I want twins... girls!

I don't understand why a woman always builds her life around the man she is with. Evolution dictated terms and said, the man is the breadwinner of the house and the woman is the homemaker. But, it never said the woman has to weave her life around a man and keep moulding herself with every step of the man. I had a conversation with a friend of mine. She is about 4 yrs younger to me. A very brilliant girl and even better singer. I love her voice. If given a chance, I am sure she could make her name very easily in the Tinsel town. But she managed to go for a different choice altogether. Recently, she went ahead and got herself a husband. Oops.

I pinged her to ask how she was. She said she needed advice. I said I'll try. We talked some about entrance exam into a Ph.D. program. She was planning to get into a Ph.D. I was happy to see her give it a shot. I asked her why not come to the US? Much more exposure and definitely much easier to get into a Ph.D. program. The answer she gave me prompted me to write this post. "Coming to the US is out of question. I am married now". I am not against the institution of marriage. But, what she said after that bugs me the most about the Indian matrimonial system. She said, "My husband might go to the US pretty soon, though he might not stay for long. So, I definitely cannot look for opportunities in the US." WOW. The guy can go to the US, but not the girl? Why? I can't find even a single valid reason for this discrimination. The girl is supposed to make all the adjustments to be a part of what a man (with his puny brain) decides to make of his life. Kinda sucks!

If our today is like this... then what will our tomorrow be?

Khud se jang ladata hoon sab se ye kahata hoon
chaaron or jo hota hai us se main gussa hoon
taubaa-tauba nafs magaroor hai
taubaa-tauba sach se door hai
taubaa-tauba dil benoor hai
taubaa-tauba kaisa daur hai
kab aayega waqt vo naya
kab paayenge sab dil ki aazaadi ko
kab aayegi vo pyaaree-pyaari ek subah

daulat badhati hai roz to ameeron ki hi
bhookh badhati hai roz hi gareebon ki
vaadon se tar zubaan vaqt milate hi par
goongi ho jaati hai un rahabaron ki
chalate hain akad ke ye zameen pe
bhoole hain ki jaana hai ek din us zameen mein
dhabba hai dhabba ki jaise chaand pe dhabba
dhokha ye dhokha dete hain kud ko dhokha

socho-socho zara kaafi hai ek shama
jis se jal uthati yahaan lakhon shama
saari duniya badal jaayegi yaaro par
hai zaroori badalana bas ek ka
muskura ke dekhana bhi neki
logon ki raahon se patthar hataana neki
sajada tu sajada duniya ko na kar sajada
sajada ho sajada bas naam-e-kuda ka sajada

A song from the album Vandemataram by A.R.Rahman...

This post is dedicated to all those innocent lives which were lost in the Mumbai terrorist attacks... This post is also a salute to all those martyrs who died trying to save peace from the clutches of terror... Its high time we think about what has been happening in today's world and do whatever possible to stop the massacres around us before we ourselves are consumed in these flames...

Live like a virus!!!

Live like a virus... Woah, Isn't that a paradox?

Yes, it is... Okay, let me explain...

Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites, i.e., they have to be inside a being to be able to reproduce and grow in numbers. So, they pretty much depend upon a "host" for their survival, in turn beating the crap out of the host (parasites). This means that viruses CANNOT LIVE outside a living host.

Viruses have been classified as the border of the living and non-living systems. They are mere dust particles when outside a living thing and are the messengers of death when inside.

So, after knowing all this, why would I say "Live like a virus"???

Obviously, if a thing could kill, the word "killer" becomes its second name, no matter what the context is (No surprise, we fear death so much). Every other quality comes second. So, what am I getting to here?

- Viruses are small, smaller than the smallest of bacteria. Yet, they cause the world's most prevalent diseases and disorders. Hepatitis, HIV, Pox, a common cold...
What do we learn? Should it make a difference how small we are? Nope... Does it make a difference on how much impact we could make on people we know? How much we could affect the thinking of a community? a BIG YES. Relating ourselves to viruses, its not really tough to stay small and yet do things that impact the whole world. A thing to ponder about...

- Viruses PERSIST. This is the best part about them. They are persistent. Their peristence is shown in the way they infect a body and inflict damage, even if it is the smallest of ones.
What do we learn? PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERENCE------>>> EXISTENCE.

- Viruses change. AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The genetic material of this virus is like a Chameleon sitting on spinning colour wheel. Whenever the wheel stops, the chameleon would be ready to change its colour to blend itself in. Similarly, HIV's genetic material changes with hosts and life cycles. It can infect a human being and progress to AIDS especially because of such random changes in the genetic material.
What do we learn? Change is the only thing that should be constant in life.


A few golden rules of LIVING taught to us by the NOT SO LIVING... :)


Well... living like a virus isn't that bad eh? ;)

Trance time...

I love Krishna!!!! PERIOD!!!!

Once a friend asked me, why I was a Krishna Bhakt. I regret every time I think about that question, because I couldn't give him a proper answer. I could not explain it to him. BECAUSE ITS A TRANCE!!! There is no explanation to it... Its a mental state which has the strength to influence the physical being.

It all started around September 2003, when I was on a college trip to Bangalore. Maybe the best thing that happened on that trip was the visit to the ISKCON temple there. I cannot describe the temple. As people say, even a million eyes are not enough to take in the beauty of the temple. That was my first meeting with Krishna, hehe, and I would want to call it love at first sight. Our plan was to stay in the temple for half an hour and then leave. Two hours. Probably even more. I don't know about my friends, but, I personally, didn't realize how time flew past as I just got swept into the magic. To top it all, it was Janmashtami time then.

The temple is huge hall with a empty space right in front of him, for at least 300-400 people to sit and watch him. The ceiling was painted with stories of Krishna and WOW what paintings. The best part was all of the hall was lit with diyas (though artificial lights, they were sparkling and gave out a very natural effect). Apart from 2 halogen lamps around him, there was no other light and this was just about evening time. The fact that I remember such minute details about the temple is enough to tell you readers to GO VISIT THE TEMPLE!!!! ITS GORGEOUS!!!!!

As I said, Krishna is a state of mind. He can influence you to do anything. Nothing is impossible with him around. Well... I am in such a trance now writing away all this. Whoever reads this post, might not even get close to reading these last few lines. They might find it boring. But, whoever has managed it till this point, its probably because they have been lucky enough to experience such sheer joy in their lives or they are compelled to do so. :)

Thinking of Krishna (or God in any form) is sheer joy, ecstasy, its pain, its intoxicating, its YEARNING, its LOVE, its a feeling out of this world. I wish I had words or a way to put all that joy on paper and pass it on to everybody to experience it. Its MAAAADDDDDDENNNNINGLY SANE!!!!! :)

Doesn't he ever get bored of creating masterpieces??

A.R.Rahman...

The name says it all... well... maybe his music says more than his name...
Whatever cap he wears... it sure would look like a bird or something... with so many feathers in there... yes, yet another feather in his cap... Jodha-Akbar...

I bought the CD a few days ago... to be precise a week ago... and as usual... the first time I heard the songs... I thought they were kinda mediocre... I knew this would be my first impression... and I generally don't listen to any song that I don't like the first time...

Its a different story altogether with Rahman... the more you listen, the more you like them... So, by the end of the 3rd time of the CD... I already had heard Azeem-O-Shaan Shehenshah about 3 or 4 times... This song has the power of Akbar and the elegance of Rahman in them... Never have I heard so many instruments being used in one song... and what brilliance in using sword clashing to create music... It seems Rahman has, unknowingly, composed this song for himself and not for Akbar... I am dying to watch this song on the big screen... This song could just be worth all the money...

Jashn-e-bahara... a classic Rahman melody... and what a find... Javed Ali...

Khwaja Mere Khwaja... trance... pure trance... perfect voice for the song... Rahman himself...

Inn Lamhon ke Daman mein... Rahman + Sonu ==== just listen and keep listening... no two words about it... just one word... STUPENDOUS...

Mann Mohana... the second best song of the album... for various reasons...
One - coz its about Krishna...
Two - coz it resembles a few other beautiful compositions of Rahman... (Aahista Aahista from Swades, O Paalanhaare from Lagaan)
Three - Its sung by one of the most melodious singers I've ever heard... The first time I heard the song, I thought it was Shreya Ghoshal... wrong guess... Bela Shende is the singer... and she gives an amazing number... I doubt if anyone else could have done a better job...

Navin Kumar - needs a special mention for his enchanting number... well.. its the same song (Jashn-e-bahara)... but, it sounds WOW when played on the flute... especially with all those interludes being added by Navin...

Khwaja mere Khwaja in instruments is a mellowed version of the vocal... though it still maintains the trance...

THE CD IS WORTH ALL THE MONEY AND MORE... no regrets about buying the CD without even reading the reviews... hehe... after all its Rahman... :)