anu, Thanks for your response. Two things here..first I can't tell my wife now as she had lost her mom 5 months back and she's in a recent quarrel with her dad and brother on their family dispute...so breaking this news now will break her mentally..also, I have got a better offer from another company and I am not sure how this woman will take it....as of now she communicates thru office chat and the moment if she knows I got another offer, I am not sure how she will react..I really want to avoid her and I really feel sorry for kindling her feelings without realizing the repercussions...just one chat is running my life and now she's citing all the previous conversations between us and saying all those were used by me to butter her up. Those were not intimate conversations they were just casual conversations which now she feels I was trying to butter her up.. fearing her, I cannot risk my career.. pls suggest..I am.sorry for bothering you..
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for acknowledging.
The only way to counter the co-worker is to share this secret with your wife. That will give you a fair level playing field with her. This is the only thing that she can use against you so this is the best way to disarm her and then you hope that all will be well.
But if you don't want to, there isn't much that you can do...this co-worker can use the chats to her advantage...
By not taking one way or the other, you seem to be hoping for some sort of a miracle to get you out of this hot pot. But hey, every action has a consequence, right? So, knowing what the consequence is now, do your best to control the damage and hope.

All the best!

..Read more

Ravi

Ravi Mittal  |677 Answers  |Ask -

Dating, Relationships Expert - Answered on Oct 07, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Oct 06, 2025Hindi
Relationship
Dear Sir/Madam, I am 45YO working in GCC and She is 45YO working in India govt banking sector. We met through matrimonial site in 2009. We liked each other and decided to get marry. But due to some arrogent way of talking of her and her mother with my mother, which I didn't like at all. So before gettting finalising and engagement, I decided to go away from her without hurting and it took 5 month in Feb 2010. Actually I AM AGAINST HURTING ANYBODY'D'S HEART. So I made a situaton like that she rejected me. While meeting we both decided, even though, if we are not getting married with other we will be as friends in future. So I got married in 2011 and She got married in 2012. After our marriage we got busy in our married life and we were not able to contact with other for several years. But in second half of 2019 we again came into to contact over phone WA. Once she demanded make-up box and some chocolates from GCC, so I provided through courier. Then her demand increased with mobile recharge, Sani-pads, U/garment, gifts through Amezon, Flipkaut, Zamato, Swiggu etc etc.. One day she told she want to marry me, because there were physical quarrel with the husband and MIL, So she want to get divorse due to dosmetic violence between them. I avoided this topic as I am happy with my married life. Then 1 day she had some gmeil problem she was not receving email so she shared password. So I cleared all the promotions and unuseful stuff from her gmeil account. But I was shocked when I saw that she had saved all communication of having extramarital affair chats of WA with her office 2 different colleagues and, 1 Garage mechanic and College friend all were vulgar chats and different-different years. Especially all vulgar words and arrangement and planning made by her to meet in different room location. There I came to know why her husband is so physical quarrel with her. She had mentioned about husband activity of beating to her. And so both of them want to get divorse. But this all thing I kept it confidential with me from her. Let she admit some day. But I am still waiting. Now after 2021 all this has stopped because I convinced her and made her feel what she was doing after meeting her. She admitted her mistake and she promised that she will not go in wrong path. She also said it happened unknowingly she went with the flow. But She pleaded me and wants my Love and want to marry me privately and for her happiness, she in under divorce process. She proposed me for marriage in 2021 till now I have avoided with some excuses. Coming to the main topic, since 2021 to 2025, whenever I visit India, we meet each other, as I too have soft-corner for her and Love her as we were first Love of each other in 2009. Everytime when I inform her that I am coming to India, her dreams flies in sky and tells me come soon, I want to marry with You. And every time she ask something or the other gift as mentioned above. How should I get rid of this burden of over-expenses. Due to this it is difficult to manage my monthly expenses, means "The snake has to be killed and the stick should remain intact". Everytime I tells her this month not possible next month for sure, but again after 2-3 days she comes with new demand. And I am sure, if I broke this relationship she will again go to wrong path as she is getting divorce. Pls give some tips how to reply her to stop these expenses from me.
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
I just want to tell you one thing: since you are married happily, it would be best if you limit your interactions with this woman. She is consistently showing interest in marrying you, asking for an inappropriate amount of gifts and has demands from you like one has from their partner. Everything seems a little off. And also, it is not your responsibility to keep her from going in the wrong direction. She is a grown adult and should be able to handle it herself. The best decision is to distance yourself from her. If you can’t, you might want to still set some boundaries like telling her that you cannot continue speaking to her if she keeps telling you that she wants to marry you. I am sure your wife also doesn’t appreciate it. Let her know that you are in a happy marriage and you are not comfortable with her behavior. Also, you have every right to say no to all her demands. I understand that you two have a friendship, but there should be boundaries even in that.

Hope this helps

..Read more

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Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Dec 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025Hindi
Career
Hello, I am currently in Class 12 and preparing for JEE. I have not yet completed even 50% of the syllabus properly, but I aim to score around '110' marks. Could you suggest an effective strategy to achieve this? I know the target is relatively low, but I have category reservation, so it should be sufficient.
Ans: With category reservation (SC/ST/OBC), a score of 110 marks is absolutely achievable and realistic. Based on 2025 data, SC candidates qualified with approximately 60-65 percentile, and ST candidates with 45-55 percentile. Your target requires scoring just 37-40% marks, which is significantly lower than general category standards. This gives you a genuine advantage. Immediate Action Plan (December 2025 - January 2026): 4-5 Weeks. Week 1-2: High-Weightage Chapter Focus. Stop trying to complete the entire syllabus. Instead, focus exclusively on high-scoring chapters that carry maximum weightage: Physics (Modern Physics, Current Electricity, Work-Power-Energy, Rotation, Magnetism), Chemistry (Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, Coordination Compounds, Electrochemistry), and Maths (Integration, Differentiation, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Probability). These chapters alone can yield 80-100+ marks if practiced properly. Ignore topics you haven't studied yet. Week 2-3: Previous Year Questions (PYQs). Solve JEE Main PYQs from the last 10 years (2015-2025) for chapters you're studying. PYQs reveal question patterns and difficulty levels. Focus on understanding why answers are correct, not memorizing solutions. Week 3-4: Mock Tests & Error Analysis. Take 2-3 full-length mock tests weekly under timed conditions. This is crucial because mock tests build exam confidence, reveal time management weaknesses, and error analysis prevents repeated mistakes. Maintain an error notebook documenting every mistake—this becomes your revision guide. Week 4-5: Revision & Formula Consolidation. Create concise formula sheets for each subject. Spend 30 minutes daily reviewing formulas and key concepts. Avoid learning new topics entirely at this stage. Study Schedule (Daily): 7-8 Hours. Morning (5:00-7:30 AM): Physics concepts + 30 PYQs. Break (7:30-8:30 AM): Breakfast & rest. Mid-morning (8:30-11:00): Chemistry concepts + 20 PYQs. Lunch (11:00-1:00 PM): Full break. Afternoon (1:00-3:30 PM): Maths concepts + 30 PYQs. Evening (3:30-5:00 PM): Mock test or error review. Night (7:00-9:00 PM): Formula revision & weak area focus. Strategic Approach for 110 Marks: Attempt only confident questions and avoid negative marking by skipping difficult questions. Do easy questions first—in the exam, attempt all basic-level questions before attempting medium or hard ones. Focus on quality over quantity as 30 well-practiced questions beat 100 random questions. Master NCERT concepts as most JEE questions test NCERT concepts applied smartly. April 2026 Session Advantage. If January doesn't deliver desired results, April gives you a second chance with 3+ months to prepare. Use January as a practice attempt to identify weak areas, then focus intensively on those in February-March. Realistic Timeline: January 2026 target is 95-110 marks (achievable with focused 50% syllabus), while April 2026 target is 120-130 marks (with complete syllabus + experience). Your reservation benefit means you need only approximately 90-105 marks to qualify and secure admission to quality engineering colleges. Stop comparing yourself to general category cutoffs. Most Importantly: Consistency beats perfection. Study 6 focused hours daily rather than 12 distracted hours. Your 110-mark target is realistic—execute this plan with discipline. All the BEST for Your JEE 2026!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

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Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1841 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Dec 13, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025
Career
Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently a 1st year UG student studying engineering in Sairam Engineering College, But there the lack of exposure and strict academics feels so rigid and I don't like it that. It's like they don't gaf about skills but just wants us to memorize things and score a good CGPA, the only skill they want is you to memorize things and pass, there's even special class for students who don't perform well in academics and it is compulsory for them to attend or else the student and his/her parents needs to face authorities who lashes out. My question is when did engineering became something that requires good academics instead of actual learning and skill set. In sairam they provides us a coding platform in which we need to gain the required points for each semester which is ridiculous cuz most of the students here just look at the solution to code instead of actual debugging. I am passionate about engineering so I want to learn and experiment things instead of just memorizing, so I actually consider dropping out and I want to give jee a try and maybe viteee , srmjeee But i heard some people say SRM may provide exposure but not that good in placements. I may not be excellent at studies but my marks are decent. So gimme some insights about SRM and recommend me other colleges/universities which are good at exposure
Ans: First — your frustration is valid

What you are experiencing at Sairam is not engineering, it is rote-based credential production.

“When did engineering become memorizing instead of learning?”

Sadly, this shift happened decades ago in most Tier-3 private colleges in India.

About “coding platforms & points” – your observation is sharp

You are absolutely right:

Mandatory coding points → students copy solutions

Copying ≠ learning

Debugging & thinking are missing

This is pseudo-skill education — it looks modern but produces shallow engineers.

The fact that you noticed this in 1st year already puts you ahead of 80% students.

Should you DROP OUT and prepare for JEE / VITEEE / SRMJEEE?

Although VIT/SRM is better than Sairam Engineering College, but you may face the same problem. You will not face this type of problem only in some top IITs, but getting seat in those IITs will be difficult.
Instead of dropping immediately, consider:

???? Strategy:

Stay enrolled (degree security)

Reduce emotional investment in college rules

Use:

GitHub

Open-source projects

Hackathons

Internships (remote)

Hardware / software self-projects

This way:

College = formality

Learning = self-driven

Risk = minimal

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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