Virupaaksh

Mausam - Oh what an orderal!!!

2012-01-05T13:44:00.000+05:30

Even after reading horrible reviews of the movie, I ventured into watching Mausam only because I liked Shahid Kapur's look in the movie!! He the closest we can get to Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Serves me right for I was subjected to a never ending tale of milna-bechadna.

The movie has its moments though which is most of the first half. The old styled 'chitti' romance is nice to watch. The reference to the major political events is nice but somehow their connection to the movie's story becomes predicable after sometime. Basically the movie is nice as long as it is a romcom. The second half is laborious and very predictable.

In the acting department, Shahid is good in the romcom part. Why the long face in second half after he becomes a pilot. Sonam looks drop dead gorgeous but her acting skills have dropped dead. She is fine as long as she doesn't open her mouth.

The movie could have turned out to be a nice one, had the editing been crisper and had it been only a romcom instead of romcom + melodrama + action + what all!!!

Motherhood - Part 1

2011-09-03T16:28:00.002+05:30

Motherhood changes a lot of things in life. One thing that I have repeated observed in myself for the past few days is my selfishness. Motherhood has made me selfish.
I want my mother to be hale and healthy...a bit because I care for her and more because if she isn't healthy, who'll look after my child in the night.
I want my granny to be here with us...because she has an amazing knack to put babies to sleep. Also she is of great help to my mother.
I don't like breast feeding...not because it is painful, but because its time consuming and I have to be available every 1-2 hours for feeding. I don't get time for myself.
Yes...motherhood has made me selfish.

Back Again…

2011-04-13T12:20:00.001+05:30

The title ‘After a long time’ got a bit boring and so here is a new one ‘Back Again’

Mobiles again!!!

2010-07-12T21:56:00.002+05:30

Time again to chose a mobile...I bought one last year and it turned out to be a very bad choice.

I basically didn't have the money for a good, brand new phone, so thought of buying a Chinese mobile at National Market. Couple of people at office have bought them and the mobiles have turned out pretty good. (They claim it to be fine!!). Then one day, my dad gave a check with a 5 digit amount in it and said that I should buy myself a nice mobile.

Now with the with the first hurdle crossed, I started my research on mobiles. From basic models to smart phones - researched everything!! Finally thought of picking up an android mobile. But again a great Android phone costs >25K, and my budget is <20K. I was almost on the verge of buying a HTC Tattoo but backed out at the last minute. Thank God for it...Its supposed to be a bad phone.

Finally after doing some more Googling, I decided on the HTC Wildfire. Most of the reviews have given the phone a 4/5 rating. The only downside I read about the Wildfire is its display. Its a LCD screen instead of the latest craze AMOLED screen. But it does have all the other smart phone features and falls in my budget. Its supposed to be launched in India sometime in July. Waiting for it.

I did it again

2010-04-16T01:14:00.002+05:30

Yes...I hurt my leg again. Last Sunday I had a projector screen stand dropped on my leg and it was a bad soft tissue damage. Its better now...no pain while walking but the region of impact still hurts.

I have this very 'special' gift of hurting my leg (over and over) x 'n' times again. Once during my college days I hurt my leg 4 times in 2 months. The fourth time when I went to the doctor, he raised his hands and told my mom to take me to an astrologer or get some puja done for me to heal my leg.

During the TTC, (I had a ligament tear then) Vidya was advising me to undergo the past life process (Its a process that you can undergo after doing the Art of Living Part 1 program). We discussed some very hilarious scenes about my past lives and the leg, like - in one of my past life, my last word might have been 'Oh my leg' and hence its still haunting me, or I might have tickled someone's leg and hence am carrying a curse, and many more.

I'm actually going to take Vidya's advice and am planning to go for the past life process. Lets hope that the leg problem is solved soon.

Dosas in Bangalore

2010-03-15T16:21:00.004+05:30

A lot has been written about the food in Bangalore. Ab mera number hai!!!
One of my favorite food is dosa. Below is a list of my favorite dosa places in Bangalore. I have, of course, removed Home from the list :)
1. Sai Sagar - 7th cross Mallershwarm. I grew up in Malleshwaram and this was one of my frequently visited places. The dosas are dripping with butter and the chutney is the yummiest I have had in a hotel. High on taste and calories.
2. Vidyarthi Bhavan - Gandhi Bazar. You can easily miss this place if you aren't looking for it. Yummy dosas and chutney. The quality has come down a little from what I cherish. The best part are the waiters who carry around 20 -25 dosas at a time. The interiors are renovated and is much bigger place than it used to be during my childhood.
3. Jantha Hotel - 8th cross Mallershwarm. Its hardly few minutes walk from Sai Sagar. The quality has reduced a little over time, but still one of the best. The aloo paliya is best of the accompaniments, sambar and chuteny being the others.
4. Ganesh Darshini (or Dosa Camp) - Jayanagar 3rd Block. Its a fast food sort of a place, but serves wonderful dosas. They have a wide variety of dosas, with specials for each day. It used to be my daily break fast point when my office was in Jayanagar. They also make good akki rotti and holige.

Next post on idlis.

YES! @ Bansawadi

2010-02-02T17:46:00.005+05:30

Just finished a YES! course in Banaswadi last week. The course was amazing and so were the experiences of all the participants, including me. A big thanks to Vivek for giving me this opportunity.

A collection of a few poems written by the YES! participants.

The first two are from Anarghya.

God:

God is everywhere, don't look for him!
God is in your heart, ever look for him!
God is in your soul, never cheat yourself!
God is in your mind, don't be blind!
God is with you, never seek for him elsewhere!

Nature

Nature is God's gift
It has all things bright and beautiful
Somethings great and some small
All things wise and wonderful
God made them all

God gave us a beautiful pair of eyers
A charming face and tounges that we might tell
Got made them all

He made the bird that sings
He made their colorful wings
He made tiny little creatures who crawl slowly
The great God made them all

This one is from Apoorva...

When a cool breeze strikes me
I feel the life so pleasant
But a question arises, 'Is this alone what is life?'

When heavy rays of sun falls on me
I feel the life is so tiring
But a question arises,'Is this alone what is life?'

When I see a fast flowing river
I feel the life is also so fast
But a question arises,'Is this alone what is life?'

But then I feel that this is not alone what is life?
Yes, the life's also beautiful

There are two more...will update them soon

My favorite snap

2010-01-19T15:37:00.001+05:30

My favorite snap from the Dhamaka and Utsah. Thanks Pradeep.

Dhamaka and Utsah Snaps

2010-01-19T15:30:00.002+05:30

Dhamaka and Utsah as seen through the camera. Finally uploaded them.

Dhamaka & Utsah

2010-01-13T16:03:00.001+05:30

Its over and there is a void now. Yes, Dhamaka and Utsah is finally over, and what an event it was!!! We had 194 children participating in Dhamaka and 98 youth in Utsah. Mala, Shreya and Vennela were sources of inspiration and learning.

The first day was Christmas and we had a visit from Santa ‘Ujval’ Claus. It took the Dhamaka kids just 2 minutes to bring him down. He was flat on the floor with some 40 kids over him!

We had boat race, dodge ball, dog and the bone and many more interesting games.

Most of the things went smoothly during the event. The participants had a lot of fun, learnt a lot of things and didn’t want to go back home on the last day…which isn’t surprising in AOL courses!!!!!

The Bug is here…

2010-01-11T11:42:00.001+05:30

Volkswagen has finally introduced the Bettle in India. But the cost is a whopping 20 lakhs. If only there was one zero less…

Ahh…deeply madly in love with the car On second thoughts, its just a car.

Have you noticed?

2009-11-25T15:16:00.001+05:30

There are mangoes in August!!! You get raw mangoes in October!! Watermelons are available in November!!!

When we were kids these fruits were seasonal fruits. I’m not sure if this is the effect of global warming or advancement in agriculture. Both equally dangerous.

Dhamaka and Utsah

2009-11-18T00:02:00.002+05:30

All happening and going great!!! Have got the first of the registrations today...awaiting many more.

Obama's Peace Prize - Cartoonized

2009-11-05T14:46:00.002+05:30

Got a forward of US media’s reaction on President Barrack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Totally hilarious.

Tu Jaane Na…

2009-11-03T17:41:00.004+05:30

Currently addicted to this song from Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. There are some 3 versions of the song…but I liked the unplugged version sung by Kailash Kher and the Atif version. The first because it is sung by Kher and the second because it has great tabla. The other songs in the album are also decent. Tera Hone Laga is a hummable romantic number. Oh By God brings a smile on your face when you hear the shehnai. Main Tera Dhadkan Teri is an average dance number. The others songs are just about ok.

Also trying the a Media Player. (must play Tu Jaane Na, Kailash Kher version)

The player doesn’t seem to be working

Where are you from?

2009-10-29T16:38:00.003+05:30

Is one of the most used conversation openers. (after the usual ‘I’m so n so’.) When I’m asked this question I usually answer Bangalore. But when I’m in the mood for some fun (at the other person’s cost) I give an elaborate explanation of my family’s origins. I say something like -

“I’m a half Kannadiga, half Maharastrian. My dad is from Belgaum, mom is from Aurangabad. I was born in Aurangabad, raised in Bangalore. My husband is a Kannadiga Tamilian from Bombay. His family is a Kannadiga family that had settled in Unjuloor, a village in Tamil Nadu. But he was born and brought-up in Bombay.”

This might not be an elaborate explanation, but to a person who expected a mono syllable answer, its a little too much. Sometimes the joke has been on me – the other person has a much longer tale to tell. All in all its great fun.

2009-10-23T15:11:00.003+05:30

I changed the template again :)

Sometimes I get bitten by this bug called 'Get a new look for your blog' and I go hunting in internet (or rather google) for new templates, add-ons, widgets, etc. For the templates I recommend Deluxe Templates. The author is a Blogger fan and converts all the Wordpress templates to Blogger. The last 3 templates that I have used are from him.

For the widgets and add-ons - I haven't yet found a single site that is like a one-stop-shop.

For the past few days have been immersed in work. Also have been scouting for a venue for Utsaah and Dhamaka. We have just a little more than 2 months left and venue isn't yet decided.

YES! - My first experience

2009-09-22T21:11:00.011+05:30

Just finshed a YES! program in Kaggadasapura. There were very few kids but the speciality of the course was that it was held bang in the middle of exams/tests. None of them missed even a single day, even if it was their most difficult subject's exam the next day.

Arvindh took the course for the first 3 days and later Ashok, Vivek and me took over. It's an entirely different experience sitting on the chair and being Guru ka tota. And when you read the experiences of the youth, you really feel special - special that the Master has chosen you.

Some snaps...

Navratri Again...

2009-09-22T14:48:00.003+05:30

Its the time of year when ashram wears an extra festive look. The chants of the mantras, the fragrance of flowers and chandan, the charge in the air...Ah!! all so amazing!!
Its the time of Navratri and following is the Navratri message by Guruji...

There are two attitudes that we have to pay attention to. One is when we go inward, we say everything is Ok. Not a blade of grass moves without Divine intervention. God has kept us like this, so let it be so. Everything is Ok.

This is the attitude when you have to go inward (Nivriti).

When you have to come out and work (Pravritti), then you see perfection in even small details. Wherever you see imperfection, you have to pay attention on how you can correct it. Find out ways to improve on all the things.

So while acting, we see where we can improve and what we can change.
When we retire into meditation and say that everything is perfect, only then we can go in.

Usually when people close their eyes and go inward, they say, ‘This is not ok, that is not ok and find fault with everything’. They can neither meditate, nor be quiet. And in activity, people think that everything is fine the way it is, why do we have to do anything about it? Then, we are at a loss.

So when we are acting, we see what we can do and when we have to retire we say everything is Ok. This attitude will help you go deep in meditation.

I want nothing nothing
I do nothing
I am nothing

These are basic principles of meditation. We have to pay attention to this thing.

So Navratri will start from tomorrow. These nine days are nine days of inner connection to the Divinity.

In these nine days, let us keep all our small, petty things, petty desires, requirements, our small small issues that bother us - all in one side and just say to Divine, 'Let thy will be done. I am yours, let thy will be done'.

With this conviction, when you move forward, doing your practices you will lack nothing. All that you need, will just come to you naturally, spontaneously.

So we move into our sadhana, our practices with a trust that we will be taken care of, we are being taken care of.

Navratri is a time when all those needs- physical, mental and spiritual, are taken care by the Divine. At the same time, help each other, help all those people who need your help. It is nine nights, it is very auspicious and it is uplifting to the spirit.

Yagyas (pujas) are done from thousands of years to bring peace, prosperity, to dissolve all the negative karmas and to uplift the human spirit. It has been practiced from a very long time.

It is best not to engage yourself in all other socializing, talking wordly things with people. Just be with yourself. If at all you speak, only speak some knowledge or bare essential things. It is better not to sit and gossip. But these few days its best to be in Divine knowledge.

Q. Once you said that by doing seva all our problems are solved. I have come here for seva, will my problems be solved?
Sri Sri: Yes, definitely they will be solved. For all our problems to be solved, two things are needed: one, is our effort (purushartha) and the other is Grace (krupa). God is within us. We are the embodiment of absolute consciousness (chaitanya swaroop). There is nothing separate from us. It is within us, in our form. What we do outwardly, to do pooja, is to create an atmosphere. But the purpose of all this is to be bring the vision inwards to the self.

Q. Could you please explain why we pray to Shiva, even though Shiva is called the destructor?
Sri Sri: Shiva is not just the destructor; Shiva means the transformer, the consciousness which is advaita, which is non-dual, the one consciousness, Mahadeva. The Shiva pooja- Rudrapooja is the most ancient yagya which unites all the five elements, through chanting and using the five elements. This ceremony is done to uplift the human consciousness.

Q. What is the goal of our life?
Sri Sri: This is a question you should ponder on. What is it that you want? It is a very important question. Ponder on the answer - what is it that I need? Then all that is important in your life will stand and the unimportant will fall. Then what you think is important, within that (category) you prioritize again and again and again. And when you ponder on that and when nothing remains then you are the goal. Till then its good to keep doing this.

Q. I don’t know how to pray, I understand meditation but I don’t understand prayer. How does one pray?
Sri Sri: Meditation is the finest form of prayer. Prayer is ‘Oh God give me this, give me that’ or ‘Oh, I am so thankful to you because you gave me that or this’.
But meditation is just reposing and that is the best form of prayer. Prayer happens when you are utterly helpless or when you are very grateful. There are two situations in your life. Either you are so helpless, when you have no other way. Like if you are very thirsty and you need water, you say please give me some water. Please help.

Asking for help is one form of prayer.
Thanking is another form of prayer.
And the third is just reposing, being quiet.

The third is the most supreme type of prayer.

You can be grateful for all that you have had, that is a sort of prayer. You don’t have to use particular sentences or phrases or verses for it.

The yagyas that are being done here is not just some sort of prayer. It is a technique, a procedure. You don’t need to understand what those chantings mean. The chantings, the vibrations have an impact on our whole body, mind and the environment. That is the most important thing about yagyas. It is not asking God for this thing or that. It is just chanting those shlokas. Hearing the chantings is even more beneficial. You don’t need to chant with them. Simply listening to it, itself creates the vibrations in the consciousness.

Q. Where are Shiva and Shakti?
Sri Sri: Both Shiva and Shakti are within us. You sit as though you are sitting in an ocean of bliss, in the ocean of cosmic energy, Divine energy, Shiva energy, Shakti energy. That is what is meditation.

For more knowledge from Guruji visit the Wisdom Blog.

New Mobile

2009-09-04T16:46:00.002+05:30

I bought myself a new mobile. This time I bought a Sony Ericsson rather than a Nokia. My budget was around Rs.6000 and Nokia had a very boring collection in that range.

The one I bought is G502. Its a 3G phone (the cheapest you can get) – has the usual features Mp3 player, camera, etc. Its handy and looks really nice.

Spellings and Grammar

2009-08-19T16:00:00.002+05:30

I finally extracted the photos that I had taken from my mobile. Found some interesting ones.

All of us have seen mis-spelt boards and horrible grammar. Below are a couple from my collection.

The first was in some loo in Bangalore. The second was in a loo on the way to Shimoga.

You fill up my senses

2009-08-18T15:51:00.002+05:30

For the past two days I’m addicted to this amazing song.

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

Let me give my life to you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Slowly descending…

2009-08-14T13:56:00.002+05:30

Its been 3 days since I returned from TTC. All this time I am just reliving the moments of TTC. It was difficult for me to get back into the office mode. It was difficult to accept the fact that I need to sit in front of a monitor for 8 hours in a day when there is so much work (seva) to be done. I was wondering if I should quit and become full time. Thoughts like ‘Why should I work?’, ‘Why do I need a family?’, etc kept popping in and out. But each time something like this would happen, Guruji’s words (not verbatim) that ‘Each one has a role to play’ kept coming back to me. And gradually the TTC hangover is wearing off!! Today I could put in some useful work in office. I need to pull up socks here – the project is starting in full swing and I’m the least equipped person.

Meantime, I managed to collect a couple of amazing songs that I heard in TTC. Naiharawa and Saiyyan were easy (got from Kailash Kher’s albums). You fill up my senses (TTC1), Tu Maane Ya Na Maane Dildara, Shaboon Ke Jungle Mein and Duma Dum Mast Kalandar were a little difficult. I had to extract the mp3 from the video. I am still looking for Tumse O Jori and Shivoham (both my TTC1 favorites). Need to update my iPod with all this.

Back from TTC

2009-08-12T17:01:00.002+05:30

Its pretty difficult to describe a TTC. The experience, the learning, the fun, the masti, the knowledge… is so much that words fall short while writing about them.

And since I was doing the Art Excel and YES TTC, the masti, fun and dance just doubled. Mala with her child like enthusiasm, Shreya with her accents and imitations… the Awesome Twosome. Top it with the experiences of Children’s Kriya and the YES Home Kriya, 4 Padmasadhanas - totally mind blowing. To this add some dance, Arabic and Chinese music, all AE & YES games, 3 birthdays with cake and chocolates, playing pranks on the Hindi group and Part 1s (the ‘aratis’), organizing a fun fare, screening of a movie, etc – that was my TTC 2. It felt more like an extended party than TTC.

Now I’m back to office and all I can think about is the memories of the TTC. I look at the watch and think, ‘Oh! this time we were doing sadhana/dancing/yoga nidra…’.

And…I can now take Art Excel and YES courses. Honored to be an Art of Living Teacher – ‘Guru ka tota’ like Rishi Nityapragyaji says.

Off to TTC…

2009-07-27T12:21:00.003+05:30

I’m off to TTC. 15 days in the Ashram!!! Awesome!!!

I couldn’t write more about my TTC1 experience…but hoping I’ll be able to write about my Phase 2.

Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince

2009-07-24T14:17:00.003+05:30

I was eagerly waiting for the release of this movie. I booked tickets 2 days in advance. I went to the movie hall with so many expectations – And the movie lived up to most of my expectations.

A majority of story hasn’t deviated from the book. It has Harry and Dumbledore digging into Voldermort’s past, Harry getting the Half Blood Prince’s portions book, the Unbreakable Vow, felix felicis, Slug Club parties, Horcruxes, Harry and Dumbledore getting the Horcrux, and on the romance side - Harry falling for Ginny, Ron and Lavender together making Hermione jealous. And all this is done pretty well…especially the romance part. The Quiddtich is also fun. The sequence where Harry and Dumbledore get the Horcrux is amazing.

There are some deviations too. The biggest of them is the ending. There is no battle between Dumbledore’s Army and the Death Eaters. Harry (in the movie) just watches Dumbledore die, Dumbledore doesn’t freeze him. There is no burial of Dumbledore’s body. Bellatrix and Greyback attacking The Burrow is another major deviation, an unnecessary deviation. They should have rather had the battle or the burial of Dumbledore. Also it would have been interesting if they had shown the tiara in the Room of Requirement when Harry goes to hide the portions book. (Arvindh immediately pointed this out to me in the movie.)

Out of the cast I would mention Allan Rickman as Snape is perfect. Pretty much what I had imagined Snape to be like when I read the book. The trio – Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have all done very well. Grint and Watson chemistry was there for quite sometime now, but its more enhanced here. Tom Felton too has done well.

On the whole its a great watch. For Pottermaniacs, the end is disappointing, but this is the closest you can get to the book.

Rotten Tomatoes!!!

2009-07-20T10:09:00.002+05:30

While registering for Rotten Tomatoes I got this error message

I can’t use my name as my first name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Truly rotten!!

ScribeFire vs Live Writer

2009-07-16T15:52:00.005+05:30

A couple of days ago, after reading an article, I took a fancy for blog writers. I have been googling for sometime and finally settled 2 writers - Windows Live Writer and ScribeFire.
The post 'Airtel Gimmick' was published using the Live Writer and the post 'Family Pattern' was posted using ScribeFire.

At first look I liked the Live Writer. (One of the few Microsoft products I liked.) It is truly a WYSIWYG editor. It displays your blog theme which makes writing a little more exciting (for me). But Writer creates a nested folder structure on the system and creates a copy of the posts. For a simple blogger like me, I find this unnecessary. (Rather I basically trust Blogger to maintain the posts.)

I didn't like the first look of ScribeFire. It changed the font of the post after a few sentences and I had to go into the html code to edit it. Also the line spacing is not changeable. Or rather, I couldn't find a way to change it. The biggest advantage of ScribeFire is that it is an addon for Firefox. Unlike Writer there is no need to download and install. Also it doesn't store any data on the system.

There are many more editors which are reviewed and described here. Finally, I would vouch for ScribeFire mainly because its an addon.

And yes, this post was written using the good ol' blogger editor.

A Family Pattern

2009-07-16T14:09:00.003+05:30

Looking back at my maternal family tree, I observed a pattern there - which me and my sister have unknowingly broken.My great grandmother was a Maharastrian married to a Kannadiga. She then got her daughter (my grandmother) married back into a Maharastrian family. My grandmother got my mother married back into a Kannadiga family. So, to keep the pattern alive, either Arati or me must have married into a Maharastrian family. Arati married back into a Kannada family (Vikas speaks pretty decent Marathi but that doesn't qualify him to be a Maharastrian) and I am married into a Tamil Nadu settled Kannada family.

The Airtel Sales Gimmick

2009-07-15T12:04:00.002+05:30

Tithi and Rahul have been facing problems with their broadband connection for quite sometime. Recently their apartment had intercoms installed. And after that their broadband connection hit rock bottom. Frustrated, Rahul decided to change the service provider from BSNL to Airtel.

When the Airtel person came for installation, he said that the BSNL wires were shorted and hence the problem. Later they released that the intercom technician had come for installation had fiddled around with the connection and might have shorted it. And guess what - that the intercom service provider was Airtel!! Now the shorting was unintentionally or purposefully done – we don’t know!!!!

2009-07-13T15:25:00.002+05:30

I got my TTC 2 call letter yesterday.

Just downloaded the Windows Live Writer. This is the first post using Writer.

Jai Gurudev!!

2009-07-10T13:40:00.002+05:30

Found this Guruji's picture on Raj Waghray's blog. Simply loved it. The radiant all-knowing smile, the majestic stature, the elegance, the ease,the...WOW!!!! Words fail to descibe HIM!!!

Arati's Surprises!!!!!

2009-07-10T10:50:00.004+05:30

A couple of days ago Arati called me. She sounded very excited (she usually is). After the initial how-are-yous, she said she wanted to tell me something (even more excited!). I told her to continue. Then she dropped her standard statement - "Sangu ka noko" (Should I tell or not). I knew she had some stupid surprise up her sleeve. "I have a surprise for you. I have got you a birthday present!!", she continued. I thanked her and asked her what she got. "I wanted it to be a surprise but I got you a watch", she blurted out.

There she goes...again. Every time my sister plans a surprise or buys a gift for me, she has to blurt it (basically goof up) before the occasion. Till date she has never surprised me.

A couple of years ago, she planned a surprise birthday party with Arvindh for me. She took the pains of calling all my friends, ordering a cake, hiding in Aparna's place till 11.30pm, etc...but finally goofed it all up. Most things went according to her plan - Arvindh convinced me to sleep early and ensured that I was in bed by 11pm. Sometime later I heard a mobile ring. I thought it was 12 pm and Arati was calling to wish me (she always does that). As I woke up, I realized it wasn't my mobile, the ring tone was none other than - Arati's!! I came out of my bedroom to see her, Arvindh and Aparna arranging the cake!!!! One of my friends was calling to ask if it was time to come in!! It was 5 minutes to midnight and there went her surprise party!!

I guess my biggest surprise will be when she can actually pull off a surprise on me!!!

Star Trek

2009-06-26T15:42:00.005+05:30

Yesterday I went to watch Star Trek with Arvindh. I'm not a Star Trek fan. I hadn't even watched any Star Trek till yesterday, but Arvindh was so kicked up about watching this movie that I tagged along for his boyish enthusiasm. I did do some basic ground work - read some preludes of the movie, watched the trailer and accustomed myself with the main characters - Kirk, Spock, McCoy etc. The movie though is a prequel.

The movie starts with vengeful Romulans destroying the USS Kelvin killing Robert Kirk while his son James Kirk' is born. James Kirk grows up to be a reckless youngster who joins the Starfleets cadets after he is challenged by Captain Pike to live upto his father's standards. Parallelly we also see Spock who is taunted by his schoolmates because his father is a Vulcan and mother a human. He too joins the Starfleets after declining an offer to join the Vulcun accademy (forgot the name). During the third year, Kirk is accused of cheating in a simulation test by Spock. During the trail there is an emergency call by the Vulcans - their planet is attacked by Nero the Romulan. The cadets are asked to join the USS Enterprise (a new and advanced ship). McCoy (Kirk's friend and doctor) sneaks Kirk (he isn't supposed to be there as he is on trial) in and then begins their journey of adventure and saving planet Earth and destroying Nero's ship.

The movie is high on the sci-fi factor. Its is fast paced and has a right blend of humanity, humor and drama. The visuals are fantastic. The actors Zachary Quinto as Spock and Chris Pine as James Kirk are superb. The supporting cast too have done a great job.

The best thing about the movie is - you don't have to be a Trekker or Trekkie (found this bit of jargon on the net) to enjoy the movie.

2009-06-23T09:15:00.003+05:30

A few days ago I woke up to a prickling sensation in my right index finger. There was a minuscule object and it was hurting me. I showed it to my mother-in-law and she said that it might have been an insect bite or a bee. The bee was ruled out because the wound wasn't red or hurting me too much. I tried using a sharp plucker to take it off, but it was ready buried under skin. Then Arvindh suggested that I leave like that only, the body will take care. It wasn't hurting so badly so decided to leave it.

After a couple of days, all pain vanished and the object stayed there as it it were a mole on my finger. Today morning when I woke up to see a small hole - like the skin had parted there and the object had fallen off!!!

New Job

2009-06-03T14:36:00.005+05:30

Its been a week since I joined Philips Heathcare.
To get through I had to undergo some five rounds of interview in a week. There were 2 technical rounds, 1 HR, 1 managerial and last one was just a discussion with the Program Manager. The second technical round was the best. The best I have ever given. And Guruji presence was amazing then.

The pay is good. The campus and facilities are great especially for someone who comes from a small company. There is transport facility provided at a price. People around are friendly and nice.

Basically all set for a journey - Lets see how the journey will be!!

Mom knows all...

2009-06-02T15:57:00.004+05:30

The first time my parents left my sister and me alone at home and went for a pilgrimage tour, we both were thrilled by the independence. Three days all by ourselves!!!

The first evening, we decided we'll go out for a snack (the usual sev puri at our favorite roadside vendor in Mallershwarm). We cooked some rice and decided we'll come home and have some curd rice. We went and had sev puri to our hearts content. On the way back we had some ice creams also. By the time we came back home it was 8pm, way past our usual deadline. When were climbing the stairs to our house, we smelt something burning. The moment we opened the door of our house, we knew we were in trouble. We had forgotten to turn off the cooker. It was all burnt, total black. I was surprised the neighbors hadn't noticed. (Later got to know that they had been out.) The house was smelling of the burnt rice. We put some 5-6 aggarbatis in the house. The cooker was still black, we soaked it in water overnight and asked Vasantha (our maid) to wash it. We also made her promise that she won't tell our mother about it.

We let a sigh of relief on third day - things were back to normal. The cooker was clean, the house wasn't smelling. Time to welcome Mummy and Pappa home. We opened the door, Mummy enters and says, "What did you burn?"!!!!!!

You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool mom :)

Archie Marries??

2009-05-29T09:42:00.002+05:30

Like almost all teenagers in the world, I too grew up reading the Archie Comics. Today, I was in for a shock - Archie marries Veronica!!! I'm a big fan of Betty and wanted Archie to marry her. I like the Indian version of the story - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Archie marries Veronica, Veronica dies, then he marries Betty. But you can expect that only in a Bollywood movie!!

The sollace is the word 'propose'. Anything can happen between proposal and wedding. Also if you read the last paragraph in the post in their offical blog, there is a possibility of a twist in the tale. And also the cover is only for the first part of a series of six. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Wife's Poem

2009-05-22T22:23:00.001+05:30

Got this forward...

Are my palms itching??

2009-05-22T22:19:00.002+05:30

Dr. Manmohan Singh - your time starts now. Dr. Manmohan Singh was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for the second time. Before the elections, he had promised that he would revive the economy in 100 days. Well Dr. Singh, the clocks ticking!!

My piece of cake...

2009-05-17T09:42:00.002+05:30

This happened in one of my advance courses. It was the second day of silence. In satsang it was someone's birthday and they had got a huge cake. I saw the cake, it looked yummy and I wanted to have a piece of it. Amidst 'sagar mein ek lehar uthe...', Guruji cut the cake and in His very unique, mischevous style started throwing it. I was praying for a piece, but didn't get one. I forgot about the cake during the knowledge session after satsang. When the session was over, as I was going out of VM, I saw a commotion at the door. Someone was waiting there with the cake!!! I was thrilled and tried to get in the commotion, but soon gave up. As I turned to return to my room, someone shoved a large piece of cake in my mouth!!!

2009-04-27T08:48:00.004+05:30

Yes...it has been another looong time since I wrote. I migrated to a new blog for sometime, but back on blogger.
I also tried various templates and finally settled for this one. Its bright and too flashy...not my ideal choice but its the only one that fitted fine - the others had some or the other issue with widgets n stuff. Still searching for a nice template.
Updates of my life: Just finished assisting a 144 people course in Kaggadasapura, finished a 'Cast you vote' campaign parallely, currently jobless and desperately need to workout.

Airtel Ad...

2008-11-11T10:23:00.004+05:30

The Airtel ad with Shah Rukh, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor is all over the television. It starts off with Saif telling Shah Rukh, "I miss you so much it hurts" at various places. (balcony, bathroom, gym...) We think that it is an extension of the 'gay' act of Kal Ho Na Ho. But we are in for a surprise - It is actually for Kareena that Saif is practsing it. So finally when Kareena hears it she smiles.
But there is a small problem, as Tithi pointed out. Saif's voice sms that is sent to Kareena sounds more like a bad constipation problem than a heart ache!!!

Roadside Romeo...

2008-10-31T17:35:00.002+05:30

It was 6 in the evening and Priya and me were in Domino's, enjoying a 'Jain-time' dinner. Suddenly an idea hit us...lets go for a movie. I wanted to watch Roadside Romeo and she was ok with anything. We called a few people and most of them refused. So we headed to Inox and got tickets easily.

Well...the movie is nothing great. Priya enjoyed it a lot. Its about a dog Romeo, who is abandoned as the family he belongs to shifts to London. He shifts to the streets, meets a gang of dogs and opens a saloon. He also falls in love with a bitch, who is the local doggie-goon's muse. Doogie-goon gets to know, Romeo lies, says he'll get the bitch to him...well the same old stuff. Except that it is cartoon dogs and not humans.
The story is a bit too boring. The direction is strictly ok. The animation is good, which is expected as its co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Music is a bit repitative and nothing to write about.
Well, all in all, go for it if you have nothing to do.

Painting Kaggadasapura Green

2008-10-22T11:42:00.001+05:30

On Sunday, Kaggadasapura witnessed a never before event. Some 35 people took a commitment to paint Kaggadasapura GREEN...
Kaggadasapura had a walk for Green Earth...
We started our walk from the DRDO, CV Ramanagar Bus stand. When we started, we were just 12 of us...but by the time we reached out destination, we were 35 people strong. We had people coming out and lending a helping hand for this cause. Like for example, we met a gentleman who was ready to get us plants, permission, etc.
The 1 hour march ended in Narayana Mutt with a presentation on Global Warming and how planting trees will help us in solving this mammoth issue. The presenters Shailesh and Rajesh loaded us with information on not only what is happening to our mother earth, but also on how we can save her.
The day ended with all of us taking a oath to end poverty by 2015 and also to contribute to the Mission Green Earth project.

My moment of 'Enlightenment'

2008-10-20T16:46:00.004+05:30

This happened to me a couple of years ago. I've been wanting to write about this for quite sometime, but just didn't do it...anyway better late then never...

It was a nice and quite evening. Perfect time for meditation. I went to my room, closed the door, took the softest pillow for back rest, put my mobile on silent mode, switched off the lights....the usual stuff and sat for my meditation. Somewhere inbetween, I was seeing some flashes of light. It was little strange. After a moment it struck to me that maybe this is the light that people keep talking about. The light of Enlightenment. I was a thrilled....Ah there is the light. It stopped after a while. After that my meditation was disturbed. My mind kept going back to the light and a statement that Bawa had made "All the light seeing (in meditation) is bakwas" (Well...something like that..don't remember the exact words). Well.....when I got up I saw 1 Missed Call on my mobile.

Dissection of the incident: I had kept right next to me and the light I saw was nothing but the missed call I had got.

2008-10-10T14:23:00.001+05:30

Some Calvin quotes - CtrlC, CtrlVed from some websites.

They only recognize greatness when some authority confirms it.

I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone's expectations.

Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.

Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't know any swear words.

If something is so complicated that you can't explain it in 10 seconds, then it's probably not worth knowing anyway.

Nothing helps a bad mood like spreading it around.

A good compromise leaves everybody mad.

Idiocy is the essence of the male mind.

I thought my life would seem more interesting with a musical score and a laugh track.

You know you'll hate something when they won't tell you what it is.

'The world isn't fair, Calvin.' 'I know, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favor?'

Studies in Contemporary State-Sponsored Terrorism. ....Also known as gym class.

'I've been thinking, Hobbes.' 'On a weekend?' 'Well, it wasn't on purpose...'

As a math atheist, I should be excused from this.

Mothers are the necessity of invention.

Childhood is short and maturity is forever.

People pay more attention to you when they think you're up to something.

Things are never quite as scary when you've got a best friend.

In my opinion, television validates existence.

Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him?

You can present the material, but you can't make me care.

I propose we leave math to the machines and go play outside.

Nothing I do is my fault.

Reality continues to ruin my life.

I liked things better when I didn't understand them.

Is it a right to remain ignorant?

I go to school, but I never learn what I want to know.

To make a bad day worse, spend it wishing for the impossible.

I'd hate to have a kid like me.

Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.

If you do the job badly enough, sometimes you don't get asked to do it again

In my opinion, we don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks.

Why waste time learning, when ignorance is instantaneous?

There's an inverse relationship between how good something is for you, and how much fun it is.

The secret to happiness is short-term, stupid self-interest!

It's not the pace of life I mind. It's the sudden stop at the end.

People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world...

Life is like topography. There are summits of happiness and success... ...Flat stretches of boring routine... ...And valleys of frustration and failure...

There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want ! I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas.

It is man's indomitable nature to scare himself silly for no good reason!

Another "After a long time..."

2008-09-17T17:36:00.002+05:30

Yes...I am writing another "After a long time..." post. But this has been the longest I haven't blogged.

Anyway loads of things happened. Arati (my sister) got engaged. Thats an achievement for my mom. They guy - Vikas Deshpande, is from Mumbai, currently in US. Wedding is in March next year.

I finished my TTC Phase 1. It is the BEST course I have done. Just awesome. The 15 days I spent in the course are the best of my life so far. And it was a honor to receive the the NCS manuals. I felt so special, felt so grateful to the master for choosing me as a medium to spread his knowledge, felt like my life now has a meaning to it...

A Love story...

2008-01-07T09:02:00.001+05:30

I was with them the first time they went out together. Yet I was his first love. I couldn't bear to see him with someone else. I was shattered inside and broke down. I thought he would leave her and come with me. But he dropped me at a friend's place and went to her. A week after that he decided to marry her. Couple of days later, he again took me to pick her up. They had a good time and looked good together. He formally introduced me to her. He told her that I was his first love. She laughed and said that it was fine. I was shocked. I was heart broken. After that he never took me out with her.

They got married in a few months. A month after marriage she went out for her studies. He was back with me. I was very happy. He would take me for shopping, we went to long drives together - just like the good old days. Those were some of the best times of my life. Then she came back. This time it was harder to see them together. He tried many times to take both of us out together, but I decided I wouldn't go. I protested. He would still take me out once in a while for a short drive. But I would never go out with the both of them.

Then one day, he introduced me to his cousin. The cousin was a nice chap and took me out with him. I slowly started liking his cousin and started staying with him. Now I am happy. But still will not be able to forget him.

Added on Oct 22, 2008:
A few points about the above story...
1. Its a true story.
2. 'her' is me.
3. 'He' is my husband.
4. 'I' is his bike!!!!

Happy reading!!!!

What is with English?

2007-12-05T10:17:00.002+05:30

English was my favorite language in childhood. When was just 2 years old, I would go up to my dad and ask him to teach me English. This was a story that my father would proudly tell, for a long time, to anyone who cared to listen. That aside, there was something about English that attracted me. And now it pains to see it butchered.

Consider the SMS language - have is spelt hv, ur is your, d is the, 4 is for and many more. Then there are the new acronyms - 2G4Y is too good for you, LOL is for laughing out loud, etc.

This kind of writing is not just used in SMS but sometimes also in official letter. I was appalled to see a official letter for my junior filled with the 'SMS language'. This was not just my experience, a lot of others in office faced this. This prompted the management to conduct a training on letter writing and email etiquette's for the freshers in the company.

Sad state of affiars for English. A English and Communication Skills program has been added by a few universities for the engineering students. I don't know if the same is done in othwer streams too. Good step to solve the issue.

Aaja Nachle

2007-12-04T12:32:00.000+05:30

With great expectations I walked into a movie hall on Saturday evening to catch Madhuri Dixit's comeback movie, Aaja Nachle. Aaja Nachle is written by Jaideep Sahani, of the Chak de India fame and hence the expectation bars were raised a little further. Does it live up to the expectations? Yes, Madhuri does and No, Jaideep doesn't.

The movie is about the home coming of Dia (Madhuri Dixit) who returns to her town Shamali when she gets a call from her dying Guruji. He has left her the daunting task of reviving the Ajantha Theatre, where she learnt dance, which is now in shambles. The MP of Shamali Raja Saheb (Akshaye Khanna) has decided to build a mall by destroying the theatre. He challenges Dia to either generate interest for dance in the people of the town in 2 months or allow the mall to be built. The rest of the movie is all about how she gathers the people of the town and choreographs an extravagant Laila-Majnu dance drama.

The ups of the movie - Madhuri Dixit, Madhuri Dixit and more Madhuri Dixit. She is the life soul and everything of the movie. You keep searching for her in every shot. Remove her and her dances and the movie falls flat. Not only does she look drop dead gorgeous, she dances like as always - with ease and grace. She is, without doubt the best dancer in Bollywood. She looks a old, but then she plays her age in the movie so thats ok.
The last Laila Majnu sequence is visually amazing. Well shot and choreographed. Kudos to Vaibhavi for her choreography.

The downs - The script is a little boring. There is no mention of how exactly do the characters of the play or even the people of the town start liking and respecting dance. The story is too predictable and some songs are little out of place.

The support cast is good. Ranvir Shoery deserves a mention. Irfan Khan is wasted. Kunal Kapoor and Konkana don't have much to do. The transformation of Konkana is shot well. Music, except for the title track isn't nothing to write about.

All in all, if you are a hard core Madhuri fan like me, you'll like the movie. Else you can skip it.

Cough - Home remedies.

2007-11-30T11:28:00.000+05:30

Cough has been my loyal companion since childhood. After having tried many different medicines and remedies, I met a Ayurveda doctor who prescribed some simple diet restrictions for me. The day I don't follow the restrictions, the cough is back, but leaves in a couple of days.

As a result of my long association with cough, I have had a lot of people give me different remedies. From auto drivers to maids, from college lecturers to bus drivers, from aunts to neighbors, all have advised me. Most of them have helped. Below is a list of some of them which helped me.

The best home remedy for cough is gargling and steaming. Gargling with warm salt water or even with mouth wash helps. Steaming with a little eucalyptus oil added to the water does wonder for both cough and cold.
Tulsi-Ginger tea soothes your throat and clears chest congestion. In two glasses of water add generous amount of tulsi and some squashed fresh ginger Boil till water becomes 1 glass. Add jaggery if needed. Drink hot.
Fresh ginger juice mixed with honey is good to clear chest congestion.
Honey with freshly ground pepper powder gives relief from throat irritation.
A piece of clove or some sugar crystals suppresses the cough. Not a cure though but helpful nevertheless.
A glass of milk with honey/turmeric in the night is also a decent cure.

Make sure that you have warm liquids only.

This is just a compilation from my experiences. Hope it helps.

Om Shanti Om

2007-11-27T14:44:00.000+05:30

Its the 1970's. Subhash Ghai is shooting the now hit and classic song Om Shanti Om. Rishi Kapoor flings his jacket and it land in the audience right on Shah Rukh Khan. This is the opening sequence of the latest Shah Rukh Khan movie - Om Shanti Om.Shah Rukh plays Om Prakash Makhija, a junior artist. He, like all junior artists dreams of making it in the big league some day. His dreams are asserted by his filmi mother Bela (Kirron Kher) and his side kick Pappu (Sheryas Talpade). He also is deeply, madly in love with super star/dream girl Shanti Priya (Deepika Padukone). One day in typical Bollywood style he saves her from fire and gains her friendship. He also learns that Shanti is already married to the producer Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal). Mehra once gets Shanti to the set of their new movie and sets it on fire with Shanti trapped inside. Our hero attempts to help but is killed in the process.Now he is reborn as Om Kapoor to a super star Rajesh Kapoor. All the dreams of his past life have come true. Thanks to some cancelled shooting, he remmebers his past too. Now he wants to avenge his and Shanti's death. Deepika is also back as a fan of Om Kapoor.

There are some enjoyable sequences in the movie. Watch out for the Tamil super star sequence, the first sence between Kirron Kher and Shah Rukh, the references to Sooraj Bharjatya and Govinda, most of the comic sequences and many more.

Shah Rukh is a super star and plays one. He is great in the movie, but looks old in some of the 70's sequence. Deepika is good in her debut. Half of Bollywood make special appearences in the movie.SRK and FK have half of Bollywood in the movie. Missing noteable are the 70's heroines.

The story is cliched and you know whats happening next. No suprises come your way. The comedy is good but nothing compared to the one in Main Hoon Na. The music is enjoyable.

The movie is total masala and paisa vasool only if you leave your brains and logic at home when you watch it.

Madhuri is Back!!!!

2007-11-22T15:50:00.000+05:30

The million dollar smile is back on big screen. Yes, the gorgeous Madhuri Dixit is back!!!!!
The promos of the new Madhuri Dixit movie Aaja Nachle are all over the small screen. And she looks drop dead gorgeous - a little old but yet gorgeous. And from what I read about the movie, she plays her age and a dancer in the movie.

The movie is releasing on November 30. I might not be able to catch the movie for at least a week after the release. (We are moving houses that weekend) Will surely catch it as soon as possible.

Another 'After a long time...'

2007-11-21T15:28:00.001+05:30

I'm back after another sabbatical. The sabbatical was wonderful as it was filled with my Master...I attended Navrathri completely, almost all the homas, did seva during Navrathri, assisted and organized an Basic course in Kaggadaspura after that, then went for an Advanced course with Guruji during Diwali. I also had the house warming ceremony of our new apartment in between all this.

The advance course as usual was amazing and its timing couldn't have been better. I had a lot of doubts, apprehensions and botherations and all of them were taken care by Him in His own unique way. Bhakti, Seva and Knowledge were reinforced.

The house warming ceremony went well. We over estimated the guest count and so some food went waste. Also Arvindh was at his elemental best - present only for the important part of the function and absent for the 'back-stage' work. My patience was tested again.

Work front - nothing much. Work isn't as interesting as it used to be few months ago. Looking for some options.

Jab We Met...

2007-11-21T14:03:00.000+05:30

There were many reasons why I picked up a ticket for Jab We Met - I loved the promos and songs, I loved the previous movie from its director, Imtiaz Ali, it had been quite a while since I watched a movie in a theater, etc etc...I did enter the movie hall with some expectations and the movie lived up to all of those and more.

The story is simple. Dumped by his previous girl friend and lost in business guy, Aditya (Shahid Kapur) meets an overtly talkative and bindas gal Geet (Kareena Kapoor) on a train. She irritates him to the core and he makes her miss the train. She insists he drop her home - 'Sikhni hoon main Bhatinda ki'. Their road trip to reach Bhatinda is filled with many enjoyable sequences - like the 'Decent Hotel' one. Family is overwhelmed and arrange wedding bells for Geet with her childhood love Manjeet. Geet loves another guy and plans to run away. Aditya helps her and returns to his life, with new found enthusiasm. Months later, family comes to Aditya asking for Geet. Now our hero has to find her and get her back home.

What makes the movie wonderful is the script and the direction and the actors and the characterization and the chemistry and just everything. Even the ending has no rona dhona, its just simple and lovely. Some memorable scenes include - the Decent Hotel one, the badbad of Geet in the train (Mujhe bachpan se he na shadi karne ka bada shauk hai by God), the way Anshuman is treated when he reaches Geet's place, Geet acting that Aditya is her boy friend and many more.The music also is great and all songs are lovely. My favorite is Tumse hi and Yeh Ishq hai.

Kareena for once is lovable. Shahid is great. The only chink in the armor is Tarun Arora. He is a pathetic actor, but I laughed at his stupid looks on screen.

I put this movie among the sweetest love stories made by Bollywood. The list now is - DDLJ, Maine Pyar Kiya, Jab We Met, Love Story and QSQT.

Significance of Navaratri

2007-10-10T10:56:00.000+05:30

Navaratri is beginning tomorrow. I got this mail regarding the significance of Navaratri. Sharing it.

Navratri, Navaratri or Navaratra is a festival of worship and dance. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit; Nava - Nine and Ratri - nights. The festival is celebrated for nine nights twice every year during mid-March and the beginning of October, although as the dates of the festival are determined according to the Hindu lunar calendar, the festival may be held for a day more or a day less depending on the calendar.

The nine days represent the nine months spent by the baby in the mother’s womb. It represents the evolution of the consciousness toa heightened awareness.

In life, there are positive and negative qualities that affect us. Navaratri represents how the negativity can be conquered by the inherent positive qualities in an individual so that one emerges as a divine being.

Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore three different aspects of the supreme goddess or goddesses. On the first three days, the goddess is invoked as a powerful spiritual force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects.

During the next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible wealth.

The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the wife of Brahma as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order to have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence, the worship for nine nights.

During Navaratri, some devotees of Durga observe a fast and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property. A period of introspection and purification, Navaratri is traditionally an auspicious time for starting new ventures.

On the tenth day of October Navratri, the holiday of Dussehra, an effigy of Ravana is burnt to celebrate the victory of good (Rama) over evil.

In our Art of Living Bangalore Ashram, when such a celebration happens, it is done for the benefit of all of humanity. It is done with an intention that all the people should be happy; there should be good rainfall, prosperity in the country and so on. Many 'homas' are conducted with the chanting of 'mantras' creating an atmosphere of positivity and celebration.

Garba during Navaratri
A Hindu religious, traditional festival of goddess of power - Amba or Durga for the first nine nights of the month Ashwin of the Vikram year. The word Garba comes from the sanskrit word Garbha deep. The closest meaning of Garbha in the English language is "inside" or "womb", as inside of an earthen pot which people still use to store drinking water. The word Deep means lamp (diya), a burning cotton wick in oil in a small earthen vessel. People in western India do
Ghat Sthapana, which is an earthen pot with holes in it, and decorated with colors, patterns, mirrors, etc, with a diya inside.

Traditionally, Navratri was celebrated by Hindu women only, in the honor of goddess Amba/Durga. Amba/Durga is believed to be a Shakti, originating from Lord Shankara.

Women would put this Garbha deep in the center, as a symbol of shakti/goddess. And at the rhythm of prayers/bhajanas they will be dancing with clapping in concentric circles around the Garbha Deep or Garbo. Although dandiya raas is also somewhat associated with garba, it is originating from a totally different root. Dandiya raas was traditionally performed by men only.

This dance/art originated in western part of Gujarat state in India. The dandiya is actually a pair of bamboo or any wooden sticks of the length 1.5 to 2 feet (45 to 60 cm). Men would hold these sticks in hand, and start with a circular formation. Traditionally, this was a pseudo practice of the sword fight with footwork, you can call it as in poomse in Tae Kwon Do or Kata in Karate. And that is the reason it was performed by men only. It is a highly energetic sort of exercise. You will still find these traditional movements and forms of Dandiya raas in Saurashtra (Western Gujarat). This was an excellent social tradition of incorporating goddess with an art of
swords and also with entertainment, when there were many invasions happening on small kingdoms and almost every man in society was responsible for his region's and community's safety.

Significance of 9 Nights
1st - 3rd day of Navratri
On the first day of the Navaratras, a small bed of mud is prepared in the puja room and barley seeds are sown on it. These initial days are dedicated to Durga Maa, the Goddess of power and energy.

4th - 6th day of Navratri
During these days, Lakshmi Maa, the Goddess of peace and prosperity is worshipped.

7th - 8th day of Navratri
These final days belong to Saraswati Maa who is worshipped to acquire the spiritual knowledge. This in turn will free us from all earthly bondage. But on the 8th day of this colourful festival,
yagna (holy fire) is performed.

Mallik's comments

2007-09-26T16:27:00.000+05:30

During the presentation of the 20-20 final, the first few words said by the Pakistan captain showed how narrow minded they are. These were his exact words

“First of all I want to say something over here. I want to thank you back home Pakistan and wherever Muslims live all around the world. I'm sorry, we didn't win, but promise, we gave our 100%. And I want to thank my teammates. They gave their 100%, I want to thank them."

Beware Mr.Mallik, not all Muslims living around the world were praying for your team's victory. There were two in the Indian team and many more in India praying for an Indian win.

I wondering if no one noticed his words, but found this article.

Anyway, re-reading HP n DH.

100 not out

2007-09-25T16:12:00.000+05:30

My hundredth post.

Its been a great journey so far. And I have enjoyed every bit of it. Writing has been my love for quite some time and this blog has given me a platform for the same.

Yeahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Misbah's mistake

2007-09-25T16:00:00.000+05:30

Got this hilarious forward...

T20 FINAL - MISBAH'S MISTAKE!!

MISBAH THOUGHT HE WAS SENDING THE BALL TO A PLACE WHERE THERE WAS NO ONE.

HE DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE IS A MALLU IN EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD!!!

World T20 Champions INDIA

2007-09-25T10:25:00.000+05:30

India won the final but just. It could have gone either way. I think India were lucky to win. But its a win nevertheless. And India are the champions...

The game was swinging like a pendulum. When it started India lost 2 quick wickets and Pakistan were on top. Then the partnership of 64 between Gambhir and Yuvraj, and India were sneaking back, but the quick wickets of Dhoni and Yuvraj, and Pakistan were back. The last 2 overs India did get some quick runs, but a target of 158 for Pakistan was very much get-able. By the end of Indian innings, Pakistan were surely on the top.

In the second innings the pendulum swung like it was possessed. India had a dream start with a wicket in first over. But Sreesanth gave away the advantage with the 21 run over. RP again got it India's way with Akmal's wicket. But Nazir carried on. Then the brilliant throw for Nazir's wicket and India were back. Some smart captaincy, good bowling by Pathan and reckless batting by Pakistan and the pendulum stayed in India's court till the 16th over. Then Misbah decided to win the match single handed. Harbhajan and Sreesanth were the sufferers of this decision. But Sreesanth did get a wicket and Pakistan were 8 down. RP bowled another great over with a wicket. Joginder was given the last over 13 to get from 6, 1 wicket remaining. Wide first ball, 12 to get from six. Dot next ball, 12 to get from 5. Misbah swung his bat, 6 second ball. Pakistan were on the brink of victory. 1 wicket to get. Then Misbah goofed up and gave the cup to India in a platter. He tried to scoop the ball over the keeper, but ended up giving a catch to Sreesanth. India are the champions.

And the winning moment...

Saas Bahu out, reality show in...

2007-09-24T16:18:00.000+05:30

Its finally happening. The TRPs of Kyuki has fallen and it isn't the numero uno show for 4th week in running. Its Sa Re Ga Ma Pa which is ruling the roost. Check out this article.
Finally!!!!!!!!!

The Dream Final

2007-09-24T11:09:00.000+05:30

The dream final is here - India vs Pakistan. The dream will be complete when India wins. The Indians are on a roll but so are the Pakistanis. Both of them have a illustrious list of 'Teams defeated to reach final'. As always, India's batting and Pakistan's bowling are the highlights. This doesn't take anything away from India's current bowling attack or Pakistan's batsman, but its just that we are know for our batting and they for bowling.

So, the peak hour traffic jams will be shifted to 4pm from the usual 7pm. The movie halls, malls and roads will wear a deserted look. And every Indian will be offering prayers to their choicest Gods.

Go India...Chakde India...

Sixy Yuvi

2007-09-21T09:35:00.000+05:30

Yuvraj Singh extracted sweet revenge for the five sixes with six sixes. Its a nice watch...

Heyy Babyy...huh

2007-09-21T09:02:00.000+05:30

I know men too have emotions. You don't have to make an excuse for a movie to prove it. But director Sajid Khan felt otherwise. His only intention, according to me, was to prove just that.

Three men, Aroush (Akshay), Tanmay (Ritesh) and Al (Fardeen) live like there is no tomorrow. But there life takes a u turn when a baby lands at there doorstep. They don't know who the father is and make a list of all women they slept with in the past year. They don't care for the baby and drop the baby at a church. But their conscience pricks and they go back to see that the baby is seriously ill. They rescue the baby from there, a miracle saves the baby and turns the 3 men into dotting fathers. Out goes daaru and in comes doodh. Then when they are really attached to the baby, bang comes baby's mom Esha(Vidya Balan) and takes her away. The 3 men try different antics to get the baby back. And oh ya...Aroush is the actual father of the baby.

The story line seems ok, but the direction isn't. Sajid Khan makes his actors do the same antics that he does on the small screen. The songs are fine and enjoyable.

The best thing about the movie is Ritesh's Marathi. I loved the way he sprinkles Marathi inbetween dialogues.

Not recommended for a second watch.

SRK's bod

2007-09-20T10:09:00.000+05:30

SRK's newly acquired abs is the talk of the town. Honestly he looks more like a devil than anything great. There are somethings that are better not opened and one of them is SRK's shirt.

IFA Berlin

2007-09-20T09:03:00.000+05:30

While flipping channels last night I caught some part of the show Gadget Guru on NDTV. I like this show mainly because it helps me lengthen my wish list. They were showing products from IFA Berlin. Some things that I added from the show to my wish list are the 5.1 ch tall tower speakers, a sleek MP3 player(forgot the brand name), the digital photo frame (loved the concept) and the Mustang with the music system that he showed. Wow!!!!!

2007-09-19T15:50:00.000+05:30

Its been long since I wrote. Lots of things have been happening.

At work, there was appraisals held. There was a minuscule salary revision. Its like management hum pe taras kha raha hai ya phir hum pe ehsan kar rahe hai increment de ke. If you have seen that timesjob ad "Working for peanuts", then you know exactly how I'm feeling. Contemplating on a shift. The only thing thats stopping me is that too many shifts don't look good on a resume. Also MS1 got accepted. Finally!!! Lets see what are the incentives that they'll give us.

At home, the apartment is almost done. We might start the woodwork soon. We are even discussing the grahapravesh date. The options are October 26th or November 15th. I like the 26th. Depends on the carpenter.

Papa Kehte hai

2007-08-22T09:30:00.001+05:30

There are many movies which have vanished without a trace in the box office, but there music lingers around. One such movie is Papa Kehte Hai. This Anupam Kher, Mayuri Kango and Jugal Hansraj starter was a much hyped movie with some great music. Music was by Rakesh Roshan and lyrics Javed Akhtar.

The most famous song from the album was Ghar se nikalte he. Nice song but if you have seen the movie you'll realize that there is no connection between the situation and the lyrics of the song. The other song that did well is Pehle pyar ka pehle gum, sung beautifully by Kavitha Krishnamurthy.

There are other nice songs like Mujhse naaraz ho to ho, Ye jo thodese hai paise, Jadoo bhari aakho wali suno and Pyar mein hota hai kya jadoo. Pyar mein is my favourite. You can listen/download the songs here.

Chake de India

2007-08-20T14:35:00.000+05:30

I watched Chake De India last night. And I loved it. Here are some of the reasons why

Its a sports film where the sport isn't cricket.
The sport is the forgotten national sport of India - Hockey.
Shah Rukh Khan is great. He looks smart, subdued, isn't romancing anyone and acts. The only other movie he has acted is Swades.
The range of emotions - patriotism, sportsmanship, team work and a bit of cricket & male bashing. (Shah Rukh saying, "Hamare hockey mein chake nahi hote hai")
The hockey looks real. The players aren't some models trying to play hockey. Some are models and some are actual players. It seems they all underwent a 3 month rigorous hockey training before shooting the movie.
Screenplay & dialogues are great. It not that you are at the edge of your seat but it doesn't bore you in any way.
Makes you wish you were a sports person. Wish you too could represent your country.
Pretty realistic.

A must watch movie. I wouldn't mind another watch.

Great site

2007-08-09T17:25:00.000+05:30

I found this great site BTIS about Bangalore traffic. It gives you live traffic situation in the city. It also gives you directions around the city with the auto fares also. There is also a car pool club.
BTIS is a partnership of Mapunity, Airtel, and Bangalore Traffic Police .
Browse around the site (http://www.btis.in/) and know more.
I've added an widget from the site which gives live traffic situation in Bangalore.

Weather & Savings

2007-08-06T09:44:00.000+05:30

The weather is very inviting, so is the hot cup of soup, the warm cozy couch at home, the TV remote and a romantic movie on the TV. But I have to spend my day with a piece of code and a computer, shivering in an AC room. Life!!!

I have been shopping a lot now-a-days. I bought a new mobile - Nokia 5300. After almost a year, I'm using a brand new mobile. Its pretty decent. Has a 1.3 megapixel camera, a music player, radio, and some other stuff. You can read the specifications here. Then I bought a 512MB memory card for it. I bought a pen drive (misplaced my previous one during Women's Conference), a jacket and some clothes. For the house I bought an iron board, a ladder, a clothes dryer and a steam cooker. All this in 2 weeks. All my careful saving of the past few months, disappeared in 2 weeks.

Harry Potter & Deathly Hallows

2007-07-31T18:03:00.000+05:30

July 21, 6.30 am...Like all Potter-maniacs, Sowmya and me joined the long queue in front of Strand Book Stall to collect our pre-ordered copies of Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows. It felt like waiting at the gateway of King Cross station, waiting to cross the barrier and enter the platform 9 3/4, out of the Muggle world, into the magical world. It was a good 15 minute wait before we laid our hands on our copies. We quickly got out of the store, and on the way back, I read out the first chapter for both of us. We had breakfast together, discussing the first chapter and what might be in store for us in the book. We parted promising to message (but no spoilers) when we finish the book. I couldn't spend much time reading that day. Decided to spend the night with Harry ;-)

Finally finished it at six in the morning on Sunday. Sowmya and me had the following discussions...

Me:
Great...
Book is a little disappointing in-between...esp when they are hiding....and some questions are unanswered...also not too much humor in the book...

Sowmya:
Till around page 400 or so, I was really disappointed in Harry. Always
thinking of something else instead of the task in hand.. he says the name
'Voldemort' because of which Dobby ends up being killed. Neither harry nor
JKR seems to have noted that point..

I was thinking that he isn't anything special then, Hermione did most of
the work.. this guy didn't really do much. Only after Xeno tells them about
the horcruxes does harry actually start acting. I was impressed with the
deduction about the ring and all that from there on.

The end was a little typical that all the magical creatures are finally in
Hogwarts finally fighting one side or the other.

Rowling shows a liking for the big stage here. When the castle calls war
with Voldemort it was likely that somebody would die. I didn't like Fred
dying. Actually Harry dying would have made things nicer. We all would have
hated it but the book would have been nicer :). And the end where they are
all old and married to who they wanted to get married to was very
Bollywood-ish.

There are a few things unclear still. About the connection between wands
and then the fact that Harry says to Voldemort in the end that he died to
save the people in the castle and that's why Voldemort was not able to
effectively put a spell on anyone.. if just dying for somebody would do the
task and protect people again Voldemort, then Dumbledore could have done
that himself instead of asking Snape to kill him, that way he would have
protected the people...

I liked the first 3 books on the first read. The other 4 I didn't know what
I felt after the first read, only after reading 2 times did I appreciate
them.

Me:
I actually liked that Hermione did all the thinking...it
justifies that she is the cleverest witch...all the other books JKR kept
claiming that but HG didn't have anything to do....
I agree with u for the last chapter...I don't think it was needed...
I would have liked more coverage on Snape...there was so much on him in HBP
and he just comes a bit in the beginning and in the end to die!!!
I'm a little confused with the explaination that Dumbledore gives Harry as
to y he survives (the love thing)...my deduction is he survives because at
that time he owned all the hallows with him...so death can't take him. I
agree with that protection thing that Harry gives..
I felt that too much of Dumbledore's past was a little
unnecessary.....there are 4/5 different versions of it...
and instead of thinking about the horcrux....Harry keeps thinking about
Dumbledore's past....

Ya, even I'm going to read it again maybe some of my doubts will be
cleared...

Sowmya:
Yeah I felt that too about the insight to Dumbledores past. Till now we
have always thought of him as this extraordinary old man, they did much to
show that he was only a normal man with extraordinary powers.

Snape too was a little suprising. The fact that Dumbledore tells him to
kill him if Draco fails and that Snape's cool with the idea, and actually
executes the task.

Harry says in the end that the wand was taken by Draco. Did he pick it up
when Dumbledore fell? Then who put the other wand in his hand in the grave?
Then don't say that.

And this diadem thing. Voldemort thought that only he knew about the room
of requirements. When harry had gone in the first time to this room, many
books back, rowling had indicated that this room held the artifacts of
thousands of people who used the room to hide some stuff. When voldemort
hid the diadem there he would have seen all these things too. Didn't it
occur to him that there were other people using the room?

My brother had said when the 6th book was out that harry was a horcrux. I
scoffed at the idea. Thought it was interesting but still scoffed. God save
me when he reads that part and starts gloating. He'll keep saying 'see I
was right' for days..

Me:
Arvindh had already guessed about Snape...so same here...when he finishes the
book, he'll start gloating...
About Snape...I don't think Snape was cool abt killing Dumbledore...I think
he understood...Dumbledore was anyway dying of the poison from the
ring...by killing him Snape would become close to Voldermort and also
fulfill his Unbreakable vow...
I re-read HBP ending...didn't find anywhere that Draco had taken
Dumbledore's wand when he disarms him...
Also the ending reminded me of Lord of the rings...where all creatures come
together...

And Happy Birthday Harry Potter & JKR...

SIRI 777

2007-07-09T09:30:00.000+05:30

The build up to the event was amazing. There was a positive buzz, an enthusiasm bug had suddenly bitten all (almost all) Sirians. One of the side effects of the bite made the creative side of our brain work overtime. There were thought provoking slogans, fascinating logos, absorbing poster designs and intriguing T-shirts. The whole office resembled like a college during its annual fest.

On the the-day, we arrived at Club Cabana by 10am. After welcome drink and group meetings, we finally started dodge ball by 10.45pm. The first game was between us (Ravens) and Hawks. There was some confusion regarding the rules and this lead to one of those arguments where no one knows whats the right thing to do. Finally we agreed on a 1 min rematch after the Bathawks and Falcons game. JS made sure that there was no confusion in the rules and Falcons won that game. In the 1 min rematch, we won easily thanks to the strategy by Mahesh and Radhakrishna. In the final, the Falcons steamrolled us.

Then came the Stock Market. By the end of it, there were more people with sore throats than partners. We headed straight for lunch. After lunch, all teams were engrossed in last minute rehearsals for their presentations. The presentations were the most amazing part of the day. There is such immense hidden talent in the company!! All of us were good, but the Bathawks were a class apart or should I say society apart. They were just too amazing. You could easily mistake them to be pros.

Then came the points distribution. By the end, all teams except for Hawks, were tied. Hawks were a point behind the rest. So the final event, Tug-of-war would decide the winner of the day. Raven lost to the Hawks and Bathawks to Falcons. The final between Hawks and Falcons ended when it had started becoming interesting. The Hawks proving too good for the Falcons. Their slogan Born to win, justified.

Parting notes, hope we have many more events like this.

Here are a couple of lines I wrote...

A day most awaited, a buzz in Siri,
For fun, frolic and merry.

Hawks, Bathawks, Ravens and Falcons,
Logos, T shirts, posters and slogans.

Will complete it sometime...

Angoor - Confusion Unlimited

2007-06-20T08:58:00.000+05:30

Willam Shakesphere's work has been a favorite with many film makers, in all the 'woods' - Hollywood, Bollywood, etc. One of the best adaptations of his work in Bollywood is Gulzar's Angoor, based on 'Comedy of Errors'. The plot is so convincingly modified to suit the Indian social setup, that it feels original. The plot, if you haven't read Comedy of Errors, is a little complicated. Let me try to explain.

Raj Tilak (Utpal Dutt) and his wife are on their way to a holiday with their twin sons, both of them are called Ashok (bada & chota Ashok to differentiate). On their way they adopt an abandoned set of twins whom they call Bahadur. Raj Tilak thinks once both sets of twins grew up, the Bahadurs will serve the Ashoks. During their sea travel, they meet with an unfortunate accident in which they are all separated. One pair of Ashok-Bahadur are with the mother and the other with the father, but in a different town. Soon the father dies and the pair are raised by one of the town's businessman.

Now to understand the plot, lets name the father's pair as Ashok1(SanjeevKumar) & Bahadur1 (Deven Verma), and the mother's pair as Ashok2 & Bahadur2. Fast forward a couple of decades, Ashok1 is married to the ever-nagging Sudha (Moushumi Chatterjee),the elder daughter of the businessman who raised him. Sudha, Sudha’s sister Tanu (Deepti Naval) and Bahadur1 and his wife Prema (Aruna Irani) complete Ashok1's family. Ashok2, single and a detective novel buff, decides to buy a grape yard. So, he and Bahadur2, single and a bhang lover, come to Ashok1 & Bahadur1's town.

The day Ashok2 and Bahadur2 land in the town, Askok1, tired of Sudha's nagging for a necklace, wows not to return home until he gets the necklace. Elsewhere, Ashok2 goes to the grape yard after instucting Bahadur2 to take care of the money he has got for the deal and not to leave the hotel till he returns. Sudha sends Bahadur1 to the market where Ashok2 sees Bahadur1 and asks him about the money and why he left the hotel. Bahadur1 thinks his master is mad and tells his mistress. Tanu, thinks its all because of her sister's nagging and sends Bahadur1 to find Ashok1. But she meets Ashok2 and Bahadur2 at her concert and gets them home. Elsewhere Ashok1 is worried about the necklace and spends the night waiting for it to be made. But, after the necklace is ready, it lands in Ashok2's hands, and the jeweller is asking Ashok1 to pay up. Finally the pair of twins meet and the confusion is cleared.

The plot is made more confusing by the clothes of the characters. Both the Ashoks wear a long white kurta and white dhoti and both the Bahadurs wear a grey shirt and white dhoti.

Gulzar saab as the writer and director is simply superb. The dialogues are rib tickling and witty. The screenplay never looses its grip and Gulzar saab extracts flawless performances from his artists. He has also used small characters aptly. Like there the goldsmith and his assistant, the diamond cutter, the taxi driver and the inspector - all of them take the movie to a classic level.

Angoor is SanjeevKumar’s masterpiece. His expressions and voice modulation make the movie a must watch. Deven Verma as both the confused servant and bhang lover is excellent. Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma share brilliant on-screen chemistry as twin duos. Deepti Naval and Moushumi Chatterjee though having small roles leave you impressed.

But the chink in the armour is the music of Angoor. Though it is composed by the genius R.D. Burman, its disappointing. Except for the song Roz Roz, the others are mediocre and halt the proceedings.

This is the 'baap' of all one of Bollywood most trusted formula in the 70s and 80s - 'bichde hua bhai'. Enjoy the fun ride.

Bugging or Debugging....

2007-06-20T08:53:00.000+05:30

For the past few days I've been trying to identify memory leaks in the application we developed. And the debugging is bugging me. First there was Just-in-time debugger which would always launch itself at the wrong time or rather when I don't want it to launch. And one called Dr Watson refused to share my computer with it. It took me an entire day to throw JIT out and make way for Dr Watson. Now Dr Watson is living happily in my computer. He is also giving me some 'Greek-n-Latin' stack trace. Actually he is pretty helpful.
Chalo Dr Watson ka bulava aaya...

Cheeni Kum...

2007-06-13T09:19:00.000+05:30

It had been a few months since I watched a movie with Arvindh. I was cribbing for the past week, more on Sunday, and of course, he gave in. I had 2 movies in mind - Pirates of the Caribbean or Cheeni Kum. Then we heard that Pirates is pretty boring, so decided for Cheeni Kum. The promos looked good, so expected it to be at least an OK movie.
But I was in for a pleasant surprise. The movie was really good. Its a mature love story, with absolutely no 'cheeni'. Amitabh is cool, and Tabu is better. Then there is the colgate/'zafrani pulav' and the kid called Sexy who make the movie a must-watch.
More on the movie when I have time. I want to do full justice to the movie with a nice long review sprinkled with appropriate adjectives.

Rang Birangi – Hrishida's Pati Patni aur Woh

2007-06-06T09:00:00.000+05:30

Last year Bollywood lost one of its acclaimed directors – Hrishikesh Mukherji. Hrishida, as he is popularly known as has made many well known movies like Abhiman, Golmaal, Chupke Chupke - to name a few. I have choosen a lesser known Rang Birangi for the review.

The film is a take on BR Chopra's Pati Patni aur Woh. The story begins with showing us the life of two couples, first Ajay Sharma (Amol Palekar) and Nirmala (Parveen Babi), married for seven years and second Jeet Saxena( Farooq Shaikh) and Anita Sood (Deepti Naval), who are seeing each other for a long time. Anita is Ajay's secretary. Nirmala is unhappy because Ajay spends most of his time at work and doesn't give much attention to her. Jeet and Anita are waiting for Jeet to get a good job to get married.

In this comes Ajay's friend, Ravi Kapoor (Deven Verma). He wants to spice up the life of Nirmala and Ajay. He asks Ajay start flirting with Anita by telling her that his wife has been paralyzed for 6 years and there is no one to take care of him. Anita becomes sympathetic and starts taking care of him. The guilt in Ajay makes him give more attention to his wife.

One day Anita, comes to meet Nirmala and gets to know the truth. Nirmala requests her to carry on with the drama. Nirmala gets to know that Ravi is behind all this drama and joins him in plotting against her husband. On Ravi's instruction, Nirmala tells Ajay that she wants to work. Nirmala then plays the same trick on Ajay – she says that her boss's wife is paralyzed and her boss needs some sympathy. Jeet poses as Nirmala's boss.

Jeet poses as Dhurender Bhatavdekar, a private detective and blackmails Ajay with photographs of Ajay and Anita. The plot further complicates when the actual Dhurender Bhatavdekar (Utpal Dutt), a police inspector, turns out to be Nirmala's uncle and promises Ajay to capture the blackmailer. And this shatters plans of Ravi – perfect recipe for chaos.

Other characters in the movie include Mr. & Mrs. Bannerjee (Om Prakash and Chaya Devi) with whom Anita stays.

The comedy created by all confusion and chaos makes it a laugh-riot. The movie has great performances by all the actors – Amol Palekar, Deepti Naval, Parveen Babi and Farooq Shaikh. The dialogues are witty and the script has a plethora of aptly placed film references.

Music for the movie is by RD Burman. It has a classical number which is shot on the Bannerjees. The other song 'Kahin kuch pal jeevan ke' is a nice soft number.

Some scenes to watch-out are:

The hotel scene where Jeet poses as Nirmala's boss.
The actual Dhurender Bhatavdekar chases Jeet.

The movie can be watched over and over and you will always have a good laugh.

Sehar

2007-05-30T11:57:00.000+05:30

I'm not a big fan of gangster-cop movies, but I loved Sehar, mainly for its simplicity and honesty. There is no over-the-top dialogues, no unwanted bloodshed(or should I say tomato sauce!) and there are no songs to stop the pace of the movie. Its like a like watching a compelling gritty documentary on a gang of cops who decide to eliminate organised crime from Uttar Pradesh.

The movie, set in the 90s, begins with the murder of a gangster by another rival gangster Gajraj (Sushant Sharma). SSP Ajay Kumar(Arshad Warsi) is asked to investigate the murder. As he goes about investigating, he figures out that the crime world now headed by Gajraj is very well organized. A deep nexus runs between the gangsters, local politicians, the builders, the railway contractors, student union leaders and of course policemen. He also gets to know that Gajraj has a lot of well wishers in the political circles.

To counter this, he proposes a Special Task Force(STF), which has special powers and is answerable only to the SP. Initially there is resistance for such a force. But when the CM’s friend's kin is kidnapped STF is given a go ahead with state wide power. The STF now goes about systematically eradicating crime. When they realise that the goons are using mobiles for their communication, they get a telecom professor Prof. Tiwari (Pankaj Kapur) to help them understand mobile communication technology. Tiwari soon becomes an important part of STF's working and success. The rest of the movie tells us how STF is able to eradicate Gajraj and ruin his nexus.

There are also a couple of deviations in the movie - the short and sweet love between Anamika(Mahima Chaudhary) and Ajay and a story about Ajay's father. These give us an insight of Ajay's character and don't affect the pace of the movie.

Writer and director Kabeer Kaushik has done a fine job in all departments. The editing is crisp and you never feel like taking a break. The background score is excellent and maintains the tempo of the movie.

In the acting department, the movie belongs to Arshad Warsi. He gives memorable performance and proves that he is truly an underrated actor. Sushant Sharma's character is a little sketchy, but he does a good job of that. Pankaj Kapur and other are fine.

A movie definitely worth a watch, even if it has a documentary feel to it.

Einstein, The Bird

2007-05-11T14:05:00.000+05:30

I got a forward of this video long ago. Its an amazing bird and calls itself 'Superstar'. Today, while reorganising my folders, I found it and wanted to post it. Did a quick google in YouTube and found it. YouTube zindabad!!!

Finally they are married!!!

2007-04-25T09:41:00.000+05:30

Finally Abhishek & Aishwarya are married. So finally we won't see "Breaking news" on TV announcing their wedding guest list or caterer or flower decorator or dress designer... Please give me a break!!!

And looks like their marriage has rubbed a lot of people including the Indian media the wrong way. Check out this Hindustan Times article and another one I found on Google News. And yes...I'm tired of getting forwards of their wedding photos. I got 7 forwards in a day!!! Nrutya got 3 in 17 mins!!!!

A walk down the memory lane...

2007-04-20T09:24:00.000+05:30

I had written this a couple of years back. Its my memories of my college life. Found this when I was cleaning my yahoo inbox.

Gone are those days when we used to sit in parking lots around Bangalore...
Gone are those days when we drove around Bangalore in our bikes...
Gone are those when we used to be chucked out of canteens...
Gone are those days when we had lunch in Tatha's class...
Gone are those days when we played DC in class....
Gone are those days when Sowmya would sigh in DJ's class...
Gone are those days when we set our timetable and also the portions...
Gone are those days when fought for marks...
Gone are those days when we would go to canteen at 8.30 in the morning...
Gone are those days when we experimented in Sweta's kitchen...
Gone are those days when we would go for boating in the rain...
Gone are those days when Aamir Khan was more important than some experiments in the lab...
Gone are those days when we whistled our heart out when Aamir came on screen...
Gone are those days when we could talk for hours on phone after college...
Gone are those days when Nrutya was the only one attending Bullet's classes...
Gone are those days when Sumana used to decorate our names in our books...
Gone are those days when Sneha used to correct our English...'tonight'...
Gone are those days when Sweta would be the 'teacher' for all of us...
Gone are those days when Aparna would score 25 even without studying...
Gone are those days when Sowmya would enter the a class instead of the loo...
Gone are those days when you all kidnapped me to Benergatta...
I can go on writing...but my vision's blur now...having tears in my eyes...
Hope you all have taken a walk down the memory lane.

Welcome Back!!!!!

2007-04-19T10:37:00.000+05:30

After the disastrous return of the Indian team, there have been a lot of spoofs on TV. The best of them all is this Appy Fizz ad. I have been hearing this ad a lot on the radio. Finally found it on YouTube. Video quality isn't so great but audio is good and thats what matters in this ad.

Just loved it!!

2007-04-18T09:16:00.000+05:30

Lage Raho Munnabhai was the best inspirational movie of last year. Lot of people would put Rang De Basanti also in this category. RDB was inspiring, but preached violence as the way out, not non-violence. Anyway, thats a long debate and don't want to get into that.

I just wanted to post the wonderful message that LRM starts

Shaher ki is daud mein daud ke karna kya hai?
Jab yehi jeena hai dosto to phir marna kya hai?

Paheli barish mein train late hone ki fikar hai
Bhul gaye bhigte hue tahelna kya hai?

Serials ke kirdaaro ka saara haal hai malum
Par maa ka haal puchhne ki fursat kise hai?

Ab reet pe nange pao tahelte kyun nahi?
108 hai chanel phir dil bahelte kyun nahi?

Internet se duniya ke to touch me hai,
Lekin pados me koun raheta hai jaante tak nahi.

Mobile, landline sab ki bharmaar hai,
Lekin jigri dost tak pahuche aise taar kaha hai?

Kab dubte hue suraj ko dekha tha yaad hai?
Kab jaana tha shaam ka woh fasaana kya hai?

To Dosto Shaher ki is daud me daud ke karna kya hai
Jab yahi jeena hai to phir Marna kya hai?

How true!!!!!

Stamps

2007-04-12T09:10:00.000+05:30

Did you know....

2007-04-11T15:12:00.000+05:30

Got this interesting forward today from Prathiba...Sharing it...

In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb".

Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language .

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the USTreasury.

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The average number of people airborne over the USany given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king in history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

Q. What do bullet-proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

My new Honda Dio

2007-04-11T12:07:00.000+05:30

For the past few weeks I have been having a lot of issues when travelling by bus. So, we decided to buy a 2-wheeler. I looked at some models - Kinetic Nova, Bajaj Kristal, Honda Activa, etc. Arvindh was adamant on buying a Honda Activa. After some research, I was convinced we should buy a Honda Activa. The only problem was the 40-day wait period for the vehicle.

My father-in-law gave us another option - Honda Dio. It has the same engine as the Activa. The difference is in the styling and the Dio has a fibre body as against metal of Activa. And it was available off the shelf. On Wednesday I was convinced we'll go for Dio. On Thursday I wanted a Activa. On Friday morning, I went for a test drive of both the vehicles. I found the Activa a little bit more comfortable than Dio. My resolve for Activa deepened. My father and father-in-law were still for Dio. My FIL said that Activa looked like a scooter ("Something that your father has driven for 15 years") and Dio was stylish, something that I should drive at my age. Hmm...good point. My resolve was slightly shaken.

In the evening, Arvindh also took the test drive. He too felt the same. After some discussion, we decided we'll go for the Dio. The prospect of having a bike the next day was too tempting. Moreover, my FIL's words had affected me. So, by Saturday evening I had a black Honda Dio with me.

More details on Honda's site

SRK and Tag Heuer

2007-04-04T09:42:00.000+05:30

We all know the Shah Rukh Khan is the brand ambassador for Tag Heuer watches in India. And he is taking that job seriously. He keeps distributing Tag Heuer at the drop of a hat. So much so that when Boman Irani came to KBC, he didn't wear a watch, assuming that SRK will give him one. And of course SRK didn't disappoint. Just yesterday I was read somewhere that he gave watches to Amitabh Bachchan and Amar Singh when they went to invite him to the Abhi-Ash wedding.

Hmm...looks like SRK is distributing the watches like pamphlets. I now would love to meet him - only for a Tag Heuer. And I wouldn't say no to a Santro!!!

Long Time....

2007-04-03T09:02:00.000+05:30

Its been a long time since I posted. I have been very busy at work. And the work is getting more and more interesting and challenging by the day. It feels nice to be productive after 6 months on bench.

Sports events are being held at work. And it gives me immense pleasure to announce that I was the finalist in Scrabble. Thats something - because I have been teased by people for my bad spelling. So much so that Nrutya had once said,"You don't teach spellings to your children. Call us and we'll teach them".

If you are talking about sports and don't mention the debacle happening in Indian cricket,I'll be doing injustice to my interest. Well, India is out of the World Cup. I am a Indian cricket fan, but I cann't but help being happy about their exit. The players were given demi-God status and the amount of hype surrounding them was too much. This should get them back to their two feet.

This World Cup will be more remembered for the shock death of Bob Woolmer than for anything else. The circumstances of death look straight out of a mystery novel. May his soul rest in peace and hope his killers are brought under the hammer.

We had been to Kemmangundi a couple of weeks ago. I'll post more about that when I have the time.

Time to get back to work...

2007-03-14T17:19:00.000+05:30

Check the tata out...

glumbert.com - Laughter is contagious

My dad in The Hindu

2007-03-01T13:21:00.000+05:30

A few months back, a reporter from The Hindu had interviewed my dad about his custard apple variety 'Arka Sahan'. Today the article is published. You can read it here.

World Cup round the corner...

2007-02-28T10:10:00.000+05:30

Cricket world's biggest extravaganza is here in about two weeks. And with Australia showing that they are not invincible(losing their last 5 games), the contest is wide open. But Aussies still start as my favorites.

Nike has finally arrived in the world of cricket. They first sponsored the cricket gear for Indian cricket and now have come out with a ad on cricket. And unlike their other ads, which are centred on sportsman, this one is centred on cricket in India. I loved this ad. Also there is a making of the ad on rediff.

Filmfare - rigged

2007-02-17T17:21:00.000+05:30

While surfing, found an interesting blog about Filmfare awards being bought....something that I always felt was true. I shall write more on this when I find time.

Too hot to handle!!!

2007-02-17T16:46:00.000+05:30

Yes, these tiny little chillis are the hottest chilli in the world - Bhut Jolokia and Bih Jolokia. Bih is poison, Bhut or bhoot is ghost and Jolokia is chilli in Assamese. (Thanks to Surajit for these translations).

The Guinness Book of World Records has awarded these chillis as the world's hottest. Bhut Jolokia comes in at 1,001,304 Scoville heat units, a measure of hotness for a chilli. It is nearly twice as hot as Red Savina, the variety it replaces as the hottest. By comparison, an average jalapeno measures at about 10,000. More on this here.

Since these are from Assam, I asked Surajit for more details. He says that 1 chilli is finely cut and used by a family for 3-4 days!! He has promised to get some of these chillis when he goes home the next time. I shall share my experience when I eat them.

2007-02-17T10:37:00.000+05:30

I had posted a few days back about the goverment's proposal for earmarking 6% of loans given by banks to the minority community. The good news is that the banks and RBI have opposed that proposal and said that its not feasible. More on that here.

2007-02-16T14:47:00.000+05:30

There is a article in rediff about the truth of Aurangzed. Time to incorporate this in our textbooks. We need to stop glorifying Aurangzeb, stop making him a saint.
Read the article here

I would like to buy a hamburger

2007-02-15T17:26:00.000+05:30

This is a excerpt from Steve Martin's Pink Panther. Totally hillarious.

ROFL

2007-02-15T11:27:00.000+05:30

India has had two contrasting days in the a week. Last Sunday was disaster as India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. And when they were 94/4 yesterday, I was pretty sure there will be a collapse. But then there was Dravid, how could I ever discount Mr.Dependable and Dhoni. Dhoni is now also becoming another Mr. Dependable, quickly adapting to the need of the game. He can change gears with ease and runs hard between wickets.

If India has to reach a respectable total in world cup, Dhoni will surely play a big part.

Piyu's musings on our names

2007-02-14T12:03:00.000+05:30

This is a mail that Piyu sent me. That lady has really put in a lot of thought...

Dear One,
I was just thinking – you sisters are Pooja and Aarti.. you are with Arvind – obviously lotus is a means for pooja.. so Aarti can get married to someone with name having 'Deep' in it.. any Deep will do..Sudeep, Dipankar, Dipak, Diptarup, Ujjwal etc

Your children can be Prasad, Prasanna, Trupti, Stuti, Stawan, and so on..

So..we can build up on this ;-)

Hehehehe

Piyu

Hmm....when I have kids, I'll surely think on these lines...

2007-02-13T15:23:00.000+05:30

Today my sister turned 24. And she is feeling that she is getting old. I was sort of spared of the feeling. I was studying during that period of my life and had little time to ponder on such things. And also in a place like Manipal, you'll always feel young. And now I have accepted the fact that I'm, well not young - body wise, but will always be young at heart. This mainly thanks to the YES+ course I did with Bawa and Dinesh. They are the second most amazing and witty people I've ever met, first of course is my Master. Here is my encounter with Bawa or Bau as he know now-a-days
Myla: This is Pooja, she is a great volunteer, you can use her for YES+ in Bangalore.
I: I'm already volunteering for RDP.
Fhatak...came the reply, delivered with his usual mischievous smile.
Bawa: When will you move up in life

Ha ha ha...guess its time to move up!!!!