My little friend, Sharada

That tiny girl sat there in front of her plate trying to stuff in whatever was served. I tried to see if emotions played on her face and there were none. I sat with this toddler who was as old as my daughter. I tried making conversation with her but she would not look into my eyes. She just looked at her plate and tried swallowing something that she did not like. She signaled to the elder girl for some pickle and then again continued her task without looking up.

I met this little girl when we had gone to SOCARE for a visit. Of course, it is always a pleasure to interact with all the kids there but this special girl probably stole my attention, maybe because she was of my daughter's age. My daughter, Tunga, was fussing about having her food while I tried to pacify her and make her eat. And all the time, the little girl next to me sat silently and gulped her lunch without any aid. Somehow I got to know that her name was Sharada.

After lunch, Sharada sat with her companions to watch the cartoon serial. She did not seem very interested though. The warden told me that she was newly admitted and she was still home sick. Her health too seemed a bit fragile. I asked her if she would come to me. She extended her arms inviting me to carry her. I held her in my arms for some time and then she went back to her place. After some time, I saw her sleeping quietly in the corner of a room, in spite of all the noise that was happening outside.

There is nothing great about this story. But I donno why, I was immensely moved by this child. My eyes were tearful as I saw her sleeping alone. She did not utter a word but I felt as if our souls had connected. The emotion that I felt was priceless.

I donno what is the story behind her. I know it is a tragic one. But I really hope that what ever has happened in her life, it does not snatch away her childhood from her. I hope she will find her smiles and naughtiness. I hope to see her evolve like any other normal child. Last but not the least, I hope to be friends with her some time soon.

Dangling, just dangling thoughts of mine!!!

Long time since I came here. Too many things on my hands and in my head! I hardly find time to sit and ponder over them. Sometimes I just go on finishing one after another without even taking that required break. Many a times, I do feel that it is just not wise to get into the depths of life. Probably that complicates things. May be the best way to live life is just to take each day as it comes. Someone said, "Eat, Drink and Make Merry".

But can we really finish with just that? Isn't life more than that? Donno. I am absolutely perplexed right now. As I mentioned before, too many thoughts clashing with each other. I need some quiet period, a reticent period. Probably it is time I got into my cocoon and then may be after some days, who knows- I might turn into a butterfly!:)

The mind chatters!

Long time since I came here. I have been so busy amidst IPL, Tharoor, Modi, Sania- Shoaib's marriage, BBMP elections, Bombs in Bangalore, Facebook, Twitter and of course, Work.;)

On a serious note, I have been adjusting to the changes in life. Some days just buzz by and some days refuse to end. I need to still work on lot of things to bring on self improvement. Mind has been constantly chattering about worthless things. Need to bring it to a stand still, at least for few minutes in a day.:) A very difficult thing to do- I know.

Have been really missing friends a lot. Somehow, our paths don't meet and I miss all the PJs, smiles, enthusiasm and happiness that normally exists when my friends are around. Of course, new friendships occur. But donno if they will be as strong as the old ones and if I will be able to retain all of them.

The search for the purpose of life is still on. Need to find the right way to do it. Sometimes, I wonder if life will just escape between the daily routine and commitments. Will a visit to my native place show me the way? I donno.

Ah, now what did I tell you? Didn't I say that my mind chatters endlessly?:)

Donno.................

Want to scale new heights....Donno where to begin.
Want to achieve new dreams....Donno how to dream
Wanna dive into the depth of the sea.......Donno how to swim
Wanna steer through the ups and the downs....Donno how to drive
Wanna bring happiness to all the hearts.....Donno how to smile....

Shraddanjali to the three masters - 2- KS Ashwath

Have you seen these kannada movies - "Naagara Haavu", "Bhagyvantha", "Namma Makkalu", "Upasane", "Shubhamangala", "Bidugadeya Bedi", "Guna Nodi hennu Kodi"?

These are just few films that I have mentioned in which you will probably remember the veteran actor KS Aswath's role than the main roles.

Karaganahalli Subbaraya Ashwath, better known as KS Ashwath, was one of the very few character artists who could breathe so much of life in every role that he performed, even if the role spanned for five minutes. he enacted those roles flawlessly and effortlessly. Watching his roles in the movies was a treat and a pleasure. His getting into the role was so fantastic that the movie lovers felt that he was one among them.

I particularly remembering his pairing with Leelavathi. I think they had excellent timing and understanding with each other which led to very memorable performances from both of them when they acted together. The way he delivered his dialogues was so natural and he became a part of the film so easily. Be it a scene with Dr.Rajkumar or any junior artist, KS Ashwath had a magnanimous presence on screen.

Personally, Ashwath was known for his simplicity and discipline. He was one of those rare actors who never behaved like a star and never demanded more money for his work.

He has announced retirement a few years ago. But then he was forced by his colleagues to act once again.

Due to multiple organ failure, he passed away in the month of January, 2010. His presence will definitely be missed and I am sure no other character artist can reach the zenith that he touched.

As I watch his child-like smile on TV, I pray for his soul to rest in peace.

My Fallen Idol

I have known him for so long. He used to be one of my idols in life.
Never ever thought that one day I would see him in this state.
What has addiction done to him? What happened to that guy who always used to be high on life?
Why did he feel the necessity to get addicted to those parasitic habits?
Why didn't he remember his family when he did that?
Why didn't he listen to our advice and requests about returning back to normalcy?

He slipped from his idol status so soon. He lost the good will that he had created all his life. He is almost on the verge of losing his job.

It is heart wrenching to see his daughter crying to get back her dad. It moves me to see his
wife pushing back those tears for her kids. It hurts me more when I see the bruises on her mind.
It may take a lifetime for her to come out of that trauma. It is hard to believe that she used to be
one of the most cheerful people around.

Will he rise from the ashes? Will he make himself capable of love and trust?
Will he prove his worth to all, especially his family?
He is a fallen idol now in my eyes.
He has gone away too far. Donno if we will ever trust him again. He will
have to work very hard for that and I hope he does.

Let us get a bit nasty on Feb 18th;)

What the hell have been those educated, cultured girls in Rahul Mahajan's Swayamwar thinking? Are they just looking for fame and name or are they really looking forward to the wedding with Rahul Mahajan? That guy, of course, will turn out to be Mr.Rakhi Sawant. Hey, BTW, I just got an idea. How about a date between Rahul Mahajan and Rakhi Sawant? Hmmm...interesting!! May be I should work towards becoming a date broker.:)

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All that halla gulla about "My Name is Khan". Donno what Shiv Sena has achieved by all of that. As someone rightly pointed out, they could have atleast spent all that energy against the terrorists in India. And I am sure, the terrorists would never step inside India after that. After all, who wants to be eaten by the tiger, I mean, beaten up by Bala Saheb????!!!

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My fav actor has always been Aamir Khan. I have liked Shahrukh's acting in some movies. I have always admired Shahrukh's energy especially when it comes to songs. I have always thought of Aamir and Shahrukh as very different individuals but very good human beings.

Looking at recent events, I think Aamir needs to pick up few pages of diplomacy from Shahrukh. Of course, he has unmatched talent but his honest yet improper interfering words might dwarf his otherwise magnanimous talent. After all, we live in a society and we need people to live with, Aamir bhai. Maybe attending a couple of award functions would help.:) No, no, you can just be with the audience and clap the loudest for all the performances on stage. But, of course, with or without award functions and diplomacy, we love you, Aamir, and there is no question about that. :)

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Everything is so quiet on Karnataka political front. Hmm....not the right sign. Yedi and Reddy, please make some noise or else Devegowda might go back to sleep because that is the time when he thinks. And you know what happens when he thinks! After all, he has two sons and one chair!!

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BTW, I apologise for the delay of the pending articles in the "Shraddanjali to the three masters" series. It is just that I have not found some continuous free time yet. I intend to complete them as soon as possible. Thanks for bearing.:)

Cadbury no more?!

For me, Cadbury has always been a synonym for chocolate. Even today, I would not mind missing lunch for a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk, especially fruit and nut (yummmmmmmmmmmy).

Why did I think of Cadbury now? Well, I heard that Kraft will take over Cadbury. I hope they retain the name and the quality 'coz chocolate world is incomplete without Cadbury. ;)

Shraddanjali to the three masters - 1- Vishnuvardhan

I know that I am late in offering my tribute to the three people whose work and personalities I have always adored.

I am watching a shraddanjali programme on Dr.Vishnuvardhan right now. Lot of people are speaking about their memories of him.

I have always adored and respected Vishnuvardhan and Rajkumar equally. I always felt that they had their unique skills and abilities and both were unmatched. Hence I always used to be baffled whenever people spoke about the "supposed to be rivalry" between them. But according to most of their common friends, both the stars were definitely far away from being enemies and in fact, maintained a cordial relationship.

I mst admit that I got to know about Vishnu more only after his death. I watched numerous interviews of his friends, read a lot of articles about him. Only then I got to know his fondness for spirituality, his close friendships with quite a few people, his efforts to help people in need and his insecrities. And then I wondered about why we always realise the importance of a person after his/her death. I wonder why we cannot pay the same respect when the person is alive!

It was a painful sight to see Ambarish shedding tears for his best friend. Only then lot of us realised the depth of their friendship. Forty years of friendship! Wow!

It was sad to learn that Vishnuvardhan had gone into depression in his last days. But it seems that he had plans for his future and definitely, it was not an age for him to die. But then, it looks like the creator had other plans for him.

When I think of Vishnuvardhan, I remember his "Saahasa Simha", "Jimmy Gallu", "Bandhana", "Muttina Haara", "Hombisilu" and "Aaptha Mitra" and so on. I remember his songs - "Tuttu Anna Tinnoke", "Maamaravello Kogile Ello", "Noorondu Nenapu", "Kannada naadina jeevanadi", "Mareyada nenapanu", "Neralanu kaanada latheyante" etc. I also thought that he was one of the best looking actors especially in 80s.

I also associated myself with Vishnuvardhan coz he resembled one of my uncles, both in looks and perosnalities.

May God give his family, especially his wife, lots of strength to bear his demise and to move on. May his soul rest in peace always.