Human's day.

As the month of March began, media of all kinds was abuzz with something or the other related to women. Although it’s only the EIGHTH day of the month which is called the INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, preparations began right from day one. No complaints. Woman - God’s wonderful creation has every right to celebrate. But just when the mood got all upbeat, some horrible memories came back to haunt.

The December 2012 Delhi gang rape that shocked and angered the entire nation was remembered once again - This time through a BBC documentary. The documentary tried to be as real as possible and in the process drew further outrage from many sections. The contents of the same, were just too insensitive - was the claim. There were many who supported the documentary and said that it made for compulsory viewing. I don’t know what is right. So I will leave it at that.

Media ensured that every protest or support for the documentary was highlighted and the nation was simmering again. The immediate and quite grotesque effect was seen in India’s northeast corner. DIMAPUR in Nagaland had turned almost into a warzone. An alleged rapist was lynched to death by a mob of over a thousand. People got fed up with the delay in justice and took law into their own hands. What was even more shocking was the fact that the mob had broken into a jail; overpowered the police and took out the alleged rapist lodged there. He was paraded naked through the streets and beaten to death.

Yes, there were shopping discounts available on account of Women’s day. Yes, there were many promotions on TV, radio, internet and print media. Almost everyone is having an air of feminism these days. But is it all just a sham? Due to the innumerable cases of atrocities against women, ALL men are now bracketed into the same category. Male bashing has become the norm now. This is a bit like hating everyone from a particular religion because some from that religion are terrorists.

Back in the old days, the weaker gender took it all lying down. There was hardly any rebuttal. But now the big gender war is out in the open. There are solutions to this, but not quick. WILL - Both political and public on a sustained basis is required. Celebrating Women’s day or Men’s day, is just like trying to apply balm on a FRACTURED finger.  Hopefully, we start changing for the better and soon. Hopefully we have more days where we call them HUMAN’s day!

The Good God!

The following was received in a whatsapp message. Kudos to Mr. Harakhchand Sawla and to the anonymous one who wrote this piece about him.

*****

A young man in his thirties used to stand on the footpath opposite the famous Tata Cancer Hospital at Mumbai and stare at the crowd in front- fear plainly written upon the faces of the patients standing at death's door; their  relatives with equally grim faces running around. These sights disturbed him greatly. Most of the patients were poor people from distant towns. They had no idea whom to meet, or what to do. They had no money for medicines, not even food. The  young man, heavily depressed, would return home.

'Something should be done for these people', he would. think. He was haunted by the thought day and night. At last he found a way - He rented out his own hotel that was doing good business and raised some money. From these funds he started a charitable activity right opposite Tata Cancer Hospital, on the pavement next to Kondaji Building. He himself had no idea that the activity would continue to flourish even after the passage of 27 years.

The activity consisted of providing free meals for cancer patients and their relatives. Many people in the vicinity approved of this activity. Beginning with fifty, the number of beneficiaries soon rose to hundred, two hundred, three hundred. As the numbers of patients increased, so did the number of helping hands. As years rolled by, the activity continued; undeterred by the change of seasons, come winter, summer or even the dreaded monsoon of Mumbai. The number of beneficiaries soon reached 700.

Mr Harakhchand Sawla, for that was the name of the pioneer, did not stop here. He started supplying free medicines for the needy. In fact, he started a medicine bank, enlisting voluntary services of three doctors and three pharmacists. A toy banks was opened for kids suffering from cancer. The 'Jeevan Jyot' trust founded by Mr Sawla now runs more than 60 humanitarian  projects. Sawla, now 57 years old, works with the same vigour. A thousand salutes to his boundless energy and his monumental contribution!

There are people in this country who look upon Sachin Tendulkar as 'God'- for playing 200 test matches in 20 years, few hundred one day matches, and scoring100 centuries and 30,000 runs. But hardly anyone knows Harakhchand Sawla, leave alone call him 'God' for feeding free lunches to 10 to 12 lac cancer patients and their relatives. We owe this discrepancy to our mass media! (A relentless hunt on Google failed to procure a photograph of Mr. Sawla.)

Crores of devotees hunting for 'God' in Vithoba temple at Pandharpur, Sai temple at Shirdi, Balaji temple at Tirupati will never find 'God'. God resides in our vicinity. But we, like mad men run after 'god-men', styled variously as Bapu, Maharaj or Baba. All Babas, Maharajs and Bapus become multi-millionnaires, but our difficulties, agonies and disasters persist unabated till death. For last 27 years, millions of cancer patients and their relatives have found 'God', in the form of Harakhchand Sawla.

As you forward interesting jokes and poems instantly, do forward this message. Mr Sawla deserves his fair share of fame.

*****

A story of hope!

“That looks very serious!” exclaimed Dr. Anand Parekar handing over the report to Dr. Mohini Joshi. “Yes, he has about two months to live, unless a transplant is successful.” replied a dejected Dr. Joshi. She continued, “How do I break this to him?”, and tears rolled down her eyes. She closed the file and kept it on the table. It read – Patient name: Aditya Nagpal, Age:26. Aditya was detected with HEPATIC cancer just six months ago. Chemotherapy, radiation and the most advanced of cancer medicines could do nothing as the cancer spread rapidly and more than 90% of his liver was damaged. For someone who never drank a drop of alcohol in his life, this was unfortunate. 

"Just tell Aditya to meet me, when he comes for his next checkup", said Dr. Parekar, getting up to leave the room. 

"That will be today evening but, why sir? What's the matter?” enquired Dr Joshi. 

"Don't worry Mohini, I think I can handle this better and I will break this to him. You just direct him to my cabin when he comes. Ok?”

"Ok sir!”

"Hello doctor! I am Aditya Nagpal. Dr. Joshi told me to see you!” spoke Aditya as he walked into Dr. Parekar's cabin. 

"Oh, hi Aditya, please sit down! Yes, I wanted to meet you. Would you like some tea or coffee?”

"No Sir, I just had tea before leaving from home", replied Aditya. After that, it was all one way talk as Dr. Parekar explained the situation, while Aditya heard it without uttering a single word. Without doubt, this was the most shocking time of his life; life which was to end in a couple of months, unless a miracle happened. "Transplant is our only hope!” concluded Dr. Parekar.

Aditya felt tired as he reached home. The kind of tiredness he had never felt before. He didn't speak to his mother who opened the door. He went straight to his room and banged the door shut. He stared at his bed for a few seconds and then collapsed on it. He woke up startled by the cell phone ringing. It was his mother. "I have been knocking your door for so long... what happened to you?," cried his mother on the phone. "Ah Mom, sorry... wait let me open the door.” he replied. He opened the door and saw his worried looking mother. 

"Mom, just give me a couple of hours to sleep. I am feeling very tired. There is nothing to worry. I just want to sleep for some time." 

"Ok son, see you at dinner time!” she said and walked off. Aditya locked the door, went back to bed and lied down.

It was from nowhere that a motorcycle appeared right in front of his car. Driving at a speed of 75 kmph, Aditya had to swerve quickly to avoid running over the biker. The tyres screeched as he tried to push the brakes, but instead of stopping, the car turned turtle, slid down the slope and hit a tree at the roadside. Just as he was about to slip into unconsciousness, he saw a man, about the same age as his, extend a hand. "Thank you!” murmured Aditya before fainting. Aditya heard a knock on the door and woke up with a start. The accident was a dream. 

"Come out son! Time for dinner.” called his mother. Dinner was a quiet affair, as Aditya continued to think about the dream. Was the car a metaphor for his life that had recently crashed? Was the biker the unwanted cancer that came out of nowhere? He had questions. But wait, why was the tree at the end of the slope? It stopped the slide which could have been worse. Who was that man, who pulled Aditya out of the car? Is there hope? His mind continuously wandered from one question to the other and he barely felt the taste of the food he was having.

"Good night mom!” he said and retired to his bed room. He could not sleep. He didn't want to think about his life, but the more he tried, the more he ended up thinking. He got up, went to the living room and switched on the TV. He browsed through the channels and stopped at a movie channel. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION was on. He had watched it before, but didn't mind watching it again, given the brilliance of the film. During one of the scenes the lead character says - HOPE IS A GOOD THING. MAY BE THE BEST OF THINGS AND NO GOOD THING EVER DIES. That moment Aditya felt as if time had stopped. The movie continued to play on, but Aditya had no idea of what was going on. He just had that one line about hope going through his mind. He immediately picked up his phone and called Dr. Mohini Joshi. "Can I meet you tomorrow at the hospital say 11 AM?” asked Aditya and hung up after a few seconds.

Next morning sharp at 11 AM Aditya was waiting outside Dr. Joshi's room. A few minutes later she called out Aditya. "Dr. Parekar said transplant is our only hope. So let's do it. Liver transplant. Money is not a problem.” said Aditya all in one breath, even before taking his seat. "I know Aditya, please sit down first, I know money is not the problem, just that finding the right match to your liver is. Our hospital organ bank has nothing that matches your type. We need to look elsewhere and fast.", replied a concerned but calm Dr. Joshi. 

She continued, "I need to talk to your parents as well, Aditya. It is time they know about this. I also know that you won't be able to break it to them. But, they need to know Aditya. I will come over to your place today evening. We also need to check their liver compatibility. All is not lost! We do have hope." That last word brought a smile to Aditya's face.

That evening at Aditya's place, Dr. Joshi came straight to the point. As she finished speaking Aditya's mother's eyes welled up in tears. In moments, she was inconsolable, as Aditya's father hugged her tight. Dr. Joshi looked at Aditya, who in turn looked heavenwards. Dr. Joshi returned her gaze to Aditya's parents and said softly. "Can you both come to the hospital tomorrow? We need to perform some tests on you both. If compatible then a portion of your liver can be used for the transplant." Aditya's parents looked up. His mother had stopped crying. Both said in unison, "Yes we are ready!” This time it was Aditya's turn to shed a tear... A silent one though! 

The next morning as Aditya's parents were getting ready to go the hospital, there was a knock at the main door. Aditya's father went to answer it. Their driver greeted him. Aditya's father said to the driver, "Yes, we are almost ready, wait in the car, we will be there in 5 mins." "Ok Sir! But I came to say something else.",said the driver. Mr. Nagpal stared at the driver for a moment and said to him, "We'll talk in the car. Now go!" ”Alright sir!” said the driver and he walked back. 

Once in the car Aditya's father asked the driver, “So tell me, what were you saying?" "Sir, I am quitting, from tomorrow I won't be able to drive for you", replied the driver. "Oh no! Why? You know Aditya is undergoing treatment. We need you.” moaned Mr. Nagpal. 

"I know sir, and I am very sorry but I can't help it. I have to go out of town, and I'll be gone for long. But do not worry. My nephew will come as replacement. He is a good driver and has been driving for more than 5 years. I have told him everything and he is willing to work for the same salary. If you are ok, then I can tell him to come from tomorrow itself." 

"What is his name?” asked Mr. Nagpal.

"Sir, his name is Ravi.” replied the driver.

The next morning Ravi reached Nagpal residence. Aditya's mother answered the door-bell.

"Mam, I am Ravi Singh. Uncle sent me, as your new driver!"

"Oh OK... please sit here. I will send Aditya.” said Mrs. Nagpal and went back in the house.

Aditya came out and Ravi immediately got up from his seat and said, "Hello Sir, I am Ravi".

"Hi Ravi! Can I see your driving licence please?” Aditya said without a smile. However he did stare at Ravi for a few moments. The latter's face seemed familiar. 

After a brief discussion they both shook hands. "Thank you sir! I won't give you a reason to complain!” a smiling Ravi said.

"Alright Ravi, you can come from tomorrow. Be here sharp at 10 AM. I need to go somewhere. See you.” said Aditya with a serious look.

"Sure Sir, see you".

Ravi was a 28 year old, short man with a lean frame. But it was his smile that stayed in Aditya's mind and he still thought about his familiar looking face. Perhaps he got those looks from his uncle, thought Aditya and went back to his room. He stared at the calendar and counted something. Then he looked at the mirror. He wore a weary look and his eyes seemed dead. He thought to himself - Am I going to just live out the rest of the days, waiting for myself to die? He then sat down and wrote down into his diary. He was making a list. A BUCKET LIST.

Next morning Ravi waited near Nagpals' car. "Take me to this address!", ordered Aditya as he saw Ravi. Ravi looked at the address and nodded. After a 15 minute drive the car stopped near a bungalow. "You wait here in the car; I'll be right back.” said Aditya and got down. Aditya held a pen and paper as he walked towards the bungalow gates. He stopped and screamed at the top of his voice, "REEMA!!! REEMA!!! Please come out... REEMA... are you there?” A security guard came running from inside the gates and yelled, "Hey you! Stop shouting. If you want to meet madam, you have to wait. We can let you in only after checking with her. Tell me your name."

"Tell her it's Aditya Nagpal. Her class mate from College".

Aditya waited as the guard made a phone call. Aditya looked on as the guard kept an unwavering gaze on the former while talking on the phone. "Ok, mam, I will tell   him!", said the guard and hung up. "Hey listen, please leave, madam says she doesn't know any Aditya", said the guard sternly. "Oh is that so?” asked Aditya and began to walk straight towards the bungalow. "Hey, hey wait, you can't go in there!” said the guard pulling at Aditya's arm. "Oh, if you want to stop me, you got to kill me", laughed Aditya. The guard started hurling abuses at Aditya and violently jerked him back, but nothing seemed to stop Aditya. The guard was soon joined by another servant who began pushing Aditya. It was loud and got louder when Ravi ran in to defend Aditya. 

Hearing the commotion, a beautiful lady walked out of the bungalow. On seeing her, the men stopped. The guard spoke, "Mam, this man won't leave... we tried to...". "There you are REEMA", interrupted Aditya, "you don't know me huh?” Reema was as puzzled as the rest of the guys. She indeed didn't have any recollection of Aditya, so all she did was shake her head. Aditya spoke loudly, "Yeah right, miss beautiful. I was Mr. Invisible in college. Wasn't I? You were just too popular to know me. But I came here to tell you that I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU and still do. I LOVE YOU A LOT. Never had the courage to tell you back then. But now is different. I LOVE YOU REEMA. I came here only to say that. That's all. Bye". Everyone was quite stunned but Aditya had already started walking back towards his car. Ravi looked at everyone else, shrugged his shoulders and followed Aditya, who took out a piece of paper and made a tick with his pen.

Both Aditya and Ravi had a hearty laugh once inside the car. "That was very brave of you sir.” said Ravi. "Thanks man! We have more places to go. Look at this. We go there next.", said Aditya showing him another address. They drove off. There again Aditya did something weird and both laughed till their tummies hurt. On another occasion Ravi got a bit worried, but was quickly relieved when he saw Aditya swimming up to safety. Aditya had just jumped off a bridge into a river. Aditya was pumping adrenaline and just wanted to go on and on doing outrageous things. He was feeling boundless joy. It was almost 9 PM when Aditya and Ravi returned home. "It was a wonderful day. Thanks Ravi for all the driving.” smiled Aditya. "No problem sir! May I ask you something?” quizzed Ravi. Aditya nodded. Ravi continued,"Sir, can we go to a place of my choice tomorrow, if you don't mind!". "Where is it?” asked Aditya raising his eyebrows.

"It is an orphanage sir. Not far from here. I go there frequently. I love a couple of kids there like my own. They are very cute. Would you like to go there, sir?" 

"Alright, let’s start at 10 AM. See you tomorrow", said Aditya and walked towards the house.

The orphanage had around 45 kids aged between 3 and 12. There was a delightful din in the premises as Aditya followed Ravi into a small office like room. Ravi entered his and Aditya's names and numbers into a large register. After that Ravi led Aditya into another hall where he was immediately smothered by 3 kids who looked like 5 year olds. "These are my three favourite kids, sir.” said Ravi as he hugged each of them. Ravi gave them a bag full of sweets and snacks and asked Aditya if he was ok to take a walk around the orphanage. Aditya okayed.

"Whenever I feel depressed I come here sir. I buy something for the kids, whatever in my capacity, and when I see the joy on their faces, I forget all my troubles. These 3 kids I showed you were just learning to walk when I first met them here. I don't know why, but I feel connected to them and if possible I might adopt all three. But you know sir, the costs are just beyond me!” said Ravi kicking a twig lying on the ground. Aditya and Ravi spent the whole day in the orphanage. They sang, danced and ate with the kids. Aditya was overwhelmed by the fact that it was so simple to be happy. Difficulty was only in being simple.

That night Aditya slept soundly. Many more nights passed. The only sad part was that no donor was found yet. Aditya's parents' livers were not compatible and now he had just 3 more weeks. One morning Ravi didn't turn up to work. Aditya, who had by now become quite friendly with Ravi, missed him. By afternoon Aditya gave Ravi a phone call. "Sir, I am sorry I can't come to work today. I am at the hospital.” answered Ravi. 

One of kids from the orphanage was admitted with a head injury. The kid had fallen while playing and was comatose. An emergency operation was required, but it would cost 15000. Ravi had no means to help and was disconsolate. "Fill the form Ravi; I am coming to the hospital. Don't worry about the money. I will pay them. Just get started with the formalities.” assured Aditya.

The operation was a success and the kid lived. Ravi was overjoyed and didn't know how to thank Aditya. "Sir, I am too small a man to be of any help... but if you need me for anything at all, please ask. I owe my life to you sir. Thank you so much for saving this kid!” said a teary eyed Ravi. Aditya simply smiled. For him there were just a little over 2 weeks left. Suddenly his phone rang. It was Dr.  Joshi. She said, “Aditya, can you meet me at the hospital at 2 PM today?"

That afternoon, when Aditya came back after meeting Dr. Joshi, Ravi asked, “Sir, is everything ok? You look very upset!” The tough man inside Aditya broke all of sudden and he cried for a long time. Ravi was dumbfounded. "Tell me sir, what happened. Please sir!” requested Ravi. Aditya told Ravi everything. That night Aditya didn't eat. He went to bed but couldn't sleep. Then he took a sleeping pill. Moments later he was dreaming. It was the same car accident dream. This time though he could see the face of the man clearly. The man who offered his hand to help. That man looked exactly like Ravi. Aditya woke up and found that it was still only 3 AM. Till morning Aditya tossed and turned but the sleeping pill had lost its effect.

It was 11 AM when Aditya's phone rang. "Good news Aditya! Get ready for the transplant. We got the donor", screamed Dr. Joshi. "Your driver, Ravi met me last evening at the hospital. We tested his liver type and it is compatible. He is ready to donate. God is great Aditya. God is great!” Aditya couldn't believe what he heard. All he could do was cry. It was involuntary, but tears flowed aplenty.

The day of the operation arrived. Ravi had been operated on the previous day. A part of his liver had been removed. Aditya's parents held Ravi's hand and cried for long. He simply smiled lying on his hospital bed. He had nothing to worry. Just a week and he would be discharged. An hour later Aditya's parents were waiting outside the operation theater where Aditya had been for the last 7 hours. Suddenly the light bulb atop the theater door turned green. Out came Dr. Mohini Joshi. 

"Transplant is successful! Your son will live, and god willing he will live a long life", beamed Dr. Joshi and she hugged Aditya's mother who almost collapsed into the doctor's arms. Shedding tears of joy Aditya's mother screamed, "Thank you doctor, thank you very much. God bless you... Thank God... Thank God... thank you, thank you all!"

PK hai kya? Alien hai!

The big mystery surrounding the controversial poster of Aamir Khan is unfolded in the opening scene. It all seems justified. Landing on earth is not an accident for the Alien protagonist, but what follows is not something he or his clan back there had prepared for. The only possession he holds is snatched away and then begins his story on our ‘Gola’ – a term he uses for planets.

The quest to retrieve that object makes up the remainder of the film. But along the way, a lot of questions are asked. Innocent, much like the lead character in FORREST GUMP; Pertinent, like the character that Paresh Rawal played in OH MY GOD; Benevolent without using words, like ET. Yes, you can sense an amalgamation of many films in PK. But yet, it is a unique story and the effort of Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi is laudable. They innovate with every script and now have redefined the term 'Wrong Number'!

Aamir Khan doesn't put a foot wrong in his character which finds answers (some not so kind) to questions he is forced to ask. He is confused with the ways of this world, and that leads to hilarious escapades which he carries out unknowingly at first, but empirically later. He, who comes from a planet where no one is named, becomes PK as almost everyone he encounters in Delhi asks him if he’s drunk (Peekay hai kya?).

Anushka Sharma, playing a news reporter called Jaggu (even that name has a tale), gives a solid performance. She is competent in scenes where she has to emote and is her usual peppy self in others. She is the narrator of the movie and doesn't completely become second fiddle to Khan who hogs the screen time.

Sanjay Dutt in an extended cameo does justice to his character – a Rajasthani band master Bhairon Singh. He is at the center of the action when the inevitable twist in the tale occurs. He also gets to say some of the wittiest lines in the movie.

Boman Irani as the news channel chief plays his character with the right amount of sophistication. The supporting cast, most notably Sourabh Shukla is top notch. His character resembles the many god-men that we so often see on TV. Parikshit Sahni as Jaggu’s father is not much different from his character in 3 idiots and does well. There is a brief role for Sushant Singh Rajput, but I felt he was underutilized.

So does PK get back his possession? Does he teach us something? Does he learn something else in return? At the very end of the film, comes a very special appearance by a heartthrob. Watch the movie and find out. The songs are average and most of them actually act as speed breakers in an otherwise smooth ride with Aamir Khan firmly in the driver’s seat.

My verdict - 3.5 stars out of 5.

Singing in sub-titles!

Crazy is the life that keeps on changing everytime.
Shade comes now and then, in otherwise shiny gala time.

Each moment here, keep living on...
this atmosphere, may soon be gone.

Okay now, try singing the above lines in the tune of the following song.

Har ghadi badal rahi hai roop zindagi
Chhav hai kabhi, kabhi hai dhoop zindagi

Har pal yahaan, jee bhar jiyo
Jo hai samaan, kal ho na ho!

Almost fits? I have tried to keep the meaning pretty similar, but then English words on a Hindi tune can be a bit tricky. Anyway let's continue on with the second stanza...

Chahe jo tumhe poore dil se... it goes doesn't it? How would an english version look here? Read on...

One who yearns for you with the whole heart...
is really hard to find, no matter what.

If you get to meet somebody such...
Say yes with a thank you very much!

That awesome hand, is yours to take...
Such loving heart, is never fake!

Alright then, that's all for now!

Please stop devaluing lives!

Just why should I go to an election rally? Even if, it is my favourite political leader addressing there; even if, the leader is telling things which may make not just my day but also my future; even if there are some freebies being given to the attendees. No, none. I want to go to an election rally if I am dead sure that I won’t be dead there. Once that is ensured, I will be interested in everything that the prospective government has to say. Till then I will stay at home and watch the news. 

Will I only press the NOTA button when I next vote?

Agree on the look and feel?

A software product is mostly equipped with a user interface. Unless it is a DLL or background process, a product has to be packaged with screens that help the user in getting his work done. So as we sit down to develop a new software product, a lot of effort goes into programming the look and feel of the same. This then has to be demonstrated to the internal management which may suggest some changes on the same.

This cycle can go on until everyone (more importantly the customer) is convinced. Reworking on this can test the patience of the best of UI programmers. So how do we deal with such situations? The answer is prototyping.

Prototyping means creating a dummy product which conveys the look and feel to the prospective customer. Once the customer suggestions are included the prototype can be finalized and signed off. Working on the actual UI should begin only after this sign off.

MS Excel is a great tool for creating quick prototypes. Open a new xls file and make the gridlines invisible. This allows us to have a blank canvas which we can fill with the background color of our choice. Use the VBA form controls we can put in all the controls on this sheet. Buttons, dropdowns, option buttons etc. is provided. The only thing we need to ensure is to keep the buttons static. Which means, no action should occur when for instance a button on this excel is clicked. In the final software product, if there are actions like new forms to be opened upon clicking of a button, then as many excel files or spreadsheets should be created. Name them such that we know exactly which one to display during the demonstration. This is be exactly as per the process flow of the final software product.

My Playlist

Just thought of putting together some of my favourite songs and some words about them.

1. Lakdi ki Kaathi
One for all the wonderful children out there. Beautifully or rather cutely, composed by the great RDB and you have Gulzar magic! He can write for all ages!

2. Chahunga main tujhe
Mohd. Rafi at his best. Superb lyrics and great music. Also a great song for dedicating to friends in case they have been out of touch for long.

3. Dhaeoon Dhaeoon
Macha Rap. Totally gibberish, yet very clear in what the party animals like to do! Great song for dancing!

4. Tumhe ho na ho mujhko toh
Gulzar saab's lyrics take the cake here. The woman is not in love but still misses the man, and her confused feelings are so beautifully put. Good tune and very nicely sung by Runa Laila.

5. Tum Mile
Romantic and groovy! I searched a lot on the internet, to check if this too was a lift by Pritam. But thankfully, Pritam was original here and it sounds awesome. Good singing by Neeraj Sridhar.

6. Shukran Allah
Fantastic music by Salim Sulaiman. Awesome singing by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal.

7. Tu Aashiqui hain
I heard a story about this song. It said, that once the recording of this was complete the sound engineer had tears in eyes. They were tears of joy! I get goosebumps whenever I hear this song. Uplifting music by Vishal Shekhar. Very well sung by KK. The lyrics are superb, where that comparison between God and your loved one is made so beautifully.

8. Sandese Aate hain
Anu Malik can create magic too! When it combines Javed Akhtar's words and Sonu Nigam and Roopkumar Rathod's voices it's an icing on the cake.

9. Teri Tasveer Ko
Actually heard this song first sung by a reality show contestant. He sung it really well. Then I heard the original and it blew my mind. Sung by the legendary Yesudas, this song has great music and wonderful words.

10. Iktaara
Amit Trivedi is a very gifted musician! Usually his songs are fast paced, but this soothing song actually showed us how multidimensional his music can be.

11. Beedi Jalai Le
Perfect music, perfect singing, perfect lyrics, perfect picturization. It is a personification of rustic charm. Vishal Bharadwaj and Gulzar make such a wonderful combination.

12. Jai Ho
The oscar winner! There are so many songs from the maestro ARR, but let's play this one that I think was just a recognition for all the work he had done. I don't rate this as his best song, but it sure is a great hear.

13. Kal ho na ho
A soulful serious song telling us to actually enjoy the present! Carpe diem! Fantastic lyrics by Javed Akhtar, melodious tune by S-E-L and of course super singing by Sonu Nigam.

Men are dogs... and women are dog-lovers!

Koregaon Park – Pune boasts of some of the best food joints you can get. Indian, Chinese, Thai, Lebanese, Italian… the list is huge. Prices also vary from reasonable to exorbitant. But the food fanatic will love the place nevertheless. Apart from the food served, ambience is also something people really enjoy and in this respect all the joints are unique in their own wonderful way.

A little cart with a concealed aluminum vessel mounted on a stove, parked near a jogger’s park, will hardly cross your mind when you think of a binge. However the steaming momos (chicken especially) is a crowd puller. It’s cheap, hygienic and healthy. But the real reason why so many people make a beeline in front of the cart is the taste. It is yummy!

I and a friend frequent the place often and so do the other posh and sophisticated public of the area. I am emphasizing on the class of people because it’s not usual to associate the rich eating from a roadside vendor. But as I mentioned earlier, it’s hygienic, healthy and tasty… and it is cheap for the middle class guys like me! So, as I waited for my friend to arrive something interesting happened. Some might call it tragic, but I am not much of an animal lover hence I thought it to be funny!

Just beside the cart a guy in his twenties pulled his motorcycle backwards as he got ready to ride. The next second there was a huge howling which stunned everybody around there. A dog for some reason had thought that sleeping right behind the rear-wheel of a motorcycle was a good idea. Given that it was well past sunset, the dog was pretty well invisible – at least to the motorist guy. The rear wheel had climbed over the leg of the poor creature and the ensuing noise and shock were the result of that.

The dog limped away yelling while a dozen pair of eyes speared the guy. He was a bit embarrassed by this attention, but to be fair to him, it was not entirely his fault. Moments later, when things looked to settle back to normal, a 11 to 12 year old girl came out of the park, shouting – WHAT HAPPENED JUST NOW?? WHO HIT THAT DOG? Now all the eyes shifted towards the girl. “YOU… YOU ARE THE CULPRIT RIGHT?” the girl screamed at the guy! He looked bemused more than angry at the girl’s outburst. He said, “I didn't do that purposely.” “DON’T USE THAT STUPID ACCENT OF YOURS OK… I AM INDIAN!”, she yelled back. Well that’s when it occurred to me that the guy had curled his tongue a little more than required, for the R when he said PURPOSELY. Anyways, the guy was now getting a little annoyed as the girl ran back to check on the dog.

A minute later the guy’s friend came back to sit on the bike and as both started to go, the girl returned. YOU – I THINK YOU SHOULD PAY FOR THE DOG’S INJURY – she screamed again. The guy and his friend simply chuckled raised their eyebrows and sped away. The girl kept screaming something while her friends tended to the dog. Minutes later my friend arrived and we both had a good laugh about the incident. The dog meanwhile was perfectly back to normal and walking like before!

Into songwriting!!!

When my mood nudges me I write poems. And given my love for music I try to make songs out of them. But fitting poems into tunes is very difficult. Just rhyming is not enough as the flexibility required in lyrics gets missed in poems. Anyway poems are not meant to be like songs so can't disrespect the former for not being "tuney" enough.

Nevertheless writing rhymes if I have a tune ready, is simpler. So I just took a very famous bollywood song from the movie JHANKAAR BEATS. The song is TU AASHIQUI HAIN and the following words do fit into its tune.

You're a Gladiola blooming in a garden.

Beauty that is heavenly cry Nightingale to Raven.

You are an Angel with the wings of peace.

On a flight that's gonna bring us bliss.

You can take us well past the clouds.

On a journey which'll lift all shrouds.

Sing along!!!

Write to liberate!

There is something called FREE ASSOCIATION writing. I heard about this for the first time when I saw a movie THE SIXTH SENSE. Free association writing is writing down any thought that comes to your mind. Just take a paper and pen. Close your eyes for a few seconds and relax. Then start writing. It’s akin to rambling while talking. There is absolutely no need to make sense of what you are writing. Just write. You could be in any state of mind while writing. You could be happy about some goal you recently achieved. You could be angry over something. You could be sad about some recent loss. You could just be singing a song in your mind or thinking about some movie scene. The mind could be in clutters. Doesn’t matter! Keep writing.

Stop after about 5 minutes of writing. This is no-holds-barred writing so there could be some cuss words too mentioned here. No problem, you are not going to publish this anyway. Now start reading what you have written. If there is positivity, just smile to yourself and try to keep doing what you have been doing to attain this positive state. If there is negativity, just burn the paper. See how much relief you get. Try it and see how it helps you!

We live in a world where there is so much happening. And the pace at which things happen is frenetic to say the least. If you are a hard working, humble, god-fearing person then chances are that most of what you do will end with success. In that case you just don’t need free association writing, because your mind is not cluttered. On the other hand, if there is a need to free up your mind, then you need someone to hear you out. Venting out pent up emotions and having someone to hear that all out, without forming their own opinion is indeed very soothing. But most of the times it gets difficult, as people cannot stand someone – who keeps whining- too long. Free association writing is your savior in that case. Also because you could be writing down feeling so secretive, which you can’t even tell your closest.

I know there are many who keep a diary, or blog about their personal lives. But, even there you describe events, more than your innermost feelings. Also diary writing is done at the end of the day. Free association writing is always the present. What’s in your mind at this very moment is what you want to capture on paper. Of course you will never do this on your blog, which is open to public.

Often you read in self-help books about people suggesting us, to remove unwanted trivial thoughts. Seriously speaking, how important are some of the things that we think of? How life changing could they be? Most of the times, it doesn’t cause us any harm if we stop thinking about such things. But unless you are good at meditating to ward off any unwanted thoughts that try to sneak into your heads, you are bound to have a cluttered mind. Vent them out and free your mind. We are here to enjoy life, and the first step towards that is have a head that doesn’t mind too much.

See by their words!!!

Oh it is high, what a six, what a six, way over the top, it’s a biggie!!! Those who watched the Sharjah match between India and Australia on TV would remember this comment from Tony Greig who was on air. Sachin Tendulkar had carted Michael Kasparowicz straight over the fence. Sachin was in the batting form of his life and that shot was bread and butter for him. However we sitting at home wouldn’t have really cheered it, had it not been for those wonderful moments of commentary. It sure brought even more life to that lively match which India won comfortably. I still remember Mom asking me, who that excited commentator was. If you want to buy what I am saying, try watching a thriller with the mute on. Cricket without commentary is not fun. Period.

Cricket is one game where you really need not WATCH it to enjoy. Radio commentary is an example. Websites which show live scores, with ball by ball updates is another one. These days speech to text software or maybe insanely fast typists even describe every ball from the bowler’s run up to the eventual result of that delivery. But what stands out is TV commentary, because it’s not just describing the game on view, but also the scenes at grounds, snippets of the city where it’s being played, historic moments or anecdotes.

There are innumerable commentators on air, but not all are good to hear. The worst in my opinion is Navjot Singh Sidhu, since he talks about everything other than cricket. The problem with him is that even after retiring as a batsman, he is still bent on scoring. Not runs, but points. I remember the numerous tiffs he has gotten into with Geoffrey Boycott, Martin Crowe and at some points he had even irked his fellow countrymen, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar.

Harsha Bhogle and Alan Wilkins are two extremely good commentators that come to mind. They understand the game completely and use the right words. Harsha is the garrulous one but largely makes sense, while Alan is a bit more measured but very observant. The best part about both these men is the fact that although they haven’t played the game at the highest level they still know a lot more than their counterparts. The kind of questions that they ask, can leave the most experienced cricketers searching for answers but at the same time, both these are pretty good listeners. You will hardly find them making an offensive remark against any opinion. They have truly mastered the art of leading a commentary panel.

It’s not just the ability to speak fluent English makes a good commentator. The ability to make viewers see the game even with their eyes closed, is what makes a great commentator. But at the same time he should be careful about not going the Radio broadcaster’s way. We are all discerning audience here, and the one who understands our sensibilities will rock the commentator’s world!

God's (SACH) IN-carnate

19-Dec-2010 will go down as a memorable day for Cricket fans, especially Indians. No! Not because the Indian team achieved anything stupendous. In fact they were eight wickets down and still trailing by 30 runs when the rain gods smiled in their favour. They would go on to lose the test match by an innings and 25 runs the next day against South Africa, but not before the cricketing God showed why he is regarded so.

Even when the team was in such a pathetic position, the Indian news channels were celebrating. Sachin Tendulkar had achieved what probably no other cricketer might achieve. 50 Test match centuries!!! At the end of the 4th day’s play, the writing was quite clearly on the wall, as to the result of the test match. But, still I wrote on facebook, that I didn’t care if India lost, because Sachin’s magic had prevailed yet again.

In this cricket crazy country, Sachin’s batting is the one which makes the most sense. I remember a little anecdote said by someone which happened at a railway station in Mumbai. The railway platform had TVs installed for public viewing, and a particular cricket match was being telecasted. Sachin was batting on 99 when it was time for a train, on that platform, to depart. Sachin took another over to get to his century, and till that time the train stood their. Yes, Sachin can stop time, figuratively at least.

With the world cup coming soon, there is every possibility that Sachin would go on to make a hundred international hundreds. Even after spending two decades playing for the country, his passion for the game remains unmatched. Yet, he is so humble. Hats off to this master cricketer! Thank you Sachin for all the entertainment you provide and being a muse for budding writers like me. This coincidently is my 50th blog post and I dedicate this to you!

What's on TV?

When I watch some Hindi news channels these days, I begin to wonder whether I am taking myself too seriously. They seem to be having fun. I mean, look at this media… they do an hour’s airtime discussing with “experts” about the impact Sheela is having these days on India. Munni apparently has lost out, because the news channels after an extensive research on Youtube and Facebook have come to the conclusion, that on popular opinion Sheela outscores Munni by a big margin.

Both the videos are a delight to watch, especially for us men. However discussing them at length and that too on national television is a bit too much. So once my adrenaline stops pumping – this happens as soon as the news anchor grins at the end of the video clips – I change the channels in the hope of watching something a little more sensible.

Cyrus Broacha is on one of the channels, as usual making fun of others. He is playing the news anchor and Kunal Vijaykar is being the interviewee. Dressed up in an air-hostess’ uniform he has become a she, and claims to be the latest recruit in Kingfisher airlines. This (s)he says has happened after working with Indian Airlines for 33 years. Why on earth did Vijay Mallya hire her? Yes, even Cyrus asked this question. On this (s)he said (s)he has a special talent which Dr. Mallya likes. Her talent is – she is good with her lips and tongue. Cyrus Broacha went red-faced and asked her to stop. But she insisted that she wanted to show what her talent is. This again is happening on National television and I was feeling a bit awkward already. Thankfully, all the airhostess did, was say “Oo-la-la-la-la-le-o”. Yes, singing that Kingfisher brand song does need special use of the lips and tongue. Phew!!! I change channels again.

Tiger – the magnificent striped animal - is now endangered. Just some three thousand odd of them are left in the world. One news channel understands the gravity of the issue and runs a telethon to support the cause of saving the tiger. Celebrities are called in to discuss or perform. Tickers are being shown about some big names contributing some big money for this noble cause. They had run a greenathon before to support the cause of saving earth from the global warming phenomenon. Ah, this makes some sense to me. But having said that, this is an outright serious discussion, and hence not very fun to watch. I change channels again.

Katrina Kaif!!! Draped in a white satin sheet begins, the awesome item number. I keep the remote aside. Three minutes later, Malaika Arora fills the screen. It’s not just the news channels but even the music channels know what’s making news! Anyway, I pay my respects to “Badnaam” Munni (by watching the whole video) and change channels again.

This goes on and on till my eyes complain. Enough! I switch off the TV. I take a walk around the house, look in the fridge, and get an apple. Halfway through the apple, I look at the newspaper lying in the drawing room. Scams, scams and more scams!!! I throw away the paper and come back to my room. I look at the remote. I am changing channels again. I love TV. :-)

Wetter the better!

The sun is belting down and combined with humidity is making for a really sweaty day. A glance skywards confirms clouds gathering up and getting lower towards earth. The wind has picked up speed and there is dust flying all over. Little whirls of breeze are lifting up bits of plastic and paper and carrying them some distance until they fall.

The clouds meanwhile are turning grey and soon there is a flash of lightning. A few seconds later there is a loud clap of thunder. The trees have started swaying vigorously. The leaves slowly start looking greener as a result of the dust falling off them. There is another flash of lightning followed by even louder thunder.

A huge drop strikes the ground and then breaks into several little droplets. A few feet away another drop repeats the phenomenon. Then there are a few more drops and the sky is nearly black. The aroma of water mixing with dry sand fills the air. Another huge flash of lightning lights up everything and there it is. A downpour! Clear liquid falling from the heavens whereas a turbid stream flowing down the trees. The leaves have gone completely green.

Small rivulets start obeying gravity and flow down the gradients. That sight takes me back to my childhood, when we used to make paper boats and let them float. Scattered potholes turn into puddles, in which little kids jump and splash. The atmosphere is now cooler and that’s how it stays till the downpour turns into a drizzle and finally comes to a stop!

Well, it’s almost the end of October, and we still have rains. Little wonder, that I had to write this.

A moment of love!

We all encounter love in the strangest of forms. It’s purely subjective and hence others may not quite understand it although it makes great sense to us. A long time ago, something like that happened to me. It was not romantic love by any stretch of imagination. It was just a good human being showing care for another. I am a firm believer that care cannot exist without some form of love. I was 12 years old and she was around 20. She had no brothers and I was her neighbour.

I remember our household TV had conked off once and I the eternal couch potato used to shamelessly go to her place to catch something on the tube. One day while watching a cartoon show, there was a power failure. Amidst all that humor, this felt like a calamity and it instantly showed on my face. That female too pulled a long face and said, "Well, let’s hope that the power comes back soon." I took her leave and trundled back home, which was just the adjacent building. Five minutes had passed when I was shaken from my seat by a loud call of my name. The call coincided with my ceiling fan switching on. I rushed to my balcony and saw her waving to me yelling, "Come, come, the power's back, the show's still on."

Maybe then, I was too young to realize, but today I smile with a sense of gratitude. As nonchalant as it may seem, now I believe that knowingly or unknowingly that calling out to me was a moment of real kindness, a moment of love! We no longer stay there and I don’t know where she is now but wherever she is - May god bless her!

Love what you do?

Doing what you love to do, and getting paid for that; well that’s what you call a dream job. However, most of us are stuck in the rut; stuck in a job where we are doing it just for one reason – MONEY. To exist in this world, in some sort of decency, we need money. To earn it we need a job.

Every now and then big ideas crop up in my mind – How about starting a business? Now, self employment is indeed a great thing. No bosses to report to, no strict processes to follow, no waiting till the end of the month for the salary. Ah bliss! But even if we are self employed and doing what we love to do; it’s imperative that the others also like what we do; in fact like it so much that they start using it, obviously after paying us for it.

So the question is not whether we are happy with what we do. Are others who pay us happy with our work? It’s said that every individual is gifted. Even the most vegetative looking person possesses some talent. Channeling that talent is the need of the hour. Let’s not wait for someone else to find out our talents. As adults we all know what we are truly capable of. I am sure our talents will be of use to somebody. After all there are close to seven billion of us on this planet.

I hope that we all discover our true calling. Let’s start minding our own business(es). :-)

May god bless you!

Flip the TV channels, turn the news pages, almost everything is now breaking news!!! It’s becoming more like freaking news these days. Only floods, landslides, virus outbreaks etc are making headlines. I have this habit of reading the papers as soon as I am out of bed. Sadly though, all this negative content has started to make me feel miserable for the rest of the day.

There is a quote made by Leonardo Dicaprio in the movie BLOOD DIAMOND. It is “Sometimes I wonder... will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize... God left this place a long time ago”.

Well this movie is about the ungodly things happening in Sierra Leone and Leo is referring to Africa in general when he says that. Nevertheless, I still feel there is hope. God has not left us. But he is angry and that is showing. I hope we learn quickly and start obeying Him.

Here’s a little poem I wrote dedicated to my dear God.

God created man, with all the love he can.
To play the game of life, and win all hearts; lose strife.
No one doubts, no one doubts, that god is the greatest.
He sees what we don’t see, just believe in his signs.
There’s nothing we have to do, just need to build on his designs.
No one doubts, no one doubts, that god is the greatest.

Happy Mother's Day!

Every child thinks, his or her mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. Poor Aishwarya; she will have to wait. Every mother believes that there is no one else like her kid. She is so right; the outcome of such a laborious – both literally and figuratively – task truly has to be the best.

They say the ones close to you are your greatest critics. Well, in my case it’s my mother. No matter what I achieve, she is always measured in her praises. Recently, when I kept saying no, to her calls to have lunch, she yelled, “Look at you! You weakling”! I retorted, “I may be thin, but I am not weak, you know, yesterday I pushed my motorcycle for 8 kms. You call that weak?”

Oh by the way, the other day, while returning home my motorcycle ran out of fuel and it was 8 km before I could find a petrol pump. I was bragging about that to her. “Well,” she said coolly, “You eat more and you will be able to push your motorcycle farther.” Stony silence at my end, while a smile at hers.

Life is a journey, not a destination. The moment you think you have arrived, you will see new avenues. Take them. Because, the day you don’t see a road ahead, it means only one thing. Metaphorically the dead-end; categorically death! I am beginning to sound dark, am I losing my spark? Okay, to light up let’s get back to the original topic – my mom.

Time and again, I tell my mom to quit her job. I am earning enough to take care. But she won’t listen. She is well over fifty and not too healthy either. However, she carries on relentlessly while setting a new example everyday. She recently showed me an appreciation letter she received at work.

Mom, my laziness notwithstanding, I’d want to follow your footsteps. It’s so difficult for me, though. Sometimes I feel like hating you. But then better sense quickly prevails and I reaffirm my belief – Mommy, I love you! :-)

Pune is my IPL team, but India is my country!

The IPL has caught the nation’s imagination, big time, albeit for more wrong reasons than right. By the recent turn of events one can easily conclude that cricket is no longer just a sport. It’s business. Period. Business can be both ethical and otherwise; and as long as it is raking in the moolah and not too many get offended; it’s good. It’s a different story altogether once the unethical bits are leaked out to public. Then, it can get bad, for some.

Regardless of whatever happens now, there is one question that I ponder over. In fact this is a viewpoint of one of my friends. His question was, “Isn’t the IPL dividing us further?” I think the answer to that is an emphatic YES! I agree; there are players from every culture or ethnicity playing for the IPL teams. Cheerleaders from different countries are dancing to Indian tunes. On the face of it, it’s painting a very nice global picture. But the masses, the common Indians who pay money to watch the game; they are cheering for different teams.

There could be a counter-argument to my premise here. Ranji trophy has been going on for ages. Regionalism has not come into cricket via IPL. But honestly, how many people are bothered about Ranji results? How many people stay glued to the TV sets when a Ranji match is on? Or for that matter, how many television channels broadcast live Ranji matches? Few!!!

I am a Punekar. However throughout the last three IPLs, I’ve been rooting fervently for the MUMBAI INDIANS. Thank goodness, at least they have INDIANS in their team name. But, I’ve been supporting them not for that reason alone. The bigger reason is that my favourite cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar - who calls himself an INDIAN, first - plays for that team. I was one of millions who prayed for his recovery after he sustained that hand injury. I was pleased to see him play the final, and equally disappointed when his team lost.

While this entire cricket extravaganza was taking place, two new teams quietly joined the fray. Next year, we are going to have 10 teams fighting it out to be India’s best T20 side. The two new teams are Kochi and Pune. I am a Malayali, born and brought up in Pune. My natural allegiance would be towards my city, Pune. However my parents would be backing Kochi. There you go; we have a divide right within my family. I also wonder if me or my parents would be praying for any other teams’ players if Kochi or Pune make it to the final. And I just can’t imagine what would happen at my place, if Kochi and Pune play the final. :-)

Having said all that, this competition is good for Indian cricket. It will definitely strengthen the Indian squad. So long as it is healthy, the better. My heartfelt wish is that this lovely country of ours, which prides itself on being united despite the diversity, doesn’t fall prey to yet another kind of regionalism. IPL induced regionalism.