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Heartbreak warfare…Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Every time I hear this particular word certain events burst across my eyes like a blitzkrieg. I thought there were just two major instances in my life when I cried my heart out and I had no one who’d listen to me without laughing. I guess even now I feel that way or else I wouldn’t be writing these lines in the very first place. Okay… now being “almost” on the wrong side of thirty when I recall my past days I always thought there were just two major incidents and baby… I was wrong … the third stuck like an arrow when I thought nothing could move me…and to comfort my ego I tell myself off and on that there’s still a child in me which is alive and kicking! And now I wonder before telling these three tales should I really name them or keep them the way I address them still? The later now seems to suit my sensibilities and here they are: Tragedy one: This happened around twenty years ago. Like any teenager even I had butterflies in my stomach every time I saw him! And I really don’t know for what reasons why I was so attracted to him. He was just an ordinary guy head banging to all the heavy metal stuff I could think of and every meeting and his head banging would make me rush to get the dispirins. But I liked it that way. He belonged to the tall, dark & “not so” handsome types and still I was happy. Things however changed when I told this to my closest friend. Women can never keep secrets… I nod in agreement to it hundred and one percent! I don’t know whether I should appreciate her hard work or hate her guts but the day she went and told him about me, from that instance our relationship s soured. And I was miffed. Suddenly I could feel the distance. I wanted to set things straight but as clumsy as I am luck abandoned me too. To add to my miseries my tall, dark & not so handsome fella, out of the blue met a cousin of mine and all hell broke lose. They set the stage on fire! And he asked my help! Can anybody beat that? I wish I had the nerve to tell him “Slap me damnit!” But in reality I did something more silly & stupid. I cried my heart out. And no… mind you, not in front of him. I felt so lonely. I cried & wept & cried & wept more all alone. I spent many sleepless nights. I’ve felt my heart ache and heaviness that pained me to bits. Though I was amidst a crowd yet I’d be the only lonely one and it took a long time for me to heal my wounds. And I don’t know where he got lost amidst that crowd. Tragedy two: I was just out of school and all ready to attend college. You know how it is to be in a Convent school for twelve odd years. The very thought of going to a co-ed college was superb! And I just waited for that day. But something else happened before that. Between the time after school and joining college I befriended my neighbour. He was my batch, but studied in an all boy’s school. We soon realized that we shared a lot of common friends and interests as well. One thing led to the other and soon we were the unofficial couple in our gang of friends. There was nothing between the two of us yet some amount of attraction was there for sure. Soon college started and though we were in different colleges yet we would make it a point to hang out together. One afternoon when I returned home I saw a chit on my study table. As I unfolded it, it wasn’t too neat actually to be termed as a “love letter”. As I opened the chit I realized it was from him and he scribbled a few lines defining his love for me! And boy! I thanked my lucky stars. All my friends had boyfriends and it would get utterly boring when they went out on dates. I was left alone. So now that I had him as a boyfriend I thought I was in the league of my friends too. A few days later when I visited him I was feeling quite giddy inside. I have been such a tomboy all my life that to behave like a teeny-weeny love struck girl was quite a task. As I walked into his room I saw a lot of friends and he didn’t even pay that “special” and “extra” attention to me. Rather I could sense that he was more than eager to prove his manliness to a skimpily clad girl. I knew something was wrong. So the one chance I think God granted me I called him aside and asked him “what was wrong?” His jaw dropped almost touching the floor. He didn’t have a clue why I was behaving like a nagging wife. So I called him to my place the next day and showed him the chit. As he read that I thought he would bury himself deep underground. He said it was not him who wrote those lovey-dovey lines. And I was equally shocked as him. We had a big argument and he left, leaving me in absolute tears. I felt my heart breaking yet one more time. That pain… that loneliness again crept in me and I buried myself in my shell. The next morning as I walked into my classroom I knew everyone was giving me strange looks… I had huge puffy and swollen eyes. I had cried the whole night. A few days later I solved this puzzle. A cousin of mine who weighed a ton and thousand, smelled like a pig and cribbed always played this crude and dirty game on me and I gave her my piece of mind. But by then my friend had already left hometown and got admitted to a different university and we lost touch. Tragedy three: I met this friend of mine in flesh and blood after a long long time. But the situation in which we met was different. We connect. We communicate even when no words are spoken. And just to see him I was happy. It was a very emotional moment for me. There has been no “attraction”, “crush”, “infatuation” between us, but I think what binds us together is the sheer madness. Our meeting was just for minutes and when he said he’d call me the next day I let go that sentence. I never thought he would actually. And the next afternoon while having lunch as my phone buzzed I could not believe my eye when I saw his name flashing on the screen and the phone buzzing. Speaking to him has been a pleasure always. We decided to meet the next day. And as he asked I called him to check whether he’d be able to make it. He said he’ll let me know and the whole evening I kept waiting for this one call. And it never came. And again I was hurt, deep down somewhere. I was in a situation where I could not show it openly that I was hurt. I was weeping deep within and the heaviness I felt was as same as I felt when my first ever crush didn’t notice me and wanted me to help him getting fixed with my cousin! Heartbreak warfare! Sure it was…and at this stage????? The three men don’t have a clue to all this anyways. But now after all these years I feel so tempted to speak my heart out! Would that do good? I don’t know nor do I care. Butthey have made me cry big time and they should better be aware of it….
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Lost & FoundWednesday, November 24, 2010

I don’t know when or how but slowly and slowly I have learnt to “let go”. I wasn’t sure if letting go would be as easy as it seemed when I read in number of books. And I waited to apply it practically… but things like “let go”, “live and let live” doesn’t happen in a particular day or a time… it happens gradually and its only when you have time for yourself to look back into the days gone by that you realize it. And it never did seem tough at all. I said to myself, “… its time… its age… its maturity… letting go things is easy… not that dangerous…” Dangerous would be an overstatement… but a little pep-talk to oneself do no harm? Does it?

An incident however did override my much “let go” philosophy … momentarily … if not for eternity.

 

It dates back to the year 2006. My job meant I had to travel extensively. And the two constant companions I had with me always were – 1) my portable music player & 2) my hip flask. Being assaulted by jaundice once I vowed to carry water from home only.

I am not at all a morning person. And as much as I loved my job I hated to wake up early to catch a flight or rush to the cab waiting outside my home in the morning with the same integrity.

It was the month of June and even at five in the morning it looked as if half the day had already passed. I was on my way to Tezpur for a training session. I reached the bus stop and waited for about thirty minutes. It was such a mad rush waking up and getting all my bearings in places that there was no time for a cup of tea. As I enquired I was told the bus would be late. So I walked down to a nearby tea stall and had a cup of tea. It rejuvenated me instantly. By the time I was done with my tea, the bus reached and I hopped on it and soon was on my way to work. I put my earphones, pressed the “play” button on my mp3 player and soon I went off to sleep. After covering a distance roughly 180 kms and two and half hours later we reached Nogaon. The busses usually halted here for about 20 minutes. I was still not fully awake but I knew this route, the stoppages and my bag so well that i really didn’t have to open my eyes to put my hands inside my bag and take out the hip flask. But alas! There was something wrong this time. I couldn’t find it. By now I was fully awoke and I looked inside my bag yet I couldn’t find it… I took out all the things, yet the flask was nowhere in sight. I felt lost. I felt alone. I knew it was just a flask, but this same flask had been a great companion to me and now when it went missing I was almost devastated. I couldn’t recall where I left it. And I had to “let go”. Wasn’t that easy? No… not really… because I was so attached to it. But then I thought maybe it had served its purpose and it was time to let go the flask.   

Days passed by and like a love story gone sour and eventually tasteless; memories of the hip flask too faded away.

Almost a year later, I was in the same bus stand, but this time I wasn’t going anywhere. I was there to receive somebody and it was late in the evening. The waiting game is surely a tough one especially when you have mosquitoes swarming all over you and you are surrounded with strange faces mostly gazing blankly into their cell phones.

I am a big time caffeine addict if you permit me to say. So I walked down to the same tea stall and ordered a cup of coffee. I sipped my coffee as slowly as I could because once this activity would be over I didn’t have anything interesting to do except wait for someone’s arrival. As I finished the last drop of coffee and settled the bill, the guy over the counter looked into me for a while and then asked, “Madam, I remember you. You have come to my tea stall earlier also.” I felt so important that moment! At least somebody so unknown too recognized me! I said I did. As he was handing me the change he asked me to wait for a while. “Is this yours?”, he continued saying as he took out a hip flask that looked like my long lost and almost forgotten buddy. I couldn’t believe my eyes… and I didn’t have to examine it like a pathologist in a lab. I recognized it as much I’d recognize my new born baby amidst hundreds of new-borns in a nursery. I said, “Yes, this is mine!”

The shopkeeper took out a cloth and wiped it proper and handed over to me. He told me, “I wanted to call you back to hand you the flask but you already had boarded the bus. I kept waiting and thought one day you’d come and looking for it. But it’s been a year or so now. But still I thought I’ll keep this and hand it over to its rightful owner no matter how long I’d have to wait. But today when I saw you walking down towards my shop, I wasn’t sure whether it was you. You look different. But then something in me said this must be you…”

I could not thank him enough. He just made my day. It was like finding back one’s lost love. The happiness and joy at that moment was far more than what would I have felt if I were gifted diamonds.

As I thanked him I bowed my head down slightly, a small gesture to let him know how much this meant to me.

As I write down this I must tell you, I haven’t been to that tea stall again. There hasn’t been a reason.  But yes, I’ll still recognize the nice guy who kept my flask with such care for so long.

And if you are wondering what happened to the flask… well… something more interesting will follow soon…

 

 

 

 

 

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The Old Monk Chronicles! part IIWednesday, November 17, 2010

SHE: Hey!

 

…. After 3 hours or so….

 

THE OLD MONK: Hey! Just woke up!

SHE: Half my day is over! Woke up at 5.30 and went for a walk too. Felt good.

 

THE OLD MONK: 5.30 is too early man! I think I too should do some physical.

SHE: You should. It’s the first day which is tough. Once you are off that stage its fun

THE OLD MONK: Yeah you are right.

 

SHE: What else?

THE OLD MONK: You tell me, my day had just started!

SHE: Nothing really! Maybe a :)) will do?

THE OLD MONK:  :))man!

SHE: No! I am a woman!

THE OLD MONK: Woman! Yes that’s what you are.

SHE: But I love the way you say “man”!

THE OLD MONK: Thanks! That’s my signature style.

 

SHE: No work?

THE OLD MONK: Will be here for another 15 mins…

SHE: Me too have to go out for some work. Won’t be here for too long.

 

THE OLD MONK: So tell me?

SHE: Tell you what?

THE OLD MONK: Whatever you wanted to tell me last night.

SHE: There are a lot of things.

THE OLD MONK: Tell me one by one!

SHE:  1.I don’t know what is happening

THE OLD MONK: I don’t what either

SHE:

THE OLD MONK:

THE OLD MONK: What is the next one?

SHE: Nothing… later…

 

THE OLD MONK: 3 more mins, please?

SHE: What will happen in 3 more mins?

THE OLD MONK: At least you’ll be with me…

 

 

 

 

 

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The Old Monk Chronicles!Sunday, November 14, 2010
What happens when an old monk talks? Sounds queer?

Select: All, Read, None

ShowAllUnread

hey!

 SHE: Y'day I logged out of the chat in a hurry my baby was crying in her sleep ... when I went to her I realized she had blocked nose and was finding difficult to breathe.... hope u understand... u do right?
 

THE OLD MONK: Come I am ok with it... your child is the first priority.. But I would have loved if the conversation continued …

 SHE: we'll continue the story again... with u I almost forgot that I’m a mom & a wife!!!
Felt nice being "me" for a change!

 THE OLD MONK: I liked the you in you.. I am kinda waiting for the next talk..

SHE : me in me is very mischievous!

THE OLD MONK: Hmm, I like mysteries... specially between you and me..

SHE
: mysteries... especially between you and me...
lets keep it that way... I love this! u giving me butterflies in my stomach now :>>

 THE OLD MONK: i am game sweets.. you have no idea how excited I am, Great feelings  cannot be explained . There is one more thing that want to tell you

SHE: ... tell me what it is...

 THE OLD MONK: the other day when you were here.. I kinda could feel there is some chemistry between you and me

SHE: really? How did I miss it? I did like u coz u seemed so quiet, a bit shy & not really loud...

THE OLD MONK: i am not shy... but I am not loud... did you get my text.. ?

SHE:  no not shy I know... I like it... guys who  brag & talk a lot... and boasts are such turn offs!

 

 

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To Be or Not To BeThursday, March 25, 2010
I grew up in an era when choices one had as a career option was limited. You were either a well qualified Doctor or an Engineer. That was it! Yes, there were a few other options too – a teacher or maybe join the administrative services.
And to cut a long story short none of these options interested me which seemed were hanging down like a pendulum ticking severely more than ever as I gradually ascended from primary to middle & finally high school.
My parents unlike rest of them (to be read as my overtly pushy aunts & uncles) never did pressurize me to death. I don’t know the reason behind this. But I remember Maa telling me off & on that as long as I turn out to be a sensible, mature and a loving person “all is well”. She herself being a teacher (for which I was a tad angry on numerous occasion, because I felt I was surrounded with this species called “Miss” both in school and home as well); she never allowed me to parrot read or like in school we were asked to “learn by heart”. Except for the poetry, rest she explained everything to me like a story. Even the ocean currents – a lesson in Geography I used to dread; she made it so easy for me that it seemed I too flowed with the mighty currents, at times warm and at times utterly cold clock-wise and anti-clock-wise in both the hemispheres.
And because as a kid I’d always see her being a “Miss” I decided I too shall become a fine teacher one day. So on holidays I’d make all my dolls sit in the classroom (read the lounge area we had just next to the kitchen), make best use of the wall as my black board and there I was – the teacher. This fascination lasted me for quite some time until I stumbled upon a lady (I don’t remember her name); she was not a regular visitor to our place, but I recognized the other woman with whom she came. She was my granny’s friend. This “first time I met” lady had a bag full of candies and two big bottles of aerated drinks – one cola and one orange for me and boy I was bemused and thrilled all at once! I realized that she was an “air hostess”. And the next thing I wanted to be was an air hostess! My teacher-giri bit ended prematurely! Maa would smile whenever she saw me playing “Air Hostess” but granny would get slightly alarmed. She would keep reminding me that only people who couldn’t excel in studies would opt for doing things like these! I would get scared as a ten year old. I didn’t understand why she said so. But her statement would ring like an alarm every time I’d sit with her to revise my Assamese lessons on the dining table while she’d be either cooking the regular meal or baking one thing or the other.
So there went my air hostess bit too. I was sad but could I do anything? Nothing came up and I thought like the rest of my cousins I too shall end up being a Doctor or an Engineer. But the path to these two profession required Science and Math which were my least favourite. Thus I felt being trapped. I was throttled and I could do nothing about it. 
As a teenager I wanted to become a musician. Dad taking a cue called a music teacher too. But No! Hindustani Classical music was not something I was zeroing onto. I wanted to be a Jon Bon Jovi! Couldn’t he possibly understand that? One day gathering all the courage I did manage to speak him about this utter confusing state of affairs. He listened patiently and said, “Even Jon Bon Jovi did learn his basics the way you are doing now”. Now who could give me first hand info if my idol too had a sicko & disgusting music teacher like the one I had! Nevertheless my musical journey continued for about three long and appalling years. One day I finally said I had enough of music and bid adieu to my music teacher. Dad was angry and I took all what he had to say with a pinch of salt.
By the time I had cleared my tenth board exams most of my cousins were busy preparing for various entrance/competitive exams. I visualized them as docs & engineers building bridges and somewhere deep inside me I still wasn’t prepared for all this.
So the next best thing I did was take up Commerce stream and decided to wait and watch. During those five glorious years of bunking & partying one thing that I got interested was the world of advertising. As a management student advertising & marketing was one of the key papers and I loved it. So this is my call. I thought to myself.
But wait, during the same time cable TV first hit the Indian television and I was bestowed my Danny McGill’s charms & charisma and I felt I was deviating from my advertising world. I wanted to become a VJ!
Before I graduated with a B.Com degree I had lost my parents and for my granny it was all to “Greek” when I told her that I had cleared my MAT (Management Aptitude Tests) side by side with my B.Com and would like to do a course in advertising. She said she had no idea what I was saying. I continued further by saying I need to go to New Delhi to clear a few GDs (group discussions) and interviews in a few institutes.
A few interviews and G.Ds later I knew I’d be in DSC (Delhi School of Coomunication) for the next two years studying advertising. I was just a matter of few months away. And as planned I found myself in the New Delhi railway station one hot June afternoon.

I was so sure I’d be working in an ad. agency in the creative department that it seemed too good to be true.

Yes! I did! I did manage to work for an agency but it was nothing the way I had imagined. Instead of doing some fun filled copy writing, here I was typing tender notices in Adobe PageMaker! I waited. I said to myself, “the best is yet to come”. But it didn’t happen or maybe I was impatient or maybe I was lured to a fatter pay packet and thus I bid adieu to my whatever-little-I-got-to-do advertising world.

I started working as a product trainer for one of the world’s most reputed and oldest brand. And shamelessly I never did miss my advertising days, not even once. I traveled extensively; met a whole lot of people and got to see places which otherwise I’d never write in my “must visit” travel itinerary.

Now I am a very much “stay at home” wife & mom. As I look back I don’t repent nor do I have regrets. I got a chance to dabble about brand building and doing my teacher-giri bit again as a trainer. Plus my job meant I was on a vacation forever!

But only if we had alternative career options during the growing up years. I guess kids today are much more luckier to have such a wide range of opportunities.

When I look at my doc & engineer cousins I feel they live such a rigid life. Doc are forever studying even now… & the engineers… well they too are doing fine (I just guess as I am not in touch with them)…

And for me I know I’ve done my parents proud. I as a parent would be the way my parents have been to be. Would love to see Nior as a mature, well groomed, compassionate and a good human being more than anything.
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Half Nelson- Not just another teen movie - www.youthcomm.orgMonday, March 1, 2010

Half Nelson
Not Just Another Teen Movie
By Daniela Castillo
When I heard about Half Nelson, a new movie about a white teacher in Brooklyn who befriends one of his black students, I thought of Dangerous Minds and The Principal-other movies about troubled white educators who reform minority rebels in poor neighborhoods. Those movies showed wonderful white adults saving the poor black and Latino kids, assuming, of course, that they needed to be saved.
Crisscrossing Lives
Half Nelson isn't so simple. Unlike those other movies, it doesn't give a black and white, right or wrong picture about morals, class or race. It's an honest story about a teacher and student whose lives crisscross through an unlikely event.
Half Nelson features a junior high school history teacher, Dan Dunne, played by Ryan Gosling, who plays the role with conviction and honesty. Everything in his performance is brilliantly simple-he plays an easygoing teacher and passionate dreamer who genuinely wants to teach his mostly black students something worth knowing.
But his personality outside the classroom is completely different. With his students he's assertive and strong, but back home, he's weak and pathetic.
Teacher Has a Secret
The twist is that he's part of something that plagues many inner city kids-Mr. Dunne smokes crack.
One day, 13-year-old Drey (played by Shareeka Epps) finds him barely conscious in the girls' bathroom, holding a crack pipe. Instead of panicking, Drey becomes intrigued by the vulnerability of her teacher and begins to seek him out to learn more about his problem.
Drey knows the drug game first hand. Her brother is in jail for dealing drugs and the man he worked for, the charming dealer Frank, helps Drey and her mom financially. Frank (played by Anthony Mackie) is also Mr. Dunne's dealer.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dunne's downward spiral with drugs continues. Hoping to clean up his act, he tries to pick up his grubby apartment and even does a brief 10-minute workout in a feeble attempt to repair his health.
But his hypocrisy confronts him when he goes back to class every day, talking about history while nursing his drug and booze hangover from the night before.
And in that classroom is Drey, reminding him why he teaches in the first place.
Shareeka Epps holds up in her performance playing a 13-year-old tough girl. I saw her first in the short film Gowanus, Brooklyn, on which this movie was based. Three years later, her more adult voice and growth only strengthen the character's key attributes-her maturity and coolness.
Not Just Blowing Bubbles
As she befriends Mr. Dunne, we see that Drey's not always in calm Blow Pop eating mode. Sometimes when she's with her teacher, she breaks out into corny jokes and a shy smile, showing that kid side-which makes her performance even more impressive.
Mr. Dunne awkwardly but honestly opens himself up to Drey, giving her rides home and showing her the civil rights books at his apartment. And he finds the chance to redeem himself when he finds out that Frank has his eye on Drey to replace her brother. Mr. Dunne makes several attempts to confront Frank, but addiction gets the best of him and his plan goes awry.
Teens Will Relate
Although Half Nelson is nothing like the typical teen movie-where the football player falls in love with the nerd-turned-prom queen-I think teens will relate to it. I went to a junior high school like the school in the movie, and the scenes in the classroom-with kids shouting out silly answers-were so on point.
Half Nelson is one of those rare films that explores the idea of redemption without seeming heroic or righteous. And the film's flawed characters and heavy themes actually make the movie feel inspirational and optimistic to me.
Half Nelson was directed by Ryan Fleck, who also co-wrote Gowanus, Brooklyn, with Anna Boden. It's rated R for drug use and tough language
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A little bit of this & a little bit of that. Monday, March 1, 2010
It’s been a while that I wrote something.
Maybe I’ve been in simple words “just lazy” to write.
  Maybe I was getting too busy being a mom and a housewife.
Whatever the reasons be; today I just felt like doing the thing which feels so relaxing. And just as I sat down on my couch with the earphones plugged to my ears setting my all time favourite music on the playlist, distraction started pouring in left right and centre!
First it was my daughter who wanted to get cozy. You might think this is so cute but if truth be told her main intention was to play havoc with the laptop! After sending her off to her dad, I sat down again trying to go back to that same frame of mind as I longed. And the phone started buzzing! After speaking for about five odd minutes with my aunt I just lost track of what I was supposed to do. So I walked straight to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator expecting to find something special to nibble when I know well that its all the leftovers that are there! So I just popped a small piece of chocolate which is my daughter’s possession! Thank God she doesn’t know to count!
Chocolate sure is a mood lifter. I decided to go back to my writing mood. But I guess nothing was in my stride today evening. The door bell rang and it was a friend, who got married very recently and just back in town after a ten day honeymooning in Bangkok. And no matter how much I wanted to say a quick hello and come back to my laptop and start typing I could not. It would look rather discourteous not because he had a bag full of goodies for us but because he is like “family”! So there went some more precious moment and I could feel I was losing my grip, I had such a wonderful spin to yarn but now that seemed slowly fading. I excused myself and left them the guys with their scotches and crabs & shark meat crunchies and the men talk.
As I sat down for the nth time, I heard Mougli (one of our pet dog) barking unstoppably and I knew there was someone else on the door!
Ok! Now it was more than I could handle. There was this other friend of ours who came along with his cousin. By the time they arrived I had almost completed a few lines of what I was writing and I didn’t want to mess this nor miss the opportunity of finishing whatever mindless things that I was typing. So whether I was being impolite or rude I don’t know. My hellos to them was at the door only and I asked them to head straight to the kitchen where all the action was happening and I said I’d join them in a bit, “just need to complete something really important that I am writing at the moment!”
So this is where my writing ends today evening. Will get back with a fresh frame of mind and ample “my time” and so some really serious writing some other time!
Ciao!
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the 100th Blog!Monday, December 28, 2009

This is something I found in FB and it was so interesting decided to put it here as well:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No…

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU Cried?
yesterday when Nior got her dose of vaccine, I cried too!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I used to, but now I type more that write!


4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
I usually stick to veggies for lunch.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Nior is my lifeine… & so is Nirav, at times he is more babyish!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
of course yes!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
….yep…. & with those who deserve that type of lingo!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
yep and everything else I was born with

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
aaah! YES!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Nothing as such…. But oats is ok.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
yeah

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM
chocolate chip

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
shoes… & women with sandals … how well groomed the feet are.

15. RED OR PINK?
Can I say orange?

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I tend to trust people too soon.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST ?
My family

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
As long as it sounds interesting why not?

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black corduroy & blue bedroom slippers

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Give me some sunshine from 3 Idiots

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Green

23. FAVORITE SMELL?
Nior’s is a mix of Johnson’s Baby powder... Lactogen… her sweat…

Otherwise its Miracle by Lancome or Pleasures by Estee Lauder

24.THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Boon

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
No one sent me this, was surfing here & there when I came across this.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Swimming & Diving, Golf, Tennis & Soccer.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Dark Brown

28. EYE COLOR?
Dark brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, I enter them on my phone -hehe

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Mixed grill sizzlers!

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings… in reel & real life.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
3 Idiots

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Dark blue

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Both… but summers are good for  swimming & winters are good for great outdoor adventures.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs & Kisses… & lots of it!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
chocolate soufflé.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
all.


38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
dunno!


39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Barrack Obama’s Dreams from my Father.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
it’s a lappy…

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Chris Angel’s Mind Freak!

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)?
walking on a wooden floor.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles… Rolling Stones… Bread… Metallica…. Def Leppard… Scorpions…

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Been always at home no matter where I am!

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I guess so…

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Guwahati.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Everyone’s

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
…. Haahaaaa!.... met him thru my then supposedly bf!

49. IS THE CUP HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Half Full …


50. IF YOU COULD SIT DOWN TO DINNER WITH FIVE PEOPLE WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Nirav, Nior as of now…

 

 

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%$#&!Sunday, December 27, 2009
Just when I thought I would write something in no time ^%$#^*(())_)(*(*&*&^%^%^%$##$@#!@@$$^%&^^%*&^(*&)(*)*)_(_)(+_)_)(
well... I was at peace... alone to do my own damn thing... and my thoughts were coming down as words... just when people (read family) came back home after shopping.... the TV being switched on in a high volume.... kid crying for her chocolate fell.... ^&()_*(*&*&^^%$%$@#$%#E%
& there goes my evening!
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Twenty Five Random things about meTuesday, May 12, 2009
  1. I live life King Size… at least I try, but there are times when I get miserable; when things don’t go the way I wished…
  2. I think the saying “if there’s light, there is darkness too; if there’s good there’s evil and if there’s God then there’s Satan too”… hold true!
  3. If life had been a vacation I’d love to be in Fiji!
  4. I listen to advices but might not necessarily implement each and every one… I’d rather filter it and take those which satisfy my own rationale!
  5. Life sure has been a roller coaster ride for me, but I’ve been through it without giving up and looking back now I think I’ve enjoyed that roller coaster ride.
  6. There are some people I wish I never met and then there are those I wished I had met them earlier then I did!
  7. Never thought motherhood would change the meaning of my life until I became one!
  8. If God grants me a second life I’d love to be the way I am now… aah! Maybe could do with a less extra pounds on my waistline!
  9. That I am lucky to have Nirav & he is equally lucky to have me is mutually exclusive!
  10. If I was a musician I’d surely be a bass guitarist … or a drummer!
  11. If I had taken the game of tennis seriously when my dad insisted I wish I had listened to him… now it’s no point mulling over it!
  12. Sketching is not my forte. I am hopeless!
  13. One thing I’ve realized is if you look before you leap, you may never have to leap at all.
  14. Waking up early in the morning is not as terrible as I always thought.
  15. Life might not always give me a second chance, so why not grab those opportunities coming my way?
  16. A simple equation always seems “too much math” for me!
  17. Multi Tasking is a way of life.
  18. Cooking is actually not rocket science at all!
  19. I wish I was a bit more diplomatic when it comes to handling relationships.
  20. For me its either black or white. There ain’t room for grey areas.
  21. If it hadn’t been for my parents I’d never been here writing this in the first place… lots of love to them always.
  22. Meditation is a great stress buster.
  23. It’s a small world and Face Book testifies that!
  24. If I could punch someone on the face I’d definitely knock a few people down!
  25.  I am not an anti social but somehow the very idea of visiting relatives and gossiping over hot cuppa teas & samosas isn’t my idea of spending quality time!
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$#@%^&&* bleep...@#$%^$@ Bleep PLEASE!Sunday, April 12, 2009

Rakhi Sawant will find her Mr. Right through a Reality Show! Man that sounds too cheesy!

Then we have a bunch of lads & ladies on Splitsvilla trying to find love while strangulating, swearing, hitting each other…

Then there are the Roadies… so much of poli-tickling…. Bitching… ! They surely deserve a seat amidst our Netas!

I haven’t had much time to catch up with another set of individuals in another reality show called Sarkar Ki Duniya… the few minutes I’ve seen, they act crazy… lunatic to be more precise!

And why am I complaining? Don’t I enjoy to see these same people fighting each other, abusing … abusing and much more abusing…. BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP… goes the audio….

And I also have the last laugh when one of them is voted out they cry as if it is the end of the road! Weren’t they the same people who had voted????

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APRIL AGENDASunday, April 12, 2009

April means summer. Stupid… Stupid… Stupid… it means SPRING… the trees with the new foliage, flowers blooming… it seems fine…

This April fooling someone was not on my mind, not even remotely. And its only the 1st of April that one is supposed to play dirty pranks on everyone … for me the day came and went by just like any other day.

It was just the other day when Boon was about to leave when I did the much belated April Fool thing to him!

Its very routine for Boon to come to our home directly after work and share a few drinks & smoke with Nirav and leaves by nine-ish.

On that day he decided to leave early as he had to take back home some chicken. And then the devil in me came up! I asked him to finish off his drink before leaving. He was certain that he had done the “bottoms up” to his drink but I insisted that he hadn’t finished. After adjusting his ear phones to his cells phone he turned around took the glass and gulped it only to realize that it was empty! And I shouted APRIL FOOL!!!

We all had a good laugh and he left…

I was thrilled like a kid to have played a prank after so long.

I completely forgot about this episode and got back to my regular life as the days passed. Yesterday afternoon I received an sms from him. He seemed annoyed with me. He mentioned in his sms that if I don’t like his coming to our house so regularly I should tell him on his face directly. I was taken aback to read this and thought of all the possibilities, if I had something rudely in the last few days. I thought for a long time and couldn’t find any reason. I immediately buzzed him. He took a long time to answer. And when he did he just said one thing, “Are you the only one who can fool people in April?”!!!!!!

That was fun! Its like the saying….what goes around … comes around!

 

 

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Notes on a Sunday eveningSunday, March 15, 2009

Why does it take so long for me to write the next blog? It must be the Blogger’s block! I guess it happens to all. There are plenty of things on my mind, things I wanna let out but when it actually comes down to do the needful I just let it pass by. And then out of the blue when I am into something else; for example maybe when chopping onions this thought creeps back and tells me that I should have written it and not leave behind in my thoughts only!

A few things that calls my immediate attention are –

1. Need to collect music again… songs I grew up listening… need to compile as mp3s or buy the CDs … starting from Beatles, Bread, Dire Straits, Bon Jovi, Floyd… will continue this list as & when I recall…

2. Start collecting the movies too…

3. Books….

… just wondering how with time we let go things we loved so much… is it the responsibility … ?

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My viewsMonday, March 2, 2009

CHILDREN OF THE

IDIOT BOX

By Mamta Sen

Maharashtra Labour Minister Nawab Malik has created a stir in the entertainment industry by sending notices to all television producers through the labour commissioner about the safety norms for child artistes working on the sets and the long hours they put in. Most television channels declined to comment on the notice, with some claiming that they had not even received it. But measures are being put in place to ensure that the child actors do not disclose information about their work conditions and schedules.

Television channel Colors which is airing at least four serials with children in the lead — Balika Vadhu, Uttaran, Jai Sri Krishna and Chhote Miyan — was not particularly forthcoming on this. Programming head Ashvini Yardi pointed out that these serials try to focus on social issues that have never before been dealt with on Indian television. “Our single biggest priority is to offer programming that will help break through the clutter and this is why you will see us deliver a strong proposition of differentiation and distinctive content,” she said.

The channel has ensured that children acting in its serials do not interact with the media. This has reportedly been incorporated in formal agreements, according to a family friend of Balika Vadhu’s lead character Avika Gor who plays the role of Anandi.

Eleven-year-old Avika is today the most sought after face on Indian television. She has won an award for Best Female Child Artiste, as well as for Best Female Newcomer, Best Female Artiste, and Best Fresh Face, outdoing senior actresses. Rumours are, Avika, who is earning lakhs of rupees, has stopped going to school. Numerous calls to her father Sameer by this correspondent went unanswered. Avika has also started modelling and recently walked the ramp for an imitation jewellery designer at a five-star hotel. She is also making her debut in a movie Paathshala with actor Shahid Kapoor. It also stars her “rival”, ten-year-old Swini Khara.

Swini had made audiences sit up with her crisp performance in Balki’s Cheeni Kum starring Amitabh Bachchan, where she played the role a terminally ill patient. She began her career as a three-year-old modelling for Ajanta toothpaste and hit the big screen with Kalpana Lajmi’s Chingari and Hari Puttar. Her forthcoming films include Paathshala [with Avika] and Kaalo, as well as a voice over in Nikhil Advani’s Ab Delhi Door Nahin. Swini, who was nominated for Best Child Artiste [female] along with Avika for her role in Baa Bahoo aur Baby on Star Plus, confesses that though she does get tired, it is the sheer enjoyment of acting that keeps her going. Her mother Shilpa though believes work schedules often differ with each production house. “Swini generally does shooting after school, but we prefer commercials to films or serials since they wrap up pretty fast. We often tend to bunk school for commercials since they usually take up an entire day,” the mother said, adding that children too should be compensated since school is kind of “work” for them. “Juggling school and shootings together often takes a toll, but Swini carries her school books to the film sets and studies between shots,” said Shilpa, refusing to answer how much her daughter is paid for her long hours of work. She admitted, however, that the competition was getting extremely stiff.

Casting director Mona Irani, who has been working with child actors for the last 16 years, said, “Earlier there used to be a mere ten kids auditioning for one role. Now around 150-200 kids land up, out of which only one will probably be selected.” She said that this increase in numbers has become noticeable over the past five years. “There is a lot of talent, it is just a question of getting the right break,” she said. Mona was of the view that more than producers, parents need to be pulled up by the Government for pushing their children to the brink.

“Parents themselves give permission for their kids to shoot for 14 hours at a stretch. The notice should have been sent to them instead. Most parents want their kids to be mini-stars. Once the child gets a taste of fame they stop him or her from going to school. Quick money and instant recognition is what drives parents to push their children to such limits. They are trying to live their dreams through the child,” said Mona, adding that the remuneration ranges between Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh a day.

Money, and not safety, is of utmost importance, according to several coordinators in the entertainment industry. A modelling coordinator confided that film sets were often not safe for child actors. “You often have men, specially technicians, landing up drunk on the sets and I have seen kids left alone by parents to fend for themselves, with no separate rooms for them to relax. So yes, they are vulnerable and it is almost as if we are waiting for a disaster to happen,” he said.

Hansika Motwani, a former child artiste who made her debut opposite Himesh Reshammiya in Aap Kaa Surroor: The Real Luv Story last year, is a case in point. “Her mother used to call the shots. The child at eleven years was even made to act as a rape victim in a movie called Jaago based on a real life incident. This movie catapulted her to the status of the highest paid child actor then. Though the girl is only 18 years old today, she looks over 30 and has hardly made an impact as a heroine,” insiders point out.

“The child should be given an opportunity to decide,” according to theatre artiste Debashish Chanda whose two daughters Swarna and Prothoma have been acting in serials since three years old. While Swarna [9] has acted in Neelanjana on 9X, Prothoma [6] is busy doing commercials. “Work only depends on the number of scenes per day and yes, though juggling school and shooting is tiresome, one cannot help it,” Debashish said. He admitted to being disappointed if his children failed the auditions, adding, “Favouritism is rampant here as well; which is why I have registered my kids in the Cine Artiste Association as members to protect them from being taken for a ride.”

Swarna, of course, did not know what the fuss was all about. “Sometimes I do get tired but it’s okay. In school I am the only one who is famous and I love it when everyone notices me,” she said with a big smile [¼]

REALITY BITES FILM STARS

The small screen has always been regarded as the last hope for resurrecting one’s acting career. Amitabh Bachchan gave a shot to his career with Kaun Banega Crorepati?, a lead that several actors followed. TRP ratings for Salman Khan’s Dus Ka Dum, Shah Rukh Khan’s Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai? and Akshay Kumar’s Fear Factor remained low and dissuaded others from anchoring similar shows. Instead, film personalities decided to play the role of celebrity judges in several song and dance reality shows, rather than actually acting in teleserials as was the case over a decade ago. Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, Star Voice of India, Nach Baliye and Jhalak Dhikhhla Jaa are some of the more popular shows where celebrities take on the role of strict judges, often relaxing sufficiently to sing or dance with the contestants.

To spice up their shows, the channels are wooing film personalities who are in great demand. Nach Baliye 4 has Farah Khan, Arjun Rampal and Karisma Kapoor as its judges, while the relatively new dance show, Dancing Queen has Hema Malini and Jeetendra.

Rajesh Kamat, chief executive officer of Colors, says that proper weekend programming along with a good choice of celebrities as anchors is the formula for a successful show. However, as sources pointed out, for many of the film personalities the show becomes an opportunity to project their ongoing films. For instance, Deepika Padukone has paired up with MTV Roadies with the return benefit of publicising her new movie Chandni Chowk to China. “I too have been an avid watcher of the show and I think it is a complete blast,” she said when asked about this.

Makarand Wadekar, principal consultant for I Search which tracks TRP points, said that several reality shows were running on advertising revenue and a celebrity was taken on as a judge simply to raise the ratings. “But if the script and idea of a particular show are clear and bold enough to pass on the real message then celebrities are not used for the show,” he said giving the example of Sony TV where the song-based shows enjoy the highest TRP ratings currently.

As for reality channels, two will be launched by CNBC-TV 18 and Turner International on 1 January 2009. The total investment for these over the next three years is expected to be US $39 billion of which $12 billion has already been invested in India. Sports 18 of CNBC will also start operating with an adventure reality show called Volvo Ocean Rally.




I agree what casting director Mona Irani has to say – it’s the parents who need to be pulled by the Govt. more than the channel producers.
When we were kids competition existed only in school – debate, song & dance, extempore, in the field – sports… and it was healthy. It managed to keep a balance between studies & other co-curricular activities.
When Sony started with Boogie Woogie years back it wasn’t a reality show of sorts. It was a kind of competition and aired on television.
The entire country was swept with the reality bug with the launch of shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma… and soon every channel had its own version of song, dance, drama shows without being too much different from one another. At the end it all seemed same.
Reality show has exploited the middle class urban Indians, soon everyone wanted to become a millionaire by answering a few questions thrown to them at random; everyone wished to get their three seconds of fame and would go to any extent to grab it. Some of the contestants were so dumb in the quiz shows! It’s such a pity!
As far as children are concerned; we all love kids but like everything else even an overdose of kids makes the experience insipid.
Hansika Motwani who appeared on a TV series Desh Mein Nikla Hoga Chand first was a delight but such a cry baby and overgrown she was it surely was overkill.
We all loved Jugal Hansraj as the super cute Rahul in Massom but he hardly made an impact as an actor later.
Urmilla Matondkar (another child actor whom we adored in Masoom) became the hot favourite in everybody’s list perhaps after the Rangeela makeover. I wonder if anyone remembers her prior Rangeela.
When I first saw Avika as Anandi in Balika Vadhu I loved her instantly. Her performance would light up those thirty minutes of the series. But once while surfing channels I caught her in some award function where she was being nominated and was performing as well on stage. When questioned about her likes, dislikes and the rest; it didn’t take me long to realize that this little Anandi has lost her innocence somewhere in all the adulation, fame as well as the moolah.
It’s very sad.
My own niece did a couple of press advertisement and TV commercials. It started only as a fun thing. She was barely 5 or 6 years then. But like any other job this too demanded a lot of focus and time and neither my sis-in-law or her husband had time to tag along with her for the shoots. Many a times she missed school. Yes her parents were proud to see their daughter – huge billboards, centerspreads featuring her but they were very right in taking the decision that studies come first and she has to do that first. So now my niece who is 10 is no longer the “glam babe”. She neither her parents regrets this.
I only wish if all parents were as sensible as them.
Another drawback about serials today is the fact that they are infinite! Had it been just the thirteen episodes like the good old Doordarshan days maybe it’d be a lot easier for the kids to balance their school and appearing on the idiot box.
As for TRP rate thinning, there are so many channels and so little to watch. And whatever there is on the platter; it’s the same everywhere. So TRPs would definitely fall.
We need a change. We need real comedies and not slapstick ones like Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chasma. We need good stories which should end in a stipulated time and not stretch for years. Fox History airs Bhanwar and I love watching this series and don’t mind being a repeat watch. We need series like Katha Sagar. Such lovely stories it had to tell. We need comic relief from the likes of Pankaj Kapur’s Office Office and wouldn’t mind a Rajni as well. We could perhaps welcome Byomkesh Bakhsi than seeing the CID guys being so dull, blatantly moronic – anyone watching the CSI series on AXN would regard our Desi CIDs to be such buffoons.
Is anyone listing?

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Shillong RevisitedThursday, February 12, 2009

I’ve always considered Shillong to be my second home. I have fond memories of the place and my childhood. My summer vacations always meant Shillong. As we ascended the altitude the breeze would get cooler, the air would smell fresh and it seemed the pine trees welcomed me in their folds with love and warmth.

Those endless walks – be it in the Ward’s Lake, the Beaver Road, the golf links… the shop hopping in Police Bazaar, jalebis from Dilli Mistan, the road side alu tikkis & chole and roasted corns! And also sometimes it was a quick dip in the Crinoline pool. We’d always walk, take the zigzag short cuts and never did it tire me nor did my feet ache.


It was the perfect holiday for me year after year and I never got bored of this yearly custom!


I never realized that this once a year rendezvous wouldn’t last a lifetime.


With my studies taking the better of me and Maa’s passing away it almost stopped. Because Shillong without my Maa wasn’t fun you see. It’s always been with her that I prized every moment of Shillong. My Shillong Aita was still there but for some raison d'être which I never understood my Guwahati Aita prevented me from visiting her. I never asked her, it seemed so useless to ask the woman because I know she’d never tell me the truth or the rationale behind her decision.


Thus ended my Shillong rendezvous leaving me morose.


It however doesn’t mean that I never visited this place again. I did. I did it with my friends and during my Unilever days as a trainer; too many times impossible to count now. But it never felt the same. Yes, the breeze did get pleasant as we climbed the hills, the air still felt fresh, I still felt the pine trees welcoming me, but somehow the warmth and love was missing. It didn’t feel like “home coming”. I felt like an alien in midst of strangers and sightseers.

One thought constantly haunted me in my every visit. I wanted to meet Aita, just see her once, but I was so psyched with Guwahati Aita’s “sermons” that I stopped myself form going to my second home, leaving me bitterer every time I came back from there.


Years passed by, almost a decade, in fact a decade and two years… it was the month of August of 2008. We again decided to go to Shillong for a day. It was Neeyor’s first trip to this wonderland. We packed our picnic basket and got going. As we stepped out of home, I made up my mind that whatever it costs I’ll visit Aita. And throughout the hundred kilometers of the journey the only thing on my mind was how Aita would react, was she cross with me for not visiting her for so long, would she let me inside the house, would she reprimand me. I knew it was useless to ponder over these. All I could do was face the situation as it would unfold.


Once we reached Shillong we strolled through Police Bazaar, bought a few knick knacks and then proceeded towards Upper Shillong for lunch. My mind all the while was affixed to Aita’s thoughts only. Post lunch we were back in town and it was the moment I had waited for so long.


Nirav didn’t know the place; I gave him the directions to Aita’s house. As I stepped out of the car and walked towards the gate the compound looked unfamiliar. The gates were locked, I banged on it but no one opened. Having no other option left I went to the neighbour’s house on the opposite. The lady who’s Aita’s friend was amazed to see me, she hugged me like her own child and when I said the gates were locked she ordered her servant to accompany me to Aita’s house. She looked somewhat bewildered but I let pass by. I thought it was all but natural to look bemused to see me after such a long time.


I realized my folly when the servant let me in through a smaller gate. Once inside the compound I also realized that the main house had been converted to a pre-nursery school and Aita was perhaps staying only in one part of that huge house. The servant left and I knocked the door. A few seconds later a young lad looked me through the glass pane and then opened. I asked about Aita and he let me in. As I went inside I saw her seated on the bed. She turned around as I entered the room and said “Nandini, why did it take you so long to come?” I stood froze. She recognized me I thought! As per everyone who has met her prior to me told that she recognizes nobody.


She looked so much the same except for her hair which had turned into a shade of silvery white and her skin had fine wrinkles. Never has a woman looked so good in wrinkles. Her hair was neatly tied into a bun. As I hugged her she still smelt the usual of Pond’s talcum powder. I didn’t even realize when tears started dripping from my eyes. And I didn’t have an answer to her question. I couldn’t tell her that I was “very busy with work, married life and a baby”. I couldn’t tell her my Guwahati Aita “psyched” me not to visit her. I simply didn’t have an answer. I never felt as culpable as the way I felt then. I introduced Nirav and Neeyor to her. She spoke to Nirav for a long time and then she touched Neeyor’s little feet and said, “Everyone says babies are God’s replica, can this little one tell me when will I die? Can she bless me so that I die soon?”

I felt heavy, the lump in my throat felt painful. I felt so silly and stupid to have thought whether she’d let me inside the house, scold me or not talk to me. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes.


She again started talking. She told me the same things she had told Nirav. I thought maybe she had forgotten and hence repeating those to me. But I was wrong. For all the time we spent with her, she kept narrating those few lines of her life over and over again. Her sorrows, her misgivings and her loneliness. Then she started speaking about my Maa, my Aunt and my cousins. But the irony is she could not realize that I am her daughter’s daughter. She spoke about Dipli (my cousin) but failed to picture her and my Aunt as mother –daughter.


I felt so sorry for her. I wanted to bring her back to Guwahati with me. But that wasn’t possible. She couldn’t walk; she’s on a wheelchair when she’s not on the bed. The lad who opened the door stays with her and there’s another woman who cooks for her and nurses her.


As we left Shillong, meandering through the pine groves, descending the altitude, I still felt heavy, I still cried and tried to hide those tears when Nirav or Boon looked back to talk to me.  But the guiltiness gradually faded and it was almost gone by the time we were home.


Visiting her truly seemed “home coming”.


It’s just a few days ago I heard from someone in the family that Aita’s no more. I don’t even know exactly when that was. I was casually sms-ing Loya when she sms-ed me back “Sorry to hear about your grandmother.”


At that moment I only prayed and wished maybe she passed away in silence and in peace. This is what she wanted so desperately. I hope she finds solace wherever her spirits are now. At least I saw her once, for a few minutes and even if she remembers nothing she did ask me why I took so long to visit her…

I don’t know if Shillong would feel the same again. If those pine trees would ever wrap me in their love and warmth, if the Oakland house would be the same without her, would I ever get the feeling of “home coming”…

 

 

 

 

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Three weeks and three movies:My ReviewsTuesday, February 10, 2009

The year started with a big bang for a movie buff like me. Never has good movies and of different genres hit the screens uniformly in succession. I was still in the Ghajini miasma, appreciating the Mr. Perfectionist for playing the role of an amnesiac so believably, for being so organized in his daily chores making a note of everything he does and I must also mention here he played the corporate bigwig with equal élan. Never has he looked so somber yet stylish.

 

Still in that haze I let pass Chandni Chowk to China. For some reasons or for that intuitive Aquarian in me I never wished to watch Mr. Action Kumar for 180 odd minutes bashing up goons or trying to be a buffoon or romancing a certain Ms. Padukone who looked so silly with her fringe in a desperate attempt to look like a Chinese damsel!

 

And then came the much awaited Slumdog Millionaire. I watched the movie out of curiosity. The only likeable actor for me in Slumdog was Irrfan but he had such a small role to play.

The movie was good. (It has to be since its been sweeping awards in all the big award circuit) but I wouldn’t take it back with me like the way I took Ghajini. The movie's got everything - the pulse of the slums, the people and their lifestyles, typical Bollywood masalas but somehow it didn’t move me. The only scene I think it made me sit up is when Jamal jumps into a pool of **** to escape from the loo so that he can get an autograph of Big B! The Taj Mahal scene was hilarious - especially the way the duo - Jamal and Salim steal shoes and fake as tourist guides rewriting the lives of Shah Jahan & Mumtaz! And also commendable is the scene where the call center employees gather around the TV to watch "Who wants to be a millionaire" and when they see Jamal in the hot seat; some of them exclaim "The Chaiwala!"

Yes there were moments, but too few and too far.

 

Next week it was Luck By Chance. I have enjoyed Farhan’s Dil Chahta Hai as a director and in Rock On he was true rock star. (But I still prefer Mr. Arjun “hot” Rampal in the movie – sorry Farhan!).

I went to watch it since there wasn’t anything else to do on a Sunday evening. Starting from the name casting the movie managed to get hold of my attention in totality! One could actually feel the pulse of what goes behind making a movie. The struggle, the plotting to surpass a fellow struggler, the life of a young single woman and a man in an urban city, the quirkiness of pampered actors is shown with all the fine points intact.

 

And then came Dev D. Its one movie I’ll count as my evergreen favourites. The movie is not about sex, alcohol and drugs. It’s not about the dialogues being right on your face. It’s not about always being on a perpetual high.

It’s about the unrequited love, the pain of not being with the person you love because you let her go. It’s about finding solace in someone else. The moment you think you love her but find it difficult to acknowledge it because you think you love someone else who cannot be with you.

It’s also not about ending your life because you are a loser and everything has gone wrong. It’s about reformation.

The best scene is perhaps when Dev consoles Chanda like one does to his child.  

I wonder if there will be any other Hindi movie like Dev D.

I don’t know if any other actor would fit in Dev D’s shoes as did Abhay Deol and Chanda … she seemed like a young girl next door caught in between the turbulence of life and womanhood too early.

 

Cheers to Dev D!

 

 

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Sorry Shah Rukh!Monday, February 9, 2009

(I hate to write this piece of blog. But if I don’t, things would go in circles inside my brain and drive me into a state of insanity! Well a bit of exaggeration here but that would do no harm to me or to the man in question, for I know there is a possibility of one is to a zillion chances that Shah Rukh would ever read this.)

 

Dear Shah Rukh,

 

I am one among the million fans you have. I remember first seeing you as Abhimanyu in a serial called Fauji. You were so young then. For me it was love at first sight. I was a bit disappointed when the series ended. Those were the good old days of Doordarshan and serials would not go beyond thirteen episodes with a few exceptions however.

 

You came back again as a delightful surprise in another series named Circus. For some reasons I didn’t enjoy this as much as I did your Fauji. But nevertheless I’d wait every week for that one episode to catch a glimpse of you.

 

And suddenly you were gone. Out of sight is out of mind. Yes I do agree, but you were not really out of my mind, somewhere you still existed. And I was happy with it.

 

Following a hiatus your blockbusters knocked the movie halls one after another. I have enjoyed most of your movies. But my very favourites have been Baazigar, Darr, Kabhi Haa Kabhi Naa, Yes Boss, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai… to name a few. But you looked absolutely stylish and gave a brilliant performance in Kal Ho Na Ho and you were beyond my expectations in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this movie and cried at the same time. But every time I saw the film it always felt like the first time.

 

But you know what? You had grown… grown very big, you became a Superstar… the King Khan… and no longer I could relate to you.

 

All of a sudden you were everywhere – from biscuits to talcum powder, hair oil to cars, computers to watches….pheew! And if that was not enough there you were as the Quiz Master; not once but twice! First luring middle class Indians to become millionaire by making them answer questions ranging from history, mythology, movies and the entire jing band one could possibly think of. The second time seemed a bit eerie at least to me; I didn’t enjoy the way people were made to admit that they were not smarter than a fifth grader! I am sure the four kids who were their to assist the contestants would mug up all the answers before the show!

 

You have a statue in Madam Tussaud, you also had a fragrance to your name.

And yes off course I almost forgot to mention about the business man inside you when your Kolkata Knight Riders made the maximum profit more than they did as a team in the field.

 

Wasn’t it funny to find you in the sports section of all the newspaper? I guess it was!

 

All this while I’ve remained loyal to you like a spouse until a few movies happened to me in the recent times and now I have second thoughts about you, sad but true!

 

I waited the entire 2008 for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, but at the same time I also loved Rock On, Ghajini, Luck By Chance & Dev D.

 

My loyalties have slowly shifted SRK… you’ve been reduced to a mere brand. I’ve seen so much of you and so often that it gets a bit stifling at times.

 

You know what; I guess its time for you to make way for the Rampals, Farhans & off course the new Devdas…. Ahem… DEV D… Abhay.

 

Take this with a pinch of salt Shah Rukh, but I guess with time I have moved on. I would still love to see you in My Name is Khan. I still love you as Abhimanyu in Fauji but at the same time I’d love to see the new boys too…

 

Regards,

 

Still an enthusiast!

 

 

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ALL ABOUT PARENTINGSaturday, January 31, 2009

Neeyor will complete a year on 25th Feb. It seems just like yesterday when I first got my pregnancy confirmed. For everyone around us it was “good news” but to be brutally truthful my feelings were mixed and so was Nirav’s.

Yes! I was happy but I wasn’t elated. There were so many things in my priority list that my pregnancy almost overshadowed those. I was in the prime of my career and loved every minute of it. There were so many things in my itinerary. And now this report!

I thought to myself. I was a tad selfish to think like that and when Neeyor grows up and reads all this I know it’ll be hard for her to forgive me.

The first three months passed peacefully and I didn’t even feel there was something growing inside me. It’s only after the fifth month more or less that things started changing gradually. The slight swell in my tummy looked kinda cute you see! It’s perhaps the only time in my life that I ate like a horse; I indulged on those yummy chicken burgers from Beatrix, egg & cheese roll from Food Exx and masala dosas from Jb’s and never felt guilty even for a second about putting on weight! It was amazing to feel the kicks in my tummy. And as my pregnancy advanced at times my tummy felt like a water bed, I could see my baby move from one side to the other and it’s the most wonderful experience on earth I must say.

Neeyor came to us without many complications. I was in the hospital for only two days. Once home little did I realize that many things would change! It left me bewildered to see that a tiny little thing could bring the house down literally! She was so small, when I look at her new born pictures and the home videos I recollect every moment.

One thing I understood is giving birth is just the prelude. The actual story begins post birth!

The worse thing is perhaps the “advices” one gets from all and sundry. And poor me! I thought people gave advices only during pregnancy.

http://inxanadu.bihu.in/entry.php?u=inxanadu&e_id=1936

Gosh! It almost made me mad.

The only time I got a no-nonsense advice is from my brother-in-law. We were in Bangalore and seated across the dining table. He told me “the moment you choose to be patient with your child in reality means you’ve already lost it!”

And on another occasion he said “give Neeyor the liberty to make mistakes. That’s how she’ll learn”.

Neeyor’ll be a year old soon and believe me folks these are the only two advises I’ve remembered.

And for the new parents or the soon to be parents reading this besides these two sturdy advices you’ve got to trust 

 

-         your gynecologist

-         your baby’s pediatrician

-          and of course your instincts.

You can never go wrong. – believe me …

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Food for ThoughtTuesday, September 9, 2008
Without trying to sound like an elitist and nor being snooty I was just wondering why do we rape a language so easily and don't even feel ashamed about it? Why does Pen becomes pain? Chair becomes seear? Function becomes phunkson? Cell changes to sale? Wood sounds ood or for that matter any word starting with w sounds like oo... Eg; wool transforms to ool? Shoe is soo? Infact like the w any word that has sh is gets only the s... more egs; shirt- sart; Shillong- sillong; and so on... Ch is not far behind - chinese or china is syna or synese; change is sanze; and well zero is jiro; sizzler is sijlar!! Have u noticed rubber becoming robor or better lobor! Butter is battar! Virus is bhairas; fanta is phanta; pantaloons is panthaloon... Shania Twain getting rechristened as Sanya Twins! Sign language becoming Fingering! Wait till you hear this- someone once said 'I am not drunkard. I am chemically off-balance'! Friends got any more interesting & funny lines or words???
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Rock On truely ROCKED!Sunday, August 31, 2008
I wanted to blog this yesterday right after I reached home from the movie hall but the net was not accessible ... so here I am.. It was a friday I was eagerly looking forward to. Rock On hit the screens and I scanned the newspaper's movie section. Going to Cinema Max didn't seem much feasible, so I made up my mind to settle for Anuradha. Nirav called me in the afternoon to ask where to book the tickets. Anuradha I said and then without any puntuation I said ' I can wait till sunday 5.00 p.m show. But I knew I couldn't wait that long... So what the heck! I decided to watch the movie today itself ; the 8.00 p.m show. And alone... Somebody has got to babysit Neeyor ... Though I have a nanny for her... Yet its a big gamble to think both me & Nirav away for three hours away from her... I was lucky enough to have Amit as a company ... So we were in Anuradha right on dot. Now about the movie... Farhan's directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai became a cult film and his first film as an actor is no different. Its a movie which any music lover will thoroughly enjoy. Jhankar Beats was another musical but the genre of Rock On is different. The guys look so convincing as wannabe rock musicians ... When Farhan sings he truely looks like a vocalist of a band; Purab is comfortable with his drum sticks; don't have to doubt about Luke Kenny's ability on the keyboard & Arjun Rampal ... Man he looked more like a guitarist than an actor... The movie is also about bonding & friendship ... The best part is the time when they actually get to perform in a big concert... The guys look mellowed... There is a maturity in their attitude and when they take the stage... Man... They truely ROCKED!!! ROCKED!!!
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