Lovemarks

RIP MJ!

2009-06-26T17:33:00.001+05:30

It was quite shocking to hear that Michael Jackson is no more... and he passed away just like that. All too suddenly. And too early.

Like many others, I have grown up on his music and danced to many of his tunes. And although I never imitated his moonwalk, I so loved watching him do it. What an exceptionally talented musician and performer! A 'super star' in all ways!

Few years ago when he was accused of being a child abuser, I could not believe it. Only because he himself came across as such a child and a shy one too. It was more disheartening to hear about it as he was someone who I really liked and respected. I guess it was never easy to come out of a childhood he actually never had, be such a wonderful musician and great entertainer, change his looks and bear all the criticism and glare that came with the spotlight. I always feel that someone who can give so much joy and happiness to people through something so beautiful as music, cannot be a bad person at all. Maybe misguided yes, but not bad.

As I read somewhere,"Michael lived his life in the spotlight and spotlights provide selective lllumination. They also create a lot of shadow, in which much can hide. " And hide he did. As much as he could. And as far as he could go.

And gone he is now forever. In to his own Neverland, finally, never to grow up. Hopefully he is happy and at peace now, wherever he may be.

His songs touched all our lives and his mysterious life captured all our imaginations. In death too, he cast a mystery, probably fuelling more angst and rumour than he did when he was alive. The legendendary MJ is no more... but the legend of MJ will always live. For legend he is and will long remain so.

RIP, Michael Jackson. God bless. You'll be missed by us all who love music.

This one is for you Zhya!

2009-03-05T19:33:00.015+05:30

For the past 3 months I have been sitting down to pen my thoughts on the overwhelming feeling that Zhya's name brings. And I just have not been able to. There's so much going on in my head and heart that I am unable to fathom it all, to say the least. Somewhere I am also trying not to believe in reason and reality.

And today, when I saw Z's mom on Facebook(FB), I got very emotional. I have never met her till date, but I did see her (for the first time) during Zhya's funeral and of course never had the guts to go meet her, anyway drowned as I was, in my own tears. And normally, I don't just connect to a friend's parent on FB (or any social networking site) unless I know that person really well, and here the connection was a good friend but still it was different. It's a sad irony that I have come to know Z's mom because of his passing away.

Z was one of the few people on my regular close friends mailing list. And so now, when I write and send the mails, I have to literally make a conscious effort to delete his name from the list. And once in a while when his name pops up in some stuff that I am searching in my email account, maybe discussed during our chats or the to and fro mails... I actually pause and go numb. Of course I cannot and will not ever delete his name from my contacts list!

And on FB/Orkut/ Linkedin or whatever groups we were on, when I see his smiling face come on the friends' box or the contacts list, I actually smile and plan to write or message him, and then realise he's not going to be reading it. But I still write on his FB wall once in a while, when it gets unbearable. And just a line saying that he was thought of... as he always is.

If it's so hard for me, I cannot imagine what it must be for closest friends and especially his family... every thing around must be reminding them of him. And if I am feeling it, they are more than ever living it.

And what is surprising, maybe to many others too, is that we were never really close in college. We were classmates, friendly enough- you could not but help being friends with him, he was such a nice guy.- but we belonged to different 'groups'. It was after college, when we both began our individual professions, me as a writer and he as a budding architect, was when we really got to know each other better. Later on, I even wrote about his first architecture building he had designed in Mumbai... and I was very proud and happy for him then.

He went to Harvard (too) for his further studies and then on, we were regularly in touch for a long time. In between he went underground and no one knew where he was or what he was doing, save a few... and surprisingly again, I happened to be one of those few he still was in touch and his college friends who were so close to him then were now asking me his whereabouts. Of course, Z was always like a burning light, and hard to keep down for long... and when he did resurface it was to a much better life in all ways.

But one that lasted for a very short while only.

Zhya Jacobs, brilliant architect, helpful colleague, intellectual advisor, great communicator and writer, warm,sweet and funny friend and a wonderful, sensitive human being passed away on Nov 11, 2008... It's been 3 months since and he's being missed- a lot...or perhaps not really so much if you still can believe he's around somewhere, looking at you. I do.

Slumdog Millionaire... an overload?

2009-02-25T16:54:00.004+05:30

I am thrilled that A.R Rahman and Resul won their respective Oscars!!! I am really proud of them... because AR is what he is, and both being Indians.

But it ends for me there... You see, when I saw Slumdog Millionaire (SM from now on), I had liked it- it's a typical 'Bollywood-style' movie. But at no point did I think it such a great movie that it could win the Oscars! And I also think that AR has made some other great numbers that qualify better than 'Jai ho!'

I had read the book Q&A by Vikas Swarup, when it was just released. And I thoroughly enjoyed it as a good pastime read... and although the movie has been scripted from the same, the title and the modifications done to the story completely change the movie into something else.

I watched the entire Oscar presentation, and when I saw clips of the other movies, I suddenly was not sure if SM even came close to their category. Or even close to some of our own.

The past few days and months, I've been reading and noticing mixed responses about this movie. A lot of them went to see SM because 'everybody' was raving about it... and so have liked it too. Many hated it for the same reason. Very few were clear about their perspective about this movie. I've been seeing messages about SM, with a lot of Indians saying things like, 'what is so jai ho about it or anything else?' and 'its to keep answering here that "no no, Mumbai is not all like that"... and so many others saying 'god, this is not the way it is actually'.

In fact, I was part of a jury panel recently with eminent people from all over the country part of it. And during the course of the day, the topic invariably went to SM. And there were some interesting personal viewpoints these people offered. Almost everybody 'knew' that the movie will win the Oscars. And 'because they (the people at Oscars) need to promote India now'. One of the viewpoints was, 'Because of recession, the US market is down and of course has hit Hollywood. So they are targetting the next big industry, which is Bollywood and so are promoting everything Indian. Look what happened during the time the fashion industry was facing the crunch, they made Aishwarya and Sushmita Ms.World and Ms.Universe in that one year... unheard of earlier.'

One of the other viewpoints was, 'If this was just projected as a rags-to-riches story, it would have been ok, but making it the story of what goes on in India, is not completely true.' One other was, 'If this movie was made by an Indian, would it have made it to the Oscars?'. Hmmm... food for thought and I tend to agree with these points of view.

I have come to a general thought that no matter what, the people at Oscars would have a definite reason for this movie to win, and what really matters is that our people won. But having said that...

I'm only unnerved with the kind of response the foreigners are giving. Tom Cruise said , "I know of Indian cinema and different stars there. I do see some of their films and they must be very proud of Slumdog Millionaire also. It is fantastic.... I can't wait to go to India." This view sort of gives a picture of what meaning India has suddenly taken for the West.

I got a message from a foreign friend from UK, saying 'I just saw Slumdog Millionaire... it was awesome........... I so want to come to India!' And I would love for her to come here, but then again I asked myself, what is it that she really wants to see? Dharavi? The rural India in the metro India? The bustling train stations? The Underworld of Mumbai city? Would she really be interested in seeing India for itself or for what she has imagined through the movie?

I happened to hear a new term, 'slum tourism'.... Is this what will be the eventuality?

I see a lot of travel shows on TV- on Nat Geo, Travel & Living and Discovery. There's this one particular show called the Amazing Race, where the participants go treasure hunting in different countries. And I am always excited when they come to India. But the reactions these guys have is not good at all. Most of them find India 'dirty, poor, yeucky, uncultured...etc' And because this show does not edit comments or statements made, one can clearly hear the sound of disdain from these people. Many think it's ok to make fun of people here. And even if they represent a very small fraction of people, they do represent a common mass in their countries.

Which takes me back to the question- what is that the foreigners are seeing in SM and they want to come to India, which they have not seen in any of our Hindi movies earlier?
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And this is something I happened to read today... a comment on the post from http://www.worldhum.com/travel-blog/slumdog-millionaire-hollywood-meet-India-20090112

Sambit Prem 02.03.09 | 1:35 AM ET
Scenes of poverty and squalour may appear romantic to Westerners and to our snooty elite but for us ordinary Indians they are nothing new. They are an everyday reality. However, one wonders what sort of mind can find such images aesthetically pleasing. Party-hopping socialites (for example, Shobhaa De after all her bombast of “enough is enough” after the Mumbai attack, went and watched a pirated copy!) who are distanced from such reality may find this film an “eye-opener” but for us it IS poverty-porn. It IS slum-tourism. The music/soundtrack and the technical quality of the film is excellent; but, overall, “Slumdog Millionaire” is unrealistic & overrated because:

1) The director seems to RELISH showing violence. Some of it (like the police-torture) is quite needless. And why was the boy arrested in the first place? On what charge? Was it realistic?

2) How can a boy growing up in slums speak such accented English? Even if one assumes that the language he actually uses to communicate with the game-show host and the police officer is Hindi (granting the director the creative license to use a language better suited for international audiences), there are 2 instances where it is stretched too far: (a) when the boy becomes a ‘guide’ for foreign tourists at the Taj Mahal & (b) when he becomes a substitute-operator at the call-centre.

3) When the boy uses his ‘lifeline’ during the game-show, his friend discovers that she has forgotten her mobile and has to run back for it. This is plain Bollywood masala! Did the director HAVE to make it so melodramatic?

4) How did the boy know who invented the revolver just by watching his brother use it?
How does his friend know about Benjamin Franklin (something which many Americans themselves don’t know!)?

5) “Darshan Do Ghanshyam” is NOT written by Surdas. It is written by Gopal Singh Nepali for the movie Narsi Bhagat (1957). This song is also credited as traditional and originally written by 15th century poet Narsi Mehta, whose life that film is based on.

6) After winning the game-show, the boy sits on the railway platform and nobody recognizes him! Considering the popularity of the show, is that realistic?

7) Two glaring omissions: To get invited to the show one has to answer several GK questions over phone or Internet. Even after making it to the show, a contestant can reach the hot-seat only after qualifying through “fastest finger first”. All this is conveniently forgotten in the film.

8) And of course the greatest flaw in the storyline: programmes like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ are NOT telecast live. As a result the entire structure of the film becomes unrealistic. For a film that boasts of being realistic such a flaw cannot be overlooked.

The Academy will lose its credibility if this film gets the Best Picture or Best Director awards.
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And also read this,
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Subrat 02.25.09 | 4:56 AM ET

I totally agree with Sambit Prem. I am sure he is a person with good taste in movies. Those were the points where I did not agree with the director. I find Dev Patel (the lead actor) totally expressionless while delivering the dialogues. Why the police will interrogate a person who wins some prize money? Did the people in the game show written an FIR? If not who did?

A R Rahman is very talented. There is no doubt in that but, the song Jai ho is not very much original. What I mean to say by that is anybody can guess it’s a Rahman song after listening to it because Rahman had given this type of music before. His music was much better in Rang de Basanti which went to the Oscars but did not even get nominated. That movie is 1000 times better than Slumdog.

I now think all these award functions are a mere marketing gimmick. Hollywood seeing a great opportunity in Indian film Industry right now, so all this is happening. Though this film is a British Movie but lot of people who were associated was Indians. So I think it was just used as a ground to lay the foundation of Hollywood in India. I don’t have any problem in that also as I just want good cinemas to be made. It’s the same as the marketing strategy by Body Shop who continuously choose Indian beauties as Miss World or Miss Universe to create a good Market in India.

2009-02-19T22:30:00.000+05:30

Sometimes I pause…
motionless.
As the world whirs around me
like a dust storm.
I gather my thoughts and my feelings
and hold them close to me
lest they be pulled in
by the swirling forms.
And only when I am sure we are one,
I step out.
With a protective blanket
of dreams
around me,
Sewed to my body and soul
so that I am never alone.

(c) D.Athale
19th February 2009

Rah Rah B.H.O!!!

2009-01-21T12:07:00.008+05:30

Like many others for sure, I was glued to my television set till the wee hours of the morning! Change has finally arrived, and how! What a day in the history of the USA as well as the world- Barack Hussain Obama becomes USA' s 44th President and the first black to have ever been. The swelling crowd of people were testimony to the popularity, and more importantly the need for this man to lead the nation.

The enthusiasm was fabulous- I've never seen Americans so happy! All I could see were happy faces of so many different colours. And Obama proved that America is truly a big democratic and free country, where a middle-class black man can dream of becoming the President and goes on to be one.

When he gave his speech, he didn't really give great statements, but what he spoke held the promise of a grand and honest future. And as of now, this is really what his countrymen needed to hear. His voice carried the conviction of his heart and it was felt by each and everyone. I'm sure the Americans were, after a long time, confident in their ability to choose well, as they were in his ability to deliver. It was almost like the stale dusty air that had covered the country was being cleared and a whiff of freshness had started to flow back in... good triumphing over evil, light over darkness... one could almost imagine rainbows as the sun shone brightly over a country that has been so steeped with communalism, hatred, rife and economic meltdown.As Obama and his wife Michelle walked down Pennsylvania Avenue route taking them to the White House, there was a genuine respect and love that was felt in the air between them and the citizens who had been standing for that one glimpse since 4am!
This is truly a great time for all Americans right now. And the enthusiasm is infectious!

ps: They've got such neat Obama merchandise, me wants too!

Don't mess with our national anthem, please!

2009-01-18T15:20:00.002+05:30

For some reason, I've been finding myself visiting many movie theatres the past few weeks...in Mumbai and Pune.

"What do we do now?... Ok, lets watch a movie!" has been the general idea amongst friends and family. And luckily most theatres have been showing trailers once again...and I so love watching trailers! Better than all those ads and what nots...

The other thing I like during the movies is standing up and singing the National Anthem as the familiar tune encompasses the entire theatre.

Some time back, I went to watch 'Rab ne bana di jodi' in a Pune theatre. And something I remember best (apart from the not- so- bad movie) was that whilst the National Anthem was being played, each and every person in that hall was singing it out loud! And quite frankly, I've never heard the entire public in a theatre ever sing the National Anthem and that too loud as ever... most people just stand up, or some sing in their minds; many mumble or whisper. This was simply awesome! Go Pune, go!

Of course, I've not heard it again...but people still are heard singing softly... at least in Pune. And surprisingly, in Mumbai, it's not like that at all. And I realised that its not that Mumbaikars are less patriotic in any way... its just that they cannot sing the National Anthem as the tune is so different. And each theatre has a different version.Given the various versions of the country's song, it's no wonder many people choose to just keep mum, and let the music play as is. I mean, if one was to go by the standard tune, one has already finished singing the anthem, while the one going on in the movie theatre is still going 'jaaaaaaaaaayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy'. And with so much of 'soul-infused creativity' in that song, one does not feel any patriotism...I just wanted 'that song' to end- the slow motion singers were getting on my nerves!

I'm all for creative freedom, but some things are sacred and should not be tampered with. The National Anthem is one such. Also given the fact that many Indians do not remember the words of 'the Anthem at all, lets not confuse them with a plethora of tunes.

The tune of the 'Jana Gana Mana' should be standardised so that at any given point, wherever one is, one knows what that tune is and stands for. So please, spare this country its Anthem.

R.I.P

2009-01-05T12:20:00.008+05:30

It's funny how a quiet sunday can make you more retro as well as introspective. Looking back is something I often do, it's an incurable habit. I think, dwell upon, think some more, reflect, wonder and try to understand... more often than not, understanding does not come easily...yet, I ponder...

This last year has been in extremes. Very high points which actually got more than minimalised by the lows. Of the good side, my brother's wedding was the highlight. It felt good having a new member in the family.

The downside though saw too many different dark facets of life. The recession and lack of work to begin with, then the horrifying terror attacks on my city Mumbai were some that affected us all. What touched me more was the passing away of two people I cared for a lot. One a very good friend and classmate through architecture college... a fabulous human being called Zhya Jacobs. Even after seeing him in his coffin, I am unable to believe that he's no more... it's as if any minute now his mail will come in my inbox and he'll tell me that he's coming to India (he was to for Christmas) we should meet as was decided.

The second person who I lost was the dad of my best friend. He was suffering from cancer, and having lost my own dad in the hands of the same disease, I felt as if I was reliving the anguish, pain, hope, wait, guilt and acceptance once more... And because my dad had gone, I used to always look up to uncle as that respected father figure... I doubt I have prayed for someone as much as I did for Uncle (except for dad), and when he passed away, I felt my prayers had fallen short or somewhere I didn't do enough...

Cancer has become a disease that we all need to watch out for even more. It's strange when I see my closest two friends- both of whom have lost a parent due to cancer, as I have. And there are so many others I have known who have lost their battle against it... I also know of other known friends and people who are also now suffering the same... young and old... and it's not easy for anyone- never has been.

For all of us who lost out on people and other things this year, for all of those who suffered, for this year that didn't go well for many, and for those gone forever... Rest In Peace.

A post script to the Mumbai attacks...

2008-12-11T21:24:00.010+05:30

Much has been talked and written about the terrible attacks on Mumbai just two weeks ago... And the pain that has been felt by us all is actually indescribable, to say the least... However, here's another point of view:

My 8 year old nephew has been hearing the word 'terrorists' and 'bomb blasts' for the past some time now. He was asking us about who terrorists were, why were they coming to Mumbai only and was concerned as to what they wanted. In our attempt to placate the young mind, we just said they are 'bad' people who hurt others and destroy... and that they are not just coming to Mumbai, but all over India. Which got him wondering more and asking us, 'but why our country only?'... and in all his innocence he answered his own question, "Of course it is because they don't have a country as beautiful as ours and are also jealous, so they want to take it over and because they can't they are trying to destroy it".

We then tried giving him a peek in the future by saying that these bad people who are coming are also making people living here bad...like one rotten apple makes the entire pile rotten adage... To which he confidently replied, "So What? There are so many lakhs of good people in India, that even if some become bad, there are more who are good and will overcome them." His view about his country is so clear- no matter what, his country is the best. It is a view that many of us as adults lack.

It's such a beautiful viewpoint- if we see it from the point of the children of this country- who are not totally aware of the acute gravity of what happened, the politics or the aftermath attached with it...but know in their heart that their country is wonderful and good will always prevail.

If we see the larger picture truly and have this unequivocal love and pride for India that comes from within, and the positivity that no harm can ever happen as long as we are all there together ... The future of India is definitely secure, no matter what.

Son(s) of the soil?

2008-10-21T15:18:00.005+05:30

“If Raj is arrested, entire Maharashtra will be set on fire!”

The above statement was made by none other than Raj Thackeray, in lieu with his imminent arrest. And I felt real sad on hearing these words... I mean, how can a person who has been born and brought up in this state and calls himself a 'Marathi manoos' who is fighting for 'his people', even think of burning down the home that reared him?

When buses, vehicles, shops in Maharashtra are burnt, who suffers and pays for them? ... the Marathi manoos.
When people are terrorised to stay at home, and all shops and infrastructure shuts down, who suffers?...the Marathi manoos.
When an airline is told it won't be allowed to ply in Mumbai city because it has sacked its employees, there are others who suffer along with the already suffering employees... the Marathi manoos also.

Don't these guys understand the simple basics? The 'Marathi manoos' they are fighting for is the one who's going to suffer at the end of it all. So what are we fighting for? And who and why are we supporting this?

Destroying public life and property is not the answer to anything. Any wrong action in this state will affect its local people first. And this means all who live in Maharashtra- the Maharashtrians. Relegating to violence is only dividing the Marathi manoos against each other, leave aside other communities and languages. It's a shame...

Speaking of locals...there is another view to this story. The Railway authorities knew that such a issue of beating up would surely happen if the exams would take place without keeping the LOCALS in mind. The same has happened earlier in the past. Then why was history allowed to repeat???

And I also fail to understand the other factor of this entire series of events is that in many states, something similar has happened, wherein non-locals have been discriminated against and also at times been assaulted. Why have there been no actions taken against these politicians? I read a comment on the Indian Express site..." I don't understand why Raj T. is facing all the ire. After all he is doing what all his contemporary politicians were doing. Although he is doing it with a difference. Today Mr. Lalu Yadav is saying Raj is mental case. What was he when Biharis were facing the wrath of people of Jharkhand just because they were Biharis. He was enjoying the fruits of division of Bihar.This is the outcome of caste-based politics. Lets face it." At the end of this all- its only politics. So who suffers really?... We, the people.

And finally a question? I'm asking this because I am really unaware of the legalities... Can they really arrest Raj Thackeray because members of his party beat up people? He was not there physically or overseeing it, nor has he given the orders for it. I was just thinking this aloud... if Congress workers act the same at any point, will either Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sharad Pawar or Sonia Gandhi be arrested because they are leading those people?

2008-09-15T13:23:00.003+05:30

Many layers,

different realms.
Through time,
and the sublime
... I discover.

Text and pic (c) D.Athale, 2008

Ganpati Bappa Morya!!!

2008-09-09T14:28:00.002+05:30

All pictures (c)D.Athale, 2008

Since we moved to Pune, we've installed a permanent Ganpati idol at home, and every year I make a small idol that we pray to and submerge (in a bucket outside the door). Being environment conscious, our Ganpati idols have always been 'green' and made of clay, wheat flour,etc. This year, we have consciously decided to use all the 'raddi' (old newspapers) and make a recyled Ganpati.

The only thing used in this Ganpati, apart from the newspapers and a little bit of water, is glue to stick the various parts. We have made many of these to give out to our guests who come home for the darshan.

Nag Panchami- a custom or threat?

2008-08-06T16:51:00.000+05:30

Today, there will be many litres of milk thrown away, and many snakes caught, hurt and probably killed too. Because, today is Nag Panchami, a day where people superstitiously believe that snakes must be appeased by making them drink milk. More so, forcing those poor creatures to 'drink' milk.

My bai (maid) was proudly telling me how she poured a litre of milk into a snake's hole in the earth and lit up some agarbattis, and how the snake will no longer come near her house, after she has done so.[Obviously not, that poor snake must have drowned in that milk or must have escaped from a milk-curdling experience!]

I was furious with her and tried explaining that snakes do NOT drink milk, and that most of them are caught, have their mouths stitched up so they cannot retaliate and then are made to 'drink' the milk. And the only way a snake does 'smell' its environment, is through its tongue, which is kept free whilst the rest of its mouth is stitched up. So the act of drinking milk is merely the snake trying to understand its predicament and situation.

Unfortunately, even though she did understand, she also thought I was crazy to defend the snakes and laughed at me. Which means, the next year the same story will be repeated.

This festival is not just about snakes being harmed, its also about so much of milk going waste! In a country that is facing huge agricultural and resource crisis, what right do we have to waste food like this?

And oh yes, the High Court did ask the State Government to intervene as several PILs have been lodged against this practice. But the Government is yet to reply. Bloody shame!

And yet, no one is really ashamed. Why?

Ruhaniyat

2008-02-28T20:28:00.006+05:30

Attended the 7th Ruhaniyat festival of Sufi and Mystic Music. It was the finale of the entire series, which ended in Pune. I had been awaiting this event for months, having heard of it from a friend, and once there, I was not disappointed, luckily. I say 'luckily' because I have often eagerly looked forward to some event, and when it does take place eventually, it leaves a taste of tad disappointment.

Well, anyway, the Ruhaniyat (which means 'soulfulness') is a wonderful example of encouraging and sharing music from all over India, and now, the world too. One is exposed to different kinds of music, musicians, instruments and sounds. And if you close your eyes, like the lady in front of us was doing, or move your body to the beat of the music, like me, you would be taken to another realm far away from here, where your senses no longer differentiate the sex or the caste/religion of the person who's singing or playing, but they (your senses) mingle as if this music is their own, taken from your own soul. Heavenly will be a small word for this feeling.

Ruhaniyat began with the traditional artisans of Maharashtra, locals for people of Pune. The group of Varkaris* led by Chandrakant Udawant from Satara, sang Abhangs - devotional songs of Lord Vithhal in the traditional language of Marathi. He started off with 'Jaya jaya ramkrishna hari', went on to sing 'Roop pahata lochani', a kirtan and concluded with an Abhang of Saint Tukaram.

[* Varkaris = The Varkari sampraday (religious movement) is so called because the followers travel hundreds of miles to the holy town of Pandharpur on foot, every year on the Ekadashi (11th day by lunar calendar) in the Hindu calendar month of Ashad (sometime in July). A pilgrimage is also made on Kartik Ekadashi (which falls sometime in November). This pilgrimage is called vari in the Marathi language and thus one who performs it in the 'Bhapath of devotion is a varkari. The Varkari tradition has made all-pervading impact on the life of the common people of Maharashtra for six hundred years (from 13th century to 18th century). The Varkari has looked upon God as the Ultimate Truth and has ascertained grades of values in social life The sect has accepted ultimate equality among men. It lays stress on values such as individual sacrifice, forgiveness, simplicity, overcoming passions, peaceful co-existence, compassion, non-violence, love, humility in social life. The last point is illustrated by Varkaris prostrating in front of each other because everybody is "Brahma". ]The Varkaris were followed a troupe led by Hafeeza Begum from Assam. And they sang Sufi songs, which sounded real sweet after the initial 'harshness' of songs of the Marathis. And what was extremely beautiful was the sound of the flute, lilting up amidst the silence. And accompanying the songs at times, was just the sound of fingers clicking and hands clapping. This performance was in some way poetic because of its simplicity and lovely melody.

Latif Bolat (the above two snaps) from Turkey played the traditional Turkish stringed instrument "baglama." He sang some traditional Turkish compositions and recited poems too. I must admit I did not understand a word, nor realised when one composition began or ended as he was playing continuosly. But for the compere, Nandini Mahesh's wonderful translations and talks in between, I would've been lost.

I must talk of the compere here too. She introduced the musicians with some wonderful poetic lines of her own, while translating their works. For example, " A life is like a house... it grows, withers and collapses, with time." She also gave a brief introduction to each of the musicians. When it was time of the Manganiyars* from Rajasthan to play, Nandini also talked about their instruments to a small story of Rani Bhatiyani, who has blessed this community to always be the best musicians as long as their community survives. The music of the Manganiyars borders on the classical with a touch of Sufism. The singers have mastery in playing various instruments like Khamaycha (the bowl-shaped, short-necked bowed lute), Murli (a big flute), Surnai (big bass flute), the Afgoza (double flute), the Morchhang (Jewish harp) and the Kartaal (The kartaal comprises two pairs of concussion plaques, one pair held in each hand. The playing technique is extremely virtuosic and involves very rapid, castanet-like rhythms.)
The Khamaycha can be played only by the Manganiyars, and we were lucky to have with us on stage, one of the most respected and senior members of the Manganiyars - Chanan Khan- who was playing the Khamaycha (the man on the left of the singer). He was also requested to sing part of the Rani Bhatiyani story, who committed Sati for her true love, the brother of her husband.

*A small community in neighbouring Rajasthan presents an example of communal bonhomie. The Manganiyars, a singers community from western Rajasthan, are Muslims by birth but are closely linked for generations to both Muslims and Hindu families for their livelihood. Whatever be the occasion at their jajmaan's house, the Manganiyars are there with appropriate song and music, greatly influenced by Sindhi sufi pirs, singing mystical verses and invoking the Hindu gods. Be it a wedding, a birth in the family, a change of season, a festival or even celebrating the valour of the warriors, the Manganiyars are called to compose and sing for which they are paid handsomely though in different ways. Their songs describe the life of the people of the land.

The Rajasthanis played in two parts. The first was a Hindu type of music, with Mahesaram as the main singer. Then after the break, they came back with Sawan Khan as the main singer. If you notice the man on the extreme left, in the second part he plays the Kartaal and look at him move!

But the person who I was totally mesmerised by was Parvathy Baul. She hails from West Bengal and is an 'initiated' Baul and one of the very few women Bauls*, as was disclosed by Nandini. Parvathy seemed this relatively young and a petite, energetic woman who I felt was completely unfettered in her singing. It was as if she and the music were really one, and the melody sprang from her soul. All the previous musicians and singers, to me, seemed formal by way of their 'education in music'. But Parvathy seemed like a natural. It was as if she was born to sing and didn't know what else to do. She played the ektara (one-stringed Baul instrument), duggi (clay drum) and wore the nupur (anklet) that sounded like bells. And with her high voice that never needed a mike, saffron robes and singing and dancing, she seemed like Meera conversing with the Lord Krishna, so into her music she was.

*Bauls (Bengali: বাউল) are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal, which comprises Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition used as a vehicle to express Baul thought. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many different streams to the sect, but their membership mainly consists of Vaisnavite Hindus and Sufi Muslims.They can be often identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments, like the ektara. Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. The origin of the word is Baul is debated. It has been suggested that it comes either from Sanskrit batul, meaning divinely inspired insanity or byakul, meaning fervently eager.

Parvathy sang three songs. All wonderful. The first song was on the bird Chatak*, which is Lalan Fakir's song Chatak swabhav ni hole- the Chatak never changes, followed by Apon mukher phook- a lovely song, and Kaala - a description of Radha's last thought as she walks towards Yamuna.

* Chatak- A bird that drinks only raindrops, and even though there is water nearby, it will not drink anything else. Sometimes the clouds play truant with it, and it thinks its going to rain and is ecstatic. Then even upon realising there is no rain, it won't drinkanything but rain-water, even though its throat is burning with thirst.
A Sufiana Kalam- 'Maine teri aaakhon mein pada Allah hi Allah, Sab bhool gaya bas yaad raha sirf Allah hi Allah' by renowned singer, Vitthal Rao from Hyderabad was a sheer delight to hear, especially given the fact that this man is all of seventy-nine years of age. And had a powerful voice as compared to his disciple.

The finale came from the Sabri Brothers of Jaipur, one of the topmost Qawwals in India. They sang a Sufi qawwali, 'Tu malik hai' and Amir Khusrau's 'Aaj rang ma'. Some of the words of the first composition were, "Prabhu nahi mujhe koi gyan tumhara; Mujhe to ek hi dhyaan hai...voh hai tumhara"... Simply delightful!

Looking forward to the next Ruhaniyat!

Everyday stories.

2008-01-23T22:40:00.000+05:30

Don't have a great camera, but do have a passion for photography... and over the years have great pics taken...most people say I have the 'eye'... :) ... either ways, I love to shoot and off late have gotten pretty fascinated by people. A picture can tell a thousand words indeed. As I have been moving around the city for documenting the architecture and heritage buildings (part of the heritage walks that I conduct), I have been stunned by the emotions that fill me when I shoot a person or living thing...have still been unable to fathom it...

1. 'Lord of the small things'
(c) D.Athale, 2007

He waits,
he watches.
One day, some day...
these small dreams
will be real size too.

2.Light and it's shadow.
(c) D.Athale, 2007
If everything lit always threw a shadow, wonder where does light hide it's shadow?

3. Time-bound
(c) D.Athale, 2007Time stood mute testimony
As he scrubbed and laboured
And not a word was spoken,
when the sparkle was delivered.

4. Weather- beaten.
(c) D.Athale, 2007
Old arms, tired of supporting
Old joints, tired of holding
The weathered facade of mine
rests, along with those,
who pray ... in me.

5.Smoky Dreams
(c) D.Athale, 2007
One last puff
before I say 'done',
My eyes closed,
I sleep.
My hands and lips continue...
Allowing me to have smoky dreams.

All photographs and text are copyright of D.Athale. 2007.

Jab We Met...

2008-01-14T20:43:00.000+05:30

As my new year resolution of staying fit, I have joined a class that teaches Power Aerobics (whatever that means) and Bollywood Dancing (I so wanted to learn this!). And one of the first songs we are dancing on is 'Mauja hi Mauja' from the movie 'Jab We Met'.

I had happened to see the movie few months ago. And was totally unprepared to the fact that not only would I like it a lot, but find it any day better than other movies like 'Om Shanti Om', etc. A very feel good, light-hearted, romantic and yet not too emotional a movie. It had a good mix of script, direction, acting and music. Shaheed was exceptionally good! And I really felt sad for him, when I heard about his split with Kareena, because one could see the love and passion he had for her during this movie.

And the songs really are fun to hear. A different approach to music. Some good lyrics too.

One of the songs I really liked was 'Tumse hi'... enjoy!
Na hai yeh pana
Na Khona hi hai
Tera Na hona jane
Kyun hona hi hai

Tum se hi din hota hai
Surmaiye shaam aati
Tumse hi tumse hi

Har ghadi saans aati hai
Zindagi kehlati hai
Tumse hi tumse hi

Na hai yeh pana
Na Khona hi hai
Tera Na hona jane
Kyun hona hi hai

Aankhon mein ankhne teri
Bahoon mein baahein teri
Mera na mujhe mein kuch raha hua kya
Baaton mein baatein teri
Raatein saugatein teri
Kyun tera sab yeh ho gaya
hua kya
Mein kahin bhi jata hoon
Tumse hi mil jata hoon
Tumse hi tumse hi

Shoor mein khamoshi hai
Thodi se Behoshi hai
Tum se hi tum se hi

Aadha sa wada kabhi
Aadhe se jayada kabhi
Jee chahe karlu is trah wafa ka
Chode na chote kabhi
Tode na tute kabhi
Jo dhaga tumse jud gaya wafa ka

Mein Tera sharmaya hoon
Jo mein ban paya hoon
Tumse hi tumse hi
Raste miljate hai
Manzile miljati hai
Tumse hi tumse hi

Na hai yeh pana
Na Khona hi hai
Tera Na hona jane
Kyun hona hi hai

Quit 'monkey'ing around!

2008-01-08T17:55:00.000+05:30

My two-bits on the India-Australia Cricket chaos...

- For one, I don't understand why there was no uproar when the umpires were obviously being biased.

- I don't know why the Indian team is still around in Australia, and hoping to still play after all that happened. Do they have no self-pride left? Is the money more important than the prestige?

- Why did the Indians not put a case when one of the players was called a 'bastard'?

- Considering that the word 'monkey' was taken as a racist term, because it supposedly raised questions on the person's parentage... Come again, what was that?

- If the term monkey is a racist term...then god help the theory of evolution, and us all. Because then the question does become of the parentage of humans.

- And then again, if the term 'monkey' is a racist term and we all humans are supposedly evolved from monkeys, then what does that make the Australians? Non-humans, for one. Other options... keep guessing.

And finally, what did the poor monkeys do to make their entire breed an example of racism?

Benazir Bhutto- RIP.

2007-12-27T21:00:00.000+05:30

Just heard that Benazir Bhutto was shot dead this evening. Sad.
More sad is the thought that now Pakistan does not seem to have hope left at all. And sadder the fact that in Pakistan democracy will now be just a remote thought...

******************
Charismatic, attractive, dignified and extremely strong- especially in a country dominated by men, Benazir was a ray of hope that could have changed the history of Pakistan. And also possibly it's attitude, poverty, progress, development and much more.
I guess I have grown up on the politics of the Bhutto family, especially that of Benazir's... much like our own political first family, the Gandhis. I quite liked to hear her speak, she had a way of reaching out and communicating well. Truly an icon. And it was more of an interest to me because she was a woman, and I have often wondered what kind of sheer guts or absolute foolishness would make her want to leave the comfort of security, to come back to Pakistan and embrace the threats, uncertainty and danger. Especially being a wife and mother. Then again, I think it was the role of the daughter that was always dominant in her. And one she played with all conviction.
It is sad that she never got that chance to prove she was the perfect daughter of Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto- may your soul rest in peace.

Chak De India!

2007-08-19T00:30:00.000+05:30

Just got back from seeing Chak De India. And came back with many memories…

My family has always been into sports. I've grown up seeing four of my mamas (mother's brothers) play Table Tennis, of which two played for India. I remember going to the Gymkhana just to see my fave 'mama' in action. He was the youngest Junior National Champion during his time…only 13-14 then. And went on to be the National Champion in the Men's league many years later. He then represented the country in at least 5 World Championships and other international events. He used to play in a very particular style…he would lose the first round and then aggressively zoom and clinch the next two rounds so easily that the opponent never had time to realize what came into this cool, calm player. I used to watch him observe his opponent's every move with total concentration in that first round. Absolutely cool, nothing would faze him; nothing would break his concentration from his opponent.

It was then that I had decided I would be a Table Tennis Player. Never mind a lot of other people laughed saying Ping Pong was a kiddie's game, for me it was more than that. Only that, the day I was going to the YWCA to register for TT, I got put into the volleyball team and my life changed after that. My sister and I joined Volleyball for a summer camp, turned out to be good in the game and played on after that for a long time. My father being a wonderful sportsman himself, encouraged my sister, my brother and also me completely. Between us three, we have played volleyball, chess, football, cricket, tae-kwon-do and karate at school, district, inter-zonals, inter-districts and state levels. And most importantly, won.

This movie, especially Shah Rukh, reminded me of my mama. Especially of the time, when despite him being seeded 4^th (despite being in his 30s which is considered an old age in TT), he was not taken for one of the World Championships. There was uproar in the TT Federation camp but none could withstand the might of politics that reached the Sports Ministry. Also of the times when the Federation had recommended only his name more than once for the Arjuna Award, but it was declined because of politics. Which acts in a funny way at times, because my other mama luckily was not as talented and was untouched by the politics that most Indian ministers play with our Sports. So he not only got the Arjuna Award, he was also the manager of the National TT Team till last year.

I used to hear a lot of stories of how players were treated. National level players that too. They would go to play for their country, but the new sports kits would never reach them. Instead the middlemen like the selection committee and also the ministers would embezzle that money or sell the kits. The staying conditions used to be deplorable. (They still are…look what the National Hockey Team had to go thru recently!). And bribery was the way to get into the game. The players who would not get 'gifts' like music players, expensive gadgets, perfumes, etc for these middlemen would be harassed or not taken for the next few games. The Sports Ministry was in cahoots with them. And didn't care a damn about the players or the country. Which is what happened to my uncle too. And I saw India losing one of the finest TT players of his time. I knew he had the capacity to win like no one else could and I'm not saying this because he's my uncle, but as a fellow sports person. And I saw that spirit being killed like slow poison. And I felt ashamed then of being part of this country.

I remember my Volleyball coach, who made us run the four floors of our school as exercise, apart from the ground. And who fought for every girl in his team more than a father could. He would personally go and visit every girl's house and talk to the parents, especially those who wanted their girls to concentrate more on their studies than sports. "One can not make a career out of sports, especially those that are not popular!" And he would say, "Let your daughter play and win, and it will be popular!" This movie reminded me of my sir too. And I felt pride like never before. Because with every smash of the ball, and hurt of your body as you fell or got hit and bled, the win became that much more sweeter! And this is something that no corporate boardroom game can match…or even understand!

This movie, not only made me relive my past, but it gave me a new life too. It made worthwhile every drop of sweat; blood and tears of all those sports persons who played for their country (in sports apart from the so coveted cricket that Indians are obsessed with). It gave the dignity to those whose lives have been ruined because of 'one mistake'. It showed what team spirit and force can be. And it gave a renewed hope…to the future of sports in this country. And I truly hope that more parents encourage their kids to play for India.

So, Chak De India! (and thank you too.)

***********************************

(ps: If we are talking of the movie- I think it was one of the best roles Shah Rukh has ever played and each of the girls were absolutely wonderful! A salut to them all!)

Mahatma Gandhi's quote.

2007-08-17T15:19:00.000+05:30

August 15, 2007

"I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers."

Gandhi's this particular comment got me thinking....why would someone say that, especially at a time when democracy was being sought after and papers/press/media most wanted?! Then again, maybe it was because a lot of his life and of those he knew, was misconstrued by the press! A lot of those speculations are apparantly being said as the truth, but let that be...

It could also be that Gandhi believed in the total freedom of reporters and photographers. And wanted them above the law. We'll never know what he really meant, and can only guess.

Coming back to the Media and Press of the present. Today most media reporters, be it journalists or TV reporters, are insensitive to what they really do. Which does not make them disbelieve in their cause. Only that the cause has changed now, and differs from paper to paper. Ditto for the channels. Right now, I feel, with media houses, the only cause they have is to show themselves as better than the others. So a lil sensationalism does not matter much. The 'truth' be given to the world has its own version here. Three versions or sides, to quote something I had read sometime ago. The first side is that of the reporter. The second of the channel/paper he/she represents and third of what really happened. The witnesses or victims notwithstanding.
For example, the recent train blasts in Mumbai. People had died, were injured, needed attention and help, others were searching for their loved ones. Bodies were scattered, blood everywhere. And during that too, one saw mikes being thrust in front of relatives sobbing, cameras plundering their helplessness and people just talking incessantly of the ghastly way people died...the truth had to be told in all its glory,right? Maybe the country does really want to know, I wanted to know what happened too...because Mumbai is my city too, my family and friends still live there and also travel that way....but at what cost the truth be told? At the cost of a acidic break thru a numbness of grief and confusion? And more than being informative, we could only see the one oneupmanship between the tv channels who dug deeper in the melee of raw emotions as they sought to find out who really died and how.

I'm not saying all reporters are the same. I have friends who write, but like it or not, a job is a job is a job. And this when backed by the belief that the channel or paper should get the 'best news', often drives a person to do what he/she would not otherwise want to do. I'm hoping I'm right here. Then again, I often wonder, do they not have a choice? Or at least the decency to know when and what to ask.

In 1993, a series of bomb blasts rocked Mumbai. I remember being stuck between three of them, the one in Plaza, other in Shivaji Park and the one in Worli; and distinctly hearing all three. Passed damaged buildings, speeding ambulances and mayhem. Gaping holes were where people used to be. These bomb blasts had been preceded by the Hindu-Muslim riots that took place just few months earlier. Again, times when one was left wondering if we'd see any of our Muslim friends again. Families were displaced, people we knew disappeared. Yes, it was personal. For all of us.

Today, when after 14 years, 'justice' is supposedly being meted out to those involved in the bomb blasts, the media again has made a mockery of all the people who died then. Did any of us actually look back and see those families? No. All we saw was a certain Bollywood actor's sob story, his act then and punishment now. This became the 'real news'...taking precedence over the actual matter. All newspapers, journals, tv channels, websites and more only talked about him. Even now, on the 60th anniversary of this nation's Independence, papers are wondering how 'Baba' will celebrate the day at the Yerawada Jail !

I personally like the colour yellow. To me it represents light, happiness, warmth, goodness...seen in turmeric we use, the rays of the sun, the sweetness of flowers, the fondness of yellowed pages of a book and more... But unfortunately, this colour is more synonymous with a shade that rules our country the most- cowardice. And sadly no one seems to want to report it.

Rediscovering me.

2007-08-09T11:06:00.000+05:30

One should never sort out or clean the cupboard that one has not touched for some time now- especially if one's not prepared for what lies ahead... A busy day saw me clearing my old study table, since was transferring stuff from the old house to the new. And of course, since it was to be done asap, and I had no time really, I was thinking of just dumping the stuff in my bag.

Just then I chanced by old photographs. And couldn't help myself after that.

Thoughts tumbled out, memories peeked and laughed, faces smiled at me, time just stood still. Sat and smiled through some, felt saddened by others and many brought a misty look and few a wistful moment. Realised how many people have come in and walked out of my present life. And with 'present life' I mean the moment I am in. Old schools friends...I wonder where they are...junior college groups...why did the madness disappear? Architecture college group- boy, am I glad I still have them and their mad, sweet selves still as much a part of my present as my past. Work place colleagues... crazy times with crazier people those! Was seeing myself with my family...gosh how I've changed from that bubbly, carefree child to being a responsible, more 'wiser' person that I've become... all those birthday parties and cakes and fun times... some of the best parts of my life.

What was to be a ten minute activity, took an hour to say the least. With the photos came out old letters and cards, some notes, few postcards...things that I had collected and other stuff that I had been given and cherished... so much love and warmth! I rediscovered myself. And quite liked who I am. :)

We don't realise how lucky we are or have been unless we take a step backwards and really look at what we had and have. I am thankful for all those moments and the people who made those times special! And to you too, who've been on my journey of blogging and sharing my nonsense and some more.

Define Love...?

2007-04-09T22:38:00.000+05:30

With a blog called Lovemarks, very often people think that it is easy for me to always talk of love or have a 'loving disposition' or am always this lovey-dovey creature... and one question I really cannot relate to is that of defining love. What kind of question is that anyway?!

I don't think love can be explained in a line or few words strung together...I cannot define or quantify love. Just cannot!

For how can I explain that feeling that makes me go beyond barriers, boundaries and beyond myself for someone else?

How does one explain what is that 'thing' that rises from within, consumes and then envelops you, before going beyond yourself for someone else?

What can one say of that feeling where one just wants to give everything of one's self whenever possible?

How does one express the confusion, ecstasy, madness, happiness, sadness, anger, frustration and so much more- all felt at one moment- one look- one touch- one harsh word- one betrayal?

Is it possible to explain why one so easily believes in fate and destiny, universal law and soul mates, the sun and moon, stars and planets- sometimes hopelessly praying or even begging them to consider your request?

What would one call that feeling that colours every thing around in one glowy warmth and transcends from yourself onto everything or everyone that passes by?

How does one describe the feeling that makes me believe in magic? And in fairies, moon dust, falling stars, walks in the rain, sitting by the beach and watching the sun go down, sharing a movie and popcorn, a long drive anywhere, a hug, a smile, a whisper, a wink, a look and thousand secrets shared then....

Can one define the feeling for anyone who's in your mind the moment that begins with your waking and resting and all the time in between, in your every breath, thought and sometimes word?

And can anyone ever describe that deep plunge the heart takes wherein you can feel the ground beneath, and then suddenly surges high to take you amongst the clouds...all by one special look by a special person?

There's more... but then again, how does one express all that is within when all you do is be silent and hold it within?

............. nah! This is not some delayed post-Valentine post, but something that is always current...Was reading the quote for the day on my blog... kind of interesting and goes with the topic too...just in case you still want me to define love, here goes one definition:
"Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life". Leo Buscaglia

*************************************************************************************************
ps: Had disappeared into my own La la land (which is not my blog always) for a while... but am back, for good! ;)

aaaaaah Rajasthan.... a tourist's paradise!

2007-02-01T00:12:00.001+05:30

Had an amazing experience as I travelled from Jaipur to Ajmer-Pushkar-Jodhpur-Bishnoi,Goda - Sardar Samand- Ranakpur- Nathdwara- Eklingji- Nagda-Udaipur and back to Jaipur. All in a week.

Am attaching some pics here. The rest can be seen, in better resolution, on: http://www.flickr.com/gp/75284714@N00/858UY3

Enjoy the experience and let it blow your mind! :)

Dad...

2007-01-14T21:45:00.000+05:30

Since you've gone…

All I have are memories

That I can call mine.

Since you've gone,

I've missed the comfort…

and the strength,

But I've managed fine.

Since you've gone…

Days have passed by

And this fledgling

alone,

has learnt to fly.

Since you've gone,

You no longer remained you…

Now you exist in me

And I, as you.

©Lovemarks.

Wrote this poem for a friend who's doing a choreography on women, and having in the background pictures of mothers and daughters, but with all those mothers passed away. Could not think of how to word this, until I thought of my father... so this poem is dedicated to him.
**************************************************************************************************
Guru bhai aayo re!!!

Last year saw Munnabhai and Gandhigiri, this year sees Gurukant Desai and Dhandagiri!

Caught 'Guru' over the weekend, and was surprised to actually get tickets so easily...Had heard so much from others that I didn't want to miss a chance to see it. I was not totally disappointed. Am not getting into details or the storyline, but will make a few observations.
- Mani Ratnam has created a larger than life image and picture. Good for him!
- The setting and decor are well taken care of.
- Abhishek Bacchhan has done a good job. At times, his voice is so like Big B that I had to make an effort to realise this is the baby. But to give him credit, he has surpassed his father in this movie...
- Ash can't act! Period. She's a pretty, make that extremely pretty face...and even Mani Ratnam could not manage getting the best of her. Although her dancing skills have improved tremendously.
- Saroj Khan's choreography is the same ghisa-pita one...nothing interesting and I also felt that it let down the magic of AR Rahman's voice and song of 'Tere bina'. And there are too many songs in the movie, which take away from it's essence- also the reality of the characters.
- The heroine was Mallika Sherawat- was a pleasure to see her move! :)
- Gulzar (although I abs love that man!) is losing his touch- though there were few lines in some songs that were brilliantly put together.
- The movie is about Dhirubhai Ambani all the way, inspite of the disclaimer put right at the beginning of the movie. They made a hero and a martyr of him, by acclaiming his methods of business done at any cost!

All in all, a movie worth a dekko- at least once!

2007-01-06T00:09:00.000+05:30

The edge of reason

Have you ever been on the edge
of being alive or dead...
wanting to cross over,
to the other side,
just to know what could lie ahead?

What was it that stopped you then?
The fear of knowing a fate irrevocable;
or a lack of courage...
that was greater
than the want so desirable.

Or was it a voice that called out to you?
That actually said nothing but you heard it somehow...
...a reassurance to your existence...
And maybe you stopped, only to turn to look at that noise
which seemed more exciting perhaps,
than to bear death's silence?

(C) lovemarks, 2007.

Is my country ashamed?

2006-12-28T12:54:00.001+05:30

Read a post on my friend Anil's blog, about this young girl, all of 17 only, who was tied up, gang-raped, beaten up, brutally (to say the very least) murdered. Her corpse was raped again and bars were shoved in her genitals, and face disfigured. Her mother suffered the same consequence. Her brothers were beaten, disfigured and killed. And in full public view. The girl was Priyanka Bhotmange, and she was an ordinary girl like any of us, with dreams of studying more, becoming a cadet and living happily ever after.

I read and re-read the post and all stories about her, saw some pictures that are making me cry even now... my skin crawled and I cringed trying to delete the scene from my mind. Yes, I want to erase all that I cannot bear, all that I don't want to know is happening around me, all that I know can happen to any one of us. I don't want to face the reality that this happened and it happened in this country and in my state.

Why am I writing about this 3 months down the line after the incident? Because I live in a self-contained world, with my own 'problems' and am having a cushy life. And happened to read, in detail, about this girl only now.

And do I care? Quite honestly, I don't know.... but then again, maybe, I do. Because I cannot explain why else am I feeling an immense anger that makes me want to castrate those men, cut off their limbs and leave them for dying. And also a terrible helplessness... for being who I am- a woman, who can be vulnerable at all times, never mind the fact who she is or how well-connected in society she is. Also not knowing what to do really.

Above all, I am ashamed...for being part of a country that on one hand worships forms of women and on the other massacres their very being, for living in a society that allows these men to scott-free by hushing the case and destroying the evidence. For being part of the brigade that beyond feeling shocked, angered and sad, will not spend more time than necessary on Priyanka.

And if this sounds like a confused post, it is.... because I don't know what I am feeling, where I stand and who I am anymore.

2006-12-23T11:53:00.000+05:30

One more cup tea please.

It was one of the evenings
that saw our feet comfortably resting
on armrests high.
As we ate bhajiyas over chai,
musing over what made us and our lives….
An overwhelming urge to sift through your hair
competed with looking deeply into those dark eyes.
Tempting it was too,
to run my fingers on your lips
As mine brushed your skin with many sighs…

And you talked to me…
Oh, how you called out my name…

You spoke,
I awoke.
A reverie broken...
…and the tea gone cold.

2006-12-17T10:53:00.000+05:30

Office staccatos

Out of my window is another world that I see
Through the glass and mullions is the place I rather be
You smile, as you see me dream…
and knowingly let me enjoy the moment
before I hear reality scream.

World AIDS Day.

2006-12-01T14:15:00.000+05:30

Be safe!

Dhoom(2)= doom... and kaboom!

2006-11-30T16:03:00.000+05:30

Played hookey at office and went to watch Dhoom 2. Not that I had intended to, was supposed to see Casino Royale but missed the show, so watched some 'Hindi action' instead. In one word, the movie is simply a 'masala bag' (hmm, that makes it 2 words)... there is abs no script at all! They've taken the best shots from 'The Saint' (oooh Val Kilmer!), 'After the Sunset' and 'The Bourne Identity' and made a movie.

Bipasha and Aishwarya are not really that much of eye-candy as they were supposed to be...Bips hardly has any role to play...Uday Chopra is funny. Period. Abhishek looks like he's gained weight only on his cheeks and has drunk one too many bottles of wine! The highlight, positive, star, hero and everything else is Hrithik! He fits the role perfectly...and has done a great job- looks amazing, dances well and shows plenty of muscle...sadly though, he has been wasted as the movie itself is a killer... the scenes don't make any logical sense, the bikes were forced into the movie as finally Dhoom 1 was all about ze bikes! Why can't our Indian film makers at least copy well!???

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Life is a riot! Literally!

Some statue of Dr.Ambedkar got desecrated in Kanpur, UP and the whole of Maharashtra has taken up arms! (Talk of national integration!)... In Mumbai, Pune, in between and other parts of the state, buses, cars, scooters, trains, malls, stores- every thing- have been either stoned, broken or burnt! It's a standstill situation everywhere...

Me thinks all these people ought to be shot on sight!

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Here's something I had written a long time back...

From My Heart to Yours

Would it be so difficult to understand if I said, "I love you"?

Maybe it will shock you,

then again maybe not...

We have come a long way, you and I

and the vicissitudes around us

have both changed and made us. . .

You seem an eternal part of me,

yet when I stand on the sandy shores of life

half rooted into the soil and also being dragged with the tide,

there is an unanswered question that arises

when I feel your presence

in your absence...

Are you really mine?

Or was it just you wearing robes of silver dreams

that I was furiously wishing for?

Maybe all of you is a dream. . .. .

So, would it be real if I said,"I love you" ?

And would you understand it to be true?

A long hiatus...

2006-11-22T21:17:00.000+05:30

...but one can't stop blogging!

It becomes an addiction, irrespective whether people read your blog, miss you when you were not active in the cyber world and even wonder where you have disappeared.

Currently am writing on 6 blogs- 3 of which are design-based. And all because the design activity in Pune has become a whirlwind affair that has literally catapulted the industry here.

I'm talking of the Pune Design Festival 2006 held obviously in Pune the last weekend. An unique thought process wherein for the first time the design industry has come together to build a foundation of professionals in the field and like-minded academic institutions and corporates. So the festival was conceived and executed by the Pune Design Foundation group, as of now comprising 9 design companies and 2 academic schools based in the city. My company being one of the design firms there. :)

The best part of this festival and foundation being established was the overall synergy within the design firms, as opposed to the normal competitive attitude most designers have. And the following statement is being made very objectively and not as a Punekari, but the attitude is a city-based one. When I used to work with a architecture magazine from Bombay, I used to often visit Pune and meet the architecture fraternity here and was amazed to see that there was(still is) a wonderful co-existence between the firms here. They would visit each other often, look at and share their views on the other's projects, gather as a group and talk design, share ideas, visit different cities and other architecture practices... something I've never seen people in other cities do. In Bombay, there are people who are close-knit and share work, but not to this extent.

Delhi is another topic altogether. The politically inclined city makes its views very strongly felt even in the design group. People are secretive, fiercely competitive, will not allow anyone go ahead of them, extremely insecure of their clients, work and space... leading to a society that is wary of every other person who is termed a 'designer'. They talk of knowledge-sharing on one hand, but will not disclose the name of their structural engineer, lest he be 'poached'!

And these views are being said out of experience and very close observation. An example that happened to ‘yours truly’… a Pune-based client asked my firm to be part of the ongoing work in terms of execution as it is convenient, economical and one can also keep a good check on the project if the design firm is from the city itself. We were asked to meet and collaborate with the designer, who’s based out of Delhi. We did meet him as designers first and were in turn met with silence, a very cold attitude and a sense of thousand walls coming up around and between us. Basically we realised that he felt we were competition to him! Then when we said the client asked us to meet, he was flabbergasted, sweated a bit and was in a hurry to leave…so we finally had to convey to him that we were only planning to execute his project and not take his job from him. That is when he relaxed, just a little bit, and muttered something to the effect that he may not mind and will get back. Phew!

Why are people so insecure? In a field that is only going upward and in leaps and bounds, there is definitely work for everyone. And finally is this not the age to come together and build?

Friday the 13th indeed!

2006-10-14T18:41:00.000+05:30

The only claim to fame for this day has been that when I was young and had gone visiting some family friends, I had no option but to watch 4 parts of Friday the 13th- all consecutively! And the darpok that I have been all my life, this day has always been imprinted in my mind- and the movie too! Yet, I have never been very superstitious in life and also always believed that Friday the 13th was my lucky day...after all 666 is one of my favourite numbers! ;)

But yesterday I experienced a very different side to the day- and the wrong side, for once! Had an appointment in the morning and there was too much work and correspondence to complete, so left in a hurry. Only to find out, and after reaching the place, that I had left my wallet at home. Told the guys to postpone the meeting later (I was the client so could afford to say that), went home,sped upstairs, got my wallet out and ran down to the waiting rick. Almost reached the venue when I found out that the wallet had no money nor my card! Great! Trooped back home immediately, searched, rearranged my stuff and got out- this time making sure I don't have to come back for anything at all. After all, the heat here is a killer!

The meeting went off fine. And I had to run some errands so did that and took a rick home. There the second crazy ordeal started. At the start itself, the rick guy dashed a scooter, had an argument, moved out, went ahead a bit and dashed a car, then went a little more and dashed another rick....and almost crashed into a cyclist- all with me in it! Too bizzare a situation for me, so I promptly changed the rick, but not before telling the madman to be off the roads-permanently!

Came home to find my refridgerator had conked off, the milk had got spoilt as had all the other foodstuffs. So I complained to the company (after all it's just a year old since I had bought that piece!) and asked for someone to come and get it repaired. Lo behold! By evening, the fridge suddenly sprang to life and this without any reason or work done on it. Which meant I had to shell out few hundreds for the 'visiting charges' of the company representative!

Just when I thought I could not take it anymore, I realised I was supposed to go for an architectural event at night. And there was soooo much pending work! Also, one of the first time that the food (for Tara) would not cook fast at all nor cool down either! I actually had to completely dress up, and then take Tara out for a walk and also run with her! All in all I managed somehow only to realise I was late for the event!

Got out, but no rick! And the only one I did manage to get was probably the slowest in Pune! Why is it that when you want to reach somewhere real fast, the universe conspires to ensure you are late? The one good point that happened was that the event had just started and I had the pleasure to listen to a good speaker! But then I found out that save for a few, who I could count on my fingers of one hand only, there was no one I knew and the ones I knew never turned up!

The day or rather night ended with me meeting a gay (but real sweet and happy) fashion designer who was desperately trying to sweet talk a friend to be his muse... and he was the one who finally dropped me home as there was no transportation available at all! The bad point of that being he was being latched onto by another guy who was extremely irritating and a lech to boot- and worse was that he seemed straight- which meant he was letching at me! And I had to literally suffer this fool gladly because he was accompanying the person who was dropping me home!

Phew! All in all it was a crazy day! But come to think of it, when you rewind the scenes, it was also fun...
So Friday the 13th, here's more to you! :)

2006-09-26T08:22:00.000+05:30

The shoe vs the sandal. (01/12/01.)

If it was a choice between her and me
With whom would u rather be?
A stranger for whom your love has just alit
Or someone who has seen you thru every bit
She may be glamorous, beautiful and bold
But isn’t old still gold!?
She may make your heart skip
But will she hold you when you trip?
Days and months will fly fast
Is it a lifetime that her love will last?
Choosing between us is of course your call
Although let me warn you… she will surely make you fall!

(C) http://love-marks.blogspot.com/

Nursery Rhymes alright!?

2006-09-13T14:33:00.000+05:30

Found myself wondering how morbid some of the poems/songs I had learnt,were. The childhood ones to be precise. And even more specifically, the English rhymes.

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Take for example, 'Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down, broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after!'. Poor Jack- imagine actually happening to a little boy- we'd have to call 911 asap! And imagine that poor girl coming rolling from the hill.....!!!

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Then there's 'Inky pinky ponky (please don't laugh on this one, we did learn it!)... Father had a donkey. Donkey Died, father cried. Inky Pinky Ponky!' As a kid too, I always felt bad hearing about the poor donkey....but understood it's significance much later.

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And, "Piggy on the railways lines, picking up stones. Down came an engine and broke Piggy's bones. "AAh", said the Piggy, "that's not fair". "Oh!" Said the engine driver, "I don't care!" Where have those animal activists gone? You teaching a kid to run over a pig and saying it's ok!?

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Some more:

"Barber, barber, shave a pig!How many hairs to make a wig?Four and twenty, that's enough!Give the barber a pinch of snuff"......

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Good night, sleep tight,

Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

And if they do, then take your shoe

And knock ‘em ‘til

They’re black and blue!

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"Goosey, goosey, gander,Whither shall I wander?Upstairs, and downstairs,And in my lady's chamber.
There I met an old manWho wouldn't say his prayers!I took him by the left legAnd threw him down the stairs."

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"Rock-a-bye, baby,in the tree top.When the wind blows,the cradle will rock.When the bough breaks,the cradle will fall,And down will come baby,cradle and all. "

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"My Bonnie lies over the ocean,My Bonnie lies over the sea.My Bonnie lies over the ocean,Please bring back my Bonnie to me.
Bring back,Bring back,Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.Bring back,Bring back,Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.
Last night as I slept on my pillow,Last night as I slept on my bed,Last night as I slept on my pillow,I dreamt that my Bonnie was dead.
Bring back,Bring back,Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.Bring back,Bring back,Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me"

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"Solomon Grundy,Born on Monday,Christened on Tuesday,Married on Wednesday,Took ill on Thursday,Worse on Friday,Died on Saturday,Buried on Sunday: This is the end of Solomon Grundy."

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Many of these rhymes have a significance/ an adult explanation of thoughts, but why introduce these thoughts to kids? As a child, I obviously never understood the nuances of the poems, but would feel bad while saying some, and didn't know why. Now, when I re-read them I realise the subtle negativity that flows through them, which sub-consiously stays on in the mind.

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And this is not to sound political correct. Neither is this post on the line of thought as those who think Enid Blyton and other children stories are racist, sexist or xenophobic.(now that thought is utter rubbish and I certainly do not agree with it- but that on some other post...)

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My question is, what on earth are these morbid poems doing in children's books and why are they taught in schools?

Echoes of the mind.

2006-09-05T00:04:00.000+05:30

Life's bits and pieces i pick up
fragments are all i see...
through passing days and many moonlights
only shadows remain with me.
*************
bittersweet memories
so like the coffee I drink
thoughts of you spilleth over
and more into the dark waters i sink...
*************
wounds heal but scars remain
till some things notch at the memory strings
and all one remembers is the pain.

Om Ganeshaya Namoh!

2006-08-31T19:42:00.000+05:30

Since I could not take pics of the Pune Ganpatis, am posting the one at home. We had decided to have a permanent 'sthapana' done of the Ganpati, keeping in mind the ecosystem,etc. Plus, the way the idols are thrown around here, I think it was a wise decision.

So the brass Ganpati is the permanent one. And since visarjan is a part of the puja, I make a small ganpati, either of clay or 'atta' (flour), and we have the visarjan at home itself. The orange Ganesh (in the pic below) is the one I have made- from flour and food colours...yes, completely edible! ;)

And we have a huge collection of Ganeshas- around 300 odd- from statues to prints, frames to masks, suparis to toys...they are all stored and displayed only during the festival... have not displayed all this time because of my dog, Tara, who's still too small to understand she's not supposed to eat them.

And am sharing few with you all.

A tale of two cities...

2006-08-28T22:43:00.001+05:30

Since childhood to about 2 years ago, whilst I was living in Mumbai, I always wanted to visit Pune to see how Ganesh Chaturti is celebrated here. Having heard so much from boastful friends and relatives, and also having seen part of it on TV, I was curious and in a way dying to be part of the 'cultural mela'. And looking forward to being part of the city that the entire state looked up in awe during these 10 days...

Till I shifted to Pune.
This being my second Ganeshotsav here, I slowly saw my wonderful visions of the rich culture and 'proper' conduct of the various Ganesh mandals existing in the city evaporate into shards of hard reality.

Last year, I thought I was being partial to Mumbai (which I am always, no matter what), by being critical. But this year, the story repeats itself.

Ok, now the 'what'. And this I'll say by comparing the way the festival is conducted in the two cities- Mumbai and Pune.

* In Mumbai, the pandals and decorations are ready one day prior to the Chaturti. Especially for the large Ganpatis and the famous mandals. In Pune, as of now, it is the third day and the decorations are still being done- leave aside opening the pandals to the public.

* Mumbai- The Ganesh murti is set up on the first day itself. No allowances made for any delay- the 'muhurat' is all pervasive.
Pune- The decorations are not complete, so how can you expect the Ganpati murti in it??? And this even for famous Ganpati mandals like the Dagdu Sheth. I happened to pass on Jungli Maharaj Road today and had seen about 4-5 large pandals- but all of them shut to the public- as work was still going on!

* Mumbai- The Ganpati statues are taken home and even submerged with a lot of respect. The way one covers the statue before the 'sthapana'. enters the home in a particular manner, leaves it with the back facing and more. Puneites couldn't care less (and I have seen quite a few, hence this statement!).

* Mumbai- Of course the sea is there, but in far off places, the small neighbourhood water tank, pond, lake,etc is cleaned and made available for the 'visarjan'. The BMC appoints people to collect the garlands and strictly do not allow any waste to be submerged with the statue. And the statues are submerged properly, with all the proper rites being done by the person who's sending off the God and also by the person who's taking it to be submerged.
Pune- Yes, the river is there and running full too. And an apparantly 'systematic method' or rather, as the Punekar would say, the eco-friendly method of putting the statues in specialised tanks filled with water. This is great, but the tanks never contain water till the third day, the statues are just thrown in, the garlands and other stuff dumped and there is no real 'visarjan' per se.

* Mumbai- Larger than life are the sizes of the Ganpatis. And many of them existing since years. And they also have timings and huge crowd gatherings to see them off. But there is no ego hassle- especially of who goes first and who follows. While leaving, everybody goes as one- the visarjan is done together and everyone is happy.
Pune- There is a strict protocol followed. The top five Ganpati Mandals move first, get to do the visarjan and then only can the others follow. Even with the top five, there is a heirarchy of sorts- which means that without the first moving, the second one cannot follow or lead. And in tow are the various dances, 'rangolis' being put in front and more- great fun to see- but when you think of the others behind, you only wish these guys would hurry up!

* Mumbai- Timings are adhered to- especially because it is a procession of the God. And despite the public gatherings, all the visarjans happen on the last day- nowadays majorly by 10pm. And those going after 10pm are silent in their processions and conduct.
Pune- When the Ganpatis arrive three days after they should have, you know they are justified when they have the visarjan three days after. And time??? "What's that? Let the first royal mandal move- and since they are taking their own sweet time to cross few steps forward, don't blame us for immersing our statue after a day or so- that is when we will manage to reach the water body!"

The smaller details like Mumbai being more cosmopolitan and every person following the religious activity with sincerity is not much to talk about.

And yes, despite all the lovely show that Pune puts up, I realised it is finally just that- a show. Quite a flop one at that.
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Just started a new blog on architecture, design, technology and more. Called Design-o-logy. You can check it here: http://design-o-logy.blogspot.com/
Also will be starting my own travel blog soon. The name is Wanderlogue and the link being http://wanderlogue.blogspot.com/

KKK...

2006-08-21T22:50:00.000+05:30

Not much of a tv serial watcher, but must say that Ekta Kapoor's optimism in the human race is tremendous. Take for example, Kabhi Saas Bhi Bahu Thi... There are actually 6 generations of one family under one roof... and going with the average age of the youngest being around 18 or so, I guess the oldest should be well above 120! And none of them need botox, tucks or lifts, anti-wrinkle creams or anti-ageing lotions! Now is that not a great achievement of humanity???!

I think, with the kind of TRP ratings this serial gets, everybody watching it is entitled to demand for this secret of the elixir of life from Ekta, so that they too can be young forever! Though there is one condition here that I see Ms.Kapoor putting to all people- that of staying in a joint family and to be filthy rich- because that is the only way the masala of life will get pisaoed well! Mmmm...I can actually smell the flavour of life coming through!

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The other K-man.

Saw Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna over the weekend. I must say, I was warned about how crappy it is and that I should not waste my money. But since I normally like to experience for myself, I took the plunge! And came out wet, of course, but not because it was a damp squib, but because I could not stop myself from crying.

The movie is real enough and has a mature concept. Love can come knocking at any given point, it's upto us to choose what our priorities should be. And also indicative of how the values of marriage have changed today, making us wonder if there is anything like a forever marriage.

The characters were well played, and I really liked Amitabh's character and his performance in this movie! And Aby's baby rocks too! All in all, it was fun, although a bit too long. And I happened to watch it at Infinity Mall in Mumbai, with seats that are like lounge chaises- large and comfortable enough to be able to sit cross-legged or sleep in it. That's the changing face of movies and theatre halls for you.

Ok and since I have been getting comments from people assuming I liked the movie because I wrote few good things about it, let me follow up with the negatives:

- Too long! Loads of scenes were not needed at all.

- That black beast meeting was really idiotic- KJ should not attempt comedy.

- I don't see the reason why Rani married Abhishek in the first place-marry for the sake of marriage and not for anything else. And friendship/pity/kids should be the last thing.

- And what is the problem between them that she had to turn towards Shahrukh- now a frustrated, mean guy, with no spine to boot?

- How come that kid looked so happy after his parents divorced???

- Abhi pyaar hua, ikraar hua- phir bhichad bhi gaye- to jaane do na. Why tell the spouses!???

Funny though it may sound, I still don't know if I liked the movie or no....

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Wrote some lines on my way to Bombay...they sort of sum up what I was thinking then, but are still incomplete. Anyway, here goes.

Bikhre bikhre pal yehan,
Kahan unhe dhoondoo?
Yeh na ho ke unke khoj mein
Kuch aur mera kho baithoo...

Tarassha hai jise kabhi mahfuuz hoke,

Yeh vakt ke churaye hue lamhe

Kya ik baar phir unse mil sakoo?

So, what does 'love' mean to you?

2006-08-07T10:36:00.001+05:30

'Love' today is such a common word in the phraseologies of today, with expressions like 'Ooh! I so lovvee this song/him/the food/the joint...' and ' Love you gal, thanks a ton!'...also, 'Hello/ Take care, luv!' being spouted at the drop of a hat! And if one is at a social do, all the more reason to have 'luhhhvv' being transferred to you on a honey-laden golden plate. It makes me wonder, do they really care so much or is this really love!?

The word 'love' is very sacred to me. And the name of my blog not withstanding, I choose to use it sparingly and definitely not for all and sundry! That's primarily because I feel that when I express love for/to some one/thing, I am duty bound and morally obliged to mean it. Also being acutely aware of the connotations, implications and responsibility the word has, I'd like to believe that since I said it, I am truly- from the depths of my heart- convinced that I do so... a conviction that holds me in good stead through all the trying times and doubting minds around...

That's why I ensure that when I tell someone 'I love you' (be it family, friend or otherwise), I actually feel the words come from my heart. And I am completely confident about what I feel when I say I do. This attempt to be honest and true to myself has led me to sign most of my mails/letters/cards with either 'warm regards', 'cheers!', 'take care!' and so on...emphasising that I do care, but not necessarily love them. This also helps me analyse my feelings and have the clarity of thought of love as compared to feeling/caring for/being sympathetic to someone and more.

And so, from saying 'I love to travel/watch movies/to read/to dance...' and 'I love design/photography/good food....' etc; I have learned to say, 'I enjoy travelling' or 'I'm passionate about design' ... expressing myself completely but yet not brandishing the word 'love'.

It may sound stupid, self-centred or even weird, but I know in the bargain I am being completely true to myself and the person I expressed love for. It's not a superfluous expression of society's norms but a revealation of my heart and soul. Something that is real and set in stone.

Love, for me, is being true to my soul. And for eternity.

Friendship: Fortune Forever!

2006-08-06T14:31:00.000+05:30

Wishing a very HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY to us all !
May there always be peace, happiness and trust around and within.... :)

Some thoughts to share... yes, a lil mushy post for the day... but what the heck! It's not always that this happens... and for those who think I've gone loony...well... just blame it on the rains! :)

EMPTY SPACES
What shall we use to fill the empty spaces,
Where we used to talk?
How shall I fill the final places?
How shall I complete the wall?
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Are we friends, or are we not?
You told me once, but I forgot
Tell me now, and tell me true
So I can say, I'm here for you.
Of all the friends I've ever met
You're the one I won't forget
And if I die before you do
I'll go to heaven, and wait for you
I'll give the angels, back their wings
And risk the loss, of everything.
Just to prove my friendship is true
To have a friend, a friend like you
-- Loren Heath, Friends
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A part of you has grown in me,
together forever we shall be.
Sometimes apart,maybe in distance
but never in heart.
-- Unknown.
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Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.-- Octavia Butler.
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If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are your waiting?-- Stephen Levine.
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If we discovered that we had only five minutes left to say all that we wanted to say, every telephone booth would be occupied by people calling other people to stammer that they loved them.-- Christopher Morley.
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I've learned in my lifetime so far that you can't help who you fall for and no matter how hard you try and how much it hurts you everyday that you just wanna be with them or just talk to them you never stop trying to make them happy by the little things you say or do because thats what makes your life worth going on for.-- Unknown.
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Sometimes in life, you find a special friend. Someone who changes your life just by being a part of it. Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop. Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it. This is forever friendship. When you're down and the world seems dark and empty, your forever friend lifts you up in spirit and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full. Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times and the confused times. If you turn and walk away, your forever friend follows. If you lose your way, your forever friend guides you and cheers you on. Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay. And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete because you need not worry. You have a forever friend, and forever has no end.-- Unknown.
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A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain?-- Khalil Gibran
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When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.-- Henri Nouwen.
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I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.-- Robert Brault.
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The friendship between a man and a woman which does not lead to marriage or desire for marriage may be a life long experience of the greatest value to themselves and to all their circle of acquaintance and of activity; but for this type of friendship both a rare man and a rare woman are needed. Perhaps it should be added that either the man or the woman thus deeply bound in lifelong friendship who seeks marriage must find a still rarer man or woman to wed, to make such a three cornered comradeship a permanent success.-- Anna Garlin Spencer.
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Did anyone ever tell you
Just how special you are
The light that you omit
Might even light a Star.

Did anyone ever tell you
How important you make others feel?
Somebody out here is smiling
About love that is so real.

Did anyone ever tell you
Many times, when they were sad
Your e-mail made them smile a bit
In fact: It made them glad!!!

For the time you spend sending things
And sharing whatever you find,
There are no words to thank you,
But somebody thinks: You’re fine!

Did somebody ever tell you
Just how much they love you?
Well my dearest Online-Friend
Today I’m telling you !!

I believe that without a friend
You’re missing out on a lot.
Don’t be confused by
Friends and acquaintances,
There is a difference:
Because I care about you
-- Unknown.

2006-07-28T15:15:00.000+05:30

Every public gathering I see you looking
with bemused eyes, wanting to see the consequence

of your product

but not wanting to be there either…

Is it you or your imagery that brings them there?

Wouldn’t you like to know?

Every written word of yours

is there for all to see; And yet for you there is always

a large melee…You don’t see it as necessary

but you know you can't help people

the way they’d rather be…So tell me,

what goes on in your mind there,

when they all want a piece of you instead…

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Thursday- May 2, 2002

May there be love all around!

2006-07-14T23:49:00.000+05:30

“You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.”

Henry Drummond

Felt the need to share this quote with all. As I have mentioned once before, give rhymes with live.

Oh blimey!

2006-07-10T09:58:00.000+05:30

People who want to contact loved ones in Mumbai, please do so through this blog
http://mumbaihelp.blogspot.com/
*****************************************************************
I had said that 9th was a day of horrors... but will rephrase that for today-the 11th!
What has happened to my Mumbai!!!!??? :(
I hope all you blogger friends in Mumbai are ok! Leave a comment so I'll know.
For people trying home, please note all communications have been jammed.
For more news on the situation...http://www.ndtv.com/breakingnews/default.asp?refno=711200685054PM
***************************************************************
:(((((((((((
Yesterday was a time filled with horrors.
- Mumbai's citizens lost their mind and overrated the value of 'some mud'.
- This infectious disease spread and cast a dark shadow on the entire state as everything was shut down.
- Zizou (Zinedine Zidane) was shown a red card. What a sad way to exit for one of the greatest players of all times! :(
- France lost! (my post on the first day of the World Cup had foretold that France will definitely have a chance- inspite of all rooting for Brazil and Germany as the likely contenders. I was not too far from the truth- Damn! I should've been betting or better still, been a bookie!)
- I spent a sleepless night drowned by my own sorrows of this loss and the noisy clatter of the neighbour rooting for Italy... grrr!!!

Well today's a new bright day, there seems some semblance of sanity returning and routines being caught up with...also a glorious full moon night... and some friends' birthdays too... one of them being Harjee! So I guess it should be a happy day! :)

Have a great week peepulz!

ps; yes, my earlier post is pending. Will put it up soon... am trying to hunt for pics.
pps: yes, it was a good day- Zizou won the Golden Ball Award as the best player in the World Cup! :D

memories and more...

2006-07-01T10:07:00.000+05:30

I.
I was travelling through the city and crossing one of the many bridges that Pune has... running parallel to the road is a railway track. One does not often see trains on the track even though it is functional and used daily. But this day, I saw a train...and it would have been an ordinary moment, but for the fact that the train was a Mumbai 'local' in appearance. And just looking at a piece of stretched metal took me back to Mumbai and the memories spilled over... (sigh!)

II.
Likewise, a dog standing nonchalantly in the middle of the road (why on earth do they do that?!), reminded me of my trip in Ahmedabad. I had gone to cover some heritage properties for a feature in the magazine I was working for, all of which are couple of hours around Ahmedabad. I had stayed over at the architect- Hiren Patel's home (now a good friend too!) and we had planned the various routes and days accordingly. There were 3 heritage properties to be seen. Then Hiren was called to the first site urgently, beforehand. And his wife, her friend and I then made the trip to Balaram Palace.
The journey was fun and I got a lot of interesting tattle to hear about the city. As I was sitting in the front seat, next to the driver, (as I often love to do because it gives me a great view and I tend to sometimes take photographs too…) I had the complete road stretched out in front of me. And that is how the question came to my mind… why the hell do dogs sit/crap/eat and more in the middle of the road!? No, this was not something that came out of the blue, but because of what I saw. That day, the to and fro journey saw me seeing dead dogs on the road- 21 to be precise!!! I started counting after the 4th one… And normally get distressed by seeing one dead dog…and here with this phenomenal numbers, I was quite out of my mind and had become completely numb. Made me think Ahmedabad as the ‘city of dogs’ more than being the ‘land of peacocks’…
as of now, with the current political scenario, I realize that my thoughts were not very far from the truth.

III.
Balaram Palace lies in Palanpur, on the Abu road, close to the Rann of Kutch. Once a royal retreat of the Lohani Nawab family, it was converted into a heritage hotel and has been modified. My architect friend being responsible for its overall restoration. Lying amidst a forest area, the Palace gets a majestic view of the Aravalli Hills. Since I had come with the architect, and was doing a feature on the place, I was treated like royalty. And was made to stay in the Royal King’s Suite (now called one of the 4 Golden rooms). “This was where Amitabh Bachchan stayed when he was shooting for one of his movies…”, I was told conspiratorially. “…and Rekha was in the adjacent Queen’s Suite!”. WOW! Now that I was given an insight to one of the most famous gossip that has rocked India, and thinking that he had made my day by this piece of information, I was shown my suite. A large bedroom, overlooking the lawns and comprising of smaller rooms for changing, a smaller private ante-room before one entered the spacious bathroom, wherein I could dance too merrily… But what hit me most was the bed! The large 4-poster was so high, that one had to keep a stool to climb on to it! Yes, great for Amitabh, but not someone with my height of 5’3”! In contrast was the Queen’s suite, which had a cozy antechamber with a low seating of thick mattresses and quilts and a nice sensual smell to it… Not much to say here, except that I hardly could sleep on the bed because I was not used to being so elevated that I felt I could touch the high ceiling…

The trip overall, was wonderful... I was taken for an open jeep ride into the forest, which made me beg God for the chance to see the wildlife,which he very meanly did not comply to. (sniff sniff!) And I got to see the famouse Adivasi and tribal villages of the Gowala and Rabari tribes...amazing architecture for those interested! We were there for just an overnight stay, so I could not actually travel around despite wanting to do so...especially to see the Adalaj Wav(step-well), the Calico Museum or the Modhera Sun temple.

There’s more… my meeting a real king and queen and also seeing the Royal summer house of the Scindias… all in the next post!

Dastangoi.

2006-06-26T00:32:00.000+05:30

Peepulz... few friends from Delhi are the ones responsible for this play...One show was held at the NCPA- I've seen it, loved it and will recommend everyone to experience it at least once. Don't miss! And pass the word around please. They are having another show at Prithvi as as part of Naseeruddin Shah's Motley presentation of "Katha Collage".

Motley presents
Dastangoi: A Presentation of the Lost Form of Storytelling
(A Part of Katha Collage II)

The Sea of Eloquence – An Evening of Dastan-e-Amir Hamza

July 1 & 2, 2006 at 9:00 pm, Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Mumbai
Tickets available at Prithvi on the day of performance itself.

The oral narration of Dastan-e-Amir Hamza was a popular past time in most parts of Central, Western and South Asia and North Africa since medieval times. Originally composed in Persian, the Dastan-e-Amir Hamza describes the battles of Amir Hamza, the Prophet Muhammad’s Uncle, against infidels, sorcerers and other pretenders to divinity.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Dastan-e-Amir Hamza was singularly successful in entertaining a whole range of people, from the commoners at chauks and nukkads to the elites in their palaces; it was performed at the steps of the Jama Masjid where Dastangos gathered. While their neglect as literature is inexcusable, they have been wholly obliterated from the canon of performing arts. As anecdotes of Mir Baqar Ali, the last known Dastango of Delhi, testify, their performances required an exceptional command over rhetoric, delivery, mimicry, ventriloquism and spontaneous composition.

The present performance of Dastangoi builds upon some recent shows that were enthusiastically received in the Capital. The performance consisted of portions of the best-known daftar, or chapter, of the 46 volume Dastan-e-Amir Hamza, the Tilism Hoshruba, the ‘Enchantment that Steals away the Senses’, which is itself in seven volumes.

The performances have come about as a result of a collaboration between S.R. Faruqi, the foremost living authority on these Dastans and the only person to possess a full set of all the 46 volumes, and the performers. Faced with neglect and systematic devaluation we now have very scanty evidence for the way in which these Dastans were compiled and performed. Even basic things such as movements, gesticulation, stage setting are wholly unknown. The current performance is therefore merely an exploration of an Art form which, astonishingly in a culture where poetry was regarded as the supreme art, was considered by some to be of a higher order than poetry itself.

Dastangos were supposed to be a repository not just of language, common speech as well as literary, but also of social mores, craftsmanship, and all other forms of knowledge.The Dastangos of old performed in an oral culture where memory, sound and directness were much prized. As modern actors we neither have skills to memorize whole daftars, nor the inventiveness to do spontaneous and extempore improvisations which are the hallmark of oral performances.

See also: The Dastangoi blog.

Mahmood Farooqui is a self-trained actor and performer whose most recent foray into acting consisted of a role in Mahesh Dattani’s English film, Mango Soufflé. Initiated into theatre as a schoolboy, and as stage manager, by Mohan Maharishi, former director of the National School of Drama, he directed several plays at school and college, and prepared for the final entrance workshop of the NSD, before founding his own amateur theatre group called Dastak Theatre. After completing his M Phil in Indian History from Cambridge University, Mahmood went to Mumbai and performed in IPTA’s Aakhri Shama and the Company Theatre’s Hindustani presentation of Rosencratz and Guildenstern are Dead. Earlier this year, he was given a Fellowship by Sarai, CSDS to work on the Dastan-e-Amir Hamza.

Danish Husain has done theatre with the best names in the country - Habib Tanvir, M.S. Sathyu, Barry John, Rajinder Nath, Sabina Mehta Jaitley, Aziz Quraishi, et al in a wide variety of roles. His latest assignments include a play called Raja by Rabindra Nath Tagore and a movie, Losing Gemma, by Granada Productions for a British TV Channel called ITV. He also performed at Bonn Theatre Festival in May 2006 as part of Habib Tanvir’s Agra Bazaar troupe. Besides being an accomplished actor Danish is a poet and a writer, whose work has been published across a cross-section of media, including Tehelka and other journals. He is a member of few collaborative blogs and a writer's group called Wriyaz supported by the British Council. Danish holds a Master's degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics and an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi.

2006-06-20T12:00:00.000+05:30

The paper lantern now hangs
outside my window
a vain attempt of display…
of stoicism…
Struggling…as it suspends itself
…fighting…against the might of the winds
that have
conspired to tear it down…
surviving….all odds
…torn and in shards
never giving up…
won’t ever, I know…
not until I choose to discard…

...these remnants of our friendship…

my tryst with hindi...(part1)

2006-06-12T10:30:00.000+05:30

had written the following at different junctions of life...some were sms that I had sent,many (rather most) were part of mails I used to send a friend and the others just random thoughts -all straight from the heart!

(ps: mucho apologies to all those hindi/urdu 'stars' urf 'poets'...have never claimed mastery over the same although some words just cannot be expressed in any other language!)

kya kare......jaan atki hai is kaidkhaane mein.

Ud bhi nahi sakte aur bhaag nikal

bhi nahi sakte ....

Yeh na poocha kabhi humse

ki humne kya khoya hai

Bas yunhi maan liya tumne

ki humne paaya hai....

Kya humne banaya voh humara nahi?

To phir kyun lagta hai ki hum the jaha

ab bi hai vahi........

Yeh maahol hume maar daalega,

aur hum khakh kya jee rahe hai?

Zindagi se badkar hai humara zameer....

par jab zindagi hi na ho,

to hum kya cheez hai!

(written when i was really frustrated with office!)

*****************************************************

Hai tumhe pyaar

ki na koi kadar

paagalpan pe utar aaye hum,

teri chaah mein o bekhabar....

dil se aah nikli meri

jab gusre ham teri dagar….
**********************************************
Jhuki hui nazron ne kya ada chala di

Hum baithe rahe intezaar mein in hoton ki

Par aapki aankhon ne har baat keh di…
************************************************
Hum mashoor na sahi…

shayar to ho gaye

tumne kya jadoo kar diya,

hum hum na reh paye….

***********************************************

zindagi mein log bahut mile

kuch pyar kuch 'fool' khile

magar kasam us khuda ki

aap jaise paagal bahut kam mile!

*************************************************

tera mail dekha

poem pada

...par...

zubaan se labs na aaye

dil bhar aaya

aankh bhar aayi.

..kyunki...

tere jaisa yaar laakh duaon ke baad aaye

(for a dear dear friend called 'S')

*******************************************************

Aap aur aapka cell, kabhi saath nahi hote...

Voh hoti to aapka mere sms pe reaction kaisa hota,

Aap kuch baat par hairan hote,

aur kuch baat par kitne haste...

Aap hote to voh aise maayoos na hoti...

(A take-off on Mein Aur Meri Tanhayee ..a la Amitabh Bachchan)

*******************************************************

Purane dost mil gaye to naye bhula diye...

yaad bhi na aye to hum chale gaye...

Kisine poocha bhi nahi kahan ko chal diye

Kya laut ke aaoge yeh poochna bhi naseebwaale le gaye...

*******************************************************

jhoomti hui badalon ki yeh kahani

le gaye hume ek daur purani

barasne lage hum pe bhi woh barish aur uski dhun

ehsaas hua...ae ajnabee to socha...

is barsaat ke dil ki dhadkan bhi le sun...

(A post on Harjee's blog- check for the link on the sidebar.

Harjee....Sirjee... ab boliye ji! hehe)

*******************************************************

these are some that I culled out through books and whatever I had saved, the rest later...

What a KICK OFF!!!

2006-06-10T00:41:00.000+05:30

If there's any sport I am really passionate about, it's football! Even though I am a die-hard fan of F1, there's nothing that compares to Football, at least not for me!

Well, the opening round has seen Germany beat Costa-Rica 4-2... believe it or not- I actually predicted all goals perfectly, including Germany's win, except for the last goal, which was a free kick even for me. I was on the phone with M and started betting with him from the moment Germany got their first goal. Predicted Costa Rica would get their first to even the score, then Germany would go on to make it 3-1, with Costa Rica managing their second....but I predicted that Germany would win 3-2... which happened to become 4-2... tch! But I realised, I'm not bad at all with predictions...so me thinks that me should get into full-time betting- at least will ensure a good amount of moolah! :)

Football being the team game it is, is always watched with friends and their friends.. so the last time, the venue happened to be my home. And we had people pouring in at all times, mornings, afternoons, during lunch or tea breaks, evenings, after office, dinner time... we had 15-20 people, some of whom I was not even well acquainted with, watching, cheering, bad-mouthing, guzzling beer like no tomorrow, going crazy with every goal.. amazing amount of fun!!!!!!! This year, I watched it alone with Tara, who really took to it... me thinks (again) that she's going to grow up just like me...hehe.

The World Cup always reminds me of Dad. And times spent with him. He being a good sportsman himself, would watch every sport, and every match- be it cricket, football, tennis.... and Football World Cup times were the ones I cherish the most... long nights spent with eyes glued on the television till they hurt, eating midnight snacks, while he innundated me with information on the various facets of the game and the players.... times that we spent together, just him and me... I miss those good ol'days....and I miss him too...terribly.

I had wanted desperately to go to Germany to watch it, but couldn't afford it really... so maybe after four years, the next world cup...hopefully it will be in Brazil. So want to see that country! Brazil, Italy, England and France happen to be countries I really like- for architecture and design, food and fashion and of course- football! Not to mention the language and culture!

Well, the fever has just begun....lets wait till it hits the roof! :) My bets are with France, although Brazil has all the stars! What do you think???

ps: the pic happens to be of Ballack, captain of Germany. I think he's cute... and so is Michael Owen, Zidane (so love his name too), Lehmann... Yea! Even Beckham, although he's been done to death with over-publicity.

2006-06-07T09:09:00.001+05:30

I write
because I want to?
Is it that only
or a feeling of compulsive commitment
to an existence perhaps…
…maybe to keep the wheels of the mind churning
forever? A possibility?!
A gamut of feelings
that need to be expressed …?
to someone or for anyone
or is it for me then?
Do I die,
when the writer in me
no longer exists?
Or when the situation
ceases to inspire….?
Is it the anathema of
being lonely versus being alone?
listening to silence is bad enough
so I’d rather hear my own voice!?
I guess…
and that’s why I write?
Maybe because I need to….?

06-06-06
6.51pm.

06/06/06

2006-06-06T09:23:00.000+05:30

(oh yes! I knew you guys would be expecting a post on this one...hehe)

The number 666 holds great interest for me... especially because it represents my birth number 18, and of course considered by many the number of the Devil. Now if we look at the word 'Devil' it is 'Lived' spelled backwards and 'Evil' is "live"... so my understanding of the same is that it signifies people who were very forward in their thinking and also lived life according to their understanding and rules- which was against the orthodox doctrines of society... so they were considered evil or even possessed by the Devil.

But in this timeline of 2006, the definition of evil has changed and become really menacing and dark- with people harming each other badly and the natural habitat of this world.

Got this piece of info from Jonathan Cainer's site:

"A passage in the Book of Revelations suggests the number 666 is a mark of the devil. Many experts reckon it's a coded reference to a Roman emperor. They also think the original number was 616 and the middle digit in was accidentally misread by a shortsighted scholar, during a candlelit manuscript copying session. On 06.06.1906, nothing much happened, and nobody notorious was born. June 6 1806 passed without incident too. So, unless you suffer from Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (fear of the number 666) there's no need to worry about today's date, even at six minutes and six seconds past six! "

But then again, read this:

Is "www" in Hebrew equal to 666?
YES. . . and. . . NO.
NOTE: "www" is the acronym for world wide web and is normally used as the prefix, or first node of the Internet domain names, such as www.av1611.org
FIRST. . . The YES.
How to get 666 from www?
The Hebrew and Greek alphabet does not have separate characters or alphabets for numbers and letters. Letters are also used as numbers. So each letter is a numerical value. The Hebrew equivalent of our "w" is the letter "vav" or "waw". The numerical value of vav is 6. So the English "www" transliterated into Hebrew is "vav vav vav", which numerically is 666.

So that makes all of us Devils.... :)

I'm sure that does away with the scary thoughts- so enjoy the day! :)

ps: if you want more info on the numerical understanding of the number (which is really interesting just to read), check this link: http://users.aol.com/s6sj7gt/mike666.htm

A shower of love....

2006-05-31T11:54:00.000+05:30

Yesterday- 30th May- was a wonderful day! Not only was it the birthday of one my closest, bestest and one of the most loved person (M), but to commemorate the celebrations- it rained... actually, it poured! :)
It began at 12.15 am till the wee hours in the morning and then poured really heavily from 6pm onwards... we happened to go see the Da Vinci Code (more on that in my next post) and when we got out, the heavens were pouring down... So much so that every turn we took on our bike, the rain seemed to follow us strongly there...and just when we thought we managed to avoid it, we'd be suddenly drenched face-on! But I really loved it...was so much fun! And I love Pune in the rains...feels like a hill station with cool breeze (a respite from the sweltering heat of 40 degrees!) and overcast sky.... :) ... Now's the perfect time for that cuppa o'hot chocolate and warm razais! hehe.

Like I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts, it was a sign... otherwise why would it rain only when M's birthday would begin... like it happened on saturday night, when I was sitting on Carter Road, Mumbai and praying hard that it would rain as apparantly I had happened to miss it when it had drizzled earlier that week in Pune as well as Mumbai. And just then, only for those few mins (from the time I sat on carter road till I got into a rick- roughly 15 mins) it rained, as if my wishes were being answered! And since I happened to be with a friend whom I always associate the rain with(during our most upsetting moments or the best, it has rained - that too unexpectedly and not even during the season), it was even more a sign from the heavens above!

Ok, now for some few lines I had penned on the rain - different times, different moods...

***********************************

Tilt my head up and feel it on my face,

lips and tongue...

rain that falls through soft laden clouds

Love that pours from the sky...

(sigh)

that it blows the mind...

oh!

what a glorious high!

***********************************

Pitter Patter goes the reggendrupple softly

on the sleeping leaves

Darting and jumping over roofs merrily

with wind-clad hoofs....

Hark! Say the birds,

don't disturb us so,

Let the song and dance accompany

the ones on their way home...

***********************************

Red sky night and a yellow moon...

Hear the call of a distant lune.

Love calls as a longing sigh,

as raindrops trickle

on my face from yonder high....

***********************************

hours of darkness...

2006-05-25T01:44:00.000+05:30

thoughts float across the mind
as I look
outside the window
with the earth gone into a temporary dark blind

not a sound I hear
except of automation...
and my heart beats
fluttering with excitement and fear

in anticipation
of moments to come
and times to be crossed
a temporary gestation
before the dawn breaks out
and the blinds get drawn
while my beating heart withdraws
and calms
in the knowing
of luck
that another day has been got.

- May 25,2006
Thursday
1.00am

LET US BE!

2006-05-22T01:35:00.000+05:30

This is with respect to the recent news in the Times Of India newspaper that India has been irked by few comments made by the Pope on conversions and racial discriminations. Please check the link (click on the title of the post).

Will share a small incident that happened when I was in architecture college. We were a group of 4-5, in our last year of college, who had stayed over at a friend's place to study and complete our projects together. My friend's mom is a teacher at a school for mentally challenged kids and so everyone knew her in the neighbourhood. One afternoon, a Jesuit nun, accompanied by a small child, paid us a visit. Of course, my friend’s mom asked her in and was chatting up with her... we girls happened to be in the living room and taking a break from our hectic routine. In the course of the chat, the lady starts condemning the Hindu religion and begins preaching about the positives of being what she is.

We were taken aback at first, but in a while could not taken it anymore. And asked her to leave. She began speaking more aggressively and telling us that we will suffer as we are not following the true god. To which we replied that we have tremendous respect for all religions and all gods, and there is no god in any religion who says that a person be forced to believe in him...esp. as all religions preach and practice love and tolerance. And not only that, we also happen to visit the temple, dargah, gurudwara and church with equal fervour. And celebrate Christmas, Diwali , Eid, Navroze and Vaisakhi together…we have never made friends on the basis of who is what and why. On which the lady really took off and said how is that possible and how can we compare all other religions to Christianity.

So we then literally had to force her out. But before leaving, we asked her few (rhetorical) questions (of course she didn’t reply)- Why not let people be what they are and follow whatever they want to? And is this what you are trying to teach this young child (who was with her) and our generation next- to thus discriminate between people?

I also believe no other country is as religiously tolerant as India. I mean, c'mon, where else do we have separate laws for people based on their religious tendencies!? On top most of the people have lived with each other for centuries now...happily too! And the only religious madness we have in the country is politically motivated, and does not in anyway stem from it's people. We also have public holidays for each festival of every religion- which other country has that?

No offense meant to anyone, but this is one issue that really irritates the hell out of me! Why don’t people just let others be? And also leave India to its own battles and not make it a religious issue every time? Not only the world, our own politicians need to be told the same- leave religious sentiments aside- that is personal- and I’m sure no one likes their personal preferences be made into a world war.

And India is a land of converts-in fact why just India, the whole world is. Converts of: land, faith, religion, sexual preferences, gender, principles, human nature, physical appearance, economical and social stratas, educational and professional backgrounds, love and friendship and also enemity.... of life itself. Are we going to stop the whole world from being the way they are?

In the midst of tsunamis, earthquakes, global warming and more, should we really spend time on keeping a check on someone else's faith and tendencies thereof?

And to what end? Isn’t death the only inevitability?

in the Pink of Floyd-part1.

2006-05-19T17:50:00.000+05:30

One of my fave fave bands... and some of their great songs that I like- not just lyrics but also the music and overall 'sound' of it...Am taking one album at a time- starting with Division Bell.

COMING BACK TO LIFE

(my ultimate 'hot chocolate with rain' song. this one's too close to my heart to express...)

Where were you when I was burned and broken

While the days slipped by from my window watching

Where were you when I was hurt and I was helpless

Because the things you say and the things you do surround me

While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words

Dying to believe in what you heard

I was staring straight into the shining sun

Lost in thought and lost in time

While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted

Outside the rain fell dark and slow

While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime

I took a heavenly ride through our silence

I knew the moment had arrived

For killing the past and coming back to life

I took a heavenly ride through our silence

I knew the waiting had begun

And headed straight...into the shining sun

KEEP TALKING

(a good one that goes with Universal Realms 2 and 3 in my earlier post)

For millions of years mankind lived just like animals

Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination

We learned to talk

There's a silence surrounding me

I can't seem to think straight

I'll sit in the corner

No one can bother me

I think I should speak now (why won't you talk to me)

I can't seem to speak now (you never talk to me)

My words won't come out right (what are you thinking)

I feel like I'm drowning (What are you feeling)

I'm feeling weak now (why won't you talk to me)

But I can't show my weakness (you never talk to me)

I sometimes wonder (what are you thinking)

Where do we go from here (what are you feeling)

It doesn't have to be like this

All we need to do is make sure we keep talking

Why won't you talk to me (I feel like I'm drowning)

You never talk to me (you know I can't breathe now)

What are you thinking (we're going nowhere)

What are you feeling (we're going nowhere)

Why won't you talk to me

You never talk to me

What are you thinking

Where do we go from here

It doesn't have to be like this

All we need to do is make sure we keep talking

POLES APART
(know many people I can sing this song too...and haunt! hehe)

Did you know...it was all going to go so wrong for you
And did you see it was all going to be so right for me
Why did we tell you then

You were always the golden boy then

And that you'd never lose that light in your eyes

Hey you...did you ever realise what you'd become
And did you see that it wasn't only me you were running from
Did you know all the time but it never bothered you anyway
Leading the blind while I stared out the steel in your eyes

The rain fell slow, down on all the roofs of uncertainty
I thought of you and the years and all the sadness fell away from me

And did you know...

I never thought that you'd lose that light in your eyes

days full of emotions...

2006-05-15T22:06:00.000+05:30

Spent this weekend going thru a myriad emotions, nuances and thought processes....and many people... the same being expressed below....

Universal Realm-1.
Bored am I!
Why should I listen to thy?
Just to say 'my-o-my'
How well you manage to lie!?

Universal Realm-2.

A day of rush and haste

maybe partly gone to waste

Noises reverberate more as a din

All I can do is bear and grin...

and put up my chin...

Times lost and moments gone

Is making me oh so forlorn!

When will I learn my lessons well?

And learn to live and not just dwell....

Universal Realm-3
Strangers all
whichever directions I see...
A few familiar and loved faces
amidst these fishes in the sea
All remind me of the person
I thought I was but not anymore....
And of dreams and nuances of yore
A cold wave
spreads through my being
As I find myself distant
from these souls living...
Life has brought me to a full circle
of emotions....
Giving me part hope and despair in portions....

Universal Realm-4
Life plays games
that are hard to decipher
Makes you see otherwise
and bear
things you actually don't want to hear

Everybody has their own reasons
for being the way they are
and when you think
you finally have understood,
they change,
with the passing seasons...

Have fun while the company
of the friend can last
and forget the rest
seems to be the mantra of now
never mind the broken heart
you leave behind
and shards of a wanton past

Its so easy to say
you don't care anymore
that you need to live
and not be bound
and to believe

that distances are a must...
the more they are....
the less you pay.

Saw love transform
and become
someone else
us became you and me
and the 'I' got lost
someplace else
suddenly
the void appeared;
to say ,
you are not needed
anymore
go back to where
you're from

So what happens
to love
that lasts through
rollercoaster of feelings

and behaviour
growing stronger
as time passes...
living to give
completely,
as the only way it can
exist or will do.

A high spirit am i....

2006-05-11T23:56:00.000+05:30

A weekend plus beginning of the week and a weekend back in Mumbai... may these days never end! :)

Was a chilled out weekend as saturday night was spent at Red Box in Bandra (where Fluid/Golden Orchid was) with A and S (loves of my life, one from mumbai and the other from delhi)... some yum pasta and just abt ok pizza, with a nice bottle of le vino to drench our poor parched ‘alcohol-free for months’ throats... and of course me being the lucky soul who got gifts galore (oh! how I love these two for it...tee hee!) and was fabulously entertained too with the back n forth 'sweet' namecalling that these two always do to each other... went on to see Pink Panther- and we rolled with laughter!!!!!!!!!

I so specially found the scene where the two camouflage themselves and then dance later, really cool! A late nightcap after the movie saw us bringing in ‘A’s’ birthday and us cutting the pastry on carter road, hanging on and singing till 2am, creating oneliners of poems- each contributing a line… waah waah! (VERY SERIOUSLY SAID, MIND YOU!)… dahlinggs A & S, don’t mind me putting up our stuff, but I had to…

Yellow moon over the sea’ (me)
‘Gliding the waves as far as I can see’ (S)
‘Bringing tranquility to you and me’
‘Wishing it could last an eternity’……..
…..’Exercise Regularly’

(giggle)

Sitting beneath a carpet of stars (S)
Wondering if there’s life on mars (me)
Past the hush noise of eavesdropping cars (S)
Wouldn’t I like unlocking nature’s jars! (A)
I wonder, how much chocolate goes in making 2 bars? (me)

Were we drunk or were we drunk… in the magic of the moonlit sea…I guess it was also within each other…."I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."... Oh! But you know, when the going gets on and the company is great, another bottle of wine does wonders to the soul, ain’t it??? ;) Which is what we did… drink wine and be merry….till the wee hours of the morn hearing a pesky koel trying to wake those who wanted to sleep…us!

The next morn was too kool. A hurried breakfast and off we went to see Ice Age 2 at the new PVR theatre in Juhu. I abs loved the movie (liked the first one better….) then browsed thru at Crossword and ogled at Twinkle Khanna (what amazing skin!!!!) and more at her son (light eyes, handsome face….damn cute! Pity he’s still a kid!)…. And then an afternoon siesta.... snoreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (aah bliss! off to dream land...)

Evening, S and I browsed some more, this time Oxford at Churchgate. I bought some real cool books…two of them almost sounding similar and are to an extent like each other… all about food, sensuality and seducing! Voila, men beware! If you like what I cook, you are the one next on the hook! ;)

The long nice drive back home (was picked up by sis, jiju and nephew and to cut traffic we went from the inner roads past the dockyards and the industrial shed areas) was jolted when my nephew asked. ‘why are we passing through a gaon?’. And we were like ‘huh! Yeh kya bol raha hai?’…. and he continued, ‘…there are lots of trees here na, no buildings, all small small ones…’. From a 5-year old’s keen observation, it is apparent that the urbane life has no place for nature…. And this young generation will grow up on this sad premise that cities have only cement matchboxes piled high, and trees and low-rise structures are meant to be for the villagers!

An irony to the night before and earlier afternoon where we were free souls abandoned by the clutches of responsibilities and so blissfully unaware that Mumbai is still a gaon in places(yay!)…. Thank god for small mercies!

I follow the night

Can't stand the light

When will I begin to live again

One day I'll fly away

Leave all this to yesterday

What more could your love do for me

When will love be through with me

Why live life from dream to dream

And dread the day when dreaming ends

One day I'll fly away

Leave all this to yesterday

Why live life from dream to dreamA

nd dread the day when dreaming ends

One day I'll fly away

Fly fly away...

ok... the Loony Moon is signing off now. Esp as it's her time to be ''all grown up''...and she'll be back with more gory details once this weekend is done...;)

Till then...universes of love, laughter and magic (with some silver fairy dust too) wished for you! Ta!

FOR YOU, MY DEAREST POOH!

2006-05-09T10:39:00.000+05:30

"How do you do Nothing?" asked Pooh.
"Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it,
`What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?'
and you say, `Oh, nothing'
and then you go and do it.
It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."
.............................................
"I'm not going to do Nothing any more." "Never again?" "Well, not so much. They don't let you."
********************************************************************

How can you get very far,
If you don’t know Who You Are?
How can you do what you ought,
If you don’t know What You’ve Got?
And if don’t know Which To Do
Of all the things in front of you,
Then what you’ll have when you are through
Is just a mess without a clue
Of all the best that can come true
If you know What and Which and Who
- The wise way from the 'Tao of Pooh'

***********************************************************

Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie,

A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly.

Ask me a riddle and I reply

Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie.

Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie,

Why does a chicken?

I don't know why.

Ask me a riddle and I reply

Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie.

Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie,

A fish can't whistle and neither can I.

Ask me a riddle and I reply

Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie.
************************************************************

"You can't stay in your corner of the forest, waiting for others to come to you; you have to go to them sometimes."
Winnie the PoohPiglet, Pooh's Little Instruction Book
********************************************************
“Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you”
- Winnie The Pooh
*************************************************************
“When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you sometimes find that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.”

"Pooh, promise you won't forget about me, ever. Not even when I'm a hundred." Pooh thought for a little. "How old shall I be then?" "Ninety-nine." Pooh nodded. "I promise," he said.
***************************************************
"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you.”

***********************************************************************
Piglet sidled up behind Pooh. "Pooh," he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you."
*******************************************************

"Some people care too much, I think it's called love...."
Winnie the Pooh
********************************************
The Pooh Song
On Monday, when the sun is hot I wonder to myself a lot:
Now is it true, or is it not,
That what is which and which is what?
On Tuesday, when it hails and snows
The feeling on me grows and grows
That hardly anybody knows
If those are these or these are those.
On Wednesday, when the sky is blue,
And I have nothing else to do, I
sometimes wonder if it's true
That who is what and what is who.
On Thursday, when it starts to freeze
And hoar-frost twinkles on the trees,
How very readily one sees
That these are whose-
but whose are these?
On Friday- (nt complete becos of an interruption by kanga)
*************************************************************
Us Two
Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.
"What's twice eleven?" I said to Pooh,
("Twice what?" said Pooh to Me.)
"I think it ought to be twenty-two."
"Just what I think myself," said Pooh.
"It wasn't an easy sum to do,
But that's what it is," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what it is," said Pooh.
"Let's look for dragons," I said to Pooh.
"Yes, let's," said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few -
"Yes, those are dragons all right," said Pooh.
"As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That's what they are," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what they are," said Pooh.
"Let's frighten the dragons." I said to Pooh.
"That's right," said Pooh to Me.
"I'm not afraid," I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted , "Shoo!
Silly old dragons!" - and off they flew.
"I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he,
"I'm never afraid with you."
So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,
"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True,
It isn't much fun for One, but Two
Can stick together," says Pooh, says he.
"That's how it is," says Pooh.

00:00

2006-05-04T15:53:00.000+05:30

Got this message from a friend : 'On May 4, 2006 at 2mins and 3 seconds past 1am, the time and date will read as 01:02:03:04/05/06. An event that will not happen again.'
Got me thinking on the power of 'suggestion of magic'... and how everyone is searching high and low for the universe to make their wishes come true. And yes, I am a big believer in making wishes to the sun, moon and stars and all those yonder constellations and every day/night I keep asking them 'mera number kab aayega!?'

Well speaking of numbers and magic and signs from the universe... I have noticed many things happening around me that have sort of made my beliefs stronger... Like for instance, I was really upset because I had not heard from a friend for real long... and for weeks.... all the communication would be one-sided- mine. Then one day, out of desperation, I literally begged the world above my head to grant me a break and show a sign that he cares... a mail, letter, sms, call...anything. And within ten mins I got a call from him! This by the way has happened too many times for me to say it is coincidental.

That apart, there have been times when there have been major changes in my life and too many lows as compared to the highs...and every time things started getting balanced out, I would always land up seeing the same numbers on my watch... 12:12 or 10:10 or 00:00.. and when things would get slightly better the times I used to look at the watch invariably were the times when the watch would read 12:13 or 10:11 or 00:01 (one ahead)... At first I thought these were too uncanny and part of my imagination... but as it kept happening (and still does), I realised these are signs that the universe is sending me...all I need to do is keep my eyes and ears, and most importantly my mind and heart open.

I remember reading the Alchemist and understanding a lot of what was said in that book about signs. A lot of people I know pooh-poohed the book and said its all hogwash and nonsensical jargon that should not be read...but it's not what was written, but what was being conveyed, which was of importance.
There is magic happening all around, with every breath we take... Only we give different names to it....

Lewis Carroll's Alice...in Wonderland?

2006-04-28T23:14:00.002+05:30

One of my all-time favourite books remains Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll. I absolutely love the poems and words/quotes said... Few that were put up some time back in one my earlier posts.

One of the most cherished verses have been

'...but I cannot explain myself, I'm afraid...

because I'm not myself you see...

In Spring,when the leaves are turning green,

I'll try and tell you what I mean

In summer, when the days are long,

perhaps you'll understand the song...'

(please to note..this verse is a fragment from a memory of eon...if anyone finds the original piece, please let me know- god knows i've been searching real hard for it.)

Some info on LC:

With his father's death, Lewis Carroll became head of the family. All ten siblings were at this stage partly dependent on the father, and when the rectory was given up, nine of the brothers and sisters were left seeking another home. Mr. Dodgson had provided for his children financially, so they had enough to maintain a frugal lifestyle, but the responsibility on Lewis Carroll was still very great. It was a miserable period for him. All this time, he was writing Looking Glass.

Looking Glass is every bit as good as Wonderland and has the same feeling of hidden significance and emotion. It deals with growing up and parting and loss, and has a more sombre feel than Wonderland. Although Carroll's dream "Alice" character must have been in some ways himself, it does still seem that both books were genuinely told for the little child Alice Liddell, sitting listening in Carroll's imagination to the continuation of "her" story.

The Liddell girls were now in fact grown up, but still in his magical world they remained, listening, helping him once more to turn painful reality into just a dream. Indeed, when you read the poem he wrote at the end of Looking Glass(pasted below), this seems to be what he is saying. The children did listen long ago, he begins: but then memories of that faded. Yet, he is still haunted by his dream "Alice", and now the children have now moved to Wonderland. They are not real any more, but they're still listening, and always will, because they themselves have become part of his dream - which in turn seems to him as real as life itself.

Presenting one of my fave poems...Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll...so much said in so little- enjoi.

A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July --
Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear
Pleased a simple tale to hear --
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream --
Lingering in the golden gleam --
Life what is it but a dream?

Love..thy name is?

2006-04-28T22:51:00.001+05:30

the above is urdu or arabic, not sure which, classifying love in 7 different shades...

happened to be searching for few words and saw this on an US_based singer Shalini Rehil's website... loved the words, so thought of sharing it.

************************************************************************************

amour ou folie?

2006-04-21T22:48:00.000+05:30

"You call it madness, but I call it love." (Don Byas)

Droplets of rain
On your tendrils
That curve around your eyes
To touch your lips
Like the fresh smell of grass
As it gets drenched in euphoria
Of the welcome monsoon...
You meet me
Passion burns
In your eyes. Is it just lust
Or something that was meant to be
Arms sinuously trace
the wondering soul wanton
The morning glow a reminder
of a shimmering moonlight
In each other,we, as life and death
meet and part – for that split second.

Written on April 26, 2003 by Moi (of course!) for a fantasy.

YAAD AA RAHA HAI.....TERA PYAAR....

2006-04-20T09:33:00.000+05:30

Happened to watch two movies on consecutive days... both good films about love and passion...both beginning from the letter 'P'... and with great songs....one being the 'Phantom of the Opera' and the other Parineeta.

There were some similarities that I felt in some songs- expressed of course in different languages but conveying the same emotions in many ways...and stirred some old and torn heart strings within me...(sigh!). So here's a 'jhalak' on the same... songs from both movies... and the one I like....

Learn To Be Lonely
Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you
Comfort and care for you
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion
Never dreamed out in the world
There are arms to hold you
You’ve always known your heart was on its own
So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to Be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived life can be loved alone

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
You were once
my one companion . . .
you were all
that mattered . . .
You were once
a friend and father -
then my world was shattered . . .
Wishing you were
somehow here again . . .
wishing you were
somehow near . . .
Sometimes it seemed
if I just dreamed,
somehow you would
be here . . .
Wishing I could
hear your voice again . . .
knowing that I
never would . . .
Dreaming of you
won't help me to do
all that you dreamed
I could . . .
Passing bells
and sculpted angels,
cold and monumental,
seem, for you,
the wrong companions -
you were warm and gentle . . .
Too many years
fighting back tears . . .
Why can't the past
just die . . .?
Wishing you were
somehow here again . . .
knowing we must
say goodbye . . .
Try to forgive . . .
teach me to live . . .
give me the strength
to try . . .
No more memories,
no more silent tears . . .
No more gazing across
the wasted years . . .
Help me saygoodbye.

Soona Man ka Aangan
Soona.. Soona mann ka aangan, dhunde payal ki woh chann chann
sooni..sooni mann ki sargam, dhunde geet tere humdum
mann main shyam ho ya sawera, laga teri hi yaadon ka dera
tune bandhan kyon ye toda, tune kahe ko mu moda
kaho na kaho na kaho na
phool phool bhawara dole, mann main goonji teri yaad
baagh main papiha bole, pihu pihu piyu kaha
kaise kate sooni raatein, kaho na, kaho na
kaise bhoolein bite baatein, kaho na, kaho na
kaise thame phir tera daaman, kaise meheke mann ka ye aangan
kaise bhoole preet teri saajan, kaise baandhen toota ye bandhan
mann main shyam ho ya sawera, laga teri hi yaadon ka dera
tune bandhan kyon ye toda, tune kahe ko mu moda
kaho na kaho na kaho na
phool phool bhawara dole, mann main goonji teri yaad
baagh main papiha bole, pihu pihu piyu kaha (f)
phool phool bhawara dole, mann main goonji teri yaad
baagh main papiha bole, pihu pihu piyu kaha (m)
phool phool bhawara dole, mann main goonji teri yaad
baagh main papiha bole, pihu pihu piyu kaha (duet) kaho na...(f)

Music of the Night
Night-time sharpens,heightens each sensation . . .
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination . . .
Silently the senses abandon their defences . . .
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendour . . .
Grasp it, sense it -tremulous and tender . . .
Turn your face away from the garish light of day,
turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light -
and listen to the music of the night . . .
Close your eyes and surrender to yourdarkest dreams!
Purge your thoughts of the lifeyou knew before!
Close your eyes,let your spiritstart to soar!
And you'll live as you've neverlived before . . .
Softly, deftly, music shall surround you . . .
Feel it, hear it,closing in around you . . .
Open up your mind,let your fantasies unwind,
in this darkness whichyou know you cannot fight -
the darkness ofthe music of the night . . .
Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world!
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!
Let your soul
Take you where you long to be !
Only then can you belong to me . . .
Floating, falling,sweet intoxication!
Touch me, trust me
savour each sensation!
Let the dream begin,
let your darker side give into
the power of the music that I write -
the power of the music of the night . . .

Raat Hamari To
ratiya kari kari ratiya, ratiya andhiyari ratiya
raat humari toh, chand ki saheli hain
kitne dino ke baad, aayi woh akeli hain
chuppi ki birah hain, jhingur ka baje saath
raat humari toh, chand ki saheli hain
kitne dino ke baad, aayi woh akeli hain
samjha ki baati bhi koi bujha de aaj
andhere se jee bhar ke karni hain baatein aaj
andhera rootha hain, andhera laitha hain
gumsum sa kone main baitha hain
raat humari toh, chand ki saheli hain
kitne dino ke baad, aayi woh akeli hain
samjha ki baati bhi koi bujha de aaj
andhere se jee bhar ke karni hain baatein aaj
andhera pagal hain, kitna ghanera hain
chubhta hain, dasta hain
phir bhi woh mera hain
uski hi godi main, sar rakhke sona hain
uski hi baahon main, chupke se rona hain
ankhon se kajal ban, behta andhera aaj
raat humari toh, chand ki saheli hain
kitne dino ke baad, aayi woh akeli hain
samjha ki baati bhi koi bujha de aaj
andhere se jee bhar ke karni hain baatein aaj
andhera rootha hain, andhera laitha hain
gumsum sa, kone main baitha hain

Think of Me
Think of me think of me fondly,
when we've said goodbye.
Remember me once in a while -
please promise me you'll try.
When you findthat,
once again,
you long to take your heart back
and be free -
if you ever find a moment,
spare a thought for me

hey mona!!! .... ooooh mona!!

2006-04-15T17:10:00.000+05:30

Today is one of my favourite's birthday.... He, who had a keen eye and quick mind that led him to make important scientific discoveries... and yet, he never published his ideas. He...who was a gentle vegetarian and loved animals and despised war... and yet, he worked as a military engineer to invent advanced and deadly weapons. He, who was one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance.....yet he left only a handful of completed paintings.

Guessed who???

Am talking of Leonardo Da Vinci - architect, musician, anatomist, inventor, sculptor, geometer and painter par excellence. His full birth name was "Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci", meaning "Leonardo, son of [Mes]ser Piero from Vinci". In his lifetime, Leonardo — he had no surname in the modern sense; "da Vinci" simply means "from Vinci"....Most famous for his even more famous paintings- the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.

But then enough is talked about her and his art... Lets instead delve into the designer that was Leonardo. He conceived of ideas vastly ahead of his time, notably inventing the helicopter, a tank, use of concentrated solar power, the calculator, a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics, the double hull, and others too numerous to mention.

As a student of architecture, one of the most famous symbols of perfect geometry came to me through the Vitruvian Man. Leonardo's 'Vitruvian Man' was one of the most revered descriptions of a human composition in the Renaissance. Vitruvius was an ancient Roman architect who wrote a series of ten books on architecture - one of the few collections of books of its type that survived into the Renaissance. In the third volume, which is on the proportions of temples, he states that these buildings should be based on the proportions of man, because the human body is the model of perfection. He justifies this by stating that the human body with arms and legs extended fits into the perfect geometric forms, the circle, and the square. What he could not complete, Da Vinci did.

Leonardo was able to solve this problem by drawing a beautifully proportioned figure and then finding these truths within the figure. The unit of choice was the head. Leonardo's figure has a one 1:8 ratio with its own head. In other words, it is 8 heads tall.

"From the roots of his hair to the bottom of his chin is a tenth of a man's height; from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head is one eighth of his height; from the top of the breast to the roots of the hair will be the seventh part of the whole man. "
~ Notebooks of Leonardo

Notice how Leonardo conveniently shows us the man's left foot in profile. He even places the heel in front of the big toe of the right foot so that we can see the full length. The length of the foot is the same as the length of the forearm - demonstrating a golden relationship between the hand and the foot. The length of the hand can be related to the measurement of the face - from the chin to the hairline. The face in turn is divided into thirds, which coincide with the eyebrows and the tip of the nose - echoed in the length of the ears. The line at the eyebrows is the golden division of the entire head.

The golden relationship is the key to the proportions of the entire figure. For example, if we examine the length of the arm from the top of the shoulder to the tip of the fingers, we find that the elbow is the golden division. If we examine the length from the elbow to the fingers, we find the base of the hand at the wrist is the golden division. If we measure the hand, the fingers begin at the golden division, and fingers themselves are composed of segments with a golden relationship to each other. We can find the same pattern of proportion in the legs, feet, and torso.

However, the most dramatic illustration of the golden portion is the division of the body at the navel. The relation ship of the distance from the top of the head to the navel is to the distance from the navel to the feet the same as the navel to the feet is to the entire height of the figure.

It is this wonderful understanding of the human body and geometry/maths that made Leonardo such a keen observer- a fact most well proven in his paintings.

ps: The mathematical Fibonacci series and Golden Section (for those who don't know of it, more later) should not be confused with having been worked out by Leonardo Da Vinci. It was Leonardo Da Pisa, who lived 200 years before Da Vinci!

pps: The Fibonacci Series were based on the Indian numbering systems and arithmetics....!!!

a-bucking up govt...

2006-04-12T13:33:00.000+05:30

I must say, even if I do like Salman Khan a lil bit, that I am very happy with the verdict of him being jailed for 5 years.. goes to show that nobody's above the law and no will be spared the rod, should any kind of murder (human or animal) be committed...
I am only wishing that along with him, the other filmstars and people who were with him, should be charged against too... And not to mention also the other few celebs, like the Nawab of Pataudi, who have killed rampantly and are still footloose...
The black buck and the chinkaras happen to be two of the rare species in India on the verge of extinction...as is the Tiger... yea, you heard right! I said 'Tiger'... our national animal! Kuch samjhe???
***********************************************************************************************
Am reading a delightful book called "The Age of Kali: Indian Travels & Encounters" by William Dalrymple...a compilation of factual essays that is not only a record but also a personal keen insight to the dramatic and often violent changes that have taken place on the Indian subcontinent within the past decade that is leading the country into the Kalyug...
The book is very observant and neutral, if not bordering on a deep love and understanding for India...and ambles along the ancient and new cultures and mindsets with aplomb... W.D is certainly passionate about the nation, not withstanding his trysts with the black side of it...
A must-read for every literate Indian... and by Indian I mean those who have been born/ migrated/living/lived in India or who have ancestors from the country...

your official quota of self- redemption!

2006-04-10T10:00:00.000+05:30

Start the monday morning afresh with some finer tips from me on the ‘art of living’- very needed in the stress-filled offices we work in.....heh!

First of all, meditate! Breathe in deeply – ALL the gossip that you can ‘feel’ around you.
Second step-by-step positively add thoughts. If you have heard about something/someone, think a bit more and add your ‘energy’ to heighten that knowledge.
Do not question the law of ‘nature’. Be more accepting of whatever comes your ear.
Give your contribution. Think more and talk much more. Do your bit to the society by giving people due importance.
Reach Nirvana- A thousand lies is worth one truth so said Krishna. So make sure you finish your quota for attaining THE Truth.

Now you are a qualified Living Bitch!!!!!!! (I’m not talking about the sex of the canine types, but of the vocal indulgences of the mental kind). So go ahead, bite and Bite Hard! ;)

A few pondering questions:

Here there everywhere, people running to go somewhere….but are we really moving?
Do you get a kick out of life when you get kicked?
Why is it that when we get older, we get younger too?
Are we ever so right to say someone is wrong (or left)? (sic!)
Is what you see really what you see?

I think....therefore I am....

2006-03-31T22:13:00.000+05:30

One of my closest friends once told me, "...you think too much!"

Hmm. I do.

I can't help it. The wheels in my brains keep churning over and over again... from the smallest to the macro level, my mind runs through every thought, idea, perception and dream. And I won't apologise for it, because this very tiresome thinking has bailed me out many times, put me on guard on many people, made me understand few hard facts of life...

And today I am thinking that why am I really writing on this blog? To listen to my own voice? Am I writing it for myself, as an outlet to my soul? Or is it because I seem to want to share with the world, every little bit of myself?

Because I don't know who really regularly reads this blog except for me... The people who don't know me need not be interested, and the people who do, for some reason are really not keen... So why get into this megalomaniacal narcissistic mode of reading the self's blah every night and day?

Hey, but I am not sad…
I’m just a little mad.
A bit crazy and in a tizzy,
buzzing like a bumble bee
atop an old orange tree.
Singing a tune of a distant dream, far from ur realm.....
With stars as my eyes
And the wind as my wings
I live …
Is this life I wonder when I hear
The song that the human race sings
As they believe…
What is today will never come again
Yet who knows what tomorrow brings
We are but pebbles in life’s sieve…

HAPPY SOLAR ECLIPSE!:)

2006-03-29T11:26:00.000+05:30

One of my closest friend's birthday today....so this post is dedicated specially to her!

a storm cloud
that passes by
before turning into rain
showering love
and sometimes tears of pain

a madness of a moonlit sky
bringing out laughter
that begins deep inside
and spills out
through the breach of an eye

a comfort of warm sunshine
that makes flowers bloom
as do friendships
of the soul
that wither all gloom

a raging torrent
that sweeps all along
and speaks of passion
unexplained and unknown
and only wants to belong

a sum of all these
and more…
an all-weather friend I possess
hither she comes and goes
a crazy but wonderful demi-goddess

Happy Birthday with love!!! :)

COLD BLOODIED?

2006-03-28T18:48:00.000+05:30

Photo: International Fund for Animal Welfare

A seal pup is seen on the ice after it was shot on the first day of the 2006 Canadian commercial seal hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. This year, 325,000 young seals will be killed on the ice floes off the East Coast, where the animals gather .

THINGS THAT TAKE PLACE?..."incredible cruelty at the hunt, including dragging conscious seals across the ice with boathooks, shooting seals and leaving them to suffer in agony and skinning seals alive".
STILL WANT TO WEAR FUR?

times a'changing...

2006-03-24T09:27:00.000+05:30

there was a time when I woke up in the morning and the newspapers would have stories and features on all the smuggling, black marketeering, robberies, scams, corruption and politics all over India....
the activities notwithstanding, nowadays, I read only about rapes, molestations, acid attacks, murders and suicides... suddenly everything has become more personal and individual...
Is India shining? Lets not ask the people sitting in the high kursis of the politicial or corporate arenas ...lets ask the common (wo)man who is facing these changes at an everyhour basis... the answer I'm afraid is not just an affirmation or negation, but much more...and in a dark, secretive way.

another saturday streams by...

2006-03-19T12:38:00.000+05:30

...and its a wonderful Sunday!!!

Had a good week- especially the one-day visit to Mumbai. Although rushed and pretty packed, the day went off superbly! Had maa ke haath ka khana after long- heaven! And then an abs great time over dinner with my bestest friend- how good is good company! :) Got treated to phirni (one of my faves!) from Noorani.. so a yum dessert, a-sitting by the sea and a full moon night... simply awesome!
Life sometimes hands us magic on a platter
Hidden in pieces of time all a-tatter …
Even if it is just small talk and idle chatter
These are the special moments that really matter …

The journey back was real long (took me a good 4-5 hours to reach- which was around 3am in the morning) but just so beautiful that words can't do justice to it... Picture this! A resplendent full moon with a lunar eclipse lighting up the entire ghats...the mountains, trees, houses and even the roads are alit with the shimmering, silvery glitter of moonlight...the lights from the vehicles and homes flicker through these silhouettes...a play of natural vs. the artificial... and in the background Indian Ocean is singing their song Kandisa ... the road becomes an ethereal path that moves upwards... magical isn't it!? Mmmmm....I think everyone must travel once down this way on a full moon night!
A moonlit sky singing a midnight sonata
The kiss of many dreams all filled in one iota
I hear the sound of my beating heart anew
There’s a silver-lined enchantment in the air,

but those who understand it, are very few…

Went last evening for a premiere of a Marathi movie film, produced by friends of mine... during the press conference, all of us were sitting around and chatting generally.... when the point of conversation went on to one of the women's husband not having dinner but just enjoying his drinks; and she said that as of now she better just leave him alone ... and I thought that hey, that’s a real understanding wife - he's been having some real tensed months and she's letting him be.... till she said something the next second, "... give a little leash and then pull back tight! Like a dog!". And another friend of hers tittered..." he he ... oh, she's such a good trainer!"

Oh Yes I was shocked! So much so that words didn't come out! My face must have looked like a goldfish's...Here I was, treating my dog as a human and there she is, treating her husband like a dog! What do you say to this peepulz!?

Well anyway... have a happy Sunday! And a great week ahead! :)
Love...
Moi.

VROOOOMMMMMMMM....

2006-03-12T19:24:00.000+05:30

Revv up baby, its F1 time again!!! Yahooooooooo!!!
And on to a wonderful start in Bahrain, was Alonso, beating Schumi by a second and a lil more....Although I really don't like him one bit, I must say he earned it...Well, I'm not complaining as my faves and the people I'm rooting for came in second and third place respectively- yes, you guessed right- M.Schumacher and K.Raikkonen! :)
There are so many partnerships, alliances and collaborations happening all of a sudden all over the world. Take the F1 world itself- McLaren & Mercedes, BMW & Sauber, Ferrari & Shell, Super Aguri & Honda, Toyota & Panasonic.... This is in racing, but I see the trend taking place even in architecture and design...but more on that later...
My fave car is the Ferrari, and with Kimi Raikkonen possibly joining the Ferrari team next year- my life should be made just watching the entire series!
All in all a relaxed sunday... normally the weekend, especially Sundays are days to indulge... all the senses... so from aromatic candles and oils to fragrant food and delicious desserts, accompanied by good music or a nice movie/book... I let myself loose on them all... the flavours for today were cinnamon, orange, lavender, tuberose, strawberry, jasmine, mint and sandalwood... hmmm- I can see your nose all confused and your mind in a whirl wondering what was used where...hahaha.
So cheerios folkses- a Happy Sunday and a great beginning to a fab week!
Au revoir from moi!

me = mumbaikar/bombayite/mumbai-wallah!

2006-03-09T23:24:00.000+05:30

my last post and the comments on it thereafter got me thinking of the city that I was born in- Bombay or Mumbai as it is formally known now...
A city that gave me more than I can even list down... an understanding of spirit, a pride and confidence in being part of its womb,a sense of belonging that was always warm and cozy to come back to,a pampering and indulgent independence and the net of safety that always prevailed when things failed the most or turned out not as quite as they seemed they were...a richness even from its poorest class,the variety of human charity to a self preservation that many people consider bordering on 'coldness'...the power to dream big and achieve it... a chance to explore and appreciate- places, food and people... thoughts and religions...preferences and associations... lives of the day and the night... to be as I want to be - just like that...There's no city I can love more than I love Mumbai!
And now, when I am no longer living there, I realised something that I miss too much, and that I had taken for granted earlier...the sea! As the rain falls outside my window now, I am thinking how it must be in Mumbai... the waves lapping upon the wet pavements, all the roads, cars, houses, trees, leaves, flowers, bus stops, lamp posts glistening with the sparkle of the raindrops... people having 'cutting chai -thoda masala maarke', garma garam 'batata and kanda' bhajiyas and samosas off the frying pan and straight into the mouth, some hot chocolate and coffee with warm conversations, the trains looking all clean and squeaking along the platforms, windchimes of the flats by the bay dancing to the tune of the tides, people huddled up around warm fires, crowds in the stations and the bus stops hankering to go home, Haji Ali all lit up and drenched as would be the other buildings and spaces like Siddhi Vinayak, VT station, Gateway, Taj Hotel, Carter Road, Fort....oh I can just go on....
My most amazing and simple moments of the rains in Mumbai have been of catching a double-decker bus, sitting right in front with an open window and going to Marine Drive, walking on the pavement and leaning over the ledge when the waves came in, eating butta, using my umbrella not for myself but in making other people wet as I twirled it around, getting soaked to my bones, shivering , having an ice-cream to prove 'cold kills cold' and enjoying every minute of it...dancing a lil jig in the middle of the road...laughing, singing aloud in the taxi ... and acting madder than ever ...
Mumbai also is memorable because of the odours that it emanates during the rains- junk-filled nallahs and sewers, open garbage cans and dumpsters, urine and faeces lined along the road, petrol and diesel smoked filled traffic...nicer ones too. I identify the places in the city by their smells, especially the times I travelled from Fort to Bandra by car...kebabs over the JJ flyover, the sea mists of Marine Drive to Chowpatty, the freshness in the air as the car passes the Hanging Gardens and reaches Peddar Road at Kemps corner, butta being roasted and hot charcoal mixed with clammy sea smells of the Worli seaface, the flower market of Dadar(just before the flyover) and then the herbs, spices and vegetables being sold on the road under the bridge, green grass of Shivaji Park and the dhoop outside Mahim durgah... through all these smells, the one I cherish most is that of the Shirish tree....a faint and lingering fragrance that gently, but fimrly cuts through all these prevailing strong ones and allows you to disappear into a realm of enchantment... always there around, irrespective of everything else... as a mark of life... so much like the city it and I belong to...

ps: A must-read that I recommend strongly- Smell by Radhika Jha.

Rain, feel it on my finger tips...Hear it on my window pane...Rain, wash away my sorrow...Take away my pain...Your love's coming down like rain

2006-03-09T17:35:00.000+05:30

what is that thing in the air
that makes pavements smell fresh and sweet
when they’re wet?
I drank it in this morning
through my nose and my skin and my soul
while the moisture-drenched breeze
blew affectionately through my hair
and tangled my mind
into little wispy cobwebs of nostalgia

Halleluahhhhhhhhhhh..............its raining!!!!!!!....................no, not men! :(
Its raining in Mumbai, Pune and some parts of Maharashtra! The wild breeze ruffling my hair, smell of wet mud and more really drives me crazy (I know, I am and I know that you know I am, and I also know I know that you know that I know I am...crazy...hehe) ... I have been getting that 'rainy' feeling since so long and knowing my senses never fail, I'm amazed it took so long to rain...
The rain always takes me back to moments of immense love and heart-wrenching pain too...also really terrible fights and madness, magic and fun ... it stirs in me so many emotions that are hard to explain...I so love the rain!
But yes, the downside is that this unnatural kinky urge of mother nature to go all wet has affected all the crops and so the farmers are going to have a tough time this year!
Me thinks that we are only to blame! We play with nature and she plays right back with us, and how!

and this is not connected... but a good oil massage does wonders to the senses! sighhhhh....

These are the seasons of emotion
and like the winds they rise and fall
This is the mystery of the quotient -
Upon us all a little rain must fall. ...................................... Led Zeppelin

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! :)

2006-03-08T17:59:00.000+05:30

.... rather that comes everyday, doesn't it? And how sad is it that men don't have days like these when they can celebrate themselves too, rt?! Well, actually for all of us- men and women- a Happy Day - wished everyday!

actually it should be 'female day' if at all that it should be celebrated... because this day I am dedicating to the latest member in my family- Tara. All of 2 months old and from a very 'khandaani' Labrador lineage... :)... she is an adorable bundle of mischief! And oh, so so very intelligent. She understands words said, her food bowl and sleeping rug, indicates when she has finished what she wants to do and wants to go home, picks up her bowl and drops it on my feet to say she's hungry...does not go in places that she cant see one of us...but for heaven's sake, how do I get her to understand that carpets and rugs are not 'rags meant to be peed upon!'...the royalty that she is will not pee anywhere else save the lovely dhurries I have so painstakingly bought and displayed on the floor...tch!!!
Decided to call her 'jane the ripper' too bec shes attacks and tears away all the papers, slippers, rugs - in the house..even our toes.....all except the teethers we have got for her (never mind what the pics indicate)!

But she has brightened up our home and lives and so the name...yes, very often she acts like she's a star of the hollywood type, but I guess we all have our lil idiosyncrasies... :)

song of a bluebird...

2006-03-04T22:38:00.000+05:30

the celluloid world is amazing!
It can make u cry, laugh, sniff a bit, rave n rant at someone you dont like...get mushy and sweet on a person... jealous of another... wistful, a dreamer, inspired, brave... so much more than yourself... and this is irrespective whether what you see and understand is reality or fantasy....

saw a wonderful Dutch movie last nite... Called Bluebird... about a 13yr old girl Merel, who is constantly bullied by the kids in her class...and she has a severly handicapped brother Kasper(a real cutie!) who she really dotes on... and the story is about the emotions of this young girl as she grapples with her upsetting school life, and takes it out on her bro... the movie beautifully depics her in a transition space between childhood and maturity... till one day when the bullying gets to her... you cant help feeling bad for her... and yes, while you are sympathetic to her...her strength as a person (esp when u see the confidence in her actions) makes you wonder why she cant stand up for herself... she excels in academics, swimming, gymnastics,etc etc...which does not make her a complete geek tho...if you haven't seen it- please do! It's so wonderfully realistic and touching... and Rotterdam (where it is set) is beautiful as ever!

Mad about Madhuri: was watching madhuri dixit perform at the filmfare awards function... oh she's put on weight, got easily tired too... was shown only for few mins... but every sec was worth it! She actually gives life into the song... her eyes and facial expressions speak volumes and there's no one as graceful as her... if there was one word I would attribute to her - it would be passion. Its all about passion! Always has... you can never reach this far without it.
I remember seeing this real idiotic multi-starrer movie, with a plethora of 'big names'... 'Lajja' ... the story of four women who have either been tormented or exploited by men for their selfish gains... and tho it was a 'woman-based' theme, it was so bad a movie that we were actually laughing loudly thru scenes and also getting quite 'pakaoed' (if u knw what i mean)... were to walk out during the interval- bt were having so much fun laughing at the movie that we stayed... good for us! Because right after the intermission was Madhuri's entry... and then the movie changed! Cant really explain it, but she made everything come alive in those few mins of her scenes as janaki, one of the four 'bechaare' women...the other good aspect of the movie was Ajay Devgan...one of the best things to happen to that crappy film.... on him, we'l talk some other day. Today its Madhuri all the way....

Song a bluebird (Copyright 2003 by Brenda Reed)
Born one sunny day, a baby birdy
And his mom and dad had pretty feathers of blue
When he flew from that nest, it sort-a hurt him
And left him a little dazed and confused

(His mom and dad said)
Bluebird do you know, yet, who you are?
You’re a bird of different feathers, you’ll fly far.
Other birds won't know the needs to your soul.
God will show you your own way to go.

Some other birds chirped at Bluebird, called him "different!”
He felt out of place, little angry and confused
Bluebird chirped back, “Well, you’re finches!”“
And no way will I have feathers like you.”

[His mom and dad said...]
Bluebird do you know, yet, who you are?
You’re a bird of different feathers, you’ll fly far.
Other birds won't know the needs to your soul.
God will show you your own way to go.

Hey, my little blue bird, do you see them?
Your bright blue feathers
Part of God’s plan
Don’t reject them.
Or let a crow even try to change you.
You're going to make it!
And you'll make your own contribution too!

I hope that you love you’re a blue bird
And make friends with other blue birds too
Survive all you can, but remember these words
You're gonna love to do what all blue birds do
Now go on my little blue bird
Spread out your wings and go fly!
SO HIGH!

Musings of the mind...

2006-03-02T22:41:00.000+05:30

As I have been observing people and my own self through the past many years, I have discovered a few 'understandings' for myself as I face the innuendos that life keeps throwing at me...

- that a brisk walk or a warm bath does not take away the anger from within... you just get so tired by both actions that you get temporarily distracted from the anger...which remains... dormant-until the next time over.
- that it is not the cold words or the anger or the hurt that pains you,but its the lack of love that you see in the other person that wounds...

- that no matter how hard you try, sometimes your best isn't ever enough...

- that eating chocolates only raises the calorie intake....never mind the fact they are supp to decrease cholestrol and depression...and how can they be anti-depressants, when the fact that they raise calories is food for depression anyway?!

- that there is never a whole truth- but many versions...each differing as to what an individual thinks...but each true to itself only because there is belief behind every one of them.

- that sometimes its best to let things pass by you and don't bother about them.... then again, sometimes its best you get it all out of your system....

- that people have thick skins while the walls around are very thin...
- that the music that stirs you is the one that has the saddest strains and haunts the soul...
- that each day we need a moment to be still, silent...and just be.
- that being alone does not make you lonely...but being lonely finds you alone always....

- that the human race was born to kill...and violently.
- that the pain one feels today is the happiness of yesterday....
- that there is a very fine line between reality and imagination...
- that either you trust or you dont...
- that there is magic- as real as the sun and the moon... and within us.
- that a smile and a hug are two of the best gifts to get unexpectedly, especially when you need it the most...a call, message or letter too make a wonderful difference...
- that hate is not the opposite of love- indifference is...
- that when you love - you just do...there's never a reason, nor a doubt.
- that being true to oneself is probably the toughest and most courageous thing to do...
- that what people say they mean is not exactly as they mean what they say...
- that a person's comprehension of they think you said need not be the same as what you believe you meant..
- that when you have to feel the pain, any excuse will do- even the smallest. Ditto for happiness...
- that when you are truly happy from within, everything around has a musical ring and a lilt to it...
- that music heals, helps and holds you together....it also elevates, embraces and encourages you...
- that its ok to be yourself once in a while, if not always...
- that you need not change just because someone else has and expects you to...
- that you can be happy and sad at the same time or in consecutive periods of time or in rotation....
- that give rhymes with live...
- that every once in a while, one must take a vacation- away from yourself...even if its in the mind...

- that strawberry n cream is indeed a divine combination....berry berry yummmy!

- that we need to let the the ones we love know that we do... small actions can make a whole lot of difference...more than big words can...

- that dreams come true...especially when you believe in them... and that we should just let them take us where we are to go...

- that every one of us is finally only looking for love...

Mad as a March Hare! ;)

2006-03-01T09:15:00.001+05:30

Its March!!!!!!!!
And so is Spring... as will come the Equinox(Mar 21)...also the Solar Eclipse (Mar 29)...Holi (Mar 15)....Ides of March (15th)... International Earth Day (Mar 20)...World Forestry Day(Mar 21)....World Water Day(Mar 22)....World Meteorology Day(Mar 23)....International Literacy Day (Mar 3)....International Women’s Day(Mar 8).... Commonwealth Day(Mar -2nd Mon)... World Disabled Day(Mar 15 )... International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination(Mar 21) .... World TB Day (Mar 24) ....and of course the last day to pay taxes (at least in India)- Mar 31................... PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This month is surely heavy-'duty', to say the least!

And if you are wondering what the pics are all about.... got up in the morning and had a glimpse of these pretty pink flowers basking in the sunlight...and they seemed so happy! The bird is native to India and is called the 'Bharadwaj' ... its apparantly considered lucky to spot one...( maybe they used to be rare to see once upon a time with the thick foliage that was there)... I see them (yes there are 3!!!) everyday....how lucky does that make me??!!! .... curioser and curioser... hehe.

March Hare: Have some wine. (Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea.)
Alice: I don't see any wine.
March Hare: There isn't any.
Alice: Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it.
March Hare: It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited.
**********************************
March Hare: …Then you should say what you mean.
Alice: I do; at least - at least I mean what I say -- that's the same thing, you know.
Mad Hatter: Not the same thing a bit! Why, you might just as well say that, 'I see what I eat' is the same as 'I eat what I see'!
March Hare: You might just as well say, that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get what I like"!
The Dormouse: You might just as well say, that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I breathe"!
*********************************************
Mad Hatter: Would you like a little more tea?
Alice: Well, I haven't had any yet, so I can't very well take more.
March Hare: Ah, you mean you can't very well take less.
Mad Hatter: Yes. You can always take more than nothing.
*****************************************
Alice: But I don't want to go among mad people.
The Chesire Cat: Oh, you can't help that. We are all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.
Alice: How do you know I'm mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn't have come here.
Alice: And how do you know that you're mad?
The Cat: To begin with, a dog's not mad. You grant that?
Alice: I suppose so.
The Cat: Well, then, you see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY:1st March 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity by accident. He left a photographic plate in a desk drawer and found it had fogged with the image of uranium crystals that were alongside it. In 1954, The US detonated a hydrogen bomb 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima explosion. The test site on the Pacific archipelago of Bikini was subsequently used for 23 atomic and hydrogen bombs tests over 12 years, leaving it highly contaminated by radioactivity.

HAPPY UN_LEAP YEAR!!!:)

2006-02-28T23:27:00.000+05:30

You must have thought that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' contradicts with 'out of sight- out of mind'.... right??? (can see your heads nodding an 'aye')....Think again!

They are both the same...

HOW?

Ok... When that special person left or went away, his/her absence made your heart grow fonder....(am i rt? or were u so damn happy that u threw a party??)........... And now when that person is out of sight, are you not out of your mind??? :)

hmmm.... ponder ye all... for what seems may not be....

A new moon on the last day of an unleap month of this year... hehe... no, there is no connection.... but magic can happen sometimes... and it did!!! My prayers are being answered...

so thank you god! (ps: please to listen some more and harder so that the next time I don't get a half-way thru break, but a complete jackpot!!!)...... Did I just hear you say Amen? :)))

Live and Let Live!!!!

2006-02-27T23:55:00.000+05:30

send e-cards from WWF and show people you care for your environment and the living planet!

Do Words Hold Us Back?

2006-02-27T21:49:00.000+05:30

I was having an interesting conversation with a friend (L) online on the Pink Floyd quotes I had used on the blog and was telling her about some of the nice quotes I had heard ... when she said, 'but words will always hold you back'... and 'understandingly' I could not comprehend (if you know what I mean) and we went back and forth about this. And I was trying to tell her that what use were words if they could not be spoken...
and she was like, "thats not what I'm saying- but words will hold you back....irrespective of them being said or unsaid." And I thought maybe its the memory of those words or the want of them might hold us back, and she said "no, much more than that...."
By now my mind was all curious,and sub-consciously I knew what she was saying, but for the loss of me, I just failed to 'know'... and insisted that words can never replace feelings maybe, but they do help articulate them... and there she went again...
L : "nope. I know we all love words, but words hold back." And I was thinking maybe she meant action speak louder than words... But at the same time I told her that there is a possibility that words hold back, but they also let you be... free at times.
L: "they dont... we think they do but they dont". And she said, "...actions...words....speech....why speak? As for the base thot... language itself is created for the very purpose of record..."

And I was thinking by now this is some vicious cycle - of thoughts and words... when she asked something basic...."ever loved in silence? Its far more intense. Ever wondered why?Ever felt for some1 and never had the chance to express it... its far more intense... ever wondered why?"

I did... wonder that is... and I also understood what she meant completely... at least my sub-conscious or heart did, while my mind kept trying to mentally decipher and solve the problem....and so said 'but hey, I dont only need to be loved, but to be told that I am loved..." quoting a famous person...
L : " language rests on a simple principle that fails us often... that my perception of a word is the same as yours... also it roots in experience.... it doesnt work..."

By now I was adamant with the fact that words dont hold us back, we do and blame it on words...and she was trying to say as long as they exist, words do hold back... and yes, by now you must be confused....so was I then... very confused....so thought maybe she meant that there is a diff language of love that needed no words...
L: "...nope. im saying languages hold back....why structure something so unstructured and beautiful. wat doesnt hold back? the heart and the heart knows no language.."
D: "language is a form of expression.... only a form. Expressions have diff forms...one of them being silence too. Feeling is an expression of the heart."
L: "but the purpose of language is not expression- its communication"
L: "feeling is not an expression. feeling is an action."
D: "its an action of the heart so wat has been 'acted' has been expressed-that expression need nt be understood or divulged or said aloud."
L: "it doesnt have to be even worded in our minds... let alone speaking it out or trying to 'communicate; it to feel it."
D: "im saying an action is an expression of sorts... even if its nt worded. When we feel, acceptance of that feeling is an expression."
L: "no, D. Action and expression is different but we r so used to validating its existence through expression we forget the two r distinct. Its one of those things that cant be seen from within the barriers of language.Words will never let words break. Its one of those things that come out from within. Primal instinct if ud like to call it that,but its why wording it and recording its experiences are so important? When that wont matter ull soar free.....when that wont matter is when u see that words hold back."

hmmm....and I've been thinking of this for the past few days.. and then stopped. Just like that. And I'm not sure if I'm 'wording' (pun intended) it right, but from within it was the feeling that overcame me that said it all... to feel. to be as is. to exist. And when you're experiencing the feeling of feeling, then nothing else matters- no words can express it. But its not just that....when you contain the feeling within yourself, that force is so strong and intense that it elevates you and you soar...just knowing you felt. I don't know if thats what she meant, but its what I deciphered for myself.....
But will play the devil's advocate here and say..."sometimes its better to word what you feel and let that intensity dissipate and be exhaled from the self, even if a little bit of it...there comes comfort with that too."

Baawra man dekhne chala ek sapna...

2006-02-25T23:35:00.000+05:30

mohabbat mein nahin hai farq jeene aur marne kaa
usee ko dekh kar jeete hain jis kaafir pe dum nikle
Hazaaron Khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dum nikle
bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle

loosely translated....
In love, there is no difference between being alive and dead
I live by the sight of the very same who takes my living breath away
A thousand desires such as these,that each wish takes my life
No matter how many desires stemmed forth, they were still not enough....

well, I just finally managed seeing one of the most-talked about movie of last year(Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi- for the un-informed) Well, I guess many people have already voiced their opinion about this movie- it does manage to get under the skin and slowly grow so much within that you cant shake it off, no matter how hard you try ... right now I'm rivetted by this song and especially this verse... it so well sums up the agony of love and the crux of the movie....simple,beautiful,poignant and timeless!

Ah love! What are you, I sometimes wonder... you come in without notice, change me completely, play games with me....and yet I can't live with or without you.... could I hate you? But I guess its because you are not there that I have no option but to hate....

Neil Gaiman, the author of 'The Sandman' had this to say about love..."Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.”

As someone very dear to me mentioned this once... " The more you persist, the more it will resist. And the more you resist, the more it will persist." ... What never got said that one day neither you can resist or persist anymore- you simply die...by living a thousand deaths such as these.

Wish you were here...

2006-02-24T19:59:00.000+05:30

that Pink Floyd(how I love this group!) quote got me thinking of their songs... few someones ... and esp these lines...

"How I wish, how I wish you were here...
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year....
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.

Wish you were here.”

anon!?

2006-02-24T18:38:00.000+05:30

Just got this as a comment- and since it was anonymously written- I don't know whom to thank....
"The idea behind ButterFly effect is that even the flapping of the butterfly wings can affect the weather on the plant, accordingly the cosmos etc. In the movie towards the end the protagonist realises that as a boy his kind gesture towards the girl caused her to make the decision to stay with her father and accordingly impacting both their destinies. Simply put even the smallest gestures in life have the power to influence destiny.
for long you live and high you fly
and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
and all your touch and all you see
is all your life will ever be- Pink Floyd[I just like the quote] "

peepulzzzzz, write your name at least plss... what is the point of 'freedom of speech' when one can't say that this was "I". Thanks!!! :)
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
ps: I like the Pink Floyd quote too!

What has to be, will.

2006-02-23T18:35:00.000+05:30

Was watching Butterfly Effect last night... a different movie, to say the least. Ashton Kutcher in the lead role (never liked him really, till I saw this movie) as a young man who blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life... and everytime he tries to change something and make it good, something bad happens... Its like telling us not to play with destiny or with nature- let them take their own course, for you never know when the 'good' you're about to force turns out to be 'real bad'.... by the way, this movie is worth watching...its fast paced, a lil sad and disturbing, but tackles the aspect of love and its ultimate challenge to a human.
There is another movie called Paycheck, wherein there is a machine built, which has the ability to predict the future....now that's scary too bec you start playing mental games with yourself and everyone around... Let life be. And as goes a dialogue in the movie... "Some of the best things in life often are mistakes." Amen to that!

Coming back to the earlier film I was talking about, I heard and quite like this amazing song in it. Performed by Oasis, its called Stop Crying Your Heart Out. Enjoi! (am attaching a link for you to download it.)

Hold up
Hold on
Don't be scared
You'll never change what's been and gone

May your smile (may your smile)
Shine on (shine on)
Don't be scared (don't be scared)
Your destiny may keep you warm

Cos all of the stars
Are fading away
Just try not to worry
You'll see them some day
Take what you need
And be on your way
And stop crying your heart out

Get up (get up)
Come on (come on)
Why're you scared? (I'm not scared)
You'll never change
What's been and gone

Cos all of the stars
Are fading away
Just try not to worry
You'll see them some day
Take what you need
And be on your way
And stop crying your heart out

Cos all of the stars
Are fading away
Just try not to worry
You'll see them some day
Take what you need
And be on your way
And stop crying your heart out

We're all of us stars
We're fading away
Just try not to worry
You'll see us some day
Just take what you need
And be on your way
And stop crying your heart out
Stop crying your heart out
Stop crying your heart out

http://www.mp3-center.org/download_mp3/Oasis/Stop%20Crying%20Your%20Heart%20Out/4641947