Some dangling thoughts

My little friend, Sharada

2010-06-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2010-06-09T22:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

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.................

2010-04-06T01:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

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;)

2010-02-18T10:41:00.001-08:00

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?!

2010-01-27T06:39:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

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.

Updates as on 14th December,2009

2009-12-14T00:31:00.000-08:00

I was watching a program about Tiger Woods yesterday. Felt sorry about the fallen iconhood. But the fact that he is a golf genius does not change and I respect him for that.

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Tunga's school activities have been keeping me busy. I have been so engaged in them that I have forgot to make plans for myself.:) yet absolutely no regrets. After all, this is why I turned into a full time mom.:)

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Discovered a library near by. Yippeeeeeeee! will be able to resume my reading habit soon.:)

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Bro will be leaving to states soon. Definitely gonna miss him but I know that he will find his happiness in the fulfilment of his dreams. Gud luck to him.

Tweet! Tweet!

2009-11-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

It has been a month since I was introduced to the twitter world. It has been an interesting journey so far except that I really don't have anything interesting to tweet everyday. But I have been following lot of celebrity twitters and that has been interesting so far, especially Chetan Bhagat's tweets.

This thing called twitter is definitely a powerful tool if used in the right way. Somewhere I feel it is more effective than a blog. Why do I say so? Not many of them would have the patience to sit and read the whole post in a blog but a well thought short tweet can capture lots of attention ( ask Shashi Tharoor!) Who knows, tomorrow the tweets may become the basic code of communication!

But for me,I still need to tweet more and for that I need to make my life interesting. Oops! my daughter almost jumped on the laptop and now she is busy jumping on me( ah! the life of a toddler's mom) and here I was thinking of becoming a famous intellectual twitter!!!!May be I can kick off a new application for all moms and what shall I call it???? Did you say toddler???

The flower and the thorn

2009-10-26T03:29:00.000-07:00

One day when the thorn pricked the flower, the flower said:

"
Admire me for the beauty within,
Respect me for the fragrance that lasts,
Love me and let me bloom entirely,

Remember, you are here to protect me,
Not to harm me and my innocence
So hold on and coexist with me here
Atleast till I wither.

"

2009-10-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

When my friend gifted me "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, I was not very sure if I would read that book. It looked like very serious stuff and did not interest me enough to actually open the book. After some days, I was looking around for a new book to read and found this orphaned on my book shelf. I finally decided to give a try and started reading it. And trust me, I just could not keep it down until I finished it. It was a very different story. I had not read anything like it before. Anyway, I would wanna talk about it in a different post altogether.

A couple of weeks back, I had heard that Khaled Hosseini's new book "A Thousand Splendid Suns" had arrived.

Nodi Swamy Naavirode Heege

2009-10-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

I remember watching him in "Nodi Swami Naaveerode Heege" and I liked him so much, especially in the title song. Even today I can sit and watch that song again and again. There was something special about him. He did not belong to the intense actors' calibre like his elder brother yet he captured the masses so well that he is remembered the most by the common man. Most of you must have guessed his name already. yep, I am talking about THE "Shankar Nag".

I have been a movie freak since my early childhood. So I was and am very knowledgable when it comes to movies.;) Anyways, I was in higher primary school when I heard of his accidental death. I felt so bad that I almost cried. That incident lingered in mind for a long time. I would watch all his movies on TV with more interest. At that age, I could just relate myself with his acting. But as I grew up, I started appreciating his directorial ventures too, especially Malgudi Days. I think that was one of his ambitious projects and I must say that he really brought R.K.Narayan's characters into life once again.

Why did think of him once again? The photo of Arundati Nag and Manjunath inaugarating the stamp of R.K.Narayan pushed me onto the memory lane. Both of them have been associated closely with Shankar Nag.

Arundhati Nag and Shankar Nag were one of the ideal couples of the industry. Both of them had the background of theatre and they probably had similar ambitions. It was a pleasure to watch them together. I have always admired Arundhati Nag for her courage and determination. This I saw when she went ahead in spite of difficulties and built "Ranga Shankara". Her efforts have paid off very well as Ranga Shankara is almost a synonym for theatre in Bangalore now a days.Kudos to the brave lady.

Manjunath, better known as Master Manjunath or Swamy from Malgudi Days, was an integral part of Shankar Nag's movies. They brought so much life to the movie whenever they starred together and they almost looked like a real father son duo. After Shankar Nag's demise, I don't think Manjunath regained the glory.

Shankar Nag has always been missed by the masses. Even today, once can see his photos on most of the autorickshaws in Bangalore. Even today, when the name of Sangliana is mentioned, the face of Shankar Nag appears first as he played the reel life hero onscreen. The songs from his movies, especially the ones from "Geetha" are played again and again in the request sections. Well, that is the greatness of art, isn't it? It defies the law of mortality very easily.

Yummmmmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

Now a days, there is one thing that I really enjoy doing. And that is - watching my daughter, Tunga, eat an ice cream.:) It has been almost one year now since she discovered ice cream. Every time we go to a restaurant, she looks forward to eating it. And probably it is the only thing that she expects to eat outside.

As we enter the restaurant, she gets restless and keeps uttering "ice ceam" in her own accent. And then as the ice cream arrives, she is ready with the spoon and the bib around her. With immense concentration, she starts gulping down the ice cream. She does not respond to any of our queries as she is busy getting the spoonfuls of that delicious ice cream.

It is interesting to note that she rarely spills any of that ice cream. I feel very surprised abt that coz she is a budding eater yet.( ;) ) Usually whenever she eats anything by herself, it is such a big mess. But, in case of ice cream, it is just the opposite. I think she eats it beautifully without spilling a drop.:) Her nose and lips are smeared with ice cream and then she utters one word inaudibly " YUMMMMYYYYYYY". :) And that makes my day.:)

And by the way, if you are feeling very depressed and if there is no child at your place, just go to an ice cream parlour and watch a child relish it. It is such an YUMMY sight and if possible why don't you try to do the same?:)

To al those nameless faces

2009-09-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Do you remember all your classmates and friends from your primary school, high school, college days? Do you have remember all your ex-colleagues? Do you remember your neighbours who lived in your old neighbourhoods? Do you remember those people whom we came across in our journey of life all this time? And even if you do remember all of them, do you recollect all their names?

There have been many people who might not have occupied specific spaces in our lives. They might be the ones whose faces you recollect but not their names. Yet, they leave long lasting impressions on your minds somewhere.

This has happened with me many a times. I remember many faces whose small kind gestures, infectious smiles, hilarious acts, exceptional talents and unique characters have lasted in my mind forever. My java class mates, my neighbours in Tumkur, the auto grandpa, my school aayah, the nurses in the hospital, the not-so-naughty classmate- I try hard to recall all their names in vain. But yes, I do remember the faces very well. I am sure my life's journey would not be the same without those faces. I have wondered some times if I should have stayed in contact with many of them. But then, probably they were destined to be short-term visitors in my life.

If I happened to meet them in future sometime, then I am sure I would be elated. But I am not sure if all of them would remember me. Anyways, as mentioned before I am glad that they were all part of my life. I have definitely learnt something or the other from them. And I have always wanted to dedicate a post to all those faces with no names and thank them. This is it.:)

You have mail

2009-09-04T02:40:00.000-07:00

I open my mail box eagerly to see if I have any new mail. Yep, there are many new mails in my inbox. I am ecstatic but all my exhilaration comes down when I see that those new mails are either ads or from mailing lists. Well, my inbox was not like this before. One would see plenty of mails from the huge network of friends of mine in my inbox, even though most of them were forwarded mails.:) and in turn, I would enjoy forwarding them to others.

So I sit to analyse the situation. Of course, the main change that has come about now is that I am a full-time stay-at-home mom and my whole day is centred around my kid. Obviously , I have not kept in touch with lot of my pals. And even if I am in touch with them, it is mainly through phone calls. Well, there goes my analysis. Hmmm, so I need to get in touch with all my pals and request them to flood my inbox with their mails ( ok, atleast forwards). So here I go, to begin working for the "YOU HAVE MAIL" message.:)

2009-08-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Today I had been to a grocery shop with my daughter. Of course, the terror of "H1N1" has been spreading at a rapid pace. So I have been receiving lot of advice about trying to avoid all possible public places. But somehow, I feel very guilty if I do not take Tunga on her regular trips to her favorite park. So no matter what, we usually make our evening trip to the park.

Sorry for that diversion in the topic. So both of us had been to a grocery store near the park. Because of "H1N1", now a days it is not unusual to see people in masks. I noticed a couple of kids in masks in the store. From their tone, I recognized them to be a bro and a sis duo. They had their masks on and they also wore gloves. And then, I saw their mother. The sight somewhat shocked me. The "mother" did not seem to be from a well off family. Her blouse was torn and she had draped a saree with half-faded design. Her hands were not the cleanest and her hair was ruffled. She kept checking on her kids' masks and ensured now and then that they had them on correctly. She did not have a mask or a pair of gloves herself.

No, I donno if those masks and gloves were given to those kids by the school or if she spent her savings on them. But I found the whole scenario very touching.

There were two points in that whole situation that got my attention.

- When it comes to selflessness, no one can reach the zenith of a "mother".

- The panic and the terror "H1N1" has been creating everywhere. Lot of credit for this should go to our news channels. Thank God, these channels were not there when plague was around. Else the whole of the population would have fallen sick not because of plague itself but by panic. I really wish our journalists, especially TV journalists would focus on the number of people who are getting cured and going home safe.

Come, let us go to school:)

2009-08-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

The tiny tot slept peacefully on my hands. She fitted in there perfectly. And at that moment, I thought that time had stood still. But obviously that did not happen. Today it was her first day at play school.:)

My tiny tot turned two a couple of months ago. At that time, I managed to read an ad about a play group. When I inquired about it, I found out that it was actually a playschool and that the kids were supposed to be in the school for two and a half hours. Somehow we could not convince ourselves that Tunga was ready for it. So we decided to postpone her school life.

But as days passed, I observed her wanting to meet kids of her age. I also observed that she grew restless especially during mornings. The fact was that she was ready for the school but we parents weren't ready yet.:)

So after a lot of thinking and talking, we finally decided to put her into a playschool. And guess what? She refused to come back home on the first day of the school. :) All of us expected her to cry on leaving her in the school. Instead she waved "tata" happily while I put on a sad face.:)

It has been a week now and she has been enjoying her school life thoroughly. Glad that we took the right decision at the right time.:)

Book Time -2

2009-07-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finished reading "Paths of glory" by Jeffrey Archer. I found it interesting even though it may not be called a typical Jeffrey Archer's book. But the insight to the life of a mountaineer definitely forms a good plot and keeps you hooked to the book. I think you will like it more if mountaineering interests you.

I have started reading "Every Second Counts" by Lance Armstrong. This man never ceases to inspire me. As I am reading through the book, his life seems extraordinary. Of course, I brought this book mainly because i had like his first book "Its not about my bike" a lot. I think the sequel to it is also worth reading. I have to acknowledge that his books and of course his life transmits lot of positive energy.

It is book time now!

2009-07-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

Every now and then , as life becomes very routine-like, I start craving for new books, new hobbies and new songs. Since a long time, I had been reading the reviews of "Paths of Glory" by Jeffrey Archer. I have always been a great fan of his books. So I wanted to get my hands on his latest book.

Finally, yesterday I got an opportunity to buy it. And while I was there, two more books caught my attention - " The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga and "Every Second Counts" by Lance Armstrong. I could not resist myself from buying them.

Now that I have all these interesting books in front of me, it is hard to do anything else. So catch you all soon after I finish atleast one of them.:)

A farewell to the king

2009-06-26T07:38:00.001-07:00

Honestly, I was actually looking forward to the world tour that Michael Jackson was about to begin. So today's news that MJ is no more, came as a shock.

I have always been a fan of MJ's talent. As a person, I always thought that he was a very insecure, eccentric and weird. But as an artist, I think he was the greatest performer ever. His music and dance never ceased to amaze me. His music was very lively and foot tapping. Even though he was known for his fast numbers, I always liked his slow ones more. His " You are not alone", "Dangerous", "Thriller", "Beat it" and so many other hits of his are evergreen numbers and I am sure our future generations too will enjoy his performance.

Of course, his dance has been a great inspiration to lot of artists- be it the performing singers and dancers. The concept of stage performance by singers probably was initiated by MJ. He nurtured his talent amidst all the controversies. Donno how many of them were true and how many were actually created to make him famous.

Whatever it is, MJ was a and is always the king of pop. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest artists that the world ever saw.

Ouch! that hurts

2009-06-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you want something so much and you almost get it. Yep, I said 'almost'.:) And then you don't get it. This leads to a throbbing pain somewhere inside. It hurts so much that tears invade your eyes very easily and you find yourself sobbing about any thing and every thing.

But you know that the thing is lost forever. No amount of tears can restore it. Hmmm....and then you realize that those CDs and cassettes of sad songs prove so helpful. Every sad song seems to be tailor made for you.

The heavy heart will take some time to get lighter. But, you know that gradually it will become light. After all "time is the best healer".

Meanwhile, thinking of this beautiful ghazal ( sung by Jagjit Singh) right now:

Apni Marzi Se Kahan Apni Safar Ke Hum Hain
Rukh Hawaaon Ka Jidhar Ka Hai Udhar Ke Hum Hain

Pehle Har Cheez Thi Apni Magar Ab Lagta Hai
Apne Hi Ghar Mein Kisi Doosre Ghar Ke Hum Hain

Waqt Ke Saath Mitti Ka Safar Sadiyon Se
Kisko Maaloom Kahan Ke Hain Kidhar Ke Hum Hain

Chalte Rehte Hain Ke Chalnaa Hai Musaafir Ka Naseeb
Sochte Rehte Hain Kis Raah Guzar Ke Hum Hain

Whom does your baby look like?

2009-05-18T03:22:00.000-07:00

For all you to-be mums, I wanted to share something with you.

There is gonna be one important debate once your baby is born. No, no, it will not be about the name. I am sure you or your hubby or both of you would have decided about it. The main topic for the debate will be " Whom does your baby look like?". :)

The discussion on this never-ending topic is gonna start from the day one. Even before the baby gets accustomed to the outside light, the guessing and the assessing game begins. Some will say - "She looks like her father (or mother which depends)". Some will say -"She looks like her father only ( or mother only- again that depends)." And after every such assessment, they will look at you- no, no, not for approval but for your reaction. Nah, nah, never join them in this debate. You are better off as audience in this debate. So just nod your head and smile.:)

Believe it or not, I never knew that this issue could actually be debated upon. Even today I do not know whom do I exactly look like. Some say I look like my dad and some say I look like my mom. I think I have both their features in me. And I really don't care about it.:)

Anyways, after listening to all the debate around me, I look at my daughter and silently wish for her to have all the positive points from all of us. I wish for her to be just like herself- just her.:))

Where are they?

2009-05-11T03:04:00.000-07:00

Do u remember the refreshing songs of "Tere Mere Sapne" or the chart busters of "Gupt"? Of course, can u ever forget the famous number "Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast"? For your information, all these hit songs were given by the talented music director - Viju Shah. After all those hits, one would think that he is a very busy man. But I have not heard his music at all in the recent times. Where has he disappeared?

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He is good at music direction as well as singing. His music in films like " Kaante", "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai", "Masti", "Pardesi Babu" nad the recent " Dus Kahaniyan" rocked the charts for some time. His rendition of "Dil De Diya Hai" from "Masti" is a treat to music lovers. Being such talented musician, I don't think he has been given due credit for the talent he has. Definitely I would like to hear more of him.

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The creators of "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak", "Vansh", " Hero No.1", "Beta" and "Dil" - Anand Milind- are nowhere to be seen.

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The one film wonder guys- Sanjeev Darshan - who gave music to "Mann" do not appear even on Page 3.

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The creator of the soul touching music in "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and "Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya" and of course "Devdas" - Ismail Darbar- seems to be busy in judging music competitions now a days. Is he also planning to take up acting like his buddy "Himmesh Reshammiya"? I really wish Himmesh would get back to directing music because that is what he knows the best.

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For some, fame is so short lived. The above music directors are so talented and creative but their popularity periods have been so small or broken. Rahman definitely needs more competition, especially after the Oscar ( I am a big Rahman fan too). So come on, guys, blow off that dust and tune yourselves so that we music lovers get to enjoy a wide variety of music.:)

Notes from home

2009-05-05T01:32:00.000-07:00

Finally we are back to "Namma Bengaluru". Ah, home, sweet home! Nothing can beat that feeling of coming home.:)

I have been very busy since I came here. Lot of "to-do" things on my list. Donno if I can complete all the tasks on my list. On the blog front, I still have to write a post on our stay at Sydney.

Sometimes, the commitments made to ourselves are tougher than those made to others. Sometimes, it is difficult to live upto one's own expectations. Hmmm, lot of work to be done. But, this time I will not disappear from the blogging world coz I have made a commitment to blog as frequently as possible.:) Let us wait and see.

Wise words

2009-04-14T02:38:00.001-07:00

There are times in our lives when too many voices seem to be pulling us this way and that. Our very confusion in such situations is a reminder to seek silence and centering within. Only then are we able to hear our truth.

Zen, or meditation, is the method which will help you to go through the chaos, through the dark night of the soul, balanced, disciplined, alert. The dawn is not far away, but before you can reach the dawn, the dark night has to be passed through. And as the dawn comes closer, the night will become darker.

- OSHO

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Many times I have been in the jaws of death, starving, footsore, and weary; for days and days I had no food, and often could walk no further; I would sink down under a tree, and life would seem to be ebbing away. I could not speak, I could scarcely think, but at last the mind reverted to the idea: "I have no fear nor death; never was I born, never did I die; I never hunger or thirst. I am It! I am It! The whole of nature cannot crush me; it is my servant. Assert thy strength, thou Lord of lords and God of gods! Regain thy lost empire! Arise and walk and stop not!" And I would rise up, reinvigorated; and here I am today, living! Thus, whenever darkness comes, assert the reality and everything adverse must vanish. For after all, it is but a dream. Mountain-high though the difficulties appear, terrible and gloomy though all things seem, they are but Maya. Fear not, and it is banished. Crush it, and it vanishes. Stamp upon it, and it dies.

- SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

My Stay in Australia - Melbourne

2009-04-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

A month ago, we shifted from Melbourne to Sydney. And next week, we are going back home i.e. Namma Bengaluru.:)

The experience of visiting this country has been awesome. I might not have been able to put all of that in writing yet, but at least I wanna draw an outline of the cities where we stayed.

So lemme start with Melbourne.

When we came to Melbourne from India, I was both excited and nervous. This would be my first stay abroad. Before this, I had been to San Francisco for about three weeks. So I felt like a novice when we landed at Melbourne. I had travelled with my 1year old daughter and that travel itself had taught me a lot.

We found a small, furnished apartment at South Yarra. Furnished because we did not intend to stay here permanently. But then if you want a furnished apartment, you will have to shell out more for the rent. So with that high rent, we could afford a small place.

Initially, I had to keep my eyes and ears open all the time. I felt so raw and inexperienced. I felt as if I was almost in the same stage as my daughter in learning new things.:) I struggled to open the lock of the main door, struggled with the cooking on electric stove, and so on. But as days progressed, I got very comfortable with everything around me. Just to familiarize myself with the area and the people, I would put Tunga on the pram and roam alone. I would go to different streets everyday and window shop. I became
so familiar with my surroundings that I was actually able to give directions to others on how to go about in that area.:)

My daughter and myself made friends with the park and library respectively. Everyday we would visit them atleast once. I think I made the best use of the library. I borrowed lot of books and DVDs of english movies. I watched one English movie daily and I must honestly admit that I had never seen so many of them in India.:) My daughter, Tunga, learned to slide and swing in the park. It was here that her personality was initiated. It was here that she made her first friend.:) There used to be a possum that visited our compound after dark very night. Since we don't get to see it in India, we found it very fascinating. My daughter especially used to wait eagerly for the possum's visit.:)

Every weekend, we would set out to explore a new place ( besides visiting Safeway, Coles and Indian stores:)). We must say that we covered a lot of places because of our weekend explorations.

Hmm, lemme try to put some of the places that we explored in a list. It might help you if you are visiting Melbourne some time.

- Philip Island
- Melbourne Aquarium
- Werribee Open Range Zoo
- Bucchan Caves
- Mornington Peninsula
- Arthur Seat
- Cardinia Reservoir
- Great Ocean Road
- Ballarat
- Dandenong Ranges
- Melbourne CBD
- Chapell Street
- St.Kilda Beach
- Brighton Beach

Of course, except the aquarium, the rest of them are in the surrounding areas of Melbourne. It definitely helps if you have your own vehicle. We enjoyed a lot visiting all those places. Definitely, Australia is a beautiful country and there is no doubt about that.:)

After seven months of our stay at Melbourne, we had to shift to Sydney. We had made very good friends at Melbourne. So that included and our attachment to the place where we stayed and the library and the park, our hearts were a bit heavy when we left Melbourne. But then, we were happy and grateful for the opportunity given for being able to stay in such a beautiful place for some time.

Where do I get inspiration from?

2009-03-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to try listing out some things that inspire me always:

* Great comebacks: They never cease to inspire me. Kumar Gandharva, Lance Armstrong
or all those sportstars who come back and win the game - these are just a
few names. There are lots of them out there who have emerged as
winners in spite of huge setbacks in life. They are may real life heroes.

*Great piece of music: Any calibre of music (be it western, classical, filmi or pop)
that appeals to me is always a great source of inspiration. That can vary from
Bhimsen Joshi's Lalit Bhatiyaar to R.Kelly's I BELIEVE I CAN FLY to
Kal Ho Na Ho title song to Shaan's BHOOL JA to Anup Jalota's
AISI LAAGI LAGAN.:) Sometimes the lyrics and the other times,
the tunes continue to brighten up my life.

*Books: Autobiographies or biographies, some self help books and spiritual books have
inspired me many a times. When I mean self help books, they are not all of them
that are available in the market. For me, authors like Norman Vincent Peale,
Robert Schuller, gurus from Ramakrishna Ashram, Osho, Robin Sharma have been
effective. And of course, any book of Swami Vivekananda is an energy booster for me.

*Movies: Well, not all of them:) But there have been some movies that have inspired me so much. To name a few - Life is Beautiful, Jerry Maguire, The Legend of Bhagat Singh,Taare Zameen Par, Sarfarosh, Bangarada Manushya and so on.

*Physically or mentally challenged people: Man, they rock! What determination and
enthusiasm these people have! I am amazed!
Hats off to them!

*Our jawans: They spend their precious moments protecting their country. They sacrifice their lives so selflessly for those people whom they do not even know. Their bravery never ceases to inspire me. Salute to all those bravehearts.:)

*Our National Anthem: I feel so awakened and alive whenever it is played. A dash of patriotism rushes through my veins wherever I hear it. Stupendous feeling!

*A prayer: Sitting in front of an idol/photo of my favorite deity and reciting a shloka inspires and encourages me on all bad days especially.:)

*A cup of tea: Ah! the joy of sipping hot cup of tea! I feel so refreshed and active with my cup of tea and I just can't do without it.:)

*My near and dear ones who always continue to inspire me with their day-to-day activities and of course, their selfless love for me.:)

*Nature: Of course, the nature around me is one of the greatest sources of inspiration to me. It brings in lot of energy into my life.

That might not be all but I think I have listed the main ones. Hmm...that helps.:)

Agastya

2009-03-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

I had borrowed "Agastya", written by Prof. K.S.Narayanacharya in Kannada, from a cousin of mine. I wanted to read it out of sheer curiosity. I had not heard about this book from anyone. I had read an Amar Chitra Katha about Agastya long back. I had really liked it then. So probably that inspired me to start reading "Agastya".

Initially I thought that I might not complete the whole book coz it looked like there were lot of Sanskrit verses that probably I would not be able to follow. So I began reading it half heartedly. And then, I just could not keep the book down till I finished it. It took a couple of days for me to finish it. The book kept me so interested that I visualized the characters of the books and dreamt about them too for two days.:)

For those of you who do not know, Agastya was a renowned Hindu rishi (sage). He is known for the creation of some of the famous shlokas like Aditya Hrudayam ( Agastya taught this to Rama during his war with Ravana). Stopping the growth of the Vindya mountains, drinking the entire ocean were some of his famous feats.

During the time of Vishnusharma Agastya who is popularly known as Agastya, the demons had started torturing the sages and their families. There were no strong kings at that time to protect these sages. So from the time of Agastya's father, their ashram not only taught vedas but also self defence techniques like horse riding, use of weapons, organization of the army and so on. ( I absolutely did not know that all these were taught at the ashram.)

The main threat to peace was Ilvala, one of the demon kings of the dravidian region. He had a brother -Vathapi. Ilvala had become more powerful after learning "mritasanjeevani" from his guru, Shukracharya.

Lopamudra, princess of Vidharbha, married Agastya as per the wish of Agastya's father. She had to wait for a long time for Agastya as he was busy integrating the kingdoms in India against the rakshasas. He travelled all over India trying to induce confidence and strength among the kings.

At this time, Vindhya wanted to be as famous and taller than Himavanta ( Himalaya). So he started growing indefinitely. To stop this, Agastya requested Vindhya to give way to him to travel the southern India. He asked Vindhya to lie down till he came back. Assuming that Agastya would come back, Vindhya did as told. But Agastya never went back. he settled on the banks of Kaveri river.

One day, Ilvala invited Agastya for a lunch at his place. He transformed his brother into goat and used his flesh to serve Agastya for lunch. Ilvala had planned this so he could use his Mritasanjeevani technique. According to his plan, after Agastya would finish his lunch, he would chant a mantra and Vatapi would come out thus killing Agastya. Agastya knew Ilvala's plan. He first converted everything that was served into vegetarian. And as soon as he finished his lunch, he uttered " Vathapi jeerno bhava" that meant Vathapi should be digested completely. Hence Ilvala's magic did not work and Vathapi died. Agastya then killed Ilvala, thus putting an end to the reign of a powerful Asura ( demon).

After Ilvala's death, lot of rakshasa took refuge in the ocean. Hence Agastya drank the whole ocean so that they could be brought out and punished by the Devathas ( angels). Before Rama slayed Ravana in the battlefield, Agastya appeared there and taught "Aditya Hrudaya "stotra.

All those above stories take us into a different world, don't they? :) The beauty with which the respected author has narrated the tale of Agastya ensures that you are not bored at any point of time. In fact, when you finish the book, you would have learnt some new things about the Vedic Age. I am absolutely thankful that I got to read this epic.

Spirituality in music

2009-03-04T04:39:00.000-08:00

She is singing with her eyes closed. She is singing a devotional piece in Raag Bhairav. There is a very scarce crowd but an attentive one, in front of her. She sings as she if she does not care a damn about the world. She sings as if her music is only for her God and no one else. Her voice oozes with lot of confidence and dedication. Her music has captivated the audience and they all seem to be transported to another world. They are not thinking about any technicality of music or they are not reviewing her voice. The devotion in her voice is such that they are only able to listen to her and surrender to music, to the feeling of oneness. For a moment, they all have forgotten about their lives and sit in a trance.

Wonderful feeling, isn't it? It is a feeling that is beyond words. And when you feel that way, all your problems and tensions become so irrevelant. In fact, they all appear so silly and you feel a sense of serenity prevails over you. That happens to me when I listen to some of the raags sung by our eminent classical musicians. That is why I find myself retiring to classical music at some point of the day, no matter how much pop or filmi music I listen to.

Jai ho

2009-02-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

I almost jumped with joy when I saw A.R.Rehman accepting Oscars not once but twice.:) I definitely felt so proud to see him on that stage as a winner. Now, let me be honest and say that I have not yet heard the songs of Slumdong Millionaire. But I have always been a great fan of A.R.Rehman music. His music has always been soul stirring and beyond boundaries. The way he brings out the best from his musicians and the way he introduces new talent is absolutely commendable. A man of few words, he lets his music speak most of the time.

Kudos to the absolute true genius of music.

The three books that touched me - 4

2009-02-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

The last book ( but not the least) that I shall be talking about is IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE: MY JOURNEY BACK TO LIFE by LANCE ARMSTRONG along with SALLY JENKINS. For those of you who do not know about Lance Armstrong, he is one of the world's best cyclists. He has won Tour De France ( that is supposed to be the Wimbeldon for the cyclists) seven times consecutively. He is also famous for his "Lance Armstrong Foundation" that brought out the yellow LIVESTRONG bands in support of the fight against cancer.

The book is mainly about Lance's fight against cancer and how he emerged to be a winner. He also speaks about the cycling races especially the ones that he went for after he was diagnosed with cancer.

He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 25. But instead of resigning to fate, he fought back with strong will and determination. Along with that fight, he got back to cycling and makes history.

I must tell you that this book really swept me off my feet. The fact that it was a real story and autobiographical made me borrow this book. As I started reading, it opened up a new world to me. Before I read the book, I had very little idea about cycling as a sport. The book revealed so many facts about cycling that I began to understand that this is one of the most challenging sports. What amazed me was that even a normal person finds cycling physically demanding; and imagine how a person with cancer would have dealt with it! What stupendous determination Lance Armstrong must have had to do so! And it is just not that; he emerges as a champion! What a comeback he makes! Even before you read the end, you conclude him as a winner by looking at the way he handles the whole thing. This man inspires you with his feats as you read the book.

If you think that you are looking at the greatest obstacle of your life, then just grab a copy of this book. I am sure that by the time you finish it, you will feel that your obstacle is nothing at all and even if it exists, it can be easily conquered. :)

One of my favourite quotes of Lance Armstrong is :

"Without cancer, I never would have won a single Tour de France. Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully. It taught me that pain has a reason, and that sometimes the experience of losing things–whether health or a car or an old sense of self–has its own value in the scheme of life. Pain and loss are great enhancers."

The three books that touched me - 3

2009-02-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

The second book that I really enjoyed reading in the recent times is "THE ZAHIR" by Paulo Coelho. Okay, I had heard about Paul Coelho, but I think more than him, I had heard about his book "The Alchemist".:) Recommended by my friends, I purchased a copy of " The Alchemist". But I could not go further than the first few pages of the book. Ya, ya, I know that you might find it ridiculous, but honestly I was not inspired by "The Alchemist".

So this time, when I saw " The Zahir" at the library, I wasn't sure if I had to pick that up. But I thought I would give it a try. And believe me, once I started reading it, I was hooked to the book till the end. And I ended up recommending it to my friends.:)

In Paul Coelho's words - "Zahir means visible , incapable of being unnoticed. It can refer to an object or a person that takes over every thought of ours until we are unable to think about anyone or anything else. It slowly becomes our obsession."

The book is mainly about a famous author's search for his missing wife. The thought of his missing wife becomes the "zahir". I think the book turns out to be interesting as we can connect ourselves and people around us with the characters in the book. Even if you are not convinced with the plot, you might be tempted for some soul searching. For me, the journey to the missing wife was very fascinating rather than the end part of meeting her. Somewhere I thought it was on par with "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari".

I definitely think the book is worth atleast one reading and if you connect with it, you might wanna read it again and again.:)

The three books that touched me - 2

2009-02-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

The first book that I will be writing about is "PSYCHIC DETECTIVE". It is a book based on the experiences of one of the famous psychics of Australia- Scott Russell Hill.

When I picked up this book from the library, I had nil knowledge about psychics. Hence I was curious and decided to read it through.

"Sensing Murder" was one of the famous serials that was aired in few countries. The main theme of the programme was that some unsolved cases were given to the chosen psychics. Based on their psychic abilities, they gave clues which were assembled by the private detectives.

In this book, Scott narrates his experiences of him being a psychic detective on the "Sensing Murder" show. It maps his victories, failures, his pain and anguish as he goes ahead with each case. Many a times, he would not be given any clue about the case. He would go ahead guided by his intuition and psychic ability. He would provide clues to who the murderer could be and the whereabouts of the body of the victim ( in case the body of the victim was not found before). Then the clues were put together by the private investigators.

The book is definitely a fascinating read. It opens up a new world of psychic ability, a world of mystery. The fact that there is more than what you see kinda knocks you down. I enjoyed reading it immensely as it was gripping from the beginning to the end. There is lot of sincerity in the author's narration. I think it is a good book for a starter who wants to know about psychics.

I have believed that there are things that are beyond logic, beyond reasoning. There are mysteries for which science has no answers. There are people around us with exceptional abilities. All these might be labelled as fake and nonsense. But the mysteries continue to persist and exist.

No, I am not getting into any debate. It is just that if you get to read this book, do read it with an open mind, without any inhibitions. Then you will enjoy it more. Who knows, it might open a door for you to explore a different world or to explore yourself and you might stumble on some exceptional ability of yours!!!!:)))))

The three books that touched me - 1

2009-02-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I have been doing lot of reading after coming to Melbourne - thanks to the excellent library next door! I have been reading a lot of fiction and most of them are from not-very-famous authors. Yet, I must say I enjoy them a lot. I have been choosing diverse types of books to read. Many of them can be passed off as a one time read. But I believe that reading definitely adds on to your life, no matter what you read.

I don't remember the name of the movie that had this dialogue- "You do not choose the book. On the contrary, the book chooses you."

I loved the dialogue a lot when I heard. But I was not very convinced about the statement until I started paying attention to the type of books I read.:)

Most of the times, I go to the library with my toddler. She runs all around the library pulling those books and DVDs down. So sometimes I do have a very hard time selecting the books as I am busy running behind her. So usually I pick my books very fast. The criteria for this quick selection is the eye-catching title or the author's name or an impulse.:) This process has sometimes ended up with books that I just stopped reading after 5 pages.:) But at the same time, this process has got me some books of lifetime.

In my next three posts, I will be talking about the three books that touched me and I read these books in about three weeks, one after another.:)

The Great Ocean Road - 3

2009-02-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

At the end of the second day on the Great Ocean Road, we were totally exhausted. Yet we were in high spirits ( including Tunga) maybe because of the beautiful places that we had seen.

Next day, we started off back to Melbourne. We decided that we would stop impromptu at a couple of beaches on the way and head back home. We stopped at an isolated, stony beach before Lorne. All the three of us got busy looking out for sea shells on that beach.:) Tunga collected her first sea shell there and we were so proud of that.:) We found very artistic, different types of sea shells on that beach. So after some photography, we headed further.

After the lunch at Anglesea, we took a break again at the Point Roadknight Beach. We had not heard about this place but we just decided to have a look. It turned out to be a sandy beach and a beautiful place. We wanted to spend more time there but as Tunga looked a bit weary, we decided to drive home early.

This whole trip to the Great Ocean Road was very refreshing and unforgettable. The images of the vast ocean have stayed with me since then. As mentioned in many of my posts, there is no better destresser than the nature itself.:)

The Great Ocean Road - 2

2009-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Motel Marengo- that was the name of the hotel where we stayed for 2 nights. This hotel is situated at Apollo Bay. If you are looking out for a simple, comfortable, homely place, then this is the right stop for you. There are rooms with beach view in this hotel, but we did not get one. We did not mind it because we knew that during the whole of the day, we would be with the sea anyways.:)

So after the rest and the refreshment, we thought we could explore a bit of Apollo Bay. As we reached the end of this small town, we noticed a sign board that mentioned "Mariners Lookout". Now this was not in our list of "to-see" places. But as we had some time on hand, we drove to this place. We had to park our car at one point and trek a bit. The path lead us to the top of a range of hills. And the view from there was awesome. We could see the whole of Apollo Bay from the top. As we savored the beautiful sight, our daughter, Tunga, was happy to see the grazing sheep on those hills.:) Needless to say, we were one happy lot for having explored this lookout.

One thing that you should know is that the Great Ocean Road is full of scenic places. So you really need to prioritize the places. We had this list of places ( that we had researched on the net) but we decided to take it easy as we did not want to stress out Tunga.

Next day, we set off to Cape Otway. This place is at the southern most tip of the Great Ocean Road. It is mainly famous for the lighthouse. On the way, we got very close views of the koala bears perched onto the trees. I really love them for their don't care attitudes as they slumber on those trees.:)

This time, we thought that we would climb the staircase to the top of the lighthouse at Cape Otway. But it would prove to be tough with Tunga so we decided to take turns. The view from the top was amazing. It was so windy out there that even a not-so-fragile person like me thought that I would be blown away.:) I held onto the railings tightly.

After lunch, we drove to the most famous place in the Great Ocean Drive- the Twelve Apostles. As I mentioned that it is a very popular destination, the place was overcrowded. But then the crowd will not bother you because you will be so busy looking at these tall, magnificient rocks. There is a boardwalk on one of the apostles and I must admit that it is always gonna an unforgettable experience for me. Of course, it is a little perturbing to see people falling all over to get photographed with the apostles. But as I said before, the majestic structures and the roaring ocean below them compensate for all those petty disturbances. We spent a quite a lot of time there amidst the apostles.

After this, we wanted to make it to the famous "tree-top walk". But we were delayed and could not make it in time for it. At a petrol station, we were told about the Triplet Falls. So we decided to go there instead.

So we set out on a two kms trek to the falls in the Great Otway National Park. This trek gives one a real feel of a walk through the dense forest. The huge, towering trees allow only a sparse amount of sunlight through them. We knew we were near the falls as we heard the roaring sound. One glance of the falls took away all my weariness. It is definitely one of the best waterfalls I have ever seen.

After spending some time there, we started our return trek to the car park. The return path was a different one that had lot of steps. But at one point, the path came to a dead end. We could hear the cars so we knew we were somewhere nearby to the car park. But we did not know the way out. I confess that I was a bit scared at that point, wondering what to do if we got lost in the forest. Then somehow we went through the bushes, made way through the trees and managed to reach the mud road that led to the car park. You can imagine how relieved I was when we reached that road. What an adventure that was for us, especially with our one and a half year old daughter hanging on with us!!:)

The Great Ocean Road - 1

2009-01-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas, we decided to go on a vacation to one of our dream trips to the Great Ocean Road. Prior to the trip, we made reservations at Hotel Marrengo at Apollo Bay for 2 nights. We decided to drive all the way. We were told that the drive may take upto 4 hours from Melbourne especially if we stopped in between. Our main concern was if our one and a half year old daughter would be able to sit through the journey.

So we set off on our journey on the sunday morning. The drive upto Geelong was like any other drive with the glimpses of the city life. The real Great Ocean Road drive begins from Torquay. Torquay is the most wanted destination for surfing. Bells Beach in Torquay is supposed to be the surfers' paradise. As we drove along, we caught the first glimpse of the ocean. It was surely breath taking! We stopped at every possible place where we could get the view of the ocean.:)

As we went further, on one side we could see the roaring ocean and on the other side stood the rugged cliffs. What surpised us was the abundant green vegetation so close to the sea! I had never seen that in India. There is a particular sea-side vegetation in India ( usually the palm trees and the coconut trees) and the forests are never so close to the sea. On the way, with some exceptions , most of the seashore is covered with rocks. And you can always stop anytime to get a feel of the beach.

Between the towns Anglesea and Lorne, there is a lighthouse known as Split Point Lighthouse. For every 30 minutes, there is a guided tour in this lighthouse. But we decided to just walk arond and get a feel of the surroundings. I got to know that this lighthouse is referred to as "The White Queen"(cute, isn't it?).

There is this famous Eagle Rock just behind the lighthouse.

Our next major stop was at Lorne. It is one of the poular destinations because it has some of the finest beachs and the thick rainforests. It is also a town with a diverse range of eateries. We found a pizza and a pasta place and our growling stomachs were finally at peace.

After peeping into some local shops there, we went to Erskine Falls nearby. If you are an avid trekker, then you will be able to visit lot of waterfalls in these rainforests. Well, as we much as we loved trekking, we were also concerned about doing it with Tunga. Hence we had decided upon places where it would be easy to carry her. So you can almost park your vehicle very near to Erskine Falls. There are steps that lead to the base of the waterfalls. But we preferred to have an overview from the top. I must say that Erskine Falls reminded me of Abbey Falls in Coorg.

We continued our journey on the Great Ocean Road again. As we had stopped at so many places in between, all the three of us were a bit tired. So we drove down to our hotel at Apollo Bay. The drive from Lorne to Apollo Bay was amazing. It is one of the beautiful sights I have ever seen.

Are you a feminist?

2009-01-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me if I were a feminist. And this question popped up because I demanded a recognition for myself as an independent individual and not just as someone's daughter or a wife or a mother.

I came home later and started looking for the real meaning of feminism. I got some definitions from the web:

- Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.

- A doctrine that advocates the equality of women and men.

- Feminist theory aims to understand the nature of gender inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations and sexuality. Feminism is also based on experiences of gender roles and relations. Feminist political activism commonly campaign on issues such as reproductive rights, violence within a domestic partnership, maternity leave, equal pay, sexual harassment, discrimination, and sexual violence. Themes explored in feminism include patriarchy, stereotyping, objectification, sexual objectification, and oppression. ( Taken from http://www.womensstudies.eku.edu/what/)

Well, let me summarize what my thoughts are:

* Today there is no field where women are not a part of. You will not be able to find any type of job where women are not involved.

* But I also understand that by nature the physical strength of a man and a woman are very different. I have always felt that though men are physically stronger, women are mentally tough. We go through periods, PMS, pregnancy, post-pregnancy times, menopause and endure so much pain that makes us tougher all the way.

* Today a woman contributes financially by being a career person and also looks after family and home. It is definitely an applaudable feat. At the same time, it does not take away the credit from the home makers who have dedicated themselves to look after their family and home. I always look upon them as super human beings because they are capable of handling everything alone.

* Many a times, we would not mind being in the shadow of our loved ones. We would be the happiest when our men take the limelight.

So with all these thoughts, sometimes if I ask for an individual identity for myself, does that make me a feminist? If I say that I am proud to be a woman and I should not be looked down upon, does that make me a feminist? Then maybe I am one.:) I am also glad that I have a daughter who would earn an identity for herself and become proud of being a woman.:)

I found this beautiful quote on http://www.womensstudies.eku.edu/

"I have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat." - Rebecca West, 1913.

Raag - Anuraag

2009-01-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

"Raag - Anuraag" is a music CD brought out by Parameshwar Hegde Music Academy.

Before I go into the details of the CD, I would like to give a short intro about Pandit Parameshwar Hegde.

Pt. Parameshwar Hegde hails from a small village in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. The musical environment in his family initiated his study and interest in music. He learnt Hindustani classical music under the guidance of Sri.S.M.Bhat and Sri Pt.Chandrashekar Puranika Math. Later he pursued studying music under the tutelage of one of the masters of Hindustani classical music- Pandit Basavraj Rajguru.

Today Pandit Parameshwar Hegde is one of the known faces and one of the famous voices in the arena of Hindustani classical music. He is an A grade All India Radio artist and has given numerous national and international concerts. His mellifluous unblemished voice, his tans and his strong hold over the raag through his versatile sargams have always enthralled the classical music lovers.

He is also contributing to the promotion of Hindustani classical music through "Rajguru Smriti"- a foundation that he has set up in the memory of his guru, Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru. Rajguru Smriti holds concerts of well-known and upcoming artists from all over India on various occasions every year. Pandit Parameshwar Hegde has also been instrumental in training and promoting the young talent through the "Parameshwar Hegde Music Academy".

Okay, now let me come back to the inroduction of the "Raag - Anuraag" music CD. As mentioned before, this CD is a product of Parameshwar Hegde Music Academy. This set of 2 CDs consists of khayals and semi-classical compositions in 24 ragas sung by the disciples of Pandit Parameshwar Hegde. The semi-classical compositions include devotional songs, natyageet and film songs. An introduction to every raag precedes the composition.

Why was I impressed by this CD?

- If you are a novice or a student of Hindustani classical music, then this would be an ideal CD. The introduction about each raag educates you while the simple compositions help you to get into the characteristic and the mood of the raag.

- The disciples of Pandit Parameshwar Hegde have done a very fine job. In fact, some of them have rendered classical masterpieces.

- As it contains semi-classical compositions too, it appeals to a wide range of music lovers.

- Even if you are not familiar with classical music, this CD would be entertaining and probably would open a door to listen and enjoy classical music.

For me personally, the CD has been worth buying.:)

Happy Birthday, Gurudev

2009-01-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

Let us make our hearts as big as an ocean, to go beyond all the trifles of the world and see it only as a picture. We can then enjoy the world without being in any way affected by it.

Never mind failures; they are quite natural, they are the beauty of life, these failures. What would life be without them? It would not be worth having if it were not for struggles. Where would be the poetry of life? Never mind the struggles, the mistakes. I never heard a cow tell a lie, but it is only a cow -- never a man. So never mind these failures, these little backslidings; hold the ideal a thousand times, and if you fail a thousand times, make the attempt once more.

The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock, how to give it the necessary blow. The strength and force of the blow come through concentration.

Watch people do their most common actions; these are indeed the things that will tell you the real character of a great person.

Who makes us ignorant? We ourselves. We put our hands over our eyes and weep that it is dark.

We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.

Yep, these are some of the quotes of Swami Vivekananda. I am remembering him specially today because it is his birthday ( 12 Jan, 1863). Every word he uttered has always been inspiring quote. Every time my confidence went down, his teachings, his books have pulled me through.

I really think that we need him to be reborn again, especially during this testing time for our country. Probably he would say that all of us need to find the strength within ourselves to face and eradicate terrorism and to restore peace and prosperity in our motherland.

Time for a wise quote:)

2008-12-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

Heard my friend say:

"One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory, but I lost that key and can't remember where it is. "

The Little Penguin Parade

2008-12-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks back, we had gone to Philip Island to watch the penguin parade. Initially when we came to Melbourne, we had visited Philip Island Wildlife park. As we had very less time, we could not make it to the Penguin Parade. So this time, we went there only to see the penguins.

These special visitors ( penguins) arrive at the island only at sunset. So if you are planning to go to watch them during summer, then you will have to wait till 8:30 PM or later. These penguins are the smallest and their parade on the beach is the most awaited event in the island.

We were on time to watch the penguins. But it was a Sunday so there was a lot of rush to watch the parade. We managed to get the tickets for the general viewing platform. If you are an early bird, then you can buy tickets for Penguins Plus viewing platform from where you can get a closer look at the penguins.

So we sat there along with the other audience waiting for the special visitors. I found it a bit strange coz we all sat facing the ocean waiting for something to happen. And then we saw them: the little penguins. They are supposed to be the smallest penguins in the world. Initially we could just see a black mass movement along the beach. As the mass approached closer, we saw that it was actually a colony of penguins. It was great fun to see them tottering on the beach and waddling to their homes. Penguins are supposed to be social birds. So as soon as they landed on the beach, you could hear them cackling loudly as if they were catching up with each other after a long time.

We almost followed most of the penguins to their homes. It was an amazing experience to watch so many of them, that too so close! The experience was so fulfilling that we did not mind driving back home late at night. We carried home the image of the waddling little penguins with us.:)

Titbits of 18th December

2008-12-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

I have added two more links to my favorite blogs list.

"Kamat's Potpourri" has been one of my inspirations to start a blog. This site is a mini encyclopedia by itself. It contains so many diverse topics so I don't think anyone reading it would be bored anytime. I have been reading it since few years now. Yep, I should have added the link before. Well, better late than never.:)

"Aamir's blog" has been one of my favorite stops recently. Of course, Aamir Khan has always been my favorite actor. We get to know more of him as an individual through his posts. It is good to see that his posts are frank and unmasked. Trust Aamir to do something different.:)

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There are so may things that I wanna blog about. Everytime I see something fascinating, I immediately think that I should blog about it. But as soon as I sit to write a new post, my mind goes blank. Writers' block, huh?:) Anyways, looks like mental notes of things are not enough. I need to put them into writing soon.

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Guess what? I got a copy of "The Appeal" by John Grisham at the library. The best thing is that it is his latest novel and I am excited about reading it. Lemme read it and tell you how I enjoyed it. Okay, lemme find my packet of chips and juice and the book of course.:)

My little guru

2008-12-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

My daughter turns one and a half year old today. Man, can't believe that! She is only that old and she has changed my life forever. In fact, today in my life revolves around her.

She has me running around her the whole day ( ah, she is getting naughtier day by day). So at the end of the day, I would feel like a squashed orange. But she would be bubbling with energy forever. Her 10 teeth smile is such a destresser that no matter what she does, I find myself grinning at her every prank. Her ebullience and her ability to remain happy no-matter-what makes her my guru in every single way.:)

Addendum: One thing that I would like to add is what I think is the secret of my little guru's energy. She ( or any child) does not have any negative thought. All she knows is how to think positive. I think that helps in preserving energy. Hmmm...I think I need to do that. I definitely need energy right now.:)

Let her live her life

2008-12-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

I was watching "Britney: For the Record" the other day. It is a documentary made about Britney's comeback. It sort of felt like a confession time for her. It looked like she wanted to clear many things.

As I sat watching it, I wondered why was I watching it? I am not a Britney fan but I do not hate her. I think her music is ok. At least she gives us some music to dance. I admit that she is a better dancer than a singer. And yes, I have enjoyed watching her music videos.:) But yet, all these reasons do not answer my question. Why was I watching this documentary at all?

I started watching it to see the glimpses of the life of a celebrity. As it progressed, I could feel the vulnerability of a celebrity. And when the documentary ended, I had one thing to say - "Let her live her life". After her first hit, she has been in news all the time. Her private life has been ripped apart by the paparazzi. They have followed her everywhere as if they depended on her for living. Her personal life became major headlines. Her music was not discussed any more.

She has made mistakes; so what? Isn't she a human like us? Does she have to pay this big price for being a celebrity? My heart goes out to her kids who deserve a very normal upbringing. Let her say- Oops, I did it again or Hit me Baby one more time. Let her do anything she wants in her personal life. Let us not judge her private moments. Let only her music catch our attention. Let her live a free life. Let her live her life in peace. Let her live a normal life like we all do.

Terrorists and Heroes

2008-11-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

TERRORISTS- They think that they are spreading terror by targetting innocent lives. They think that they are winning the battle by spreading terror.

But do they know - what goes around comes around? Do they know that this inhumane act will cause the same terror to them and their families? Do they know that they could have been great warriors if they had fought for peace? Do they know that their lives would be meaningful if they had spread happiness and peace instead of terror? It is such a pity that they are sacrificing others' and theirs' lives for a worthless cause. It is a pity that they do not know that they are targetting themselves.

May God show them the right way to live life.

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HEROES- We pay our respects to those selfless people who have lost their lives defending the innocent ones. We thank them for upholding humanity and for fighting the evil. They are the clear winners in this battle against terrorism. Salute to these people who save lives by their bravery and fight for peace. They are definitely our heroes.

May God give all the courage and hope to the families of the Mumbai police who sacrificed their lives in these terrorists attacks.

Bharat Ratna for Panditji

2008-11-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

Finally, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi gets Bharat Ratna. This 86 year old veteran might have limited his concerts now but his powerful voice will always echo in the hearts of music lovers. His music has always been appealing to the well-informed music scholars to the masses. In Karnataka, people can never forget Pandit's "Bhagayada Lakshmi Baaramma" that was and is almost played in every household. There have been numerous attempts to become another Bhimsen Joshi in vain. I don't think there would be another singer like Panditji any time. But it is a sad thing that his legacy does not have a deserving heir yet.

I have mentioned Panditji in the following post before.
http://madhooo.blogspot.com/2005/08/something-splendid-happens-to-me.html

Thanks, dear library - 2

2008-11-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

I felt my last post was incomplete. Hence part two.

In my last post, I mentioned about the library that I have fallen in love with. I listed out the things I liked about it. In fact, I was surprised that we could actually gain so much from a library.

Before this, I had been to libraries:

- that had a huge collection of books but were never categorized. Trust me, searching for a
book was a painful process there.

- that did not cater to people of different age groups, especially kids below five years.

- that charged a very unreasonable fee for each book taken. Sometimes, I felt that buying
the book would be cheaper than borrowing it.

- that had librarians who just did not care about the books. I always thought that books
have felt like poor orphans there.

Hence I hope you can understand my gratification for finding a good library.:)

Thanks, dear library - 1

2008-11-04T22:30:00.000-08:00

One of the best things that I am doing right now is getting back to my dearest friends- books.:) Yes, I have been doing plenty of reading after coming to this city. And I must definitely thank the library for enabling me to do so.

Initially, when I was handed over the library card, I was not that enthusiastic. I wondered if I could ever go to the library, select books and read any of them with my toddler clinging onto me. But when I went there, I found that I was mistaken.

First of all, there is a childrens' section that not only consists of plenty of kids' books, but also a handful of toys for the kids to play with. This section creates an environment for the kids to enjoy their time in the library.

The library has a wide variety of books, ranging from fiction, non-fiction and magazines. The best part is that there is not much of limitation about the number of books that one can borrow. I should also mention the very systematic arrangement of books that makes the browsing process easier.

Hold on, that is not the end of it. The library also has dvds of english movies and serials. You can borrow four dvds at a time. Isn't that wonderful? I must say that we are making the best use of this facility.

I have been reading so many books that I have lost tracks of their titles and authors (I think I should prepare a list). I am getting introduced to so many new ones. Many a times, I find it so tough to come out of this world of books.

My daughter also has fallen in love with the colorful books. I have been borrowing books for her too. Looks like there is another bibliophile in the making.;)

I really wanna thank this library for making me get in touch with my long-lost hobby- reading. It has been a wonderful experience so far. I will try to mention the books that I am reading in my blog from now on. Maybe I can mention the movies too. Hmm, not bad at all.:)

Light up your life

2008-10-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

It is time to clean your closet. It is time to wipe away those negative thoughts. It is time to erase the pain and bring a smile on your face. It is time to light that lamp of eternal hope in your heart. Because it is Deepavali- the festival of lights ; it is the time to wish you all a very happy Deepavali. Have a blast with or without crackers.:)

Big Boss 2

2008-10-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

I don't get to watch Indian channels here. Of course, I have not been very interested in saans-bahu serials . But at Bangalore, I used to watch lot of reality shows, especially the musical ones. So I miss doing that here. Yep, some of them are available on the Web. But right now, I am hooked to watching Big Boss 2.

I had seen Big Boss 1 before. It was interesting in the beginning. But the end was very predictable. So when I heard that Big Boss 2 was gonna start, I was curious to know who the contestants would be. Therefore I watched the first episode ( thanks to U tube). And then slowly, I started watching it everyday. And now, I must confess that I have been enjoying it.

It is fascinating to see how the inmates, who are of diverse characters, react to people and situations. I somehow, don't believe that this whole thing is scripted. It is very difficult to stick to acting when you are out of contact with the world and your comfort zone. For me, Big Boss reveals the different facets of human nature. It could be the bout of anger, the game of politics, the threads of friendship, the see saw of trust and betrayal, the momentary madness and the helplessness of cameras being all around you.

At this stage, there are seven contestants in the game:

Rahul mahajan: Best known as Pramod Mahajan's son. Other than that, he has been famous for all the wrong reasons. He has been one of the strong players in this game. Looks like he is enjoying the most, especially the flirting part with Payal Rohatagi and Monica Bedi.

Raja Chaudhary: Better known as Shweta Tiwari's ex-husband. Shweta Tiwari played "Prerna" in Kasauti Zindagi Kay. She had filed a complaint about him being violent and then broke up with him. Known for his eccentricities, he has been adding lot of spice to this show. His encounters with Rahul are very entertaining.

Monica Bedi: No one thought that she would be involved in a romantic angle at the house of Big Boss. She has been singing "Jahan Main Jaathi Hoon Wahi Chale Aate Ho" to Rahul Mahajan as of now. But I think she has become very camera conscious especially after her second entry. But must admit that she has been looking her best. She is a good dancer too.

Ashutosh: Supposed to be the winner of MTV Roadies. Speaks excellent pure hindi. Good fun.

Diana Hayden: The former Miss World should not have entered this game coz she is on the brink of becoming just another player. She comes across as a good human being but definitely she should not think of acting as a career.

Zulfi Sayed: I had seen him before in the kannada movie "O Mallige". As Farah Khan rightly pointed out, he has been following Rahul Roy (the previous winner of big boss). He seems to be the politically correct guy in the house.

Debojit: I have seen him in two musical reality shows before. No doubt that he is a very good singer but did he really need this stint in Big Boss? Definitely the most decent and honest person in the game.

I do not have any favorite players in this show. But it is just fun to watch all these semi-celebrities living their lives, one day at a time. As told before, I prefer watching Big Boss than the saans bahu serials.:)

Beaches, sea, beaches, travel, and beaches

2008-10-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

We keep waiting for the weekends to explore new places. As soon as a Saturday arrives, we backpack our baby and her bag, and set out for the exploration. In case you are wondering what would our baby bag hold (parents-to-be, are you listening?):

Nappies - Never, never forget them. If you do, you can forget all about exploring.:)
Baby wipes - Very handy, especially if there is no water near by.;)
Water/Milk/Snacks - Absolute must. Cannot do without them.
Spare dress for your baby - You never know when you will need one.
Toy/Book - You might need them if you are set on a long journey

Okay, let us move from the baby stuff to explorations.

This time, we got to see a couple of beaches here. On Friday evening, we had been to St.Kilda beach. We did not get into the water "coz it was quite cold and chilly. But it was a great visual treat. As soon as I saw it, I knew how much I had missed being on the beach.

On Sunday morning, we started off to Mornington Peninsula Island National Park. On the way as we drove uphill, we stopped at a point near Arthur Seat for a break. And I am so glad that we stopped there because the view from that place was absolutely stupefying. We could almost see the whole peninsula from there. I had never seen ocean from such an altitude before. It just spread out like a beautiful painting in front of us. I struggled to capture it in my camera. And then, I felt so stupid! I was feeling so dwarfed in front of God's magnanimous, breath-taking creation. And how could I ever, ever capture that in my little camera?

We reluctantly continued our journey and lost our way. And finally, we ended on the beaches of Rosebud. I just could not resist getting into water here. Nopes, I donno swimming. Yet, I always love to get into that salty water.:) We pulled puttu ( that is what I call my daughter) along to the shallow waters. Initially she was a bit scared. But at the end of it, she refused to come out of water. It was her first beach experience. Anyways, the two unwilling ladies had to be dragged to the car.:) Now you know why the title for this post has so many beaches.;) And that night, all I could dream about was the magnificient view of the ocean and the peninsula.

Life's calling

2008-10-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

It has been such a long, long time since I wrote something. I almost feel like a newbie to the blogging world.:) Oh yes, I can give lot of excuses for this disappearance act. But I think they all don't matter now as I decided to renew my connections with the blogger in me. And I must confess that I am thoroughly enjoying writing after that dormant period.

Right now, I am sipping my cup of tea in our nest at Melbourne. We might stay here for few more months. And I guess that will give enough time for the traveller in me to get to know at least a small part of Australia.:) I always wanted to visit Australia some time so this has been a dream come true. The experience is enriching because I have never stayed outside India before and therefore everything is new to me. I feel like a dry sponge ready to absorb water as much as it can. Life's calling. Did you hear that too?

2007-11-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes decision making can be a very painful process.Especially when you know that you have no alternative.But the decision has to be taken now by keeping my priorities in mind. As I ponder over these complicated thoughts, she gives me a 1000 watt smile that says it all. That smile is definitely the most priced thing to me now. And my decision is made.:)

Motherhood

2007-10-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

I have still not got back to work. I am at home learning all the tricks and trades of bringing up a baby. Man,time flies so fast! At the end of the day, I am left wondering what did I do the whole day. It has been four months now. And believe me, each day I have been learning new things along with my daughter. There are times of low self confidence and post partum depressing thoughts. But then my daughter compensates for all of them through her "ooh-aah"s and toothless smiles.:)

Motherhood is such a bliss. It changes you forever. And I feel that change makes you a better person. After all, where do you get to see this innocence? I silently pray for that innocence to be retained for life.:)))

Welcome back:)

2007-10-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hallo everybody, how have you been doing? Yep, finally after that long hiatus, I am back to the blogging world.:) I honestly admit that I missed blogging in spite of so many changes that happened and are happening in my life. Our bundle of joy arrived on 10th June in the form of a baby girl. :) She has been named "Tunga"( It is the name of a river in Karnataka).

Needless to say, I spend most of my time with my daughter. I think I will need to start another blog about her 'coz I can go on and on endlessly about her.:)

It is amazing to see how a little one can affect so many lives positively!

Anyways, I shall start blogging regularly from now on. And that statement makes me damn happy.:)) I hope it makes you happy too.;)

And the wait has begun

2007-05-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

Finally the doc says that I might go into labour any time now. So I have been getting ready for it. It has been more of a mental preparation.:) This ninth month has been real slow with me getting more and more sluggish. But yes, it has also been one of those times when I had nothing else to do except relax.

All of us are waiting for the big day now.:)

I might have to take a small break from blogging now. But I assure you that I will get back to writing as soon as I can.:) Meanwhile I wish good luck to all of you. Take care.

Adios and keep smiling.:)))

Trishna

2007-05-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Trishna-thirst-insatiable thirst! Most of us live in the so-called comfort zone. And yet we want more and more. We are never content and spend our lives satisfying our desires. On the contrary, we yearn for satisfaction!

Most of them would have had all the things in their lives that others would be jealous of. But if you ask them whether they are happy, they will never be able to say "yes". They feel that their happiness lies in some other thing that they don't yet possess. They feel that they would become happy if they were to acquire that some thing. But then frankly do you think that they would attain peace and happiness by that one thing? I don't think so! I think their Trishna will never let them be content. They will never feel satisfied. They will start chasing some thing else in pursuit of happiness. In this chase, they forget to enjoy the present moment. They ignore the smallest pleasures of life. They forget to live life.

All of us know that man has three basic requirements- food, clothing and shelter. So man is supposed to be at peace once these requirements are met. But it does not work that way. I sometimes believe that people who do not have these basic things yet, are the most happiest people. They do not know of any other world except these three basic needs. But those of us who have gone beyond these three needs, keep searching and chasing peace and happiness throughout our lives.

This insatiable thirst can be quenched only if we realize that the contentment lies within ourselves and nowhere else. Trishna can be overpowered only if we realize that the eternal happiness in not in the materialistic things as we all tend to believe!

What am I listening to right now: Raag Sohni by Rashid Khan

The one and only George Michael

2007-04-25T03:22:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school, I happened to hear "Careless Whispers" being played in my friend's car. The mellifluous voice impressed me so much. Those days, I was not much into western music so I did not have any idea about the singer. When I inquired,I got to know that George Michael had sung that song. My friend suggested another song of his, "Last Christmas". I managed to listen to that on the radio some time. But I loved "Careless Whispers" a lot. Even now I am still in awe of that song. So I just knew George Michael as the singer who sang "Careless Whispers".

As I opened up to the western music gradually, I got to hear his other hits- Father Figure, Faith, Kissing a Fool, Jesus To a Child, Fast Love and so on. All these songs ensured that he became one of my favorite singers quite fast.:)

The other day, when I mentioned George Michael as my favorite singer, someone asked me, "How can you like him? He is a gay. He was also a drug addict!!!! He has lead such a controversial life!!" Well, I have always loved good music. And for me, George Michael is one helluva talented musician and it is all that matters. I do not want to know what he is in his personal life. It is his life. But definitely we have to be thankful to him for giving us such great music.

His "Jesus to a child" can move you into tears. His "Fast Love" can make you jive. His "Kissing a Fool" can make you philosophical. His intense, soulful, melodious voice is his biggest positive point.

My mom is a classical musician. She usually never listens to western music. Once I was playing "Careless Whispers" loud. She just came to my room and heard the complete song. And then she wanted to know who sang it. Since that day, she has been a great fan of George Michael. Nopes, she has not heard any other song of his. But she is in total love with "Careless Whispers".:)) And I think that is a great compliment for one of my favorite singers.:))))

What am I listening to right now: Careless Whispers

2007-04-19T01:08:00.000-07:00

Do u remember the post that I had written about the father-son duo? Well, here is the picture that I took of them, without their knowledge, from my window.:)

What am I listening to right now: Cruising by Gweneth Paltrow

Those eleven days of bliss!

2007-04-09T23:41:00.000-07:00

I had just attended one pravachana (discourse) last year by Swami Brahmananda (from Chinmaya Mission) on Bhagavad Gita. I was impressed and thought that he was a very good orator. But then, due to time constraint I could not attend on other days.

So this time, I almost jumped with joy when I got to know that a 11-day pravachana on a book called "Mukunda Mala" would be held by Swami Brahmananda at the temple. I decided that I would try my best to attend it on all the eleven days.

Mukunda Mala is a book of devotional verses written by Kulashekhara, a king. These selfless, beautiful prayers have been written for Lord Krishna or Mukunda.

Those eleven days of pravachana gave me absolute serenity. It was difficult, in fact, to rush from office to home and then to the temple for the discourse. It was very tiring indeed. But as I sat listening to Swamiji, all my weariness disappeared and I felt rejuvenated. Swami Brahmananda's discourses are very simple and straight and therefore reaches a layman very easily. I loved the way he recited the verses from Mankutimmana Kagga very aptly and frequently. His command over language, music and books made each pravachana an interesting experience. Never for a minute did I feel like leaving in between.

Of course, the audience comprised mostly of the elderly community. So I did get some surprising glances while attending the pravachana. That makes me wonder about one thing- why does not the youth find pravachanas interesting? Why do they assume that it is meant for people above 60? In fact, when you look closely, these pravachanas teach you the way of living. So I think it is actually more useful to people who are starting their lives rather than to people who are at the brink of their lives! Well, that is entirely my opinion.:)

It is not that the pravachana changed my entire life and made me a new person. But it definitely opened a window of my life to let in more optimism and faith in the almighty.

What am I listening to right now: Tere Bin by Rabbi Shergill

Few pages from the diary of a mommy to be:)

2007-03-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

This journey started about seven months back. I was so thrilled when I got to know that I would me a mommy soon.:) Believe me, this news changed our entire world.

Before we could celebrate the news of the arrival of a new family member, I was down with severe nauseousness and tiredness. I found myself throwing up the whole day. All my activities stopped and I was almost bed ridden. At that moment, I felt so helpless. Still I tried to come to terms with the happenings around me. But my physical condition was so bad that I found myself going into depression several times. And all those times, I thought of this another life in me. I thought about the miracle that was being born in me. This helped me so much to deal with my condition. It was not easy because I had almost lost contact with the outside world. All my chit-chats with friends, my outings- everything had come to standstill. Even then, I think God gave me lots of strength to cope up with everything and go on. So finally at the end of three months, the severity of my nauseousness decreased.

I slowly started returning to my normal routine. I started enjoying the small joys of pregnancy. Today, I must say that I am absolutely delighted with all the changes that have happened and are happening in me due to that little one growing in me. What an amazing experience this is ! I am able to appreciate my mom more as I struggle with the heaviness of my ill-shapen body and shorter breaths now. :)

Some of the noteworthy changes:

-->As days pass by, I find all my clothes getting smaller and smaller for me.:) Okay, so that
gives me an excuse to buy new ones;)

--> My appetite has increased big time. And now people have almost tagged me as a foodie (
Trust me, I was never one before.;))

--> I miss our small outings and hikes. ( Will definitely make up for it once the little one is
born.;))

--> I can't see my toes anymore.;)

But I must say that I have begun to enjoy all these small discomforts. Especially now, when I have started feeling those small movements ( supposed to be kicks) of the little one:)

Two and a half more months to go for the arrival of the new member. And of course, we are eagerly waiting for the day.:)

What am I listening to right now: Raag Maru Bihag by Pt.Jasraj

To friends with unknown faces:)

2007-03-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that internet has definitely revolutionized our way of living. Why am I thinking about this all of a sudden?

Well, do you remember the concept of pen friends? Yeah, it was during those times of pen, inland letters and envelopes. The pen friendship used to be a fun concept especially because you would write to people who were unknown to you. Similar to those lines, we have net friends now. Usually chat sites or the messengers or blogs become the central stage for such friendships. You get to meet people with varied interests and diverse backgrounds. Sometimes you might also find people whom you would wanna ignore.:) But many a times, these chat friendships might turn to becoming life long friendships or relationships. We have also heard of few marriages taking place between people who met over the net.

I must say that I have been definitely fortunate to have had a small bunch of friends with unknown faces. They have been pals who have been there with me over years. They have shared their knowledge, listened to my rambles, rejoiced in my joys and lent their shoulders during times of distress. I have never met any of them till today. But they have never been strangers to me. There are times when we are immersed in our own lives and don't get time to keep in touch with each other. But it is a common knowledge that all of us are there when needed anytime.

So a hearty thank you to all of you friends with faces unknown for being there always.:))) You people always help me to retain my faith in humanity.:)

Song that I am listening to right now: LAYLA by Eric Clapton

My connection with shlokas

2007-03-06T22:34:00.000-08:00

It was during my school days. I was worried over something. We had grandpa visiting us then. He offered to help me. He taught me a shloka. He asked me to recite it whenever I was tensed or worried. And so I did. No, the shloka did not give me an instant solution. But it cleared my mind and I was able to think of a solution. From then on, I have been hooked to these shlokas.

For the beginners, shloka is a sanskrit verse that is recited as a prayer in Hindus. It is also very important to learn the way to recite these shlokas because they induce lot of positive vibrations around oneself. They say that these sholkas have amazing vibrations when you recite them during sunrise and sunset. The best part is that you actually feel very good even if you listen to them.

I am not very well versed in Sanskrit. Still I find that the chanting of these shlokas have a very positive effect on me. These shlokas have helped me the most during my troubled and depressing times. They have helped me attain the calmness and go ahead with life.

I usually like to attend the Poojas or Yajnas mainly because I like to hear the priests chanting the shlokas. The priests are actually taught the exact way of chanting these shlokas. So even when they recite in a group, their voices are in unison and that makes it very interesting and soothing to listen to these chants.

I know lots of people who would chant these mantras soullessly as if it were a ritual. In fact, most of the times they do it for the sake of doing it. But the real effect and the power can be felt only when you put your heart and soul in the chanting and concentrate on them. For me, they have worked wonders and I hope they will do the same for you.:))

Song that I am listening to right now: Anjaani Rahon Mein Tu Kya Doondta Phiren by Lucky Ali

Constellations

2007-03-01T01:55:00.000-08:00

It is a lazy afternoon. I can see bored and sleepy looks around me. But I guess I am in my own world enjoying as always. Thanks to a friend of mine for introducing me to this song- Constellations by Jack Johnson. Trust me when I say this is an ideal song for a lazy afternoon or for a peaceful night when you just wanna close your eyes and relax. The beautiful sound of the strumming guitar, Jack Johnson's assuasive voice and those simple lyrics will definitely take you to a different world. The two lines that I liked the most can be connected:

To lay down underneath the stars
.........................................
........................................
We drew our own constellations

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Since I am so addicted to music, I am thinking of including an information in every post. I shall be mentioning the song that I will be listening to when I write each post. Sounds good, isn't it?:)))

An unimportant event:)

2007-02-26T23:00:00.000-08:00

There is a temple and a garden next to our house. A gardener and his wife maintain the beautiful yard. Usually you can see this hardworking couple digging the land, planting new saplings or removing the weeds.

I find this family very interesting mainly because of their two year old son ( yes, I am guessing his age!). This son hangs out with his dad or mom when they are working in the garden. The gardener is an unshaven, shabby fellow. He works absentmindedly without caring for anything and anyone. I watch the father-son duo from my room's window. The son follows his dad everywhere. He has learnt to walk very recently. He toddles behind his dad, falls down on the mud, gets up immediately, and tries to catch up with his dad. He tries to cling onto his dad as he sits and digs the garden. He kisses his father and hugs him tight. Now the don't-care dad softens up a bit, pats his son and gets back to work. The son ruffles his dad's hair and snatches the spade from him. He tries his hand at digging even though the spade looks bigger than him.:) His father looks at him very proudly. He grins at his son and takes back the spade. I think that is one of the rare moments when the gardener actually smiles.

The gardener continues to work. The son clings onto his dad again and kisses him.

I look at the father-son duo lost in their own world. It is such a touching sight.

Second Happy Budday

2007-02-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

The 2nd anniversary of this blog has silently passed away. When I look back, I did lesser writing than the first year. But I enjoyed writing those fewer posts in the second year.:)

Thanks to all you readers for all the encouragement and support. All your online and offline comments motivate me to write more and more. :)) Hopefully in the coming year, my blog will reflect all the new, enriching experiences I am gonna have.

So you people take care and keep reading.:)))

Mungaru Male

2007-02-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

When I heard of "Mungaru Male", I was not very interested. That was because I was just back from another movie, "Kallarali Hoovagi" and my experience was not very good. So I turned a deaf ear to the praises of "Mungaru Male". But then I decided to listen to its music.

I was just mesmerised when I heard the songs, especially "Anisuthide". I heard them again and again until I decided that I had to watch the movie. So one fine day, I pulled my friend along with me to the movie. And I fell in love with this movie.:) I would rather call it a beautiful poem.From the title to the song, to the lyrics, to the amazing photography and to the simple yet touching story, it depicts a poem to me. And of course, how can I forget the rain that is there throughout the movie? After all, "Mungaru Male" means the first rains of the rainy season.

All the artists have done a great job, especially Ganesh. I never thought that he would put up such a natural performance. I think the freshness of the actors, the director, the music and the lyrics strike you when you watch the film. The story is nothing new but it has been given a very refreshing narration. And so all these factors make the movie a family entertainer.

"Mungaru Male" is going to be in my memory for a long, long time. I have been enjoying its music thoroughly. Mano Murthy has done a fabulous job in rendering some melodious numbers.

Okey-dokey, I am getting back to listening to "Anisuthide". It is a song that has been tailor-made for Sonu Nigam. I would definitely recommend that song if you are looking out for a melodious number.:))

Sur Prabhat on 26th Jan, 2007

2007-01-29T03:27:00.000-08:00

Every year on 26th January, we look forward to "Sur Prabhat" organized by Rajguru Smriti at Chitrakala Parishath. Usually the music concerts are held all-night long or in the evenings. Most of the times, I can never sit through the all-night concerts. So I rarely get to listen to the morning ragas live in a concert. "Sur Prabhat" is one event that gives me the opportunity to enjoy the morning ragas. An added luxury is that we get to listen to the soul stirring music amidst nature in an open space.:)

This year's "Sur Prabhat" was more special to me because the eminent musician performing this time was none other than Sanjeev Abhayankar. For those of you who do not know, Sanjeev is the disciple of Pandit Jasraj. In fact, you can see the impact of the guru in Sanjeev's voice and his style of singing. I have always enjoyed listening to his records. So this was one occasion for which I was eagerly waiting.

Sanjeev began the concert with Raag Ahir Bhairav, continued with Bhatiyar and sang a self-composed holi song. And then he presented a beautiful bandish of Raag Charukeshi which is very rarely sung and he ended the concert with Raag Bhairavi. He said that the environment was a perfect one for the morning concert and he was inspired by it.

It was a beautiful experience sitting amidst greenery and listening to the mellifluous yet powerful voice of Sanjeev Abhayanakar. His ease at the toughest taans, his expertise in the raagas and his interaction with the audience made the concert more interesting and enjoyable. For a moment I forgot the real world and got drifted away in the soulful music.

I hope we will get to attend such concerts again and again. We definitely need more of such concerts to rejuvenate ourselves. :)

Thought for 25th Jan

2007-01-25T00:57:00.000-08:00

"My whole effort is to make your morality spontaneous. You should be conscious and alert, and respond to every situation with absolute consciousness. Then whatever you do is right. It is not a question of actions being right or wrong, it is a question of consciousness - whether you are doing it consciously or unconsciously like a robot."

- Osho

A no-no to spreading :( instead of :)

2007-01-17T00:12:00.000-08:00

She is in high spirits. She looks so happy and contented. I try to get inspired by her good mood. But then I feel that I have to share this thing that has been bothering me since yesterday. I always feel the need to share my thoughts with her as we have always been very close pals. So I cry my heart out to her. She listens to me and assures me that things will get better with time. I feel a bit relieved after talking to her. I get back to my work. And then I meet her after a couple of hours. But now I see that she is completely out of the happy mood. In fact, she looks very gloomy and lost. She tells me that she has been thinking about the matter that I had shared with her. I leave her desk cursing myself and feeling guilty about spreading the somberness to my friend instead of cheer. I make a quiet resolution then and there that from now on I shall only propagate smiles and nothing else. After all, I want the sunshine back on my pal's face.

Closer to death

2007-01-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

How does a person feel when he knows that he might die any moment? What runs through his mind when he is lying on the hospital suffering the torment? Does his mind wish for the freedom from the pain and suffering or does he hope for a miracle? How does he feel when he looks at his loved ones shedding silent tears and praying for him? Does he pray for one more opportunity to live life to the fullest? Does he repent about the life that he has already lived? Does he recall all his incomplete wishes? Does he feel like fighting back or just surrender to fate?

Not sure that any of us understand what goes on in his mind. Not sure I understand.

Sayonara 2006

2006-12-30T23:13:00.000-08:00

As I look back at 2006. I can see that one factor played an important role in my life in 2006- CHANGE. There were lots of minor and few major changes. I guess most of them happened for good. Yes, it is very difficult to cope up with a major change even though you know that change is the only constant factor in life. Things have not been easy. I faced many failures and few victories. I was at the abyss at one point of time. And yet my trust in Him and in life never flickered even once. In fact, now I know that life is more fun when one takes it as it comes. So I wanna go ahead with 2007 forgetting all the night mares and remembering the lessons that I have learnt in 2006.

I am definitely looking forward to the arrival of the little bundle of joy in 2007. I know there will be huge changes in my life in 2007. I know that I will have more roles to play. I know that I will have more challenges to face. But then, I know that life will be more interesting in 2007.:)

I have absolutely no resolutions at all for the coming year. I am ready to accept whatever life gives me. So with the utmost faith in the Almighty, a hope and a song in my heart, I prepare myself for 2007.

Hearty new year wishes to all of you. Hope 2007 will help you realise your dreams and bring lots of smiles on your faces.:)

WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR:)

A solitary thought

2006-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

I am amidst my friends. I am amidst people with whom I have always been comfortable. I am sitting here with people whom I have always had loads of fun. But here I sit feeling like a stranger. I feel as if I lost touch with my humor. I feel as if I am very outdated when I look at people with me. My thoughts stray away as I sit and listen to the jokes that are cracked around. I smile but not heartily.

Right now, I just wanna sit on a solitary beach, watch the sunrise or the sunset, listen to some very good music and just breathe in the salty, fresh air, without thinking if others are happy with me or not. That is all I want now.:)

Yippee! A goal is scored.:)

2006-12-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

I remember the excitement and the dedication I had in my school and college days when I worked for the fulfillment of a goal. Those sleepless nights, those scraggly notes, those long phone calls with friends having discussions about the possible questions and so on; the list is endless.:) Most of the times, I would end up scoring less than the standard percentage I had set for myself. But those few times when I surpassed my expectations, the joy was boundless. The sense of achievement would reign over me for few days. But then again I would start off by setting another goal and working for it.

Looking back, I find that I have always had goals in my life. I have always had some targets to achieve. And I have found life challenging by working to reach those goals. But they have never been long term ones. In fact, I blank out when people ask me what do I want to become in life. For me, setting short-term goals is realistic.

There have been certain empty periods in my life. Why do I call them empty? Because those were the phases when I did not have any motivations and I felt that my life had come to standstill. Those were dormant phases. And then I had to shake myself up and start off all over.

Right now, I find myself in the same situation again. I definitely need a goal to keep me going. Or may be there are some hidden goals in front of me and I am yet to realize them. Well, the quest is on.:)

Falling in love with melancholic tunes

2006-12-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

Tears well up in my eyes as I listen to Kishori Amonkar's Todi. Somehow whenever I listen to this Raga, all my hidden pains surface up. And yet I love listening to Todi!

There is an album of Jagjit and Chitra Singh dedicated to their son who passed away in an accident. Trust me when I say that I become very emotional whenever I listen to it. But I am in total love with that album.

I know that lot of us love listening to those soulful, tear-jerking numbers of Kishore Kumar again and again. And we are fully aware that those songs might rake our old wounds. Still we love those songs that touch the pain in our hearts, don't we? May be we love them 'coz they simply touch our heart and pain is such a strong emotion.

Well, as I have mentioned in my previous posts, music is so powerful that it can cause a whirlwind of emotions in your heart. And I don't think anything can equal that. But yes, this effect cannot be produced by all the musicians. There are only some who can make music that can touch one's soul. And a big salute to those great people who can touch millions and millions of hearts so easily.:)

Going back to the track

2006-12-12T00:56:00.000-08:00

It has been exactly two months since I stopped blogging. No, no, the decision was not a conscious one. Just that the circumstances turned out to be so unpredictable that I did not find time to blog. And when I had time, I ran out of energy and thoughts. Lots of lessons learnt; lots of hardships faced in these two months. My whole life has changed. Priorities have changed. Isn't it amazing that life can suddenly take an unknown turn and then everything just changes?

Anyway, I hope to be regular in the blogging world from now on. But there is so much to write about that I do not know where to start. May be I need a day to reorganize my thoughts and then pen them down.

Orkutting world

2006-10-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I am a frequent visitor to orkut. I have found some friends with whom I had lost touch for years. But the one thing that attracts me to this networking site is the concept of communities. There are numerous communities about music, books, quiz, schools, regions and so on. In most of the communities, you will find exchange of good information. Of course, there are some pointless ramblings and chatterings in between. But if you can filter the useful information that comes through, then there is nothing like it. In fact, I have gathered a lot of information through the discussions that happen in these communities.

Well, people tend to misuse or abuse such facilities. But then I think that we should really make good use of this powerful medium to learn a lot and stay connected.:)

The Man in Khadi

2006-10-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

vaishnav jan to tene kahiye je
peed paraayii jaaNe re
par-dukhkhe upakaar kare toye
man abhimaan naa aane re

I have always been a great admirer of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. No, my friend, this post is definitely not inspired by Lage Raho Munnabhai.:) It was 2nd October yesterday. Also a discussion with a friend of mine about Gandhiji sparked off this post. I felt that I had to write about this "larger than life" person.

Right from my primary school, I used to watch the film, "Gandhi" on October 2nd. The DD would telecast it every year. I never got bored of this movie. Every year, I felt that I understood the movie better. And then I got hold of "My Experiments with the Truth" five years ago. I was amazed by the truth and the honesty in that book. I also loved the way he experimented with everything and learnt lessons from his experiments. His simplicity fascinated me.

And then one day, I started reading about Bhagat Singh. The fact that Gandhiji could have saved the lives of the three brave revolutionaries was unknown to me. But Gandhiji did not do so. I also read about Gandhiji's family. I felt that his children were the ignored lot. There are also rumours about Gandhiji being partial to Jinnah. After reading all that, the impression of Gandhiji being a perfect person disappeared.

But when I think about it, I find that I have equal respect for Bhagat Singh and Gandhiji. Their paths were entirely different. But they were great personalities in their own ways.

The other day, my friend was telling me that Gandhiji was a great leader. True, he led the masses of India very effortlessly. And the majority of them trusted his abilities and leadership. He was a man who lived his life strictly bound to his principles. He fought the freedom struggle in a unique way. Certain principles of Gandhiji like Satyagraha and Ahimsa were instant inspirations with the youth of the country. Yes, Gandhiji did some mistakes. Unfortunately, they were major mistakes. But then he was not God. He was human after all. And the way he fought for freedom selflessly can never be forgotten.

I don't know how much of his principles will be followed by our and the future generations. But his simplicity, determination, and honesty will definitely continue to inspire me, as always.

About the real world, Steve Irwin............

2006-09-22T01:45:00.000-07:00

Been away from the blogging world for quite some time now. After bathing in bliss in Himlayas, I found it a bit hard to get used to this routine again. Eveything seemed very unfamilar. I completely felt lost. But now, I am tracing back my steps and sadly getting into the routine.:) Welcome to the real world.:))

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Sometimes mere words can cause heart aches. How we wish that we could let go off the pain which was caused by those dagger-like words!!!

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Steve Irwin's death was one of the incidents that affected me. I did not watch his shows regularly. But when I watched them, his selfless love for the animals and his enthusiasm was very inspiring. In fact, I was not even aware of his last name. When my colleague informed me about his death, I did not know about which Steve was she talking about. Only when she told me that it was the croc guy, I recognized him!

My mom still grieves about his death. She is a big fan of his shows. She tells me that the sight of him crying over a dead croc was very touching.

I wonder why the best lot always disappear from this planet so early. May God give lot of strength to his family to bear this huge loss.

Conclusions

2006-09-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

The best thing that happened to me was the trip to Himalayas. No word is sufficient
for me to express the joy I felt when I was there amidst nature. My mind was
absolutely clear and all the feelings of stress and tiredness seem to have vanished.
I think there is no better healer than nature, isn't it?

People say that peace is within us and we try to search for it everywhere else.
It is true. But I think the environment definitely matters.

Himalayas is one place which can actuate spiritual feelings even in an atheist's heart.
Every minute when I was there, I marveled at God's creation. I wondered how can man ever
feel superior. We are nothing at all in front of God's other creations. No book, no movie,
no object created by man can provide the serenity that these stupefying creations in the nature can give.

Yes, there is a bit of me wandering in Himalayas. That bit of me loiters in the gushing Alaknanda, those mysterious caves, the peaceful valleys and the gigantic, towering mountains.

As I stand thinking about it, I am awakened by the honking of the cars behind me.
Yep, now I realize that I am back in my city.:) I walk on with a hope that this serenity
stays with me forever.:)

Here I Come, Himalayas- The Final Day

2006-09-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

The guide has already told us that it is going to be completely a journey by bus today. All of us are feeling a bit depressed about the end of the trip. But then we try to cheer up ourselves by playing Antakshari. We croon hindi songs all the way. I try to get a last glimpse of the mountains and the river. I hope to get back there some time again.

We reach Rishikesh at 5:30. We take a phatphati with the gujrathi family to Haridwar. Our train is at 11:30 PM. We have plenty of time left. So they advise us to go and have a look at the famous Haridwar aarti. Thanks to their generosity; we get a room at their guest house to keep our luggage. We immediately rush to the banks of Ganga where the aarti takes place. We manage to catch up with some final moments of the ritual.

It is such a big change from the silence in the mountains to the noisy crowd in Haridwar. People flock us forcing us for donations and poojas. We somehow make our way to Chotiwala ( a famous restaurant) and have our dinner. Both of us are very weary as it has been a long, tiring day. We go to the guest house, collect our luggage and leave to the railway station. All of a sudden, all the weariness has come to me, mainly because of the heat. As soon as the train arrives, we find our seats and sleep as if we have not slept for days. Needless to say, I dream of only Himalayas.:))

Here I Come, Himalayas- Day 7

2006-08-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

I get up early in the morning. But I make a mistake of not peeping out of my window. If I had done that, I would have seen the majestic Neelkant peak. Well, I hope to catch that next time.:)

Our guide informs us about the Mana village. This is supposed to be the last village of India as it is situated on the border of India and China. Most of them in our group are very tired. So few of us decide to take the bait. As it is a small group, we take a jeep.

First we see the birth place of River Saraswati. There are lots of stories about this river. It seems that Mahabharata was written in this place. When Vyasa was reciting the verses and Ganesha was writing them down, Saraswati was flowing with a roaring noise. Vyasa found this very disturbing and hence he cursed Saraswati to be visible only at the source and at Prayag.

I have never seen any other river flowing with such a force at its source. River Saraswati's source is a very gratifying sight.

We go through the Mana village to Vyas Gufa. The villagers belong to Bhutiya tribe and they are very shy. They make very beautiful carpets. I try to capture these people in my camera but they refuse to be photographed. So I take a picture from the rear end.

Vyas Gufa is the place where Vyas recited the verses of Mahabharata. And then we go to Ganesh Gufa. There is something very special about these two places. They are non-commercial and untouched yet.

Our final destination is "Bharat Ki Aakhiri Chai Ki Dukan" ( India's last tea stall).:)) I have a tulsi chai here. I being a tea lover absolutely fall in love with this chai.

We go back to Badrinath. It is a long bus journey from there to Pipalkoti. The guide informs us that we need to spend the night at Pipalkoti. So we make some phone calls, have our dinner and get back to our rooms at Pipalkoti.

Here I Come, Himalayas- Day 6

2006-08-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

As we are behind schedule for a day, the guide gives us two options; either we can take a horse to Hemkund and then back to Govind Ghat or trek back to Govind Ghat. All of them decide to take a horse to Hemkund and then to Govind Ghat. We decide to trek down to Govind Ghat (14 kms) as we wanna enjoy the shades of nature. So we start off at 7:00 A.M. We walk at our own pace enjoying each and every creation of God. We stop by the river and spend an hour there. The water looks so pure and untouched. But it is damn freezing!

The last three kilometres seem a bit tiring, may be because of the scorching sun. I am thrilled when I reach Govind Ghat. We reach Govind Ghat at 1:15 P.M. Man, this has been my longest trek:)

We wait for the co-passengers in the bus. I then realize how actually tired I am. My feet are aching badly. But my happiness gets over the pain. Our team arrive at 3:00. The guide informs us that we will be leaving to Badrinath. All of us are so tired that we sleep all the way to Badrinath.

I am amazed at the beautiful mountains that surround the Badrinath temple. There is a small ashram on one of those mountains that attracts me. I shall be talking about it in a separate post.

We ask the hotel people for hot water as we wanna have a nice bath before we go for a darshan to the temple. We are thrilled when the hotel people get the hot water from the hot water spring. After the refreshing bath, we go to the temple. We get a special pooja done. There is an amazingly peaceful feeling in me. We visit the hot water spring. Again it is one of God's stupefying creations.

We have a very good Gujrati thali for dinner. After a long time, we are getting to eat rice. We then retire to our rooms wearily.

Here I Come, Himalayas- Day 5

2006-08-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

We get ready at 6:30 and have our breakfast. We have been having parathas all the time.:) We start our trek to Valley of flowers finally. We are told that it is totally an 8kms trek. The paths are beautiful, untouched and remote. They do not allow horses there. You have to walk or take the help of a porter. We click lot of pictures and continue our journey. River Lakshman Ganga flows all along the track. We play in its waters and admire the force with which it flows.

We get to know that we are approaching the valley of flowers as our paths are strewn with flowers.

And I stand there and look at it. Man, it is awesome. I cannot express the beauty in mere words. People call it the heaven on earth. There are mountains, the river and the vast stretch of colorful flowers. I have never seen anything like this before. And it appears more beautiful because it is not a man-made garden. It is completely God's creation!!!

We sit on a rock and slowly try to observe the breathtaking environment that we are in. I can see the snow capped mountains far away. There are gigantic mountains all around me and I am so dwarfed. It is absolutely peaceful. You cannot really hear any sound there except may be the humming of bees and the flowing of water. I had been dreaming of going to such a place since so long. I sleep on that rock for some time. It is as if the nature is singing a lullaby. We dwell on those silent yet meaningful moments.

After a couple of hours there, I am very reluctant to leave that place. But our guide warns us that we need to cross a certain point before 12 P.M. because of a possible landslide. So we force ourselves for the return trek. We walk very slowly and silently. May be each one of us are still mentally present in the Valley of Flowers.

We reach our guest house at 2:30 P.M. We spend the rest of the day lazing around and wandering in the Ghangaria lanes.

Here I Come, Himalayas- Day 4

2006-08-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

In the morning, when I peep out from the cottage at Auli, I see a conspicuous snow capped mountain. I am very, very excited as this is my first clear view of snow. Later I get to know that the mountain I have been admiring is actually Nandadevi. Wow!

We reach Govind Ghat at 9:00 in the morning. We have our breakfast at a dhaba there. We meet two elderly Sikhs there. They warn us about a very hectic journey ahead. They ask us to take a horse to Ghangria at least as the slopes are too steep. We decide to check it out. Most of them in our group decide to take horses. The trek is for 14 kms. And this is my first major trekking expedition.:)

So we start off at 10:30. It is getting very sunny and I somehow manage to trek for 3 kms. I know that I will have to trek for 8 kms again the next day to valley of flowers. I decide that I should take a horse to conserve my energy.:)

Believe me when I say that trekking is much more easier than riding a horse on this cobbled, steep paths! The paths are so narrow and you always have to be very wary. The horse that I am sitting on looked very feeble and I am expecting it to collapse any moment. And as I expect, it fumbles over the steps twice. We stop in between for lunch. And continue our journey again.

I reach Ghangria at 4:30. It has been a very painful, strenuous ride. But yes, the pain is alleviated by the stupefying nature around.

We try calling up our folks. The phone booth guy tells us that for every minute, the charge is 15 Rs. as there are only 3 phone lines in that village. Everything is expensive here. We spend a very quiet evening, relax and get ready for the next day's trek.

Here I Come, Himalayas- Day 3

2006-08-24T04:02:00.000-07:00

All of us get dressed up optimistically for the trek, that is supposed to take place as per schedule, hoping that the landslide has stopped. If it has, then we decide to walk through the mess of mud and stones on the road and find another bus of GMVN on the other side. So we get our backpacks and trekking shoes and walk towards the landslide.

As we approach the place, we see a huge crowd there. We hear the thumping sounds of the stones, And I witness the first landslide in my life. The rocks roll down majestically with a loud thundering noise. Then all of a sudden, everything seems to stop. There is silence. I start hoping that this is the end of it. But immediately there is a big boulder rolling down again. We stand there and watch nature's fury. Even in its time of wrath, nature is breathtaking.

We use this time to do a bit of trekking in lower hills out there. We wait for a couple of hours and then return back to the guest house. We try to take a nap in the dormitory provided to us for temporary accommodation. All of us know that we are helpless and we will have to patiently wait.

Finally there is good news that the landslide has stopped and the road has been cleared. So we enthusiastically continue our bus journey. After traveling for about 4-5 kms , we find ourselves stuck in another traffic jam due to another landslide. But the good news is that the land slide has stopped and the government authority is clearing the road. Nevertheless, we are stuck at that place for a couple of hours.

It is already night by the time we arrive at Joshimath. Due to some problems with the accommodation, we are taken to Auli. It is very dark out there. But I can see that we are going through some very steep, winding crude roads. It seems a bit scary. When we reach the place, the guide tells us that it is supposed to be one of the favorite spots for skiing. But since it is summer, we cannot see any snow at Auli. Besides it is very dark. We walk wearily towards our cottage. Man, it is freezing!

Here I Come, Himalayas- Day 2

2006-08-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

We start early at seven in the morning. The guide tells us that it is going to be a long bus journey. We get introduced to the other groups in our bus. There is a bengali group of 8 members, a gujarati group of 5 members and a mumbai group of 7 members. I begin to see the gigantic mountains of Himalayas as we progress through our journey.

I learn a lot of new things in this journey. I had always believed that Ganga was the river that came from Gangotri. But then that is not completely true. We get to see some prayags ( sangam of two rivers) in this journey.

1) Deo Prayag: Sangam of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. This is the real place where Ganga is born.

2) Rudra Prayag: Sangam of Alaknanda and Mandakini.

3) Karan Prayag: Sangam of Alaknanda and Pindari

4) Nand Prayag: Sangam of Alaknanda and Nandakini

Our whole journey is along river Alaknanda. This river takes birth at a place called Alakpuri. It flows very aggressively and forcefully. So the journey amidst Himalayas and Alaknanda is beautiful.

We stop at a river rafting camp for our breakfast. And then we continue our jouney. Though the journey is perfectly scenic, it is a bit exhausting. At 4:30 in the evening, we reach Pipalkoti. We are supposed to proceed to Joshimath. But the road is blocked due to a landslide. We can see a long queue of vehicles ahead us. We wait for a couple of hours but we are informed that the landslide is still happenning. It is 15th August. So the government people who are supposed to help are not in office. So our guide informs us that we will be staying at Pipal koti that night. Since Pipalkoti is a small village, all the people who are stuck in the traffic jam are not able to get the accomodation. Luckily, there is a guesthouse of GMVN. So we manage to get some rooms there.

We take an evening walk exploring some shops in Pipalkoti and also trying to see the landslide. But then we see that the traffic jam there is so bad that we decide to walk back to our room.
I am a little apprehensive now because we are behind our schedule. We do not know when the landslide will stop. It seems that landslides have become quite frequent there mostly because people have messed up nature's balance while installing electric ploes in the mountains. Sigh! When will man learn that he can never outpower nature??

Here I Come, Himalayas- Day 1

2006-08-22T01:03:00.000-07:00

After a couple of days' stay in the scorching heat of Delhi, I start off at an early morning in Shatabdhi Express to Haridwar. The journey reveals the dumped garbage and slums on either sides of the railway track. I am depressed when I see Yamuna being reduced to a drainage place.

After arriving at Haridwar, we take a phatphati ( a three wheeler with an engine of a bike) to Rishikesh. I enjoy the ride as I am exposed to fresh air and greenery. We get to see lot of ashrams and temples on the way.

Finally we reach the guest house of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) at Rishikesh. Even though there is a nagging tiredness, both of us decide to pay a visit to the banks of River Ganga. So we walk through the narrow lanes to an ashram on the banks of Ganges. And then, I see Ganga. Al my weariness disappears as I look at the powerful, majestic river. There is a group of people out there performing a puja. So with their recitation of shlokas in the background, both of us sit on the banks and watch Ganga dumbfounded. I have never seen such a magnanimous river ever before.

I see a sadhu meditating on the banks of the river. The view of the mountains, the river and the meditating sadhu all together make me very spiritual and philosophical. In front of other creations of God, we are midgets.

We start finding our way back to the guest house as the sun sets.

Just a note on 22nd August, 2006

2006-08-22T00:55:00.000-07:00

I am at Delhi now, just back from a great vacation at the mountains. I will be leaving to Bangalore in a couple of days. Meanwhile, I thought that I should put together my experiences that I had in these eight days. It may not be an exact travelogue. I am just penning down all the random thoughts and experiences. I will try to divulge the details as I go on. So I shall post each day's experience.:)

We had gone on a package trip to Valley of Flowers and Badrinath in Uttaranchal. This trip was organized by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), a government organization.

2006-08-10T23:57:00.000-07:00

I am off to an exciting vacation far in the mountains. I will let you know the details once I am back. Meanwhile you take care and have lots of fun.:))))) Adios.:)

Rangantittu

2006-08-07T03:48:00.000-07:00

We had been to rangantittu a couple of weeks back. It was my first visit to the bird sanctuary. I think our timing for this visit was very good because we heard that they closed the sanctuary the next day, for some time.:)) I found the visit quite interesting. There were not many visitor birds because it was almost the end of the season. But I must honestly confess that the wild crocodiles there caught my attention, especially the one which was lying on a rock at the centre. Our boats went so near by to that crocodile that I was almost expecting it to jump on us any time.:))) The funny part was that a lady in our boat was not convinced that it was a live crocodile. She somehow went on justifying that it was a statue. Look at the snap and you will understand why.:))Here are some of the snaps that I clicked while we were there:

Friends

2006-08-07T00:15:00.000-07:00

They were there with me when I was broke and shattered. They corrected me when I went wrong. They applauded my efforts when success came on my way. They were there to pay my bills when I stood there penniless and unemployed. They cried with me when they caught me shedding tears. They were there for the silly jokes, banter and laughter. They sang all those nostalgic songs with me everyday.

Most of them are still my fellow travellers and the rest have taken different paths. But they form a major chunk of my life. Yep, I am talking about FRIENDS. Life has been a joyful, fun-filled ride with them.

Wish you all a happy friendship day.:))))

Hospital, Little Champ, Kishore's Unheard Song

2006-07-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hospital days again! Mom is in the hospital again. The good news is that I have not yet fought with the nurses or any of the hospital staff yet.:) Yep, they have been very helpful. Also, mom has been showing signs of improvement. Last two years have been really very difficult for her. Hopefully there are some hopes, happiness and laughter for her in the coming years.:) In spite of her pain and weariness in the hospital, she has not stopped filling the crossword.:) Way to go, Mom.:)))

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I have been watching the LITTLE CHAMP episodes of SaReGaMaPa. It is amazing to watch the little kids belting out complicated songs with so much of ease. Thanks to them- I have been getting the opportuity of listening to some rare songs. One thing that I noticed was that the parents seemed more tensed than the kids who were performing. They were acting as if it were a matter of life and death. I wish they had let the kids just enjoy their singing without thinking about the results. Among the judges, Alka Yagnik and Bappi Lahiri have been very equitable. I like the way Alka gives tips to the kids to improve further. On the whole, kudos to those little champs for giving such stunning performances.:)

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Speaking of LITTLE CHAMPS, one of the kids sang "Chanda O Chanda" on the show the other day. I was listening to it for the first time. So did a bit of research on it. The song is from "Lakhon Mein Ek" and is sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. Lata has sung the last 4 lines. So the song is dominated by Kishore Kumar. The music was composed by R.D.Burman and the lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi.

I am a great fan of Kishore Kumar. But I had never heard this song before. It is such a touching and very beautiful song. I have fallen in love with it. Every time I find out that there is some song of Kishore Kumar that I have not heard. I wonder how many more such gems of Kishore Kumar are yet to be discovered.:)

Classical Delight

2006-07-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

This sunday, we had gone to a special music concert. My uncle had invited us to an all day long music concert on the occasion of Guru Poornima. The concert started at 10 AM and ended at 10:45 PM.

On Guru Poornima, usually the disciples of a guru perform. It is their way of offering tribute to their Guru. When you go to such concerts, you need to remember that you will see lots of novices as many of them will be performing for the first time. It is a great pleasure to go to such concerts because there will be no known faces and so the audience is open minded.

I go to the Guru Poornima concert every year. This year, nine of his disciples performed. And my uncle gave a grand finale to the concert. Most of the disciples were between 15-28 years. They brought so much of freshness and enthusiasm in their music. I was thrilled when I heard them presenting complicated raagas. Kudos to all of them for puting so much of hard work and dedication which definitely showed in their performances. Let me try recalling some of the raagas:
- Chaitanya sang Jogkauns ( I had heard jogkauns by Rashid Khan and it is mindblowing. I must say that Chaitanya provided fair justice to the raaga)
- Aathma sang Bilaskhani Todi ( I had heard this Todi by Ajay Pohankar. Aathma sang it very flawlessly and melodiously.)
- Kaushik sang Shudda Saarang ( I had not heard much if this Raaga. Kaushik presented the Raaga very technically and effortlessly.)
- Siri sang Pooriya Dhanashree ( She has just finished her 10th. Siri has got a very powerful voice and I must say that she is definitely on the way to carve a niche in the field of music.)
- Amritha sang Bhageshree ( I have been hearing her every Guru Poornima. every year, she seems to come up with better performances.)
- Nethra sang Vaachaspathi ( This is a very rare raaga. Netra sang it beautifully.)
- Meera sang Jeevanpuri ( I was listening to her for the first time. She has got a very impressive voice.)
- My uncle sang Oudhava Bhageshree as the final event in the concert. I had not heard this Raag before. His performance was the cherry on the cake. It is always a great pleasure to listen to him.

Hoping to attend more of such concerts in future.:)

Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya

2006-07-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

This song is exactly what I have always felt and what I feel now. This song also expresses what I want to be. Each line is a message by itself. Yes, it is the closest to my heart. Jaidev's music added more beauty to these amazingly simple, yet rich lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi. Rafi was the soul of this song. Dev Anand added more color to it.:))

Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya
Har fikr ko dhuye mein udata chala gaya

Barbadiyon ka sog manana fizool tha
Barbadiyon ka jashn manata chala gaya

Jo mil gaya usi ko muqaddar samajh liya
Jo kho gaya main usko bhulata chala gaya

Gham aur khushi mein fark na mehsoos ho jahaan
Main dil ko uss makaam pe lata chala gaya

U better than me? I better than u?

2006-07-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

How can you compare two people? When we know that each one of us is unique here, how can we compare two personalities? Is it because we try to search for negativities or imperfections in people?

She is beautiful;she is ugly. He is rich;he is very poor. She sings well; he croaks. She is fair;she is dark.The list goes on and on.

Each one of us here have unique traits and characteristics. And we are all special, aren't we? Each one of us are bundled with positive and negative factors. It would be unfair to expect mirror images in all. How fair is it would be to compare Rahul Dravid to Shahrukh Khan? How fair is it to compare Sophia Loren with Medha Patkar? How can you say one is better than the other? If you carefully observe, then they become good, worse or best according to your judgement or opinion. And we judge them according to our set expectations.

Comparisons are more when two people work in the same field. There are comparisons between friends and even siblings. And the saddest part is that I know of some cases where these comparisons have actually led to lot of superiority or inferiority complexes.

Do comparisons happen when we don't accept people as they are? Do we try to find someone else in that person?

Well, I know that despite of whatever I am trying to say here, people will definitely continue with their comparisons. Maybe just turning a deaf ear to them and surging ahead with faith in ourselves is the best way to tackle these empty, hollow comparisons.:))

2006-07-12T02:57:00.000-07:00

My condolence to those people who lost their near and dear ones in Mumbai and Srinagar blasts yesterday. It was really heartrending to see the after effects of the blasts. As mentioned in my earlier posts, I am still not very clear about what these terrorists are trying to tell us through these blasts!!! Why are they targetting the innocent masses? And if they call this JIHAAD then I think they should fight in the open and stop these cowardly acts!