Kishore for soul

World is not a very happy place to live in. Something or the other or someone or the other is always ready to make it worse for you. Probably the creator knew this and that's the reason he/she created Certain things that work like a balm for the aching heart; a warm hug, Mom's food, a cup of hot tea or a book. And then once in a while he/she creates something that's a combination of all these things, a voice whose name is Kishore Kumar. I am not sure many artists or singers can have that effect on you.

For me His songs are like an arm around my shoulders when I feel low, a warm hug when I feel lonely, comforting when things around me start agitating me. He calms my nerves down instantly.

His sad songs are deep...as deep as an ocean. very sad but still a hope lurking in the corner, reassuring that there's a bright sunrise at the end of the darkness. The happy, peppy songs are bubbling with life but at a distance you can feel some pain...pain buried deep inside but doesn't want to come out; a well guarded wound.

Of books, films and blogs: The year that was

2012 was the year of a lot of learning and meeting new people on twitter and in person. It also included a lot of reading thanks to Blogadda's book review program I signed up for. Here's a post dedicated to the year that was with a list of my 3 fav films I watched, books and blogs I read in 2012 (in no particular order).

Films:

Gangs of Wasseypur I & II
I don't need to talk much about this film. GoW gave a new wave of storytelling, actors and film making to Hindi cinema and despite people accusing Anurag Kashyap of indulgence I think that this was one of the best works of Indian Cinema. Read my review Here

Paan Singh Tomar
The film has it's flaws but Irrfan Khan makes up for them. It is impossible to not love an actor who can give you goose bumps with just an expression of his eye. Read my review Here

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro
Of-course I didn't see Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro for the first time but watching it in the theatre for the first time was a different experience altogether. The satire is as relevant today as it was when the film released. Here's my post that I had written after watching the film in the theatre thanks to PVR.


Books:

The Secret Of The Nagas by Amish
While I finished the first part The Immortals of Meluha in 2011, the second part got over in Jan 2012. I find The Secret Of The Nagas more fast paced than the first book. It is darker and keeps you on the edge. Of course some overly melodramatic sections can be easily edited out but apart from that the book tells a brilliant story. I am now waiting for the third part of the Shiva Trilogy, Oath Of The Vayuputras slated to release in March.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro by Jai Arjun Singh
I picked up this book after a movie buff friend recommended it on twitter and it's a gem for those in love with the cult film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. I will not say much about the book in this post and will take you to an earlier post that I wrote after reading it. Here

Raag Darbari by Srilal Shukla
Raag Darbari was on my to-read list since a long time and finally I picked it off my brother-in-law's shelf who swears by it. The book doesn't have a set story and is in fact a description of life in a small village in the post Independence India. The language is full of sarcasm and Awadhi slangs and will keep you in splits.

Blogs:

Calcutta Chromosome
I came to know about this blog through a book I reviewed for blogadda.com. Diptakirti Chaudhury, the author of Kitnay Aadmi Thay, the book and Calcutta Chromosome is a Hindi film buff and it is a lot of fun to read through his lists, agree and disagree with them and add your own favourites.

Sumthinz Cooking
A food blogger, baker and a friend Reema Prasanna who I met this year thanks to my profession. I love reading her blog for the simple recipes she shares and all the stories she weaves around food. Reading her posts are more fun if you know her personally because then you can picture her expressions and mannerisms in your head. And yes, we share a common hatred for khatti jalebis. Follow her on twitter @ScrollsNInk to learn from her #BakingGyaan

Going Bananas
The 17 year old Paloma Sharma writes about issues on her blog that we so called adults try to shun. She is bold, atheist and is ready to take flak from the so called protectors of religion. Follow her on twitter @PalomaSharma and @GoinBananasBlog to discuss all the issues that in her words "plague us all".

I refuse to be a victim!

So once again a brutal rape has left the country and its capital enraged. There are protest, marches and discussions in the assembly. And as I write this post I receive an e-mail which says, "Sign the petition to tell the President to stop rape NOW!"

Now, I am sure that the honorary President of India has never raped or even thought of doing something like that. So how do I tell him to stop something which he never started in the first place. I have signed many such petitions and to be honest I have never seen any change. A sign will not change the mindset of the rapist because he hasn't been a rapist all his life. It's that one moment of madness that turns him into an animal, at that very moment he forgets all the reason and logic. He forgets that the person in front of him is not just a walking talking vagina but in fact is a human. And if you keep that in mind every man is a potential rapist.

I know I will be called a feminist, a man hater for making this statement but I honestly believe that every man is a potential rapist. Some men have successfully suppressed the ferocious animal in them and some are still trying. Most of them haven't tried at all hence we hear about rapes so often. If you do not believe me try walking on a road full of men, out of 15 12 will stare at you or rather your boobs and at least 5 will walk close to you so that their hand brushes against some part of your body. And these are not uneducated, rowdy men, they are well dressed family guys working in a corporate house, raping you with just their eyes.

So how do we tell them to stop raping us? We sign petitions, hold protests, tweet incessantly about how sad this whole situation is and then we go back to our business as the news die down? No, we won't do the same old bullshit this time. This time we will decide to fight it on our own. We will carry our protection with us in a form of a sharp object. And we'll attack the oppressor where it'll hurt him the most. Yes, I mean physically.

Let's plan a direct attack where every woman protects herself. Let's stop rape. Let's refuse to be a victim!

Nothing

I am writing this note sitting beside a lake in Bhandardara, a sleepy Hamlet set in the midst of Sahyadri mountains in Maharashtra. It's so quiet in here that I can hear the sound of silence, the sound of wind passing through the branches, the sound of birds, the sound of oar (chappu) cutting through the water; I can hear all that. The continuous traffic snarls and construction sounds have not made my ears insensitive yet. I can listen to the sound of life.

I am sitting here away from the busy city, away from Bombay, away from the world of chaos, the world of FB and Twitter to make sure that somebody else's thoughts do not fog my mind.

I am sitting here listening to myself, listening to the sound of crickets, listening to the silence of the night.

I am sitting here looking at the single light bulb glowing in the distance, throwing its reflection on the shimmering lake.

I am sitting here in a boat in the middle of the lake, looking at the Sun rising behind a hill.

I am sitting here looking at the village slowly waking up and rising while I do nothing

I am sitting here in a tiny village thinking, why can't we take some time out from our daily life and do nothing. No site seeing, no games, no TV and no books; just nothing.

I am sitting here, thinking, scribbling on my notepad and doing nothing.

Yeh qutiyapa kyun?

For the past few days I am reading/listening about all the shit being vomited out by worthless  ministers or members of this self proclaimed Goverment called Khap. And everytime I read about it my head starts questioning...yeh kya qutiyapa hai? (yes, I am trying to replace a bad word with a more popular similar sounding word so that my post does not get censored).

I want to get inside the brains of the people who get ideas like "chowmein causes rape" or "women shouldn't be allowed mobile phones". They are God's wonderful creations and should be assessed thoroughly. But on a serious note I really want to find out their motive behind these statements. Are they so afraid of women empowerment? Women getting out of the house and demanding an equal position makes them so insecure that they use the only tool they can on them? Their penises, however small or peanut sized they are? I guess the answer to that would be a unanimous yes. So what will happen if women will stand equal to men? If they decide how the world, the society works?

I recently watched a French film and would like to quote a dialogue from it, "God created this world and wanted to share it with someone hence he created Eve. God and Eve had a son Adam. God forbade him to come close to Eve but caught them red handed one day. That day his trust from humanity ended and he abandoned them. So, woman was God's original creation, the first being. Man was just an accident." Yes, we have been hearing the twisted version of the story which men have modified to suit their needs. The need to be superior, the need to rule the world.

Now coming back to my previous question, if women decide how society will work, the world will be a much better place. Less egos, less wars and lesser problems which I am sure we'll be able to solve without much blood shed. I expect a lot of sexist jokes as comment but I am open to them.

So if the world can be a better place toh yeh qutiyapa kyun?

I dare!

We all have our fears, most of us conquer theirs' while the rest just learn to live with them. I belonged to the latter group (until recently). I vowed never to as-much-as going close to taking on my biggest fear; the fear of height.

I have always been fattu when it comes to going on roller coaster rides (yes, that include Giant Wheel too). The whole point of hanging in the middle of the air scares me to death and I can feel my guts coming out through my mouth when the wheel descends. On my visit to Essel World I witnessed only 3 rides, one of them being the flimsy Bhoot Bangla or whatever they call it. Given to my plight the more adventurous sports like para-sailing and paragliding have always been a far cry while bungee jumping doesn't even stand a chance.

So, on my recent trip to Goa when the whole group decided to go for water rides I conveniently opted out of the para-sailing part. While one by one all my friends took their turn and came back beaming with joy I shivered in my seat still stuck to my decision of not trying it out. Suddenly everyone in the group decided to pump energy in me and motivate me to try it once. I declined, panicked, held my stomach but no amount of drama could deter them. While I was reasoning with them, the harness was thrust on me and I was being pulled towards the edge of the boat, dialogue from the movie Rangeela looping in my head 'life mein daring karna mangta, daring!' I shut my eyes tight and let time take its course. A minute passed, I opened my eyes and looked around. I was already in the air, sailing over the beautiful ocean, looking at the sprawling Calangute beach. That was my moment of enchantment.

Before

After

I don't know whether I'll take the next step and try paragliding or sit on those crazy roller coaster rides but I can proudly say that I dared to fight my fear for once. And, it felt great.

All Off...

Short hair rocks...this is the message I got from a fellow blogger in a recent bloggers' meet and I quiet agree to it.

The short hair look wasn't always a part of me. As a kid my sister and I had long hair. Our annual visits to the salon happened when we visited our maternal grandparents in summers. Nani used to take us to the parlour and get our hair chopped because she could not deal with all the inhabitants in there. Yes...Yes...I mean lice. Speaking of which I should remind you the old jingle that said, 'jahan mile do sar, juon ko mila naya ghar' and as kids we really din't know how to stay away from those heads.

All the chopping and snipping stopped when I went to the senior section i.e 6th grade. It was an all girls' convent school and we were supposed to tie our hair in neat plates as part of our uniform. For 6 good years my hair weren't touched. Sometimes they grew so much so that I could just fold my plates into double. Those with thick rimmed glasses made me look like a crazy nerd. A time came when people (read parents' friends) started assuming that I was the eldest of the three sisters.

One day I just folded my hair to make them look shorter. The very next day my elder sister drove 5 kms on a freezing winter afternoon and took me to a parlor to get my hair shortened. The rest of the incident was pretty much like a scene from Roman Holiday. Remember when Audrey Hepburn asks an astonished barber to chop her long tresses? 'All Off', she says and the hair dresser furiously cuts them. Well, my dresser didn't get that angry but yes, she was pretty amazed. Finally, I chopped my hair from waist length to small blunt and regained my position as the younger sister.

Kahaan tum chale gaye...

A void crept in when I heard the news of Jagjit Singh's demise. I didn't know him but he was more than just a ghazal singer to me. He was a part of my growing up days. My father was a big fan...he still is. Thanks to him that I was introduced to Singh Saab's world of music (yes, we used to call him Singh Saab). The only regret is that we could never hear him live. This post is my tribute to him and here are my five favorite ghazals (by Jagjit Singh) which were a part of my childhood.

Baat niklegi to: The first time I heard this nazm my father was singing it. i didn't get the head or tail of it but fell in love instantly. It still is my top favorite.

Apne hothon par sajana chahta hoon: Akhri hichki tere zanon pe aye...maut bhi main shayrana chahta hoon...Love this sher...

Apko dekhkar dekhta reh gaya:

Koi ye kaise batae ki wo tanha kyun hai: This one is from the movie Arth. Very beautiful, very soulful and very melancholic.

Pyar mujhse jo kiya tumne: From the movie Saath Saath. Even the negativity in this ghazal sounds so lovely.

10 day YOU challenge | 1 Picture

I don't believe that I am at the last link of this chain. So, this is my favorite picture of myself. This was clicked by my colleague Chandrakant Shenoy in EFX. Thanks Chandu for making me look so cheerful. :)

10 day YOU challenge | 2 Songs

1. Aanewala pal  
I am a Kishore Kumar fan and this one is my favorite Kishore number. The deep voice just suits Amol Palekar so perfectly.

2. Tum pukar lo
One of my favorite from the 60s era. Hemant Kumar's velvety voice is so mesmerizing. I have some romantic memories attached to this song too... :)

10 day YOU challenge | 3 Films

1. Jane bhi do yaron
Its a cult movie and the best dark comedy ever made in India. I love the satire and simplicity of the plot. And of-course it has my favorite actors Naseer, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor and Ravi Vaswani. The Mahabharat seen in the climax is one of the funniest scenes.

2. Golmaal
I love how Hrishikesh Mukherjee made simple stories into such beautiful films. This is his masterpiece.

3. Angoor
Besides being my favorite Angoor is kind of family film for me. My dad and sisters (including me) can't meet without mouthing a dialogue or two from this movie

10 day YOU challenge | 4 Books

1. Midnight's Children
I was an avid reader as a kid but the habit took a backseat as I grew up. It came back to life once I read Midnight's Children. I love Rushdie's style of writing and his imagination.

2. The Fountainhead
For the philosophy it delves into. I usually take time to finish a book but this one I finished within a week.

3. The Godfather
 Godfather is a masterpiece. I had already seen the movie when i read the book still it was equally gripping. 

4. Harry Potter Series
Yes, I am an adult and in love with HP series. I like the wild imagination and the whole magic thing. Feel like a kid again.

10 day YOU challenge | 5 Foods

10 day YOU challenge | 5 Foods

1. Rajma-chawal 

This is something i totally lurrrrve from my mom's kitchen. Will give up anything to eat some steamy rice with soupy rajma, bhindi and cucumber ka raita. Slurrp!

2. Shami kebabs

Nobody cooks it better than my dad, not even the much hyped Tunda in Lucknow. They taste splendid with green chutney and onions.

3. Pasta

This is something I love from my own kitchen :D. I love making pasta and eating it too.

4. Salads

Give me any kind of salad with any dressing and I'll eat it. Just throw in some boiled or grilled chicken.

5. Jalebi

I am not an early riser but for some fresh, hot and crispy jalebis i can wake up even at dawn.

 

10 day YOU challenge | 6 Places                                                            10 day YOU challenge | 4 Books

10 day YOU challenge | 6 Places

Since I haven't traveled the whole world, I'll list the six places I would like to visit.

France

Andaman

Greece

Leh

Tuscany

Pondicherry

 

10 day YOU challenge | 7 Wants                                                           10 day YOU challenge | 5 Foods

10 day YOU challenge | 7 Wants

1. Publish a book: I don't know what it'll be about but I definitely want that.
2. World tour: Huh! wild dream.
3. Tattoo: As soon as I think of a killer design.
4. Try every cuisine
5. A house by the ocean: No, not in Juhu. Somewhere in Goa maybe.
6. Be as thin as I was five years back: I wish...I wish...I wish...
7. Create a home library for books: I already have a small one :)

10 day YOU challenge | 8 Fears                                                              10 day YOU challenge | 6 Places

10 day YOU challenge | 8 Fears

Day 3....my 8 fears.

1. Heights: I am scared of heights...dead scared...
2. Roller-coaster: Nothing can make me sit on one...nothing.
3. Dogs: I try to stay as far away from them as possible...period.
4. Writer's block: I am afraid of not being able to write one day. What if I stop getting ideas? :(
5. Losing a job: That's actually stupid but yeah I do fear the thought sometimes. 
6. Getting fat: Self explanatory.
7. Brain explosion: Sometimes I feel that there is so much going on in my head that it'll explode.
8. Pak beating India in cricket: That's one thought that dreaded me in school. It still does to a certain extent.

10 day YOU challenge | 9 Loves                                                            10 day YOU challenge | 7 Wants

Ganpati bappa morya!

Happy Ganesh chaturthi...

10 day YOU challenge | 9 Loves

Today is the day for 9 loves. This was pretty easy cos I can definitely count more than nine. Here they are:

1. Family: I know it sounds cliche but my family is my first love. My husband, parents and sisters...I just can't survive without them. My friends also come in this category cos whoever is close to me is as good as my family.
2. Books: I don't just love them...I obsess after them. They are an essential part of my existence.
3. Writing/Blogging: I blog for the love of writing and write to earn. I guess that explains my love. :)
4. Food/cooking: I am a foodie....I like experimenting with new cuisines and the love for food translates in my cooking too. I think its a big stress buster.
5. Theatre: This is something I've grown up on. Watching my dad acting/directing plays and acting in a few myself as a kid. Even today I love an occasional visit to Prithvi Theatre.
6. Music: There's no greater love than the love for music...that goes without saying and that's my love too. And if it's Kishore Da or Jazz I love it even more.
7. Traveling: If you haven't traveled you haven't lived...that's what I believe.
8. Independence: I am quiet an independent person and protect my independence quiet fiercely.
9. Ocean: I am more of a sea person than mountain. It's depth calms me down.

10 day YOU challenge | 10 Secrets                                                  10 day YOU challenge | 8 Fears

10 day YOU challenge | 10 Secrets

I've been wanting to do this for a very long time and finally got some time. I found this on Monika's blog and thought it would be interesting to write and hopefully read too. And it'll keep my blog busy for a while ;)

It's tough...very tough. 10 secrets and two songs? I wish it was the other way round, still I'll give it a try. So here are the 10 secrets:

1. I can lie...bluntly and beautifully but harmlessly.
2. After a certain point I hated being an Animator. I always wanted to be a writer.
3. I get jealous when my best friend gets more friendly with someone else.
4. I don't hate shopping in general...I just hate aimless shopping.
5. Normally I am a quiet person...very cool...but if you bug me enough hell might break loose.
6. I hate confrontations especially with unreasonable people.
7. I wanted to join army when I was in school.
8. As a kid I hated wearing specs. I thought they made me look ugly.
9. I don't like people talking to kids in baby language cos what they hear is what they learn. And if they    can't understand what you are saying in normal language they won't understand it in baby language either.
10. I was a Salman Khan fan once....there..I said it.

Wohoo! I did it...there goes the Day 1 challenge. :D

10 day YOU challenge | 9 Loves

The 10 things tag

Its been almost an year since I was tagged for this post by Tanvi. But since I wasn't blogging regularly back then, I could never take out enough time to sit and think of 10 things about me. Now that I am free for a while I thought let me just give it a try. I mean, how hard can it be? writing 10 things...just 10 things about myself that people might or might know and are true....not that hard...huh??

So, before I start with the post I'll quickly run through the rules of the game;

• Tell your readers 10 things about yourself that they may or may not know, but are true.
• Tag 10 people with the award, and be sure to let them know they’ve been tagged (a quick comment on their blog will do).
• Link back to the blogger who tagged you.

 Here I go...

1. I love reading; Books, magazines, comics, newspaper anything. I feel incomplete if I don't have a book on my side table even if I don't pick it up to read for a week.
2. I love sleeping as much as I love reading. My idea of a perfect relaxed vacation is to have a pile of books by my side while I keep dozing off reading them.
3. Shopping is a pain for me if I don't know what to shop for. I only enjoy shopping when I know what I want. I hate accompanying compulsive shoppers who just wander around and take hours to decide on one thing (Dids...Neha...pls don't kill me for that :P )
4. I feel jealous and insecure when my best friend gets more friendly with someone else. I have never told her that but I guess she knows it. Now, you all know it... :P
5. I love my independence.....a lot. Having stayed alone for a while I don't like any intrusion in my life. I might start hating the very person who tries hard to intrude. I love others' need of independence and privacy too.
6. Not many people know that I am good with sketches and I like sketching portraits. 
7. I don't like people talking to kids in baby language cos what they hear is what they learn. And if they can't understand what you are saying in normal language they won't understand it in baby language either.
8. How-much ever cool or chilled out wife I am, I love being showered with gifts, chocolates, flowers etc. (dear husband...take a hint ;)  ) and yeah...I love chocolates...more chocolates....more n more n more chocolates.
9. Its not easy (almost impossible) to change my decisions once I am stuck on them. I am a sort of rebel and would fight for what I need or want.
10. I am addicted to blogging.....its kind of in my blood now. I can't spend a day without checking out my blog once.

Phew...so its done...10 things...here they are. Not bad I must say. I think I faired pretty well and deserve this award :D

and now time to tag my friends.

Aparna
Abhishek
Magiceye
Shrijit
S
Double-dolphin
Bandra-buggers
Neha
Vishesh
Deepika

I hope it makes for an interesting read.