Every child is special.....

Here it is, late at night, before a working day... but I feel it is fitting that I put up this post before Santa's sleigh reaches the North pole after delivering joy to kids all over the world...

I saw Taare Zameen Par on friday, a yet another first day movie opportunity which surprisingly I have gotten only here in the US and never back home... I knew the movie would be good... Aamir Khan isn't my favourite actor, but his movies are something I enjoy... I liked a couple of tracks in the music album, and the general consensus with the music review was that it will hit you and grow into you once you see the picturisation and the essence of the track during the film. Come Friday and the nature of reviews I read from back home were a little different from a Hindi film's perspective.. one reviewer put it as a must watch for kids, parents and teachers, a lesson for life, said the other. Ofcourse performances were praised, but I somewhere felt the movie on the whole got caught on to these folks.

At 10 PM on Friday, as I sat sunk in my seat and covered my well-watered eyes with my palm before joining the audience in an ovation, I realised that this wasn't a movie experience I had ever had before. I love going to movies for masala entertainment and popcorn, but if there is a message in a movie and if it can be brought out this well, its worth what we call cinema. Again, I won't dwell too much into the actual dynamics of the movie itself, go watch it yourself, go watch it for the kids who've acted in it, go watch it for the happiness in the eyes of those parents of differently abled children when they watch their kids perform on stage. I find it extremely difficult to see suffering, so much so, that it deters me from going forward to help someone who is... I'd rather deflect it away from the person before he/she has to endure it in the first place.

Why this movie left such an indelible impact on me was because the way it showcased so many small things which we undergo on a regular basis, but are oblivious to its nitty gritty's because we are performing a chore and a responsibility. I came up through the education system in India where the emphasis was solely on studying, doing well and becoming something.. that something was invariably a doctor, engineer or CA.... I went through the process, excelled at most times, stumbled sometimes, but came out as one in a million on a conveyer belt from a production facility. I am not deriding the fact that I am an engineer, but somewhere I know a partly true but bitter truth, I did this because it was considered safe. Yes, intelligence helped me all along and I am happy to find myself where I am now, but as a person who dreams of going through the parenting process in India a few years from now, I wonder if I will be able to give my kids the freedom to do what they like. Or will they too, looking at peers and society around them, choose a path thats tried and tested?? I hope I can atleast give them the choice...

The way the message flows out of TZP, especially for parents, is quite compelling. The part when Aamir talks to the child's dad about his perception of taking care of kids and the example of the Solomon Islands, it hits you as hard as being there in first person, and not in third... thats why TZP is so special, I again reiterate, I felt like I was shown a glimpse into how life will question us as adults and parents outside of work.... brilliant movie.. almost Mani Ratnamesque in its impact... watch it!!

My most exhillarating movie experience ever!!!!!!!...

Watch this space... I have the matter... tons and tons of it.... brb in a day or two at most

Dream.... and live it!!

Disclaimer: Too many thoughts resulting in this blog, as a result you may find it criss-crossing from one to the other without any direct forthcoming conclusion.

Two nights and I find myself motivated to dream again.. First was the lecture by Dr. Robert Pausch at CMU. Here's the link, watch. I wont say much but its like watching a real-life case of ANAND, the Rajesh Khanna film. A 46 yr old professor diagnosed with pancreatic cancer delivers his last lecture. He talks about his childhood dreams and how he accomplished them, one at a time. A man filled with life, at times you wonder why should it be cut short so brutally. But somewhere in my heart, I felt that we must enjoy the person when he's amongst us and learn as much as possible. Not everyone's going to be around us for ever. People come and go from our lives through different phases and varying durations of time. A poignant moment during his lecture is when he surprises his wife by asking her to cut her birthday cake in front of 500 people. Just the thought of the woman walking up to her husband, a man with whom she exchanged vows to be together throughout her life, now aware that this is her last birthday for which he is going to be around... if that doesen't choke your throat, I doubt anything else I have to write will.... but its a wonderful lecture, and although it is his personal story through and through, there are lessons each one of us can take for life. Do watch it...

Tonite, for some inexplicable reason, I wanted to complete this assignment which I hadn't for a good part of 3 years.. Watch the movie Iqbal. I know, for people who know me and my liking for cinema, it is a shocker that I hadn't watched it as yet.. but I have now.. for those who havent, here you go. You should find the other parts of the movie with the same user on youtube...



Now on to the movie, yep.. I liked it, a good theme, nice performances but trust me to extract something out of nothing. Not the boy Iqbal, not his coach, not even his mom (echoing a character which is the stunning Indian woman, having a brick wall for inner strength.. salaam!!) but it is the role enacted by a young girl Shweta Prasad.. and again, it is the sketch of the character and the way this girl enacted it that left an indelible imprint in my psyche (wow.. talk about bhaari vocab ;) ).. she just exudes an aura of arrogance about her brother's abilities and her belief in them... subtle moments like when she returns her gift because her brother did not accept his, her interactions with his coaches, and the look on her face when she sees him live his dream... fantastic cinema.. Mr. Nagesh Kukunoor... class apart!! Maybe an indication of the amount of time I spend around myself, but I am glad for as much as I shouldn't proabably, I ain't totally wasting it.... need to get a bit more active to keep me going.. hope to figure out something soon enough.. till then, the mind works overtime.. and keeps these pages uptodate..

Random thought: (As if the blog wasn't one itself....) Abi, thanks a ton da.. for reading the book BOMBAY - Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. I know you have written an excellent review but I was just so overjoyed to have found someone to whom I need not mention the book as a must read.. I skipped your review... will read it soon... I know I share Mumbai with you, and now its only rightly confirmed that you are worthy of sharing 'IT'...cheers bro

It happens only in India

I AM A BHARAT RATNA AWARDEE!!! I should not be frisked at an airport... FREAKING JOKERS!!!

Tough times...

Its hitting hard and me being myself, I am trying to put up a face to the pain than letting it pass by... december.. homecoming season. A lot of friends headed home for a break.. and I can't... it hurts.... my parents hope to be here next year, but for me, a trip home is so much about Mumbai and the people I know there.. my company had asked me if I wanted a 2 week break before joining and wished to go back.. I did not, I wasn't in a position, tired emotionally and drained financially... but now I feel maybe I should have.... sigh!! As always, look around and you'll find a crowd of people in similar situations. I know friends aplenty, some like me, others, who haven't gone back even once...together, this flock dreams.. for a time and day when we will fly.. HOME!..

Update

Heylos peoples,

Just a quick update.. things are going ok.. had a busy and lightning fast week and an even faster weekend.. nothing really struck and stuck in mind to write it down.. will post something soon... take care..

Yeh kahaan aa gaye hum....

Thank God for making me land up in the bay area.... for a person like me, making new friends in a new place would have been a challenge alright... but like all rivulets meeting up in the sea, I've been reunited with long-lost friends, from school and junior college and engineering... but at a time when I have good friends all around me in person and a couple of real good ones on the phone and in the same country, today I missed a few friends of mine a lot... I must admit I am not great at staying in touch with people. Barring a couple whom I would carry with me through life, most of my really good friends have also come and gone in phases... some present ones will go their way too soon... the thought of those moments and memories I have shared with them are like treasures beyond value.... It does make my eyes moist... kaash woh din waapas aa jaate.. yeh kahaan aa gaye hum... I'd like to open my heart's window a wee bit and let you a glimpse into each one of them... I am not going to take names... most of you would know who each one is... for the others.. these are the jewels that adorned my life.. and still do so through memories...

In no specific order...

SP:

I guess he was the my first instance in life of a "First impression" friend. I mean, the moment I walked into class in std. 7 and saw him, I knew we would hit it off... basketball brought us further closer and those remaining four years till the end of school were a bliss... at a time when adolescence reared its head for the first time, we spent many an hour discussing the girls we secretly were developing crushes on. We went on different paths of education but you know how it is with some people, you meet after a year and you can still make them relate to all of your stories. A successful MBA now.. I guess he dreams and accomplishes it only as he can...

RV:

This one's tough because he is in US... but with him, its a pure visual friendship.. we just cant speak things to each other on the phone... the moment we set sights on one another, we can let out our deepest thoughts and secrets. Undoubtedly, the brightest mind amongst the 4 from KJSCE tronix who came to these shores, the latest whiff I have is of him still pondering over the decision to pursue PhD or get into the industry.. I dont know what decision he will take, I dont know how he will convey his decision to me... maybe my prayers will be answered, he will find a job in the Bay area and we will catch up on two years.. in person!! And once he lands up here, let us see who can beat India in a cricket match!!

SB:

The one person, the one girl, the one soul I love... as pure as that emotion can get despite all the cart-load of crap it brings along... I have felt it only for her.. and what made that feeling special was she understood and reciprocated in the same way.. it wasnt one bit romantic, it was never meant to be... we were just too perfect together to be that way throughout life... I last spoke to her breaking and choking voice the day I left India...11 months... I moved on, she's moved on... but as I weep on some nights thinking about how much I love her, I am but only sure that she does too...

AK:

I had heard a lot about him when i walked into that SE class... brilliant student, awesome orator, so down to earth that he almost gets buried in it... not the quintessential topper who is the apple of peoples's eyes and an eyesore to the rest. He comes, he jokes, he laughs, he discusses ARR, music, football and cricket like a madman, loves and drags you to his favourite movies.. and comes on top with honours after all of this. As aggressive as I get about things, I wanted someone with a better vision for the team when I was seeking a project partner in BE....I just went and told him that the two of us will do the projects.. he's handled me and my moods with aplomb.. we always enjoyed the fun side of life together, because he ensured I did not let myself stay aloof when he had fun.. doing a swinging MBA on either side of India, I am confident that as wide as life's paths would take us, we will always be the guys who made a Pentium 3 processor, a few professors and a whole lot of others, recognize the word "SUCCESSSSSS!!!!"

Raising a toast to each one of you and to what we share... as flippant as it was, it is something I will take with me to my grave...

Song Currently listening to: Jabse Tere Naina from Saawatiya

Random thought: Have I ever longed to see Neil this much in life?? just cant wait.... damnit!!

We.. the nation!!

"Indians, they love most of all. They are not perfect, of course. They know how to fight and lie and cheat each other, and all the things that all of us do. But more than any other people in the world, the Indians know how to love one another. That is how they manage to live together, a billion of them, in reasonable peace."

This is a short dialogue from a book I am reading currently. And its not the first time I have read something like this about my country. There is an ABC documentary on either outsourcing or India in the new age where Thomas Friedman says, " Had a place like Iraq had so may sects and sub-sects, let alone different religions, people would have beheaded one another on the street in broad daylight." I am not trying to harp home the fact that we are tolerant, that we are no doubt. But there is this innate quality that binds a billion of us that requires terrorists from outside to come and blow us apart. Yes, riots happened in 93 and 2003 when they should not have. Whats happening in Nandigram is disturbing, but as a nation, for the past 60 years, we've shown amazing maturity in caring and living with one another. I must admit I do not socialize too much in the local circles but my vision of a nation in some ways is driven by the events that get media coverage. It is altogether a different debate on the current media situation in India and how the hindi media is looking to give sicy news to a large audience that they enjoy... but the story of Lakshmi, the 2 year old from Bihar with a parasitic conjoined twin, who was operated upon by a team of doctors in bangalore, made me stand up and take notice of the power of media in a nation like India. Maybe it is the universal appeal of kids or the sense of pride that such a delicate procedure was being performed in the country, the media coverage was quite excellent. There was good management ensuring that no one gave breaking news of a shot of the poor kid recuperating in the ICU post-surgery. The doctoral team gave the media an update every single day and the prayers and wishes of lacs and lacs of people were conveyed through the right medium.. Our ex-president Dr. Abdul Kalam had some very interesting roles for the media in the country. He said they should be the torch-bearers of the moral and social society in the country. dont make news from an economic stand point of how many newspaper will you sell that day, make it from the point of view of news reaching the right people in the right manner to ensure appropriate public response... because in a country like India, if 1 billion people wish for cheaper travel, neither the railways nor the airlines can increase the fare by too much ...

All said and done, I was personally impressed by the way this event was handled by the media and I hope we can filter this through to many more such relevant news events that will undoubtedly keep occuring in that great nation of ours.. Jai Hind.

Random thought: I think I posted this more because tonight its biting me a bit that I am not going home in December.. I don't know when next... i hope soon...

Not listening to a song currently.. going to go back to my book.. Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.

Children...

Its probably a fact that not many of my closest friends know about me either... I love children... yes, maybe more so in the age group of 2 -4, that cute bubbly time when they are innocent, want to be naughty but are so helplessly overcome by the emotion they express when they like someone and smile... They say there is no sight as peaceful as watching a child sleep.. devoid of thoughts and worries which as adults, we tend to mount on ourselves more than anything.. Their reaction to good and not-so-good things around them is just so natural. Not just the lips but it feels like the entire face breaks out into a smile and sometimes by trick, sometimes as genuinely as they get, those tears that well up their eyes choke your throat as well..

And then they grow, being absolutely hammered and pounded by information and instruction...from which side the letter C should curve to the different colours of the rainbow..from how to use the right hand to eat and receive things from people to how to use the toilet without the fear that its a black hole thats going to flush you out of this world...

And yet, as life would play its symphony with different notes, not every child gets brought up the same way... I do not know how we could touch the lives of those who arent as fortunate. I have visited an orphanage and I seriously doubt my heart to withstand the sight of so many young faces yearning for love... we have a young girl in our family now, though not through blood, we are all going to pour our love and affection on her to the extent she is the family's daughter... human emotions are such and children have the right to demand the most affectionate and caring side of us... As the trailer on top says, 'Every child is special' and so is a person's feeling for every child... they light up out worlds and we owe it to them...

Random thought: This is a very incomplete blog isnt it? does it convey what i felt I wanted to? I just started typing and stopped suddenly....

Song I'm listening to: (Just in case you doubted..) Title Track - Taare Zameen Par

Let the dreamz begin....

Its that time of the year again... Diwali!! the festival of lights, when things look brighter and better than at anytime during the year. Undoubtedly my favourite festival of the year... and also a time when the Indian dream factory tolls out its creme de la creme. Yes.. being a hard and true-to-heart Mumbaikar, I have grown, been fed and led to believe that Indian dreams are sold not by MNCs having their design and R&D centres in my country.. but by the one and only.. BOLLYWOOD.. As I find myself in what can best be described as India outside of herself here in the bay area, I can only feel the excitement of going and watching a couple of the high profile releases this weekend. I may sound like your local Mid-day reporter but the way I have followed and been sucked into this filmy festivity is because of the sheer magnitude of marketing effort that has gone on into the movies releasing this Diwali.. Mid-day, Ibnlive and Indiafm, my three most favoured sites have been agog with article after article of Ranbir, Sonam, Deepika.. and KING KHAN!!! Yes... I love Shah Rukh.. I do not go to a movie theatre for acting skills, I go for entertainment..especially in an Indian movie, I go for the cheers, the laughters, the comments sitting besides friends, the depth of emotion which chokes me at times, the dhols, the tak-dhina-dhin beats of a song.... complete entertainment... for me, no one does it better than SRK himself.

Bollywood has been such an integral part of my life that I can't imagine my liking or understanding of movies without it. Yes, I love my Pirates of Carribean, the Bourne Ultimatum and Apollo 13, but if I want to relax, smile, understand and most importantly , enjoy... I will turn to Andaz Apna Apna, Jo Jeeta wohi Sikander and DDLJ.... we at times mock at the films made in our country, saying that we need to keep the brain aside and watch them... but isn't that what commercial cinema is meant for?



All in all, I am just looking forward to this weekend... Om Shanti Om for sure.. maybe Saawariya too.. this diwali season, let the cameras roll and the action begin...

HAPPY DIWALI!!

Been a long time.. saw Basu's site and remembered... so here it is.. and hope I remember again.

Random thought: Why do I linger on to things, memories, places and people long after I have passed through them?

Currently listening to: Masha-Allah from Saawariya

found a way out...

For all those nights I spent wondering how to escape my loneliness and frustrations, I finally have my answer.. start ignition.. eyes on the road, hands on the steering, feet on the pedals... and off!!!! and away!! from all the unnecessary mess I create for myself within my head... I took my first such drive, just 20 mins and 3 songs. Feels good. Feels there something near you which will stand by you come what may... for all the longing I have had of pouring my love and affection on someone, I have found something atleast... I love my car.. she's mine.. just mine...

Work hours...

Tuesday - 9:30AM to 9:30 PM
Wednesday - 9:30AM to 11:30 PM
Thursday - 9:30AM to 1:30AM
Friday - 9:30AM to 8PM (We were just too tired to go on...)
Saturday - 2:30PM to 4:30PM (Thanks Abhimanyu!!)
Sunday - 9AM to 3AM (Yeah..even the CEO is stunned and speechless)
Monday - 10:30AM to now (its 12:36 AM and I am very optimistically looking at less than an hour of work :D)

A honest confession...

Went for Bhool Bhulaiya today.. trust Rahul and his gang of whackos to make me go for such a movie.. laugh riot of a different sort.. u will have to keep aside any trace of logic or belief to enjoy the movie.. my suggestion.. go in a group of 8-10.. it'll surely be fun... now.. the reason why I want to put this post at 1:45 AM..

Saw Vidya Balan for the first time on screen in a full fledged living role (the previous movie was Guru where you know she doesent count now)... and sigh!!! the heart doesent feel weak for her.. it feels weak for what she symbolizes and what I would want for myself in life..

Picture this.. south indian girl.. educated... mumbaikar..homely..very subtly and simple beautiful... sounds perfect for me? don't say so.. coz that might jinx it..so lets just hope.. and pray.. and pray and hope.. that there's a Vidya for me too.. kahiin toh bhi..koi toh bhi....sigh!!!

Wow!!!

Source: www.ibnlive.com
Topic of debate: "Does Good Journalism mean bad business?"
URL: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/does-good-journalism-mean-bad-business/45442-3.html



Just an awesome conglomerate of the finest and the elitist of Indian media. If an audience can comprise of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Mrs. Sudha and Mr. Narayan Murthy, Mr. L.K. Advani, Mr. I.K. Gujral, Lord Meghnad Desai, Mr. Sitaram Yerchury and a panel of the heads of HT, TOI, Indian Express and Hindu led by Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai.. its not a debate anymore, it transforms into an intellectual milleu which whips up such a delight that gladdens the heart.. among 220 billion people, we have our share of such minds, and if we can draw on the thought processes of such people, no reason why we can't succeed even more as a nation.

P.S: Neil, I must admit just looking at this debate what DEBSOC must have been like.... maybe I should have been a VESITian... ;)

Truly Presidential!!

I am supposed to be working on my resume and doing my job application, but a freak visit to IBNlive's website to have a look at the early morning news just made me sit up straight and start typing this.. coz the headline read... "I'll leave Rashtrapati Bhavan with 2 suitcases": Kalam

My cousin Prasanna is a semi-professional singer in Carnatic music, not to mention an MTech from IIT Madras and 3 days younger to me!! We've grown up as siamese twins and lived parallel lives through Mumbai University. Being an upcoming musician with a silken voice thats winning over the purists in Chennai, it was a matter of great pride for each one of us in the family when he recieved an invitation from Rashtrapati Bhavan to perform in front of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, President of India. My mom, aunt and uncle(Prasanna's dad) flew from Mumbai and Prasanna and his mom from Chennai, to be recieved at Delhi Airport by Government of India's cars and be put up in two guest suites at Rashtrapati Bhavan itself. I could feel the glint in their voices when I spoke to them on the morning of the concert, and as usual, I could sense a strong current of confidence flowing when Prasanna spoke to me. He was honored to be singing for the President himself..

Next morning when I spoke to mom who was almost choking describing the experience, I couldn't help but notice a lump forming in my throat. The concert was fantastic, albeit for just 1/2 hr and four songs, and he was sublime as ever, but my mother's eyed glowed in the webcam when she spoke of the President. A gentleman, truly a person worthy of being called the First Citizen of the country.. he spoke to almost each one of the 150 guests present there and despite having an immediate appointment to attend after the function, spending an extra 1/2 hour taking care of each one present there, like a perfect host. Being a keen follower of carnatic music, it has been a regular feature for the past five years for Rashtrapati Bhavan to resonate with the ragas and sounds of Mridangam, Ghatam and violins. And prior to Prasanna's performance, a man from Coimbatore, disabled without arms or legs, sang for half an hour as well. Between both the performances, Dr. Kalam briefly addressed the audience, fondly remembering the day when during a visit to Coimbatore, his assistant informed him of this man who wished to seek an audience with him. Dr. Kalam remembers only the glint in the person's eyes and not his disabilities. While exchanging pleasantries, the President asked the man if he was fine, and blurry eyed, the man replied that he was living a blessed life under the eyes of people who cared for him, and he had just one wish in life, to sing a song for the President of India. He agreed then and there and sat across from the man and heard him sing a wonderful song for 5 minutes. He told the audience that day that he decided then, probably for the first time, to use his powers, and arrange for the man to perform in front of an audience at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This was the last set of concerts before his term ends, and in some ways is befitting that through my mom, through me, everyone of you manages to get a glimpse into a man, who truly has been Presidential.

In some ways for me, what my mother told me that day epitomized what I and probably, the whole of middle-class India has felt good about, in the last five years. I stess on the middle class, because we in more ways than one, represent our country, and in the same breath, bring out that nonchalant chalta-hai-this-is-india-cant-hope-for-much-improvement attitude. We feel neglected by our politicians, but pay our taxes and vote, however irrelevant we know it is going to be. I don't want to divulge into further details, but this India, I know for sure, wore a smile on her face the day Dr. Kalam was elected President. Its always been a titular post, but nonetheless, it is the post of the First Citizen. After, and now it seems, before and after, term after term of faceless, mundane, relatively untarnished political scions, from 2002 to 2007, India had a President who in many ways, represented the country. An educated scientist who had grown up from the grass-roots, but also someone who had a vision for the future. Time and again, we all have read of his numerous encounters with children of all ages. Probably being from the educational fraternity, he single handedly had seen and come to realize how much potential we as a country had in our youth. I am going to cut this blatantly short, but I personally felt proud as Indian to have Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam as the President of my country. As he returns to his one room guest house at Anna University campus in Chennai, I can only hope that his vision 2020 for India atleast lives up to continue being a vision in each one of our eyes, for we can grow bigger and better only when we grow as a country.

I stand up and salute to you Sir... Jai Hind!!!

Required : IDEAL CONDITIONS

I don't know if it was this way before, but nowadays, I can't sleep a winky wink bit unless there is no light whatsoever in the room and complete silence all around me... weirdly its something that happens only at night.. the bright lights of the class and the professors droing voices have a totally opposite effect during daytime...

But I need my 7 hours of peaceful interlaced with nightmares sleep, so if it has some pre-conditions for it, so be it... dark and quiet....zzzzzzzzzzzzz

My Nerd score!!

Not too bad.. need to improve!!

Catching up....

My cell phone stat:

Duration of last call:

02:00:06 .....

and don't even guess... it was a GIRL!!

The world is round...

I sent a most important document by a $25 express mail post to my home in India a couple of weeks back. Here's the tracking info provided by USPS...: (Read it from bottom upwards)

Track & Confirm e-mail update information provided by the U.S. Postal Service.

Label Number: EQ90 9104 285U S

Service Type: Express Mail - Post Office to Addressee

Shipment Activity Location Date & Time
------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------
Delivered ARLINGTON TX 76013 06/30/07 11:22am

Notice Left ARLINGTON TX 76013 06/29/07 1:25pm

Arrival at Unit ARLINGTON TX 76012 06/29/07 1:24pm

Inbound Out of Customs 06/28/07 6:20am

Inbound Into Customs 06/23/07 3:26am

Inbound International KENNEDY AMC 06/23/07 3:25am
Arrival

Arrived Abroad INDIA 06/21/07 10:13am

International Dispatch Chicago (O'Hare) AMC 06/15/07 3:54pm

Enroute CHICAGO IL 60666 06/15/07 3:47pm

Enroute DALLAS TX 75261 06/14/07 7:30pm

Enroute ARLINGTON TX 76013 06/14/07 6:09pm

Acceptance ARLINGTON TX 76019 06/14/07 11:45am


The end result: The blue colored envelope I had seen 2 weeks back is staring right back at my face... why?? The to address got smudged because of a wet mishap... most likely at Mumbai because this thing reached Indian shores. The from address got smudged as well... but they managed to locate it from some sort of database... if they could get that, couldn't they have gotten their database designers to include the to address field as well? Guess its time USPS handed over its database operations to Bangalore!!!!

So, for $25, my letter had a roundtrip from Arlington Texas to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai.... I don't need to be Einstein to fathom that next time I want to take a vacation and go home, I won't call my travel agent, I'll call USPS and get them to pick up MY PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monsoon magic...

Summer... weird in a lot of ways... first time taking classes (its a joke of a sem btw; 11 weeks; 3 tests, job hunt, interviews, mood swings...); also incidentally, its my first Texan summer... errr... am I still saying summer?? that which means scientifically when the earth, tilting on its axis, is oriented such that the northern hemisphere is closer to the sun?? which means its supposed to be hot?? well.. thats what I think so too.. but no.. welcome to Texas!! thunderstorms, cloudy skies, downpours... wet wet roads; wet wet paths.... wet wet June... does it ring a bell?? Not for me, it just conveniently transports me to the better part on the other side of the world... home... M U M B A I!!

Its as sweet as it is annoying; its as musical as it is pesky... Mumbai and the monsoons have the sort of love-hate relationship that only life can bring about... after 3 months of sweltering heat; dripping sweat and we-are-mumbai-how-dare-you!! attitude ensuring electricity in our homes, come those cloud-laden horizons... typically bollywood in nature.. romanticizing the hassled Mumbaikar with the thought of rain.. but na... nahi nahi abhi nahi..abhi karo intezaaaar.... the intruiging part... it only adds to the humidity!!! I don't know if any of you have noticed it.. but there are these 2-3 evenings when the sky turns yellowish orange just as the sun is setting.. for me that personally heralds the onset of monsoon... for the concrete jungle that it is, Mumbai has its share of natural visitors.. the monsoon harbingers which poor Times of India makes it a point to publish year after year, more out of sympathy for the photographer's sweat and pain while waiting to click the snap...

One fine day; one fine moment... it arrives.. pit pat pit... a few drops initially... then the torrent.. truly heavens opening up kinda scene.. the asphalt on the roads actually hisses.. as though a blacksmith immersing his red hot iron into a bucket of cold water.. almost no one on the roads has an umbrella (fooled by the past evenings of cloudy skies)... pedestrians react variedly; some rush to the nearest shop, others just stand and soak it in... the guy who ran into the shop... wearing a wry smile on his face..telling the store-keeper who has his hopes risen by the sudden incrase in customers(oblivious to the fact that none of them would probably buy a thing),"accha hua shuru ho gayi barsaat!!"

What transpires for the next 3 months or so is pure magic.. pure romance... I don't know of another place on this planet which gets transformed to such an extent..maybe snow makes cities look good, Fall has its colors.. but Mumbai.. its almost as if it gets nestled into the rains, rather than thwarting it... If I just make a random list of things that make me smile about the Mumbai rains, it would read like this:
1. Autos with their cute-little good-for-nothing shutters
2. Water falling off like a hose-pipe from the front of BEST busses when they come to stop
3. Bhutta
4. Gumboots and school kids in raincoats (which btw make you sweat even if you are wearing them in the rain ..annoying little material tht plastic)
5. pot-holes
6. Umbrellas (especially the sun brand.. considered good ... but sorry boss not for more than a season of Mumbai ka barsaat)
7. flooded Milan subway
8. Earthworms in bathrooms (I'm a ground floor guy so similar ppl will definitely agree)
9. Snails
10. Grass on barren grounds which we never ever thought were capable of vegetative growth
11. Moss on the walls of the buildings
12. People with umbrellas and raincoats dripping wet but cramming with the same intensity into trains and buses (and no one really minds it too..chee.. duur hat.. u'll never hear tht inside a bus)
13. Waves splashing up the wall on Marine drive
14. Fallen trees and blaring sirens of the fire brigade crew which dodges its way through traffic to get to the spot

The city actually becomes beautiful in my eyes.... of course, the floods and the tides have their cat and mouse games... and there is always a day or two in July-August when things come to an absolute standstill... sab bandh... and you hear of how ppl were stranded but made it home in tempos, trucks and wading through knee deep water...

All in all, I always found myself living my life and enjoying it the most during the monsoons...the world claims four seasons.. monsoons and Mumbai claim each other...

Sound of music

A must read for every Rahman fan...

http://musicandnoise.blogspot.com/2006/09/rahman-i-and-sound-of-music_22.html

Discover it!!!...before its too late

An often-said saying goes "You realise the value of things only after you lose them"... well, these past couple of weeks have given me an insight to a thing or two which I would never even have realized the presence of to rue the fact of missing them.. but gladly, that isnt the case. The beginning of this semester has seen some uncanny things happen fore me. After a hiatus of a year, I returned to the rigours of working part-time on campus.. people move on from working part time to securing assistantships, mera thoda locha ho gaya, I find myself on the other side.. but alls well that ends well.. and end I am sure I will make it good.. in the meantime, working as an event staff in Texas Hall has given me the opportunity to be a part of the university from the non-academic aspect...and mind you, its good.

Every university in the US has a pretty strong sporting connection.. Rahul can't stop gooing about his Trojans every saturday (makes no sense to me as I follow NFL and not the college league and he, the vice-versa) and even a severly hampered sports follower like Neil (I can see the barrage of expletives coming but knowing and rooting for Ralf Schumacher doesen't make you a sports fan WASTE!!!) knows that his Maryland basketball team is good and have a 36 ka aakhda with Duke .. mine on the other hand, doesen't boast of a football team but does have a pretty decent Basketball program, especially the wheelchair basketball teams winning the Nationals on a fairly regular basis. People who know me know that I fall into a category that defines a vast majority of urban Indians, extremely fond of sports but ask me to play football and I'd prefer playing the goalie.. not for the responsibilty aspect but for the lack of movement (read running) involved!!

I must confess being a part of an exhorbitantly large international student contingent in the engineering grad school, I have had minimal interaction with Americans during my stay at UTA. And we desis never ever felt the need to go to Texas Hall and watch a game of hoops, prefering to go to the badminton courts during the weekends and securing the playing area with bhai and bandhu before the Chinese invasion occurs!! It hence, although sheepish to admit, caught me by surprise to see about a 100 people on the bleachers for the womens basketball game. Local families with tiny tots running about juggling a fistful of popcorns... and a few senior citizens, who now I know after 3 - 4 such games, are regular in coming to support their local university (mind you they can be as vociferous as some of our boys in the North Stand at the Wankhede back in Mumbai). Its a nice evening out for families and an atmosphere of yo-lets-have-fun-but-kick-their-ASS prevails for a good part of two hours.

One good thing about americans, they loooooooooooooooooooooooooooove to eat... so the concession stands fellas have their task cut out till the moment they close the register. The womens team has been on a roll this season, unbeaten all along for 12 games now. The men on the other hand, have had a bit of a roller-coaster but strangely enought, drew an almost packed house for their game last night. It probably helped that two of the Greek fraternities decided to have a fun mock-shootout on court during half-time. So that meant atleast a 100 young guys and girls (certainly a pleasure to the eyes) cheering on the team, probably a reason why they thrashed the visitors for a most convincing victory. The UTA band is also there in full strength, belting out some fairly good tunes during the time-outs. Half-time generally involves some performance by the school kids of the neighbourhood.

In the end, what I have benefitted the most while earning some measly dollars by checking people's ticket is to have a glimpse into a general fun evening, within my university, which I was oblivious to, all this while.

Random thought: (This section is being appreciated quite a bit of late)

I just made a quick check on a weird list: A list of people who I believe have more faith in my abilities and will to succeed than me myself. In no particular order, mom, dad, Neil, Rahul and Jayee..the kind of unwavering support I get from these people, added to the loads of others who know me and always have a kind word to say to me makes me feel pretty special.. thanks fellows.. thanks a ton.

Song currently on my nano: "Maula mere" from the film Anwar. Excellent orchestration (not sure if its a word really) and Roop Kumar Rathod's voice makes it a perfect hear when all alone.. for once I haven't really been smitten by the lyrics but I just love the sound of the song as it carasses my ears...

Food for thought...

Thanks,

To all of you who visit this page and commen(d)t me on my blogs. Instead of forwarding it to a specific number of known email ids, I thought I'll post this here, for each one of you to read, and understand...


A LETTER TO 4000 CHILDREN WITH A SCAR ON THE CHEST

My Dear Children:

I have been planning to write this letter for quite some
time. Maybe I just waited for you all to grow up to understand what
I am trying to convey. The story goes back many years. When
God sent you to this world it was perhaps the best thing that had
happened to your parents. Every little nudges and kicks in your
mother's womb opened up a new world of happiness and expectations. Then
one day, a miracle happened. You were to begin a new journey.
From the warm, happy, secure world of your mother's womb to a world
that is cold and full of insecurities. Nevertheless, the joy that
your parents felt after this journey knew no bounds. They were
on top of the world. But, unfortunately, this happiness was very
short lived. That very day you started turning blue in colour.
The doctors had found a hole in your heart that shattered the
dreams of your parents. They were devastated and could not
understand why they were being punished in this way. They had no choice
but to accept the inevitable reality and decided to give you the
best possible medical care.
Before that they had to overcome two major hurdles. They
could not afford the cost of your heart operation and they could not
wait since you were turning blue every time you cried. I guess
this is a penalty you have to pay for being born in a third world
country.Yes, when you were ten days old you had a price tag on
your life. If your parents paid the price, they can have you, if not
you would have to go back to where you came from. Your mummy and
daddy went through phases of self-pity, denial, mutual accusations
and anger towards the society, which was indifferent to their
problems. Your daddy was most upset since he knew that the price tag on
your life was less than what his boss would spend on a Saturday
evening party. But that is life and one has to accept it. Time
was running out and your daddy was getting desperate until he came to
know about me. The first thing he told me when we met was "I heard
you love children". Yes, I love children and I have four of my
own. My profession is giving hope to people suffering from heart
diseases and giving them a chance to start life in a fresh new way.
I am essentially a technician who can cut and stitch people's
heart; they call me a heart surgeon.
When I met you first you were barely 10 days old, cuddled
in a warm blanket close to your mother's heart. Except for a bit of
rapid breathing and bluish nails on your finger, you looked like
an angel. I am sure you cannot remember but I asked you a
question "do you want to be my friend"? This is the question I ask all
the children I see. I did want to be your friend and I worked
so hard to gain your friendship. I clearly remember your mother's
face when she was handing you over to the operation theatre nurse.
She kissed you and looked at my face with an expression that she is
handing over her most precious possession to me; also with the
total confidence that I will take care of you. It was a
different sort of love triangle between your father, mother and myself with
you at the centre. We would have done any thing in this world to get
you back. It took me six hours of intense concentration to
operate upon your heart and so many sleepless nights before you started
smiling again. God was kind to you that time and you made a
marvelous recovery. It was a big day for your family when you were
being discharged from the hospital. Both your mummy and daddy
would have thanked me a million times before they left the hospital.
But they didn't have to tell me anything since I knew every world
what they wanted to say. Tears of joy rolled down their cheeks.
But you were blissfully unaware of what was going on clinging on to
your mother's chest. My eyes began to swell with tears and I turned my
face the other way since a cardiac surgeon is not supposed to cry.
Through the corner of my wet eyes I saw your face one more time
and I knew I found one more friend. Your friendship and love is the
only fee I expect for treating you.

As a heart surgeon I have performed more than 4000
operations on children like you suffering from heart disease. Most of
them came from poor families. Despite their backgrounds, I treat
all for free. I think this is the best way I can repay God who
has given me everything I wanted, a good family, a wonderful wife and
loving children. For me this world is such a happy place to live
in and in my own small way I strive hard to make it happy for others
around me who are not so fortunate.

You must be wondering what inspired me to take this path.
I guess, I became a doctor because of the recurrent illness of my
parents. My childhood was spent with the fear of loosing my mother.
My father who was a diabetic had multiple episodes of
diabetic coma. In the life of the nine of us God was a distant image and
his clear image was that of Doctor who could save the lives of our
parents. Another childhood incident left a lasting impression on my
young mind. I remember, it was a Saturday afternoon; I was
trying to build a car, I think, out of matchboxes and sticks, like
all the other children in my village. My mother was speaking to a
distant relative of ours in Bombay. This lady was telling my
mother about a particular surgeon who apart from saving her child's life
also offered his service completely free of cost. I could hear
my mother blessing the mother of that surgeon for giving birth to
such a wonderful person and ended up saying that this world is
still a wonderful place because of people like him.
That was the time I found the purpose to my life, the
purpose of brining happiness to all the children of this world. I
was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I was trained to
be a heart surgeon at Guy's Hospital, London. My colleagues
there called me an "operating machine" since I loved heart surgery.

I left England in 1989 to start a state-of-the-art heart
hospital called BM Birla Heart Research Centre at Calcutta. It was
a great experience to set up a heart hospital, which soon became
one of the best heart hospitals in India. And almost immediately
after we set up the research centre we started the pediatric cardiac
surgical facilities to take care of children suffering from heart
diseases. Little did I know that this centre was to rewrite medical
history? My mother at that time was living in a small town near
Mangalore.
It was my father's death anniversary and she spent almost
the entire day in the prayer room. In the evening, my sister who was
watching the news at the national network, all of a sudden screamed
out for my mother. My mother hurried to the living room to see
her son on TV with a nine day old baby who underwent a successful
open-heart surgery. He was the youngest baby at that point of time
in India to undergo a successful open-heart surgery. It was the
beginning of heart surgery on newborn babies in India. I guess at that
time many mothers too would have prayed for my mother's well being.

Let me tell you about another incident. Do you know the
definition of a paediatric cardiac surgeon? The dictionary says he
is a surgeon who specializes in the treatment of heart ailments
in children. A few years ago, when Mother Teresa suffered a
heart attack I was put in charge of her heart care. One day,
Mother, who at that point of time was convalescing in the intensive
care unit of the hospital, saw me examining a blue baby. After few
minutes of thought she turned towards me and said; "Now I know why
you are here. To relieve the agony of children with heart
disease, God sent you to this world to fix it". To my mind, this is the
best definition ever given of a paediatric cardiac surgeon and
perhaps the best compliment that I have ever received.


One day you will become an adult and probably a very
important member of our society. You will have lot of
responsibilities and commitments. All I ask you for is, can you spare few
moments of your precious time every day for someone who needs it?
And that too without expecting anything back in return. Do you know,
to save your life, a few hundred people worked sincerely without
expecting any remuneration other than the joy of making your family,
friends and relatives happy?

Dear children, we are all creation of the God and He is in
control of all the events happening in this world. Unfortunately
he is not supposed to be seen, heard or felt. So, he runs this
world using people like you and me. And when you do your work without
expecting anything in return, just for the joy of brining happiness
to others, that's when you'll realize it is not your hands, which do
the job, it is the hands of God.

Yours lovingly,
(Dr. Devi Shetty)

Its late in the night and as sleepy as I am, I just wanted to use this medium of mine to send this out to all of you. I know a lot of you don't like reading forwarded stuff like this but I couldn't resist. I already have a piece in mind to write here next... keep watching this space for more..

KBC - Old wine in a shiny new bottle

One of the two things I felt I was going to miss the most leaving Mumbai on the 20th was
a) The Mumbai Marathon - Its finally a sporting event the world and the city looks upto year after year. As all events in the city, the more-than-graceful presence of Bollywood personalities catapults this event to a much grander scale than similar events around the country... It feels refreshingly calm to see sportsmen running on those very roads that are jam-packed with rickshaws, cars and BEST buses 364 other days of the year... keep going Mumbai.. hopefully its the beginning of a sporting leagacy this great city can well do to afford.

b) Opening episode of Kaun banega Crorepati hosted by Shah Rukh Khan

For someone who reads the times, Mid-day and browses through the minute details on ndtv and ibnlive websites every singe day, my ear picks up the slightest BREAKING NEWS as and when it happens back home.. what bigger drama than our entertainment industry.. from star-struck engagement announcements to public brawls, they are the elitist who are constantly under the scrutiny by sometimes-going-over-the-top but extremely alert media in the country.

First DON, then KBC.. the country was agog with news and views on why Amitabh Bachchan and his works were being remodified and presented to the new India by one SHAH RUKH KHAN... stories of cold war like situation ensuing between them and how their political affiliations were also pitted against each other all made for typical masaaledaar reading on the news websites. Thanks to Youtube, I could catch the first episode within 48 hours of itbeing aired LIVE on national television back home..

A self-admitting die hard Shah Rukh fan, a foreword that you may find my views typically like those of a star-struck person.. so read at your own risk. The AD campaign with the ultra-cute kid asking questions set the tone for a change in KBC. I admit I loved the ad more for the way it showed Mumbai, the city that asks you questions before you can even raise your hand (the sequence where as soon as he arrives in Mumbai, the camera pans on his luggage, looks up for a while and returns to find the suitcase gone is VINTAGE MUMBAI).. but although everyone felt Amitabh is irreplacable, there was a sense of hmm-maybe-this-might-work... Something about SRK made people feel that KBC wont go spiralling down. I think people know what Shah Rukh does is primarily first for himself.. he wouldn't venture into something that would risk his position at the top of the ladder.. even if that means stereotypical roles and repititive films with certain directors... I know a great deal of people feel he isnt an actor in the true sense of the word. Agreed he can't pull off someone like Mangal Pandey or even Bhuvan for that matter.. he doesent enact roles, he gives the audience a feel of how that particular character will look on SRK.. think closely of what I've said and it would probably make you smirk in acknowledgement.. SRK wont look like Asoka but you can see how Asoka would have been if he were SRK!!

Now coming to SRK in KBC, I personally found it really good. He is calm, cool, funny, makes fun out of the names of his contestants, makes himself a butt of a couple of jokes... he tries to make it as different as possible from the wayit was before... a slightest attempt to conduct it the way Big B had would have ruined it in the viewers eyes. The way he conducts it is casual, he wore a tie during the first week and hasnt worn one since then.. (yeah!yeah! I've been watching almost every episode on a daily basis.. something my granny and SUN TV might not have allowed back home !!!)

All in all, I like the new KBC.. I like its new host, I like the fact that the game show which changed TV viewing in India and the life for its former host is helping its new host be on TOP in the minds of loyalists like me... so I guess.. enjoy when you can...