shashi's world

जिन्दगी कैसी है पहेली..

2007-10-03T03:47:00.000+05:30

आज कई दिनों बाद फिर से ऋषिकेश मुख़र्जी की फ़िल्म आनंद देखी. शायद पांचवी बार देख रहा था. पिछली चार बार तो ख़ूब रोया था देखकर. इस बार सोचा की ऐसा नहीं होगा. आखिरी पाँच मिनट में एहसास भी नहीं हुआ की कब आंसू निकल पड़े. कई रिश्ते खून के रिश्ते ना होकर भी हमें जान से प्यारे होते हैं. अपनी जिन्दगी में भी कुछ ऐसे लोगों को यादकर आंसूओं का सिलसिला बस चलता रहा. ऐसे लोग जिन्होंने बिना किसी वजह बिना किसी स्वार्थ के मुझे सब कुछ दिया. भले ही मैंने उनके लिए कभी ख़ास वक़्त भी न निकाला हो. आंसू ही प्यार की सबसे बड़ी निशानी होती है शायद. जब भी मैं अपने आपको अकेला पता हूँ तो इनके स्मरण मात्र से शक्ति का आभास होता है.

Mere Yaar ki Shaadi

2005-12-30T13:18:00.000+05:30

We used to call him Loki. The 100 meters unrivaled champion of the school, an exceptional sportsman, a favorite among girls, and above all a very close friend of mine. He got married on 10^th of December. He called me on 9^th to remind me that my presence at the ceremony is a must. Loki, I know you are very angry with me. But the circumstances were such that I just could not make it. Even I am angry with myself – but sometimes we just have to abide by our obligations. This was perhaps the most important day of your life. But you know Loki, I was just physically absent – my mind and my heart were with you – I know even this assertion won’t calm you. Bhabhiji is very beautiful and you two make an excellent pair. I wish you a very happy married life. I hope to visit Varanasi soon and meet you and others.

The third picture is of my gang at school, who attended the ceremony. Description from left to right:
Arvind – That killing smile killed many girls. A very kind hearted person. The great bowler of our cricket team. Abe arvind, tujhse bhi aakar milta hoon.
Anand – William Wordsworth in the making. A great friend.
Dr. Neeraj – I don’t have to worry about my teeth when I am at my hometown. After all, the best dentist is my dear friend.
Anupam – The bindaas boy of our class. Anupam I don’t want to catch you red-handed with your nth girl-friend ;)
Abhishek – The soon to become an MLA. A very smart young leader of the BJP.
Harsh – Sat beside him in the class for 3 successive years and made fun of everybody around. I wish he succeeds in his business initiatives.

Do I need to see a psychiatrist?

2005-09-09T14:41:00.000+05:30

Past few days, my mind has been yearning for something that others find very weird, which I personally find not even remotely weird, at least till I get out of this phase. It was all getting built up bit by bit for quite sometime now, and reached a crescendo after watching Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal. Not that I am a masochist, not that I have never dreamt of driving a Ferrari out of my bungalow in Zurich, not that I abhor capitalism (though I don’t admire it either), but it’s just that I am getting this feeling for the first time and believe me, I am finding it all very romantic. That scene in Iqbal, where the mother is cooking some rukha sukha in some dilapidated earthen pots in the kitchen, or to say a thatched confinement separated from the rest of the house by a boundary of mud-stuck bricks, has become my dream. I find my well furnished flat, with marble floorings in the kitchen so very trite or if not an exaggeration, egregious. I have this itching desire to have sukhi roti in that confinement with the mud-plastered floor, wearing very ordinary clothes, if not tattered ones. I find all these so exciting that I have made it a point in my mind to experience all these some day. People might just say - had I actually been born in such a surrounding, I would have realized the difficulty of such a life. But apart from this fantasy of mine, I have begun to detest my fortunes of having all the luxuries at my side. It suffocates me at times. I don’t remember taking a plunge into the pond of the countryside for a bath. God, am I so unfortunate to spend all my life taking bath with that stupid hand shower in my bathroom? Will I continue to drive on the sick roads, or will I get the opportunity to run bare foot on the dew soaked grass of the field. Will I continue to punish myself with the useless burgers, or will I be fortunate enough to sip some freshly milked milk. Am I destined to meet only professional people or is someone as pure as Khadija (played by Shweta Prasad in Iqbal) going to intercept me. The list is endless. Am I being whacky? I guess I am not.

Tidbits

2005-09-01T18:24:00.000+05:30

Scene 1: I was coolly having lunch with the office colleagues while watching the television. They were showing this something adaalat program in which Rajat Sharma was interviewing, rather screwing, Shotgun (aka apne Shatrughan Sinha). If you have watched other interviews of Shatruji, you would have noticed that he makes sure he mentions that the role of Vijay in Deewar played by Mr Bachchan was actually offered to him first by Manmohan Desai, but he could not accept it for want of dates. He states this fact very assumingly. So far so fine – I was hearing something that I had heard many times ago. But suddenly from nowhere Rajat Sharma gave the mike to one young guy in the audience to ask a question to apne Shatruji. This is what he asked – so Shatruji don’t you think that your paucity of dates that time was the best thing that could happen to Manmohan Desai!!! I was taken aback, and so was Shatruji. But our actor turned politician has learnt to handle such pressure cooker situations (remember the allegations made against him in the parliament that he is a lazy person, wakes up at 12 noon and often misses the Lok Sabha sessions :) He quickly regained his humor – and replied – Aapne bilkul theek bola. Ab mujhe lag raha hai ki audience mein kuchh kaafi samajhdaar log bhi hain. Shatruji, you said that in front of the camera – but dil mein ye baat chubh si gai hogi :)

Scene 2: The Red shift: Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (Jyoti Basu’s successor) was being grilled by the media for his audacious statement (by leftists’ standard) made regarding his welcoming of FDI into West Bengal. Now even a class 2 student knows, that being a Leftist means – to shout against World Bank, WTO, IMF, G8, FDI, even though that’s beneficial for the nation. But Mr Bhattacharya had given the green signals to many MNCs to invest in West Bengal. To add to the severity of the situation Mr Basu was also beside him (since his illness, it is not very often that we get to see/hear him). This was another pressure cooker situation. Basu had gone almost dumb. I was itching my kidney to hear the reply. It was such a tense moment for those two, and it was such an enjoyable one for me. Finally Mr Buddhadeb had this to say – We are changing, Left ideology has to change to the modern trends. If what he said was true, then that’s a very welcome step for India – Gurcharan Das would have loved this moment as did I.

Scene 3: Personal front: I was amidst a technical presentation in office. About half the presentation was over. Then a lady in the audience raised her hands. I thought she had a question to ask me, so I paused. To my bewilderment, she said that she had a comment to make. I said go on. She told that she liked the matching of the background of my slides (I had chosen a gray color) and my mildly faded black jeans. Now God, what was that. I felt like pulling my hair. Actually she had hindered my continuity. My manager controlled the situation, but not before everyone burst into laughter. Actually that was annoying for me but I didn’t exactly dislike that comment from the lady ;)

Mangal Mangal Mangal Mangal...

2005-08-16T18:13:00.000+05:30

Okay, okay hold on… ya its not a classic, its not a Lagaan, the film-makers did not do their homework properly, Ketan Mehta is a different ship captain than Ashutosh Gowariker, A.R Rahman is a shade of himself – all these apart, it is still a must watch film especially for the younger generation. Watch it for the perfectionist – isn’t the presence of Amir Khan, a big enough reason for not to miss it. Here we have an actor who gets into the blood of the character he portrays. He is no stammering shahrukh, shaky salman, chocolaty shahid, or meaningless others. With his rustic long hairs and bushy moustache, he is Mangal Pandey, a foot soldier working under the East India Company for a meager salary of Rs84 a year. The movie starts with the clarion of an elephant which seemed like the bugle of the first war of independence. The cinematography is flawless. The fighting scenes between the company and the Afghans are shot beautifully. The narrative voice of Om Puri is very appealing. I liked the way Amir bows to a cow after bathing in the river, the way he reprimands a sweeper (an untouchable) every time he bumps into him, the way he wrestles with his firangi friend Captain Gordon in the akhada. Toby stephens (remember the villain in the bond movie Die Another Day), has done full justice to the role of Gordon – though I guess Ketan Mehta stretched a bit too far in depicting their friendship. Yes before I forget let me tell you that this film is not devoid of heroines – and in fact we have two. Rani Mukherjee as the prostitute heera is ok. An actress as fine as Kiron Kher has been wasted in the role of a brothel-keeper. I almost jumped out of my seat looking at her cleavage in the first scene – that was totally uncalled for. In fact the low-cut blouse that every female character wore is not characteristic of that era and that is something that pinched me – and probably you won’t feel very comfortable watching those scenes with your family. Mr Mehta forgets that the salivating voyeurs would never opt for Mangal Pandey – they have myriad other options. But if you remember his last film Aar ya paar (the scenes between Jackie Shroff and Kamal Siddhu), you will understand that Mehta can’t help being cheap. And yes, there is Amisha Patel too. Looking at her I was reminiscent of her expressions in Gadar ek prem katha. The relationship between her and Gordon has been portrayed passionately. Seems like Amisha is finding a hard time getting leading roles these days. Some of the newspapers have questioned whether Mangal Pandey was an accidental hero. I felt bad to read it about a martyr whom many historians credit to be the forerunner in the war against the company. The scene in which Amir was mericilessly being beaten by the goras, and forced to speak tu kutta hai, and he retorts by saying tu kutta hai to the gora, is passionate. Nikhat Kazmi (reviewer in times of India) may find this formula old and trite, but I liked when some unassuming young people clapped and whistled in the theatre. Now, don’t say that it’s cheap and apposite only for Mithun Da movies. Sometimes that’s a real fun ;)

Anyway

2005-08-05T17:42:00.000+05:30

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

The biggest people with biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs, but follow only topdogs.
Fight for some underdogs anyway.

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have got anyway.

unwarranted

2005-07-28T18:01:00.000+05:30

It is because I keep coming across stories like this, that I don’t think I will ever be able to embrace Apple. I just don’t understand – here you have a nice email app (or so I’ve heard) and email is one of the few things that has been standardized to death on the Internet due to the simple fact that people like to read their email anywhere, everywhere, all the time.
So why, oh why does Apple have to go around inventing proprietary formats for storing local mail? Why can’t they use the excellent Maildir format, when almost every other email client in the world does it? The excuse that this format is optimised for Spotlight is bullshit. They brag so much about their API for enabling Spotlight support in applications, then why couldn’t they just write a backend for Maildir files (the way Beagle does!)
Also, apparently this change is new to Tiger, and so old Mac OSX users are affected too. Even if they decided to change the format, is it too much to ask that the software confirms with the user before doing the upgrade, or atleast informs the user that something drastic is happening to his/her files? So much for desiging good user interfaces. chhahh! Why don’t these people ever learn?

2005-07-21T14:48:00.000+05:30

Life is Beautiful

2005-07-18T20:02:00.000+05:30

When we are sad - we frown, when very sad – we cry, when happy – we smile, when very happy - we laugh, when very very happy – we Cry. Yes, we do cry when happiness becomes limitless. And believe me, such moments are the rarest and the very best. That is what I experienced the last Sunday. Two bikes, carrying four nostalgic souls, headed for the heaven, at eight O’clock in the morning. Sunday morning is usually the laziest, but I got up pretty early, even before the raucous alarm clock could pierce the virgin silence of the early morning. The weather was also perfect and we were speeding through the Kanakpura Road. Soon we were in heaven – The Valley School, Bangalore – one of the branches of the J.Krishnamurti Schools spread throughout the world. Though I am an alumni of a different branch (Rajghat Besant School, Varanasi), all the K-Schools act as a unit. We had gone to meet two of our teachers (Jairam sir and his wife Nalini didi – we used to refer lady teachers as didi), who happened to be our house-parents for two years at Rajghat. Sir has become the director of the school. To add up to the excitement, 17th of July was the Parents’ Day at the School. Looking at us, sir immediately recognized us, and then we had one of the warmest hugs ever in life. Jairam sir is about 6 feet tall and has a charismatic personality. After that we touched his feet. It was such a touching moment. Being the director of the institute, he was surrounded by the parents, but still took out time to distribute the prasad (the function commenced with a vriksha-ropan samaroh and worship) to each one of us. Then we were interacting with some of the current students. It was a pleasant surprise to know that Nandan Nilekani’s (the CEO of Infosys) daughter was also studying at the school in class 12. I just thought that since its Parents’ Day, we might just get to meet Mr Nilekani. But sadly his daughter told that his father was in the US (for an important company work) and mother was in London and hence they could not make it to the function. One special thing about the occasion was that every lady (including the senior students) was in a saree. We could find some kids of foreigners in the school. Their mothers were also in sarees!! Most of these lady foreigners were about 6 feet or so, all looking very attractive in Sarees (unfortunately saree is gradually becoming extinct these days among the Indian women). Among the crowd, my eyes were anxiously searching for Nalini di – I was going to meet her after ten long years!! She was just like our mother when we were in class six. I spotted her in the crowd, and then we all touched her feet and then hugged. I could not believe when she reminded me of the anecdotes of the hostel, which even I had forgotten. I had a very special relationship with Nalini di. Looking at the excitement and the love in her eyes – I could not control my emotions – tears rolled down my cheek, yes the tears of joy when that joy becomes limitless. Nalini di is a saint, very spiritual, very humble, very polished, very loving and very simple. She loves hanging around with kids. And when I was myself a kid, she loved me more than the others :). I have learnt a lot from her – how to be a good human being first. There was a football match between the ex-students and the current students. Then we had lunch – Nalini di serving the food herself and sitting beside me all through while. All four of us were feeling like VIPs when everyone around saw the director and his wife spending so much of time with us. Some bonds are just so strong. Valley School is located amidst natural surroundings – greeneries all around, many lakes, and those rare species of birds; monkeys hanging around the trees. If there is something like heaven it would be no different. All four of us promised ourselves to visit the place and the wonderful people there every weekend – instead of wasting away our time in the ‘mundane’ and meaningless surroundings of forum. I really feel now that – life is beautiful. And I just wish that when I grow old (and remain alive) – I spend my life at Valley School being around with kids.

Some of my favourite quotations

2005-07-12T12:40:00.000+05:30

A diamond is just another piece of coal that did well under pressure.
"A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits." - Richard Nixon
"When the pupil is ready, the master will appear"
God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers!!!............Anonymous!!
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then youwin."- Mahatma Gandhi
"Experience is what you get when you do not get what you wanted"-- Mark Twain
In the race for perfection there is no finish line.
If a bad time comes, what of that? The pendulum has to swing back to the other end. But that is no better. The thing to do is to stop it.-Swami Vivekananda
The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbingknowledge.- Albert Einstein
It's better to keep quiet and have people think you stupid, than to talk and confirm it - Mark Twain
He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.
George Bernard Shaw
First win, then go to War.
- Sun Tzu, Chinese warrior and philosopher, 500 BC
Failure is forgivable. Not having a dream is a crime.
"A ship is safe in a harbour but that's not what ships are built for,"
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe," was how Abraham Lincoln once famously described the purpose of education.
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterwards." -- Vernon Sanders Law.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Question to God:"What surprises you most about mankind?"God answered : "That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived..."
Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response – Michael Bartel
Communication is to a relationship what breathing is to living – Virginia Satir
There is nothing more practical than a good theory.
"Live your life not to be a hero but to remain alive. With time, heroes seem a little foolish"
Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives. - A. Sachs
You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?" -George Bernard Shaw
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations writers. " - Daniel J. Boorstin (really mast :)
"Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get"
Life is too short for those people who never waged a great battle for a worthy cause and too long to be bogged down by a single failure…..

Comeon get going...

2005-06-30T11:51:00.002+05:30

First win, then go to War -
Sun Tzu, Chinese warrior and philosopher, 500 BC

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not; you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't;
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost;
For out of the world we find.
Success begins with a fellow will;
Its almost in the state of mind.
If you think you are out closed, you are ;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before;
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battle don't always go ;
To the stronger or the faster man.
But soon or later the man who wins;
Is the man who thinks he can.

Remember that your only limitation is the one that you setup in your mind.
So go ahead and be a winner.

The man in the glass

2005-06-14T14:15:00.000+05:30

A beautiful poem by Dale Winbrow.....

When you get what you want in this struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Then go to your mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father your mother, or wife,
Whose judgment of you - you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the guy staring back in the glass.

He is the man you must please - never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end.
And you have passed your most difficult and dangerous test,
When the man in the glass is your friend,

You can be like another and chisel a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum,
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world, down the pathway of years,
And get pats on your back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears,
If you've cheated the man in the glass.

Love and Infatuation

2005-05-31T17:36:00.000+05:30

Difference between Somebody you Love & Somebody you Like or say get infatuated...
In front of the person you love, your heart beats faster.But in front of the person you like, you get happy.

In front of the person you love, winter seems like spring.But in front of the person you like, winter is just beautiful winter.

If you look into the eyes of the one you love, you blush.But if you look into the eyes of the one you like, you smile.

In front of the person you love, you can't say everything on your mind.But in front of the person you like, you can.

In front of the person you love, you tend to get shy.But in front of the person you like, you can show your own self.

You can't look straight into the eyes of the one you love.But you can always smile into the eyes of the one you like.

When the one you love is crying, you cry with them.But when the one you like is crying, you end up comforting.

The feeling of love starts from the eye But the feeling of like starts from the ear.

So if you stop liking a person you used to like, all you need to do is cover your ears. But if you try to close your eyes, love turns into a drop of tear and remains in your heart forever............................

What if he again comes into power..

2005-05-30T14:35:00.000+05:30

The recent spate of political activities in Bihar has really made me worried. The election results of February as interpreted by many psephologists (particularly Mr Yogendra Yadav), was an anti-Laloo mandate. True, he had lost many a seats which were considered to be RJD strongholds, but he was still the leader of the largest single party. NDA/JD(U) alliance, in spite of the strong anti-RJD mood prevailing, remained well short of the magical figure in a house of 243 seats. But beyond doubt it was their best performance till date. Congress with 10 odd seats achieved what was expected of them. So, the ball now lay in Ram Vilas Paswan’s court who managed an impressive 29. Democracy in India finally reduces to number-crunching. With coalition governments becoming the order of the day, people’s mandate has really lost its meaning. One can digest the idea of a pre-poll alliance, but what justice do the post-poll adjustments do to people’s mandate. I sincerely feel a constitutional crisis here. The Anti-defection bill recently passed in the parliament needs to be more stringent. The new law will be only regulatory for the country’s democracy. But much will depend on the political morality of the leaders of political parties. It is the leaders who select candidates for party tickets. So they will be ultimately responsible for a success or a failure of a political reform as envisaged in the new anti-defection law. Independents do not have a major role to play here as it was the case in Jharkhand. So the onus to play the king-maker was now on the dalit leader Ram Vilas. Lack of vision in a political leader is the most dangerous omen of political instability and this is precisely what Ram Vilas suffers from. Here we have a leader who is always holding on to an important cabinet seat – whoever may be in power at the centre. He doesn’t have an ideology of his own – he is neither a leftist nor a rightist – but just an opportunist. When he was the cabinet minister under the united front government, secularism was his core agenda, and when he was offered the railway ministryby the NDA, it took a backseat and the 40 years of misrule of the congress governments came to the front. Now he is back with the UPA and is unrelenting on the godhra and the temple issues. If his deeds are just as apparent, why does he continue to win the Hajipur parliamentary seat by record breaking margins. The reason is that the single most important factor for winning an election in Bihar is – Caste. He has projected himself as the emancipator of the dalits, and the vote bank of the most backward classes (MBCs) is his inalienable right. His spat with Laloo began with the latter grabbing the railway ministry which was so dear to the former. The bickering worsened and took the ugly shape of two central ministers, both members of the cabinet, fighting vehemently against each other in the state election – a scenario encountered for first time in the history of independent India – a real shame to the principle of collective responsibility outlined in our constitution. My belief in the adage – Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely – got still more ingrained. Just after the assembly election results, Ram Vilas declared that he is never going to support any RJD led coalition and he would prefer President’s rule instead. This is what exactly happened and the centre appointed Mr Buta Singh, another gentleman who is famous for switching loyalties (not long ago was he a minister in the Vajpayee government). Laloo was not all unhappy over this, as he could influence the governor by pressurizing the central government. Some happy developments took place during this short stint – only to be buried later. The district magistrates of Siwan (yes, the constituency of Mohammad Shahabuddin having over 40 serious criminal charges pending against him) and Gopalganj (another RJD stronghold) issuing non-bailable warrants against the respective legislators. Hats of to the courage of these lion hearted bureaucrats (not long ago was the SP of Mungher murdered by the leftists for taking some audacious steps against the extremists). But alas – it is Bihar – the two brave hearts soon got transferred. The bold initiative was murdered before it could sprout. The steel frame of India (the bureaucracy) as envisaged by the Britishers has been reduced to a rubber frame which always has to bend before our politicians. And mind you, this time it was not Laloo-Rabri, but Mr Buta Singh playing the spoil sport – or should we blame Mrs Gandhi for this. Recently Mr Ram Vilas offered to support the JD(U) less the BJP. The BJP was also ready to extend the support from outside. But the congress high command at the centre warned Ram Vilas that he will have to part ways with the UPA. Having no vision/judgment of his own, Ram Vilas quickly regained his humor and proposed to support even an RJD led government, if headed by a Muslim leader. Mr Paswan has indeed a very short memory – only a few days ago he had vowed to obliterate the RJD – the dalits of Hajipur, are you listening to your infallible leader. Paswan’s deviation from his earlier standing, led the forward caste leaders of the LJP to rebel. 21 of the 29 legislators decided to support an NDA led government. Paswan upon getting acquainted with this new rebellion in his party, sent the strongman (read gunda) Surajbhan Singh to control them. Laloo too got worried and rushed to the centre. The new speculations over government formation was put to rest by the hasty decision of Mr Buta Singh (courtesy the central government) to dissolve the state legislative assembly. The drama came to a tame end. What next? The Election Commission is already contemplating over the dates for a re-election – yes you are right, the crores spent on the February election have gone waste. Be ready to part away with another crores of rupees from the consolidated fund of India for the soon-to-be announced election dates. And what if the situation remains the same. Will the assembly get dissolved once again and fresh elections be held. Hmmm, I am running short of ideas – our law makers (who are responsible for this dirty game) have to find a way out of this constitutional crisis. And what I fear the most – What if he (yes, Lalooji) again comes into power. After all he has now got ample time to work over his weak points and emerge out stronger. Anyway, the anti-Laloo mood is still strong and NDA should work towards further increasing its numbers (not that I am a Nitish Kumar fan, but Bihar badly needs a change). But one point is clear – Mr Paswan is the clear loser out of this – I doubt if he can regain his 29 seats. Over to you Mr Yogendra Yadav…

The Sholay Team..

2005-05-18T19:21:00.000+05:30

A Rare classic photo from Ramesh Sippy's blockbuster. Thakur ke dono haath sahi salaamat hain aur gabbar bhi bahut seedha lag raha hai.

Bhartiya Rail..

2005-05-12T19:59:00.000+05:30

Gandhiji had said, India lies in its villages, and if you want to explore this great nation go to its villages. Without contradicting the father of the nation, I would alternately suggest you to explore India by traveling on a train – yes, the Bhartiya Rail – the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second largest under one management, running around 11000 trains everyday (of which 7000 are passenger trains), carrying about 1.3 crores of passengers everyday. So we could accommodate 70% of the Australian population on our trains!!! I have had a fascination for trains since I was a small child. I remember cajoling my elder brother to take me to our hometown railway station just to watch the trains pass by. The announcement was made for the arrival of Magadh Express. When it comes to naming trains – the railway department is unrivaled – what brilliant names – Sampoorna Kranti Exp, Toofan Exp, Purushottam Exp, Rajdhani Exp. My heart used to begin pumping at an accelerated rate upon hearing the whistle of the approaching train. The giant engine of the train puffing a large volume of smoke would send shivers down my spine. I have to admit that I wanted to become nothing but a train driver. A procession of red bogies would finally come to halt with a screeching sound. I could see the train jam packed with people – even the train roof was not spared (electric engines were still rare those days). The effective width of the train would actually be about a meter more than the engineered width – courtesy to the butts of the people (critically holding the door bar) hanging out. The chai wallah would shout chai chai – a typical sound he makes by stiffening the middle of his throat. The passengers to get down would hurry and jostle with the passengers to board. Some passengers would rush to the place marked sheetal jal with empty bottles. And then there are these young hunkies who get down for no reason – probably just to have a glimpse of the chicks moving around. The signal then turns green and the train starts dragging slowly – to enable some late-comers to board the moving train. And yes, those hunkies would board only when the train begins to move – it is an insult to their age to board a stationary train. Slowly the train catches up speed and soon it is out of the view. My brother would then ask me to come back and I would always make him agree to watch one more train before we pushed off. Today I have grown up, but my enthrallment to trains lies undiminished. If time is not a constraint, I would prefer commuting by train than taking the aerial route. And ya, you don’t get a feel of the environment unless you travel in the sleeper class. The surrounding in the AC class just seems so dumb to me. The people there wear a busy look on their face, and are caught up with their cell phones – you just got to give your cell a rest and enjoy the milieu. Let your sophistication take a backseat – at least sometime you got to behave originally. When you get down the AC coach, don’t show how uncomfortable you feel outside by raising your eyebrows. Look into the eyes of the coolie or the hawker – they are your fellow citizens. Real India lies in the sleeper coaches.

I remember how I used to grab the window seat when I was a child. Slowly we become familiar to the people sitting nearby, to the extent of sharing each other’s food items. You get to meet people from all over India speaking different languages and wearing different attires. It is India on wheels. You can enjoy cracking moongfalis, sipping chai or just gazing out of the window. I personally also have some forgettable experiences with train journeys. It was the end of my summer vacation after the first year. I had a confirm ticket for North East Express. The train reached the station on time at 10 in the night. I was ready with my luggage to board. The train was just over crowded. Somehow I made my way inside the bogey but could reach my assigned berth only after about 2 hours of journey. Hmmm… My friend Shailesh Kalsia had to go to the bathroom to answer nature’s call. But there was no way he could walk to the loo. But he was acrobatic enough to reach there by taking the aerial route (crawling by holding to the upper berths – like Spiderman).

Reunion - A tribute to all the batches of IITG

2005-05-07T11:51:00.000+05:30

In the year 2018 ... Reunion! "Class of 2003 - Reunion", read the banner, oh! the last 15 years has gone so sooner, The great College days, I started remembering, Seems like only yesterday I finished schooling.Seeing my class mates, after 15 years, My eyes were filled with tears, Everyone has changed a lot, No one escaped nature's plot. Guys who were smart and handsome, have become bald and buxom, Girls who used to fill our dreams, Almost brought out screams.Saw the girl, whom once I thought as my life, oops!, today she is somebody else's wife, after years, talked to her for a little while, learned she is happy, that made me smile. Entered our class' Mr. Romeo, Who has played many a cameo We started teasing him together, About what all he did to-get-her,
Grade card reviews to personal interviews,
Nicknames to last bench games,
Cultural rehearsals to love proposals,
Short term crushes to class room blushes.

Everything was fresh in our mind,
Wished life could rewind,
Laughed, played and rejoiced,
Once again we became girls and boys.

Chatting and laughing, we all were in elation, Till the painfull moment of seperation, It was time to part, returned with a heavy heart. Today life is full of commitments, And too many worries, But those cherished moments, Will live forever in our memories..

Maa...

2005-05-05T18:20:00.000+05:30

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers!!!............Anonymous!!

Browsing through the newspaper I came across this ad showing some gift items on discount for mother’s day (8th May) – a bouquet of flowers, a pack of kaju barfi et al. The idea of giving a pack of kaju barfi to someone who has fed me all through my life with some of the most delicious home-made sweets seemed ridiculous. In the U.K, mother’s day is celebrated on 6th of March. We Indians do not have any particular day earmarked for the celebration, but the media has a propensity to go by the schedule of the people on the opposite side of the globe. I guess no one portrays moms in such high esteem as the bollywood films. Most of Amitabh Bachchan’s movies in his hey days had mothers as a very important character. Among the female protagonists in his movies the heroines had hardly any meat in their roles except for some song and dance sequences behind the trees (we saw Late Parveena Bobby in that role quite often). That dialogue sequence in Deewar between the two brothers – Mere paas gaadi hai, bangla hai, bank-balance hai, kya hai tumhare paas. Shashi Kapoor replies after a tense lull – Mere paas Maa hai. Manmohan Desai was such a genius at reading the emotional veins of the Indian viewers. During my school days, I used to sometimes wonder whether Nirupa Roy is the actual mother of Amitabh Bachchan. Whereas a mother is portrayed as a Goddess, a ‘step’ prefix makes her a fiend. Sauteli Maa is seen to make her step child do all the domestic chores and then beat him at the end of the day. In Beta the mother (played very well by Aruna Irani) goes to the extent of poisoning her step-son (the mahapurush of Bollywood – Anil Kapoor). That is something I couldn’t quite digest. Hindi film-makers are extremists when it comes to character portrayal. Either an actor is devta samaan or he is a rakshas. This is contrary to what we actually find around us. Most of us are moderates – is it not. The movies released during the last decade, have shifted their focus from the mother-son duo to father-son relationships – K3G or the recently released Waqt. This is probably because the most agyakari beta (read Vijay urf Amitabh Bachchan) of the yester years has grown on to become a father himself. And moreover this is an era of super moms – they are no more the traditional saree-clad bhartiya naari with a big bindi, busy with the kitchen work holding her baby in her arms. Lillette Dubey plays such super mom to perfection (in some crossover films like Monsoon Wedding, My Brother Nikhil.. etc). I doubt how many new moms (or would be moms) even know how to wear a saree. I really feel sorry for the upcoming generation.

Having said that, I firmly believe that the love of a mother towards her child can never be diminished. This is the purest form of love. Today I am miles away from my mom. Mummy, I can’t think of a present for you on the occasion of mother’s day. May be, I will just call you that day and say – I love you. I clearly remember how mischievous I was during my childhood. I used to always fight with you whenever you scolded me for reaching home late at night. I used to think that you were curtailing my freedom. Today, I am away from you, completely free to do what I wish to. When I return late night after watching the night show, I have no one to scold me. I have no one to tell me why it is good to go early to bed. I really miss you mom like anything – and more than anything else I miss your scolding. I need someone to scold me when I do something wrong. I don’t want this freedom. Probably this is the trick of life. You get to know the importance of something only when you don’t have that. I remember how I used to get fussy about the food, and you would be after me whole day so that I could have something to eat. Today, I have no option but to eat silently in the lost surrounding of the cafeteria. I feel so lonely. I don’t know if Goddess exists, but I certainly feel to be in her vicinity when I touch your feet.

Arz Kiya hai...

2005-04-29T15:17:00.000+05:30

Don’t shy away from the real problem...

2005-04-25T14:41:00.000+05:30

I often come across this widely circulated email enunciating India’s glorifying past. Being a proud Indian, it is but obvious for me to swell with pride. But when I brood over the current state of affairs I get butterflies in my stomach. The country which was once accredited with having the world’s first university at Takshila (in modern Bihar) way back in 700 B.C where more than 10000 people from all across the world studied over 60 subjects, is today left with some sub-standard universities (with exception of a handful ones like IITs, IIMs), forcing an exodus of the students abroad. India which was once the richest empire on the earth is today decried by the westerners as poverty stricken and underdeveloped through political corruption. Where did we go wrong. It has been 58 years since independence, but can we really boast of our Moon Mission in 2008, when the newspaper is replete with the stories of farmer apathies and labor unrest. The biggest quandary that India faces today is the vast inequality existing amongst the people. In a country like Sweden this gap is hardly visible. What annoys me the most is the fact that India prides itself in being the largest democracy in the world. Dr. Ambedkar in the drafting committee had clearly envisioned that the primary role of a democratic government is to set up a welfare state with social, economic and political equality. And one does not need to be a rocket scientist to see that the governments have done nothing to bridge this ever widening gap. So, does the problem lie only with the government and the government babus for whom corruption is a life-style. It would be foolhardy for anyone to figure out that as the root of the problem. The govt. and govt. servants have not come from the moon. They are the people from amongst us. The central govt. employees alone count up to over 40 lakhs. Add to it the state govt. employees of the 26 states. Has our political system become such that it no more attracts people with an earnest desire to do something for the masses. So what’s the solution out. Do we accept it as our fate and let the things continue the way it is. Or should we find a way out to satiate our dollar dreams and settle thousands of miles away from the borders our motherland. Things have really changed since the world economy has opened up. Businesses are no more bound by the national boundaries. It does not matter to a global employee as to which country he works in. So, has the feeling of nationalism really become archaic. Well, I beg to differ. This is my country, these are my people... how can I be anywhere else. Okay – India has a long red tape and setting up a business here is no easy task (given the number of licenses one needs to obtain and the bribes that accompany them). The easy way out would be to move out and lead a plush life serving the whites. Now I don’t want to sound a racist here. But alas, if you call yourself a man, you must have the balls to fight the system by being a part of it. I know, that it’s easier said than done – but you won’t be called a man by just freaking out with your girl friend in a mall. Remember, no place in the world is perfect. The worldcomm fiasco did not occur in India. Each place has a problem unique to itself. And instead of choosing another problem why not solve the one you are currently facing. To start with, we need a bottom-up approach to solve the problem. One serious encumbrance to India’s woes is its herd-mentality. We often follow others and do not bother to wake up our own sagacity. Let us solemnly decide to do what we think (after proper deliberation) is right. Let a person become a teacher because he loves teaching and not because of any other reason. Only then will we see teachers in a govt. school attending to classes. In a populous country like ours, where unemployment is a staid problem, the luckier ones (who are financially independent) have to take the responsibility of helping the others. But what really happens is that most of them join the rat race – they get a small car and then they crave for a limousine. Buddha said – ‘desire is the cause of all sufferings’. I don’t say that you lead the life of a hermit. But it’s just that you got to realize that the happiness one derives from helping others is unparalleled. Huh, am I being idealistic. As goes the saying - In the race for perfection there is no finish line. May be I myself should realize soon that the bottom line is – This is an imperfect world. Humans by very nature are selfish. So don’t fret and let the things continue the way they are – its all just “Maya”.

Don't Read This......

2005-04-20T11:43:00.000+05:30

Hey, didn’t you read the title of this article. I hope, you know little bit of English (at least to be able to understand the meaning of this title). So why are you reading this in spite of the warning. Stop reading this at once and do some useful work. If you continue to read this, don’t blame me later on for any damage caused to your….. So honey, take my sincere advice and stop reading this instantly. Ya, that’s like a good boy. Hey, you are continuing to read it further. Aadmi ho ki Pajama – ek baar bolne se samajh mein nahin aata. Besharmi ki bhi hudd hoti hai. Anyway, if you have read it this far, let me tell you one thing. Human beings by very nature are stubborn. They never do what they are told to, and they always try to do what they are told not to. But once explained in a rational way, they tend to learn and mend their ways. So I guess at this point, I have been able to explain you quite rationally that you should not read this. So dear, bbye, have a nice day. Arey arey ruko bhai, tum toh aage padhe hi ja rahe ho. Enough is enough man. Tum sahi mein bade wale ho – yahan tak bhi pahunch gaye. Okay I get it – so u have decided that you won’t bat an eye lid and just continue to read this – come what may. Woh kahte hain na – “Laaton ke bhoot……..”. Thank God, at least now you stopped. Better late than never. Ye kya phir shuru ho gaye, ek shabd bhi aage mat padhna, warna bahut bura hoga. Now I bet, I won’t let you read beyond five more words. Yess, I stopped you finally!

At the red light….(straight from the heart)

2005-04-15T16:24:00.000+05:30

I have given the shape of a poem to an article I wrote a few months ago..

Unkempt hair,
Shabby attire.
Roses to sell,
Ah! No buyers.

Vehicles to vehicles
She moves and pleads.
But to the eye feasting
Scavengers she feeds.

Hope-lit eyes
Tinged with despair.
Crooked smiles
She silently bears.

Heart soaked with pain
Asking for care.
If u have some
She is willing to share.

Drooped are her shoulders
Below the weight of the flowers.
Extremely fragile she is,
Against the Mammon’s power.

She shields the chilling winter
With torn clothes, hope ‘n’ disgust.
Lonely tears trickle down
As unwanted emotional outburst.

She taps the car’s window.
She touches their feet.
Mumbling words inconfidently when
She can clearly speak.

At last she approaches
The beautiful lady in the car.
Who off ‘n’ on look in the mirror
And assumes herself a star.

She pushes the bunch inside
And begs her to buy.
Trying to be too assertive
As if it’s her last try.

Thinking of her some scum
Lady pushes her on the ground
She falls ‘n’ roses get scattered,
Without the faintest sound.

Roses die beneath tyres,
As commuters zoom away.
They are short of time
And word to say.

Delhi V Bangalore

2005-04-15T12:28:00.000+05:30

I recently shifted my base (actually my whole body including the base :) from Delhi to
Bangalore. Though I have visited almost whole of south India earlier (in the capacity of a
musafir), this is the first time that I have actually come here to stay for a longer period.
I used to fear staying here - nightmares regarding the food, the language, the people... But
after spending about 2 weeks here, I feel that my apprehensions were unfounded. May be because Bangalore is full of north Indians. I guess, the nationalists will bicker with me for raising an LOC between the two parts of this beautiful nation. I will offer to say this in my defense – I am a firm believer of the tenets enumerated in the preamble of our Constitution referring to the underlying unity of the nation. And I don’t feel shy in admitting that it is the ‘Bimaru’ states of north India that are responsible for the very low ranking of India in almost all the listings released by the UN. But the fact remains that I am a hardcore north Indian and love the “chalta hai” attitude. I miss (not really) the ‘sarkari’ culture that is an integral part of a delhite (I offer my sincere apologies to the many hunkies working in the mushrooming IT companies in the NCR regions of noida and gurgaon). Everyone in delhi (or ‘dilli’) is (or claims to be) close to men-in-khadi (no less than the men-in-black). Now that is what speaks of your status. A Bangalorean would argue with me. But alas, that is the rule here. I found that the people in Bangalore are less status-conscious. When I landed at the Bangalore airport, I felt that I am going to have a hard time making the taxi-wallah lead me to my hotel. But to my surprise, he was talking to me in fluent (and grammatically correct) ‘angrezi’. On my way through, he acted like a tourist guide (of course with no extra bucks other than the taxi fare ;) telling me every detail of leela palace, lal bagh, bull’s temple, kemp fort…. Though I had visited most of these places earlier (on a bharat darshan tour), I listened to him very earnestly. I got a taste of the wary traffic on the airport road. Delhi was not much different some five years ago, but full marks to Shiela Dixit (the ‘fly over’ CM) for easing out the traffic snarls to a great extent. I dreaded my days ahead and decided to avail an accommodation as close to my office as possible.
The best thing about Bangalore is the weather here (no extremes like dilli). It rains quite a bit here and that is problematic for poor guys like me on 2-wheelers. The burgeoning IT industry has made Bangalore a crowded city. I wish that the state government takes appropriate measures to expand the city to the outskirts. Parking has already become a severe problem out here.

Today is the birthday of shashi's world

2005-04-14T18:58:00.000+05:30

I love reading and writing all kinds of articles/views/opinions/criticisms. So having a blog space of my own was something natural. Not much to write today. But be sure to check back soon.