Divided we stand, united we fall

Alas! Yet again a new state added to the canvas of the country. One more line division in the map of the country. One more partition, one more administrative set up and yet another string of ‘new’ ministers in the newly formed ‘state assembly’. Telangana is announced as the new state of the country taking the toll of different states in the country to 29.
It is interesting to note that – how easy it has become to bend the government to perform a rather herculean task of creating a new state. Form a social activist group, make a mark in the public, gather people around, gain their support and ask a leader or supposed bakra to go on a hunger strike and the end result – your own state. Such a political game makes the government weak in their knees. Rather than concentrating on international issues and making a mark in the international arena, it is battling in its own territory.
If one looks at the history of formation of new states in the country, 4 of those are being added in the last 9 years, whereas previously from independence to 2000 we were ‘content’ with 25 states. One sees a shift of attitude of the independent ruling party where divide and rule seems to be obvious choice than managing a particularly large region. Andra Pradesh, which was said to be second largest state now has lost that tag – thanks to the formation of a new state, there by cutting the cake only Andra Pradesh enjoyed.
Many discussions and debates are on giving a comparison with America – the country whom we Indians have always looked upto for reasons unknown. Since they have 50 states, India should also welcome more states. But not many look at the other side, many states in India means more regional offices, more of corruption. The formation of new states ultimately betters chance of the beaurocrats to feast on added ‘malai’ (read money) to take home.
What is saddening is to known the so called ‘aspirant states’ have gained momentum with this formation. One must question whether this is formation, or dis-formation of the already existing or unnecessarily making parts of the whole.
This intra- country - partition will give rise to a new state epidemic where anyone will raise voice for a new state. Not cutting a vulnerable cake like India into parts anymore should be a strict course of action of the government henceforth.
If not such a stand, we need to rephrase the present situation of our country as ‘divided we stand, united we fall’.

Just before the wedlock

There comes a time in our life where life takes on a new turn, a new direction and we almost follow the same, unknowingly, without any force…….
The unknowns of the destination are certain and the journey towards it is the carrier of the sense of mystery for us to land to it…….
A well trodden path by many leaves certain imprints which guide us to follow…….
A sense of exhilaration, nervousness and the innumerable possibilities are explored in the restless mind……..
A sense of possession and a sense of loss also run perpetually in the thoughts…….
The amounts of sacrifices and the anticipation of achievement runs parallel……..
The conflicts of loss of freedom and the eagerness of a companion contradict the single heart…….
Hope of the future and the times of the past are remembered…….
Skepticism of commitment and secrecy of the unfolding character keeps you on your toes…….
Juggling of time between the one and the loved ones becomes an integral part……….
Unending faith and infinite desire becomes the order of the thoughts…….
Sense of responsibility and feeling of maturity becomes an important aspect of life……
Division of time and concentration at the backdrop of perpetual personal progression is the name of the juggle game……..
Meaning of a heartfelt smile and the value of a tear is an understanding that gets imbibed……
More of us than more of me becomes a priority…….
Sense of joy amongst the loved ones and the happiness to welcome someone special becomes a wonderful sight………
Uncertainty of the togetherness and belief of the self becomes the growth ingredient of the relationship……..
Consciousness of the heart & soul and numbness of the moment gets you in the flow………

These are the thoughts that run in the bachelor’s mind ‘just before the wedlock’.

That was it

I saw the movie ‘This is it’ featuring the legendary phenomenon called Michael Jackson.

The movie starts on an emotional note with all the finalized dancers of the MJ team sharing their experience the moment they come to know that they are a part of the live MJ troupe. After all, they were shortlisted from thousands of dance enthusiasts who had flown from almost all parts of the country for the auditions. What a feeling that would have been!!! To dance and perform along side one of the best talents in world music industry. Little did they realize that this would be a short lived dream.

The whole movie is nothing short but an unfolding saga of a long cherished dream of Michael Jackson. A dream to return to the musical arena with a bang. And what a comeback that would have been, if one would have known what he was planning for his fans.

The tempo of Michael Jackson performing live in London was built long before when he was shown announcing the fans of his series of concerts in London. He wanted to prove yet again that age cannot deter his passion and zeal for music. ‘This is it’ is how he concluded his announcement speech as if he meant that he is out to prove himself. After watching the documentary, one does realize that …really this is it, for the mammoth sets and lighting systems and out of the world stage designs.

One can easily see the dedication and obsession Jackson had when he knew all the musical notes from almost all his songs. Little musical pieces, little percussion elements, highs and lows of a song was like there with him everywhere he went. Stills where he is shown correcting a music arranger for the exact sound he wanted showed how minutely he monitored his shows. For the stage, to the props, to his unique and adventurous entry on stage, to the backdrop, his unique clothes, he had a plans for everything. Astonishing is the realization of the fact that the man had a great vision. A ‘larger than life’ thinking and portraying the same on stage is a job of no ordinary man.

Some parts of the movie depicts the crazy things Michael did while rehearsing for the concerts - Fire on the stage, cranes and mechanically controlled creature like objects, acrobatic stunts for the dancers and for himself ,stunning display of light and sound. Best and memorable was the dance sequence where he is shown that he gets into the dance so much that he just lies on the stage with his legs up in air and dances like a child.

Apart from his musical antics, the movie features his much debated ‘human side’. Be it the child in him where he is shown licking a lollipop while auditioning his dancers, or be it the kindness and politeness he shows for the artists who work with him. ‘God bless you’ and ‘love you’ are shown to be the frequent words coming from his mouth for all the people associated with him during the rehearsals. His songs too had a lot of social messages which were mostly written and composed by himself. ‘Earth song’ , ‘Heal the world’ , ‘Free Willy’ and several others leaves an impression of his sensitivity and empathy towards mankind.

One line in the movie describes the way Michael was, the way he lived and the way he envisioned the future when one fashion designer says ‘No boundaries for Michael’. A shocking and sudden death lead him to a place where he went beyond the boundaries and ‘That was it’ !!!

Gym-micks

Do the thing that you are most passionate about right at the start of the day - is my motto. For me, ‘almost’ every morning starts with a visit to a place which thrills me, ‘entertains’ me and also gets me into a physically refreshing mode in return for the 60 to 75 minutes that I spend there. People call it ‘gym’, but I prefer to mention it as a sports arena where many ‘gymmies’ like me who come and test their strength. The only ‘sports arena’ of sorts where one can find different exercises happening at every single moment. It is one of those places where one feels energetic and motivated merely by watching other people exercise. I have been a party to view several of these ‘sport freaks’ in various ‘sports arenas’ in Pune as well as in Mumbai. Every day, I am keen to observe the gestures displayed by almost all. My mind runs in many possible ways to try and observe these exercise seekers. I unknowingly review the ‘exercise patterns’ of all the enthusiasts around me trying to understand the underlying layer of their personalities in the way they display their exercising traits.

Every one of them wants a ‘fit’ body with each one having a distinctive association with an ideal body. Many times, a focused exerciser talks about the bodies of their idols. Or else on the other hand, many come with a frame of mind of imitating the stars of body building. Be it a Salman Khan, Hritik Roshan, Arnold or more, people want muscles just like them.

Most of the talks doing the rounds on the sports arena are the newest chick on the block or in the gym. These I call are ‘serious exercisers – of the eye’, perhaps!!!. They are always on the lookout for the ‘eye soothing views’ all around in the gym, thus caring for a ‘fit-eye’.

One sect of people is the ‘great starters and immediate end ones’ – one can see a sparkling zeal in their eyes when they come in to have a round of the gym and watch other’s exercise. They might eagerly register to start off their mission to achieve a ‘Salman’ body. They buy new clothes and shoes especially for the exercise displaying their enthusiasm. They are the ones, who are not aware of the real pain that goes into making a great body. They start gyming in their new attire and the first few days goes in doing all possible exercises as told by the instructor. As a universal fact, every machine when started after a long time will take some time to take off the initial ‘rust’. Similar is the case with body, when suddenly subjected to weights and lifts, it will resist by making it rigid when given rest. These enthusiast’s do these exercises and their muscles pain so badly that they cannot move a single inch. Their hands, shoulders get temporarily locked, thus failing to ‘comeback’ to the ‘sporting arena’ again. Thus ending their ‘dream’ of being a Salman. The dreams of the ‘Salman’ like body fades off within no time and thus remain a dream.

Another group of people are what I call as the ‘fashion displayers’. They are the ones who think that going to the gym is like a fashion trend they can boast on. One can make out their ‘showy’ attitude the moment they enter the fitness centre. They carry with themselves fashionable accessories like bags, shoes, clothes, water bottles and napkins. They will come to the gym, take time to comfortably place all their ‘baggage’ and then spend time just chit chatting. I wonder, what is the use of those water bottles and napkins that they carry. Neither do they exercise as much that they will need water nor does the napkin is in use. They are usually show-offers who come to such circuits to socialize and have a ‘party’ at the start of the day. Most of them just spend time over the phone in the gym. I distinctly remember a 'telephonic gym fanatic' who used to come to the gym talking over the phone, do all the exercises while on the phone( which is hardly possible) and leave the gym talking over the same damn phone. The instructor and me used to wonder, whether he did workout, or he 'worked-out' of the gym.

Another collection of identical characters are the ones who can be called as the ‘criers- or the ultra semi- focused’ category. These creatures will come to the gym on time. They wont miss it any single day, do very mediocre workouts, have a healthy socialization pattern in the gym and carry modest accessories with them. These tend to forget that exercising also mean that one has to follow a diet plan. After their 'miniscule strenuous exercise regime' they are so hungry that they have to eat a nice heavy breakfast that too with all the calorie building elements.

‘Sleepy’ types are the best of the lot. They come to the fitness centre as if someone has pushed them hard on their bumps to get in there. They have such a drowsy look on their faces that it is very difficult to judge whether they are in dreams exercising themselves or they are exercising in dreams. A long stare on such people’s faces would immediately tempt you to join in their dreams. These faction of the exercise seekers are a forced entry into the arena and with no zeal to perform, make their presence felt on the attendance register just for the sake of it. I remember having an instructor who used to have these sleep attacks every morning in the gym. I used to find it extremely funny when he used to sleep while giving instructions. I wonder how these ‘sleepy motivators’ will stimulate their students when they themselves are moti-vated enough.

The ensemble of the gym instructors too form an interesting case of personality traits to watch out for, for the way they direct their students to realize their dreams of a fit body. May of the gym instructors I have seen have been so fit, that I wonder they themselves need some exercising to teach other’s. They come with such a ordinary body type that merely by the glance one can make out that more than the students, it is them that need good exercise routine to follow.

With a vast variety of ‘body-builders’ that I came across, I always tried to identify and relate some personality traits displayed by them and try to find out the link with the exercise pattern and the way they exercise. This gives me immense insight into the many shades of the human persona. The mere fact that the way a person exercises can give you an inkling of the way he/she is, is interesting enough. Thus I always aspire to start my day along with these shades of exercises lovers which I call ‘gym-micks’.

Dis-is-integration

‘All Indians are my brothers and sisters’ is the first line of our country’s pledge. This is what we are taught when we are in school, during our growing up years. We are taught to be compassionate towards each other, towards the other person and the importance of values of being a ‘good human being’.How much of this pledge holds true, especially in today’s scenario?

With the publicity stunts of the politicians to tear apart us Indians, do we really feel ‘compatible’ with each other? Is a Marathi manus as attuned to someone from UP,Bihar? The notions of regional differences are getting imbibed in us knowingly, unknowingly by the constant exposure of various mediums.

Every state is shouting their identity in various forms, thus boasting of their uniqueness. This marginal difference of regional attitudes is evident in the less sensible portions of society where people fight with each other based on the groundless clause of regionalism.

A person coming from a particular state or an area doesn’t make him an outsider in his own motherland. The whole issue contradicts the notion of democracy that certain Indians can’t roam around freely or live freely in other states.

What is disheartening to know is that such cases happen in metropolitan cities of the country, where people throng for opportunities. They are thrashed right at the point of access and exit like the railway stations, thus carrying inhumane views of the particular state. Their ‘sense of arrivals’ and ‘sense of departures’ carry ugly mental pictures of the unreal state they previously aspired for.

I realized the attitude of these regional differences penetrating in our minds when I along with my friends from different states of the country jokingly said that hey don’t say anything about Marathi manus or else you would be beaten up. Though there was a humorous connotation to the issue, what made me apprehend was the differentiation that is being inculcated in our minds. Of course, the media has a major hand in imbibing ‘these values’ in us.

Differences of regionalism are evident in people’s mind and always poke their nose out time and again when such issues arise.What is heartening to realize is the fact that now people are taking an issue of a much deeper impact in a much ‘light’ hearted manner. If taken as a serious note by all, shall lead us to dire consequences.

Arey who Bihari, Up wala bhaiyya, Marathi manus, sardar, madras etc are being taken lightly by the people. Instead of calling each other by the state names or creating anyone’s identity from the place he/she comes from, we need to keep an eye on the type of character he or she represents, more than anything else. Then we can say truly that our pledge holds true meaning.

Dis-is-integration!!!

Rang de yaara

Everything in this world is related. Art relates to other forms of art and various art forms relate to other parallels in the form to create a cohesive form of art.

City building or city making is an art in itself and it needs constant efforts and imagination of the city building artists??to dwell on the large canvas they have. With the limitations of the natural features, rules and regulations, bureaucracy, they have to ‘create’ a city which is piece of art. This piece of art goes through a constant phase of changes in its intricate patterns and textures. One can consider a city made up of more complex and much more obscure components, which marks basic components of the fuller city mosaic. On a more poetic thought, what if we consider each and every city as a perfect example of painting. A moving painting perhaps?

I have been intrigued by this perpetual imagination that every city when visualized by an eye from a larger aerial distance could actually look like a moving painting. When cities looked from an aero plane make a distinct pattern and texture relating it with a work of art in itself. These thoughts concretize more when one views the city from a higher moving object like the aero plane.

On an unusual thought – what if we look at cities from unique art perspective. Leave apart from the theories which state that city building is an art in itself. What can make as a curious case is that leave apart the basic structure of a city viz; major roads, infrastructural fundamentals like bridges, natural features like mountains that can form a extensive sketch out of the ‘painting’ while in the additional elements like buildings and other sub layers form the derived essentials. Whereas the moveable’s like people, cars etc can be the finer tones of one large canvas of work of art.

If we consider each person as one pixel in the large print of the city, their choreography of movement patterns, their intermingling destinations could become an integral part of a moving city mosaic.

To add to the rhythm is the eclectic play of the seasons where the almighty bestows us with the real marvels of his vivid imagination. Once we have a colourful blend of the rainbows, rains painting the city green, flowers, beautiful insects, and beautiful living beings. All such visually stimulating features add charm to the city image.

Some enchanting cities like Venice, Amsterdam can present an beguiling painting with the presence of water…a ‘water’-colour effect perhaps? Such places are ruled by the character of water, thereby giving it a guideline of sorts. Thus we have city of canals, or city of rivers or city of mountains etc.Some other European destinations which boast of a colourful mix of culture can represent an exclusive form of city painting.

Cities built on hills have a different kind of creative forces which govern them as the terrain is the natural indicator giving them the required principle. Such ‘paintings’ can be naturally colourful with the added incentive of a wonderful weather.

No matter the location of the cities, derivatives , intricacies and the pattern it represents, one thing is for sure is that there are no words to describe the creative force driving these wonderful city palettes. The outpouring of creativity surges from the depths of the artists and floods the canvas, time to time. The dynamism never dries up, it remains as an inaccessible mystery, capable of calling forth the deepest of obscurity to help change the nature of the way it occurs at any given moment. There by, the city creates, fashions and models a subjective, stimulating and thought provoking work of art.

Rang de yaara!!!

Back of my mind

Human being – the one animal which god bestowed upon the ability to ‘think’ as in comparison to other ‘animals’. This ‘thinking’ when used as a positive connotation leads us humans to great extents in each facet of life. But when ‘this thinking’ goes on an unconstructive trait leads us humans to murky facets of human survival.

These various facets of human existence are certainly evident in many great achievements and manmade catastrophes in the world. World wars, nuclear bombing, wars both at an international level and national level is one side of the human persona. Love, like, warmth, care forms another aspect. Respect, reverence, admiration, worship can be named as the third. Anger, hatred, jealousy somehow gets imbibed in the human minds leading to some disgraceful actions. These various facets of human nature can be seen in the day to day life depending on the circumstances a person is subjected to.

What interests me though is the fact that this ‘mind’ sets apart all human beings. Brain functions for more of the rational decisions we take in day-to-day life, but the experiences we face in the routine life linked with emotions are stored in human body in a place called as ‘mind’. The nurturing and conditioning of this mind forces the body to function in a certain manner. Unfulfilled aspirations, unattainable relations, unachievable desires can make the mind an unkempt place. But on the other hand successes for the efforts, directed energy, learning from each experience can nutrition the mind to ‘behave’ in an appropriate manner.

Where one can see the human minds going great depths to attain love, gratitude in life, there is an evil side of the human psyche too on display. The so called ‘grey shades’ of human mind. As universally accepted fact that the constructive mind when applied in a productive way can leap in bounds for the human being ,destructive mind can lead us to a path where only hell prevails.

A case example to establish this relation between the true cause of the ‘mindful’ or ‘mindless’ behavior was when I could see both the sides of human psyche in one of the more revered festivals for the Hindus. The much scared act of worshipping the almighty can display a variant of human mentality. The act is same, to worship the lord, but there are several ways to ‘display’ their affection. One can see worshiping the lord being practiced as a business venture: thus commercializing the ‘sacred act’. Putting on exorbitant prices on puja, unnecessarily charging for doing some basic things in ‘sacred places’ have become the order of the day. We are nothing but falling in the traps of these fraudulent menaces. To add to the agony are the unruly fights which happen on streets during procession, in scared places like temples, thus questioning the ‘sacred act’ of worship in totality.

I was utterly shocked and shaken to witness the many rowdy shades of the human mind unfolding in front of me when I happened to attend this year’s Ganesh festival procession. On one hand was the ritual of the procession being followed where thousands of devotees throng such places who are drunk. The sacred act of immersing the ganesh idol is accompanied by these unwanted elements. How on earth can one allow such dirty rudiments? To add to the fury is the havoc they create in such crowded areas when they lose control of their senses. Unnecessarily belting someone inhumanely, unsettling the crowd, eve-teasing women are some of the ‘regulars’ on such an arena. Many people have lost faith in the divinity of the public procession due to these cheapos.

Briefly an analysis ran in my mind after being an onlooker for the procession which was - Human beings though are conferred with the ‘uniquely different’ biological features , differ from each other in terms of individual actions all because of the mind, the emotional baggage that they carry with them.

Perhaps! That is why the phrase ‘back of my mind’

Similar yet Different

Life makes us come across people from various sects of the the social order. Majority of them form the people in the places where we grow, places we live, places we learn and places where we work. My workplace is such a place where I come across an eclectic mix of all the classes of people.

Right from the security guard,security incharge, office boys, house cleaning staff people from various departments, my colleagues, my bosses form a strong network of people around me for 9 hours of the day. Other than work, I enjoy observing the typical personality traits of all people around me.

With the accustomed and cheerful good morning wishes of the security guard to customary smiles of the house cleaning staff, to the ‘professional’ approach of fellow counterparts to the friendly yet demanding natures of the seniors, I take pleasure in being a quiet spectator to them.

But there are two distinctly different faction of people that ‘attracts’ me to observe. From the curious and anxious eyes of the villagers and farmers to the sparkle in the corporates, my office space sees it all. Amongst all the people who visit our office, my eyes stabilizes mostly on two interesting cases of habituals - The farmers/ villagers who are regulars to my office and the consultants/ clients who frequent our premises. Ours being a real estate development company, it deals with the land issues of the farmers and villagers, thus directing them to come over to our organization for negotiations. It is always amusing to ‘read’ these village dwellers from their body language and nature of their talks. It is an excellent example to be a eyewitness to the people from all walks of life walking in and out of the ‘office space’.

Really brilliant is to ‘listen unknowingly’ to the issues of the farmers and the villagers who wait for their turn to meet the concerned official. The anxiety of getting a good deal for their lands, reaping in huge returns or meager dividends are the thoughts running in their minds which are evident in their naïve eyes. A good deal that can help them fulfill their dreams, can get them money to get a better lifestyle, to sacrifice the piece of land they have taken care of as a baby of their own. Somewhere I can see a sense of emotional attachment to the soil they have grown up, but also knowing that this forgo can make their lives even better.

On the contrary, I distantly come across these adamant negotiators who stand firmly refusing to part with their land thus posing threat to the holistic development of the city.

Interesting to see is the attire of ‘these traditional sons of soils’ as I call them which adds grace to their personality. It is lovely to see that they are proud of their traditional elements of dressing like the turbans, nav-vari saris (time-honored marathi sari) and the extravagant yet simplistic jewellery.

On the other hand are the consultants and the clients who carry with them the confidence, exuberance and the gait which is noticeable. Most of them have a ‘unique style of their own- just like the other one’. But one can not miss them certainly especially in the crowd when their dressing and fashionable accessories. Moreover their loud smells will make u catch the attention of your nose buds. Such piercing is the smell of their deodorants and perfumes that you can ‘smell’ them from a distance – I think of this as a wake up call,perhaps! With the restricted and calculated body moves, they form the ‘professional’ segment of the society.

Nevertheless, my place of work proves to be an excellent platform to observe, ‘study’ and analyze fascinating assortment of the human species which are ‘similar yet different’.

The Music

“Bahot kuch life mein first time hota hai mamu” says one of the famous movie characters in one of the critically acclaimed movie. Something happened for the first time in my life this week and I was a total enthusiast to it. I was a part of a ganesh procession in a small but significant manner. My dhol playing antics got the most of me, where I participated in a procession and my joy knew no bounds. No thrill of whom I am playing with, no excitement of who are the people who are going to be around me, no thrill of whether the audience will like me playing it , just pure zeal of playing the musical instrument.

A parallel expression to explain the sudden rush of feelings in me would be like a child given a favorite toy which he is longing to get since ages.

All of the years before, I was being an ardent spectator for the ‘other’ dhol performers, always in awe of their capabilities to create music that was class apart. But this year, it was an elation to ‘being on the other side of the fence’, where I was a part of the troupe to ‘create’??? sounds the audience can gyrate onto.

Yesterday being the first day of the Ganesh festival, a celebratory mood was in the air since early morning where we got the idol of most revered deity at my home. After installing it with pujas and aarti’s, I headed directly to my friend’s place where we had to ‘perform’.

The dhol being the ‘traditional’ musical instrument, it is used mostly to celebrate the home coming of the deity. It is mostly accompanied by the infamous ‘Tasha’, another musical instrument that needs specialized skills to derive the soothing sounds. One has to be a master to get apposite sounds from it. Dhols form the base for the Tashas, where the two play parallel to compliment each other. Thus the duo-combination is called ‘Dhol-tasha’.

All of us – the dhol players gathered together, tied the pleasant-sounding instrument on our waists and headed to the starting point of the procession. With the slogans of ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’, one of the Tasha players gave the salami with an impressive note. Respecting the Tasha, the dhols followed suit , thus creating harmonious beats. As the music flowed, new beats, new rhythms and new compositions followed. Slowly and steadily, the much empty street started having anxious yet smiling faces of the onlookers. They were being receptive audience for the show that was being put up in front on them. Within no time we were surrounded by a considerable number of people around us. It was a wonderful feeling to see people around you, who don’t know you, but are enjoying the way you are playing the musical instrument. ‘Being on the other side’ excites you sometimes!

The procession continued for an hour and half and the climax was no more of an enthralling performance. The whole experience can’t be penned down thoroughly, but captivated my heart to the maximum. A fitting experience for my passion for ‘the music’.

Sheer Ecstasy

It was round and was lying just in front of me, waiting for me to have a go at it. The long cherished dream of holding it around my waist made my energy levels soar high. I touched it for the first time and could sense the thump of excitement running in my body. It was nice, round and had a big black spot on its centre on either side, marking the area for it to be hit upon. Its only sight used to make me touch it, feel it and quixotic.

I got a pump when the moment was nearing, when it was going to be tied to me around my waist.

A burning desire to hold it around me and enjoy its presence around me made me like a restless kid and suddenly when I realized that it is going to be close around me, my joy new no bounds.

Before anyone comes up with any vivid imaginations regarding what I am mentioning, let me make it clear that the ‘it’ that I am referring to is the dhol.

I always dreamt of playing the dhol during the much awaited Ganesh festival. I used to be a joyful spectator listening to the beats of the dhol and its echoing sounds used to fill vigor in me.

And the moment had arrived when ‘the dhol’ was tied around my waist. My romance with it was about to start. Lot of anxiety, curiosity and adrenalin pumped in my body as I was about to play the dhol for the first time in my life. Mixed feelings of whether I would be able to play it right, whether I can match up with my fellow counterparts, the fact that the dhol would be tied to me for long were running in my mind. But as soon as the first beat of other dhols hit me, the oomph flowed and I slowly transcended into a new world. A world of music, of vibrancy, of passion, of sheer bliss. I followed suit and could surprisingly match the beats of my comrades instilling the confidence in me that i can be a good drummer ( given a chance though).

The vibrations that the dhol created when it is hit hard rushed into my body and took me into a trance for a whole one hour. This was the state I made myself enter into for an hour for the entire week which was of 'sheer ecstasy'.

The Mask Effect

Come August and the terms H1N1, influenza, swine flu which are otherwise ‘medical’ terms ring the ears and eyes of many in the ‘market’. These have suddenly become a part of everyday lingo of the people. Otherwise used as medical terms are looked as terms to scarify the populace. A virus started somewhere in Mexico , traveled all the way to US, UK, several parts of the world has now arrived in India, that too in a big way. As the news reports suggests, it is gripping the country and taking it by storm.

As in case of the normal flu, this one proves even deadly as not a full fledged vaccine / cure has been derived yet. Moreover, only ‘American’ company based tablets??? (read Tamiflu) can prevent the virus. On one hand, there is a shortage for the same tablet and on the other the municipal corporation plans to make these compulsory for all the citizens.

Another preventive measure is wearing masks / handkerchief’s to cover up the faces, especially. It’s funny to see everybody turning out to be a Jim Carey with their version of ‘the mask’. Wonder if this mask too does the same tricks as what Jim’s could do??? (Carry on ‘mask’ing) . I see all the people around with those surgical masks as if they are about to operate someone or the other. ‘An operative mission’ perhaps?

Really funny are the shapes and sizes of these masks. Eventually these have become a ‘fashion statement’ for the people. The day is not far when we will have some designer masks donning the rounds of the market with various colours, cuts and laces. Otherwise neglected ‘mouth coverings’ have abruptly gained importance in the daily attire of people.

The measures subscribed by ‘Baba Ramdev’ too are doing the rounds with mixtures of some jadi-buti and asanas to cure the alien body, thus proving an Indian version of the cure.

Numerous text messages, mails, brochures, pamphlets, banners, posters are making their present felt in the lives of the people. The otherwise crowded spaces of the city are having a totally deserted look. An ideal time to really enjoy these places sans the crowd, perhaps?

The imperceptible germ has seized the city and slowly marching to clutch the country at large (hope that doesn’t happen). Was a surprise to get to know that the city like Pune is getting affected drastically from an international pandemic? A positive aspect to look at is the presence the locales have in the international market. All public places are shut and talks of accepting the ‘Mexico’ model are on. This will create a shunted image to the city. But if closing down the city because of the deadly virus is going to help then let’s go for it. Let us enjoy the walls of our homes, let us enjoy being at home at long, and let us enjoy the frustration of not going out in the city.

I was just wondering – strange are the ways of the world where an invisible bug can have such a ‘visible’ catastrophic effects on the mankind that can ultimately lead to ‘the mask effect’.

Ring tone-d

The dawn of the year 2000 brought in an invention which revolutionized the whole way the world perceives communication - the mobile. Of course, it was known as an invention since long before, but with the new century, its popularity and reach amongst the masses gained momentum. With time, this invention slowly became necessity and now has become as equal as a ‘family member’ in almost all houses. It is like a tail following the owner leaving behind a trail in the form of a ‘ring tone’.

The tunes with which one uses to ‘reach’ his mobile became the ‘face’ of that particular person. Ring tones, the new identity of the person in a crowd evidently become an inevitable part of a person and his image in the society at large. Everyone thereby, wanted to make a mark in the public with his / her ‘voice’ of the ring tone. Slowly, this small invisible craze made such an impact in the day to day life that it has become a usual affair for the human being.

Changing ring tones, exchanging ring tones, setting unique ring tones is a trend of sorts amongst the youth and the mobile users in general. In addition, the money ensnarers ‘sell’ this invisible product in the market. It proves to be an interesting and an unsual marketing gimmick that a product not visible to the eyes is being marketed so extensively.

An interesting fact or a field of study is what drives a person to choose a particular ring tone. Has it to do with his psyche or with the mental condition? With the changing moods, one prefers to change his/her ring tones. Some like to keep it aloud, some keep unusual unheard songs as their uniqueness, some prefer to keep it on silent, perhaps like to keep a low profile in the crowd?

This indiscernible ‘item for consumption’ is up for grabs and has made such a presence felt in the market at large that now movies are coming up with tunes which can be promote along with the music. Several movies come up with these ‘forced’ tunes/hymns to target the aficionado.

I have these unusual experiences as far as these ringtones are concerned and have come across several ‘matchless’ choices as ringtones.

I have met people with really good taste in selecting a ring tone, which are really soothing to hear and also can stun you several times with the way it sounds. Some like to keep it as professional as possible and can be boring sometimes. Some like to have a really absurd choices for the music that I wonder how can someone keep ring tones like ‘pardesi pardesi’ (par-desi hoon???). Some people are bizarrely patriotic and their ‘patriotism’ in the form of ring tones suddenly springs up from no where , ‘Mere Desh ki Dharti’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ suddenly bounces up from nowhere and that too at some strange situations . Devotional people are the best of the lot. I attended one meeting, a professional meet and everyone was discussing an issue. Suddenly in the middle of a heated discussion, someone’s devotional trait jumped up and that too aloud.’ Tum hi ho mere swami’ and ‘ Jai mata’ ringtones abruptly changes the ambience into a devotional nature. But the ringtone ‘nature’ of one office boy in my workplace takes the cake for me. He possesses this uncanny knack of getting weirdest, wackiest and extremely unheard ( read useless) tracks as ring tones. I refer to those ones as ‘bang’ tones. ’tujhe pyar kaise' and some really unheard songs are part of his daily identity. Moreover, he boasts of these hit songs by keeping maximum volume, thus the whole office gets to know of his hard hitting presence.

Same ‘ring tone theory’ applies to the other facet the mobile carries i.e the text messages. The same funda of eerie message tones also make a mark of the person’s messagial identity. Ringtone like sound of a coin dropping, a click, a gun shot, a rising alarm are just some of the message tones that alerts the person of a message. Lot of ‘innovative’ message tones too has gained popularity in the general masses.

Ultimately, whatever tone a person’s carries, one thing is for sure – we all are inevitably ‘ring-toned’.

Happy and gay

The Delhi High Court’s verdict of de-criminalization of the homosexuality brought in a wave of innumerable discussions, viewpoints and a revolution of sorts. It was an anti-Indian verdict given by the law and not many abide to it. Promoting gayism, lesbianism in a culturally rich country like India comes like a shock to a large number of people.

In a way, the law is portraying that India is on a developable path and being progressive by accepting such alien issues. India has always followed a rich heritage and even with the tabooed issue of sexuality had Khajuraho and kamasutrian stands to fortify that the reproductive act of the nature should be between human species of opposite sex. Though, it is the sole choice of the individual to choose his sexual tendency. But just a peep into the future where we can envisage a young male adult coming and telling his parents that he has selected a boy for marriage would be ‘natural’? This reminds me of the Virgin mobile ad which addresses the same issue in a comical manner- the girl wants to go out with her boyfriend, but addresses the parents that she prefers company of girls rather than guys, and the father immediately lets her go with her boyfriend to save her from the unnatural behavior towards girls. Think hatke! as the punchline goes, but the court verdict has not just thought hatke…but in my opinion has thought of the Indian culture in a ‘hatke’ manner.

Introducing such aberrant sexual behavior in the name of democracy is not what will lead India to the path of ‘progression’. It will make India ‘just like any other country’ where..sab kuch chalta hai kind of attitude will be prevalent. This decision will bring in an attitude of no restriction, no limitations and no hold in the nascent stages of understanding one’s sexual behavior.

The positive dimension of this verdict is that it will help reduce rate of population in a miniscule proportion. With same sex marriages, same sex live in relationships such species when ‘plan’ to start a family will have to adopt a child, thus giving a ‘home’ for the orphan. Taking this situation further, one can imagine how such a child is brought up….what kind of strange influences will be imbibed in him/her in the early stages of life. My ‘mother’ / ‘father’ is of the same sex as opposed to other normal parents are astonishing values which will be absorbed by the innocent mind. One wonders what kind of sexual orientation such a child will respond to. His/her parents might give him/her the ‘forced freedom’ to choose his bed partner.

India has always looked towards the ‘west’ for clues for development. Practices like homosexuality have become an inevitable part of their culture. This unwelcome choice of de-criminalization of ‘loving’ same sex species in India is a ‘waste’ influence. While I am of the opinion that accepting this gayish attitude for a country like India will lead India to a rise in attitudinal confusion where India might loose its identity of a democracy with certain limitations. Where are all those so called moral police when India is celebrating such a revolutionary judgment? They can raise petty issues like girls going to pubs, celebrating certain days then why this radical verdict not being questioned?

No agitation means acceptance of the judgment and welcoming the change the country is never accustomed to. One can sense India in the recent future with the ‘implied’ meaning of the term Happy and gay

Michael Jackson - a 'History'

‘King of Pop’ died yesterday following a heart failure…announced a radio jockey over the radio on the morning of 26^th June 2009 while I was having my breakfast with the usual habit of listening to radio. The news shocked the hell of me as I couldn’t believe what I listened to. I couldn’t believe my ears, for the first time though, reconfirmed with my mother about the broadcast and whether the words from the mouth of radio jockey were the same as what fell on my ears. She confirmed it and I could imagine myself falling in the deep ocean of grief.

Michael Jackson….the idol for whom I had deep respect, love and admiration was no more. Leave apart his ‘antics’, but as a musician and a talent he was class apart. I grew up admiring and imitating the impeccable dance moves of one of the worlds best dancers and I am sure fans all over worldwide will miss the person, his music and the ‘human’ side of the phenomenon called Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson has had a deep influence on the musical taste that got imbibed in me in my growing up years and could understand beats, rhythm listening to his music. I was exposed to this cult also branded as MJ. The dream to attend a MJ live concert was shattered the immediate moment as those unruly words hit me.

Today the whole day is spent in remembering the crazy things that I did remembering MJ…a dance show with a partner copying almost all the MJ dance movements, to the talks and debates about his music and fighting with people who used to bad mouth about him to getting large posters of the King and emulate his styles.

Being an ardent MJ fan, few words of grief and remembrance and prayers for his soul to lay in peace is how I can offer my share of condolences amongst the millions who would share the same feeling.

Lastly Michael Jackson proved to be a ‘Dangerous’ly ‘Invinsible’ ‘Thriller’ of a person who has left behind an immense ‘History’ written ‘Off the wall’ several times behind us to make us feel ‘Bad’….the King of Pop will live long in the hearts of fans

Michael Jackson – a ‘history’

City: past perfect or future tense-d?

We often dream. A dream of a bright future and an anticipation that the future will bring in all the things that we aspire for. Whether it is money, happiness, relations and security, we always look forward to the future. The cities are no less and somewhere each city dreams of its existence. We, the inhabitants of different cities can shape / de-shape a city into making a ‘city of dreams’ or a ‘city only in dreams’. The local authority constantly ‘fights’???? to create a ‘healthy’ future of the cities. But one must question whether these decision makers share the same dream as the common man?? Crores of money that is pumped in for the pretext of development of the cities find its several routes wither into the already wealthy pockets of these decision makers or into procrastinating things to make it work in the city. The denizen should be curious enough to question the authorities as to where does the money go.

One question that constantly pesters me is whether: The money is directed to make the cities of the past or cities of the future? Are we making a forward transgression or a reverse progression? The question then is: What is a city of the future, anyway?

Insofar as stimulus funds are available to repair failing bridges, dams, roads and vital infrastructure, that's where they should be invested.

To begin putting each city on the road to the future should be a on high priority. Which means building communities that are secure from energy supply disruptions and crippling energy prices. Laced with safe routes for people to walk and bicycle; able to provide a variety of mobility options so that everyone - including the young, old and disabled - has access to vital services.

Cities of the future condemn no neighborhood to be the dumping ground for waste, pollution or traffic; conserve vital resources such as water; prepare to withstand the anticipated impacts of climate change, including heat waves and extreme weather; protect and restore natural places so that kids of all ages have contact with nature; foster social interaction; and avoid urban sprawl, to name a few criteria.

If the benefits of building for the future are not clear, the urban leaders should think of it this way: If they plan to invest in buildings, transit systems, streets or infrastructure and those improvements are meant to last more than a decade, they are not building the city for themselves. They're building it for their children. The goal should be to create a community that remains competitive for generations to come as a wonderful place to live and do business.

The only anticipation is these urban leaders should have a vision that shouldn’t make the city as a brilliant example of ‘past perfect and future tense-d?’

School of Thought

‘We, as human being have as much as sixty thousand thoughts running in our mind, on an average, in a particular day’. I came across this interesting piece of information while reading a book. Most of these thoughts are repetitive in nature.

            I was trying to intrigue within myself as to how these thoughts monitor each other. If we as human beings recycle the same thoughts again and again, why aren’t we tired of thinking? Coz sixty thousand thoughts in a particular day come to an average of 42 thoughts in a minute. These 42 thoughts, if varying, can create marvels for the humans, for the city, for the nation at a broader context.

            But what human beings generally do is churn out the similar thoughts  every day, perhaps every minute???

            An interesting fact to look at , esp the way these thoughts shape our lives. As one of the points of the philosophy of existentialism goes: man chooses to act or behave in a particular situation, because of the way he has been conditioned. These thoughts are the only feeder to condition the human mind. The thoughts can make or break a person. Make him worthwhile to be a sensible figure in the society or break him to being unavoidable in the social eye.

            Just for a change, if one tries to simulate a situation where 1/10^th of those thoughts of an individual (i.e. 4 thoughts in a minute probably) are streamlined to process different productive and proactive situations, then the results can be astonishing. This holds true for a single individual. A collective exercise amongst a massive bunch of people can reap in manifold options which can lead us to mind-boggling results. That’s where one can dream of making a city / nation into a more meaningful and productive means of human existence. 

            Man’s greatest struggle for all time has been to master his/her mind. If we feed the mind with healthy and productive thoughts, we can accomplish this task with an ease. But as it is said, it is so difficult to be so simple.

            Shape…deshape….reshape is a constant process to stay fit internally and the muscles (read thoughts) need constant nourishment and necessary proteins to help it grow in proper spirit. If given proper treatment can shape it less or can make it shapeless. One needs to be a ‘thinking man’ and a ‘re-thinking’ man too perchance??? That is perhaps my school of thought. 

Blue vs Red

What a match…IPL final..Deccan Chargers versus Royal Challengers Bangalore!!!

Ranked last two for the first edition of the cricket contest clashed for the top two spots in this one….and the team which had no glamour but game plan, super performances and a purple cap winner clinched their hands on the golden India with a batsman driving the trophy. A deserving team all the way through slowly and steadily became the strong contenders for the plaque.

‘They-can Charge us’ (DC) is what they proved on to the Wanderers on 24^th May ’09 as they proved no wanderers but focused strongly on a crucial win.

Bangalore started hot favorites with lot of emotional backing for the two veteran players, who might be playing their last version of the short game.

Watching the cricketing bonanza live at the luxury of your home is priceless especially when family members are around, cheering every run by the DC and every wicket of the RCB. To cheer it up was the delicious bhel and some coke to quench the thirst (for a DC win perhaps !!)

But the most interesting part was all of my friends were watching the game at one of my friend’s place, while I was praying for the chargers at a fixed location at my home (some superstition I believe).

Tons of expectations from Gilchrist were shattered with the very first minute of the match when he unnecessarily stepped out only to be bowled by the opposition captain. By I was ‘bowled’ over by the temperament and stroke play of Gibbs, choosing sensible balls to hit and guiding the DC to a comfortable total. The cracker of an innings by Sigh-man-ds….gave a sense of sigh! coz those hard hitting shots proved match winners later on in the game.

The slow start of RCB gave a sense of a cautious run chase which proved extremely dismal at the end of the game. Wickets at regular intervals proved helpful to distance the chasers from the set total.

A sense of joy with fists pumping high in the air was the kind of expressional verb that can be used to describe the moment that made me proud of myself of the self belief that I had in the DC and the fact that didn’t prove me wrong. It was the similar feeling which rushed through my blood when I saw the Indians thrashing the Pakistani team in the T20 world cup finals two years back when the men in blue thrashed the men in green for a thumping win. I was assumingly joyful for my silent intuition since the start of the game was unfolding in front of my eyes and I was one cheerful spectator who saw a thumping win of the DC-ians in a clash of colour blue vs red. 

Kaun-t??

16^th may 09, the day India ‘counts’!!! Literally, India ‘count’-ed on for this day so that all those who ac-count-ed themselves will be stamped with a number. A number giving a meaning to their ‘character’ or the image in the people’s mind. Some loose, some win, but what stays them is this number that will be with them for 5 years, till the time they contest again (perhaps if the people allow him/ her to do so in that time span). 

Lot of speculation goes in, TV channels feature all these ‘role models’ (rolled up as models perhaps) as the next successor or failure for the next 5 years. Some go on to become ‘prime’ as ‘ministers’, some with the aspirations of being a ‘ ‘prime minister’, while most of them ‘prime-arily’  want to be a ‘minister’. 

Successors go on to win hearts of people??? with the added responsibility J of performing to save their ‘created image’ and failures retrospect to analyze which area (in the city / ward) did they spend less ‘ to build up a public image’.

Some surprises that spring up feel proud of themselves not knowing that its the money that has made them ‘surprised’ J. 

Some genuine persons who stand for the elections…are supported only by the genuine people, and are out numbered in every dept of the game that they wonder whether to risk being ‘genuine’. 

To add to the ‘fury’ is the ‘fuel’ in the form of astonishing number of voters that go on to vote. 50% is the average number of voters that go and actually vote for the country. Vote are the others doing? Take the luxury of ‘declared holiday’? 

People vote and forget, results are out and forgotten, what really rules the hearts of the people is the ‘trust’ that people have in the ‘cream of the crop’ and anticipation that these ‘creams’ who buttered them for the ‘chair’ deliver : deliver not only in terms of responsibilities but also by enhancing the city image and that of the nation at large…..so they can be a-kaun-ted.

A drop in the Ocean

    I was reading an article the other day regarding the excessive use of energy going on these days. While the world's destruction is prolonged by another 20 years to 2029 (due to excess in the energy output- source news article in the TOI), one has to find out ways of living where we can consume much lesser of the energy reserves that we have. 'Smarter use is the use' should be the motto.

            Even small changes in day to day life can create healthy and smart life. The need of the time is to use technology in a much effective and smarter way, rather than copiously spending money and time on doing things. Small gestures like replacing means of conveyance plays a crucial role in the total mechanism of energy saving. Using less of cars/ two wheelers...replacing them with legs, either on cycles or on roads for shorter distance conveyance is the smart solution.

            Even buying less / as per need makes sure that the reserves are utilized in a better way.

            After all, having an open mind to the solutions and thinking creatively about how we improve our communities and our lifestyles while we do it holds the key.

            Design has a crucial role to play in this process, for design is among the most important engines of innovation. Design is not only the final designed product--a table, building, urban plan or landscape--it is also the design thinking process itself, the very means by which a whole variety of plausible solutions are created, tested and transformed into innovations.

            Looking forward to the design innovations like the electric car, electric bicycles / bikes, energy saving flooring materials, blocks that absorb human energy and recreate it for alternative uses are some of the energy saving innovations which can excite the future generations. 

            Creative thinking and spreading awareness about it is the ‘in thing’ for the present generations. This will not only fashion a healthy lifestyle for us, but for the entire world.

As the world is made up of 70% water, let us ‘drop’ in the water and make the ocean a better place to live.

Lets us all be the ‘drop in the ocean’

Fine-ally

I remember this movie name called ‘Everybody says I am fine’. Really an apt and generic title which could be taken sarcastically once one looks into it in a humorous way. Either everybody is actually fine, thus say so or perhaps everybody is bogged down by the ways of the world that they have to eventually say..i am fine. When one tries to intrigue further into this small term, it gives a multi dimensional aspect of life to it.

In todays context, perhaps, when asked..how are you…. everyone might just end up saying ‘ I am fine-d????’. well, that’s the way the local , state or national authorities want to treat people….not in a fine manner but a fine-d manner. Fining people have been an order of the day to actually ‘extract’ the way they should live. Such ‘fine’ tuning is penetrating into the lives of people like a slow poison. Fine for wrong parking, fine for wasting water, fine for not wearing helmets, fine for not wearing seat belts, fine for not segregating garbage, the list goes on???? The issue is not about the local authorities fining people, but lies in the people itself, where one has to question the moralities of the people for the government to implement such fines. An alarming rise in the road accidents due to improper riding, not wearing safety gears results in the possible implementation of fines.

‘Precaution is better than cure’ is the age old adage, which should be followed unanimously rather than creating situations where people have to act under the con-fines of the authorities. Such fines drain down in the ‘ever thirsty’ pockets of the government officials. So not creating situations where we can quench these pockets is the ultimate solution. Moreover, looking at it from the authorities’ point of view, the negligence of people to law has made the strict use of this tool as the ultimate weapon.

Indian system actually being so lenient, that one can easily escape through the law by depositing these fines, thus re-fining the malpractices. People too have become smarter when they know that they can easily flee from a certain situation by just paying such fines.

So its on the individual to look at it as a tool for change in attitude or as a cushion to getaway from things. 

So the continuum in the people’s attitude towards the law and the disrespect can result in everyone saying about each other …he is my ‘fine’-‘ally’

 

Green

The colour of the decade / century rather??, one must say. These days, everyone around is talking about it. Green cities, green buildings, green cars, green fuel, green what not.

But ‘green’ means not just giving a colour green to the external façade. It has much more deeper and diverse meaning rather just the type facial connotation.

What one is trying to achieve by ‘green awareness’ is hygienic living, respecting the nature for its immense contribution and volunteering personally for spreading the actual essence of living.

As far as greening the buildings is concerned, one is talking about making individual building sustainable. The concept of vertical farming is well thought of and should be encouraged if one has to survive in the age of global warming. The mere mention of buildings producing basic needs of people like fruits, vegetables is astonishing. But such an edge in the technology also makes a bigger hole in the pocket. It is not within the reach of a common man to dream of such a building to own for himself. This is where the government should step in and subsidize such technological achievements. When one is talking about making creative cities, initiatives like these should be encouraged to make cities more creatively meaningful. One such initiative by the government authorities is to encourage harnessing the solar power,wind power, thermal power.

But what todays cities really need is not just plain initiatives, it needs visions for the entire city or for a neighbourhood. Subsidizing green initiatives in a neighbourhood could be taken up as flagship ventures.

Theories like urban agriculture, green urban design should come to the fore.

Moreover, the greenification of the attitudes holds more importance than the interfacial façade. Maximizing what the mother nature has to offer in all aspects of life holds the key in finding solutions for our day to day existence.

Questioning, realizing and implementing green ways of living is the ultimate solution. Small changes in day to day living can prove to be of greater help to the society at large. Showing proper way to the wastes, minimizing the use of electricity, installing devices like cfl, green lighting, use of organic materials, nature loving materials could be some of the initiatives in installing a green attitude amongst individuals.

Even if we were able to produce zero pollution vehicles, we’d still need to maintain the infrastructure of roads, bridges, and energy distribution. Just concrete production alone generates as much as 10 percent of all greenhouse gas.

An attitudinal change of spooling a car amongst fellow friends rather than a single accommodation is a voluntary decision which when followed in mass could bring in a substantial change. 

Let all of us sing….Dil haara (green) re

Rang de!!! Let’s paint the city green!!!