A Love story...

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?

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

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.

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

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!!!!

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...'

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...

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

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

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.