Yeh Dil Maange More!

Yearning

2009-08-03T22:02:00.003+05:30

A mile too long,

A moment too discrete,

A sky too infinite,

A sea...pristine!

A picture too perfect,

A word too deep,

A melody too gentle,

A performance replete!

A smell too fragrant,

A smile too sweet,

A beat too soon,

A touch…velveteen!

A thought too potent,

A mind too keen,

A heart too aware,

A life… almost complete!

Front of the Class: Movie Review

2009-07-12T22:54:00.012+05:30

(Image Courtesy: tvguide.com)

After a long time I’ve come across a movie worth writing about.

Front of the Class (2008), is a movie from the ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’ series. It’s a wonderfully made movie based on a true-life experience of Brad Cohen who “did not let Tourette’s Syndrome win” and went on to bag the 'Best Teacher of the Year' award.

The character, named Brad, after the real life Brad Cohen, has been essayed by Jimmy Wolk. An excellent and remarkably essayed performance, worthy of many applauds. This grown-up Brad Cohen from the movie is definitely commendable in his realistic and enrapturing performance, but one cannot but marvel at how the young lad, named Dominic Scott Kay, has effortlessly portrayed the role of a young Brad Cohen, fighting for acceptance and acknowledgement from his peers as much as, by his own dad.

For someone not suffering from the Tourette’s, to be able to integrate the right noises and right twitches at the right time so seamlessly into their performance, these two actors have indeed left us in awe. The sensitivity with which the movie has been made and the fighting zeal with which the protagonist takes on the snide comments and unpleasant judgments by people around, is largely infectious.

The manner, in which the movie’s progression is handled, is also worth a mention. The story is narrated by Brad himself, as he introduces his life to us, the viewers, shot by shot, bit by bit.

Peter Werner (Director), sure has a winner here. Not only are the performances worthy of a pat-on-the-back…but so also the crisp characterization. No wonder then that the movie finds itself listed in the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Going through the movie, I must admit I kept falling in love with every bit of this celluloid adaptation of a true life story and its sheer underlying positivity.

The movie has its share of humorous, poignant, clumsy and theatrical moments. But my personal favourite remains the one where Brad goes on stage to deliver his acceptance speech while receiving the ‘State of Georgia’s 1st Year Teacher of the Year’ Award. It’s that part of the movie where he thanks his ‘toughest and most dedicated teacher’ since the age of six, his Tourette’s syndrome. His speech gets interspersed with impromptu additions in the form of answers by little hands going up in the air, eager to lend words to their favourite speaker, Mr. Cohen.

And the icing on the cake?.. well, was when little Thomas asks Mr. Cohen, “Can you bring that award for show-and-tell on Monday?”…inviting a lot of applause and laughter from the crowd..and me alike!

In a nutshell, this movie is must-watch for anyone who believes in reaching out for one’s dreams…and not letting anything take away one’s right to live the way one wishes to.

The Sound of Words

2009-07-06T20:56:00.005+05:30

Words.

They are the perfect examples for the adage, Big things come in small packages!

Almost elfin in existence but colossal in significance. Surprising then, that we take words so much for granted…so often…and so easily.

We take them for granted to such an extent, that we fail to acknowledge the inimitable role they play in our life. A role so noteworthy, that were it not for words, our thought would have been nothing more than the sound of silence. Abandoned…mute. Words lend it the voice it speaks in and the language it communicates in.

How? You may ask. Well…Can you ‘think’ without words? What shape or form do your thoughts take if not as words? Think…but without the aid of words. Dauntingly…incapacitating ain’t it??

Humans and Communication, go back a long way. And it’s in this fabric of our strong history together, that words are essentially inter-woven.

They are empowering, ever-lasting connectors that bring us together & link us… bit by bit…word-by-word.

Words build conversations and conversations build bonds. We are what we are because of the words we share…with ourselves or with others… in silence or in clamor.

Without words we’d feel isolated and it threatens our fair-chance to hear, what life around us communicates.

Drawing upon one of may favorite lines from the movie, Crash, which goes something like this –

…We miss that touch so much that we crash into each other just so we may feel something...

I’d conclude this post by saying -

(Sometimes) We miss that sound of words so much that we squabble with each other just so we may hear something.

Eye-struck!

2009-04-05T21:07:00.006+05:30

Opening up to brightness,
Embracing the ensuing alluring view,
From fuzziness to clarity,
The eye captures the worldly brew!

As it stares into the blueness a-kin,
Time transforms into a statical moment,
Yet moves an eon beyond measure,
As it’s beholder recollects… memories spent!

Intense and powerful… eyes say it all,
With warm, serene or raging glare,
Conversations made without a sound,
Moments lived without a care!

The engulfing orbicular depth,
Arrests my gaze, causing me to slowly sink,
As I lose focus of all else around me,
Moment by moment, blink by blink!

…And in a moment such as that,
Your soulful eyes… reflect on me,
Mirroring our ocular silhouettes onto each other,
As I become you and you become me!

Blog-xpression!

2009-01-04T19:55:00.004+05:30

Alright. That’s it!

It’s time I take control of this blogspace for a while. Well, someone’s gotta lend respect to the spirit of creative expression, you know! Especially when the blog’thor is… well… absconding the blogspace; conveniently abandoning any possible inkling of my… umm... the blog’s existence! So much for owning up responsibility, eh?!

Ahem! Anyways…so here goes. Let me start by introducing myself.

Hello dear readers! I’m called, ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’.

Umm…Pardon the long name. You see my blog’thor lacks the deftness of words. In the acronym-ous times, she’s committed a creative-faux pas truly! I mean, it’s really criminal to indulge in lengthy name-creations when the world is, in fact, adopting a short-is-sweet pattern. But then, who EVER asks you before naming you??! Haan??!

It makes me wonder though… is she a follower of Shakespeare’s famous line, What’s in a name??

... Ya right!, I’d say…ask ME for a change sweetie, would you?!

Oh! And before you misunderstand ‘greed’ to be the attribute behind me getting this name, let me correct you, it isn’t so at all. My dear blog’thor again has a rather un-skilled verbosity, if I may call it that. Well, actually I just did.

Apparently she has her own inexplicable creative reason for naming me so.

Unh!Unh! Don’t worry people…she gets these ‘creative’ bouts sometimes...part of life!

Anyways, moving on… I must admit it feels rather lonely and restless sometimes since I’m kept inactive quite a lot lately. It’s my blog’thor at it again. She attributes her negligence towards me on her being very busy with other stuff. Psst!...I’m letting you all in a secret, people. It’s all hogwash! She ain’t busy at all. She’s just being plain lazy I tell you!

I mean, don’t they say…Where there’s a will, there’s a way?? (Psst!...and you know, where there’s none…you need to find a shovel to make that way, Damn it!!! ….Sorry…I know…that was a lousy one!) But, she’s just not trying hard enough. Somebody didn’t tell her that when you’re drowning (in laziness, like she is), you should either be swimming like ….like… Michael Phelps, or else, be crying-out-loud for help like that’s your only hope for rescue!!

But she, being who she is, chooses neither!!!

She’s been promising to reclaim me soon. Baah! I’d say! How can anyone really believe her? She’s a writer for Christ’s Sake! And writers are awesomely eccentric! And believe you me!... Eccentricity is not really my cup-of-tea!

What??!...It’s just a good use of figurative language there!

So now you know where her lingual inspiration comes from??! Hmmm??!

Well, we’ve entered a new 12-month cycle recently. But to tell you frankly, I really wonder if she even realizes that the ‘8’ has turned into a ‘9’…following the 2-0-0!

8 Outgoing… 9 incoming! Ummm… that sounds really weird, doesn’t it?? Excuse any leeway of a pun there. Truthfully…unintended!

What I’m trying to say is, I know that’s a subtle change but it’s a ‘significant’ subtle change because it modifies the calendar by a full 365 days!

But you know what??! .. I’ve decided to help my blog’thor in honoring her promise of reclaiming me. ‘Coz, after all, I’m the blogspace…and she’s my blog’thor. We’re really for each other. She expresses through me and I mirror her expressions to the world.

So, in line with the universal tradition of making-to-break-resolutions (albeit, I hope this resolution doesn’t get fractured that easily), I’m resolving to keep reminding my blog’thor of my existence, even if it’s through posts like these…sprinkled perhaps, with a few criticisms like these. But am sure she won’t mind that.

After all, that’s what friends do right?!...Nudge a little when you need to be set in motion and lend a whack when rectification is required. A friend in need, is a friend indeed, eh??!

And well, I’m not ready to let her forget me as her friend that easily… just yet!!

So from one friend to another,

Wish you a BLOGGING New Year 2009!

Of Feeling and Thought…

2008-09-28T18:33:00.002+05:30

What is Feeling?
And what may Thought be?
Can you thoughtfully ever feel?
And with feeling develop a thought?

"Think not when you want to Feel,
Feel not when Thought beckons,
For Feelings and Thoughts are
Independent, opposite brethren".

This they tell me,
And relentlessly bellow,
But what I Think or Feel…
How can they ever know?

In the Heart, lives the Feeling
The Mind, where Thought resides.
Neither can ignore the other,
When the need, is to pulsate lives!

So let yourself Feel today,
As Thought draws you near…
Let the two co-exist,
And their bond, grow more dear!

Continuance

2008-08-31T18:56:00.004+05:30

Tiny balls of radiance,
Shimmering in yellow glow,
Trailing each other, playfully.

Silent surrounding darkness,
Accentuating the glimmer-balls,
Embracing them altogether, in its arms.

Bobbing balls of light,
Reach out to me…
Revising their pace,
...every now and then.

Standing amongst these light balls,
I see them rushing at me,
As everything suddenly turns white
...And the whiteness grows.

An involuntary blanket of darkness spreads
As eye-lids seek to avoid the glare,
And the sound of brightness passes me by.

On a black, rain-soaked night,
The traffic vehicles nudge each other
As they move ahead,
Eager to reach their destination.

Journeys end.
Lights fade.

As more bobbing balls continue…
…to slowly emerge…
In search yet again…
Of new journeys…
And new destinations.

Deadlines... and more

2008-08-10T19:53:00.007+05:30

Deadlines are funnily scary elements of a working professional’s life. It is almost amusing to see the two co-exist.

In fact, it won’t be erroneous on my part to say that the two share a love-hate relationship like a haggard old couple, who’ve been married for the last 50 years. They can neither look each other in the eye nor can they do without each other.

So what if, there was to be a conversation between the two? A candid conversation between the two inseperables, would probably go something like this:

Deadline (in a Joey-esque): How you doin??

Professional (sarcastically smirking): Any guesses??!

Deadline: Well, just the right one, if you ask me! ;P
Don’t get me wrong if I ask you this but, how are ya placed this time, eh??

Professional: Haah! Is there ever a difference… ‘buddy’?! Like always…I’m running a day late! No surprises, right??

Deadline: Ugh! Ugh! None whatsoever!

A satanic pause and an exchange-of-smirks later….

Professional: You know… It’s always amazed me to see how you have this incredible flair to consistently, unfailingly outrun me in the race against time?! You’re always a day ahead of me! How the hell do you manage that??

Deadline (Stepping away in caution) :Whoa! Did I just sense some hostility exuding from you?

Professional: Oh yes you did! If you hadn’t yet realized, my ‘dear friend’, we have a perennial aversion to each other!

Deadline: Ya! Like I could never make that out myself, duh??!

Professional: Cut the drama out and throw me an answer if you have one!

Deadline: Patience dear Watson! Patience!

Professional (in mock laughter): Deadlines aren’t good with anything! (…or anyone!)...Not even fiction, I see! It’s ‘Elementary, my dear Watson! Elementary!’

Deadline: How enlightening! Thank-you! Am sure Sherlock Holmes would be ever-so grateful for your kind rectification of erroneous me!

Professional: Am sure he would be… If deadlines were the ones he COULD rectify for good!

Deadline: Ahem. Coming to my answer, well, I don’t need to do anything much myself. Lets just say, that I have ‘friends’ (read: senior management) helping me out to stay ahead in the race. They’re the ones who understand my true worth!.. They’re not like you…who don’t know how to respect deadlines!

Professional: But of course! Partners in crime, indeed!

Deadline: You know it really amazes me to see people like you exhibiting so much aversion to ‘Deadlines’ , yet ‘Deadlines’ are precisely what you’re attempting to desperately meet …all the time! You hate me!...But can’t do without me!

Professional: Aah! Working life does have a quirky sense of humour … that’s really hard to escape!

Deadline: Or…professionals don’t have the ability to appreciate humour, since they don’t have a funny bone at all!

Professional: Oh! No, no, no, no, no! With deadlines like you round the corner, our funny bones are all long broken and crushed, believe me!

Deadline (roaring with laughter): Oops! That reminds me…. As much as I enjoyed this repartee with you, dear professional, I think you’ve conveniently forgotten that you had other deadlines to meet! …And the suave me…doesn’t believe in keeping a deadline waiting! (winks at the professional)

So scoot away, while you still have a chance to meet the due deadline! And…good riddance… ‘buddy’!

Professional: Oh No! Not again!

***

Prelude: Chetan Bhagat’s Book 3

2008-06-18T20:56:00.002+05:30

Ok.

It took a nose-crinkling cold and ceaseless, power-packed coughing to get me to compose a new blog post finally! Like there is scope for anything else with these monstrous symptoms doing a good job of constantly reminding you of your ill-health. Eh??!

No. Seriously. With reasons like these, you don’t need much cajoling to indulge in activities, that otherwise find a rather sporadic existence in your daily routine.

I mean, I would rather have a regular 5-min alarm to remind me to blog than fight the exploding cough in my throat at every puff of air inhaled!! Cough! Gasp!

So as I lay nursing an ill-me, I let myself indulge in the other activity that I could possibly derive a wee-bit entertainment from, to distract my mind from the illness-reminder pangs.

And so, I opened the first page of the book that my reading-clutches were so desperate yet unsuccessful to grab, since the day of its launch in Pune on 25th May 2008.

Yes. 25th May 2008. This was the day Chetan Bhagat was in town to launch his 3rd book, Three Mistakes of My Life.

Now, anyone who’s been strolling in my blogspace, would know that Chetan Bhagat, the author, has been a personal favourite. Be it Five Point Someone or ON@CC, Chetan’s writing has mesmerized one and all. So much so, that these books are now being turned into renditions of a 70mm experience.

It was of little surprise then, that Chetan Bhagat, now a sought-after author, would launch his 3rd book with quite a writer’s panache. Well, almost!

Why I say this is because, this book launch had all it takes for a successful launch. The author arrived late, ensuring adding-on to the ensuing hype, behind the launch. Strike One.

The launch had celebrity guests to add the glam quotient, viz, Atul Agnihotri, Sharman Joshi and Alvira Khan. Their presence, doubling also as a means to promote their forthcoming movie, Hello based on Chetan’s ON@CC. Strike Two.

A round of Q & As for the author by his Pune readers. The icing on the cake. Strike Three.

Now, for the inquisitive readers, I know this, because I was amongst the crowd at the launch, seeking a glimpse of this author-wonder whose innocent boyish face belied the witty brain at work. Yes, I witnessed my first book-reading and launch session with an author I admire. Not so much for the way this 5-Point Someone has risen to unimaginable heights of admirations so soon, but because the guy genuinely is witty and expressive with words. So I wasn’t surprised to see him dodge fan-queries with a little hesitant yet smart ease!

There was a rather interesting and healthy barrage of words exchanged. An excited fan, unable to get the mike working, asked Chetan, “This is a rather personal question, but do you have a foot fetish?” (In reference to his book, ON@CC) A sheepish Chetan replied, “Thank God, your mike’s not working!” And the crowd cracked in laughter. Or when he narrated an incident when before the release of his first book, 5-Point Someone, Chetan didn’t know what to make of the Publisher’s statement – “Ab aap apni book hi dekhlo na. Hai to kuch bhi nahi, par chalegi bahut!” , leaving him to decide whether that was a compliment or a disdainful comment!

With this book-launch experience goading me to pick up the book and finish reading it, and my illness only facilitating the good cause ;), I embarked on my reading journey, with the same glint of expectation at it being as interesting a read, as were the earlier two.

So, as I continue on this journey, I let this post act as a prelude to a probable book review on this blog. Hopefully, that post, will not need a call by ceaseless coughs and running noses, to get published! ;)

A Cloudful of Sky!

2008-06-09T22:08:00.002+05:30

A grayish hue,
Sometimes lighter, sometimes dark,
A whiff of smoky puff.

A cascading chain of raindrops,
Sometimes tiny, sometimes big,
A slosh of watery splash.

A murky puddle,
Sometimes inviting, sometimes repelling,
A mudful of sludgy puddle.

A monsoony, breezy weather,
Sometimes likable, sometimes reviled,
A season of many wonders...
...A Cloudful of Sky!

For the Reader… within the Writer

2008-05-01T22:29:00.005+05:30

Knock! Knock!

Anyone there?

That’s what the reader in me invariably keeps asking the writer within me.

The reason for this questioning between the two personas within me, is because of the long days of inactivity in my beloved blogspace!

There is a constant tussle between these two personas with each trying to convince and reason with the other, and present an explanation for the need to be more proactive with the pen or the inability to do so.

Undoubtedly, the reader in me, wins the case, leaving the writer within me in a motivated state of mind to add ink to paper, yet again.

These days, I find little time to dedicate to one activity very dear to me…and that is expressing myself through my writings. May be, the reader within me starts craving for some scripted tidbits from the writer within me to munch on.

Makes me wonder, why so?

Is it that perhaps, every writer writes foremost for himself. His expressions, somewhere, are a reflection of the taste in reading, harboured by the reader inside him.

This is to say that, I am, my own reader first. Having written a piece of text, I validate with myself about my satisfaction level with it. Only when I can positively acquiesce its appeal as a worthy read, am I open to let other readers share in it.

So…the Author reads his work, first… thereby himself becoming the foremost reader of his pennings, always!

It’s almost like a partial disjunction, of sorts. The words you see before you are your own. But you are looking at them not as their creator, but as a receiver…and you identify them differently. You absorb the sound of those words in your experience as a reader… a role invariably and effortlessly assumed by you. And in that moment of primary readership, you look at the scribbling and think, I really like this…really like what I’m reading!

The disjuncture ends, as the reader within you, having approved of the writing before him, retreats, to now let the author, welcome more readers to the reading fore.

This is perhaps, how a writer reads, and the reader writes.

And thence, the journey…the cycle continues.

Ae bhai, zara dekh ke chalo!

2008-04-16T22:40:00.006+05:30

It's Amazing!

It really is!

Yes. You are absolutely right. I’m talking about the traffic of our very own Pune. THAT’S amazing!

Or better still, maybe it’s the Puneite who’s amazing!

Do you know why?

It’s because, we Puneites, are so damn creative at coming up with a new puzzling traffic condition everyday. We not only are good at building up such conditions, but also manage to successfully find our way out of such noisy puzzles! Puneites…Born puzzle solvers, eh?!

To make it even more challenging, we have roads dug up at every plausible place. The city's civic authorities are to thank for adding a spark into our challenging traffic puzzle mania! Is the anti-alcohol campaign taking a new form for them, with the slogan now being...Dig and Drive?!!! Huh??!

Anyways…Measuring my way home, from work yesterday, it was very amusing to see two-wheeler-striding individuals pushing their vehicle in every possible available space on the dark-hued roads. And if that seemed as inadequacy of driving space, not to fret fellow citizens… the footpath is the place to be…umm…or rather, the place to drive!

It’s comically appalling to see individuals encroaching onto space, where really it should be the pedestrians who get the right of way. But alas! Guess, it is human nature to encroach upon space, not meant for them! Slaves of an acquired habit, aren’t we??!

As we drove through the maddening traffic, an aged couple astride their two-wheeler, approached us from the opposite direction. The haphazard traffic movement saw us coming within inches of each other and stopping short just in time to avoid an unwanted mishap. The look on the old lady’s face, riding pillion with the graying gentleman, was a ‘Kodak moment’, believe me!

No doubt. The moment was anything but a pleasant moment for the lady… evident from her frozen look of disbelief at the approaching vehicle, heading straight for her! Wide-eyed and staring at us intently, the lady was all set to take the ‘jump’, had we been a few inches closer or a tad bit speedier.

Thank God for Old Age!! Whooops!!! ;)

Jokes apart, the fact remains that the traffic condition is just worsening with every passing moment. And the city that was identified as a pensioner’s paradise, is turning into a commuter’s nightmare!

Lets hope that no old lady has to actually reach a point when she needs to take the 'jump' for real...and the dig-o-mania doesn't go out of hands, before the civic authorities and the Pune commuters, wake up wide and attentive to address the situation.

Investing my hopes on that positive note where traffic conditions would take a twirl for the good, I end this post with these few lines, from a famous song from the movie Mera Naam Joker, albeit, with a few additions…

Aey bhai, zara dekh ke chalo,
Aage hi nahin, peeche bhi,
Daaye hi nahin, baaye bhi,
...
Road par hi nahin...
Footpath par bhi!!

Aey bhai!

Whispers of Time

2008-03-16T18:57:00.001+05:30

A whoosh here and a swish there,
As time hurries past on tip-toes…
And tinkles sound on each such move.

Quietly, it sways past me,
I feel its gentle touch…
As it ruffles my hair playfully.

I smile and look back,
And it looks back at me…
Draped in twinkling moments.

“Hello there!”
“And a ‘Hi’ to you too”…
We exchange hushed pleasantries.

The air fills with a new whish getting louder,
As a glimmer of change arises on the horizon…
And I hear once again… the whispers of time.

A Conversation… of Black-and-White!

2008-02-21T22:20:00.003+05:30

A pristine, blank sheet of digital canvas,
Draws me to itself, staring back at me.
With expectant pleas…
Exchanging unknown, silent words with me.

The cursor blinked…
As if warming up…
As if taking a deep breath,
Before setting upon a long, word-lined path.

My fingers felt the keys,
As if trying to befriend them,
Before punching away at them…
As the canvas got decorated with expressive black characters.

Thoughts took expression,
Words took shape.
As my fingers conversed…
…And my canvas listened.

What remained thereafter…
Was a creative rhapsody.
That was etched in time…
And eternalised in conversations of black-and-white!

The Re-awakening of the National Identity??! …ummm…yet again??!

2008-01-29T20:02:00.000+05:30

I was watching the show ‘We the People’ on NDTV 24x7 two days back and found the topic of discussion quite interesting.

Does India take its National Symbol too seriously?

A varied array of individuals comprised the group involved in discussion there. And a horde of individuals like me joined in as supplementary third-party audience.

During the debate a lot of people expressed various views and what came across was that, today’s India believed that national symbols like the National anthem, the National Flag, the National Colors, etc. are necessary, but in fact, they should not be binding to the individuals to the extent that the people then refuse to take them as instances of nationalism and patriotism and instead, view them as tyrannical episodes. Someone said, I don’t have a problem with standing up as a mark of respect when the National Anthem is played. But I have a problem when it is forced upon me by someone else, like when I have to stand up and honour the National Anthem in theatres prior to the movie-screening. Why should I do it because someone else wants me to do it then?

Well, I partly agree with his point of view. What significance or value do our National symbols like the National Anthem or our National Flag hold if one has to be coerced to respect it? Doesn’t that go against the very concept of Nationalism and Democracy that our country has been renowned for? By nature humans have the tendency of swerving away from what is expected of them. A human is a born rebel, especially when it comes to executing actions of the mandatory nature. When you make something mandatory or compulsory, we humans fiercely veto it because for us it is seen as an attempt to curb our freedom to do what we want… when we want. It takes away our right to democracy for us.

But again, why are these instances enforced upon us in the first place?... Don’t we also need to give a thought to the fact that, how many of us would actually ‘remember’ to honour our national symbols if it’s not coerced out from within us in cinema halls and public places? Would it not be limited only to twice in a year, on the calendar-driven rekindling of our so-called patriotism?? The truth is, we the Indians of today take our freedom, our democracy too lightly. We cannot really fathom how blessed we are to have been born in a free, sovereign, democratic country. The difficulties endured behind the attainment of this democracy, is something we have been oblivious to… as far as experience is concerned. Hence, unlike a soldier fighting to defend the honor and ensure security of the country every day, we do not feel the urge to be patriotically expressive, that easily and that often.

In fact, I’d go a step further and ask, why is it that debates like these, only come up just pre or post a 26th January or a 15th August?

Is it that for us, our National Identity has come to be dependent upon dates that granted us sovereignty or freedom? Why is it that we get reminded of our National Identity only through two dates staring out at us from the calendar pages? …Acting as if as a cue for us to begin expressing ourselves from a patriotic and nationalistic point of view.

Haah! So much for Nationalistic fervor, I’d say!

The point I’m trying to make here is that, we need to understand the reason behind our erroneous sense of patriotism and get to exercise the meaning of being truly independent and sovereign. We need to educate ourselves on the spirit of nationalism and inculcate within ourselves and our future generations, the significance of being a Nation driven by democracy. The National Identity within each one of us needs to resonate as one. Only then, India can in the true sense continue to be recognized as a symbol of Sovereignty, Equality and Democracy!

P.S. : Ahem! Before my dear readers shove the hypocritical mirror into my face, let me put to rest their excitement by adding here, that yes, I know that this piece of nationalistic expression too comes post-26th January… one of the points of contention I’ve made through this post. My reply to that is, guess I am as much a part of the social fabric of this country taking on its traits as my own sometimes. Breaking away from the conformist mindset, takes time…and effort. But once the acknowledgement takes place, the wave of change, won’t be too far away either.

Right, dear reader??! ;)

The BIG ‘Nano’ BANG!!!

2008-01-18T10:15:00.000+05:30

They say that big things come in small packages. Well, so right, I’d say!

With the recent revolutionary launch of Tata Nano, (the petite little car of every middle-class individual’s dream), this statement finds a whole new meaning!

The anticipation behind the launch of this car had been stupendous from the time Mr. Ratan Tata, the dream-builder of the common man’s four-wheeled-aspiration, announced his promise to one-and-all for giving them a ride of affordable luxury.

The actual release of the prototype has been a roaring culmination of thousands of baited-breath anticipations…lending shape to their auto-dreams. It is more than what one could have hoped for within the realm of a lakh of moolah.

But this little wonder seems to be as much a gift, as a curse. This is because the very factor that sets it apart in the automobile segment - it’s affordability by a common man - is also the one that is giving rise to wrinkled foreheads and environmental hiccups.

The Nano, in its promise of fulfilling the common man’s desire for an affordable, personal car, is also giving rise to speculations of what it would signify for the city and the country at large, when there are thousands of Nanos plying on the roads.

This would foremost, translate into a surplus of vehicular traffic and parking trouble, thereby rendering the driving scene within the country, more appalling and chaotic than it already is! The lack of road sense in those behind the wheels, will only add to the displeasure of everyone out there. This further translates into, not only accentuated air-pollution but also in increased levels of noise pollution.

The bottom-line being…our environment would suffer the brunt of this masterpiece too!

Having highlighted the above, let me also add here, that in no way do I say that letting the common man’s dreams take shape is wrong. It is, by all means a step towards ensuring equal opportunities to everyone as the citizen of this democratic country.

But, maybe, before embarking upon such magnitude of wish-fulfillment, we need to understand and gauge the repercussions of today’s inventions and innovations, on our tomorrow. Maybe, a sound thought into making this endeavor rewarding, as well as undamaging to the people, environment and the economy, is what we need to focus on…so that dreams like this come more often and with equal magic!

The Positives of Usability

2008-01-02T09:35:00.000+05:30

The field of Usability is fast gaining a foot-hold, here in India. The West has already been a longtime proponent of the above, but in India, it is still very much in a nascent stage.

However, what is encouraging is to see many more people waking up to the positivity of including Usability as a means to achieve a rewarding end.

One aspect that really interests me about this field is that it gives an opportunity for you to be both analytical and creative, at the same time.

A logical flow/structuring of data, in the most innovative and creative design is what Information Architecture helps you achieve.

I feel that the entire process of IA creation is rather invigorating. Right from the time the heuristic evaluation starts, to the report generation, to the paper-prototyping and finally to the High-fi wireframe creation. The whole process just keeps you in a constant state of bettering your own competency as a Usability professional. Each day is a new learning experience and affirms your resolve to keep providing more usable solutions, across various domains.

Another thing that I find interesting about this vocation is that as a Usability professional, in your endeavor to provide the best usable solution to the client, you need to don multiple hats. By this I mean, you need to role-play, as both a User and also as a client/service provider. You need to take both perspectives into consideration because although you are developing the product/design for a specific client, the fact remains that it is primarily for benefiting the end-user. The positive experience of the end-user then, automatically translates into increased business for the client, because as the adage goes, One positive act follows another. The word spreads and the client not only retains loyal, regular customers but also garners new ones.

The logic behind providing the best Usability solution is simple. We ourselves are end-users of products at some time or the other. So all we need to do while developing such solutions is to keep ourselves in the end-user's shoes and question what we, as an end-user, would expect from a particular product/service, and work around the answer we get. We need to understand the users’ psyche and needs. Thinking like the user helps us to keep our design user-centric. Alternately, we also need to get into a role-reversal and consider the perspective of the client, in order to benefit them as well.

An approach that benefits and appeals to all, is what we as Usability solution providers need to achieve.

Albeit in a nascent stage, Usability is here to stay and only act towards affirming our intention of enhancing and upholding user experience.

Hope that the strength of usability enthusiasts in our country too, just keeps flourishing.

From Days Gone by... To Days to Come.

2007-12-31T22:06:00.000+05:30

With silent tip-tapping feet,
Today will turn over into yesterday,
And take with it 364 yesterdays alike.

Rolling away over to the other side,
Bidding goodbye to one and all,
As a tender little tomorrow rises at the horizon.

But as this bundle of haggard yesterdays,
Turns away for the final time,
It leaves a gift of rich legacy…
For us to embrace, and emerge more wise.

Recounting colorful moments,
Of triumphs and setbacks,
Of joys and sadness.

Of friendly discords,
Of glorious achievements,
Of soothing warmth.

Of carefree mirth,
Of familial bonds,
Of the rights and wrong,
Of Life that was… a fleeting song.

As tomorrow awakens,
Let us once more, embrace a positive zeal,
Lets us emerge more upbeat and strong,
And continue to make our walk of Life, that same…fleeting song!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

Taare Zameen Par. Indeed, every child is special.

2007-12-30T22:44:00.000+05:30

This post is dedicated to all children across the world.

Well, let me start off this post with a confession. Yes. Like every other Aamir Khan movie, I did hold some expectations with this one too. Simply because, lately, Aamir has come to be known to pick topics that are not run-of-the-mill and that enable him to etch characters that are very poignantly unconventional.

Apart from the above, another reason for my intrigue in this particular film, was that it was Aamir’s first attempt at Production/Direction and as a prelude to the actual release of the film, Aamir had also launched his own blogsite where there were different views expressed on various topics, (some I agreed with, some I didn’t), along with those on Taare Zameen Par.

Another factor that pulled me towards the movie was the striking visuals of little Darsheel Safary in Taare Zameen Par. I have always marveled at how little kids can sail through spectacular performances, with innocent effortlessness.

So, I decided to take a dekko at Taare Zameen Par (TZP).

The movie is a brilliant film-making instance. Aamir has made an impressive directorial debut and the film is noteworthy, not only for good cinematography but also for capturing some wonderful moments. The USP absolutely is Darsheel Safary. The boy had few dialogues but his shining performance through TZP spoke volumes. He surprises everyone with the right blend of emotions and expressions into the character.

The movie depicts the sensitive portrayal of a child’s world. It brings out the nuances of childhood, which sometimes, go unnoticed, sometimes get acknowledged, but are nevertheless, a part of every child’s childhood…somewhere…sometime.

Everyone wants an achiever for a child. And in the attempt to realize this ‘hypothetical’ dream of ours, we often turn a blind eye to the tear-sparkling eyes of our children who helplessly see their childhood being left behind somewhere. A child’s mind is a world of imagined possibilities…possibilities that might be tomorrow’s realizations. But, by curbing the flight of their imagination today, we end up closing potential doors of success, right on their face!

Why don’t we realize that a child with lesser academic abilities, is a child no less?!! And we are no one to deny him that right!

The movie deals with a sensitive subject, nicely depicted and the visualization of writer-creative director Amol Gupte and the lyrics of Prasoon Joshi are worthy of commendation as well.

As an avid movie-goer myself, I would recommend this movie to everyone, who has ever revelled in his own childhood, dreamt and embarked on flights of colorful imaginations.

Having said that, I’d like to end this post with these few lines I wrote after my TZP experience.

Chotisi aankhon ke bade rangeen sapne,
Tu bhi unhe dekh ek pal tham kar.
Khilte hain anmol sabhi,
Timtimate hue... Taare Zameen Par!

Go watch the movie if you still haven’t…for the child within you.

Hit by the Usability bug?? ...Welcome to the Club!

2007-12-27T12:45:00.000+05:30

The past few years have seen new concepts come to life and new heights of personal achievements being reached by Indians on the World horizon.

An interesting concept that has caught the fancy of many like-minded progressive individuals is the importance of Usability across various domains.

Usability, per se, as defined by ISO standards, is the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment.

In the real world scenario, its importance has definitely become indispensable.

Being associated with this field for a while now, I have myself seen the benefits of employing Usability into a company’s development lifecycle. Usability is a specialized field that employs various practices like effective Information Architecture creation for enhancing User Experience.

Quite strange that there is a lot of emphasis these days on ‘user experience’. We’re all end-users at some point or the other. But never was it of so much priority for companies to ensure that their customers/patrons revelled in their experience as users of various services on offer by the companies.

It is this wakefulness towards enhancing ‘user experience’ that has given an impetus to companies into channelizing their efforts towards building the best possible Information Architecture and employing Usability as a means towards achieving the same.

In today’s world we can only fathom the immense amount of information waiting to be absorbed by us as Information seekers. But the improper structuring of information across various media not only spells a bad experience for the user but also a direct drop in the business of the stakeholders/clients. Hence, Information Architecture then is an important step towards avoiding such a scenario, for both the concerned segments.

After all, we as humans want to experience the most, in the easiest and quickest way possible. This by nature is how we go about interacting with the world around us. Imagine if you as a user would stand in long queues only so you could get the first-day-first-show tickets to the movie you’d long been waiting for. And what if then, when it’s your turn at the counter, you’re told that there was some unforeseen glitch with the system. So you’re left with nursing a disappointed heart at losing out on enjoying the fruits of your excited wait. Wouldn’t that be unfair to you as an end-user??

But fret not! Make things easy, yet appealing to all, is what Usability as a branch of study does. What if instead, you have the option of sitting back home booking your tickets at a mouse-click and ensuring yourself a ticket to your choice of movie just the way you like it…first-day-first-show??!! Tempting…ain’t it? It not only gets you what you want but also without the otherwise exhausting experience of waiting through long, spiralling queues.

This is just an example of the positivity of this interesting concept called Usability. Today, this concept has spread stealthily into various domains and is helping us to come up with innovative service solutions, be it for web-portals, for intranet applications or any other. Everyone seems to have been bitten by the Usability bug…albeit, for good! The aim being, just one… to create a rewarding alliance between both, the user and the companies providing various services.

THIS is what Usability does! It acts as a smooth facilitator…a bridge of sorts between the User and the service provider. Thereby connecting the two through an experience that could well last a… lifetime! Am I somewhat exaggerating the ‘lifetime’ bit??

Well, maybe not.

Idle-ly Speaking!

2007-12-09T20:44:00.000+05:30

This was a post written some time back. But, well, it sees the light of the day, that is, gets published, only now! Anyways, read on more about the idle-talk! ;)

Can you ever be Idle at work??

But if you are idle… how can you be at work??

The state of being idle implies lack of any constructive activity being executed. In other words, it implies being inoperative or at rest.

But alternately when you say at work…it implies being in the process of some activity.

An ‘ideal’ disconnect here??!! Huh??!!

Wait a sec! Idle??! And at Work??!! Like…at the same time??!! Okay. This author really needs to take some time off…and treat herself to an idle…err…ideal time off!! What’s with her penchant for antonymous words, haan??!!

As a famous adage goes : "An Idle mind is a Devil’s Workshop!"

Psst!..I think this blogger is really taking this adage seriously. Her thoughts are a Devilish jumble of antonymous words in perplexing connotations! Phew!!
…Ummm…What did I just say??!!

Okay, getting back to my reference to "An Idle mind is a Devil’s Workshop". To explain that further, idleness is a state of being devoid of any real, constructive activity being performed. Yet, this is a state when you are most likely to come up with something extraordinaire! This, in other words, is the time when you might be most prolific in your ideas!

In a state like this, thoughts formulate and take incredible shape, filling you up with the zeal to execute the thought-out act. Thus, in the event, it yanks you out from the idle, complacent state of being to a more generative state of being.

Very intriguing, ain't it?? Guess this should go as a friendly advice to all bosses around...when you see a particular subordinate 'idle', please don't be fooled! It is infact, in all probability, an 'idle' genius at work! ;) Ahem! Stand back and behold then, the 'Devil's' handiwork! (*Applause*, *Applause*) Heh!Heh!

Jokes apart, idleness is an attribute, that has unforunately been quite undermined, but nevertheless, a facilitator towards impending genius!!

Hmmnnn…quite interesting! So...being 'Idle…at Work'?! Not all that bad, eh??! ;)

Aaaachoooo!!!

2007-11-04T19:51:00.000+05:30

(God Bless!)

Hey!...That wasn’t how I wanted the title of this post to be!!

Damn the Cold!!

Its funny, you know. I mean, what could be funnier than a running nose??!!

Umm…ok. That ain’t funny to a lot of people. But how about when you try talking with a running nose?? Now…THAT sure is one funny thing!

What you say, quite often than not makes seldom sense to those around you. They have this sudden ‘aha-moment’, when they surprisingly discover that they have harboured a hidden talent to mimic your cold-talk! (Excuse the pun, people. By 'cold-talk', I mean the talk you do when you are ‘entertaining’ a cold!) Everyone around can just drop-dead laughing on the floor!

Why? You ask??

Ahem! That’s because it is very amusing for people to witness someone’s nose coming in the way of their….talking! Literally!

No! I am not propagating any Pinocchio-theory here! Having a cold…is just that!...And doesn’t mean that I’m losing it and prancing around in fairyland, ok??!!

What I’m rather saying is that, words uttered by those having a cold…suddenly, start making different…or no sense at all to other cold-deprived individuals around.

I mean, why caat theegz be naurmal, when ya got a cowd??! Why do people act funney?!
Have dey never suffered a bout of cowd??! Whadya expect?!

Hey!...Wait a sec! My fingers ain’t got a cold! It’s me! Then why are the words looking funny??!
AHA! (Oooops! Guess, that was my Aha-moment! ;) )

I get it!...It’s because I’m speaking through my fingers right now! Duhh?!! (Ummm...ok...bad joke!)

Ok! I accept it! Having a ‘Cold’ really DOES funny things to you!

Anyways, so as I deal with the sneechooo!! ...ummm... Sorry, that was really unintended! ;)

(Wow! Sneechooo??! Not bad! Inadvertently…a new word is coined by moi. Having a cold has its perks too! Whoever said having a cold was bad??!! ;))

So, as I deal with the sneezing and the running nose, here’s wishing all the prospective…ummm...‘cold-bearers’… ENJOY YOUR COLD TALK!! :)

In the Blue Abyss…

2007-10-10T09:36:00.000+05:30

I blink my eyes…
To set a determined vision beyond the horizon,
And let my heart,
Float in the momentous zeal.

I take in a mouthful of deep, free breath,
And as it revitalizes the canopy of my soul,
I spread my eager arms,
With a wish to map the bluest vastness of the sky!

And then I go flying in the yonder blue abyss,
Feasting my spirit over breath-taking vistas,
Of lush blossoms and pristine landscapes,
And the sheer expanse of the living world!

I let my essence bask in the warmth of nature’s splendor,
As the sounds of this effervescent world surround me!
And with awestruck radiant eyes,
I absorb the soothing glory of the crystal-cool ocean waters!

And then, I lay my eyes on a smiling soul, mirroring me,
The face soaked in peaceful tranquility,
Standing at ease with a heart full of happiness,
Saying, “Here I am!, This is me!”

See to Believe??!! Or Believe to See??!!

2007-08-30T21:19:00.000+05:30

Seeing, is believing, they say. You need to see it…to believe it! But then, what about the blind…who cannot see?? Do they then not believe?? Do they lack the power or rather the ability to let belief thrive within them??

But is belief really dependant on an individual’s sight? Physical sight may not empower your belief, but the vision from the mind’s eye does!

When I say, the mind’s eye, I mean that…we as individuals all envision that, which is visible only to us. It is difficult for others to share in it, as they do not possess the same mental ability to visualize it in exactly the same manner as us.

It is this internal-vision that feeds our belief… our conviction. That assures us of being on the right track, whether we are or not, and take the necessary concrete steps forward towards leading our life, the way we do.

We believe in the existence of a higher state of ‘Power’, and the faith invested by us in this ‘Power’ is unbelievable. No one has ever seen this ‘Power’. In which form does it come??... What is it made of?? How does it look?? No one really knows. Yet….the belief in its existence is SO unyielding. In times of needs it is often this unknown, unseen ‘Power’ that we turn to. What drives us towards this ‘Power’? A ‘Power’, which has no face, no voice, no form whatsoever! Yet, we see it…we hear it! Our physical senses fail to acknowledge its existence. Nevertheless, we have given a form to this ‘Power’ through our mind’s eye, it is through this channel that we perceive the ‘Power’ and invariably even hear its voice!

If seeing really were believing, then how can we explain our incredibly strong belief in this ‘Power’ ?? It is a 'Belief', independent of ‘Seeing’. The 'Belief' here, doesn’t follow from ‘Seeing’. In fact, we ‘see’ the ‘Power’ in a particular form and light, because we 'believe' in it! Our ‘Belief’ lends us the ability to ‘See’ this unknown ‘Power’. So then, alternately, 'Seeing is not Believing', but rather ‘Believing is Seeing’! Our vision is driven by our belief!

Our ability to believe in something, makes it reachable to us….makes it attainable to us…makes it visible to us!

So, BELIEVE, what you want to SEE!

I, Me and…ummm…Reggie??!

2007-08-25T23:23:00.000+05:30

Dedicated to my friend who is a living personification of ‘Reggie Mantle’, the popular fictional character from the Archies comics, who lives by the ‘I-me-Myself’ motto.

Dedicated more so to him, for always inspiring new ideas in me that find expression on this blog. A good , interesting word-play, with a tad bit Reggieism??, not all that bad eh??! I can survive that…and have! ;)

*****

Comics are a child’s best friends, they say. “Bingo!” , I’d say! Growing up, I pampered myself quite often to a variety of read in the form of the many comics available back then. Be it Tinkle, Panchtantra, Misha, Tin Tin or Archies! Life was such a delight with a host of colorful, 2D fictional characters befriending me each day!

Archies became a personal favourite over the time. Amongst the many characters breathing through the series, Reggie Mantle is a character, which you may not like, you may not approve of, but you definitely cannot ignore him! A character so full of himself, Reggie cannot see beyond himself and feels he is the perfect creation of God and more so, a wonderful gift to woman-kind! For him, life is all about three little words – ‘I-Me-Myself’!

That was during my childhood years.

Cut to – Present day!

I often indulge in verbal banter with my friends and during a regular conversation between me and one of them, an interesting concept came to life!

(Since this friend of mine depicts certain Reggieism sometimes, I choose to refer to him as ‘R’ henceforth.)

The conversation went something like this:

Me: You know… you need saving!

R: Me?? Save me from whom??

Me: Why?? Yourself! You need saving from yourself!!

R: Ha!Ha!..Yeah! I need saving from I….ummm… no…I need saving from me! He!He!

And this is where things took a different, serious turn.

The profundity of the statement was striking to both of us! It was not a stray, simple statement uttered thoughtlessly, anymore. It held a deeper connotation to it.

It said : Save the ‘I’ from ‘ME’.

I, however, disagreed. According to me, it was much more necessary and right to save the ‘ME’ from the ‘I’.

So I proposed alternately that it should rather have been : Save ‘ME’ from ‘I’.

And here, R objected. (Well, guys being guys, always object before approving! Right girls?? ;) )

Anyways, R goaded me to explain my point of view to him, coz he was still not convinced how ‘ME’ would need to be saved from ‘I’.

Let me share with you what I reasoned with him.

‘I’ has a selfish connotation to itself. It represents the gloated alter-ego. ‘ME’ however, has a meek, tamed touch to it. Kind of, a subdued connotation. So, it was in reality, this mild and tamed form of existence, which required protection or saving from the lofty and sometimes brash existence, and not vice versa.

‘ME’, hence, needs to be protected against corruption from ‘I’… against being mutated and deformed into being egocentric. Imagine a world where a hoard of ‘I’s’ walked the earth! Phew! Thank God, it’s only an imagination! ;)

Me: So my friend, tell me now! Who needs the saving?? And from whom?? ‘I’ from ‘ME’ or ‘ME’ from ‘I’?

R: Hmmm… actually…you DO have a point there! You’re right, ‘ME’ needs saving from ‘I’!

Couldn’t believe what I was hearing! R, with his devotion to Reggie Mantle, going with what I had to say?? This was a pleasant surprise…and well, made me realize that my friend, in spite of all his loyalties to Reggie, wasn’t all that a goner! Good sense still persisted in him, albeit surfaced not that easily and not quite that often! ;)

Anyways, so while we let ‘ME’ get saved from ‘I’, lets just close this post by saying, sometimes profundity takes birth under least expected situations / scenarios. So, the next time, you have a not-so-extraordinary conversation with living personifications of fictional characters, do be ready for interesting tirades and keep a pen and paper by your side! :)

Rajdeep Sardesai : Reporting Excellence!!

2007-08-14T16:57:00.000+05:30

A keen and innovative use of language and that coupled with an intelligent thought, has always appealed to me. I have grown to enjoy it, really.

Having said, this, for a long time, the reportage skills of Prannoy Roy and Rajdeep Sardesai have been of quite an interest to me. But I’d say my bent towards the Rajdeep-kinda scribing is truly stronger.

I, as a viewer of Star News over the years, have seen Rajdeep rise from being a regular (but clearly a ‘proficient’ regular) reporter to a reporter par excellence!

The direct, forceful, invigorating yet respectful mode of reporting is what renders an edge to Rajdeep Sardesai beyond the multitude of reporters splashed across innumerable news channels.

The impeccable use of dandy and precise language marks his reportage. But beyond all this, I also find him quite diligent in holding onto his human side, which quite often than not, the scribes in their effort and voracity for accolade-earning reporting, choose to sacrifice. With Rajdeep however, you find that facet of human spirit still persisting…even after all these years of relentless reporting. As far as I remember, I have never witnessed him belittling anyone or sensationalizing trivial issues under the garb of path-breaking reporting! He has always been, direct, crisp, confident and thought-provoking in his news presentations.

One of the most striking illustrations of his writing/reporting expertise is reachable at the IBN7 website. Rajdeep also contributes to the blogs on this website. And so, without indulging in much beating-around-the-bush, let me just let you know the particular piece of writing that caught my fancy while skimming through the website.

It was an extremely well-put piece of expressive writing, Kalam, a man for all reasons. It spoke about the exiting President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam and brought about the other side of our former President which perhaps, many are not aware of.

The occasion was the celebration of excellence in Journalism – The Ramnath Goenka Awards ceremony. It was here that the author interacted with Kalam and his subsequent experience then, found expression on his blog. The article mentioned the behest of a frail, elderly man in body but upright, confident and down-to-earth in his spirit, for an essential need for the media to Nation-build. He stressed the point that the Media needs to go beyond its quest for striking, sensational news and aid in building a nation that every Indian would be proud to live in! As rightly pointed by Rajdeep, that Kalam did not fall prey to conformism and power-play, but instead chose to lead the nation on towards a state of development, is what is commendable about his Presidency.

Rajdeep brought forth the nuances of this erstwhile leader, who at the end of his Presidential tenure, aspired for a quite life of doing what he loved doing most and did it best. …Teach!

It makes me question the unwanted seepage of misrepresentation of information into facts and the sometimes cruel taste of ‘live’ reporting of force-fully-sensationalized issues. Have we as humans degraded ourselves so much that we now ‘seek’ to broadcast trivial and cheap sensationalism to the multitudes, just for the heck of it?? Is this, in the name of civilization, what we have to offer to our kids? May be, we just need to take a step back, and think, for a change!

As much as the article spoke of the humility of a one-time Indian President, it also gave a glimpse of why the newsmongers still have hope for an improved and meaningful representation of facts. It is because of the likes of Rajdeep Sardesai that we don’t always find ourselves wrenching our face at the morbidity of fickle-minded reporting. On the contrary, they keep our yearning for quality news still alive!

Way to go Rajdeep!

Harry Potter : Saving Grace?!

2007-07-18T21:28:00.000+05:30

The latest cinematic translation of the well-known Harry Potter (HP) series hit the screens a few days ago and as expected, the audience exhibited their support for it by thronging in hordes to catch the latest offering by the visual masters…adept at weaving their magic (no pun intended!) yet again!

HP fanatics like moi, would agree that there is a certain benchmark set for movies in the series, since with the exemplary, ingenious story-line, settling for anything less intriguing or enthralling, visually, would but be a crime to the writing genius of JK Rowling! …especially when it is the cinematic translation of the same you’re talking about!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is a visual treat, beyond doubt. Some of the scenes are absolutely wonderful…stunningly great camera angles! Some of my favorite scenes from the movie are the opening scene that involves Harry and his fellow Hogwartians flying swiftly over the sparkling water - what an absolute rush! - the other being, the fireworks scene when Fred and George decide to leave Hogwarts for good…to pursue their lifelong dream of having their own antic shop full of products…that are very…ummm…Fred-n-George-like!

However, I’d say this particular movie kept me wanting something more and did not quite appeal to me the same way as its celluloid predecessors. The previous versions, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire definitely quenched my thirst for special effects, the on-screen magic, the visual opulence… the works!! Although equally well-made, Order of the Phoenix lacked the same echelon of special effects and thrill that is so ‘Harry Potter’-like!!

While the world looked forward to the release of the movie,…as well as the subsequent release of the last and final book in the offing by Rowling,…. I was in a state of indecision…not knowing which I anticipated more…the release of the movie or that of the book. But I guess, the book comes as a clear winner. I’ve been itching to lay my hands on the concluding book in the series, to be released world-wide on 21st July 2007.

Having said this, I was really surprised to read about all the hype and hullabaloo about the final edition. The amount of security being accorded to the final HP is out of the ordinary…to say the least. The book has suddenly been rendered so precious, that it has a £10 million security cover for it!!!... What the hell?!...With that kind of money, I could have helped generate a thousand jobs for the desolate unemployed youths across the world!! This is what one of my friends said, on reading about HP’s security tale. Indeed…All this fuss over a book?!!!

It is a fact that…for many readers across the globe, HP isn’t only a book anymore. It is much more. It is an inspirational success story of an unemployed single mother rising up to be one of the most celebrated authors of the times and one of the richest ladies across UK! All through a few pen-strokes! For HP patrons, it is their alternative to a unique world of magic and power, diametrically different from their mundane, everyday existence.

However, this does not negate the fact that investing so much of moolah and resources for a book’s security, does pinch you somewhere. I mean, is the value of human life so trivial as against …ummm…a 1000-page print compilation??! There are people who do not even get a decent one-day meal…who long for enough water to quench their thirst for the day…at least once! Clothes, shelter, simple decent living is all they desire. They yearn for the basics. But it seldom comes. And here we have incredible publicity and frenzy over a book that eventually EVERYONE will read…in fact, that’s the very purpose of it; or of any book for that matter! (So much for secrecy!, eh?!) I do understand and acknowledge the paramount level to which a JK Rowling book today has reached, and that the security only serves to ensure that fake and pirated copies of the same do not find themselves being circulated brazenly in the market. But, 10 million pounds worth security cover, employing satellite tracking systems, keeping the prints on a sealed pallet fitted with alarms, etc???…Wake up people!!..It all seems so…unreal and preposterous!!

Hope we learn to gracefully let a piece of fiction be what it essentially was meant to be…a pleasurable read….and not a means of power-play and unwarranted splurging of state money!

Honey, I Shrunk the World!!!

2007-06-05T21:10:00.000+05:30

How often have you gone into a medley of nostalgic trails…wondering… whatever happened to that bespectacled bookworm...or the Miss know-it-all, from your class in College? Or what happened to your colony play-pal from your innocent childhood years?? Questions…that quite often than not, left you with an uncomfortable silence… devoid of any positive answers?!

Well…if you’ve ever struggled to find any answers to the same… fretting is passé, my friend!

That’s because…someone out there…HAS the answer!

Yes! Social networking is here…here with a bang!

The boom of social networking sites has indeed, contracted the whole world such that it can now be accommodated within a comparatively teeny-weeny space of 17”x17”! Now THAT’S what you call ‘Shrinking’!..eh??! Right Mr. Joe Johnston (Director of Honey, I shrunk the Kids!’)?...Or may be Walt Disney would agree on that?!

Today, all you need to do is run a specific person-search in any of these social networking sites and Voila!.... you just might be surprised to find who you’re looking for!

Nifty?...or what?!

The stupendous progress in the technological realm has made possible such wonders that help one bond together with the past, present and in some ways… the future! Restoring contacts with old friends is just a matter of a mouse-click or key-stroke today! Quite unthinkable...a few years back!

The main reason for the success of such a concept like social networking seems to have been, the innate need of us humans to reach out to our past! Our past….that comprises of memories…triggered from experiences…with various individuals from our life…at various points in time! The ‘accessibility’ lent out by such a technological marvel has taken the human world by storm! People from our past ‘memories’ are more ‘accessible’ and ‘findable’ to us…than we really thought! That’s what social networking sites have done for us!

Apart from the past, our present, as well as imminent future, are impacted by such a phenomenon. Today’s professionals look at social networking sites as a ‘ready sea’ of potential opportunities. Building professional or business contacts or setting up an amicable alliance is extremely easy and sought after. A whole new language and medium of inter-personal communication is taking shape, thanks to the advent of social networking sites!

Without doubt, the social networking sites have started to acquire a front-seat (if I may say that) in our life-journey. They have enabled us to ‘stay connected’ … to those we’d like to be associated with. The choice, however,… still remains ours.

So! My friend…care to enter the ‘shrunken world’, haan?!

For the love of language OR for the language you love!

2007-05-15T20:51:00.000+05:30

"Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts

run and out of which they grow."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes (American author and poet)

******

I remember, some time back I was having a tête-à-tête with a friend and inevitably our conversation drifted towards ‘language’…an interest common to both of us. While in discussion, I said something, which initially didn’t strike me but later the gravity of the statement set me thinking.

I had said: You should love language as much as language loves you! The ‘love’ HAS to be mutual!

We as readers/writers/speakers may come to love language. But can one explain the condition of ‘language loving its user’?!

Sounds bizarre. But makes profound sense. Let me explain how.

You see, for effective communication, good language usage is essential. Now, quite often, the interest for language develops from within… driven by the user’s love for words! You love language, so you enjoy it! But sometimes, this is just not enough. For language to flourish, there should be something in language itself, that pulls you towards it. When I say, the language loves you... I mean that language totally attracts and fascinates you… so you enjoy it even more! It’s almost like…it draws the wordsmith within you, towards it. It wants you to embrace it and be in awe of it for what it is! In short…it wants you to be smitten by it. That...is the enigmatic power of language!

You grow as a language aficionado, only when both the above-mentioned conditions get fulfilled. When the language’s love for you is reciprocated by your love for the language, does that give rise to wonderful wordplay….whether it be written or spoken.

This outcome then, enchants everyone… everyone who understands language. Language tends to breed on people. It takes its roots from the fundamental human need to communicate… communicate by means of words. Language, quite often lends meaning to our thoughts… shapes them sensibly, so as to be easily understood. Without language, the exchange of ideas, opinions, statements etc. may not find significance. And so…as long as the human race subsists, language…in whichever form it may be… will thrive!

And thus, it will undoubtedly continue to ‘love’ and ‘be loved’… by numerous language fanatics (like myself)…across the world!

THE DAY “PURE ECSTASY” GOT A FACE!

2007-05-02T20:48:00.000+05:30

“…I could have gone on and on. Space, here I come!”
- Stephen Hawking, well-known Physicist, after his experience of weightlessness aboard a ZeroG aircraft.

“It’s the fulfilment of an amazing dream… Attitude is what determines altitude.”
- Miles Hilton-Barber, 58 yr. old blind adventurer, after touching down at Sydney’s Bankstown airport.

*****

Sometimes I wonder, what does pure ecstasy feel like?... What does pure sense of achievement feel like? These are questions that don’t find an easy answer. But a few days ago… they did get answered. They got answered in the jubilant expressions of two men… very different from each other…yet very similar in spirit.

The two men in reference here, are - world renowned Physicist, Stephen Hawking (also famous for his book, A Brief History of Time) and adventurer, Miles Hilton-Barber.

Both are individuals with some physical lacking but what sets them apart is their striking, strong spirit. The two men are extraordinary because they’ve achieved the unthinkable despite their physical disability.

Stephen Hawking is a genius and some of his path-breaking work delves around black holes and the origins of the Universe. He suffers from the Lou Gehrig’s disease (a degenerative motor neuron disease) that has kept him bound to a wheelchair for a very long time now. Having been paralyzed, he cannot enjoy the luxury of free mobility. But recently, on 27th April, 2007, he floated free from his wheelchair and experienced a remarkable thrill.

Another person who exhibited the same strength of spirit, a few days hence (29th April, 2007) was Miles Hilton-Barber, a 58-year old British adventurer. Who could have ever comprehended that a person with his lack of sight, could fly almost half-way round the world in a microlight?! The adventurer, through such endeavours, hopes to raise £1 million for the charity, ‘Seeing is Believing’, which works towards reducing the occurrence of preventable blindness in Third World countries.

Unbelievable?... Believe it!

Both of the above-mentioned individuals harbour a spirit and desire to move beyond their respective disabilities and let their souls rejoice in their triumph extraordinaire! Oh! What a profound sense of achievement, they must have experienced! The images seen above are precisely, what pure elation looks like!... Liberating…Motivating…Blissful! These images bring forth the vitality of the Human Spirit, in all it’s innocence!

And it stays thus...
… framed forever….and frozen in time!

A TALE OF TWO RJs!

2007-04-08T20:38:00.000+05:30

Well… I was in two minds whether to go ahead with this post or not…didn’t wanna come across as one besotted listener actually. But then I thought, I should respect what I have always come to believe- and that is - what needs to be expressed should be expressed in that moment itself, or it loses it essence forever!

So here goes!

****

Now, the whole of Pune knows this and is extremely sad over the fact that one of the most popular RJs to have rocked the Radio scene, RJ Mandy, is leaving for Delhi. With both, she and RJ Shrikant, hosting the very popular show, ‘Bumper2Bumper’ on Radio Mirchi, the past week has in fact been a whole lot of nostalgic, tear-jerking experience, not only for Mandy, but also for the team of fellow RJs and most of all her faithful fans from Pune.

Well… I for one never really called the radio station during the shows but, a couple of days back, lying in bed recuperating from a recent dental surgery, I had found only books and the radio as my constant companions. And it was during one such bonding session with my two loyal ‘friends’, that I decided to give a call to RJ Shrikant. Fortunately for me, their show had just ended and they were leaving the studios to head for home. As Shrikant spoke to me, I’d expressed to him my appreciation for RJ Mandy. These were my words – ‘RJ Mandy is a Supercool RJ…Pune is surely gonna miss her!’ Having already conveyed this to her, Shrikant didn’t think twice before putting me across to RJ Mandy herself! She came across as sweet as a person as she sounds on air. Bubbly, vivacious, spontaneous, sweet, candid, bindaas and very friendly! That’s how we’ve always known RJ Mandy…right?…and that’s how she sounded on that day too. However, she was a tad bit sad…overwhelmed by the downpour of love from the whole of Pune. After all, Pune is to RJ Mandy what RJ Mandy is to Pune...Mutual lovers! Got it right?!..eh? :)

While speaking to me, she did break down a few times, and her sadness at leaving the city and its people, who were more than expressive about the fact that they thoroughly enjoyed her show and loved her for it, was palpable in her voice. I for one, didn’t feel as though I was talking to her for the first time. She graciously accepted my compliments and also sent ‘Get Well Soon’ wishes my way, before putting me across to Shrikant again… It was a short, but very sweet conversation. For someone not in the best of her health, it was definitely a sweet episode that left fond moments as remembrance.

Being creatively inclined myself, one thing that always attracted me towards RJ Mandy was her ability to coin quick-witted and humorous couplets…just like that!...In a jiffy, she would weave wonderful and entertaining lines that gelled perfectly with the mood and nature of the show. Who can ever forget the likes of - “Main hoon aapki ‘hot’-eli host RJ Mandy…” or “Traffic ka haal…na kam na zyaada, thoda thoda…aadha, aadhaa!” And there are many, many more such examples that highlight the reason for her stupendous success as an RJ… her youthful, exuberant and innovative use of language! She was… and am sure will continue to be… a fantabulous wordsmith! Keep at it girl!

Thinking back, it made me feel sad that Mandy would not be presenting the show henceforth. But then, RJ Shrikant replacing her is the best bet! They share some common traits that will definitely continue the zeal of the show. One, they both are very bindaas, witty and friendly! And most of all, they both have a freaking loud, infectious and full-throated laughter! Hanste hain to hanste hi chale jaate hain! And well…many probably won’t know this, but RJ Shrikant is quite a riot with words as well… a very successful writer in the making! A little quirky, a little eccentric…he exhibits all the author-like traits!

But, comparisons end right here….and frankly they should!

Both are wonderful RJs and have their own unique entertaining style. So as RJ Mandy moves on to spread her magic elsewhere… we all welcome RJ Shrikant too as he sets to take on Pune city by storm!

So…here’s wishing Bon Voyage to dearest RJ Mandy as she sets herself to rock Dilwalon ki Dilli and as for Pune… get set guys…RJ Shrikant is here to keep the Puneri public all dancing to his tunes coz there’s nothing that Shri’CANT! Sahi kaha na dost?! ;)

P.S. – I hope someday, both Mandy and Shrikant (who happens to be the first and only real subscriber to my blog!) stumble upon my blog and sprinkle some Mandy-nama and Srikant-quirks, respectively in my comments section… What say guys?...Game for it?! Come to think of it….publicity doesn’t come free…in a generous mood for treats anybody?! :)

Psst! Yaar Shri… tujhe nahin lagta, it’s high time I find a place in your blogroll?

Up, Up… and Away!!!

2007-04-07T13:18:00.000+05:30

As a child, I’d always dreamt of flying like a bird. The freedom to measure the vast expanse of the sky with elan has always appealed to me. And well… I got one such chance recently (albeit for an official trip) when I got to fly the good times with Kingfisher Airlines. It was my very first trip by air and like any first-timer, I was a bit nervous.

I was accompanied by my colleague from office. Now this goes without saying that my colleague was more than glad to fly the good times…literally! You should have seen the look on his face as the pretty, young flight attendants walked past us in their striking red, yet smart uniforms. His eyes twinkled with happiness at the sight! ;)

But, working in the hospitality industry doesn’t come easy. The plastic smile was pasted on their faces for what seemed like an eternity! Made my jaw ache, just looking at them. (Dental care companies must surely be lacking good eyesight…or they’d have spotted their ‘Smile’ model, right here! May be, they need to ‘fly the good times’… more often! What say?!)

Anyways….as I embarked on my maiden journey by-air, I had butterflies in my stomach. Although I do suffer from a teeny-weeny phobia of heights, I had gotten myself well-composed for the journey. Right through the process of obtaining the boarding pass, going through the security check, and proceeding for the boarding, I came across as one awestruck baby! I guess, I was still reeling under the influence of my previous post - it having a definite impact on my thoughts. The child in me was hyperactive at that time. Eager to absorb the on-goings around her, as if it all was all unreal…a dream!

But with every new experience, there comes an attached fear…the fear of the unknown. And so… I harboured a little nervousness inside me.

As we boarded the airplane, my colleague tried exhibiting his courteous self by offering me the window seat, citing the journey as my first flight experience. Very gladly and gratefully, I accepted his offer. (Little did I know, that a similar request from him would come my way on our return flight! Aah! So much for chivalry, haan?!) As the journey began, I plugged my ears with cotton as I was pre-warned by family and friends that the change in air-pressure causes some uneasiness. An already nervous first-time passenger, I didn’t want to take a chance. So all settled, I was raring to fly!

And then it finally happened!

The plane slowly gained momentum and within a matter of a few seconds, we were airborne! The feeling was awesome and unsettling at the same time. A tad bit unpleasant too…just the way you feel when you sit in a Giant Wheel. As if your stomach’s getting churned! As we ascended, the scene that next caught my attention will never leave me. The earth seemed marked in segments. As if someone took a stick and sat making haphazard lines and box diagrams on the face of the earth and placed his game of the building blocks in those segments. So this is what’s called a bird’s eye view!, I thought. As we gained altitude, an ocean of soft, white clouds surrounded us. The Sun seemed like a majestic, commanding source of energy, drenching the pristine white cotton-like cloud-spread in amber glow! Absolutely serene! Absolutely marvelous! This was what dreams were made of!

Beyond this, I was at complete ease and enjoyed every bit of the remaining journey. Even the slight air-bumps were taken in good spirit by me. The occasional flight information flickering on our screens, helped us remain aware of our connection to the ground or else I’d much rather have believed that we were in a third dimension altogether!

Soon we hit our destination and it was time for what my colleague put it as – ‘the scariest part of flying!’ – the landing! So much for moral support!, I thought. As I prepared myself for the touchdown with baited breath, the soft, white cover of clouds, opened up to reveal the familiar scene of random earth demarcations, that grew in size as our proximity to the ground increased. Then the wheels of our aircraft touched base with a little jerk and the plane started mapping the runway with a ferocious speed. For a second, a wave of worry crossed my face and I thought, Does the pilot know that you need to apply brakes in order to come to a halt? Will we be able to stop in time before the runway….umm….runs out?! But soon, my worries were put at ease as the plane lost momentum and slowed itself, coming to a smooth halt.

My maiden plane journey had come to a splendid end!

Although my exciting air-voyage lasted just around an hour-and-a-half, it was indeed a wonderful experience and will always remain etched in my memory with fondness.

A Miracle called Life!

2007-03-24T13:35:00.000+05:30

" There are only two ways to live your life-
One is... as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is... as though everything is! "

- Albert Einstein

How absolutely subtle... simple... yet profoundly meaningful!

How often do we find ourselves as passive onlookers with a stupefied look pasted on our face, as we silently see ‘Life’ pass us by…day by day…moment to moment… most often in all it’s grandeur!

Yet… we do not see anything astounding in it.

In the contemporary scenario, we humans do go about our life as though there is really nothing worthwhile...nothing exemplary...nothing new shaping before us. Yet every fraction of time brings with it a fresh moment...a moment replete with possibilities...with events...with people...with things…with concepts….with ideas etc. Everything around us is in a state of flux...and at every given moment...something new comes to origin.

So how come....we, with our two God-gifted channels of vision...fail to perceive them?

A simple thing may hold no significance for us at all... no real reason for us to be awestruck. But on the other hand, the same thing can be perceived as so charged with life...so pure...as though it's almost a miracle. This, in essence is how we can, or rather should view everything around us.

Have you ever observed an infant interacting with his environment? The twinkling, curious excitement in his tiny eyes is immensely riveting. Every moment, the infant tries to absorb the on-goings around him... be it in any form - people, colors, sounds, things etc. The awestruck eagerness generated in the infant during his experience of the real world is more than evident. For him, in that innocence, everything is like a miracle... an unfathomable wonder of sorts.

Sadly, that's not the case with us adults. We spend most of our life cribbing about our complacent, monotonous existence; giving a thousand reasons why we think, 'Life sucks'! That there is nothing…absolutely nothing… marvelous about this world we inhabit…and the nature of our subsistence. We travel through our Life as if in a stupor…. which in fact, is mostly the outcome of our own doing!

But in reality there is always something fascinating and marvelous unfolding… every single moment before us. We, however, fail to watch such sublime phenomena coming to life. How many of us have actually seen the flowers waking up to a dew-drop laden morning, bathed in the golden glow of the Sun? Or the birds grooming themselves early in the cool, misty breeze of a fresh morning? Such priceless moments take shape each day, as if immortalized and immune to the touch of time. Yet we are oblivious to such awesome phenomena and have de-sensitized ourselves to experience such miracles.

Perception… yes friends… THAT is the key! How you perceive your world around you, makes all the difference. It shapes our understanding, helps us build opinions and formulate thoughts. It is the difference between being welcoming towards ‘LIFE’ in every moment of your earthly existence or being blind-folded and trapped in the complacent, mundane routine of your urban lifestyle. Let your soul breathe and bask in the pure ecstasy offered by simple but meaningful episodes of a day.

So… break-free from the humdrum of life …

STOP… FEEL…. BREATHE! Let that child-like innocence in you, come to the surface. Let us percieve everything anew...with the same unpolluted, uninfluenced vision of a baby. After all, there is a child hidden somewhere, in all of us. May be, we need to let him take over sometimes, so that we don't completely lose touch with the miracles of Life and our World.

Cheers to the Miracle called Life!

Aah!...Blogstipated!

2007-03-11T22:25:00.000+05:30

I never really thought that I would be facing this kind of a situation.

Everything seemed so normal. Life was going more than great, I would say. There were little bubbles of worries that surfaced in my life, but nothing really this scary.

Lately, as I traversed through the pleasurable pathways of my young life, there was seldom an occasion to evoke negative emotions in me. Frustration? Sadness? Anger? These were emotions that had been alien to my knowledge of human expressions. I didn’t carry any recognition of these weird, unfamiliar emotions…at least in the past few days.

But today, I cannot really vouch for the otherwise blissful nature of my life. Why? You ask.

Well…to this, I can only say that lately, I have been struck by what I never thought could ever touch me. I never believed that it could send me or my thoughts in a tizzy of oblivion….where words hold little meaning, if at all.

My fellow bloggers have often cribbed about being engulfed by it at some point or the other. Having shared in their woes, I was quite aware of the pain that it entails…but not quite prepared to endure the same.

Yes…my friends, I too was struck by, what EVERY blogger fears…BLOGSTIPATION!

Funny word – Blogstipation!...Well, a fellow blogger coined this word and to the uninitiated, it means to be unable to express oneself through the blog. I adopt this same word to express my blogging inability.

Of late, I haven’t had much quirks of mine finding expression here… I guess, sometimes you just can’t get yourself to put down something relevant, intelligible and worthy to be shared by others. It’s like, I have the pen in hand, the pristine blank sheet of paper inviting me towards it…but I just don’t know what to write. Thoughts…expressions…words…just abandon me in that moment.

Everything just goes blank!

Why am I unable to do something I love so much? Why the hell can I not use my primary tool of expression – the words – and pour out my thoughts, so others may share in it? Why? Why?

It just starts getting frustrating…and even scary. Am I almost losing my writing skills? Is it finito for the writer in me?...Puhleez!...I just started!

Then…again…something slowly surfaces in me… a tinge of happiness… a tinge of accomplishment. Even in my blogstipation, I still get hints of the writer in me, on a road to recovery. Get well soon, dear writer! I hear the silent murmur of good wishes coming my way.

Seems, I’m still the one having the last laugh, afterall!

Author Check: Dan Brown

2007-02-04T20:50:00.000+05:30

Well…this post goes out for all book-lovers around the world…and all Dan Brown fans out there!

Taking time out from the everyday mundane routine…I finally succeeded in investing some time for one of my passions – Reading! Something, I don’t quite get time to indulge-in these days.

I completed Dan Brown’s Deception Point some time back. Having read The Da Vinci Code by the same author earlier, I must say my hopes from this book also ran high. I expected him to excel in much the same way with the narrative in this book as he did in The Da Vinci Code. But it was not to be.

The Da Vinci Code is a great read that brings forth the author’s expertise as a story-weaver…who knows how to blend-in the right mix of thrill, facts, drama, emotions, romance and mystery to make one hell-of-a-novel!

But coming to Deception Point… I must say that although it did provide a lot of the Dan Brown trademark elements, it lacked in something. I’m sure others who have read the two books will agree with me when I say that unlike The Da Vinci Code, Deception Point….is Missing something! It fails to satisfy you as a reader…leaving an unwanted void in your reading pleasure. The novel, no doubt has an engaging thrill and generates enough interest in the reader to keep reading. But as the novel progresses and reaches its climax, something, somewhere…just gives way. And the novel just misses its chance to be termed as ‘yet another Superb thriller by an exemplary author’.

One wonderful point though, common to both the novels, is that Dan Brown manages to successfully maintain a good pace in the novel. The events and incidents unfold at a quick pace, calling for the book-lover to read in rapt attention. Another striking feature of these books, like other Dan Brown classics is that the entire story is spanning just one single day! And it is during this 24-hour span that interesting episodes come to life, escalate and finally find their culmination.

Dan Brown as an author, makes even some unreal facts, seem ‘Believable’! Once you read his books, you start believing in the ‘Templar’ and the history of the ‘Holy Grail’. Or for that matter, existence of the extraterrestrial on Earth and the theory of ‘Panspermia’. That’s how real his narration gets!

All in all, Dan Brown remains one of my favourite authors and I hope that as I embark on reading my third Dan Brown novel, Angels and Demons, he goes on to present his readers with yet another spell-binding tale!

Morning Blues??...Naah!

2007-01-25T22:07:00.000+05:30

Today was a usual morning by all means. Nothing really out of the ordinary.

It started the same way...with my alarm setting me wide awake with its musical frenzy. Like all other mornings, I left the house with the same haste to avoid the possibility of missing my transport, lest I would be late for work. The little children scurried across to school in morning excitement, the same way as always. Morning joggers and elderly groups were seen on the roadside and park benches chatting away animatedly. A few of them as usual sat in solitude absorbing all the news that they could find in the morning daily. The bus conductor was short-tempered and the passengers cribbing, as always. The public transport was crumbling yet again. The street urchins gave their performance of the day at the signals, with the same mechanical approach like always.

There seemed nothing quite extraordinary. Yet, there was something entirely original, absolutely unique about today’s morning. Something genuinely novel about it. It was one of those days that fills you with a new vigour altogether and makes you ... all charged-up to embrace life!

I can’t really pin-point what exactly was so welcoming about the day. But, today’s morning more than anything filled me up with a new-found positivity and zeal. It inspired within me joie de vivre, in the true sense!

I wondered, what was the reason for the generation of this kind of a feeling in me. What was so special in this morning that evoked such a positive and warm experience?

Could be the Sufiana, musical vocals of the Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan saab, streaming from my ipod into my ears, on my journey to work. Could be the pleasant sun-bathed chill of the early January morning.

Whatever the reason, it triggered an upbeat feeling in me…a feeling that said…the day is mine!

Sometimes, I guess, somethings in life don't find an explaination. You can't really reason their existence but nevertheless, they serve the purpose for which they come to life.

Today's morning was just one such inexplicable, intriguing yet fascinating force that passed off but left its sparkling footprints through my entire day!

So...Morning blues?... Now whatever's that?!

Embracing Change!

2006-12-17T20:16:00.000+05:30

Dedicated to all those facing the task of embracing CHANGE in their Life.

Lately, I have been in a very reflective and retrospective mood. It has set me thinking on what Change is all about?

It is rightfully said about it that – The only thing constant in this world, is change. One thing no one can ever doubt the existence of, is, 'Change'! It is one aspect of our subsistence that fills us with a hundred feelings altogether – uneasiness, anticipation, expectations, fear, hope, excitement, etc.

It makes me wonder sometimes, Why does change occur?....Do we really need it?

Well, the answer is quite simple. Change IS necessary. If there was no change, there would be no progress. This is because change asserts the possibility of analyzing and rectifying steps and setting on towards improvement. It is the sign of growth. It also entails that life doesn’t become plain drudgery but continues to exude vibrancy and excitement. Without change, monotony sets in and then other negatives like boredom, depression and frustration follow suit.

Everything in this world is vulnerable to change….everything is in a state of flux. Change is essential and omnipresent. When one good thing comes to an end, it makes way for another good thing to come forth. This is the essence of change. This is how our life takes shape as well. One episode has to end and only then there can be a new beginning…a brighter, better beginning.

Sometimes, you just don’t desire change. You reach a state where you start acquiring a seemingly complacent attitude and at the face of it, ‘Change’ may seem daunting. It may fill you with doubts, fears, pressures etc. However, being open to change, as a way of life…as a constant law of this Universe, makes it easier to accept reality and prepare yourself for impending transformations in your life. Sometimes, accepting, translates into your winning half the battle!

So embrace Change…with a positive vigour and get ready for a hopeful future inviting you!

Anger, can be Creative!

2006-12-07T21:05:00.000+05:30

A thought has been on my mind for quite some time now. It was triggered while I was watching a current affairs show on television. The point on debate was, ‘how valid was it for angry individuals to react negatively?' and 'Should the common man have the right to take things into his own hands?’

As expected, there were mixed views from various participants on the show. But what really struck me, was what one individual present on the show, said about anger management.

Rather than focusing on the negative aspect of anger, he highlighted the fact that anger can, in fact, be constructive....be creative! Confusing? You must be wondering, how can creativity stem from anger? Let me explain.

There are many occasions in life when things don’t quite happen as planned or the smooth progress of work gets hampered due to various reasons. It’s times like these when you feel helpless and frustration sets in. This obviously leads to the generation of anger in the person. In moments of anger then, you may react negatively to the people around you. Your thinking doesn’t remain rational anymore and often makes you ignorant towards reality. You can easily become vulnerable to making wrong choices and resorting to unfavorable actions. This kind of anger destroys.

However, if properly channelized, anger can be utilized in a constructive manner. It can be used creatively. For example, there were a lot of things about our society and our system that bothered Rakeysh Om Prakash, a well-known Director of Indian cinema. But instead of simply blaming the system, taking law into his own hands or acting irrationally, he decided to present the situation to the common man, visually. His anger found creative expression through the silver screen. That is how, Rang De Basanti was born. The movie struck a cord with everyone and proved that anger can, in fact, be creative. It set a welcoming, new trend in contemporary Indian film-making. He chose to give his anger a constructive shape and still get his message across, which was one of the purposes, he had in mind. If we look carefully, I’m sure we will find many similar examples of the positive employment of anger.

The obvious question that arises now is, how can someone, in that moment, switch so easily from a strong wave of anger to a sobered, creative state of mind? Well… we are all humans… it is definitely not easy to do it. But with practice, we can consciously control our tendency to get engulfed in anger and reacting negatively in the rage. Instead, we can make efforts to give a positive vent to it. It is indeed difficult, but not impossible.

It is in this constructive, creative form that even a negative emotion like anger, can be utilized for the betterment of the human race.

It is simply, a matter of making, the right choice!

Mirror! Mirror on the Wall! Who IS the “fairest” of them all?

2006-10-27T13:09:00.000+05:30

Yet another controversy on a reality show comes in the limelight! The dancing couple, Maanav Gohil-Shweta Kawatra, from the second innings of the show, Nach Baliye, has been embroiled in a controversy, which states that the couple distributed SIM cards among friends and family to garner more votes for themselves, thereby increasing their chances of winning at the show.

The couple has already won rave reviews from the judges on the show, Saroj Khan, Kunal Kohli and Malaika Arora-Khan, for their superb performances in the last few episodes. However, as most of these reality shows give out the ultimate judging power to the audiences, through voting by means of SMS, website and landline toll-free numbers, little can be said about the authenticity of these methods.

Technological advancement has definitely proved to be a boon for India. But on the hind side, it has also brought in some vices. It is perhaps, human tendency to misuse the power accorded to him. SMS, is a means to facilitate quick communication. But today, what it has actually come to represent is the falsification of impartial, valid judgment. The easy accessibility and unquestionable reach of these technologies, raises serious doubts about their authenticity. How can anyone, then, validate or justify the results arising from such erratic, forged and incorrect polling patterns? Don’t we realize that as audiences then, we too are being taken for a ride?

On the contrary, such controversies on the shows, at times, seem unreal. Sometimes they even seem contrived. We can’t help but wonder, if the issue they uphold is actually genuine. The more the poignancy of the controversy, the more public interest is generated in the show. What does this mean? It clearly translates into HIGHER TRPs! In all probability, the couple may not have actually indulged in such foul play. But, the logic is simple. Such controversies catch viewer attention, tingling his curiosity and as a result, drawing the audience towards it.

Take, for example, the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa controversy, where it was said that Debojit won because the show organizers had received threats from Naxalites, that they should make him (a contestant from Assam), the winner. What finally happened? He did win the competition. Everything went smooth after that. After the initial momentum that the episode gathered, it is now passé. The organizers too are clever to realize that public memory is indeed short-lived. As time passes, all the brouhaha about the controversy will slowly die down and something else will come up to catch audience attention. They play on this fact to boost their show’s TRPs…and well, they mostly seem to succeed at it…effortlessly!

Just goes on to show how gullible we as an audience are. Is this what entertainment today, promises us? Is it fair to play with audience sentiments and their loyalty towards entertainment? Or is it just another ill-effect of commercialization, creeping into our society?

May be, we just need to stop a while… and think!

Justice Delayed.... But not Denied!

2006-10-22T19:04:00.000+05:30

There have been many instances, where the snail-paced progress of criminal cases have nullified the essence of justice, even when it is delivered... simply because, justice delayed... is justice denied. This was evident from Jessica Lall's case. A heart-broken father went from this world, agonised over the way his daughter was mistreated, not only at the hands of the perpetrator, but also at the hands of our Justice system. He, never gained the satisfaction of seeing the wrong-doers behind bars, repenting their crime. With the case still pending, it just highlights the vulnerability of our legal system and the helpless state of victims like Jessica Lall.

And then, there are cases like, the Priyadarshini Matto case. A stark reminder... that sometimes, even if justice is delayed, it can still serve as a respite for the ones seeking it! Santosh Singh's conviction in this case can never undo the damage already done to a lovely, innocent life. But it can definitely help Priyadarshini's family breathe peacefully; content that atleast their daughter's rapist and murderer, will know what it feels like, when your right to live or carry on with dignity, is snatched from you. Whether he gets a life sentence or death sentence, is of little concern now. Cause, his conviction in itself, spells doom for him.

Being a practising lawyer himself, Santosh Singh's conviction also puts to rest doubts about whether, this fact may actually prove to be of advantage to him? Whether he could use the same threads and loopholes of the sytem to squeeze out of it's clutches? However, we can only say that our faith in the judiciary, has been restored... even though partially.

The final verdict, will put a close to the case and bring peace to the soul of Priyadarshini Mattoo. That is the only reason why this final decision is important and is being followed keenly by citizens of this country. Atleast then, her father can feel the respite of seeing the criminal being booked under the legal system, penalized for his ill-actions the way he should be, and thereby ruining his chances of creating a mockery of our Judiciary!

Justice Delayed... but not Denied... and most hopefully will soon be Delivered correctly!

Courtesy, shyly…glanced at me!

2006-09-14T21:27:00.000+05:30

Just as I thought Courtesy went astray... it came back slowly and shyly, and looked at me through the kindness of a sensitive citizen of our society.

On a recent trip with my friend, I managed to board a public transport bus which was unfortunately crowded with passengers, as usual. So, all we both could manage, was a little standing space in the bus. The bus was packed with mostly male passengers, no vacant seats available, and a few number of lady passengers, including me and my friend. Not expecting my journey to be any different from the ones I am experiencing these days, I continued to chat with her, ignoring the travelling discomfort.

But, just then, seeing the bags in our hands, a fellow male passenger, unexpectedly, offered to hold both our baggages, so that we could stand a little more comfortably. Although, at this point he did not offer his seat to us, we were surprised but grateful for the help he extended to us. (Trust me! It's not easy holding two bags and standing in a crowded, fast-moving bus, running on a rough stretch of road, laiden with potholes! Phew!)

But, our moment of being surprised didn't end there. A few minutes later, the man got up from his seat as well, without any fretting and provided us with the much needed respite.

We were left speechless by his chivalrous gesture...and could only mutter an appreciative 'Thank-you', as we placed ourselves on the seat.

And to think... the man wasn't even educated! Made me wonder, is it education that causes us to lose our sensitivity, our courtesy?

Pondering over these thoughts, I did not realise the bus stop... and then as I saw him getting off, that is when, in him, I saw Courtesy, glance back shyly at me, with a wink of her eye... and I smiled back at her... Courtesy slowly seems to be treading back home... I thought.

Courtesy, Where Art Thou?

2006-09-06T20:53:00.000+05:30

Traveling in public transport buses, today, is an unpleasant experience. One evident change one notices in these public transport buses, is the demarcation of one side of the entire bus as ‘Reserved for women’ (Mahilaansathi). So commendably, the civic administration has tried to provide a systematic solution to the haphazard seating options that were earlier available to the commuters.

It is common courtesy to offer a lady your seat in such public transport buses. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case these days. These days, let alone offering your seat to a lady out of courtesy, men traveling in the bus indulge in verbal combat to retain their seat. The silliest excuses fall on your ears, at times like these. Even after seeing a lady struggling in the crowded bus with a toddler in her arms, a male passenger who was requested to vacate the seat for the lady to sit, replied, “There is no such thing as a Ladies Seat. This rule is valid only from the first stop. If you were there at that time, you could have availed this privilege.” Another indifferent fellow went, “I have been standing from so long at the bus-stop, now I will sit. You can’t make me get up.” Others often give courtesy a toss while arguing, “First make all other men sitting on ladies’ seats get up and only then I will get up.”

First of all, the very fact that the civic administration had to come up with this kind of a solution, and label the seats as ‘Ladies Seat’, highlights the fact that women were not given seats to sit, even out of plain courtesy. That is why they came up with this explicit solution. They reserved seats exclusively for women so that they can rightfully get to travel in comfort as well.

This is not to say that all men are alike. There are some sane ones who still believe in being gentlemanly and stand up for the rights of women travelers. They remind other members of their clan, the true meaning of being suave. Thank God! Courtesy’s not all dead…but just seems to have been a little lost.

Let’s hope she finds her way back in our society soon.

Can Superman...really return?

2006-07-23T20:36:00.000+05:30

Last weekend, I got an opportunity to watch Superman Returns. Must say, I quite liked it. The new actor, Brandon Routh, was indeed impressive in it. Discussing the movie with a friend, our conversation invariably diverted towards the original Superman, Christopher Reeve.

Christopher Reeve was the personification of a fictional hero, which became largely popular due to his powerful portrayal, on-screen. The spirit of this super-heroic character, represented by him, was splendid. The kind of recognition that he brought to the character was simply irreplaceable. To this day, Superman remains my favourite Super-heroic character

I remember when I came to know about the unfortunate accident with Christopher, which caused a cervical spinal cord injury and left him paralyzed neck-down for life. I wondered, How can Superman suffer from human ailments like this? That was my childhood innocence trying to find a valid justification for such an unacceptable occurrence.

It was only later that I realized that this Superman was in fact, human. The possibilities that came with this reality were then, understandable to me. I realized that my Superman was as fallible and sensitive to pain, as any other normal being…that he was indeed Normal!

And then I, along with the rest of the world, got to see how this normal person displayed his spirit extraordinaire! He didn’t let his ailment get the better of him. Even though he was confined to the wheel-chair, he always appeared before public eye with a smile on his face, reminding us that situations can govern you, only if you let them do it. His courage to face life after his accident inspired us all. He always carried himself with dignity, even if it was on a wheel-chair. It gave us an example of the unrelenting human spirit and the promise of life, to move on!

His wife, Dana, stood like a pillar of strength beside him at all times. She was his support through his difficulties. Many people, the world over applauded her dedication to her husband, as she joined him in his courageous journey ahead. Together, they represented the real essence of life…To take each day at a time…and make the most of what you have today, than weep about what you don’t. He, along with his wife, went on to establish Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which carries out research to help others who had gone through similar traumatic experiences. His attempt to not let his disability shatter his desire to live resulted in his taking up narration and direction, giving us a glimpse of his positive attitude, even in overwhelming circumstances.

It is indeed unfortunate that Christopher Reeve and his wife, Dana Reeve (who lost her own life to lung cancer), are no more with us…yet their spirit continues to inspire us.

As the personification of my favourite Superhero, Christopher Reeve will always remain in my memory. But more than that, I choose to remember him for his dignity, courage and spirit, to look life in the eye and …smile.

Rickety, Rackety, Rock!

2006-07-16T22:16:00.000+05:30

Rickety rackety, rickety rackety….the bus stopped before me. Already brimming with people, I felt if one more individual entered the overflowing container, it would explode! Nevertheless, with little else to fall back on, for commuting back home, I braved the human surplus in that crammed space and entered the bus and became one among the many faces staring into that of another. Rickety, rackety, rickety, rackety…the bus slowly sped away.

As the bus tried to cope with the increasing human crowd, weighing it down, it creaked and winced, at various parts. Sometimes, it felt like the bus would just give way under so much pressure and we would be left in the middle of the road, wondering how to reach home.

The bus was so over-crowded that there was barely space to place yourself ‘inside’ the bus, lest you’d fall out. However, I was privileged enough, to acquire for myself, half-a-square foot of space. Balancing on my toes, while dodging the elbows of strangers jabbing into my face, I almost felt like a ballet dancer! And God do I respect and applaud them for their skill at dancing on their toe-tips…just standing on them for a while leaves you moaning in pain. Rickety, rackety, rickety, rackety….it went on.

To top it all, there were other fellow passengers like me, who were unlucky at finding a seat for themselves, in the crumbling public transport. They eyed every seated-passenger, with opportunity-seeking eyes, at the slightest physical movement made by them…anticipating the vacancy of their seat, so they can rush in and occupy it. Not having found any such opportunity, they started staring at the standing, unlucky ones, like me.

After a long day’s work, standing in half-a-square-foot of space, with no hope of getting a seat to ease the stress on your legs, the last thing you want is to have strange faces staring at you, as though you’re from another planet! But I soon found myself doing the same as there was little else that could help me drift my mind away from the uncomfortable situation, I was in. Rickety, rackety, rickety, rackety….the bus advanced at snail’s pace.

Each time the bus halted to let a relieved passenger get off, ten more forced their way in, making the ride a nerve-testing journey. I guess people here believe in optimum utilization of resources...as they proved! Rickety, rackety, rickety, rackety…. the bus proceeded.

After what felt like a lifetime, my chance to heave a sigh of relief finally arrived. As the bus slowly screeched to a halt at the bus-stop to ease off its own burden, I made my way towards the door to freedom, stepping out from it… I was more than glad to attain independence from my hour-long, claustrophobic existence in the bus.

As I filled my lungs, with the air laden with independence, the bus honked and sped away…rickety, rackety, rickety, rackety…as if saying… “See you tomorrow!”

ONE NIGHT @ THE CALL CENTRE

2006-06-07T11:53:00.000+05:30

Well, to start off… I know this comes a little late, considering the book hit the market long back. But, at the risk of sounding clichéd, let’s just say, ‘Better late than Never!’

Okay, so I recently got hold of a copy of Chetan Bhagat’s latest work, One Night @ the Call Centre. Well, I was a fan of Chetan Bhagat’s writing, right from his first book, Five Point Someone. But in this book he’s outdone himself. I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed this book more than I did his earlier book.

For one, the author knows his target audience, which is largely comprised of youngsters. So telling a story in their language, already makes him win half the battle! The right use of language, keeping in mind the characters, the setting of the story, helps in making the book more real and believable. It appears believable in the sense that, you get to identify with the way these characters feel or react. Their frustrations, aspirations, hopes, likes, dislikes etc., all seem as though they’ve sprung right out of our own lives.

At one point I did feel that the generous use of slangs and the American one-liners by the author, was killing the ‘Indian’ element in the book. But then, I reasoned that the language itself didn’t make the characters Indian…but it was the complex mélange of thoughts, emotions and the way they behaved that revealed their Indianness. The fact that the characters were all youthful people, who were working at a call center, demanded that they use the language of the youth interspersed with the American one-liners, as they are constantly interacting with much the same kind of language-speaking lot at the other end of the phone-line, during their working hours.

My favourite part from the book is where the main characters, Shyam, Priyanka, Vroom, Esha, Military Uncle and Radhika, have their chance meeting with God! I think that is a very poignant moment in the book, because, it’s from here that things start taking a different shape all-together. It’s after this point that the five characters realize where there respective life is going wrong and pledge to take corrective measures to put it back on track. There is still a degree of suspense at this point, as we still don’t know ‘How’ they’re going to achieve those goals. But we’re assured that some action is definitely going to take place.

Another reason why I think this book deserves a thumbs-up is that, humour is sprinkled in a better way throughout the book, unlike in Chetan Bhagat’s earlier, Five Point Someone. There are definitely more instances, dialogues and situations, which set you laughing, thus making the book more enjoyable to read…because, humour in a story always appeals to the reader/listener.

Cutting the long story short, I recommend that all book lovers must give this book a try…that is if they already haven’t…(You know, I’m sure I’m not the only one struggling to catch up on the latest best-seller).

Can the creative world really be free from plagiarism?

2006-05-05T11:55:00.000+05:30

Recently, Harvard undergraduate, Kaavya Vishwanathan, was said to have plagiarized the works of Megan McCafferty, in her debut novel, How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life.

Certain passages in her novel were said to be having a striking similarity to some passages from McCafferty’s books, Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. Once the allegations surfaced, Kaavya went ahead and apologized to McCafferty for the supposed ‘unconscious internalizing’ of her (McCafferty’s) writings into her own style of writing. She claimed to have been a ‘huge fan’ of McCafferty. I wonder if Cryptomnesia can really be an excuse to ride on someone else’s success boat?

The question here is, can the creative world really be free from plagiarism? Not just writing, other creative fields like painting, music, fashion designing, film-making etc. have all had professionals, at some point or the other, being accused of plagiarizing. But what really is the cause of these allegations being leveled-out so often, especially pertaining to the creative field? The most talked about example was that of Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code) being accused of plagiarism by the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Of course, Dan Brown won the case.

It does leave one wondering, though, that plagiarizing obviously exists in the creative fields, but can something be done to curb it and once plagiarism takes place, can the losses, as a consequence of it, be recovered?

In case of Kaavya Vishwanathan, the striking similarities were brought to the notice of the publishers pretty soon, within a month’s time. Kaavya also apologized for her error, which was not accepted by McCafferty and her publishers. But the fact is, Kaavya’s book did hit the market, did become bestseller for a month and sold innumerable copies in the first month itself. So even if the remaining copies are withdrawn, even if her two-book deal is cancelled, the book did serve its purpose. It reached-out to the masses, was widely appreciated, and almost became rather popular, albeit for a short while. So basically, at the expense of Cafferty’s writing talent, a budding novelist did get it all…fame, name and money!

The drive for success, can make you do things, you may not want to, or don’t know you can. And that’s precisely what happens with plagiarists.

However, keeping my spirit of optimism alive, here’s hoping that people begin to trust their inherent abilities rather than trying to depend on another’s skills, while on their search for a better life!

After all, creativity is basically your personal expression and hence, must be self inspired...inspired from within!

What a glass of liquor that was never had…did!

2006-03-20T17:16:00.000+05:30

It has been proved yet again…from Jessica Lall’s case…that the fear of the KNOWN holds as great a foothold as the fear of the UNKNOWN.

For the past few days, the news has been brimming with various aspects related to the Jessica Lall murder case. Having been following it for a few days myself, I have, as many like-minded citizens of this country, developed a sense of disgust at the way human life is wasted at the cost of a meager glass of liquor. Was a glass of liquor all that Jessica Lall’s life was worth?

Jessica was a living person…flesh and blood…an old father’s darling…just like all daughters are. She was an independent woman of the modern-day India trying to make her presence felt…just like most young Indian women of today. In fact, SHE was a woman of conviction and courage, who didn’t care if the hand holding the glass that demanded a drink past the bar timing, was that of an ordinary average youth or a spoilt, rich, brash son of a politician.

There has been huge outcry over the way the guilty have been protected from coming to justice. The case seems very clear. Everyone more or less knows what happened that unfortunate night. Yet due to lack of evidence or rather its cover-up, the youths who executed this act, roam about as free birds. Power and money…that’s what they had…and that’s all they needed. Rest was automatically taken care of. This is apparent by the way, important evidence disappeared and obvious witnesses turned hostile.

The obvious loopholes in the case, however, fail to get ignored by the Indian citizens who still have their conscience intact. Strong protests demanding justice for Jessica, have sprouted all over the country, in hopes that perhaps, the second time, law will not let the faith of its believers shatter. That perhaps a soul will finally get eternal peace. That perhaps those who wronged Jessica, at whichever stage of this case’ progress, will finally be where they belong…behind bars in penance. That perhaps, the anguished father will not shed helpless, silent tears anymore. But instead, sleep peacefully and find a closure …for his daughter finally attained justice and dignity that she always deserved.

In hopes that no more Jessicas die unnecessarily over a mere glass of liquor, which was never eventually had,… I keep my faith alive that justice will be delivered soon…and apt!

THE VOICE OF JOSH GROBAN!

2006-01-23T21:07:00.000+05:30

A completely SOULFUL voice….that’s what strikes you about the vocal renditions of JOSH GROBAN.

A wonderful singer with a voice so deep, it takes you to a different world altogether. I remember first seeing him perform on the Oprah Winfrey Show… and then who can forget his 2 episode special on Ally McBeal where he played a shy, budding singer who lacked the courage to perform in front of the crowd. But apart from his acting talent (he was decently good at it), he simply shines through with his baritone voice. You listen to him once… and you don’t want him to stop.

Some of his songs like You’re still you, When you say you love me, You raise me up….etc. are total pleasures. You get so enthralled with his singing that the experience leaves you wanting more.

His age belies the level of maturity and experience that his voice exudes. His young boyish looks are contrasting to the deep resonance of his powerful voice. His kind of music soothes and pleases equally. Listening to him is indeed an absolute delight!

Hope this talented singer goes on to create more soulful music and provide us with unforgettable musical entertainment!

Magic of MJ!

2005-11-10T06:26:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I was watching the television at night and was casually surfing the channels when I came across a music channel that was playing some of the hits of the King of Pop...Michael Jackson.

No matter how scandalous his past has been, there is no denying the fact that he HAS produced some of the best melodies ever. Be it Black or White, Heal the World, Earth Song, The way you make me feel, etc. these songs definitely have a high affinity with music lovers, across the world. Not only are they great songs to listen to, but they also have very creative visuals to make you want to watch the songs.

Who can forget the absolutely clever use of morphing faces for the video of Black or White or the moving and meaningful video of the Earth song! It's a treat! Even today if I’m simply listening to his songs, the images of the visuals of that song get generated automatically in my mind. I definitely feel that if good music is complemented with equally good visuals, then they have more longevity with music lovers, than otherwise. Agreed, that most people just enjoy listening to music albums and may actually watch its video only once. But even if they see these videos once, the imprint definitely stays with them. And anyways, it just takes one good impression to make an impact, doesn't it?

Dance Masti!

2005-10-18T10:51:00.000+05:30

Nach Baliye rocks! Yes...the newly launched show is a complete entertainer. Whoever thought of the show's concept, surely deserves a pat on the back! The USP of the show is definitely the tele actors, that are also real life couples! These real life jodis liven up the stage with their interesting and entertaining dance movements. But the sure winner on the show has to be the absolutely talented jodi of Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar! They were the top scorers on the show's last episode and well deserving at that! After that episode, this oldest couple on the show has surely ensured an increased viewership for its future episodes.

These star couples go through the same emotions that any performer on stage would go through, nervousness...excitement...joy...tension...pressure, and these are visible throughout the show at various points! The plain innocence with which an exhausted, teary eyed Supriya said, to the studio audience offering a standing ovation to Sachin and her, for their performance, "Aapko itna achcha laga?...Main bahut khush huun!", simply touched me, and I'm sure, many others watching the show too. Guess that's what makes us viewers connect to the show! Reality TV is surely taking giant leaps, haan?

Wonder what would come next?!!? Till then...Nach Baliye, Nach!

Are you too suffering from Ad Pollution?

2005-09-21T08:50:00.000+05:30

My cell phone rang out Chandu ke chacha ne chandu ki chachi ko...and I ran to pick it up, not wanting to disturb the others around. I went hurriedly, leaving the job at hand to attend the call.

An unassuming me, picked up the cellphone only to find an automated, female voiced message saying, Ab apne callers ko boring tring-tring ke jage sunaiye interesting Hello Tunes...! It took a couple of seconds to realise that I wasn't talking with anyone on the other end and that it was just a recorded message.

I was red with anger, to say the least! It's atrocious! Why do phone companies have to resort to such irritating tactics? I mean, if the customer is showing faith in your services, at least grant him the choice and freedom to decide whether he even wants to know abt any special offers. And anyways there is enough publicity of the new services launched by such phone companies via the TV.

To add to common man's woes, service messages are also sent in through sms. 'Greet your loved ones with Love Thoughts', 'Know what your stars have in store for you today', and the latest bug to hit the poor cell goes 'Har seat hotseat, type KBC and send your answers to 646 to win 2 lakh rupees!' Huh!!?

We talk of environment pollution, visual pollution, noise pollution...but what about Ad pollution??? Advertising is good as long as it does not hamper the very purpose of communication and the enjoyment of it!

I think it would be a great idea to let the cellphone remain what it essentially is... a communication channel, rather than an advertising platform!!

Insatiable!

2005-09-17T01:50:00.000+05:30

Greed: n. excessive desire for; One among the 7 deadly sins

Man has always been greedy...it is human nature. And it's this element of greed in humans that the tele shows play at. Everyone wants to have more ...be it in monetary terms or material kind. With shows like KBC, Sawaal 10 crore ka, and the latest Super Sale, the insatiable spirit of human greed has awoken BIG TIME!

Gone are the days when you stood to win a mixer grinder or 21" color TV as the ultimate grand prize in a TV game show. Today, the new age shows promise bigger and costlier rewards like a three-day cruise trip to the Carribeans or a brand new car!

They say...'The Grass is always greener on the other side'...Well... precisely! The contestants don't stop at the things they have already won but eye the more appealing grandprize in waiting...a shining, cool Marcedes Benz. Now who wouldn't like to drive in style, haan?

So, they are shown juicier prospects as against what they already have won. They think hard...trying to feel content with what's at hand and attempting to ignore the uncertain but greater value reward. But alas! Good sense does not always prevail and they succumb to their monsterous greed!

With the average value of prize money to be won on any Game show today, going easily upto a Crore...it seems the human greed will only remain...unquenched.

Nevertheless, those that most definitely finds themselves in a win-win situation here are... the organisers of the show! What say!?

WISH GRANTED!

2005-09-11T09:20:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, I came home in the afternoon with a terrible headache, and attempted to sleep it off. As I snuggled in bed and hoped to rid myself of the annoying headache, something more annoying gripped me. Yes...it was nothing else than the sound of pure non-music! The singing soul inside the crow outside my window, had suddenly taken over and the crow tried its best to sound melodious. But unfortunately, all it could manage was to render a new hoarseness to an already hoarser sound! I tried to buffer the unpleasant sound with the cushions on my bed but they proved miserably ineffective. Rolling in my bed, I tried to distract myself with an imaginary dream where I catch hold of the crow and put a tape across the hard, black beak, the outlet of the criminal sound! But the crowing that seemed to get louder by the second, kept distracting me from this imaginary dream too!

Atlast, frustrated, I opened the window wide, (in mock surrender) to the unbearable crowing! But I was pleasantly surprised as I was instead greeted by the calm serenity of nature. Goodness prevailed in the tiny soul of the musicless bird, after all. Relieved, I finally settled back in my bed and smilingly wished for an undisturbed nap. Faintly, at a distance, the dark flying soul crowed just once...as if to say, "WISH GRANTED!"

Yeh Dil Maange More!

2005-09-09T09:15:00.000+05:30

Indeed ...when it comes to anything juicy related to the lives of the famed celebrities...the media antenna goes...my dil maange more!... It's strange and quite funny and ridiculuous at the same time to see the media mongers searching for news in the trivialest of events in a celebrity's life. Be it the teeny actress getting a new dog or the way the star celebrated Rakshabandhan!??!

A few days back...a celebrity's family members were involved in a car accident...and the camera crew went beserk clicking photos of the injured members, most evidently in pain who could do little in that state except try to cover their face injuries and look away from the annoying camera lights! It was plain disgusting! Have the media people run out of relevant material to telecast that they now have to resort to such cheap ways to 'create' sensationalism?
Has the human sensibility come down to this!

I would definitely hope that people read this blog and recognise the thin line between 'respecting' someones life and privacy and 'encroaching' upon it!

Till then...yeh dil maange more...sensitivity!