sab faaltu hai..

This post will be a scrap book kind of attempt. I will scribble all the little thoughts that are flooding my mind right now. All crap at one place.
No Gyan...

Rakhi Sawant rocks man... Big Boss is again interesting thanks to her (dumbass) beauty. She is a perfect entertainer. Initially I used to think that she sucks (but they never showed that). Now I am a fan of her persona.

Yesterday I got these really beautiful gifts - a budhist bell, a prayer flag and a pendant. really cool stuff from sikkim. Thanks Deeps for that. It really is so precious for me. If you want to see the pendant, its already in place. Rest will be in my cubicle once I am back from home.

will keep adding here as they come in my mind...

Bangla Bandh

Mamta Aunty is on a hunger strike. Please don’t disturb her, and let us see this time how long can she continue it. Then only she will realize the hunger that umpteen numbers of families suffer because of Bandh called by her.

Nandi Hills - clouds and beyond

Nandi Hills is not a hill station. In one sense it is no better than Chamundi Hills in Mysore - a temple on a small hillock surrounded by lush green jungles. You can trek up the Ghat to make it more interesting. Though I doubt anybody does that. Other option is to do a long walk in the jungle and surrounding garden here, once you are on top. Monkeys welcome you anywhere you go; they are not dangerous though.

Once you are here, its all up to your imagination and enthusiasm. You can spend time exploring the jungles here, or can just sit with your loved ones in some dark corner of the garden (you find so many of these kind here :) ). Families flock this place to worship in the temple. We had an altogether different mission. We were here just to chill out for some time.

So after a small snacks break (as usual, the shops sell food stuff and drinks at astronomically high prise), we headed straight to the cliff side. In the back of temple is the large rocky plane from where you can get a very good view in all directions. Sun was mostly playing hide n seek with clouds. We stretched our body and then adjusted ourselves in minimum energy state. Just a small nape, some fundes from RD, some gyan from C and then some more tp with camera.

RD had to reach home for lunch so we had to leave early. Return journey was not so dramatic. Only interesting thing we saw on the way back was one cyclist doing a trip up the hill. I am sure he was planning to reach the top on his cycle. From his attire he looked a professional. Hats off the enthu soul in him.

We reached home by 2, full tired of the journey. Hungry and thirsty. A good lunch followed by long sleep. Our Sunday was made.

Nandi Hills - the dio saga

Soon the bikes (yes, mine Honda Dio too!!) were roaring on desrted roads. These early hours only mad soules like us wander on the roads. We started from Jaynagar and we had to hit NH7 somewhere. V suggested one smooth and direct way, but we know it’s better to exhaust all the other options before following him. When it comes to directions, V and A are the last man standings. Then RD came up with his route. Knowing that he has roamed half of Bangalore all his life with so many of his girl-friends, we decided to follow him. He started his usual way and was soon out of sight. So A on poor Honda Dio and me & R on his bike were left wandering on roads of Bangalore. Few calls, some shouting and we all were back in sync.

Fuel tanks were replenished for the journey and all gears throttled for the race of the Day. A was tired and sleepy so I took over the control of Dio. So goes my ultimate tryst with my first long ride that too on a Honda Dio. This bike (yes it is a bike!!) is very good for city traffic but I had never tested it for long drives and today was the stress testing. 60km ride, on a chilly winter morning, tp add tp it a 7km Ghat section. I gave full thrust on the accelerator and the bike started roaring (sound and speed both roaring). It crossed 60 kmph, then 65 and finally 70 kmph mark. That’s it? I gave some more accelerator, that’s when I realized that I had reached the limit, Dio reached maximum of 80 kmph. Bloody why do they drive a speedometer with marking up to 110 when it cant even reach 85 kmph!!!

Anyways, so we were zooming on the road. NH7 is very well built and has really long crossing free stretches for a good riding experience. On the way, there is some construction work going on in patches so sometimes you need to slow down. Else its just one zooming experience. By this time RD had slowed down and now we were three bikes in last place. V with C on fazer had vanished somewhere.

We somehow missed the left turn for Nandi Hill and kept riding on NH7 only. Only when we reached next village that we realized about this mistake. Anyways, we entered the village, asked for the direction and were guided properly. So now we seeing Nandi Hill in our sight still we are going away from it. The view from the way was awesome. There were clouds covering the peaks and it looked like a umbrella covering. Greenery everywhere and this prompted me to switch back to pillion mode. Poor A was again on Dio, that too for the toughest stretch of the trip. I took my camera and started shooting continuously. And here V and C crossed us. Even they had missed the crossing and were lost for a while.

Now we all were in sync and were gearing up for the Ghat Section. I had my doubts about Dio’s ability to take this challenge. Still we continued. The Ghat section is very beautiful. You actually start from a different hill and then cross the path and reach Nandi Hill. The clouds on the hill side result in sudden decrease in temperature and we all were shivering. Camera flash was continuously burning and that was a point of satisfaction for me.

Dio was crawling at all the turns. A said he was riding at slow speed coz he wanted to enjoy each and every turn. Our concern was to reach the top at the earliest before Dio breaks down.
But it didn’t break down. It covered all of 36 turns and reached the top easily. We parked the vehicles and stretched our body. For more than one and half hours we were riding.
Now we had reached the destination and only thing left was to explore it.

continued...

Photos have been uploaded at my flickr page. You can check them here.

Nandi Hills - first few minutes

Trinnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Trinnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Its 5:30 am… I must be crazy to put an alarm for this hour. Yes I am crazy only. We are all crazy. We plan to brave chilled winds in this hour of day (or actually night) in December. Bangalore is dead chilling these days.

Lets go back some hours back:

Time 11:30 pm, the previous night
P: Oye, to kal subah chal rahe hai naa [still skeptical if everyone is just pulling his leg]
C: [grrrrr..] tum saale pagal ho gaye ho, I am not coming anywhere. Mujhe sona hai aaram se.
V: Mein nahi aa raha hoon, I have got class in morning.
Eveyrone:[in chorus] Saala, hamesha yahi bahana !!! Tu chal raha hai.. kal koi class vlass nahi..
RD: [in his typical style] guys, lets leave early morning, I have to be back home in morning itself. Ek kaam karte hain, we leave in dark and try to see the sun rise from the cliff.
Everyone: [Not so surprised to heal him say this plan] Ok yea, it looks very good . Par itni jaldi, pagal ho gaya hai, it’s a Sunday. [this is the main point they all want to raise. they all know after being in IIMA for more than a year, RD has been used to insomnia]
P: [in low voice] Oye, to kal kitne baje nikal rahe hain [again skeptical if everyone is just pulling his leg]
cycle continues
Blah blah blah… its 1:30 am in morning and finally we all agreed to leave home at 6 am. Time for some sleep. V is not in mood to sleep though, C and P are already in their bed.

Coming back in time (5:30 am the present day):
I put the alarm to snooze and wake C, then RD and rest.

Everyone: yaar, I will just take five minuets to get ready, wake me up when everyone is ready.
P: [in his usual style] saalon mujhe paani ke use ke liye majboor mat karo…
RD: [with his eyes still closed] yaar I just have to brush, will take two minutes only.
A: [still in his bed] I am ready.
V: Five minutes more... [P pulls the blanket now] V is wide awake in seconds...

One by one everyone gets up, and gets ready.
Mr S also gets up and makes piping hot tea for a really good start of the day.
So everyone drinks the tea and hits the road.
V, R and RD with their bike, and P with his Honda automatic.

Its still very dark and chilly.
But we are on the road.

Continued…

Photos are uploaded on my flickr album. You can check them here.

802.1D joke

STP says "I don't give you a damn if you are not better than me. So just f$#@ the shut up and listen to what I say, when you think I am better."

"A hundred thousand lemmings can't be wrong!" - Graffito

ego vs self-respect

What defines the boundary between ego and self-respect?
..............

Calvin says "I don't need to compromise my principles, because they don't have the slightest bearing on what happens to me anyway."

defaced idols and scarred inspirations

How does it feel when the person who inspires you the most, the person who is your idol, the person whom you look up to in every moment of need, fails you?

wrong number

Act 1:
Time: 11:00 pm, 9th Dec 2006
From: +9199001XXXXX
To: +9199860XXXXX
I love u 2 bache. miss you. sweet dreams. honey dream about us on a bed.

Time: 11:30 pm, 9th Dec 2006
From: +9199860XXXXX
To: +9199001XXXXX
who is this?

Time: 2:30 am, 10th Dec 2006
From: +9199001XXXXX
To: +9199860XXXXX
Hey Sorry, i mistakenly sent that message to you. I am really sorry for it.

Time: 6:00 am, 10th Dec 2006
From: +9199860XXXXX
To: +9199001XXXXX
No issues. it was a very sweet message, and i just wanted to inform you so that it reached the right person also. have a super cool time.


ACT 2:
Time: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 16:09:05 -0500
From: "FREE LOTTO PROMO"
To: the_xxxxxxx@yahoo.co.in
Subject: 414-3721060

"We are informing you of the result of the Lottery programs held
on the 14th of November 2006 as part of our promotional programmes for
the year 2006. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number
77007742781005-18721 with reference number 414-3721060 drew winning numbers
7-00-71-00-66-49 and credited to batch number 121cfc, which consequently won
in the 1st category via our electronic ticket as stated above.You have
therefore been approved for a pay out of 1,800,000.00. For more
details,contact our fiduciary agent:Name:Simon Lee
Email:agentleeofflpiinfo@yahoo.co.uk
Matilda Jones."

For you, a thousand time over...

I saw we had ended up on a ruttled road near Isteqlal Middle School. There was a field on one side where lettuce grew in the summer, and a row of sour cherry trees on the other. I found Hassan sitting cross-legged at the foot of one of the trees, eating from a fistful of dried mulberries.
"What are we doing here?" I panted, my stomach rolling with nausea.
He smiled. "Sit with me, Amir agha."
I dropped next to him, lay on a thin patch of snow, wheezing. "You're wasting your time. It was going the other way, didn't you see?"
Hassan popped a mulberry in his mouth. "It's coming," he said. I could hardly breathe and he didn't even sound tired.
"How do you know?" I said.
"I know."
"How can you know?"
He turned to me. A few sweat beads rolled from his bald scalp "Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha?"
Suddenly, I decided to toy with him a little. "I don't know. Would you?"
"I'd sooner eat dirt," he said with a look of indignation.
"Really? You'd do that?"
He threw me a puzzled look. "Do what?"
"Eat dirt if I told you to," I said. I knew I was being cruel, like when I'd taunt him if he didn't know some big word. But there was something fascinating - albeit in a sick way - about teasing Hassan. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass.
His eyes searched my face for a long time. We sat there, two boys under a sour cherry tree, suddenly looking, really looking, at each other. Ther's when it happened again: Hassan's face changed. Maybe not changed, not really, but suddenly I had a feeling I was looking at two faces, the one I knew, the one that was my first memory, and another, a second face, this one lurking just beneath the surface. I'd seen it happen before - it always shook me up a little. It just appeared, this other face, for a fraction of a moment, long enough to leave me with a unsettling feeling that maybe I'd seen it someplace before. Then Hassan blinked and it was just him again. Just Hassan.

-Excerpt from The Kite Runner.

the kite runner

I am reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini these days. Till now, it has been a very interesting reading. I surely recommande it. Specially if you are an avid reader who likes to read fiction with a historical or cultural background, you would surely cherish this work.

Another book I am looking forward to read is The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. This Man Booker winner for year 2006 has got some real rave reviews from critics around the world. Till now, my experience with Booker nominated authors and books has been very good, so I am very excited about it.

saturation point

I have been negatively charged for a long time. The glooming face of failures, which I have been trying to fight with, is smiling over me again and again. It has been trying to rent a room in my life for a long time. The warrior in me has been trying to hold my forte against all odds. But success is as elusive as mirage. Hallucinations and reality have become inseparable pals. Bravery and foolishness goes hand in hand many a times. And I have seen many of those moments off late.

My past is not leaving me; future does not seem welcoming either. Present is where I want to live. I desperately want a proton of success, a positive hope of change.

ps: Another attempt to write abstract.

D.C.T.P.

DCTP - an abbreviation for Digital Camera Time Pass. This term was coined in pre-final year of Engineering by our own Vishal Tripathi. It was the favorite pastime for all the vella soon-to-become-engineers in his circle.

And I could not escape from this addiction. So the day I bought my camera, latest Nikon Coolpix S4, I started on my journey of DCTP. Luckily I got a good break in terms of Sapta's company in nascent days of my photography. He showed me the enthusiasm required for photography. Mind you, he did it with his sheer passion, while for me it was just an extension of DCTP. The experience from my Gokarna Trip was soul enriching.

My trip back home followed it. I wanted to shoot Narmada for hours but to my luck it rained continuously and I did not get any time to shoot at Narmada Ghat. Still I clicked over 600 odd photos and collected an amazing collection. Some of them are ready for print and should be a good surprise for anyone to see.

Back from home, I got too absorbed in life. Life became standstill for sometime, while at others it was too fast for me to catch up with. Somehow my camera gave me company in many of those lonely moments. Now I was searching for much more than mere DCTP. I want to explore the world from behind the lens. Just be a silent spectator and view world through my camera.

Day after day I would look forward for time and places where I can use my camera. Pune trip, then 'historic' morning walk in Lalbag, Parasailing - some of the best moments I captured with my camera. The silence of nature teaches me more than anything else. Life is entrapped in each and every pixel and I want to capture them all.

I am looking for many more such small trips in and around Bangalore for using my camera. Anyone interested can contact me at the_pritesh@yahoo.co.in or leave a comment here.

120 seconds at 250*sin 60˚ - ∞ fun

Title shows one line which can describe the first parasailing experience of my life. A lot of speculations, wavering minds and ever-changing plans finally did end up in us seeing the world from 200 odd feet in air.

The story dates back to Sunday 26th November when I saw an entry on Anurag Jain’s blog about a parasailing event around Bangalore. Immediately I made up my mind that I was going for it. I floated the idea in my office and friends circle, but somehow no concrete plans could be made till Saturday. Saturday evening, after lots of maskafying, Ravi relented and agreed to go for it this Sunday. It looked very late to plan as we were supposed to inform the organizers and then go. So with lots of hopes (or actually none of it) I mailed to the organizers Care India on Saturday night 8pm or so. And I forgot about it.

Next morning I and Joyesh were on the historic walk in Lalbag (historic coz it was the first time I went for a walk there, though I have been living close to Lalbag for more than a year now). And I got a call. It was from Care India. They said I could come there on Sunday and it was possible for us to parasail that day. I got so excited, I called Ravi (actually woke him from his sleep) and told him to get ready. We completed our walk and then rushed back to home. As soon as I reached home, I woke up Arpit and Chandu also. And they both agreed to join us for the trip. Soon we had one more person in our gang, Saurabh (arre I meant Modh, our long int). So it was five of us ready to try our luck. I called the organizer and fixed up the plan. We left from home around 11 am and then rode through the busiest of Bangalore roads.

With some difficulties, we finally reached the parasailing ground. It’s a barren land, close to Hoskote village. The excitement of parasailing made us sail through Bangalore traffic without any pain.
As expected there were lots of people there trying their hand on parasailing. We had to wait for more than 1 hour for our turn. Luckily the sun was not angry with us and thus we survived in the open field. The place is a barren land with nothing around it in any known direction. No food, no drink, luckily cell phone does work here. Else you would feel as if you were in some pre-historian place.

Your turn comes, you fill some undertaking later and then you are all set for preparation.
The safety arrangements are done properly. They check all the hooks before the flight and then only give a go ahead. I didn’t see any first aid kit though. So after all the security check, you get ready for the take off. The parachute is tied to your belt, and then it is opened. With the speedy wind flowing through the field, you start feeling the pressure. The vehicle is not yet started. Very soon, you are all ready for the launch. The vehicle starts and you are instantly in air. Within few seconds you are at the height of 200 odd feet. From there the view is superb. You are so securely tied to the parachute that you can free your hands without any fear. Enjoy there for some moments and then its time to come back to earth. The span of flight is too short and should be more. But the organizers say that with the fast wind conditions it’s not safe. How does it actually affect, I could not understand.

So within a minute you are on your landing journey. Landing can be bit painful. If you are not careful, your leg might get a jerk. Though, it does not hurt. I fell down actually after the landing. The guys there supported me to get up and then untied the parachute. Then I boarded the gypsy and started on the victory march. My two minutes of excitement were coming to an end. I was back to normal human being. My wings were dismantled.
We paid the organizer and thanked him for the wonderful experience.
And then we headed back to home sweet home.
With lots of memories in our heart and in our cameras.

The group is organizing one more round of parasailing on next weekend. If you are interested you can contact them through their website http://www.careindia.in/

More photos from the trip shared at:

• http://prits-eyes.blogspot.com/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/38765580@N00/

it smelled like the first date...

I always doubted my ability to remember certain things. Two of them I can surely discuss here:

1. What dress someone wore on a particular day? I certainly can not remember what someone wore on any day. I don’t even remember what I wore two days back. Only after smelling a shirt can I confirm if it was used recently or not.
2. What was special about some day? Be it a meeting or a date. I somehow can not remember anything. I just live that day and then kind of forget most of it. Too bad for me.
   

But yesterday I realized that it is not totally truth. I do have certain memory cells working on this aspect of past.

Yesterday I identified a smell, a fragrance. I recalled it from my memories. It dated back to almost a year back. It was the smell which I cherished on my first date. I certainly remember it. I lived with it yesterday. I slept with it last night. I know I loved this smell, and the person who wore it. I did love it.
I am happy about myself today.

NO TITLE

I have got the honor to work for three companies in a short span of 16 months.
Interestingly all three had very creative logos.
So sharing them here.

Finding PEACE

Sometimes life becomes too simple. Today, simplicity is something we find difficult to adjust with. With so much sophistication in life, we have forgotten the simple rule of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Whatever happens, we try to find the deeper meaning of it, ignoring the brazenly obvious and simple truth. Everything doesn’t need to be complicated. It does not mean to have a complex meaning. Some things are just too pure and simple. And we need to accept them they way they are. Our quest to conquer the uncharted territories, sometimes results in we getting lost. We land up nowhere. For some that is death of the traveler.
Finding peace amongst all this is a challenge.
Face the blatant truth PritS.

Some things you have lost;
some things were not meant for you.
But there are many other which are waiting for you, with stretched arms.

Let life be simple.
Live it to the fullest.

Panchgani - a dream

I have some of my best memories associated with Panchgani. Almost three years back I visited this place with my friends for some Rotaract Convention. It was a superb time spent there. Each and every moment from that trip is engraved in my memories. To relive those moments, I visited Panchgani again this weekend. Group was different but the spirits were the same.

We booked a Cab in Pune for the same. Panchgani is at a distance of 110 km from Pune. The drive is through some of the most beautiful regions of the Western Ghats. Road connecting Pune to Panchgani is no less than an expressway. The drive is refreshing and within no time you are in Panchgani.

On the way, just before Panchgani, comes village Vai. This village became popular with Shahrukh shooting his Swades here. Later many more Hindi films where shoot here.
Come Panchgani and you enter a new world. The Western Ghats have altogether different feel from Southern Ghats. This is area of dense forests and strawberries. You won’t see any pine or eucalyptus tree here.

Panchgani got its name from 'Panch Gadi' which basically means 'five hills'. All these hills are almost at the same height and surprisingly flat. One of them, which is also called Table Top point, is supposed to be the second biggest such flat hill, just next to Tibet.

Just before entering Panchgani, you reach the first hill where now exist a tourist point called Harrison Folly. It’s a large flat land from where you can have a view of rest of Panchgani, Vai and some other small villages. Close to this is the famous water tank of Swades (using which Mohan produces electricity. It still has that much mud) Very pleasant breeze makes this place a refreshing experience. There are no shops and hassle of other tourist spots. So you can just come here, lie down on the green grass, enjoy the birds and winds. When we were here, it rained a bit. And that made it more enjoyable. View from here for sunset/sunset should be very good. Alas we could not wait for that.

As you enter the town of Panchgani, you will see many schools. This place like Doon and Shimla is famous for its schools. Today it boasts of 36 odd schools, though only 5-6 are of good standards. There are many holiday resorts and good hotels in this town. As it is only 18 km from Mahabaleshwar, tourists prefer to stay here. It is cheaper place compared to Mahabaleshwar.

Next comes Sydney point. This is another point to have a good view of all the hills. Supposedly some Mr. Sydney used to come here to relax. On the top of a small hillock a beautiful garden is built. From here you can get a beautiful view of river Krishna. From here Mahabaleshwar is also visible. Some of the hills there look really amazing from here.

Enter Panchgani town and you can enjoy some of the best food you will get in this region. With so many tourists coming here throughout the year, there are many restaurants and eateries in this small town. I recommend Mix N Munch. The methi paratha there is out of this world. I never had so tasty methi paratha anywhere else. Rest of the parathas and pav bhaji is also very good. They serve gujrati thali also, though we could not have it.

Table Top point is one big ground on the top of a hill. My first impression after coming to this place was that we can build at least four football grounds here. Who will be able to play at this height, is another question. This is one famous tourist spot and it becomes apparent from numerous shops around this place. As you approach this place, you will see a platoon of guides coming to you and offer their services. Here you can enjoy Horse riding and Tonga. My suggestion, enjoy horse riding and tonga but don’t be fooled by guides. There is nothing interesting that they will tell you. So just explore the place on your own. You will have to walk a bit, but trust me; this walk is not at all tiring. There is a beautiful cave here. Who made it and what was the purpose, I don’t know. But its simply amazing. There is a smalltime restaurant here and they have made it very beautiful with stylish tables and interiors. Sometimes I wonder that they have screwed up the natural beauty but then I think of the beauty they have provided to this place. Really cool place to spend some time and have a nice hot tea.
Forgot to mention, you can have a really good walk from town to table top point.

Last famous tourist point in Panchgani is Parsi point. Again, I don’t have any clue about the origin of its name. From here you can get another view of the hilly terrain. Harrison Folly is visible from here so are some of the hills from Mahabaleshwar. There is beautiful garden, plus some small shops selling corn and cold drinks. For kids there are many small rides and slides. They will enjoy this place. Again, you can walk back from here to town. Evening this walk becomes very pleasant with darkness and silence surrounding you.

These are most common and famous tourist points in Panchgani. But actually like any other hill station, Panchgani is much more than this. You just have to put on your walking shoes and start walking in any direction. You will reach some beautiful place. Its peaceful everywhere. So its upto you to see how much time you want to spend here.

How to reach here: Panchgani is around 110 km from Pune. From pune you can take buses available at regular interval. You may also ride from Pune, the Ghats are safe. If you are trekking/ walking type then you can reach this place by bus and then explore it on feet. Else take a cab from Pune.
Where to stay: There are many small and big hotels. You may also stay in Vai and then drive to Panchgani. Its not a very expensive place, and you can spend as much as you want.

What is the best time to visit: December to Feb is winter time with lots of strawberries in offering. Even the rainy season should attract the adventures tourists. You can come here any time of year.

I shall upload photos soon here. For now you can enjoy them at my flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pritesh/

Pune a city awakening

Two days in Pune, and I could not clear my doubt. Is Pune on its way to become another Bangalore, or is it actually the other way i.e. Bangalore is an expanded version of Pune. Whichever way, these two cities have many things in common, most obvious being the IT sector and students.

Pune, as a city, looks very active and fast running. Owing to its strategic location and large numbers of educational institutions it is flooded by students. These students enforce many a changes in the way this city lives. Most hot and happening roads like FC Road, JM Road and even SB road are centers of activity for the youth. Think of any kind of restaurant or shopping place, and it is here. You don’t need to go far. And these places are always lively and warm thanks to the even increasing student population of the city.

Pune used to be traditional Marathi center some years back. But with IT wave gripping its business scene and inflow of job and quick money has changed everything. It is becoming a metro with people from every part of India making it their home. Local people have welcomed these outsiders to a very large extent. Though, they still continue to live their own way. Everything is marathisized. Where else can you see “PIZZA CORNER” written in Hindi and Marathi way? It’s not a distant dream when you will get kadi-patta in McD’s burgers. Anyways language is one thing which has kept this place bonded, so let it be the way it is.

Roads in Pune are much better than Bangalore. The city is going through radical construction work with lots of flyovers and new roads in offering in next couple of years. Old city is congested with its narrow roads. This problem is visible in every Indian city. Pune is no special case. Roads out of Pune are simply superb. Expressways with massive flyover constructions and some magnificent tunnels make it an unforgettable experience to drive out of Pune. City traffic is very bad; people have absolutely no road sense. They don’t care about signals and any other traffic rules. Honking is their favorite activity while riding or driving. They need to learn a lot in civic sense.

Pune has advantage of superb location. Its closeness to Mumbai makes it a good business center. There are so many weekend gateways: Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Khandala, Matheran, Alibag, Macher – the list goes on. Have time and enthusiasm? Come to Pune and enjoy.

Panchgani/Mahabaleshwar

I am back.
Here is a glimps of my last few days.
Will update soon about it.

OOO

Looks like I got the break I was looking for.
I am going out of town.
I will be back on Sunday.
So till then...
ENJOY.

I want a break

I want a break.
A break from the monotonous life.
A break from the hustle of Bangalore.
A break from the drudgery of work.
A break from everything.

I want to walk.
I want to talk to nature.
I want to feel its warmth.
I want to touch the skies.
I want to conquer the mountains.
I want to listen to nature's silence.
I want to sing along with it.
I want to take a deep breath and forget everything else.
I want to live for sometime.

I want a break.
From myself, for myself.

don't touch me

I am feeling disgusted with myself.
I could not keep up with my own values and principles.
I am feeling like a loser, a loser who lost to himself.

I bribed an office today.
Dont ask me anything.
I know I did it wrong but I could not do anything else.
And I hate myself for it.

random scribbling

I don’t want to grow up.
I want to become a kid again.
I want my life back.
Life,
When my innocence was never questioned.
When my ignorance was never punished.
When my pain was not always only mine.
When my happiness was not always mine.
When I used to fail, and learn from it.
When my world was small, and I ruled it
When I used to dream,
Dream to grow up, not realizing what being grownup means.
When I used to live my life one moment at time.
When I was I and not someone else’s alter ego.
When I was I.
I want that ‘I’ back.
I want to be myself again.
I want to live for myself again.
I want to become a kid again.

-Pritesh

Miles Beyond

Tired and tense in life?
Try Miles Beyond by Suzzane Teng.
Melodious mesmerizing Flute with soft percussion.
It is very soothing to mind.

If you cannot download it, try the stream available at http://magnatune.com/artists/teng.
I recommande.

-Pritesh

i can fly

I used to think that I could not go on
And life was nothing but an awful song
But now I know the meaning of true love
I'm leaning on the everlasting arms
If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar I see me running
through that open door
I believe I can fly I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me,
Oh if I can see it, then I can be it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar I see me running
through that open door
I believe I can fly I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

Hey, cuz I believe in me, oh
If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar, I see me running
through that open door

I believe I can fly I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
Hey, if I just spread my wings
I can fly I can fly I can fly, hey
If I just spread my wings

I can Fly-eye-eye...

-R Kelly

PritS Dreams

PritS dreams

Too many dreams...
Increasing expectations...
Raising hopes...

Very little time...
Time is flying just like that...
I have to catch it somehow...

One life.
Live it.

CAT fever continued

Could not help sharing it. Dedicated to all my friends who are preparing for CAT. This problem was discussed in a high level meeting of one big MNC company.
Enjoy

PROBLEM:
Opaque Technologies acquired Streampebble in April 2006. At the end of financial year Opaque offers bonus to all its employees based on certain rules. The target for any employee is calculated on his gross salary and is limited to 12%. The gross salary for any employee comes out to be 29% of annual CTC. Now its December time and opaque is planning to distribute the bonus. Following are some of the related facts and conditions:

1. As opaque is already in a acquisition deal with Aclalet, as per the deal agreement it can give only 35% of bonus to its employees.
2. As Streampebble did not contribute much to the revenue generation in last financial year, its employee will get only 85% of its estimated bonus money.
3. As Streampebble was acquired in April, the bonus will be prorated for the duration for which its employees were part of Opaque.
4. The financial year for Opaque is Oct –September.
5. As from December 2006, Opaque Aclalet merger will be complete, opaque has decided to give its entire employees bonus for first quarter of 2007 financial year in advance. As opaque has faired well in business in this quarter, it is not withholding any money. Also Aclalet deal also permits this bonus to full extent.
6. For an employee, the bonus has two parts: 75% based on his individual performance, while rest 25% based on company performance. Opaque tells that it has performed well in this year, so the 25% share will be given in full.
7. Government of Industan takes 30% tax on any bonus money.

For any employee of (former) Streampebble what will be the bonus in hand if his CTC is 1 Lac PA?

Cracking CAT for Dummis

It was a boring afternoon. With lots of hope, I switched on the idiot box (read TV). I surfed through all the channels, and to my surprise none of them was playing Himesh Reshmiya song. Thank God!!! At last they have decided to show some mercy on us. Or is it the silence before the storm? Don’t forget that He is coming in a movie now. Forget him, why should I waste my time talking about him.

So I was surfing through all the channels, and guess what I found. Atleast two of them were showing program on “how to crack CAT?”. Considering the fact that CAT 2006 is round the corner, programs talking about CAT should not be a big surprise. But “how to crack CAT” !!!
Various experts and former IIM students talk about various Do and Don’ts about preparing for CAT in these programs.

For God sake, someone please tell these so called intelligent people that:

1. CAT is not some three months away; it’s happening just the next Sunday. Time for preparation is already over. Now it's time for revision. I guess the producers for these programs are very optimistic people. They must have hopes that some of the aspirants must have lost all their hopes by now and would be planning to prepare for CAT 2007. These program look catering to these lot.
   
2. Most of the “serious” aspirants would be hardly watching TV these days. Its only jobless people like me who are watching their show.

I missed most of the show. I was cursing myself for switching on the TV so late. If I had seen the whole show I would have known the success formulae for cracking CAT and then I would have surely got the change to say FO to my company.
But alas…
I missed it…
One last thought…why did they not call their show…
“Saat din… CAT in…”

Surprise !!!

Finally I am working.
Working??? Bole to working.
Really…
Arre bola naa…
Ekdum such. Arre tere sir ki kasam…
Abhi jyada shyana mat ban and meri bat maan…
I AM WORKING.
Big Boss aaj kitna khush hoga.
hiihii... haahaa... huuhuu...

Pakka is Monday ke pahle kisine east and west ki direction badal di hogi.

Anyways.
As I am working, you won’t see many updates at this place.
Sorry for inconvenience.
Will be back soon.

I’ll be BAK.

Moods

No... This is not an ad for condom.
This is basically an idea about what I am going through these days.
Rest is very well understood from the picture.

Picture is taken from flickr.com

Obsession

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

mujhe stylish cinema pasand hai

As a director, Farhan Akhtar has very strong inclination towards grandeur cinema. His movies are not like Karan Johar’s candyfloss stories. Neither do they belong to Yash Chopra’s NRI dreams sagas. He has a linking for stylish cinema, which has resulted in classing like Dil Chahta Hai and then not so bad patriotic flick Lakshya.

His Don cannot be called a remake of the BigB starrer blockbuster Don, but it’s a great effort nonetheless. You might want to call it his interpretation of Don or may be a tribute to Don, like the way RGV is making Sholay.

Shahrukh has always dreamed of becoming like a god, and if not god then at least godfather. Don is one role he would have been eying since the day movie was announced. Surely he is no match to BigB for character of Don (or even Vijay, alas we cannot separate them), but still he is stylish. That makes it easy for him to gel with the theme. Vijay in new don, especially when he is India, does not suit to Shahrukh and this is one place where he disappointed. When Farhan was doing so many changes in the script, he should have found a better way of introducing Vijay. Leave everything aside, Shahrukh is the Don.

Farhan has an obsession with high speed. His shots of moving cars and helicopters are best of the lot. He has mastery over the height also. Lakshya and now last few scenes of Don prove his excellence on the use of camera for such sequences. The scenes are simply superb.

I don’t want to comment about Priyanaka Chopra as Roma, but Kareena as Kamini is the worst choice you can ever make. That fat baby elephant does not have any sex appeal. How can she ever think of seducing don in that song? Her facial expressions were no where close to what they should have been. There is absolutely no oomph in her expressions. She was more of a turnoff than a turn on.

I should say Don is a watchable movie. Just go there with a free mind with no prejudice. BigB’s Don was a classic and nobody can create it again. This one is good cinema.
One more thing, don’t lose your patience if you find film boring in first half. It’s the second half the movie which will make it paisa vasool.

clap clap clap

Stand up, join your hands and start clapping. He deserves much more this.
Still for now...
clap clap clap...

He has done it.
check this out: my plough my land

suvarna karnataka

Once there was an international contest for police.
All the participating teams were asked to gather near one forest place. They were assigned with similar tasks. Each team had to go to the jungle and catch one lion and bring it within a given amount of time. One by one each team went to jungle and tried their best to catch the lion.
When Indian team's turn came, everyone was very optimistic. The Indian team entered the jungle. Time passed but there was no news from them. So a search party goes to find them. They finally find the Indian team. Guess what the Indian team was doing for so long in jungle?
They had captured a cat and were trying to teach her to roar like a lion, “Bol tu sher hai.”

We are really good at this.

sinking ship and its captain

“People admire ships that go down with all the flags flying, and the captain on the deck,” I read it somewhere today.
What is first thought that comes to mind when you read this line? Let me share what some of my friends answered when I asked them about it.

Many of them recalled scene from Titanic. Of course, ship and sinking make it very obvious. One recalled Amitabh from Kaala Paththar. I have not seen that movie, but again that one is more close to sinking and captain. They are going by the literal meaning.

One guy recalled many things: Robinson Crusoe, Master and Commander - the movie, Life of pie – the book, "Oh captain, my captain" by Walt Whitman, The perfect storm - the movie and book. Very interesting indeed. I don’t know about most of these movies or books, so for now I cannot understand his view.

What I thought was totally different from all others. I recalled scene from Sarkar. Where Rasheed is killed. Shankar comes on the boat, gets him all tied with chains; a big stone attached to the chain, and finally the stone is pushed off the boat. Rasheed all this while is seeing in Shankar’s eyes. There is no sign of remorse on his face. He still has all his dignity and pride in his control. He accepts his defeat and just vanishes.

I compared it with Rasheed, the man who has lost everything still he is up there with his head high. We all will vanish one day; only the way we die will be different. Nobody will bother about us after we die. But if we can die with a satisfaction of living a meaningful life and can be proud of our actions, our death can be glorious too. We might be right or wrong in our actions, but we should be truthful to ourselves.

Somehow this is the first and last meaning that came to my mind after reading this line.

Am I reading between the lines?
Or just that I am thinking too much?

the day we met over coffee

Have you seen Saif’s new ad for Lays. I am talking about the one with Rajasthani background. If you are a regular visitor and user of raaga.com then you must have found something familiar there. When I saw that ad for the first time, I got confused. There is similar music in this ad and citibank ad on raaga.com. Did people behind Lays’ ad steal music, that too from raga.com? Or was it the other way? Worst, but most probable, did both these steal it from somewhere else? Very puzzling indeed…

Then I listened to the same tune in my Pandora. Clearly, ad film makers in India have been following interesting music from around the world.
Here is the info about song.

Song: the day we met over coffee
Album: Aquarian Moon
Artist: Osunlade

Listen to the song. It’s simply superb.
I wonder if the ad filmmaker taken necessary permissions to use the tune. Expecting raaga.com to ask for such permissions is too much.

Try Pandora for many more such nice songs, specially if you can not download lot of music. More info about Pandora: pandora
If you want I can share my Pandora stations with you. You need to create an account there and then you can share stations.

how far would you go to save the one you love?

"Mujhe aapse ek mehatvapurna baat kahni hai,” Behroopia tells Zeenat. He is high on alcohol. He knows he needs it, for only alcohol can give him the courage. He has done the mistake of loving Zeenat. Truly, love does not follow any rule. He gathers all his courage and tells Zeenat about his feeling. Zeenat does not say anything then.

Next morning Behroopia apologizes for his behavior the previous night. She goes and hugs him. Nothing is said. He understands, he has got his reward. It was jadoo ki jhappi. It was love. A love that is much more beyond the comprehension of physical world. Some call it emotional relation while many others name it as spiritual. Whatever, but surely it is not earthly. It is Meera’s love for Krishna.

This and many more such touching moments make watching Dor an experience to cherish. Dor is not a candyfloss boasting of higher notions of love. It’s a simple story woven across universal theme of love and relations. All the emotions mixed and matched to such an extent that you cannot separate them.

The story revolves around three characters- Zeenat (Gul Panag), Meera(Ayesha Takia) and Behroopia(Shreyas Talpade). Each character is complete in itself.
Zeenat is an independent self-assured woman who does not fear to go any length to save her man. She has a never say die attitude which makes her go to Rajasthan in search of Meera. She fights against all odds.
Meera on the other hand is a simple and conventional girl. She follows the traditions of his family without any fail. She enjoys life in whatever way it comes to her.
Behroopia is a joker. He is humorous, witty and charming. He has a very big heart and is very loyal friend.

They are not Jai-Verru, or Laila-Majnu kind of character but people around us. People - full of strength and weaknesses. You can be like anyone; sometime you can be like none too.

Gul has looked simply superb as a simple Himachal girl. Aisha has a innocent face and suits for the role of a sweet Rajasthani girl. Shreyas is the icing on the cake. He is impressive with his mimicry. No big star cast but really talented actors are the strength of the movie. It is fast paced narration, strictly guided by the storyline. Background music adds to the theme of the story. Amazing camera work, I envy the troupe that got the chance to stay in Majestic Rajasthan and Beautiful Himachal.

It’s a must watch. Nagesh Kukunoor surely has a recipe for beautiful movie. He has done it again.

Check the website for Dor at www.dorthefilm.com

I got too much life...

Come and hold my hand
I wanna contact the living
Not sure I understand
This role I've been given

I sit and talk to God
And he just laughs at my plans
My head speaks a language
I don't understand...

a thousand words

life as I see it

in my Dad's footsteps

Bhopal - few memories remain

democracy

I shall try to share some of my favorite photos from flickr. Keep checking this place and http://prits-eyes.blogspot.com

Comedy Plays in Bangalore

BIG B (Indlish Comedy)

Nov. 2 & 4 (Thu & Sat), 7.30pm
&
GHALIB IN NEW DELHI (HIndi Comedy)
Nov. 3 & 5 ( Fri& Sun.), 7.30pm

RANGA SHANKARA
36/2, 8th Cross, JP Nagar, Bangalore
Script & Direction: Dr. M. Sayeed Alam
By Pierrot's Troupe, Delhi

About Big B - India's first ever play in broken English, with more than 45 shows to its credit. About two Hindi-speaking brothers. Trying to come to terms with English – with the difference between 'being well' and 'being in well', the difference between 'nighty and 'dark', the difference between 'Gilli danda' and 'Baseball'.

About Ghalib In New Delhi - Witty, hilarious and satirical, wit(h) more than 170 shows to its credit. Its all about Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib taking rebirth in 'New Delhi' in 2006 with his customary beard and moustache. He is instantly recognized, too. Well! As Laden's uncle, Asli Saddam Metro train ka Naya driver and what not. Watch out the transformation of Mirza's "Dehli" into Manmohan's "Delhi" in this contemporarily historic play.

About Pierrot's Troupe: The least pronounceable and the most pronounced troupe
About the Writer-Director: A veteran (of many plays), aged 35
About the Cast: Highly sarcastic.
Tickets Rs 150/-
Available at Ranga Shankara from Oct. 28 (11am to 6 p.m.) and on the show days. Phones: 26494655, 26494656
For Details, tele Booking, Corporate Booking, Bulk Booking and Online booking contact: 9448088247 (Bangalore) 9810255291 (Delhi, 9810460366 (Delhi), 011 26391075 and/or pierrotstroupe@yahoo.com

rural crafts bazaar

[click on the picture for a large view]

-For Bangalore people...

music for the soul

Karunesh, Talvin Singh, Outlandish, Enigma, Tabula Rasa, Steve Roach … the list goes on. These are the faces of new age music. I don’t know if I can classify their work as Fusion or Lounge music. But, certainly, they have created some of the best fusion compilations of the recent times. Be it Buddha Bar series or any of Karunesh’s collection, they have a peculiar feel in them. Sometimes earthen, sometimes rustic while at other times the most contemporary. Their music has influence from every part of life. Karunesh’s melodies are adaptation of Zen philosophy while Outlandish relies on Sufi and Persian symphonies. Indian folk music is also very prominent in work of these people. Punjab by Karunesh is undoubtedly one of the best compilations done by not-so-classical artist. By not-so-classical I mean artist who are not truly classical. These people may not have the knowledge of all the ragas in music but they certainly have the knowledge of soul of music.

Where else can you listen to Mrudangam, Ghatam, Dhol, Bansuri, Veena, Santoor, Tanpura, Sarangi and many more such classical instruments? We associate them with the classical singers and artists but these new age musicians have revived these age-old music instruments. People for my age would hardly know about all these amazing things, if Karunesh and others had not used it.

Whenever you are searching for some peace, try listening to some of these, you will feel like in heaven. I have been doing that for long time. My day starts with them and ends at them.

This is my prescription for a cheerful day and peaceful night.

I am really thankful to our own DJ Enigma aka Ankit, Mr Microcontroller Sharma and SJ – the party guy, for showing me the beautiful world of trance and fusion music.

music of soul

They are undoubtedly the kings of background score in Bollywood. No, I am not talking about Jatin Lalit. I am surely not.
Ok let me give you some hints.
Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi,
3 Deewarein,
Darna Mana hai…
Can’t guess? Ok some more hints…
Iqbal,
Being Cyrus,
Dor,
Still no answer? Ok last few hints…
Hum Tum,
Dhoom,
Kaal,
Dhoom 2

Rang any bell?
If not, I am sure you are ardent fan of Himesh. If you love good music, there is no way you could have missed music of this talented duo.
I am talking about Salim Merchant and Suleman Merchant of Salim Suleman fame. This duo has to its credit some of the best music in recent years, be it the background score or the soundtrack. They are the Badshahs of background music.

Background music is one of the most neglected areas in Bollywood. Moviemakers almost always ignored the importance of good background music in an effective storytelling. I cannot recall any director except Raj Kapoor who worked hard on the background score. He had an uncanny taste and understanding for music, and it was apparent from his choice of music for his films.

In recent era, Ram Gopal Verma, with his new style cinema, shows some promising work. Be it Bhoot or Darna Mana Hai, the background score in his movies has been really good. Sarkar cannot be tagged as classic without its background music. The feel of the movie is enhanced n-folds because of its background score. Some of the new age directors also have similar approach towards Background music and it is good for Bollywood.

Yesterday I watched Dor. It was a superb experience. Nagesh Kukunoor has always worked hard on his movies. Every minute detail is chalked out well. As most of his movies do not have songs and dance, due attention is given to background music. Iqbal, 3 Deewarein and Dor could not have been what they are without their background music. Especially Dor has shown the changes good background music can bring about in a narration. It is just amazing music with no nasal crooning singer or deafening sounds. It’s the sound of nature, the class of our tradition. Music is really worship of some god, and this movie has shown us results of exactly the same. Hats off to Salim Suleman for the superb work.

As I am writing this post, I am listening to the music from Being Cyrus. Listen to it sometime. You will surely relate to what I am saying.

ps: Most of these background scores are not available commercially. You can listen to them at the official websites of the movies. I wish music companies incorporated background score also in the music releases.

diwali memoirs

For me the most memorable Diwali would be one in my first year of BE. I had come to Bangalore to pursue my degree, and this was the first time I went home after my admission. The troubled journey in train and bus could not dampen my spirits. The excitement of spending good time with family kept me up the whole journey. Diwali celebrations were no different from the usual ones at home. But the time I spent there was a real quality time. I recall some of the events:

1. I watched Asoka with one of my cousins. This guy also had come back from his college for the first time. My mom was furious when I was out of home for over half a day.
2. We went to Sarafa on Dhanteras night. There is nothing special in that; most Indorians do that. But I did it for the first time. I lived in Indore for 3 years but never bothered to visit Sarafa on this auspicious occasion. But this time, though I was there only for 5 days, I visited Sarafa and enjoyed it royally Mom was wondering if I had come home to stay with her or to roam around in Indore.

Another Diwali I clearly remember is one when I was in class 8th. I used to be very enthusiastic about crackers that time. I would make sure that we go to the wholesaler and get the best deal in crackers. They used to be in place even before Dhanteras. Everything would be planned. I would have fully chalked out plan about how I would burst them in coming five days. There would be allocation done for each day and there would be some backup also. This Diwali was memorable in one more thing. I had just acquired a test for instrumental music. I got some cassettes from my uncle and had planned to listen to them over the weekend. Then one novel idea popped up in my mind. I planned to enjoy the Diwali morning in a classic way. As soon as I came back from Laddoo Chadao function, I went to my room. To get the classy feeling, I burnt the most fragrant agarbattis and then put the music. What peace!

Vaise, this year also I tried music. I put on best of Karunesh and enjoyed them the whole morning. It was superb experience.

diwali contiued...

It’s 5:45 AM and I am about to reach the temple. It’s Diwali today and there is function of “Laddoo Chadao” in the temple. This function is an age-old Jain ritual of celebrating the Nirvana of Bhagwan Mahaveer. I am going there to attend the function.

I have just reached and am about the park my vehicle in front of the temple. Suddenly one uncle-type man shouts, “don’t park it here, go there.” Which direction is he pointing to? I surely have no clue. Still, I find some other place for parking and leave my vehicle there. I have met first character of the day. I shall call him Mr. leader of the society. He thinks that he is the only person in the world who cares about others. anyways, forget him, I have come to temple, not to meet him.

I enter the temple and do the darshan. I am not saying Pooja, because certainly it’s not my cup of tea. People, in all colors and sizes, are coming in big or small groups. Families are entering together. It’s duty of man in the family to take care of smaller kids, while the ladies are busy doing Pooja.

There are many youngsters here. They are in the best of their attires. Loaded with the latest cell-phones and accessories. While everyone is concentrating on Pooja, they are trying to look or some other 'Pooja'. We surely have a ‘religious’ generation here.
Oops, they have not yet wished “Happy Diwali” to each other. It’s high time they do it. So, in mid of one shloka, one of them moves and comes close to his friend. The friends meet and exchange wishes. “So what plans for Diwali?” next question pops up in their conversation. “Oh, today… lets see. For now finish the ‘Pooja’ here and then go for breakfast. Its too early in morning for me. Mom did not let me eat anything before coming here. After breakfast lets see. You have any plans?” first one says. “No yaar, even I am planning the same,” replies the first. What a desperate situation. Even I am feeling hungry now.

One more uncle type man comes into picture here. He is trying to make sitting arrangements for everyone. He must be the host. Ok, this is not some party, but he is still the host. How? Arre! He is another leader for the samaaj. He has to take care that everyone is comfortable.
As the traditions involve offering Laddoos to the God, now this uncle has to arrange for the Laddoos. He takes two of those youngsters, who are still making their plans, to the storeroom and comes back with the Laddoos. Then he goes and distributes it to everyone. He looks so satisfied, as this time laddoos are of very good quality. His smug face is the proof for that.

There is this guy standing next to me, who does not look very happy with the laddoos. The ghee in the laddoos is making him uncomfortable. Not that he has to eat that laddoo, but just because he has to hold it for another 15 minutes or so. One guys next to him is in the similar expressions. Surely they sympathize with each other, and to distract their mind of laddoos they start talking about the job and office. Have you ever tried talking about your job in a temple? Try it. What an experience!!

There are some uncles and aunties who are trying hard to show their religiousness. They are chanting shlokas in the highest of pitch; I pity the people standing next to them. But it is people like these who make the Pooja possible; otherwise people like me, who can just lip-sync, won’t be able to do the Pooja. Anyways, I know that I can not stand anywhere close to them, so I am standing in one corner and doing the ‘Pooja’.

Finally the Pooja gets over and there is one loud cheer of “swahaa”. It is an indication that now we can offer the laddoos to the God. Oof what a relief. First thing in everyone’s mind is to go out and wash his/her hands. Finally we have finished the rituals. One more year over, next such event will come only next Diwali.

You may ask, what am I doing there. I am just observing everyone. I finished my Pooja in five minutes. And I know that is all I know about Darshan/Pooja. I have to stay there till the end so I started observing others. At least I am not disturbing others. Sometime observing others is lot of fun.

diwali

“So, how do you North Indians celebrate Diwali?” asked one of my “South Indian” friends.
“Oh! Diwali, it is our biggest festival. We do lots of things,” I said.
“Like what?” she asked again.
“We prepare lots of sweets for the occasion, lavish lunch and dinner is cooked. We clean and decorate our homes. We do Pooja and then burst crackers. We visit our relatives and Elders,” I blurted out in one breath.
“But, those all even we do here. So what is so different and special about your celebrations?” she was not yet satisfied.
“Arre! We do it on a grand scale. We do it religiously. We make 20 kinds of sweets.. blah blah blah…”I uttered some crap. I knew, I was talking crap. For, I was thinking about something else. Two things to be specific:

1. Why was she so adamant on finding the difference between the two cultures? “You north Indians” or “your celebrations” these words were too irritating for me.
2. Do I really know how do we celebrate Diwali?

I thought about the second question. No doubt, Diwali is the biggest festival for us “north Indians.” Do we really have a specific way of celebrating it? No, it can never be one standard(I checked IEEE also). How we celebrate it varies from place to place. Or actually, to be more specific, it varies from family to family.
There are some old believes and customs that form the core of the festive spirit. I clearly remember them from the essay I wrote in class 6th. Following are the significance of 5 days that constitute the Diwali festival:
1. Dhan Teras: Day of money. Decorate shops and business premises. Shop (specially metal).
2. Narak Chaturdashi: Take bath before sunrise and celebrate Krishna’s victory over Narkasur.
3. Lakshmi Pujan: Worship goddess of wealth. Start new business season, burst crackers.
4. Padwa: Start of new year. Govardhan Pooja and Annakut.
5. Bhai Dooj: Meet your sister and get the Tika done, eat sweets and pray for her happy life.

How many of us actually do all this? I never did. For me Diwali was a time of eating sweets, bursting crackers and chilling out with friends. That’s all I have done my whole life and I don’t think here in south I will do something different.

mera sirf naam hi joker hai..

Mera Naam Joker - 3

I knew the path I had chosen was not easy. Everyone takes the easiest path and I didn’t want to be like them. I was not one amongst them; I was special. Life became my companion in my noble mission. It was my friend, philosopher and strength. I would explore each and every moment of life. I would live every bit of it and try to figure the positive side of it. It was my sheer optimism that I could smile in any situation. Trust me those smiles were not fake. They were whole hearted appreciation of God’s gift to humans.

I accept I faked those tears most of the time. I pretended to relate to all your worries; I cried with you. But I was just mimicking those emotions. How could I live with so many broken hearts, so many scattered dreams, and so many worries? I just could not. So I forged your emotions. I did it just to assure you that I understand you and I would be there whenever you need. I never needed to sing “I‘ll be there for you,” thus. But I was always there when anyone needed me. You confided in me, told me your worries, shared your darkest secrets and went away. For you it was like a salvation, for me it was satisfaction. I was standing on the other side of confession window.

I did it tirelessly; I did it even when it was associated with my life. I was there when she came to me asking for a friend; I was there when she came to me expecting someone to confide in. I was there too when she came to introduce her lover to me. How happy she was. Looking at those content faces, I just could not say that even I loved her. She would have surely asked “are you joking?” and I could not have answered that. How could I tell her, “Only my name is joker, I am not a joke? I am a human too and I do have a heart. And that heart beats for you.” I just could not. I smiled and congratulated her. They too smiled. One more days work over. It’s appears so filmy. Trust me, that night I didn’t need to fake tears.

Sometimes I wonder what others think about me. Do they ever think of me as a human being, a fellow human being like them? I was always afraid that they would never understand me. They never got a chance; I never had the courage to explain to them. May be destiny was meant this way only. They come, I joke, and they laugh and then go home. I am back in my small world.

I don’t regret anything. I am more than satisfied with whatever I have done. Satisfaction of giving is much more pleasurable than any other worldly affairs. I am joker and would love to reincarnate as joker.

Till that time …

“Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan,
Iske Siva Jaana Kahan
Ji Chahe Jab Humko Awaaz Do
Hum Hain Wahin Hum Thhe Jahan,
Apne Yahin Dono Jahan
Iske Siva Jana Kahan
Jeena Yahan ......

Yeh Mera Geet Jeevan Sangeet
Kal Bhi Koi Dohrayega
Jag Ko Hasane Bahrupiya
Roop Badal Phir Aayega
Swarg Yahin Nark Yahan
Iske Siva Jana Kahan
Jeena Yahan ......

Kal Khel Mein Hum Ho Na Ho
Gardish Mein Taare Rahenge Sada
Bhoolenge Hum Bhoologe Tum
Par Hum Tumhare Rahenge Sada
Rahenge Yahin Apne Nishan
Iske Siva Jana Kahan
Jeena Yahan ...”

ps:
inspired by
• Mera Naam Joker by Raj Kapoor
• “Nahi Rakhta Dil Me” by Lucky Ali (album – sifar).

mera naam joker - 2

The course of my life changed that day; I acquired a new purpose in life. I changed that day. Only thing that didn’t change was that still people would laugh at me. I was still the source of smile for many; I had become a joker indeed.

My transformation from a kid next door to a joker had some interesting junctures. It was not a mere physical adaptation, but a more intense mental transformation. Emotions are the weakest link in human nature. I was filled with emotions too, I still am. But I had to take control of my emotional states. I would not be successful in amusing others if there is pain inside. With tears in my eyes, I could not expect to see smiles on others’ faces. Thus emotions had becomes hindrance in my cause. I cut them lose and decided to become selfless. I became my master.

continue...

no escape except within

Sitting quietly
Doing nothing
Spring comes
And the grass grows by itself.
- A Zen Poet.

Zen is minimalist.
Sitting (Meditating)
Quietly (No chattering thoughts)
Doing Nothing (No GTD’s,no lists,)
Spring comes (All is cyclical)
And the grass grows by itself (Nature happens on its own and is effortless.YOU are not required).

The universe is governed by its own laws.
Nature,seasons,time,the sun,moon ,earth-all move on their own.
So Relax.Meditate.Work.Relax.Play.Relax.

Do everything with the zen approach to life.
Effortlessly.Quietly.Appreciatingly.Lovingly.

Taken from http://noescape.wordpress.com/2006/09/29/doing-nothing/

mera naam joker - 1

Remember me?

This is me – the joker; the ever smiling character from your favorite circus in childhood.
You have seen me laughing and crying in that small world of circus. Do you remember those moments? There were lions, elephants, bears, parrots, donkeys; all dancing to the tunes of their master – the ringmaster. There were skinny girls wearing skimpy clothes and doing back-breaking gymnastics with smile on their faces, there were tough guys doing dangerous fire stunts without any visible worry on their face. And then there was me. I would come every now and then, as a feeler between the performances. I would do silly things and everyone would laugh at me. My friends would hit me with a stick (it was a slapstick though; it dint hurt much) and still I would laugh and so would you. Then I would leave the center stage for others to perform and get lost in the darkness behind the curtains. You would go home with smiles on your face

I hope you remember, coz this is the only damn thing I did in my whole life. Those smiles on thousands of faces are the only thing I earned.

Let me tell you more about myself.

When I was born, I was like any normal kid. I loved to play with kids from my neighborhood. I used to play cricket, football and running games with them. We would play and fight. There was no hurt feeling though. At the end of the day, we all would go home happily. As the time was passing, we all were growing. And we were changing. We were surely changing, for I realized that everybody were not the same with me now. They would laugh at me; sometimes they would give disgusted looks. Its then I realized that I was different from them. I was not as tall as they were, I was not as beautiful as they were, and I was not as normal child as they were.

I asked my mom why everyone laughs at me. And they would say that all those kids had gone mad. They were not laughing at me but they were laughing at themselves. But I could read my mom’s eyes. I knew she was lying. There was pain in her eyes, and I knew that those kids were not mad; it was me who was not normal.

As the time passed, I got used to the feeling that everyone was making fun of me. I knew they were laughing at me. I did not feel that bad anymore. And this was the time when I took the toughest decision of my life. I knew others were getting pleasure by laughing at me. They were taking something out of me. I thought why not give them those smiles instead of them taking it from me. It was simple give and take relation. But the perspectives were different. I would get the satisfaction of giving others something. And thus I decided to become a joker. Now I would laugh and make other laugh.

I went to my other and told her about my decision. Again those eyes were wet. She asked me if I was joking. I said yes. Indeed joking was what I wanted to do. She smiled for a moment and then again turned silent.

Continued…

mein Sourav bol raha hoon...

"I am Sourav Ganguly. I hope you have not forgotten me," Ganguly says in a new advertising of cola giant Pepsi. This is part of the Blue Billion campaign.
Ganguly speaks further -"Whatever happened, why it happened, I don't know. I am practicing to come back into the team."
And then, as if striking a chord with his fans and reminding them of his much-debated joyous reaction at Lords where he swirled his shirt in the air, a poignant Ganguly says, "Who knows I might get another chance to swirl my shirt in the air".

Then, he reminds everyone of his notorious aggression on field, "In the field or out of it, I won't sit quiet. I will cheer the team and so should you."

In the end, he urges (or requests?) everyone to cheer for India and asks,"Apne dada ki baat nahi maanoge?"

What is the motive behind making this ad? Why did he do it?
Pain or lust for money. Or simply the goodwill. You never know.

Sourav Ganguly, the face of aggressive Indian Cricket, so called arrogant brat of early 90s, asking viewers if they have forgotten him. No we have not; we can never be able to do that. We don’t want to do that either. For, he is one of most successful captain for Indian Cricket. For he changed the way captaincy was done in Indian Cricket. For he lead the Indian team to its glory, and played a significant role in bringing it to its present level. He did a thankless and selfless job. Some of the side effects of all this actually became the cause of early exit from Indian Cricket.

Ganguly will always be known and remembered for his arrogance and aggression. on field or off the field, he has always been one tough guy. It's his presence in the Indian cricket that changed many aspects of how cricket was played and managed in India. He showed to the world that we are the strong nation in cricket both on and off the field.

Somehow, his attitude and bad luck lead to his downfall also. He crossed his prime time, his form deteriorated. Then frustration came, and finally the unforgivable mistake of figthing with the Coach and Team management. Paani me rahkar magarmachcha se ladai nahi kar sakte. An exit was unavoidable, only thing is that it could not be that respectable. He deserved much more that what he got.

Yesterday when I saw this new ad, I felt really bad. He looked like one old lion caged in a zoo. I felt as if he was complaining to us - look what justice they have done to me. There was only one thing in his eyes- Did I deserve it that bad? The arrogance and aggression which was trademark for his image, were nowhere to be seen. Either the director for the ad has done superb job or Ganguly has finally broken and changed.

I hope he did not do this ad for money. I remember Shahrukh told once, an actor has real short life. So I will do anything to earn as much as possible in this short life to make my future secure. I will even dance in shaadis and will not mind being a Bhand. That is the bitter truth. I hope, its not the same case with Sourav too. Let the pride and dignity remain the part of image millions of fan for you.

ps: That, Ganguly will not return to Indian Team, is my personal humble opinion.