My inStance

On this day, God wants you to know...

2010-01-14T00:41:00.002+05:30

... that difficult people are very important, - they teach you tolerance and acceptance. If all was going your way all the time, you would become a spoiled child, wouldn't everyone? Difficult people are just one of the ways God teaches us to expand beyond our egos and accept other perspectives on life.

For you, a thousand times over

2008-03-31T10:55:00.002+05:30

Resolution 2008

2008-01-05T14:49:00.000+05:30

Quit wasting time over the wrong people ;)

LifeBlob! :)

2007-10-23T15:18:00.000+05:30

My Blob

Sisters

2007-09-17T12:42:00.000+05:30

Another forward which touched a chord!

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

'Don't forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.'

'Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grown up! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.

BUT.........

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

I just did. Short and very sweet.

I am still 'Jhooming'

2007-06-26T19:05:00.000+05:30

Ok so this post is anger and frustration borne. Why is everyone so anti-Jhoom? Why the condolences start pouring in, as soon as you tell you tell a Mr/Ms.Know-it-all that you just saw it? Instead of rave reviews its getting just rants. A 1.5 from TOI, which gave a 4 something to that intolerable saga about relationships called KANK! Everyone just can’t stop saying how horrible the movie is.

And this makes me sad, very very sad. So I decided I owe at least this much to a movie, which for two and a half hours made me forget all the chaos outside. Just sit back, spill pop corn, sip on my Pepsi, thump my feet, and laugh my heart out :-)
So here is my two penny worth.

I think it’s fantabulous, awesome, superb, amazing, thrilling, entertaining….! For a change there are no underlying messages, no depressing toughts, no tears, no Reshamiyas(!!), no boring fights, no serial kisser…wow! Any movie minus all that is a welcome relief for me. Add to that non-stop naach gana, AB junior, a cute-looking Bobby, ceaseless PJ’s, actors who seemed to be having as much fun as I was, watching them. A golden moto with an Aiye handsome ringtone calling out to the larger than life hidesously dressed jat from Bhatinda, with the classic UP touch to him settled in Southhall. Some interesting role-plays played very well by the rest of the cast….

So then what went wrong?
It didn’t convey a message? So every movie isn’t meant to be an RDB.
It wasn’t dark enough? Well I am quite sick of the depressing stuff Bhandarkar and party keep dishing out for us. It might be true, but we are living with the truth so you don’t need to keep the drill on always.
Not your kind of humour? Well below the belt comedy doesn’t always tick either.
Too much nach gaana? Damn! I thought that was the USP! Jhoom remember?
Sick of AB senior promoting his baby? Well even I am, he doesn’t need it…so thank heavens his role was cut-short.

I liked Jhoom, Metro was good too. But you don’t need to exchange notes on both. They belonged to separate genres, you can enjoy both! So chill maadi.
Keep jhooming, and give this lone enthusiast a thought when you curse the movie next! :-)

Something to remember always

2007-06-19T20:38:00.000+05:30

Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present! :)

The Legacy of MuTulls...

2007-05-25T16:06:00.000+05:30

My roomie for four years Ms.MuTulls delivered another of her classics a few days back. And so it is obviously my duty to pen it down.

The discussion was something around arranged marriages. Roleplays by MuTulls, and Sabu.
Between the gibber I hear Sabu asking Ms.MuTulls how she would react when the suitable boys come browsing at her door.
To which her prompt reply was, "Why would they come, pay toh hum karte hain...choose karne bhi hum hi jaayenge" :)

Watch this space for more on the the queen, the Kayamat...we know as Mu ;)
Coming soon Mu Diaries!

As a smart bear once said...

2007-05-23T12:23:00.000+05:30

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh :)

B2k3

2007-05-13T05:22:00.000+05:30

This one's for the four wonderful years together, cheers to B2k3! :)

One name, many hues. 110 odd students, each with a different story to tell. This is the story of B2k3, where bhasad was a religion duly practiced; its spirit and unity unmatched...when challenged they fought as one.

The year was 2003, when we first met...newbies fresh out of school, slightly rattled , rearing to go, wary of each other...starting out on a new journey together.
On our way there were the add-ons and the plug-ins: the sutta and the daaru, the trips to Trips, H 'n' D and Samrat, the early mornings in the village, the Hasty Tasty rituals, the disappointing finals, the AOC and CS nightouts, the 9-12 shows, the thefts from the canteen by our master con artists, the “special” hindi lessons to the southies, the “one-night stands” before the exams, the YM and Orkut cult, the birthday “bashes”, the strife between PAM entertainments and ALAN productions, the MBA vs BTech war, S Ray’s obsession with attendance and punctuality, AV’s fudged-up “sumanis”, Rahul Mishra ki “yaar”i, the Jogesh Korkodam episodes, the CMB-Babulal-Siddiqui first year trio….

And a glimpse at a few of the main leads who made our under-grad time all the more interesting! Sid's special philosophy lessons for anyone and everyone (un)willing to lend a ear; the preaching’s of Pag Floyd; Pandey's antics; our dear Sir John; Shilpi’s walk; Bhavish's Maggie; Parai’s padhai; Venkat and TC’s exceptional wit; Shah's infinite PJ capacity; N Sid's expert view on anything and everything; Rajani's guts; Pal's drama; Appy's emotional speeches once drunk; VKMeena’s sincerity; AshuNan’s logic bombs; CK's Pawan Kalyan fixation; Manaj the mimic; Suchi’s Frooti; Rocket’s ceaseless laughs; Lashkar's mysterious source of enthu; Nag Baba's trademark red jacket and black trackpants; Ramya’s split personality; the Don’s majestic presence; Nahata’s naivety; Robo’s ever-extending deadlines; Bhaiya’s awesome rote prowess; Body’s football fan-following; the tall-taller-tallest cricket team; Baya’s on-court meditation ... that and many more, all special in their own way.
We gave the college its first open Tech fest, the Trinetra Webcasting Service, a couple of national and international prizes, a few patents, an excellent bakar culture...and well that’s it!

Four years down the line some are achievers, some wastrels; there were the go-getters and there were the back-benchers; the prof's pets and the rogues; the hard workers and the lazy-lumps; the bakar crowd and the zealous junta; the movers and the shakers....but we go out of our alma mater together, our heads held high... to conquer the world, to carve out a niche of our own!

This is the culmination of our years of togetherness, co-existence, rivalry, intimacy, communion, merriment, hard work…it all finally comes to an end.
Its time for the adios and the ciaos! But we say good-bye till we meet again in another world; in another place...but the B2k3 spirit will always remain!

[This has been written for our yearbook and contains inputs from CK, Phodu and Vikram. Thanks guys! :) ]

Oh yeah!

2007-04-10T14:15:00.000+05:30

When is a woman interested in a man's company...when he owns it ofcourse :)

Bangalore diaries!

2007-03-26T11:41:00.000+05:30

Everyone's into photo-blogging these days, so in the traditional 'hum kissi se kam nahii' style, here I go!

But first an insight into my many predicaments, which make the story ever the more thrilling (!!)
The protagonist is a poor lil soul who has been tossed and turned and thrown into the big bad world by a series of unfortunate incidents. Scared, with a dark cloud of uncertainty looming over her, she lands in Bangalore one lonely night...
And so begins her adventure, a tryst with adulthood.... which is never to end! The grueling work schedule, the terrible transport woes, a hectic lifestyle add to her worries. But she is not to be stopped, in the true never say die-spirit she was taught as a kid, she fights. She's here to stay! She waits with bated for her mentor, here Guru... who will teach her the way of life, Ms.Ramya Priya Mudduluri. For the newbies, this is the lady in question.

Ms.Mudduluri finally makes an appearance in Bangalore, cursing it from day one, very 'considerately' telling anyone whose willing to play audience how Bangalore is no match to the great Hyderabad. To quote her, "Bangalore sucks!!".
Anyways, with a heavy heart the two set out to Ansal Forte, Hosur Road. For a preview of what our humble abode looks like, visit: Our PG

Day one, they venture out like professionals to the kitchen arena...where two other flatmates are busy preparing a multi-course meal for themselves. Our heroine is a little unsteady, but reassured by Ms.Mudduluri's presence, with rejuvenated energy she asks her mentor what wonderful delights are on tonight's menu! To which Ms.Mudduluri's prompt reply is "Mereko zyaada nahii aata, dosa aata hai par uskeliye rice bheegona padta pehle, aaj raat maggie khaate". The world comes crashing down on her, to think that she had waited all this while, for her ray of hope which turned out to be a damn squib!
She lay awake all night, contemplating her bleak future...weighing the possible options they had. Eating out, was ruled out...Ansal Forte is one place in Bangalore, with no eateries close by. Tiffins were an option, but they needed way too much effort and the food was totally not worth it! Ready-to-eats were too expensive... so it seemed like a message from above. It was time to shift gears... We needed to learn, and so was born... "Exepriments in the kitchen!" (The title is courtesy Ms.Gupti, who has had her own share of experimentation owing to her ill-luck which has landed her in the wild wild west! )

This ladies an gentleman, is Maggie's Pasta Treat customized to our taste buds!

Aloo ki tikki, with a pinch of salt missing :P

Ms.Mudduluri's original, Ala' Ladyfinger Tamrind (whatever that is suppose to mean, it was tasty!)

Revel in the Taste 'n' Spice of Ms.Mudduluri's Tomato chutney!

Da Vinci once said, a true artist is one who can make perfect circles, aint I close?? :D

...and for the finale, we bring to you Butter Chicken (courtesy Parampara Masala) and Chicken Biryani (By our very own Ms.Mudduluri)!

Yours truly...!

So the story wraps up to a happy ending:)
And for the record, the past few months in Bangalore have done me a world of good, I can cook simple meals, wash utensils, and live on my own ...considering my very limited culinary skillset...this is quite an achievement!
The big bad world isn't that bad anymore! :)

UNICEF

2007-03-19T18:23:00.000+05:30

http://friends.unicefusa.org/r/e9673e5c2768102aa29c

This seemed more real than the numerous forwards I receive everyday. So people visiting this space, please find time to register yourself!

...like you're there for me!

2007-02-15T12:46:00.000+05:30

I have never liked a forward so much! This is to all my friends! :)
Missing you..

*Portrait of a Friend*

I can't give you solutions to all of life's problems, doubts, or fears.
But I can listen to you, and together we will search for answers.

I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain, nor the future
with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can't keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you, and help you when you ask.

I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship, from your values,
from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces and put them back in
place.

I can't tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend.

A lil Wild(e)

2007-02-01T18:30:00.000+05:30

I came across this Oscar Wilde quote while reading some OOP tute...

"but enough about me, tell me what you think of me?"

Thought it was kinda cute, so wanted to put it somewhere for safekeeping. So what better place than myInstance! :)

Here I am...its a beautiful world!

2007-02-01T15:49:00.000+05:30

It all started when I lost a mobile (like everyone does in Bangalore!). When I told my mother, she was adamant that I lodge an FIR…to be on the safer side in case someone misuses my sim. So obviously I had to oblige, that was the least I could do after losing her phone! :(

I took a detour to office via the police station yesterday morning. When we were starting out, my friend advised me to keep some money in case the police officer demands more than just gratitude. I started off with my usual blabber, we have the RTI…I’ll insist on an explanation, I will not bribe blablabla. He’s saner than me so he just shrugged and said ok!

Once we reached the Madivala police station, I went straight to the sub-inspector in-charge. He looked quite all right, I said a small quiet prayer…wishing the Bangalore police would be different from their colleagues up north! That my friend would be proven wrong…alas! Of course he was different! He was subtle, an art which thanewaalah’s of UP haved always refused to master.

First thing he enquired was my address, Kormangla, I said. Turned out Kormangla was not under the jurisdiction of the Madivala police station, so he showed me the door. To add to my worries, he also told me that I’d need to get an affidavit and all! My heart sunk there and then! It seemed it would take more than just a few minutes to get an FIR done. And time is one of the things I am pressed for these days! So I pleaded my case, gave him a typical damsel-in-distress look...could Sir *please* help me, I asked! Well sir did have some good news for me after all. He said it would cost me hundred bucks, and all the frills would be taken care off. My blood boiled, but overtly I was all honey ‘n’ sugar. I told ‘sir’ how grateful I was and immediately gave him a hundred rupee note. Once the money was safely kept away in his desk drawer, this cop sang a different tune all together. He offered us tea, told us to relax and then (very patiently) dictated to me the letter I had to address to him. The problem of jurisdiction was easily resolved. Incidentally Kormangla (where I lost my phone) was rechristened Madivala main road, which was under sir’s jurisdiction of course, so no issues!
The letter done, he showed my friend the photocopy shop across the road and asked him to get a Xerox. While my friend was away my new-found advisor and mentor (!) even apprised me of the dangers of keeping expensive handsets and counseled me to go in for a cheap substitute in future. He then quickly finished the rest of the paperwork and gave me the receipt, the stamped copy of the letter and voila I had just successfully lodged my first FIR (Though I hope there are not many more to come!)

I look back in quiet contemplation. Since my foray into the big bad world, it has been one bumpy ride. One compromise after another. God where am I headed?? What happened to the romantic ideas and ideologies I ask myself?

The answer comes that from within…Shut up! It’s all about the survival of the fittest baby!

Lucky me, I got more than my money’s worth. Advice, tea and yes my work done in only a couple of minutes! And yes I almost forgot, ‘Sir’ even promised to inform me in case my phone is recovered :)

Just to fill the void...

2006-11-19T17:47:00.000+05:30

Its been such a huge gap, I am half afraid that if Blogger's would start with its own "Blogger is deleting blogs" forwards I'd top their list! So here is a little something I wrote for my cousin's school debate on the topic "Relevance of Gandhism today". She was speaking against the motion.

A word of caution: Its "slightly" longish, so read at your own risk! Don't blame me for being too verbose later:p

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”-M.K. Gandhi.

The Mahatma dedicated his life to the quest for knowledge, to the wider purpose of discovering truth, the complicated ‘Satya’, about life itself, these experiments with truth evolved into what has become the popular jargon of today – ‘Gandhism’. The father of our nation, the man who lead us to freedom, the apostle of non-violence, the architect of Satyagrah and Non-cooperation movements… he has endless credits to his name. But the question now is his relevance in today’s day and age. Can his lofty ideals be abided by? Is Gandhigiri the solution to all our troubles and woes? Will the new found euphoria created by Munnabhai last? Could the Mahatma heal the wounds inflicted, using just his simplistic principles? Is the common man strong enough to stand by the commandments of Gandhiji in thick and thin? Can a nation afford to follow his footsteps, become the Utopia he dreamed of during his lifetime?

Well I think not. I don’t doubt his teachings and principles. Nor do I denounce his apotheoses. Just I don’t agree with my friends advocating the model of Gandhism for present times. Let us be pragmatic here. Honestly, have any of you adhered to the percepts laid down by him for a better existence, even for just a day? Forgive me for being a little presumptuous here, but I guess not. This doesn’t make us bad people. No. Not at all. It is just indicative of the fact that times have changed. We cannot afford to stagnate ourselves, our country. Stop all progress, become the model nation he wished us to be. To set an example for others? If that is what we choose, we won’t even be around to see whether it works or not because we’d be wiped out of existence by the greedier, aggressive and more powerful nations.

To drive my point home, I now take up each of his principles one at a time.

Satya or Truth in Gandhi's philosophy is "God". Yes, most of us present strive for an honest living. But the strictures laid down by the Mahatma are sometimes considered too rigid. Can we afford to always speak the truth? Imagine a situation when a harmless lie might save someone from hurt. Would you rather break his/her heart or tell the obscure truth?
Gandhi said: The Truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction. Really is it? So that implies we release all our nuclear secrets and top-secret documents for general public viewing, our enemies and radicals included. A spy when caught should be taught to speak the truth and only the truth. Or wait, why the espionage activities. Let us all live blissfully, we’ll embark on the Satyagrah again.
The consequences of the aforementioned can be catastrophic.

Ahimsa - refusal to inflict injury upon others. Gandhi was a great advocator of the theory of non-violence. Whether it worked during the freedom struggle or not, was it instrumental in delaying independence from the British Raj are questions that are still widely contemplated.
But then if we opt to be a pacifist nation. Bid a farewell to arms, will we feel safe? Are we willing to even give it a try? To relinquish all our military efforts? The Sino-Indian war of 1962, noted as the biggest failing of Nehru, is a glaring example of how terribly astray we’d go if we do. Gandhi is criticized for inspiring in his protégé the pacifism that led to the defeat of the Indian Army against a surprise Chinese invasion. Nehru neglected the defense budget and disallowed the army to prepare, which caught the soldiers in the North-eastern frontier woefully off-guard with lack of supplies and reinforcements. Result being, even till this date Indian territory in under the Chinese rule. So are we willing to take another chance, give Ahimsa another shot?

Civil-disobedience or the non-cooperation movement. The essence of this technique is that it seeks to liquidate antagonisms but not the antagonists themselves. Will this work on our corrupt politicians is for you to decide. But let me cite the reservation row as an example here. Silent protests by college students scared the authorities so much so that they needed the BSF to intervene. Innocent youth were victimized. Shelling with tear gas and lathi assaults became a norm in Delhi campuses this summer. But even then the government is all set to implement its reservation policy beginning with the new academic year. It is disheartening indeed for the youngsters who followed the Mahatma’s philosophy.

Gandhi extolled the virtues of a Buddhist economy, living in peaceful and tranquil harmony in rural surroundings as a self sufficient community, with self-regulation and a reduction of materialistic ‘wants’. Doctors, lawyers, teachers and other professionals would use their educational talents for the common good while still irrigating the land with the sweat of their brow. Sounds nice and rosy, right? Speaking for myself, I don’t think I’d ever agree to a way of life in which equal opportunity has been redefined. Equal pay for equal work, it has always been, and it should always be.

Gandhi also prophesied the doctrines of vegetarianism and celibacy. To each his own I say. These are personal choices, which no third person has a right to interfere with. May be for the Mahatma curbing his desires and longings as means of going close to God and as a primary foundation for self realization, but those were HIS experiments with truth, his perspective… imposing these on the modern man would lead to reproach and rebuke. For example many Indians who move to the west prefer non-vegetarian food over the expensive vegetarian nutrients. Though beef is a taboo for the Hindu, many who settle abroad don’t mind this cheap substitute for chicken.

A living example of the failure of Gandhi’s principles is the ‘Iron lady’ of Manipal, Irom Sharmila. It has been nearly six years that she would be on her hunger strike. She has remained without solid food since then, demanding the withdrawal from her state, of one of the most draconian laws in the statute books called Armed Forces Powers Act (AFSPA). She has endured successive one-year sentences for trying to commit suicide. Yet she remains intent, unbending, unwilling to give up. She is a legend in her own right for the Manipuri people who are fighting their present day suffering at the hands of the policy makers. But how has this helped her cause? The government of the nation of he Mahatma is still unyielding. After six years of silent protest by this martyr AFSPA remains unaltered. The government tight lipped on this issue.
Irom Sharmila is cogent evidence of the ineffectualness of the Mahatma’s principles. Estranged and alienated from her family, she continues to fight for the cause she had dedicated herself too.

I can go on and on giving millions of reasons, examples and illustrations reproaching Gandhisim, and I am sure my friends here can quote numerous instances commending it. It boils down to what is the more prudent and appropriate solution for the common man. He doesn’t have any lofty ideals; neither does he wish to be a Mahatma. The pedestal most of us can’t reach nor do we wish too. We don’t want to turn the other cheek when someone hits us, we want to hit back. We don’t want to renounce the materialistic pleasures; we work hard for the luxuries of life not to forgo them for an ascetic’s life.
Do we want to remain isolated in this ever-shrinking global village? In this era of fast paced technology does India wish remain entrapped in the meshes of old archaic beliefs which are no longer relevant. Change is the only thing permanent; can we give up on it?
Gandhiji’s most beloved disciple, the socialist Nehru couldn’t abide by all the strictures laid down by his Guru, so how can we expect the world to take a complete turnaround of ideas overnight? Human nature can be portrayed most appropriately by the shades of grey. The whites of the Mahatma have faded away. Its time to move on; to take the next step. We cannot be saddled by the yesteryears. We need to take the best from the past, combine it with the present to strive for a better future!

Now this is what I call 'Creative Writing'

2006-07-24T04:41:00.000+05:30

This post is dedicated to Muds who suggested I blog my 'creative writing' experience, and I will not dare to take away the necessary credit she deserves ;)

I am sure I have some hideous pieces of literature to my name, and my school teachers would readily testify this. But the essay I wrote as a dummy for a company visiting my campus has to be crowned the worst of the worsts! The topic given to us was “My last three years in college”. College life for me has been strewn with incidents which could have been woven into a beautiful narrative. Unfortunately for me I didn’t have to play a dumb dummy and get selected, so after a considerable pause I started to write this nightmarish piece.

“When I was in school I wish to be college. Now I am college. College good. Life cool. We do many various thing to keep busy. Like for eg. we do class, sport, movie, music to. We also have LAN. This is local area network. It also very very good. Much much fun. It has movie, music, software, games etc. You name and it is there. Very nice this is……….”

This blabber went on for some more time about my good mess, and the good food and sometime not so good food… blablabla. I think the five minute time constraint was a respite in disguise for the poor reader of my unintelligible writing.

What makes my heart ache is that this company’s HR would actually take this to be the standard of an average IIITian! Not that we have very high literary standards here, but this was pathetic. I guess same was the case with all the dummies sitting for the exam. I sincerely hope that they haven’t been too put off and would continue to visit our campus in spite of the serious discrepancies which must be apparent to them while reviewing our written test performances.

Heights of Male Vanity??

2006-06-16T01:39:00.000+05:30

A few days back, on my way home, I came across something strikingly funny! Plastered across the billboard was Mr. Upen Patel (and that explains why it caught my attention). No I don’t think Upen Patel is blog worthy, what was more eye-catching was the ad of the broadcast he is currently endorsing. Show name: Mr.Candy. Funny? It surely is, but what beats it is the even more hilarious tag line associated with it. It read, ‘Get intimate with your eye candy only on…’

Apart from total lack of ingeniousness by the creative and the marketing squads, what hit me was the realization that this stuff actually sells! That’s the nature of the supply-demand curve we had learnt, isn’t it? Initially the very idea of programs so lewd in nature, targeting the female audience, was repelling to me. But then why blame the crew and the hapless Upen Patel (who by the way can’t even dish out a proper sentence in his heavily accented drawling voice!). Poor guy is just catering to the “needs” of the whacko female populace.

Anyways so may be ‘Female Insanity’ would more befitting a title!

Delving back 'n' forth in time

2006-05-16T07:55:00.000+05:30

I am at the crossroads again. Another crucial year of my life, the last one was miserably disappointing, disheartening and what not! It was the year 2002-03, the “IIT-prep” year. Anyways that’s not the subject of this post. What I want to share is the feeling of nostalgia that hits me hard at this point of time. Looking at my seniors move on, cherishing their final moments together, their last night-outs of IIIT-A life, the get-togethers, the farewell party…the culmination of four years of togetherness, co-existence, rivalry, intimacy, communion, merriment, hard work…it all finally comes to an end.

Next semester will be a whirlwind romance, a tryst with destiny for most of us. Oh I didn’t mean cupid would be at play or anything just that our careers would be at stake…so wherever our luck would land us is still to see. Although I have two long months ahead strewn with hectic preparations (hopefully!!) for the placement season and the CAT this November, I still want to sit back and give a thought to the times gone by. My favorite yahoo SM now-a-days is the famous Casablanca OST, “As time goes by”. Very befitting, given my current state of mind.

Well it’s been three eventful years for me. Hopefully I will be in my final year after the results are out this June. My college years have been anything but a bed of roses, but when I contemplate the times gone by… they just bring a smile to my face. May be that’s the magic of these BTech years. No matter how much you hate them, but you’re sure to miss them once they are gone. I remember vividly my first trip to Jhalwa, the road that lead to my alma mater. The bumps, the potholes, the “amiable” Jhalwa crowd… but then our destination made it all up. One look at my IIIT-A, and mum was rest assured that I hadn’t landed in some far off Timbaktoo college. We were all jam-packed in a Santro, and mum forced me to get off the car and go into the building (which I later came to know was the Mecca-Medina of college: CC-1,2) and ask all the (silly) relevant questions to my seniors, the consequences of which I suffered during my ragging …oops… PDP time. Paro later told me that incident gave me the name of Santro girl. I don’t remember too much of my batchmates from my earlier days of first sem, reason being we were too much in awe of our seniors. Our first interaction was for the performances we had to put up for our fresher’s. We had a whale of a time preparing the event. It was then that those disgusting cheap creatures for us transformed overnight into perfect gentlemen (I agree girls are whimsical!). After that there was no looking back. We routed for our batchies everywhere, whether it was in front of our seniors or juniors or on the playground!

One of the most memorable experiences of my college life has been the 2nd semester cricket tourney. Our batch team was the underdogs. We had no expectations whatsoever. The girls had promised a treat to the whole team if they defeated the Matkas(!!) in the opening match. Much to our surprise, the team did win! Every match that our team played, we were by their side, pampering the players to the max. Our excitement and enthusiasm was second to none. The team skyrocketed to the finals. The finals were dismal to say the least, with a lopsided victory by B2K1. But B2K3 had left its mark! A sore point in our stay at IIIT-A has been the inability to win a tourney. Every event, we are this close to winning it and just then some other team ends up winning the cup.

Now delving back in time, I can safely say that the most memorable period in college has been the freshmen year. We all were dying to shift to Jhalwa then, but come the sophomore year and we realized that the golden period had gone by. Everyone became recluse, caught up in their own virtual world. Even birthday wishes were through yahoo and Orkut(!). But that is the tradeoff I guess. Back in NSC we led a wild life, whiling away time. Our real education… or may be the pretence of it started from Jhalwa :p. Not that we got serious about studies or anything, just the realization dawned in that we were not on a holiday but pursuing our graduation! May be little more focused you can say.

This doesn’t sum up even half of our first year experiences which are scattered with small unforgettable incidences which are may be too trivial to state here. But college life would seem incomplete without them. Also excuse my inept literary skills which fail to summarize appropriately the wonderful times IIIT-A has given us.

Before I am blamed again for droning on too long I think I’ll wind up now. About 2nd and 3rd year may be in my next post. Till then… adios!

Shattered Expectations

2006-03-09T20:02:00.000+05:30

My roomie told me of the latest entrant in the English movies folder of 31.2.40, the lifeline of IIIT-A, if I may say so. An adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, the Great Expectation, released in 1998 had finally arrived! Well I am no fan of the book; in fact I found each one of its characters disgustingly irritating, except that of Joe may be. We were made to go through each one of its 300 odd pages, memorizing extracts from the everyday life of the motley group of confused souls, where most of them didn’t have a clue to what they were up to! On top of that, and I still don’t know how we were supposed to manage understanding the “depth”, the quintessence of human nature and its “beautiful” portrayal in the play. Aahh! Pip’s incessant declarations of love, and the ridicule he was subjecting his own self and those who cared, to get a teensy weensy more of her attention, to be just a wee bit more worth of the “Goddess”! Sometimes you felt bad for the poor chap. But then this was an age old story, the naïve plot was pretty believable, with unforgettable characters who made you feel like there could exist a loony like Ms.Havisham, and Dickens did a great job in weaving the story together. Few of the scenes like the showdown between Ms.Havisham and Estella; the one where Pip tells Ms.Havisham that he has a broken heart are my all time favorites. The narrative has been so interestingly written, the characters so well-etched out that you actually start believing in those whackos-each one of them! Hatred for the book was more out of the contempt for it being part of the school curriculum rather than the book itself. Imagine the plight of students being made to go through those nerve-wrecking, endless chapters describing Pip’s love for Estella.
Anyways the point here I am trying to make is not about the book but about the sad adaptations of classics the celluloid churns out now-a-days. I watched the movie today afternoon after the prolonged mid-semester examinations of college were finally officially over! It started out well, with a brilliant revamp of the swamps scene between Robert diNero (need I say more??) and the child actor. Joe and the revised character of Mrs. Joe(they gave her a damned name!!) were disappointing to say the least, your heart doesn’t wring for Joe when he come visiting Pip in the city cause there hasn’t been shown enough or rather any bonding between them. They have conveniently removed such fine and memorable characters like Pumblechook and Wemmick, reduced Jaggers to a “spider-man”, totally killed Estella’s character, converted the uptight Mrs. Joe to a mere adulteress who runs away from home and unlike the original where the ending where Pip’s character finally seems to have matured and leaves the reader thinking, the movie actually has a happy ending! Relationships which are the major focal point of the novel have taken a backseat in this “modern”, chic version of the classic, taken over by sexuality, and ohh not to forget the green colour(for those who’ve been sane enough not to watch the movie, for some strange reason, unrevealed through out the narrative, Ms Havisham and Estella have some mystic fascination with green!). No attempt has been made to etch out well Pip’s childhood, his suffering, the reassurance he got from Joe. No all this isn’t important, what actually the director thought was worth the precious 90 minutes, was Hank Azaria as Estella’s beau, who should have been rightfully kept away from the plot. What more…the meteoric rise to success, and the “smooth” transition to a snob is rather too abrupt, and obviously the revelation of the benefactor( and the waste of an actor of the stature of Robert DiNero) was two penny worth for the scriptwriters. To top it all, unarguably the best scene of the novel, when Estella tells Ms. Havisham “I am what you made me”, has been omitted. Unfortunately confrontations in the play were something the director seems to be totally oblivious too. One thing they’ve spent lavishly on is the re-construction of the great ruin of a mansion, Havisham house, the visualization of which had pretty frequent in times when I read the book, so that was a treat! But then I fail to understand why they stuck to the all-still theory when Ms. Havisham herself had been given a face-lift, occasionally stepped out, loved to wear makeup (!), had a whole range of (green) designer wear and was dancing on salsa tunes, instead of being the actual scary, grumpy ol’ hag who was only a nocturnal feature in the original novel.
A thorough disappointment, a frustratingly poor adaptation of a classic was what the new Great Expectations was all about. Rather than capitalizing on the forte of the novel- the characterizations and the narrative, the makers have chosen just to give a cheesy renovation to the long-drawn love of Pip for Estella (the haughtiness totally missing in Gwyneth Paltrow throughout), which though instrumental in shaping the character of the protagonist wasn’t the only thing that warrants attention.
My advice is, stay away from this mediocre make.

Cosmopolitan 114

2006-01-06T06:06:00.000+05:30

Some honesty first….the blog title and the idea itself is plagiarization of my friend Rajani’s work…an inspiration (to say in true Bollywood style), from her blog. The usage of cosmopolitan as an adjective for my room... it ticked me then, why hadn’t I, the self proclaimed blogmaniac who had been too busy with silly trivial stuff to read up blogs leave alone writing one, written something about my very interesting, capricious little… hmm….not so little actually, but yes a very crowded room. Also, this post is borne of my boredom, the few rarities of my college life include an empty 114, and alas it is what I face now! My roomies are coming tomorrow and it is one of those days when all alone in my room (well almost, if I don’t count a sleeping Gupti). So the long pending post, a tribute to my roomies finally sees the light of day today!

Cosmopolitan in some sense is pretty correct, Muddu Baby (yes! I am grinning) and Suchi represent the telugu community, Rajani our air-force girl has been all over India (I guess she’s the most cosmopolitan), our pseudo roomie Gupti is a US citizen, and me, well I proud to be Upite, I say. Surely that is a mighty interesting concoction, but wait those were just the credits of the cast and crew of 114.
For starters, to be one of room 114 is no mean feat, a threshold has been set, the alpha-cut as Muddu would say for you to belong to the cluster called 114. The recipe to gaining that threshold has been a long kept hostel secret, but today I reveal it… not because we are in a dire need of a roommate but coz it overflowing already and there’s no scope for one more. So let the world know today that ‘We are such stuff, as dreams are made on…’:p. Well, my usual melodrama apart, time for some serious business. The formula is simple, take an average sane person; remove all the zeal to study; throw in some bonkers on her; add in irresponsibility, carelessness and a tinge of zing for life; hone an extraordinary skill till she reaches a definite level of insanity, and voila you have a probable room 114 occupant. Just that now there’s no room for any, sorry, but then I can give you the next best thing… a quick insight into room 114.

The Characters
To begin with, the kiddo of the room the loveable doll we call Muddu baby, as already seen, Sambha has devoted a whole post to her which gives one an understanding to the many facets of Ms.Mudduluri’s personality. I’d just like to make a few more add-ons there - remarkable use of Hindi slang (a language she could barely converse in at the beginning of 1st semester); an ability to sleep irrespective of the jobs, study material piled up; to die for Hindi accent, and a penchant for cheapo masala numbers, the ones Suchi hates and we love to play just as to bug her that much! A special mention is required for Muddu’s strikingly good memory. You can’t even begin to imagine the extent to which she remembers things. The minutest of details of years gone by are still absolutely clear and vivid in her mind, but problem being she’s so engrossed into fine points that she generally forgets the bigger picture (need I mention the Hasibguda fiasco my dear little tourist guide?).

Sambha, she’s an open book for everyone around her. Not once does she reserve her opinion. With her it’s – she thinks it, you got it. Around her are a bevy of tortured souls who are struggling living with her but can’t live without her either! On an examination day when for a change all of us are toiling with our books she has around four windows on her monitor – a chat window, a movie, browser, and ofcourse if space permits a teeny meeny ppt window! Sometimes you want to call her unpredictable, erratic, irrational, foolish but then you realize may be not. A more apt description would be – a free soul, a helluva girl with a never say die spirit, a firm believer in Darwinism’s ‘Survival of the fittest’, an unstoppable force (so the dean realized in the mid sems ;) )! But apart from this what most haven’t seen is her helpful self, when it matters most, come what may you’ll find her by your side. A friend in need is a friend indeed, an old saying but befitting as it is for Rajani, I use it here yet again.

Suchi on the other hand is quite an unlikely resident of room 114. Overtly a quiet, innocent, simple looking girl with an angelic voice…but then looks are deceptive. The uniqueness of being a 114ite has to be there! A very famous Suchi trait is that you’ll find her perpetually with a book in her hand, on the bed, but alas those pretty eyes always need sleep! One can’t blame her totally, given the fact that she’s generally the first to get up (and wake up us all) and the last to sleep. The time-table (TT) as she is known as, never fails! Not to forget are her wondrous monosyllables, she’s capable of carrying out perfect (strictly according to her) conversation using just them. Teasing her is a favorite past time for all of us, and the great spirit in which she takes all our weird comments is what makes her so special and also a soft target ;)

When I mention the tenants of room 114, I can’t even dream of not introducing our junglee pseudo roomie Gupti. Forgetting an integral part like her is committing blasphemy. The reason she’s still called pseudo is because she doesn’t fit the profile well. She’s crazy alright but the hard worker in her just refuses to go away. But then our room is a second home for her after UDL lab, and without Chef Gupti our midnight meals won’t be the same again.
Four down; one more to go and that’s me. But because I am authoring this unintelligible piece of literature I rather skip this part. Though there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind (and I am sure there’s none :D) that I have the most qualified persona to be a 114ite!

The Narrative
The characters finally done away with, now the plot. On most days we follow the same routine – sleeping, whiling away time, sleeping, leg pulling, sleeping, cooking, sleeping, velagiri, sleeping. Special appearances by Neha, whenever she gets time out of her busy schedule of shuttling between CC-2 and the hostel, gives much needed oomph to the plot. Unwanted Matkis scolding us for no rhyme or reason play the villains. With special effects of cookery, spanking and pillow fights thrown in we have for you a complete family entertainer!

All said and done, and I am sure by now I have completely enraged all my inmates by presenting to you our wacko details, I’d like to wrap this up.
But before that a small reminiscent down the memory lane…our 1st year birthday parties, all seven of us sitting in huddled up in one blanket almost invariably discussing rather dissecting some poor senior or class guy, the water fights, our all girl treats where hogging was our sole purpose, stealing from the mess at night, cooking, the wicked names we gave everybody initially, the naughty songs we loved to dance too, Ramneet and Neha mimicking each and everyone we know so amazingly well, Shilpi’s freaky accidents….there’s no end to it. Ups and downs I have seen them both in college life but through thick and thin we have been together. Now I realize, when it’s almost over, why people say school days and college days are memories you cherish lifelong………..

Lit Club woes

2005-11-14T20:23:00.001+05:30

….aahhh how happy I was with my backdoor entry into the ‘erstwhile’ prestigious (and now the most mocked!) club of my college, almost a year ago. Elated, excited, in seventh heaven, on cloud nine! OK, so a bit of exaggeration…but you get my point? I was happy, but now one year down the line, and I am a depressed, overworked soul, doing thankless work of writing speeches for other people, being an anonymous HT correspondent (or even worse someone plagiarizing my work, printing it in their name!). And if this is not enough, a few cheeky mates have the audacity to say that the Lit club is the laziest, most dormant club of the college. Well, actually not their fault, overtly it seems we are hardly working rather than hard working ( ;) ).
The college magazine, the first ‘momentous issue’, a cogent evidence of the Lit club’s work, a fruit of our labour (:p)-has been ready for publication since a year, but damn the admin (and a certain queen!). After writing several mails to the student community, informing them that ImHO’s ready – we still have nothing (sob!). Needless to say we have lost our credibility totally, and I fear eventually all IIIT-A mailbox owners would mark the Lit club mails as spam (sigh). But on the brighter side, we are still pleading AV, so any of my batchies reading this, (I hope) there’s still hope.
Oh yes, by the way did I mention the very popular joke going around in my friend circle? Those soulless, savage brutes say Saumya has an alternative profession in journalism if her IT career doesn’t workout (and most probably it won’t considering the amount of time I devote to studies, compared to my exhaustive ‘stint’ with journalism).

Anyways adieus, till next time…

Once upon a booboo, there was a comment on a comment....

2005-07-06T03:26:00.001+05:30

Gaurav, thanks for your comment on my comment, and as my silly little booboo post is the most inapt place for such a discussion, (and I am sure this one’s going to be really long), considering my inability to be more concise in my expressions, I thought I’d dedicate a whole post to you and your comment.:-)
I think I have been grossly misunderstood, and I really need to clarify a few things here. I had quite a verbal over this with Siddharth (and I am sure you support him), but I quit the argument mid way coz I realized there’s no point arguing over someone’s belief. Every person has their own way of life, which is ruled by their own rules, ideas and beliefs that are part of their personality, and I dont think attempting to change that is great idea.
I have my own set of convictions in life, which I always like to stand by. Justice, righteousness, honesty, patriotism, goodness to name a few - blame it on my “bad” convent education ;), but that’s the way I am. Yes I have blind faith in God. I consider him as my strength. Belief in him makes me a much happier person. May be you don’t believe in God you think of as His majesty as an illusion a fantasy for the fools… that is your way of life. Even believing that He does not exist is also a belief you know!

See, I don’t think anyone is absolutely happy, we’ve all got our own share of sorrow; anguish, I guess they are a part and parcel of our existence. I have some too, and for me God is someone I can always bank on, who would help me pull through my trials and tribulations. By no means does He make me an escapist! No way. I don’t think that when I am down in the dumps I’ll just say a prayer (and believe me I rarely say any) and there he’ll appear, like an old mythological hero, wave a magic wand and whoosh...problem solved, life is nice and rosy again. Heck no! I’d be a fool if I’d run away from a situation like that. Everyone has their own way of dealing with life and I’d like to face it believing I have someone who’s looking after me, is with me in all my tough times. He is the one who inspires me to keep trying. Yes I do like to praise him, but don’t you like to criticize those who do…so how does it matter in the end both of us are happy with what we are doing, right?
Now to come another of your interesting points, the bit about betterment of society, and recovering what we have lost. Lets say that my devotion to him has made me an ignorant soul; and I leave everything to him (which I hope isn’t true), tell me what have you as a non-believer done? Mister, does sitting infront of your comp writing blogs criticizing God punish those people? I don’t think so. I for one can say, that my heart ache for them, and yes I have always made my contribution, (however miniscule they might be!) to the many tragedies that our nation has faced. I am helpless when it comes to actually giving aid to the people with irreplaceable loses, who have faced mental trauma like in Gujrat, but then that’s life isn’t it? I am a very ordinary person and I just cant get down on the roads to chastise those scoundrels who carried out such inhuman atrocities on the innocent. I wish I could, but I cant. But can you? If you know of a way that I, the silly fool who likes to believe in “shabby escapades” doesn’t, please tell me. Show me the way; I’d follow. My God told me to help them in their time of need he dint kill the humanity in me, if your atheist fervour told you something more worthwhile I’d be more than grateful if you share it with me.
The root of all such troubles is the lack of education. I have done my level best to educate the ignorant about the evils plaguing the society. Like how ridiculous the whole idea of fighting over religion is, how the caste system is just bullshit, about women rights, that we should keep our society clean, small things like not throwing rubbish just anywhere and everywhere and yes how important schooling is in every person’s life. I know these efforts of mine would make almost no difference to the demented and distorted culture that I am ashamed to be a part of, but then I do try. I have never stopped trying, nor have I become lax cause I leave everything to him. You want betterment of society …don’t you? Education begins at home. So have you ever taught your servant’s child? How do plan to start mate? By just blogging and calling people’s beliefs crap? Tolerance is something that would be very helpful in building a better world, but you don’t seem to have any!
My praising God does not mean I am not working for the betterment of society, my belief in him gives me a conscience which tells me the right n the wrongs, pushes me to do good. I am more satisfied this way- to be just like I am, happy with whatever he has given me, striving for excellence with whatever comes my way (coz yes I believe in the corny destiny stuff also). He enthuses in me a spirit that helps me too try try till I succeed, to fight back my fears, withstand the painful times, solve my problems … Is that detrimental to our plans of creating a more secure world?
I call it optimism you might say its foolishness. I am a much happier person this way; u can say its ignorance. But then in the end if both of us want the betterment of society, then how does it matter, the way we think? May be you are much more content calling the idea of God shabby and silly, that’s your perception, I have mine. Bottom line is whatever our beliefs may be we’d both like to see these evils eradicated…right? So lets plan on doing something more real, which would really recover what we have lost, instead of fighting over trivial stuff like God exists or not, it wont change the face of the world if I became an atheist (if it did I promise I’d be the first join these much hyped Atheist groups).
About Gujrat being the most prosperous state I don’t believe in the biased polls of the weekly magazine (tabloids as you say) either. What I wanted was to give an example that if their sorrow theirs happiness too. I agree I put my foot in my mouth with that one; Gujrat is in trouble again facing the wrath of Mother Nature this time :-(.
About America, however prosperous it might be, I am much happier in this poor developing country call India, and I am not ready, craving to go to the land of opportunities (which if I am not assuming too much here- you are). The dimwit comment was on the way they misuse the English language. Otherwise they are a very smart bunch who have marketed all their assets and products (and also those which were not theirs originally) quite well. I’d like to say much more on this, but I’d like to save my “valuable” non-sense for later :p
About the Karma bullshit, Gosh! I have received so much flak for it already. I am sorry for my naivety, but YES I’d like to believe that in the end the bad guys do pay for their deeds and face the wrath.
To end on a more lighter note, as far as the suggestion to join “Atheist” on orkut, thanks but no thanks. That should be clear by now, atleast not in this lifetime dude.

BooBoo

2005-07-04T18:18:00.000+05:30

A few days back at night, after office, my weary self was aching for slumber yet the ‘nishachar’ in me refused to relent. So there I was in front of the idiot box sitting listlessly (as usual), watching reruns of the Full House for the n-th time. Just then Michelle (played by the now grown-up Olson sisters) condescendingly told her Uncle Jessie after one of his regular goof ups, ‘Oh you commited a booboo’.
That’s when I sat up, why hadn’t I heard this one before…anyways time to consult my best friend, my little Dictionary (with my kinda vocab its an absolute necessity!).
Booboo (US origin)…hmm …quite an interesting word isn’t it?
The definition on dictionary.com says booboo means-
1. A stupid mistake; a blunder
2. A slight physical injury, such as a scratch

Though I hate how the Americans in an attempt to simplify the English Language have spoilt it with their own spellings, and pronounciations. But yes they have definitely given a different flavour to the language with some nice funky words that give a more relaxed eased out feel to an otherwise formal language (even the abusives of British English origin sound like salutations!)
Coming back to the word, cute little thing isn’t it (or may be I am the only one who thinks so…whatever). But imagine you are embarrassed and in a really sticky situation after a mess up and somebody tells you…‘Oh that was a booboo’; would ease the pain a bit wont it? :D. Even if it doesn’t I love the word:-)

…and I have this feeling that this post of mine is a booboo too :p

Shakespeare in (my) Life

2005-06-22T13:16:00.000+05:30

As soon as our English teacher entered class and we were done with singing the glory of God (yes we had to do it before and after each period!), almost invariably everyone mumbled something like…”Ah! This blessed Shakespeare, how much more…eeyuck!” We seemed to be jinxed by his power. Centuries after he had decided ‘to not be’, his gloomy irritating presence loomed over our heads and in our text books. It puzzled us why world over Shakespeare was an integral part of English Literature…and we had some pretty good arguments to support our cause, which was mainly-BAN Shakespeare.

I remember one of my friends trying to memorize the play lines before the exams in a frenzy and total disarray grumbled ‘God this guy doesn’t even know proper English and we learn this in the name of English literature??’ Obviously us helpless souls shared her pain and seized the opportunity to curse him some more before going back to those ill fated books and guides. Well, our teachers did try to show us reason and persuade us to give him a chance.
Oh yes first let me tell you about Ms. Bhowmick (though I need to devote a whole blog to her:-) ), she was our favorite teacher, taught us English. She was the one who told us the rights from wrongs, told us ingrates(that was her favorite word!) about the world, its fallacies its niceties. She was on a constant rampage as far as our pronunciations were concerned, Miss I still remember that clerk is pronounced as clark though I often get a ‘Sorry what did you say’ when I use it. One of her missions in life was to make us realize the worth of Shakespeare, she could go on for hours about his significance, value and appeal. But we were a group of obstinate young girls, we believed everything she said but this. We mused, she’s just trying to justify the great blunder by the literates world over. It’s a mistake we told each other and some times a daring few told her too. And then to add to our agonies Mr. John Madden had to go and make a movie about this evil lunatic! Yes those were our thoughts. We saw ‘Shakespeare in Love’ (courtesy Ms. Bhowmick), our perspective and weird ideas didn’t take a U-turn after watching the film, but yes it helped us see him in a different light. For the first time we thought of him as an actual being, who existed who had feelings, rather than some stupid creator of the garbage forced onto us. Human in thought and action rather than an epitome of English literature.
The agony went on for years but gradually we did make sense of his senseless characters. Our hate only equation with Shakespeare changed to a love-hate relationship. First, the hate had nothing to do with Shakespeare, it was caused by the ISC board which expected that we mug up the lines of the plays he took months to write and produce them on paper in those three hours of examination! Believe me that was true suffering and anguish.
Love because we realized that our teachers were right. That it was truly fascinating how way back in the 16th century this man could envision the world in future. How could he etch out his characters so marvelously? It is mesmerizing the way his naïve plots tell the story of human nature so superbly. His protagonists seem so genuine now. The likes of Macbeth and Hamlet are part of our day-to-day lives. (Yes but one funny thought is how men of those times portrayed the characters of the lovely beautiful women he described :D) Romeo and Juliet which as adolescents seemed filmi and over-dramatized, remains carved now in our memories as one of the greatest romances we’ve read! And yes the quotes we wanted to hate so much, their relevance is so clear now! How beautiful and meaningful they sound.
‘All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts..’
These lines from ‘As you like it’ endeared me; so simply put yet they sum up our lives so well. Then obviously my love for ‘To be or not to be…’ is quite clear from my earlier blogs, I guess. I also admit to a liking for his language now, that sense of being unique and different with the keen flavour of the olden times added to it, makes it impossible not to savour it. My urge to read more, to devour his work leads me to my father’s study to pick up ‘The Complete works of Shakespeare’. Now when I go through it(with a more mature outlook) I realize why it is a sort of bible for English literature and why my father who misplaced all his books still has this one perched on top of his study’s shelf since donkey’s years!

To end in true shakespearn style, thy ought read his great works lest you become a regretful soul ...oops that is a weird goof up. I agree no one can imitate the master, least of all me with my limited literary skills, but you get the essence..eh?

Me, Myself & B n B

2005-06-14T12:08:00.000+05:30

First for the ignorant souls B n B aka Bunty and Babli is not an “inspired” copy or a plagiarized version of the Jim Carrey hit. The title represents my dilemma…MPD strikes me too! To like or not to like – that’s the question.

I belong to the class freshly struck by the AB junior mania. So needless to say I waited with bated breath for 27th May the worldwide premiere of the much publicized talked about Yash Chopra movie. Given my (newborn) loyalty to the junior Bacchan I wanted to see it first day first show. But alas my parents refused to acknowledge my love (hehehe) and comply. The avid fan and cinegoer in me had to settle down for an evening show two weeks later. The D-day came, I couldn’t wait to get to the hall (15 minutes late tho-AB couldn’t inspire my mother enough (sob!)). About three hours later awe-struck I was all gagagoogoo. Excitedly I told my parents, what an awesome movie, superb. The Bacchans share such a great on screen chemistry and Rani was OK too(:p). Sadly they didn’t think so, they thought it was such a drag (sigh!).

Well, the practical movie critic in me (ahem!) beckoned me to think again. Honestly the storyline had a lot of potential in it to have lead to the making of an interesting watch and I guess ONLY the movie publicists realized that.There were sooooo many loopholes in the plot. I have racked my brain enough wondering why weren’t the sketches of the two con artists made even after they had supposedly made a mockery of the law, fooled the whole nation, had a whole gamut of victims, half a dozen accomplices in each crime…and yes even after selling the Taj (God help me my sides are splitting). And nobody still recognized them? I am still baffled at the scriptwriters for such gross miscalculation of the audience’s intellect level (or may be not...it is a hit!). In the end Mr.Bacchan claims that only he was the gifted soul who had an actual rendezvous with Bunty n Babli and knew who they really were! By the way could he please throw some light, for us lesser mortals, on exactly what psychic powers he was bestowed with in that flash of a second, which solved the mystery harrowing him for years? The climax, well…it couldn’t get more filmi, could it??

But, wait no…. I loved the movie. Let my senses and practicality go to hell. Man I did enjoy the three hours- the corny jokes, the dream sequences, the dance numbers, Rani’s funny bengali punjabi accent, the cute hindi abuses, Ash’s item number, the dynamic Big B, and of course Abhishek was amazing (I am blushing :p). Who says you need logic when it comes to Bollywood? Nearly all the blockbusters are senseless but they still generate a lot of moolah at the box office, right?

Whatever said and done, no matter how stupid the movie may be I still recommend it to everyone. If you wanna take a break from good well made meaningful cinema (some even produced in our very own Bollywood) go watch B n B, and yes don’t forget to leave that sensible head on your shoulders at home.Have a splendid time (and please don’t curse me later.)

Just GOD

2005-06-05T16:58:00.000+05:30

Statutory Warning : might be too boring for some.

I am a believer. No this is not a religion, faith or creed I am talking off, nor am I party to a popular cult gaining high ground. Nor am I a maniac or a psycopath like the ones you find in the American movie stereotypes, penchant with their belief, on a murderous spree.

I believe in GOD, just GOD...no strings attached. He’s not Allah or Christ the Son of God or a Hindu idol. Outwardly I might appear as an atheist. I almost never fast, nor am I a regular visitor to any temple, mosque, church or any house of God. Yes I do bow my head with respect when I pass one. But that is about all. I don’t believe the quaint customs and rituals invoke the Almighty, but if a certain sect believes in their sanctity, then so be it, it is their approach. Their path. I do not discredit or desecrate them. But yes, it’s quite true faith and money are THE greatest motivators. It amazes me sometimes what people do in the name of GOD. How easily they claim their “religious sentiments” have been hurt! Not once thinking what they are doing, why they are doing it...that in the process they are hurting GOD himself? Destroy people just in the name of religion, breach the rights of others, carry out massacres, violence… you name it and they’ve done it…and they think it would make “their” GOD happy!. Weird very weird!How can such carnage lead to GOD I wonder.

My view of GOD differs. I view him as my guiding light, my source of inspiration , my survival.For me he's just someone I can always turn to. He’s someone I can relate my troubles to, even for the smallest trifling I am literally 'knockin on heavens doors'. I don’t defy or disrespect any of the religion, as a matter of fact I revere each one of them, cause they are just various channels leading to the inexplicable power behind the churnings of the real world. The supreme. The one who decides the fate of each one of us, undeterred by our faith. Resolute in his decisions, yet soft when helping his child bear the consequences of one, always lending a helping hand, pulling us through all our miseries. The patriarch of the Globe…or may be the universe or may be beyond…I may never know His limits.
I have always accepted rather greedily all his decisions, the bouts of happiness, the moments of victory. Then why should I shy away when he chooses to test me? Why should I curse him, ask him why ME? I never question him while making merry…so why when I am mourning? No. I always prayed, God always be with me, in good or bad, I will follow your will. Then, so be it, if he chooses pain to give me greater happiness or tests my mettle to make me a stronger individual, I will comply. My duty to him is, I do no wrong, try my best to follow the righteous path and take life (more appropriately the course he decides) willingly, sanguine in my approach and I am sure He would be there to cruise me through all my ups and downs.Just always be with me is my only prayer, so that in my grave moments I know that the pair of footprints in sand is you and only you, which would pull me through each one of my struggles. For me the question is not really ‘To be or not to be’…I have to be, life is beautiful and worth living, it’s a precious gift I cherish and always will till my last breath, live each moment to the fullest…but to always to be as He desires me to be is what matters to me.

P.S this is not a rip-off from TOI’s speaking tree :P

To decode the Da Vinci code

2005-05-26T13:33:00.000+05:30

Spectacular, super-thrilling, nerve wrecking, unbelieavable...were some of the adjectives used to desribe Dan Brown's international bestseller 'The Da Vinci Code'.The bookworm that I am or so i'd like to believe, I couldnt wait to get my hands on it.Finished it in 10 hours straight! but in the end i was puzzled..no wait before jumping to conclusions, the book and its "astounding facts" dint puzzle me ....infact what intrigued me in the end was what was all the hulabaloo for?
Ok, it isnt a bad book infact it does make an interesting read(kept me glued through). but what i write here is for those people who have the audacity to compare it to classics!!Either they dont know what a classic is or they just lack the IQ to understand any!
I agree my words are too harsh and i know i am inviting a lot of criticism, but then the hysteria about the book...and my equally dismal experience forces me to give my point of view.Friends i discussed this with argued, its a splendid book.look at all the hidden truths it reveals. Gimme a break.If you want to know truth or facts, or want a perspective on a religion, you dont need to read fiction for that.get your facts right!Get a non-fiction' for that, do some research and you'll find out much more than what the book provides or if you are those types who like everything served on a silver platter, see discovery or history channel for detailed programs dedicated to such causes( they'll even show you some da vincis!!)

First things first, the climax is too melodramatic(read filmi) and superfluous.the build up in the story excites you, exposes the evils and the wrong doings of the medivial age ,gives a new perspective on christanity....and the list goes on.One starts expecting too much.I myself am guilty of letting loose my imagination- a startling revelation or a daring or an astonishing ending which would rock the world were some of my wild ideas. But even the author couldnt handle all the facts he imbibes in his book, end result you realize it was all a damn squib.In the beginning the whole world seems to be involved,conspiring as part of the plot you feel you are part of a revolution but then the blame falls on one evil soul who somehow manages to find out everthing of the great secret which was so well preserved for centuries!there are just too many loopholes in the plot.

so what's left of the storyline.....umm....i am sure more than half of the readers guessed the "master" no sooner than he was introduced,there wernt many options available.add to this the silly parallel story of the reason behind the estrangement of the granddaughter.There's a wild concoction of juvenile plots combined to give you a very often-repeated and common storyline.the end makes you wish you hadnt waited like crazy and thought of all the various options or tried to decipher the myteries he had promised to reveal.yes no doubt the hints initially and the way they got to the answers was very interesting but that was about it and that is not enough for me to call a book a legend.

may be i am being too hard it wasnt that bad, but remove the interesting "juicy" details of the pions and the story of the grail, it can be easily be typecasted as a sidney look alike.and for me if books are food for the mind, then sidneys are junk food!but then we all like a difference of flavor sometime.personally i have an abhorrence for sidneys(having read all(eesshhh!!)) .makes my blood boil when people call such trash gold!

Read 'The old man and the sea' by Ernest Hemmingway recently,thats what i call truly breath taking. a line form it read "man can be destroyed but not defeated", which still haunts me.the guts and the never say die spirit of the old fisherman enthused in me a new level of excitement and hope, which has stayed with me, unlike my enthusiasm with the DV code which fizzled out with the last few pages.may be some wont agree with me about a book having an impact and an impression for keeps, they believe in read and forget. sorry that's not for me.I dont appreciate that genre of books anymore.

i am not choosy when it comes to reading a book.i can read any and everything.i have read a whole wide range of books of such masala mix books and may be that's made me realize the worth of a classic.'The Da Vinci code' is a nice book,hats off to the author for all the work hes put in and it is a great effort, but please the next time you say its as good as a classic remember me and my pleas.

The guilty me is back!

2005-05-25T13:58:00.000+05:30

......but not with a bang this time!!well well well,after my super zealous post...this long drawn gap seems very silly, but then i have to make a start again!!no more blog world is spectacular and here i come...cause my last entry fizzled out big time!i am not totally guilty though.have been "busy" with college stuff..the magazine,exams,projects..blablabla.but then if any of my collegemates read this i'll be caught cause whatever said and done..u can never be too busy in IIIT-Allahabad!!so honestly i was just plain lazy.
my exams are over or should i say the horrific nightmare called fourth sem's over(sob!).life is nice and rosy again...i am at home:).yess i am trying not to while away my time so doing training at HCL,comnet(now doing what i do best officially :p).
i am writing this sitting in my office,so have to cut this short.
adieus....till next time.

2005-02-23T16:33:00.000+05:30

Let me confess i am totally new to blogging and I am sure my blogging style would give me away.So let me be completely honest ,I am totally clueless about how to start!well .... I thought why not with ,why I am blogging.

Well when I first heard the term blog, I admit I had to google it.one of the the definitions read
" A Web log, for the uninitiated, is a popular and fairly personal content form on the Internet. A person’s Web log is almost like an open diary "
Not an apt definition for naive beginners like me.Well to say the least ,I had my inhibitions about penning down my thoughts....oops....digitizing them for the whole world to see.letting people know your inner self,inviting comments(crticism included),wasting time to let people know your preferences!!..I wondered why??why should I?.more importantly why are people so eager to blog?Time to put on my thinking cap.My curious self refused to rest.I decided to explore and guess what......I loved it too!!Got addicted.
I read up blogs,went through blogspot,bloggers,livejournal,blogforamerica,indiatimes et al.(blogger dont sue me!)..... i realized what a whole new world BLOGGING is- a gamut of ideas,varying perspectives,hots and colds of people,the latest tech gizmos,events,news...(my sincere apology to all veterans who feel i have missed out on something vital).
A few days back there was an article in the op-ed about how easily the americans open up infront of total strangers (partially responsible for Oprah's success;)).Infact blog's success can be credited to this too.Truly an idea of the west but now we see bloggers mushrooming all over India too!Who would have thought that the conservative mindset of indians would have ever allowed them to do so...but then the world has woken up to the fact that we dont take much time to absorb the good...one of the many attributes of the smart indian brain (and blogging is not good it is "fantabulous").
Anyways, i think i am going a little offtrack.This is my foray into a strange exciting land...blog world ,here I come!