Karz+Madhumati = OSO?

Took mom out to Om Shanti Om last weekend. And boy, what an utter let down. After all that, hoopla surrounding it, I thought it would be fun.

But evidently, a pinch of Karz, a bit of Naseeb and a shade of Madhumati and thats OM SHANTI OM for you.

1.) Who says movies of the new millennium are utterly senseless? You have Iqbal, Chak De, Provoked and the likes. Why does Farah Khan take such a cynical view of Bollywood of today?

2.) Shah Rukh and his six pack have got so much publicity that it pains me to even talk about it any further. But frankly speaking, insofar as Shah Rukh's sex appeal (or the lack of it is concerned) it lies in his being "covered up". A bare Shah Rukh, at least in my opinion (for whatever its worth), has the sex appeal of an greasy toad scurrying outta a muddy pond...

3.) What is wrong with Kiron Kher? What prompted an actress of her magnitude to take up such a brain dead role? Still pondering.

4.) Dude, Shah Rukh. Grow up. Face it. You spit on the skies, it ends up on your face. John Jani Janardhan from Naseeb was a wonderfully crafted out song. That it had so many stars of the time was INCIDENTAL and decently planned out. Having 33 film personalities in your title track just to do a one-up on the big B doesn't work out guy! The song seemed more of a farce and a melting pot of your famous faces and did no justice to any one of them. Better luck next time, if you are still at it!

5.) The climax, if you call it that, was no big suspense if Farah intended it that way. All along the audience expected a 2nd Deepika to pop in... Some skilled editing required I guess.

Still, all in all, a one time watch and that too just for the sake of the great Indian tamasha called BOLLYWOOD.

Uh huh!

Mene galti kari thi
Meri nathni padi thi
Ki sone mein usko ranga gai
Mein ranga ke atariya pe aa gai
Mohale mein kaise mara mar hai
Bole mochi bhi khud ko sonar hai

--

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you read the lyrics above? A typical double meaning bollywood masaala song! Right?

Wrong, it seems the sentence "Bole mochi bhi khud ko sonar hai" is a dig at the "low caste" mochis assuming the garb of "high caste" sonars...

Puhleez politicians. How many educated, not so well educated or whatever % of masses catch the song lyrics the first time they hear it? And how many of them can relate it to the caste, their so called hierarchy on the social ladder and take offence to it? Whom are you trying to protect? On what grounds do you justify this kind of a vandalism?

What next? There is an extremely popular chain to footwear called Mochi that spans across India? Do our politicians intend to burn each one of the stores down? What a shame! Grow up people!!!

Just musing!

When life is empty with no tomorrow

And loneliness starts to call

Baby, don't worry, forget your sorrow

'Cause love's gonna conquer it all

-- Celine Dion, "Thats the way it is..."

Just musing - Is there really a love capable of conquering all our sorrows and all our angst?

Kudos to KTDC

"A good deed shouldn't be left unappreciated" said some one! One of the best things to happen to me in this long hiatus I have taken from blogging is the trip to Kerala.

After frenetic planning and a dash of emails and phone calls back and forth, we zeroed in on a package offered by KTDC. Our logic behind it was very simple. Maybe that wouldn't be as comfortable as a 2** or a 3*** stay but nevertheless with the Government the money would be safe. So instead of getting involved with some shady private travel agent lets go the sarkari way.

What we were prepared for was an okie-dokie kind of a trip. But over the next seven days, the reason for tourism flourishing in Kerala was laid out bare in front of us. Hotels which were like WOW, culinary lineup that did justice to each geographical location in India and the world, a travel guide who was more accommodative and polite than he needed to be... On the top of it, really well maintained resorts, beautiful locales preserved exactly that way by the local people, serene nature and Gods own country had me craving for more and more.

As our travel guide mentioned while on drive, the way kerala promotes tourism is evident right from the toll gates. For an all India permit vehicle to enter say a TN or an AP, the driver would have to shell out anything from 2400 to 3900, but in Kerala the toll tariff is a mere 250/-

Steps like these draw people there in hordes and with the ultimate experience that people have here, the word of mouth is going to boost further visitors. Seriously Kerala and KTDC deserve all the respect and all the appreciation that any tourist can give. And I just hope that the other states will take a leaf out of KTDC's success story and the next trip to Gujarat/Rajasthan/UP/MP will be just as delightful...

Twenty20!

Just to set the expectations right, I am an Indian and quite a jingoistic one at that.

So of all the people who have rejoiced at the recent victory the Indian "boys" had over arch rivals of the game, my name should figure somewhere on the top.

But having said that, was the hoopla surrounding the Indian victory worth it? I mean, yes, in our country cricket is much more than a game. Its a way of living, a religion in fact. Yes, we tasted a world cup victory, albeit T20, after 26 years.

Yes, Dhoni and his young firebrands displayed the chutzpah that made us smile and so very proud of them. And yes, the day they won will go down into history as one of the finest hours of Indian cricket.

Yet, another day will also go down into history. The day Indian cricket team landed at Mumbai. WHAT WAS THAT? Right from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to Wankhede Stadium, seemed like the entire population of Mumbai had spilled over on to the streets. As Dhoni himself said later, "Mumbai is a city that is always on the move but the Indian team has brought to it to a standstill. We knew our victory was a big achievement for the country, but we didn't realise it was so big".

But considering the fact that most of the international teams, even Indian team, did not take T20 seriously(the fact that BCCI did not send any of its stalwarts for this series corroborates my take. Good in way, we finally opened our eyes to the fact that the younger team is what this country needs) - Was this celebration justified?

Mumbai - A city that is the financial capital of India. The city that churns out revenues in billions of rupees each day by just doing its regular life style was grounded to a virtual halt. Bomb blasts, torrential rains, Ganesh Visarjan and natural disasters affect the normal functioning of the city from time to time. That itself is lamentable. Do we need day offs for cricketing victories now too?

Then again, our dear politicians. In a ceremony meant to felicitate the players, they manage to usurp the front row. Fine lets not even go there.

Rains - I wonder how many of those people who braved rains made it hale and healthy to their homes. Conjuctivitis, Viral infections, etc are on a rise these days. And Mumbai is not the healthiest of places either. Was this health risk worth it?

Maybe I am a cynic? May be this is how we celebrate our victories. Maybe as in the words of Rahim:

खैर, ख़ून, खांसी, ख़ुशी, बैर, प्रीत, मधुपान

रहिमन छिपाए ना छुपे, जाने सकल जहाँ

Writers Blog oops Block...

Life, these days, has been tranquil. The office hours, work hours, home hours, sleep hours have all fused into one big melting pot and are now just FREE HOURS.

I find all the time in the world to do as I please and yet the pally blog of mine still doesn't reflect it... I seem to be suffering from a big time writers block. So many times over the past few days have I tried to write SOMETHING... Each time, the words just refuse to come to my mind.

Hence trying out a trick we had learnt long long ago, seems like another eon in the past... And it seems to help out too. So let me share it with you all - Whenever you plan to write and the words don't come out right, just chuck the theme, the central idea, the choice of words and JUST write.

Give yourself some decent time say 5 minutes or 10 minutes and say to yourself - Buddy, now its 7:42, until 7:52 I am just going to type in whatever arbit thoughts come into my mind. Set your brain aside and just go on...

More often that not, you end up making sense... Did I? Well that's for you, the reader to decide. :-D

A letter to God...

Dark are the clouds that hover in the sky
All you can do is let it pour and sigh

Its hard to be happy all the time
But an eternally frenzied life is His crime

Everyone deserves a bit of solace
It’s my right and not His grace

For whatever be my life ‘morrow
I will not let it be in colors of sorrow

If He fails me this time as well
My faith in his judgment will quell

Believers need not be tried eternally by fires
They also deserve a few fulfilled desires

Tagged! :)

Well got tagged by Seema. So here I am with this post. But ground rules first. As is my wont with forward mails, I refuse to tag people. More so when the person who tagged me did not do it on her own accord! So the least I can do is pass on the goodwill...

8 Random fact about Archana Amperayani

1.) I am a compulsive talker.
2.) I totally am in love with an activity the world knows as SLEEPING. :)
3.) Books - Try and get me off them if you can...
4.) An Indian Pizza Hut - Anytime of the day, any day of the year, any year of my life. Slurp!
5.) Stranded alone on an island, I'd refuse to draw attention to my whereabouts as long as I've my music and books with me.
6.) I know I should do a MBA, I mean to do my MBA. I know I will never get around to actually do it. Queen of procastination - Thats me.
7.) I am in love with Lord Henry of "The picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. Why? This one sentence by Basil had me flip over Lord Henry and I have never recovered thence - "You never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing."
8.) My motto in life - The best things come into life unseeked.

Now, anyone wants to get tagged? :)

The rules we "STARTED OFF WITH" are as follows:

• Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
• At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
• If you fail to do this within eight hours, you will not reach Third Series or attain your most precious goals for at least two more lifetimes.

60 years of Indian Independance.

India turned 60 today. And while there is lot to be achieved and there is a lot more to be done too. But nevertheless, one cant help feel jingoistic right now. And whenever I get into this mood, the one song that never fails to get me goosebumps is Mile Sur mera tumhaara... So sharing the lyrics with all of you in the hope that the years bygone and the patriotism never dies... Amen!

(Hindi)

Mile sur mera tumharaa,
To sur bane hamaraa....
Sur kee nadhiyaan har disha se behke saagar mein milee...
Baadalon ka roop lekar barsen halke halke...
Mile sur mera tumharaa...
Toh... sur bane hamaara...
Mile sur mera tumhara...

Kashmiri

Chaain taraj tahin nyay taraj
Ek but baniye saayen taraj

Punjabi

Tera sur mile mere sur de naal
Milke bane ek nava surtaal

Hindi

Mile sur mera tumharaa...
To sur bane hamaara..

Sindhi

Mohnja sur tohi desa pyara mile jadein
Geet ashaanjo madhur tarano bane tadein

Urdu

Sur ka dariya behke saagar me mile

Punjabi

Badlaan da roop leike barasan hole hole

Tamil

Isaindhal namm iruvarin suramum namadhakum...

Dhisai veru aanalum aariser aarugal

Mugilai mazaiyai pozivadu pol isai...
Namm isssaiiii....
Thik thakida thathikakidA.....
Thaka thimi thaka junu

Kannada

Nanna danige ninna daniyu,
Seridante namma daniyu..

Telugu

Naa swaramu nee swaramu sangammamai,
Mana swaram ga avatarinchey

Malayalam

Ente swaravum ningalude swaravum
Otthu chernnu nammude swaramai....

Bengali

Tomaar shoor moder shoor srishti korook oikyashoor...
Tomaar shoor moder shoor srishti korook oikyashoor...

Assamese

Srishti hok oikyatan

Oriya

Toma mora swarer milan srishti kare chalbochatano

Gujarathi

Male sur jo taro maro, bane aapno sur niralo

Marathi

Majhya tumchya julta tara madhur suranchya barasti dhara

Hindi

Sur ki nadiya har disha se behke saagar mein mile...
Baadlo ka roop leke barse halke halke...
Oh...Mile sur mera tumhara tho....sur bane hamara...
Mile Sur mera tumhara
To sur bane hamara tho sur bane hamara
To sur bane hamara.......

slowly merges into the tune of Jana Gana Mana, the Indian National Anthem
....jaya he jaya hejaya jaya jaya he

Secular India!

"History has shown us that a lack of knowledge breeds ignorance; ignorance breeds mistrust; mistrust breeds fear; fear breeds strife; and strife breeds hatred.”

It is easy to hate what you do not know. But the more you know the greater appreciation you can have. So, if we can learn about each other, we can stop this downward spiral before it starts.

It’s indeed a tragedy that instead of celebrating the differences in our religions and the inherent practices that act as an identifier to our souls we should be slinging mud at each other. All religions in their own different ways guide us towards leading a more meaningful life and meeting God, thereafter.

If in ignorance men choose to ignore the destination and hanker after which way is the best the bigger picture is lost. It’s not important what religion you follow, what you imbibe of it is what matters. Its heart warming to see how in calamities people unify against the turbulent forces let loose – be it natural or otherwise – to support each other and help each other rebuild lives. Why is it then, in spite of the majority people wanting peace and harmony some miscreants try and hamper this blissful existence…

Hatred, Vengeance, Retribution, Intolerance - This is not what Hinduism teaches its followers. Message of Hinduism is one of love, peace, mutual tolerance and universal brotherhood. In fact to the best of my knowledge this is not what any religion teaches. This world is a beautiful place and so are all the people who live in it. Let us live in a way that there be no cause for gloom, remorse and retribution.

Lets not sow hatred as there is no way we can reap love as a result in that case.

“Let there be light”

Audience polls, are they really worth it?

Ok, conceded the fact that it’s the viewers who have to make a movie, a song or an album a hit or otherwise. Its the audience any artist has to cater to ultimately.

Ultimately – THAT is the keyword. More often than not the audience is capable of judging an end product only, sometimes even that erroneously. Not the raw material as such… How do you trust the audience to decide correctly whether or not a person has a great future as a playback singer, a dancer or an actor? How many artists in making have they been subjected to?

And how many wannabe singers do you think Jatin-Lalit, Aadesh Srivastava, Abhijeet, Alka Yagnik, Anu Malik, Javed Sahab, Ismail Durbaar and the likes have been subjected? How do you expect some tom dick and harry sitting in Ludhiana or Nagpur or some other place for that matter to judge about the dancing capabilities as well as maybe a Javed Jaffery or Prabhu deva would?

Isn’t it unfair on the contestants?

Last week, Deepali was voted out of Indian Idol. In my opinion, for whatever its worth, she is a far better singer than Ankita, Prashant and Puja. As Alisha Chinai rightly pointed out, performance is secondary. It’s the singing talent that counts first.

Similarly, Voice of India audience voted out Prantika. Another so very talented lady. But then in VoI the tragedy is that anyone who leaves, leaves a void behind. None of the most “talented” singers from the II would qualify even in the audition round of VoI, I guess.

But then, having gotten such a talent pool, why does one have to give their fates away into the whims and the fancies of the audience. No matter how much ever you appeal to the audience to vote sanely, sensibly, with discretion, they are always going to have prejudices.

Oh I am a bongaali, so I shall vote for Emon. I am a Hyderabadi, so my SMS goes to Mohd Irfan, Ah humre UP ka lalla hai, hum to Harshit ko hi vote denge…

Grow up people… It’s the talent not the regional biases that need to be recognized. And for this not only the audience, but the music show organizers, the judges and the contestants themselves have to grow up. Yes, lots of SMSes mean a lot of revenue. Agreed, Talent shows are money minting stores. But can’t you do something like this? Both the judges and the audience have some say in this matter. And let the esteemed judges take about 60% of weightage and let audience vote figure in the rest…

Does it make any sense? Or given the fact that with the exception of Shreya Ghosal all the other talent hunt “finds” have faded out of public memory, it’s just a sham anyways?

An open letter of appreciation to Airtel Services.

I have been using an Airtel Post paid connection over the past few months and the world class service provided by these fellas has been nothing short of blissful.

Hence I wanted to share my story with you all too. Justly so, after all no good deed should be left unappreciated.

Find below my appreciation for the excellent experience with Airtel services and the absolutely accurate information disseminated by their well-meaning "customer care representatives". All this while I was trying to get ISD activated on my Airtel connection.

1. When I first called the customer care at 121, the call was received by one Mr. Venkat who initially asked me to give the security deposit of 1500/-. When I made him to speak with a colleague of mine who was on a Company CUG – Corporate User Group - plan too and had got his number activated without any such absolutely necessary formalities, this guy asked me to just send across as a salary slip as “for CUG connections this initial security deposit is waived”. These were his exact words.

But I am sure this was a pure slip of tongue from a well trained representative.

2. I sent a salary slip with the request as indicated. Maybe this did not reach them? Anyways, spookily enough I got an auto reply saying that my association with Airtel was valued and they would get back to me in four hours.


No one did. I am sure they intended to. Just forgot about it, I think.

3. Then when I called to enquire about this status with 121 again in the evening, they told me that apart from the salary slip they need a letter from my office coordinator and hence they did not process this request on Wednesday.

I am so sorry my mistake that I am not exactly blessed with clairvoyance as to what all documents they might need. I am assuming here that these guys wanted the customers to guess their requirements without their explicitly having to tell so as I had specifically asked the guy in the morning if they needed anything apart from the Salary slip. He said a categorical NO at that time. His lack on willingness to make me run around out of extreme concern for my fatigue led to a day’s delay in this process. No worries, we Indians are accustomed to waiting.

4. Again, yesterday morning I sent across a mail this time with a proof of employment and the salary slip. This results in another mail from an esteemed person, another very sympathetic “customer care” representative who after making me run around for documents of various kinds get back to me with a lovely and adorable mail saying the activation cannot be done!!! If I wanted an ISD connection to be activated, I should send them a salary slip and letter from the coordinator.

My mistake- I attached a comic strip from Garfield series that shows up at my PC as my latest salary slip. But never mind, ISD no ISD, I have had a good time with the guys at Airtel. As it is I do not have much entertainment in life and all this processing kept me busy and happy for the last few days.

5. Since this ISD activation was taking this long, again as per the “suggestions” made by a well caring “customer care” representatives, I opted for a virtual calling card of denomination 500/-. The very extremely well trained and well informed representative of Airtel was asked about the call tariffs to Sydney, Australia. He took his own sweet time to check the information.

No, I am not complaining about the long waiting period. How can I? All this while taking care of my boredom, he made me listen to the latest AR Rahman’s tunes for Airtel. Ah, sweet music…

6. Then I was told that calls to any number in Australia costs 3.40/- only as opposed to the 6.40/- for a direct call. When I finally got the PIN and called the number I was trying to reach, within 50 minutes of conversation, the call got cut.

I agree that time flies when one is talking to a loved one but not so much so that you don’t hear 100 minutes zooming past. Right?

7. Now I am not great at mathematics but tell me something. 500 rupees at the rate of 3.40 per minute should give around 140 minutes of talk time, right? Please correct me if I am wrong. As I said my math isn’t that great.

8. So to clarify this I called a lovely representative of Airtel who again made me listen to Rahman and after around 10 minutes of a blissful concert for one, informed me that as per the information he has, calls to US/Canada are charged at 3.40 and gulf and Australia are charged at 8.90/- per minute.

Ah! So much for an advance notice. And so much for a consistent information base.

The best thing about Airtel is that everyone knows of the past record of documents sent and never do two people give two different sets of data information for the same query. Airtel – I need to let you know this! With such a valued association with you, I feel absolutely privileged.

But the fact is I have been never been cared for so much by anyone in the past and hence cannot take this much of care and concern.

Hence keeping in line with the ingrate species that we humans are expected to be, I request you to kindly cancel my Airtel connection. But the least I can do is to let the rest of the world know of the superb world class treatment you guys provide to us, the customers.

And the excellent service we can expect when we opt to check Airtel out. Thanks for all your time and effort. You guys have been so lovely and so very considerate.

Impossible?

Love this quote from the Adidas campaign... What brevity, nai?

Impossible is a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they are given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. Impossible is an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. Impossible is a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is NOTHING ! :)

A new identity? Nah!!

With nothing left to do since morning, played around with the dashboard. Considered moving to the wordpress, changing the blog title, link, tinkered around the templates.
In the end, the blog doesn't seem to have changed much. I mean did not let it change much. The link remains archanaamperayani, title is changed from archanaamperayani to Archana? and the template seems to be a tad different from what I had chosen it to be earlier.
Realised one thing in the whole process. Radical changes are not just my cuppatea. No matter how vehemently I may deny it, no matter how much I would want it to be untrue, I am a true conformist. Tch, how I hate that word and how I hate it as an adjective to sum up yours truly but alas!, its exactly what I realise I am :)
So, here we are... The blog, the blogger, the posts, everything is in the same flavor as always! At least for some time to come.

Random musings...

Days where one no longer needs to bother about waking up early, going to work at nina a.m sharp, getting things done, worrying sick about the deliverables and earning brownie points... Has everyone gone through the period of hash in life? It seems like this time to nothingness is merely the lull before the storm. Life now seems to be more or less static with nothing to do at work, nothing to do at home and nothing to do yet for the wedding.

One month down the line however, project will move to the S.I.T stage, relatives and people and wedding cards and wedding shopping and the relentless sending out of invitees, ALL of it will tumble down ALL AT ONCE. :)
God! - either He doesnt know the theory of distribution or he merely intends to make jugglers out of simple folks. I mean, here I am, on a Saturday morning, wondering what to do next... And one month ago I was running around getting twenty things done at a time.
How best can I put this time to use? A long holiday, a retreat into woods with nothing but nature and wilderness around? Just throw my feet up and rest? Lets see... In the meanwhile the good old blog is here to keep me company.

Latest passion...

Whats with Tabu and excellent music? Be it "Payalein chunmum" - Viraasat, "Boondon se baatein" - Takshak, "Yeh lamha" - Filhaal, "Paani paani re" - Maachis or any of the other innumerable melodies, each of her movies feature a hauntingly melodious song.

So I was not surprised to hear the title track of her latest movie "Cheeni Kum". Like any other everlastingly good song, it grows on you with each round of hearing. The first time I liked it, second time I noticed how non-strenuous and calming the beats where, third time the lyrics made me go Wow! and there on I was hooked. That I was reminded of hubby dearest and his aloofness is another reason too but to be fair the song is wonderful as well...

So all of you music buffs there, sample this piece sometime without fail. Till then:

Khwaab rangin hai, Iss jahaan ke,
Dekhle dekhle, Tu sajaake
Apne saaye se, Tu nikal ke
Dekhle dekhle, Tu badal ke
Rango ke hai mele, Khushiyon ke hai rele
Dhadkhan mein pehera kyun hai, Kyun, kyun -- Love this absolutely!!!
Cheeni kum hai,Cheeni kum hai
Thodi thodi tujhe mein hai kum
Kum kum hai kum kum, Dheere dheere, haule haule,
Door door hogi problem, humdum o humdum
Sunle kabhi, kehti hai kya, dil ki sada bhi

Decency - Oops it’s a bad word these days!

Modern times have boasted of much advancement in the field of science, technology and communications. Yet there is a total lack of improvement in the one field – human psychology. If anything, there is a complete breakdown of moral fabric especially when the cloak of anonymity as offered by the online media exists.

These thoughts have been nagging me at one level or the other for quite sometime now. But what bought it on to inspire a full length blog on this issue is an article I was reading on the rediff.com portal. It was something about the landing of the Atlantis and the half-Indian astronaut, Sunita Williams on board.

The comments left on the post were so bad in taste; I was taken aback by the sheer spitefulness of it. This being a public blog, I am sorry and thankful – in the same vein - at not being able to share it. But I can't restrain from broadcasting my distress in this regard.

Why? What prompts the “educated” readers to launch into such garble? What relief do these people gain by using such profanity in public form? That too, not to abuse a rogue or a thug (not meaning to say THAT is excusable) but in a simple harmless article.

Aren’t there enough pornographic sites on the virtual world already? Why can’t these perverts limit their dirty imagination to such pages? What is the need to defile good/oft-visited pages unnecessarily? Rediff.com is one of the leading webpages in India and lot of kids and young minds do hit it regularly. What are we telling them? It’s OK to be profane in public? As long as no one finds out, it is OK to bad mouth someone unnecessarily?

Generally, people tend to write off the eve-teasing incidents in buses and other public places as the handiwork of “those poor and uneducated” types. I don’t think any of those poor and uneducated types logon to the online world and spew such worthless scrapheap in there.

No matter whodunit, no matter what their ages are - It’s just a collective shame on the society that allows such people to get away scot-free. In my opinion, they are not a grain less guilty than those involved in various adult crimes all over the world. They deserve the severest of punishment possible for creating such a bad feelings in readers. Don’t you think so too?

What's on the TV?

Hmmm, so finally the great Indian Laughter challenge has a female participant on board. Good. About time as well. I mean over a billion of us and the first two seasons had no member of the fairer sex checking out the waters.

But the lady,I'm sorry I do not recollect her name, changed all that yesterday. I don't know when did she come on board but I managed to catch her on the telly yesterday night and only an act of hers is what I managed to sample. But 'twas enough. I mean how many times have you seen accurate impressions or mimicry for Sharmila Tagore, Rakhee, Juhi Chawla? [I know she did a Hema Malini too, but then that is not a rarity. No offence intended but anyone with a bad tummy can do a Malini :)]. It was heartening to see a female enter a typically male-dominated show. Some company for the petite Perizaad and the new anchor too :)

Ok, even season-III is more of slapstick comedy than anything else but I have begun to watch it nevertheless. Given the fact that the only other option is a gray-haired rhino-szed Tulsi or Prerana with that funny plastic flower, it is not surprising I guess.

One thing - Star Utsav does screen some gems from the yesteryears now and then. Serials like Kora Kaagaz, Saans etc. Like F.R.I.E.N.D.S, multiple reruns of these serials doesn't kill their viewability ever. Wonder why Zee doesn't pick up on this idea? All those Ravi Rai serials, Sailaab and others, they would make wonderful viewing now.

A real watchout is Star Voice of India... Even at the audition stage, most of the participants are just breathtaking. I saw the episodes conducted at New Delhi and for MP... What a talent pool this country is indeed!

Book Review - To kill a mockingbird.

Is it just a co-incidence that any book I pick up these days seems like a wonderful long lost friend? Or is it just that I am giving too much of a gap between two consecutive books? So much so that I am so book starved that no matter what I read it seems just par excellence?

The latest thing I have held in my hands is “To kill a mockingbird” by Harper Lee.

While the story set in the backdrop of the South America is about rampant racism as it was in the early years, what I liked the most about the book is the narration.

As seen through the eyes of Jean Louise Finch a.ka. Scout, the whole story takes a new dimension. I found myself loving her like I couldn’t have loved her more if she were my own daughter. Naughty, irascible, terribly witty and incisive yet so much like a kid. Statements like

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

“I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.”

coming from a four-year old take a complete different flavor.

The “streaks” as defined by Aunt Alexandra and as seen by Scout are two entirely different things. As Jeffery Archer pointed out aptly in his masterpiece “The Prodigal Daughter” – “...prejudice is something a child only learns from its elders”.

Jim’s - the elder brother’s metamorphosis from the partner in crime in the early chapters to the adolescent teenager who tries hard to emulate the rare quality of “Atticus”, their father, is beautifully drawn out. From an unruly prankster to Scout’s bodyguard in testing times, his character is beautifully cultivated.

Then there is Atticus! The single father who doesn’t play the parenting game by the book. Indeed the very fact that the kids address him not as Dad or Pa but Atticus brings this out in full force by the end of page one itself. As you go on, the intrigue just builds on. Be it never bragging about his shooting prowess or be it his candid discussions with the kids, Atticus rules the roost.

IMHO, it reaches a crescendo of “wow” in this scene…

Uncle Jack: “She asked me to tell her about what a whore lady is.”
Atticus: “Did you tell her?”
Uncle Jack: “No, I told her about Lord Melbourne.”
Atticus: “Jack! When a child asks you something, answer him, for goddess’s sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em. No, you had the right answer this afternoon but the wrong reasons. Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time, when they learn they’re not attracting attention with it.”

Wow, I mean this is JUST SO PROFOUND. In my opinion, everyone who desires to bring up a balanced child should read Atticus ooops I meant “To kill a mockingbird” for sure.

Also, the strong racial prejudices that are just as relevant in today’s times is beautifully highlighted. An unbiased lawyer, Atticus Finch, who believes truth needs to be defended so that he can live with himself without guilt is termed a”nigger lover”. His kids, Jim and Scout, are subjected to a lot of ridicule within the family as well as at school. In spite of all contrary evidences the all-white jury hands out a guilty verdict to Tom Robinson. Aunt Alexandra’s open disdain for Calpurnia the black maid and her closeness with the kids – All these incidents bring out the skewed mindset people have over racial issues in manner that is as instructive and self-corrective as it is unobtrusive.

Hmm, finally the kiddish story Jim and Scout have grown up with. Arthur a.ka. Boo Radley. The reclusive neighbor who locks himself indoors for a better part of his life. Who leads an abstemious lifestyle in compliance to the “foot-washers” and yet takes an inexplicable liking to the truant kids in the neighborhood.

There are a chain of incidents and events in the book that make you fall in love with it and then some more. Be it Scout’s first day at school or Aunt Alexandra’s reprimanding her to be “more like a lady” and Atticus’s declaration that he thinks Scout as she is now is “just fine”.

Maybe the storyline is not something special, maybe the characters are commonplace and not a rarity in themselves, maybe the narration is slow and drawn out at times… Yet as Sir Humphrey Appleby would have remarked,”Let me explain this. If there had been an inquest about the readability of this script, which there hasn't or not necessarily, or I am not at liberty to say if there has, there would have been a project team, which, had it existed, on which I cannot comment, would have been disbanded had it existed, and the members returned to their original departments, had there been indeed any such members, would have found this to be an entirely acceptable a read worth of grasping of even simple minded souls educated, if it can be called education, at the LSE.

Archana, if I am pressed for a straight question, I shall say that, as far as we can see, looking at it by and large, taking one thing with another, in terms of the average of reads that are churned out every year, then in the last analysis, it is probably true to say that, at the end of the day, you will find, in general terms that, not to put too fine a point on it, there is really was very much in this book to learn from, one way or the other. That is why it is imperative that the issue of special recommendation is pushed through, acted upon, immediately, without any further delay, leaving aside procedural matters on the validity of the question about any precedence here.”

And once Sir Humphrey Appleby has remarked it, who am I to comment? ;-) Right Junta? So go ahead and grab a copy today, if you have not already read it…

A giant leap ahead!

“That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind” - Neil Armstrong might as well be talking about getting in to the one “special” relationship of your life. Not that one’s getting engaged or married affects the mankind in a major way but it’s just that the whole world seems so different.

Suddenly you are no longer lazy; office doesn’t bore you any longer. Indeed you swipe in unmanly hours in the morning so that Yahoo! Messenger can be accessed. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if the lunch gang is ribbing you for not coming to lunch and ogling at the screen like a smitten puppy. SUBS seem like an ideal and efficient lunch. It seems the only correct position for your lips is to be in a standard half moon shape. People get tired of your smiling day in and day out just you don’t seem to notice it. Or for that matter help it.

A single calling card no longer seems sufficient. It doesn’t matter if the time is two in the night. The call is more important. Suddenly in a cubicle full of strangers you feel at home. Suddenly India seems a lot better place to be in. Its like the two of you are not strangers who met barely a month ago but are more like two people who knew each other for thousands of years and happened to go on a brief break with each other for a mere quarter of a century :)

Days just don’t seem to move forward when the “one” is not online or not on phone. The D-day is just not on the horizon and it feels as good as it feels bad.

If all this is not a giant leap then what else is… I don’t know.

Read not watch!

I wonder what is with kids these days.

Last week while I was reading “Yes Minister” when this girl came up to me and asked,” Wasn’t this a British comedy series on the BBC some years ago?” I nodded in affirmative gleefully. “At last! Someone who likes the same stuff as me”, I thought. “I have the entire series taped in Video cassettes. Let me pass on the same to you. Saves the trouble of reading…” Trouble of reading? Trouble of reading? Trouble of reading, indeed!

How do I explain the simplest of the concept to them? So all those kids who think a “live” version of The Da Vinci Code, P.G Wodehouse, Yes Minister/Prime Minister is better or easier than reading the stuff, ponder over this. When you read a certain book, you imagine the story, the narrative and the characters in a certain angle. On the other hand, when you “watch” a piece of literature, you are forced to see it from the director’s perspective. The tweed jacket I had imagined was nothing like the one Tom Hanks wore. Not that Tom Hanks was my idea of Robert Langdon either. See! Reading hones your imagination, your creativity not to mention your vocabulary.

What would my life be without Bernard Wooley, Bertrand Wooster or Jeeves? Had I seen them instead of having read them would it still have caused this amount of impact on me? I don’t think so. But how does one explain such concepts to the kids today. I wonder if this is what kids today think, as a mom how shall I influence my children 10 years down the lane to prefer books over the CDs! Tall order ‘tseems to me!

Save the media. Save the journalists! Save decency...

I wouldn’t want to crib on the same topic over and over but then the media is at its irritating best again…

Richard Gere and Shila Shetty or the AbhiAsh wedding… Is there nothing else to talk about? I miss the good old DD days where NEWS was a one hour affair and we used to wait for the The World This Week on weekends to convey all the socially relevant tidbits. With thousands of 24-hr channels mushrooming all across its just junk strewn all over the place. Arre if you have nothing to show for 24 hours just cut the crap and stick to 3-4 hours of telecast. Why do you have to choke our tellies with heaps of worthless information?

NDTV featured a “special” bulletin today. “AbhiAsh nagpur connection” screamed the headlines. Some uncle of AB Jr went on air with the invitation of the wedding and this was being featured as some major scoop… Ugggh! Guys guys guys… They want to keep the wedding as a private affair. Why not let them have their moment of solitude?!?!?!

Then again, “Katrina and Sallu to beat the 20th deadline” turns out to be a total hoax. And is it just a co-incidence that Rani, Viviek, Sallu are suddenly in NEWS these days? Maybe the broken hearts have mended. Maybe the wounds are still fresh. Must the media insist of ruthlessly raking up these?

And what was with the media in the other issue? Shilpa went hoarse beseeching them not to make fools of themselves but No! our media has made it a lifestyle of sorts. Being a fool is a habit with it. Kudos to Shilpa for not mincing her words on the issue. But am afraid it will make no difference to the perpetually idiotic breed of "journalists".

So while we still hope a better world is a reality, they will continue waiting outside Jalsa for that one frame of the wedding couple.

And day after day after day the disillusionment continues…

Sniff sniff...

I am kicking myself right now. How could I be so stupid? I mean ME, who has moved from one office to another one location to another for over three years now, how could I forget it? How? How? How? Had to get my C:/ drive formatted. Like a good girl I took the backup of My Documents, My Desktop and all such other stuff and forgot my .psts. Alas! All the mails I had so safely treasured for over three and a half years – Gone! Just like the pain once you bring IODEX to it (or so the ad claims). Sniff!

Love yourself...

A moment of peace
A brief intermezzo of solitude
Discover yourself
Add to you pinch of fortitude

Life is a battle of the will and will nots
Will not shall persist
The will will lose
If on pleasing all you insist

Be yourself
Its just one life you’ve got
At the end what you willed is what matters
The obligations will remember you not

The curbing of self
Is all in vain
Love yourself before everyone else
By sacrificing yourself you have nothing to gain…

Something for the guys to ponder about...

DISCLAIMER: This is forward and not my own piece. Putting it up nevertheless as it appealed immensely to my soul :)

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are; who is earning almost as much as you do. One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements;

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family name;

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen;

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet n ever ever expected to complain;

To be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to;

And is learning just like you are as to what you want from her;

And is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise;

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, your time or love, if you may call it.

But not many people understand this......think about it!!!

The confessions of a child!

A voice from within says grow up
You are a kid no more
Someone from within smiles at the rumbling
And says, growing up is such a chore

This life is at its happiest it says
I was a grown up once you see
Now I don’t stop to think of all I need to do
Its such a relief to be so free

People don’t think I think
Nor do they care of what I say
Takes all the burdens off my shoulders
I can now go whichever way I may

Yes, I am away from the perils of love
And of the burdens that come with it
Its only innocent friendships now
I behave now as I deem fit

But someday I need to grow up
I realize this charade can not go on
Those moments seem so scary
I feel that was not why I was born : )

Shantaram... By Gregory David Roberts.

For all those people who have heard about Mumbai, the spirit of Mumbai, the resilience of Mumbai, the life of Mumbai – this is THE book for all of you. The story is a work of non-fiction based on the author’s - a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escaped from Pentridge Prison and fled to India where he lived for 10 years – life and experiences.

The beauty of this book lies in its simplicity. From the roads of Mumbai to remote villages of India, the life and the lives in India, the day to day celebrations, the great Indian marriages, the author’s deep involvement with the slum dwellers - all of it touch a chord with the reader at some level or the other.

You laugh with Prabhakar. Karla’s quotes make your sit up and reflect on the profundity of the words. As much as Abdullah seems like the wrong guy, the “bear” incident does leave you with goosebumps. The mere thought of such selfless act of affection for the sake of a so-called brother, that too coming from a thug… It just leaves you with a feeling that stays long after the book is done with and shelved. Kaderbhai – the don scares you just as much as his philosophical “World is always moving towards complexity” talks amazes you. Madame Zhou and her shroud of secrecy adds to the intrigue factor of the book. [Till the end, I had half suspected Karla and Madame Zhou to be the same person.]

As much as the poverty of the people in the slum depresses you, the sheer spirit and glee with which the people seem to go on with their lives teaches you the most important thing. Happiness is what you have within you. Much as you search for it, you will never find it externally. It’s not the riches that guarantee you happiness, its serenity and simplicity that does. In spite of the language (or maybe because the language adds that touch of authencity to the darker life in Mumbai) this books still manages to stand out in the scores of other reads.

And then there is Lin. A runway convict, a drugs peddler on the streets of Mumbai, protégée to the most feared mafia don in Mumbai, a godsend doctor to the slum dwellers… Seems like a series of lives and men in a single body. His hatred for Madame Zhou, his yearning for Karla, his blind devotion to Kaderbhai who in turn fills the fathervoid in his life, his affection for Abdullah and his love for Prabhaker. Even his experiences with Kano(?!?!) the bear make you want to hug him. If a man is known by the company he keeps is Lin a saint a philosopher a thief? Beats me.

Although this book talks of a life which had many a wrong turns, many wrong deeds, it will still teach you something about life and love and the world. Long time ago, I had read a blog/article that said, “The most prized books come into one’s life unsought. They arrive to answer a question.” That article made a reference to The Roots by Alex Haley. What The Roots did to her, Shantaram did to me. To again paraphrase the previous author,” This book, truly, made me a person. If my literary life can be divided into two parts, it would be before reading that book and after reading it. That, as far as books go, would be my absolute soul mate.”

Funnily, when I laid my hands on this book, the first thought that struck me was, “Is this heavy or is this what?” But once I started reading it, there was no looking back. Midnight after midnight, this book made me forego sleep. And I have enjoyed every moment of it. And ever since then, each night is incomplete until I have turned over a few pages again. Re-read a few sentence, relived a few experiences.

I don’t wish to spoil the plot or the reading experience by giving out any more details but just that… This is book which is NOT to be missed under any circumstances.

Change...

Change is inevitable, desirable and continuous. And with change comes a load of other issues viz. Resistance, inhibitions and fear. As is often said "People fear what they don't know". The fear of the unseen, unheard and unknown makes people reluctant to step out of their routine and the "comfort zone" thereof. But change is not always avoidable just as it is not always for the worse. As age, maturity, priorities change so do the needs. And new results can not be achieved by doing the same thing over and over again. This is why it is imperative that we change! But it’s necessary to avoid the chaos oft associated with the changes. As Alfred North Whitehead had once observed; "The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order." That is a daunting challenge for many of us. We cannot cope up with the change. Most of us, in fact, do not even understand the need to at times. Be it a piece of logic that fails to work or a relationship that is no longer intact. It is very difficult to let go and move on. More often that not we are still working on the same thing over and over again, letting go of many other good opportunities in the process. The inability to change impairs our natural growth process rendering us obsolete in the long run. It suffices to say that the reluctance to change more often than not kills the charm of life.
Falling into destructive patterns that do not work inhibits our growth as individuals. But stepping out of the cocoons that we have created for ourselves requires loads of practice, resolve and hard work... So what is it that we need to do? Stick with the same drab routine all our life or let the fresh and radical thoughts step in by making a few daring moves?
The choice is for us to make. Change or Perish!

A new headache! Sting Journalism...

Ah! Those hidden cameras. Many a swamy caught cavorting on the web. Leading film stars and the proverbial “casting couch”. Politician underworld nexus.

Tales that elicit collective disbelief and gasps… A peep hole that shows us how dirty indeed is life. While we are left with a bad taste in the mouth the selfless journalists who did it all to merely bring the true state of affairs to the aam junta is laughing all the way to the bank.

What has our world been reduced to? Do any of these journalists act according to what their profession once stood for, namely honor and integrity?

For the sake of high TRPs are we barging right into the lives of the rich and famous…? Are we intruding into the breathing spaces? Ok! You, some gung-ho journalist do not believe in horoscopes and other superstitious crap. That is your private wish. If I believe it does it harm you? No? You respect my opinion of what I choose to believe and what I choose to ignore, right? Then why does that same right hold true for Aishwarya Rai or the Bachans. Must you do a full length documentary on how silly it is for her to agree to do a grahashanti pooja?

Then there was nude MMS of Mallika Sherawat doing rounds. In both print and electronic media, not to forget individuals who were furiously forwarding the dope through SMSes. Ultimately turned out to be a cleverly computerized hoax. Poor babe! Already over-exposed and under-covered, did she really need this one? On a serious note though, does any of those journalist verify the authenticity of the shots taken? Or are the ethical issues washed over the slezometers?

My journalist friends must be cringing at every word here. “How dare you abuse our honorable intentions? We do it for public awareness? With selfless intentions. And you accuse us no end?” Yeah right! Public awareness indeed. For the sake of justice indeed. How many of the catchy headlines has the media pursued till the end? How many of the journos have strived with the not-so-hot anymore news? Why is Aman Varma still such a big star? Why is Shakti Kapoor moving around as if nothing ever happened? What happened to all those army officers implicated in the arms dealings?

Does the common man need the info which is loaded on him? Was Shaheed Kareena smooch actually of any relevance to any of us?
Stories that lack sense, shows people in bad taste and creates spiteful scenes causes undue loss of faith and credibility on the journalists. Serious viewers are skeptical about tuning into news channels. Sleaze, unwanted re-runs on stories of little relevance tend to put them off.

What is it the media is trying to gain with the sting journalism? What is it that it is losing in the process? Is the trade-off worth it?

Ethics? This is the mad mad ad world!

Ram Sir had once remarked, ”If you are the kinds who surfs channels endlessly just to catch a glimpse of your favorite ad then MBA Marketing should be a natural choice for you.”

As an ad-lover I have indeed browsed channels many a times missing AB Baby flicks too. Just to be able to catch that cute Nescafe ad or that “Kuch khaas hai zindagi mein” musical. “A cup of black coffee please…” would have me in splits while the Hutch puppy is my favorite example of people should not behave in love.

But what’s with the ads these days? I mean where is the credibility of big firms gone? Where has that creativity gone? Ads that make you pause think and then search for the ad again are so rare these days.

What is not so rare is irresponsible and utterly juvenile attempts of promoting the products.

What does a dame in red lingerie have to do with a bike? What is common to a nude woman a cuppa coffee? Why does a salesman riding a bike need to demonstrate gravity (and traffic rules) defying stunts? How relevant is the nudity, violence and action to the product the ad is selling?

Big names in the corporate world these days pool in bigger celebrities to endorse their products. The reason: Each celebrity had a degree of credibility to his/her name. An Aishwarya Rai endorsing Lux/Lakme product promises many a young woman of beauty that is comparable to her own. An Amitabh Bachan, a legendary Indian no doubt, makes a worthy brand ambassador for India Poised. But why does a Shah Rukh Khan or a Smriti Irani need to endorse their respective Cola brands irrespective of available proofs of their adulterated products? And how else do you explain the change of loyalties of many a cricket stars from the cricket grounds to the photo shoots?

Then there in the anathema of surrogate advertising… Products that are banned from being marketed in the written and print media are being cloaked under different guises and being sold to the public. Who associates the Haywards brand with mineral water? Does Seagram remind to of music hits EVER…

The growing “friendly” jabs at rival companies also tend to present the corporate tolerance in pretty bad light. SPRITE and PEPSI ads while tad amusing for a first time view, tends to look childish, boorish and almost spiteful at times. What is the excuse the companies have to offer for such bad ads? With crores and crores of rupees being poured in this field every year, why is a corresponding change not visible in the quality of ads that are being churned out?

What is it that we, the common people, the viewers, the ad lovers can do about it?

Here I am...

Ordinarily the page would have had close to ten new articles by now... Reason: No more work in project these days. But funnily this state of affairs has induced an unspeakable bout of laziness in me. No matter how long I sleep I long to sleep some more… But then enough is enough… Need to get some discipline back in life, right? I am signing off with a promise that I am working on a few drafts that will get in some kind of shape sometime soon. So keep checking out of me people!