Vijay Siva is one of my all-time favourite carnatic musicians and the sole reason being, he is the best exponent of the DKP-DKJ baani today. It takes a seasoned rasika to appreciate his style. The only way I can think of to describe Vijay Siva is thus :- "When he sings, it feels as if one is listening to DKJ" That says it all..
Coming to yesterday's concert,unfortunately, I went an hour late :(
Anyway, the guilt and pain of reaching a concert late vanished the moment I entered the hall,when the words 'Veda Shaastra tatvaartha' echoed across the hall :)- I sat thorugh the niraval and swarams so beautiful, now I don't need to discuss 'Shankarabharanam' and 'Enduku Peddala'
This was followed by Mariyaada Gaadayya in raga 'Bhiaravam', a new one to me. Am glad I knew a new one!(meant to be a tongue twister!)
What followed was 'Bhairavi that brings about happiness',yes an RTP in 'AnandaBhairavi', Mishra jati triputa taalam with Pallavi going thus:- 'Kamalavadanae,Kamaladalanayane,kamala sadanae'. The ragamalika was 'Hameer Kalyani,SalakaBhairavi(?) and Kadanakutoohalam. Charulata Ramanujam deserves a special mention here,superb simply superb!
The next ones were 'Maathadabaaradeno' in Kamas and 'Intha Cheluvage' In Abheri.
The most important piece of the evening was the shlokam 'Maanikya veenam' followed by the song 'Shubaksoja kumbam' on the Goddess. This was a ragamalika with ragas like 'Nalinakanthi(?),Manirangu,Keeravani,Sama and Jaganmohini.
Later he wound up the concert with Muddugare Yashoda(Kurinji), the DKJ trademark Paras Javali 'Chelinenetlu', a mukhari 'Unayenadhu'( not sure about this kriti) and mangalam in his usual style of singing 'Swasthi praja paripalayantham' at the end.
Can someone fill up the songs I missed out in the beginning ?
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
TNK@ Nadasurabhi
I just attended a brilliant violin concert of Prof T N Krishnan at the Koramangala Sangeetha Sabha. The most sedate piece of carnatic music ever found in this universe was just created a couple of hours ago. It felt like a boat ride,slow,peaceful,serene and silent. This was the first time I experienced silence in its most musical form. For someone to play 'Niravadhisukha'(Ravichandrika) in the tempo of probably,'Jagadodhaarana' takes a maestro and thats what Prof TNK is all about.
Ok, am not qualified to talk about TNK's music. For me it is just divinity!
I'm qualified however to list the concert :)-
1.Natai - Mahaganapatim
2.Evarani - Devamritavarshini ( The highlight of kriti was the barely audible yet richly musical 'Evarani' rendering of the Pallavi after each stanza.
3.Niravadhisukha - Ravichandrika
4.Sriranjani - Sogasuga ( Most beautiful alapanam I heard in this raga, very unique,sancharas like 'GaMaNida' 'MaNida'unlike the regular 'madadamamagaga' sorts!
I couldnt figure out which swaram he sustained,it definitely was not the standard 'Da' and 'Ni' but then I guess he really did not play it conventionally.
5.Saaarasaaksha paripalaya - Pantuvarali (Here I should be whipped,caned and banned from singing carnatic music because I could not figure out this raga! Damn! Why did I assume it was 'Hamsanandi'
6.Nadupai - Short and sweet!
7.RTP in Begada (Venkataramana Sankata Harana Tirupati) Mishra Chapu taalam with ragamalika swarams in Taanam (Behag,Shivaranjani,Kaapi) The smoothest transtion from Kaapi to Begada in the reverse order!
8.Kandu Dhanyanadeno - Behag
9.Venkatachala Nilayam - Sindubhairavi with an elaborate 10 minute aalapanam which felt like 'a thousand glorius years', a perfect example of Einstein's Theory of Relativity!!
10. Jagadodharana - Kaapi mostly copied from KVN's style,obviously he used to accompany him many many times,it was divine, brilliant and joyous.
11.Mangalam
I'm blessed to have been in this concert!
Ok, am not qualified to talk about TNK's music. For me it is just divinity!
I'm qualified however to list the concert :)-
1.Natai - Mahaganapatim
2.Evarani - Devamritavarshini ( The highlight of kriti was the barely audible yet richly musical 'Evarani' rendering of the Pallavi after each stanza.
3.Niravadhisukha - Ravichandrika
4.Sriranjani - Sogasuga ( Most beautiful alapanam I heard in this raga, very unique,sancharas like 'GaMaNida' 'MaNida'unlike the regular 'madadamamagaga' sorts!
I couldnt figure out which swaram he sustained,it definitely was not the standard 'Da' and 'Ni' but then I guess he really did not play it conventionally.
5.Saaarasaaksha paripalaya - Pantuvarali (Here I should be whipped,caned and banned from singing carnatic music because I could not figure out this raga! Damn! Why did I assume it was 'Hamsanandi'
6.Nadupai - Short and sweet!
7.RTP in Begada (Venkataramana Sankata Harana Tirupati) Mishra Chapu taalam with ragamalika swarams in Taanam (Behag,Shivaranjani,Kaapi) The smoothest transtion from Kaapi to Begada in the reverse order!
8.Kandu Dhanyanadeno - Behag
9.Venkatachala Nilayam - Sindubhairavi with an elaborate 10 minute aalapanam which felt like 'a thousand glorius years', a perfect example of Einstein's Theory of Relativity!!
10. Jagadodharana - Kaapi mostly copied from KVN's style,obviously he used to accompany him many many times,it was divine, brilliant and joyous.
11.Mangalam
I'm blessed to have been in this concert!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
All I need now is a Haggis trip!!!
Comments: All I need now is a Haggis tour of Scotland and stories of Nessie,Rob Roy,William Wallace aka Braveheart... oops..Robert Bruce,the only real Braveheart according to the Scots,of the feud between the Campbells and the Macdonalds,of the battles of Culledon, of white horses and maidens,of the old man and his wife in Skye and more,the sound of bagpipes,the smell of whiskey and a bright YELLOW BUS!
And I badly need to see Edinburgh, all over again,again and again!
My friend sent me this video from the net and since then I have gone back to my dreams!
Video Content: Summon Nessie the Haggis-way,action by Rab!
Courtesy:Angela
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Why do I love SRK ?
Yeah,SRK is my hero no matter what! Inspite of all the hype he generates and the egoistical I-me-myself media statements, he has been my favourite star in Bollywood for the longest period. In fact,prior to Bollywood,when he was an IAF officer in the teleserial 'Fauji',he was my hero. It probably started then! I was a young-stupid-teen and you know how a young-stupid-teen feels when a dashing new hero with "Dhoni-like" hair appears! First you take a hero like this,add an Air force uniform to him ,"a-b-r-a-c-a-d-a-b-r-a",you get an Adonis that resembles some Greek God( dont really care who) and all young-stupid-teens drooling,and I was a young-stupid-teen too!!
Did he act ? Ah well!, guess it was assumed that anyone who had such 'Adonis' looks could act well. Life was simple,isnt it ?
For a decade afterwards,SRK existed in the form of Baazigar,Karan Arjun(the ultra-hot Jaathi hoon main song) ,Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa,not to forget Darr(KKKKKKKiran) ,Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman(yeah the sardi khaasi na malaria huan one), Anjaam(uff...this was horrible),Deewaana,Maya Memsaab and some crap here and there until,THE MOVIE happened! Right, DDLJ! And for the second time, he was my hero! Why did I like him so much then ? Okay,he did not beat up people all the time to save the heroine,he did not use fancy gadgets representing some futuristic sci-fi movie nor did he act coy and meek. He romanced and in style too! He cried when heroes were not supposed to,he danced DANCE (as in dance,proper dance) when heroes just did pelvic thrusts a la Amitabh,he played pranks on heroines when heroes just chased them,he mouthed dialogues that melted hearts and much more! He was so much more human than most heroes then! And he won hearts,of YSTs (Young-stupid-teens)
Cut to the new millenieum and you saw him still carrying off the style,truly he represented a style, a cult! Be it Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham( which was a hit due to him and Kajol actually) or 'Dil to Paagal Hai', the aura of SRK was the movie itself!
Best of all, he shared an excellent chemistry with most of his heroines,a rare feat for anyone in movies. I really cannot choose over SRK-Kajol,SRK-Madhuri,SRK-Juhi,SRK-Preity or SRK-Rani(though I wud still prefer SRK-Kajol for different reasons)
If he failed somewhere, it was in 'Devdas',and simply because 'Devdas' is an institution! And so is 'Dilip Kumar',so lets us forget that! Also Ash is no match to Madhuri,so I hate that movie in any case!
But two films of his that stand out were 'Swades' and 'Chak De India'. Portraying patriotism on screen is what he does best, much better than romance! And he acts with his eyes! They are intense,passionate,resolute and deep! The eyes make up for lack of a good face perhaps! As YSTs,we could not resist all this and as a mature-sensible adult(if you would still call me that after this post!),I still cannot resist that!
The Eurail is taking off from a crowded London station,a girl is running to catch it,unable to match the speed,a face appears from one of the coaches with outstretched hands and grabs her into the moving train...Just this one scene and Bollywood found its superstar, and I found my hero! And the rest,as they say is history!
P.S :- SRK Filmography
Did he act ? Ah well!, guess it was assumed that anyone who had such 'Adonis' looks could act well. Life was simple,isnt it ?
For a decade afterwards,SRK existed in the form of Baazigar,Karan Arjun(the ultra-hot Jaathi hoon main song) ,Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa,not to forget Darr(KKKKKKKiran) ,Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman(yeah the sardi khaasi na malaria huan one), Anjaam(uff...this was horrible),Deewaana,Maya Memsaab and some crap here and there until,THE MOVIE happened! Right, DDLJ! And for the second time, he was my hero! Why did I like him so much then ? Okay,he did not beat up people all the time to save the heroine,he did not use fancy gadgets representing some futuristic sci-fi movie nor did he act coy and meek. He romanced and in style too! He cried when heroes were not supposed to,he danced DANCE (as in dance,proper dance) when heroes just did pelvic thrusts a la Amitabh,he played pranks on heroines when heroes just chased them,he mouthed dialogues that melted hearts and much more! He was so much more human than most heroes then! And he won hearts,of YSTs (Young-stupid-teens)
Cut to the new millenieum and you saw him still carrying off the style,truly he represented a style, a cult! Be it Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham( which was a hit due to him and Kajol actually) or 'Dil to Paagal Hai', the aura of SRK was the movie itself!
Best of all, he shared an excellent chemistry with most of his heroines,a rare feat for anyone in movies. I really cannot choose over SRK-Kajol,SRK-Madhuri,SRK-Juhi,SRK-Preity or SRK-Rani(though I wud still prefer SRK-Kajol for different reasons)
If he failed somewhere, it was in 'Devdas',and simply because 'Devdas' is an institution! And so is 'Dilip Kumar',so lets us forget that! Also Ash is no match to Madhuri,so I hate that movie in any case!
But two films of his that stand out were 'Swades' and 'Chak De India'. Portraying patriotism on screen is what he does best, much better than romance! And he acts with his eyes! They are intense,passionate,resolute and deep! The eyes make up for lack of a good face perhaps! As YSTs,we could not resist all this and as a mature-sensible adult(if you would still call me that after this post!),I still cannot resist that!
The Eurail is taking off from a crowded London station,a girl is running to catch it,unable to match the speed,a face appears from one of the coaches with outstretched hands and grabs her into the moving train...Just this one scene and Bollywood found its superstar, and I found my hero! And the rest,as they say is history!
P.S :- SRK Filmography
Monday, October 22, 2007
Shooting for a six pack..
I hit the gym today at work and from now on, I'm gonna gym for an hour daily. My EQ ( exercise quotient if there is one like that ) is just slightly above my IQ, the latter being just a little above the below-average category! and this means, I have to exercise! Having been the outdoorsy kinds,I know fully well what burning fat means but oflate, laziness has overtaken my priorities. Though I have been getting hints often these days from my body, I haven't done much about them! Rather I have been giving excuses. Some of the hints I have been getting
1. My fave jeans is struggling on its way up :)-
2. My erstwhile glorius skin shows aftermarks from pimple ruptures
3. The stairs to my cafeteria appear as though am climbing the Empire State Building
4. Am cursing,swearing and middle-fingering all those who make driving tough for me on the road.(In short am stressed!)
5. My back hurts when I sweep and mop my house!!
6. Those ugly devils are coming back,sleepless nights,more frequently than before!
7. Those uglier devils are threatening to come back,yes the migraines!
The last hint was enough for me to realize that it is time I get back to putting my system through some sweating-out! Thanks Sundari for helping me choose the right track suit from Adidas today,I bought you a Kalmane Koffee in return :)- Well, I did tread-mill for a full 30 minutes non-stop! What a superb feeling at the end of it!
As per medical guidelines, one must sweat with brisk walk/run/jog and that indicates a good heart! Am glad I have a good one,I always knew it beats well and specially well when a handsome,smart man walks by (*wink*) but I had my doubts if it really beat that well, you know what I mean ? yeah,the 72 per minute thingy! Today, I knew it does! Thank God for it...
Apart from beating hearts,a brisk jog/run/walk helps me focus on the priorities in life correctly. Dunno what, but the whole rhythm harmonises the self into thinking about life and philosophy etc, for me it does! Especially on a tread-mill in Oracle's wee gym,with loud music from that stupid music player next to the weighing machine coupled with fellow-gymmers and their machines,I look to focus somewhere away and concentrate.Whoever put the mirror in front of the tread-mill deserves a Nobel Prize for common-sense (committee should set this category up!),the mirror serves as a reference for all things possible during the gym hour! The mirror channelises my thoughts,it helps me see how much I sweat thereby encouraging me to do more(no I dont like sweat,it stinks but remember the more you sweat,the better your heart beats ? and when my wonderful face goes clean and pink(with all the toxins removed), I feel beautiful! For a woman,feeling beautiful is as important as her existence( am joking here!) It makes me feel healthy at the end of it all! Most importantly,it removes the guilt of having gorged on a chocolate cake or a vada during snacks time, which means I can have a bigger piece or a double vada ?? yum yum!!
Yesterday,I watched 'Bunty Aur Babli' and noticed in the 'Kajara Re' song that Ash's tummy was flat! 'Always Aim High' is my fave quote :)-
1. My fave jeans is struggling on its way up :)-
2. My erstwhile glorius skin shows aftermarks from pimple ruptures
3. The stairs to my cafeteria appear as though am climbing the Empire State Building
4. Am cursing,swearing and middle-fingering all those who make driving tough for me on the road.(In short am stressed!)
5. My back hurts when I sweep and mop my house!!
6. Those ugly devils are coming back,sleepless nights,more frequently than before!
7. Those uglier devils are threatening to come back,yes the migraines!
The last hint was enough for me to realize that it is time I get back to putting my system through some sweating-out! Thanks Sundari for helping me choose the right track suit from Adidas today,I bought you a Kalmane Koffee in return :)- Well, I did tread-mill for a full 30 minutes non-stop! What a superb feeling at the end of it!
As per medical guidelines, one must sweat with brisk walk/run/jog and that indicates a good heart! Am glad I have a good one,I always knew it beats well and specially well when a handsome,smart man walks by (*wink*) but I had my doubts if it really beat that well, you know what I mean ? yeah,the 72 per minute thingy! Today, I knew it does! Thank God for it...
Apart from beating hearts,a brisk jog/run/walk helps me focus on the priorities in life correctly. Dunno what, but the whole rhythm harmonises the self into thinking about life and philosophy etc, for me it does! Especially on a tread-mill in Oracle's wee gym,with loud music from that stupid music player next to the weighing machine coupled with fellow-gymmers and their machines,I look to focus somewhere away and concentrate.Whoever put the mirror in front of the tread-mill deserves a Nobel Prize for common-sense (committee should set this category up!),the mirror serves as a reference for all things possible during the gym hour! The mirror channelises my thoughts,it helps me see how much I sweat thereby encouraging me to do more(no I dont like sweat,it stinks but remember the more you sweat,the better your heart beats ? and when my wonderful face goes clean and pink(with all the toxins removed), I feel beautiful! For a woman,feeling beautiful is as important as her existence( am joking here!) It makes me feel healthy at the end of it all! Most importantly,it removes the guilt of having gorged on a chocolate cake or a vada during snacks time, which means I can have a bigger piece or a double vada ?? yum yum!!
Yesterday,I watched 'Bunty Aur Babli' and noticed in the 'Kajara Re' song that Ash's tummy was flat! 'Always Aim High' is my fave quote :)-
Thursday, October 18, 2007
My Obsessive Compulsive Disorder...
okie,am copying from Anand's latest blog. My list of ragas that bring out the OCD in me...
1. Kambhoji
2. Bhairavi
3. Hindolam
4. Sahana
5. Kharaharapriya
6. Saama ( Annapurne Vishalakshi from KVN)
7. Reetigowla
8. Sindubhairavi
9. Kapi
10.Bilahari
11...
ok..so i dont want to write all the ragas now.. but you guessed right, I have an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with Carnatic music!! Glad! Andy,you are the one who has fed me so much of music that this disorder has accentuated a million times over now!
And to fuel it further, you have recently started handing out stuff that sounds like Marwa,Ahaliya Bilawal,Bhairav,Bibhas,Lalith Pancham and the rest... am gonna die of this disorder, what ?
talking of dying,my ultimate death wish would be this:-
Reclining on a couch somewhere up in the mountains,with peace and quite around,reading the 'The Murder on the Orient Express',listening to KVN rendering 'Mokshamu galadha' from my Ipod, in silent reflection of the years gone by,shedding a tear or two for lost childhood,thanking HIM for the lovely life he gave me,sipping home-brewed coffee,falling asleep and not waking up again!
I have an OCD with imagination too, perhaps ??
1. Kambhoji
2. Bhairavi
3. Hindolam
4. Sahana
5. Kharaharapriya
6. Saama ( Annapurne Vishalakshi from KVN)
7. Reetigowla
8. Sindubhairavi
9. Kapi
10.Bilahari
11...
ok..so i dont want to write all the ragas now.. but you guessed right, I have an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with Carnatic music!! Glad! Andy,you are the one who has fed me so much of music that this disorder has accentuated a million times over now!
And to fuel it further, you have recently started handing out stuff that sounds like Marwa,Ahaliya Bilawal,Bhairav,Bibhas,Lalith Pancham and the rest... am gonna die of this disorder, what ?
talking of dying,my ultimate death wish would be this:-
Reclining on a couch somewhere up in the mountains,with peace and quite around,reading the 'The Murder on the Orient Express',listening to KVN rendering 'Mokshamu galadha' from my Ipod, in silent reflection of the years gone by,shedding a tear or two for lost childhood,thanking HIM for the lovely life he gave me,sipping home-brewed coffee,falling asleep and not waking up again!
I have an OCD with imagination too, perhaps ??
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
A Saturday with myself...
today has been one of those saturdays when you come to office to do some pending work and then end up doing otherwise! Infact for me,it has been a Saturday@office after a gap of atleast 6 months, probably. In a way, today was a welcome change. Office on a weekend is a haven of peace and quiet, except for the humming of the machines and handful of souls around. The AC is switched off and somehow the environment exudes warmth (sans the AC perhaps ? ) and one feels cozy. Infact, if I could get myself to work today,I could have got done quite a bit. But,am a lazy,dreamy bum!!
Anyway,I just browsed through some database documentation and then went about doing the one dreadful job,that is still pending, and that is, copying over music to my IPOD using Itunes ( read that as pain in the a**). I have accumulated so much of legacy carnatic music on my office PC and it needs to be archived over. But the very thought of Itunes, used to make me postpone this activity until, Anand,my friend whom I can never thank enough,shoved about 60 odd concerts of the great MDR, in one shot at that! So now, the need to archive is pressing and thats why am here today.
All day long, I have drunk the nectar of good old carnatic and hindustani music, it feels as if I have had a double meal. Started out with Lalgudi tillanas, proceeding to KVN (as always KVN is a daily affair!),MDR and a bit of DKJ in my car as I drove to attend music class inbetween. I also had a sudden craving for hindustani music which got me to listen to Ustad Rashid Khan! His voice is pure Scotch,his style is out of this world. Malkauns and Bhairavi thumris and a dadra in Pahadi and am in heaven. Not to forget DKJ's 'Agnyatha Bhakthi rasam' viruttam in Ragamalika in praise of Goddess Kamakshi, perfect timing for Navratri,this one! I simply love the way DKJ renders the line 'Kamakshi Naiva Thava Kaanchathi Dristi Pathaha' in Bilahari and then goes on to sing bilahari at length in akaaram, bliss,total bliss, even in the chaotic surroundings of my car on Nimhans flyover!!
Not just classical, I did listen to some golden songs from Lata as well. Listening to old Bollywood songs after a heavy dose of Indian classical is like eating curd rice after a proper 'yele oota' or like eating 'paalada pradaman' after a 'yummy sadya' in Sheeja's home! In short, as the song 'O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Ayi' resounds from my machine on a dull Saturday afternoon,one can't help feeling contentment in absolute terms!
Did I say,I came to finish work ? Oh forget it,weekends are not meant for work!! However,I have been a good girl inspite of all this wayward weekend behaviour,I did manage to understand how Bitmap Indexes are implemented!
I cant believe my Ipod is fuller than it was yesterday. It is still a little over 1.5GB and I have about 60GB of space left. Anand,where are you ?? What is next Saturday, the 20th of October like !! Ok, I think I have no plans for next weekend :)- :)-
PVR,Forum,food street,friends,work,life,problems and answers,cricket matches,shopping,beauty parlor,everything can wait I guess!!
signing off now.. am excited about my house 'Kolu', shall write on Navratri and my emotional bonding to it later. For now, I need a plate full of food!! Curd rice with mango pickles would be the icing on today's cake perhaps!!
Anyway,I just browsed through some database documentation and then went about doing the one dreadful job,that is still pending, and that is, copying over music to my IPOD using Itunes ( read that as pain in the a**). I have accumulated so much of legacy carnatic music on my office PC and it needs to be archived over. But the very thought of Itunes, used to make me postpone this activity until, Anand,my friend whom I can never thank enough,shoved about 60 odd concerts of the great MDR, in one shot at that! So now, the need to archive is pressing and thats why am here today.
All day long, I have drunk the nectar of good old carnatic and hindustani music, it feels as if I have had a double meal. Started out with Lalgudi tillanas, proceeding to KVN (as always KVN is a daily affair!),MDR and a bit of DKJ in my car as I drove to attend music class inbetween. I also had a sudden craving for hindustani music which got me to listen to Ustad Rashid Khan! His voice is pure Scotch,his style is out of this world. Malkauns and Bhairavi thumris and a dadra in Pahadi and am in heaven. Not to forget DKJ's 'Agnyatha Bhakthi rasam' viruttam in Ragamalika in praise of Goddess Kamakshi, perfect timing for Navratri,this one! I simply love the way DKJ renders the line 'Kamakshi Naiva Thava Kaanchathi Dristi Pathaha' in Bilahari and then goes on to sing bilahari at length in akaaram, bliss,total bliss, even in the chaotic surroundings of my car on Nimhans flyover!!
Not just classical, I did listen to some golden songs from Lata as well. Listening to old Bollywood songs after a heavy dose of Indian classical is like eating curd rice after a proper 'yele oota' or like eating 'paalada pradaman' after a 'yummy sadya' in Sheeja's home! In short, as the song 'O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Ayi' resounds from my machine on a dull Saturday afternoon,one can't help feeling contentment in absolute terms!
Did I say,I came to finish work ? Oh forget it,weekends are not meant for work!! However,I have been a good girl inspite of all this wayward weekend behaviour,I did manage to understand how Bitmap Indexes are implemented!
I cant believe my Ipod is fuller than it was yesterday. It is still a little over 1.5GB and I have about 60GB of space left. Anand,where are you ?? What is next Saturday, the 20th of October like !! Ok, I think I have no plans for next weekend :)- :)-
PVR,Forum,food street,friends,work,life,problems and answers,cricket matches,shopping,beauty parlor,everything can wait I guess!!
signing off now.. am excited about my house 'Kolu', shall write on Navratri and my emotional bonding to it later. For now, I need a plate full of food!! Curd rice with mango pickles would be the icing on today's cake perhaps!!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Sanaatana Dharma..
There are times I feel lost,lonely and confused. This state-of-mind which, I allude to,collectively can be termed as "searching for an absolution". And mostly these are times when the going has been good, when the events in my life are in order, when there is no explicit occurance of anything that has upset my emotions or ruined my happiness or killed my enthusiasm or induced any form of dejectory feelings towards anyone or anything, in short when life is perfect, or nearly so! ( for nothing is perfect, let me not claim to possess this absolute)
I venture to repeat a self-conversation with myself here..
Me:Why do I feel this way when everything is going my way ?
My self:No idea.
Me: What are my unfulfilled desires ?
My self: Lots actually but I know it is only a matter of time.
Me: Am I afraid of loneliness ?
My self: Not really, it is a matter of time again.
Me: Am I saddened by that one person who forgot me, that one love I did not get or that one fight I had ?
My self: Maybe,but that is not cause of this feeling.
and so on. Well,conclusion ? None of these mundane problems are troubling me. I have enough grit and character in me to solve, get over or make amends to cure myself of these trivial heart-aches.This is something more.This is an emptiness that exists when when the cup of life seems full and overflowing! This is a question that am sure, has sprung from the inner souls of many a man/woman who walks this earth and has done so in the past. It is not a new one, yet, it is as I stand today, a long forgotten question,something that I have not answered to for a while now. Above all,it is difficult to postulate uncertain and complex thoughts!
As always, I go to GOOGLE, the all-answering machinery that exists in today's world.
Not knowing what to google, I cast my mind back to the current affairs of my country and randomly type the word 'Hinduism'. A plethora of answers,links and information in response makes me happy, for I have got something to 'timepass' :)-
Not even once does my dumb self realize that this was the answer to my questions. As I progressively read one link from another and delve into the mysticism of the 'Sanatana Dharma' and its universal principles, I feel a sense of relief, as if someone has lifted a boulder off me. My mind tries to understand the grand scheme of things,of 'The Brahman','The Creation','The Vedas','The Upanishads' and finally, the resting place for all unanswered questions of humankind,'The Bhagavad Gita'. A sense of restoration of spirit prevails, the confusion that I'm unable to even fathom is beginning to fade away and appear trivial and useless in comparison to the 'wisdom' of those sages who realized these very principles. I'm in awe of how much we have and how much there is to imbibe. I'm in awe of our ancient civilisation, of the society that was centuries ahead of the rest of the world, thousands of years before the calendar was recorded.
Most importantly, am in awe of the set of principles called 'Hinduism' that has remained intact after umpteen invasions, misinterpretation, competition and what not.
My mind is engrossed like never before. I feel proud of what I just did, it is a worthwhile act,to even try to understand the teachings of our Vedic saints..The people who invented 'Sanskrit' could never be fools!
This was a beautiful quote that impressed me from the zillion lines of 'wisdom pearls' in answer to this google search :-
“If all the Upanishads and all the other scriptures happened all of a sudden to be reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse in the Ishopanishad were left in the memory of the Hindus, Hinduism would live forever.”
"The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all
The Lord is the supreme Reality
Rejoice in him through renunication.
Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord." - Isha Upanishad 1 -1 .
I'm proud to live the 'Hindu way of life'
I'm proud to be a Hindu!
[P.S:
Question of the hour: 'Which engineering college did Ram attend ?'
My Answer : The College of faith,love,tolerance and all that is good in this universe,read it as 'Hinduism'...]
I venture to repeat a self-conversation with myself here..
Me:Why do I feel this way when everything is going my way ?
My self:No idea.
Me: What are my unfulfilled desires ?
My self: Lots actually but I know it is only a matter of time.
Me: Am I afraid of loneliness ?
My self: Not really, it is a matter of time again.
Me: Am I saddened by that one person who forgot me, that one love I did not get or that one fight I had ?
My self: Maybe,but that is not cause of this feeling.
and so on. Well,conclusion ? None of these mundane problems are troubling me. I have enough grit and character in me to solve, get over or make amends to cure myself of these trivial heart-aches.This is something more.This is an emptiness that exists when when the cup of life seems full and overflowing! This is a question that am sure, has sprung from the inner souls of many a man/woman who walks this earth and has done so in the past. It is not a new one, yet, it is as I stand today, a long forgotten question,something that I have not answered to for a while now. Above all,it is difficult to postulate uncertain and complex thoughts!
As always, I go to GOOGLE, the all-answering machinery that exists in today's world.
Not knowing what to google, I cast my mind back to the current affairs of my country and randomly type the word 'Hinduism'. A plethora of answers,links and information in response makes me happy, for I have got something to 'timepass' :)-
Not even once does my dumb self realize that this was the answer to my questions. As I progressively read one link from another and delve into the mysticism of the 'Sanatana Dharma' and its universal principles, I feel a sense of relief, as if someone has lifted a boulder off me. My mind tries to understand the grand scheme of things,of 'The Brahman','The Creation','The Vedas','The Upanishads' and finally, the resting place for all unanswered questions of humankind,'The Bhagavad Gita'. A sense of restoration of spirit prevails, the confusion that I'm unable to even fathom is beginning to fade away and appear trivial and useless in comparison to the 'wisdom' of those sages who realized these very principles. I'm in awe of how much we have and how much there is to imbibe. I'm in awe of our ancient civilisation, of the society that was centuries ahead of the rest of the world, thousands of years before the calendar was recorded.
Most importantly, am in awe of the set of principles called 'Hinduism' that has remained intact after umpteen invasions, misinterpretation, competition and what not.
My mind is engrossed like never before. I feel proud of what I just did, it is a worthwhile act,to even try to understand the teachings of our Vedic saints..The people who invented 'Sanskrit' could never be fools!
This was a beautiful quote that impressed me from the zillion lines of 'wisdom pearls' in answer to this google search :-
“If all the Upanishads and all the other scriptures happened all of a sudden to be reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse in the Ishopanishad were left in the memory of the Hindus, Hinduism would live forever.”
"The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all
The Lord is the supreme Reality
Rejoice in him through renunication.
Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord." - Isha Upanishad 1 -1 .
I'm proud to live the 'Hindu way of life'
I'm proud to be a Hindu!
[P.S:
Question of the hour: 'Which engineering college did Ram attend ?'
My Answer : The College of faith,love,tolerance and all that is good in this universe,read it as 'Hinduism'...]
Monday, September 10, 2007
Glimpses of irony..
A few bizarre thoughts emanate from the recesses of my mind....
India lost to England and India won against South Korea, how many of us watched the losers and failed to notice the winners ? Irony,thats life..
A fly-over collapsed in the busy Panjagutta circle at Hyderabad yesterday,pretty sad...Human life is valued so less in our country,but I have ranted enough and it goes nowhere...Infrastructure woes in IT cities of India - Irony thats life....
Another girl baby's corpse found in Nithari.A culture that has female dieties,that prides in motherhood,talks of sanctity of women still struggles with female infanticide - Irony thats life..
I long to hear someone say nice things about me,a word of appreciation or even a casual compliment,funnily nothing ever comes my way until one bizarre moment when I least expect it.. and then when it comes,it does NOT matter to me..It does not make me happy, I no longer wait for it, at times, it sounds superficial too..
Irony thats life..
Somewhere, halfway across the world from where I stand,a few good souls are still in their slumber,or have they woken up so early ? Them,with whom I spent a little more than a week and yet,felt as if I had known them since times immemorial made a huge impact to my life though I had little in common, in contrast to a few of my own people,with whom I had a lot in common and yet,nothing to relate to..
Irony-thats life...
A new day begins,filled with promises and excitement, but, I think about the days gone by,wishing I went back to this day last month,a crazy day that was,when I just jumped into the next train to Edinburgh,not knowing the why-what-how of my purpose of getting there..
The human mind always craves for things it does not have,shades of irony here ?
India lost to England and India won against South Korea, how many of us watched the losers and failed to notice the winners ? Irony,thats life..
A fly-over collapsed in the busy Panjagutta circle at Hyderabad yesterday,pretty sad...Human life is valued so less in our country,but I have ranted enough and it goes nowhere...Infrastructure woes in IT cities of India - Irony thats life....
Another girl baby's corpse found in Nithari.A culture that has female dieties,that prides in motherhood,talks of sanctity of women still struggles with female infanticide - Irony thats life..
I long to hear someone say nice things about me,a word of appreciation or even a casual compliment,funnily nothing ever comes my way until one bizarre moment when I least expect it.. and then when it comes,it does NOT matter to me..It does not make me happy, I no longer wait for it, at times, it sounds superficial too..
Irony thats life..
Somewhere, halfway across the world from where I stand,a few good souls are still in their slumber,or have they woken up so early ? Them,with whom I spent a little more than a week and yet,felt as if I had known them since times immemorial made a huge impact to my life though I had little in common, in contrast to a few of my own people,with whom I had a lot in common and yet,nothing to relate to..
Irony-thats life...
A new day begins,filled with promises and excitement, but, I think about the days gone by,wishing I went back to this day last month,a crazy day that was,when I just jumped into the next train to Edinburgh,not knowing the why-what-how of my purpose of getting there..
The human mind always craves for things it does not have,shades of irony here ?
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Now that is called 'good cricket'...
Am talking of yesterday's cricket match, Ind vs Eng, it has been a while India put up a fight in this manner, is Indian cricket getting back to shape ? i dont wanna say things a little too early..
Robin Uthappa, my man! thats what captain Rahul told on camera yesterday. A sort of surprise, he was for everyone.The bets were on Yuvraj,Dravid and others, so Robin had to just stay focussed and not let pressure engulf his batting. That's exactly what he did, I suppose.
The last but one, a flick towards fine leg was a beauty, a bold shot,that was played with just one thing in mind - instinct,my opinion though,the experts might have a theory! And when victory seemed just over the horizon,his answer to a full toss delivery giving India the one-run lead was what I term as 'excellent cricket'!!
Fortune favors the brave,perhaps ??
I only hope they don't ruin Robin's career now by sending him at 6-down all the time. Not another Pathan, please! Robin is an opener,so let him be. Especially now,his morale should be high enough for him to open well. India needs a strikesman, an intelligent version of Veerendra Sehwag, Robin is my bet for that!
Not to forget Sachin and Saurav. They played like they were in their teens! Indians are learning to fight, to chase ,which has been our weak area for decades now. The 7 batsmen decision was finally correct!
To talk of the English team, well,Staurt Broad is a guy to watch out for. The lad has an attitude and he bowls well. Very confident. Saurav should not have gotten out at his hands,not after the spat!! But then India won, so it is all ok...
One thing is certain,The Indians,are slowly coming out of the disaster called 'Chappell era',one more thing is certain, the English are trying to ape the Australians,are we seeing another Ashes here ?
Whatever,another can of Irn Bru down! just one more to go...saving that for Saturday, the big game at Lords! Hope India wins, hope Sachin scores that evading-century,for this could possibly be his last series on British soil..
Robin Uthappa, my man! thats what captain Rahul told on camera yesterday. A sort of surprise, he was for everyone.The bets were on Yuvraj,Dravid and others, so Robin had to just stay focussed and not let pressure engulf his batting. That's exactly what he did, I suppose.
The last but one, a flick towards fine leg was a beauty, a bold shot,that was played with just one thing in mind - instinct,my opinion though,the experts might have a theory! And when victory seemed just over the horizon,his answer to a full toss delivery giving India the one-run lead was what I term as 'excellent cricket'!!
Fortune favors the brave,perhaps ??
I only hope they don't ruin Robin's career now by sending him at 6-down all the time. Not another Pathan, please! Robin is an opener,so let him be. Especially now,his morale should be high enough for him to open well. India needs a strikesman, an intelligent version of Veerendra Sehwag, Robin is my bet for that!
Not to forget Sachin and Saurav. They played like they were in their teens! Indians are learning to fight, to chase ,which has been our weak area for decades now. The 7 batsmen decision was finally correct!
To talk of the English team, well,Staurt Broad is a guy to watch out for. The lad has an attitude and he bowls well. Very confident. Saurav should not have gotten out at his hands,not after the spat!! But then India won, so it is all ok...
One thing is certain,The Indians,are slowly coming out of the disaster called 'Chappell era',one more thing is certain, the English are trying to ape the Australians,are we seeing another Ashes here ?
Whatever,another can of Irn Bru down! just one more to go...saving that for Saturday, the big game at Lords! Hope India wins, hope Sachin scores that evading-century,for this could possibly be his last series on British soil..
Friday, August 31, 2007
Nothings on a Friday afternoon...
'Akhiyon main tu bas jaa,akhiyan mein bandh karloo' (roughly translates to 'Dwell in my eyes and let me close them' - gawd translating Hindi to English sucks! ) from the movie 'Chandni' is playing on my comp right,I get lost into my world,you can see me lying carelessly in my chair now,a typical post-lunch posture.I glance around for diversion,my eyes drift to those pieces of beauty on my board-I can see myself in Edinburgh,around lakes and mountains of Scotland,there I go again!!...no I don't need to get emotional now,so I glance away,everything is boring today at work..most of my friends gone - some gone away, some did not turn up,some quit! Oh yes, I always have my company's "social mailing list" for interesting stuff,can always go there and get a good laugh or two. I open my inbox and look for funny,interesting,weird things my colleagues have to say.. one thing that holds my attention is a thread on how unhappy people are with the lunch served at the cafeteria.. happens all the time.. people are obsessed with food..the curry is not fine, the vegetables are dry, the pakoras are oily,the list goes on..I find these things damn funny..there is talk of a food committee which has been going on ever since the Big Bang happened :-) otherwise some general stuff...I need to get back to work,one last glance at picture perfect postcards from Scotland and I go back.. back to my world of business applications and plsql code..
'kismat se tum hamko mileho, kaise chodenge...yeh haaath hum na chodenge..',a melody from Pukaar(2000) of Anil Kapoor,Madhuri fame plays now. A R Rahman knows how to make filmy tunes from a carnatic raga like 'Abheri' the best!!
'kismat se tum hamko mileho, kaise chodenge...yeh haaath hum na chodenge..',a melody from Pukaar(2000) of Anil Kapoor,Madhuri fame plays now. A R Rahman knows how to make filmy tunes from a carnatic raga like 'Abheri' the best!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
visuals from the misty curtains of time..
a sparkling river,a sandy beach...
a cloudy sky,a blazing sun...
a peaceful silence,a sound of music...
a short walk,a long climb...
a little hillside,a misty mountain...
a bowl of soup,a spicy curry...
a ferry boat,a sunken ship...
a small story,a big drama...
a mischievous grin,an embarassed smile....
a haunted castle,a thatched hut...
a jogger's sprint,a sniper's crawl...
a meaningless conversation,a remarkable comment...
a smile of sadness,a tear of joy...
a known stranger,an unknown friend...
a book on a couch,a drink in the pub...
a sense of tradition,a wild nonsense thing...
a large expanse of space, a wee moment in time...
a loud chat with everyone, an unspoken word with someone...
a place where everything ended, a place where everything began...
... a lot of things don't matter anymore..
a cloudy sky,a blazing sun...
a peaceful silence,a sound of music...
a short walk,a long climb...
a little hillside,a misty mountain...
a bowl of soup,a spicy curry...
a ferry boat,a sunken ship...
a small story,a big drama...
a mischievous grin,an embarassed smile....
a haunted castle,a thatched hut...
a jogger's sprint,a sniper's crawl...
a meaningless conversation,a remarkable comment...
a smile of sadness,a tear of joy...
a known stranger,an unknown friend...
a book on a couch,a drink in the pub...
a sense of tradition,a wild nonsense thing...
a large expanse of space, a wee moment in time...
a loud chat with everyone, an unspoken word with someone...
a place where everything ended, a place where everything began...
... a lot of things don't matter anymore..
Monday, August 27, 2007
Common man - only in the cartoon ?
India Inc is probably the most used word in today's media. India is happening and developing at such a rate that the world is noticing it.As a proud Indian ( you could read that as patriotic also, not in the real sense of freedom struggle patriotism though),it makes me happy. Yet,I keep questioning myself, 'Why is life a struggle for the common man even today in India ?'
The word 'Common man' penned after RKL's famous cartoon series has become an entity, unwanted by India Inc. After a month of staying away from home, my powers of observation of my surroundings has suddenly increased by a factor of 20. What was earlier just a passing glance at an overflowing corporation garbage bin,today is a point of observation. A long queue in a government office which was an expected thing yesterday and hence did not require any intellectual interference,today is a mental excersise. Many such examples and am convinced that the 'common man' of India is slowly losing his peace. His life is still a struggle.
The world's biggest democracy, the most emerging market today, yet reports people dying of starvation in Bihar,of farmers commiting suicides in Andra,of floods taking lives in Orissa,of shortage of food, lack of basic education, health,terrorist attacks in parks and gardens,the list goes on...
While the rupee is gaining strength against the dollar and software exports increasing exponentially sound promising,tomatoes at Rs 20 a kg ,meat at Rs 200+ and toor dal at Rs 50+ is definitely not a good sign of internal progress. The former shows how happy 'India's new rich' are ( are they really ?) while the latter concludes that 'Common man' still has a daily struggle to survive.Well,one thing leads to another and there can be scores of peripheral effects of basic infrastructure this country claims to its credit,some good some bad but the one thing that is certain is the difficult state of the ordinary folks of this vast country.
I'm no authority on this country's administration,but I strongly feel that what India needs today is a complete makeover of its socio-econimical structure. Human life, for starters ? We must learn to make a big deal for every life that breathes here, no we don't do that! We Indians don't value 'quality of life'. Also,death is a common occurance and it does not need so much thought is what every system here thinks. No wonder we have blasts every 6 months across the country, so many accidents, lives lost in calamities and alike, people dying of hunger, neglected medical aid,etc.
Only when we realize that life is more important, shall we then come up with systems and subsystems that will try to safeguard and preserve every one of us. Only then shall we think about farmers,teachers, doctors, etc and not just about software engineers..
I would like to see RKL's 'Common Man' as happy too...
The word 'Common man' penned after RKL's famous cartoon series has become an entity, unwanted by India Inc. After a month of staying away from home, my powers of observation of my surroundings has suddenly increased by a factor of 20. What was earlier just a passing glance at an overflowing corporation garbage bin,today is a point of observation. A long queue in a government office which was an expected thing yesterday and hence did not require any intellectual interference,today is a mental excersise. Many such examples and am convinced that the 'common man' of India is slowly losing his peace. His life is still a struggle.
The world's biggest democracy, the most emerging market today, yet reports people dying of starvation in Bihar,of farmers commiting suicides in Andra,of floods taking lives in Orissa,of shortage of food, lack of basic education, health,terrorist attacks in parks and gardens,the list goes on...
While the rupee is gaining strength against the dollar and software exports increasing exponentially sound promising,tomatoes at Rs 20 a kg ,meat at Rs 200+ and toor dal at Rs 50+ is definitely not a good sign of internal progress. The former shows how happy 'India's new rich' are ( are they really ?) while the latter concludes that 'Common man' still has a daily struggle to survive.Well,one thing leads to another and there can be scores of peripheral effects of basic infrastructure this country claims to its credit,some good some bad but the one thing that is certain is the difficult state of the ordinary folks of this vast country.
I'm no authority on this country's administration,but I strongly feel that what India needs today is a complete makeover of its socio-econimical structure. Human life, for starters ? We must learn to make a big deal for every life that breathes here, no we don't do that! We Indians don't value 'quality of life'. Also,death is a common occurance and it does not need so much thought is what every system here thinks. No wonder we have blasts every 6 months across the country, so many accidents, lives lost in calamities and alike, people dying of hunger, neglected medical aid,etc.
Only when we realize that life is more important, shall we then come up with systems and subsystems that will try to safeguard and preserve every one of us. Only then shall we think about farmers,teachers, doctors, etc and not just about software engineers..
I would like to see RKL's 'Common Man' as happy too...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Listening to Lata Mangeshkar now..
After a month of bollywood music deprivation, am overloading myself with Lata Mangeshkar tracks today. My music player at work was on before my email was!! Tracks so far :-
Suno sajna
Yeh dil tum bin kahee lagtaa nahin
Bahaaron mera jeeven bhi sawaaron
the last one is in a loop for probably the 5th time now, the starting piece of santoor and flute makes me wonder, is this Shiv Hari ? Reminds me of the classic 1968 'Call of the valley'...
Why does santoor feel like ripples of water ?
Why does sitar feel like a romantic moment with a stranger ?
Why does flute feel like a peaceful sleep ?
Some questions have no answers..
P.S :- If there is God on earth,he/she probably lives in the vocal chords of Lata Mangeshkar ??
Suno sajna
Yeh dil tum bin kahee lagtaa nahin
Bahaaron mera jeeven bhi sawaaron
the last one is in a loop for probably the 5th time now, the starting piece of santoor and flute makes me wonder, is this Shiv Hari ? Reminds me of the classic 1968 'Call of the valley'...
Why does santoor feel like ripples of water ?
Why does sitar feel like a romantic moment with a stranger ?
Why does flute feel like a peaceful sleep ?
Some questions have no answers..
P.S :- If there is God on earth,he/she probably lives in the vocal chords of Lata Mangeshkar ??
Back to the grind...
life has resumed its normal course! and I have written my shortest blog today!!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Welcome to Centre Court,british summer has set in...
One of the finest tennis matches in a long time was yesterday's Federer vs Nadal. Games running into 5 sets is a trier of all kinds, to the players especially. What a comeback for the Fedex in the last set, that was. But,the hero undoubtedly was Rafael Nadal. I'm a self-confessed fan of Federer but to be fair to yesterday's match,it belonged to Nadal. Some of his cross-court shots were with great precision which the World No 1. could not match,his physical stamina was stunning. Nadal yesterday could have lifted the Himalayas in his left hand,that was his strength. And above all, he appeared to have a mental disposition that seemed to say, 'Look how I can handle the grass'!
Anyway,the day belonged to the Swiss man,who humbly admitted to have been lucky.However, his intelligence on grass was sprouting off now and then, almost in every set and that's why he was able to see Nadal eye-to-eye till the last. No wonder, they say 'battle of equals'!! phew,my heart was jumping yesterday!
Looking at it in a neutral manner,the game was poised equally,so it is unfair to give Nadal so much advanatage. But what made it special for him was probably the fact that he pushed the match to a five-setter and that was his moment of glory. That was the punishing factor for Federer. What a match!!
Above all,it was a match that audience was seen loving through and through. How I wish I was sitting amidst those people and applauding the victory of human spirit, whoever it may be! Perfect british weather(not counting the rain earlier) and beautful Wimbledon centre court,royal feel,precision and all old-world glory is a beautiful feeling.
The best thing about yesterday was the sight of three greats - Bjorn Borg,Boris Becker and John McEnroe. Men who made a difference to this world sitting there to encourage the men who are going to make a difference to this world!.Awesome feeling,great tennis,excellent weather,mind-boggling aces by Federer(in the last set) all these took me back to old memories of growing up when my cousin Jayanthi akka and I used to discuss tennis ( pretty much all sports) and I used to be in awe of her knowldege of every nitty-gritty thing in tennis,cricket,whatever. My interest in sports was fuelled by her and the first thing I did after the match was to call her and discuss yesterday's match!
Jayanthi akka, am so glad you watched it yesterday amidst all your household duties!! Somethings, don't change isn't it ? One of them is Wimbledon...
Anyway,the day belonged to the Swiss man,who humbly admitted to have been lucky.However, his intelligence on grass was sprouting off now and then, almost in every set and that's why he was able to see Nadal eye-to-eye till the last. No wonder, they say 'battle of equals'!! phew,my heart was jumping yesterday!
Looking at it in a neutral manner,the game was poised equally,so it is unfair to give Nadal so much advanatage. But what made it special for him was probably the fact that he pushed the match to a five-setter and that was his moment of glory. That was the punishing factor for Federer. What a match!!
Above all,it was a match that audience was seen loving through and through. How I wish I was sitting amidst those people and applauding the victory of human spirit, whoever it may be! Perfect british weather(not counting the rain earlier) and beautful Wimbledon centre court,royal feel,precision and all old-world glory is a beautiful feeling.
The best thing about yesterday was the sight of three greats - Bjorn Borg,Boris Becker and John McEnroe. Men who made a difference to this world sitting there to encourage the men who are going to make a difference to this world!.Awesome feeling,great tennis,excellent weather,mind-boggling aces by Federer(in the last set) all these took me back to old memories of growing up when my cousin Jayanthi akka and I used to discuss tennis ( pretty much all sports) and I used to be in awe of her knowldege of every nitty-gritty thing in tennis,cricket,whatever. My interest in sports was fuelled by her and the first thing I did after the match was to call her and discuss yesterday's match!
Jayanthi akka, am so glad you watched it yesterday amidst all your household duties!! Somethings, don't change isn't it ? One of them is Wimbledon...
Friday, June 29, 2007
Sowmya at Cleaveland Music festival..
Sowmya is back in form, heard her today at Cleaveland Tyagaraja Aradhana in Cleaveland,am simply amazed by the presence of Carnatic music in the US,am so glad.. The programme being telecast on Jaya TV daily at 6.30AM, wih the usual RMkv silks and grandeur, it feels nice.
Coming back to Sowmya's kutcheri, I must say, I heard the "Sowmya of the early nineties" today, after a reeeally long time. Of late, for whatever reason,which I dont want to judge, I used to feel she had lost interest. Her singing had reduced from a once-all-powerful husky nature to a boring,sluggish one. It hurt me a lot. Because Sowmya is my all time favourite in the new generations. Her classisicm stands out and her no-compromise way of handling ragas like thodi,bhairavi, kalyani and the other rubber-stamp ragas of Carnatic music makes me feel as if am listening to someone from those days....
Maybe it was voice abuse,fatigue or too many concerts, she just wasnt the same, for about a couple of years now. Today, it seemed changed. A briliant neraval in Dhanyasi followed by a kalyani in the 30 mins of glory that JayaTV brings daily was how my day began...
Sowmya stands out because of her commitment to Carnatic musc, I have heard from music circle friends that she works hard at her music even now. No wonder.. She is also singing at a slightly higher pitch with good clarity too... Is this the effect of voice culture ? Constant akaaara saadhanam ? Humming ? Not talking too much ? What could it be ? Am still struggling.. but am not anyone in Carnatic music.. am just a small fish, a reealy tiny one in this great universe of carnatic musicians... but am blessed to be there...
Whatever it is with Sowmya, am glad she is back in action. Am waiting to hear more of her back home, maybe a brilliant kamboji would do justice to all these years of lacking ??
Back in nineties,Sowmya used to be for me an icon - an IIT gold medallist,a post-graduate in Chemistry from IIT,an all-rounder who sings Carnatic music too.
Today, Sowmya is to me an icon of a different nature - a fighter,a phoenix in the field of CM who has come back to form in style and grandeuer, and she also happens to be an IItian,a gold medalist with a postgraduate in chemistry too..
Sometimes it is worth turning the perspective by 360 degres what ?
Coming back to Sowmya's kutcheri, I must say, I heard the "Sowmya of the early nineties" today, after a reeeally long time. Of late, for whatever reason,which I dont want to judge, I used to feel she had lost interest. Her singing had reduced from a once-all-powerful husky nature to a boring,sluggish one. It hurt me a lot. Because Sowmya is my all time favourite in the new generations. Her classisicm stands out and her no-compromise way of handling ragas like thodi,bhairavi, kalyani and the other rubber-stamp ragas of Carnatic music makes me feel as if am listening to someone from those days....
Maybe it was voice abuse,fatigue or too many concerts, she just wasnt the same, for about a couple of years now. Today, it seemed changed. A briliant neraval in Dhanyasi followed by a kalyani in the 30 mins of glory that JayaTV brings daily was how my day began...
Sowmya stands out because of her commitment to Carnatic musc, I have heard from music circle friends that she works hard at her music even now. No wonder.. She is also singing at a slightly higher pitch with good clarity too... Is this the effect of voice culture ? Constant akaaara saadhanam ? Humming ? Not talking too much ? What could it be ? Am still struggling.. but am not anyone in Carnatic music.. am just a small fish, a reealy tiny one in this great universe of carnatic musicians... but am blessed to be there...
Whatever it is with Sowmya, am glad she is back in action. Am waiting to hear more of her back home, maybe a brilliant kamboji would do justice to all these years of lacking ??
Back in nineties,Sowmya used to be for me an icon - an IIT gold medallist,a post-graduate in Chemistry from IIT,an all-rounder who sings Carnatic music too.
Today, Sowmya is to me an icon of a different nature - a fighter,a phoenix in the field of CM who has come back to form in style and grandeuer, and she also happens to be an IItian,a gold medalist with a postgraduate in chemistry too..
Sometimes it is worth turning the perspective by 360 degres what ?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The great TMT is no more..
Sir TM Thyagarajan, one of the greatest livng legends of sampradayam karnataka sangeetham passed away yesterday at 84. I have started listening to him only recently and the impact his music has is not explainable. He is a guru of first order - even just listening to his music has given so much.
May his soul rest in peace.
May his soul rest in peace.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
sun rise in a jealous mind...
today i woke up feeling jealous,of some people, some girls, to be specific. I'm in comparison mode. This emotional surge happens once in a while and when that happens, I loathe myself. But am a human afterall.
Why am I jealous of some girls ? Hundreds of reasons.. from simple 'some girls get it easy' to complex 'Some girls get away with anything' ones.. Not many would understand, but thats not the idea. Idea is to pour out on my dear blog so that the 'not-so-nice' feelings pass.. Writing does that to me..It is highly effective in that sense.
Jealousy is a rotten thought,but it happens. And am not gonna hide it anymore. In a lighter sense, if I jot down some interesting reasons why I could be jealous of any other girl, would it make this blog any better ?
1. She is beautiful,men stare at her..
2. She is still young,my God no wonder these guys go gaga over her..
3. She throws her feminine charm and see how these idiots swoon...
4. She has it all - why is God so unfair ?
5. Coming to think of it... am almost like her, so why do I have to struggle every time ? ( this is a commonly occuring jealousy trait)
6. Why cant I ever act coy and feminine like her ? Men are old-fashioned remember, they still want their woman to be the goody-goody one.
7. She shops like crazy, wonder where she gets those fancy earrings from ? for all that, she must have paid just a few rupees for those while am sitting here wearing these 30K diamonds. ( how wrong I was to think that diamonds are a girl's best friend ? )
8. I hate my hair.. dry and curled up all the time, look at her, such lovely straight, silky ones.. I spend so much on conditioners and yet.. she tells me she just shampoes the damn thing.. God... is there no solution for my bad hair ?
9. what has she done to deserve all this ? I mean her existence is of no use to this society, I do this, I do that and yet, it doesnt mean anything. ( This is a stupid one, only a totally horrible me can think thus :-) )
10. A day will come when her beauty will fade, when she will become fat and bulgy.. these guys will never give a damn then ... wow.. how nice.. i would feel so much better that day...
ah... the list goes on.. Now, the real me is emerging..am glad these stupid thoughts are gone. Honestly it doesnt matter to me how beautiful,capable or young another woman is. I know there is someone out there for me, someone whose life and existence makes sense with me. He may be old,greying,bald,fat whatever, but he would be mine!!
Girls, get away please... I wish you all the best in your charm-filled, youthful endeavours, you could never be me nor could I be you.
Your men could never be mine and mine shall never give you a second look..
Current mood :- passing jealousy, coming to commonsense..
Current song :- 'Mere Khwabon mein jo aaye' from DDLJ..
Why am I jealous of some girls ? Hundreds of reasons.. from simple 'some girls get it easy' to complex 'Some girls get away with anything' ones.. Not many would understand, but thats not the idea. Idea is to pour out on my dear blog so that the 'not-so-nice' feelings pass.. Writing does that to me..It is highly effective in that sense.
Jealousy is a rotten thought,but it happens. And am not gonna hide it anymore. In a lighter sense, if I jot down some interesting reasons why I could be jealous of any other girl, would it make this blog any better ?
1. She is beautiful,men stare at her..
2. She is still young,my God no wonder these guys go gaga over her..
3. She throws her feminine charm and see how these idiots swoon...
4. She has it all - why is God so unfair ?
5. Coming to think of it... am almost like her, so why do I have to struggle every time ? ( this is a commonly occuring jealousy trait)
6. Why cant I ever act coy and feminine like her ? Men are old-fashioned remember, they still want their woman to be the goody-goody one.
7. She shops like crazy, wonder where she gets those fancy earrings from ? for all that, she must have paid just a few rupees for those while am sitting here wearing these 30K diamonds. ( how wrong I was to think that diamonds are a girl's best friend ? )
8. I hate my hair.. dry and curled up all the time, look at her, such lovely straight, silky ones.. I spend so much on conditioners and yet.. she tells me she just shampoes the damn thing.. God... is there no solution for my bad hair ?
9. what has she done to deserve all this ? I mean her existence is of no use to this society, I do this, I do that and yet, it doesnt mean anything. ( This is a stupid one, only a totally horrible me can think thus :-) )
10. A day will come when her beauty will fade, when she will become fat and bulgy.. these guys will never give a damn then ... wow.. how nice.. i would feel so much better that day...
ah... the list goes on.. Now, the real me is emerging..am glad these stupid thoughts are gone. Honestly it doesnt matter to me how beautiful,capable or young another woman is. I know there is someone out there for me, someone whose life and existence makes sense with me. He may be old,greying,bald,fat whatever, but he would be mine!!
Girls, get away please... I wish you all the best in your charm-filled, youthful endeavours, you could never be me nor could I be you.
Your men could never be mine and mine shall never give you a second look..
Current mood :- passing jealousy, coming to commonsense..
Current song :- 'Mere Khwabon mein jo aaye' from DDLJ..
Monday, June 25, 2007
What is true freedom ?
I'm asking this question of myself after engaging in a debate with some friends. The debate was on political ideologies - democracy, capitalism ,communism and all the variations we have today. I, for one, is a strong supporter of democracy and more so capitalism. Capitalism does to a society something similar to what mom used to do to us when we were kids - 'Look at how well behaved that girl next door is... ' and lo, I started behaving well too..
I presume you know what I mean.
Capitalism brings in competition. It puts in challenges, it churns the best from the huge melting pot, so to speak. And we all know, how these handful change our lives.
Some say, democracy doesnt work for a country like ours. Because we dont deserve it. Partially right. At 60 years, our country is still like a bunch of unruly kids who have to be whipped to be disciplined. But wait,thats not what democracy is, in the first place. It defines freedom to choose in a nutshell, however it does not impose!
It just lays rules and rules for breaking those rules, but it doesnt enforce. Atleast not in the strictest sense. Because of its true definition, it still gives a criminal, a defaulter, a chance. A chance to plead! A chance to get away ! (this is the saddest part of democracy) But to blame an ideology that stands on freedom for this very reason is not fair. This is my opinion. Because, I live in a society that has given me the freedom to live life on my terms so long as those terms dont affect another's existence.I love this freedom because it lets me work,be intellectual,creative, entertaining ,empathatic and more. And to blame democracy just because a few misuse it is wrong.
What if I were to lose all this tomorrow and be asked to follow certain principles that I dont subscribe to ? Some of those that appear socially just but unfair to the hard working,skilled population like mine ? What if I were asked to donate half of my salary to someone who is unemployed just because that person does not want to work ? What if my salary was never increased simply because some lawyer somewhere was making only so much ? What if my creative talents were not paid off simply because 90% of the society was not creative ? What if educational standards were reduced to keep eveyone at bay ? What if I had to pay 60% income tax while someone else paid only 30% ? What if I had to donate 5% of my income to a youth who was begging simply because he is too lazy to work ? What if entertainment was regulated ? What if we were asked to stop playing sports because we need that money to be invested elsewhere ? What if defence was not so important ?
Did I lose my freedom here ? My friend would say no because he thinks so long as I have enough to eat and survive, it is OK! So long as my money is going to make everyone well-fed and well-clothed, such rules are fine, he would say!
What happens to me ? What happens to this society ? Would there be motivation ? Would anyone think beyond eating and living well ? Would we explore ? Would we take the unchartered ? Would we try to create wealth ? Would we invest ? Would we think ahead ? Would we secure ourselves ? Eventually, would we think at all ? Would there be change ? evolution ?
Might be, might be not! Because it all depends on one guy whose vision of the world would have to become my vison of the world. And that my friends is by itself, RESTRICTING and against WORLD ORDER. This world needs chaos, variety and differences. There have to be rich and poor, the hard working and the hardly working, the common and the intellectual, we have no choice. This is world order. By trying to make things uniform,someone out there is only acting God! Any human acting GOD is called a DICTATOR! Because, we have no right to! There was one guy about half a century ago due to whose whims and fancies, an entire population of innocent, free-spirited people were put to pain and death. Do we need moral policemen for our leaders ?
Think my friends!
I presume you know what I mean.
Capitalism brings in competition. It puts in challenges, it churns the best from the huge melting pot, so to speak. And we all know, how these handful change our lives.
Some say, democracy doesnt work for a country like ours. Because we dont deserve it. Partially right. At 60 years, our country is still like a bunch of unruly kids who have to be whipped to be disciplined. But wait,thats not what democracy is, in the first place. It defines freedom to choose in a nutshell, however it does not impose!
It just lays rules and rules for breaking those rules, but it doesnt enforce. Atleast not in the strictest sense. Because of its true definition, it still gives a criminal, a defaulter, a chance. A chance to plead! A chance to get away ! (this is the saddest part of democracy) But to blame an ideology that stands on freedom for this very reason is not fair. This is my opinion. Because, I live in a society that has given me the freedom to live life on my terms so long as those terms dont affect another's existence.I love this freedom because it lets me work,be intellectual,creative, entertaining ,empathatic and more. And to blame democracy just because a few misuse it is wrong.
What if I were to lose all this tomorrow and be asked to follow certain principles that I dont subscribe to ? Some of those that appear socially just but unfair to the hard working,skilled population like mine ? What if I were asked to donate half of my salary to someone who is unemployed just because that person does not want to work ? What if my salary was never increased simply because some lawyer somewhere was making only so much ? What if my creative talents were not paid off simply because 90% of the society was not creative ? What if educational standards were reduced to keep eveyone at bay ? What if I had to pay 60% income tax while someone else paid only 30% ? What if I had to donate 5% of my income to a youth who was begging simply because he is too lazy to work ? What if entertainment was regulated ? What if we were asked to stop playing sports because we need that money to be invested elsewhere ? What if defence was not so important ?
Did I lose my freedom here ? My friend would say no because he thinks so long as I have enough to eat and survive, it is OK! So long as my money is going to make everyone well-fed and well-clothed, such rules are fine, he would say!
What happens to me ? What happens to this society ? Would there be motivation ? Would anyone think beyond eating and living well ? Would we explore ? Would we take the unchartered ? Would we try to create wealth ? Would we invest ? Would we think ahead ? Would we secure ourselves ? Eventually, would we think at all ? Would there be change ? evolution ?
Might be, might be not! Because it all depends on one guy whose vision of the world would have to become my vison of the world. And that my friends is by itself, RESTRICTING and against WORLD ORDER. This world needs chaos, variety and differences. There have to be rich and poor, the hard working and the hardly working, the common and the intellectual, we have no choice. This is world order. By trying to make things uniform,someone out there is only acting God! Any human acting GOD is called a DICTATOR! Because, we have no right to! There was one guy about half a century ago due to whose whims and fancies, an entire population of innocent, free-spirited people were put to pain and death. Do we need moral policemen for our leaders ?
Think my friends!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Fools - who are they ?
I would like to compare some of my thoughts now with those ones I used to have say about 5-10 years ago in given similar contexts and life situations. What shall I call this ? Words-from-experience ? Stupid thoughts ? Whatever...
1. Then :- It is possible for me to be in anyone's thoughts if I try hard enough..
Now :- No matter what I do, I simply don't exist for some people. don't even nned to try...
2. Then :- When I talk, everyone shall listen if am convincing..
Now :- People switch off their minds the moment they see me open my mouth...
3. Then :- How can a stranger be close ? I mean.. he is a stranger, what does he know of me ?
Now :- A stranger can understand me better than most people you know. Most people I know can behave more strangely than strangers.
4. Then :- I think am your close friend and you will be there for me at all times of need.
Now :- I thought am your close friend but you dint think so and rest of the stuff doesnt matter anyway...
5. Then :- I want to make new friends wherever i go..
Now :- Let me call some of my old buddies from school and college...
6. Then :- My mom is old fashioned and boring. She advises me all the time on relationships at work, does she mean I should not trust anyone ? She belongs to some goddamn generation that never let people talk at work...
Now :- Let me ask Mom on how to handle this small matter at work. She would definitely know best..
7. Then :- What, watching a movie alone ? Are you mad ? You dont know how to be happy at all... I tell you just catch some friends and go have fun... u are so boring...
Now :- Ok, so...she is married and so is she, he is travelling, he doesn't like my company, they don't watch the movies I do, oh they prefer late night shows , okie let me watch this movie alone...
8. Then :- These thirty odds are unbearable...
Now :- These twenty-somethings so immature...
9. Then :- A man who is smart,handsome,educated with a good sense of humor,social, romantic, etc etc etc..
Now :- A person who accepts me as am...
10. Then :- Friendship has no expectations, thats why it is so beautiful but love has expectations, so friendship is nobler ( someone told me this actually..)
Now :- Love grows with time because those very expectations bind people together and make them discover the best in one another.
11. Then :- am single and ready to mingle..
Now :- am single and happy with myself..
12. Then :- In the next 5 years, I shall be heading this team, I shall be earning fifty lakhs p.a, I will have travelled all over the world and bought a penthouse...
Now :- In the next 5 years, I shall probably be packing my child to school and driving to work early to complete this assignment before I take this much awaited week-long vacation to Chennai with my parents....
13. Then :- My destiny is in my hands...I can change it if I want to.. it has nothing to do with my past deeds nor with any Creator...
Now :- oh Lord, give me strength to handle my troubles, whatever may come, do not let go of me....
:-) I liked the last one particularly.. it adds a dramatic effect to this this blog...
Agatha Christie says in her famous Marple case 'Murder at the Vicarage' thus :-
quote.... " The young people THINK the old are fools but the old people KNOW the young are fools.." unquote..
1. Then :- It is possible for me to be in anyone's thoughts if I try hard enough..
Now :- No matter what I do, I simply don't exist for some people. don't even nned to try...
2. Then :- When I talk, everyone shall listen if am convincing..
Now :- People switch off their minds the moment they see me open my mouth...
3. Then :- How can a stranger be close ? I mean.. he is a stranger, what does he know of me ?
Now :- A stranger can understand me better than most people you know. Most people I know can behave more strangely than strangers.
4. Then :- I think am your close friend and you will be there for me at all times of need.
Now :- I thought am your close friend but you dint think so and rest of the stuff doesnt matter anyway...
5. Then :- I want to make new friends wherever i go..
Now :- Let me call some of my old buddies from school and college...
6. Then :- My mom is old fashioned and boring. She advises me all the time on relationships at work, does she mean I should not trust anyone ? She belongs to some goddamn generation that never let people talk at work...
Now :- Let me ask Mom on how to handle this small matter at work. She would definitely know best..
7. Then :- What, watching a movie alone ? Are you mad ? You dont know how to be happy at all... I tell you just catch some friends and go have fun... u are so boring...
Now :- Ok, so...she is married and so is she, he is travelling, he doesn't like my company, they don't watch the movies I do, oh they prefer late night shows , okie let me watch this movie alone...
8. Then :- These thirty odds are unbearable...
Now :- These twenty-somethings so immature...
9. Then :- A man who is smart,handsome,educated with a good sense of humor,social, romantic, etc etc etc..
Now :- A person who accepts me as am...
10. Then :- Friendship has no expectations, thats why it is so beautiful but love has expectations, so friendship is nobler ( someone told me this actually..)
Now :- Love grows with time because those very expectations bind people together and make them discover the best in one another.
11. Then :- am single and ready to mingle..
Now :- am single and happy with myself..
12. Then :- In the next 5 years, I shall be heading this team, I shall be earning fifty lakhs p.a, I will have travelled all over the world and bought a penthouse...
Now :- In the next 5 years, I shall probably be packing my child to school and driving to work early to complete this assignment before I take this much awaited week-long vacation to Chennai with my parents....
13. Then :- My destiny is in my hands...I can change it if I want to.. it has nothing to do with my past deeds nor with any Creator...
Now :- oh Lord, give me strength to handle my troubles, whatever may come, do not let go of me....
:-) I liked the last one particularly.. it adds a dramatic effect to this this blog...
Agatha Christie says in her famous Marple case 'Murder at the Vicarage' thus :-
quote.... " The young people THINK the old are fools but the old people KNOW the young are fools.." unquote..
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Mungaru malae review (blues ?)
After a long gap, maybe a decade or more,I actually cried through a movie today. I cried for that stupid guy in the movie :-) poor thing, you know, he was in such a hopeless state,right ? Right through the beginning,the man did not even get a bloody chance! Many of us actually don't admit to feeling mushy/emotional whenver we watch such movies. We fear being laughed at,by our friends,oursleves. Am sure we all have, at some point felt like crying for a romance on screen,for failed unions,sad songs and what-have-you. But, we adults don't ever admit to feeling emotional...
For us, being emotional denotes weakness,in mind and body. Especially, it is so taboo for a man to cry.But poor guys,they have a heart too! And it hurts badly I suppose,whenever a girl uses them to her advantage. That's precisely what I felt Mr Preetham went through in Mungaaru Malae.."Paaapa huduga",as they say in Kannada..there must be scores of such guys in this universe....
and the girl, well.. what to say of her... she got the best deal anyways... romance with our hero and marriage with someone tall,dark(not-so-much) and handsome(definitely that model has dimples that girls swoon over), anyway, our heroine got the best deal... there must be scores of such girls in this universe too..
Apart from all this, this was a movie about monsoons and what it does to you, I suppose. It is probably trying to prove the point that 'falling in love is as easy as opening an umbrella in the monsoons'. Funny,love is such a stupid thing... and such an overly used term. The movie's greatest moments though are the rain-drenched appearances of the pair, it's biggest asset is 'lack of vulgarity' and lack of 'obscene dress-sense' (you could watch this with your dad types),however the fashion sense is totally lacking here. The heroine's clothes were poorly designed and consisted mostly of large beads and beady looking artistic stuff and some garish sarees and outfits. When less is to be covered,it is important how to cover it, but sadly our fashion designers there do not quite understand this!
The movie is very good inspite of mush mush all over. Yes, I cried through it and I had expected to ( refer my previous blog) It made me feel stupid, young and silly. And tears are a wonderful thing,they cleanse up your system.
Finally, I discovered two things today :-
1. I can watch movies alone. I may be alone but am definitely not lonely. I cherished my singledom and thanked God for keeping me single,independent,master of my will and most importantly happy.
2. Whenever,I feel not-so-young anymore,I need to watch a mush-mush movie like this. Doing so, I would shed those collegish-stupid tears and the after-effect would be nice and feel-young-all-over-again sort of. :-)
All said and done,"love" may be misread today, but lucky are those who have tasted it, atleast once, even if it has left a sad memory. The experience of having been in love,of being loved and one of reciprocation, is so much more sweet than of "unrequited love". As I said,earlier on, it was sad to see Pretham because fellow never had a chance,except for a few hours in his reel life.
Sacrifice may be eternal and love momentary but life is all about moments,right ?
feeling-good-bad-sad-mushy and young
-Rekha
For us, being emotional denotes weakness,in mind and body. Especially, it is so taboo for a man to cry.But poor guys,they have a heart too! And it hurts badly I suppose,whenever a girl uses them to her advantage. That's precisely what I felt Mr Preetham went through in Mungaaru Malae.."Paaapa huduga",as they say in Kannada..there must be scores of such guys in this universe....
and the girl, well.. what to say of her... she got the best deal anyways... romance with our hero and marriage with someone tall,dark(not-so-much) and handsome(definitely that model has dimples that girls swoon over), anyway, our heroine got the best deal... there must be scores of such girls in this universe too..
Apart from all this, this was a movie about monsoons and what it does to you, I suppose. It is probably trying to prove the point that 'falling in love is as easy as opening an umbrella in the monsoons'. Funny,love is such a stupid thing... and such an overly used term. The movie's greatest moments though are the rain-drenched appearances of the pair, it's biggest asset is 'lack of vulgarity' and lack of 'obscene dress-sense' (you could watch this with your dad types),however the fashion sense is totally lacking here. The heroine's clothes were poorly designed and consisted mostly of large beads and beady looking artistic stuff and some garish sarees and outfits. When less is to be covered,it is important how to cover it, but sadly our fashion designers there do not quite understand this!
The movie is very good inspite of mush mush all over. Yes, I cried through it and I had expected to ( refer my previous blog) It made me feel stupid, young and silly. And tears are a wonderful thing,they cleanse up your system.
Finally, I discovered two things today :-
1. I can watch movies alone. I may be alone but am definitely not lonely. I cherished my singledom and thanked God for keeping me single,independent,master of my will and most importantly happy.
2. Whenever,I feel not-so-young anymore,I need to watch a mush-mush movie like this. Doing so, I would shed those collegish-stupid tears and the after-effect would be nice and feel-young-all-over-again sort of. :-)
All said and done,"love" may be misread today, but lucky are those who have tasted it, atleast once, even if it has left a sad memory. The experience of having been in love,of being loved and one of reciprocation, is so much more sweet than of "unrequited love". As I said,earlier on, it was sad to see Pretham because fellow never had a chance,except for a few hours in his reel life.
Sacrifice may be eternal and love momentary but life is all about moments,right ?
feeling-good-bad-sad-mushy and young
-Rekha
Friday, June 01, 2007
mist,clouds,raindrops,Malnad,Mungaaru Malae and silly me!
am copying DBT,I apologise. I have flicked her blog-story, but then 'Mungaaru Malae' is universal, so am sure DBT understands that I need to write about rains as well :-)
I'm constantly hovering between 'I need to watch Mungaaru malae' and 'I don't want to watch Mungaaru Malae' these days. Firstly, the movie is a big big hit and holds the record for the largest running show in any PVR in India,am told.Great! am happy that this record has gone to a kannada movie. So, it would be stupid me not watching this one,especially when almost all kannadigas have done so.
But,honestly,I have feared watching this movie. I know the story and it is a pretty simple one, almost simple and easy but..I get hurt watching love stories where the hero and heroine don't get together eventually, it feels sad and it works on me big time.
A couple fall in love against the backdrop of beautiful 'Malnaad' amidst the monsoonshowers,(now you know why my blog is called this!),frolic in the rains in drenched appearances,sing beautifully composed 'Mungaaru Maleye' that make me spin, only to part in the end without getting married to each other. Shucks,it hurts.. what a waste of romance! I feel sad and it makes me want to cry. Hence, I have not wanted to watch this movie till now.
So, this silly me sits back and thinks thus :- Whats in a movie yaar ? At this age,you are being so silly...common, go watch it.. blah blah.. Wait..I tell you what ,I can't help it.. it is not the story nor the songs but the mist-clad mountains,the clouds hovering over the entire plane of sky over my head,the green expanse all around,the raindrops that fall on my face, this is what am afraid of.. Silly, isn't it ? It is weird but anyone who has visited Malnad in the monsoons would understand what am saying..
Back to the movie,having heard that the photography is beyond exceptional,I fear watching picture-perfect moments such as these. At the same time,I know that in these very scenes lie my "utopian state of mind". And am afraid of getting to that state-of-mind, for I know,I cannot live there forever. This is exactly my fear!!!
Casting aside my feelings and different-states-of-mind, I finally mustered enough courage today to watch 'Mungaaru Malae' this Sunday. Immediately, purchased a ticket so that it doesn't fizzle out. Now,I'm prepared to smile,hurt,cry,rejoice and what-not at the hero-heroine. More importantly,I close my eyes for a moment and I see mist-clad mountains,clouds hovering about, green expanse all around and raindrops falling on my face. It is worth it, what ?
I'm constantly hovering between 'I need to watch Mungaaru malae' and 'I don't want to watch Mungaaru Malae' these days. Firstly, the movie is a big big hit and holds the record for the largest running show in any PVR in India,am told.Great! am happy that this record has gone to a kannada movie. So, it would be stupid me not watching this one,especially when almost all kannadigas have done so.
But,honestly,I have feared watching this movie. I know the story and it is a pretty simple one, almost simple and easy but..I get hurt watching love stories where the hero and heroine don't get together eventually, it feels sad and it works on me big time.
A couple fall in love against the backdrop of beautiful 'Malnaad' amidst the monsoonshowers,(now you know why my blog is called this!),frolic in the rains in drenched appearances,sing beautifully composed 'Mungaaru Maleye' that make me spin, only to part in the end without getting married to each other. Shucks,it hurts.. what a waste of romance! I feel sad and it makes me want to cry. Hence, I have not wanted to watch this movie till now.
So, this silly me sits back and thinks thus :- Whats in a movie yaar ? At this age,you are being so silly...common, go watch it.. blah blah.. Wait..I tell you what ,I can't help it.. it is not the story nor the songs but the mist-clad mountains,the clouds hovering over the entire plane of sky over my head,the green expanse all around,the raindrops that fall on my face, this is what am afraid of.. Silly, isn't it ? It is weird but anyone who has visited Malnad in the monsoons would understand what am saying..
Back to the movie,having heard that the photography is beyond exceptional,I fear watching picture-perfect moments such as these. At the same time,I know that in these very scenes lie my "utopian state of mind". And am afraid of getting to that state-of-mind, for I know,I cannot live there forever. This is exactly my fear!!!
Casting aside my feelings and different-states-of-mind, I finally mustered enough courage today to watch 'Mungaaru Malae' this Sunday. Immediately, purchased a ticket so that it doesn't fizzle out. Now,I'm prepared to smile,hurt,cry,rejoice and what-not at the hero-heroine. More importantly,I close my eyes for a moment and I see mist-clad mountains,clouds hovering about, green expanse all around and raindrops falling on my face. It is worth it, what ?
Monday, May 28, 2007
My Famous Five hindi movie 'A'ces
I have been wanting to write on these for a really long time now. My most favourite hindi movies of yesteryears, I hate to call them 'Bollywood movies'. The word 'Bollywood' reminds me of something contemporary and stereotypical. And these movies were exceptions to the rule and to put them in the same basket as today's flicks is obvious stupidity. Coincidentally, their names began with an 'A' and they leave a mark from the word go. To write about them is a pleasure, a travel down the memory lane worth going back in time to the days of creative genius of hindi cinema.
Abhimaan
Anand
Aradhana
Amar Prem
Aandhi
The above order does not mean an order of preference. That would be 5P5 permutations to order :)- so I listed them as I could tick them off my head...
For simplicity, I choose the bottom-up approach :)-
Aandhi :- The word itself means 'storm' or 'tempest'. It is a tale of two lives bonded by love and marriage but separated by egoes driven by high-flying careers.
Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen married but separated, he a successful hotelier and she the best lady politican of the day,she runs into him at his hotel during political campaign and old sparks re-ignite. There are moments of their togetherness,avoiding public eye for fear of unwanted publicity,just so wonderfully created and enacted. The last few scenes are the work of a master director. The end is all the more realistic because she bids him goodbye and it very cleverly shows how many a time, a buried relationship can never be the same. Some of best music ever.
Most Notable song :- Is Mod Se Jaate hain(the lyrics take it all)
Amar Prem :- Imagine a handsome man mouthing a dramatic 'Pushpa,I hate tears', his head swinging slightly to and fro and an ironical grin as he enacts an emotional moment with his leading-lady.Imagine love with no tags of sexuality attached. Imagine two torn souls finding their lives'lost love in each other, but never trying to give it a name. Imagine an entire life spent in such a relationship. Imagine 'Love with no expectations' and you have just imagined 'Amar Prem'. The name says it all.. Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore make real-life seem so inferior.
Most Notable song :- The classical masterpiece in raag Patdeep 'Raina Beeti Jaaye'
Aradhana :- Three most unforgettable scenes sums up this movie entirely.
Scene 1 :A handsome IAF officer standing at the doorstep of a simple girl and the girl unknowingly throws a bucket of water on his face.The beginning of a romance leading to a brilliantly filmed intimate scene, a love lasting forever.
Scene 2 :A middle-aged Sharmila Tagore watching the romance of her illegitimate son and his girl from behind the clothes-line.
Scene 3 :In the end,when the son proudly acknowledges her in an officers' meet thus giving her life-long 'Aradhana' a meaning, a completion to a penance she underwent to make him an Air force officer.This movie is an unbeatable classic. A true love story in all facets of human relationships.Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore again, what a romantic pair!!
Most beautiful song :-Kora Kaagaz tha yeh man mera. This song showcased the best voice of Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar, in my opinion.
Anand :- I cry everytime I watch this movie. The best self-help material in visual, highly positive influence. The movie where Amitabh was competly willing to be overshadowed by Rajesh Khanna. This movie brought about a new dimension in friendships, one that of loss. Fun,sadness,humor,philosophy all of these have been presented in this movie. Most importantly, it conveys the message of 'eternal living'. Truly touching.
Song that rocks :- Maine tere liye hi saath rang ke sapne chune.
Abhimaan :- This movie shall remain my best forever,the top of my list. It so wonderfully portrays professional career vs personal life and the eternal struggle to balance the two in a marriage. Totally realistic. I cannot say enough about this movie. Jaya Bhaduri was an actress par excellence even before the 'Bachan' tag engulfed her into housewifely-duties. Some brilliant acting. A movie that shows to perfection - a universal element called 'MALE EGO'. The fantastic musical end to this movie is unique and commands adulation. Every musical note composed for this movie is worth its weight in gold but the one that stands out is 'Tere Mere Milan Ki yeh raina'.
This trip down the memory lane has been truly enchanting..As I say, some reel-life makes real life look so inferior!!
Abhimaan
Anand
Aradhana
Amar Prem
Aandhi
The above order does not mean an order of preference. That would be 5P5 permutations to order :)- so I listed them as I could tick them off my head...
For simplicity, I choose the bottom-up approach :)-
Aandhi :- The word itself means 'storm' or 'tempest'. It is a tale of two lives bonded by love and marriage but separated by egoes driven by high-flying careers.
Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen married but separated, he a successful hotelier and she the best lady politican of the day,she runs into him at his hotel during political campaign and old sparks re-ignite. There are moments of their togetherness,avoiding public eye for fear of unwanted publicity,just so wonderfully created and enacted. The last few scenes are the work of a master director. The end is all the more realistic because she bids him goodbye and it very cleverly shows how many a time, a buried relationship can never be the same. Some of best music ever.
Most Notable song :- Is Mod Se Jaate hain(the lyrics take it all)
Amar Prem :- Imagine a handsome man mouthing a dramatic 'Pushpa,I hate tears', his head swinging slightly to and fro and an ironical grin as he enacts an emotional moment with his leading-lady.Imagine love with no tags of sexuality attached. Imagine two torn souls finding their lives'lost love in each other, but never trying to give it a name. Imagine an entire life spent in such a relationship. Imagine 'Love with no expectations' and you have just imagined 'Amar Prem'. The name says it all.. Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore make real-life seem so inferior.
Most Notable song :- The classical masterpiece in raag Patdeep 'Raina Beeti Jaaye'
Aradhana :- Three most unforgettable scenes sums up this movie entirely.
Scene 1 :A handsome IAF officer standing at the doorstep of a simple girl and the girl unknowingly throws a bucket of water on his face.The beginning of a romance leading to a brilliantly filmed intimate scene, a love lasting forever.
Scene 2 :A middle-aged Sharmila Tagore watching the romance of her illegitimate son and his girl from behind the clothes-line.
Scene 3 :In the end,when the son proudly acknowledges her in an officers' meet thus giving her life-long 'Aradhana' a meaning, a completion to a penance she underwent to make him an Air force officer.This movie is an unbeatable classic. A true love story in all facets of human relationships.Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore again, what a romantic pair!!
Most beautiful song :-Kora Kaagaz tha yeh man mera. This song showcased the best voice of Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar, in my opinion.
Anand :- I cry everytime I watch this movie. The best self-help material in visual, highly positive influence. The movie where Amitabh was competly willing to be overshadowed by Rajesh Khanna. This movie brought about a new dimension in friendships, one that of loss. Fun,sadness,humor,philosophy all of these have been presented in this movie. Most importantly, it conveys the message of 'eternal living'. Truly touching.
Song that rocks :- Maine tere liye hi saath rang ke sapne chune.
Abhimaan :- This movie shall remain my best forever,the top of my list. It so wonderfully portrays professional career vs personal life and the eternal struggle to balance the two in a marriage. Totally realistic. I cannot say enough about this movie. Jaya Bhaduri was an actress par excellence even before the 'Bachan' tag engulfed her into housewifely-duties. Some brilliant acting. A movie that shows to perfection - a universal element called 'MALE EGO'. The fantastic musical end to this movie is unique and commands adulation. Every musical note composed for this movie is worth its weight in gold but the one that stands out is 'Tere Mere Milan Ki yeh raina'.
This trip down the memory lane has been truly enchanting..As I say, some reel-life makes real life look so inferior!!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
this monsoonshower is eternal :-)
While the monsoons that we are awaiting are so crucial to the existence of millions of farmers in south India,my blog is useless to anyone! Nevertheless,monsoons are so loved by all, I like my blog being called monsoonshowers...
Am stuck at work, waiting for my manager to call me for some discussion. Outside, the climate is exotic and chill am sure. One rain and Bangalore is back to its cool cool nature. Only I dont want a flu or a viral now!
Today has been as normal as any other. Took part in a big debate on 'Global Warming' with some colleagues. I guess am too overbearing in discussions, I have decided to stop voicing my opinion starting now. People may find my comments irritating, I can sense that! I have this bad habit of interrupting when someone is talking, Oh God!, am tired of self-improvising! But I know am wrong and I gotta improve. With a bunch of equivocal men, a not-so-intelligent woman has not much to say, so I better shut up! Regarding global warming, well, I vow to do my bit to make this world a better place!
Had a lovely discussion with DBT afterwards,I find conversation with women so much more relaxed. Maybe I can sense the rhythm well! DBT is a fantastic lady with brilliance,wit and enthusiasm. At the same time, she is sensitive and caring too. I always find myself at peace when I talk to her. We have so much to talk on swimming :-)
Missed SP today, guess little boy is demanding her attention. It must be a lovely feeling - being a mom. It is nice to feel needed and awesome to be the center of everything for someone. It is simply superb to hold a tiny angel in one's arms and to bring a kid ,watch him/her grow, outgrow and then fly. Worth everything!
Amidst all this, did some work too. Work gets done somehow,maybe 8 years in the same place causes this. I dunno. Orkut craze is going down. am glad, I dont login so much now. It is sheer waste of time. Am coughing away to glory. Cough is body's way of
making your life miserable. Nothing helps!
Something is nagging inside me these days. A kind of need to do something different, to alter the monotony. Comfort zones are so nice but guess I need to come out. Some past decisions bother me - the ones I did not make. Some nag me - the ones I made. But life is calling and one needs to answer the bell. The heart must give away to the mind. Practicality must rule. I yearn to be complete.
Have been off music for a long time now! Guess everything needs a break. As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. I realize,I cannot live without music. I guess I love it. Am more than happy to be going back to my classes and resuming my practice.
Waiting for the monsoon showers... I need to chill.
Am stuck at work, waiting for my manager to call me for some discussion. Outside, the climate is exotic and chill am sure. One rain and Bangalore is back to its cool cool nature. Only I dont want a flu or a viral now!
Today has been as normal as any other. Took part in a big debate on 'Global Warming' with some colleagues. I guess am too overbearing in discussions, I have decided to stop voicing my opinion starting now. People may find my comments irritating, I can sense that! I have this bad habit of interrupting when someone is talking, Oh God!, am tired of self-improvising! But I know am wrong and I gotta improve. With a bunch of equivocal men, a not-so-intelligent woman has not much to say, so I better shut up! Regarding global warming, well, I vow to do my bit to make this world a better place!
Had a lovely discussion with DBT afterwards,I find conversation with women so much more relaxed. Maybe I can sense the rhythm well! DBT is a fantastic lady with brilliance,wit and enthusiasm. At the same time, she is sensitive and caring too. I always find myself at peace when I talk to her. We have so much to talk on swimming :-)
Missed SP today, guess little boy is demanding her attention. It must be a lovely feeling - being a mom. It is nice to feel needed and awesome to be the center of everything for someone. It is simply superb to hold a tiny angel in one's arms and to bring a kid ,watch him/her grow, outgrow and then fly. Worth everything!
Amidst all this, did some work too. Work gets done somehow,maybe 8 years in the same place causes this. I dunno. Orkut craze is going down. am glad, I dont login so much now. It is sheer waste of time. Am coughing away to glory. Cough is body's way of
making your life miserable. Nothing helps!
Something is nagging inside me these days. A kind of need to do something different, to alter the monotony. Comfort zones are so nice but guess I need to come out. Some past decisions bother me - the ones I did not make. Some nag me - the ones I made. But life is calling and one needs to answer the bell. The heart must give away to the mind. Practicality must rule. I yearn to be complete.
Have been off music for a long time now! Guess everything needs a break. As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. I realize,I cannot live without music. I guess I love it. Am more than happy to be going back to my classes and resuming my practice.
Waiting for the monsoon showers... I need to chill.
Stinking soaps
No consumer market till now has had soaps that stink. We only know of perfumed soaps, each having its own fragrance be it a flower,lime,vanilla,etc etc. But now, we have soaps on TV that stink to the core. I'm frustrated with them now. The point am trying to say is already said over a million times and I know people are gonna tell me 'why do you watch' etc etc. All that apart, to look at it from an analytical point of view,it is highly disgusting.
So what's new ? The same old 'saas bahu',vampish,backstabbbing,stabbing,rape, murder,lies,emotional drawls that dont mean a thing nor bring a tear,everthing has been there for a decade now on Indian TV. So what am I harping about ?
Creative-justice is one thing and I'm fine with seeing something 'hatke' from real-world on TV.Afterall,it is just a soap! But to break norms of normalcy in every aspect of human life is disgusting.
Four cases I present here :-
1.I'm ok to see women plotting against their mothers-in-law,or masking but am not ok to see a mother plotting against a daughter and vice versa. I'm not ok to see a mom saying to her daughter 'ghar se baahar nikaaldhoongi' or 'tumhaaraa jeeena haraam kardoongi' Why because,no mom on earth will ever wish this of her daughter. No matter how hard a mom is, she cannot be an enemy. She wouldnt want you out of the house because she knows about the big bad world out there! :-) How can a mom be so un-mom like ?
2. I'm ok to see a bitchy woman going about on her immoral acts on screen but am not ok to see her sleeping around with every man available and having babies with all of them and all those babies plotting against her finally! Because with every man you sleep just once,you don't make a baby :-) Not all the time! Nature doesn't let you!!
3. I'm ok to see a physical assault but am not ok to see every man (in the soap) getting suspected of raping the heroine. Because every man does not think that way all the time with just one girl. It just doesn't happen,not even once!
4. I'm ok to see clandestine disappearing acts and dramatic entries (spanned by three decades) but am not ok to see someone living forever,someone not ageing at all ,someone having grandchildren and not a speck of grey hair but dancing to old and new Bollywood numbers with the the ease of a twenty year old and worse someone being called a 'Daadi' and looking like a supermodel. My God! Life on TV sux!
I'm ok to see old people partying but am not ok to see people not looking old when they should! Phew! Am I making sense ?
These situations are just an example but sadly our soaps run on these themes mostly. What makes these weird and disgusting then ? We are used to seeing uncommon things in movies and TV so this is just another of those hypothetical happenings, we can always say. It is true,we do have lots of hypothetical happenings , like in comedy shows - the 'Tu-Tu-Main-Main' fights (which no mil and dil ever do in reality) or an obvious chemistry between any two single people on screen (which in reality is rare), so many such things that are not real. Yet, we like them and enjoy them. We always want to believe that these have a rare chance of occuring and we are consoled by this fact that we are connecting to some remote real world, however rare. You could probably search the entire world and get a mil-dil fighting silly using something close-to-tu-main' jargon or hear a love-at-first-sight story from someone real which closely resembles what is shown on screen.
so whats different about the four cases above ?
The difference is 'these dont happen even once'. Not even a rare probable case.Thats what make them stink. The are utterly nonsense. And most importantly they defy the very cause of what thy are intended for. And that is STUPID in big bold!! No one want s to see stupidity,I dont mind being taken for a ride but the ride be worthwhile atleast in parts. I dont want no ride which makes me feel like a loser. I dont want to be shown something that makes me question the world I live in. I dont want to ask 'Tell me a remote chance of this happening' and get a 'None' for an answer.
And this is why these soaps stink. Because, they have no perfume of life in them! Even if the scent is cheap ittar, it spreads fragrance, similarly even if it is silly, am fine to watch so long as it smells of life. And finally, you cant package garbage in a bottle and sell it as a perfume. It shall stink, no matter what!
So what's new ? The same old 'saas bahu',vampish,backstabbbing,stabbing,rape, murder,lies,emotional drawls that dont mean a thing nor bring a tear,everthing has been there for a decade now on Indian TV. So what am I harping about ?
Creative-justice is one thing and I'm fine with seeing something 'hatke' from real-world on TV.Afterall,it is just a soap! But to break norms of normalcy in every aspect of human life is disgusting.
Four cases I present here :-
1.I'm ok to see women plotting against their mothers-in-law,or masking but am not ok to see a mother plotting against a daughter and vice versa. I'm not ok to see a mom saying to her daughter 'ghar se baahar nikaaldhoongi' or 'tumhaaraa jeeena haraam kardoongi' Why because,no mom on earth will ever wish this of her daughter. No matter how hard a mom is, she cannot be an enemy. She wouldnt want you out of the house because she knows about the big bad world out there! :-) How can a mom be so un-mom like ?
2. I'm ok to see a bitchy woman going about on her immoral acts on screen but am not ok to see her sleeping around with every man available and having babies with all of them and all those babies plotting against her finally! Because with every man you sleep just once,you don't make a baby :-) Not all the time! Nature doesn't let you!!
3. I'm ok to see a physical assault but am not ok to see every man (in the soap) getting suspected of raping the heroine. Because every man does not think that way all the time with just one girl. It just doesn't happen,not even once!
4. I'm ok to see clandestine disappearing acts and dramatic entries (spanned by three decades) but am not ok to see someone living forever,someone not ageing at all ,someone having grandchildren and not a speck of grey hair but dancing to old and new Bollywood numbers with the the ease of a twenty year old and worse someone being called a 'Daadi' and looking like a supermodel. My God! Life on TV sux!
I'm ok to see old people partying but am not ok to see people not looking old when they should! Phew! Am I making sense ?
These situations are just an example but sadly our soaps run on these themes mostly. What makes these weird and disgusting then ? We are used to seeing uncommon things in movies and TV so this is just another of those hypothetical happenings, we can always say. It is true,we do have lots of hypothetical happenings , like in comedy shows - the 'Tu-Tu-Main-Main' fights (which no mil and dil ever do in reality) or an obvious chemistry between any two single people on screen (which in reality is rare), so many such things that are not real. Yet, we like them and enjoy them. We always want to believe that these have a rare chance of occuring and we are consoled by this fact that we are connecting to some remote real world, however rare. You could probably search the entire world and get a mil-dil fighting silly using something close-to-tu-main' jargon or hear a love-at-first-sight story from someone real which closely resembles what is shown on screen.
so whats different about the four cases above ?
The difference is 'these dont happen even once'. Not even a rare probable case.Thats what make them stink. The are utterly nonsense. And most importantly they defy the very cause of what thy are intended for. And that is STUPID in big bold!! No one want s to see stupidity,I dont mind being taken for a ride but the ride be worthwhile atleast in parts. I dont want no ride which makes me feel like a loser. I dont want to be shown something that makes me question the world I live in. I dont want to ask 'Tell me a remote chance of this happening' and get a 'None' for an answer.
And this is why these soaps stink. Because, they have no perfume of life in them! Even if the scent is cheap ittar, it spreads fragrance, similarly even if it is silly, am fine to watch so long as it smells of life. And finally, you cant package garbage in a bottle and sell it as a perfume. It shall stink, no matter what!
Friday, May 11, 2007
The magic of DDLJ stays forever
This is my favourite Bollywood movie,i.e not considering the pre-80s stuff. Call me a mushy idiot if you please. No other on-screen romance has left this mark on my head as this one has. A love-story so ideal that I want to be a part of that movie myself, Too big dreams no ? Even today, I can watch this movie and feel-good again.
Romance may be boring and dead for many people. For some it doesnt exist at all. Romance has gotten a 'not-so-cool' tag with today's youth. Honestly I tell you, nothing can make you feel nicer than watching a lovely romantic movie,(note the words Lovely and Movie) because I'm not referring to those flicks made by aesthetically deprived directors for whom the concept of an on-screen love has little to do with people and emotions! I'm alluding to movies like DDLJ which has heroes and not super-heroes or gadgets. Ofcourse am not saying the movie was perfect, it definitely had its bad shots, yet when I look back, stills from the movie I think does make me 'want to fall in love'.
This movie is the best example of pure entertainment for the following reasons :-
1. Excellent songs,locales and all standard stuff.
2. Good leading pair - excellent on-screen chemistry
3. Romantic moments that gives goosepimples.
4. Mush,mush mush - on a lonely friday evening for a single soul :)
5. Lotsa garam masala too - the typical Indian fare at the end I mean!
Most importantly, this movie gives me the feeling of belonging to a certain place, with certain people,in a certain situation in some faraway moment of time - the existence of which is impossible in my life.It gives me what my life doesnt! While everything in my existence is a remote approximation, this movie gives me perfection, in myself and my surroundings. It empowers me to dream the only dream that I dare not dream! , It makes me cry while smiling and smile while crying.
According to SP( and me too!),romance maybe a subject but sometimes,people we meet in books and movies do appear in public :) And when that happens, I only need to take them from there and put them into the dim corners of my soul,so dim that no one can find them there excepting that little faint light called hope!
PS :- By posting nice comments to this one, you shall rekindle that faint light I speak about. ( I hope my blog-readers understand what am trying to say *wink*)
Romance may be boring and dead for many people. For some it doesnt exist at all. Romance has gotten a 'not-so-cool' tag with today's youth. Honestly I tell you, nothing can make you feel nicer than watching a lovely romantic movie,(note the words Lovely and Movie) because I'm not referring to those flicks made by aesthetically deprived directors for whom the concept of an on-screen love has little to do with people and emotions! I'm alluding to movies like DDLJ which has heroes and not super-heroes or gadgets. Ofcourse am not saying the movie was perfect, it definitely had its bad shots, yet when I look back, stills from the movie I think does make me 'want to fall in love'.
This movie is the best example of pure entertainment for the following reasons :-
1. Excellent songs,locales and all standard stuff.
2. Good leading pair - excellent on-screen chemistry
3. Romantic moments that gives goosepimples.
4. Mush,mush mush - on a lonely friday evening for a single soul :)
5. Lotsa garam masala too - the typical Indian fare at the end I mean!
Most importantly, this movie gives me the feeling of belonging to a certain place, with certain people,in a certain situation in some faraway moment of time - the existence of which is impossible in my life.It gives me what my life doesnt! While everything in my existence is a remote approximation, this movie gives me perfection, in myself and my surroundings. It empowers me to dream the only dream that I dare not dream! , It makes me cry while smiling and smile while crying.
According to SP( and me too!),romance maybe a subject but sometimes,people we meet in books and movies do appear in public :) And when that happens, I only need to take them from there and put them into the dim corners of my soul,so dim that no one can find them there excepting that little faint light called hope!
PS :- By posting nice comments to this one, you shall rekindle that faint light I speak about. ( I hope my blog-readers understand what am trying to say *wink*)
Monday, May 07, 2007
My dearest friends
Life is full of surprises. :)- Especially when it comes to people. Oflate, I have begun to enjoy human psychology. Observing people is interesting and one helluva timepass. It is an added enjoyment if it is someone I know because it is so strange to see the various masks worn by your own kith and kin and at the same time, a complete eye-opener!! Lessons learnt from people are the best ones.
From people I know so far, I have found the following diversities :-
1. Some I thought 'I could share my deepest thoughts', I discovered, shut themselves off at the mere decibel of my voice.
2. Some I thought 'mature' hadn't seen the world! (funny this one)
3. Some who were in my thoughts many a time, I figured out 'couldn't care less about me'!
4. Some supposedly "cool" personalities thought I was "old" and not worth a second glance!
5. Some even refused to look me in the eye ( I still cant understand this attitude)
6. Some who promised 'great friendships' have never stopped to ask 'how are you feeling today ?'
7. Some don't like me talking to them, for some I'm too loud,some don't like me at all! (under that smiling facade)
8. Some get irritated if I make casual conversation.
9. Some are jealous of my "single-dom" yet wonder why am single at 31 (this is the weirdest)
10. For some, am too cliched, too orthodox and too boring and not-cool at all.
11. Some fear being with me when no one else around. (This pisses me off big time but I don't bloody show it cos I'm reading their minds you see !)
Conversely,I have found some great friendships in people I hardly know at all. It is probably to do with "Me" as a person. So long as I stay "Unknown", it is nice, I guess.
Life shall move on no matter what! Many of these "FRIENDS" shall disappear from the plane of my life, not because I cast them away but because "they never wanted to be there" in the first place. It was only my imagination that I thought I existed for them! As time progresses, I discover the shallowness of these people who never bothered. I figured the casualness of those conversations.
It is time I move from the "timepass" friends to the "real-time" friends.
People who "let me cry" instead of "don't cry,life is going fine for you"
People who say "You are looking good/beautiful today" instead of the ones who hesitate to give a genuine compliment for i-duno-what fear!!
People who say "she is only 31" instead of the ones who say "she is 31 already"
People who say "Rex, you can" instead of "Now it is gonna be tough for you"
I have learnt that the ones who have been there always, everytime, are the ones who never promised anything. They are the ones who have lent me their shoulders (litrally), shouted at me, fought with me,bought things for me,searched a "suitable boy" for me,called me 'crazy', asked me out, ordered me about, drove roundabout to meet me,etc. These are the crazy friends I have who shall be a part of my life forever, not because I cast them in, but because "they cast me into their lives". They love me more than I shall ever know! Because with every passing day, they throw surprises in my life.For them,my presence in their life is not incidental but a divine coincidence.(I love it when they say 'am lucky to have you', feels so nice)
Sandy,Kart,Venus,Pakaru,Chits,Vins,DBT,Moule,m'lady,"Bank of M....",Praps,C-auntie,Arati,AV,VR,KK and AG - thanks for choosing to have me into your life.
From people I know so far, I have found the following diversities :-
1. Some I thought 'I could share my deepest thoughts', I discovered, shut themselves off at the mere decibel of my voice.
2. Some I thought 'mature' hadn't seen the world! (funny this one)
3. Some who were in my thoughts many a time, I figured out 'couldn't care less about me'!
4. Some supposedly "cool" personalities thought I was "old" and not worth a second glance!
5. Some even refused to look me in the eye ( I still cant understand this attitude)
6. Some who promised 'great friendships' have never stopped to ask 'how are you feeling today ?'
7. Some don't like me talking to them, for some I'm too loud,some don't like me at all! (under that smiling facade)
8. Some get irritated if I make casual conversation.
9. Some are jealous of my "single-dom" yet wonder why am single at 31 (this is the weirdest)
10. For some, am too cliched, too orthodox and too boring and not-cool at all.
11. Some fear being with me when no one else around. (This pisses me off big time but I don't bloody show it cos I'm reading their minds you see !)
Conversely,I have found some great friendships in people I hardly know at all. It is probably to do with "Me" as a person. So long as I stay "Unknown", it is nice, I guess.
Life shall move on no matter what! Many of these "FRIENDS" shall disappear from the plane of my life, not because I cast them away but because "they never wanted to be there" in the first place. It was only my imagination that I thought I existed for them! As time progresses, I discover the shallowness of these people who never bothered. I figured the casualness of those conversations.
It is time I move from the "timepass" friends to the "real-time" friends.
People who "let me cry" instead of "don't cry,life is going fine for you"
People who say "You are looking good/beautiful today" instead of the ones who hesitate to give a genuine compliment for i-duno-what fear!!
People who say "she is only 31" instead of the ones who say "she is 31 already"
People who say "Rex, you can" instead of "Now it is gonna be tough for you"
I have learnt that the ones who have been there always, everytime, are the ones who never promised anything. They are the ones who have lent me their shoulders (litrally), shouted at me, fought with me,bought things for me,searched a "suitable boy" for me,called me 'crazy', asked me out, ordered me about, drove roundabout to meet me,etc. These are the crazy friends I have who shall be a part of my life forever, not because I cast them in, but because "they cast me into their lives". They love me more than I shall ever know! Because with every passing day, they throw surprises in my life.For them,my presence in their life is not incidental but a divine coincidence.(I love it when they say 'am lucky to have you', feels so nice)
Sandy,Kart,Venus,Pakaru,Chits,Vins,DBT,Moule,m'lady,"Bank of M....",Praps,C-auntie,Arati,AV,VR,KK and AG - thanks for choosing to have me into your life.
an ideal day
4 AM - rise from sleep, brush, have honey and warm water
4.30 AM - go out to the terrace and sit under the stars,sunrise,whatever and hear some silence!
5 AM - practise music
7 AM - cup of coffee with Indian express :)
7.30 AM - help Mummy in kitchen
8.30 AM - Get dressed to work
9.15 AM - drive to work
10 AM - start work ( in the strictest sense!)
11.30 AM - coffee break
11.45 AM - back to desk ( if this can happen after item above, I would say 'I have arrived!')
1 PM - lunch and walk
2 PM - back to work ( as in work and not bloggin,orkut,and GTP )
5 PM - tea with gang
5.30 PM - leave for home
6 PM - chat with mom and dad
6.30 PM - practise music
7.45 PM - dinner and GTP
8.45 PM - off to a swim
10 PM - back from swim, washup, drink hot milk and read
11 PM - off to sleep.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- I strive to live for this day!! Why am I reminded of that song 'Nothing else matters!'. Why am I reminded of the following lines I read somewhere ?
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.30 AM - go out to the terrace and sit under the stars,sunrise,whatever and hear some silence!
5 AM - practise music
7 AM - cup of coffee with Indian express :)
7.30 AM - help Mummy in kitchen
8.30 AM - Get dressed to work
9.15 AM - drive to work
10 AM - start work ( in the strictest sense!)
11.30 AM - coffee break
11.45 AM - back to desk ( if this can happen after item above, I would say 'I have arrived!')
1 PM - lunch and walk
2 PM - back to work ( as in work and not bloggin,orkut,and GTP )
5 PM - tea with gang
5.30 PM - leave for home
6 PM - chat with mom and dad
6.30 PM - practise music
7.45 PM - dinner and GTP
8.45 PM - off to a swim
10 PM - back from swim, washup, drink hot milk and read
11 PM - off to sleep.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- I strive to live for this day!! Why am I reminded of that song 'Nothing else matters!'. Why am I reminded of the following lines I read somewhere ?
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
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Friday, May 04, 2007
John B Higgins is Kumbakonam degree coffee !!
I'm blogging after a gap of two weeks, just done with a much-needed break from writing *wink*. Not as if am a prolific writer but sometimes I have to admit,I get tired of myself.Anyways,am back after this vacation with a firmer resolution to write more on things close to my heart rather than mushy stuff on my feelings,on morals, sentiments and the like.In short,am tired of being the moral police of my blog.
Sitting down to blog on a lazy Friday with MIOL playing in the background,I reflect on 'Carnatic music'.John B Higgins is singing 'Krishna Nee Begane Baaro' with a voice as sweet as the Dabur Honey I purchased this afternoon from Fab mall, diction resembling that of any Sanskrit-knowing Indian and musical prowess unparalleled in our sangeetham. John Higgins is probably the best exponent of 'Krishna Nee Begane Baro' in my opinion.
What an achievement his was! Being the foremost of westerners to delve into the mystics of our divine music, he opened up this art to the vastly methodical west.
It is more commendable how Americans and Europeans have successfully understood and appreciated this art. No other community collectivly boasts of such a wide internet participation in a global sense as Indian music does. Some of the best answers on rec.india.music.classical and research on Indian music comes from there.
Cut to the scene back home and I get disappointed quite a bit.Not that there has been a stark decline,so long as we have Chennai,Mysore,Bangalore and other places on world map,am assured of Carnatic music in this world,however it is sad to note that our people - children,teenagers and youth in particular do not like Carnatic music. Attend a concert and most of the people out there are middle-aged barring a few of us whom the rest of junta have dubbed as 'old , boring' and 'not-so-cool' types. I find this damn irritating.
Some of those who have atleast tried to learn this formally are easily put off in a couple of days. I have had people come up and ask me :-
'so once i learn this, can I compose songs ? ' or
'You see,I dont want to sing pre-composed songs',
'In western music, people write their own songs,so isn't that far superior?'
'Ragas - whats in them ? Can I not use a computer and simulate all the possible combinations,what's the big deal ? '
'Why is Pa a Pa, why cant I sing it as Ma' ?
To such questions, I can only say what my Mom says at times to an inexperienced silly me - 'Adhika Prasangi'!! When one has not patience to pursue something that has evolved for ages, one is just being nonsensical. I try to tell them 'my dears,our music is not instant coffee that you can mix,pour water,stir and sip. Rather,it is a slowly percolated strong and sweet,stimulating cuppa 'Kumbakonam degree coffee' :) Hope you get the difference, my friends! And if you don't,do ask the West, will you ?
And if you thought the head-banging,power stuff that rocks us is 'fast-paced music',try listening to 'Vara Raaga Laaya' from GNB!
Learning to sing a raga or a kriti is like doing something repeatedly till you start doing it subconsiously, until it becomes a habit. This takes TIME, PATIENCE, DISCIPLINE and CONCENTRATION. You have gotta chase it!, no shortcuts as I have understood! Above all,this requires a "GURU",the teacher who brings out divine music from our otherwise-tormented souls. Solfa notation says 'ShankaraBharanam' is 'Sa Ri2 Ga3 Ma1 Pa Dha2 Ni3 Sa' but it can never show us the "beautiful way of singing" the 'Ga'.
P.S :- This blog is not an attempt to degrade any other musical form. Absolutely not!, once someone has "truly understood Carnatic music",appreciating any other form is implicit and automatic. This blog only tries to bring CM to the level of the others in terms of popularity! It would be perfectly ideal if every Indian who appreciates rock,pop, jazz,blues etc can also feel proud of the music from their backyards.
Damn, can I nver write shorter blogs ? I need to resolve that as well :)-
Sitting down to blog on a lazy Friday with MIOL playing in the background,I reflect on 'Carnatic music'.John B Higgins is singing 'Krishna Nee Begane Baaro' with a voice as sweet as the Dabur Honey I purchased this afternoon from Fab mall, diction resembling that of any Sanskrit-knowing Indian and musical prowess unparalleled in our sangeetham. John Higgins is probably the best exponent of 'Krishna Nee Begane Baro' in my opinion.
What an achievement his was! Being the foremost of westerners to delve into the mystics of our divine music, he opened up this art to the vastly methodical west.
It is more commendable how Americans and Europeans have successfully understood and appreciated this art. No other community collectivly boasts of such a wide internet participation in a global sense as Indian music does. Some of the best answers on rec.india.music.classical and research on Indian music comes from there.
Cut to the scene back home and I get disappointed quite a bit.Not that there has been a stark decline,so long as we have Chennai,Mysore,Bangalore and other places on world map,am assured of Carnatic music in this world,however it is sad to note that our people - children,teenagers and youth in particular do not like Carnatic music. Attend a concert and most of the people out there are middle-aged barring a few of us whom the rest of junta have dubbed as 'old , boring' and 'not-so-cool' types. I find this damn irritating.
Some of those who have atleast tried to learn this formally are easily put off in a couple of days. I have had people come up and ask me :-
'so once i learn this, can I compose songs ? ' or
'You see,I dont want to sing pre-composed songs',
'In western music, people write their own songs,so isn't that far superior?'
'Ragas - whats in them ? Can I not use a computer and simulate all the possible combinations,what's the big deal ? '
'Why is Pa a Pa, why cant I sing it as Ma' ?
To such questions, I can only say what my Mom says at times to an inexperienced silly me - 'Adhika Prasangi'!! When one has not patience to pursue something that has evolved for ages, one is just being nonsensical. I try to tell them 'my dears,our music is not instant coffee that you can mix,pour water,stir and sip. Rather,it is a slowly percolated strong and sweet,stimulating cuppa 'Kumbakonam degree coffee' :) Hope you get the difference, my friends! And if you don't,do ask the West, will you ?
And if you thought the head-banging,power stuff that rocks us is 'fast-paced music',try listening to 'Vara Raaga Laaya' from GNB!
Learning to sing a raga or a kriti is like doing something repeatedly till you start doing it subconsiously, until it becomes a habit. This takes TIME, PATIENCE, DISCIPLINE and CONCENTRATION. You have gotta chase it!, no shortcuts as I have understood! Above all,this requires a "GURU",the teacher who brings out divine music from our otherwise-tormented souls. Solfa notation says 'ShankaraBharanam' is 'Sa Ri2 Ga3 Ma1 Pa Dha2 Ni3 Sa' but it can never show us the "beautiful way of singing" the 'Ga'.
P.S :- This blog is not an attempt to degrade any other musical form. Absolutely not!, once someone has "truly understood Carnatic music",appreciating any other form is implicit and automatic. This blog only tries to bring CM to the level of the others in terms of popularity! It would be perfectly ideal if every Indian who appreciates rock,pop, jazz,blues etc can also feel proud of the music from their backyards.
Damn, can I nver write shorter blogs ? I need to resolve that as well :)-
Friday, April 20, 2007
T V Shankaranarayanan at Fort
I attended TVS Kutcheri yesterday at Fort High school, infact my first one this season(curse my lack of time management,my IPod which has better concerts than what we can ever get now and ofcourse Anand Ganapathy whose music sharing virtue is beyond words),not considering Nityasree's concert as a concert that is. More on that some other time. In short Nityasree is not appealing at all(pity the great DKP-DKJ baani), for some reason no josh in her singing.
Coming back to yesterday's concert,the concert list is as follows :-
1. Vinayaka kriti(I forgot the kriti,damn!) - Hamsadwani
2. Sogasujooda Tarama - Kannadagowla
3. Sakala graha bala neene - Atana
4. Paramapavana Rama - Purvikalyani
5. Abhaya Varade Sharade - Hindolam
6. Maa janaki - Kambhoji
I could not stay longer than this due to the lashing rains. Infact,hindolam was not so enjoyable because of the rains lashing and pitter-patter sound :( But somehow,the atmosphere was one of gaiety and his enthusiasm to sing without the rains affecting him in the least was exemplary. TVS stands tall as an artiste who continues to sing in orthodox style in this age of neo-carnatic-classicism.
Personally,it was an hour and half of 'peace of mind',something I'm willing to pay for also.. The mandali has changed quite a bit in the years,wooden floors which creak and irritate ,especially when you are engrossed in a complex alapanam or niraval and an electronic ticker that shows the next day's programme all the time. Nice lighting also. The pandals leak a bit still when it rains. The chairs are placed too close to one another. Space, space... I want to hear the artiste and not my neighbour's breathing :) Anyways, idols of Lord Sri Rama,Sita,Lakshmana and Hanuman prostrating is still the same, resplendent and colourful.The arati-giving tradition continues and the fragrance of flowers near the VIP entrance obviously there. One thing missing was the snacks stall - the guy selling potato chips,etc :(
On the whole, Sree Rama Seva Mandali,Fort High School is always dearest to my heart.
Next week is full of excellent concerts. Hope I don't miss!
Coming back to yesterday's concert,the concert list is as follows :-
1. Vinayaka kriti(I forgot the kriti,damn!) - Hamsadwani
2. Sogasujooda Tarama - Kannadagowla
3. Sakala graha bala neene - Atana
4. Paramapavana Rama - Purvikalyani
5. Abhaya Varade Sharade - Hindolam
6. Maa janaki - Kambhoji
I could not stay longer than this due to the lashing rains. Infact,hindolam was not so enjoyable because of the rains lashing and pitter-patter sound :( But somehow,the atmosphere was one of gaiety and his enthusiasm to sing without the rains affecting him in the least was exemplary. TVS stands tall as an artiste who continues to sing in orthodox style in this age of neo-carnatic-classicism.
Personally,it was an hour and half of 'peace of mind',something I'm willing to pay for also.. The mandali has changed quite a bit in the years,wooden floors which creak and irritate ,especially when you are engrossed in a complex alapanam or niraval and an electronic ticker that shows the next day's programme all the time. Nice lighting also. The pandals leak a bit still when it rains. The chairs are placed too close to one another. Space, space... I want to hear the artiste and not my neighbour's breathing :) Anyways, idols of Lord Sri Rama,Sita,Lakshmana and Hanuman prostrating is still the same, resplendent and colourful.The arati-giving tradition continues and the fragrance of flowers near the VIP entrance obviously there. One thing missing was the snacks stall - the guy selling potato chips,etc :(
On the whole, Sree Rama Seva Mandali,Fort High School is always dearest to my heart.
Next week is full of excellent concerts. Hope I don't miss!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Depression time - time for a chocolate..
Having embarked on this journey to 'not expect from anyone',especially from people I love is a tough journey, am realizing. It is worth the effort yes, for it has made me me a more patient human being,understanding,a lot empathising and less egoistical. Also,the biggest advantage in having no expectations is that people don't fear coming close to you. :) A single woman is feared the most,I can tell from experience.
But at times, I have this really 'insane self' as I call it,surfacing up and causing hurt,a pain I can't explain. I feel proud of having my emotions in control but the price paid is a fight internally within myself.When I was younger,I was more brash and an emotional outpour was as easy as lighting a match. Over the years,I have learnt to 'keep it inside' as they say. But the voice of the subconsious haunts me,tries its best to destroy my self-created image of 'being in control'. It encourages me to expect,hurt and lose my self-control. It attempts to make me a 'not-so-nice' person. Thankfully,everytime me and my self fight, me wins :), so far,so good!
I want to go away to some place faraway, to the mountains maybe, and just stay as is. Someplace where I can hear only nature's voices and not mine,where there is nothing to expect from people. Somewhere on this planet where my subconsious-self has no say at all ? Is there a place like that ?
Am tired,not exactly depressed but you could call that.I need a chocolate,a bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut might be a good start. :) Afterall, there is a positive side to every damn thing in this universe.. Can you see me smiling now ?
But at times, I have this really 'insane self' as I call it,surfacing up and causing hurt,a pain I can't explain. I feel proud of having my emotions in control but the price paid is a fight internally within myself.When I was younger,I was more brash and an emotional outpour was as easy as lighting a match. Over the years,I have learnt to 'keep it inside' as they say. But the voice of the subconsious haunts me,tries its best to destroy my self-created image of 'being in control'. It encourages me to expect,hurt and lose my self-control. It attempts to make me a 'not-so-nice' person. Thankfully,everytime me and my self fight, me wins :), so far,so good!
I want to go away to some place faraway, to the mountains maybe, and just stay as is. Someplace where I can hear only nature's voices and not mine,where there is nothing to expect from people. Somewhere on this planet where my subconsious-self has no say at all ? Is there a place like that ?
Am tired,not exactly depressed but you could call that.I need a chocolate,a bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut might be a good start. :) Afterall, there is a positive side to every damn thing in this universe.. Can you see me smiling now ?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
kis kis ne kis kis ko KISS kiya...
what's the big deal in a kiss man ? Men and women all over the world are kissing away to glory. What is so different(read as special) about a Richard Gere kissing a Shilpa Shetty ? Agreed,it was an uncalled-for occasion but the hormones don't really think about occasions, do they ? The media should stop filming such kisses and other public displays of physical affection.It doesn't really matter,you see. The world is a much freer place now and most normal adults or teenagers have witnessed or have been part of a passionate kiss at some point in their life. :) Be it on silver screen or in life's real screen, we all have seen better kisses,haven't we ? So much fuss for something that happens all over the world on a daily basis, is utterly stupid. And for all that, honestly, it wasn't even a nice kiss :) Man!,he was trying to grab everyone's attention by grabbing her and making a big mockery of himself as she was trying to free herself initially from his clutches but later gave in to his frenzied nonsense. All along,putting up a fake smile on her million dollar face :) Poor Shilpa,somehow she covered up,Richard Gere afterall! Scored a brownie point on her 'Page-3-Resume' she did! Or did she enjoy it ? I dunno, I thought she had the expression of 'I have been kissed better, you old fool!' look on her face.
As far as Richard Gere is concerned, I suggest he give up all this spiritual Buddhist thing and start living like a man!,he looks deprived of you-know-what ? But why ? He could get any woman on this planet,why poor Ms 'Celebrity Big Boss'? Ooops!, a small correction, he could get any woman on this planet but ME :) Not me, this guy doesn't even know how to kiss well,sorry I deserve someone better!!
Well,so much for kissing escapades of big people. Can't figure out why in Varanasi and other places people protested this event ? Why,in the land of Kamasutra, do we object to any sexual act as if it is a religious sin ? Why do we, who knew how to enjoy better sex, than rest of the world, care a damn for an ordinary common-place activity ?
Gear up,O media channels! there are better news to cover. No, I don't mean your goddamn sex-surveys,those suck equally and they are absolutely false! I mean,bigger problems like AIDS(everyone forgot the event that led to the KISS!),lack of sex-education,domestic violence and all kinds of crimes. When are we gonna come out of Page-3 stories to real-life trauma ? When are we going to stop peeking into the bedrooms of the rich and famous and figure out the real problems in common bedrooms ?
This country is on a wild-goose chase, thanks to its ever-blabbering media.
As far as Richard Gere is concerned, I suggest he give up all this spiritual Buddhist thing and start living like a man!,he looks deprived of you-know-what ? But why ? He could get any woman on this planet,why poor Ms 'Celebrity Big Boss'? Ooops!, a small correction, he could get any woman on this planet but ME :) Not me, this guy doesn't even know how to kiss well,sorry I deserve someone better!!
Well,so much for kissing escapades of big people. Can't figure out why in Varanasi and other places people protested this event ? Why,in the land of Kamasutra, do we object to any sexual act as if it is a religious sin ? Why do we, who knew how to enjoy better sex, than rest of the world, care a damn for an ordinary common-place activity ?
Gear up,O media channels! there are better news to cover. No, I don't mean your goddamn sex-surveys,those suck equally and they are absolutely false! I mean,bigger problems like AIDS(everyone forgot the event that led to the KISS!),lack of sex-education,domestic violence and all kinds of crimes. When are we gonna come out of Page-3 stories to real-life trauma ? When are we going to stop peeking into the bedrooms of the rich and famous and figure out the real problems in common bedrooms ?
This country is on a wild-goose chase, thanks to its ever-blabbering media.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Beautiful world in a book - National Geographic
Lay my hands on a 'National Geographic',the real book,over the weekend. It has been years since I picked up an 'NG' from Indian Institute of World Culture library. This time however,I purchased the book from my newspaperwallah. First thing that excites me about this magazine are the pictures. Photography of the best kind I have ever seen. The articles are unparalleled ofcourse,though I must say,the magazine is less heavier now.
An excellent article worth mentioning in this issue is the 'decreasing fish schools' in major fishing beds of this planet. The article highlighted the Blue fin Tuna and its diminishing population.It is going to be tough for those who survive on fishing.
Another really nice feature was about the last surviving 'green belt' of the world, the Priaries. Awesome pictures. On animals,there was one on Leopards. Unlike other wild creatures, these wild cats live alone, hunt alone. The feature very beautifully described the formative years of a baby leopard upto the time it fights with its mom and walks away on its own :) Some human resemblance there :)
An annual subscription request is on its way to Hong Kong...
An excellent article worth mentioning in this issue is the 'decreasing fish schools' in major fishing beds of this planet. The article highlighted the Blue fin Tuna and its diminishing population.It is going to be tough for those who survive on fishing.
Another really nice feature was about the last surviving 'green belt' of the world, the Priaries. Awesome pictures. On animals,there was one on Leopards. Unlike other wild creatures, these wild cats live alone, hunt alone. The feature very beautifully described the formative years of a baby leopard upto the time it fights with its mom and walks away on its own :) Some human resemblance there :)
An annual subscription request is on its way to Hong Kong...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
a year later...
A year has passed since our dear 'Annauru' left us to enter heavenly abode. It seems like only yesterday the riots happened,tarnishing the funeral ceremony and robbing the grieving family of their privacy. However,today the city seems to be actually mourning his loss. I saw posters all over on the way to work. Kanteerva stadium is going to have a big event today. I'm glad the film fraternity is doing this.
Dr Rajkumar may be no more but he lives eternally amongst us. For as they say,it is impossible to remove someone from one's thoughts. Memories of the golden age of kannada cinema often flood us and the figure that flashes across the screens of the mind is Dr Rajkumar!
I dedicate this blog to him. Today shall be spent listening to his songs :) as a mark of respect!
Dr Rajkumar may be no more but he lives eternally amongst us. For as they say,it is impossible to remove someone from one's thoughts. Memories of the golden age of kannada cinema often flood us and the figure that flashes across the screens of the mind is Dr Rajkumar!
I dedicate this blog to him. Today shall be spent listening to his songs :) as a mark of respect!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
suno sajna....
My previous attempt at learning to sing an old hindi movie song was around a decade ago. It all ended with college. Just last week I picked up a wonderful CD pack(5 nos) of none other than Lata Mangeshkar. All hits, almost all, I can say. A priceless collection, am proud to have.
It did not stop here..I was tempted to learn a song again. Not just the sing-along types but a serious effort to pick the nuances too. What an effort that is, for me, I just realized. Especially now, my voice has become a typical suited-for-carnatic,no regrets about that ofcourse, but I think people who know Indian classical music well can relate to what am saying.
Anyways, I tried 'Suno sajna papihene'. Having heard only the mukhda earlier,it was really new to me. It takes only a genius to sing this song,a better genius to compose this song and a really really superb effort to compose the music. Flawless,thats all! (Until the song started out from my vocal cords :) )
Finally, after 3 days of continous car-stereo,home music system and office comp looping this song for me,I managed to get some lines technically correct,though not musically :) Trust me, a car is the best place to learn a song for it serves as an excellent feedback monitor!(windows closed ofcourse)
For those who have heard this song and remember it,the line 'Ghadiya piya milan ki'.. is a jaaru gamakam,the toughest for me :( and similar lines in the other mukhdas.The easiest was 'Ke aaye din bahaar ke', somehow.
I have not and shall never get it 100%(because there is only one Lata Mangeshkar!), however, I have immensely enjoyed this learning experience. Even a 'jhalak' of exactness to the original means I'M HAPPY' :)-
It did not stop here..I was tempted to learn a song again. Not just the sing-along types but a serious effort to pick the nuances too. What an effort that is, for me, I just realized. Especially now, my voice has become a typical suited-for-carnatic,no regrets about that ofcourse, but I think people who know Indian classical music well can relate to what am saying.
Anyways, I tried 'Suno sajna papihene'. Having heard only the mukhda earlier,it was really new to me. It takes only a genius to sing this song,a better genius to compose this song and a really really superb effort to compose the music. Flawless,thats all! (Until the song started out from my vocal cords :) )
Finally, after 3 days of continous car-stereo,home music system and office comp looping this song for me,I managed to get some lines technically correct,though not musically :) Trust me, a car is the best place to learn a song for it serves as an excellent feedback monitor!(windows closed ofcourse)
For those who have heard this song and remember it,the line 'Ghadiya piya milan ki'.. is a jaaru gamakam,the toughest for me :( and similar lines in the other mukhdas.The easiest was 'Ke aaye din bahaar ke', somehow.
I have not and shall never get it 100%(because there is only one Lata Mangeshkar!), however, I have immensely enjoyed this learning experience. Even a 'jhalak' of exactness to the original means I'M HAPPY' :)-
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
how much thought-provoking is 'Provoked' ?
Watched the movie 'Provoked' yesterday. For once, Aishwarya Rai has done an excellent job. The role had no need of histronics,hence our Ms Rai was able to carry it off so well, the subdued,scared,stiff Indian wife. Jag Mundhra might be a soft-porn/porn director but with this movie, he has shown a real issue very well. I don't want to play spoil-sport by retelling the tale. Also, because I recommend this movie,especially to the women out there!
Domestic violence,sexual assault,physical abuse,in-house rape is a realistic issue our society is facing,globally. The feminists might say 'Men are dogs' and blame them for this. On the contrary, I realized that the cause(and I mean the root cause!) for this is a WOMAN herself!
Women readers,don't be surprised, don't blame the men all the time. Instead, as socially responsible entities, can we do the following ?
1. Firstly,as wives,girlfriends or fiancees, we should NOT PUT UP with any form of violence from the stronger sex. If a man abuses us, just walk out and tell the whole world about it.(Watch the movie and see that if Kiranjit could do it, we could too!)
2. As sisters,let our brothers know that a woman from another household is just like one of us, and that if he cannot tolerate us being beaten up, then he should not do the same to another girl.
3. As friends,put it across to our men-friends that a woman is a human being first and to accord respect to a human being is more important than a succesful career or anything else in this world. If a man doesn't treat us well, just GET OUT and spill the beans! The world should beware of such people.
4. Most importantly, as mothers,bring up our sons to regard a woman and love her but DO NOT support any form of violence from his side. It is high time we stop the 'Beta hua hain','ghar ka chiraag','perpetrator of our lineage' attitude. This bloody virus is,IMO,the root cause for this disease.
5.As women,wherever there is domestic violence found, rise up to the occasion in some way,instead of warding it off with a 'cant be helped' nod. We need our men, yes, but we don't need them to hit us, we need them to give us support,respect and love.
Say this to a man :- 'I need U for a SHOULDER' (copied from the movie dialogue...)
Domestic violence,sexual assault,physical abuse,in-house rape is a realistic issue our society is facing,globally. The feminists might say 'Men are dogs' and blame them for this. On the contrary, I realized that the cause(and I mean the root cause!) for this is a WOMAN herself!
Women readers,don't be surprised, don't blame the men all the time. Instead, as socially responsible entities, can we do the following ?
1. Firstly,as wives,girlfriends or fiancees, we should NOT PUT UP with any form of violence from the stronger sex. If a man abuses us, just walk out and tell the whole world about it.(Watch the movie and see that if Kiranjit could do it, we could too!)
2. As sisters,let our brothers know that a woman from another household is just like one of us, and that if he cannot tolerate us being beaten up, then he should not do the same to another girl.
3. As friends,put it across to our men-friends that a woman is a human being first and to accord respect to a human being is more important than a succesful career or anything else in this world. If a man doesn't treat us well, just GET OUT and spill the beans! The world should beware of such people.
4. Most importantly, as mothers,bring up our sons to regard a woman and love her but DO NOT support any form of violence from his side. It is high time we stop the 'Beta hua hain','ghar ka chiraag','perpetrator of our lineage' attitude. This bloody virus is,IMO,the root cause for this disease.
5.As women,wherever there is domestic violence found, rise up to the occasion in some way,instead of warding it off with a 'cant be helped' nod. We need our men, yes, but we don't need them to hit us, we need them to give us support,respect and love.
Say this to a man :- 'I need U for a SHOULDER' (copied from the movie dialogue...)
Thursday, April 05, 2007
sports and people.
Sports is probably man's best known passion. Olympics stand proof of that. To play a game/sport is by itself an exhilarating activity. Watching a sport is great fun and de-stressing (provided it is done with sporting spirit!). Someone was not wrong when they said it is primarily a mind-driven activity,especially at world-class level. Yesterday watched several vidoes of World swimming championships on youtube(thanks to DBT's one blog!).Phelps was truly amazing and so was Liesel Jones and everyone out there. The power of discipline,hard-work,stamina and grit clearly marks a world-class player from the rest.I was so happy to see those people swim so well.Especially now,when I'm struggling with a simple breathing technique,I'm able to completly appreciate this so much better. FIFA last year was another reminder of the marvel of human spirit.
Having watched Navaratilova, Chris Evert,Lendl,Edberg,Sampras,Sabatini,Seles ,Agassi,Becker and THE STEFFI GRAF in those formative years went a long way in inculcating "LOVE for SPORTS" and for me,I look upto these greats. They are my biggest inspiration. Not to forget our Gavaskar,Kapil and all those cricketers who were and are still my heroes. These very people helped me build my own dreams.Watching them, I learnt the importance of stamina,mental strength ,concentration ,handling pressure and discipline. Thanks to these sports channels, we have access to almost every sport in the world - tennis,chess,badminton,billiards and ofcourse cricket, and many more too. I feel everyone of us need to associate ourselves to some sport atleast. There is so much one can learn from these superstars who have made it big with their dedication and perseverance. It is easy to think they had better opportunities than us,but in the end what matters is they went that extra mile in creating those opportunities for themselves while the rest of us simply waited for miracles to happen to us. They created their miracles and their destinies while we put it all on DESTINY.
If I were to live my life all over again, I choose to devote atleast 2 hours of my day to playing some game or sport and a lot more travelling to sporting destinations, across the globe. Pramod,prepare yourself to receive me soon :) I'm envious of you re...
I list down my favourite stars from my growing years. These are the ones I have known and am sure there is a bigger lot out there. It is to all of them, I dedicate this one.
1. Krish Srikkanth - the first cricketer I watched when I was in class 3 or 4.
2. Sir Viv Richards - The unforgettable LION of world cricket.
3. Ravi Shastri - the only star I have fallen madly in love with. He was the MAN :) yes, am talking of that first hero-worship crush of mine,the only-one perhaps..
4. Martina Navratilova - until I saw her, I thought only men played sports :)
5. Andre Agassi - the hippie with an attitude ,his energy was awesome.
6. Gabriela Sabatini - The glamorous girl on tennis courts who could stun THE STEFFI too..
7. Florence Griffith Joyner - 1988 Olympics(?) women's 100M in 9 something seconds (if my memory is right ).She was my idol those days. I would bow to her pic I had stuck up on my wall before going to my sports day event at school. (I was a track and field athlete at school for those who dont know !)
8. Sergie Bubka, Garry Kasparov,the Russian gymnasts - defined skill over power, aesthetics over athletic and more..
9. Matt Biondi - a swimmer I knew then.I wish I had got inspired then :(
10. Deigo Maradona - never watched football till I was in college but I remember reading about this guy as a kid..
11. The one and only STEFFI GRAF - It is difficult to discuss an icon, a legend, the personification of grace and skill,the silent killer among them all.She is my best till date..
This is not a best list,this is just my-list. I would love it if some sports buff adds his fave out here...
Having watched Navaratilova, Chris Evert,Lendl,Edberg,Sampras,Sabatini,Seles ,Agassi,Becker and THE STEFFI GRAF in those formative years went a long way in inculcating "LOVE for SPORTS" and for me,I look upto these greats. They are my biggest inspiration. Not to forget our Gavaskar,Kapil and all those cricketers who were and are still my heroes. These very people helped me build my own dreams.Watching them, I learnt the importance of stamina,mental strength ,concentration ,handling pressure and discipline. Thanks to these sports channels, we have access to almost every sport in the world - tennis,chess,badminton,billiards and ofcourse cricket, and many more too. I feel everyone of us need to associate ourselves to some sport atleast. There is so much one can learn from these superstars who have made it big with their dedication and perseverance. It is easy to think they had better opportunities than us,but in the end what matters is they went that extra mile in creating those opportunities for themselves while the rest of us simply waited for miracles to happen to us. They created their miracles and their destinies while we put it all on DESTINY.
If I were to live my life all over again, I choose to devote atleast 2 hours of my day to playing some game or sport and a lot more travelling to sporting destinations, across the globe. Pramod,prepare yourself to receive me soon :) I'm envious of you re...
I list down my favourite stars from my growing years. These are the ones I have known and am sure there is a bigger lot out there. It is to all of them, I dedicate this one.
1. Krish Srikkanth - the first cricketer I watched when I was in class 3 or 4.
2. Sir Viv Richards - The unforgettable LION of world cricket.
3. Ravi Shastri - the only star I have fallen madly in love with. He was the MAN :) yes, am talking of that first hero-worship crush of mine,the only-one perhaps..
4. Martina Navratilova - until I saw her, I thought only men played sports :)
5. Andre Agassi - the hippie with an attitude ,his energy was awesome.
6. Gabriela Sabatini - The glamorous girl on tennis courts who could stun THE STEFFI too..
7. Florence Griffith Joyner - 1988 Olympics(?) women's 100M in 9 something seconds (if my memory is right ).She was my idol those days. I would bow to her pic I had stuck up on my wall before going to my sports day event at school. (I was a track and field athlete at school for those who dont know !)
8. Sergie Bubka, Garry Kasparov,the Russian gymnasts - defined skill over power, aesthetics over athletic and more..
9. Matt Biondi - a swimmer I knew then.I wish I had got inspired then :(
10. Deigo Maradona - never watched football till I was in college but I remember reading about this guy as a kid..
11. The one and only STEFFI GRAF - It is difficult to discuss an icon, a legend, the personification of grace and skill,the silent killer among them all.She is my best till date..
This is not a best list,this is just my-list. I would love it if some sports buff adds his fave out here...
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Some reality probably ?
I have to tell this encounter I just had, half-an hour ago. I took an auto to work today as I had left my car at office last night. I waited for about 20 mins for an auto, very unusual in my area I thought as I was waiting,but in retrospect,I think I was destined to get into this auto KA05-3952 something. You will soon know why.
I left home in not-so-good a mood having had a counselling session with my mom on the usual-holy matrimony,what else!! As I sat in the auto, my mind was pre-occupied with so many confusing thoughts and emotions,I sometimes wonder why I haven't got accustomed to,it has been years now.. oops am digressing..well,I was preoccupied and a few involuntary tears were trying to escape my kohl-lined eyes in desperation.
Suddenly,I hear a voice asking me 'what time is it ?'. It was the auto-driver asking me for the time. I replied promptly, '10.40'. He then says 'I had to go and get an injection at 10.30 and have been trying to accumulate enough money for it since morning'. The tears stood still, they decided to stay back in my eyes when they heard this. I asked him 'what for?' He told me he had blood cancer and was diagonised a week ago. He ran his hand over his forehead indicating 'fate',whatever. I did not know what to say,what to believe.Could this be a guy who was playing a trick to get some extra money ? I don't know! He then says,'I haven't told this to anyone but you,I'm also a brahmin,an Udupi brahmin,I quit my job and took this up,I lost my mother about 2 months ago and my wife about 10 days ago.' I was dumbfounded. This man was telling a story I thought, but something inside me told 'No,no one can lie to this extent,it must be true'.It was too fantastic to be true, but I decided not to judge.I was sitting in his auto,having no choice but to listen to his side of things.Somehow,maybe my state of mind or the human in me,I can't figure out, I was trusting every word of his.I had no way of verifying his story though.The way he said 'am also a brahmin',made me wonder,how and why being a brahmin mattered to that person. Was he trying to make me relate using the caste-bonding ? I dunno. By now, I understood that at the end of the trip,I would have to part with a few more rupee notes than required.I had to, I would have anyways..
There was still an aorta of doubt in my mind, and I started asking him questions. I can say,I opened up.I saw less of him as a cheat and more as a human in pain with no one to help.He had no children and he was thankful for that.He had lost his entire family - wife and parents in the last 2 years.He had had a spine surgery that cost him all his savings and he showed me the mark on his back. He also had some heart-related problems and now this blood cancer in intermediate stage,I was told.
Everything was so piled up to be true,I was wondering, but sometimes,life is damn cruel,isn't it ? Why can't his story be true in every sense of the word ? He apologised to me for having spoilt my mood and told me he thought of me as someone close to relate to. I was touched because,I found some stranger trusting me with his deepest secrets and pain, when many a friend hasn't done this. I was shocked to be a part of this trust because it hurt badly. But then,I realized, this man has nothing except faith I suppose. Then he told me 'I have gone to Mantralayam and done seva to the Swami'. This was the final straw. For me, the swami of Mantralyam,Sree Raghavendra, is an epitome of truth and virtues and I trust him one hundred percent.
I couldn't help but believing every word of this man's. Not when, the Guru himself had said so,I felt.Call me weird ,dramatic and sensational,maybe I'm all this..
The Oracle building came into sight and I knew the toughest moment had come for him and for me. If he were an honest man,I knew it would be tough to ask for more money in these circumstances.Any man with integrity will find it tough. For me,it was a question of belief, between truth and falsehood. If this was a drama, I had supported a crime in my weakest moment and my biggest fear was 'I did not know enough'.. he asked me for 200 Rs explicitly for his injection and promised to return it.I simply took it out and handed it to him. I asked him to take care and trust in God and the Mantralayam Swami. I walked into the building and displayed my badge to the security.
I had blindly trust the words of a stranger. Forgive me Oh Lord if I have committed a crime.
(I was thinking about 'TRUST' which my mom spoke about in an arranged marriage...)
I left home in not-so-good a mood having had a counselling session with my mom on the usual-holy matrimony,what else!! As I sat in the auto, my mind was pre-occupied with so many confusing thoughts and emotions,I sometimes wonder why I haven't got accustomed to,it has been years now.. oops am digressing..well,I was preoccupied and a few involuntary tears were trying to escape my kohl-lined eyes in desperation.
Suddenly,I hear a voice asking me 'what time is it ?'. It was the auto-driver asking me for the time. I replied promptly, '10.40'. He then says 'I had to go and get an injection at 10.30 and have been trying to accumulate enough money for it since morning'. The tears stood still, they decided to stay back in my eyes when they heard this. I asked him 'what for?' He told me he had blood cancer and was diagonised a week ago. He ran his hand over his forehead indicating 'fate',whatever. I did not know what to say,what to believe.Could this be a guy who was playing a trick to get some extra money ? I don't know! He then says,'I haven't told this to anyone but you,I'm also a brahmin,an Udupi brahmin,I quit my job and took this up,I lost my mother about 2 months ago and my wife about 10 days ago.' I was dumbfounded. This man was telling a story I thought, but something inside me told 'No,no one can lie to this extent,it must be true'.It was too fantastic to be true, but I decided not to judge.I was sitting in his auto,having no choice but to listen to his side of things.Somehow,maybe my state of mind or the human in me,I can't figure out, I was trusting every word of his.I had no way of verifying his story though.The way he said 'am also a brahmin',made me wonder,how and why being a brahmin mattered to that person. Was he trying to make me relate using the caste-bonding ? I dunno. By now, I understood that at the end of the trip,I would have to part with a few more rupee notes than required.I had to, I would have anyways..
There was still an aorta of doubt in my mind, and I started asking him questions. I can say,I opened up.I saw less of him as a cheat and more as a human in pain with no one to help.He had no children and he was thankful for that.He had lost his entire family - wife and parents in the last 2 years.He had had a spine surgery that cost him all his savings and he showed me the mark on his back. He also had some heart-related problems and now this blood cancer in intermediate stage,I was told.
Everything was so piled up to be true,I was wondering, but sometimes,life is damn cruel,isn't it ? Why can't his story be true in every sense of the word ? He apologised to me for having spoilt my mood and told me he thought of me as someone close to relate to. I was touched because,I found some stranger trusting me with his deepest secrets and pain, when many a friend hasn't done this. I was shocked to be a part of this trust because it hurt badly. But then,I realized, this man has nothing except faith I suppose. Then he told me 'I have gone to Mantralayam and done seva to the Swami'. This was the final straw. For me, the swami of Mantralyam,Sree Raghavendra, is an epitome of truth and virtues and I trust him one hundred percent.
I couldn't help but believing every word of this man's. Not when, the Guru himself had said so,I felt.Call me weird ,dramatic and sensational,maybe I'm all this..
The Oracle building came into sight and I knew the toughest moment had come for him and for me. If he were an honest man,I knew it would be tough to ask for more money in these circumstances.Any man with integrity will find it tough. For me,it was a question of belief, between truth and falsehood. If this was a drama, I had supported a crime in my weakest moment and my biggest fear was 'I did not know enough'.. he asked me for 200 Rs explicitly for his injection and promised to return it.I simply took it out and handed it to him. I asked him to take care and trust in God and the Mantralayam Swami. I walked into the building and displayed my badge to the security.
I had blindly trust the words of a stranger. Forgive me Oh Lord if I have committed a crime.
(I was thinking about 'TRUST' which my mom spoke about in an arranged marriage...)
Sunday, April 01, 2007
The writer in me..
I must thank my blog-readers for who they are, for what they are, for reading my thoughts,commenting,for sharing that perspective or denying them. I have ironed out the creases by writing. My thoughts are falling into place, especially the negative ones seem to disappear magically the moment,I put them on internet-paper.I never really knew how powerful writing can be,no matter how prolific or ordinary it is. Since last few days,I have wanted to write a bestseller(probable!),an extraordinarily over-confident me, I agree. Theoritically, if I were to write a book,let me pen down atleast a few titles :
1. Rich chocolate cake - Truths about raising..
(Self-deprecating humor on my cake baking stints in the past listing atleast 100 dont's)
2. Parents never grow up - not now,not forever...
(A war of words/worlds describing the best relationship in this world ? )
3. The mind sees what it wants to see...
(Psychological thriller maybe..not sure still.)
4.Arranged-marriage - how to say 'YES' in one day..
(A thorough analysis of how to say 'YES' and why not to say 'YES',paradoxical to the core.)
5.The art of negative-hope -
(Complete guide to hoping/doing something that you don't wish to happen so that Murphy's Law acts quick and fast.. )
One/five more additions to the heap of self-help books on this planet..
Disclaimer : If any of these titles exist,I dont want to do a la Kavya Vishwanathan...
1. Rich chocolate cake - Truths about raising..
(Self-deprecating humor on my cake baking stints in the past listing atleast 100 dont's)
2. Parents never grow up - not now,not forever...
(A war of words/worlds describing the best relationship in this world ? )
3. The mind sees what it wants to see...
(Psychological thriller maybe..not sure still.)
4.Arranged-marriage - how to say 'YES' in one day..
(A thorough analysis of how to say 'YES' and why not to say 'YES',paradoxical to the core.)
5.The art of negative-hope -
(Complete guide to hoping/doing something that you don't wish to happen so that Murphy's Law acts quick and fast.. )
One/five more additions to the heap of self-help books on this planet..
Disclaimer : If any of these titles exist,I dont want to do a la Kavya Vishwanathan...
Friday, March 30, 2007
Natural selection..
Had a lengthy chat with S this morning. Conversations with him make me feel as if I have walked into a labriynth. He psyches me out with his strange and eerie ideas which am afraid will cling on to me and become mine!! To say the least, he is goddamn convincing though.
Today it started with some allergy he had. I started saying 'oooo so sad' 'why don't u try Homeo,blah blah' in my usual 'I care for you' tone. :). Out suddenly comes an answer 'By natural selection,my grandfather should not have survived'!! How the hell should this make sense ? am standing there feeling like a fool...
Then he explains,how the recessive gene of allergies was now passed on to him from his ancestors. Fair enough! But suddenly he springs and says 'Medical science is responsible for this', and am standing there clueless 'how on earth can medical science' cause his allergies ? If anyone could cure it for him, it would be the doctor...he psyches me out really!!
Coming to how medical science can do otherwise,this is what the-great-guy asks me: 'Take a hypothetical case, you have developed cancer in your eye and the doctor has told you that if you don't remove the tissue,it will spread all over your body,what will you do ?'
Me: 'Of course,get it removed'
S: 'See you are viewing the body as an entity and hence to preserve the entity,you are ok to eliminate a part of it. I'm viewing the entire world as an entity and for this world to have healthier genes in the coming generation,it must be exterminated of the bad genes. Now,people with healthier genes are mating with the non-healthy ones and this has reduced the overall-gene-health of our population, and medical science is keeping people alive when they should have left this world long ago..'
By this time,I had dropped dead.. this man is known for his bizarre thinking I knew but, this was heights!!! Personally, he is humanitarian in nature,but his ideas are ruthlessly barbaric :) I was gladly praying that he did not turn up in some higher office of power...
This kind of conversation sparked a dormant interest in me,of the pure sciences. I was always a big fan of pure science and research in topics like genetics,astrophysics,microbiology and history and I must thank this sweet guy for renewing this interest in me. He is widely read though,this man, no wonder he has some ideas.I came back with a small piece of paper bearing the names of two excellent books on the matter.. More about those after I read them...
S - you rock dude!!!
Today it started with some allergy he had. I started saying 'oooo so sad' 'why don't u try Homeo,blah blah' in my usual 'I care for you' tone. :). Out suddenly comes an answer 'By natural selection,my grandfather should not have survived'!! How the hell should this make sense ? am standing there feeling like a fool...
Then he explains,how the recessive gene of allergies was now passed on to him from his ancestors. Fair enough! But suddenly he springs and says 'Medical science is responsible for this', and am standing there clueless 'how on earth can medical science' cause his allergies ? If anyone could cure it for him, it would be the doctor...he psyches me out really!!
Coming to how medical science can do otherwise,this is what the-great-guy asks me: 'Take a hypothetical case, you have developed cancer in your eye and the doctor has told you that if you don't remove the tissue,it will spread all over your body,what will you do ?'
Me: 'Of course,get it removed'
S: 'See you are viewing the body as an entity and hence to preserve the entity,you are ok to eliminate a part of it. I'm viewing the entire world as an entity and for this world to have healthier genes in the coming generation,it must be exterminated of the bad genes. Now,people with healthier genes are mating with the non-healthy ones and this has reduced the overall-gene-health of our population, and medical science is keeping people alive when they should have left this world long ago..'
By this time,I had dropped dead.. this man is known for his bizarre thinking I knew but, this was heights!!! Personally, he is humanitarian in nature,but his ideas are ruthlessly barbaric :) I was gladly praying that he did not turn up in some higher office of power...
This kind of conversation sparked a dormant interest in me,of the pure sciences. I was always a big fan of pure science and research in topics like genetics,astrophysics,microbiology and history and I must thank this sweet guy for renewing this interest in me. He is widely read though,this man, no wonder he has some ideas.I came back with a small piece of paper bearing the names of two excellent books on the matter.. More about those after I read them...
S - you rock dude!!!
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