Really?

A poll last week on TV suggested that more than 80% of the younger generation( the under 20 brigade) think that reading is sad and that people who have a life wont do it! That made me sooo teribly sad. While the poll might or might not be accurate, it is true that the young-uns of today dont give much impetus to reading. One look at the Crosswords or Landmarks prove that readers are a vanishing lot. I am seriously troubled by this, because for me reading is probably one of the most important things in life and books are friends I'm so glad to have. Reading is both important and fun, important because it broadens your horizons, honestly! fun because it introduces you to an entire new world. The satisfaction a book gives you and the manner in which you can lose yourself in something so worthwhile is such a gratifying aspect of life! That the yarns which spin sorcery, transport you to alien lands and make you a part of it so naively should go out of fashion is a huge loss. Of course, this is my personal choice but give it a try and you'll understand the magic of rustling pages!
Like my professor in MBA used to say always "Read baba Read"

It's bitterly cold in Hyderabad and I'm enjoying every single minute of it. Also, is anyone still watching Roadies?

You never know

the intensity of the storm unless it hits you! The statehood demand is everywhere. From my absolutely apolitical mother(till now) who is calling in on live programs on TV to stupid socialties discussing it at the event to launch a Marc Jacobs bag ( yeah, more of it below)Telangana has split people like never before. What's really shocking is that even after 10 days, half the state is shut down. I'm hearing all sorts of conspiracy theories each as likely/unlikely as the next one but see no end to this chaos. The only people having a blast are the 19 Telugu news channels who are adding salt to an already wounded state. One thing I've learnt this past month is how important your roots are- the city you live in becomes a part of you, any damage inflicted on it becomes a scar on your body. Hyderabad has taken a lot- annexation by the Mughals, fall of the Nizam, riots and many agitations. I am confident that this too shall pass....I only hope it's soon!

Covered my first page 3 party today! People were celebrating the "launch" of a bad, insanely priced bag ( five lakhs, for crying out loud) when the streets were eeriely empty! Fake people, fake smiles and the two people I've noticed-fake body parts! I was constantly thinking of Konkana Sen in Page 3 and could not stop laughing!

For idiots like me still following the Kasab trial, I have only one thing to say...This happens only in India.

Sorry "state" of affairs

The Cast: A strangely reluctant Chief Minister, inept police, an ailing politico who is as much as a martyr as Nathuram Godse was and Naxals who are intent on staging a comeback.

The Method: Violence unlimited and uninhibited.

The Storyline: Separate Statehood.

For us in Hyderabad following this bizarre drama, nothing is more irritating than another bandh call. Last Monday was lost, the entire city shut down yesterday and today! And there is more to the madness. One man's dream of being the CM (a desperate despot called KCR) has split the State right in the middle and with a mob of 2000 students having held an entire city of 81 lakh people to ransom, the citizens are mute spectators in this illogical script. The demand for Telangana is not new, started in the 50's it's an emotive and contentious issue. I hail from Telangana, one of the most backward regions of the country and its most affected district (Medak) but fail to see the logic behind this senseless violence. Telangana is not feasible because

- It could become another Jharkhand or Chattisgarh as the Naxal menace originated here and looms terrifyingly large.
- Andhra Pradesh was carved out to be one state to all Telugu speaking people. The SRC report of 1967 clearly states "four states in the South because of four main languages"
- the main reason simply put it's not feasible. Where would you find water (No river in 11 districts) or resources?

All these reasons may not cut ice with its supporters but I really hope logic prevails. It was uninterrupted chaos on Saturday with petrol bunks closed, offices being pelted with stones and streets being disturbingly empty. The movement has been started by KCR but is no longer in his control what with students and naxals chipping in. If you want to protest don’t make life miserable for everyone around. And seriously, for once the CM should act decisively rather than flying to Delhi for advice! Act and do it now!!

The Big C and a ray of hope.

Lisa Ray acted in a Telugu Cowboy flick along with Bipasha Basu a few years back, after seeing that pretentious flick I was she was just another Bollywood type, but she proved that she is better than most of us. I've always thought of her was a devastatingly beautiful chick err bimbo and that was that. Last week after I read about her cancer struggle in the papers and read her blog (Lisaraniray.wordpress, for once I wish that I was not tech- challenged and provide an actual link to her blog but I successfully fail to figure that feature out) I was forced to eat my words and applaud her warmly. Her immense courage in the face of such a torrid illness is an inspiration to many and a remarkable example to her tenacious spirit. Cancer is as much dreaded as TB was in the beginning of the last century. This is worse because it has a cure which is as potent as the disease itself. I lost a beloved and the most cherished member of my family to the disease and know how much it strips you off your decency, bit by bit. Lisa Ray has shown that she is not only astonishingly beautiful but equally courageous and my salute goes out to such indomitable strength. That amazing Nusrat Fateh Ali khan video, Afreen where she blends so beautifully with his voice is also ironic; Afreen which gave her first big break translates into “encouragement”. That is what she stands for today- an inspiration for many who are bogged down by far mundane troubles and cannot get out of the rut. Not only is she fighting a belligerent battle but is also doing her bit but spreading awareness about it and sharing her struggle with the world. Kudos and hopes she beats the odds.

One more takes the plunge!

Last week saw one of my good friends getting hitched (Ta), it was the first time that I was closely involved with a marriage (apart from my siblings) Someone with whom I went to college, on trips of madness and bouts of boredom as a group and someone who is really my age...it was such an eerie feeling! It seemed surreal to the point of extreme and I still find it difficult to accept that my friends have started to get hitched! My turn will come pretty sure and I have no clue as to how to deal with it. But really, a friend getting married is such a big deal and I had a blast. Like most Brahmin Weddings, the muhurtam was in the early morning and the reception was at night, so it gave us a lot of time to catch up and have fun. One other thing about Weddings is that there is a reunion happening every minute, I was meeting up people from my college and it felt really nice to reminisce about the lost time. Also, after you grow up, Weddings are the only times when you bump into people as weekends (Sunday for me) are too busy and crammed with activity as we have to make the most of the free time. Again, I have been to so many in this past month that they even replaced my Beloved Barista! The food was great, conversations fun and I only hope that when my time comes I have half as much fun!!

China as a mediator in Indo-Pak talks...now that's a disaster in making(and also in foreign policy)

Women!!

are one inscrutable lot!! You never can know them properly and if anyone thinks they have cracked the plot should really put it to practical use! I was watching ONE episode of that effant terrible reality show "Pati Patni aur Woh" and the conclusion was that men are a lot easier to deal with. That Juhi never stops screaming and screeching, all she was doing was moaning and complaining, while her poor husband (Aamir I think) was running around and putting up with the diva's tantrums. Debina ( a prettier Mayawati) who looks lovely is one major tartar who will have to have her way and if she doesn’t like anything, gawd save you. That idiot Gurmeet still wants to marry her! Rakhi is a universe in herself and no amount of description would do any justice and all I can say about her reported "fiancée" is dude, thank your stars...you got off easily. That Swetha Tiwari who played the purrfect bahu for seven years is one major harridan, whose temper can only rival Ekta Kapoor’s. Barkha Dutt is another weirdo. Nothing ever pleases them and all they can see is their own distorted view point. The way these people treat others is totally reminiscent of our erstwhile colonial masters, or to quote a relatively newer example the way the Chinese are treating Africa...inhuman and absolutely controlling! Only Shilpa and Mouni( who’s really cute) looked even approachable!! The funniest thing was that all the guys were cool and relaxed, comfortable and secure in their own skins!

While we are on it, two women I totally and completely love on TV are

Nidhi Razdan, the sole reason to watch NDTV. Elegant, classy and unique- everything thing about her is impeccable...from her sarees to diction

Ambica Anand..one word to describe her is WOW. She manages to look at home equally in an Armani store in Paris and a bazaar in Jodhpur. Vivacious, exceptional and simply stunning.

PS: Balasaheb is back!!

Fun-tastic

Watched "Ajab Prem" yesterday and simply loved it. I know that it has been criticised for trying too hard but I also know that few years down the line the same people will say it was a classic..just like a Silsila or Andaz Apna Apna both of which bombed at the Box Office. I really liked it because it was refreshing and clean, in the name of comedy we've been subjected to a lot of crap like Golmaal and All the Best but this is actually fun! Breezy, with a lot of witty liners, I found the laughter infectious. Ranbir's comic timing was bang on and his jodi with katrina was truly gazab. Also watched "Resham Ki dor", a play which is a part of Hyderabadi theatre folklore (it's being performed since 1970) and really enjoyed it's energy. Was with great company, Ra, so even on that count it was a high class evening. The costumes, the folk dancers from Mewar and the wonderful wonderful Arif Zakaria who played Emperor Humayun. His amazingly restrained acting and equally perfect Urdu was the highlight of the play!

Bought four books at landmark two weeks back and for once all of them were fabulous. I would strongly recommmend "Cappucino Dusk" by Kankana Basu and "The Raja is Dead" by Shivani Singh, to the my readers- who I hope will cross two this time around.

Jail bombed...I told you!!

Firsts!

I am finally freelancing at a new place! That too for a monthly magazine, that again is quite popular. I mean the last place I worked with, a newsweekly I'm sure no one read my work except myself and the editor. But here, I'm sure people will atleast bother to read some of it. The first month was disappointing though, I had written a brilliant article, I think, but when I opened the mag my article of 259 words was chopped into a disastrous 40 words because an advertisement came in at the last moment! Needless to say, I was hopping mad. But this place has its perks as I have written the following piece (my first nasty one) about Mugdha Godse and they are actually printing it!

Godse’s Ungodly ways!
As they say fame’s a fickle friend! Mugdha Godse who was in the town for a promotion of her movie Jail has an attitude which does not quite go with her designer wear. Prettier than a picture, she (along with the cast) walked in two hours late and left immediately after the press meet without as much waving to the scores of scribes waiting, an exit which was reminiscent of Alice leaving Wonderland. Pretty chick she certainly is, but common curtsies are all not in “fashion” with her.

!! hopefully this wont get edited!

The deadly "M"

India has a new enemy. And the problem is being handled so terrifying wrong that it might haunt the country for decades. Maoists or Naxals have become the latest pests and the control is further spreading the fires rather than dousing it. Naxalism is not bad as a movement, the violent means to end are bad. After all, the fight is perhaps one of the oldest in the world, to fight for what is rightfully yours...here it is land. The Government's latest missive to include the Air Force can be its own waterloo if handled wrongly. And going by the past there is every chance that it might go eerily wrong. Naxals be it in Orissa, Jharkand or rural Bengal are fighting not the country per se but it's greed. In their astonishing haste to rape the land of its minerals...read Iron Ore and Bauxite many Corporations have been razing many a forest and hillock. The fight is to stop them not the police who are most often only dummy victims. The vast richness of our country is being invaded again, this time by merciless and bloodthirsty MNC's. I abhor any violence, Maoist or police but please do not categorize them as terrorists simply because they are not. I totally support Arundhati Roy's interview to CNN to this extent (Both Pt and Sa are aware of how much I oppose her ideologically) she has got it right this time and I greatly respect it. Another cardinal rule, please don’t confuse Maoists and the Communists but they might be a trifle similar in essence they are vastly different in things which matter. Unless you want another nuclear nation gone footloose in the sub continent DONT wage a war on yourself.

On a lighter note, there was a hilarious programme on NDTV yesterday with Brett Lee irritatingly named "Binga's Lingo" and the audience actually CHANTED "Lee will, Lee will rock you" The idiots, all of them educated!!

What's in a name?

asked Shakespeare. He was lucky that he is not around now, when our brilliant politicians change names under the guise of "Heritage" and "culture" at the drop of every election season. Now Orissa is Odhisa or something similar. My only question is why? Let us presume that it serves the purpose of saving history, you have better ways, the artisans of Orissa are slowing dying, Chandua a typically Orissan handiwork is slowing fading away due to lack of funds, the famed silver filigree industry is in shambles...all these are real and relevant issues, not naming and renaming! Assuming that the Government incurs a cost of atleast a crore in all of this stupid gimmickry it can easily save a village from starvation! Just to score some petty points these people are just getting away with sacrilege. And I thought Naveen Patnaik was educated and sensible!

Was at this ridiculous press meet for Jail today. The press conference started almost three hours late AND Mughda Godse walked out without as much waving to the Idiots from press(moi included) There are about 18 news channels in Telugu, added to that us poor print media fellas!! Must admit though she looks really gorgeous! Madhur Bhandarkar was a prized loser though and behaved disgracefully, shouting and behaving in a thoroughly disgusting manner. I fervently hope the movie flops! And Neil Nitin Mukesh speaks a looot, goodness never a straight answer!!

It's October and Hyderabad was sweating at 38 degrees this monday!!

Foreign returns

I was reading an article about Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, nobel prize winner of Indian origin and how he was complaining about a deluge in his mails from India congratulating him on his success and thinking Wow!, such atrocious behaviour and such eduaction can go hand in hand! I have a thing about foreign returned people not that he is one, he "achieved" his green card decades back but such simple things are overlooked by our overzealous media who behaved as if India herself got a Nobel, In Hyderabad there is a saying that every house has one person in US/UK/abroad, indeed that holds true for my entire street and every family(almost)I know, so it really disses me off when people crib about our country. It was like this when you were here,dont complain about Roads, noise, pollution, corruption or crowds...it's a part of us...if you dont like it jolly well get out!! The day we stop hankering for every/ anything labelled "foreign" would be the true Independence from our obsession with the whites!! In What's your Rashee, the Leo sun-signed avataar of Priyanka Chopra tarly dismisses Harman Baweja's phobia about water not being clean, it was an amazing sense of deva-ju. There's really nothing like our Country, respect it because it has made you what you are! Yes, if you feel strongly about issues stay and try to change it! Idiots like Amartya Sen and V.S Naipaul are NOT Indians just because their names sound Indian, stop hankering about them and respect what is ours!!

What's more scarier than a Rakhi Sawant trying to cuddle a child??
Ans...A Rakhi without make up!! gotcha...

Laziness in the air!

I cannot recall the last time I felt so bloody LAZY!! Seriously it's as if there is something other than gravity which is pulling me down. Lazy even to read (that's something real new for me), to go out and meet people or even to get up from my chair to fetch a glass of water. If there was something called the laziness quotient, I'd outscore everyone! All week my constant and only companion was lethargy. I really am quizzed as to whether it does not leave me or I don’t want to let go. But let me confess, it feels amazing! I really think I’m made for this and if I’d ever be a super hero my super power would be plain laziness! No pressure to do anything at all, just sit and fade away into the oblivion and wait for the day to turn to dusk. Immerse myself completely in "How I met your Mother", refuse to budge from my laptop and raise my hands only to drink Mountain Dew or open a new pack of Nutties, it feels so damn comfortable! Only if time would freeze!!

Watched "Wake Up Sid" last week and felt really great. The first half was slow, but the photography was brilliant! Preferred that to an interview with the entire Deccan Chargers team, the Editor thought I was nuts but I didn’t regret it. Loved that part in the Second half where Ranbir meets his friend from College with whom he has fallen out and asks him why he was dumped. The reply- both friends break out into spontaneous hysterical laughter. That’s real friendship for you- no frills or fancies, only plain understanding. It sucks that the one song which I really liked was not there for download! Also, I fell in love with Supriya Phatak's photos!

Sample this from a government report "The water received by three districts in AP is equivalent to that a normal river receives in a span of 10000 years"...No less!!

Rains and sickness

It's raining like mad! I'm almost continually drenched everyday since Sunday. It's a really heady feeling, to drive when the drops strike you full in face with force you wouldnt expect from a droplet of all things...tantalising and seductive, a wonderful time to feel alive and glory in it.I always enjoy the Rains and could never stop raving or writing about it. I dont know why but rains have this tendency to rake up your past, get nostlagic and really think of the time gone by. It always reminds me of one day spent in torrid rains when I was a kid- amazing and extraordinary, of my College where rain looked better than ever (if it's possible) and of splashing in puddles. Must've had a hundred cups of chai this week and a visit to my favorite gup chup waalah has cheered me enormously!

because I've drenched so much, I was sick on two days. I hate being ill. The feeling of being hapless and helpless is most irritating. I have a friend who likes being ill *smirk* but I must confess I have never known such joys! To lie on the bed and wait for the feeling to pass is nothing but the most humongous waste of time!!

While 10 lakh people are marooned in AP, the headlines of National Channels scream "Karan johar apologizes to Goonda Raj"...ironic or my foot??

et al

Could'nt think of a name this time around!

first things first. Rahul Mahajan's Swayamvar!! Really? I mean, a guy with a drug abuse case/ sexual orgy controversy/ serial eater (Bigg Boss)/ human personification of the words "ewww"/ Monica Bedi's doormat really wants to get married. Poor Pramod Mahajan. But the best suggestion I heard was that he should marry apna Rakhi Sawant. Some reasons I think that would be a marriage in Reality Television heaven are

-both are Marathi manoos, they could be a part of the MNS.
-you are effectively saving two other individual lives.
-let's think of it like this, they might actually end up finishing each other!
-they can have a "live" marriage, a new drama with every sunrise..Just imagine!!
-they need not engage in any physical activity to produce offsprings. Words would do the trick.
-they could ask people like Mika, Arnaub goswami and Amar singh to join them and open the World's most bizzare zoo.

Watched "What's your Rashee" yesterday with Pt and felt man, whadda waste. It was tooo long, the songs were too many and I didnt see any point in what was happenning but I liked the premise, could have been made in a better manner. Thank God, it had Priyanka Chopra, imagine if it had Kangana or other bad looker in 12 avataars...Priyanka looked really hot but I felt really sad for Hurman. He looks decent, dances well and acted okay but has no future whatsoever because he resembles a stockier version of Hrithik! Poor chap.

Ostere chaos.

The Government's Austerity drive seems to be doing it more harm than good. An interesting idea handled badly is always dangerous, remember NDA's India Shining which has dug a grave so deep that the BJP seems to be caught in the rut forever? Austerity is a way of life which we Indians have always practiced. When was the last time you threw away your Text Books without thinking of a cousin/neighbor/junior or got a new school uniform when you had an older sibling of the same sex? However, the Gandhi family has always been known for its simple way of living, if you ignore the fact that Motilal Nehru paraded entire fleets of cards outside Oxford University for his son, Jawahar before donating all his wealth for the Independence Struggle.Indira Gandhi got married at Anand Bhavan with her only adornments being flowers from her garden and a sari made out of silk woven by her father in Prison, never mind the fact that the original Mrs G spent all her youth in sanatoriums across Europe receiving treatment for TB. Forget Sanjay Gandhi's high decibel lifestyle during the Emergency and you get our own Rahul baba's simple signature kurta's. While the idea is certainly brilliant, can be legitimately used to cut down extra flab and is highly recommended in this tough times, it has gone completely awry from the word go. From Shashi Tharoor's amazingly tweety tweets to the Shatabhi Express being stoned, it is absolutely abysmal micro management. Maybe Jayanthi Natarajan can take a leave out of her party's notebook and speak less? Any chances??

Also, Rakhi Sawant's latest reality show scares me. You mean there are actually people who would entrust the upkeep of their new born with erm that woman!!

I positively am afraid to watch Times Now during the night, Arnab Goswami makes sure that the only thing you hear is his booming and boisterous babble!

Reading and Re-reading

all the books I've wanted to for a really long time. The only book I have to read again is "Midnight's children" and lose myself in the senile mysticism of Rushdie.
Reading the brilliant "The Unconsoled" by Ishiguro, gifted by Pt and am floored by it. The gaping voids screaming to be filled and the sartorial, almost decadent reluctance to do so is most fetching. Nothing really pulverises and galvanises me in one stroke like Siddarth Dhanvanth Sanghvi's work. It is poetry in Prose. I feel that I can read his work on and on forever. It fills you with a sense of triumphant tranquility which makes things so clear and caustic that you are simply blinded by conflicting desires. I reviewed his latest book and am thrilled by it. The starkness and nudity of the thoughts expressed make me unequivocally comforted!

Then there is Anita Desai whose vast houses of the lost old Delhi on the banks of Yamuna always have yarns to narrate. The pathos revealed in the simplest way, shorn of adornment and emotion makes you wonder about the sheer absence of fuss. I really really hope to meet her sometime and scream loudly/grin madly like I did when I met Amitav Ghosh who's "The Hungry Tide" has to be read to be believed. Then there is another eternal favorite, Harry potter and his magic which has enthralled me for over a decade. The sheer genuis and clarity of complexes engulfs me in a trance whose spell never ceases to lessen. The books...how I wish there was one more to look forward to!

Another absolute favorite whose books I somehow can never read again is Rohinton Mistry. The elegance of writing and the unhurried flow of things in a sequence which can never be disturbed is an unparallel skill. Of course there is always Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton to fall back on..thank goodness!

Wanted to do this post for nearly 4 months now..done done done!

Chopped

There is a buzz in Hyderabad, the loudest I've heard in all my life. From the auto driver who asked me briskly "CM mila Kya" to the vegetable seller who told me "YS tappipoyadanta" everyone is mourning the death of the incumbent Chief Minister. Tv barring News channels has been blacked out, the Radio plays only devotional songs and even the skies have opened up. Ironically only last week did he make a prediction that the Congress would be victorious even in the 2014 election! Like always death managed to outmaneuver life and everyone is tripping over themselves to compose their own epitapths to the fallen leader. Also, the fact that he died when he was at his most powerful and that too mysteriously only adds spice to this already bestseller. Power intoxicates death. Imagine Benazir Bhutto dying a natural death or Princess Diana dying after her beauty faded away...the glamour associated with victory and the scent of an untimely death really captivates public memory.

I aint no Congress fan but two things I will speak in YSR's favor- he was really powerful, powerful enough to end all nonsense about a seperate Telanagana(atleast for the next 5 years),powerful enough to rid us the naxal menace and powerful enough to choke the stony Sonia to make human sounds. Secondly he really stood for the Telugu Pride and I know it's strange but we've not have many people who've done it. Unlike the Tamilians or Bengalis we take no interest in our heritage or culture.He did not worship the ground walked on by the Gandhi's (though he did named a hundred odd projects after them) but still retained the essence of telugu atma sammanam. We prefer English to Telugu and here is someone who still sports the dhoti!

Not to take away from him the most strident criticisms of his tenure- coercive conversions to christianity and corruption. An editor of a weekly magazine in Hyderabad once told me that the CM and his son could easily outstrip the Ambani's in their wealth. A newspaper, TV channel(ironically named "Sakshi"), steel companies, mining rights, cement factories and of course huge chunks of real estate. The wealth accumulated is apparantly astounding.

All said and done, you cannot take away the fact that he has made it to the top on his own. From the rocky and bloody terrains of Rayalseema to the plush Chief minister's camp office at Punjagutta the struggle has been vicious, brutal and tiring. The immense outpouring of grief is a valid testimony that he is one of the last species of vanishing breed called a grass root politician, not a courtier of a durbar. It is indeed a loss.

The King is dead, the fight has started to find a new one.

Nithalle

was the name of the play I went today morning with Pt. It means being jobless. In the one year that I've been working for a newsweekly this was the first time I actually went to something good. The play(in hindi) was absolutely brilliant! I went in with no expectations and came out grinning like a cat which has had it's share of milk. Humorous,smart and extremely witty it showed that all you need for a good production was a good script and the right actors. Performed in an obscure auditorium which was sadly not even half full it was a heartening satire with repartees on everything which matters from Vajpayee's knee to bofors, from Jayalaithaa to 9/11. Presented by Udaan arts it was only their third performance and I'm positive that they will reach great heights. And I can do my part and give a glowing review! yay!

It's Ramzan and the whole of Hyderabad is warped in the smells of Haleem and Iftaars. There are so many things I dont agree in Islam- from their abominable treatment of women to meaningless jihad but one walk during Ramzan in the crowded lanes of the old city really warms your heart. After the evening prayers when people break their fast I found that in every shop both the onwer and the worker share food from a single plate!Touching and humane it really warmed my heart! No credo, no distinction and no difference between human beings. I found it almost gallantly charming! Imagine a world without prejudice? That long forgotten word called "equality"

This appaling treatment of Advani really saddens me. He's the one who put you where you are...some grace? takers any?

Wristed!

On July 5th after a long awaited and cherished trip to Chennai, I just got down at the Nampally Railway station, because of my innate stupidity/bad luck I had a nasty fall and broke my wrist. Almost seven weeks in a sling, today when the cast was removed I saw that I dont have my left hand, its just a bone! I still needs two weeks of physical therapy and frankly, I dont recognise my hand. It's shape is majestically weird and it has wrinkles! I have never realised that without a wrist your hand is useless and how bloody difficult it is to manage with a single hand! I am absolutely sick of it, but of course you cant always have everything you want, so I have no great choices other than grinning and cribbing. There are so many things which have been postponed -from shopping to holidays, from typing with both hands to driving, I really think it's buri nazar (dont scoff),honestly I know it sounds juvenile/stoopid but everyone in Chennai was raving about how I left a "secure" job to an "unsecure" career! I felt really good then but am not amused now. Sleeping is a hazard, I'm spending thousands on Auto's, cant dress up even for events,cant eat properly, cant do some things properly (smirk) and have to endure everyone's comments on how frail I am! One thing I'm grateful for is the affection shown,from family, friends to strangers who have shown with grace that kindness lurks in the most unexpected of places!

It's raining like mad here and I am enjoying every minute of it. Could'nt have been more green!

Is it me or is it a fact that SRK is the biggest whiner in modern India?

pretty politics!

Yesterday I saw a clipping of "politician" Sangeeta Bij-lani campaining for a candidate in Moradabad. The Sad-geeta I know is the second wife of a disgraced former Indian Captain, a second rate socialite and a C-list actress, someone whose only claim to fame/notoriety till date has been a failed relationship with Salman Khan!She will now talk about Roads and good governance? I mean have reached such a lowly levels that we need such representation? Why couldnt have they have banned her along with Azhar? Policitics has become the common cauldron into which everyone dips into as and when needed. Losers like Nagma/Amisha Patel(granted thay were/are good looking) are the new Pimbo's! Sanjay Dutt made a hilarious Politico with his jhappi/puppy remarks and Jayaprada who cannot even string two proper words in Hindi represents Rampur! One more discerning factor is that every so called young MP is here only because of his/her political lineage! Someone's son/neice/great grand nephew! How can anything be possible if you do not give young people a chance, politics has become the new age-Bollywood where you need a background to succeed! And supposedly our constitution grants equality!! What's the bet that Rakhi Sawant stands for the 2014 elections?

Also, Hrithik Roshan has got to be the male-Aishwarya Rai! He's so effectively dumb that he would make Ken go green! Just check his response when a school used his name to teach kids about the letter Hr!

growing up

When I was young, I always wanted to remain young, being the youngest of the family I thought that life couldnt be any better! I turned an year older, in the last week of last month and the day totally sucked...I was feeling morose and sullen alternately and suddenly my birthday was no cause for celebration. Feeling guilty about the mistakes I made, sore about the money I'm not making, unsure about the way I feel about myself and the worst part- old and directionless. Without any clue as to what tomorrow holds and just travelling from one port to another in a fast-sinking ship. I pined for the time when birthdays were fun, riotous, a cause celebre and a day which ideally should never end. Sadly the birthday ended and so have all the illusions with it. In the evening when I was having dinner with Pt (my yearly ritual on birthday's, the menu for the last decade has been biryani and paayasam) I tried to put things in perspective and for once look at the positive side of things/life. At 24, I can no longer make the same mistakes which I did with abandon at 18, but by the end of the day that didnt trouble me much because of the simplest reason- I dont have a choice. Life will move on relentlessly and I certainly didnt want to blog at 28, about the things which I didnt do now. Everyday brings with it a solemn ray of sunshine which lights our day the way we want to and there is so much to look forward in life- books, music, arts and most importantly people! All those wonderful people who tried to make that day so special for me, in ways only they could! Felt nice in a way after that, I felt grown up and all important!

Tell me why does Vijay Mallya need a bail out from the government?
To buy a new yatch or for next year's Kingfisher Calender?

Idiot for audience!

My first negative review!

Evam over the past few years has been in the news for their quality of entertainment, razor sharp wit and the unique approach to make a dying art form called theatre contemporary. “An Idiot for Dinner” adapted from the French movie ‘Le Diner De Cons’ which was also the inspiration for Bheja Fry is almost-funny but falls just short of the milieu which can be called humorous. The story is simple, Sanjay Khelavkar and his friends meet every week for a dinner where they invite an idiot and ridicule them and the host with the biggest idiot wins. R.Golden Gopu, is his prize catch one particular week and how Sanjay lands into a mess created by a bad back and Gopu’s idiosyncrasies. It eventually lands a tax inspector, Hari at his place. To make matters worse his wife, Aparna leaves him and how he eventually manages to come out of the mess created by the “idiot” with the help of his friend Sameer is the crux of the play.The subtle irony witnessed in Evam’s earlier production “The Odd Couple” or the easy characterization of “Doubles, Triples and Quadruplets” or even the adept adaptation of “Five point someone” is easily missing. The jokes appear tired, the sequences seem too forced and the humor lacks vigor. What could have been a laugh riot appears a thatched quilt using silk at places and wool at the remaining ones. Smooth at places, coarse at the edges because it lacks the punch. A few sequences are truly funny but those are neither backed by a strong script nor does it offer anything new to the un-amused patrons. The jokes at most times, seem ribald and trivial. For those unfortunate seated in the uncomfortable seats of Ravindra Bharati, the night seemed distinctly sore as it wore on.

Of this and that.

I know not many people watch the Lok Sabha channel, but I do and it always turns out a surprise. Yesterday, it showed a documentary featuring the gorgeous Smita Patel, made in 60's in English! It was in black and white and captured the grecian features of the fiesty actress wondrously! Also, heard the remarkable first speech of Meenakshi Nataraj, a young Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh. She spoke in the National language and spoke brilliantly, without a pause or a glitch and I really think she will rise to great heights. Another speech which was outstanding was that of the fiery Sushma Swaraj, one of the best orators of modern India her speech on India's defence was quite something. Her clarity, diction and command over language is singularly unique. I do hope she address the UN one day as the ambassadress of our country.

Two of India's greatest musicians of the last century passed away this month, both from this side of the Vindhyas. Gangubai, the greatest of Kirana Garana, personification of the will power of the bygone generation and everyone's favorite didi left us. DK Patammal, the lone survivor of one of the greatest trinities of carnatic music along with MS Subbulakshmi and ML Vasantakumari passed away leaving behind one of the greatest legacies ever. One was a devadasi, another an orthodox brahmin housewife, each of them pioneers, each an inspiration. The saddest part was that the media coverage was shoddy, lackadaisical and uninspiring to say the least. I hope the government wakes up and awards them with the Bharat Ratna, it's not too late...yet!

What would Rakhi Sawant who looks like Rakhi Sawant and behaves like Rakhi Sawant do if she were reaaaly good looking say like an Ambika Anand/Nidhi Razdan? I shiver, I shudder!

A little bit of everything

I've been incredibly lethargic over the past few weeks and there is so much to write! Firstly had a faboosh trip to Chennai two weeks back. Had a blast with Sa and Mi, two of my fave bongs in the world! Also, at Landmark got two things I've wanted to for a long time now
- Toni Morisson, wanted to read her books for an year now. And, she writes amazing! absolutely and entirely.
- Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's rare AIR recordings. Now, you have to listen to it, to believe it. Got the monsoon ragas, so the range and clarity was better than what I've read.
Wanted to do a real post about the trip, but the time has passed for it so I shall not force myself.

Also, all this brouhaha about the monsoon and no rains is so cryptic. I mean, you bloody do everything in you power to destroy Nature and you expect her bounty? Chop trees, kill animals, encroach lakes and want a gift in return? Even stupidity has its limits breached.

Was at the fabulous Farooque Shaik's talk "Safar" this week. The man is so charming! Unhurried, classy and disarming. He speaks Hyderabadi hindi better than myself! Regaled every one present with his witty stories and really was a part of a memorable evening. It was no wonder that the show which was to last an hour, went on for three times of the intended time. One quirk was that I wanted to take his interview but the bossy Baig(who put together the show, didnt let me saying the time was less!) That I saw his Interview in a National Daily on Sunday needless to say, pissed me off majorly!

Lastly, if you havent heard the Agnee theme song for Splitsvilla-2, please do so. It is FAN-tastic.

One thing you want

Was talking with Pt the other day and out of the blue I asked him the question, What is the one thing you want, right here right now....He told me what he wanted and I didnt answer him them, but the one thing I would really want is to be free. Not supercially nor egoistically, but free to be myself, free from any or all encumbering relationships and free from any support. To be alone, to stand alone, to feel alone and yet feel I'm complete. To think on my own, to act on my own, to stand on my own and to say that I am my own! Is it possible or will crutches be a part, I really dont know but the path seems really exciting. So many things you want and such less time to have all that you want!

Have you ever wondered about the one thing you want?

My place!

I was really unsure as to posting this, but did it. I really dont know if people are being nice to me only because of the press tag, but still it feels nice!(smug!!)Also, this is one restaurant I like. Also Also, I'm a vegetarian so my food reviews are always one sided.Even so

Tucked away in a quiet street in the midst of the busy Banjara Hills, the quaint Our Place has not just been one of Hyderabad’s best known restaurants but a landmark of sorts. The fabled service, charming environs and lush greenery transport you to a place which can be likened to Peter Pan’s wonder world. Started in 1999, the restaurant has been going from strength to strength to establish itself as one of Hyderabad’s best loved places and an epicurean delight. What keeps it going, according to the charismatic Pooja Raina, the HR “It’s the ability to give people something new each time they come”. Indeed be it the ducklings which enthrall the kids, the cottages for private conversations, the landing which is carved out of a rock and is a perfect setting for a romantic candle light dinner, the extremely popular ghazal shows on the weekends or the languid lawn where one can peacefully enjoy a meal, Our Place is like your grandma’s chest of treasures- there is something for everyone! From the delicious Fruit punch, to the appetizing crisp corn pepper salt (which is any connoisseur’s delight with its crackling mix of flavors), the restaurant gets its ingredients in the correct dose! With signature dishes like Sambhar Rice and murg mulayam paneer, it sure is a gourmet’s delight with its eclectic offering of Mughlai, Chinese, South Indian and Thai food. Famed as much for its landscaped gardens as it is for its Fruit Punch, it is easy to see how this picturesque place holds its own in a city where a restaurant opens every day. The ambience is pleasing, the choice plentiful and the service, extremely agreeable. So, this weekend you plan to go out to a place that truly feels like yours, you know where to head to…Our Place!

Spaces which never existed.

Thirty Umrigar’s “The Space between Us” is just that, the space between humans, which acts as the sacred invisible line, omnipresent and never to be overstepped. The space between a middle class woman and her servant of over three decades, the space between the educated and the improvised, the space between lives so different in vortex, yet pulled together by an incredible hamstring called fate. It is the story of Sera Dubash, a Parsi housewife who is widowed and thus unchained after years of abuse and disappointment, promised the heights of heavens by a marriage which succeeds in plunging her to depths she never imagined could exist, her daughter Dinaz and her marriage and how her fate is cruelly interwoven with that of Bhima-her household help of yore, her constant companion in hours of grief, her sole strand of support in her marriage of lies, neglect and violence. The space between us, is described as “an intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world”, while the description says most of it, the catch remains in what is left unsaid- that the distant world is too full of common brutalities and familiarity stems from the contempt of not being brave enough to accept things at their truthful value. The most amazing part of the writing is the seeming ease with which blows are taken, Bhima’s ignorance that education is the only way out of her misery and slums, Sera’s carefully crafted world after years of abuse crashes around her and she prefers to look the other side, her effort to keep up appearances, her desperate quest for happiness and the terrible price she has to pay for it and Viraf, cold and gentle, menacing and ugly all colors played out in the blink of an eyelid. The greatest victory of this book is to bring out in force, the trueness of characters, driven by hope, misguided by optimism, disguised as despair and bound by a wavering thread of belief that life would deliver justice, for all its faults. A treasure, the book does not fall in the trappings of other Parsi writers and does manage to help us realize the spaces we surround ourselves with.

Animal planet

I was in a depressing frame of mind all month, like how you feel when a long coveted vacation ends or on the last day of college...at times in high spirits and at times quiet and in my own world. Anyways this was not what I intended to write on. I actually wanted to write on something serious for once and it is about

the missing tigers in the Panna reserve. Yep, Panna has done a Sariska and has killed all of its tigers! Animals are an important part of our bio-diversity and without them the world remains a shallow place. With Tigers, the fact is all the most important, Remember the last time you saw it in a zoo(which isnt its place but heck, at least it helps conserving them) That gleaming magnificent body, the power it radiates and its confident walk. Tigers are the pinnacle of the illustrous cat family and it's really depressing to see our national animal in such dire straits. Take any reserve worth its salt, the Sunderbans has its own sad story to share. The need of the hour is to save the big cat, government intervention can only go this long, people should be more aware. Like the believe that tigers claw is a cure for impotency, no dumb fellas the cure is viagra! Wake up, people and most importantly live and let live!

also another news that that two Elephants were mowed down by a train in Nilgiris. Elephants are my personal favorites. Two things about the humble pachyderm I bet you didnt know
-that Elephants are extremely senstive and can feel any movement in the ground within a kilometre radius and get disturbed. So imagine the plight of these giants when they are at the Thrissur festival...sheer madness!
-that they mourn their dead. Elephants live in herds and when a member dies, they gather and shed tears. After some days (when only the flesh remains) they regroup in the same place in a mood which is sombre and are not their usual self...mourning, elephantine style!

And that terrible thing was

that I was sitting harmlessly in my usual place at my beloved Barista, talking with Si about his speculated shift in his role at work and thinking that the I should try lemon tea sometimes (loved it ever since my stint at Chennai) when this girl walks in...Not good looking but tall and fairly confident, wearing some black clothes...I turned my gaze to the mango tree when the girl screeched :yeh kitni sad si jagah hain"..I was outraged, revolted and was just about to drop my cup of tea and I slowly turned my head, in slow motion, in disblelief , in shock over that devastating statement...Barista remains a favorite...the many sunday evenings, the trees, the great service and the many conversations with Si about how to get rich quickly, about heartbreaks and hardships make it soo special and this girl saying this horrendous, insensitive, pejorative remark! I mean there is something called as being sensitive to others feelings! But no, sensitivity remains a lost cause today and as extinct as the Amur Leopard! I so wish I didnt hear that statement for I was constantly glaring at that rude girl who must have thought I was checking her out! Sigh...such a harsh life!

Yahoo 360 is closing! It sucks majorly...I really love the 360 page..I started blogging ages back and I consider it my best work which is read only by my closest friends..well all good things end. Another news is that the news weekly with which I'm working might shut down in July..reason...recession! Out comes my resume.

Moral Policing has hit Hyderabad now...pubbing is against our "culture" says our health minister! What's the bet that his kids are regulars at "Excess", the hippest joint in town right now?

And here come the rains...

Yes, its monsoon and it couldnt have arrived any sooner. I love the rains, always have...the sights, the sounds and the smells...the smell of the wet mud is the biggest draw for me. I was at my beloved Barista yesterday (A truly terrible thing happened there, about which I will rant later). Was just tucking into my green tea and pizza when the delirious first drops fell and caught us unawares. Rain washes away with it so many things, the supressed emotions and the pent up feelings. It brings out the longing in you and makes you forget everything else. Believe me when I say there is nothing like dancing in the rain....as a kid splashing in the puddles was so much fun...taking a walk eating a corn cob....forget yourself and just go with the flow, for once let go, dont think, just feel with the falling water and the enchanting experience. Rain is the biggest therapeutic experience. My college was in a university full of greenery and when it rained it poured, I remember just getting drenched soo many times, sitting in the parking lot and wishing it would never stop...wishing for everything to come true...and hoping against hope to capture that memory! Rain also brings with it so much- hope for an year, a reason to smile, to cuddle with loved ones and to feel free and step out in gay abandon. Thankfully my house is still surrounded by two trees and the leaves never look greener than in the rains...I wish it would come soon
Rain Rain come again

PS:Best thing I've heard this week was the news that Sonam kapoor called Ash "aunty".
Her explanation, that she worked with her dad, so it's justified! whoopie!

DD

Call it Dev D, Double dhamaka or Deadly D. I was delirious after watching the movie. Okay, I know the movie released aeons back, but I could'nt watch it all these days and last week I took a courageous decision. I preferrerd to watch DD over Shree 420, contemporary scoring over classic! I am soo glad it lived up to the enormous hype I created for it. The part I liked the most was the minimal of fuss involved, Paro moves on, Chanda knows where she is caught and so does Dev. It is in sync with today's times and people can relate to it. The beauty of classics lies in adapting them with changing times. I am all for rewriting Ramayana and Mahabaratha, how will you help another generation relate to it unless it's in their terms? Anyhow, another part I loved in the movie was when Dev narrowly avoids a car collision in the end and realises he stills stands a chance! Life always provides you with an outlet, you look sideways and you dont see it....DD was also held together by that fab threesome and a great score!

Do you know there are 12515 courageous men in India? All of them applied to get married to Rakhi Sawant...Army would be so more useful.

The best part of the summer for me is it's fruits. Sadly this time its all botoxed fruits...oranges are sour, Melons are impossible to find and mangoes let's not go there...My favorite thing in the world is to cut a ripe mango(Alphonso) keep it in the fridge overnight, add a little milk and a dash of powdered sugar...heaven! Eat it with a novel...Harry Potter/Agatha Christie..something you read a zillion times but still want to read....yum!

Back to Basics

Which for me is reading. Reading has been the greatest joy of my life and I have sorely missed it (and felt guilty) over the past few months when I failed to read anything. Well, this week has been different and I have read two fabulous books. First one was Breathless in Bombay by Murzban Shroff (vouched and lent by the connoisseur Sa, whose taste I trust with my eyes closed) The most arresting feature of the book was the fact that it showed the magnificent Bombay in a light which always existed but was never to be seen. The humility of the characters, the open endings, the fact that city is such a vibrant and throbbing part of every story really fascinated me. The Bombay which I’ve always read was either glitz and glamour or Dharavi, black or white….the grey was so effortlessly seamed in this book that it seemed that there always exists grey between black and white, it is up to you whether you see it or not. Next up was Selina Sen’s “A mirror greens the spring”. I don’t know why…everything Bengali really fascinates me…the food, the women and the obsession for culture! I loved the older generation of this book, so in sync with reality and so courageous, which is really a hallmark of experience. The ending didn’t match up, but nevertheless it was a thoroughly enjoyable ride. Also what is it about Bongs and food? My flat mate in Chennai was a Bong and I tagged along with him blindly where food was concerned and each place we went, the fare was lip smacking!

I also love the fact that theatre owners have finally seen sense in airing old classics, Shree 420 is playing and I so want to catch it!

The swansong of the last firefly

Lal Krishna Advani is quite like Lord Shiva, the mythical destroyer and creator of life. He resurrected the Bharatiya Janata Party to life, from the fringed edges of cities to put it firmly on the centre stage Of Hindustan and in the short span of a decade saw it shrink, not much but enough to send it back to the frayed edges. The Bhishma pitama is in reality the courageous Karna, who let the party bloom but was crushed under the party's shadow. In the shade of the hugely charismatic and accepted Vajpayee, Advani was this wild younger sibling who could never match up, be tamed and that eventually became his waterloo. A journalist, a film buff who famously shed tears after watching Taare Zameen Par and an amazingly affable man, at 83 he finds the energy I cannot summon at 23, this is the end of the Advani era.

My first glimpse of Advani was when he was at the 70th birthday celebrations of Lata Mangeshkar in Bombay, when he was the Home Minister and so disarmingly asked her to sing his favorite song "Bhabhi ki choodiyan". The elderly statesman reduced to a child at a joy ride. There has been a LOT of criticism of Advani, his rath yatras, Babri and Jinnah. All taken, but what you cannot take away from him is the more than 55 years of public service, wherein a Sindi boy from Karachi would rise to be at the altar of some of the most important chapters of Indian polity. From the dusty confines of Rajasthan where he was with the RSS to the plush Lutynes Delhi, it has been a remarkable journey and like most great journeys the end was harsh and unforgiving!

Advani's forte always has been communication, from the time he was a journalist with Organiser to today when he speaks volubly about anything at length. The last of the great grass root politicos who prefer people to air conditioned offices rubbing shoulders with the likes of Sardar Patel,JP, Mrs G and Vajpayee. His story is quite like Vikram and Betal, He the Vikram wanting and willing to move on and his ghostlike past,Betal always lurking and trailing him, however in this case the Betaal triumphed. It's curtains for him but the role he has defined for himself will endure.

Patel was what he aspired to be, Advani was what we got and Advani is what we'll take,gratuitously and gratefully. Time for the heroes to return to Antilla. Adios,swayamsevak.

For Christ's sake!

I can’t stop laughing, I seriously cannot. Sample this, her act should be likened to the humanity of Jesus Christ and Mother Teresa, Oh Jesus (Or jejus, a la Rakhi Sawant)! This was Mani Shankar Aiyar, tripping over himself and falling at the feet of his reigning deity the Princess of press, Priyanka Gandhi. He was referring to Priyanka’s gesture of meeting Nalini, her father’s killer and the criticism of that by Jayalalithaa. Now, no woman in modern India has a fury that can be rivaled /likened to the mighty Amma. I don’t really know why these people, from Pilot’s to Scindia’s who study at Eton and Doon, finish at Wharton and Oxford have to fawn and flatter everyone from Raja Rahul to Secular So-nea, Is a seat in Lok Sabha or a Ministerial berth worth your self respect? Here is Aiyar, the same person who stood on a stool at a rally (with folded hands) while the mighty mother was canvassing for him. He did a huge turnaround and said he’ll donate Jayalalithaa to the Guruvayoor Temple and got famously smacked by chappals (long before Jarnail entered the scene) in Anna Salai. Jayalalithaa’s fury is like Nature’s wrath, unheard and unimagined of, a party man who had switched to DMK and returned home, was made to prostrate four times before National Media ostensibly because the media had not got a good shot! So Mani Ayyor, ab tera kya hoga?

Went to Secunderabad Club yesterday, I mean I’ve always wanted to go to that place. Since childhood it was like one of those fab places like in Anita Desai’s novels, clubs were supposed to be magical and mysterious but as with everything which comes with expectations, this again was a huge letdown. From the snooty guard who didn’t let me in (the press card didn’t work) to the ageing Colonial building built by the British, it was okay not oh-gawd! But thankfully the play was good, Karaoke killers was fun, replete with songs and dances and so was the food, the butter bread pudding was del-i-cious.

Just spoke to Mi and am jumping up and down!

So many things

to crib about. Before you think I'm the biggest whiner in this wicked wide world, I must confess I feel like one...because

-I HAVE to wake up early every damn sunday. I think all the forces in the World unite and plot to do it (the contours of my self importance)

-that I have to take quotes from "celebs" who are soooo patronising, I mean I understand if you are a Kareena/Priyanka and show attitude, but vernacular stars throwing tantrums for giving a quote is so uncool (and the injustice that I should be subjected to it)

-that my brilliant features idea on the lost bungalows of Hyderabad has been rudely rejected by my Editor-in-chief (Ask me to do another Youth page and I'll get my own back)

-that Shashi Tharoor might actually win (C'mon he has everything-suave,debonair,erudite, speaks amazing, UN and now this filial straw, I want a reservation)

-that I'm tech challenged, I mean I cant work one bloody template on my blog page and there's something wrong with my number of visitors,its stuck and I can do nothing about it!

-that Si is having the worst break up ever and I'm a hapless bystander

-that I no longer have a social life(Pt, face it...I have none)

-that it's been ages I went to a play or a concert, I missed Pandit Jasraj twice, for Hanuman's sake

-that I dont go to Barista every Sunday anymore or for that matter anywhere barring weddings/house warming sessions/receptions!

-that I still have to come to terms with the fact that my student life is done and over with (Why,Why and Why..melodrama is so my forte)

-that Pure Magic biscuits now cost 20 bucks and I get one biscuit less for the increased five bucks!(I mean if you have one pack every alternate day,it's gonna pinch!)

-that I dont speak to Na on a daily basis, okay I know I should call her rather than to blog it...I will, I will after I finish this!

Okay, I have placed my finger (middle one)at every ill plaguing me....let me go and wreck my sunday!

A window break and an almost walk!

Yesterday was such an amazing amazing day. Three of my friends (Si, Na and Pt) ditched me and I had to stay put at home, but boy was it fun!! I had a “fruit”ful day, eating every imaginable fruit from watermelon to mango, from apple to anjeer! Read the entire 2004 post of Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan’s compulsive confessor and knew on a first hand basis as to why her blog is so darn popular but power cut played the crook later in the evening and I couldn’t finish reading.

Went out in the evening to get myself some tangy and spicy food (I had an almost pregnant craving for that yesterday!) and had a scary experience. Okay I don’t really walk on the roads, I know it sounds silly but I usually don’t go out to fetch anything for my house (the perks of being the youngest) and the rare times I go, I use a bike…yesterday because I was intent on eating everything I saw, I took a walk….err tried walking on the roads but it was impossible! Every lane, by lane, by-by lane was choked! For Lords sake it’s a colony! Cars parked bumper to bumper, motorists zooming past and seriously are there so many bikes? I really felt as much at home as Mowgli would have felt in Mumbai! My walking turned into tip toeing and praying that something/someone doesn’t crash into me! Terribly terrible.

And to top it, I didn’t find anything edible so I came back home, and made myself Top Raman(No Maggi, I’m a smoodle) Since my craving for something pungent almost made me delirious I decided to experiment and believe me when I say it was yum! I added MDH pav bhaji masala to the noodles, spiked it with a generous dose of Lemon, added fresh and sour green mango to it, top it with Kurkure and ate it with Sprite! The after effect was totally worth it…if you know what I mean (smirk)…teda hain par mera hain!!

Guess what my reaction was after my Editor asked me to interview Chandrachur Singh?

Fake it!

I for one am completely bowled over by the fake Ipl player's blog! I am impatient to read his next! Witty, entertaining and devastatingly sarcastic, the blog is nasty, mean and highly amusing, Well, if you are not a member of the Knight Riders. Trying to pin point as to why the blog is so popular, I've encountered a few uncomfortable truths...the reason for its astounding success is that it appeals to the Lowest Common Denominator present in us, the inhuman appetite for dirt and the obvious relish for rumors or scandals. It is clear enough that the blog was well concieved and pre planned if the sartorial nick names are anything to go by! Little John/Big sister. hilarious! As to who is behind it, well from Sunil Gavaskar to Shobhaa De, SRK has managed to rub every shoulder in the wrong manner,so it's difficult to know who is getting their own back at him! Sexual escapades of our cricketers/film stars which were considered a taboo in reporting, have been broken down and I really wouldn't wonder it it is a precursor for much more to come. The quirky writing style really amazes me...sample this "We are trying our hardest to lose and finish last"...Well, I would dearly love to know if it tickles the King Khan's(nicked Dildo!!) famous sense of humor/witty repartees!

Interviewed Omair ahmed, the author of "The Storyteller's Tale" over the phone last week and was really impressed by the manner in which he said "A lot of the World is a part of me"...Few can pull off a statement like that and he did it with panache!

Do you know that Zee cinema still airs mythological hindi movies on Sunday mornings?

Petty politics

It's election season and for the rest of the country, Andhra Pradesh's poll sops would deem extremely mysterious! Specifically, I am personally aghast at the TDP's money transfer scheme. This particular scheme promises to transfer 2000 rupees (!) every month to the lady of the house, it applies for all BPL families! Seriously?? How stupid is it? Anyone who has any inkling about the troubles of such families will know that most of them stem from money, give them money they drink...give them work, they live! The western world has been plagued by this ridiculous concept of state benefits...Jade Goody,Scarlett keeling...people whose lives have been wrecked by feeding on the crumbs doled out by the big- brotherly state. All these cases are stark examples that the under trodden need work and not free cash, it destroys any semblance of hard work and living with dignity. The most bizare part is the smug manner in which people talk about such a stupid scheme, first the ulta pultas of TDP on Telangana, now this absolute straw! Dont play the bountiful, provide work, better living conditions and proper pay! God save us if this scheme is implemented!

I really really wish that Meera Sanyal wins from South Bombay, she is articulate, capable and dynamic. The manner in which she spoke on a recent debate shows her forthright capabilities and guts to shoulder responsibility. When a member of the audience got seethingly personal she promptly put the obtrusive person in his place by saying that it was not for him to ask! Independents usually don't and she surely is fighting with her back to the wall, lets hope she walls her opponents!

Why are we being subjected to a daily dose of Priyanka Gandhi?

Ignorance is such Bliss!

As we come closer to the election, we have numerous wars of words taking place simultaneously, this particular one is marked because of the ignorance of its remarks and stand out as an exemplary example to the fact that ignorance can indeed be blissful! Secular So-nea has accused Advani of being a slave of the RSS, It's certainly not her fault that she is unaware of what actually RSS is, being born and brought up outside India, it is difficult to keep track of a country as diverse as ours. For starters RSS, is not an organisation, it is a movement, an ideology. A revolution started in 1925 by a doctor and a visionary called Hegdewar it has in many ways enriched and exemplified the Indian culture including the Bhoodan Movement where it was actively involved with Vinobha Bhave. To be a slave of an ideology is but the natural progression of polity, but you cannot blame secular Soniya as she belongs to a party where the only ideology is the glorification of a sundry surname, which is not even linked to the poor Mahatma for Feroze Gandhi was no relation of the Mahatma. And as for saying that Advani cannot take decisions independently, I find it lolable! It's certainly not the Secular madam's gaffe, She can never make any(near Robotic). Her speech writers (Ambika Soni/Ahmad patel) must be responsible for Secular Sonia never means any harm because two of her family members sacrificed their lives for the nation! My guess is that Secular Soni-ya is trying to develop a grim sense of humor! Scary! In any case, the Congress today is definitely 'independent' of almost all of its allies! And the darn impudence that all of this classifies as Breaking News!

Went to the CNN-IBN's hasty program "India Can India will" at Birla Planetarium on Monday, for a show wanting to leave an impact it was surprisingly short where the three leaders invited got a total airtime of less than 10 minutes! But, I must say that the location was amazing, never knew they had a swimming pool down there!

When we were Kids

last week I met up with my school friends, Pt I will not classify as this friend or that but the other two are people I've known for more than a decade and from school! The place sucked, the lake stank and the Ice creams were over priced(gelatos or not, they were not worth what they were worth!)but the time spent was memorable!Our talk usually lurked in the shadows of what we had in common- School! I find it absolutely amazing that four people can sit back and discuss something which happenned almost a decade back, laugh as if the jokes were never heard before and analyse as if the events were new. The good old place which one can never forget- for reasons good or bad! It has that mystical and magical quality because of which time flew and everything seemed possible, fun meant endless laughter and gossip was restricted to who had a crush on whom! Why does school figure so high on everyone's priority list...I came up with two reasons

one- it is that time of your life when you are not innocent, when every little detail of your character good or bad is played out in a crystal clear manner and you could not fake!
second- for many many people school friends are for life...one friend from school usually sticks on and becomes a part of your life, you tend to be grateful for a place which gave you friends,an identity and a shape to your character.

Thinking of school made me sooo nostalgic-those wonderful excursions to bakeries, assemblies, dictations, uniforms, merchant of venice, grammar, prayer and pledge, rigid discipline, curry puffs, dodge ball, early mornings, annual days, free periods, teachers who were teachers, unit tests, grey sweaters, cycles, proverbs, compositions, fabulous birthday parties where everyone gave you something and enid blyton!

Buttons up!

Okay, whats really the matter with Akshay Kumar? If anyone saw him coercing his poor wife Twinkle in that fashion show to do his buttons and has not found it distasteful, I have serious issues! vulgur and voyeurstic it was also extremely cheap and crass. This is the second time Akshay goofed up majorly this year, After that silly dedication of his award to Aamir at Star awards (After cribbing that he never wins awards!) he has made things much more messier this time. Akshay who has made it to the top on the sheer strength of his hard work after decades of doing stupid movies and Khiladi stunts, should really learn how a superstar behaves. All the Khans (Barring Shah Rukh) are here because of their lineage, but Akshay outscored them in the recent past,but this ridiculous act of his and his amazing (stupid) justification that the jeans company made him do it (Whatever happenned to your own Brain...screams mine) He should sack his advisers promptly and use better brains! The pelvic thrusts and the bawdy body language made things worse, grow up dude...your son is!

I am no fan of IPL but am certainly a great admirer of those fabulous advertisements! Last year's were fun and the one I saw, for this year's edition which asks what happens when 100 crore people do the same thing is really smart and catchy!

PS: Cant jayanthi Natarajan take a break?

All Lost

The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay by Siddarth Dhanvanth Sanghvi is in many ways a treatise to every relationship which bloomed and withered, a city whose identity lies in its name and to characters whose destinies are lost for ever. What starts off as an ode to the world of stuffed riches quickly transforms itself into the story of inchoate loneliness and the memories and suffering it breeds. Sanghvi proves himself to be the sublime star of sexual innuendoes and innovative terminology. Ever heard of the National Index of Masturbation? Well, you find it here! A compelling narrative about how life plays havoc with four people interlinked with the sometimes quirky and the sometimes quixotic turns of life. Of Karan Seth, a photographer par excellence who mastery in his art is only rivaled by his determination to catch the spirit of Bombay, how he meets with his almost muse- Rhea Dalal, an erstwhile professional potter and currently a housewife who sees in him a spark and vitality resembling her own. Of Zaira, the reigning Bollywood Diva, who’s astounding beauty and sex appeal cannot get her away from a crazed stalker nor get her any closer to the man she loves and her warm relationship with Samar Soni, a piano prodigy who leaves his art and is at comfort knowing himself. Contemporary with a quintessential taste of longing, lust and love, the book appeals to everyone who has loved and lost. Witty prose, elegant narrative and eloquent description run parallel lines while the books enthralls the viewers with its grounded charm and quaint humor. It is impulsive sweeping you off your feet, raunchy without being apologetic and is compelling with its gritty takes on the issues surrounding us. The book plunges you to the lows of concurrent melancholy, raises you to the sky with its celebration of life, makes you laugh with its swipes at the amorous and leaves you seething in despair at the injustice churned out. Short listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2008, the book is the celebration of delicious bursts of freedom, paradoxical relations and time honored prejudices. With its delightful little ironies and immaculate camaraderie, it reviles and regales you in equal measure!

The Weekly Chronicles

Had an interesting week! Interviewed an amazing educationist Swati Popat and had such fun. Swati Popat is an amazing woman who has been teaching for over 25 years and is the President of the Podar Education network. She is the author of two books on teaching and runs a kindergarten for autistic kids and also is the brain behind the intriguing and innovative open book model! She was so easy to speak to! Concise and straightforward, she spoke with the detached sense of calm which only few can pull off without seeming snobby! As a pioneer in the field of education she minced no words and was amazingly patient with a tryo like myself!

Also what’s with the media and Varun Gandhi? Seriously guys, give it a break! The three English channels are the worst, forming judgments at the drop of a hat and thrusting them on the poor viewers. There is a line between information and thrusting your nasty opinions on people. They condemn and criticize alternately and the issue would not have been snowballed but for the excessive zealousness of the media!

Also only Vinod Mehta can appear simultaneously in three discussions at once. Wonderfully charitable "outlook"

PS: LOL about the earth Hour. We in Hyderabad don’t need an earth hour to save power do we? We do it four hours a day!

Road to Revolution

What happens when two people meet and try to turn an ordinary life extraordinary? The answer to this powerful and pertinent question forms the crux of director Sam Mendes’s commanding and compelling movie, Revolutionary Road. Starring Leonardo Di Caprio as Jack Wheeler, a man stuck at a job he does not like but is too afraid to risk his stability for the unknown and Kate Winslet as April, his tempestuous wife who wants to gamble with life, take a chance and explore life without being inhibited. The movie is a treatise on the blows dealt by life and the desperate attempts made not to seek solace in the arms of the mundane. It traces the journey of a young couple caught in an everyday life, their doubts, their dreams and the destination they finally reach! Compelling without trying too hard, hard hitting without depending on melodrama, the movie is undiluted class. The effortless enthusiasm with which Kate Winslet slips into the role is original and awe inspiring. At times the endearing housewife who yearns to rekindle the lost passion and at times the embittered woman waging a lone and silent battle against mediocrity, the actress is remarkably composed and vulnerable. Bewitching and brave Kate Winslet radiates in the warmth of one of her best performances ever. Leonardo as the errant and unfaithful husband who does not want to give up his comfort zone is intense, powerful and extremely convincing. As a man caught in the crossfire between his wife’s dreams and his own incapacity to choose, he delivers a flawless performance which mirrors his virtuosity as an actor. Based on a Richard Yates novel this hard hitting drama is indeed revolutionary!

Death and its repercussions

Jade Goody is at it again! But this is remarkably different as it is her curtain call. The final bow of a performer who performs not only in front of the camera but also behind them! Some one who has mediocrity as middle name and a espouser of a class thriving not on self respect/hard work but on state benefits! Public opinion has never been so vehement towards her- for her when she first came into her own by winning Big Brother or against her as she targeted our very own lissome Shilpa shetty. But the thing which overwhelms me here is the manner and comportment in which deaths conquers all! In death one becomes all that which one has missed out in life. Large, voluminous and all conquering. All forgotten and forgiven! Neither questioned nor doubted. Death lends to life a halo which magnifies the wearer and belittles the non- believers. Benazir Bhutto became flawless in her assasination and the subtle stateswoman she could never become when she was alive (To give her credit, her two terms were too short for her to make a difference) Sanjay Gandhi’s tyranny was lost out in his death and JFK’s faults diminished the moment he ceased to live! What is it about death that it manages to bring a turnaround in everyone who lives? Is it the fear or is it the sincere belief that it provides a safer exit which one would not have otherwise. Death brings with it a largesse of peace and a façade of respectability which life either ignores or refuses to give. It makes one larger than life itself and their mistakes as frivolous as life itself! Ah the irony at work!

Also why does Arnab Goswami yell so much? I’m scared of tuning into Times Now as he is forever there- menacing and forbidding!

Funniest thing I’ve heard this week: Barkha Dutt getting some silver award for her coverage of Benazir’s death! Damn, does it mean that we’ll see more and more of her? As if its possible!

What matters and what dosent?

Went to Barista yesterday and am compelled to write. I did not go to my usual haunt but a different one and am sorry to use the words Barista and hate in the same line but I hated this place. Absolutely and enormously. It sucked. The ambience was non existent, the menu different and the service indifferent! That underlines one thing; no one can replace Raju, Ali or Sekar! Does the place matter? It does and how…you don’t feel like home anywhere but at home and the same writ applies here. What is it that makes us react to the same thing differently at different times? Prejudice or plain logic? The interplay of being in the right place at the right time has to have all the ingredients in the prescribed dose, one helping too small or too large and the entire dish is kaput! The manner in which we react to different circumstances or places is a by product of so many cohesive forces that to extrapolate them and explain is no mean task! I’ve learnt my lesson and am going back to my good old Barista next week!

Watched Slum Dog and really liked it, the hype was overt but the movie was entertaining! Destiny is the foundation stone of love and even a pessimist like me sets store by it! Madur Mittal as the eldest Salim was so raw! Such unbridled energy utilised in such a genteel manner. Can’t wait to watch his next! The ending was what clinched it for me, being a sucker for happy endings, the end justified the means!

Crib: Still haven’t watched Dev D or Gulal!
Saddest thing to happen in the last week: Bobby being voted out of Roadies!! Whom do we watch now??

Truth and Dare

I am so hooked to the new game show on star world, Moment Of Truth, it is just so convincing! The plot is simple- win half a million dollars just by speaking the truth! The truth! So surreal yet so ordinary! Infidelity, compromises, lust and voyeurism form the four foundations of this hard hitting reality show! It has devastated families and shocked the audiences, the power of truth when unleashed can contain nothing, no shred of emotion or any trace of sentiment, it’s all there lying before you! You have the courage to face it? Do it at your own peril! One thing which strikes a chord is how uncomfortable truth is, it’s something you’ve always known, always guessed but never had the courage to cross that final threshold! Lying in front of your eyes, teasing you and tantalizing you alternately… playing peek a boo and deceiving you all the time only to destroy you ultimately! Ah the power it withholds! Brutal, vicious and uncompromising the show is as heady as its muse- truth!

Also, why is there ABSOLUTELY nothing worth watching on tv? I prefer watching reruns of Sarabhai and Shrimaan Shrimati than the unadulterated crap we seem to get! Sigh!

Missing: Rakhi Sawant from Tv, she has completely vanished? Low profile?

Lost and Found

My computer died! So that’s my sorry story for the long leave of absence and so much has happened while I was away! Delhi 6 released, Lahore was bombed (now that’s not really uncommon!), and Na bought earrings costing a decade’s budget of 10 BPL families!

First things first, Okay I concede Delhi 6 didn’t live up to the enormous hype or high hopes it created, but then what ever does? Personally I liked the movie, my sis doesn’t believe it though…the cast was amazing (Divya Dutta so suited the role!) and Sonam kapoor looked every inch fabulous. She is by far the best looking girl in town today! The movie tried to convey a message though it didn’t come out convincingly, but then how often can you create a RDB? One major major grouse was the fact that the fantastic songs were not used effectively, but yea, a kala bhandar does exist and the speech by Atul kulkarni said it all!

I like Rehman, honestly I do, and I’m glad that he has got the recognition he deserved but calling him the Mozart of Madras (this is another annoying habit, why do we have to compare ourselves with our western counterparts, call him the Thiagaraja of Tanjore, but no) and falling all over him is so not done! C’mon guys, we’ve had better musicians, only that they have not been recognized by the so coveted west!

Anyways, glad to be back, at least I have finally gotten rid of all those scary internet cafes and the horrid horrid people who prowl there!

chances and misses

Saw luck by chance yesterday...lived up to the expectations and am so glad it did! I have one question though, why was Hrithik wearing a pair of sports shoes with a dhoti? Nevertheless, the movie was fun..like a patched up quilt made of material both soft and rough. Had its poignant moments (specially when Rishi Kapoor cries lamenting that movie making is no longer fun) and its share of witty lines/ winners. Juhi Chawla was so amazing, from her picture in that photo frame to the scene in which she wickedly relishes the dirt spread about Farhan in a gossip magazine! She was just about perfect, "Mintu" was just marvelous. Also the ending was apt,Konkona's line that it's not your fault, some people are just like that...was the best one liner in recent times... there are SO many people for which that one line is the accurate description! Well, next up is Delhi 6...when? when? when?

There is a discount sale just about everywhere in the city(Journey dosent have one though), every damn place has one..its like a shoppers manna from retailers..hope it lasts one more month!The downside is that some places are so full it seems like we are queuing up for darshan at Tirumala (Na)

Hated to see Fedex cry (I was rooting for Nadal though) Still just felt bad when he broke down (I took it personally!) In a perfect world Fedex will win two more slams, be happy and retire...Nadal will beat his record in a few years time. Howzat? game?

moving on

After a conversation with Ra last week about relationships, I was pondering about the status of my few precious ones. As usual what I don't have matters more than what I have...so off went the train of thoughts about all those relationships which crumbled and could not stand still. Why is it almost IMPOSSIBLE to get over someone with whom you've had a fallout? It makes it all the more difficult if the person is of another sex, whether one has had any romantic inclinations or not...and why don't we EVER learn to value a relationship, work on it and realize it's worth while it is there? No, we have to take the hard way out. Maintaining a relationship is by no means an easy task and when it crumbles it takes with it a large chunk of you. It seeks strength from your pain and appears larger than it actually is. The demise of it, one can get over with the passage of time...but the fact that something unique has been lost always rankles! What we take from such broken shards are the throbbing memories which are flung to surface at every instance and the larger dangerous cycles of regret and remorse which lead to the inevitable question of What if? Is life complicated or do we make it so?

Also I so totally loathe everything when my computer has tantrums! It sulks and refuses to listen to me!! If the system works, the net dosent and if both of them miraculously come together on an amazing day it is attacked by Virus/spy ware. The travails of trying to send a mail!!

Another funny thing happened last week, Ash was given the Padma Shri.. for what? for giggling and being silly or because the samajwadi's supported the congress? Seriously? Ash??

To forgive or not?

Last week, Kavitha Karkare,the widow of Hemant Karkare spoke about her husband's death and how life has changed for her. In that very interview the brave lady has made one astonishing comment, that she is ready to forgive Kasab, the only terror-ist who was caught alive. With amazing poise she said that unless he is given a choice how would he change? The enormity of the statement really caught me off guard...Can that happen? Could someone charged of a crime so heinous be changed and the larger question...Can we afford to take a chance? kavita karkare's statement is a testimony of gritty demeanor and of looking beyond the obvious. To not only identify the problem but also identifying its roots and cause. How many of us have wasted time smarting from unintentional insults, wasting our energies in trying not to forget the past. I never can forgive or forget but that some one who has gone through so much can say such a thing really humbles me- petty behavior, impetuous anger and a desire to get even have dominated many a situation in my life and I cannot move on...Is forgiveness as important to the giver as to the taker? To move on and make peace with oneself? To let bygones remain bygones...Is it that easy? I don't know...but the storm raised by that statement cannot be ignored!!
on a less serious note:
Joke of the week: Adsense rejecting my blog for advertising because of objectionable content! Damn lolable!
Grouse of the week: That the enigmatic Nandita Das cannot be seen more often...in movies or otherwise...she's smart,speaks well and looks nice a la Smita Patil..but no we have horrors like Barkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami clogging airtime! Sigh!

Birthdays

Was at one of my closest friend’s Birthday party yesterday (Na’s) and had such a ball! Time flew so effortlessly that my mind buzzed with many conflicting thoughts and questions! To answer a time honored question…Should birthdays be celebrated as people grow older??…my answer, a loud and resonant YES, because as we grow older we tend be so much more cynical, much more wary of life and so painfully aware of our surroundings that any excuse to indulge oneself should be an occasion to celebrate. For many who ask- What is there to celebrate (I’ve been there), I’ll say, celebrate the fact that you can love and be loved in return, take refuge in the fact that such things steady the frantic flow of life, and celebrate for the singular reason that sharing happiness doubles its pleasure! Birthdays are the greatest of such occasions-to laugh mindlessly, to celebrate the joy of being with people you like and most importantly to act as a modicum to transport you to a place where everything is as you want it to be not necessarily how it should be. An excuse to drop propriety and to relapse and regale in rowdy company! Cranky conversations, loud laughter, an underlying fondness and respect for the time spent together (which is soooo reduced these days) made sure that the warmth of the memories will linger on reminding us of those gay abandon times where life consisted of endless lunches and insouciant mirth! Birthdays are special simply because they are such fun!!
More on Delhi 6, the music is simply fantabulous, and the surprise is that two songs are better than the magical Masakalli- Bhor Bhayi, a charming classical number by the delightful Ustad Badhe Ghulam Ali Khan and Gendha Phool a rusty song by Rekha Bharadwaj.Do check out the cheeky lyrics, sheer wordplay! Why can’t Feb 20 arrive any sooner?

The fall and fall of Ekta Kapoor

There was a time when the name Ekta Kapoor inspired dread and envy in equal measures. As the tempestuous czarina of the small screen notched up one hit after another, there seemed to be nothing the blue eyed princess of small screen cannot get away with. Turbulent tantrums, abrasive anger and an almost legendary temper, no one could cross swords with her and not face peril (read extinction from the small screen). As she ruled the smaller screen she set her sights on the bigger one- movies, which ultimately heralded her free fall. Her Bollywood ventures did not live up to the enormous hype and she eventually gave it more of her time thereby neglecting television, her bread and butter! A producer whose volatile temper was well documented and who could make or break careers with a nod of her head (She famously changed the lead actors of her serials like Kasturi and Kavyaanjali overnight apparently because of the sagging trps) finds herself in a diffident situation today. Her flagship shows have made an exit from Star and with her megalomaniacal mahabarat’s untimely demise, Ekta suddenly seems extremely vulnerable. The chinks in her armor began to appear from the time she shifted her focus to the big screen. Her unrelenting grip and complete domination over her fiefdom was compromised and other shows charged ahead. Ekta Kapoor who made coquettish vamps and unbelievable generation leaps a rage suddenly finds herself out of sync with the audience’s tastes and preferences. With only four shows on air, Balaji Telefilms is at its most vulnerable point from the time it stormed the nation’s living rooms with the rib tickling Hum Paanch. Ekta has made it to the top thanks to her unflagging spirit, gritty demeanor and never say die attitude and while no one can really write her off-time alone will tell us whether the quirky queen will stage a comeback (like many of her memorable characters) and answer her detractors or reveal her clay feet and authenticate the claims of her critics who say that she was only a flash in a pan! Over to her highness!

Discounts and dull movies!

Was at the Books and Beyond sale on Sunday. I was a sight to behold, going bonkers at the multicolored arrayed arrangement of books on display. While I was busy satiating my greed, I was also wondering about the innate quality of a being's lust for more. And nothing triggers it off in a worse manner than the word Discounts!! Be it clothes or books, things which are useful or not, and more importantly stuff one can afford or not the word singularly compels you, lures you with the seductive leer of its gaze and disarms you with its innocuous promise of more for less! It has a life of its own and can ward off any competition or protest. The insatiable quest for more has never been more in vogue! I went absolutely bonkers (obviously) and bought some amazing books. All Indian authors and all originals! Satyajit Ray and Mulk raj Anand..Can anybody ask for anything more? A discerning feature was that the books were not stacked according to the amount of discount being offered, one thing which would have made my life (and that of the staff, who were visibly agitated at my amorous glee) easier. I have one ruse though,(again obviously) Odyssey is having a sale(20%) and I can ill afford another shopping binge.sigh!
Watched Australia the same day, it would've been an amazing movie had the interval been the end. It dragged on and on relentless of the needs of the audience. It was shot really well and had its moments of glory but the length made it insufferable. Had a ball though, we managed to eat throughout that looong movie and munched and mumbled as the movie marched on Wish the length was discounted!

Trials and Trends

Why, Why is it absolutely impossible to get a diary I like? Moved heaven and hell to find a Nightingale diary, Black, Trendy No.6 but it was impossible and had to compromise and settle for a Black(Thankfully) Eagle one. All I could find were ghastly things which were either too huge, were spiral bound or too shabby looking! Believe me when I say, I searched each and every shop. People had to just put up a hoarding saying "Diaries available" and lo behold I was accosting them, even to the extent of taking mobile numbers (and bugging them incessantly) of people promising me to get the moon (read the diary I wanted!) All in all, did get to know many stores which I would NEVER have known otherwise, and in the process hit on a fabulous store (Deccan Pens) which just stocks pens and refills, a huge store which even deals with the repairs and maintenance of antique pens. It was quite something! and was huge at that! The silver lining was that I got hold of the number of a Nightingale distributor and have written it down in FIVE places plus three reminders so that I wont have to settle for anything less next year. Future planning, I surpass myself!!
Watched the promos/song of Delhi 6 and fell in love with the stunning Sonam kapoor..the song was all zest and the movie looked real promising. My sister already decided that she loved the movie...Sonam kapoor is quite a changeling, from being gawky and gangling in Saawariya, to an uber confident chick with poise.. she sure traveled great distances in a little over an year. To top it off,she even speaks really well! cant wait to catch Delhi 6 twice!!