Before God

Irrespective of the religion, irrespective of presence or absence of an idol, when one is before God, I see the same expression on the faces of all of us. The eyes are in a trance, the body has submitted to the God we are praying to.

Prayers in all religions are a combination of more than one bodily senses. There are words to the prayers; there are these visuals that a religious place brings before us.

Prayers try to stimulate these senses and help us focus. Focus on our God. Focus on what we want from him. Focus on the changes we want in our lives.

Across all religions and beliefs, the prayers to God outside only help us stimulate the God within us.

Door to Heaven

(The picture taken from the album of one Gautam Karekar from Goa with his consent. It was clicked at Panhalgad fort near Kolhapur, Maharashtra.)

We start off at the base of the staircase. The number of steps for each one of us is different.

I begin to climb one step at a time. My eyes transfixed at the light at the end of the stairs.

The steps are uneven and broken at places. I slip once and move two steps down. I continue to walk.

As I near the top, the light blinds me. There's a sea of light - beyond my imagination. I see nothing - but I see light.

I close my eyes...

I have reached the door to heaven.

The Tripod for Talent

A tripod stand balances the camera - so that it can be utilized better. One can adjust the height according to one's needs. One can pan the subject. And capture with precision.

If talent is a camera, confidence is the tripod. It allows your talent to go higher as per the requirement - it allows you to direct your talent the way it must. And it is confidence that prevents the talent from being shaky while it is being used.

A one Rupee coin

A one- Rupee coin is born with many others. It is passed from one hand to another.

From a rich businessman's hand, it rests on the bruised palm of a young worker after he polishes the shoe of the former.

It sees every possible place of the country.

On the road before a beggar. In the pocket of a college student.

From the torn purses of vegetable vendors to the cash compartments of the billing counter at a posh mall.

From the misers to the donors.

From the donation boxes at temples to the cash-box of a cigarette vendor.

It is thrown, it is flipped. It is passed a hundred times. It is arranged in clusters. It is packed in tiny bags in numbers of hundred.

No one sees the country's cultural, social and economic diversity to the extent this rupee coin does.

Four friends

I see them staring at the sky. The sky that the clouds have painted in millions of shades of red. One of them has a helmet in his hand which he has placed on his waist. The other one is looking at the sky with his hands folded. The third one still on his bike was looking in the other direction. Seeing the cars pass by.

Time had passed in the same way. For four long years, they had been coming to this part of the highway on their bikes. High on adrenaline, a gush of energy in them. They would holler like vagabonds throughout their ride to this part of the highway. Then they would stand along the sidewalks, waiting for the sun to set. And then get back home.

Today, they wanted the evening to stay. It was parting time - they had to go their ways. Find their future. Fulfill their dreams. Fulfill their parents' dreams.

Today they did not scream, only sighed. And today, they drove back at a speed lower than ever.

Courtesy: Mohit Durve. The picture is taken from his orkut album. With his consent.

Kuch paane ke liye kuch dena padta hai

Sorry if I sounded like Rakhi Sawant before the sex-change operation! But I really did not mean what the naughty minds among you are thinking...

But seriously, the world is based on exchange, the give-and-take.

It all starts at a basic level from a shop where you get goods in exchange of money. Sale of goods for money is exchange at a basic and a superficial level.

You need to give time to get a worthwhile relationship.

Your teachers give you the knowledge and it is expected that you pass it on - directly as knowledge or indirectly as its application.


You cannot crib about how selfish the world is unless you yourself are ready to smile at it and be helpful.


And probably, one of the biggest give-and-takes is what all of us do...

You give a day of your life to time and time gives you memories to remember.

Jaane tu ya jaane na - Music Review

A. R. Rahman does it yet again. Let me tell you when each of the songs in this album could be played....

Pappu can't dance saala :

'Saala' is not a decent word. I thought of changing the spelling, changing it to 'saaala' or maybe '$aala' or something words get censored by browsers. But I didn't. Simply because once something gets censored, the curiousity increases multiple times!! My friends who ogle at Mallika Sherawat would agree.

The song is sure to rock the college fests throughout the country. It looks like a pepped-up version of 'Papa kehte hain..'. In fact, there's a stanza with the same words as the superhit song.... Aamir Khan trying to portray his nephew as himself?

Kabhi kabhi Aditi :

Dude!!! This IS the song I would sing to my girlfriend to woo her. Most definitely not my voice but the youthfulness of the song will get my feelings across!

Jaane tu meri (and mera.. the female version) kya hai :

Aah, the first heartbreak song. It speaks about relationships that do not have a name - and when we try to name them, we end up in confusion and more often than not, mess up the relationship.

The best part of the song is that it is not the typical sad song at all. That's certainly my way of being sad...

Kahin toh hogi woh :

A perfect song for a romantic date. On the beachside. Under the stars. Sigh... It's after listening to songs like these that one hates the 'single' tag.


Tu bole main bolu:

A R Rahman lends the vocals for this one - ofcourse flawless. The saxophone piece is lovelily mesmerizing. :-D

Nazarein milaana :

The song has the feel of going out with a group of friends when two of them have just fallen in love. And the pleasant feeling gets transferred to all of them - and all of them are feeling happy about the love that has grown.


The songs are all very appealing, very fresh, very A R Rahman.

Parts of Speech - Adjectives

Adjectives are bad. Adjectives describe a noun. In my opinion, they pass judgments - often biased, incorrect and incomplete.

Now you'd say that I just passed a judgment by calling adjectives bad. But I have a reason. Adjectives are bad - because along with describing nouns, they separate them. There are 'men' - but they get separated into 'good-looking men' and 'ugly men'. There are 'useful' and 'useless' things, 'intelligent' and 'dumb' students. Adjectives describe a noun - and estrange it from another. Adjectives are like the way students are classified - the ones with an A, a B and a C.

But yes, in a way, adjectives possess power. And that the power can be used or abused.

Adjectives may be bad. But as a matter of fact, they cannot be done away with - for 'bad' is an adjective too!

Parts of Speech - Series

Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, conjunctions, interjections, verbs, adverbs - they are all the most elementary ways of categorizing words.

My take on how important each of them is.


... nowhere linked to the English grammar classes we attended back in school.

Reading a book

Reading a book is different from watching a movie - though both are equally strong forms of creative expression. With books, you take pauses, think and go on. Books are often read over a longer period of time and hence, have a better scope to be absorbed.

I don't understand why a book is categorized as fiction or non-fiction. I mean, the line between fiction and reality is thin. A book comes from the writer's mind - all books are fictitious!! Just that when the content is closer to reality than fiction these books are categorized as latter.

Fiction or non-fiction, reading books is a journey. I remember giggling away throughout 'Five point someone' or breaking down in a crowded train as I read the last page of the 'Kite Runner'. I remember nodding of approval a hundred times as I turned the pages of 'The Power of one'.

A good book in one word has to be 'captivating' if not 'motivating'. But then, it's just the 'words-are-to-express-and-not-impress' difference between the two. You may want your words to do both - ditto for the book.

Good books can turn your life around - 'A thousand splendid suns' introduced me to a world of oppressed women who were not mute, but who did not know they were being oppressed at all; 'Many lives, many masters' answered several questions for me.

Reading books is the best way to utilize your literacy. The best way to put to use the alphabets you learnt several years ago.

Fasting forward

Credit: To an online friend who urged me to write a funny post. Enough of death, balloons and motion, the friend said.

Disclaimer: Not to be taken seriously. On a light note, strictly.

Fasts - a very Indian concept! Fasts are of varying magnitudes and forms. Fasting for a few hours before a pooja, fasting on particular days of the week or fasting every day for a longer period of time. During fasts like these, some people eat only selective food items, some stick to water while very few stay away from that as well!

And most of them sneak into the kitchen to grab a small piece of chocolate. One chocolate does no harm.

Fasts are for one's good health, good marks, good money or for a good husband. And in some cases, to ensure that the good husband stays good. And when nothing else, fasts are for a good figure! (They help you get in shape you see!!)

Fasts are short-cuts to success. They are like those 'jhatpat paisa' schemes which claim to earn a lot of money for you in less time. Fasts are like lottery tickets - you know you may not win a lottery always, but you just cannot stop yourself from trying.

Fasts, at the end of the day, are yet another path that humans take as a part of their lust for happiness.

On a lighter note, they are humble and at times, desperate attempts to fast-forward one's success!!

Death and Hourglass

The grains in the upper half of the hourglass are in a state of fear. They are scared that they would have to pass through the hole one day. They do not know what awaits them on the other side. They feel weak as they begin to fall under their own weight. And one day, they slip through the hole to the other side.It is now that the grains realize that they are stable. On the lower half of the hourglass, lies sanctity and stability what they always wanted.

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As we approach this aperture called death, fear consumes us. We spend all our life thinking about it.

It's only after we pass the hole that we realize how peaceful and calm things are on the other side...

Two night-lamps

The two night-lamps kept talking to each other. One would light up, stay that way for a couple of minutes and then go off. The second one would follow the regime. They were blinking alternately. For over two hours - as if they were sharing the sweet nothings of two lovers...


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He turned the night-lamp on.

"Put it off! I want to sleep!", she said rather scornfully.

"This one's on my side. Let me decide..." he would say. Some time later, he himself put it off.

She switched on the night-lamp on her side of the bed now. Got up to fetch herself water from the kitchen. While she was inside, he shouted, "Now, Why the hell have you kept the lamp on??"

"My wish!! Isn't this one supposed to be on my side?"

They were fighting - alternately turning the lamps on and off.

But both of them knew how superficial these arguments were. And that these arguments were just the tiny little things that only spiced up the love between them. And how much they loved to fight - and yet loved each other.

They were talking to each other rudely. With words. And rather subtly. Through the night-lamps.

Half the truth

Truth is never complete. When you think you know it, there comes something that you don't. It's the shadow that keeps growing as you try moving towards it.

It's the footprints that you keep following in a futile attempt to reach the source.

I see an object from the left, right, front and top. And I get a complete picture of its shape in three dimensions.

I cannot do that about truth. For it extends beyond three dimensions - beyond dimensions itself, in fact.

My face is just one half. There is another on the shadow that I cast. That is truth. Dark, concealed and something that gets dragged along wherever I go.

Ego

Ego - often euphemistically called 'self-respect'. When YOU are angry, you are so damn egoistic. When I get angry, you've hurt my self-respect.

Ego is like a hammer. Where it hits, how you use it, makes all the difference. It could hit your finger, hit a screw and make a mess - or hit a nail and drive it into the wall.

You could hurt yourself - hit your finger. When something happens to you, you could feel bad about it. And develop negativity about oneself. Something like, I displayed a horrible dance performance. Now I am going to be shy to dance all my life.

You could hit a screw - and it causes cracks in the wall. You have ended up hurting someone else. This is superiority complex. We often see people throwing around their weight. More often than not, these people hardly have any weight. It's the insecurity within you that is the origin of all this.

Ego ignites fire. You need to decide what you want to do with it. Burn yourself?... Set the world around you on fire?.. Or light up the spirit of resolving into somebody better and use the light to reach one's goal..

Vijesh

Disclaimer: An imaginary account of a real story. I didn't mean to distort the facts - I just want to present what I experienced when I heard the story.
The magnitude of what I felt was a minuscule fraction of what it must have been in real.

I don't know the exact year on the scale of time. It was just before 1990 actually. This room somewhere in North India was full of kids of different ages. Atleast fifty of them huddled up on the floor. There were four teachers in the classroom with a stack of sheets. They handed out each to the students and began to teach them the English alphabet.

I can move through the room looking at the faces of these kids. I don't see pain. I see numbness that stems from horror. I see the images of seeing one's grandparents being dragged out of the house, neighbours being shot dead in the middle of the street. One's dad on his feet and head bent down before a gunned man. Hordes of people carrying all that they could and taking any means of transport out of their homelands. Houseboats going up in flames. I can see the flames in their eyes.

These kids were stationed at this makeshift school. Their families had lost all the money and confidence they ever had. This school was the family's last hope to revive their son's childhood. To wipe out the images that had frozen in his eyes.

I see Vijesh among those kids. Scribbling a rose with the half-broken pencil. This child had kept his eye for beauty alive amidst all the inhumanity around him.



Vijesh wouldn't like me saying this here. But I, somehow, cannot stop myself. He is an engineer now. And is donating his first salary to the same school which still houses many more children like him. These places are more sacred than all the temples, churches and mosques of the world.

Balloons

Balloons have the inherent quality of being colourful, light and carefree. Have you seen the ones in the hands of a balloon seller - grouped together like a cluster of fresh daisies calling out to you? Have you seen a balloon going high up in the air until it becomes a mere red speck on the canvas of the cloudy sky?

Balloons epitomize the energy of childhood, the freedom of youth. It is the trophy of a child when his father gets him one. It is the heart-shaped gift of a youngster to his newly-found love.

Balloons look like coloured bubbles of water, balloons look like birds without wings. Balloons know the limits of the sky...

Balloons are not just filled with air. They are filled with limitless amount of joy.

The Wheel of Time

Dedicated to Pawan. It was while talking to him that I thought of this post.

The wheel of time goes round and round. All of us are tied to the centre of this wheel.

We decide whether to go dizzy due to the circular motion. Or whether to be happy about the fact that it's moving ahead. Constantly.

Sarkar Raj - Gripping

This was the first Ram Gopal Varma film that I saw in a theater! And I am surely not disappointed...

Sarkar Raj weaves an enthralling story of politics, personal desires and people drawn into it. The story builds up in an amazing manner - the background score only adds to the movie.

Abhishek Bachhan towers above all the characters in the movie - the movie belongs to Shankar. Subhash Nagare who stays low throughout the movie regains his stance towards the end - and rocks.

The way the story approaches its climax and the revelations come into light, one is glued to one's seat through the movie!

Aishwarya is good in the scene where Abhishek gets shot. Dilip Prabhavalkar as Raosahab is very nice too.

Gripping movie - beautifully etched-out characters, the overtly cinematic treatment, loved the movie!!

Special mention of Suyash Shringarpure who plays Somji is necessary for he has given a brilliant performance too.

Turning one around

Some incidents, some words, some people turn us around.

You see her smiling at you - and the world changes. It's a happier place now. You now smile at strangers too.

You hear your teacher praise you - you respect the teacher more now. You are more confident about yourself.

You just met your friend after a long time. It was like coming face-to-face with the past - the happier and memorable one.

Yes, some incidents, some words, some people turn us around.

But it's often not what I wrote here..

Sometimes, they turn us around - in the other direction.

Professional Surnames

We all carry a surname - since our birth. I say I am 'Aaditya Joshi', it conveys a lot of things. Someone who knew my father/family/background would recognize the surname and know that I come from a well-cultured background.

The role that a surname plays in our personal life is same as the role that the names of college play in our professional lives.

The name of the educational institutions we are a part of is our 'professional surname'. It is an indicative of the upbringing we have received. And it has implications similar to our surnames.

A good reputation for the institution we belong to means a good reputation for our own self. Sadly, many of us spend time complaining and cribbing about the college/school we are a part of, failing to realize that it is very much a part of us. Very much our professional surname.

I think we should all respect and be proud of these professional surnames. They, very much like our surnames, are our identity.

A Face in the Crowd

You are walking, moving slowly with a crowd. And just then, you see a face. The face looks familiar. And within a jiffy, you remember incidents, words and days. All that has gone into the darkness of the past.

You want to talk to that person. You give him a smile. He looks in the other direction, twitches his nose and walks past you. His shoulder hits yours. You pause for a second. And the incidents - the birthday celebrations, the standing by each other, the supporting each other sublimes into thin air. With the snap of a finger you come back to the present.

And the present that the present has given you is a broken relationship with a dear one.

People change, relationships break. Take new forms..

.... isn't there anything we can do about it?!

10 ka dum.. what?!

Salman Khan's new show is such a such a letdown... Cheap jokes!! Cheap Questions!!

'Parental advisory' will now be replaced by 'We advise children to keep a watch on their parents!".. It's that cheap!!

How can one expect questions like "How many men sleep on their wedding night?" And the lady replying in the affirmative for the question, "Did your husband too?"

Outright embarassing to watch with one's family. And the format is so unintelligent and so gamble-like. It's almost like a sattaa baazaar with glam n glitz and this one person called Salman Khan who says "dus hazaar rupon ke liye" for "rupayon" and makes the faces of a constipated pregnant lady.

10 ka dum has no dum. And I won't be surprised if Salman Khan cracks a joke as cheap n cheesy as 'Dum.... Kon dum?"

Clouds

Disclaimer - I've taken the picture that you see here.

Clouds have no form, no shape. In fact, what they carry in them is tonnes of steam. They move slowly the way wind takes them - and when the wind orders them, they burst into fragments with the water droplets filling the earth with life and joy.

And these fragments join with other fragments and form a new cloud - a new form, a new shape.


Humans go through similar fate. We have to group with some, perform our duty, spend time with them - and then burst out to join a new group of people. Change and moving on is the only rule of the world.

The cloud continues to break into pieces, carry the heavy droplets and pour them all. We all continue to move on with life, explore newer places and avenues. In short, move on.

And one day, the sun appreciates the cloud's job. And the edges of the cloud begin to blush.. in a pristine silver lining...

Every cloud is appreciated some time in its life. It is at this moment of appreciation that the clouds forget the times when they were torn down... It is now that they only gleam in the light of the sun.

A Memorable Evening

Priyanka always believed I was an atheist until she saw me reciting Ganpati Atharvashirsh the way Rakhi Sawant would dance. No I don't mean to say I was obscenely reciting Ganpati Atharvashirsh! I mean, I did it rather sincerely.

We'd been to this beautiful temple near my house yesterday. Grand, serene and very beautiful. The temple had a huge circular fountain in the center. This was the first time I was seeing a Ganpati temple all in marble .

I prayed. And my prayer came true today.... I got admission in IITB.

God lies within us, yes. But sometimes, to talk to this God within us, we need an idol before our eyes...

Motion and Action

Motion and action both bring about a change. But the origin and the destiny of both is different.

What causes a particular thing to happen? What is the origin? Was it mere motion - involuntary, implicit or was it action - an explicit, intentional attempt to bring about something?

My hand is moving. It could be because of some neural disorder (motion) or me moving it (action). The implications of both and the destiny both will reach is different. (A neural disorder will land me in a hospital. On the contrary, I could voluntarily move my hand to do a lot of things.)

Motion is uncontrolled, its origin is unknown. Action, on the other hand, is the outcome of somebody's labour.

A rather poetic imagery describes a twig on the surface of the river. This is motion - mutely accepting what's happening. Just going with the flow, living a monotonous life is motion. Having a dream and chasing it, is action.

It is for ourselves that we decide how we want changes in our lives. Through motion or through action....

Sarkar Raj

Disclaimer: The contents of this post, except the image ofcourse, are original.


Shankar has taken the center-stage with his father Subhash Nagare, a political scion as he continues the legacy. Treading on the path his father paved for him, he meets Anita, a dashing businesswoman who knows what she wants - until she looses her heart to Shankar. Or is there something else to it?

'Power cannot be given... it has to be taken' sounds like such a hard-hitting line. Who is taking the power from whom? Shankar, from his father? Anita, from Shankar? Or is Subhash Nagare orchestrating something again?

Ramgopal Varma's Sarkar Raj, a sequel to Sarkar, takes you through another episode in the life of Subhash Nagare and his son.

Releasing on the 6th of June, Sarkar Raj surely looks bigger and better than the first part.


(My reason for watching this movie is surely not the star-cast. I couldn't care less for the fact that it has Amitabh, Abhishek and the new bahu together after 'Kajra re'.... it hardly makes a difference to me!)

The Injured man

Disclaimer: Imaginary. Slightly bold. Especially towards the end.

He sat on the pavement with his shirt half open. His hands had multiple bruises. The cut below his chin had the colour of blood and mud both. His trousers were torn all way below the knee.

He was panting heavily. His eyes, bright and round, kept hovering around - the way a vulture would. He remembered the group of men, devoid of their humanity, attacking him with anything they could. They left him wriggling like a worthless creature on the road. When he regained his consciousness, he took the support of a traffic signal and got up. He limped along the footpath and reached this pavement not too far from his house.

He had no strength left. He remembered the last time he ate was the previous evening - just before leaving his office. So much had happened in ten hours - and all this looked so unbelievable...

He was just hoping all this would end. Just hoping that he would wake up and realize all this was a dream. And knowing that it all had never happened. He just wanted someone to hit the 'Undo' button.

He wished he had never seen the accident. He wished he had never followed the drunk driver who rammed his car into the young boy. He wished he had never decided to make sure the boy got his justice. He wished he had never complained in the police station. Only to be beaten up by the driver's 'influential' friends.

This was the first time that the brains on his shoulders had stopped thinking - and the balls between his legs had prompted him to do something gutsy. But he was already paying for it - walking on a broken leg back home.

Taare TV par...

With Shahrukh Khan looking suave but hamming big-time in 'Paanchvi paas' and Suneil Shetty looking like fresh Saguna Chicken in 'Biggest Looser jeetega', the filmstars have come down (down?... a matter of debate) on TV. But this is not really the beginning of the trend...

Amitabh Bachhan played the perfect host in Kaun Banega Crorepati - Govinda also did a decent job in the very forgettable 'Jeeto Chhappar Phaadke'.

Not many would remember Manisha Koirala hosting 'Sawal Dus Crore ka'. As a matter of fact, not many would remember Manisha Koirala anyways. **lol** Madhuri Dixit's whatever it was, looked so horribly rehearsed and fake. She just could not get it right...

Except Amitabh Bachhan, no one has got it right. What attracts the film-stars to the TV screen? Fat money, more exposure and.... another attempt at one-upmanship they all love to indulge in!!

June

June, the month of the monsoons. The corn-cobs, the new umbrellas, the puddles. The beginning of a new academic year at school - the brand new notebooks, the neatly packed bags.

June, the month of rejuvenation. The brown earth attains puberty and becomes attractive green. The earth gets aroused and thousands of green stems erupt from the ground as raindrops fall on it.

June, the sixth month of the year - the highest point of the year; it is after this that the year begins to wane.

Hope the month brings hope and joy to everyone reading.