I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.....

Evolution - Men and Heroes

2012-01-30T19:06:00.001+05:30

It’s often argued that cinema acts as a mirror of the society. No matter how blurred the image, the mirror shows, it succeeds to portray a generic sketches of the society of the prevailing time. Taking this argument forward does it mean that the hero’s portrayed in today’s Hindi movie reflect the general psychology of Indian male. The reason for bringing out this argument is that many of the old movies are remade recently and you can see the difference in the on screen character across the generation.

Movies like Umrao Jaan, Don, Agneepath etc. has been remade in recent time and the characters of Nawab Sultan Khan, Vijay(aka Don) or Vijay Dinanath Chauhan have undergone drastic change. Can this change be attributed to the change in masculinity over the ages?

Why only stick to Hero’s alone..even villains have undergone transformation. They are no longer the bad guys who get beaten up in the end. They are cleaver and suave and stylish. The heroes on the other hand are more health conscious and come clean shaven irrespective of the scene. If he is not going to college or spending his dad’s money he may be seen romancing the heroine on some exotic locales. The heroes are now born in well to do families and no longer struggles to stay alive (At least in most cases). This fact seems to highlight the rise of the middle class in urban India. It’s no longer the days where old spice is a luxury but Hugo Boss is a part of most wardrobes these days. The urbanization and rise of multiplexes in India means that people are not interested to see the poor guy and rich girl story nor are they interested to see the angry young man. People are more willing to see an understanding man who loves and loves to be loved. He is non violent and would go to any extent to please the lady love but since there is no villain so his physical ability is never questioned.

The hero of yester years were not too keen to tear their shirt or show his martial art skills and in pretext show off his sculpted body. His appeal was the raw kick and punch that he would use to overpower the villain to rescue his lady love. The victory of good over evil would come at the cost of death and destruction around him. Today the struggle is more against the system or ones inner self. The good old days of bad villain is gone now.

The modern hero does not have to deal with widow mother and an unmarried sister who is always the target of the villain or his sidekick. He is brought up well and not much time is given to his family. If required then only a sister or uncle or dad is put in the movie. Yes the nucleated family is very well reflected in the screen play and the selfishness and individualism is very well reflected in his mannerism. This is a social change which we can’t deny.

They Vinay, Vijay, Vishwanath is replaced by Raj, Sid, Chulbul Pandey ‘s in the movie. Not to forget the importance of item number in the script. In the earlier movies if and only if there is a Don or a Gabbar Singh in the movie one could expect Helen aunty to dance to keep him happy. The set up now has changed to urban India but the mindset of audience has not changed hence the need for item number has gone up. Today the publicity of a movie depends on the peppy numbers that are used in the disc & night clubs across the country so the producers have no choice but to hire a Munni or Sheila.

Gone are the days of poetic lyrics and soulful voices, today’s hero can sing songs in different voices and he is not too bothered behind the poetry behind it. So long as he can lip sync it properly the girl standing in front would be impressed. This is because today the world runs on quantity and not quality. No one cares if your movie has become silver jubilee or golden jubilee. If they can recover the producer money in the first week shows then the project is successful. Yes movies are a project now and executed with precision and planning. You don’t get a year to complete your project. It must be done at max 180 days with 30 days to top it up with publicity. The PR team earns more than the singers of the movie so I guess we should restrict our expectation regarding the emotional aspect of movie making.

The story of the movie always appeals to the movie goers. This one common factor ties all the generations together. But the star appeal today and help the producer to recover his money in the 1^st weekend even the movie is a complete trash. Hence the star sometimes becomes bigger than the movie which is acceptable so long as the product is good. Yes movie is an entertainment product for us, the consumers. I guess this mentality stems from the economic environment around us. The consumer chooses the product based on reviews and word of mouth publicity.

So cinema is undergoing an evolution from becoming a piece of art to a FMCG product. There is no harm with this change so long as people get the value of the money they spent. Heroes and villains are also under going change to suit the demands of the people. The evolution of Indian men and his masculinity is a similar process. We all welcome this change. The evolution of humans is always accompanied by change and so this process is one of the most natural manifestations of nature.

Democracy : We vs They

2011-08-18T16:01:00.001+05:30

I received a mail this morning urging everyone to wear black and come to office on 19th August, Friday. This gesture will show my solidarity to an octogenarian man fighting against corruption which is crippling this great nation. The whole nation is gripped with the wave of a second freedom movement. A movement to make India corruption free. Do I support this movement? Yes of course I do. Do I support the method of protest..well considering the method in which our politicians work I feel there is no other way out.

There is a strange irony in the whole scenario. We are up at arms against the people whom we have chosen two years ago with a landslide majority to govern the nation. So what happened in the past two years that we are ready to throw them away with a civil movement? Actually corruption was very much a part and parcel of politics but now more of these have been exposed and hence people have seen how much the politicians can stoop low.

It’s a cumulative frustration of people that have galvanized them to be a part of the movement led by Anna Hazare. People want accountability of government and want to know how their tax is utilized for nation building. Lokpal bill probably will give people the right to question their leader. But it’s difficult to pass this bill through parliament as no thug will dig his own grave. Not a single politician will support the bill tabled by Anna Hazare because it will bring an abrupt end to the business of politics where rags to riches is the most common path up the ladder.

Politicians have created another version of Lokpal bill which will safeguard their interest and yet bring about minor change in the system. This bill will probably be like our age old constitution which has everything but does nothing.

These two versions of the bill are now at loggerhead and this deadlock is not going to end soon. So it’s a war against elected representative of people and self nominated civil rights activists. The most important question now is that who represents the people’s mandate? If people don’t believe in the ruling government then that government has no right to continue in power. There are various views about the demands made by Anna Hazare or other civil society activists but one thing is for sure the political clan is very united to protect their bread butter and scams. So how does this deadlock end? There are various unanswered questions that have evolved around this crisis. The bottom line is clear corruption must be stopped at any cost but the process remains undefined.

The whole democratic process in this country and the constitution itself has been under question from changing socio-political scenario. There is a radical change required in the constitution itself and the first step to that may be this bill. When the elected representatives become arrogant and take their power for granted it’s the people who should remind them the source of their power. This is what Anna Hazare has done. It does not really matter if he is not a Mahatma or a Gandhi but what matter is the fact that he has captured the imagination of the youth and old and has fuelled an agitation which may change the face of nation.

Indian democracy is fighting its war of existence. The road it will choose from this chaos will determine the future of this nation.

127 Hours

2011-02-11T14:30:00.001+05:30

A man and his desire to survive the worst of hopeless situation in life sums up the story of 127 Hours. The film is based on the real-life adventure of Aaron Ralston, as documented in the book “Between A Rock And A Hard Place”. The extreme biker and climber met with a freak accident in 2003 when his hand got trapped under a boulder during a climbing expedition in Utah. The mountaineer spent five grueling days all by himself in this life-threatening situation before he could extricate himself and reach out for help.

This simple plot has been woven into a compelling movie by Danny Boyle and A.R.Rahman’s haunting tune(I felt some of the tracks were used in Raavan as well) adds to the pulsating drama. Most of the movie you would stare at close up shots of James Franco who brings out the emotions of a man trapped between life and death. It’s a tough movie to sit through specially the last 15 minutes yet in the end one feels the compelling urge to celebrate life.

I won’t be surprised if James Franco wins the Best Actor award in Oscars this year. Off course I have not yet seen the Social Network but so far his performance has stood out among the movies I saw last year. The best part of the movie is the way Aaron’s inner feelings and fears are portrayed through the various pieces of memories in his mind. And how is premonition of his future gives him the strength to cut his own hand in order to survive. This movie is a classic lesson of ‘mind over matter’. It shows how hope and desire to live overcomes physical challenges. Unless you are faint hearted do watch this movie.

Enjoy another Holiday..Dont bother about Nation

2011-01-25T13:45:00.002+05:30

On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effect under which India was established as a secular and a democratic state. So we are celebrating 61st year of being a secular republic. We are the largest democracy in the world. We are proud to have produced people who have excelled in different works of life. That’s what I get to read through email chains and scraps and tweets and blogs.
We deliberately or unconsciously ignore the underbelly of this nation. We are the nation that faces challenges from religious violence, casteism, naxalism, terrorism and regional separatist insurgencies, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern India. India has unresolved territorial disputes with the People's Republic of China, which, in 1962, escalated into the Sino-Indian War, and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999.We proudly sit on top of corruption list and dirtiest cities of the world. Yet I am supposed to be a proud Indian and endorse the tricolor.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of Independent India, in his special message to his countrymen, on the birth of the Indian Republic, said:
"We must re-dedicate ourselves on this day to the peaceful but sure realization of the dream that had inspired the Father of our Nation and the other captains and soldiers of our freedom struggle, the dream of establishing a classless, co-operative, free and happy society in 'his country'. We must remember that this is more a day of dedications than of rejoicing - dedication to the glorious task of making the peasants and workers the toilers and the thinkers fully free, happy and cultured."
If we go by his word we have been a big failure as a Republic by his words yet we are we one of the strongest force of this century.

Lets look at what the preamble to our constitution was:
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
Going by the preamble I can question on JUSTICE,LIBERTY,EQUALITY,FRATERNITY in today’s context. We have been given FUNDAMENTAL rights. We not only forget our DUTIES but also expand our FUNDAMENTAL rights to an extent that it crosses hand with the law which is old enough not to cope with present generation.

Tomorrow when I wake up I will enjoy another holiday as the reason for holiday has long lost its importance and value. We can all hope for HOPE.

A vision through the maze

2010-11-10T14:50:00.003+05:30

Who is a true leader? There is no concrete answer to this question. History is filled with depiction of great men who have made their mark but does it mean all of them are great leader. Looking back at Indian History we have come across people who have been able to change the course of this nation but searching through their lives you will not find many leaders.

There have been people who have been able to garner faith and respect of people and have transformed themselves to a level where people would naturally follow them. Moving up the corporate ladder makes me realize that the huge potential of the industry at the bottom of the pyramid which gets squandered because there is not many people to channelize this potential. Most people up the pyramid are leader by designation and not by ability. It’s a big statement to make but this is blunt truth. Our corporate structure is not aimed in grooming leaders so in a few years we might find a problem of plenty.

When we entered the industry (Software Industry) way back in 2004 the head count in companies were relatively low. 2004-2006 had seen the intake of huge number of people. Now the leaders we had seen during our initial period were mostly guys who have worked for 10-15 years as Computer Engineers. The catch here is when they graduated most of the students used to opt for jobs in fields like Electronics, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical etc. So we haven’t really seen the best of leaders. So whatever we learnt from them on leadership is really questionable.7 years down the line we are now in the mid management level where it’s expected that we will lead the pack. The problem is not only there are too many such people but also most of them are not well groomed. If you think this is the only problem then you are missing the point, the guys who were your leaders 7 years ago have become managers now.

So the scenario is we are getting bright and enthusiastic fresher’s who are managed by half baked leaders like us who is turn is reporting to people who once was discarded by the booming industries during their hay days. This is creating a huge gulf between expectation and outcome in all possible ways. I have observed the side effect of this situation:

• There is lack of trust and faith on leadership as we move up the pyramid

• Lack of self confidence and self belief among fresher’s who does not have many to look up to

• People changing job at the drop of hat

• Lack of vision and direction in governance

• HR under pressure to retain talent

• Management working behind closed doors like some secret society
• Lack of transparency and vision

• Lack of innovation and growth opportunity

Although I have seen people who have stood out and made a good example of themselves and have been leaders whom we can look up to. But their efforts are often overshadowed by the many who have failed to deliver. Companies are determined to make profit and maintain their growth rate so they push the managers who in turn push their subordinates and ultimately its bottom layer of this pyramid who are crushed. We are not in a sugarcane industry that by crushing more we will get better sugar!!

The companies have formulated policies to ensure that this situation does not arise but often those policies are flaunted to suit the benefit of few and eventually it harms everyone in the long run. The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance. Problem is today the mantra have been changed. There is nothing called common sense people goes by the rule-book wherever required and flaunts the rules for his/her own benefit. Today perseverance pays you nothing unless you are smart to show off your perseverance. It’s all about marketing. It’s all about blowing your own trumpet and keeps the show running. Leadership skill or no Leadership skill if you are making profit you will be there. You PR and Communication skill will help you project as a great person whose project is making huge profit and the metrics number shows great improvement over the months. Your management will kiss you even if your team members are showing traits of being suicidal or depression.

I know there is no point writing these already known facts. There is no point raising the questions which is already known. There is no point discussing problems as I may not be able to solve the problems. I have tried to work my way out through certain situations so that I may be able to share the solution with all but not always I have succeeded.

But few things that work are:

• Accept and be indifferent

• Never be loyal to your company but be loyal to your work

• Learn as much as possible from the right people.

• Lead by example not by power points.

• Don’t try to change the system either adopt or be adopted

We can’t change but we can make a difference. Difference that may change the way our future welcomes us.

Fir Mile tum mera tumhara-is it??

2010-08-15T17:26:00.002+05:30

I have been planning to write on this topic for a long time now. But thought to ignore it thinking how it matters. Today when the entire TV channels has been showing the new edition of the song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” I just could not take it anymore. The earlier edition of the song brought out the Indian integrity and sense of national belonging. This song shows India has 60% television stars, 25% singer’s 8 % sports stars and rest few second for army men. This pathetic version of this song features a Shahid Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra or Deepika Padukone whose contribution to the nation is perhaps greater than an APJ Abul Kalam or a Saurav ganguly or a Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Narayana Murthy – this is an insult if the maker of the song thinks it in this way. They did not even feature a Sachin Tendulkar but after public hue and cry they included him but that does not end the pathetic appeal of the song.

If these people define Indian independence and integrity then god save the country. Does our country comprise of these people or have these people taken up the onus of serving as the face of nation. The earlier song had people from various fields like literature, art ,music, sports, movies just to name a few…This version has Bollywood written all over it. I question the presence of many celebrities in this song. I question the song being played on Independence Day. This is a nation you are talking about not a fictitious world like Bollywood.

Peepli [Live]

2010-08-15T02:15:00.005+05:30

The best way to describe the movie “Peepli Live’’ is that it’s different. Coming from a first time director the movie is a wonderful dark movie coated with humor. Although the movies looses its way into predictable format in the second half but yet it highlights serious issues plaguing journalism, media ,politics and how government schemes are misutilized. The ending would perhaps make you feel disappointed but the first surely lives up to the expectation. It’s more like an art-house movie promoted like a commercial one.

The strength of the movie lies in the characterization. Each character in the movie is realistic and one can relate to their pathos. The main character who has few dialogues in the movies yet his mannerism and expression invokes a sense of sympathy throughout the movie. His elder brother, his wife, his mother all adds up to a wonderful example of poverty in India. The local politician, the chief minister, the agriculture minister all falls into perfect shape. The journalist and the TV channels activities shown across the movie only show the knowledge of the director coming from the same background. Finally the rivalry between Hindi and English news channel are brought to open.

The movie also questions journalism and role of media in building up nation. It has shown how news is manufactured from events which are sale-able as per TRP while the real news gets sidelined. Poverty is highlighted with power pact humor for the very first time. When the protagonist Nattha is tricked into committing suicide by his own brother one feels their funny bones tickled. There are few moments which according to me keep the movie alive.

The discussion of the local journalist with the journalist of the English movie channel brings out the reality of news reporting done today. Its disturbing but commercially practical.
In another scene a farmer who lost his land and made his living my digging clay, dies in the same hole dug by him.
A particular Hindi news channel reporter actually creates sensational news out of faeces left behind by the protagonist of the movie.
A lower caste political leader tries to turn the suicide into a caste related and issue.
The 'Lal bahadur' scheme actually turns out to be a hand pump which is of no use to a poor farmer and which highlights how government schemes turns out to be such a waste for the needy.

Over all the music and back ground score supports the story all along and the satirical tale ends with Nattha leaving the village and coming to work as a daily laborer in the town. It ends as abruptly as it begun…so the name ‘Peepli Live’ is probably an appropriate title.
If u are in sulking mood due to rain and keep complaining about government and media for your misery you can go and enjoy this movie. For all those who see movie as a medium of entertainment go at your own risk to watch this movie.

Awsome Letter

2010-06-02T11:24:00.003+05:30

I got this write up through a mail and thought of sharing it:

Dear Wife,

1. Between 11 June and 11 July 2010, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you aware of what is going on regarding the World of Soccer, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention?

2. During the World Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don’t mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me.

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill my drink or something to eat. You are out off your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell on the floor....It won't happen.

5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on (excluding your body parts), and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12 am and 6 am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please!! If you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, it's only a game", or "don’t worry, they'll win next time"". If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than mime and you’re so called "words of Encouragement"" will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you u can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the half time scores is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game; Hence does not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse too "spend time together".

8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if II have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see Then again, Many times.

9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because:
a)) I will not go,
b)) I will not go, and
c)) I will not go.

10. But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11. The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this...why don’t you change e the channel to something we can all Watch?" because, the reply will l be, "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".

12. And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank Good the World Cup is only every 4 years". I am immune to these words, because before and after this comes the Champions League, Premier League, Italian League, Spanish League, KPL, FAA Cup, Euro Cup, etc.

P.S:By the way if you get stuck on the road call the Police or 100.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Husband

Search Engines goes on Strike.

2010-05-26T14:33:00.002+05:30

Today while discussing the Air India strike during Lunch hour we chanced to discuss a scenario if all Search Engine go on strike. What will happen to our lives??

It’s theoretically impossible for that to happen but just by chance if all the servers shut down some day what will happen. I am sure the mass of India would remain unaffected but considering the usage of Google worldwide, I can imagine a mini dark age to be dawn on the netizens.

Trying to find the how much the world uses search engine I went to http://www.google.com/trends . The statistics generated there is mind boggling. The usage of Google for education/work/entertainment has virtually created a matrix of its own. Imagining a day without this matrix means a virtual shutdown of an important part of life.

Just imagines all Search Engines goes on strike on a Saturday. I won’t be able to get quick references to websites, phone numbers, address etc and would be completely lost in World Wide Web.Now imagine this for everyone. It will be a virtual dark age minus all online communication. A part of your identity will stop functioning. But there is a catch. This will probably give the time to use our brains whose grey matters are slowly replaced by Google search. Today thoughts and memories are dependent on Google search engines. So without the search engines we would struggle on many aspects of our lives.

The web now has become so large and complex that without search engines we will be lost in the labyrinth of words and images and videos. The search engines are the torch to search our way through this maze of information. So without this torch we are doomed.

Honestly I would like to see the actual affect of this scenario. I am sure no company will shut its server down for this kind of social experiment which amounts to losses of millions of USD. But we should ponder over this scenario. The dependency on a virtual network has grown so much over the last 5 years that the question arises “Are we ready for Search Engines, if it decides to go on strike”??

Height of 'Optimisim' of a die hard fan

2010-04-15T12:38:00.014+05:30

Being an Optimist I'm quite flabbergasted that SRK has already begun apologising when KKR is very much in the reckoning for a semi-final spot especially with the MASSIVE advantage of playing the the last 2 games at home and the final game against a team that has already qualified. They will know the exact run-rate required if it comes down to that and they'll be up against a not-so-motivated Mumbai side who might just take it easy.The road to semifinal will be as shown below:

15 Apr DD must beat CSK | DD 14 from 13 matches CSK 12 from 13 matches
16 Apr KXIP must beat DC | DC 12 from 13 games KXIP 10 from 13 games
17 Apr MI beats RC           | RC is 14 from 14 matches
17 Apr KKR beats RR         | KKR 12 from 13 matches and RR 12 from 14 matches
18 Apr KXIP beat CSK       | CSK 12 from 14 games KXIP 12 from 14 games
18 Apr DD beat DC           | DD 16 from 14 game DC 12 from 14 games
19 Apr KKR beats MI         | KKR 14 from 14 matches

So other than Mumbai the semifinalist would be RC,KKR,DD. The bottomline is KKR has to win which is too much of expectation from them considering their present performance.

Interestingly KXIP can also reach semifinal if this happens:

15 Apr DD must beat CSK   | DD 14 from 13 matches CSK 12 from 13 matches
16 Apr KXIP must beat DC  |DC 12 from 13 games KXIP 10 from 13 games
17 Apr MI beats RC           | RC 14 from 14 matches
17 Apr KKR beats RR         | KKR 12 from 13 matches and RR 12 from 14 matches
18 Apr KXIP beat CSK        | CSK 12 from 14 games KXIP 12 from 14 games
18 Apr DD beat DC           | DD 16 from 14 game DC 12 from 14 games
19 Apr MI beats KKR          | KKR 12 from 14 matches

So other than Mumbai the semifinalists would be RC & DD. The final spot would on run rate between RR,KKR,KXIP,DC,CSK.

Cricket is a funny game and there is a possibility that one of these two equations being correct.

L S D

2010-03-31T14:44:00.006+05:30

It’s a good idea to import Tarantino’s movie making style mixed with the style from “Blair Witch Project”/ “Paranormal Activity” to set a new dimension in Bollywood movie making. The problem is, handling such a task needs an understanding of Indian audience. Dibakar Banerjee has made a wonderful attempt to bring out a new dimension in movie making with his movie “Love,Sex aur Dhoka” but the representation lacks the sensitivity of putting forward a critical social issues taken up in the movies.

One can argue its reality shown at point blank. I agree to this but what’s the whole of showing them? Does this movie serve the purpose of raising social awareness? No. Is this a “Paisa Vasool” movie? No. So if the movie is neither social nor entertainment then why make this movie at all?

This movie has 3 distinct real life stories shot in cam coder mode showing three independent interrelated stories to bring the concept of Love,Sex and Dhoka as applicable to modern world. The first story deals with honor killing. The second one deals with voyeurism and pornography while the third one deals with exploitation in entertainment industry juxtaposed with sting operation.India has read these stories in some form or other in recent past and the movies just brings it out in celluloid screen.

Director Dibakar Banerjee has made a wonderful attempt to bring out a new idea to bollywood film making. If you really want to watch the movie then go with an open mind to experience something new. Whether you will like the new thing or not will be entirely your discretion. As for me I am yet to decide whether to love it or hate it.

Reservation and Future...

2010-03-04T12:41:00.003+05:30

If you are a guy born in coming years who does not belong to the reserved classes I am sure you will curse your birth. No matter if you have merit or skills you might have to struggle extra to establish yourself. The reason is 33% of bright future is reserved of certain class of people who prefer to remain backward after 70 years of independence and 33% of bright future is being reserved for women, so if you are neither you will struggle with rest of the people for the remaining 34%.

These reservations has actually wiped of the importance of merit in education system. I am not sure these reservations will take India forward but it will make life difficult for a majority of the middle class. Reservation is necessary for people who are backward socially or economically but when laws such as these are implemented in India, it turns out that there is more misuse of these laws.

The road cleared for 33% reservation of all MP, MLA seats for women and this is the topic that’s making round these days. I support this reservation with a little reservation of my own. I am sure 33% women MP’s and MLA’s will do much better and efficient work than the current MP’s and MLA’s. They will present a better picture of parliament during those live telecasts. But this step actually will go forward with 33% reservation in education system as well. Then I have a problem. Education builds the future of nation and reservation will only make that more fragile than strengthen it.

Imagine this:
Rabri Devi is in parliament instead of Lalu Yadav, thanks to the women reservation bill, having argument with Mamta Banerjee on Rail Budget with Jayalalitha pitching in with her views and Sushma Swaraj leading the opposition on a walkout.
I will surely watch this budget live!!

The 2 Idiots

2010-02-26T12:19:00.002+05:30

If I look back at world cricket and think about some of its major blunders I would certainly list the entry of Chappell brothers in the game and their contribution thereafter as the stupidest thing to happen to world cricket.

After India’s exit from world cup in 2007 Ian Chappell wrote about Tendulkar "Before anybody else makes a decision on what will happen to Tendulkar the player himself has to have a good long look in the mirror and decide what he's trying to achieve in the game". I wonder how he will explain this point now.

His brother Greg, well I don’t have enough words to describe how much he has harmed world cricket/Indian cricket in the recent past. His mindless theories have not only damaged the game but also depleted a strong team. We too much have already been written about him and I don’t need to vindicate my point. But i am sure Irfan Pathan who is now out of the Indian world T20 team would appear to testify this.

In June 2009, in a published article Chappell alleged that Tendulkar plays only for records and he had become burden for the Team India and that Tendulkar should quit.Tendulkar, a non-controversial personality in cricket world has finally reacted sharply to Chappel.Tendulkar said " Some people make allegations just to gain popularity. Ian Chappel has no knowledge of cricket".

Before the Australian tour last year Ian Chappell wrote "Sachin has been an outstanding player. And to be an outstanding player for such a long time takes a lot of things. But for a long part of his career he was the best batsman in the world. I don't think he is that anymore. I think Ricky Ponting has taken that role over now." Well now history has proved the truth.

Greg Chappell on the other hand after doing what he did to Indian cricket and earning his retirement fund from BCCI told "I am not interested in India. Not interested in Indian cricket".

When player become old and retire they bask in the glory of their past. These two brothers have really a glorious past. They will always be remembered as the people to mock the game by bowling underarm. So when they insult the greats like Sachin or Sourav they should remember their past.

I understand they are old and they need to earn their lively hood by writing columns or providing coaching to national/club teams. Greg and Ian are doing the same. But the problem lies in their capability to understand the game. With all due respect they are the 2 idiots of world cricket and no matter what they write or try to coach they will never be able to hide their incompetency.

They will never gain the respect or awe from the game and its lovers because of their inability to respect the game itself.

As it is the foreign relation between Australia and India is at its lowest in the recent past so it would be good is the media from both the countries puts a tab on the big mouth of the 2 idiots so at least no further damage is done to the game.If we can do this then "All IZZ Well" for World Cricket

Up in the Air-Review

2010-02-24T11:07:00.001+05:30

My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates”-Forest Gump

Probably this one sentence summed up the entire theme of the movie “Forest Gump” . It was a classic movie of all times. Similiarly “Up in the Air” is a brilliant adaptation of contemporary world which can be summed up in this quote :

“How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you're carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life... you start with the little things. The shelves, the drawers, the knickknacks, then you start adding larger stuff. Clothes, tabletop appliances, lamps, your TV... the backpack should be getting pretty heavy now. You go bigger. Your couch, your car, your home... I want you to stuff it all into that backpack. Now I want you to fill it with people. Start with casual acquaintances, friends of friends, folks around the office... and then you move into the people you trust with your most intimate secrets. Your brothers, your sisters, your children, your parents and finally your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend. You get them into that backpack, feel the weight of that bag. Make no mistake your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments and secrets, the compromises. The slower we move the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks.”

It’s a simple story of Ryan Bingham who flies around the world firing people. He is hired to fire people as the higher management in companies are scared to do the downsizing in the current scenario. His life in these trying times and his relationship becomes the driving force of the movie. Just so you understand the man we're dealing with, Bingham is lonely,emotionally detached from the real world, happy to be notching up air miles, and miserable about having to return home. The story then veers through a roller coaster ride of relationships and how Ryan handles the emotions of firing people. The story ends from where it started but with a strong message of hope.The movie is smart,witty and the dialogues are hilarious and devoid of any slapstick comedy.

The director Jason Reitman(who directed “Juno”)casually blends humor with sorrow a presents a wonderful tale of loneliness. George Clooney was a perfect choice for playing Ryan Bingham with the support cast doing an excellent job

Instead of analyzing the movie it would be better(and easier) to pen down few quotes which I am sure would be remembered for long time

Ryan Bingham: All the things you probably hate about travelling -the recycled air, the artificial lighting, the digital juice dispensers, the cheap sushi- are warm reminders that I'm home.

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Ryan Bingham: [on getting through airport security]: Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left. Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and they have a thing for slip on shoes. Gotta love 'em.

----

Ryan Bingham: I thought I was a part of your life.

Alex Goran: I thought we signed up for the same thing... I thought our relationship was perfectly clear. You are an escape. You're a break from our normal lives. You're a parenthesis.

Ryan Bingham: I'm a parenthesis?

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Ryan Bingham: [a letter to Natalie’s new job]: To whom it may concern: I can't begin to count the number of people I've fired. So many that I've forgotten what it's like to actually hire someone. We've never met, but you'd be lucky to have Natalie Keener. My advice? Take her and don't look back. She'll be the best decision you've made in a long time.

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Ryan Bingham: If you think about it, your favorite memories, the most important moments in your life... were you alone? Life's better with company.

Memorable dinner drive

2010-02-21T19:52:00.004+05:30

Yesterday we decided to dine on the Khandala Valley. Accordingly we traveled to ‘Dukes Retreat’ at night. The drive along the Western Ghat was awesome and with the Radio Jokey playing the remixed tracks the journey seems to be very enjoying. The description of the night is not what is the main purpose of the blog. The spectacular experience of the return journey makes this blog worth writing.

We were cruising along the Mumbai-Pune expressway on our return journey when suddenly an unknown car whizzed passed us. The make of the car was somewhat different.On a closer we realized it was Roles Royce Phantom. The car had a majestic arrogance and it pierced through the darkness like a Phantom. Just when we were admiring its beauty a Lamborghini whizzed passed us. The yellow racer with turbo engine was following the Phantom. If you have watched the movie Ghost and Darkness then you would realize how deadly they were looking riding side by side. Our own Rony(My friend and the driver) tried to match their speed and give us a glimpse of the cars. It was not long when we heard a loud honking behind us. We gave way to another awesome car Bentlay Mulsanne . The three cars occupied the empty lanes and drove parallel to each other. All I can say is the whole scenario was worth watching, Pune –Mumbai express way, middle of the night and the three most desirable cars cruising ahead of you.
They were driving at their medium speed and we had to huff and puff our way to match them. Rony did a good job to drive behind them most of the way and we reached Pune in about 50 minutes flat. It was a memorable experience for all of us to see a rally of the best cars in front of us.

As i drove past German Bakery...

2010-02-17T11:16:00.000+05:30

As I drove past the German Bakery a strange feeling went through me. It was sadness and possibly anger with slight hopelessness in it. The sight was a testimony of destruction. Although police had cordoned off the area surrounding it but I guess they have done it too late. Lots of young innocent lives have been lost in the mindless streak of violence.

If the target of terrorist is to invoke fear in common people then I must say they have succeeded. The lively city went under a blanket of fear for the valentine’s weekend. People tried hard to be resolute but the fear showed in their action. But then again life has gone back to normalcy now. People have gone back to their life. People who have been affected by the blast is having a hard time coping with their loss.

But somewhere I sense that we have accepted these incidents. I blame the administration for it. One strong step or a strong message would have acted as a warning for such elements. But as a proud peace loving nation our administration have done nothing. I think we should learn from America. There was one 9/11 and they annihilated an entire nation, made security measures to such a frenzy level that it inspired many bollywood movies. What did we do? The answer actually is ‘Nothing’.

We are more interested in ‘Aman Ki Asha’ when our own people are dying every day. We are more interested in regional politics that building a strong nation. We are more interested in dividing our states than providing security to our stalemates. We are more interested in preventing other people from entering our states that preventing such rogue elements from entering our country. And thus we have accepted that few of our innocent friends will die every day and in such a gruesome manner. And thus even after 26/11 or 13/2 we get back to our normal life quickly. Media calls this resoluteness I prefer to call it hopelessness.

We have to understand democracy in a better way than we did in the past 60 years of Independence. We need to understand the power of democracy and how it can be used to build a nation. The day we realize the power of people and have value for human life we can defend ourselves against terrorists.

A.R- The maestro of contemporary music

2010-02-02T11:42:00.001+05:30

2 Oscars and 2 Grammys will certainly ensure that the music maestro A.R. Rahman is recognized by the world for his exemplary contribution to modern music. He deserved every bit of the recognition but what bothers me is that the western world recognized his skills for a movie like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ which is certainly not one of his best. I still believe that 'Roja' & 'Bomabay' are two of his masterpiece. He should have been recognized for such compositions and not for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ .
The spotlight received by ever humble A.R.Rahman may be a boon for India music industry which is culturally the richest treasure house of lyrics and music but is lost in the labyrinth of commercial and classical feud. I am sure in the coming years our Indian music will get an international platform and A.R.Rahman would always be remembered as the brilliant maestro who took our music to the international stage.

WE ARE ALL RACIST

2010-02-01T13:53:00.001+05:30

Most of us are born racist then why blame Australia!! The difference probably lies that they express their feelings through actions and we do so verbally because we are a bunch of cowards. Otherwise what’s the difference? Some people claim Mumbai belong to a certain group of people or that Telangana must be a separate state. We have more state than most countries and even if that’s not worse we have a difference of culture, language and to add to that people have become intolerant towards anyone who is not a son of soil.
If India had been a successful kingdom as history suggests, the reason was tolerance towards other people having different culture, language and way of living. After independence we were too busy trying to be a ‘developed nation’ from a ‘developing nation’ and now that we are developing so we have leisure to indulge in activities which leads to a divided nation. I guess the motto of a certain class of people is to make ‘India’ into ‘United States of India’ where in we will need visa to travel to one state to another. Probably Mumbai would also have a visa cap every year for migrants.
We still refer to people based on their region or religion or class or creed …this list will go on..So aren’t we racist?? Introspection will reveal the answer which we can’t deny. Unless we value and respect human life we can never call ourselves developed species, be it Australian’s or Indian’s. Hatred is a strong feeling which can destroy humanity are we are not too far from that…!

Looooooonnnngggg Timeee

2010-01-30T17:30:00.002+05:30

It has been long since i have penned anything. The scenerio of blogging has changed and now Facebook,Twitter/Micro Blogging has made us move away from conventional blogging. I have decided to go back to basics and use this as my blogging tool. Whether its micro or macro it doesnot matter. I think i should write once again....

You know or you don't

2008-07-12T16:08:00.006+05:30

Its ‘Jaane Tu…Ya jaane na’,which means ‘You know or you don’t’. I have heard good reviews of this movie from friends before I went to watch it. Everyone said the movie was a good one. So I decided to venture it on the last show on 10th July ,Thursday.
I have often believed that a movie is all about direction accompanied by acting. And ‘Jaane Tu’ is more about direction than anything else. It’s a run of the mill story, with a debutant actor with limited acting capabilities accompanied by pretty ordinary music score by a music maestro and yet it’s a wonderful movie to watch.
Right from the casting to the way the movie is presented everything makes it a refreshing experience. Along the movie you would imagine the movie was written keeping Imran in mind and not the other way around. His acting in-capabilities actually becomes the USP for this movie. Amazing yet so true. Genelia has a perfect role to suit her kind of character and the other characters in the movie are as believable as it can get.
The story is ordinary considering the fact that two college friends who does not know that there lives have become so close that they are actually in love(The others surrounding their lives actually believes so). Eventually they decide to help each other finding life partner. When the guy finally finds a gal the other gal realizes she is in love with him. Subsequently ego clashes leads to a final airport scene where the hero breaks all security and expresses his love for the leading lady. Yaaawwwn. So boring .
But believe me this story is so wonderfully told in the movie that you will fall in love with it. Firstly the guy is a ‘cowardly Rajput’ sounds like an oxymoron. That’s where the movie scores. Its goes beyond the convention of celluloid cinema. The hero is like one of us. The other characters actually blends so well with the movie that one can relate to them instantly. The imagery of the hero’s dad communicating to his mom through his wall painting is an innovative and amazing concept that adds that ‘zing’ to the movie. The humor is very subtle and stands beyond the normal run of the mill slap stick comedy. The portrayal of the ‘Meao’ and ‘Rats’ with there uninhabited friendship actually breathes in fresh life into otherwise boring movies releasing every now and then. Ratna Pathak,Paresh Rawal, Sohail and Arbaaz Khan have wonderful cameos to themselves. Naseeruddin Shah who is exceptional as ‘The Wallpainting’ Dad actually adds the extra comic flavour to the movie. The 3 hours movie will keep you engrossed with its story telling and refreshing brilliance. Not to mention the climax which ends in an Airport scene. You must have watched lots of this airport scene climax. But this one is just a bit different and wonderfully enjoying.
The movie actually raises a question when do you think you are in love? And off course makes it a point to answer it. At times we search of paradise without knowing that it’s at our arms length. The movie actually defines a thin line that separates friendship and love. The truth that always prevails is the person you love is actually your best friend ‘Jaane Tu …ya Jaane na’.

Mahabaleshwar Trip

2008-07-01T02:14:00.000+05:30

Aurangabad Trip

2008-06-19T18:26:00.002+05:30

Religion=??

2008-06-19T18:09:00.000+05:30

Whenever I fill up the forms for any office or visa or any other stuff I am always asked for my religion. I am a Hindu so I write ‘Hindu’. Does it make any difference to my life??I don’t exactly know this. I have often wondered how much Hindu I am? To begin with I am an atheist, so it doesn’t matter which religion I belong to I just don’t have any belief in any form of GOD.
I have been educated in Christian missionary school so Bible has been an integral part of my life since my childhood. I have read The New Testament, The Old Testament; I have celebrated Christmas and have enjoyed the pork chops in my meal. I have never refused any wine offered to me during Christmas. I am fascinated by Christian wedding and white gowns, not to mention their churches have been an architectural treat for my eyes…so does that make me a Christian?
I have loved Muslim architecture, I have been fascinated by their artwork, I love their Biriyani, I have read Quran(Although Translated Version) , I have been touched by the beauty of Muslim women in my trips to Kashmir and Hyderabad . Sufi music has been a treat to my ear ever since I have been listening to music..so does this makes me a Muslim?
I guess my likings for Hindu religion needs no explanation because that’s what I am by birth, isn’t it. If that’s not enough then I must say that my grandfather has been a devout Hindu throughout his life and so is my mom and I belong to that family! So that makes me a Hindu, right. I wished that while filling the forms I was given the option to choose as many religion as possible I would have ticked them all..OR for online forms if they would have given me check boxes instead of radio button then I would have probably clicked them all.
My parents have been wonderful in bringing me up and giving me the option to make choices in my life. So till day I haven’t been able to make up my mind if I want to choose any religion although officially I am a ‘Hindu’. So whenever I hear things going wrong on basis of communal divide I am perplexed. Does following any religion ever make any difference to a man unless he/she decides to be a religious fanatic? History has shown that religion was invented to bring people closer to one another. It was a basis of social networking for likeminded people. And in a country like India which I so wonderfully variant how does religion play an important part in shaping its destiny??
I know that thousands of articles and stories have been written on communal harmony and religious tolerances and on topics pertaining to religion but still we have the lines. The line that divides people on the basis of the religion he/she follows. The lines that burns countries leaving behind unremovable scars. The lines that given rise to fanatism and hatred among people. The lines that modern day science has not been able to wane away inspite of huge advances in technology.
I guess the time has come to progress forward as ‘Humans’ and believe in the saying “Live and Let Live”. Although these thoughts may be a bit philosophical but I guess history have proven that the greatest of kingdoms have been the ones which have held all religions at the highest level. Since we want India to dominate the world in the coming century so guess we should look at these aspects also.
I must confess I am happy to be a human, an atheist more than that of being a Hindu….!

Long time...

2008-05-17T11:36:00.001+05:30

It has been quiet sometime since I have penned down something. I am sure I have become lazy. Apart from that the standard excuse is that ‘I had lots of work’. The Indian Premiere League has also eaten into my life by swallowing good 3 hours 30 minutes of my day. These are just excuses so one can ignore them.
The reason for me writing once again is not because the greats like Amitabh’s and Amir Khan’s has started blogging, although I must confess they are doing a good job. Every alternate day there is some media reactions on what they write. Even in Cannes there was a mention of Amitabh’s blog by Ash!!Well so much you can expect if you are a celebrity I guess!
Its just that the work that Vinay and myself were doing is coming to an end.Actually Vinay is doing the work and I am ‘goofing’ around. But anyway I just felt the urge to pen down a few lines so decided to scribble scrabble. Its actually also 3 years that I have been blogging around so kinda happy anniversary to myself.

Weekend getaway to Alibag

2008-03-24T19:01:00.001+05:30

Team outing to Harnai Beach,Dapoli

2008-03-11T00:25:00.001+05:30

Nightout at Sinhgad

2008-02-24T09:20:00.003+05:30

Taare Zameen Par

2008-02-21T22:09:00.002+05:30

This is a snapshot of Saraswati Ashram. The kids here live like a big family and all they need from us is empathy and not sympathy!!

FSG Party

2008-02-09T22:07:00.000+05:30

The FSG Party happened on 9.02.08.It was a power packed event where our project rocked from the begining till the end.The overall experience was really fascinating.Here's a snapshot of the evening's proceedings.

A day in the life of Saraswati

2008-01-21T18:21:00.000+05:30

This sunday when we went to Saraswati Ashram we were greeted by the some new members of Saraswati Ashram. These puppies were the new addition to the Ashram. Surprisingly they didnot mind our presence at all,infact they posed for photographs with much elegance and dignity. Probably they have seen the movie "Air Buddies" and were all set to create a mayhen in the Ashram

Suddenly we found the Ashram to be empty and we were wondering where are the kids gone.In a few minutes we discovered that they were mesmerised by the Karizma.It seems the bike lives upto its expectations.

Soon the volunteers of Khwaab got into serious business.The first priority was to ensure that the present Class X students go through the Maharastra board exam.Accordingly we sat down with the Ashram kids to workout.

We soon found that these kids of class x needs so help from us. We had decided that we will try our best to make them score well in board exam so that they can move ahead in life in a better way.Aashish(back-in red jacket) was as serious as ever.He satdown with the Vaibhav and Rohit to see at which level of preparation they are in. His revelations were a cause of concern for us as these kids were not upto the mark for board exam.We finally decided to provide them with extra teacher and ensure that some of us follow up with their progress in the coming months.We also talked on the action plan for class-IX students.

The last look at the Air Buddies before departure.

Visit us at: www.khwaab.org

A letter from an Indian cricket fan

2008-01-21T16:10:00.000+05:30

Dear Honchos of BCCI,
It seems you old men are ardently bent at creating an young team India. I welcome your move. The system should try and look towards future. I remember some guy called Greg Chappell tried the same..but eventually when he reached that future he fumbled like a pack of cards. I hope you are not looking at such a future?
It seems from reports that Dhoni and Yuvi has played a hand in eliminating Dada and Jammy. Well since when the BBCI heads started listening to guys who have just began their career. One of them is trying to be a test player and another is trying to be a decent wicket keeper. Oh I am sorry they are the captain and vice-captain of the team. That sounds like reason to listen to them.
Yesterday one of your member Rajiv Shukla said that BCCI has done the right thing and that the Australian pitches requires young stars and we should look toward the future. I guess that’s what you can expect from a failed bureaucrat who’s knowledge of cricket is questionable but still thanks to your immense support he is enjoying his life on the money of tax payers of the country. But who cares that in a country where Shahrukh Khan payes a tax of 15 crore.
But when he gives reason to humiliate great players it seems that the country has gone to the dogs. According to biological theories parasites evolve in places where the climate is suited to their procreation activities, similiarly such guys will thrive around the worlds richest cricket body sucking its wealth for their own mean and crush the basic ethics of sportsmanship.
The question is how do you end the career of a great cricket player? Every country has its own way of doing it. In cricket you try to copy Australia in every aspect except two areas, their selection procedure and the way they handle great player. I guess that’s why you know why Don Bradman was an Australian and not an Indian? No country has such humiliating procedure to end the career of great players except Pakistan. So is it true that you are loving your neighbor as yourself??
Lets look at the two players you have left out. Jammy and dada’s contribution to Indian cricket will surpass the capability of the present captain, vice-captain, selectors and other honchos of BCCI combined. A T20 win have made you so arrogant that you have humiliated the two greatest players of the country. What if the team fails in impress in Australia(As a cricket fan I obviously don’t want that)? I know then you will recall these two players giving some silly excuse. And if they succeed I am sure you will felicitate them by making them occupy the second row of the felicitation dais. I know you cant allow them the first row because the Shuklas and Pawars and Modis and Shahs have better mass appeal and photogenic face
Sourav Ganguly is a poor fielder. I agree he is not a Jonty Rhodes. But he never was a Jonty Rhodes. From the very start of his career he was labeled as a bad fielder. Suddenly after 16 years that becomes a criteria to leave him out of the cricket team. Oh come on you guys can give better reasons! ? Just for a second you forgot he was one of the successful batsman last year and has made India win 9/32 matches he has played single handedly. Now this certainly overshadows his fielding glitches isn’t it. Your new fielder player will probably save 30-40 odd runs but I would love to see how you win matches because of this??
Both Jammy and Dada will surely have lucrative contracts with ESPN STAR sports as commentators. I surely feel they will do a great job. So you see they do not need the money that you offer them, they can do better than that. They play for the nation. Over the years they have batted through worst times to give Indian cricket the platform on which the Shuklas and Pawars and Shah’s are ruling today. They have conquered challenges across the world to give the respect that Indian cricket is getting today. I donot disagree to the Idea of putting in fresh blood in the team but make plans for suitable transition across the generations. Donot gamble too much because the only thing that will suffer loss will be Indian Cricket!
I want to see the Indian Team get the glory that they are looking for. Probably that will keep India buoyant with hope and pride. Billions of people look ahead to the greats of cricket play in their blue uniform. Millions of young Indians dream big about this sport. The Gangulys and Dravids have been role model of a generation. So all you can do for these people is to keep this game away from clutches of politics. Politics have already eaten through the heart of the nation so please at least save its soul.
Hope you will understand what cricket lovers feel about this.

Thanks
An Indian Cricket Fan

Khwaab -Inspire the Dreams

2008-01-14T00:56:00.000+05:30

Not many of us had thought that Sunday can bring such a huge change in our lives. When i met Mukul,Aashish,Pradeep,Shipra,Saravana at MG road i had rarely imagined that the next few hours will be so meaningful to all of us. Its not always we get a chance to see the effect of capitalist society whose one side we have been enjoying to the brink. But we got a chance to see it from a very close quarter.
It was through Mukul that I came across www.khwaab.org which is an organization whose main aim is to see that our so called ‘social work’ actually reached the people intended at. Unlike other organization it was not asking for donations and money and other stuff, instead it seeked our active support to make sure the people that need support actually got them.
As a first step we traveled to Saraswati Ashram and Niradhar Balsangopan Orphan Home today to find out the problems faced by the little ones who lived there. While traveling through the bylanes of slums where people are struggling to get their daily wants met, I felt like a blessed human beings. It may be may be philosophical but unless we see the other side of life we rarely appreciate the side which we enjoy.
On reaching Saraswati Ashram we were greeted by smiling little boys and girls whose smiles and curious looks on seeing us was the most warming welcome one can expect. It was a different world. A world far away from the world we live in. A world which had made these little fellows gel into a big family and they have no other family of their own. I guess the proverb “One for all and all for one” stands true to this day. Now sitting back I can barely remember their names, but those smiling faces still hover in my mind.
Our main aim in Saraswati Ashram was to find out how we can help the students studying in the standard IX, X,XI to achieve their goals in life. It wasn’t an easy task to begin with. They had funds and place to study but what I felt they lacked was the zeal and motivation to study and be someone in life. One can’t blame them as they are never given any glimpse of the future that awaits them if they complete their studies well .Then we traveled to meet their private teacher,Mr Ramesh Powar to find out what was exactly going wrong with the kind of education that they were exposed to. It didn’t take us much time to realize that these fellows lacked a vision of a good future and probably they needed good jobs once they go through their education life cycle. If only we can help someone from them to be an established person in life they might get motivated from that success story. We took down our observations and went back from there to the Ashram.
Then we went to Niradhar Balsangopan Orphan Home. It was beside Saraswati Ashram. The two storyed structure was the “Home Sweet Home” for many little children. Unlike Saraswati the age group living here are very young but full of life. Taking to the owner of the Orphanage about the stories of these kids I felt a pang in my heart. Not everyone deserved to be there. But ironically luck has probably played they greatest trick that have made this place home for so many of them, otherwise how you can describe a mother deserting her baby to an orphanage after she is born?? Well I guess the easiest way to run away from reality is to be an escapist. Anyway returning back to the main topic, we talked with the Orphanage owner about the problems faced by them in their day to day activities.
It was the time for us to start back to our lives. The whole evening was spent just finding out what we can do to make a difference to a few lives. I know all six of us have our own views about the evening we spent there but one thing was for sure….all of us were determined to make some difference to the lives of these people. The understanding phase is over now. It’s the time to act. The coming few weeks may prove to be very much activity packed. We need more people to help us out but that’s not going to boggle down our high flying spirit. We are determined to convert our findings of today into reality.
It’s a blog that I am writing after a long time ,but this time it has a purpose. The purpose is more important than the writing. If you read it then join us at www.khwaab.org or be our orkut community member at http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=46200218 .If you are living in Pune then be an active member of www.khwaab.org and lets make few dreams fulfilled.

Album Uploaded-'04 Ooty Trip

2007-12-13T01:43:00.000+05:30

The memories of the Ooty Trip-04

Rat-a-too-ee

2007-12-13T01:00:00.000+05:30

Pet can come in different shapes and sizes.Meet RATATOUILLE the pet mice that lived with me in my house.I found this little fellow hidden in my nike shoe. Instead of throwing it out i gave him a new place to stay under the kitchen sink. At first he ran away whenever i came in, but thanks to the biscuit bribes i gave him,he started ignoring my presence.Slowly we became friends and finally i took some time out to take photographs.Here is the full photoshoot below.It was difficult to make him pose and remain still throughout the shoot. Many of the pics were out of focus. But it turned out to be good.

Now that i have moved out to my new appartment i keep wondering what RATATOUILLE is doing these days.Hope he have a long and prosperous life.

Why i wrote my previous blog??

2007-10-25T14:50:00.000+05:30

Well now is the time to write why i had put on a blog on the The City Palace below.It was sudden and out of no where that i had put up the blog below 'The city palace of jaipur-A Brief History'.Many querries i had received about why i have written on this topic suddenly from no where?Well i just waited to answer them,and now is the time.
Its was because the movie 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' was shot here.I had earlier heard about this movie being shot here and since i had visited the place,i decided to do some R & D on this.Now after the movie is released and had been a surprise for everyone interms of content and un-Priyadarshan characteristic style i decided to finally put and end to the querries sent across to me.
तो पता चला ना कि मैने यह blog क्यों लिखा था! अगर अपने मूवी या पैलेस नही देखा हो तो जल्दी देखलो,दोनो ही काफी अच्छा हैं.

The city palace of jaipur-A Brief History

2007-09-05T12:22:00.001+05:30

Rajasthan011, originally uploaded by kunalpanja2.

Located in the capital of Rajasthan, the City Palace of Jaipur or the main palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthan and Mughal architecture. The vast palace complex occupies one seventh of the walled city of Jaipur. Originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha clan of Rajputs, additions have been made to the palace complex by many of his successors.
The complex is divided into a series of courtyards, sprawling gardens and buildings. It is home to several palatial structures like the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Badal Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
In the first courtyard is the 'Mubarak Mahal', built by Maharaja Madho Singh II in the late 19th century. The Mubarak Mahal, or the Auspicious Palace, contains the textile section of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. There is a magnificent gateway with a grand door in brass opening to a stately courtyard. There lies the Diwan-I-Khas or 'Hall of Private Audience'- an open hall with a double row of columns with scalloped arches. On display are the two largest silver vessels in the world figured in the Guinness Book of World Records. These were used for carrying water from the holy Ganges for personal use, by Madho Singh II on his journey to England. Across the paved square, with its intricate decorations in deep red and gold, Afghan and Persian carpets, miniature paintings, astronomical manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit lies the 'Diwan-E-Aam' or the 'Hall of Public Audience'. At the other corner is the gateway Ridhi Sidhi Pol, with four small doorways decorated with motifs depicting the four seasons.
To the north-west is the graceful seven storeyed 'Chandra Mahal', or the Moon Palace, home to the present Maharaja of Jaipur; Bhavani Singh, providing a fine view of the gardens and the city. Paintings, floral decorations, mirror walls and ceilings in the traditional style adorn the palace. Each storey has a distinctive name and is a place of sheer beauty and luxury. The ground and first floor of the Chandra Mahal, form the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. The museum has an extensive collection of art, carpets, enamelware and 15th century weapons. The paintings include miniatures of Rajasthani, Persian and Mughal schools. A section of museum also contains dresses and costumes of the former Maharajas and Maharanis of Jaipur.
'Sukh Nivas' or Hall of rest holds the drawing and dining room of the Maharaja, furnished with Mughal miniatures, European silver, glass dining tables and peep holes decorated with gold leafs, for ventilation. On the fourth floor of the 'Chandra Mahal' is the 'Shobha Nivas' or Hall of Beauty with mirror encrusted walls having exquisite blue tiled dadoes and glittering gold leaf and mica decoration. When the room was lit after dark the Maharajas could enjoy a breathtaking spectacle of the room bursting into a thousand flickering images. The Shobha Nivas and the Sukh Nivas is still occupied by the present Maharaja. The fifth floor is the 'Chhavi Nivas' or Hall of Images, the maharajas retreat in the rainy season, with a polished floor of eggshell stucco and blue and white painted walls. The sixth floor with its mirrored ceiling and stucco floor has rows of double columns through which one can have a magnificent view of the rugged hills. The uppermost storey is called the 'Mukut Mahal' or the Crown Building.

Arabian Sea

2007-08-30T14:51:00.001+05:30

Picture 064, originally uploaded by kunalpanja3.

The unconquered frontiers of the wild Arabian Sea.

PUNE-The baby with the candy

2007-08-30T13:22:00.000+05:30

This is my first blog after a long break.The break was largly due to some changes in my life.Its almost a month now that I have been to Pune. After IBM decided to allocate me to a new project here it was the time for me to travel once more.

The very first impression of this city was good and bad for me. Good was the fact that the people and the crowd was vibrant and bad was the fact that house rent and autowalas are a real menace here.

This city was primarily a city know for its educational facilities that anything else. The sheer number of colleges and college crowd at every hangout is a testimony of that. The expanding IT sector in India has seen a boom in IT development in Pune. But the growth unlike Bangalore had not been regular. This city is experiencing a sudden IT boom. Its like a baby who has just got a candy. The real estate prices have shot up to an abnormal extent and since the IT crowd is willing to shell out extra money the prices of rental houses have shot through the roof. This has in turn affected the market and the prices of articles have started to climb. This has made it difficult for the student crowd here, a few articles recently in the paper has shown the adverse effect the IT candy is having on common man here. The immediate segment who is out there to make the mullahs are the autowalas. They follow no pay chart of the earth, infact they are out there to rob every penny of your purse, flaunting every rule.
The good weather along with a hospitable native crowd has made this city an attractive location in spite of the few hunches I had talked about earlier. Weather wise Pune should rank just after Bangalore with its moisture laden pleasant weather. One can travel to various places from here in the form of weekend treks and trips. As for me I have just visited GOA so far. I am planning to travel extensively in the coming few months to make sure that I explore this part of the country.
Other than this one thing I have noticed about this place is the young and colorful and vibrant crowd everywhere, it gives a college like feeling whenever I visit any hangout. The night life here is alive and safe compared to any city of the country. The number of nightclubs and restaurants that remains open till late night makes a comprehensive proof of this fact. The college crowd actually makes this city happening than the IT crowd. But the baby has got the candy now and it will be interesting to see how the baby handles the candy of IT boom. I am looking at a long stay in this city and it will be interesting to observe this change I guess!

Choice

2007-07-06T15:21:00.000+05:30

I have started receiving complaints from people that my blogs are very serious (unlike the person I am) and that reading them often gives rise to ‘foolish philosophy’ in their head. They have demanded lighter essays. I have not written for a long time not because I was bogged down by them but because I have been in a whirlwind of work. In one of my blogs in Dec-Jan I had said about the mounting work pressure and they took some toll on me. But I have made sure I keep posting some thing or the other just to ensure that I am still in the habit of blogging. But finally I decided to put my foot down. I had to choose between my spirit and my mind. I choose my spirit. And now I have decided to follow it for sometime.
Making choices have always been a tough thing in life. There have been lots of thoughts and energy spend on choices. And its said that choices decide who we are. I would like to throw open the Pandora’s box of thoughts and choices. How would you react in the following situation?
(Concept taken from The 8th Habit).
1. Firstly you are not treated fairly. That is there is lots of politics at play in your organization, there is nepotism. The pay system doesn’t seem to be fair and just. Your own pay doesn’t accurately reflect your level of contribution to the organization. What would be your choice?
2. Lets say you are treated fairly in terms of your pay but is not treated kindly, that is you are not respected, your treatment is inconsistent, arbitrary, capricious, perhaps largely dictated by the mood of your boss. What would you do?
3. Let’s say you are paid well and treated fairly but when your opinion is wanted it is given to you. In other ways your body and heart is valued and not your mind. What would your choice be?
4. Now let’s say you are paid well, treated kindly, involved creatively but you are asked to dig a hole and fill it up again, or to fill out reports that no one sees or uses. In other words your work is meaningless. What would your choice be?
5. Now let’s say you are treated well, paid fairly and involved creatively but there is lots of unethical work going on around you. The people around you are not trustable or they cheat you and each other. What would you do?
(Concept taken from The 8th Habit)Mind, Heart, Body, Spirit are the four aspects of humans that require equal attention. I had been a firm believer that being logical and analytical answers all questions of human life. Slowly I have realized that life has its wings spread beyond the realms of Logic and Analysis. I will agree that all these four aspects of human beings need to be addressed. The choices to the above said problems can be any one of the following.
a) Rebel/Quit
b) Malicious Obedience
c) Willing Compliance
d) Cheerful Co-operation
e) Heartfelt Commitment
f) Creative Excitement
Yes the four aspects of Human needs to be addressed with equal importance. When I look around I can see people with misbalanced aspects. Want to know the biggest example. It’s me, myself. From the above examples I had faced situation 1 in the previous job and my choice was option a. The very fact that my mind, heart, body, spirit revolted prompted me to rebel and quit. Yes it was one of the great learning experiences for me.
Now the question comes what drives our choices. Most people says its our aim/vision/future goals that drives our choices. This is true yet they are not so true. It’s because many a time we ‘take the road less taken by’ so we don’t have clear vision of our goal but yet we make our choices.
Another interesting concept is that between Cause and Effect (Concept taken from 8th Habit) we have a time to make our choices. STIMULUS >Freedom to Choose> RESPONSE
Now this window in between varies from people to people. Some people make choices immediately on being given the stimulus and some take time to make them. The difference lies there. This window transforms our lives. The difference between success and failure is governed by this window.
Many people have argued ‘I take decisions instinctively’! My question is define instinct? How can you define intuitiveness or instinct? Its one of the most puzzling processes in our brain. The brain takes all the parameters required to process a decision and in a fraction of a second does the processing. We think it’s intuitive but it’s the fastest output of a calculative process. Thus our instinctive decisions are the one for which this window between Stimulus and Response is the smallest.
I won’t go into the domain where we can discuss the consequence of choices. That’s a completely different domain but here I would concentrate more on choices we make. So going back to the classification of choices I think the best choice is Creative Excitement. The things that we do should involve a creative excitement associated with it. Be it relationship/Job/ day to day life, if there is a creative excitement then things will be more enjoyable. This is how the concept of ‘Work’ and ‘Play’ was defined in ‘Tom Sawyer’. So the best decisions are which evokes creative excitement among us. This is my point of view about choices we make. But then again we are not always in a position to make choices, in those cases make the best use of the choices and resources given to you. Invoke creative excitement among yourself. Not all choices will be popular but if that choice invokes creative excitement and you have the self-belief then go ahead with it.

Here comes the rain again..falling from the sky.....

2007-06-13T23:58:00.000+05:30

The bloom of monsoon at its best.After the scorching summer even the orchids are happy to get the monsoon rains.

Killer Instinct

2007-06-13T23:30:00.000+05:30

The best shots for anti smoking ad-campaign.The shots are taken in solarize,negative and b/w modes with increasing zoom.The negative one had captured the rising smoke from the cigarette.The solarize shot had got a spectacular lighting effect due to the light source on the right hand side of the pic.

The city in different mood

2007-06-13T23:24:00.000+05:30

The cityscape through blank and white and Solarize filters of my mob-cam.Its the same spot but look at the effect on them.

The 1st rain of monsoon

2007-06-13T22:30:00.000+05:30

The first rain of monsoon has hit the city today and as usual the whole city was water logged and became a flowing river.These are some of the pics taken by me on my way to office.

MotoMING a fantastic reality.

2007-06-06T23:09:00.000+05:30

My two years of love with Sony P900 ended in a disaster.She broke down(thanks to my neglect and partying) and couldnot be with me anymore.Bereaved,i was in search of a suitable replacement.I searched every corners of the electronics market at Chandni Chawk.I had spent hours in the net doing research on smart phones,when i came across the piece of beauty called MotoMING.It was a love at first sight.When i went through its feature i just had a I 'wow' sound in my head.
The Motorola A1200 is an intriguing Linux-based smart phone.The Motorola A1200 (also known as the Ming) is a Linux-based smart phone with 2.4-inch 320x240-pixel touch-screen display. Features on the GSM handset include quad-band world phone support, handwriting recognition, a speakerphone, polyphonic sound, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, an FM radio, a 2-megapixel camera with digital zoom and macro mode, video recording and playback, and a MicroSD card expansion slot. The A1200 measures 3.8 by 2.0 by 0.9 inches and weighs 4.3 ounces. Phew i just ran out of steam describing it,better watch out.

Today i have this baby with me.Enjoying every moments of its presence in my life.Although i am in search of bugs in the phone but so far i had no luck.

Football 2007

2007-04-19T22:24:00.000+05:30

Like last year this year i once again participated in the IBM soccer cup.To start off i never thought i would make it to the finals this time too.But we did it.We made it to the finals once more and surprisingly our opponent was the same.But we failed this time.The runners up last year took their revenge but we were happy as a team to have made it through the hurdles of elimination rounds to reach the finals.
This team was really good as we played some excellent and clean football to defeat many of so called champion teams.In the end we were outplayed by lady luck .The final was marred by a few unfriendly incidents on the field which resulted in 2 red and 2 yellow cards but we fought till the end till we missed out on the sudden death kick.

Three cheers for DLF-3 team.

Dark.....yet encouraging

2007-03-27T23:24:00.000+05:30

The dusk had drawn a crimson veil over the sky,
The darkness is willing to spread its wing and fly,
The birds return to their nest,
To return another day to hunt their best,
The oceans calm down with low tide,
The animals return to their home after the long ride..

But on the shore i stand and look far...
To the corner where crimson and darkness is having war,
I know the darkness will spread its wing soon,
But i will wait for the light from the moon.

I admire the courage of the dark;
That it tries to dampen every celestial twinkling spark,
It tries its best to hide the moon,
But it looses later or soon.
It never gives up its fight against the light,
That why i respect its relentless might.

We run from darkness to light;
We never allow light to move out of our sight;
But once look through the dark,u will offcourse see;
The spiritual self in thee.

26

2007-02-18T21:49:00.000+05:30

Happy Birthday..

One Night @ Khowai

2007-01-29T16:50:00.000+05:30

The woods are lovely,dark and deep,
But i have promises to keep..,
And i have miles to go before i sleep.

Winter in its full bloom

2007-01-28T22:32:00.000+05:30

The flowers at Santiniketan.Winter 2007

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me"

2007-01-28T21:39:00.001+05:30

The world is so very fascinating when it comes to life and unfurling the true colors of life. The proverb ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ has proven itself over time immemorial. Infact while growing up I have realized this proverb in different dimensions and in different situations. Perhaps not everyone has the courage to face the truth and that who speaks them gets crucified. The bottom line is that people like to live in the virtual world-‘MATRIX’ as you can call it. Every time someone has taken a step to go beyond this MATRIX he has faces opposition, be it Socrates, Newton or even Einstein.

When I try to walk straight people say that the road is curve so take a turn. But I know that walking straight will lead me to my destination and my beliefs. But most people take the curve. Few have the courage to take the ‘road not taken’. I know the consequence of doing this may be high, but when I am ready to pay why I should care what people say, I can walk straight.

Actually everyone tries to live politically in the world. They seem to be afraid to call a ‘Spade’ as ‘Spade’. They have built a world of virtuosity around themselves and like living in it. Show them the real world and they can’t even handle it. The fact is that most people have a built a world around them and the problem arises when two interfering world meets.

Friendship and love are possibly the two most indefinable words in English today. The very essence and meaning keeps eluding me but not the feelings. The moment their meanings are challenged I try to redefine them. The solution is not that. Perhaps finding the true meaning is important. But then again since I can feel both these I don’t bother to find its meaning. It’s like gravitational force, I know its there I can feel perhaps I can’t define it. If Newton hadn’t done it I am not sure if I would have ever deciphered it. But where to find the Newton who can define Friendship and Love to me.

Lastly the question arises what is more important to me in life. My beliefs, my vision, my ideas, my way to lead life or the way the world likes me to be. I guess I would prefer the former. The reason is without me the world is meaningless but without the world I am not meaningless!!

A Closer Look At The iPhone

2007-01-17T18:56:00.001+05:30

Steve Jobs is one guy who has never failed to amaze me.iMAC redefined the desktop and laptop world,iPOD revolutionised music and now iPHONE will probably take the mobile age to a whole new dimension.Amazing features at reasonable price, what else can the market expect.So summer 2007 the US mobile world will get the first glimpse of this sexy gizmo.I have shown this video to most of my colleagues and believe me I can already see 5 buyer among them.$500 is a reasonable price to pay for this innovation but i am still expecting a couple of more features to be added to it.The camera is one of them may be.

High end mobile gadget makers will have a tough time to counter this but definately they will find an answer,till then the battle is interestingly poised.'Innovation' may be the answer as to who will win the battle.

Anybody Listening....

2007-01-08T16:26:00.000+05:30

Have anyone ever seen a man frantically cutting down a tree and when asked the reason his reply was I want to make my coffin as soon as possible. That’s what the state of West Bengal is right now; the political parties are busy making the coffin for the whole state to lie peacefully in its grave. If this was not true then I wonder why we need another meaningless ‘Bandh’ today.
When we are looking at an age of industrial development few political buffoons are busy making their own ends meet. I know there is no smoke without fire so it’s pointless now to blame the opposition because the ruling party is also responsible equally. But the net result is that common man is bleeding and suffering. No one even has the courtesy to find out the root cause; instead everyone is busy taking advantage of the whole scenario.
I am sick and tired of strikes now. Very sick. What ever hopes of our resurgence is there seems to be getting withered away thanks to pro agricultural protests. I guess instead of producing engineers our state government should concentrate on producing farmers, so that at least our agriculture looks ahead in the 21st century
One loss of working day means a lot to me to the industry where I am working. One loss of working day makes the daily wage laborer’s suffers, poor men suffers, sick men suffers, common men suffer so what’s the whole point of such ‘bandh’ which is supposed to be done for the people. Air, road and rail traffic gets disrupted and people suffers due to such reschedules but who cares ‘bandh’ means pro people protest. Ask the people who calls it, theirs answers would even be more hilarious than a stand up comedians.
I don’t know when its going to stop. But I hope its sooner else there will be no later.

Chicago Skyline

2007-01-07T14:58:00.001+05:30

Originally uploaded by Moumita Sinha

1st Vivekananda Bridge

2007-01-07T14:49:00.001+05:30

The old horse will now get some rest from this year!!!

2nd Vivekananda Bridge

2007-01-07T14:48:00.001+05:30

The New Years gift in the making!!

I Wish

2007-01-07T12:09:00.000+05:30

I wish i could sing
And express the world within

I wish i had wing
And see the world thats unseen

I wish i could interpret what i see
The chirping of bird and humming of bee

I wish i can form a dew
And refresh the world to new

I wish i could paint a scene
Expressing nature's beauty from within

I wish i could see through dark
And fill the heart with eternal spark

I wish i could touch the soul
And give people their life's goal

I wish i could gift a smile
That keeps people alive all the while

I wish i could steal tear
And wither away all the fear

I wish i could heal pain
And save people from becoming insane

I know all wishes never become true
I would be happy even if few do....

007...The year that will be....!

2007-01-01T22:04:00.000+05:30

It had been a month since i had actually written something.But since this day marks the begining of the year 2007 i thought to break this jinx.December was not a very productive month for me.It had been work work and work all over.Suddenly life was sucked into a votex of work.But i guess at some point this was bound to happen,so i guess this was not unexpected.Apart from this the month saw weekends filled with happening events.Overall although it was not the kind of ending i had expected for such a good year but may be it was a befitting ending to 2006.

Looking back 365 days is not an easy task to do more so when so many things happened in my life.I remember the year starting in Delhi which ended the wonderful Kashmir trip.This was followed by a turmoil in my professional life.Then i switched job which brought me back to kolkata.Then i broke my leg during world cup and then the memorable trip to Denmark.Apart from these, this year i had made so many good friends along my way.Many of my near and dear ones got married.Phew...! Its so hard to describe 2006.When i look back i can see a successful year passing by which makes me jubiliant and hopeful for the year that starts from today.Not many a time i make New Year resolution but like last year i have made up a few goals.The goals which i may look back when this year ends.My travelling spree has been on a all time high last year so i guess this year it should also pick up.I am looking forward to visiting many more international locations.Since i have already got my digicam ,i hope i am able to learn more about photography this year.The habit of reading books have certainly taken a backseat,thanks to the immense number of hours i am spending for my office work.This is one area which i have decided to work upon this year.I need to start reading like i used to do.Certainly my intellectual side needs shapening.

2007 is going to be an year of marriages.I have lost count of the number of my friends who will tie knot this year.Thats one phenomenon that will mark 2007.Amazingly this year looks like a promising one except for the fact that i will be an year older.I had been wondering to spend the little extra time i am getting in my life more fruitfully than i am doing now.Probably taking up studies wont be a bad option.The biggest enemy which i have to fight in this area is 'Lethargy'.Then again personal finance is another area which i should seriously think.I am looking in the right direction but my vision needs more clearence.

I know 2006 has been a 'high spirited' year for me and i want to carry it forward to this year too.But i guess i need to pack that extra punch which i had been lacking.When i look ahead towards 2007 i can see a horizon,horizon with a sunrise.I know there are dark clouds to cover this sun but also know that wind will eventually blow away all dark clouds.Its a hopeful begining to a long journey

City Palace(Jaipur)

2006-11-22T04:02:00.000+05:30

The fine curving in the City Palace's main durbaar

Main Entrace to City Palace

2006-11-22T03:58:00.000+05:30

The City Palace in Jaipur is yet another example of the Rajput grandeur

Hawa Mahal

2006-11-22T03:53:00.000+05:30

Science and Archietecture's perfect honeymoon

Nightout

2006-11-22T03:29:00.000+05:30

Its worth realising the fact that silence can be deafning,and i did realise it tonight.Indeed we are so very much accustomed to noise these days that silence is one abstract phenomenon for most of us.Today i had loads of work,and i had to stay back in the office at night,not that they were urgent but somewhere my pride and self belief was at stake.Not that i had to proove it to anyone,but i needed to proove to myself that i can and thus landed up spending the whole night in my office.
Initially i had loads of work but slowly when i completed most of these tasks i was left alone to wander through the dark passages of my office floor.In the day it is buzzing with enthusiastic crowds of people trying to work their ways though the amazingly complex lines of codes,but at night silence and peace prevailed here.
The whole of the building is silent.Even the A/C have been switched off ..so i guess its pin drop silence.As my office is far from the main city so there is not many high rise buildings here,so my office stands like a ghost in the vast darkness of neverland.As i look out now i can see a faint glow of crimson in the eastern sky,reminding me that another day will begin soon.Another day when all of us will follow the routine to office and back home.But today its different for me.I am where i usually not everday.
Its the first time i had spent a night working in my office.Usually i work late from home as i have the facility to do so.But really laying in the comfort of my bed never make my ideas flow.The comfort becomes a sort of curse in disguise for me.But today its different.I was just working from the same place where i have spent the last 19 hours and will probably spend another 13 hours.The best thing that happened was that my mobile fone had gone out of use today.So i am absolutely cut off from the world.The net result was that i had created a wonderful system that will be a handshake between the old legacy system to the new age SAP system.It feels good when i look back to the result that have been produced over the night.I feel good and happy.
Rightnow i was feeling just a bit worn out...may be thinking for long has made me lighheaded temporarily...But YANNI revived me.I had a whole collection of YANNI in my TP and just as i started listening to it in the lonesome darkness of the cubicles i was taken to a world of symphony..where expressions and speech and emotions are made by a combination of Do,Re,Mi,Fa,So,La,Ti. Amazing music,sheer brilliance.
This was one moment i would have liked to capture with me for a long time.A moment where the wonderful music is making a spectrum in the background ,where a faint light of the moring sun is peeking from the eastern horizon,where the silence and the darness is giving me company.But like all good things this will end soon..and the maddening chaos will begin.But i guess i am ready to take that on too now!!

Bachelor Party.

2006-11-16T17:21:00.000+05:30

Myself and Subir had been pestering Anand for a long time now to arrange his bachelor party.He will soon get married(The first in our circle of friends) and so we wanted to celebrate the last few days of his bachelor degree. But as cost-cutting is the 'Buzz'word of the day.I guess this party is a far fetched dream.Anyway i still hope we will comeup with something.

Yesterday i saw a movie 'Bachelor Party'.After seeing it i realised what fun we will miss if Anand doesnot throw one! Anyway let me talk on the movie rather than the event.Well it was one of Tom Hanks old movies,but its kinda good one for timepass.The comedy is on the borders of being slapstick.Tom Hanks who plays Rick Gassko actually turns out to be the guy with lots of character unlike he was portrayed initially.The plot and characters are all very loosely bound but as i said its a good timepass if you have nothing else to do.

But the trickiest part of this movie was that if one looks around one can almost instantly relate the characters to those around oneself.I did find many similiarities of the characters that i saw to those around me but lets not go into details of it.

Things that matters..from now on!

2006-11-11T23:44:00.000+05:30

I feel some times one must take sometime away from his life,look up and see the life around. The past two months have been a revelation for me. Revelation so astounding that I have been amazed by what life has shown me. I have come across different people and have learnt about life. But the best part of the past two months have been the different places I have been to Aarhus, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur.
When I look back to the life in Denmark I find amazing how a little bit of discipline, mutual respect for one another and for life as a whole can dramatically uplift the whole life standard of a country. Statistically Denmark is the most happy and rich country of Europe. Well no wonder the people are happy over there, because they have something called ‘Life’. They know how to balance work and life. They have made work a part of their life but not the whole of it. It’s amazing to see how successfully they balance the work and life. They would come to office early in the morning and do a perfect eight hour job and then go back to their families. They would enjoy vacations atleast once in a year. The simplicity of the people and the zeal to enjoy life is the thing that makes them so different. Their culture is open yet so rich and civilized.
When I come back here I find that work is the driving force in our life. No matter what we do or say we do, its work that is eating away the largest part of our lives. When I look around I see people who work and talks about work, during breaks the only topic discussed is work. No one has time and everyone is busy. No one is sure why they are busy. And many people are happy being busy. It’s a paranoidal chaos everywhere and I am proudly a part of this.
Picking up the lessons that i have learnt from Denmark I have decided to look to the finer aspects of life from now on. Its easy to say I want to do it….but I guess its worth giving it a try.

Boulevard of Broken Dream

2006-10-28T19:09:00.000+05:30

Sometimes it happens that you are just struck in a place which you know you donot belong to.Call it the Matrix.Its funny to see that the world keeps its pace but you seems to slow down.Off late i have been feeling something in not right,somewhere.I have made a conscious effort to make things fall in right places but its not the case.
In an effort to find that imperfection i have got entangled into the philosophical world of thoughts.Thoughts that keeps the parameters of reality at bay.I have been introduced to a world beyond my imagination and understanding.I was nervous ,i was afraid but i still kept going.I know nothing is better than to face the challenges face to face.I just needed the vision that will give me the thrust to break free of this anamoly.A old friend of mine(Somdeb) gave me the break.Nothing breaks the shackles like listening to this group called Green Day.Man they rock.The song Boulevard of Broken Dreams just lifted the expressions from my soul to my ears.Listen to it below (Alternate Link)

This was followed by this song below..This just opened up the entagled spirits that i could not comprehend

This song below somewhere expressed the answer to the soulsearching that is done by most people

Finally the obvious truth dawned me when i listened to this.May be this is lifes greatest Philosophy

Life so wondefully expressed.
This blog is dedicated to Somdeb who on that day,was to me as,Morpheus to Neo.

Nature-21

2006-10-27T19:21:00.001+05:30

20061001_0134, originally uploaded by kunalpanja2.

The cloud of civilization.

Nature-22

2006-10-27T19:21:00.000+05:30

20061001_0147, originally uploaded by kunalpanja2.

Life is a lazy ride!!

Nature-20

2006-10-27T19:19:00.000+05:30

IMG_0310, originally uploaded by kunalpanja2.

The winter is at the doorsteps..so Jingle all the way.

Nature-19

2006-10-27T19:17:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen152, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

End is a new Begining!!

Nature-18

2006-10-27T19:16:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen061, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Picture Perfect!

Nature-17

2006-10-27T19:14:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen098, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

A boquet of Love.

Nature-16

2006-10-27T19:12:00.000+05:30

IMG_0009, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Blossoming haze is blurring the vision.

Nature-15

2006-10-27T19:11:00.000+05:30

IMG_0012, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Noah's Ark!

Nature-14

2006-10-27T19:10:00.000+05:30

IMG_0013, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Rain rain go away,come again another day!

Nature-13

2006-10-27T19:09:00.000+05:30

IMG_0017, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

A game called Hide and Seek.

Nature-12

2006-10-27T19:08:00.000+05:30

IMG_0020, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Red carpet welcome for Autumn.

Nature-11

2006-10-27T19:06:00.000+05:30

IMG_0029, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Time can't destroy everything.

Nature-10

2006-10-27T19:05:00.000+05:30

IMG_0033, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Two roads divided in the woods and i chose the one less travelled by.

Nature-9

2006-10-27T19:03:00.000+05:30

IMG_0035, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Waiting to wither away with a blow of wind

Nature-8

2006-10-27T19:01:00.000+05:30

IMG_0036, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

A race of prominancy between red and green

Nature-7

2006-10-27T18:59:00.000+05:30

IMG_0042, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Colours of passion hidden in colours of jealousy

Nature-6

2006-10-27T18:57:00.000+05:30

IMG_0043, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Signs of winter is visible.

Nature-5

2006-10-27T18:56:00.000+05:30

IMG_0044, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Delicious but dunno the Name.

Nature-4

2006-10-27T18:52:00.000+05:30

IMG_0067, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Miss Photogenic.

Nature-3

2006-10-27T18:48:00.000+05:30

IMG_0320, originally uploaded by Kunal Panja.

Gun guna rahe hain Bhawre,khil rahi hain kali kali!

Nature-2

2006-10-27T18:45:00.000+05:30

IMG_0306, originally uploaded by Kunal Panja.

Rang De Basanti.

Nature-1

2006-10-27T18:39:00.000+05:30

IMG_0263, originally uploaded by Kunal Panja.

Sky taught to have a heart with vast feelings.

I hope you had the time of your life!!

2006-10-17T01:38:00.001+05:30

To a journey called life.

The Royal...i am too bored..Call it whatever you want it!!!

2006-10-07T22:22:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen043, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

A ship in Copenhagen Harbour

2006-10-07T22:13:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen011, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

The Movie Theatre

2006-10-07T22:12:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen069, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

The main gate of Tivoli

2006-10-07T22:11:00.001+05:30

Copenhagen070, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

The Cruise to Copenhagen

2006-10-07T22:11:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen002, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

The Theatre at Tivoli

2006-10-07T22:06:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen101, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

The Tram in Tivoli

2006-10-07T22:05:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen099, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Autumn at its best

2006-10-07T22:03:00.001+05:30

Copenhagen098, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

The Palace in Tivoli.

2006-10-07T22:03:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen095, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Its not any Royal Palace but a good place to hang out ,have food and gulp down Beer.Bon Appetite.

Wanna dare a ride?Its cool.

2006-10-07T22:01:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen094, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Merry-go-round at Tivoli

2006-10-07T22:00:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen087, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

The Central Church

2006-10-07T21:59:00.000+05:30

Copenhagen086, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.

Water Ride at Tivoli

2006-10-07T21:58:00.001+05:30

Copenhagen085, originally uploaded by kunalpanja1.