Another Kranti...

A nice piece by B Raman on the recent fasting till death by Anna Hazare. I totally agree with what he has to say about the fast. the fact that the government has capitulated to the demands of Anna Hazare is down more to the youth power than to the man himself. Of late, the youth participation in social issues has been very encouraging - the caandle light vigils at India Gate for Jessica, the protests in DU for the broad daylight murder of a girl being two of them. The reason police acted swiftly in the second case was clearly because of the youth power. The politicians realize that the youth today, for all their couldn't-care-attitude, are socially aware. It takes a brazen criminal act  to get them to worked up about an issue. Mr Raman rightly points out that the recent success of the agitation has been thanks to the youth rather than because of them.

That said, I do have a point to say, namely the youth, for all their social awareness, are quite fickle minded as youth down the ages has been. The agitation is as much about social awareness for them, as it is about being in the right crowd. Indian history is replete with youth movements that have not amounted to much, the Mandal agitation, being a prime example. This agitation against corruption will be a success if the youth emerge more dedicated to root out corruption.

An asking point among the youth should be about the Lokpal Bill, which is what Anna Hazare has been demanding the implementation of. Do the youngsters taking part in the morchas know what the bill is, and what are its implications? The bill itself lays the onus of removing corruption on the civil society, since the general public can initiate corruption charges against government officers. To do so, the civil society must be aware of the laws to defend it, but we as a society with seniors included may rant against widespread corruption, but at the end of the day, we will settle for a little jugaad.

We Are The Champions!!!

Congratulations India, you did it!!!

It was a thrilling end to an exciting match. Personally, I don't follow cricket, but this being the world cup, it was hard to stay away.

Throughout the series, India played consistently, putting up a score and then chasing it. Thought we faltered against England (tie) and South Africa (lost), we finally pull our strings together for a thrilling India-Pakistan semi-final, and the India-Sri Lanka final.

With the world cup coming to India after 28 years, I am proud to say that I was there both the times.

Jiyo India!!!

To Blog or Not To Blog?...

Still here, still wanting to post, but seems to have become reticent. Maybe just got a little too scared when I noticed that my blog resembled a personal diary, except that it was not personal. To be honest, I have come to the conclusion that to be a good blogger one has to learn to be impersonal. A blog, from a writers perspective, is a very personal thing. a bloggers uses a secret username and password to enter his or her private domain, expresses himself before a screen....its when the Publish Post button has been clicked, that the entire exercise becomes impersonal. A panic sets in...did I reveal too much, was I too evasive?
That said, blogging can be addictive as well. Its your own personal space to pontificate on all matters mundane..the occassional anonymous comments emboldens the blogger.
These past weeks when I havent been posting anything, I have still be thinking about the ideal thing to post...guess the blogger in my refuses to die!!
Si I guess, I will be around, but not sporadic. A little more blogging is what the doctor would recommend for me..

2011...

Heres wishing the regular visitors to this blog (hello Googlebot) as well as the random visitors a Very Happy and Prospersous 2011....

...a word of caution though...2012 is very close now, so go live all your unfulfilled dreams, kyunki kal ho na ho...

A Trip to remember

Its been a long time since I posted anything, but I did mean to, every single day. Which goes to show that my intentions were good....not that it matters when your blog is left unattended for months....
In the time I was silent, a lot has happened. I got married, lost my bachelorhood, woke up to the joys of matrimony, and if the advise of my married friends holds true, should start pining for bachelorhood any day now....
But even this life changing event elicited just a small post from me....chiththi ke badle bheja taar. I had been meaning to post more about how my post marriage life has changed, but was too busy living it, to actually comment on it. But now, from a safe distance of four months, I can confidently say that getting married was the best thing that has happened to me in recent times. (yes, sweetheart, I know you are reading it, but I really meant it!).
But what prompted me to start blogging again, was a trip that I took recently with my sweety to Landsdowne, a quite cantonment town in Uttarakhand, with the most beautiful of weather to accompany. After the chaotic living in Delhi, the change in pace of the hillstation was very welcome. As hill stations go, there is not much to do in Landsdowne except trekking, which is always, but in good company, it is the place to be. Its a great stress buster and brings one really close to nature.

The words of a prophet....

Been absent for a long time, but was propelled when I read this on another blog:

You should start a blog so we can all not read it


....the words of a prophet are written in a blog post...

Announcement...

Hi everyone (hello googlebot :-)), its been a long time since I posted anything here. I would like to announce to the world that I am getting married on June 23rd. The girl I am marrying is called Rupali, and she is from Mumbai. We hope and pray that we have a long and understanding relationship.
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Updates...

About a week after my janeu, I am happy to announce to the world that I am now engaged!! The ceremony took place on 29th May, and I am not engaged to be married next month. Among my friends, I am the last one to be married, and I have been inundated with suggestion for a successful marriage. I have so many suggestion and tips now, that I might become a successful marriage counsellor!! Heres me looking forward to a new innings in my life

An Afterthought

The janeu ceremony finally makes me a twice born.....so does that mean I am a Born Again Hindu?

Born Again...

Hi world (hi googlebot :-)), I have not been successful in my pratigya of one post daily....lots to say, but when it comes to penning it down, a really nice excuse comes up (my perennial fav is my writer's block, which I am beginng tosuspect, is really a case of laziness to write).
But a major event occured, which I must be share. I was born to a Brahmin household, but am not a Brahmin - at least I wans't, till now. Today I have my Janeu ceremony, and so, am a certified bona fide Brahmin...Yay!!!
Personally, I am not the religious kind. I don't pray, I don't rarely visit temples, and the only reason I don't eat non-veg on tuesdays is because I told my mommy dearest that I would not do so. But even then, I have realised that I am quite the traditionalist. I value my tradition, where I am coming from, and all the values that these traditions mean. It is for this reason that I value my Janeu thread and what it stands for. It does come with riders though, I cannot listen to songs, except bhakti songs (a rule already broken as I am writing this post while listening to songs on the comp), should not look at sunrise and sunset (I work in a call center, dude!!), must not curse (ohfercryinout.....OH FU.....Crap!!! this will be difficult), must not look at a bald woman (I think I might be able to do that) or a woman who has cut her hair (hmmm, better start practicing walking with my eyes shut).
The ideal age for a janeu is 7 years old, and I can see why. Cross the age of 13, and each of these rules becomes difficult to follow.
The ceremony itself was a short one, and was over in one hour. I was able to understand most of what happened, right from the invocation of the gods till the time I ask for the bhiksha. Post ceremony, I didn't feel any different, but I realise there must be more to this...

Stand By Me...

This is a shout to someone...you know who you are. Here goes:

Laut Ke Budhdhu....

I have been jobless for nearly four day now, but I am not worrying, the reason being the kind of industry that I am in. In the last four days, I have secured a job, applied for another, and rejected the first, and promptly accepted the other.
That there is why I like this industry!!! There's never any shortage of jobs, never mind the fact that its usually bottom rung jobs, but at least they pay adequately!!
Given how boring and monotonous my life had become, I really needed the break. Now that I have had my rest, I am dreading the return to calling.
The one bright spot to my bekaari was that I discovered The Beach Boys. To lift up a mood, you can't get any better (with the exception of dil daance maare).

Bekaari aur khushi....

Day one of joblessness, and I am feeling relaxed, actually!!! Not today, the dread of getting ready for office....YIPPEEEE!!
Another reason for the upbeat mood is my discovery of the Beach Boys' music. Their music is so upbeat, about the surf, sand, cars...vintage California stuff. But listen carefully, and you notice the complex song constructions, contrasted with the simple lyrics.
People, if you are feeling down, listen to the Beach Boys.
Like they would say...Catch a wave, you'll be sitting on top of the world

Redundant...

Yesterday was a day like any. I went to office and logged in, expecting calls. Only, the call flow was extremely slow. In fact, I have taken just three calls when the calls stopped coming. Everyone just went their own ways without informing their team leaders that they were taking a break. We were having such a call flow for the past few day. There was a strong rumor that the process was winding up.
As days go, this was just the begining. From then, it was all downhill. We learnt that our best performers were being shifted to another process, that out CEO had quit, there was another strong rumor that even our manager had quit. Our fears were confirmed when it was announced that the process was in fact, winding up.
But in IPS (sorry, IQR) , these things are expected. One thing I have learnt about its history is that it survives on a prayer. I was there during the world financial crisis, when we were very sure that it would wind up day. We would show up for work, and be informed that the company was closing down. But that did not make us want to search for a new job.
Eventually, the company did weather that storm and came out stronger.
Until now.
It was deja vu all over again, when these event started happening all over again. Things do round, but in this case, there are very small circles indeed!!
Finally, one hour before i was to log off, the final bomb was dropped. My TL informed me that I, along with some more people, would have to quit. No reasons given, but that was it clear why. Even the last time, there was a massive attrition and people were asked to quit.
It is not the fact that I have been asked to quit, but the manner that it has been done that irks me. As a company, it has to learn how to bid farewell. Just telling your employees that their services are no longer needed, and asking them not to come from the next day onwards is not done at all.
Nearly two years of memorable working, and it had to end like this...

More Wake Up Sid Goodies

I feel I am getting obsessed by the film. I was all prepared to hate the movie when I entered the movie hall, but the freshness of the movie won me over. Don't get me wrong, the movie is still formulaic in its execution, but there is a certain freshness in it, certain energy that I found exciting. Twenty years from now, after a generation, people will be fondly remember this film. If 3 Idiots is the Sholay of this generation, then Wake Up Sid is the Deewar, a big hit, but also iconic in its content.

Moving on, I found some more nuggets of information about the song Iktara from this site. The song was first composed by Amitabh Bhattachary for Sid and composed by Amit Trivedi. People liked it, and it was to be included in the film as well as in hte CD, but Javed Akhtar put his foot down. He did not want to share the lyrics credits with anyone else. So, he was asked to compose the female version, which was included in the CD, but the male version was excluded.  Read the story here.

I am begining to like Amit Trevedi even more now. First Aamir, then Dev D, and not iktara, this man does have a distinct sound, which is more rustic and more Indian than the other composers. Will be looking out for his further compositions.

Meri Pratigya

I started re-blogging (did I just invent a term?) to shake off my writer's block which had crippled me for a long time. Just one post a day, without fail, and you'll get back into the groove, I told myself.

I seemed to be working fine for sometime. I started taking interest in things around me, to  be open for things and experiences that I could later turn into blog posts. And I started to work my brain to string together a decent sentence.

Till the time I went into hibernation. For various reasons, I have always managed to justify my non-blogging (hey, another world!!)  to an unrelated incident.

My current excuse for not blogging was the absence of a computer. Whatever blogging I did was on weekends, at my parent's place. But now, with my computer repaired, I should pick up Operation Lekhak Khand Hatao.  So there, I have said it. As I have exhausted a very good excuse for not blogging, I should endeavour to get back to my one-post-a-day-no-matter-how-innane-it-is प्रतिज्ञ

Moving on....

• I did not invent re-blogging and non-blogging. a simple google search shows that they are often used.

• Blogger, the baap of blogging does not recognize the word blog!!! Go ahead, try it!! 

Ek Ajab Prem Kahani

A meets B. It is love at first sight for both of them. They bond well, are truly devoted to each other A also lets it known in his family. Basically, all is well. A happy love story. Later, both are move to different departments in the office, but still keep in touch.

Enter C, a new girl in office. She falls for A. A thinks that he can get away with a little extra on the side, cos he is a man, and all men are dogs. So starts a new love story. C is one crazy girl, given to extreme mood swings, spinning tall tales. In short, she's livin' la vida loca, a clear opposite of B. A likes the attention showered on him by C to the extent that he starts ignoring B. B, on her part, is silent too, not calling up A. This goes on for months.

Finally, it dawns on A to check up on B. She suddenly appears distant to him, compalining that he has been ignoring her all this time. A little sleuthing by the boy reveals that B has been chatting to someone else on her phone for long periods. He also manages to find out the guy's name. He is obviously hurt about the two timing by the girl and is obviously unaware of his ignoring her for a long, long time. He feels he has been cheated. He tries to make up for things, even claiming to have been down on his knees trying to convince B, all this while still being with C.

Finally, heartbroken, he finds solace in the company of C, declaring himself to be Dev D (this is an obvious spoiler about who I am talking about), B as Paro, and C as Chanda. So, life goes on.

Hearts broken, hearts mended.

C'est La Vie

But wait.

Picture abhi baki hai dost.


Did I mention that C is one crazy girl?


So, A and C are an item, enjoying each other. B is nowhere in the picture. One fine day, C picks up a fight at home and leave, taking just a bag, straight for A. The two stay at his place, and all is well.


Until one fine day, when C's parents show up, threatening to take A to the police. All hell then breaks loose. A is unable to do anything, he wont come out to face the parents, C wont agree to meet her parents despite repeated appeals, friends gather around A, pledging their support to him. Finally, A decides to try and convince C to come and meet her folks.


An hour passes. Nothing.


A calls. His getting married to C, he says. At 11 in the night.


All of his friends are surprised and shaken. A never loved C. He himself said that he needed her only like Dev D needed Chanda. Lots of frantic phone calls follow, but the A is not available.


Next morning, contact is finally made. A didn't marry C after all. C has agreed to go back to her parent's, and hopefully, A won't be calling her up.


This is one story thats fit for writing a novel upon, a dark, sarcastic novel. Think about it, it begins innocently enough, with two young people meeting, goes through their innocent love. Then comes the third angle about the other girl, and the other boy. then, without any warning, the story takes a unique turn and becomes edgier.

इस में एमोतिओं है, प्यार है, रोमांस है, ड्रामा है, थ्रिलर है. बस इतेम नंबर नहीं है, वोह तो फिट हो जाएगा

I want it to end in a hollywood manner. B makes a reappearance. She calls up A, and chides him for being so foolish. A, still reeling from all the action, listens. As time passes, they realize that they still love each other...

Anybody willing to to take up the writing credits?

Still Around...

Still around, but much to say. Been obsessing about the future, and what it may unfold for me so much that I have forgotten to live in today. Have to keep reminding myself of what John Lennon said...

Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.

I *heart* Internet

I love the internet, that wonderful source of information!! In addition to being a good reference point (thank you Wikipedia), it is also the ultimate time capsule. Not only dose it archive all the online content created, but it also has managed to archive traditional media, which may not be suitable for archiving. Now this may not be valuable for the Net 2.0 kids, for someone my age (not old, but definitely headed there), it does, occasionally to bring up pleasant memories of growing up, when things were less complicated, or we were too young to understand the complications, whichever way you look at it.

One of my memories of growing up was the radio, specifically the All India Radio. Growing up in Doha, Qatar, we did not listen to it, but my friend usually had programs recorded on audio cassettes and sent over from India. There was one program that I loved to listen, and that was the Cibaca Geetmala. Hosted by a man with the friendliest and most authoritative voice, talking about music, and the latest numbers at that!! When I returned to India, Tuesdays 8 pm were special days for me, when Ameen Sayani counted down the ten latest songs for half an hour. It was not the songs that I listened to, but his hosting.


Sadly, cable TV killed the radio star, and the humble half hour count down could not compete against the one hour countdown extravaganzas like Superhit Muquabla and Philips Top 10. I was sad to see it go, but was also mesmerized by the visual treats of Madhuri doing Dhak Dhak and Choli Ke Peecha, and an over weight Tabu in skin tight clothes asking Ajay Devgan to Ruk, Ruk Ruk and the phenomenon that was Akshay Kumar in Tu Cheez Badi hai Mast Mast.


Until Now.


I discovered to this wonderful link to the wonderful voice of Ameen Sayani, talkng about the program, from Binaca Geetmala till Cibaca geetmala. This brings back memories and suddenly, I want to lay back and remember those times, which is not always a good thing, but for the voice of Ameen Sayani,


To anyone wandering, to know what I am talking about, head over here. And if you know what I am talking about, enjoy those memories :-).

Holi Hai!!!

Wishing all friends and people who chance upon this blog (including googlebot) a very happy and a colourful Holi!!!

Holi Hai!!!