call of the mystic

A New Blog For Me

2010-08-31T01:50:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, fans and fellow-bloggers,

After much lazying around and unnecessary procrastination and deliberation in the matter, I have finally migrated to wordpress. Please continue reading my posts and raving (or ranting)about them on my brand new blog, Transmogrifier
Yes, as a true Calvin fan, I had to do this! :P

Cheers!

Stereotyping Women

2010-07-07T02:03:00.000-07:00

The year was 1998. I was in class eight, seated on the second bench, English period. Our teacher, Miss Lipika was telling us about gender disparity rampant in rural India in all its forms - infanticide, dowry killings, illiteracy among women, sex-trafficking, prostitution,... As young, inquisitive students, we were all ears to the lecture and we also had various presentations and group discussions on the same. As a sensitive 12-year-old, I held on to the talks that women are indeed, discriminated against, in the villages and non-urban townships.

Life went on. This whole 'gender disparity' thought was just there... stagnant. I never really thought much about it. My parents gave me a good education and made me a fine and competent human being. I never had to fight for my rights or ask for the same.

However, from the past few days, owing to some errant incidents and discussions with family members and friends, the 'gender disparity' chapter has re-opened its hallowed pages in my mind and is fluttering at a furious pace. Thoughts galore... and since these thoughts are peppered across various subjects and dimensions, this post is rather haywire in terms of prose.

I do realise that many a things, in life, are looked at differently for either genders. What is normal for a boy to do is considered not-so-normal, 'indecent', non-modest or in some cases, serious offence for a girl. It’s ingrained in our societal norms and methods of life. Most have religious connotations while some don't.

Women and Hindu traditions

We usually tend to believe that Hindu traditions and practices 'allow' more freedom to women than any other religion. People argue that Islam asks women to sport the veil while we let our women do what they want, wear what they want. May be true. I don't know!
However, observe this. During pre-vedic times, women wore the sacred thread and also had the right to study the vedas and perform rites and rituals. They could attend even funerals. Post-vedic and modern times deny this right to a woman. So the sacred thread, the gayatri mantra, father’s last rites and the vedapathashalas are meant only for the men. Though, the Arya Samaj allows women to wear the sacred thread , the question is how many parents in India, ask their daughters, "do you WANT to wear one too, like your brother?" It’s usually taken for granted that it’s not meant for them. Recently, when one of my female friends performed her parents’ last rites, people around wondered, ‘what the hell is SHE doing?’

(Note* - I personally, do not believe in any religion or religious practices.)

A woman carries the mangalsutra (taali in south) as a symbol of her marriage but a man doesn't. You can never tell a man is married, just by looking at him. Women have accepted this as a tradition, and way of life. Some of my friends say, "That’s the way it’s always been." And then, there are men who wouldn’t like to see empty necks of their wives (without the mangalsutra or the bindi.) It becomes a huge issue amongst family members that the woman of the house was spotted without it. This, then extends to its sub-branches like mandatory green bangles, red and white bangles, nine-yard sarees, dupatta over the head, etc. The 'kanyadaan' and prostration to the husband are examples of the same.

Women and sexuality

In India, even today, women are largely looked at as sex objects. Our television commercials (read deodorant ads), stand-up comedians, movies, songs, etc. all carry and communicate in them connotations of a woman's sexuality. The commercialization and prostitution of humour has made a woman's body a laughable affair to the extent that people don't even want to see that it’s being done in bad light. Such is the so-called fun of the matter!
I completely detest humour that's based on a woman's body and her sexuality, more often seen in Hindi and Tamizh films. I remember this Tamizh movie where Rajnikanth is having an argument with his female lead that a man can always do better than a woman in all aspects of life. To win the bet, he takes off his shirt and walks the streets, nude and then mocks at the girl if she can do the same. The girl shies away. Sexiest is not the word. And if you thought that this kinda slapstick humour exists only in south Indian movies, think again. The 'sthan' joke (indicating the breast of a woman) in Chatur's speech in the movie 3 idiots, is a classic example of how, even today, the inherent male chauvinism in the society, makes fun of the woman's body. The fact that that scene from 3 idiots is being circulated everywhere and people watch it and enjoy it,(women included), is testimony to this. Rich humour/satire is dead in today's world and... Well, I digress...

But this fact of a woman's sexuality being in the discussion always, also has its roots in old Hindu traditions. Many families, even in present India, celebrate and conduct vast ceremonies and havans when a girl in the family, begins to menstruate. The other day, I was having a discussion with a friend, and she told me that it is celebrated because the girl is now, considered to be 'fertile.' Sick as it can get, everything is looked at from the ability-to-conceive point of view. And once she becomes 'bodily mature', she is asked to be gentle, laugh softly, not hop around, walk with elegance, mellow-down in general. I remember my Hindi teacher saying, "tum ladki ho... zara susheelta dikhaao." Its sad, really that even her basic behaviour, mannerisms and dressing sense is governed by these obsolete practices. In many homes, the girl is almost ostracised and kept away, during her menstrual time, 'coz she's considered 'impure.' Don't believe me? Ask your grandmom.

Women and nudity

A few months back, two of my male friends planned to go to Bangalore by road/car. They said it would take them two whole days to reach there and were pretty kicked about it. I too wanted to tag along as it sounded like a fun trip. They seemed to be disinterested in my going along and when asked, one of them said, "You wouldn't be comfortable. We are saying this for your good." When I insisted, I got the answer, "If, on the way, we want to pee, we'll get off and do so. You obviously cannot." When I think about it, I fail to understand why a girl should (is expected to) feel embarrassed while a boy, doing the same thing doesn't have to.

Though men and women are born equal, nudity has always been a tangent where the parallelisms of the lines become blur. To the extent that many girls of my age don't even realise that they are being discriminated against. Nudity has always been a point of debate and gender disparity has poked its filthy nose into it, for years now. Men can be shirtless, can wear shorts, can sport any part of their body freely and nobody would take offense. I have lots of female friends who can wear shorts only at home and that too, in the absence of the male members of the house. I, for one, wear shorts at home. My father lets me because he loves me a lot. But the point I am raising here is that though, we are all born free; we are bound by these invisible (mostly baseless), shackles of societal 'norms' and 'rules.' So, if a woman wants to wear shorts or a revealing top, her husband, her father, her brother, her male friend has to be comfortable with it. He has to 'allow' her to do so. And if the word, 'allow' comes into the picture then, 'freedom' has no meaning, in the true sense of the word.

And then there are men who go as far as to say, that skimpily/ 'indecently' dressed women mustn’t cry foul if they get molested or raped. The point being, "men will be men. If you are in your shorts, don't cry if they letch at you, molest you or even rape you." This is like going to a sweet shop and telling the shopkeeper, “don’t keep your sweets where I can see them, or I’ll eat them.”

Shirley Chisholm once said, “The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl."”

Numerous thinkers, feminists; myriad articles, talk-shows, debates and blog posts wont do any good. Our society has been conditioned to soak-up to the norms and traditions. It’s almost like it’s in the blood. It’s a way of life. A woman will still be treated as subordinate, unequal in matters concerning day-to-day lives and the world at large. Her body will always be considered an ornament, rather than an instrument.

You don’t necessarily have to be anti-man to be pro-woman, you know? But that’s what a lot of people will infer from this post. Things haven’t changed. Things never will… oh, the cynic..

Tharoor and Karna

2010-04-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my good friend, Bharat sent me this brilliant article from Outlook India by Vinod Mehta. The article dissects, deliberates and drives a point about the mallu mud-hook who has had the media chugging after him time and again - Shashi Tharoor.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265175

The life and times of Shashi Tharoor resemble a morality tale. Here is a man who begins life with an extra-long silver spoon in his mouth. Clever, even brilliant, awesomely well-educated, lucky enough to land one of the most coveted jobs on the planet, author of several critically acclaimed books, he comes within a whisker of being elected Secretary General of the UN, manages to win a Lok Sabha seat, becomes a minister in the privileged foreign affairs ministry...

I cant help but notice the striking similarity between Shashi Tharoor and the character of Karna from The Mahabharata. And pardon me for using a few phrases from Mehta's write-up - just to make the comparison more interesting. (Excerpts from the article are in a different font and italicized)

The life and times of Karna (too) resemble a morality tale. He too was a man who began life with a silver spoon, and also a golden kavachh and kundal. Remember he was really a Kaunteya - born to Kunti & the Son God. Clever as a fox, very well-educated and trained under the great, Guru Parashurama (who was also Bhishma's guru), lucky enough to land one of the most coveted kingdoms to rule (Anga, one of the 16 greatest nations of the time - Solas Mahajanapadas), most acclaimed leader of the Kaurava sena during the Kurukshetra war (lead the side after Bhishma's fall and no rules were broken under his leadership), the only one on the Kaurava side, who was most respected by Krishna, the Lord of Lords. During pandavas' exile, Karna, in order to establish Duryodhana as the king of the world, conquered numerous kingdoms.

From a very early age, he was seen as the genius boy. Once, as he watched Drona teach the chakravyuha to Ashwathama (Drona's son), Karna wisely pointed out to guru Drona, that Ashwathama was neither a kshatriya nor a rajputra (king's son). This was a virtual slap on the face of Drona because he declined from teaching Karna, claiming that he would play guru only to either rajputras or kshatriyas. Karna went on to become the sarvashreshta dhanurdhar (supreme archer) albeit the protection Arjuna got from all sides to hold the title. Karna was also the only one, other than Arjuna, who could have struck through the marma matsya (moving fish) during the Draupadi swayamvar.

His fairy godmother had bestowed on him another curse: Karna was fearless and on-the-face when he spoke of his willingness or unwillingness of something. (Just as Mr Tharoor's frank tweets or as Mehta points out - Vijay Hazare to single malt whisky to global finance to jehadi terrorism.) I wouldn't say Karna was articulate in his speech but the clarity of thought and precise verbal message are two things that he displayed brazenly.

Karna openly opposed to all of Shakuni mama's flimflams ranging from lakshagrah (palace of wax designed to kill pandavas) to Draupadi vastraharan to the rigged dice game. Karna drove in his point to guru Kripacharya's accusations of him being a shudra and could not consequently compete with Arjuna. He asked Krishna to mind his own business when the later told him of his birth origins thereby asking him to join the pandavas in the war. He didn't hesitate to give away his only protection (from Arjuna's wrath) - kavachh and kundal stating that he was the daan-veer. Such clarity with words and thoughts...

Self-doubt, is a phrase Karna had never heard. If he ever got into trouble; if the itihaas (history) questioned him about his blunders, he was sure his well-formed arguments and verbal valour would see him through. And Karna did get into trouble because albeit he opposed the lakshagrah, vastraharan, chausar ka khel, etc. he always stood by Duryodhana owing to his obligation/friendship to the latter. Karna was the symbol of dharma residing in the house of adharma. He was the 'other' Vikarna.

So, where is the morality tale? What is it that the mahaveer Karna shouldn't have forgotten? Albeit, he was the best, with the most aggressive and dazzling mind and talent, he was his own worst enemy. He placed the obligation-to-Duryodhana card higher up in life, than dharma. Yes, his conscience pricked and pierced at him, hard. His mind did a 'Karna calling Karna' several times, but the unfortunate, egoistic, jealous warrior never paid heed. Karna was brought down by Karna.

2010-01-15T01:46:00.001-08:00

Copy Cat Aamir?

This post is not a rant or a post in the true sense of the word. Its rather a verbal manifestation of my disappointment with the so called 'perfectionist' of our times. Especially after Lagaan, I thought Aamir Khan is one of those people who does sensible movies and is also a sticker for perfection. At the time of Rang De Basanti, the preacher in Aamir Khan showed its face when he said on NDTV, "You be the change, you be the politician, the youth should change the system... blah blah" I thought it was a lame way to market a film that was nothing but fantasy. I mean seriously, isn't it just a dream to be able to kill politicians at will? I guess he refused to come out of the I-will-change-the-system mode and its evident in 3-idiots.

Inspite of this, I loved Taare Zameen Par for its simplicity in portraying the mind of a young child and his battle with the much-criticized education system. But after doing a little research, I realise that perhaps none of what Aamir churns out of his kitty is original. Though, the character of Ishaan Awasthi was (shall we say) 'inspired' by Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes fame, I didn't think Aamir, the debutant director would actually lift scenes cut to cut from the classic comic strip.

The Maths test/quiz that Ishaan takes in the film is a straight lift. Take a look at this:

While, the one above is a direct lift, the two pieces below can be called 'inspirations' - one where Ishaan fights the shower in the bathroom (Calvin fights rain) and two where he just leaves school one day, and that followed by parents' meeting with teacher and principal:
And as I toyed with this idea of whether these scenes are really inspired from C&H strips or could they be a mere co-incidence, Dhananjay brought this book titled 'Thank You, Mr Falker' to my notice. Here's a synopsis of the story -

Quoting from the site:
"Patricia Polacco is now one of America's most loved children's book writers and illustrators, but once upon a time, she was a little girl named Trisha starting school. Trisha could paint and draw beautifully, but when she looked at words on a page, all she could see was jumble. Her classmates made matters worse by calling her 'dummy' and 'toad.' It took a very special teacher to recognize little Trisha's dyslexia: Mr. Falker, who encouraged her to overcome her reading disability. Patricia Polacco will never forget him, and neither will we."

I am thoroughly disappointed at what Aamir and Crew seem to be doing. This hurts me because I loved Taare Zameen Par and most of all, I am a big big fan of Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin & Hobbes. The copying streak seems to have continued with this year's so-called great film, 3 idiots.

And talking about 3 idiots, here are a few copied moments -

1) The 'why didn't they use pencils instead?' question by Rancho
2) When the three friends go searching for Rancho you see a man clicking snaps of burqa-clad women
3) When the prof refuses to accept their papers, Rancho mixes them with the rest

With not-so-stringent Plagiarism laws in our country, and with people raving about Aamir 'Perfectionist' Khan, I guess movies like 3 idiots will continue to enjoy the acclaim and awards. And the media will continue to call him a 'great.' I guess my friend said it right. "Aamir Khan uses the media as shoes."

It doesn't make for great screenplay when you just physically manifest old idioms like 'putting the toothpaste back in the tube' and copying internet jokes and forwards. The least he could have done is to give due credit to the source. I don't thing it would have taken away anything from his film. And since he hasn't , I guess Aamir should join the league of people who think 'we are born too late in the world to do anything original' and his movies (at least these two) should be listed here.

Update: Just found that the C & H 'inspirations' have been covered here and here

2009-11-13T03:15:00.000-08:00

Quizzing Misadventures

This happened last week at a premium B-school:

We (QuizMonks; the research team) reach the venue of the quiz two hours before the scheduled time for a dry run.
1) The event head has flown off to Delhi to participate in some other quiz. (Bravo!)

2) The assistant in-charge takes us to the venue when there’s hardly 30 minutes left for the quiz to start.

3) The LCD switches off every 2 minutes; there is no mic; no sound cord for the laptop to test the audio questions.

4) A volunteer gets a cord from somewhere after much delay and the audio works fine. (Phew!)

5) The volunteer says, “Since the sound cord is put in the system, the mic wouldn’t work. Dhananjay, can you shout?” (It almost prompted Dhananjay to reply, “Yes. Can I start with you?”)

6) We realize the LCD is a pain. The assistant in-charge asks a corporate participant to stand on a chair and rectify the LCD that’s mounted on the ceiling. (You see, the organizers don’t believe in being formal. What the hell! In fact, they don’t believe in being courteous either.)

7) After much delay, they change the venue of the elims to a different classroom. All participants are asked to move there.

8) At the new venue, the LCD and mics are fine, but the audio doesn’t work fine. A random volunteer says, “Guys, please don’t delay anymore. We are late already. Let’s start the quiz.”

9) We start the elims and Dhananjay has to change two audio/video questions on the spot, as the organizers couldn’t get the audio glitches smoothened.

10) The screen at the main lawns (where the finals are to happen) is a tiny one mounted on a tripod. We ask the volunteers to change it. One of them tells us, “It will be visible. Don’t worry. Anyway, the quizmaster would read out, na?”

11) We threaten we wont do the quiz if they don’t get a bigger screen. They use a flex/banner on the backdrop and the finals that were to start at 6.30 pm gets postponed until 7 pm. And then, they realize that the director is on his way. So the quiz finally starts at around 7.45 pm. The Quizmaster had arrived at 5.15 pm. (Who cares about sticking to the schedule!)

12) The ultra smart sound guy keeps on fidgeting with the speakers and every time an audio is played, no one is able to hear it. Every single time, the host has to keep on announcing, “Someone please get the audio straight.” Every single time.

All these goof-ups, despite giving them clear instructions (in writing) a couple of weeks before the quiz about the exact requirements; including, the size of the screen.

Just a couple of weeks prior to the above-mentioned disaster, at another premium B-school, the organizers look unprepared for the event. A tiny screen for a massive auditorium; winners being given post-dated cheques without even informing them about it, etc. The cribber-event-head tells us in a high-handed tone, “Dhananjay, I thought you’d bring with you at least 50 corporate teams. Still, we get only 27 corporate teams. What ya?” We make it clear to him that it’s not the responsibility of the research team to get teams.

Personally, I feel that most of these people conduct events to add bullet points on their CV. Everything boils down to that. What a farce! Quite a few organizers speak with us as if we are their slaves. I think they take this liberty with us, because we aren’t like the other quizmasters who strut around with attitude up their sleeves, stay on campus and yet arrive late for quizzes, order food at odd hours, ask people to postpone their flights since the quiz would run late and conduct the quiz according to their whims and fancies. Surprisingly (or, maybe not), they are the ones who are respected; students address them as ‘sir’ and talk to them like they were the bosses. These are men of honour!

When Dhananjay and I conceived the idea of a quizzing research company, we were very clear about what we wanted. Dhananjay loved quizzing and I always wanted to do something on my own. We approached two of our friends who also shared similar interests and just like that, we got started. Our motto was clear – to offer quality research that’s unmatched in the country and conduct quizzes where the focus is on the questions and not, the accompanying shenanigans. We would slog our asses; stay overnight at each others’ places, work and re-work on questions, re-frame them to make them look sleeker and yet informative; think about 100 odd things to make the quiz a good mix of easy/tough questions, keep on racking our brains to cover questions on varied topics, etc.

Some unsaid rules we follow (or, try our best to) religiously are –

1) No compromise on research no matter how ‘commercial’ the event/quiz might have to be.

2) We will never be late for our quizzes because, we value our and everybody else’s time. We reach the venue at least an hour and a half prior to the scheduled time and do a dry run.

3) Complete the quiz a week before the event, so that we can review it over the next few days and make it better.

4) A post-event review and take necessary steps to make it better next time.

5) We ask participants for their suggestions after every quiz and if they make sense (and they generally do), earnestly work towards them.

Maybe, we should throw some attitude. Maybe, we should arrive late. We should perhaps ask the organizers to serve us spicy Chinese food and Kiwi-fruit juice next time. We must insist on a chauffer driven car. We must repeat questions from previous quizzes. I think all this will make QuizMonks more coveted in the eyes of the organizers.

Sigh!

2008-11-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

I want to sing item number

I am an aspiring playback singer. Two years back, I got the contact number of singer Shubha Mudgal through a friend. Shubhaji has been able to successfully fuse classical music with Indi-pop to deliver some very good songs in the past. I was extremely thrilled at the prospect of meeting her in person. With a request to train me in classical music, I called up Shubhaji. She asked me to meet up at her Khar residence and I couldn’t wait for the moment of truth.

My dad and I were seated in her drawing room when she came in and greeted us. After some initial talk, she asked me why I wanted to learn music and what I wanted to sing in future. I said, “I want to be a playback singer and be part of mainstream Bollywood singing.” She asked me to sing. I did. After some words of appreciation for my voice and singing skills she said, “You know, all youngsters unfortunately want to sing Bollywood songs these days. I am really appalled at what you said. Not one person says, ‘I want to sing classical.’” She went on about how much important it is for youngsters like me to abstain from remixes; how much item numbers have spoilt Indian culture and what harm contemporary songs have done to Indian music.

The other day, I heard Shubhaji’s voice… in an item song called ‘Bichua’ for Rakhi Sawant in the film 1920. Well, looks like Shubhaji only likes to preach, not practice!

2008-03-06T02:12:00.000-08:00

The phone call

The sharp afternoon sunlight stung her eyes, reflecting off the tar covered roof of the building and made them water. Yet she couldn’t resist looking at the pigeons in the alcove above the terrace door. Two male ones trying to woo a female. One of them won and the other flew away after the long battle, then, one false move, and Swooosh! Away flew the female, leaving the 'winner' alone on the ledge.

She gripped her cell phone tighter in her hand and carefully made her way back towards the other door. She would now have to weave her way carefully back to her department, making it look like just another trip for work matters. One false move, she thought to herself. The building corridors felt cold and dark after the searing sunshine outside.

Had it been a false move, or the perfect one? The one that won the heart and hand of the she-pigeon or the one that lost favor with her? The answers could wait for now. She would think later.
For now all she had to do was act busy and important. And go back to her seat before people started missing her presence.

--------------
"Coffee?"
She jerked back to reality at the sound of her colleague’s voice. "Sure!" she replied, picking up the cue.
"Where were you?" He whispered on the way out. "Boss was looking for you but I said you had gone to the legal department for the final agreement. OK?"
"Thanks! Arrey yaar, it was unavoidable, got a sudden call and had to go away." Luckily the agreement is in place - all she needed to do was take a printout. Her colleague was amazing.
"Call? Didn’t see you around. Where were you? I thought you had left office, so covered for you. Bata to deti yaar. By the way, did you hear..."
Relieved, she let the conversation wander. But she knew he will not forget the 'curious incident of the hush-hush phone call' so soon. It would come up during dinner later. But for now, she would let things be.

------------
On the way back home she let her mind wander towards the conversation on the phone. To look for loopholes, mistakes. But somehow she found herself thinking about the roof. The searing heat of the sun coupled with the coolness of the November air. The Green trees in the vicinity which she had never noticed before. And the Huge, monstrous coolers and water heaters atop the roof - the pipes criss-crossing the way roof top - the pile of construction rubble in the corner. It was surprising how she had never gone there in her long tenure here. Would all this be there in Chennai? What would it be like over there? When will she have to move, if at all…

Wait. She was jumping the gun. It was important that the person on the other end of the line found her suitable too. What had she said? She could not remember details of the conversation. This was ridiculous! The conversation had lasted a little less than an hour, a long time. Yet she could not remember a single sentence. She remembered it spanned a lot of topics, including the move to Chennai. Would she be alright with it? Would she be able to adjust?

She would need to tell him (her colleague). Yet she was hesitant. He was a dear friend, but a colleague too. Infact, a colleague first and friend later. But another such call and he will not leave her alone - haunting her about her mysterious phone calls. Telling him was an important decision - after all it had major career implications for her. Not to mention location implications. How would he take it?

She flipped open her cell phone and dialed his number. "Hey. When do we meet for dinner? And where? Lets go someplace quiet."
"Sure. What’s wrong with you today? You seem rather pensive since afternoon. All morning you were jittery and glued to your comp. You OK? Want to postpone the dinner and rest tonight?"
"Uh... no. I’m fine. Something's come up, so wanted to tell you about it."
"Okay... how does 9 pm sound? Ill pick you up. You choose the place."

------
"So, madam what is this news? But first tell me, how are you feeling now?"
"Oh, much better!" :) Shall we order first? I’m starving.
"Yeah, I didn't have much lunch either. Neither did you, or did you? Neha was mentioning..."

It was difficult to stick to one topic with him. He was vivacious and full of tidbits. But once he remembered something, he would not let go. She waited patiently through his useless small talk and gave him her usual piece of mind wherever required. The food was served. Delicious Parathas roasted with stuffed vegetables.

That’s when she told him. She knew he would not like it. How much, she didn’t know.
"You will move away?! But you never mentioned it!"
"um... yeah, it never came up. Was a little sudden."
"Sudden? How can a decision to move away be 'sudden'? How come you never told me or discussed with me?"

The Parathas were not as delicious suddenly. They were late for the movie, but it was a relief of sorts to part ways that night.

-----
The days were difficult to pass. She could not determine how much importance to give her mundane everyday work anymore. He was a little upset initially but was surprisingly supportive. It was her decision he said. "Just let me know when you need my help." He seemed almost aloof. Or was she imagining it? She didn’t know whether it was because she had told him late, or because of the news itself. It did not seem to help if she told him that no one else knew. Not yet, anyway. But then, they had promised to go ahead together, helping each other.

She still had not told him where she had answered the call. The roof was imprinted in her mind, and she did not want unwanted visitors there. He, however, was sure to tell others about the sanctum for phone calls. And then her chance of a private word and moment was destroyed. Instead she would tell him when it was confirmed that she was leaving.

Often she would remember the private moment on the roof. The moment when she calmed her nerves after the long conversation, after the day-long wait for the call. And watched the pigeons. Had she said something wrong? Would the answer be a ‘no’ after so many days of trial? She herself was not too sure that she wanted to move to Chennai. But then everything else was right in place. It wouldn’t be too bad, she told herself. In fact, the only problem really, would be people in this company. Her boss and of course, him.

The phone call had been the final step. She checked her mails for updates. Checked her phone for messages. Called home. And waited, hopelessly. She toyed with the idea of sending a mail first. Of making the call herself. But she was not sure of her own answer.

She gave up hope. They did not like her. It was wrong of her to harp on the moving to Chennai bit. Her false move. The pigeon had flown away. On the way to bed she decided to try one more time and opened her private mail.

There it was - a new mail! Finally, some response!
Breathlessly she waited for the page to open, willing it to open in milliseconds. Waiting to read the first two lines. Would it be positive? She wished it to be positive.

"Dear Ms…,
We are pleased to..."

------

"Hi! Got the mail last night. I’m selected! And not for Chennai. I will be located in the Mumbai office itself, then if I'm ready to move..."

"Wow! Wonderful news! I'm so happy for you. And that you are not going!"

"Thanks! I can barely believe it, its great isn’t it?"

"Yeah. You don’t have to worry about Chennai anymore. And now, you can at least give me lessons on Interviews. Dont back out this time. Like you did while applying here."

"I told you, it was an unexpected referral and I’m sorrrry. But I can refer you here now!"

"How is your guy taking it? Happy I hope!"

"Of Course! He is delighted. More so because I stay here."

"And we can still meet often enough for our dinners."

"Yes. And listen."

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow, remind me to take you to the Roof. That’s where I gave the interview. But don’t look at the pigeons. One false move can spoil everything, but that one thought can make you very, very worried."

2008-02-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

Jodha Akbar - My opinion

Watched Jodha Akbar...

I would give it 2 stars... For starters, I must confess that I am a fan of Ashutosh Gowarikar... I loved Lagaan and Swades and the latter left a deep impact on my mind...

Most of all, the genuineness in Ashutosh's films is what appeals me. His films are usually very honest and render the message straight off; no pretensions, no hyped up stuff. Or So I thought. But in this movie, he tries to in fact hype up the sets, the jewellery, etc by panning the camera through them. Jodha Akbar has its own positives like the music, a few scenes well shot, etc.

Some good ones like the one in which Akbar (Hrithik) fights with an elephant - elegantly picturised; war scenes have been done very well - massive, mostly copied though; also romance scenes between Akbar and Jodha - I have always loved the way Ashutosh portrays romance - both in Lagaan and Swades, romance between the hero and his girl is pure and beautiful; he never pollutes such scenes and they never turn into vulgar-skin-showing-feeling-up-each-other types and that is exactly what I like about them.

The background score, music and choreography are very satisfying; very apt to situations in the film. I simply love Rahman's composition of Khwajaji; Azeem-o-shaan shehenshah was beautifully choreographed, though more like a school drill its vibrant. Rahman is the only drastically versatile music composer we have today. He dives completely into the genre of the film and brings out some gems like these. What a contrast, in say, a Rang de Basanti and Jodhaa Akbar.

Somewhere Ashutosh has digressed with the script. The movie turns out to be more about glorifying Akbar rather than being a love story. The entire thing about bringing out Akbar's greatness and humility overshadowed the main theme of the film - the love story.

Notice a major contradiction in Akbar's character too. During the film, one gets a feeling that Akbar was very patriotic towards his sar-zameen, Hindustan. He says he cannot leave Hindustan at the mercy of any Tom, Dick and Harry and mouths more dialogues to that effect. This clearly shows how much he is in love with Hindustan and therefore is a patriot.
But we must remember that he was also a ruler which means he was greedy for more and more land; he wanted to rule over entire Hindustan. The contradiction in the character comes herein - a patriot never wants to rule a nation, he just wants it to be free; which means Akbar is not patriotic (as shown in the film) but is just possessive of something he owns. So, for him, Hindustan is more of a trophy (that he would want to win over) than a land that he loves and can make sacrifices for it. Though, I don't know whether this part of Akbar's character wasthe director's imagination or Akbar was really like that.

Hrithik cant play a character role like that of Akbar. Prithviraj Kapoor as Akbar seems to have got etched in my mind. That look of pride in his face, the elegant king-like walk, the erect shoulders and the bitterly eyes speaking volumes; all this was certainly missing in Hrithik. He did his usual Dhoom 2 walk everywhere.

All in all an OK film. A period film after a long while... Watch it at least once.
Cheers!

2007-11-27T01:34:00.001-08:00

I will build a faith

I will advocate a religion. Someday I will preach it, and I am sure there will be lots of takers. Some of the dictates will be as follows.

- My religion will have God/Gods, however, who or how I shall think of when the time comes as per public likes/dislikes. Chances are that it could be me :) Anyways, Gods will never be the same always. They will change with each each season.

- Truth, of course, will be preferred. However, when unavoidable white lies are allowed.

- You will be forced to think. There will be weekly gatherings where you will have to reach by solving a clue game before the religion will be propounded to you.

- You will be forced to participate in weekly gatherings that consist of PJs (phaltu jokes). All followers of this faith must bring along at least 5 such jokes and should be good listeners of the same.

- Mailing, chatting and exchange of interesting articles on a weekly basis will be a must, discussions on some of them will be mandatory on the weekly gatherings.

- Working will be permissible for not more than 3 days a week. Holidays will be decided later, they are the days which shall constitute discussions on the forums (refer #3 above)

- There will be a festival every month lasting for at least 5 days where everyone is supposed to do one activity they enjoy/ need to do. It may include eating out, singing, boozing, sleeping, learning something, or even lazing at home and reading book(s). The festival shall not on any count coincide with the designated weekly holidays.

- Music will be the standard medium of prayer. An hour is a compulsory daily dose for meditation; more is preferred. Type of music depends upon individual taste. Takes you closer to the Lord(s). Rock or Classical music, of course, will be preferred.

- Everyone will have complimentary access to a library (physical and web-based) by virtue of being a believer of this religion.

The basic dictate of the religion will be -

- Happy living through peaceful oblivion (also practicing a certain colourful 3 letter word).

- Reduction of ill vibes between people through reduction in bitching (except of course where unavoidable, and not more than once in a conversation.)

- Doing, instead of cribbing – yeah it’s a pain, but in this religion there has to be some work after all! One needs to work on one’s cribs.

2007-11-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

Bruise

At a length of 0.5 cm and a thickness of 0.1 cm, the bruise on the inner side of my neck is evolving in a more picturesque manner than expected. The bruise caused by I still don’t know who, what, where, how. One fine morning, it just appeared. And I think I aggravated it further by scratching liberally with the moody finger of my left hand.

Well, it initially had a little bump and within 30 minutes of coming into existence it had turned from a bright Tomato Red to a dark dark Red, almost Black rather symmetric bump on the side of my neck. For the first day the pain was enough to remind me of its existence. However, the next day onwards a chance glance through the object forming the specular reflection (the mirror) for my vision made me re-look, thinking it was a mole of sorts.
After that the bump was a nice, firm irregularity on the side of my neck.
Friends suggested pricking it so the clotted blood would have an outlet and the ‘bruise’ would go. But, I believed it would just become more pinched over time and then separate from my body like dead cells do.

However, the bump subsided over time. Today the bump has almost subsided to skin level, and has become a beautiful Maroon-Red. A rather enchanting colour. Especially when held against sunlight.
Now that it has become like any regular bruise, I expect it to go through the usual colour changes of Purple, Green-Yellow and Yellow then light Brown before vanishing.
I find it rather entertaining to observe the colour changes of bruises. I think that comes from the fact that I bruise often, and the best bet is to enjoy them if you can’t avoid them.

Perhaps the life cycle of this bruise will be short considering it’s on the inner side of my neck has a high blood flow. Let me see.
It would have been fun if they were not so independent and performed small activities for you. Example, you tell the bruise ‘Change!’ and it changes colours. You tell ‘Hide’ and it vanishes for some time. You say, ‘Shift’ and you can move it to a different body part. Would have made them so much more interesting I think. However, now they seem to have a mind of their own, and decide where to appear on their personal whims. Sometime even hurt you, and definitely change colours when you are not looking.
Well, at least they provide some entertainment.

2007-11-05T01:52:00.000-08:00

Predicting the Future

It’s been a slow kind of day - meaning I have work pending which I am not doing. Finally the long days and short nights of the past week are catching up. With a weekend of activity ahead with Diwali et al, I don’t see much respite till Monday.
So, as I sit on my seat with empty cups of Cappuccino beside me, I wonder - modern day people have become too mindless to think; they mostly just follow. Else, what once developed art form, now revered / ridiculed as forecasting tool has no new versions.

What am I talking about? Tealeaf reading of course! Something so innovative, new and so darned weird, has no modern day equivalents! I mean, reading the dregs of tea is definitely a European thing. Yet Tea itself is such an old concoction in Asia (China to be precise). It went to Europe only more than a century ago. People were imaginative enough then, to have Tea and wonder about one’s future depending upon the shape of the broken Tealeaves at the bottom of the cup.

Why then, has today’s wo/man left innovating? Why not something new about the way and shape of coffee rings left on the cup? What about the foam on the opposite wall of the empty cup? Wont someone please step up and analyse that and tell me my future?
Considering so many coffee drinkers around the world are interested in the occult, how is it that they don’t do a little bit of innovation and extrapolation to develop new techniques for today’s beverage - coffee? With the Internet and the 'world being small' and all that, I am sure they will have enough takers, if not earn a few pennies in the bargain.

Hmm...Perhaps this was left for me to create. I now know my true calling...my future (I read it from my 3 empty cups).
It is to drink coffee and predict the future on the basis of the foam marks on the cup!

Thus I shall foretell what the future holds for you. Only condition - it has to be Cappuccino with lots of foam.
Come to me! The initial 10 readings are free.

2007-07-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

Jewels of Matrimony

Was going through a friend's profile on Hindu matrimony. (she wanted some editing done by expert hands :-) I spent sometime in going through other profiles. As usual the site did not dissapoint.
First things first. My friend would NEVER pose in front of a bright-Red background, in a neon shirt with her mobile in hand and have the starting words of her write-up as "Myself Naina...".

- One guy went on and on about his brother while he was the intended candidate. Apparently his brother was well-settled and the "good catch" in the family. Sadly enough he'd already been caught. Toh kya fayda hua?

- One chap wronte (AND I QUOTE), " i have one mother, one father, one brother, one sister. My brother is married and my bhabhi is good-looking girl from good family and has one cute child." Obviously the prize catch!!

It makes for interesting reading although I have to wonder how many of them come away happy at the end of the day. Is it wrong to recognise and settle for traits and situations in life which are similar to your own? Why piggyback on someone more upwardly mobile when you can have the satisfaction of doing it on your own steam.

-"....my niece likes to live a nice, simple, hygenic life". And WE don't?

"Travelling also suits me during holidays." The rest of the days I'm an agoraphobic.

"My daughter is convented". Eeeeks! that sounds awful.

"I am in this position because of my bro & parents. Thanks you all. Good luck bro" Ahem..are we at the Oscars?

The best of the lot so far? An ad that was pointed out to me in the matrimonial section of the Sunday paper a while back.

- "wanted beautiful girl homely caste no BRA." ????

SWAAHAA!!

( ps: It's bitchy, I know, to write this way, but one has to read the kind of expectations those same people have. God bless anxcious parents and in attention to Wren and Martin...)

2007-07-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

On my way to town the other day...

I saw...

- a decapitated but very healthy buffalo heavy into rigor mortis.
- a sign for a public telephone which had lost its 'L' leading it to become a pubic telephone.(One wonders which end to talk into.)
-a sign by a local cobbler shop which said "foot were"...(were what? not feet before?)
-a graffiti on the wall which said hum sab ek hain (agar saath thoke to- if we all boink together...(me thinks dastardly engineering students did this)
-a small child peering very raptly at a goat which came and ate up her mother's offerings at a roadside temple.
-one of the staff in a bank dig deep into his nose for boogers and wipe them on the curtains when he thought no one was looking.

So little time so much to see. I wonder how much money full-time observers make these days?

(ps: 'town' in Mumbai means VT-the main city part)

2007-05-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Not exactly a Review

An anthology film or portmanteau – French (multiple stories culminating to one climax) is Life in a Metro. The movie out shows an air of dryness and dullness because of flawed story writing. The story gives an appearance of insipidness. The result of few relationships seems hasty and floundering. Fuh-get-it! I don’t even think there’s a story at the first place.

Characters
Shilpa Shetty gives a decent performance and Kay Kay Menon plays to perfection the-guy-you-would-love-to-hate. Dharmendra-Nafisa Ali track seemed very forced and contrived, especially because of the shabby treatment their dialogues were given. Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma playing comic relief is refreshing! They keep the mood light whenever the other characters start taking themselves too seriously, giving the required impetus whenever the pace begins to slacken. Don’t even want to discuss Kangana and Sharman. I seriously think they need ‘acting treatment’(whatever that means…)

Music
The appearance of the Metro band from nowhere at constant interval is annoying and are forced doldrums. Pritam is pathetic! All the songs sound like they have been composed by a wannabe Rock band which would have been tolerable but for the picturization. In an attempt to avoid lip-synching they go completely overboard. Three men - none of whom have seen a comb or a razor in their lives, but know a lot about greasing curly locks - coming at me like objects do in a 3-D show, in every single song. I almost thought they practically reside in those streets of Mumbai. A very contemporary begger’s band, I guess! Not done! Even in the name of fashion.

Cumbersome climax
I think the writer got pretty much bored at the end of it all. Just wanted to finish it off some way or the other. Overall a pointless film. Like this friend of mine quipped, “ye movie kyun banayaa??”

Scribbles
What was it that Shikha (Shilpa Shetty) threw in a box on the road? Was it a letter in a mail box? If it was, why was it not in an envelope? And anyways, if they were not going to bother telling us what it was, why show it in the first place?

Amol (Dharmendra) crosses railway tracks by jumping platforms. When he climbs onto the other platform, he does so like he is climbing a 6-inch step! A 60 year-old climbing a platform without support of his hands, when he needed support to jump down?

Why is Shikha (Shilpa Shetty), the wife of a senior officer at a BPO, commuting by bus?

Amol tells Shivani (Nafisa Ali) that he is terminally ill. And before asking what was wrong with him, she asks him how long he has to live. Is that really the natural flow of questions?

Was the Ranjeet-Neha (Kay Kay & Kangana) relationship a year old or two years? At one place they mention one year and at another two.

Was there a specific reason why Amol wrote his diary in Urdu?

2006-10-31T01:44:00.000-08:00

Ya Jhakkas!!!

Am taking a bow.

:) :) :) :) :)

2006-10-29T23:18:00.000-08:00

KABADIWALLAS

Have you ever wondered what happens to that chocolate wrapper, orange peal or Frooti pack after you throw it in your garbage bin? What do you think your kabadiwalla does with the newspapers, bottles or old milk bags? Or what happens to all the old clothes given to the kapra-bhandi wali?
Kabadiwallas or rag pickers are the poorest of the poor, making a living by finding pickings from the city's rubbish and living in extremely difficult conditions. Their work is competitive, territorial and hazardous to their health and many die young. Half of them are single parents with large families and their ages range from 7 to 70 years. What's more, 90% of them are the chief breadwinners for their families and most are illiterate devoid of other skills. Nearly all of them used to be unaware of their rights and many people still see the rag pickers as part of a caste of untouchables and subject them to harassment and discrimination.
They are indeed one of the most efficient and low-key recycling systems in the world and the people who run it are these relentless neighbourhood Kabadiwallas. In India, it's possible to sell and recycle almost any junk, from newspapers to old plastic jars. According to one estimate, India recycles 60 per cent of its plastic waste. The figure for Japan is 12 per cent, for China 10.

Redundant objects are reincarnated as new for someone less fortunate. Poverty forces an estimated one million Kabadiwallas to spend hours earning a few rupees this way. But in large part, it's driven by a cultural conditioning. People are reluctant to throw away old things. The concept is even leveraged by marketing wunderkind. They offer discounts on new TVs and fridges if you turn in old ones.
Waste from the households in South Bombay travels via the rag picker & kabadiwalla travels to sub-dealers & dealers in Bhendi Bazar to Grant Road area. Rag pickers usually get a lower amount for the waste collected, as it is soggy & soiled. The sub-dealer buys a mixed composition of waste (dry and wet waste) further separates it & sells it to dealers who buy only one type of waste i.e. either paper, plastic, metal or glass. The dealers further sort out the waste according to grade & condition of the material.

Waste-pickers typically spend all morning scavenging garbage bins in residential, commercial and industrial areas, at landfills and municipality garbage dumps and in nearby villages. On average, they walk distances of 10-12 km a day with head loads of up to 40 kg of collected scrap. After collection, it takes a few hours to sort through the items in order to divide them into purchasable categories such as paper, glass, wire, etc, which are then sold to scrap traders by weight. The scrap-collecting profession is fraught with tension and competitiveness not only for territorial rights over the garbage but also between waste-pickers and itinerant buyers, as the purchase of scrap at the doorstep means less scrap in the garbage bins for the waste-pickers.

As in other informal sectors, scrap collectors were dispersed, invisible and unorganised. In the initial stages of organisation, scrap collectors did not believe that they were engaged in ‘work’. Neither did the rest of society. Popular images of scrap collectors were that they were ‘thieves’, ‘uncouth’, ‘foul mouthed’ and ‘good for nothing.’
Policemen accosted scrap collectors on the street. They were the first to be apprehended in the event of theft in an area in which case they had to pay bribes to policemen to secure their release. Municipal garbage workers and citizens would not permit them to keep their sacks on the pavements. The issue of ‘ownership’ of garbage in the street bins assumed significance.
Waste-pickers are subjected to a number of health hazards because they rummage through putrefying garbage including toxic medical waste using bare hands. Tuberculosis, scabies, asthma and other respiratory infections, cuts and injuries are common as are animal bites from the pigs, dogs and rodents that they have to contend with. 30 per cent of waste-pickers have been bitten at least once.

The Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat is a membership-based organisation of scrap collectors. Membership is open to both men and women scrap collectors. Each member pays an annual membership fee of Rs.25. Photo-identity cards are issued to all members. At present the Association has approximately 10,000 registered members. Right from the inception the Association has endeavoured to adopt a broad-based democratic structure rather than to have a Board driven power structure. The membership of the Association is drawn from specific slums across the city where large numbers of scrap collectors reside. Members in each slum pocket select a representative.

Chitrabai Kshirsagar candidly confesses to her involvement in petty thefts of industrial scrap while waste picking prior to her becoming a member of the association. At the time she had disdainfully said that she had no need for the Identity Card. Sometime soon thereafter, tired of her constant brushes with the law, she had a change of heart and decided to stop thieving. She became a member. Four years ago, a policeman accosted her while she was collecting scrap and asked her to empty her sack. In her words, "I said I do not have any stolen goods. I will empty my sack if you insist but you will have to refill it if you do not find anything". She emptied the sack and waited till the policeman apologized and refilled it. She is now the elected representative from her slum.

Suman Sadashiv Shivsagar, a union member who is attending the meeting at the scrap shop, says that earlier people used to walk down to her and abuse her for no reason at all. She says, "Since I joined the union five years ago the harassment has reduced. Now even if somebody says something to me I have the courage to talk back. Now people address me with respect, they even call me mavsh' (aunty)." Suman has been working as a waste-picker for the last 20 years, that is, since she was 15 years old. Making a daily income of about Rs 40, she now travels with the municipality garbage truck or ghanta gaadi (truck with a bell), which plies residential areas in the city collecting garbage directly from housing societies and other establishments. This is a new initiative by the corporation intended to keep the streets clean and prevent dumping in street garbage bins.

Originally featured in haftamag

2006-08-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

Armageddon 2006

Sinister shadows shroud the World,
Death-knell signal doom,
No magic shall shield thee,
Sheer knowledge be thy saviour.
The war begins....

Introduced in the year 2001, ARMAGEDDON is a Business Quiz organised by the BMS students of Mulund College of Commerce, Mumbai.
Armageddon-2005 witnessed a congregation of the best business quizzing brains from across the country. The onstage finale saw Amit Pandeya (QuestaSoft) and Kiran K (Qualteam) vanquishing the likes of Mitesh Agarwal and Ajay Kasargod (Sun Microsystems / WYSE Technologies), Rohan Khanna and Gajendra Kothari (Accenture / UTI AMC), Gururaj and Vijay (JWT / JP Morgan), G Sreekanth and Sabyasachi (TCS) and Arvind Khusape and Aniruddh (SBI / SIES) to clinch the coveted title.

The torchbearers of hardcore biz quizzing are back with Armageddon 2006, and promise to unleash a whole new world of knowledge excellence.

The quiz will comprise of a Written Elims from which the Top 6 teams will go through to the Finals.

Following are the details:
Date & Time:
10th September at 12 noon

Team Members:
Two per team
(A Team can comprise of participants from two different institutions / organisations)

Entry Fee:
Free for students and Rs. 150 per team for corporates

Venue:
Mulund College of Commerce
Sarojini Naidu Road,
Mulund (W), Bombay - 400080

Prizes:
First - Rs. 25000
Second - Rs. 15000
Third - Rs. 10000

For further details:

Samruddhi - 09833524561
armareturns@gmail.com or dhanu80@rediffmail.com

Here are a few questions from Armageddon-2005

1. It was unveiled on Oct 12, 1988 in a packed Davis Symphony Hall in San Francisco, by demonstrating its ability to run four stopwatches at once and give a synthetic rendition of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. What?

2. Edward Bellamy, a lawyer and author, in his utopian book "Looking Backward: 2000-1887" described a society where transactions would essentially be conducted between the consumer and the Government and every citizen would have a share of the annual product of the nation. What term did he coin as a result?

3. Its roots can be traced back to 1979 when William Bernbach got the inspiration from banks who were offering toasters and electric blankets to their best customers and to new customers for opening accounts. It was launched on May 1, 1981 under the name 'AAdvantage'. What?

4. Introduced in the 1870s, there are currently four in number and are operated simultaneously. Measuring 18 inches in diameter, they were manufactured by the G S Edwards Company of Connecticut. In the late 1980s, it was decided to refurbish them and add another one as a back-up. However, it was discovered that such of its kind were no longer being made by any company. Hence, G S Edwards Co. agreed to make a special replica and brought employees out of retirement to handle the job. While this was being done, an older one was discovered, which was polished and is now used as a spare one. What am I referring to?

5. A short film titled 'True', directed by Charles Stone III featured his childhood friends Fred Thomas, Paul Williams and Scott Brooks who would sit around using the catch-phrase ‘_______’. It caught the attention of copywriter Vinny Warren who signed Stone to direct television commercials for a brand based on the film. Identify the brand / catch-phrase.

Quiz till thou dropeth dead

2006-07-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

Hafta 5 is out and rocking!!

And so is my Inbox. Received some well written articles for the City column. Great going!! Keep em' coming :-)

2006-06-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Late lateef!

Yes, thats me. Late by chaar Hafta. Hafta opened on the 5th of June. Here I am posting about it now after its fourth issue is out. Anyways, better late than never I guess!

No, I shall not tell you what sort of a magazine it is, who are the other writers and what you must read (that, you must read me without fail :-), etc Coz' that's for you to find out.

Yours truly is part of the Metropolis team in the Hafta mag. This is a call to all bloggers, non-bloggers and will-be-soon-bloggers. If you have something to say about Mumbai city, your musings and meanderings, about locales and local trains, Monsoon, Marine drive or market (mayhem!), Shanghai or slum-bai, awe-inspiring or appalling features, your feelings, fantasies and frustrations........just anything at all of this grand city mail me at surya[at]haftamag[dot]com.
If 'Call of the mystic' is not enough, here's our clarion call. Now there, dont be late!!

2006-06-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

What religion is your car??

Husband: Honey, what about Black?
Wife: Nope. Denotes darkness, sadness, generates negative vibes.
Husband: the Red one?
Wife: Naah....Too bright....
Husband: hmm....hey, White looks good to me.
Wife: Very common. Our neighbours also drive a white one.
Husband: Green???
Wife: Sheeh....that’s a Muslim Colour.

The above conversation between a Hindu couple at a car showroom is based on a true-life story. Makes me think.....Religion, for some people, is in their bloods, in their mind, influences their thoughts, preferences, minutest wishes, whims and fancies. For many it also forms the basis of the most significant decisions of their lives like that of choosing a life partner.

A religion by definition is a superstition. A religion is the belief in a supernatural being or beings. A superstition is the belief in magic or phenomena beyond or outside of nature. A religious belief then is a superstitious belief.

What could possibly be more detrimental to a child than telling him/her over and over from the time he/she is an infant that there exists an invisible being who is disinclined to prove he exists but who is watching him/her every second and reading his/her thoughts. If he/she doesn't believe in the invisible being he/she will be tortured for eternity? Yet we tell that same child that monsters/devils don't exist so it's silly to be scared of them. Here's another bit of conversation based on a true-life story:

Dad: So, you want to be a doctor? Huh?
Daughter: Yes, dad.
Dad: hmm.....You must pray to God to give you the strength to be able to achieve your goals.
Daughter: But I am working hard for it. Isn’t that enough?
Dad: Oh, no no.....you must never say that again. Its only the almighty who’s given us all that we have. You must go to the temple regularly.
Daughter: But, dad.....
Dad: No more ‘Ifs’ and ‘Buts.’ Do as I say. Or you’ll never be a Doctor.

Some Observations:
The more dismal and desperate a person's life, the more likely they are to believe in a God. Characteristically, people with otherwise empty lives, are the strongest believers. It gives them the false hope that there is a higher meaning to their gloomy and pitiable lives. The strongest of believers would admittedly be suicidal without religion and/or a God in their lives providing a mental safety regulator.
Religions seem to usually require God/Gods, Prophets/ Pundits/ Asetics/ Clergys. God is usually very powerful and influential. Not too powerful because then it might mess up convenient conceptions like free will. Too much God power makes bad things, wrong doings, and undesirable happenings hard to explain. The optimum amount of supremacy of God can be unclear, fuzzy and erratic but usually sanctions granting of certain perks, like an after life. This provides a useful motivational tool. God apparently talks through Prophets/Asetics. Prophets are like schizophrenics but since most lived before psychiatrists invented schizophrenia they were believed to be really talking to God.

Do you think your car, your husband, your pyjamas, his pyjamas, doodhwala, window panes at home, books, computer, crockery, dupattas, your bathroom slippers all need to be 'your' religion? Or do you think(just like I do) that religion is mental illness has nothing to do with the afore mentioned choices? By the way, is there a cure??

(The above is entirely the author's stance on this sensitive matter. Read and question what is written above. Blind faith is for people who cannot think for themselves.)

2006-05-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

Ages....but why

Yes, I know its been ages since I last wrote here
don’t know what came over me?
Sometimes I start on something
and just wont feel like it.

Yes, I know its been ages since I last wrote here
“but why?” you ask, I don’t really know.
Can you beat that?
I don’t have any more words to write!

Yes, I know its been ages since I last wrote here
“But why?” you ask again. As I try to explain
Life, I realize is droning now
with a black and white image,
though there are painters everywhere
trying to drench me in colours
I now bear upon me a plastic sheath
So the colours just run off in a while.

Yes, I know its been ages since I last wrote here
meanwhile a lot happened, where do I begin?
I really don’t know where I left off
So, I think I’ll pass it for now.

Ps: I am very much ALIVE, have replied to the comments, regular blogging resumed....err....Hopefully!! :-)

2006-04-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

A Picture full of Life!!!

Graphic Storytelling. It’s an art on its own. Just like telling a story, the theme may vary right from being totally extraneous to embarking upon our minds significant National as well as international issues. However, Comics and comic strips are perhaps indispensable entities in our lives today. When we read the daily newspaper we just impulsively turn to the comics section, and dive straight into the mixed bag of 4/5 comics. They always seem to finish without giving enough pleasure. They are always too less for the craving-for-more souls like me.
Starting in a certain sequence, a daily comic reader never follows the sequence as given by the editor. It is personal choice – whether you want to save the ‘best’ for the last, or vice versa. Time constraint? Never for ‘sequential art’!!

We all have our favourites. However, the main intention of almost every strip is to lighten the moment, to tell a situation and to make the reader laugh. And when this is attempted with the aid of words and pictures, it’s a treat all the way. The words maybe plain yet sardonic and the pictures may come to life instantly in hazy forms in our minds. The types of characters define what is being said, and how it will be dealt with. There are some comics, which can be understood only when you have grown up a wee bit. The humour is dry, and a child simply cannot comprehend it. Wizard of Id being one of my prime childhood agonies.

My first brush with Tintin goes back to class 5th days when I would just love to go through the colour pictures. After almost 12 years from then, I realise I have grown up with Tintin. Each book is a marvel and when you lay your hands upon a new one, the first thing you do is sit back and complete it. Tintin is a hero who gives me hope, relief, entertainment taking me away from day-to-day reality. Herge's fine detailed sketches, the comic's high repeat value, strong story scripting, and the spirit of adventure all make each Tintin comic different from the one read before. His pet dog Snowy is an adorable companion.

Teen life can never be complete without The Archies, the teen love and high school triangle with funny situation always brings on a smile. Poor Dennis, the misunderstood naughty child has never grown, but always manages to be ‘cute’. One of my favorites, Beetle Bailey always manages a spoof on army life, if not normal existence of countless others outside the rigidity of routine. And of course, the very Indian - Uncle Pai’s Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha.

Political cartoons are another category all together, but to be honest, none other than Laxman with his common man have managed to keep me glued.

So what is it that differentiates comics? To me apart from the characters, the interest is spurred by the
Narrative – it has to be easy to follow
Drawing – interesting yet neat, expressive strokes
Fun factor – witty or endearing, the point is it should be worth noticing

However, there are some comics, which are just so endearing, and transcend all time-age barriers. Calvin and Hobbes being one of them.

“The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.” - Calvin

Personally I feel that Calvin and Hobbes is one of the most effective comic strips to be written. It is insanely funny and at the same time conveys the meaning of life through a small kid and his tiger, something which is so much necessary in this world of violence and sadism where all that we read in even comics are the adventures of superheroes, Batman, Superman, Pac man (?) and the gang.

Calvin: what’s it like to fall in Love?
Hobbes: well……say the object of your affection walks by….
Calvin: Yeah?
Hobbes: first your heart falls into your stomach and splashes your innards. All the moisture makes you sweat profusely. This condensation shorts the circuits to your brain, and you get all woozy. When your brain burns out altogether, your mouth disengages and you babble like a cretin until she leaves.
Calvin: that’s love?!?
Hobbes: Medically speaking.
Calvin: heck, that happened to me once, but I figured it was cooties!

I got initiated to Calvin and Hobbes just a few weeks back. Hmm, I can sense those mouths dropping out and astonished expressions on the faces of all those who are reading this, but.......
Anyways, how I got intitiated??

He : Haven’t you ever read a Calvin and Hobbes?
Me: Nope. My grand dad used to tell me stories though. I don’t know why I never picked those comics.
He: You have wasted your childhood. You can make up for it now though.

I decided to make up for the loss of not having read a single Calvin and Hobbes ever. Grabbed two books – Something under the bed is drooling and Yukon Ho!

There are many reasons why it has become special to me now. This is one of the rare comic strips, which makes me laugh, and laugh until my eyes get watery, until my stomach is swollen with pain and the sides are aching. It pulls open the curtains to make me see the brighter side of life, and many a times there is an underlying message in it. Bill Watterson’s brilliance lies in bringing out that message in the subtlest way.

Hobbes: how come we play war but not peace?
Calvin: Too few role models.

Not necessarily is there a message with each strip. The essence of a comic lies more in the word play, at which Watterson seems almost perfect. I can so connect with the character of Calvin. He thinks school can do no good to him. He dreams a lot – during sleep and during day. He wants everything his own way. He can go wild with imagination. He can blame the earth’s gravity for a snail’s slow pace. He is curious and immature. He thinks bigger than his brains and Hobbes aptly supports him. Hobbes goes to highlight the height of Calvin’s imaginations. Hobbes comes to life only around Calvin, otherwise he is a stuffed tiger – something the author has used beautifully to create a semi-fantasy world, where he could shift between reality and fantasy just as easily as he wants to. What is not hackneyed here (thankfully!) is that Hobbes does not come to life to play with Calvin, Hobbes is rather a philosopher who knows little about humans but derives conclusions about them based on the happenings around. Its just awe-inspiring how Watterson takes you on a journey of entertainment par excellence with just a few square cartooned boxes and plain conversations.

Calvin: isn’t it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humour. When you think about it, its weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We think its funny. Don’t you think its odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?
Hobbes: I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at things that don’t make sense, we couldn’t react to a lot of life.

Watterson never whips a single philosophy, which is another best aspect of him. His light touch with deep thought is what kept me thumbing compulsively through the books.
There's absolutely nothing to dislike about this comic. When authors write comics, they attract two kinds of audiences, both of which are diametrically opposed in opinion of the author's work. I haven't met one person who hates Calvin and Hobbes, and it's because of the way Bill Watterson expresses himself through all of the characters in such a way that anyone can understand, and even assign a personality to the character to make it a completely and undoubtedly unique experience for every individual. The characters are flawless in their simplistic, but sophisticated style, and their thoughts and feelings are communicated perfectly through the great writing skills that Watterson displays.

Alright, this is almost turning into a comical nostalgia. A picture full of life, ain't it? So, what is your comic?

2006-03-26T23:06:00.000-08:00

Lajja by Taslima Nasreen

I was born to sing these sorrows
to expose the destructive beasts...
I stir up the grief of my people,
I water their subterranean hopes,

for to what purpose my songs,
the natural gift of beauty and words,
if it does not serve my people
to struggle and walk with me?

–Pablo Neruda, I Come From the South

Backdrop
The historical context of the novel Lajja (Shame) by Taslima Nasreen is the demolition on 6th December 1992 of the 16th century Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, U.P., India, and its devastating fallout in Bangladesh where, in reputed vengeance, temples were destroyed and the (minority) Hindus overnight became victims of insensitive and barbaric violence at the hands of Muslim ruffians on prowl.

Characters
The stage is set in Bangladesh and the story revolves around an extremely patriotic Hindu family. Suranjan a profligate middle-aged man with little or no accomplishment in his life to boast about is the son of a doctor (Sudhamoy) with strong national values. Sudhamoy’s past tells the story of his support for his clan during the national movement and of his work for the cause of the nation. In turn people whom he considered his own rewarded him by mutilating his genitals. Despite all this he strongly believes that Bangladesh is his home and refuses to move to Calcutta (India) to seek refuge like lakhs of others. Suranjan also loves his motherland just like his father despite being deprived of equal opportunities due to his religious background. Kiranmoyee, Sudhamoy’s wife is depicted as a loveable character who stands by her husband and son in the times of all adversities killing her own personal desires and wishes in the process. Maya, Sudhamoy’s daughter is flustered with complaints, as her family wants to live in the same country even at times of peril like this one. Taslima in her tale buttresses her fiction with facts. Her attempt in this book is not to malign any religion, it is an earnest beseech to the human race to embrace humanity and shun fanatism. The story is gripping and extremely poignant.

Two essential points highlighted
Renaming Lalmohan Poddar road as Abdul Karim Gaznavi Street, Nari Shiksha Mandir as Shere Bangla balika Bidyalaya is just two of the many examples of similar kinds. On the surface the renaming may appear to be mere sorting but when one digs deep into the matter, one realizes that this is an attempt to erase the very existence/feeling of existence of a certain community (usually the minority) from the society.

Rape is infringement of a woman and her body and tries to establish that a woman is subordinate to a man. A woman is looked down upon as a property and not as another human. Thus a man can command over her and can do whatever he so pleases to with this property. Maya’s abduction in the latter part of the story clearly tries to signify a possible gang rape. All those examples of alleged instances of raping women in various parts of the country also help raise the gender disparity issue.

My take on the book
Literary joie de vivre, arty language, analogies are characteristics that are rather absent in the book. Yes, you must not read this book if you are looking out for any of these. But, some books acquire over time a piquant distinction and abiding relevance in human affairs. Lajja is among them, at least in so far as the sub-continent is concerned. It remains influential and remarkable.
Lajja totally changed the life of the author forever. The book was first banned in Bangladesh. A fatwa was announced by the Muslim clerics to kill Taslima Nasreen and an award was announced for the one who would carry out such an activity.
Taslima has taken on all these monsters single-handedly. She has pierced into their primitive egos and their monstrous ignorance, as she tears to pieces their age-old immoralities and habitual hypocrisies. There might have been several other Taslimas in the making, conscientious and capable, perhaps but who remained suppressed because of the intimidating example of her travails as a woman, as a writer, as a nonconformist, as an independent thinker. She certainly opened the doors and windows for others to breathe the fresh air of freedom of thought and expression and venture forth to get rid of the choking murk of merciless and enslaving superstitions. All in all, a great book!!

Wrap up
Should we expect Dhaka to arrest and punish the goons and gangsters terrorizing the Hindus? “The creator is always indulgent to its creatures.” As in Bangladesh, so in India. Do we expect the BJP-led National Demolition Alliance to arrest and punish the Hindu anti-socials guilty of rape, rapine, arson, assassination that they commit with impunity against the Christians and Muslims? Certainly, not. Because they have been brainwashed and convinced that their crimes constitute "cultural nationalism" and real secularism, that these make them robust and patriotic. These bloody and tribal savageries have made them more and pure Hindus.

As an Indian, I feel, we belong to a country where Religion is politicized, politics is criminalized and crimes are nationalized. This is indeed a shame and this book talks rather boldly about all this and much much more.........
It is quintessential for each one of us to protest against and show resistance to inhuman injustice and feral blood lust. The Bangladesh government, denied all the atrocities happening there, and called evidence and reports detailing these alleged crimes against humanity as exaggerated and fabricated. This portrays the routine and reflexive response of the complicit administrations of countries in the subcontinent. It is nothing new to us Indians. There is a sense of deja vu in the verbal pall of inanity that the states ineffectively but aggressively seek to spread over their crimes. This is the triteness Indians regularly hear in clemency of the Saffronite criminals belonging to the Hindu fundamentalist parties.
Lajja is an exposition of true and real life hatred that runs in veins and arteries of the fanatics and the story according to me, would not have been any different had it been staged in a country like ours or for that matter even in Pakistan.

“Let another name for secularism be Humanism” – Taslima Nasreen

(PS: Blogging will be sporadic for sometime)

2006-03-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

Brand Melody - Part I

Authors’ note
During my final semester in Bachelor of management studies (BMS), I majored in Marketing of which a large chunk (as I figured out) comprised of Advertising and Brands. Very soon I developed a keen interest in the subject, especially brands. I had an urge to know more about the genesis of various brands and their related topics. I enjoyed reading more and more of brand building concepts, branding strategies, their application in today’s business and advertising scenario. That apart, another one of my ardent interests is Music.
Hence, when I thought of merging the two – Brands and Music, here is what I could come up with. Apart from reflecting my own opinion and ideas on the subject, a good part of this write-up discusses facts about companies, brands, etc based on a research I did during BMS. Also, this is my first post with a few photos/pics. Read, learn and enjoy!!

“The advertisers who believe in the selling power of jingles have never had to sell anything.”
------- David Ogilvy

In recent years, consumer purchase decisions have become more weighted towards emotional attributes rather than functional benefits. As consumers become increasingly ‘high tech’, they crave personalization and ‘high touch.’ Music is one such instrument in the hands of advertisers and marketing personnel that enables them to touch the personal chord of the consumers.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.”
------- Victor Hugo

The true marketing potential of music is that without any other stimulus, it can access a mood, emotion, and deeply move specific demographics within a target market in just a few seconds. In addition, the heritage of music, through the artist, Genre, etc., can reflect a culture, a time period and lifestyle without even playing a note! Musicians and songwriters themselves have an innate talent for making connections and distilling a message into its essence. They are often dreamers and visionaries who operate on an emotional level - natural drivers of direction and catalysts for expressing complex social issues in contemporary voice. In addition, with new multimedia platforms such as interactive mobile phones, music can further extend its reach and ability to impact the consumer on a multitude of levels. The television commercial has historically been the initial platform where brands have used music to support a visual idea.

Creating Brand identity through music
The GAP creative teams have excelled with this approach. The GAP has a very clear and compelling music DNA: fun, edgy, innovative, approachable and personal. The consistency of the style of its television commercials, plain white backdrops with young energetic multicultural people, with bold exciting music, is The GAP identity glue under which a host of different products have been successfully launched. They created a formula that clicked in the consumer’s mind. The GAP clearly understands that building a Brand by ‘tone of voice’ requires repetition and exposure. The GAP repeatedly used this format and as a result helped promote artists’ new tracks in seasonal commercials. When singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright appeared in a Christmas commercial, the record company began promoting him as “that guy who appeared in the GAP commercial.”

Music Strategy
A classy example of a great Music strategy is Nike’s use of an old, relatively unknown Elvis track as the soundtrack to a commercial. The commercial gave the track huge airtime on broadcast media, something that the radio stations would not give to an artist who had been dead for 25 years.
The hype was not about the quality of the commercial or the cost of the shoot but the fact that the Elvis estate had been persuaded to allow a modern remix of the track by a popular DJ, JXL and that this was the 25th anniversary of the death of a superstar. The amount of column inches that the partnership produced was beyond the wildest PR expectations. BMG, the record company that owns the Elvis catalogue, had spent 25 years repackaging and reinventing the Elvis back catalogue with a very steady but modest level of success. Off the back of this commercial and the subsequent No 1 single hit in 22 territories, they were able to produce and release a new CD of the Elvis No 1’s over the last 25 years and shifted tons of millions of copies of the album. What made this CD so powerful was that it included the latest hit No 1 “A Little Less Conversation” which charted in the year of the 25th anniversary. The Nike logo had a tag of the Elvis Charm and magic that worked for the brand as well as the record company, BMG.

A more Indian example would be that of the Close Up commercial created by O & M, for instance, superim poses a K L Saigalesque background score on a comic book style visual, while the in-house team at Indore designed the Radio Mirchi segment in which it was to be played. Both hit the funny bone with their parody of old-world Hindi musical styles and thus the jingle, "kya aap close-up karte hai..." proved to be a super-hit and we all found ourselves humming it from time to time.

Brand weds Emotion
Music is essentially emotional and there are few other elements of a brand that have the power to be as responsive to people’s needs for sensory pleasure and to promises of delivery. People relate to brands in a similar way. They form relationships based on personality, appearances (style and image) and trust. Great music can create yearning for a Brand, self-confidence and security through ownership, and make us feel as if we belong to a larger group. Arguably, it is not just the music that evokes the emotion but rather the whole Brand or image of that music entity.
The lingering notes of Obsession between the folds of satin; the sight of a fast-melting dollop of Amul butter with the connotation of “The taste of India!” the aroma of steaming Campbell soup; the texture of Wedgewood artifacts; the electric blue of Pepsi; and the haunting tune of the Cadburys ad (Kya swaad hai zindagi mein) ...brands market experiences. The “Sound of a Brand” is more complex. It is the emotional response to the Brand that is evoked universally, from the commercial players in the management of the acquisition of music content/property right through to the consumer on the street at the receiving end. The consumer on a conscious or subconscious level between the Brand and the music being used about the initial connection makes the “Sound of the Brand”. For example the Cadburys advertisement of the lady dancing in the field had left its strong impact on the emotional levels of the consumers as it said ‘Kya swaad hai zindagi mein.’ The music always connects to the lives of the Cadbury’s chocolate eater. Cadbury’s jingles have always maintained the personal and emotional aspects right from in all their advertisements which include ‘Kya swaad hai zindagi mein’ (the cricket ground), ‘khaane waalon ko khaane ka bahana chaahiye’ (Cyrus Broacha ad) and ‘khush hua mein khamakha.’

The two Mc Donald's campaigns, "McDonald's mein hai kuch baat" and, “I m lovin’ it” have also been successful due to differentiated music strategies. McDonald's, consistently attempts at striking a common chord between the emotional quotient of the consumer and the brand name making it more personal so as to make believe each and every consumer that 'yes, he’s lovin’ it.’ The music is brief yet powerful, full of energy and more fun oriented. Also, the TV commercials are conceptualised in such a manner that the music/lyrical song is completely soaked into the script of the ad. The best example of one such commercial is that of the stage-fearing little boy who recites a poetry in the restaurant and is applauded by all. This is the music differentiation strategy that McDonald’s has constantly followed. What a customer hears may make the difference between his choosing and not choosing a particular brand. Music can make the difference.
Music rekindles human emotions with respect to a brand and in this way helps to marry off the two – brand and emotions. Music is an incredibly powerful vehicle that has the power to convey the emotional attributes of products and services while simultaneously creating layered, textural experiences in our lives. A shift in thinking, from regarding music as a soft service function to a cornerstone of business/brand strategy has indeed occurred.

Sources of research
Books:
Gerald J. Gorn’s The Effects of Music In Advertising on Choice behaviour, 1982.
Ogilvy on Advertising
How to capture the advertising high ground by Winston Fletcher
Advertising express – a monthly digest by ICFAI, January and March’05 issues
Sites:
Agencyfaqs
Google images
Wikipedia

2006-03-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

Summers are a-comin’

The unmistakable typical smell of unfinished cement exterior, coated by films of dust, in scorching afternoon Sun. No wind. Standing in the shade, the sun is out of sight, yet it makes you squint your eyes. A thin layer of sweat coats your palms and feet if you stay long enough. Yes, it is the advent of Summers. Not yet hot enough for it to be bad standing in the open, yet hot enough. Dry dust in the air and around you.
Summers are coming.
But even more, it is THAT season. The season dreaded and looked forward to since childhood. The time when evenings become suddenly cold and pleasant. When the wind picks up and evenings become longer, while still retaining that charm of winters. Clear skies, intercepted by puffs of traveling white clouds. Yes, this is the weather and the time of the year when as a child I would yearn to play, longer and longer, outside, postponing the moment when I would have to sit in front of the table and prepare for the examination the next day.
The afternoon is the unmistakable time when the double-edged sword (time) would have its effect. That time of the day when exams (in school) would be over, granting relief, a few times I would be home in the afternoon, and also a time when I would think and talk about the exam paper just taken - good or bad, right answers and wrong.
The time for change. The time to get the old class and studies done with, and look forward to the unknown. To the summer holidays, and a new class, new syllabus, new teachers.

Here is a villanelle. This one is an attempt by yours truly, accomplished during a severe bout of my occasional [coffee-induced] insomnia. Can't think of a title yet, so I guess `Insomnia' will serve.

A city sleeps between us two tonight.

Downtown is still up -- suburbs snooze away;

widely waking I scan red skies for light.

Beggars mutter deep in dreams -- they might

wish they picked a purse full of meals someday;

a city sleeps between us two tonight.

Screams and howls fill up air -- the dogs still fight.

A lone cat stalks a silent prowl for prey;

widely waking I scan red skies for light.

The phone cord looks as if it will invite

someone who wants to hear what I've to say.

A city sleeps between us two tonight.

Temples and mosques sound a call for some rite.

The devout ensure all gods hear them pray.

widely waking I scan red skies for light.

Downtown blinks and puts its dreams to flight,

Suburbs stir from sleep to a routine day

A city wakes before us from the night;

Suddenly sleepy, I shut out the dawning light.

2006-02-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

Posting JLT
I was telling a friend that these days, "life is soooo blaaah........" borrring! lacklustered! dreary! To add, she also is not in town..........
After my 50th, have been rather slow and sluggish at work......I am working on a few stories, though. Also, studying these days for some entrances. History, Sociology, Politics, Music, Literature, Economics, Business, Sports, Space research, Medical Science, fiction, non-fiction, Poetry.......and more. My blog (in the meanwhile) has accumulated about 8 odd drafts already reflecting my musings pertaining to a myriad of subjects/issues. But, I just dont feel like completing/posting any of those. Lazy lumb that I have turned into.........
Off late, I have kinda developed a penchant for trivial sites. Took the book quiz and country quiz on Blue pyramid. Now you see the bored me, dont you??
My book quiz result:
You're Pale Fire! by Vladimir Nabokov. You're really into poetry and the interpretation thereof. Along the road of life, you have had several identity crises which make it very unclear who you are, let alone how to interpret poetry. You probably came from a foreign country, but then again you seem foreign to everyone in ways unrelated to immigration. Most people think you're quite funny, but maybe you're just sick. Talking to you ends up being much like playing a round of the popular board game Clue. (Hmm.....Whatever!!)

My country quiz result:
You're South Africa! After almost endless suffering, you've finally freed yourself from the oppression that somehow held you back. Now your diamond in the rough is shining through, and the world can accept you for who you really are. You were trying to show who you were to the world, but they weren't interested in helping you become that until it was almost too late. Suddenly you're a very hopeful person, even if you still have some troubles. (Gosh! I sound straight out of a Balaji Serial)

(ps: Do tell me what book/country u r if u take the quiz....errr....that is if u too are as bored!)

2006-02-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

Day after day after...........

I remember this day during my junior college, when one of my female friends was at the mobile throughout our bus journey from home to college (not that it was an unusual day) receiving and sending congratulatory messages to her friends. On asking her about what was the matter, she quipped, "What? you dont know? Its 'Friendship Day' today."
"Which world are you living in?" she questioned with a mix of surprise and belittling expression on her face as though I were naked and had forgotten to wear my clothes. For a girl like me, who is as bad as her amnesiac grandma when it comes to remembering dates, for one who always receives abuses (the mother/sister variety) from friends for not wishing them on their birthdays, this day obviously came as just another day, like it was no big deal! My friend then came upto me, held my hand almost aggressively and tied a yellow ribbon around my wrist. Then, she hugged and kissed me as though I was being sent to some sort of asylum the very next minute and she would never see me again in her life. Reminded me of those mother-son judaai scenes in Hindi films - the mother ties the taavis (sacred thread) around the wrist as her son leaves for a 'mission impossible'.......jeez, I meander....................

Reaching college she wished a few others & said, "chal, I gotta go, will be back by noon, the others are waiting for you in the canteen."
"Where to?"
"Don’t you get it, duh! To meet 'him', obviously!"
I was puzzled. "But a few months ago you celebrated Valentine's Day and last week it was Rose Day........"
"Yes, but that was different. And so what? Friendship day is the most essential of all days” she began to explain. "Friendship is the foundation to all relationships......blah.....blah" (I do not really know what those blahs stand for, coz I could bear no more of the sermon, and had started heading towards the canteen) As expected, everyone in the college was out on the prowl like maniacs signing on each other's hands, faces, T-shirts, tying ribbons, bands.........

The 'day after day' factor has become a regular phenomenon with the youth today and honestly, I HATE IT. No! No! I am not a Bal Thakarey enthusiast nor am I against socializing, but I just don’t see any sense behind celebrating these so-called 'days' of the year. Does feelings towards friends, lovers, near and dear ones HAVE to be expressed this way? Do we HAVE to have a day for each and everything? If your answer is a NO, then do not read further. If otherwise, please read on........coz here is where I let you taste the idea of having a well- structured potential schedule of THE 'days of the world.'

Some retrospection reveals that.............
These days the year is full of Days — Mother's Day, Father's Day, Parents' Day, Women's Day, Labour Day, Children's Day, Maritime Day, Meteorological Day. Practically every dog seems to have his own day. Navy Day, Air Force Day, Armed Forces Day, and then every national and international body comes out with its own days. For the last so many days, I have been wondering about these Days.

(I know that after publishing the rest of this post, when I leave home today to buy grocery from the neighboring kiraana, I am going to be Physically assaulted by some fanatics out there or they might just break into my home and smash my PC to pieces. Neways...... )

Is there a National or International body to regulate these days? If not, it is high time we had one. I sincerely want the compassionate super-nations to come out with an All-world Board for Control of Days (ABCD, for short). The Board should take up the gigantic tasks of settling the claims and counter-claims of so many Daydreaming sections. Otherwise, some people would like us to celebrate a particular day as Marriage Day whereas the same day would be Divorce Day for others. The Board must ensure that such conflicting claims are resolved before they become serious problems. And when ABCD comes into being, it should consider inclusion of the following in its list: Brother's Day, Sister's Day (already celebrated in India, but to be internationalized), Uncle's Day, Maternal Uncle's Day, Wife's Day, Husband's Day, Ex-wife's Day, Ex-husband's Day, Ex-lover's Day, Neighbour's Wife's Day, My pet-dog's day, Your pet-dog’s day, In-laws' Day, Out-laws' Day, Enemy's Day......... They must not forget to have an Old Year's Day, since we have a New Year's Day.
Soon a day will come when we will have no more days to celebrate Days. And what a day that will be!!

2006-02-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Rang De Basanti - Complete yet incomplete
(for all those who have seen the movie - no plot given)

STRONG LINKS
The Idea and some scenes that stand out for me
- I think the very thought of making an attempt to awaken the young generation, by means of a film is to be appreciated. So Kudos to Rakeysh OmPrakash Mehra and D'Silva.
- The blending of flash back scenes from our freedom struggle like the Jalianwallah Baug, Kakori loot, etc. and the current happenings is done with great panache. Just loved each sequence. Beautiful connectivity, no sudden/irrelevant eruptions. The scene where the gang sits watching themselves on the screen/documentary, the meloncholy silence of the atmosphere, their expressions after that and Madhavan's entry with "koi marr gaya kya?" was too good.
- Delhi University auditions of students for their roles - Hilarious!!
- the interaction between the gang in the Lounge about the country, youth, politicians, corruption, etc.
- DJ's onscreen chemistry with Sue (Alice Patton)
- Aamir's interaction with his mom (Kiron Kher) for the first time is hilarious and both of them are adorable.

The spoken words
"Khoon jo ab na khaula, woh khoon nahi, paani hai
jo desh ke kaam na aaye, bekaar woh jawaani hai"
(saw the movie once and heard this line just once in the start - it is etched in my heart until eternity)

''ek paav past mein, ek paav future mein, isi liye hum apne present par moot rahe hai''
(Aamir utters it in a frivolous fashion onscreen it sounds more tongue-in-cheek than cheesy.)

"Is this the world of God?"
(rendered by the man who plays McKinley in a church with anger and remorse in his eyes - Makes me go one step further into becoming a dogmatic atheist)

Ground breaking Music
A R Rehman is a musical genius according to me and needs no appreciation. Background score is amazing!! Great lyrics by Prasoon Joshi

Need I say anything about chart-toppers Pathshaala and the title track sung by Daler Mehendi (for someone who hates him, this one came as a surprise)
Ik Onkaar by Harshadeep Kaur is excellent symphony, there's not much music actually, her voice itself is mesmerising
Aslam, Nacim and ARR do a great job of Khalbali, though it sounds like a stereotype Arabic number, the exotic beats and desi touch gives it a good flavour.
The vim and vigour in Naresh Iyer and ARR's voice coupled with the tinkling and effervescent notes of the guitar makes Roobaroo enthralling.
Mohit chauhan - frontman of Silk route soothes the ears with the poetic khoonchala.
Luka Chuppi according to me, is yet another masterpiece of the GOD - A R Rehman. My only complain is why does Lata have to sing every one of those true blue mother or message-giving songs. Like I said before, Lata should stop singing. The saving grace was Rehman's voice making- up to her flaws (if I may say so), reminding me of his extremely heart rendering Ye jo Des hai mera (Swades)

Song-sequence Picturisations
Every song exhibits excellent direction, timeliness and cinematography. Screenplay by Rensil D'Silva is good. The best part is that none of the songs are fully played in the movie. Every song starts instantaneously yet is relevant to the situation, is incomplete going by the audio version yet is enough to drill into your heart and instill the mood.
An exception here was the eccentric and gentle tu bin bataye. Though the song is pretty good, why did Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) have to cry when her boyfriend, Ajay(R Madhawan) proposes to her? I mean, how stereotype is that!

Aamir Khan - This, I had to do as a loyal fan. A special attention to him is required here owing to my penchant for him and his sizzling-scorch of a performance in Rang de. Like I said before, Aamir yet again proves to be an actor in the true sense of the word and one who can never shatter the expectations of his fans. The word 'perfect' is imperfect to describe his delivery in the movie. May it be the Narcissistic- dare- devil-coolguy-on-campus - DJ merrymaking with "tim-tim-lak-laks" or the friendly "bhen-da-takkas", may it be the politically conscious activist- with- renewed-strength rendering ardently the Lalkaar or some truely inspiring lines - Aamir lives upto his character and the seriousness of the movie with his much-lauded Punjabi cum Haryanvi accent.

Others
Atul Kulkarni does a typical and predictable role but is as usual at his best, living upto the theatre-guys-are-great-actors kinda image. His eyes speak volumes.
Alice patton is indeed very very good. With her naturally accented Hindi and no awkward deliveries, Alice lives upto her role. I loved the way she said, "tumhaari maa ki aankh"
Siddharth of whom I had absolutely no hopes of after I saw his disastrous debut - Boys (a Tamil Maniratnam flick.) His performance was a surprise package to me. His cynical nature and attitude towards the country is well enacted by himself. He gives a decent performance in Ray bans, jackets, cigarettes and with his quiet mannerisms.
Kunal Kapoor is serene, poetic, harmless and one of those who plays a not-very-integral yet no-nonsense role. Better than his performance in Meenaxi.
Sharman's comic timings and interactions with Aamir are sure to make you laugh. He proves that he can think beyond Styles and Shaadi no.1s
Soha Ali Khan has improved and taken good long strides after her previous few flicks, still I feel she needs to go a long way. A role as intense as this came too soon in her career.

WEAK LINKS
Though, the message of 'a generation awakens' is rendered successfully at the end of 180 minutes, I felt it could have been delivered in a much better manner. In other words, the generation awakens, but now what? How can you and me as youngsters make a difference? Should we all join defence/police/politics? Or kill all corrupt politicians of the country? Will that solve the root problem? All these questions remain unanswered though many of these options which are provided in the movie are still debatable. So, all of this makes the movie a complete yet incomplete one.
The way the whole episode of the Defence minister and the gang's attempts to execute him on his morning walk seemed very superfluous. Given that the gang is not made of professional-killers, they could have still thought a bit more complex.

My Quote
"Well, watched another good Aamir Khan movie. Initially appeared to be a strange mix though of Arthur Miller's All my sons and Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The conflicts and difference of opinions are not portrayed too loudly. All said and done, the movie is youthful, contemporary and can be a joyful experience. But, could definitely have been better."

2006-02-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

Reflecting random thoughts

I sometimes feel the Sun has always been a part of me. Infact, he's etched within my very soul as though, he were doing complete justice to my name. Perhaps this is why I exihibit his traits. He is an early riser, so am I. He lights up the dark/gloomy world, so do I, metaphorically speaking! He dazzles & is cheery all the time, so am I. An eclipse is a rare feature, though. I may not seem as 'hot' as him, but I can scorch people to death when they try to get on my nerves.

Then there are days when I see the Sun as a constant companion, one who is watching me almost always. He turns the sand into wetgold. Ever elusive, ever glistening. I sit there thinking of someone, not knowing who exactly it is I am thinking of, but loving the way my thoughts inch forward at a leisurely pace. The way the salt in the air is a balm to my wounds, the water plays the brine in which to preserve them add some memories for spice if I care. I sit a part of millions and yet alone. I am not scared, I am way too struck by the beauty of the moment, its fleetingness.
Somehow in my vision I see myself gathering sea shells, laughing to myself and I am never looking for company or waiting for someone (though I am well aware waiting for you by the seaside would make a prettier picture) I feel like an island. But when I wake up I am happy with my dream as well as happy not being an island. Makes me wonder whether I am leading a dual life in my head. Am I schizoid or just myself?
And at times when I read what I write I feel ashamed. Cant quite pinpoint ashamed of what. But ashamed I am. Of vulnerability, of not being an island and quite knowing it, of things that happened and things that didn’t. I barely repent I just feel ashamed. Perhaps its not making sense to anyone else but it makes perfect sense to me.
I can quite apply logic to the thoughts above......
And then my hum takes my vocal chords to B-flat four (thats the scale I sing in,usually)....
aye saala
abhi abhi huaa yaqeen
ki aag hai mujh mein kahi
hui subaah main jal gaya
suraj ko main nigal gaya
ruu-ba-ruu roshni hai.....ruu-ba-ruu roshni hai.....

jo gumshuda-sa khwaab tha
voh mil gaya voh khil gaya
uulon hathaa pighal gaya
khichhaa khichhaa machal gaya
sitaar mein badal gaya
ruu-ba-ruu roshni hai.....ruu-ba-ruu roshni hai......

dhuaan chhataa khula gagan mera
nayi dagar naya safar mera
jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera
nazar mila zara

aandhiyon se jaghad rahi hai lau meri
ab mashaalon si bhad rahi hai lau meri
naamo nishaan....papparappa.....rahe na rahe....rippaparrra....
ye kaaravaan rahe na rahe
ujaale mein pee gaya
roshan huaa....papparappa....jee gaya
kyon sehte raheee......
ruu-ba-ruu roshni hai......

dhuaan chhataa khula gagan........ruu-ba-ruu roshni......aye saala.....aye saala......

(ps: From Rang de Basanti)

2006-01-22T12:22:00.000-08:00

One week, many events & some random musings

A lot happened in life last week, and the weekend was pretty much ok!

Monday to Wednesday – All work and no play (makes Surya a dull gal), also the reason for my sporadic blogging

Thursday was pretty much the same, except that it turned out to be freaky. I was thinking of a friend and guess what?! He messaged. That, just about made my day!! But to tell you, this telepathy seems to be a regular thing for me. On many occasions my telepathy works and on some it stops working though, you see its supposed to be like MTNL (sorry readers, bad one!)

Friday afternoon, visited the English Literary Association's annual fest at my Junior College with a few friends and attended a reading of excerpts from Plays, Poetries and Prose on Mumbai. Am more in love with this city than ever. Was immensely touched by the documentary on late Shri. Arun Kolatkar. Also, felt bad that lots of Poets like him are simply forgotten. In the evening, was back to Vashi for some more work.

Saturday was very eventful. Attended KWIZ KATS, an All India Quiz competition conducted by HDFC Bank.
- Subject – All about Banks and Banking
- Participants – HDFC staff from all over Mumbai – total 63 teams

Good points about the quiz:
- Some interesting rounds introduced this year and I liked their points system.
- Real tough and high quality questions both in elims as well the finals (so said many quizzers)

Here are a few questions:(you may scroll down to read the rest of the post if you aint interested)
1) What does ‘Cigar Butt Hunting’ mean in stock markets?
2) What is the ceiling for NRE FD rates laid down by RBI?

3) Ramesh Gelli was the promoter and former CEO of Global Trust Bank (GTB), which was placed under moratorium by the Reserve Bank of India last week, and subsequently merged with the Oriental Bank of Commerce. Which private sector's bank CEO was Mr Gelli before he started GTB?
4) 'Bad money drives out good money.' This is true in several aspects of life; but nowhere is its significance felt as much as in the banking industry. This saying is known as....
5) In a bank vault in Atlanta in the US, a piece of paper that has the formula for a product has been stashed away for close to a century now. The vault can be opened only after approval by the board of directors of the company. Only two employees are aware of the formula at any time. Name the product?

- Arshad Mervan – their Mumbai head, is a great Quiz master
- My favourite team, won the Mumbai level, featuring – Anjan Bhattacharjee, Chinmoy Basu, Kaisad Kalidwala and Vaijayanthi Vijay (also, happens to be sister dearest, now you know why I am being partial to them) But like all quiz one-liners go, ‘the competition was indeed stiff!’ and the suspense of 'who will make it?' was maddening which is what I love about most quizzes. Until, the nth minute the scores were so close, that it could have been anybody’s game. But, they won....YIPIEE!!
My (very biased) take on it – When a team comprises of two (stud) Bongs and a Southie lovely lassie (Ok! Kaizad, I won’t leave you out) you must not expect the results to be otherwise.

Bad points about the quiz:
- Questions thrown at the audience were very tough (no, they really were)
- Extremely poor Graphics - am sorry to say this, you guys have to go a long way (After being part of Armageddon you dont tend to like the Graphics anywhere else, I guess)
- No food served

Then, I managed to go to Strand. Bought books which are quite un-put-down-able:

Tender is the night – Scott Fitzgerald
Look back in anger - John Osborne (Moi thinks, he’s one of the best play writers)

Poems & The Orators – W.H. Auden (my second love, after Plath of course!)

Turn That Down! - Lewis Grossberger, featuring Elvis Presley & Jim Morrison(sure, will be a great book)

The Myth of Sisyphus – Albert Camus (suggested by this guy, couldn’t find Bell Jar....boohoo :-( :-( )
Fury – Salman Rushdie (have read it twice, plans for a third time – just love him. What is best about him is that all his protagonists are always himself, all of them are bound by a few common traits, the insider outsider dilemma, the mental 'baggage', irreverend, dangerously intelligent and very very clueless.
An Equal Music – Vikram Seth (One of the best Indian writers)
With just these under my belt, I was already running out of cash. So, had to grab an Isaac Asimov and Tolkien for bro, as promised (Just hate the kinda books the little boy reads)

Currently reading – Theatre by Maugham

Planning to read (next in line) - May you be the mother of 100 sons by Bumiller, The Golden Gate.

Then, met up a JC friend, went with her to Bombay Meri Jaan, a great collection and for those who plan to explore the real Bombay, the best guide perhaps. Decided to eat at Samovar...yumm Parathas (psst! the Paratha festival is on) there is mutton to strawberries in the filling. I recommended the Gajar ka Paratha, service as always with smile and not the artificial type one, though. Then boozed(quite unplanned) at Leopold's - famous for Beer (so they say, I hate Beer thus, no idea)
Watched Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi for the first time....brilliant characters....fell in love with the character of Vikram....very bourgeoisie but loves Geeta till the end unlike Sidharth (kaykay) who is Idealist and loves Geeta as per his convenience....Great movie!

Sunday mornings are the best always, coz daddy is at home, so I can catch up with his life as well (given his busy schedule, we hardly get to talk on week days). Generally, lazed around and watched Pakistan rattling up a huge 588 built around Shahid Afridi’s knock of 156 (his career best) and Dravid’s resolute knock of 46 until they called it a day, at Faislabad.

Then, visited my Grad College - A place where everyone except me feels nostalgic, not that I don’t have good reminiscences of BMS but, I also carry in my heart some very bad memories, ones which overshadow the good ones. Met some and many juniors....Indulged in few friendly banters, had a look at the proceedings of a fest called Crescente which is coming up soon and almost relived experiences that I had during Armageddon’05 in room 302 (more about that, in a future post)

Oh, BTW, just about managed to write one more poem, a very short one, here goes....

why...
why does death
loom so large
in my poetry?
Is it your dreams
that come to me
tonight, dressed
in the finest
whitest shrouds?

(ps: puff!....pant!!...that was a looooooooooong post)

2006-01-03T23:25:00.000-08:00

The Blind Man's Buff

Come twilight, a handkerchief is tied around your eyes to blind-fold, some ten odd hands touch your shoulders helping you swivel several times. Fingers rise up randomly before you with questions like, "is this one?...or two?...how much is this?...etc”, this being the test to make sure that you cannot see through the smallest puncture in the cloth, if any. The next thing, you are ushered to the center of the playground and so begins this amusement game. One, that we all played as 8-year-olds in the backyard, as 15-year-olds in school and even as 21-year-olds in sociable get-togethers. Some call it ‘The Blind man's buff’ others name it just ‘blind-fold.’ The excitement of the sport is the anxiety in the minds of the players as to who would get caught or for a start, will someone get caught at all or not. This excitement may eventually die down and the game may transpire into a rather boring one given the fact that monotony continues minute after minute, hour after hour. Then, its time to call the shots for a change of sport or to call it a day.

But imagine a situation where you were given a choice to play it for a lifetime. Would you play on? Now, let me rephrase that and say - suppose, there isn’t a choice at all, and it is imposed on you, then what would you do?

I know of a certain girl (one of my closest friend) who has played this game for 21 years now. She has to play it each day and every night. She’s still playing and perhaps will continue for a lifetime. But mark some aspects here. There is no handkerchief tied around her eyes. There are no playmates, no playgrounds, and no get-togethers. There is no excitement, no fun. Most of all, its no game for her, it’s a way of life.

Yes, you have figured it just right! She is visually impaired and not minutely, acutely, or partially. She’s entirely sightless right since the day she was out from her mother’s womb. This means she cannot see a thing. She cannot see the blue sky that blankets the earth. She can neither view the rising Sun nor soothe her eyes to a full moon’s night. She cannot (like the other girls) look at herself in the mirror and admire her beauty while getting decked up for a party. She cannot awe at the guy in her college who happens to be her latest or next crush. She cannot admire the flowers with which her mother adorns her drawing room’s center table. She cannot for once, look at the gossamer dress she wears and feel proud about how she looks. No, she cannot see colours, rainbows, shadows, meadows, rivers....and all those beautiful beings and their belongings that exist in this mortal world. She lives in a world of her own where every other being/thing is yet another imagination of her mind. Put in simple words, she does not know what it means TO SEE.
The first time I met her was back in the year 2002, when I was in standard 12th and she, a junior was one of the many participants in a popular show, which I was hosting at the English Literary Association (ELA) of our college. To cut a long story short, she won some prize (I don’t clearly remember what) and after the show, I met her amongst other participants back stage. What ensued was a rather brief conversation:

Me: hi, am surya....congrats! You did well on stage. Hope to see you again sometime.
She: hey, surya. Thanks!

Little did I know then, that what I said would actually come true one fine day as it happened two years later in 2004, during my second year in BMS. It was the eve of the fresher’s party and like all second year students we had hosted a not-so-great-party for the new comers (first years). That’s when I spotted her amongst the crowd, walked upto her, addressed her to say, “hey, guess who?” Confident that she wouldn’t guess, I took fun in the usual suspense that one creates in a friendly banter. She sure took a minute, but replied with crystal confidence, “Surya from ELA, right?” I would have pinched my self a dozen times before I realized that I wasn’t dreaming. I was left speechless.

What commenced with the shortest conversation has transpired into an intimate friendship over the years. Now that I have known her so well, I know what it means when they say – ‘life is a struggle’ because for her, life is indeed a struggle in the true sense of the word and in its complete version. But the same word – STRUGGLE is the one that’s actually almost invisible while one gets to know/see her. The reason being, she may seem like any other ordinary individual and from her conduct or mannerisms nobody on this earth would guess of her visual impairment. She does all her work right from making her morning breakfast to her classroom power-point presentations, by herself. She knows for sure what coloured dupatta would go with her salwar suit, or which shade of lipstick goes with her t-shirt. She would seem like just another girl amongst the crowd (and one cannot know of her sightlessness) unless one observes her vigilantly. Cheerful, confident and shrewd are some of the best adjectives that I can possibly use for her. A consistent topper in college, an excellent orator, an M.A in classical music, at the age of 21....she comes to me as one of those people who symbolizes power and ecstasy.

One thing that I infer after knowing her inside out is that, for people like her, Self-confidence perhaps is the most integral part of their personalities. While she ignores people who take uninvited pity at her plight and extend a helping hand, some incidents in life may take a toll on her confidence level. One such event occurred last week that shook the very foundations of her self-confidence. It was this camp called ‘training for the visually impaired’ conducted by an NGO of some sort in Mumbai. Though she has always been reluctant to attending such camps, she had to succumb to the pressure of her parents this time and ultimately attend it. The training was rather depressing as for the first time, she was asked to hold a cane as support to walk, she was being directed for every petty movement of hers (in spite of assuring the volunteers several times that she can do her work all by herself) and those compassionate words with a seemingly sugar-coated accent of the instructors/volunteers at the camp, are still torturing her just as a nightmare. For a girl who has always walked on the streets with the support of her friends, and for one who has never been to a blind school or college in her entire life, this camp came as a de-motivating one – One that has a long, wicked index finger constantly pointing out to the hard reality of her life. The questions that she threw at me after her return from the four-day traumatic camp left me stumped. “What is the primary purpose of an NGO? Don’t they exist to make lives of the likes of me, better? Why then do they conduct such camps at all, when it’s so depressing?” I don’t know how to respond to this, because whilst these NGOs are correct (in a way) by training them to perform day-to-day chores, they also either avoid the psychological part of their lives or indulge into extensive motivational speeches a la ‘You can win’ by Shiv Khera, which is even more disheartening to listen to. I guess the only way out is - DO NOT term them ‘special’, DO NOT take unwanted pity, treat them as one amongst the rest. According to me, if given the right kind of exposure, then blind schools/camps can be completely done with. Am not implying an anti-NGOs-for-the-blind kind of an opinion. But if they can be avoided, the Blind Man’s Buff becomes a not-so-rough game to play, until life ceases.

2005-12-31T22:34:00.000-08:00

HOppy New Year!!!
I will always cherish 2005, as the year that brought with it blossoms of the blogger in me....
Thanks one & all for lending an ear to the 'Call of the mystic'
Hope we all 'hOp' into days which turn to be merrier than ever before.....
here's to 2006
cheers!!
(ps: My new year song - "lose control....be a Rebel....apni toh paathshala..." - Rang de Basanti)

2005-12-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

FROM FEMINIST THOUGHT

News headlines (just a few of its kind):

Seven held in Jharkhand gang rape case

Two arrested in Toofan express rape case

Nursing home ownwer arrested in rape case

Dacoit rapes woman on train bound for Mumbai

A lot has been said about how to prevent rape. Women should learn self-defense. Women should lock themselves in their houses after dark. Women shouldn't have long hair and women shouldn't wear short skirts. Women shouldn't leave drinks unattended. Fuck, they shouldn't dare to get drunk at all.

Instead of that bullshit, how about....

If a woman is drunk, don't rape her.
If a woman is walking alone at night, don't rape her.
If a women is drugged and unconscious, don't rape her.
If a woman is wearing a short skirt, don't rape her.
If a woman is jogging in a park at 5 am, don't rape her.
If a woman looks like your ex-girlfriend you're still hung up on, don't rape her.
If a woman is asleep in her bed, don't rape her.
If a woman is asleep in your bed, don't rape her.
If a woman is doing her laundry, don't rape her.
If a woman is in a coma, don't rape her.
If a woman changes her mind in the middle of or about a particular activity, don't rape her.
If a woman has repeatedly refused a certain activity, don't rape her.

If a woman is not yet a woman, but a child, don't rape her.
If your girlfriend or wife is not in the mood, don't rape her.
If your step-daughter is watching tv, don't rape her.
If you break into a house and find a woman there, don't rape her.
If your friend thinks it's okay to rape someone, tell him it's not, and that he's not your friend.

If your "friend" tells you he raped someone, report him to the police.
If your frat-brother or another guy at the party tells you there's an unconscious woman upstairs and It's your turn, don't rape her, call the police and tell the guy he's a rapist.

Tell your sons, god-sons, nephews, grandsons, sons of friends it's not okay to rape someone.
Don't tell your women friends how to be safe and avoid rape.
Don't imply that she could have avoided it if she'd only done/not done x.
Don't imply that it's in any way her fault.
Don't let silence imply agreement when someone tells you he "got some" with the drunk girl.
Don't perpetuate a culture that tells you that you have no control over or responsibility for your actions. You can, too, help yourself.

If you agree, repost it. It's that important.

2005-12-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

IRKSOME TRAITS OF MEN

The following are chosen traits of men(no generalization unless specifically mentioned) that irritates me and perhaps all womenfolk of this world. The complete write-up is based on personal observations and is designed to the best of my knowledge. In direct speech for the female readers......

Men who are always in a hurry - Consider your dad, brother, husband, son, etc. who is either working or is a student and who has to leave for his destination say at about 8.30 every morning. His eyes would open to see the morning light (given the deep slumber) at around 7.30. He would laze around bearing in mind that there's still an hooooooooooour to go, finish ablutions at a snail’s pace, read through every line of the newspaper as though he has all the time in the world. When one or the other member of the family contemplates to go for a bath, that’s when he would realize that its 8am already. Curtain raisers of the real drama....A quarrel breaks out between him and the other and everyone else in the family. Obviously, he manages to bag the bathroom first. After the bath, the 'searching saga' begins (generalization here). They would search for everything right from their underpants to their briefcase/bag (given the fact that men never keep anything in its assigned place.) In the process, the house is made a mess, all others (especially the women folk) are expected to leave their own work and are made part of the 'search team'.....breakfast/coffee is left half eaten. Some obliging men might just gulp it (the breakfast) down through their jaws, pump it right through the esophagus until they completely choke in the stomach.....In the midst of all the hustle-bustle, some fuming looks at you as though you were responsible for their present plight....One common feature are verbal outbursts like, "nobody in this damn world understands that I have to reach office in time....there is no co-operation at all...." Some extreme lines could be, "I am born into the most disgusting family....what if I lose my job due my regular late attendance?....blah....blah...."

Men who make small talks - Consider this guy in your school/college/workplace who likes a girl, like he flips for her at the first sight and wants to know more about her. After doing some initial research work about the girl's background etc, (which I feel is good to do) he would indulge into really petty/small talks. Suppose he meets this girl at a common friend's place, or at a party. Instead of making some sensible moves at her (like complimenting her or throwing some suggestive statements), he would try all the stunts, which are like the done-to-death debris in the world. “So what are your hobbies? How do you know so n so?" (referring to the common friend) With these questions and many more, the conversation is sure to be a verrry boring one and the dame obviously doesn’t find him interesting (even if he is, otherwise). I mean I fail to understand one thing about you guys. You have been like dying to get a chance to meet her and now when your stars have been good to you and you are also introduced to her free of cost, all you do is stare, stammer and end up making small talks. I mean what in the world abstains you guys from asking her out or asking her to dance/dine with you or from displaying your Great sense of humour (which most of you are good at). At least you are expected to strike up an interesting conversation.

Men who are basically Chauvinists but try to 'make believe' they are not - This is an instance from my personal life. It’s about this guy whom I am acquainted to for quite some time now. In the midst of a conversation, he starts to tease me about some ‘dumb act’ of mine. I just retort with a "fuck you"and giggle at myself for having done the dumb act. His reaction - nose goes pink in the middle, followed by statements like, "hello! Do u remember you are a girl?....what did you just say?....abusing doesn't look good on a girl.....blah...blah." Some guys even begin to sermonize about 'Indian culture', etc. Wonder what happens to these preachers when they themselves abuse in all possible languages/dialects, watch porn movies, etc. And when I defend myself to say, “I just abused, I didn’t mean it, why are acting like a chauvinist?” his reply sucks further, “Am not being a chauvinist, am saying coz I care for you, people wont like it if they know you abuse.” Why do you guys always want to hear girls mouthing sweetly, sugarcoated words? What tickles your ass if your female friend watches a porn movie? Unable to digest this guy's reaction the only two words that came to my mind were, "FUCK OFF!"(Yet again.....)

Men who pretend they haven’t got the ‘clue’ - Consider any one of your male friends. You like him for some reason and you make some deliberate moves with your expert verbal connotations. Out comes the dumbest question on earth, "Did you just make a move at me?.....was it just a suggestion?.....Do you fantasize me?" I mean am sure such guys are entirely aware that you just made a move, and that you find him ‘your type of guy’ but they cant abstain themselves from posing like an innocent baby who's just toddled out of the mother's womb. Don’t they understand that they are expected NOT to make things so obvious?

2005-12-09T01:46:00.000-08:00

RINGTONES OR THREATENING CALLS?!

My sister's husband works with Yahoo Inc., India, the Mobile division to be precise. Yesterday, a talk with him about his job, revealed some really fascinating stuff. He's part of the team that creates new and innovative ring tones for yours, mine and everybody else's mobile phones. When I surfed through some of the latest tones on his mobile, what interested me was not the much hackneyed bollywood masala tones and NO! Certainly not the baby giggles, bird chirps or the Bugs Bunny guttural.

I rather came across this very bizarre polyphonic ring tone (customized for a male customer), which went something like this:

Voice of a little girl, "Uncle! Please phone uthao, jaldi uthao, varna mera doggy aapko kaatega!"And then the periodic barks of a dog…..Super!! And if you didn’t find this sufficiently wacky, here's the masterpiece -

Voice of a young Lady, "Eh! jaldi fone uthao, varna mein sabse kehdoongi ki mein tumhare bachche ki maa banne waali hun....."hahahah.....Truely bizarre & threatening enuf!....isnt it?!

2005-12-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

THE POET'S SONG.....

The rain had fallen, the poet arose,
He passed by the town & out of the street,
A light wind blew from the gates of the Sun,
And waves of shadow went over the Wheat,
And he sat him down in a lonely place,
Chanted a melody loud & sweet,
That made the wild swan pause in her cloud,
And the Lark drop down at his feet,
The Swallow stop as he hunted the fly,
The snake slip under a spray,
The wild Hawk stood with the Swan on his beak,
And stared with his foot on the prey,
Whilst the Nightingale thought -
"I have sung many songs,
But never one so gay,
For he sings of what the world would be,
When the years have died away."

2005-12-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

'AUNTY' MARKETING

Gujarat is a very affluent state of India and people of Gujarat are known for their business tactics and marketing strategies. Here is an example of one such desi marketing/sales strategy that no 'kotler' or 'Wolfe' would have ever thought of or administered in their numerous years of research.
A number of Kiranas(general/grocery stores) can be spotted in the much warped, distorted lanes and by-lanes of districts like Vapi, Valsad, Amreli, etc. One commonality amongst these kiranas is the fact that they are all made of aluminium roofs, are unkempt, are faced with spatial problems and portray a rather rickety picture. But of course! how could I forget, The 'Aunty'?!
Since most of these kiranas are family ventures, the galla(cash counter) is generally managed by a woman, invariably the eldest member of the family, in other words, the Baah(grandmom) - the Protagonist in this story. This lady is perpetually seated on a cushioned chair( a recliner), is clad in a shiffon saree draped in the Gujarati style. While most of us take her to be the naive-looking-cashcounter-aunty, she turns out to be an unbeaten sales women at the end of the day. Ask me how?.....read the example below....

Suppose you are a young man/woman, say anywhere between 20-40 years of age.

Scene I
You enter the kirana to purchase some pre-decided grocery. The boys at the store help you collect all that you want. Making sure you have got all that you wanted, you proceed towards the cash-counter.

SCENE II - Enter Character 'Aunty'....

Aunty: Beta, aur kuch lena hai? bread ? Jam? theplaa?(a gujarati delicacy), papad vageraa....??

You: Nahi aunty, bas...

Aunty(glancing at you with a motherly look), "Aaj sunday hai, thepla khao....Abhi ekdam 'fresss' aaya hai...naya flavour hai...."

You are about to reiterate that you dont want it....

Aunty: (Instructing the store boy to get the thepla packet), "Tum khake toh dekho,taste toh karo, acha nahi lagaa toh math lena, koi vaanda nahi."

You: nahi chahiye aunty, baahar ka khaana manaa hai....

Aunty: (breaking open a pack, pinching a piece, lets you taste the theplaa), "Arre homemade hai, baahar ka nahi hai, bachchon ko bohot acha lagega, thikha-meetha dono hai naa, isliye....mera beta bhi tumhaare jitna hi hoga, Ahmedabad rehta hai naa, jab bhi idhar aata hai, hamesha bachchon ke liye le jaata hai, meri bahu ko bhi bohot pasand hai.....blah....blah......"

With this and many more mollycoddling lines of seeming concern and affection, 'aunty' does her job with ease and by this time you are already into the 'trap' hypnotized by her talk.

So you ultimately walk out of the store, buying a couple of theplaa packets along with your grocery. This is not all....If you are one of those cant-say-no-with-a-stern-face kinda person, 'aunty' is sure to add a lot many more stuff from the store shelf to your grocery bag.

Heard of Direct, Indirect, Ambush, surrogate, etc??? Now, thats what I call - 'AUNTY' MARKETING!!

2005-11-30T04:15:00.000-08:00

STOP SINGING LATA!!

"Naam gum jaayega, Chehra ye badal jaayega
Meri aawaz hi pehchaan hai, gar yaad rahe"

These are opening lines of a memorable song from a 1977 Hindi film Kinaara. Composed by the much celebrated Rahul Dev Burman, the song is sung by none other than the 'nightingale' - Lata Mangeshkar. Gulzar mentions in his autobiography, that he wrote the lyrics of this song keeping in mind Lata and her voice and not the situation of the movie. Her admirers tout her as a "living legend" while her critics have called her "The Artist of the millenium."

I absolutely concur with her admirers & critics for having bestowed upon her these titles. I agree that she sure deserved them once upon a time, NOT NOW.

One can see that her voice now has become pretty much wobbly, weedy and scrawny(if I may say) owing to her age. Any discerning music listener would have observed the deterioration in the quality of Lata's voice in the past decade. A few examples - Songs from the film Dil toh Pagal Hai, Jiya Jale from Dil Se, Ek tu hi Bharosa from Pukaar, O! Palan Haare from Lagaan, Tere Liye from Veer-Zaara,etc.
Truely the first line of the song above portrays her present day image as a playback singer, but certainly not the SECOND ONE, given the fact that 'naam gum ho chuka hai'.... aur 'chehra badal chuka hai', but 'woh aawaz bhi badal chuki hai.'.....AUR IS BAAT KO KOI NAHI BADAL SAKTA....

So Lataji I have admired your singing talent and you truely have been an inspiration for me....But if you really want the people of this world to remember you as the 'eternal Lata' I reckon you STOP SINGING....'varna kahin ye aawaz yaad hi na rahe!'

(ps : She is rumoured to have sung a couple of songs in a forth coming movie - Rang De Basanti)

2005-11-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

MANJU - A HERO

Here we talk of a man who was a symbol of 'truth' and 'righteousness' and who paid with his life for the same...I salute Manjunathan for his brave act...Am also shocked at the lack of interest shown towards this by various media groups including a leading daily I work with...I had never imagined my organisation to be one amongst the crowd that shunned such a brave man's story...and the same fact leaves me with a feeling of deep sorrow and remorse...But when I ponder over all of it, I feel 'its not too late' and that something can still be done to bring the incident and its proceedings to the papers...Its duely unfair and the-pretending-to-sleep-media must get up and rise to the occassion....As for Manju, You are a true Hero, Rest in Peace!!

A few lines.....

God saw he was honest, unlike the rest
But a cure was not to be,
So he put his arms around him,
and whispered, "come with me."

With tearful eyes we watched,
Him suffer and fade away,
Although we loved him deeply,
We could not make him stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,
kind & loving eyes put to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove,
"He takes only the Best!"

2005-11-22T19:37:00.000-08:00

JUST 'WHISPER'!

My first experience of purchasing a sanitary pad was rather embarassing and one which took out the 'shy' feeling that existed within me....happened when I was still in school....My attempts of convincing mom to go get it were in vain and she sent me to buy them saying, "its easy, u dont have to feel shy, just 'whisper' & he(the shopkeeper) will give it, nicely wrapped in a large envelope packed in a black bag(the non see-through one), nobody in the world will know about it"....So after this assurance, here I was stumbling down the stairs, walking along a really long street, to reach the nearest Kirana(General store) ....the kirana(luckily for me) was not really crowded, just had a couple of customers purchasing some day-to-day provisions....
The guy at the counter looked at me & asked, "kya chahiye aapko?"....Visibly hesitant, I whispered in the lowest vocal scale possible, "ek whisper - ultra revolution, chota pack"....and I said all of that within a single tick of the clock and felt rather releaved about it....to my shock, this guy turned to another at the other end of the store and literally howled in Gujarati, "Ae deepak! ek whisper aap"...this Deepak guy being pre-occupied with some other work, ordered a kid whom he addressed as 'chotu' at a decibel which was much louder than the guy at the counter....

By now I was sure that the other male customers in the store had heard all of it...and was preparing myself to run home at the fastest pace as soon as the damn thing was delivered to me...much to my embarrassment 'chotu' climbed on this high pedestal, reached upto the top-most shelf(which everyone could view), swiftly pulled out the lowermost packet thereby dropping down all those packets perched on top of it...Much to the disorder caused, chotu(still clinging to the shelf) tossed the packet at the counter guy who caught it triumphantly as if he were Jonty Rhodes on the field...the packing took another awful minute and so did the dispatching...the moment it was all done, I headed home like a scurrying mouse without a single glance at the onlookers...

A truely discomfiting experience but one that taught me to be bold about purchasing a pad in future.

2005-10-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

MYSTICAL MUSIC – AN ETERNAL QUEST

Music, for me has been a passion since time immemorial. May it be Indian Classical, Indipop, Bollywood masala, Folk, Rock/heavy metal, Ghazals, Thumrees, old melodies, Trance, Remixes…. the style doesn’t matter at all if the composition is unique and sounds good to my ears. I used to sing-a-long with anything & everything I heard. I was obviously not perfect, but always had an urge to get the notes right. One fine day this passion lead me to the doorsteps of a music maestro and have been his student ever since. Not intentionally did I choose to learn Hindustani Classical music out of the various styles but soon I started loving it. Initially like every art form, its difficult to catch pace with one’s teacher. But regular Riyaaz (Practice) can lead to perfection (if not, more so). Still I felt like something’s missing, was not truly satisfied with my music endeavour. I felt like any other student/artist who attends a clichéd music session and goes back home mugging the notes. Winning singing competitions in inter-collegiate events made sense but was not convincing enough. That’s when in one of the Baithaks (music sitting) with my Guru he told me that you must not just hum a tune but you must speak to music. You must be in constant conversation with it. Many artists in this world compose and ‘sing’ songs but very few of them ‘converse’ with the notes. “Har sur, har taal ki aawaz hoti hai, use pehchaano, usse baat karo.” These words of my Guru made me realize that there’s something more to Music than what the world sees, which makes it special, rather divine.
Music, I realized has a soul to it, rather a mystical/spiritual side. My quest for this soul began and am still not done with (not that I haven’t found any, but because its eternal). Not any more did I mug notes or repeat my Guru’s Alaaps (a line in Raga made of more than four notes). He taught me to speak to music, thus I started innovating my own Aalaps. I could gradually recognize ragas of songs ranging from Begum Farida Khanamji’s oldest Ghazal to Eminem’s latest rap. Mysticism lies in the notion of the soul's exile & there’s nothing in this world that rich and divine music cannot conquest. I can go on & on for a million pages describing my quest for music in the true sense. The saving grace is due to the fact that I just do not want to go overboard.

INVISIBLE HEALERS

As they glided thru’ the mighty hall, I felt as though heaven was near;
Hopping & skipping they rose to fall, each giving happiness chasing away fear.

"I will survive", a damsel mused, as passing by,they took away some of her pain;
Blind to the world, mute & abused, they had given her so much,as much as she gained.

As they fluttered past this young man, images of his lost love flooded his mind;
But they soothed his heart & calmed his mind, peace was near,he began to unwind.

They healed the heart of the one ill-willed, inspired the over-worked that she would cope;
With each moment, the hall was filled, with sweetness & joy, love & hope.

They hold the power, to their tune we must dance, as one bounces by & the other that floats;
Each melody, each phrase makes our heart penance, Oh! the children of music - these Musical notes!