The Roman Settlement!!

I wanted to have the last laugh, but it is always fortune that smiles. I believed in destiny,but the question was if destiny believed in me?

I was reeling under serious thoughts while I was waiting for my turn for a meeting with the public relations manager of ASTHETICS,the famous youth magazine. This was in connection with the launch of my collection of songs DUPORHEA. I wanted a coverage by the magazine during and post launch of my album.

' Impressive', I never realised when I was called in and it took me some time to come to terms of the fact that I already briefed about my agenda to the PR Manager who gave that response to my quandary. After giving a welcome gaze to the lady in front of me with long hair, dark eyes and a mysterious smile I wanted to return the same word, but I summoned all my excitement to a composed thanks to her.

' It looks like the album is about romantic songs!' More than enquiry it appeared to be statement she deduced. I was enticed to elaborate then.

'Perhaps you got carried away by the mention of Rhea' I just sipped the warm coffee offered to me when I noticed her eyes showed glimpses of curiosity. I continued again, ' It is close to breaking the stereo-type, yet it is very common! It is far from popular verse yet it is the symbol of your neighbourhood.It is a novel concept but arouses everyday regularity' I was non stop.

'But what is the significance of DupoRhea?' She did not seem to be convinced and bending towards me she posed this question.

I looked at her desk and the tiny dashboard she maintained. There were few pictures of great people, arranged in a peculiar manner which I failed to comprehend. In one of the pictures Vladimir Putin was depicted shaking hands with Jawaharlal Nehru!

I asked her what made her morfed a Putin in the realms of a Nehru. And I myself replied to her that it is an example of DupoRhea. Aligning past to the present.

The more than irregular conversation concluded in her assuring him of taking my plea to the VP Communications.

I was happy about the outcome of the visit. The informal conversation with the PRM was fruitful too. It was true that my excitement was fully linked to the release of my new album over the last six months, but meeting with the PRM prompted me to shift a gear! Kimaya Baruah. At length I decided to google the meaning in web, it means pious. Now I am biased towards this pious girl. Is it a reward for a dream that I have launched some months ago? Or this is just a break from the dream!

Suddenly I drew a similarity between myself and sage Vishwamitra. Both had a mission to pursue; both encountered oomph of beauties during their mission. While his thinking was on, track 3 of the album was being played on his system........ SONGHATOR SONDHIYA DEKHA PUA ROMOK JOMOKOR MAJOT DHUSOR PORINOTI E PUAR DUKMUKALIK SUORI OSINAKI RENDEZVOUS KHELE!

In the meanwhile the day of my album launch finally arrived.

'Still no news of the coverage came', I almost disdained it as a futile excercise.But the curiosity inside me was never settled and I dialled her cell,' Is this Sagorika?' I tried to be sure.There was a pause and then came the reply ' I know why you have called!' she giggled and continued ' In fact I am at the venue with my colleague to cover your opening. So relax now!'

I saw her from a distance; more than her colleague she seems to have brought in her elegance. At length after the launch I approached her and thanked her for arranging all this.

' Don't thank me' she gave a careless smile and looking at her left said' This Reema who has arranged everything. The day I met you was my last day at ASTHETCS. I briefed her about the project and she handled everything.' While I acknowledged the help of Reema, my eyes were looking for my clarifications. Understanding my anxiety she chiped in again ' Reema is new and that's why I accompanied her for this event and wanted to wish you.'

I watched them leave.

My fulfilment was shallow and ended in a surprise.

Its Dhinka Chika!!

This is after 40 Minutes after I have watched the Salman Khan Starer Ready.

The title of this blog is my conclusion to it; and the fact that I can't help forgetting the song; and for many unpopular reasons!!

Firstly, why the name of the bus on the top of which Salman embarks upon is called "Dhinka Chika"? and most importantly, one house on the street has many colours on the wall; pink, yellow, blue, red..u name it and u will have it. Finally, while dancing the dresses of his co dancers changes after every step while Salman remains the same, like his fortunes!!

In short it was Dhinka Chika personified.

It makes sense to make a formula masala movie; its a make believe game; they make it and we believe it. The reason why a movie is being made is to provide entertainment; well I must say, Ready is a wholesome entertainer; however it will be horribly incorrect to compare with it Dabbang or setting the expectation that it will set your hearts fire like Dabbang.

Having said that, it is again worthwhile to mention that the movie rides on the Charisma of Salman; all co stars are good, but as long as Salman is there in the scene; so Salman is the soul of the movie.

I have one thing to mention here; Asin has a good comic timing, but with Salman-Asin pairing is however not rocking. With a few minutes presence in Character Dheela, Zarine Khan seems to be a better co-star with Salman.

Other than Salman, Mahesh Manjrekar's presence was good but his forgetting the "woh" was little overboard. Paresh Rawal is I believe wasted once again. And I dont know why Aryan Babbar is READY to look foolish once again After TMK.

The strength of the movie is the dialogues and the way comedy is infused in the situations which were at times pretty repetitive. I could find a close semblance to David Dhawan-Govinda type movies like Aunty No 1, Akhiyon se Goli Maare etc films.

After a rigorous week of slogging, ready will surely make you forget your pain. Good job Sallu Miyan!!

Core Competency: Are we forgetting?

In my childhood I read a poem about a couple; the poem narrated a story. It was like, husband worked in his farm and the wife was a homemaker; everything one going fine, until one day they started arguing about, who was better? The husband with his part of job or the wife, or in her part of responsibilities? The wife said, "Lets swap the job responsibilities; you take care of home and i will do farming; for one week.Lets see who fares better?"

As per plan, they started with the role reversal; everything was going except for the fact that in crucial moments; like when the child needed the mothers feed and motherly care; or the food that required the technical acumen from the cook was missing with the husband. Similarly, the wife could not work with the machines properly and crashed it. In short they both screwed up in their alternate jobs.

Moral of the story: People should work based on their core competency.

Examples: Commercial Banks entering Investment Banking which was not their core competency; which led to sub prime debacle in US and Europe; in Indian case, Mahesh Manjreker, the quintessential director of Vastav, Kurukshetra spoiled his directorial acumen by started acting; Anna Kournikova, now is neither a tennis star nor a good model, she was better of playing Lawn tennis; so on and so forth.

Latest in the fag is our Union Home Minister P.C. True that he is a responsible politician. But as it turned out during his stint as Home Minister, our country had faced blows one by one, recent one being the security goof up with most wanted names.

At least had he been in his favorite role as the Finance Minister, our country would have done better in economic issues like the inflation etc.

PC. think again...Think your core and then compete..

Dial M 4 Motivation!!

Thinking that trees need any motivation to produce some gentle wind is beyond logic; but if one looks at a different angle; its a job of a tree, isn't it! apart from giving shades and keeping it green. Well no one bashes a tree for not doing its job well. Then why your boss invites you to his cabin and hits you left, right and center for not completing a project in time!!

Fact is everyone needs motivation. From a living object say a Tiger to hunt to a stationary one like the Sun. But getting that splurge of energy is not only in limited quantity, but it has a subversive nature; it measures your efforts and then thwarts them. Example: you at times fail to decide, that your inability to have muesli is lethargy or an attempt at new found rhythm for economy. Regardless of either one, you miss that tinge of the M-factor and end up just having water in breakfast. A negative energy creeps in.

So I draw some conclusion here; a fastidious but well-known outcome!! That is through the hope of realization of a goal(in the example either to attain economy or to be more lethargic, I did not opt for Muesli, a negative motivation though), motivation kicks in. Even the Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory propounds the same.

During our school/college days we studied hard to score good grades; we wake up early so that we do not miss the school bus or the office deadline of reaching on time; we run on the treadmill to lose some pounds; we avoid smoking so as to we keep the promise to our loved ones; to achieve all these, we resort to some kind motivation.

Sometimes however, one fact to be borne in mind; do we consider the pressure to achieve something as motivation? Most of the times we do. We stay at office till late as we have to meet the client deadline; the soccer star practices hard as he is going through a lull season so far; so on and so forth.

Perhaps a thinline can be drawn between what constitute pressure and what makes up for motivation!! When you happily take the pain to achieve something, thats when Motivation is calling the shots; otherwise, pressure is surmounting.

Why do we need no motivation to drink if we like it? Its a question a Psychologist will like to answer better; to do something bad, we do not need motivation, is it really true. Or we lose our mental balance to think through; Is it a rage to hit someone badly because of a fight or a motivation to demean the other? Very tough proposition indeed.

Life is a victory for those who can churn out positive energy and channelize into proper use.

Out of my Writing closet...A vintage one...Part 1!!

I want to start with a word of thanks to Sandeep for introducing me to this special possession. I am talking about the HBO Original Series, Sex and the City!! I want to recollect some golden moments of it which I enjoyed very much!!

First time when I heard this tune playing in the series at the start of a fresh episode, it caught my attention. For a moment, it surmounted the memory of my party days, with the playing of the “Smoke on the water” by Deep Purple. For me, it was a melodious retreat of “Smoke…….”…..

Well, that was the start. I got to know about a series, by the name of the “Sex and the city”, which was aired on HBO. I do not however remember now, when I captured my initial rendezvous with the series. Sadly, I could not follow the series in television.

Two years ago in 2008, the series (or its aftermath to be precise) was made into a movie, by the same name. I planned, and decided that I should not miss this opportunity of watching the movie, which could generate rave applauds worldwide. I booked the tickets for the movie, with some of my colleagues. As ill luck would have it, we could reach the theatre only past the interval. Hence, it became another futile exercise of attempting to catch the grapevine surrounding the movie. The only enticing moment which I could follow, was the brilliant reproduction of the love letter penned down by Ludwig Van Beethoven, when Carry, one of the lead in the movie, recited in her most delirious panache.

A few months back, around January 2010, during a break from work, I and Sandeep were strolling round the office outskirts. It was an evening, with a cool breeze blown air to air, complemented by a year warming hair ticklish drizzle. Nature made no less effort to give a silver lining to the now infamous Cybercity. The presence of the many companies like Microsoft, Sapient, Canon, KPMG, PwC, GE and their name tags in the most luminous way made the place look like heaven. Subsequent to that, the amazing structures of the buildings, accommodating those corporate houses were used by the advertisers to promote larger than life static commercials. These include Ray Ban, Aircel, and Blender’s Pride etc.

While we were looking at the newly transforming commercial landscape of Gurgaon with an enraptured vision, Sandeep observed that this place was gradually developing into Times Square of New York. I couldn’t but agree to his observation. The engulfing emergence of these modern day decoration on the buildings, roads and everywhere presented to us a suedo New York, to us. Talking about New York, we discovered the tidbits about the city in the heart of its presentments, in terms of the 24*7 lively atmosphere, the NYPD, the night life, the statue of liberty, the Wall Street and the NYSE, Starbucks, Brooklyn bridge and of course Manhattan.

“When I went to New York, I went to the Liberty and visited Times Square. That was just a day long affair. But to feel New York, you need to spend some good time there”, I remember saying that to Sandeep. “I sometime wonder, if there is any book or a movie or anything which can display the essence of the city!”

Sandeep took no time to advise me to watch Sex and the City, the series.

It was an all encompassing 6 seasons; it is difficult to decide where to start when I start talking about it. Be it the storyline; the cast and the character; the amazing screenplay; the direction, I mean the spontaneity which each of the characters evolve; the inscrutable ability of the series to make the audience feel at home and with the progress of the series, the viewers live the story. That’s what makes the success story so enumerable. The viewers will try to guess; for example, in my case I had had a liking to the character of Steve, Miranda Hobbs’ husband. Their relationship had enough of twists and turns; at one point I assumed that the “TiVo” supersedes Stevo and Miranda would have no regrets about it. That was when the miraculous twist happened. And times I want to question the story tellers, “1. How can you make an audience believe, Miranda discovers that she loves Steve after their baby celebrates his first birthday and at a time when she is in head over hills in a relationship with her neighbor? 2. Miranda finally marries Steve, at a time she knew she was well settled in her life, without her ex?”

Well, the answer to these sabbatical questions lie in watching the series and believing that there is a great pride in thinking differently. The makers must have believed in this philosophy throughout as it is quite gratifying to know that the spirit of the series was not dampened, even after running for over a decade. The series evolved well with the varying tides of ages.

To be continued............

A love letter to an Anonymous!!

human wants never cease to exhaust...i know even if God gifts me the chance to talk to u for 24 consecutive hours, perhaps i will still ask him," Almighty, can't we have 26 hours a day!!!"

we lie...i say i cant live without u..its a blatant misstatement...see..u are not here...but m not starving..i take my lunch and dinner regularly...yeah, of course the taste is not as good as the one, had it been taken in your presence..in a way I love my stomach more than you and hence u can see i am growing with a semi-circular tummy..

the breeze tonight was very quiet,,making me forget an otherwise tough day..accelerating temperature and incessant mood of the supervisor...to top it all, the tea cup i lifted to sip was far from being a warmcandy..i love tea...i find it hard to even imagine that tea and me will ever separate, even though for many bad reasons, it needs to be quit, so much so that u quit smoking..smoking..m not even a starter...i just pass the 80% white and 20% brown stick to my friends coz they find me oblivious and remark, " how do u relax man?"...hey but i know there is someone who will be happy if i dont start a career in smoking!!!

this is however in no way to mean that my decisions are based on your whims and fancies!! After all, you would agree too that I, under the normal circumstances would lead a life based on what I want..sometimes there lies the problem!! I say, ' I need to love you"..and here I had to compromise because I must pay heed to your dictat," u must not love me too much"...so, I simply love you and let me tell you that the percentage has reduced dramatically, to the only fact that, "u r my life"..

i was talking abt the breeze outside..it resembled to your hair dancing ballet with the moon..hey have i sometimes told you u r better off the moon? yes, I remember you didnt quite agree to this proposition..i know it was exaggerated...when someone is blind in love, he would not have seen you and would have compared you to the moon..I am not blind and hence think beyond the moon...

after mumtaz mahal deserted his life, Shahjahan conceptualised the Taj..it is one of the modern wonders of the world...But I know, your departure from my life can never be replaced by any great monument or obsession...so in your memory I have no plans to build or arrange for wonders...

sometimes, I become too romantic...my sister in law often remarks to me, " I have seen very few people as romantic as you", this was a complement, I however do not take..because being romantic is being full of life and without you I am half a life!!

you are not like a typical someone..you have traits of a mighty soul u know...u r very strong at heart!! perhaps thats why I find strength in you..no matter where you are and in whichever form you exist, you kind of tell me, " Hey m there, carry on with life"...drawing some guts from you, I would also like to add that consider me as a part of your journey!! I would like to share it in whatever small way it may become...i am glad that u consider me worthy of talking to me sometimes and make me part of your life!!

u would perhaps never realise what you have gifted me with!! A desire to express myself in a manner which is unique!! I know I am ages behind the time, when i will be called a writer, but because of you I have started chasing this dream!!! how this happend? I used to send you those short messags and no matter how trivial were those, you tend to read and appreciate those...it gave me a lot of encouragement to write!!! Once I got a gift voucher of Rs 1100 from The Economic Times for writing a punchline for one of their advertisements...and because of you I took up the pen as a Copywriter, atleast for a small occassion...

Oh! I am sorry, I forgot to ask how are u? in my excitement for talking abt myself, I almost forgot that I am ignoring someone who means so much to me..I know u must be doing exceptionally good in your job...the best part of you is that u give 100% in whatever task you do...see, I do not appreaciate the use of only brains in work, sometimes it is necessary to give your heart out..and m sure you do that...

I really wish I get a chance to dance with you...I am not a good dancer and like all bad dancers wish for a chance with davar, I really wish one day we are shaking a leg together..and you showing me tips to place the steps with the rhythm say silently, " lets go for walk"...

hey....since we are going for a walk now...we will talk while we walk...bye...

Perspectives and the Jungle in the Rain!!

There is a question that bothers me;

Being away from nature makes you forget it

Or bring you more closer to it?

Sometimes it feels the rain drops,

Unexpected during the Spring,

Really does not bring to you Joy any more

As you are more fragile to the dirt on the street

Than attracted to the touch of the heavens.

It is a question of choice;

A difficult one between a complain

And a desire to accept the things

The way they are;

Or you take simplicity to be repetitive;

And the maze to be the order of the day.

In short, you welcome perplexity with open arms

That shot of ambiguity lies so flat in your system;

Still you do not care!!

My beloved said, lets quit our jobs

And start a new business;

To cater to the ideas unexplored.

Never did we thought that we

will be slaves to the demands of discipline

And never alter the fact that

Behind all great ideas

We keep praying for the extra dollars!!

That is when, we fail to prefer to acceptance

And choose to complain;

The need to go beyond the circle of life decays!!

Consider crossing a signal on the road.

The urge for a quiet halt and then speeding up

When it is green is lost thousand years ago.

We race against time and kill the beautiful time.

A rain in the Jungle is so beautiful

And we all dismantle this fact.

We have come far away from the rain,

And we do not want to go back.