Today I am what I am
Because of my yesterday's choices.
And where I shall be tomorrow
Will be decided today.
Of course, this I know.
We can steer our life into
Happiness or sorrow
By the choices we borrow.
We are the captains of our lifeliner
And we choose our course and command our 'Choice'.
Do we choose like a child with hopes, pure admiration; fearless?
Or like a defeated skunk - lost and hopeless?
It is greatness and the quality of our response,
It is our attitude of poise
That gives a glitter to our choice,
That makes us win and rejoice.
And this is the seed I sow for tomorrow
And shall doubtless reap it;
The harvest of choosing right.
Would I be happy while I reap?
Depends on the seed of today.
Even if today I have a sour harvest,
For the morrow, let me choose to seed my best
In the hope of having a fine bounty.
What else can we do other than to choose today?
Either we choose right or lie at life's mercy.
The better way is making our CHOICE TODAY.
Copyright © 2009 Sam Vijay Kumar --- India
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Follow the Light!!!
Today I came across a wonderful blog – Secret Pearls. This blog features beautiful articles / anecdotes of deriving inspiration or messages from Mother Nature to help solve some of everyday problems. Although I would be introducing the blog in my ‘list’, I would like to share one article from the same which I found exceptionally inspiring. Here it goes:
Summer has arrived in Australia but so have the flies! If you have ever been to Australia in the summer months, you would have noticed what a nuisance these flies can be. No matter how many times you shoo them away, they simply show no fear and lazily return to make themselves at home.
One such pesky fly made himself at home in a packet of almonds that lay open on my kitchen bench top. He had worked his way to the back of the packet and it was only after a few failed attempts to chase him out that I realised the fly was gravitating towards light. You see, the back of the packet was facing towards the bright, sunlit window in my kitchen. As soon as I realised this, I turned the packet around so that the opening faced the window and within seconds the fly was free.
This episode reminded me of a time when my family and I went to explore some caves which are situated about four hours drive away from where we live. Armed with only a torch and hard hat each, we were the only people in the cave at the time, except for a fly which had followed us in. Every time we turned our torches off to experience the thick, still darkness around us, we became aware of the fly’s frantic buzzing around our heads, searching for the light. We thought it rather amusing and told all our friends about the new friend we had made, who followed us all the way in and out of the cave.
Even in the darkest cave Mother Nature shares her wisdom with us. I became very aware of the importance of light in our lives; both light in the physical form and light in the spiritual form. I was pondering on some of the spiritual teachings I have heard relating to ‘following the light’ and was taken back to all my dark hours when I felt alone, sad or troubled. It was almost instinctual for me to follow the light.
I naturally gravitated towards ‘light’ sources such as a loving family member, a walk out in nature, lively music or enjoying a happy movie. I am very grateful that those two small pesky flies happened to come along to remind me to always gravitate towards love and happiness.
If you are experiencing the emptiness of darkness around you, remember life’s lesson about the fly and follow your instincts to a happier, loving life…
Follow the Light!
Summer has arrived in Australia but so have the flies! If you have ever been to Australia in the summer months, you would have noticed what a nuisance these flies can be. No matter how many times you shoo them away, they simply show no fear and lazily return to make themselves at home.
One such pesky fly made himself at home in a packet of almonds that lay open on my kitchen bench top. He had worked his way to the back of the packet and it was only after a few failed attempts to chase him out that I realised the fly was gravitating towards light. You see, the back of the packet was facing towards the bright, sunlit window in my kitchen. As soon as I realised this, I turned the packet around so that the opening faced the window and within seconds the fly was free.
This episode reminded me of a time when my family and I went to explore some caves which are situated about four hours drive away from where we live. Armed with only a torch and hard hat each, we were the only people in the cave at the time, except for a fly which had followed us in. Every time we turned our torches off to experience the thick, still darkness around us, we became aware of the fly’s frantic buzzing around our heads, searching for the light. We thought it rather amusing and told all our friends about the new friend we had made, who followed us all the way in and out of the cave.
Even in the darkest cave Mother Nature shares her wisdom with us. I became very aware of the importance of light in our lives; both light in the physical form and light in the spiritual form. I was pondering on some of the spiritual teachings I have heard relating to ‘following the light’ and was taken back to all my dark hours when I felt alone, sad or troubled. It was almost instinctual for me to follow the light.
I naturally gravitated towards ‘light’ sources such as a loving family member, a walk out in nature, lively music or enjoying a happy movie. I am very grateful that those two small pesky flies happened to come along to remind me to always gravitate towards love and happiness.
If you are experiencing the emptiness of darkness around you, remember life’s lesson about the fly and follow your instincts to a happier, loving life…
Follow the Light!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
When life seems like a heap of obstacles…
There often comes a time when life seems a heap of obstacles, a maze full of hurdles and a never-ending tale of woes. When the heart is full of sadness and hope seems like long gone, what should one do? What should one do to lift up ones spirit when the optimism seems to have died down?
I say, strive to move ahead just a small distance, a few steps more. Sometimes those a few steps make all the difference. When you overcome one set of hurdles thinking there are many more beyond it, sometimes there really aren’t any. There just might be a smooth road ahead with lush green beautiful fields surrounding the path to your destination. But, if it isn’t so and there happen to be more hurdles on your way, gather yourself for a few more steps and move ahead. How long can the pain be? How far can the hurdles lie? There has to be an end to it.
God sometimes tests our patience by giving us tasks that we think are difficult to accomplish. But, every test has a time limit. And then, God has to acknowledge that you trust him and thus refuse to give up. Then, he will reward you for your belief and your trust. God’s blessings are great but at times you have to prove yourself worthy of the same.
I say, strive to move ahead just a small distance, a few steps more. Sometimes those a few steps make all the difference. When you overcome one set of hurdles thinking there are many more beyond it, sometimes there really aren’t any. There just might be a smooth road ahead with lush green beautiful fields surrounding the path to your destination. But, if it isn’t so and there happen to be more hurdles on your way, gather yourself for a few more steps and move ahead. How long can the pain be? How far can the hurdles lie? There has to be an end to it.
God sometimes tests our patience by giving us tasks that we think are difficult to accomplish. But, every test has a time limit. And then, God has to acknowledge that you trust him and thus refuse to give up. Then, he will reward you for your belief and your trust. God’s blessings are great but at times you have to prove yourself worthy of the same.
Of the Euthanasia ki Guzaarish and the Gypsy Prince Zangoora
After the extremely hectic last week of November, I decided to return to my blog with two magical experiences. Two things I managed to catch up in one week, which in itself is saying a lot, include the most inspiring movie of the decade if not the century, Guzaarish and the Broadway style Bollywood musical, Zangoora. Poles apart and yet both of them are an experience of a lifetime.
There are no words to describe Guzaarish. That Bhansali’s magic weaves a heart-warming story, is not something new I am going to say here. Every film review says that. That it’s Bhansali’s best work, paralleled only by Black if at all, is also not something new I can tell you about the film. So how best should I describe Guzaarish? I think it is best to say that when you see Guzaarish, deep inside you feel the power to counter any difficulty in life. You realize that just when you feel you cannot go on, the spirit inside you whispers in your ear to take one further step, one at a time. And most of all, you learn that it’s possible to be happy in adversities. It’s a serious subject, but the movie is far from serious. Every moment in the film is magical; right from the flashback scenes of Hrithik’s heydays as a magician to his silent love story with Aishwarya. As happy as it is sentimental; the film is a lesson on life. It teaches you not to be bogged down by the difficulties in your life; just like Ethan (the protagonist played brilliantly by Hrithik) who did not sob over his lost abilities and his fickled fame. It teaches you not to take things on face value; as from seeing jolly and effervescent Ethan it is hard to guess how deep the suffering lies. It teaches you that all relationships are not based on give and take; as Sophia could hardly expect something in return from Ethan – nothing actually apart from a silent love. I cried. I cried my heart out for Ethan, when his mother supports his case for Euthanasia in front of the judge. I cried when his mother dies and he smiles and sings a song for her with tears rolling down his eyes: “And I say to myself, what a beautiful world”. I was especially touched when he locks away the public prosecutor on the pretext of a magic trick to make him realize what he has been feeling for 14 years, when the prosecutor got chocked in 60 seconds.
The performances were natural and effortless; which considering the complexities of the characters played by the lead cast of Hrithik and Aishwarya defines their versatility and potential as seasoned actors. Just as you enjoy the sweet bickering between Ethan and Sophia, it is evident that these are their best performances ever. Aishwarya looks gorgeous than ever, and Hrithik, well, what might be said of him. If any actor has matched up to what Amitabh Bachchhan had achieved with Black, it can only be Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish. Hrithik has paralleled Big B’s artistic vigour, screen presence and art, if not surpassed it. And, the dear readers might agree that Black had in fact set new standards in performance. People tell me Guzaarish has been a commercial disaster. I tell them that it is our audience’s misfortune that they do not have the ability to appreciate the cinematic art in its best form ever.
Now, coming to Zangoora, the Bollywood musical playing at the Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon. It is an experience of a lifetime (obviously you don’t expect to shell out that kind of money again to see something I have already seen). It is supposed to be like Broadway musical shows they have in the West. Now, I cannot comment on that having never seen one in my life before. But, whether or not it matches up to the Broadway musicals, Zangoora is as typical Indian in soul as any show can be. It is clichéd and predictive with a story hackneyed as many times as the typical 70s and 80s bollywood movies have been made. The traitor friend, the lost son who grows up oblivious to his real identity under the sugary sweet surrogate mother’s love, two girls in love with the same guy who happens to be a darling of everyone, a rich girl and a poor boy love story eventually turning out to be a rich boy and a poor girl’s story instead, everyone breaking into a dance at the ring of a note, you imagine and the typical bollywood masala is there served on a platter. Now, the day I saw Zangoora, neither Hussain Kuwajerwala nor Gauhar Khan were performing and the less said about Kashmira Irani the better; so I would restrain from talking about the performances of the lead cast; but the substitute actors were good in their own right. Nitin Goyal who took Hussain’s place was okay, The girl who took Gauhar’s place to play Lachhi (have forgotten her name) danced very well. Kashmira can neither boast of acting nor dancing but her talent lies in performing in the air with the harness in place, something which Nitin missed in terms of elegance.
But, the presentation was amazing. From Nitin and Kashmira entering on harnesses from over the crowds, to stage setup with the use of multiple screens giving a 3D like layered impact to projection of images, to the choice of songs and dance moves; everything was praiseworthy. The best part was Nitin performing the magician act. We have not been able to guess how he could pass the hoollop through the girl supposedly lying down in the air. Even the finale was great, I guess, playing the only original song in the show (which incidentally has music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy) and every performer dancing on stage and stairs and aisles making the audience also rise and do a jig. The Kingdom of Dreams staff, not the performers on stage, was completing the ambience by whistling at strategic scenes like when Nitin / Hussain tears off his shirt and throws it off in the audience showing off a neat six-pack abs. Overall an amazing show, a must watch.
There are no words to describe Guzaarish. That Bhansali’s magic weaves a heart-warming story, is not something new I am going to say here. Every film review says that. That it’s Bhansali’s best work, paralleled only by Black if at all, is also not something new I can tell you about the film. So how best should I describe Guzaarish? I think it is best to say that when you see Guzaarish, deep inside you feel the power to counter any difficulty in life. You realize that just when you feel you cannot go on, the spirit inside you whispers in your ear to take one further step, one at a time. And most of all, you learn that it’s possible to be happy in adversities. It’s a serious subject, but the movie is far from serious. Every moment in the film is magical; right from the flashback scenes of Hrithik’s heydays as a magician to his silent love story with Aishwarya. As happy as it is sentimental; the film is a lesson on life. It teaches you not to be bogged down by the difficulties in your life; just like Ethan (the protagonist played brilliantly by Hrithik) who did not sob over his lost abilities and his fickled fame. It teaches you not to take things on face value; as from seeing jolly and effervescent Ethan it is hard to guess how deep the suffering lies. It teaches you that all relationships are not based on give and take; as Sophia could hardly expect something in return from Ethan – nothing actually apart from a silent love. I cried. I cried my heart out for Ethan, when his mother supports his case for Euthanasia in front of the judge. I cried when his mother dies and he smiles and sings a song for her with tears rolling down his eyes: “And I say to myself, what a beautiful world”. I was especially touched when he locks away the public prosecutor on the pretext of a magic trick to make him realize what he has been feeling for 14 years, when the prosecutor got chocked in 60 seconds.
The performances were natural and effortless; which considering the complexities of the characters played by the lead cast of Hrithik and Aishwarya defines their versatility and potential as seasoned actors. Just as you enjoy the sweet bickering between Ethan and Sophia, it is evident that these are their best performances ever. Aishwarya looks gorgeous than ever, and Hrithik, well, what might be said of him. If any actor has matched up to what Amitabh Bachchhan had achieved with Black, it can only be Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish. Hrithik has paralleled Big B’s artistic vigour, screen presence and art, if not surpassed it. And, the dear readers might agree that Black had in fact set new standards in performance. People tell me Guzaarish has been a commercial disaster. I tell them that it is our audience’s misfortune that they do not have the ability to appreciate the cinematic art in its best form ever.
Now, coming to Zangoora, the Bollywood musical playing at the Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon. It is an experience of a lifetime (obviously you don’t expect to shell out that kind of money again to see something I have already seen). It is supposed to be like Broadway musical shows they have in the West. Now, I cannot comment on that having never seen one in my life before. But, whether or not it matches up to the Broadway musicals, Zangoora is as typical Indian in soul as any show can be. It is clichéd and predictive with a story hackneyed as many times as the typical 70s and 80s bollywood movies have been made. The traitor friend, the lost son who grows up oblivious to his real identity under the sugary sweet surrogate mother’s love, two girls in love with the same guy who happens to be a darling of everyone, a rich girl and a poor boy love story eventually turning out to be a rich boy and a poor girl’s story instead, everyone breaking into a dance at the ring of a note, you imagine and the typical bollywood masala is there served on a platter. Now, the day I saw Zangoora, neither Hussain Kuwajerwala nor Gauhar Khan were performing and the less said about Kashmira Irani the better; so I would restrain from talking about the performances of the lead cast; but the substitute actors were good in their own right. Nitin Goyal who took Hussain’s place was okay, The girl who took Gauhar’s place to play Lachhi (have forgotten her name) danced very well. Kashmira can neither boast of acting nor dancing but her talent lies in performing in the air with the harness in place, something which Nitin missed in terms of elegance.
But, the presentation was amazing. From Nitin and Kashmira entering on harnesses from over the crowds, to stage setup with the use of multiple screens giving a 3D like layered impact to projection of images, to the choice of songs and dance moves; everything was praiseworthy. The best part was Nitin performing the magician act. We have not been able to guess how he could pass the hoollop through the girl supposedly lying down in the air. Even the finale was great, I guess, playing the only original song in the show (which incidentally has music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy) and every performer dancing on stage and stairs and aisles making the audience also rise and do a jig. The Kingdom of Dreams staff, not the performers on stage, was completing the ambience by whistling at strategic scenes like when Nitin / Hussain tears off his shirt and throws it off in the audience showing off a neat six-pack abs. Overall an amazing show, a must watch.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Of Coach Carter and Kites!!
This weekend was one of the most hectic weekends ever. But the best point was that I was still able to catch up on two movies I had not seen earlier. The first of the two, the Samuel L. Jackson starrer 2005 film Coach Carter, was an excellent movie. The film is supposedly based on a true story about a Basketball Coach, Ken Carter (Jackson in an amazingly endearing performance), who believes that there is life beyond Basketball for the boys on his team and forces them to sign contracts to achieve a 2.3 / C+ in their studies as a pre-condition to continue on the team. And then when some of them fall short on their goals, he locks out the entire so-far undefeated team from practice and tournaments amid widespread protests and media cry. The boys finally forced to meet their scores make it to the State championship but lose in the opening game. Nevertheless, they do excel in their lives, go to Colleges, earn Scholarships and make respectable Careers.
So much for the synopsis; but, the movie was a time well spent. Not only was it a technically well-made movie with a taut screenplay and near-perfect performances from everyone, I personally liked it because it did, in some way, resonate my viewpoints on education and career. No matter whether you excel in sports, arts or any other area, education is very important. It instills in you a sense of discipline, security and confidence, even though you may not choose to earn a living out of it. The mode with which a person earns one's living is a personal choice and one may choose the path that gives us maximum satisfaction. Satisfaction is important for happiness and one must enjoy and feel passionate about what one does. But, basic education is important and that should not be rejected. And that was what Ken Carter ensured for his team-members.
Coming to Kites, I had heard a lot of negative reviews from people who had watched the same on movie theatres. Personally, I saw it on TV and I found it 'okay' for a TV viewing although I wonder whether a movie that looks 'okay' on TV would look 'bad' on the big screen. If one momentarily forgets the costs involved in the big screen viewing, the effect of a big screen and modern sound systems in movie theatres is such that they make mediocre movies look good. The cinematography is enhanced and the sound systems echo the minutest of the chords. This should generally make a good viewing. But, watching a movie in Theatres involves so high costs nowadays that if people say the movie is not good, they usually only mean that it's not worth the ticket price. For a cheaper price tag, it just might as well been fine. This was for movies in general but Kites is a rather special case in point. For starters, it's not a conventional Hindi movie. In fact, to publicize it as International Version and Hindi Version was a wrong strategy as the so-called Hindi Version hardly has any Hindi dialogues and the only thing Hindi about it is the subtitles. This film should have been publicized as an "International film in Spanish-English with Hindi sub-titles". In that case, it should ideally have worked with a niche audience.
For a brief synopsis, the film is a modern-day rehash of 'Ek duje ke liye' where the male and female protagonists do not speak each other's language and yet fall in love and fight it out to be together. However, the drama of 'Ek duje ke liye' has here been replaced by a thrilling action and fast-paced car chases by including the gangsters in the plot. People say there is no story. There is actually, only it's an old, stale and 100-times-retold one. The screenplay is above-average as it keeps one glued to the screen, not to mention that you just cannot take your eyes off the screen for two more absolutely genuine reasons: (1) Hrithik's chiseled Greek-god looks hold your gaze; and (2) how do you intend to understand the film without READING the sub-titles of the Spanish dialogues which happen to make at least 40-50% of the whole speaking time of the characters. Even Barbara Mori's English is most of the time illegible. The cinematography is top-notch. Watch the breath-taking landscape in the climax scene where Hrithik stands atop a cliff and cries out in pain. Last but not least, the performances were neat with Hrithik excelling in a difficult role. He is undoubtedly the best actor in Industry today and is milestones ahead of all his contemporaries in business. The guy is amazing. He dances like a dream, makes you smile and laugh in the lighter scenes and is so essentially believable in the emotional scenes that the audiences' heart goes out to him. The scene where he tries to send Barbara off with his friend on the pretext of taking her to a hospital is impeccably unforgettable. The look in his eyes, the pain, and the despair – it speaks volumes about what a great actor he is. Even Barbara is good. She complements Hrithik in every scene she shares space with him. Unfortunately, her speech is not clear, even in English and this girl may not find a place in Bollywood in future. Nevertheless, she is refreshingly in form here. The baddie, Nick Brown as Tony Grover, is as menacing as can be and is a fine performer himself. One thing I did not understand is why Kangana Ranaut did this miniscule role. She hardly had 4 scenes and 2 dialogues and is altogether ignored after her beau elopes with her Mexican bhabhi-to-be. Nobody cares to show what the desperately-in-love girl goes through while her brother is chasing all over to kill her boyfriend and his fiancée.
All in all, an entertaining weekend with the heart-warming Coach Carter and the not-SO-disappointing Kites.
So much for the synopsis; but, the movie was a time well spent. Not only was it a technically well-made movie with a taut screenplay and near-perfect performances from everyone, I personally liked it because it did, in some way, resonate my viewpoints on education and career. No matter whether you excel in sports, arts or any other area, education is very important. It instills in you a sense of discipline, security and confidence, even though you may not choose to earn a living out of it. The mode with which a person earns one's living is a personal choice and one may choose the path that gives us maximum satisfaction. Satisfaction is important for happiness and one must enjoy and feel passionate about what one does. But, basic education is important and that should not be rejected. And that was what Ken Carter ensured for his team-members.
Coming to Kites, I had heard a lot of negative reviews from people who had watched the same on movie theatres. Personally, I saw it on TV and I found it 'okay' for a TV viewing although I wonder whether a movie that looks 'okay' on TV would look 'bad' on the big screen. If one momentarily forgets the costs involved in the big screen viewing, the effect of a big screen and modern sound systems in movie theatres is such that they make mediocre movies look good. The cinematography is enhanced and the sound systems echo the minutest of the chords. This should generally make a good viewing. But, watching a movie in Theatres involves so high costs nowadays that if people say the movie is not good, they usually only mean that it's not worth the ticket price. For a cheaper price tag, it just might as well been fine. This was for movies in general but Kites is a rather special case in point. For starters, it's not a conventional Hindi movie. In fact, to publicize it as International Version and Hindi Version was a wrong strategy as the so-called Hindi Version hardly has any Hindi dialogues and the only thing Hindi about it is the subtitles. This film should have been publicized as an "International film in Spanish-English with Hindi sub-titles". In that case, it should ideally have worked with a niche audience.
For a brief synopsis, the film is a modern-day rehash of 'Ek duje ke liye' where the male and female protagonists do not speak each other's language and yet fall in love and fight it out to be together. However, the drama of 'Ek duje ke liye' has here been replaced by a thrilling action and fast-paced car chases by including the gangsters in the plot. People say there is no story. There is actually, only it's an old, stale and 100-times-retold one. The screenplay is above-average as it keeps one glued to the screen, not to mention that you just cannot take your eyes off the screen for two more absolutely genuine reasons: (1) Hrithik's chiseled Greek-god looks hold your gaze; and (2) how do you intend to understand the film without READING the sub-titles of the Spanish dialogues which happen to make at least 40-50% of the whole speaking time of the characters. Even Barbara Mori's English is most of the time illegible. The cinematography is top-notch. Watch the breath-taking landscape in the climax scene where Hrithik stands atop a cliff and cries out in pain. Last but not least, the performances were neat with Hrithik excelling in a difficult role. He is undoubtedly the best actor in Industry today and is milestones ahead of all his contemporaries in business. The guy is amazing. He dances like a dream, makes you smile and laugh in the lighter scenes and is so essentially believable in the emotional scenes that the audiences' heart goes out to him. The scene where he tries to send Barbara off with his friend on the pretext of taking her to a hospital is impeccably unforgettable. The look in his eyes, the pain, and the despair – it speaks volumes about what a great actor he is. Even Barbara is good. She complements Hrithik in every scene she shares space with him. Unfortunately, her speech is not clear, even in English and this girl may not find a place in Bollywood in future. Nevertheless, she is refreshingly in form here. The baddie, Nick Brown as Tony Grover, is as menacing as can be and is a fine performer himself. One thing I did not understand is why Kangana Ranaut did this miniscule role. She hardly had 4 scenes and 2 dialogues and is altogether ignored after her beau elopes with her Mexican bhabhi-to-be. Nobody cares to show what the desperately-in-love girl goes through while her brother is chasing all over to kill her boyfriend and his fiancée.
All in all, an entertaining weekend with the heart-warming Coach Carter and the not-SO-disappointing Kites.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Be the Best Whatever You Are
In my life, I have been trying to make the best of all opportunities I have had so far. I know I may not be comparable to my peers in some way or the other, for I may lack some of the qualities they may have. But then, correspondingly, they may lack some of the qualities I may have too. It's all situational. It's all subjective. Some people call it Karma, some call it destiny. But, whatever name you give it, the point is that we all try to make the best of what we get. I too am trying to make the best of my capabilities. I hope I succeed in whichever endeavor I take up.
Just surfing through the net, I stumbled upon this very nice and meaningful poem. Hope it inspires many more people the way it inspires me.
Be the Best Whatever You Are
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill
Be a scrub in the valley--but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway some happier make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass--
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,
And the task we must do is the near.
If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail--
- Douglas Malloch
Be the Best Whatever You Are
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill
Be a scrub in the valley--but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway some happier make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass--
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,
And the task we must do is the near.
If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail--
Be the best of whatever you are!
- Douglas Malloch
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I pray to God...
I pray to God so kind
To lead me away from the blindIf darkness shrouds me today
I trust it will soon go away
For God is my light
For God is my light
I pray to God so humane
Not to keep me away from trials insane
But to give me strength to fight
The battles with all my might
For God is my strength
For God is my strength
I pray to God so generous
To give me knowledge precious
To guide through the high tide
To help towards prosperity stride
For God is my wisdom
For God is my wisdom
I pray to God so benign
To let me win hearts divine
To make me amiable and humble
Affectionate, benevolent, gracious and gentle
For God is my tolerance
For God is my tolerance
Monday, June 7, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Art of being happy!!
We all talk about being happy and remaining happy. We tell others to do so all the time. But then, how does one remain happy? What constitutes happiness? And, what can one do to be and remain happy?
Okay, if you are wondering why I am stating all these questions here today, then the reason is a small get-together I had with my cousins. It was not a festive occasion and we had not planned the get-together. A close relative had expired after a prolonged incapacitation. Of course we were sad but our hearts also went out to him for whom it was a peaceful end to misery. Now, we cousins just sat together discussing a lot of things when one of them mentioned her and her family’s association with the ISKCON Temple. She told us how the teachings of Shri Bhagwat Geeta, being popularized by the people associated with the Temple, have brought changes in their lives. She said that the entire family; she, her husband, her two lovely daughters and an infant son, her sister-in-law; all of them have gained from the teachings and that now they are much more at peace with themselves and feel the happiness within.
That got me thinking how spirituality or religion can make someone happy. She sought and got happiness in the teachings of Geeta and in volunteering to further spread them to other people. But, is it necessary to go to Temples and listen to sermons to ensure happiness within? Another of my relative, my Bhabhi, finds solace and happiness in the teachings of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, ‘The Art of Living’. She too has taken an initiative of spreading the teachings to others through prayer songs. It brings her happiness, joy and revelry.
Then again there is a different set of people I often come across. People who go clubbing, attend parties and enjoy dancing at discotheques are quite in number. Some drink and have fun, with (or at times without) friends. They say they find happiness in that. They don’t find the same feeling by drowning themselves in the God’s spirit. They live for the day and don’t worry about their future. Most of them are doing well in their personal lives, they spend lavishly and tend to forget their career and family related tensions in their loud, grand and feisty idea of having fun. To them this is being happy and blissful.
Yet others find joys of reading, travelling, listening to music and, in short, pursuing their interests and hobbies as means to gain happiness. They take time out for themselves and do what they like. For that moment, they too forget their troubles and drown themselves in their own blissful corner of enchanting thoughts. Does that mean pursuing one’s own interests brings happiness? Or ignoring everything else, including family, friends and work means the person is rather being self-centered?
This makes me think again. And thought I have. It made me conclude that happiness is basically a choice that we make for ourselves. Somewhere deep down we decide for ourselves how we want to be happy. We ourselves, consciously or sub-consciously, choose our source of happiness. Be it the spiritual or the worldly pleasures. The source of people’s happiness is basically a choice they have made for themselves. Now, I would refrain from saying which is a better choice because that again should not be my prerogative. Besides, every individual is entitled to make his/her decisions and choices: to each his own.
I can only say about my choices. I too have chosen to be happy. But, to be happy neither have I chosen to open a virtual spiritual door (not yet at least) nor have I adopted a devil-may-care attitude and resorted to ‘worldly pleasures’. Instead, I have chosen not to delve on the past and rather work on my present and look forward towards my future. I will not think about what my future could have been had my past been different. (Please note I use different and not better). I revel in the company of my most wonderful family and precious friends. I find happiness in simple pleasures like spending time with my daughter and mom; catching up with my sisters, going shopping and to restaurants; chatting with my friends (on phone, messengers, mails and even SNSs); and having work on my hands to accomplish. Once in a while I do enjoy pursuing my interests and likes. But, all in all, I rejoice in what I have accomplished in my life till now; I pride in my personal growth; and I look forwards to challenges lying ahead (even if to test myself and know how well I may be able to handle them). Every day, I celebrate my existence and I love my being. THAT makes ME happy. THAT is what I choose for myself.
Okay, if you are wondering why I am stating all these questions here today, then the reason is a small get-together I had with my cousins. It was not a festive occasion and we had not planned the get-together. A close relative had expired after a prolonged incapacitation. Of course we were sad but our hearts also went out to him for whom it was a peaceful end to misery. Now, we cousins just sat together discussing a lot of things when one of them mentioned her and her family’s association with the ISKCON Temple. She told us how the teachings of Shri Bhagwat Geeta, being popularized by the people associated with the Temple, have brought changes in their lives. She said that the entire family; she, her husband, her two lovely daughters and an infant son, her sister-in-law; all of them have gained from the teachings and that now they are much more at peace with themselves and feel the happiness within.
That got me thinking how spirituality or religion can make someone happy. She sought and got happiness in the teachings of Geeta and in volunteering to further spread them to other people. But, is it necessary to go to Temples and listen to sermons to ensure happiness within? Another of my relative, my Bhabhi, finds solace and happiness in the teachings of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, ‘The Art of Living’. She too has taken an initiative of spreading the teachings to others through prayer songs. It brings her happiness, joy and revelry.
Then again there is a different set of people I often come across. People who go clubbing, attend parties and enjoy dancing at discotheques are quite in number. Some drink and have fun, with (or at times without) friends. They say they find happiness in that. They don’t find the same feeling by drowning themselves in the God’s spirit. They live for the day and don’t worry about their future. Most of them are doing well in their personal lives, they spend lavishly and tend to forget their career and family related tensions in their loud, grand and feisty idea of having fun. To them this is being happy and blissful.
Yet others find joys of reading, travelling, listening to music and, in short, pursuing their interests and hobbies as means to gain happiness. They take time out for themselves and do what they like. For that moment, they too forget their troubles and drown themselves in their own blissful corner of enchanting thoughts. Does that mean pursuing one’s own interests brings happiness? Or ignoring everything else, including family, friends and work means the person is rather being self-centered?
This makes me think again. And thought I have. It made me conclude that happiness is basically a choice that we make for ourselves. Somewhere deep down we decide for ourselves how we want to be happy. We ourselves, consciously or sub-consciously, choose our source of happiness. Be it the spiritual or the worldly pleasures. The source of people’s happiness is basically a choice they have made for themselves. Now, I would refrain from saying which is a better choice because that again should not be my prerogative. Besides, every individual is entitled to make his/her decisions and choices: to each his own.
I can only say about my choices. I too have chosen to be happy. But, to be happy neither have I chosen to open a virtual spiritual door (not yet at least) nor have I adopted a devil-may-care attitude and resorted to ‘worldly pleasures’. Instead, I have chosen not to delve on the past and rather work on my present and look forward towards my future. I will not think about what my future could have been had my past been different. (Please note I use different and not better). I revel in the company of my most wonderful family and precious friends. I find happiness in simple pleasures like spending time with my daughter and mom; catching up with my sisters, going shopping and to restaurants; chatting with my friends (on phone, messengers, mails and even SNSs); and having work on my hands to accomplish. Once in a while I do enjoy pursuing my interests and likes. But, all in all, I rejoice in what I have accomplished in my life till now; I pride in my personal growth; and I look forwards to challenges lying ahead (even if to test myself and know how well I may be able to handle them). Every day, I celebrate my existence and I love my being. THAT makes ME happy. THAT is what I choose for myself.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
May God bless the departed souls!
A few days ago, two major tragedies struck India. Two accidents, gruesome in their nature, took away numerous lives: The Mangalore Plane crash and the Bihar Train derailing. My heart goes out to the departed souls; may they rest in peace. My prayers are with their families; may they find comfort in their hours of grief. Death is inevitable eventually, but the suddenness of parting with near and dear ones, moreover hale and hearty joyously bubbling people, pierces ones heart apart. But such is fate and we cannot fight it out. In God’s will we must abide and in his mercy we must rejoice.
I would like to put down a small prayer for all the departed souls:
When sorrow comes, as come it must,
In God a man must place his trust.
There is no power in mortal speech
The anguish of his soul to reach,
No voice, however sweet and low,
Can comfort him or ease the blow.
He cannot from his fellow men
Take strength that will sustain him then.
With all that kindly hands will do,
And all that love may offer, too,
He must believe throughout the test
That God has willed it for the best.
We who would be his friends are dumb;
Words from our lips but feebly come;
We feel, as we extend our hands,
That one Power only understands
And truly knows the reason why
So beautiful a soul must die.
We realize how helpless then
Are all the gifts of mortal men.
No words which we have power to say
Can take the sting of grief away -
That Power which marks the sparrow's fall
Must comfort and sustain us all.
When sorrow comes, as come it must,
In God, a man must place his trust.
With all the wealth which he may own,
He cannot meet the test alone,
And only he may stand serene
Who has a faith on which to lean.
- Edgar A. Guest
I would like to put down a small prayer for all the departed souls:
In God a man must place his trust.
There is no power in mortal speech
The anguish of his soul to reach,
No voice, however sweet and low,
Can comfort him or ease the blow.
He cannot from his fellow men
Take strength that will sustain him then.
With all that kindly hands will do,
And all that love may offer, too,
He must believe throughout the test
That God has willed it for the best.
We who would be his friends are dumb;
Words from our lips but feebly come;
We feel, as we extend our hands,
That one Power only understands
And truly knows the reason why
So beautiful a soul must die.
We realize how helpless then
Are all the gifts of mortal men.
No words which we have power to say
Can take the sting of grief away -
That Power which marks the sparrow's fall
Must comfort and sustain us all.
When sorrow comes, as come it must,
In God, a man must place his trust.
With all the wealth which he may own,
He cannot meet the test alone,
And only he may stand serene
Who has a faith on which to lean.
- Edgar A. Guest
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Give me wings... I wanna fly!!!
I wanna fly!!! Give me wings… I wish to go high, higher, highest… With the blue sky and floating clouds… and beautiful sunshine… Bliss… Happiness… Heaven…
After reading my last post, one of my dearest friends sent me few lines, and was sweet enough to dedicate them to me. I loved them and am really touched. I wish to share them here so that they may inspire others who read them, just as they inspired me.
Pankhon ko hawa zara si lagne do
Dil bole soya tha ab jagne do
Dil dil mein hain dil ki tammana sau
Do sau hon chalo zara sa tapne do
Udne do udne do
Hawa zara si lagne do soya tha ab jagne do
Pankhon ko hawa zara si lagne do
Dhoop khili jism garam sa hai
Suraj yahin yeh bharam sa hai
Bikhri huyi raahein hazaron sau
Thaamo koi phir bhatakne do
Udne do udne do
Dil ki patang chahon mein gotey khaati hai
Dheel toh do dekho kahan pe jaati hai
Uljhe nahin toh kaise suljhoge
Bikhre nahin toh kaise nikhroge
Udne do udne do
Thanks, my friend. Just be there to support me always. :)
P.S. Sorry for people who do not understand Hindi. I wouldn’t like to translate them to English lest they lose their essence.
After reading my last post, one of my dearest friends sent me few lines, and was sweet enough to dedicate them to me. I loved them and am really touched. I wish to share them here so that they may inspire others who read them, just as they inspired me.
Pankhon ko hawa zara si lagne do
Dil bole soya tha ab jagne do
Dil dil mein hain dil ki tammana sau
Do sau hon chalo zara sa tapne do
Udne do udne do
Hawa zara si lagne do soya tha ab jagne do
Pankhon ko hawa zara si lagne do
Dhoop khili jism garam sa hai
Suraj yahin yeh bharam sa hai
Bikhri huyi raahein hazaron sau
Thaamo koi phir bhatakne do
Udne do udne do
Dil ki patang chahon mein gotey khaati hai
Dheel toh do dekho kahan pe jaati hai
Uljhe nahin toh kaise suljhoge
Bikhre nahin toh kaise nikhroge
Udne do udne do
Thanks, my friend. Just be there to support me always. :)
P.S. Sorry for people who do not understand Hindi. I wouldn’t like to translate them to English lest they lose their essence.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
… because life’s all about being happy!
Over the last few days, I have observed a change in myself. There’s no denying that I have challenges in front of me, and that the same have been there for quite some time now; but, there is a new vigour to take them head on now. Sub-consciously, I have decided to take charge of my life. I have decided to move on. I don’t hide behind lies anymore. Now, I don’t feel ashamed to come out and speak the truth. It’s a new found freedom. And I’m loving it.
I feel a renewed strength somewhere. I am sure it has always been there but its resurgence now is very opportune. My self-confidence is at its peak and I hope I can channelize it well. I believe in God and I trust that if God gets you to it, he will get you through it. So, I am prepared for the challenges facing me. What I am not prepared for is giving up. And at the end of the dark tunnel, I see a golden light – the light of redemption. I will not let sadness hold my way now. My past is gone, I will not let it mar my future anymore.
They say, strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender, that is strength. I have made a decision, a resolution. I will be strong, come what may. I will not give up. If I have to put up a fight, it’s going to be a hard fight for sure. At the end then, it won’t matter if I win or lose. Life’s all about being happy. And I have now decided to be happy. Always.
I remind myself then, some precious words by Robert Frost:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
They say, strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender, that is strength. I have made a decision, a resolution. I will be strong, come what may. I will not give up. If I have to put up a fight, it’s going to be a hard fight for sure. At the end then, it won’t matter if I win or lose. Life’s all about being happy. And I have now decided to be happy. Always.
I remind myself then, some precious words by Robert Frost:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Friendship
Friendship needs no studied phrases,
Polished face, or winning wiles;
Friendship deals no lavish praises,
Friendship dons no surface smiles.
Friendship follows nature's diction,
Shuns the blandishments of art,
Boldly severs truth from fiction,
Speakes the language of the heart.
Friendship favors no condition,
Scorns a narrow-minded creed,
Lovingly fulfills its mission,
Be it word or be it deed.
Friendship cheers the faint and weary,
Makes the timid spirit brave,
Warns the erring, lights the dreary,
Smooths the passage to the grave.
Friendship-pure, unselfish friendship,
All through life's allotted span,
Nurtures, strengthens, widens, lengthens,
Man's relationship with man.
- Author Unknown
Polished face, or winning wiles;
Friendship deals no lavish praises,
Friendship dons no surface smiles.
Friendship follows nature's diction,
Shuns the blandishments of art,
Boldly severs truth from fiction,
Speakes the language of the heart.
Friendship favors no condition,
Scorns a narrow-minded creed,
Lovingly fulfills its mission,
Be it word or be it deed.
Friendship cheers the faint and weary,
Makes the timid spirit brave,
Warns the erring, lights the dreary,
Smooths the passage to the grave.
Friendship-pure, unselfish friendship,
All through life's allotted span,
Nurtures, strengthens, widens, lengthens,
Man's relationship with man.
- Author Unknown
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Speech by Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis...
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
"Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
One thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up?
It's ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, fall in love, little fights with your spouse. We are people, not programmed devices.
"Don't be serious, be sincere."!
Note: This post includes extracts from the Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, Pune on June 23, 2008 By Chetan Bhagat
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Vrindavan - Maa Vaishnodevi Statue
Clicked this picture on a recent trip to Vrindavan. The statue is far more prettier in reality than on Camera.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Fighter
I fight a battle every day
Against discouragement and fear;
Some foe stands always in my way,
The path ahead is never clear!
I must forever be on guard
Against the doubts that skulk along;
I get ahead by fighting hard,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong.
I hear the croakings of Despair,
The dark predictions of the weak;
I find myself pursued by Care,
No matter what the end I seek;
My victories are small and few,
It matters not how hard I strive;
Each day the fight begins anew,
But fighting keeps my hopes alive.
My dreams are spoiled by circumstance,
My plans are wrecked by Fate or Luck;
Some hour, perhaps, will bring my chance,
But that great hour has never struck;
My progress has been slow and hard,
I've had to climb and crawl and swim,
Fighting for every stubborn yard,
But I have kept in fighting trim.
I have to fight my doubts away,
And be on guard against my fears;
The feeble croaking of Dismay
Has been familiar through the years;
My dearest plans keep going wrong,
Events combine to thwart my will,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong,
And I am undefeated still!
- S.E. Kiser
Against discouragement and fear;
Some foe stands always in my way,
The path ahead is never clear!
I must forever be on guard
Against the doubts that skulk along;
I get ahead by fighting hard,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong.
I hear the croakings of Despair,
The dark predictions of the weak;
I find myself pursued by Care,
No matter what the end I seek;
My victories are small and few,
It matters not how hard I strive;
Each day the fight begins anew,
But fighting keeps my hopes alive.
My dreams are spoiled by circumstance,
My plans are wrecked by Fate or Luck;
Some hour, perhaps, will bring my chance,
But that great hour has never struck;
My progress has been slow and hard,
I've had to climb and crawl and swim,
Fighting for every stubborn yard,
But I have kept in fighting trim.
I have to fight my doubts away,
And be on guard against my fears;
The feeble croaking of Dismay
Has been familiar through the years;
My dearest plans keep going wrong,
Events combine to thwart my will,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong,
And I am undefeated still!
- S.E. Kiser
Friday, April 23, 2010
What you're thinking, lady?
I came across this very funny commercial. For all you ladies who can sportingly laugh at your own gender:
The diagram demonstrates the THOUGHTS in a female and male brain during the simple question: "Shall we go for a party?"
The diagram demonstrates the THOUGHTS in a female and male brain during the simple question: "Shall we go for a party?"
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Do your tiny bit!!
Summer is here and its going to be equally harsh to the animals around us. Kindly do your tiny bit by keeping a bowl of fresh water out side your balcony or garden.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
- William Ernest Henley
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
- William Ernest Henley
Friday, April 9, 2010
Follow me if you can!!
Hi there,
Through this post, I want to shout out to all the people who do read me to PLEASE register themselves as my followers. I would love to know how many people actually do read me.
Please don't get me wrong. This is no test for you. I have already written on the blog that I write only for myself and that this blog is a medium for me to express myself. If I am able to reach out to people, make friends in the process; nothing like it. There can be no better motivation than to meet people who want to know what you think. So, for my sake, if you read me, let me know by becoming my followers.
All you have to do is open my blog and click on the "Follow" link on the top-left hand corner. And I promise you that this association is long-term, if not forever.
Through this post, I want to shout out to all the people who do read me to PLEASE register themselves as my followers. I would love to know how many people actually do read me.
Please don't get me wrong. This is no test for you. I have already written on the blog that I write only for myself and that this blog is a medium for me to express myself. If I am able to reach out to people, make friends in the process; nothing like it. There can be no better motivation than to meet people who want to know what you think. So, for my sake, if you read me, let me know by becoming my followers.
All you have to do is open my blog and click on the "Follow" link on the top-left hand corner. And I promise you that this association is long-term, if not forever.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
One more list: the songs that inspire
After listing my favourite romantic songs, I am still in the mood for yet another list. But, this time of the songs that happen to be sources of inspiration for me. These are the songs that soothe me when I am feeling low and give me strength to take the challenges head on. Then again, even if I am not feeling low, I listen to these songs for motivation – motivation to go on, to find a purpose in life, or even test my limits (must admit I am reminded every time that I haven't yet reached my limits and that I am fully capable of pushing myself still further).
The first song that comes to my mind is, but of course, "Ha raham…" from the film Aamir. Now, I wouldn't explain why it is my favourite, having devoted a full length blogpost to it; but, I will say that it puts in words what I feel for the superpower in the heaven above. "kya majaal teri marzee ke aage… bando ki chal jayegi… thaame ungli jo tu kathputli ki… chaal badal jayegi, jayegi…" The lyrics simply take my breath away and put me in awe as to how better can one describe God.
The only song that follows close to "Ha raham…" would be "Tere Ishq mein…" from Rekha Bhardwaj's soulful album Ishqa Ishqa. Gulzar sa'ab's soothing lyrics meshed with Rekha's mesmerizing voice simply transport me to another world. Best way to listen to the song: put on your earphones and put the song on repeat mode. You are sure to fall peacefully asleep by the third play no matter how restless you were when you started listening to it. Try it out.
Another song I really like is "Khudi ko kar buland itna…" by the Pakistani band Junoon. It's an aggressive song that recharges you to be strong against all odds. By the way, I also like a few other Junoon songs like "Sayonee" and "Zamaane ke andaaz…"; only if Junoon could have publicized the former as much as they marketed the latter.
One good song is "Saiyaan ve…" from the film Tara Rum Pum. I did not really like the film but I adore the song. It truly inspires you to hold on in the time of distress, and work bit-by-bit to achieve your goal. "Boond-boond hai banta saagar… dhaaga-dhaaga banti chaadar… tinka-tinka tu bhi jod apna ghironda bana…"
There are some songs which you do not really understand – say if the language is not known to you; but you still connect to it. The song "Bandeya" from the Pakistani film Khuda ke liye is one such song. I don't really get the essence of the lyrics. But, somehow it rejuvenates me none the less.
Now, it seems like I am actually getting into Sufi stuff. I really have to scratch my head to think of the non-Sufi songs that inspire me (except one which I'll mention last). Yes, I now remember a song that I really liked till a couple of years ago. After all, when we talk of motivational songs, how can one forget "Chale chalo…" from Lagaan. It's not a song. It's your way to victory. In your mind, keep chanting to yourself, "Koi hamse jeet naa paye, chale chalo, chale chalo… Ruk jaye jo takraye, chale chalo, chale chalo… Toot gayi jo ungli utthi… Paanch ungli to ban gayi mutthi…"
Then again, the title track of the film Lakshya is a fireball. "Lakshya to har haal mein pana hai…". Actually, that's how I think about my goals. I usually don't give myself options once I am decided that I want to do something. And, more often than not, I end up achieving those goals because I tell myself again and again, "Yeh to har haal mein karna hai."
On similar lines as the Lagaan song is the song "Chak de India" from the famous SRK starrer. It inspires you to work in the best interest of your country. Although, it is of little help when it comes to seeking inspiration for life in general, nevertheless, it's the call to wear your Patriotism on your sleeve and put your best foot forward in the services of the country.
Of course, I cannot miss "Allah ke bande" from the movie Waisa bhi hota hai part 2. Even despite the strange movie title, there seems to be no flaw with this song and it can easily be touted as the "Keep going on..." anthem.
Of course, I cannot miss "Allah ke bande" from the movie Waisa bhi hota hai part 2. Even despite the strange movie title, there seems to be no flaw with this song and it can easily be touted as the "Keep going on..." anthem.
"Yun hi chala chal rahi…" from Swades is another of my favourites. Kailash Kher rose to stardom with this song and surely not without reason. It was a beautiful song and all the people associated with it did absolute justice to it, be it AR Rahman, the lyricist Javed Akhtar or the three singers, Kailash Kher, Udit Narayan or Hariharan. I also like Javed sa'ab's lines from another Swades song. "Raam hi toh karuna mein hai, shaanti mein Raam hai… Raam hi hai ekta mein, pragati mein Raam hai… Raam bhakton hi nahin shatru ke bhi chintan hai… Dekh taj ke paap Raavan, Raam tere mann mein hai… Raam tere mann mein hai, Raam mere mann mein hai… Raam toh ghar ghar mein har, Raam har aangan mein hai… Mann se Raavan jo nikaale, Raam uske mann mein hai…" This truly summarizes that God resides in the purest and humblest hearts. What better way to say it than this!
Last song that I mentioned above is "Bhool jaa…" by singer with the beautiful voice, Shaan. It is an awesome song that tells you that "the past is the past for a reason and if someone in the past wanted to be in your present or future they would have fought harder for it." It tells you that the people who did not value you in your life did not really deserve to be a part of your life and now is the time to get over the relationships gone sour; to take lesson from the same so as to not make the same mistakes again; and finally, to move on. This song has helped me a lot in my life and I am sure it has touched many more lives in the same fashion.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The dread of driving in Delhi
Delhi is making daredevils out of all its driving residents. You don't believe me? Have you ever driven a car in Delhi? More so, in the recent weeks? If you have, you would know what I am talking about.
Someone please tell Madam CM that if she doesn't venture out much in her 'convoy' then she is much mistaken to believe that by decreasing the subsidy on LPG, Diesel, etc., she will be able to meet the commonwealth deadline. For to meet the deadline, you need to complete the tasks at hand along with arranging funds.
The whole of Delhi is dug up. And if not dug up purposefully for the preparations of 'Commonwealth Games 2010', dug up of wear-and-tear and neglect. There is hardly any space left on most roads for more potholes to spring up.
I drive everyday from North Delhi to Gurgaon up-down. To start with, the North Campus Roads are either deep excavations or muddy hills. And whatever little of the road is left there, is so uneven that any rocking chair will lose a rocking competition with a car driving down its lanes. Next, the whole of Swami Narayan Marg from Chowki No. 2 to Vivekanand Chowk in Gulabi Bagh is a mess. My new car has started making strange noises within a month of driving through this road. I feel like shouting out to the Gulabi Bagh DDA Flats Residents and asking them how they have been surviving since last many months.
Same fate awaits anyone driving through Guru Ravidas Marg in Karol Bagh. Passing that small stretch between 'St. Michael's School' and 'Aggarwal Sweet Corner' in the evening hours is a curse. Then again Vandematram Marg has also only recently got better (please note that I use the word 'better' and not repaired, for there's still much scope left there).
And God help you if you have to make your way through Kapashera Estates. The road there is only on papers. What appears to be a road is actually a small by-lane full of ruptures, dents and potholes.
The best part about Delhi is that we are made to believe that work is going on for 'Commonwealth Games' and that the things will be all hunky-dori come October, when the Games actually start. So, we keep the patience and tell ourselves that it's all in the process of getting better. But, when we should actually be seeing workers working diligently to mend all this, we only see huge boulders or a barricade left on some of the potholes without denoting any danger signs (e.g. notice the one on the T-point of the Camp Cinema Road and the Old Rohtak Road; or the one on Roop Nagar Golchakkar; or the one on the crossing of Daulat Ram College and Ramjas College with a huge round wheel-like wooden structure stationed next to the deep pothole). They are actually worse. What if a negligent or innocent driver rams into it in the dark? After all, the street lights don't work either. Even the new fancy ones put up by the Delhi Govt. after causing its residents such inconvenience are not switched on. Every resident should sue PWD for damages inflicted on their peace and their cars for the rapid depreciation, way more than the normal depreciation in the usual discourse of car usage. But who cares? Who has time? Do I? I only wish.
Then again, the streetlights remind me: There's one pole fallen down on the Mahipalpur turn on Jaipur Road towards RTR Flyover. It's been lying just so since days causing even more chaos in the already chaotic, scrawling, office-going traffic in the peak-hours of the morning. Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway during the office-going and home-going hours in the morning and evening, respectively, is a live example of humongous goof-up which the planners of this highway did in their expectations of the statistical increase in traffic situation by the time the Expressway actually came up. You tell a kid the dictionary meaning of an Expressway and he would face the problem of a huge disconnect between theory and practical life had he driven through here at such hours.
To sum up, I can only pray to God to give us Delhi-ites strength to put up with this, patience to take it for many more days, weeks and months to come, hope to actually assume that this torture will soon get over and more money to spend on servicing and repairing our cars or (God forbid) on medical expenses resulting from accidents.
Friday, March 26, 2010
My own list of recent Romantic Numbers
I sometimes read Poonam Saxena's Blog. In her last post there, she listed ten very recent love songs that happen to be her and her Brunch colleagues' favourites. I didn't quite agree with the list and just sitting there reading, came out with a list of my own. Just like Poonam, I stuck to some very recent numbers only (last 2-3 years, if I may say). But, it was difficult for me to restrict myself to ten songs only. So I took the liberty of crossing the round figure. Then again, you may notice that I may have clubbed two or three numbers together. That's because all of them haunt me in the similar fashion and it's difficult for me to choose one out of those. Besides, I am able to listen to them one after the other without any change in my mood (hehe).
So here's my list, in no particular order or sequence:
Of the recent songs, one soulful track that touches me is "Rehna tu…" from Delhi-6. AR Rahman at his very best, I still believe his work in Bollywood to be by far superior to what he has rendered in Hollywood. I would also mention here the song "Tu bin bataye…" from Rang de Basanti which was equally haunting in its melody. But, I find lyrics of "Rehna tu…" much more refreshing. What deeper reflections than "Haath tham chalna ho, to dono ke dayein haath sang kaise… Ek dayan hoga, ek bayan hoga… Tham le, haath ye thaam le…"
Another good song from Rahman's collection is "Kahin to hogi vo…" from Jaane tu ya jaane naa with "Jaane vo mera kya tha…" (Aditi's rendition) following close. Not only were they suiting the films mood to perfection but are extremely well rendered by the respective singers.
"Iktara" from Wake Up Sid is also amazing. It is the very song for all girls who have just fallen in love and for all women who are still very romantic at heart.
"Phir Dekhiye…", "Tum ho to…" and "Yeh tumhari meri baatein…" from Rock On! hold strong fort among the very rocking soundtrack of the film. I often feel that "Phir Dekhiye…" did not get its due. Being the amazing romantic song it is, it got lost in the FM channels' playlists of all Rock On! numbers; what with them focusing on "Rock On!", "Picchle Saat dino mein…" and even "Tum ho to…" and "Yeh tumhari meri baatein…".
"Tum se hi…" from Jab we met and "Dooriyan…" from Love aaj kal seem to be on the same lines. But, both of them are amazing numbers, one reflecting on 'No-loss-even-if-your-lover-is-gone' and the other on 'Feeling-the-loss-when-your-ex-lover-is-still-around'. Am I even making sense? Nevertheless, they are great songs.
"Kuchh Khaas…" and "Mar jawaan…" from fashion are also enticing. May I club them with "Haafiz Khuda… / Kuchh is tarah…" from 8x10 Tasveer?
"Khuda jaane…" from Bachna Ae Haseeno is a very soft tender number and I enjoy the feel. Although I am no big fan of either Ranbir or Deepika but I think the song was amazingly picturised and exuded romance in each frame.
"Kaise mujhe tum mil gayi…" from Ghajini is the best of the whole lot. Like Poonam, I too like "Guzaarish…" as well, but would any day choose the former over the latter.
"Pyar ki ye Kahaani…" from Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. is very stylishly romantic and I feel may be perfect for a date. I would recommend a Latino dance on the number as I feel the music might do real justice to the closeness between the dance partners in these dance forms.
"Bol naa halke-halke…" from Jhoom barabar Jhoom is also one of my favourites. I don't per se like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's voice, but I feel it suits this song, as also the number that follows.
"Aaj din chadheya…" from Love aaj kal again is also amazing. I feel enchanted by this song. Some innovative lyrics, what a beautiful compliment to give to one's lady love than give her the credit of making the day bright, sunny and cheerful. I am sure no girl will brush this one off. Even the rest of the lyrics are simple yet beautiful. "Maanga jo mera hai… Jaata kya tera hai… Maine kaunsi khudai maang li… Kaisa khuda hai tu… Bas naam ka hai tu… Rabba jo teri itni si bhi naa chali…" Challenge that if you can.
I certainly cannot miss "In lamhon ke daaman mein…" from Jodhaa-Akbar. After a long time came a song with music so melodious, lyrics so pure and ethereal and the total effect of the song so grand. Try to listen it on your head-phones. You'll be captured before you know it. (I would like to put "Jashn-e-baharaa…" alongside but am in double minds about whether it would qualify as a love-song or not.)
Another song that comes to my mind is "Tum hi dekho naa…" from Kabhi Alvida naa Kehna. I absolutely hated the film but I liked most of its songs. Poonam rightly describes this song as "a really soft, delicate love song" and was by far the best of the whole lot.
"Tere liye…" and "Main yahaan hoon…" from Veer-Zaara, just like all the songs from the movie, resonate deep inside you till long after you have stopped listening to the songs. It's an amazing feeling and very special too.
Last but not least, the song that comes to my mind is "Tu hi to meri dost hai…" from Yuvraaj. The movie particularly was nothing great, but I loved it for its songs and its cinematography. Even "Tu muskura…" is beautiful though not as lovable as the former. Benny Dayal's voice creates magic on AR Rahman's chords.
Just a quick look over my list, I see Rahman's songs in large numbers, followed closely by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. As far as Rahman is concerned, Poonam and I certainly do not think alike. She missed most of my favourites there and unlike her I am not too fond of the Guru number "Tere bina…". Our views do meet on "Kaise mujhe tum mil gayi…" from Ghajini, as I already mentioned.
Before I wrap up, I would also like to mention some other noteworthy songs that came to my mind though they could not make to my list. "Tera hone laga hoon…" from Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani (I like the portions belonging to Neeraj Shridhar and Alisha Chinoy but find Atif Aslam's part pretty ordinary although I would not hold Atif responsible for the same. I think the very nature of the song makes Neeraj and Alisha's lines stand out); "You got me rocking and reeling…" from Billu (Barber) (I love the song but would classify it as lacking that 'X-factor' to make to the above list); "Dil Ibadat…" from Tum mile and "Zara si…" from Jannat (Though the former is not a great song but I like the lyrics. They do bring out the yearning of a lover to have his love back in his life. How come all Bhatt camp numbers sound all the same? I often confuse "Dil Ibadat…" with "Tu hi haqeeqat…", at times not even realizing which one I am hearing unless I focus more intently on the lyrics. Moreover, this is not the first time, I had the same feeling for Raaz 2 songs as well and I guess the song "Zara si…" also lost its sheen after arrival of the more recent Tum mile songs); "Mera Dil…" from Salaam-e-Ishq (Again, all the songs of this film were sweet and hummable and this may be called the best of the lot, though, it was certainly not extra-ordinary to reach that pinnacle of emotions); "Mere haath mein…" from Fanaa and the title track from Hum Tum (I really have no reason to say why I didn't put these songs in the list above except that I had a feeling that they didn't belong there. But, they are lovely songs nevertheless); the title track of U, me aur Hum (I love this song, especially its lyrics "Tere mere haath mein koi bhi pinjara naa ho… Ek duje par apna haq to ho kabza naa ho…" but was wondering whether this should qualify as a love song); "Ajnabi Shehar…" and "Sau dard…" from Jaaneman (Same reasons – I wasn't sure whether they should qualify as love songs); the title track of Mera Pehle Pehle Pyar and "Tinka tinka…" from the film Karam (These two songs were initially on my list above, till I realized that it contained too many songs to qualify as a 'favourites list'. In the end, I brought these two songs out only to console myself that I did attempt to shorten my list and keep it concise).
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I second you, Mr. Roy!!
I read a nice review of Airtel Interactive TV by Prasanto K Roy in the HT Brunch on Sunday, March 21, 2010. Now, I would mention here that I am one satisfied customer since over one year and would absolutely support Prasanto on this one. Read on...
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Who deserves the accolades?
We read recently in papers about the imbroglio between film producers and lyricists-writers at the meeting of the 10-member committee (formed by the government to look into the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act) when Aamir Khan, siding with film producers, suggested that lyricists don't really contribute much to the impact of a song. Apparently, it was just too much for the legendary poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar to take, and it soon became a war of words between him and Aamir. The spat became quite PUBLIC to put it in a manner of speaking. But, what does the public have to say about it? After all, while the music director and singer create the magic, the actors create the appeal and feel for the songs. Of course, there are supporters of both the camps. People siding with Aamir feel that it's a good point to make and that in this age when music videos are what draw in the masses, it is indeed actors that sell. Further, they feel that there are lots of songs with beautiful lyrics and music that are easily forgotten whereas there are others which are remembered for good cinematography and the stars featuring in the video. People supporting the other faction feel that it is the song that creates a star and not vice-versa for without good music and lyrics, no big a star can salvage a song. Citing examples again is not difficult. There have been instances when songs with meaningless and worthless lyrics have topped the charts due to the stars featuring in it. A case in point are the numerous Govinda numbers like "Main to raste se jaa raha tha…", "Kisi disco mein jaayein…", etc. Then again, there have been songs that have made stars out of non-entities and new comers. Some examples may be the haunting Aashiqui songs; Emraan Hashmi's numerous songs like "Aashiq banaya aapne…", "Kaho naa kaho…", "Bheege honth tere…"; and Aamir's own debut superhit "Papa kehte hai…" and other songs from the film Qayamat se qayamet tak. I, personally, do not confirm to Aamir's point of view. Taking my own example, I often connect to a song played on a Radio long before I actually see its video on Television or movie screen. So, I was already awed by so many songs, even before I saw their videos, like "Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga…" from 1942 A love story, "Na tum jaano naa hum…" and "Sitaron ki mehfil…" from Kaho naa pyar hai, "Genda phool…" from Delhi-6, the songs of Taal and Yaadein, etc. The list is endless. In fact, there are some of my favourite songs, whose videos I haven't seen till date. E.g. "Ha raham…" from the film Aamir; "You got me rocking and reeling…" from the film Billu (Barber); "Jaane tu mera kya kya hai…" (Aditi's version) from Jaane tu ya Jaane naa; and many more. Moreover, I remember feeling disappointed by the videos of some really good songs as well. E.g. "Zoobie-Doobie…" from 3 idiots (found it too plain); "Azeem-o-shaan Shehanshah…" from Jodhaa – Akbar (the song is GRAND when heard on your earphones, but, the video is too focused on the numbers of dancers, elephants, etc. and totally disinterested in the coordination between the dancers and their attires, etc.); "Hum Tum…" from the movie Hum Tum (did not find the video as mushy and romantic as the song); "Dekh le…" from Munnabhai MBBS (little said the better in this case); and again many more. So is it actually inappropriate for Aamir to discredit the contribution of the lyricists, singers, musicians and music directors? Stars do add a spark to a good song but then again one may ask that each star appears in too many songs each year, then why don't all of them work? Why are some songs totally forgotten even if they featured the most popular bollywood actors? Why then some songs work wonders for some actors who reach pinnacles in their musically successful films but are lost in oblivion after they feature in non-musicals (e.g. Anu Agarwal, Rahul Roy, Kumar Gaurav, Mandakini, Rajiv Kapoor)? The answer is obvious. No song can work without a heady mix of some melodious notes, intelligent and worthy lyrics and heartrending singing. Stars are only an added attraction. So, I would say, "Javed Sa'ab, Bravo! All music lovers will support you in your fight for your rights!" |
Monday, March 8, 2010
Happy Women's Day
When God sat down to make a woman
He gave her empathy love and compassion,
By the time he finished with her
He had no more left for the man.
He gave her the ability to be a mother
And nurture and take care of others.
Slowly, on reflecting, it dawned on her
She had multiple roles to play
That of a wife, a sister, a daughter.
- Anonymous
He gave her empathy love and compassion,
By the time he finished with her
He had no more left for the man.
He gave her the ability to be a mother
And nurture and take care of others.
Slowly, on reflecting, it dawned on her
She had multiple roles to play
That of a wife, a sister, a daughter.
- Anonymous
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Roar India, Roar!!
This one is for the “Save our Tigers” campaign started by Aircel. I don’t think we would like to tell our kids about our national animal the way New Zealanders and Mauritians tell their kids about their national birds... High time we did something about it... They say that only 1411 tigers are left... I say: Nay, there are 1412… and would be 1413, if you ROAR!!!
Come! Join the roar for our national animal on the official ‘Save Our Tigers’ website!! http://www.saveourtigers.com/
Come! Join the roar for our national animal on the official ‘Save Our Tigers’ website!! http://www.saveourtigers.com/
Who is a better Brand Ambassador?
Hither I table my viewpoints from a yet another lunch-table-discussion. I am currently doing an assignment for ITC’s Lifestyle Retailing Business Division which deals with some reputed Brands including ‘John Players’. Although my work there is not even remotely related to Brand Positioning etc. but we happened to discuss the brand during lunch. During the normal discourse, our conversation naturally treaded to the topic of Brand Ambassadors. For the uninitiated, ‘John Players’ dropped Hrithik Roshan as their Brand Ambassador a few weeks ago. The reason as explained to me by an employee was such: “You see, ‘JP’ is our brand targeted at the youth and while signing a Brand Ambassador, we have to foresee ours as well as the prospective Brand Ambassador’s image for the next four years. We dropped Hrithik for two reasons. First, you cannot disagree that he is ageing. Maybe he doesn’t look old now, but four years down the line he would be close to forty, of course. Second, if we see his line-up of films, more prominently Kites and Guzaarish; they are more inclined towards presenting him as a mature actor, which certainly doesn’t go with the ‘JP’ image.” Must say I was impressed by the thinking that goes into selecting a Brand Ambassador.
So, now finally after much deliberation, they get on board none other than the current heart-throb and flavor-of-the-season, Ranbir Kapoor. Over the long weekend gone by, all placards in their corporate office were replaced to highlight their new face of ‘JP’. Seeing me glance over the new pictures, the same employee of ITC asked me, “What do you say? Who’s a better Brand Ambassador?” I simply smiled and said, “Not fair! To ask a girl to choose between Hrithik and Ranbir!” He laughed and so did I. I guess I managed to ward off his query at that instant and though the employee just wanted a layman customer’s viewpoint; I think it was an interesting question requiring an answer with deeper connotations. I don’t blame him for putting forth this question as he was no marketing guy to understand ‘Branding’ as such. But, a more explanatory answer was required here. My answer would not change – it is not I to decide who is a better Brand Ambassador but the reasoning that follows is certainly not related to a girl’s affections towards two hottest film stars of India.
‘John Players’ for me has till date signified unmatched style and stature along with comfort. One may ask why? The answer is very obvious. Hrithik Roshan, the Brand Ambassador for ‘John Players’ till now. He was the ultimate personification of stately style and carefree attitude in the print media campaign shot for ‘John Players’. Every picture of his spoke volumes of the stylish collection of ‘John Players’. Well, is it not why Brand Ambassadors are engaged for? Definitely yes. Now, the print campaign has been replaced by some wonderfully shot portfolio snaps of Ranbir Kapoor. He looks extremely handsome, refreshing and at-ease. His chocolate-boy-next-door image also enhances the effect of the collection.
What may be the similarities between the two? I would say, both are youth icons. Then again, both are often considered well-attired in general. Further, which is equally important for a brand like ‘JP’ having a mix of formals and semi-formals along with casuals in their collection, is the clean good-boy image of the two as against a bindaas bad-boy image. What may be the difference? While Hrithik is better known for his sense of style, Ranbir is known more for his comfortable everyday clothing. Every Hrithik appearance is attitude personified, whereas Ranbir always seems to carry the ‘Wake up Sid’ effect as if to say, “I am boy who has just come of age.” While Hrithik is a ‘greek god’, Ranbir is a handsome ‘everyday guy’. Now, the basic question: While it is easily understandable that Hrithik was succeeded by Ranbir due to their similarities, are their differences highlighted in the print campaign of ‘John Players’? Of course they are. So while, as I said, ‘John Players’ at Hrithik’s reign was portrayed as a stylish brand with oodles of attitude, in Ranbir’s age it will be presented as cool brand filled with easy-comfort. (One may notice that Ranbir’s facial expressions are same in all the pictures and his body language is more casual as opposed to Hrithik’s expressions and body language in the earlier campaign). Nothing is wrong with the two images. Both are targeted towards the youth and both campaigns are exemplary actually. But how does one answer the question, “Who’s a better Brand Ambassador?”
The answer may not be achieved from the audiences. They are bound to love both. The answer lies with the company. They have to decide what image they want associated with their Brand. If it was supposed to continue to be focused on style, then in my opinion the brand positioning experts of the company absolutely failed with Ranbir. But, if they actually intend to shift focus on comfort, then they have done a commendable job with Ranbir and couldn’t have asked for a better Brand Ambassador. They should themselves reflect and answer the question, “Who’s a better Brand Ambassador?”
P.S. As it is, ‘Provogue’ did not waste any time in signing Hrithik Roshan as THEIR Brand Amabassador as soon as he was freed from the legal boundations with ITC, and a case in point is their print campaign which is a stark contrast to the ‘John Players’ Ranbir’s campaign. Although, I absolutely despise Hrithik’s bearded-and-long-haired countenance in the commercials, I would still say that ‘Provogue’ deserves full-marks in using his looks well to support their ‘rebel’ image in their ‘Be the change’ campaign. Hrithik is amazingly portrayed as a hunk with the devil-may-care attitude in the shoot to support their casuals’ collections.
So, now finally after much deliberation, they get on board none other than the current heart-throb and flavor-of-the-season, Ranbir Kapoor. Over the long weekend gone by, all placards in their corporate office were replaced to highlight their new face of ‘JP’. Seeing me glance over the new pictures, the same employee of ITC asked me, “What do you say? Who’s a better Brand Ambassador?” I simply smiled and said, “Not fair! To ask a girl to choose between Hrithik and Ranbir!” He laughed and so did I. I guess I managed to ward off his query at that instant and though the employee just wanted a layman customer’s viewpoint; I think it was an interesting question requiring an answer with deeper connotations. I don’t blame him for putting forth this question as he was no marketing guy to understand ‘Branding’ as such. But, a more explanatory answer was required here. My answer would not change – it is not I to decide who is a better Brand Ambassador but the reasoning that follows is certainly not related to a girl’s affections towards two hottest film stars of India.
‘John Players’ for me has till date signified unmatched style and stature along with comfort. One may ask why? The answer is very obvious. Hrithik Roshan, the Brand Ambassador for ‘John Players’ till now. He was the ultimate personification of stately style and carefree attitude in the print media campaign shot for ‘John Players’. Every picture of his spoke volumes of the stylish collection of ‘John Players’. Well, is it not why Brand Ambassadors are engaged for? Definitely yes. Now, the print campaign has been replaced by some wonderfully shot portfolio snaps of Ranbir Kapoor. He looks extremely handsome, refreshing and at-ease. His chocolate-boy-next-door image also enhances the effect of the collection.
The answer may not be achieved from the audiences. They are bound to love both. The answer lies with the company. They have to decide what image they want associated with their Brand. If it was supposed to continue to be focused on style, then in my opinion the brand positioning experts of the company absolutely failed with Ranbir. But, if they actually intend to shift focus on comfort, then they have done a commendable job with Ranbir and couldn’t have asked for a better Brand Ambassador. They should themselves reflect and answer the question, “Who’s a better Brand Ambassador?”
P.S. As it is, ‘Provogue’ did not waste any time in signing Hrithik Roshan as THEIR Brand Amabassador as soon as he was freed from the legal boundations with ITC, and a case in point is their print campaign which is a stark contrast to the ‘John Players’ Ranbir’s campaign. Although, I absolutely despise Hrithik’s bearded-and-long-haired countenance in the commercials, I would still say that ‘Provogue’ deserves full-marks in using his looks well to support their ‘rebel’ image in their ‘Be the change’ campaign. Hrithik is amazingly portrayed as a hunk with the devil-may-care attitude in the shoot to support their casuals’ collections.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Don't Quit!!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won, had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
Author Unknown
P.S. Thanks to my dear darling sister for this wonderful contribution.
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won, had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
Author Unknown
P.S. Thanks to my dear darling sister for this wonderful contribution.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Who is tomorrow's competitor?
I received a mail today. Although it was long enough to justify the need to put it away for reading later when free, when I did read it, it made sense. So I decided to post it here for others to read.
Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?
Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones.
Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sonys and Canons are taking note.
Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).
Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India. That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.
Nokia confessed that they all but missed the smartphone bus. They admit that Apple's Iphone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails?
The "Mahabharat" (the great Indian epic battle) is about "what is tomorrow's personal digital device"? Will it be a souped up mobile or a palmtop with a telephone? All these are little wars that add up to that big battle. Hiding behind all these wars is a gem of a question - "who is my competitor?"
Once in a while, to intrigue my students I toss a question at them. It says "What Apple did to Sony, Sony did to Kodak, explain?" The smart ones get the answer almost immediately. Sony defined its market as audio (music from the walkman). They never expected an IT company like Apple to encroach into their audio domain. Come to think of it, is it really surprising? Apple as a computer maker has both audio and video capabilities. So what made Sony think he won't compete on pure audio? "Elementary Watson". So also Kodak defined its business as film cameras, Sony defines its businesses as "digital."
In digital camera the two markets perfectly meshed. Kodak was torn between going digital and sacrificing money on camera film or staying with films and getting left behind in digital technology. Left undecided it lost in both.
It had to. It did not ask the question "who is my competitor for tomorrow?" The same was true for IBM whose mainframe revenue prevented it from seeing the PC. The same was true of Bill Gates who declared "internet is a fad!" and then turned around to bundle the browser with windows to bury Netscape. The point is not who is today's competitor. Today's competitor is obvious. Tomorrow's is not.
In 2008, who was the toughest competitor to British Airways in India? Singapore airlines? Better still, Indian airlines? Maybe, but there are better answers. There are competitors that can hurt all these airlines and others not mentioned. The answer is videoconferencing and telepresence services of HP and Cisco. Travel dropped due to recession. Senior IT executives in India and abroad were compelled by their head quarters to use videoconferencing to shrink travel budget. So much so, that the mad scramble for American visas from Indian techies was nowhere in sight in 2008. (India has a quota of something like 65,000 visas to the U.S. They were going a-begging. Blame it on recession!). So far so good. But to think that the airlines will be back in business post recession is something I would not bet on. In short term yes. In long term a resounding no. Remember, if there is one place where Newton's law of gravity is applicable besides physics it is in electronic hardware. Between 1977 and 1991 the prices of the now dead VCR (parent of Blue-Ray disc player) crashed to one-third of its original level in India. PC's price dropped from hundreds of thousands of rupees to tens of thousands. If this trend repeats then telepresence prices will also crash. Imagine the fate of airlines then. As it is not many are making money. Then it will surely be RIP!
India has two passions. Films and cricket. The two markets were distinctly different. So were the icons. The cricket gods were Sachin and Sehwag. The filmi gods were the Khans (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and the other Khans who followed suit). That was, when cricket was fundamentally test cricket or at best 50 over cricket. Then came IPL and the two markets collapsed into one. IPL brought cricket down to 20 overs. Suddenly an IPL match was reduced to the length of a 3 hour movie. Cricket became film's competitor. On the eve of IPL matches movie halls ran empty. Desperate multiplex owners requisitioned the rights for screening IPL matches at movie halls to hang on to the audience. If IPL were to become the mainstay of cricket, as it is likely to be, films have to sequence their releases so as not clash with IPL matches. As far as the audience is concerned both are what in India are called 3 hour "tamasha" (entertainment). Cricket season might push films out of the market.
Look at the products that vanished from India in the last 20 years. When did you last see a black and white movie? When did you last use a fountain pen? When did you last type on a typewriter? The answer for all the above is "I don't remember!" For some time there was a mild substitute for the typewriter called electronic typewriter that had limited memory. Then came the computer and mowed them all. Today most technologically challenged guys like me use the computer as an upgraded typewriter. Typewriters per se are nowhere to be seen.
One last illustration. 20 years back what were Indians using to wake them up in the morning? The answer is "alarm clock." The alarm clock was a monster made of mechanical springs. It had to be physically keyed every day to keep it running. It made so much noise by way of alarm, that it woke you up and the rest of the colony. Then came quartz clocks which were sleeker. They were much more gentle though still quaintly called "alarms." What do we use today for waking up in the morning? Cellphone! An entire industry of clocks disappeared without warning thanks to cell phones. Big watch companies like Titan were the losers. You never know in which bush your competitor is hiding!
On a lighter vein, who are the competitors for authors? Joke spewing machines? (Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, himself a Pole, tagged a Polish joke telling machine to a telephone much to the mirth of Silicon Valley). Or will the competition be story telling robots? Future is scary! The boss of an IT company once said something interesting about the animal called competition. He said "Have breakfast .or.. be breakfast"! That sums it up rather neatly.
Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?
Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones.
Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sonys and Canons are taking note.
Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).
Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India. That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.
Nokia confessed that they all but missed the smartphone bus. They admit that Apple's Iphone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails?
The "Mahabharat" (the great Indian epic battle) is about "what is tomorrow's personal digital device"? Will it be a souped up mobile or a palmtop with a telephone? All these are little wars that add up to that big battle. Hiding behind all these wars is a gem of a question - "who is my competitor?"
Once in a while, to intrigue my students I toss a question at them. It says "What Apple did to Sony, Sony did to Kodak, explain?" The smart ones get the answer almost immediately. Sony defined its market as audio (music from the walkman). They never expected an IT company like Apple to encroach into their audio domain. Come to think of it, is it really surprising? Apple as a computer maker has both audio and video capabilities. So what made Sony think he won't compete on pure audio? "Elementary Watson". So also Kodak defined its business as film cameras, Sony defines its businesses as "digital."
In digital camera the two markets perfectly meshed. Kodak was torn between going digital and sacrificing money on camera film or staying with films and getting left behind in digital technology. Left undecided it lost in both.
It had to. It did not ask the question "who is my competitor for tomorrow?" The same was true for IBM whose mainframe revenue prevented it from seeing the PC. The same was true of Bill Gates who declared "internet is a fad!" and then turned around to bundle the browser with windows to bury Netscape. The point is not who is today's competitor. Today's competitor is obvious. Tomorrow's is not.
In 2008, who was the toughest competitor to British Airways in India? Singapore airlines? Better still, Indian airlines? Maybe, but there are better answers. There are competitors that can hurt all these airlines and others not mentioned. The answer is videoconferencing and telepresence services of HP and Cisco. Travel dropped due to recession. Senior IT executives in India and abroad were compelled by their head quarters to use videoconferencing to shrink travel budget. So much so, that the mad scramble for American visas from Indian techies was nowhere in sight in 2008. (India has a quota of something like 65,000 visas to the U.S. They were going a-begging. Blame it on recession!). So far so good. But to think that the airlines will be back in business post recession is something I would not bet on. In short term yes. In long term a resounding no. Remember, if there is one place where Newton's law of gravity is applicable besides physics it is in electronic hardware. Between 1977 and 1991 the prices of the now dead VCR (parent of Blue-Ray disc player) crashed to one-third of its original level in India. PC's price dropped from hundreds of thousands of rupees to tens of thousands. If this trend repeats then telepresence prices will also crash. Imagine the fate of airlines then. As it is not many are making money. Then it will surely be RIP!
India has two passions. Films and cricket. The two markets were distinctly different. So were the icons. The cricket gods were Sachin and Sehwag. The filmi gods were the Khans (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and the other Khans who followed suit). That was, when cricket was fundamentally test cricket or at best 50 over cricket. Then came IPL and the two markets collapsed into one. IPL brought cricket down to 20 overs. Suddenly an IPL match was reduced to the length of a 3 hour movie. Cricket became film's competitor. On the eve of IPL matches movie halls ran empty. Desperate multiplex owners requisitioned the rights for screening IPL matches at movie halls to hang on to the audience. If IPL were to become the mainstay of cricket, as it is likely to be, films have to sequence their releases so as not clash with IPL matches. As far as the audience is concerned both are what in India are called 3 hour "tamasha" (entertainment). Cricket season might push films out of the market.
Look at the products that vanished from India in the last 20 years. When did you last see a black and white movie? When did you last use a fountain pen? When did you last type on a typewriter? The answer for all the above is "I don't remember!" For some time there was a mild substitute for the typewriter called electronic typewriter that had limited memory. Then came the computer and mowed them all. Today most technologically challenged guys like me use the computer as an upgraded typewriter. Typewriters per se are nowhere to be seen.
One last illustration. 20 years back what were Indians using to wake them up in the morning? The answer is "alarm clock." The alarm clock was a monster made of mechanical springs. It had to be physically keyed every day to keep it running. It made so much noise by way of alarm, that it woke you up and the rest of the colony. Then came quartz clocks which were sleeker. They were much more gentle though still quaintly called "alarms." What do we use today for waking up in the morning? Cellphone! An entire industry of clocks disappeared without warning thanks to cell phones. Big watch companies like Titan were the losers. You never know in which bush your competitor is hiding!
On a lighter vein, who are the competitors for authors? Joke spewing machines? (Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, himself a Pole, tagged a Polish joke telling machine to a telephone much to the mirth of Silicon Valley). Or will the competition be story telling robots? Future is scary! The boss of an IT company once said something interesting about the animal called competition. He said "Have breakfast .or.. be breakfast"! That sums it up rather neatly.
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