TAGGED:P

So I got tagged by Priyanka who is addicted to tags :P..

Here goes mine.

If I were a beginning, I would be the beginning of an era:P

If I were a month, I would be December.

If I were a day of the week, I would be Friday.(All movies release :))

If I were a time of day, I would be 7.00 pm. (F.R.I.E.N.D.S. time)

If I were a season, I would be Winters.

If I were a sea animal, I would be Flounder of Little Mermaid.

If I were a direction, I would want to go in the opposite direction:P

If I were a sin, I would be rich:P

If I were a liquid, I would be a rain drop:)

If I were a fraud/scare, I would be scared of hypocrisy.

If I were a gem, I would be ruby :P

If I were a tool, I would be a nailcutter( aise hi) or pen knife.

If I were a flower/plant, I would not like to be put in a bouquet.

If I were a musical instrument, I would be Phoebe's guitar:)

If I were an animal, I would be Vodafone/Hutch vala dog:P

If I were an emotion, I would be contentment.

If I were a vegetable, I would be aloo.

If I were a sound, I would be a baby's laughing sound :P

If I were a car, I would be a toy car:P

If I were a song, I would be Aaj ki raat, hona hai kya,pana hai kya khona hai kya(DON) or the spectacular Azeem-o-Shaan Shehenshah.(Jodhaa Akbar):P

If I were a food, I would be gol gappe.

If I were a taste, I would be tasteless.

If I were a religion, I would be freedom.

If I were a sentence, I would be 'Happiness is subjective'.

If I were a body part, I would be eyes.

If I were a facial expression, I would be confused:(

If I were a subject in college, I would be Economics or Philosophy:( Have neither in College

If I were a shape, I would be like liquids to take the shape of the container:P:P

If I were a color, I would be Black.

If I were a thing, I would be newspaper.

If I were a book, I would be Atlas Shrugged.

If I were a monument, I would be the Pyramids.Wanna see them :(

If I were an artist, I would be Shabana Azmi.

If I were a poem, I would be The Highwayman.Class ninth me thi :P

If I were God, I would be telling people to remember me during their good times also.

If I were a vowel, I would be E.

If I were a consonant, I would be D.Cursive Vala

If I were a famous thing, I would be an art form.

If I were sport, I would be Pithoo:).

If I were a movie, I would be Dor.

If I were a cartoon, I would be Iago Aladdin vala..so funny.:P

If I were a relation, I would be open:P

If I were alone, I would be reading.

If I were a question, then I would be looking for my answer.

If I were a habit, I would be ????No comments.

If I were an end, I would be looking for a new beginning.

If I were you, I would try to learn a new thing from you:)

Shalimar The Clown

I don’t know why I have got this knack of reading reviews of books and films and now writing reviews. This is my first book review- another boring article for the one or two people who read this including I.

One of the first books I ever read was ‘Grimus’ by Salman Rushdie. I didn’t know much about him or his ill famous ‘Satanic Verses’ then. And that book went way above my head. So naturally I didn’t like it. Then last year I read ‘Midnight’s Children’ by Salman Rushdie and it was one the best books I have ever read and number one on my Must Read list and which deserved Booker of Bookers.Then with great expectations I started reading another book of his- Shalimar the Clown and I liked it a lot. The story is mainly about four characters. Max Ophuls who is a former Ambassador of America to India and who also is a Second World War resistance hero. The second character is Noman Kaul Noman funnily called Shalimar the clown as he is the clown in the play of his community. Then there is Shalimar’s wife Boonyi Kaul Noman and the fourth main character is India, Max’s daughter. Max is murdered by Shalimar and then by a series of flashbacks the story comes back to the present. The murder which at first seems politically motivated turns out to be an intensely personal one. The story is mainly set in a town called Pachigam in Kashmir. Shalimar and Boonyi get married even though they belong to different religions. Max came to visit Kashmir and being a womanizer, he is floored by Boonyi who also feels trapped in her marriage inspite of her love marriage. Boonyi then runs away and has an affair with him. Shalimar then vows to take revenge from both and becomes a ‘jehadi’. The ultimate thing is that a Muslim man murders a Jewish man over a Hindu girl (read this line somewhere).Magical Realism is Rushdie’s forte and again it is par excellence. The way he mingles history and fiction is spectacular. While reading, one realizes how much wealth of knowledge he has. The story is fast paced and travels various places- California, Afghanistan, France, Egypt, Delhi and Kashmir. He does not describe Kashmir’s beauty but the way he describes the tragedy and destruction of Kashmir and its people is heart wrenching. It makes us sympathise with them. The best scenes are in Kashmir itself like there was this passage in which he wrote about the torture inflicted by the terrorists and the Indian Armed forces on the people and instead of names he wrote like X, Y, Z, P ,Q et al and it was one the best passages of the book. The parts about Pachigam and Shirmal fight,the communal harmony, Colonnel Kachhwa, the Gegroo brothers, Noman and Boonyi’s wedding, Nazrebaddor prophecies, Pamposh and Firdaus Noman, references to Mughal-E-Azam, Boonyi’s return are excellent too. The book is a lament on Kashmir. I found the part of Max in Second World War a bit boring though. After reading his books, a great amount of literary satisfaction is achieved which I feel writers like Chetan Bhagat completely lack. His style of writing, his poetry, his art of story telling is all fantastic. The ending is a bit disappointing as it is open to interpretation. The character of Max seems autobiographical just as Salim Sinai of Midnight’s Children. But overall a good book though Midnight’s Children is better I feel that he would never get a Nobel which he totally deserves because no body would like a controversial writer. Anyways, now I have started reading another book of his ‘Shame’ and eagerly waiting for ‘The Enchantress of Florence’.

Loan Waiver : Good or Bad?

Well, after months of speculation and in depth coverage of what the budget will be like, our FM P. Chidambaram unveiled the Union budget on 29th February,2008. The budget is populist, not surprising since this being the last year of UPA government before the next elections which are stated to be held next year. The biggest point of controversy has been the Rs. 60,000 crore loan waiver for the farmers. Almost the entire industry thinks that it is a bad move. I don't know I am confused on this matter. On the one hand it is being said that this will encourage further defaults by farmers in the future and leaves the honest farmer who has paid all his dues look foolish. Moreover, the government has not mentioned from where it is going to fund this. It actually amounts to 15 billion dolllars. And the sixth pay commission whose report will be tabled by 31st March will further add to government burden. So the target of FRBM Act to curtail the fiscal deficit to 3% of the GDP, which the government projects to be about 2.5% will not be met and rise. Moreover, the farmers who are in debt, not all of them have taken credit from the banks but from the moneylenders who charge exorbitantly high rates of interest. So it will mean nothing to them.
On the other hand we have farmer suicides continuing unabated in the country especially Vidarbha. This comes as relief to these farmers.What else can we do immediately to succour them? Is there anything we can do right now to stop this? However, let this be made clear that this is only a one time payment. Also when USA can announce a fiscal package of 150 billion dollars to prevent its economy from a full scale recession due to the subprime crisis, we can also do this to give a boost to the agriculture sector which has become a stumbling block to growth of the economy. Along with that the government should also adopt measures to improve irrigation facilities where the farmers are mostly dependent on vagaries of the monsoon. Let the farmer be given more incentives, for example a higher support price and he be allowed to sell his produce wherever he wants. The government pays about double the amount to import wheat than it does to purchase it from the farmer. Surely it can be more prudent in this regard. In a county where 70% of the population is dependent on agriculture and the gap between Bharat and India Inc. widening, we cannot proceed forward to being a developed nation until all of us grow together i.e. inclusive growth. So, I just hope this works and the next government be formed without the Left support so that the reform process could begin as the Economic Survey 2007-08 states.And also the Indo-US nuclear deal goes through. I seriously hope it does.

Jodhaa-Akbar: Review

The one word that kept coming back to me while watching Jodha Akbar was 'grandeur.' After a brilliant Lagaan and a critically acclaimed Swades, Ashutosh Gowariker brings his magnum opus Jodha-Akbar. He is one of the few directors of the Indian film industry who are known for their convictions rather than being driven by commercial aspects like Shah Rukh Khan for Om Shanti Om. Otherwise, who would want to make a film about a married couple from the 16th century?

The story is about the Mughal emperor Mohammad Jalaluddin Akbar and Rajput princess Jodhabai. Jodha is married to Akbar in order to form an alliance between the Rajputs and the Mughals. She refuses to consummate their marriage until she is ready to accept Akbar completely, and he agrees with her. What follows is a brilliant narrative about how they fall in love with each other after overcoming their differences and a scheming 'Mahamanga' played by Ila Arun. What I really liked was the unconventional portrayal of the characters. Akbar was so feminist yet macho, and Jodha was humble and assertive.

Nobody, seriously nobody, could have performed these roles with superb perfection and dazzling chemistry except Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. Aishwarya is looking drop-dead gorgeous and stunning more than ever. Hrithik delivers a powerful performance, probably his career best. His scenes have an aura. The sets are grand, magnificient, lavish, and ostentatious but still do not distract the viewer's attention like Devdas did. The culture, costumes, jewelry, war scenes, and animals are all authentic and have a powerful impact after the movie. The cinematography is lovely. The song 'Azeem O Shaan Shehenshah' is spectacular and a treat for the eyes. A.R.Rehman's music is always soul-searching. 'Khwaja mere Khwaja' is soothing, and the way Akbar is in a trance after hearing this is breathtaking.

Yes, the movie is long - 3 hours and 40 minutes - and enough will be said about its length. It drags a bit in the second half. The other characters are nothing much to write about, but still, I loved the movie, and it worked for me. I know people will say I am exaggerating, but I don't care, and neither am I being paid by anyone to write this:):). After a long time, a movie worth spending Rs. 200 (the Oscar films have just been released). There are so many protests against the movie. But frankly speaking, who cares whether it's authentic or not. Ashutosh himself has said that seventy percent of the movie is his imagination. Do names matter? He is not trying to malign anyone. It is so convincing that one is not bothered about the reality, and these protests seem banal. What is history anyway- a set of lies agreed upon. The movie asks for 4 hours of your life, which is too much nowadays, but give it a try. Watch it.

To think about

Some quotes I picked from Mary Alice of DH :P:P

The world is filled with good fathers...how do we recognise them? They are the ones who are missed so terribly that everything falls apart in their absence..they are the ones who love us long before they have arrived.. they are the ones who come looking for us when we can't find our way home..yes, the world is filled with great fathers and the best are those who make the women in their lives feel like good mothers.

People by their very nature are always on the look out for intruders, trying to prevent those on the outside from getting in but there will always be those who force their way into our lives just as there will be those we invite in but the most troubling of all will be the ones who stand on the outside looking in, the ones we truly never get to know.

There is a prayer intended to give stength to people faced with circumstances they don't want to accept.The power of the prayer comes from the inside of the human nature."We ask God to grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change'' because so many of us rage against the hand that life has dealt with," the courage to change the things we can", because so many of us are cowardly and afraid to stand up for what is right, "And the wisdom to know the difference", because so many of us give into despair when faced with an impossible choice.The good news for those who utter these words is that God will hear you and answer your prayer.The bad news is that sometimes the answer is no.

In a world filled with darkness we all need some kind of light..wether it is a great flame that shows us how to win back what we have lost, or a powerful beacon intended to scare away potential monsters or a few glowing bulbs that reveal to us the hidden truth of our past.We all need something to help us to get through the night, even if it is the tiniest glimmer of hope.

Spring comes every year but not everyone remembers to stop and smell the flowers.Some are too busy worrying about the future or mistakes the have made in the past.Others are preoccupied with not getting caught or thinking of ways to catch someone else.Still there will always be a few who remember to take a momet and appreciate what spring has given them just as there will always be those who prefer to sit in the dark, brooding over everything they have lost.

The opposite of love is not hate but indifference as hate means you and I are still connected.

Its time to honour our real heroes!

The other day I was watching the NDTV Indian of the year.The awards went to all deserving individuals like Dr.Manmohan Singh,Rajnikant,Vishwanathan Anand, Shah Rukh Khan,Mukesh Ambani,Dr. R.K. Pachauri but the overall Indian of the year went to not one individual but to the Indian Soldier. As on the dias I saw the widows of the soldiers who lost their lives,I was overwhelmed with emotion. These women who have lost so much in their lives are doing everything silently. I just then wondered if we really honour our soldiers. Whenever a soldier dies, we talk of his bravery and his sacrifice.But has the soldier to be dead to show that as a proof of his valour.Not only the soldier but also his family is sacrificing each and every moment of their lives for the motherland. The people and the government in particular should realise that a 'living' soldier's contribution is of immense importance to us.When it is 2.c in Delhi, people talk ofweather being too cold.Let us spare a thought for the armymen braving sub zero temperatures upto -30 c in the extreme conditions in Siachen or any other place for that matter for six months in a year. Contrast this with our politicians who are fighting with each other to get the Bharat Ratna as if they do not get anything already.It would not help to just ceremoniously put badges and give a meagre amount as prize money to soldiers but to give them and their families something more than that. Let us honour our soldiers the true place they deserve and show it to them in every way we can.

There are many unsung heroes in our society whom we don't acknowledge. Bilkis Bano symbolises the grit and determination to attain justice in spite of the innumerable obstacles one faces. During the state sponsored pogrom in Gujarat in 2002, Bilkis was gangraped when she was seven months pregnant, her three year old daughter butchered in front of her own eyes and all her family members brutally murdered by the rioters. She had practically lost everything but she didn't lose hope and fought for justice. She has been living life as a refugee for the past six years not telling her whereabouts to anyone.The accused were given life imprisonment last month and she was in tears when verdict came remembering her daughter. Let us honour her for her great will and support her.

Irom Sharmila, Auto Raja, Manjunath, E. Shreedharan, Sabrina Lall, R.K.Lakshman are our real heroes who have inspired so many of us.

And when Bobby Jindal became the governor of Louisiana, everyone applauded him.I was quite cynical of this.He has never been to India nor will ever be, nor can he do anything for us then why we are claiming him to be an Indian.Sunita Williams,unlike Kalpana Chawla was born and brought up in the USA and she has even served in the American Army.Then why we are proclaiming her to be one of us. And when Mrs. Sonia Gandhi could easily have become the PM, our very own Sushma Swaraj wanted to go bald and eat 'chana' to protest a foreigner ruling India.Why are we so happy about PIO's getting into politics in other countries when we cannot see the same process in our country? And we have people like M.F.Hussain who made us so proud but after a few controversies we disowned them.Let us acknowledge them instead of a Bobby Jindal.

A True Genius

One of the finest articles I came across

India's Hypocrisy

The last week again we witnessed another controversy about the racial prejudices against the Indians when the OEH refused to tie up with the TAJ Group as according to them it would 'erode their brand value'.No doubt it is clearly an attack on the rising stature of Indians in the business world and the TATAs should demand an apology.But Indians themsleves are a highly racist people. I think we make a lot of noise when something like this happens but we ignore the same thing happening in our own backyard.Consider the Dr.Mohammed Haneef case who was held as a terror suspect in Australia after the Glasgow bombings. There was such a brouhaha that an innocent man has been kept in custody and the whole of India watched the pictures of Haneef being kept in solitary confinement in shock and horror.After the Hyderabad bombings, the police routinely kept hundreds of innocent Muslims in custody and assaulted them.Why does no body speak out for them?Consider another case.Whenever we see a person from the north east we call them Chinkis.I think calling them this is most derogotary and a racial remark. Whenever we see a black, people start making fun of them calling them 'Hapshis' and make noises when they pass by.Are we in a situation to protest then that Shilpa Shetty was called a Paki in a show where she was given crores to participate? Aren't we then hypocrites? All kashmiris in India are beleived to be terrorists. The landlords won't take them as tenants.Look at our own houses. The maids and servants who come to our houses, they sit on the floor and we have separate cups for them to drink tea. The huge fairness cream market in India is probably the biggest in the whole of Asia.Being of a dark complexion is called being ugly. The recent tour of Australia in India where racial remarks were being made against Andrew Symonds by Indians in the stands and we all said in denial that it was not racism which clearly was.If now the same thing happens to Indians there the whole nation will raise a voice over it.The whole society raises voices against caste based reservations but no body stands against management quota reserved for the affluent.We are living in a country where the rich can easily buy justice.The examples of Indian hypocrisy are endless. So rather than making noises about racism lets first look at ourselves and then point fingers to others.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

It's ages since I wrote my last post...considering how busy I am :D:D..actually there were so many ideas to write upon but I could not decide one...so i am writing about my best tv show whose even 10000th rerun does not bore me..yeah its F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Rachel,Monica,Phoebe,Joey,Ross and Chandler have made us all laugh and cry for ten seasons.
Friends made us all realise the importance of having good friends in our life.It made me realize that there could be somebody with whom you can share your each and every moment of life and that being in your twenties is the prime of life:).Even i wished that I could hae friends like these in my life:(When I started watching it, I thought such people could not exist in reality but later when I saw some close friendship around me I realized that these were the people who could be anyone of us.In Friends,the jokes and one liners were too funny and each and every character was very well etched out.What also clicked was none of the people were very famous people when it started.It inspired a whole new lifestyle. The famous "CENTRAL PERK" coffee house was a new concept in itself.The appartment culture gave a very cosy feeling.The new range of fashion such as Rachel's hair cut was a rage.It was amazing that how people from dfferent walks of life could still be friends. A palaentologist, a masseusse, an actor, a chef, a fashion stylist and transponster:D:D( even I forgot what Chandler does) bound by friendship. I like all the characters but my favourite is Phoebe Buffay.I just love her weirdness and her lifestyle.And her music is amazing.Who doesn't like ''Smelly Cat''.And I have many favourite episodes but the one where Rachel and Monica lose their apartment to Joey and Chandler is awesome and the one where they all play football is no less.
I just wish it could continue forever:(
I'll be there for you
when the rain stats to pour
I'll be there for you
because you were there for me too!

India Shining?

These days there is so much being said about the enormous growth that the Indian economy is attaining.The Sensex just touched an all time high of 14,600 and already market speculations are there when it will reach 15,000 but does this so called 'high growth' really indicates India's true story? Is India 'shining'(the so called campaign launched by the NDA govt on the taxpayer's money)? I don't think so that everyone is reaping the benfits of this process.

Much of our India is still suffering. Just a few days back I was watching this report on TV that a town in Jharkhand had electricity cut off for a full 15 days by the Naxalites and people were living in darkness and there was no media reportage as these days TV channels are busy airing idiotic news, such as Khooni Kaun.Can we people imagine living our life in Delhi without electricity for 15 days? Compare with it the media coverage of the Ash-Abhishek wedding!

Farmer suicides in Vidarbha continue unabated. The Army continues to abuse Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir.There are clashes between two castes to proclaim who is more backward among them so as to reap benefits of reservation putting entire north India to standstill. It rains for a few hours and our 'Shanghai' is submerged. Five HIV+ students are thrown out of their schools in the most literate state in the country. The naxalites continue to kill tribals. People continue to starve in Orissa and West Bengal while in the state-owned 'godowns' the wheat is rotting.The government launches a complaint with the UK goverment on Shilpa Shetty being racially abused in Bigg Brother but no body is complaining of their own abuse towards the North East (where we still call them chinkis).

Rather being ecstatic about this "CHINDIA" factor overpowering our thoughts, it is highly desirable that a model of inclusive growth be worked upon.The only problem in India is not planning but implementation of these plans. Let's hope for a developed India by 2025.