Christmas! I bought & decorated a Christmas tree this time. A bit expensive, but boy! Does it loo beautiful. Yesterday on Christmas, we went to our friends' place for Christmas get together. There were so many people who had come in for this get together. It was good to go & meet them.

The couple friends who were hosting this had invited their photography shoot group. There were around 15 people - all enjoying this party! Good for them.
It seems people are having two different images. They want to do everything such as heavy drinking and smoking; however, they want to depict a clean image in front of their elders too. "Oh, I don't want to drink, my parents are around. What will they think? I have a very clean image in front of them." Oh, come on!

My hubby & I were a bit left out though - as we didn't know most of the people who had come in for this party. Four people at the max whom we would have met once or twice earlier & that's about it. And out of these four, we had helped one when her car had broken down - I don't think she still recognized us! Others were totally new & strangers for us. And they acted as strangers. One of the people who came in with his wife - walked in - one by one said hello to all - and by the time I stood up to introduce, he just walked past me - & so did his wife - and started meeting others. I felt as if I were invisible! Or felt like vanishing from there at that very moment! The only thing common between these party people & us was that we also attended the same photography class as them. Nothing else.

We started from the friends place around 12:30 AM & returned home around 1 AM. Took us 30 minutes to reach our home for a distance that takes no more than 5 minutes! And why? Just because it was very very foggy and zero visibility! It was so very difficult to see what was there in front of us or which side we were going. Very difficult drive it was!

Nothing much otherwise. Keep fit & be a hit!

The Legend Lives On

Even after passing away, Michael Jackson as a legend lives on.
On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a new deal with the Jackson estate to extend their distribution rights to his back catalogue until at least 2017, as well as to obtain permission to release ten new albums with previously unreleased material and new collections of released work. On November 4th, 2010 Sony announced the release of "Michael," the first posthumous album set to be released on the 14th of December 2010, with the first single release on November 8, entitled "Breaking News". The deal was unprecedented in the music industry as it is the most expensive music contract pertaining to a single artist in history; it reportedly involved Sony Music paying $250 million for the deal, with the Jackson estate getting the full sum as well as its share of royalties for all works released.

What do I think about it? Honestly, I don't know. I really don't know. Will I buy this new albun? As of now, no. I did hear 'Breaking News' on Michael's website - pained me so much that I couldn't go beyond a quarter of the song.

The work is essentially unreleased work of Michael. If the songs were not a part of the albums initially, it means they were not supposed to be released. And Michael must have given a lot of thought & brainstormed around which songs are the best of the best to be released. Why then? Is it all because of the money? People around him earned when he was alive, many more people are earning when he's gone.

Very few people in recent history have such "charisma" to lead and Michael was one of them.

Karwa Chauth

The fast of Karwa Chauth is of particular importance to all Hindu married women in India. They believe that the festival ensures prosperity, longevity, and overal well-being of their husbands.

The origin of this festival was based on a very sweet and noble idea. Though this idea has lost its true sense as today the whole outlook of this festival has changed.
In the ancient time, girls used to get married at a very early stage, and had to go and live with their in-laws in other villages. After marriage, if she faces any problem with her in-laws or her husband, she would have no one to talk to or seek support from. There used to be no telephones, buses and trains long ago. Her own parents and relatives would be quite far and unreachable. Thus the custom started that, at the time of marriage, when bride would reach her in-laws, she would befriend another woman there who would be her friend or sister for life. It would be like god-friends or god-sisters. Their friendship would be sanctified through a small Hindu ceremony right during the marriage.
Once the bride and this woman had become god-friends or god-sisters, they would remain so all their lives and recognize the relation as such. They would also treat each other like real sisters.
Later in life, if she faces any difficulty related to her husband or in-laws, she would be able to confidently talk or seek help from each other. Thus, Karwa Chauth was started to as a festival to celebrate this relationship between the once-brides and their god-friends (god-sisters). Fasting and praying for husband came later and is secondary. It was probably added, along with other mythical tales, to enhance the festival. The husband would always be associated with this festival, because the day of starting this holy friendship between two god-sisters was essentially the day of bride's marriage to him. Thus, praying and fasting for him by his wife during a celebration of her relationship with the god-friend would be quite logical.
Hence, the festival of Karwa Chauth was to renew and celebrate the relationship between god-friends (god-sisters). It had a tremendous social and cultural significance when world was not having the way to communicate and move around easily.

Festivities

Given the fact that India is a democratic country with people of many religions staying together, there is a string of festivals that follow one after the other. All year through.

October onwards, the number of festivals are the maximum. Be it Navratras, Dushera, Ramadan, Diwali, Eid, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Christmas... And more. Navratras just ended. Dushera was celebrated with much pomp. Karva chauth is round the corner. And so is Diwali. So much fun!

Diwali is a festival of lights in which the diyas are filled with oil/clarified butter and lighted. This signifies the triumph of good over evil. I am eagerly looking forward for Diwali this year because it'll be my first Diwali in my own home. Decorations, light, prayers...

Yaaron, dosti badi hi haseen hai, yeh na ho toh kya phir bolo yeh zindagi hai..

Koi toh ho raazdaar, begaraz tera ho yaar.. Koi toh ho raazdaar...

Yaaron, mohabbat badi hi bandagi hai, yeh na ho toh kya phir bolo yeh zindagi hai..

Koi toh dilbar ho yaar, jisko tujhse ho pyaar.. Koi toh dilbar ho yaar....

Teri har ek buraai pe daante woh dost.. Ghum ki ho dhoop, toh saaya bane woh dost..

Naache bhi woh teri khushi main..

The words of these song, by an amazing Indian singer KK, bring out the essence of friendship & love. Reminds me of some nice memories.

August 29, 1958

August 29, 1958. A legend was born.

Michael Jackson has been the greatest entertainers that our generation has seen. A true legend. Very humble, soft spoken, modest, amazing dancer, and a gifted singer are some of the many qualities that would define Michael.

Take any song & you will find how he has so creatively presented an important topic through his music and short films. Take example of 'Man in the Mirror' (gonna make a change/for once in my life/gonna feel real good/gonna make a difference/gonna make it right/I'm starting with the man in the mirror/I'm asking to change his way/And no messgae could have been any clearer/If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself & make the change) - Every person needs to make a change himself/herself. And that's how a difference is made. Michael's songs have a meaning.

Michael's songs have a lot of entertainment. 'Rock With You', 'Blame it on the Boogie', 'Who's Loving You', 'Invinsible', ... The list would go on.

My love for Michael Jackson as a singer & dancer, and Michael as a person, began way back in 1992. That was around the time when his new album 'Dangerous' had released. And I must, very sincerely, thank one of my friends' who mentioned that Michael Jackson's new album Dangerous is amazing and a must hear. And yes, I did go ahead and buy 'Dangerous'. My first Michael Jackson music cassette. And then began the love for him. It's been 18 years since this all started. And my love for him grows - even when he's not around. He's inspired me to do things that I may or may not have thought of doing otherwise. My love for dance grew stronger. My love for music grew stronger. My want to do and give to people less fortunate than me, grew stronger because of him.

People who did/said bad things for Michael - wanted two things through him. 1- Money. 2- Cheap Publicity. And they got both. Michael gave them money to stop the torture he was going through. And this torture nearly killed his creativity. What these people didn't know & didn't understand that this way to earn money & getting cheap publicity is not the right way. What you earn (money or character) should be because of what you would do.

Even if he is not here with us in a physical form, I know he is there somewhere. And happy.

Reading...

Well, I've been away from my blog for over a month now. Didn't have much to share lately.

What's new at my end? Hmmm, lots. One of the things is that I completed reading 'Shantaram', a novel by Gregory David Roberts. Finally. This book took quite some time to complete - mostly because of the reason that it was very slow in the beginning & at times in between. There were characters who were explained in an entire chapter, same things repeated at times, and so on. A good writing, which wasn't very well edited. However, by the time I ended reading this book, I fell in love with the characters - be it Linbaba, Khaderbhai, Abdullah, Prabhakar, or Kano the bear for that matter. Writing a short review of the book - if anyone is interested in reading this book.

Also, since I was aware of the fact that there was a movie being planned on this book, with Johnny Depp playing the lead of Shantaram and Amitabh Bachchan playing Abdel Khader Khan, I was visualizing Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan while reading the book.

This book is worth a read - at times it is slow - but overall, it's a good read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shantaram - a novel written by Gregory David Roberts, a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escaped from Pentridge Prison and fled to India where he lived for 10 years. This book is believed by some to be based on real events; however, the story and its incidents are largely fictional.

This novel is influenced by real events in the life of the author. In 1978, Roberts was sentenced to nineteen years' imprisonment in Australia after being convicted of a series of armed robberies, which he had committed to feed a heroin addiction after his marriage ended and he lost his daughter. In 1980, he escaped from the prison in broad daylight, thereby becoming one of Australia's most wanted men.

The protagonist arrives in Bombay (now Mumbai) carrying a false passport in the name of Lindsay Ford. Mumbai was only a stopover, but he decides to stay in the city. Lin meets a guide - Prabaker - who soon becomes his best friend. When Lin goes to Prabhakar's village, Lin gets his name 'Shantaram' (meaning Man of God's Peace). On getting robbed while returning to Mumbai, Lin is forced to live in the slums, giving him shelter from the authorities and free rent in Mumbai, where he sets up a free health clinic. During his stay, he learns much of the local culture, including learning Marathi, Mumbai's local language.

This novel describes a number of foreigners too - Karla, Didier, Ulla, and so on. Lin falls in love with Karla, befriends local artists, and is recruited by the Mumbai underworld for various criminal operations. Lin eventually lands in Bombay's Arthur Road Prison; however, Lin is eventually released thanks to the protection of Afghani mafia don "Abdel Khader Khan". Eventually, Lin works in black market currency exchange and passport forgery. Lin later goes to Afghanistan to smuggle weapons for mujahideen freedom fighters in Afghanistan. And it is in Afghanistan that he gets to know the various secrets from Khan and falls into depression after he returns. When his mentor Khan is killed, Lin decides that he must fight for what he believes is right, and build an honest life.

Their is a flow in the way Roberts has written this book. The beginning of the book is a bit slow, only picking up momentum as we progress. There were few chapters that had descripton of various characters in detail, which I feel at times wasn't required in such detail.

Last week, Metro Rail connected Delhi with Gurgaon. It is an elevated Metro line on Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road that connects Delhi with Gurgaon. Before the services began last week, commuting to Gurgaon from MG Road was faster as compared to the NH8 route. Now, even the MG Road has traffic jams. What took 35-40 minutes in peak hours for me to reach from my home to Gurgaon, it has started taking me, on an average, 50-60 minutes to reach Gurgaon. I just hope when the entire work is over, the traffic situation gets better and there are lesser traffic jams.

What is concerning is that in the name of development, there are so many trees that have been cut. And the number of trees that have been cut are high! One day I see few trees & the other day, most of those trees are gone. Cut. Killed. It's kind of sad what we all are doing to our environment in the name of development. Trees are cut, but no new sapling is sown.
What is sad that people don't understand that it is every person's responsibility to take care of the environment. Why say everytime, "It's the Government who'll do everything. It's them who'll do it." Why only the Government? And who are 'them'? It has to begin with "I". It's us who have to bring a change, as a collaborative effort.

And change is difficult. Just because people have to move out of their comfort zone. However, is it impossible? NO. Is it difficult? YES. Is it doable? YES, YES.

Do what you love; Love what you do.

I'm back again. It's another Monday morning and yet again a bit difficult to get back to the groove. Very difficult. I 'need' to though.

Over the past few weeks, or the past few months, I've been thinking whether I really love & enjoy the nature of work I'm into. Or even like it. The answer is No. The only concern area is that I need to continue to do things I don't like, as it's need of the hour. Overburdened with financial responsibility. Only if things would have been simpler. And easier.

I'm always for the fact that "Do what you love & love what you do" - specifically in this order. For this, the foremost thing to do is to find out what exactly is your passion. Do some digging in your innermost thoughts, feelings... If you find it difficult, try taking couselling to find out. Try out the top few things that come to your mind - see what interests you the most. And then simply 'do what you love & love what you do.'

I wish I could do something related to music, dance, art, gymnastics, or history. I know I would have been very very good at one of the above fields. However, it didn't happen. I remember being part of the music & dance classes in my school. I was good at drawing & sketching. I was pretty okay at gymnastics and was part of the gymnastics team at various school functions. When I passed out from school, I had interest in history - I still do - and wanted to be a historian/archaeologist. I was discouraged saying there isn't much money in these fields.

I'm now planning to do something related to art/creative fields. I have to. Watch out world - here I arrive! :-)

May 21, 1991. Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Indian politician, Rajiv Gandhi, assasinated while campaigning for the then upcoming elections.

Come to think of it, the memories of this shocking news are still fresh in my mind. I had woken up late that day - summer vacations, so no school. And then people at home were talking in sad voices. Our maid was talking & crying at the same time. I looked out of the window and found few men with a gloomy look, standing outside someone else's home. On enquiring from my aunt as to what has happened, got to know that Rajiv Gandhi has been assasinated while campaigning for upcoming elections. By a LTTE suicide bomber. I was in tears.

Till date, he has been the only politician whom I found with the 'need' and 'want' to take India forward. He made reforms that made changes to lives of many common people. He was the one to reduce import quotas, taxes & tarrifs on technology-based industries. He also announced National Poily on Education in 1986, with special emphasis on removal of disparities in education. It was due to his efforts that MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) was created in 1986. Not only that, he was also instrumental in creating public call offices or PCOs as they are widely known as to people in India. PCOs helped rural areas to a lot extent in order for them to connect with others through telephones. There were many other initiatives - for example, reducing the voting age for Indians from 21 years to 18 years.

May 21, 2010. 19th death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. 19 long years. I don't cease to wonder how better India could have been if Rajiv Gandhi was still around as our Prime Minister. Things would have been different. For good.

Remembering Rajiv.

Finally I joined the photography workshop early May. It's been 4 classes already - 50 % of the classes already done. So the way this workshop happens is one theory class, followed by a practical wherein we get to apply what we learnt. We get to go out on photo shoots and then those photos are dissected in the next theory class.
I could have learnt the theory basics from Internet or from a book on photography. However, what I could not have learnt is what is good or not in the initial photos I click. That is what exactly makes a difference.
Last time we went to Jantar Mantar for a shoot. We clicked photos in monochrome; I still need to download the photos & get a print. Will post some photos that were better.

Today morning I missed my office bus. It's so very irritating to find the office transport going 3-4 minutes earlier than the time it reaches. I kept on trying to book a cab for nearly an hour to find out that no cab is available till at least noon. All cabs were overbooked! Finally, after multiple calls and follow-ups - fortunately also - a cab finally arrived earlier than noon. And I am in office earlier than anticipated.
Over the past few months I've realized the importance even more of having own transport for commuting to various places. It's so easy to have a car at disposal - just makes life much easier. Small car is good too. There's no dependency on public transport, such as cabs and autos.
Cabs were a call away till a few months back and they were available readily at a time we needed. Obviously, we had to give them a heads-up call 30 minutes in advance - very much understandable. This has changed now though. The cabs are mostly not available at the 30-minute notice. Even if you call them at 8 AM, the cabs will never be available by 8:30 AM. Cabs are always, by default, overbooked nowadays and the call operators refuse to even take the bookings before 2.5 hours a person calls. So, if I call at 8 AM, cabs are overbooked and I'm asked to call again at 10: 30 AM to check if a cab is available or not! Ridiculous!! What if I have an urgency at home? I need to wait for 2.5 hours before I can act on it?
Autos are even worse. They will, 9 out of 10 times, quote an exaggerate amount to take a person from location A to location B. Their fare meters are never working. And then they also refuse to take people to their destinations if they don't want to!
Wishing public transport was better.

Hi. I was on a one week vacation & I must say it was simply amazing!! I went to few places in Delhi & totally enjoyed it. Walked so much that the footwear I walked in kind of wore off.

One of the places I visited was National Museum, which is one of the places I love going now & then. Earlier whenever I went there, it was with friends or classmates or some family member. And it was more like quickly see and finish the entire museum. A big ground, first, and second floor. To be completed within 1 hour. This time, I took all the time in the world to see everything I wanted to see. And it took me a good 3.5 hours to relish what I wanted to see. Took photos of such beautiful pieces of art. Loved the beauty of our history. I am amazed as to how much effort, time, and creativity went into creating art. Beautifully created deities of Vishnu, Natraj, Devi the Goddess, Kali the Goddess, Deepalakshmi, and so on...

Beautiful beatle cutters..

Arms and ammunitions beautifully crafted - swords, daggers, pistols... I saw a sword that acted as a pistol too!

All this left me wondering - what beauty, art, creativity are we leaving for our future generations? Barring a few good painters, sculptors, & counted architects here, where are the sculptors, craftsmen, and architects who created pieces of art? Or is our art meant only people coming from outside & appreciating the art work of our country?

Four years back, we had gone to the beautiful Havelock Island in Andamans. What was amazing about this island were white sand, lovely color of water, and the fact that it was not much explored. Snorkling is a must try at this place; and also scuba diving - if you do know how to swim. What we missed seeing were the dolphins there.

Talking of dolphins, we did find out that there are Gangetic dolphins in Chilika Lake (Orissa). We visited Chilika Lake in December 2008. Again we didn't see the dolphins there. Got a faulty boat that couldn't go till the place where dolphins are sighted. Saw pink flamingos though! I saw pink flamingos for the first time. Nice.

Another day, another hope

Hi. Starting to blog now.

Looking forward to do a lot of things in the next week. Visiting relatives, just doing nothing at times, learning a new recipe, trying my hand at photography, buying a new pair of jeans, theatre, etc. etc. etc.... Basically, doing things I've been wanting to do since ages now. And definitely being happy & relaxed during this time. It'll be a time of total bliss.