Abbr. LIFE – Live It (to the) Fullest, Everyday!

Life, as we know it, is ending one minute at a time. The distance between life and death is just one breath. The catch is that you will never know which one will be your last. The least you owe to life is to live it to the best of your ability. Just bear in mind that the yardstick of ‘best’ is not a constant comparison with someone else’s life. Don’t wait for tomorrow because today is all you have right now. Get wet in the rain without worrying about catching a cold. Get on a call with a long lost friend who has been pushed back in your memory due to time constraints. Sleep till late if you please, but do wake up once in a while to see the sunrise. Do something to surprise those from whom you have nothing to gain. Play a sport even if you truly, undoubtedly are the worst player in history. Watch a movie even if you know it will not make any sense. Write – not because you are good at it but just because it captures the emotions in the rawest stage. Appreciate music even if you don’t understand the scale, rhythm, lyrics, beats or strumming patterns. Love your family (and by family I mean the big extended one); Even if you come from a different school of thought or agree to disagree on everything or perhaps can’t stand in the same room without yelling. If you were a tree your family would be the roots. Your altitude is dependent on how deep your roots are. Meet a bunch of new people. They not only make you trend out of your comfort zone but also add a new perspective to your thinking. Some of them will eventually become friends for life. Make it a point to travel once every few months. Exploring a new route, place, meeting new people and tasting unheard items from the food menu is an exhilarating experience. Teach something to someone, it can be as small as uncorking a wine bottle. Learn something from someone, even if it takes time and your teacher is short tempered. Forgive people. Making mistakes is the inherent quality of being human; you've done it and so will others. Wear the clothes that you've always wanted to and don’t wait till you attain that perfect shape. Your physique is important but the constant quest for six pack abs, zero love handles and pear shaped bodies is not. Join a dance class once is your life, it teaches you to let go of your inhibition. Love without doubt and reasoning. One of these days you will find someone who reciprocates with the same ferocity. Laugh, in spite of the snort. Hug, even if you belong to a family who does not do that too often. Cry, because it’s important to acknowledge the sorrow in you. Your grades, waist size, chest size, salary, car, phone, house will all be left behind. People will remember you for how you made them feel so create as many memories as possible. Live each day as if it’s your last because one of these days it will be.

Love, sex aur dhoka!

LSD, as it is famously called is definitely not a movie for children neither was it promoted for family viewing. But then why had India audience given it such a cold shoulder? Answer is quite simple, everyone who paid anywhere between Rs 35 to Rs 150 were expecting cheap titillation, profanity and lot of skin show. The movie was promoted as a sleaze show but that began and ended with the teasers. LSD however became a victim of generalized view point and was shunned by many primarily because it appeared like a typical b grade movie. Which it wasn’t and hence the ones who did pay for the movie were also disappointed.
The movie has different stories connected by a single thread; the camera. The combination of well etched characters and home recorded video like feel are the USP of the film. Characters are so real that you may have actually come across a Rahul, befriended a Shruti, empathized with a Rashmi or found yourself smitten by the very glib Adarsh.
LSD tells three very independent stories depicting love, sex and dhoka. However the main characters from one story play side character in other stories. These stories have a very close resemblance to the scenario that one comes across quite frequently. The quest for fame, money and love is not easy to pursue especially when everything from instant coffee to gratification is a more preferred alternative.
Bollywood has no dearth of money. Most film’s make up for the lack of story by mindlessly splurging on all the other paraphernalia. In the midst of this madness Debankar Banerjee stood out with his very honest story telling. It is quite appreciable to see young directors attempting to break the stereotype on which the entire film industry is based on.
For those who ‘love’ cinema should watch this movie not for ‘sex’ but for a very bold attempt at filmmaking and there is bound to be no ‘dhoka’ .

LOVE TRAP

Wise men say only fools rush in

But as usual I refuse to listen

Falling in love happened so fast

Magic was witnessed and the spell was cast

Protected in the blanket of love I felt warm

Experiencing this eternal bliss and serene calm

But my dreams were analogous to the freedom dove

They never came back just as my unrequited love

I prayed I yelled I cursed and cried

Success turned blind to how hard I tried

This nightmare of love haunts me still

Vacuum once created can never be filled

Where is love’s charisma and fascination?

Glory is lost replaced with tribulation

No awards for my valorous heart

It endured pain but left badly scarred

Lord spare me from this love puzzle

Heart and mind are in a constant tussle

Please fly me away to a safer haven

Untouched by love, the holy Satan

quintessential simple

Wanted: a “simple”, fair, good looking, educated, girl for marriage. This is pretty much the gist of the matrimonial advertisements in paper, magazines and now even internet. If a girl/guy decides to go the “A” way (read: arranged) they have to scrutinize through these ads. (Technically and overtly enthusiastic parent/relative/family/friend/distant cousin does the needful).

However I want to challenge the authenticity of these ads. For instance define simple for me. According to the dictionary simple simply implies

A. easily understood,

B. plain and uncomplicated

C. Of single element.

Now by virtue of being human point c is automatically eliminated. My question is has anyone in the entire world met a “simple” woman? Or for that matter has understood the psyche of a woman totally? I am guessing the answer is no. What is simple then? Does “simple” imply a girl who doesn’t wear western outfit, or does it mean she doesn’t question authority and pretty much stays to herself in that case these are a quality of a pet. It’s a women prerogative to be complicated. Think for yourself questions like ‘have I gained weight’? ‘Do these shoes look good on me? What do you want to eat for dinner? And many more in the same league may appear to be simple but the answer can actually complicate your life. If you are looking for a women with a simple taste (read: someone who spends less} then I am sorry none exists in that category either show me a woman who says no to shopping. Shopping is in the genetic imprint of a women. Since the inception of mankind a man has earned and a women has spent you cant really be looking for someone who hasn’t complied to the basic rules of mankind?

On a very serious note, women experience plethora of emotions in their entire life. They are emotionally high strung. They endure pain to produce babies. They sacrifice knowingly/unknowingly for their loved ones and with the whole new breed of independent working women coming in things are about to get even more complicated. In times like these it just difficult being sane let alone being simple at that. It is justified for a woman to not be so simple.

So my dear grooms to be re evaluate your expectation. Look at it from a women’s point of view can ‘simple’ really exists? And if it does and you happen to marry her doesn’t your new life start on a lie?

Give it a serious thought while I try being the quintessential ‘simple’ girl.

BABA.

25th October, 2008


“My grandfather’s clock was too large for the shelf so it stood 90 years on the floor”
Whenever I think of my grandfather I think of this song but the grandfather in this song was alive for 90 years and my baba passed on a decade and half back. I was just in class 5 when the news of his death was broken to me. It was afternoon of august 5 we had just returned from school and had to immediately catch a train for lucknow. I was never too close to baba (fact that I truly regret now) but I remember somewhere between Kanpur and Lucknow the realization of never seeing him hit me and I cried. As a child this was my first hand experience of someone’s death. It was awful. Hard to explain in words but it felt as if someone had just cut the air supply to your lungs and suddenly feeling of asphyxiation was very strong.

My oldest memory of baba was the chocolate box that he had. Every child who behaved well was rewarded with few chocolate gems once in a while; those tiny pellets of gems were not less than rubies and diamonds for us children. He was a very well read man and although his interests lied in writing plays and conducting cricket commentaries but his knack for giving nick names and at a lyrical twist to them were legendry.

So many years have gone by and suddenly why am I thinking of baba all over again? Few months back I was cleaning through his books and realized that I not only lost my grandfather on the august of ’95 but also lost the very valuable link to my dad’s childhood, stories of experience that comes from living a long life, his qualities that we as his grandchildren may or may not have inherited from him and off course I lost out on knowing a man that I found so intriguing even then.
If only I could turn back time and retrieve one thing from my past I would get him back. But enslaved by the time lords it is inevitable to do anything against their wished. How I wish I could get him back. Grandparents are such a valuable asset but most of the kids realize this only on loosing them. Sadly there are no second chances here.

SINCE WHEN DID I BECOME SO NUMB?

People killing children hurt
Profusely bleeding badly cut
I accept this life as it comes
Since when did I become so numb?


Vicious circle repeats again
Innocent people burnt in flames
Grotesque site I watch it mum
Since when did I become so numb?


Wrath sloth misery everywhere
No one now seems to care
It seems to me that we have succumbed
Since when did I become so numb?


Held is shackles for so long
Fighting for freedom feels so wrong
Belong to specie of mute and dumb
Since when did I become so numb?