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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Towards Simpli-city...

I do believe that a big portion of whatever we have, is something we have attracted.. in some way or the other. In the coming year, two of the things i want to attract to myself is simlicity and openness.. not just in words- as many of us do, including me, but in thought and action too.
When we promise ourselve to be more simple and open, we automatically and consciously cut down on things that we cannot be open about. This will not only lessen our luggage, it will provide us with more space for truer and nicer things. Though this sounds very good in theory, that's how i will try to make it actually work in my life. I think i'm already on to it and liking it.

It was a nice day today... :)

One thing i learnt today is that no matter how complex a situation is, it is always possible to simplify it. All it requires is to think, listen and do with a open heart and mind. Though how much we can go on simplifying a thing is not quantifiable, what works for me is when something makes me happy.. really... really... happy, i know it is something simple, something pure and something devoid of all pretence.

Simpli-city, to me, is a place where everything is easy on our adult mind and where the child in us feels safe... a place that grants us peace of mind and makes us feel that He is growing Himself inside us.




and this is just something i scribbled from some old recall..



Thursday, December 10, 2009

rain


 
The evening sky smiles
and seductively picks up
a new set of clothes
from the horizon...
I toss a stone
to break its beguiling
reflection..

As the ripples go away,
grow away..
to some strange land,
the wind descends slowly
from the mountains far.
Tip toeing over the wavelets
it ascends slowly
up, up...
and settles beside the cloud
like a long lost confidant.

Like that was all it needed,
The cloud lets go of its rain.


     The thunder loses itself in the pillow.


© Vinod

Friday, November 20, 2009

What's in a name?

I wonder why people keep changing their name! Will it change the person they are?

Anyways..

Today is a happy day and so here's a happy song :D




Original creation by: Nupur
Music by: Amartya Rahut

Monday, November 16, 2009

Travel, see the world, but...

...see to it that you are among the many people you meet... have a lovely week... :)


en route Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

...

Its been stormy and pouring since the past three days - have been feverish and aching... wrote a page long something... and then scrapped it a while back... No point...


Thursday, October 22, 2009

A lingering taste...

Among the many things i like talking about (and listening to) 'Food' surely is high up on the list... especially Indian food.

I'm not a good cook.. in the sense that i hardly cook. But i can understand almost everything about cooking and even give in my opinions about making a dish better - sometimes even better than a person who cooks regularly. Right from the nuances of cooking to the economics i understand it well enough to talk. Whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, it will hold my interest well. Though i won't judge a person by the way he/she cooks, i seem to connect very well with people who talk about food, eating or cooking with enthusiasm.



I also love the names of food.. they really catch my attention, some names really make you wonder what the food will be... but all said, since i do not eat out much, in some multicuisine restaurants, i am never be able to make out what a food is by reading its name and find it difficult to even spell some of them leave alone ordering - unless of course the menu specifies what the ingredients are.


Having said that i'm very frugal when it comes to food... simple dal, rice and roti even everyday will never tire me... ok maybe achaar and pappadams too for a change.

Here is a food map i found and liked, of course there are more unique dishes in every state.. feel free to add.




click on pic to view large




Like eating, even a conversation about food can leave a lingering taste in your mouth... 


Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Phones are happy things...

Both my phones don't have the word "paining" in their dictionaries...

The secret of happiness is to be thankful...

Monday, October 19, 2009

:) cute...


 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Hope and Happiness for everyone...

My sister is such a lovely soul - always positive and always bubbling with creativity and ideas. Love her so much and very proud to be her brother...

This time around, she is in a diya and candle making frenzy to gift to friends... such lovely diyas... and the candles are even better... the candles are still in progress... i borrowed some diyas to click a pic...



Have a lovely Deepawali with your precious ones... near or far doesn't matter...  as Bach rightly said
"If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?"


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Another Milestone...

The last week has been very important for two reasons...



1. The day before yesterday was important for whatever... and

2. the other is that i managed to do something i though i'd never be able to do in this lifetime...


very mixed feelings... but i have regained a lot of faith in myself... i feel proud, yet humbled...

Saturday, October 03, 2009

In my view...

...people who have their own issues to resolve (or not resolve) should do it without making it a big drama and without dragging others into the scene...


Jokers...!!!



Neelkanth Darshan - Sitting In Room

P.S. Don't miss the monkey on the top left... that's Vinode i guess :)))))

Thursday, October 01, 2009

nice to be back home...

Back home after a nice long trip....

thought i'd put up some pics but then decided against it... i like too many... am so not choosy about photos because what what makes me like pics are the memories associated with them and not the technicalities...

The highlights were...

-Celebrating Eid in the train, keeping the roza for a day and then breaking it with the 30 odd muslims who were travelling along...
-Having a Enfield to ride in Delhi.. reminded me of the one i owned many years back...
-Some awesome pathani kurtas in lajpat nagar central market that i wanted to buy but couldn't due to lack of time to return there...
-Lovely infrastructure in delhi and noida but hopeless people.. its all about who you are, what you ride, who you know and where you stay.. people will live in a one room house and have 3 cars... people will live in a mansion but will build till the gate and not have one plant (leave alone a garden in the house)... Noida on the other hand is like "no-idea".. no one has any clue except the sector nos. Auto wallas will not know anything except sector nos. - the water will corrode even stainless steel - and people drive like they are playing dashing cars...
-Catching up with friends for a nice drink at Atta was nice though...
-Catching the Taj express from Delhi to Mathura running behind it like one boards a running bus just as it was pulling away from the station...
-Each and every autorickshaw in the Mathura railway stand is named Radha or Radharani.. I travelled in one that had the least decorations but the driver was a gem of a guy.. i actually talked to about 5-6 drivers and then chose the one i felt was the best at heart.. he didn't let me down...
-Vrndavan was nice... very simple people.. total contrast to the delhi jungle... made some lovely friends there... some weird connection to one mad-man(for lack of a better word)... feel like seeing him again...
-Travelling in a Jugaad from Vrndavan back to Mathura
-Taking up a hotel for a few hours and sitting on the terrace watching the sun set and thousands of parrots...
-Sudden plan to go to Haridwar - no bus seat available - and the local MLA whose hotel i had checked in books a ticket in an already full bus and gives me a scooter to go to the bus stand... tells me to leave the scooter there - someone will pick it up!
-The morning autorickshaw wala also calls me and tells me he would like to come and "see me off"... i agreed and he dropped me off at the bus stand - took the scooter back - strange world... sometimes things just..... happen..!
-Thick morning fog in Haridwar
-Putting up in a random  dharamshala for a few hours
-Meeting a dear friend Rakesh and his family..
-Playing the whole morning with his kids who were fortunately at home due to a swine flu scare...
-Going from Haridwar to Rishikesh through the national park jungle on Rakesh's bike...
-Seeing elephants in the wild...
-Riding through a river which was flowing quite strong..
-Wandering of into the jungle and intercepted by forest rangers... got off that with some sweet talking...
-Sitting and watching the Ganga at Rishikesh far away from the usual tourist spots...
-Challaned 100 bucks for not wearing helmets on the highway on the way back to Haridwar...
-Clicking pics of the same cop letting go of two men without helmets. Then we rode off shouting at the inspector "Kal subah chai peete hue akhbaar mein tasveer dekhna..." and he sent constables running after us... LOL.. that was fun...
-Breath taking sunset as we entered back into Haridwar...
-Ganga aarti - its a big loot... the actual mafia of these religious places are the Mahants and the priests...! They have body guards with sten guns.. and almost threaten people to take out money... total goondaism.. poor believers..!
-Had a dip in the ganga.. bledy cold water...!

Back to delhi - attended a fun wedding mallu boy and panju girl...
Then to Calcutta... How i love that city...!



After Mathura-Vrndavan-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Delhi-Kolkata, its nice to come hack home to an extended weekend...

:)

No mood to post pics really.. just too many...

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Mystic mehfils and the art of not understanding...

I like all kinds of songs... and it wouldn't be wrong to say that songs rule a part of my heart and soul and life... a good big part of my soul atleast. Whether it is a "Chad gaya oopar re", or a 70's bollywood song, or rock or jazz or a bhaavgeet or a classical rendition or world music... i relate deeply to them all. Some really vulgar songs to the most spiritual song is enjoyed with equal relish! Infact one of the reasons that i learnt some languages is because i liked listening to a particular song and wanted to understand it.

Last year i had attended a programme called Ruhaniyat (soulfulness) and true to its name, it was one of the most transporting evening in my life... A friend who also attended has blogged about the experience. You can read more about it here: http://love-marks.blogspot.com/2008/02/ruhaniyat.html
Very detailed and yet very beautiful written Darpana.. you went with family?
This beautiful evening ended with the awesome Sabri brothers.

Now why all this is running in my mind is because today is a qawwali night on Li'l champs and a couple of days back i was listening to qawwalis all evening.

One of my favourite forms of music, qawwalis have perhaps been adulterated the most. Mostly by bollywood and even to an extent even by the Gods of ghazals like Ghulam Ali..! (to me he's the God of ghazals for sure). A lot of compromises have gone into the performances and the choice of audience. Thanks to the many who want a private mehfil for their drunken baraatis, Qawwali has been successfully reduceed to just a rhythemic series of claps and showering of notes.. nothing too different from a mujra..!

I have been fortunate to see some good live performances but what took away the richness and the soul from the atmosphere is the people attending it... to them qawwalis are like some kind of a tool to flirt with the opposite sex.. people don't know the essence any more... leave alone the depth. The original trend of first connecting and hence becoming mast has been replaced by first concentrating on getting entertained and hence removing all possibilities of a connection.

Which is why, in earlier days, programmes were held only for a small group of shaukeen people in private mehfils.. people who have really grown to understood and thirsted for it and are taiyyar. Sprawled with spiritual lust.on carpets, they slowly lose themselves to the divine rhythm...

I remember in one live performance of pankaj udhaas.. (i don't facy the guy but i take his example because he has a lot of those sharaabi songs that everyone thinks they have understood). He started off singing "Sabko maaaloom hai main sharaabi nahin.." and we could make out that many of the people sitting and hooting there had no clue what the meaning of the song was... lol. And this is precisely what irritates the ones who do and what amuses the singer because he derives so much pleasure from he ignorance of the crowd...

It is the same with most Sufi singers and Qawwals.
The artistic urdu poetry indulges heavily in words like paimana, parwana, sharaab, saaqi, maikhana etc and the ignorant in the audience who are unfamiliar with sufi, keep imagining the scene created by the words... when actually nothing is understood starting from the rhythm or the zarb, which is supposed to be in rhythm to the heartbeat.. they just enjoy the fun that comes out of clapping.. all this much to the amusement of the singers who throw more and more deep verses and spur on the ignorant :) which are plenty because qawwali and sufi are nowadays a style statement and even people who catch one sher think they have got it all...!

One man on FB today says.. "Qawwalis are never meant for kids.".. lol..  i sent 3 personal messages to him asking him to tell why.. and he didn't reply :)


Barhaal.. here's one of Aziz MiaN's best - "Mujhe Aazmaane Waale" (The ones testing me).. also called "'Meri dastan-e-hasrat" (The story of my longing):




The shers go thus:

kijiyeh kis rastay gundashta jannat ki talash
jab ke matti ke kholino se behel jaatay hein loag

yeh loag...

baal bikhraye tooti qabroon per jab koi mehjabeen roti hai
mujh ko aksar khayal aata hai aray maut kitni haseen hoti hai

yeh loag...

yeh loag kehte hein ke parbat se nikal ker chashme,
kisi khoyi howi manzil ka pata dete hein
aur sar shaam haya un ke liyeh chalti hai,
jin ke mehboob bohot door kaheen rehte hein

yeh loag...

mujh aazmanay walay mujhe aazma ke roay
meri daastan e hasrat wo suna suna ke roay

meri daastan e hasrat...

(Commentary: mein chahta kya hoon, ik aarzu ik khuwahish ik hasrat dil se wabasta hoti hai suniyeh)

koi aisa ehl e dil ho fasana e muhabbat
jisay mein suna ke ro'un, mujhe wo suna ke roay

(Commentary: mein ne jab yeh shair mehfil mein bayan kiyeh to sunne walo ne kya sulook kiya suniyeh)

jo sunayi anjuman mein shab e gham ki aag beeti
kayi ro ke muskuraye kayi muskura ke roay

(Commentary: uroos e ghazal...)

mein hoon be-watan musafir mera naam be-qasi hai
meri koi bhi nahi hai jo galay laga ke roay

(Commentary: mein ne Saif ki is ghazal mein jo mein ne intikhaab kiya wo aap ki nazar karta hoon suniyeh)

mere paas se guzar ker meri baat tak na poochi
mein yeh kaise maan jaoon ke wo door ja ke roay

(Commentary: smayeen yahan tak Saif ke shair hein, aik shair mein ne kaha... suniyeh)

kabhi mujh se rooth ker wo jo milay thay raastay mein
mein unhein mana ke roya wo mujhe mana ke roay

mein unhein mana ke roya...

Friday, August 28, 2009

Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor Hai - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Have been listening to qawwalis all evening...  one of my favorite forms of music and connecting to the other world... some of the songs take me into a trance...
Qawwalis and Sufi are rarely understood by many who can't understand the references to things like sharaab and paimaana... and when the very subtle metaphors are lost people can only imagine and what they understand finally is nothing..!

I could keep going but it deserves a separate post.

So for now enjoy Nusrat Fatheh Ali Khan Saheb.. "yeh jo halk halka suroor hai.."

 Part 1:


Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocj1tsF5qIg


Part 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wao5qMfTC-0


---------------------------------------

Full song download:
http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=5949240&song=Yeh+Jo+Halka+Halka+Suroor+Hai



.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

However painful it might be...


 
...its always better to lose an illusion... than find the truth...!

Jana Gana Mana - Siachin Glacier!

I have a very different opinion about armies... and soldiers...
But there is something there that makes my stomach churn, my blood rush and is worth a very big salute!

Here's to the Indian Army...

Sunday, August 23, 2009

http://geet-gata-chal.blogspot.com/

Revived...

thanks to a thought bubble..  :)

Friday, August 14, 2009

Jallaad

Identify the movie from these famous one liners

Click on letters to spell the right answer or type it in the answer field. Every wrong answer gets you one step closer to being hanged. You get 7 chances per question. Click skip to move to the next question.




101 points here.. but I got all of them :))

Thursday, August 13, 2009

...

a crumpled rs.1000 note in the jeans pocket... i'm rich.. will finally go and but the lens cap that i lost last year.. God alone knows why i haven't done that till now...!

i wish, and then fight it too... wish i knew what i was up to..

And that funny pain in the stomach - like a half homecoming.. half departure... must be the wine...!


but for now i so love sleeping on the floor....


.

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Sunday, August 09, 2009

Sometimes...

Sometimes when you want to say a lot, you don't... because you know that is best thing to do.



now this video is nothing quite related to what i have said... i just needed to put it somewhere... anywhere..

Friday, July 31, 2009

Happy to Help

Vodafone in Pune has been dead since yesterday. And instead of an apology, they send in weird messages as usual. And i just cannot have a bad mood on Friday :)

I keep getting these messages from Vodafone that are outright spam and terribly annoying at times but fun at other times, to read (the messages) so haven't really blocked them.

These messages are usually the types of:
Kab hogi aapki shaadi? Kitne bachche honge aapke? Unke kitne bachche honge? Pata karne ke liye SMS karein aapka naam (DDMMYYYY) to... etc etc


So today i'm total vella and tried replying to two of them with some screaming responses...LOL.. Here goes:

----------------------

The first one was:
"Jaaniye kaun the aap apne pichle janam mein. Type PAST NAME and send to 51515. eg. PAST RAJ."

The reply i got was:
Dear VINOD, in your previous birth you were probably born twice as a human and once as an elephant. During the human phase, you were born as a soldier in your first life and as a craftsman in your second life. That possibly explains why you are so creative. The other important aspect of your personality that really stands out is the bonding that you share with your friends and family. Just like elephants do.

----------------------
The second one was:
"Kya aap hai chulbule ya hai bohot gambheer?? Janiye apne baare mein. Sms SELF (Ur DDMM) to 53131. E.g. SELF 2309. Rs3/sms"

The reply:
U symbolize a very happy-go-lucky approach in life. D surroundings may be,grim or cheerful,u remain unaffected.U spread cheer wherever U go.U r d leader of ur group of friends n good at consoling people in their times of need.U dislike hypocrisy beware, it is easy for U to fall in love. Sms ur favorite sport type e.g. SA for Chess, SB-Cricket,Sc-Athletics, SD-Judo,SE-Football,SF-Tennis to 53131

----------------------

So I SMSed SE to 53131

and the 'apne baare mein' continued:
...you are contented person in general but are always on a lookout for growth prospect, You believe health is wealth and want society to be fit physically. But suited on network management positions. To know about ur leadership attitude,tell us how u walk? Sms WA-fast with long steps,WB-fast wid little steps,WC-less fast-head up,WD-less fast-head down,WE-very slow.
----------------------

Ok... this much is enough to please clients who have been missing calls i guess... lol


Oh and a dogfood ad that i came across fits well with Vodafone-Hutch's "Happy to Help" slogan...



Have a lovely weekend :)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Invitation

"It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments."

Tell me..

Friday, May 29, 2009

Well Begun Is Half Done

And i'm hooome!

*Grabs his swimming trunks - rushes out!*

Oh and here's some thing for the weekend...

I loove the expression on the little fellow face as he says "I am not.."


Ass u me

Had another longish call today.

I reached work before time, read up things i wanted to do, speak about, queries, suggestions, the works and saw that only two of us out of the expected three had turned up on time. At first i thought we'll wait, send in a message to the other end that we'll begin in a while, make some technical excuse etc. But then i decided not to wait. There was no information anyways.

So Avik and I logged on and started the call even though a lot of data was with Sachin and he'd not come in yet.

Sachin came in 20min late. before i could ask, Avik muted the call and told Sachin "Pucca daaru pii ke soya hoga." ("Am sure you got drunk last night.")
On any other day, we'd have had a laugh, but this time something i sensed about Sachin made me feel that something was wrong. I looked disapprovingly at Avik.
I think its always nice to ask first - before you make a conclusion.

Sachin however ignored Avik's statement and quickly settled down asking me for an update on whatever had transpired on the call. I did that and we went on with the rest of the call which was for an hour and a half almost.

Through the call, somehow i could 'sense' that Sachin was not himself.. and i could 'feel' that whatever it was was the reason for the morning delay.

After the call, i asked Sachin if he'd like to join for a coffee. He agreed. Among other things, i asked him what was wrong. He did not hesitate to reveal that his dad was in the hospital for the past two days and today is mom was not too well either, so he had slept over at the hospital instead of his mom. I told him to finish off some small work and leave and that things would be managed.

-----------

Avik's reaction got me wondering that so many of us perhaps look at each other in the similar way..

Firstly we won't ask, secondly we will assume, and thirdly we won't assume things like a car breakdown or a 'not feeling well' or some other non-negative and genuine reason for the delay. We are habituated to pick the ones that is negative and will make us feel nice about having generated a laugh in the audience. Many of these reasons are ones that come out of our own experiences and and are more applicable to us than to the other person. But we assume it on his behalf too.

What was even more silly was the fact that Sachin does not drink. I knew it. Avik didn't. Avik drinks and perhaps thought that it was a common trait among everyone and it was safe to assume that the only reason for coming in late could be a hangover.

We did grow up learning "Do unto others..." but how many of us live it? From what i've seen - very few. Remember that what you assume about someone today may very well be what someone assumes about you some day.

ASS. U. ME. - thats what assumption makes of us.


Its a beautiful day...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

JAI HIND!

Monday, May 11, 2009

reverie

as i walk down the spring valley,
not a word is heard...

silences sprout beneath my feet...

every passing moment
a tickle,

every fallen feather
a wing...


-©2009 Vinod

Where The Moon Rises...

Somewhere between the dark of dusk
and the dark of dawn
I wait...
like on a lonely bench
on a train-station miles long
waits a leaf...
ducking winds...
some of them blown by you...

They are trickling into your head...
the tears you hold back
in your small sparkling lake eyes

Let them spill-

But do not drown them behind closed doors
in those marshy pillows...
I know a place where you can cry a river

Where the eyes of the night
close
when tenderly hands hold...

Where the wind carries answers
to questions you never asked
And tales i never told...

Where once again my world dissolves
Into the heartbeats
In your breasts...

Where the moon rises-
pregnant with a rabbit...

Come with me... there.

You- silent like the night with its starry stillness
You- bright like the flowering sun
You- all that a moon has always meant

i wait...

like a seed waiting
for a womb...



-©2009 Vinod

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Have a nice long weekend...



:)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

life...

Back..

Life's like browsing the net i tell u - u begin with a sound knowledge of what u want - then one link leads u to another and then another and in a while, u'll have no clue where u are nor do u know how to get back to where u were...! LOL

Wah -i should twitter this.. infact i should twitter a lot. Ok - atleast once a day...!
The whole idea of sharing what i think is sure to humor me some.. and some others hopefully..

And feels better to have a self-purging plan in place...

Sunday, April 26, 2009

...

मैंने रखा है हमेशा ही तबस्सुम लब पर............................... :)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Roses



They awake in the morning...
gently yawning,
Dressed in their dewy night gowns
The winds make music in their leaves
now slow, now fast
like Tchaikovsky's Sleeping beauty

the day begins
Shubha Mudgal sings 'Saavan Jhad Laagela' in some window
In some window a mother plats her daughters hair

Everything around is as yellow as sunshine
as alive as butterflies



©2009, Vinod

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Move ease...

Was cleaning up files from my old desktop, laptop and external disks... What all i had accumulated... i think apart from all the kinds of pollution that already plague the earth, the next one is going to me information pollution or cyber pollution. Like pieces of papers in your wallet or purse, the comp is filled with a lot of stuff too. You keep holding on to and keep accumulating till one fine day your disk runs the risk of crashing..

Since movies take up the maximum space, i decided to tackle that. So many movies gosh and those are one thing i perhaps can't get myself to delete too soon esp the kiddie flicks and many flicks from the yester years. Kiddie flicks i just can't delete.. What lovely movies esp the animated ones.

Watching Makdee at the moment... one of those movies which i think if someone has not seen then i think they've missed something big...! :) That little girl Shweta Prasad.. she's just awesome... and i'm a fan of Makrand Deshpande too.. but in this movie, there isn't even ONE character that has not acted well.. everyone gave a mindblowing performance. One of my favest movies ever, for the story, acting, direction everything...!

Somehow kiddie movies have the bestest stories and songs ever.. i can watch them a hundred times over and not get bored. I find them pure, beautiful, positive and devoid of all the banes we adults have. There is much we can learn from them.

Here's Shweta Prasad in Makdee:





and just out of the blue i love this song :)

Monday, April 06, 2009

The signs of science (and not the other way around)

I was watching a documentary yesterday about space.

As the spacecraft pulled very slowly away from earth, it was amazing to see how one by one each distinction that we so hold close to ourselves, dissolves. The cities, the states, the borders... everything begins to look part of a bigger whole.

For me somehow, every shot of the earth from space looks different. From space, the earth looks like one big organism of which probably each one of us is just one cell with the sole purpose of performing a unique function and each one has to work in harmony with the other. The animals probably making up the nervous system, the atmosphere was like some kind of a big lung and respiratory system, the vast expanse of soil and grasslands are like its digestive system. the oceans and seas looked like the blood and fluids of this magnanimous and beautiful creature...!

It felt so strange to notice that what we call borders and limits are so much imagined and concieved as if we are building a big false dream around us and trying our best to live it too. In the big picture, the only borders you can see are those made by the mighty rivers and mountains and vast sea coasts...!

The whole concept of time changes. The earth does not look like it had any past and we do not possess any time that has not yet come to us... It seems as if all we have is our today to do what we have to.. to bring about some small change in whatever way we can in our lives and in the lives of others and in the larger planet. Like a close friend who was telling me about how important it is to make full use of today, provide ourselves and our loved ones with the little pleasures that they deserve lest that later we regret that we were not able to do so...

Science and space has always intrigued me. The curiosity of what lies beyond what we know. What is it out there that is so grand that in front of it we are reduced to nothing. The whole thought and concept humbles me and makes me wonder what is it that I am missing out, WE are missing out.. what is the BIG picture that we are ignoring? So caught up in our little troubles, in our little wells, in our little fears, so possessed by our pasts that we will doubt, hold back our words, and build our safety nets- not knowing that this net has probably been built between us and our happiness. And in that net we'll stay forever while the ground sinks slowly... faar faar away... till it is lost in the darkness of space.. forever....

I get this chill sometimes...

Sunday, March 29, 2009

two more songs before i forget...

when i need it the most my memory fails me as far as songs are concerned... so here are two more songs i really like.. there are many many more of course.. but these have been playing in my head many times during the day... so will give them a place on my blog before i forget...



Download:
Kaun Disa mein leke chala re batuhiya (Film: Nadiya ke Paar)
(IE- RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE TARGET AS")
(FIREFOX-RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE LINK AS")
---------------and---------------




Download:
Bade Achche Lagte Hain(film: Balika Badhu)
(IE- RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE TARGET AS")
(FIREFOX-RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE LINK AS")
-----------------------------

such simple songs, such wonderful thoughts, no big fantasies and yet beautiful, everyday stories, everyday people, everyday life...! That era of film makers, script writers, dialogue writers, poets, music composers, lyricists will never happen again and i'm glad i was part of that era and i'm even more happy that all those songs are still available.. i cannot imagine music without these...

Mom and dad used to play these songs almost everyday and dad used to whistle these in the evening and i used to so wish i could do that..lol.. Dad and mom both sing very well but somehow never sang in the house.. both were very shy and have heard them sing a couple of times in family gatherings after they were coaxed a lot and after that got all red in the face.. lol - in the house dad whistled and mom just hummed... and we loved to be around... it was very peaceful...

Not only hindi, the regional old songs are a different treasure trove in themselves... and one of the biggest thing that has motivated me to learn a new language is the art and culture of that state... music being a big part in that.



Sometimes my imagination runs riot and i imagine that after maybe 60yrs or so, will the world be full of head banging, tattoed and navel (among other places) pierced grand moms and grand dads for whom "old music" will be.. pop and hard rock????!

Dunno. I don't have a problem... wont be around... lol...

.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Ae Zindagi Gale lagaa le...

LOVE the words...



Download:
Ae zindagi gale laga le
(IE- RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE TARGET AS")
(FIREFOX-RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE LINK AS")

And i love these other songs from Sadma..
Ek dafa ek jungle mein
Surmayee akhiyon mein
(IE- RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE TARGET AS")
(FIREFOX-RIGHT-CLICK ON THE LINK AND SELECT "SAVE LINK AS")

Thursday, March 26, 2009

dawn...

the winds icy cold
my mind cherry fresh...

as my bike passes it by,
a lamp post jolts awake from its slumber
like an adolescent girl's
wary father...



©Vinod

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

...

saw something on the streets last weekend which i don't want to discuss here at the moment... here's a thought though.. longer and very unlike me... but valid nevertheless...


This is a poem with no poetic inclination.

It has not bathed since a week
And walks about scratching itself.
It has not brushed, combed or defecated
and smells in the mouth more
than it does in the body.

You do not want to hear this poem.
You are scared shit
of it.

Scared of its crimson
tears that plead
and tenderly bleed
from its anguished eyes.

You are also scared
that this poem will be paired
with other poems about conservation,
About tigers and Ridley turtles.
About saving forests and protecting the ozone…

You don’t want this there
Where
This will stick out like a sore thumb
Where your silken words will numb.

This poem isn’t from your garden
Of flowers
This is from down the filthy street
Where the hungry and the dustbin meet.
This poem lives in large abandoned concrete pipes
That never carried the water they were supposed to

This poem writhes in gore
And walks with sore
blistered feet
It has worms crawling over it at night
And rats growing fat
By gnawing at it
Bit by bit

This poem is unable to sleep
Because of the stench of pee
from the adjacent public toilet.
So it sits awake to cover his child
with ragged dreams.
and at 3am begins to scout
For food
And firewood
To see a day through
And when it walks across roads
It is raped a hundred times
With indiscriminating eyes…!

Irrespective of its gender,
This poem gets bullied, slapped and kicked
And unhesitatingly picked
To entertain the cops in night shifts
And dropped off in the shadows
Unconscious and bleeding.

This poem picks tea leaves
Rolls bidis,
Buys dope and death
Shines your leather wallet
With ammonia eroded skinless hands
Blows your lovely glass vase into beauteous shapes
And bruised and burnt in a fireworks factory,
it silently sits and gapes
At the festival sky.

This poem doesn’t want to talk about
Recession and layoffs
It wants you- to lay off- its bedroom on the footpath
On the railway station
On the bus stand
And under the bridge.

It wants to talk about rights
And not about duties
It wants to talk about a single day meal
About one blanket for the entire winter
About clean drinking water,
Medical aid and designer slavery.

This poem does not want to hear about
Budgets and cost cutting
Because it was this poem that invented the phrase
When it re-used its newspaper plate
Plastic tent, tears
And florid fears.

It cut cost long back
To save a tear and silently cry.
To buy milk when its mother’s breast went dry.

You do not want to hear this poem
Because it demands.

It demands deliverance
From biased laws and fraudulent promises
It demands the parliamentary gaze
To meets its own
To look into its eyes so it can ask..

When will the air they breathe be made free?

Why the word Swaraj is such a rape of an idea?


-©2009, Vinod

.

Black in White or...

This is a recent Duet ice-cream advertisement in Russia which has caused a lot of controversy. Some people have called it racist.


The politically correct version would be Ebony in Ivory then? :)


Wonder why Amul didn't think of the song from the film Gumnaam (anonymous)... here's my quick take on it... :)



.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

मनाचा ब्रेक, उत्तम ब्रेक... (The most effective brake is one that is applied on the mind...)

Its green all around and everything above is blue
The breeze blows gently and sunflowers smile at you

Little white cotton balls suspended far high and away
As i nap under a neem tree on a lovely summer day

No lies, no thieves, i need not hide my laptop
All i can see for miles is jungles of sugarcane crop

No one to race against, no score to settle
All that matters is the road and my mettle

As i reach rare speeds, the road races me by
Its like no one can touch you - you can fly...

A summer kid lent me his cycle in the midst of his play,
I smile an unexplained tear, i guess he made my day...

©Vinod
After a simple poem, here are some simple photos about simple life and simple people...




















To the anonymous comment makers...

I believe that anything, once published on the net, is open to praise and critique alike as it is to comments. Keeping that in mind, technically speaking anyone is allowed to express their views - even anonymously.

However, I want to tell you that sometimes, unless i know who is commenting, it is discomforting to me. So i do not quite appreciate anonymos comments - even the sweet ones. I'm over the age of getting moved by any secret admiration or criticism. Nor do i appreciate it.

So if you wish to comment anonymously (for whatever reason), i will expect you to tell me via personal mail who you are.

Hope you will oblige.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Ever happenned to you?

You want to say something real bad...
you feel it would be so nice to say it...
and you smile at the thought...

And just then something happens...


and you are so thankful you didn't say it.............



.

Summer...









As i sit watching the sun go down,
Silently, the moon rises
somewhere behind.

The last bit of shimmer recedes hesitantly,
From the silent ripples
Like hands of reluctant lovers...


©2009 Vinod


.


Friday, March 13, 2009

You Are My Destiny

The Pussy Cat Dhols have come out with what they say is their interpretation of ‘Jai Ho’. They call it ‘You Are My Destiny’ – nice name - but what crappy lyrics they have come out with!

After the lovely lyrics of the original one the Cats and Aye Yaar Reham Man could have spared us this lousy version!!!

But I guess its when the lyrics are bad not as good and the song still sounds great that you actually realize what a lovely job has been done on the beats!

With such lovely music like that the cats could have gotten away with even crappier lyrics... like for example:

Jai Ho (Jai Ho)
I got, (I got) shivers (shivers),
When I crapped today,
I filled the pot, With all i got,
Oh please no more- I pray...
Jai Ho.. Jai Ho…


Listen / Download


.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Did you play Holi today?

Today could you look up at someone's terrace and know that they read the Times of India?
No?
Well, if you saw couples on their terraces dancing to "Ang se Ang lagana" balancing balloons between their tummies all covered from head to toe with Kissan jam, tomato sauce and orange juice - they are definitely TOI fans.

"
Think alternatives to colours!
No, we’re strictly not hinting at eggs here! The deal is to tempt your partner... how about a foodie-Holi? Head kitchen-wards and take out all those colourful jams, jellies and juices and use them as great substitutes for colour. With these yummy edibles flowing down your bodies your, allow your lips to make the decisions for you! Not only will these edibles make up for a healthy Holi but also a yummy one.


Have fun with water balloons!
Balloons are not just for kids... here’s what you can do as a grown-up! Go on your private terrace and spread out some water balloons in your private zone. Now, lie down close and let the action begin! As the heat builds up and the balloons squash and burst between you, let the excitement get to you! Make sure you don’t have peeping Toms around, or they’ll forget playing their Holi to watch you instead!
"

Thankyou Charu Amar... one just couldn't get more creative than this...


Read more and see what you missed doing this Holi.




.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Khadakwasla, Panshet, Velhe and back

Nice long ride, lakes, mountains, village roads, friendly people, no pollution, onion bhajjis, ice-lolly, lovely breeze, old songs, old cam phone with no sim and bubbly weather... :)

P.S. My camera has a lot of dust inside it after the train travel sometime back.. so not taking it for any outdoor shoots till i get it serviced. All pics here have been taken with an old cam phone that i no longer use but love dearly.
























Saturday, February 21, 2009

Kabir vaani at 3 am!!!

One of those sleepless days... cleaned up the wardrobe, watched some fav bits an pieces of Salaam Bombay, coffee banaya put on some real old hindi numbers and read my fav stories of Kabir. Lekin neend ka naam-o-nishaan nahin. Then i realised its because of the closed windows! I forget everyday that its already getting hot. So in goes the quilt into the box cot and out comes nice cotton sheets... i hate the summers but i love many things about it... clear starry skies, juicy fruits, swimming, ealy mornings, late sunsets, icecream - naaaaaah icecream ka asli mazaa to winter mein hai :) but one thing i love about summers is sleeping with minimum clothes lol.. and sleeping as if you own the whole bloody mattress... north mein hum isey "taang pasaar kar sona" kehte hain.. :)) Summers mein i really miss the Khatiya that we had when we were kids. I might go get myself one this summer to put in the garden and sleep off there some nights with champ who is a big boy now! Well so many good things, so why do i hate summer, oh well dosen't matter.. i do for some reason...!!!

Cricket match at 7am today i.e. in 3.5 hrs!!! Not a fan of the game but i play well... i'm in the office team... lol .
Weekend mein maybe town trotting, DevD, Dilli6 too since i love the caramel popcorn at e-square. Maybe go catch a wink beside the gurgling stream in Osho Teerth Park. And oh yes i have old clothes to give away. HAVE to do that.

But for now, with the fresh breeze coming in, i can sleep... i'll let the old songs play... i love listening to them... and i'm thinking of monsoons...



Ok i'll end this with Kabir's thoughts... Kabir had seen many pundits hold rosaries in their hands and turn them slowly while chanting some mantra and he laughed and thought "If the pundit was chanting mantras with the rosary, what was the rosary chanting with the pundit in its hands?" (lol.. i so love his sense of humor...)

Maybe the beads chanted...

"Maala pherat jag bhaya, mita na mann ke pher,
Kar ka mann ka chhor ke, mann ka manka pher"


For ages you have been turning my beads, but is your mind any restful? Why not leave me alone and rotate the beads of your mind instead?

Have a nice weekend with your loved ones... :)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

...

Have been wanting to watch Casablanca for months now... Just finished watching...!

Amazing!!
I think that when you are loved deeply by someone, it provides you with a lot of strength, but when you really really love someone, it gives you Courage...

That's the difference!


Off for a swim and a ride.. maybe some coffee and some idle time...

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Luck. By Chance? - a non-review

I have a serious appetite for movies but i don't put my fork into every movie that Bollywood serves on my plate. I'll go by the starcast and my instincts and I've been wanting to get a bite of Luck By Chance (LBC).

Just finished licking my fingers.

From whatever i know of bollywood, this seems the closest to come to its realities in a mature and non-obvious way. If reviews are supposed to give the reader a peek into the plot, then this isn't one.. not because its a great plot but because i believe in discovery. Every story, every book, every person and every relationship has to be discovered by each one separetely.. there lies all the fun, newness and difference.

Zoya Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar's sister could not have wished for a better debut as director. Every bit of the movie screamed of good sense of detail, awareness, and an "i don't care, i want it this way because this is how it IS" attitude and i so subscribe to that. It has its flaws, but what the heck, we all have them and when you really really like something, you are able to look beyond the flaws.

I'm glad the love story isn't mushy and is real. I'm glad for the experimental soundtrack which i'll get back to later. And i'm glad that not everyone will like it :)

I think, like life, what carries the movie across is the characters and in this case it was Konkana Sen, Dimple kapadia, Farhan Akhtar, Saurabh Shukla, and Rishi Kapoor.. in that order. Why is Saurabh Shukla ahead of Rishi Kapoor? Well that my pick, the length of a role dosen't matter to me, what matters is "Can anyone else do it?" In this case 'NO'. Anyways... even though i think Tabu is one of the best actors the industry has, i'm glad Konkana did it (Tabu was going to do this role i've heard). I'm VERY glad. Sanjay Kapoor needs to get over playing Anil! Konkana Sen isn't 'beautiful' in the conventional sense but THAT is her beauty! And I'm not a sucker for wallpaper material anyways and can't go beyond the word "pretty" for them. She's and actor and she can act - that's what counts. Farhan has a little more to go as far as acting is concerned but nevertheless, he is brilliant with his facial expressions and what is important is he knows how to animate and dosen't do it for the sake of doing it. He is definitely not one of those method actors and that's his beauty. Dimple, even at this age manages to walk that rope between beauty and oomph and Rishi Kapoor's acting skills haven't greyed at all.

The roping in of so many other real bollywood actors worked well with script. I think it was required and hats off to Zoya for managing that.

There have been other films trying to tell Bollywood's sad tales, but i'm not for the "this is what i think and you have to agree with me" kinds. I like it when the taste is subtle and i lick my lips and say "i like the sauce ". LBC is certainly one of the bestest slices of the industry and highlights the role of 'Taqdeer' in the lives of people whether they believe in it or not! It leaves us with questions. Is our life really and entirely ONLY what WE make of it?

Coming back to the soundtrack, Javed Akhtar, I think has written the heart of millions of strugglers, whatever field of life they may be in... he has proved his versatality yet again and made everyone wonder what will be of poetry when people like him are gone?! The film's music worked well for me... something that i can so identify with. Not loud and leading, but walking with you... talking. If there is anything you can take back to your daily life from the film, its the songs.

Baawre is Ok, but i have been listening to Sapnon Se Bhare Naina, O Rahi Re and Pyaar Ki Dastaan (in that order) a lot in the past couple of weeks.

Get the Mp3 here:
http://desiramp.com/download/2008/luckby.html

I liked the ending and applaud Zoya's courage for putting things as they are.. or should i say, as they should be!

Cast: Konkana Sen Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Dimple kapadia, Rishi Kapoor, Isha Sherwani, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Aly Khan, Anuj Mathur & Extended Guest Appearance by Hrithik Roshan along with many other stars.
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar
Genre: Drama
LYRICS: Javed Akhtar
My Rating: 3.5/5


P.S If you are wondering why i haven't mentioned Juhi Chawla.. i have.. in the 'Cast'.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Koooooooo chuk chuk chuk chuk....

As a kid, I had this friend and partner in grime called Boban Mathew..! Though Boban was from Little Flower School and I from Hill Top, we were really good friends and did many things together... going and exploring the forest behind the Telco colony stadium, climbing up the 150meter tall water tank on top of Bhubaneshwari temple hill and eating our tiffin, going and sitting in a pitch dark park and making ghostly noises, climbing on peoples terraces and make scratching noises at night etc etc etc.

We were also the explorers of our locality; we used to catch a bus and go to far off places and then com back and tell the other children of "the world outside" and then coax them to come along next time... our travels increased from Tube Colony, to Tinplate, to Golmuri, then Sakchi and finally to Bistupur! Slowly there were fewer children seen around their houses on weekends... parents didn't know where their kids were vanishing. "Abhi to yahin tha," turned into "Pata karna padega ye log kahan jaate hain" and soon enough we were all rounded up one day by angry parents at the Hobby Center bus stand!

We all got a sound spanking and after a few days of nursing sore bums we found out that it was only Boban and I who were prepared to risk another thrashing! But ab kya kare bhai... pocket money to milne se raha – no more bus journeys!

So we decided to cycle.

Now, the sole point of conflict between me and dad was the cycle. Dad used to love to cycle and instead of taking the scooter, he cycled it to work because his company was just a couple of kilometers away. I suspected that dad took it because he was scared that if he left it at home, I’d be up to some mischief.

Later, we reached a compromise... he rode it on the weekdays but i had it to myself for the entire weekend.

Now where to go exploring was the next question... cycling to Bistupur was a risky affair because of the traffic and because every other dad and mom on the streets now knew us! Jaayein to jaayein kahan?

The solution came sooner than expected when we were cycling to Hudco dam which is very near our house. When were seated on one of the walls at Hudco, we heard the sound of the train... Boban and I just looked at each other and smiled.

Next weekend, we climbed to Hudco, and then down from there and rode till the railway tracks. I had this immense fascination for trains and I suggested that we ride along the railway tracks... we did that and soon, this had become a weekend ritual. We enjoyed waving to trains and sitting under the trees and standing under bridges as the train passed.

Slowly we started leaving home earlier so that we could venture further and further along the tracks, till we started going far enough to reach the next station after Tatanagar... I still remember that towards the east was Salgajhudi junction and to the west was Asanboni... the aaloo bondas of Salgajhudi were better!

The best thing we did however was to put 5 and 10 paisa coins on the tracks and they came out flattened..! Those were our prized possessions.

Last evening I biked along the railway tracks again and relived some of those memories...

























Monday, January 12, 2009

Simply seeing...

My nephew Hrishabh is 2½yrs old now and we have bought him those puzzles that can be put together to form an elephant, lion, rabbit etc. He has picked it up well and its very surprising how he does it so quick sometimes.

This one day, when he was over with all of them and wanted a new one, i traced a slightly complex picture from a magazine, coloured it and then tore the original photo into puzzle pieces and gave it to him. He sat down contented and looked at the trace carefully and started arranging the pieces but was not quite getting it.

I was engrossed in something when he came tugging at me and took me to the place of action. I stared amazed at the pic he had made.. it wasn't what i had given him, it was the pic of one large safola sunflower! I turned the puzzle around and saw that the other side contained the original pic. This little fellow, must have chanced upon the flower and turned all the pieces around and simply put together the flower..!

We all know the cliche about all things having another side.. this was a practical demonstration of the same...all our experiences have another side.. and if we think with simple minds, we'll be surprised how easy it is to see...


~V

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

[Tagged] Six random things about yourself

Tagged by Sharanya

Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.


1. I love exploring cities. I love going into lanes and bylanes and looking at the buildings and houses. Even if i'm suppossed to go some place else and if i have time, i'll take a detour into one of the lanes which i feel i have never visited and see where it goes and fortunately i'm extremely good at directions so i'm able to find my way back without asking around too much. I know almost every lane an bylane in the cities i have lived...

2. I love old hindi songs and almost all of Kishore Da's songs. I love and respect Kishore Da more than any other singer in the world! I think he was sheer genius - and i don't think that someone like him will come again ever. And he was not a trained (classical) singer!!

3. I dig many hindi movies from the 80's dhishum dhishum era and their dialogues. I confess that i love the Amitabh flicks of the yester years. I can still sit and watch them (keeping my brains aside on the sofa beside me). Totally love the dialogues that Kader Khan's wrote. I think they were out of the world and i never laugh at them when they are being delivered though i might say it off to someone else later and roll with laughter. Sometimes suddenly i'll hold my mom by her shoulders and making a lips-dropping-to-the-side face and say "Maa tu khush to hai na?" or "Tumhara Naam kya hai, Basanti?" lol

4. I can't be on my own for too long - i get terribly lonely. I can be happy alone and do my stuff if that's how it has to be, but by choice, i like the noise of people around.

5. I love jeans, shades and v-neck tee shirts. I can even sleep in my jeans.

6. Barring a few that i actually look forward to, I'm very bad at remembering birthdays and other dates! I always have friends wishing me and i not calling them on their birthdays. And they are great pals because they have always forgiven me for this :)


Anyone who reads this and thinks it will be fun, please feel tagged :))

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Bournvita Confidence Academy

If the TV is running and the Bournvita ad comes up with Ashraf and Kabir jamming, I leave everyting and come to watch it.. I just love their performance and esp the song Ashraf sings... it always makes me smile... lovely energy..

Monday, December 15, 2008

RITUALS

Every morning
Pappa got up at five
Ma, a while before him.
When he was done with bath and prayers,
His breakfast was waiting...

They talked and laughed in hush.
Only the unavoidable clinks of dishes
And the smell of jasmine incense
floated in the stillness
Into my slumbering room.

I don't remember
if the clinks disturbed me
Or the jasmine made me smile...

When i woke,
Ma would smile at me
Pappa would be gone
The teak dining table had a lot of sun,
one empty breakfast plate
and two empty cups of tea...


©2008, Vinod

Friday, December 12, 2008

[Haiku] Winter Haiku - 2008

Morning greets you with
Carpets of fallen flowers
Winter has arrived
=========
Little hands and feet
Stick out from children's fur coats
Like winter turtle

=========

Patient and hopeful
Buried in the winter earth
Seeds of spring flowers

=========

To catch winter's sun
Hopping on fragile branches
A chirpy squirrel

=========

Vapour from our mouths
Kids want to breathe out more than
They want to breathe in

=========

On a leafless branch
A kite rests a while longer
To thaw frosty wings
=========
©2008, Vinod

Thursday, December 11, 2008

[Haiku] speaking only for myself

i.
Cups of roadside tea
Amidst our conversation
I watch your lips move


ii.
Closed on a tuesday
A museum never did
Anyone so good



©2008, Vinod

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Of Little Ambitions and Stolen Kisses

Last evening I was talking to a few kids from the society. If I'm around, the kids won't leave me alone but only I know that it is the other way around... when I see kids, I can't walk away. This mutual admiration is symbiotic. They feel like grown ups and I get a free ride on a time machine!

The usual ritual is that we play a lot first, usually something that involves a lot of running so that we are all hungry before we go home. After the physical exhaustion, we sit and chat a lot, the favorite topic of discussion being "What do you want to become when you grow up?" This is a topic which churns out a new answer from the kids every day. The same kid, who wanted to be a doctor yesterday, wants to be an engine driver today. Everyday is a new aspiration, a new dream. Some are really thought out, like Adi's dream of becoming a nurse, not a doctor mind you. When I asked her why she does not want to become a doctor, her answer is simple- "Nurses get to be with the patient more often and help them more. Doctors only come sometimes. One day when my mother was in the hospital and her stomach was paining at night, only the nurses helped. Doctor uncle came very late.

So I want to be a nurse." One marvels at such thought from a 5 yr old but there is only enough time to move on quickly to the next kid. Some ambitions are spontaneous like 3 yr old Avishek's ambition of becoming a police inspector, super hero or Noddy, depending on the TV character that influenced him most that day. But last evening we had a new boy amongst us who reminded me of my childhood. When I asked Dhruv what he wants to be, he promptly and very matter of factly said - "Thief".

All looked at him and the girls made all the "chee chee" gestures and the boys looked at him mockingly. But I shook hands with Dhruv and laughed heartily. As a kid, I always fancied being a thief. Not to do the 'bad' things they did- but because i thought thieves were smart, intelligent and courageous and always ahead of the police :))

As a kid, when we played chor-police, I always opted for being the chor. Being the police with a gun never appealed to me. The chor had all the fun ducking bullets and hiding away and running. He was almost never hit by a bullet because that would end the game :)) and being the fastest among my friends, I was never caught so the game was longer too. Good for everyone.

As I grew, this love for this forbidden pleasure manifested itself in various ways. I once stole a friend's catapult when he denied letting me play with it. But I stole it only for an hour, and after I had my thrill, I went and handed it back to him with a "Thankyou.

It was fun." I was also the chosen one given responsibility by friends to steal mangoes and custard apples from neighborhood houses. Robin hood was my hero. As a kid I used to dress up like him and we used to play Robin hood and no prizes for guessing who invented the game and who played the lead. :))

In junior school, I remember having stolen small earrings from home to gift to a girl I had a severe crush on. And I thought it would be very chivalrous to tell Farida Munshi that I got it for her. She panicked and went and promptly gave the earrings to the class teacher who alternated her gaze between Farida, me and the earrings for a while before asking me to get my parents to school the next day. This was in the 2nd standard i think!

In high school, I stole chalks and books from the library. I loved chalks- especially the colored ones. So a few of us used to steal chalks and once we were out of school, we used to draw graffiti on the neighbourhood walls. I once remember that a few of us took our school bags to school on 15th August (a holiday but we had to go for only the flag hoisting), so that we could steal enough chalk to draw a huge Flag on the road outside school, and we accomplished that task.
I used to be a voracious reader in high school, but the library allowed us only 1 book per week. I remember stealing books from the library so that I could read more. The books were duly returned though, except a couple of National Geographic magazines.

While in the college hostel, I had once unlocked a senior's Yamaha with a 25paise coin and ridden it to Lonavala to have tea! The bike was back in its place in the morning. The owner never complained, because who would not like a bike cleaned and with fuel topped up for free early in the morning?? :) I remember another senior Zahid stopping me in the college one day and asking me. Vinod, mera bike ka chance kab aayega? LOL and He was pretty much disappointed when i worked part time and saved enough to get my own bike.

My first job was with Motorola. Pagers were the new revolution in communication. The samples that we usually had with us were the numeric pagers. All you could message were numbers. One day i quietly gave off a pager from my samples to a girl i liked. I told my office that a prospective client wanted to use the pager for a week and test its usability. And i remember parking at every one rupee coin booth to send her numeric messages- coded and all. She never quite got the hang of using it creatively and the pager was returned safe and sound.

On another occasion, when I was working with Hertz car rentals at the Taj, I remember having stolen the only Merc car in our fleet. The Merc was driven at not more than 20kmph in the middle of night so that I could throw a rose into a girls window on her birthday. The only problem being that I threw the rose into her parent's room and her mom came out in the window just as i was posing against the car. The car was driven back at 80kmph and we never met after that. Girls in college somehow believed in keeping a safe distance from boys who shower roses on their parents in the middle of the night!

Right from my childhood till today, mom always has a tough time hiding groundnuts, home made butter and coconut from me.

Dhruv's ambition brought back many fond memories. I awoke in the middle of night thinking of Dhruv. I also realized that it’s been long since I've stolen anything substantial.

I slowly crept up to my 2 yr old nephew's bed and stole a kiss from his puffed and sleepy cheeks and went back to sleep happy and content.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

India wants answers!

Mumabi is terrorstricken and all that. Fine. Innocent have died, public and private property has been damaged. Fine. Biggest terror attack. Fine? But do we feel so because these guys were 'outsiders'? Because they are from across the border and because they belong to another kind of fanatism?

More than loss, is it that we are just feeling immense SHAME that we were so vulnerable and that we have such a porous security system? Is it that the country is wondering how we could allow such a thing to happen right under our noses? Is there a lot of DISGRACE?

What damage have they ACTUALLY done? To the national pride is it?
That is the only damage we recognise? The damage to our ego?

Where is Raj Thakery and his gang of Nav Nirman sainiks today? Where is Narendra Modi? Where is Bajrang dal and Shiv sainiks? Was it the marathi manoos who saved Mumbai today? What religion does the Indian Army belong to? Why did soldiers from all parts of the nation laydown their lives and leave their families and children orphans for the sake of Mumbai?

The damage caused by this so called "worst terror attack" is NOTHING compared to the damage done by our own religious fanatic activists - Hindus as well as Muslims all across the nation over the years - pulic and private property and damage to life!!!

We have finally managed to take down the terrorists who came from across the border... When will we give the same treatment to our inhouse terrorists who go around rampaging and trampling the nation on every possible occassion?

What about corruption and crime inhouse? Isn't that a terrorist in itself, eating the nation from its inside everday - every minute??? Isn't THAT the real cause? Isn't it because India is so bloody DIVIDED that these 'outsiders' are able to walk into our house in broad daylight and shove AKs and Grenades up our asses???
What can we expect when the nation is fed on crme and corruption and religiously divided into God alone knows ho many parts? How healthy will such a country be?

Isn't there a hundred questions much more important than Kashmir???


I want answers - India wants answers...!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

[Tagged] Things I like and things i like to do

I have been tagged yet again and this one wasn't easy at all... but as you finish writing you realise that there are more.. but i'll stick to 100. I have divided them into "Things i like" and "Things i like to do".

Here goes...

THINGS I LIKE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.Fresh bedsheets
2.Tribal art
3.Soft light in the room after the curtains have been drawn
4.Freshly washed towels
5.Wild flowers
6.Washing feet with cold water
7.Standing under falling water - shower waterfall etc
8.Smooth pens
9.Very high speed internet connections
10.Arcade games - Pacman, digger, all real arcade games
11.Flute
12.Dogs - furry big ones
13.Incense sticks
14.Bikes
15.Large single coloured spaces like a whole wall of blue or a whole pillow red or a stark white bedsheet or a complete black teeeshirt etc.
16.Beaches and sea breeze
17.Ice capped mountains
18.Trees
19.Water in all its forms - streams, fountains, lake, rain etc
20.Colourful magazines and newspaper supplements
21.INDRAJAL COMICS
22.Houses with red oxide floors
23.Chappals - flip flops indoors and leather ones outside
24.Long Kurtas
25.Sweaters - even though I love bikes - I love sweaters more than leather jackets
26.Tom and Jerry
27.Village fairs
28.JEEP - I prefer a jeep to a car
29.Meaningful lyrics and poetry - I can ber very critical about popular music ad poetry - not because they are bad - but because I'm entitled to an opinion
30.MOVIES - action and thrillers - I esp miss good Western movies
31.I like to be able to afford some small luxuries once a while... a comfortable trip to some place, a gadet i crave for even if its a little expensive.. that way!
32.Being told that I'm loved
33.V-necked tee shirts and jeans
34.My raw leather Woodland ankle shoes
35.Pappadams
36.Mangoes
37.Bougainvillea flowers
38.Gajar ka halwa
39.Samosa and samosa chaat
40.Pencils
41.People with a sense of humor
42.White sleeveless vests
43.Garden spaces
44.Art in all its forms
45.Comfortable mattresses and cushions and big soft pillows
46.Latest Gadets and gizmos
47.Nice smelling colognes, perfumes, nice smelling anything
48.Cheese and spice wafers / cheese and caramel popcorn
49.Dark blue
50.Drawings and paintings made by children


THINGS I LIKE TO DO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.Turning the pilllow to the cold side to feel it on my ears
2.Getting off work all of a sudden and picking up someone and going for a drive/ride
3.Stitting on the kitchen platform and talking about random things
4.Travelling
5.Photography
6.Farming - even if it is growing veggies in the garden
7.Challenging projects at work and home
8.All kinds of work around the house on weekends
9.Organising small get together with close friends - big parties I avoid but can enjoy if I have to
10.Watching people
11.Going to temples and spending some time there - sitting - just being there
12.Going to the circus with kids
13.Dropping by at friends' to say hello
14.Holding hands and walking
15.Playing pranks
16.Singing and Dancing in the shower :))
17.Coming home to loved ones and spending the end of the day with a lot of bonding
18.Playing with kids - just like a kid
19.Reading out a nice passage from a book aloud - preferably to someone
20.Having a beer with friends once a while and chilling out totally - recalling funny past incidents and rolling on the floor
21.Going on an impromptu or surprise date with the one I love
22.Taking a groups of children out for a fun evening or a trek
23.Lying down on the floor with a pillow and talking
24.Buying presents for people / family / kids
25.Playing basketball and badminton
26.Playing soft music in the house when I'm alone
27.Going for a small bicycle ride in the morning
28.Visiting organizations catering to the underprivileged and talking to people and being around them
29.Making an effort to get down from the bike and remove a stone in the middle of the road
30.Taking out time for a friend who needs to talk
31.Watching TV sometimes with family and discussing things we see
32.Visiting jungles / forests and camping in the wild
33.Going window shopping with no agenda to buy or spend
34.Cracking and laughing over cheap jokes with very close friends
35.Talking with children who have just learned to talk
36.Lying down on the garden/terrace swing and reading
37.Watching stars in a clear sky
38.Gifting chocolates and eating some
39.Chewing gum
40.Thrills like white water rafting - giant wheels - crazy rides at the fair
41.Learning new languages
42.Having good food and talking about it - I might try cooking if possible
43.Love playing host
44.Going through photographs of the time when I was a kid
45.Clean the house up
46.Talking on the phone - or better still - meeting up
47.Staying in touch with childhood pals and friends and teachers
48.Dancing out in the rain
49.Making tea and coffee
50.Flying kites

Thanks Sharanya. It was fun :)


And since the people i tagged last time were shameless to not do anyting about it.. lol, i'll make this an open tag - anyone who reads this can please consider him/herself tagged and can decide to write/ not write - whatever. If you do however, do tell me :)

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Naaka Mukka - A day in the Life of Chennai

I love watching advertisements.
They are a respite from all the nonsense you get to watch on TV.

As a kid, when TV was new, it used to be on throughout the day and so dad used to mute the TV during the ads to get some relief from the noise.. it suer was a relief. You could appreciate the sudden silence and get up and do some work and come back.

Not any more.

Today I'm seen loitering around and doing some work when the programmes are on esp the hindi ones!!!!! But i make it a point to peep in at the ads. The Indian ad industry has come a long way technologically as well as conceptually and so has its sense of humor.

I came across this ad recently and totally totally lllllove it for the catchy tune but forgot to mention it. A fantabulous sattire on Politics and Kollywood. Done by JWT for the Times of India...

Here's Naaaka Mukka all the way and that too with subtitles for the obviously curious ones :)


Wednesday, November 05, 2008

In significance of "I Love You"

Lol i have a confession...i am terribly paranoid about these three words. I mean I'm not like shit scared of saying it of hearing it - i love it both ways lol - more the merrier - but i have this fear that some years down the line, a surprise "I love you" call might be read as "Oh! Are you coming home late?" or a "Tell me you didn't forget to drop the cheque!" :))

I must say i'm vvveeeryy traditional as far as an answer to these words is concerned. I can take "I love you too," or a "Why?:)" or at the worst "Yeah? What time will you be home honey?". And things like "Hmm.. You were smelling great in the morning" or a "I love it when we talk like we are not married," are all bonuses. And i can do with many of the "Did you hear what i whispered when you left? :)" or "Good you called, i was just thinking of you."
OK Ok... i'm just being hypothetical and too kind to the opposite sex but they can deserve some expectation on a blog at least..!

Anyways.. so i was saying.. (yeah i degress a lot - and i can go somewhere else totally and forget where i was unless i was holding my presidential speech in front of me... and did i say i'm happy for Obama and our tearful Americans?)

Ok so yeah - I'm looking for a similar response when i say those words. and come what may, i don't want to get used to "Ok ok. But get the veggies ok?" or "That's the nth time you're telling me you love me - i know baby, i knooow."

I have this friend who i used to pick up sometimes on my way to work and this one day when i was waiting, she comes alsong with him right up to me to say hello and after my small briefing about "what i am up to these days", he kissed her good bye in the most bollywoodest style that made me go awwwwww and turn my gaze away with a smile... and as i looked in front, i heard him say those words.


"I love you," he said and i could feel it in his voice, the mellowness and i could imagine him smiling and looking at her telling her silently that "Even though its been a week since i have said this to you last, i'm just so happy to say it again..." and as i imagined all this, i was not prepared for what came next..

"You will call my mother no today? They'll think we are not bothered only. Its been 3 days since you last called."


Did i just hear it correctly? My face was caught between pity and giggle and i held it well as i bid farewell... we didn't talk a while and then i just turned to him and all the pent up guwaff echoed inside my helmet. :))


"Shadaaaaaap!" he said and i so know he meant it like never before!

Yes... we can Change!




"Hope is what led me here today, with a father from Kenya mother from Kansas and a story that can only happen in United States of America."


Nothing came as a surprise and that is good...!

A hopefull fellow that i am, i can only hope that Martin Luther King’s dreams might see light..!
A man has been given a chance finally - not only because of his colour but out of a perception of what he can offer the nation. The american voter has come of age and there is much to learn from this. We all have the right and the duty to make everything around us beautiful, it dosen't matter whether i'm hispanic or white or black or asian. What matters is that I'm here and i shall contribute here and in doing that i'll be contributing to the world.

I personally believe that this man has the potential and has rightfully been given a chance to prove that America did the right thing by chosing him.


Sadly i'll not know when i'll follow Indian politics as eagerly but I'm hoping the day will come.

[tagged] Addictions

I have been tagged by Sharanya... The idea is to write about 5 things (or more) you are addicted to and then if possible, tag other friends and ask them to tag others....

Thankfully I don't need to look at the dictionary, thats' been taken care of :)

Instead of the word addiction, i prefer "abnormally strong craving". I kind of find the word 'addiction' a rather negative word in some ways... but its nice to be adicted to some things.


So, i have this abnormally strong craving for:

1) Photography. I don't need an SLR, even my phone camera is good enough and if im by myself, i can go click click whereverand whenever. Its almost an obsession - i might click and delete - or click and keep and never upload/display... but i'm fascinated by the idea of capturing a moment forvever...! And yet i sometimes know that not all thigs can be captured in a lens and i'll be content to lend my eyes and ear to the moment...


2) For some physical activity through the day. I might just walk, or jog or swim, or whatever.. but i feel very moody if i go though a few days with no physical activity... i especially love outdoor games but the place where i currently live has no such facility.. (I so miss bastekball!!!) I personally feel this is someting everybody should crave for...


3) For Films. I L.O.V.E. films.. i can watch anything if i have the time and i can watch 2-3 very good films back to back on a Sunday if i have nothing better to do. I don't mean i can sit in one place at a stretch for 9 hours though lol.. - i'll do my stuff - take a break - run errands and come back and start from where i left off...


4) To communicate with friends and family. At the end of the day, i want to sit and talk light, no heavy stuff, just gossip (heh), know what's going around in the neighbourhood, with relatives, with friends, pull someone's leg, laugh, touch and generally put my leg up and be with loved ones.


5) Love. And I love giving it too. Love in all its forms is quite a lovely thing to have... I'm addicted to love i can say. I'll go out of my way to do things which people might never know i did... so why do it one might ask. I have no answer to that. I do it because i like it, because i do it well, because it seems right. And its not like they'll never know.. if they are able to see. And oh yes - its not like I'm all over the place with it in some Gandhian avtaar :)) My circle of people i really love is very small... and any little spat is enough for me to feel all down...


6) Comics, cartoons and children's books. Cant do without them...! The more illustrations, the better :), I've have grown up with a staple diet of Chandamama, Twinkle, Phantom, Mandrake, Garth, Buzz Sawyer, Flash Gordon, Bahadur, Chacha Chowdhry (even in its very bad english days), Tom n Jerry, He-Man, Spiderman, and i still watch Pogo and cartoon network :)


7) Good Music. Another very very strong craving. I can listen to music while riding, working, eating, studying, bathing and even with the TV on...! It dosen't matter what language it is in, as long as it can 'connect' to my sould, its fine.



Thanks for this Sharanya :)


And I'll tag:
Atreyee
Vimmi
Ipshita
Amit

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Twinkle Twinkle

Thursday, October 30, 2008

In Support of the Marathi Manoos...!

I heartily support Raj Thackeray and request the Government to take his initiative ahead.
As true Marathis, this is what we couls begin by doing....

1. We should teach our kids that if he/she stands second in class, there is no ned to study harder.. just beat up the student coming first and throw him out of the school.

2. Our Parliament should have only Delhiites as it is located in Delhi. We Maharashtrians have no time to travel all the way there!

3. The Prime-minister, President and all other leaders should only be from Delhi.

4. Hindi movies should NOT be made in Bombay. Maharashtra will make only Marathi cinema.

5. At the state border, buses, trains, flights should be stopped and staff changed to local men/women.

6. All Maharashtrians working abroad or in other states should be sent back as they are SNATCHING employment from locals. Yes we are fair to others too. We shall generate employment for them here. They can all become 'Bhai's and 'Behen's.

7. Relief for farmers in Maharashtra should not come from the centre because that is the money collected as Tax from the whole of India, so why should it be given to someone in Maharashtra? How dare anyone from Bihar or UP or Kashmir or Assam or Orissa send relief for Latur earthquakes and Bombay floods...! They should be kicked..!

8. Kashmiri Militant are not militants - they are actually Kashmir Nav Nirman Sena and they are doing right by killing and chasing the Kashimiri brahmins out.. they kill innocent people because they just want to safeguard their state! Blasts in Assam - way to go ULFA!!!

9. All MNCs to be thrown out of Maharashtra! Why should they earn from us Maharashtrians and who are they to give us jobs - we can generate employment all on our own and we can all turn fishermen and shepherds.

10. Schools should stop teaching english. Tcha Aaila- Marathi is some lesser language kya?

11. All toilets to have only Indian seating - we are Marathi - we go to the gymkhana from birth and we can squat very very well! Thankyou! Hmph!

12. We shall all turn farmers and not accept any food imports from other states. The Marathi manoos is self sufficient!

13. We shall ensure that all our children are born, grow, live and die without ever stepping out of Maharasthra; they will be the true sons/daughters of the (marathi) soil!


Jai Maharashtra!