Quite chatpata.. on the contrary..

Just saw the movie called 'Chini Kum.' Quite liked it actually. Thought it was a rather good treatment of what could have been a potentially serious topic. Its amazing how a lot of really dry humour, treated well, can make for great entertainment. The attitude.. well the last time I saw so much attitude was before Surabhi and I got engaged!!

The star of the movie is Sexy, a 6 year old girl suffering from blood cancer (the dreaded disease) with her light, easy-going and nearly tapori style (even though she is living in London) and her completely dry banter with Amitabh ('B'). Her banter is well interspersed with some very serious (though not at all melodramatic as they are treated in the same light, easy-going manner) which ensures that you never forget that this is about people and lives and mundane mortal effects. Why they chose to call her something so random is totally beyond me! I guess it is just a sign of the times wherein the S*X word had to be thrown in a few times for general effect.

B and Tabu do a fantastic job as the oddly-aged (64 years and 34 years), oddly matched, yet made for each other couple who start off on a completely wrong footing and then figure out a way to fall in love through their ego-tussles and dry humour. Paresh Rawal, as Tabu's 58 year old father (6 younger than B) is as always outstanding. His protrayal of a father outraged at the notion of his daughter wanting to marry a man twice her age (and older than himself) is very natural and brilliant.

The other star of the movie is screenplay. I have not come across so much of attitude in one place for a long long time (probably never after college). The screenplay (and the delivery ofcourse) redefines dry humour.

Some other highlights of the movie -

• B's version of how the water level in the Thames is higher than normal as all the relatives of the fish (that Tabu is trying to eat) are crying.
• B telling Paresh that he wants to marry Paresh's daughter, when both of them are doing some male bonding... peeing...
• B's attempt to say sorry to Tabu for having insulted her for no fault of hers, and his staff's imitation of him...
• Zohra Sehgal (playing B's mother) - her constant nagging of Big B for not going to the gym and her poison tongue, not to forget her bhangra at the end when Paresh agrees to Tabu marrying B.
• Paresh Rawal's reference to B's age everytime he tries to tell Paresh that he wants to marry his daughter
• B purchasing Adult DVDs appropriate for a child's viewing (basically all action and horro movies and no sex ones)
• Tabu asking B the question that every guy and girl need to ask each other at some point, and the question which usually the guy initiates - "What is your name?"
• B and Tabu's names for each other - 'tangdi kabab' and 'ghaas phoos'

'Chini Kum' is such a far cry from another recent B movie of a 50 year old falling for an 18 year old. 'Chini Kum' probably uses the S*X word a lot many more times than the other one, and it also has its own set of sexual innuendos, again probably more of them than the other one. Yet, Chini Kum does not qualify to be even 1% as much vulgar as the other one and certainly does not raise my hackles. Just for the record, I have not been as angry for a long long time as I was as I watched the other one.

On the flip side, the movie ends rather weak and in a completely chiched manner. B does a great job as a 64 year old who has suddenly found love in his life, but is not half as impressive as this star chef who runs the best Indian restaurant in London. To be honest, the second half drags quite a bit as well.

Despite these weaknesses, its a must watch movie. For Sexy, B, Tabu, the screenplay and the title song that is extremely catchy and hummable.

To BA or not to BA...

This morning, a United Airways non-stop flight from Washington to Beijing (UA 897) had to make an emergency landing at Dulles as soon after take-off, one of the four engines was found to have failed. Fortunately, for the passengers, the pilot was rational enough to not try and make the journey, even though technically the aircraft is apparently capable of doing so with three engines as well.

Incidents like these do give a bit of jolt to the notion that air travel is the safest form of travel (even though apparently there are statistics to back this claim). What is worse is that apparently events of engine failure are not very uncommon, only that often the common public is not aware of it.

One such incident which showed the complete callousness of the airline industry was the British Airways flight from Los Angeles to London in early 2005. The flight lost one of its four engines soon after take off, but was forced to continue on its journey to London by the BA's control center in London.

The flight had to travel at a lower altitude of 29,000 feet instead of the regular 36,000 feet resulting in lower engine efficiency, unfavourable tailwinds and extra drag. As a result of all this the plane consumed much more fuel that is normal. As a result the aircraft was not left with enough fuel to go all the way to London and had to make an emergency landing at Manchester.

After the incident, the BA spokesman stated that the decision to continue with the flight was made keeping in mind the best interests of the passengers. I am wondering what these best interests would be!! Maybe it would be the adventure of flying on 3 engines instead of four for a transcontinental flight. Or maybe, it was the thrilling prospect of running out of fuel over the Atlantic. Little did the passengers know that they paid not just for the transatlantic flight ticket but also signed up for one of the most thrilling rides of their lives.

This callousness is shocking to say the least. The passengers were lucky that despite the fuel shortage they were able to make it to Manchester. Imagine a situation if they ran out of fuel sometime during the 5,000 mile Atlantic crossing!!!

The real reason for BA's decision was most likely the fact that only three days ago a new European regulation came into force which required airlines to pay compensation to passengers for delays beyond 5 hours. BA was simply trying to save this money. Its a different matter that it nearly jeopardised passenger safety and still ended up with more than a 5 hour delay!!

By the way, in case you are wondering why I am suddenly so concerned about this, well.. I am about to board a flight from San Fransisco to London and then London to Mumbai. And the carrier I am flying with is none other than BA.

God speed..

Jet-tisonned again.. almost..

This is the second fiasco I have had with Jet Airways in the last 15 or so days and the third with airlines in general in the last 4 weeks.

Background - I was taking a 21:45 hours flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad on May 8th, 2007. The idea was to avoid taking the early morning flight at 5:30 hours and thereby avoid killing oneself just a wee-bit.

Situation - Reached the airport well in time. Terribly tired and sleepy. Among the first few to board the aircraft and take my seat. Wanted to sleep as mucha s I could on the plane.

Complication - The aircraft taxied to the runway. Spent a few minutes waiting for the queue to clear up in front of us. Just as we came to our turn for take-off, the pilot figured out there was some technical snag and in his wisdom decided that we needed to go back to the parking bay where they could figure out the problem.

All this while I was 75% asleep and as only vaguely aware of the pilot making the announcement that we were going back to the parking bay. Guess somewhere in this process I fell off to sleep for a while and did not have a sense of the time and activities around me.

Woke up around 22:30 and realised that we were still sitting in the parking bay. Saw a few passengers and ground staff milling around the entrance of the aircraft. Suddenly realised that we should have been landing in Ahmedabad around this time. Instead I was sitting inside the aircraft, on the tarmac at Bombay airport.

Instinct was to get up and raise a bit of a ruckus to figure out what the problem was, but I was feeling far too lazy and sleepy to do so. Hence just sat around with my eyes half open and listened to the conversations happening around me.

After another few minutes the delay started to get my goat. My mis-fortune could not get so much the better of myself!!! So I got up and started enquiring what the issue was and whether or not we would be leaving for Ahmedabad anytime soon.

The flight steward had no clue. All he could say was - "Sir, the Captain is looking into the matter and is trying his best."

Me - "Can you please ask him to make an announcement and give us some clarity on what is happening and what we can expect?"

Steward - "Sir, I have told him. He is trying his best Sir."

Me - "I am sure he is trying his best. I am only asking for some clarity on the situation. How much more delay can we expect? Should I go home and sleep or hang around here?"

Steward - "Sir, the delay is unavoidable considering your safety and security. The Captain is trying his best. I do not want to distrub him."

Huge glare from me...

Steward - "Sir, I will tell the Captain again."

Five minutes later, there is still no clarity and no movement.

Me - "Hello..."

Steward - "Sir, the Captain is looking into the matter and is trying his best."

Another huge glare from me...

Steward - "Sir, I have told him."

Me - "So??"

Steward - "Sir.. Captain says we are waiting for some paperwork and we should be ready to leave in 5 mins."

A bit mollified, I go and sit on my seat.

In between all this drama, one of the passengers has decided to get off the plane and go home. As a result, the ground staff now wants each passenger to identify his/her hand baggage. Lots of grunts and murmurings as the pained junta does not want to be pained any more. Some raise their voice and so on. The ground staff takes the position that it is DGCA rules and they cannot avoid it. So like good Indians, we all resign to our fate and allow the ground staff to do their bit.

Soon enough the Captain makes an announcement that we are ready to leave. All of us breathe a sigh of relief and buckle up.

Resolution: We take off finally and land at Ahmedabad shortly after midnight. So much for taking the night flight and not missing out on sleep!!

If this was an isolated incident, maybe I can wouldn't have been worried as much. But here I see a design, quite sinister and quite fearful. Here's what it is -

• First time this delay business happened with Indian Airlines - I was still inside the terminal building at Ahmedabad.
• Second time the technical snag delay happened, this time on Jet at Bangalore, I had boarded the bus to go to the flight.
• Third time it happened (this episode), I was on the plane, ready for take off...
• Next time.. on the plane, in mid-air and nowhere to go....

Keshav is unwell

Last 3-4 days the poor kid has not been very well. He has been very restless, is not sleeping soundly and is also not taking his feed properly. On top of that, once a day he has been puking out the feed as well.

As a result he himself has become a bit cranky and miserable. Keeps making grunting noises every few minutes and is crying a lot more than before.

Doc says its probably a bit of a gastric problem and shall go away in a few days. Till it does, its rather miserable to see such a small kid go through so much discomfort.

Babies cry

From babycenter.com


Babies cry. There's no way to avoid it — it's one way they communicate. Since your baby can't flat out tell you, you may worry, "How will I know what she wants?" It can be difficult at first, but a large part of parenting is trial and error and you'll soon learn to anticipate her needs, read her cues, and wipe away her tears. Here are the most common reasons babies cry. If your little one is wailing, work your way down the list and chances are you'll find something that helps.

How can I tell why my baby is crying?

• He's hungry
• He needs a fresh diaper
• He's too cold or hot
• He wants to be held
• He can't take it anymore
• He doesn't feel good
• None of the above

Tough being a parent man...

What Movies??

I suddenly realized today that I do not even know which movies have released over the last 15 days and which are the ones slated for release soon. This is such a change from the past when I would know the big realeases in advance and would discuss with Surabhi on Wed/Thu as to which movie we should be going for over the weekend.

Guess I shall have to start keeping more in touch with the DVD Libraries as I think they will be the primary source of all new and old movies for us for a while.

Just one of the small/big changes that our lives are undergoing after Keshav’s arrival.

Sorry Keshav..

My apologies to Keshav... Someone just pointed out to me that in my last blog I have referred to him as 'it' in one place -

"So when I am home and Keshav wants to play late at night, I take it away from Surabhi so that she can sleep."

The only explanation can be that I am still not fully used to the notion that I am the father of a son. Still used to referring to him as if he was in the womb!!

Sorry son...

Nirmal Anand

Last few days have gone in such a whirl-wind. Its amazing that Keshav is already a week old. It just seems like yesterday when he was born. Managing Surabhi’s hospital stay, getting them both home, taking care of various odds and ends and in the middle of all this, seeing my Son grow. That work has also been rather demanding has only made it crazier.

Nevertheless, I have truly enjoyed every moment of this past week. There is some regret that I was not around when Surabhi had to be rushed to the hospital, and I was not able to make it back in time to see my Son being born. But the happiness quickly and quietly overtakes these regrets and fill my heart with joy.

Surabhi used to always ask me what I feel about being a Dad. And I would always tell her, I do not know. Even today, that has not changed. The emotions I experience are not something that I have experience ever before, and are not something which I can easily put in words. Hence I will not even try. Suffice to say, I am thrilled.

Giving birth to a kid is just so difficult for the mother. The pain and discomfort of the 9 months are barely over, when you suddenly realize that your nights are now destined to be sleepless. Your kid makes (what you might think) reasonable and unreasonable demands, wants to be fed at all times in the night and day, wants to play with you whenever he wants, does susu-potty like you breathe in and out. And all this you take in your stride and keep the smile on your face, to assure the kid that he should not be afraid of anything in this big bad world. To tell him that you are there for him all the time, to comfort him and guide him.

In all this, the role of the father is rather insignificant and miniscule. At best he can provide a support system for the mother and the child. That’s what I am attempting to do as well. So when I am home and Keshav wants to play late at night, I take it away from Surabhi so that she can sleep. I play with him and talk to him. Most often, I am just observing him as he takes in the world. I am seeing him thrash his arms and legs to get a grip on the free space he has just come out into.

Last night I was at dinner and someone was talking about his theories on changing nappies. The theory was that the kid is not going to remember who changed his/her nappies when it was an infant. So as a man, why break your head on doing silly things like changing nappies.

Late at night, I lay in bed thinking about this. What is it that I would like to do for my child? Would it only be things that the child would remember when he grew up? Would I like to get brownie points with my kid as well? And the answer came to me rather instantly – “nirmal anand.” This was a term used by Rajesh Khanna in the movie Bawarchi, and it appropriately summed up my answer. I would do various things for my kid because it would give me the satisfaction and joy of contributing to my kid’s upbringing. I would like to do things that my kid needs done. I would not think of what the kid will or will not remember. If when he grows up and he thinks I have done nothing for him, I would surely be sad. But I would still be happy and satisfied that I did whatever I could. Including changing nappies. Call me a romantic, if you will, but this is what I am.

This morning as I took him away from Surabhi (so she could rest for a while), he promptly wet his nappies. And then as I was changing them, he had a smile on his face, as if he had heard my thoughts and was testing me out. And then, probably as a reward for successfully changing his nappies, he held my finger in his tiny hands and beamed once again.

And I knew the meaning of “nirmal anand.”

An introduction...

Hi!! I am Keshav. Naam to suna hoga..

I am the Son of Surabhi and Nikhil Mohta.

I am now precisely 3 days old. I arrived in this world on Friday the 13th (talk about timing!!) at 08:03 am, a few days before I was scheduled leaving my father hapless and stranded as he tried hard to make it to Mumbai and the hospital in time for my arrival (and in which he failed). After all, he didn't want me to tell him through his life that he wasn't around to see my entry!!

Anyways, do not want to take his trip too much as I need him to do a lot many things for me over the next so many years. And it certainly does not pay to antagonise the one whom God has appointed as your provider on this planet.

My entire family.. parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc are big fans of Lord Krishna (in my era there isn't much of a concept of a believer or otherwise.. hence fan!!). Hence, my parents decided to name me Keshav. I quite like the name. It is traditional and religious, yet is a cool name. It is not too long. That gives me hope that people will not break it up and make variations of it. In case you do not get the hint, the simple point is that you should not call me Kesu or Keshu or any such thing. I will not appreciate it.

Been around three days so far. Not done much except a bit of crying, lots of sleeping, some feeding and a bit of susu-potty. Alas, the hospital where I am does not encourage inter-mingling of the various freshers and hence I have not been able to check out the new babes. But rest assured, I am going to take every opportunity to check out the beauty that God has created, at the first available opportunity.

I have seen a lot of uncles, aunties, dadas and dadis come and visit me. Some have been getting me gifts too (these are the ones i like particularly ;). Some others have been rather the bothering kinds and want to take me out of my comfortable cot and inspect me from all angles, as if I am some object they are buying in the market. Fortunately the latter kinds are rare, and I am glad for that.

Have lots more to talk about, but that will have to wait a while. I am quite tired at all this right now and hence will sign off.

Cheerio and see you soon again.

Keshav

In Anticipation..

Sitting at Ahmedabad airport early in the morning and waiting for the first flight back to Mumbai. Despite the advances in technology, when one really needs to move fast, one has to still wait for 6-7 hours before one can reach Mumbai (Well.. the wait started at 2 am!!).

Reason for the hurry.. Surabhi is going to have a C-Section in the morning for delivering our baby. All was well till yesterday. She felt the movements had slowed down and hence went to Doctor. Tests showed that the umbilical cord was threatening to loop around the neck, but nothing alarming.

Then late at night she called me to tell that her water bag had burst and that she was going to the hospital. Thank God Mummy and Kaku were there. Else it would have been a complete disaster situation.

Now waiting for the flight so that i can get there ASAP.

Women and their dreams...

My wife has an extremely vivid imagination. And especially her dreams, complete with the storyline, screenplay, characters and the visuals, would beat the best of any masala packed Hollywood, Bollywood or 'Any-other-wood' movie hands down. Her dreams include fairy tales, horror stories, relationships, movies.. just about anything. I wouldn't go much more into detail for fear of losing my life when i reach home.

I always though that I was the only one who had the priviliege of such free-of-cost entertainment till one of my friend's wives called up yesterday morning.

Friend's wife - "Hey Nikhil.. Are you at the hospital?"
Me - "Hospital?? Why???"
Friend's wife - "Arre.. didn't Surabhi deliver last night?"
Me - "Well, she certainly did not inform me about it. Maybe she told you in confidence!!"
Friend's wife - "Nooooo.. I had a dream that Surabhi has alreayd delivered. So i thought I would check."
Me - (trying to control myself from rolling on the floor with laughter) - "No. Not yet. Doc said two more weeks."
Friend's wife - "So she's not at the hospital?"
Me - "No. She is pretty much at home. Give her a call and talk to her."
Friend's wife - "Oh.. ok. Bye then"

Later on the friend also told me that in the dream Surabhi's labour lasted for only 2 minutes. I am sure Surabhi wont mind that!!

Women and their vivid imaginations!!

Riddikulus Commies!!

These Commies (or so called Commies) are just beyond any concept of sense and sensibility. Below is a news update from DNA -
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BRINDA BLAMES THE US FOR VIOLENCE IN NANDIGRAM
Kay Benedict, New Delhi
DNA
The CPI(M), which so far has alleged involvement of a host of parties and organisations, including Maoists, the Jamait-e-Ulema-Hind and the Opposition in the Nandigram carnage, has now added a new dimension to the March 14 episode altogether. The party is now alleging the US hand in the flare-up. Politburo member Brinda Karat has alleged that US officials in India held an unprecedented meeting with a leader involved in the mobilisation of the minority community in Nandigram.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

How much more ridiculous can they get? And damn newspapers like DNA who think a mad comment by someone as mad as Brinda Karat is worth reporting!!

Weekend Double Dhamaka

These days cross-border cinema seems to be more of the norm than the exception. There was a point when such movies were meant to cater to the NRI audience. Nowadays, I think there are three categories of audiences who these movies cater to:

• the NRI audience, ofcourse,
• those who travel across these countries and hence might be able to relate to the concept, and
• those who would like to travel the world without moving an inch (through the eyes of a fellow Indian ofcourse) – courtesy Nikolai Gogol

I spent a good part of this weekend watching two such movies – The Namesake and Namaste London. While I do not want to turn this into a full-fledged movie-review, I still felt compelled to put down a few lines.

The Namesake, as the name suggests and so do the credits, is said to be based on the book by the same name (uff.. too many names..) by Jhumpa Lahiri.

The book is quite brilliant. It convinced me that I cannot and will not let ANYONE spoil the life of my child by naming him something as atrocious as Gogol or Tapur or whatever. It did so by subtly and otherwise showing me the impact a bad name can have on a child’s growing up and affect his mental balance. I am certain that when my child grows up, I am going to give him a copy of this book to read, so that he can also realise the magnitude of the damage that might have been and recognise me as the person who saved him from such agony.

Anyways, back to the book.. I mean the movie. It’s quite an engrossing movie. I would like to say entertaining as well, but do not want to give the impression that it is flippant. Tabu and Irfan have acted tremendously (no surprise there!!) and so have the others including Kal Penn. I would recommend the movie to everyone, despite the sometimes unnecessary heavy dose of sexual intimacy (pardon my conservative, middle class Indian mindset please!!).

What I found disappointing was that the movie missed an opportunity to showcase an extremely novel idea – of how the utter mismatch between our traditions and simpleton-like thinking and the realities of a foreign land, as reflected in giving a child a dak-naam (“pet name”) like Gogol, with the notion that the good name can be given much later as well, when the child goes to school, can completely impact a person’s life and lead him to be a confused, angry, frustrated soul who doesn’t even want to befriend his parents since they gave him such a name.

Hence, what I also found disappointing is that the movie degenerates into yet another movie about an Indian family settling abroad. Mind you, the word degenerated has nothing to do with the quality of the movie on its own (which I have already mentioned is worth watching). It is more a feeling of betrayal that I feel becuase the Director moved away from the central theme of the book. Thus, you have a great movie with Tabu playing the lead role, where the concept of the book is reduced to some jokes in school and in parties.

Some other inconsistencies in the movie –

• "The Telegraph", was launched in Calcutta on July 7, 1982 and hence could not have been around in the glimpse of the city in 1977
• The spelling is "Delhi" and not "Dehli". But maybe this was a conscious thing by the Director.

Some of the high points of the movie -

• Irfan using all his romanticism and persuation to get Tabu to come out of the bathroom, after she has managed to shrink his clothes in the washing machine
• Tabu driving a car in New York at 20 mph (or thereabouts) and being scared of causing an accident if she drove faster,
• The Bengali servant in the Calcutta household running after Gogol through the streets of Calcutta, having been told by Gogol's granny to keep an 'eye on him'.

The other big highlight of this movie, for all of us with some Bong-land connection, is to listen to the bangla bhasha and crack jokes and repartees in Bengali. Really made me nostalgic.

In summary, The Namesake is a very well made movie and worth a watch. But watch it as a movie in its own right as the central idea of the movie is quite different from the central idea of the book.

Moving on to Namaste London (Sunday morning show.. cheap tickets!!). A typical masala movie with a fair bit of tradition, modernism and a painful Himesh Reshammiya. That guy is just the same in every movie that he is a part of - same type of music, same high-pitched singing, and no role for other playback singer since he sings all the songs himself. Only saving grace in this movie was the fact that he did not make a physical appearance!!

Anyways, the movie itself is fast paced and entertaining. Akshay Kumar has clearly matured as an actor and has done some very good films in recent times. This is one more in that list. he pulls off the role of a jatt punjabi with great elan. Katrina Kaif is very very very good looking and quite hot too. Rishi Kapoor has done a good job as a confused Punjabi father of a British girl who is fuming at his daughter one minute and falling at her feet the next.

The basic plot has significant influences from movies like Purab aur Paschim (the speech on India) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (the righteous, moving husband who would rather see his wife happy with another man than sad with himself and is willing to walk her down the aisle to marry her love and then promptly walk away with tears in his eyes, Ajay Devgan style) and Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi (bhaag beti bhaag) and some others.

Some of the humour in the movie is quite corny, often silly and a bit overdone.

If one is looking for newness, the movie doesn't have any of it really. Yet, the old masala has been blended together well and the movie does not bore you at any point of time. And if that still doesn't appeal to you, then you can go for Katrina Kaif. She looks very very gorgeous!!.

So much for the Weekend Double Dhamaka. Cheerio..


Disclaimer: For those who are wondering about by use of the male pronoun for my child, that’s just because the character in the book and the movie was a boy. I do not know the sex of my child and all that I have said above would be equally valid if my child were to be a girl.

Freedom.. by John Sircar

There was a small cage with enough space for only two birds. We will name the birds Joy and Sorrow. Sorrow loved to fly. He would open his wings and ride the thermals to reach a lone peak. From there he would look upon the vales below and ponder upon his loneliness.Joy had met with an accident. She couldn’t fly without apprehension. She was too scared. In that small cage she would wait all day while Sorrow would roam around the world. Then one fine day, Sorrow decided to build a nest in the cage. Building a nest in the mountains would have been too risky for Joy. Then slowly Sorrow taught Joy the art of flying, waiting in his cage while she flew around with confidence. Joy made new friends, met old ones and loved the wild world so much that one day she forgot to return home. Sorrow became worried. Spreading his mighty wings he searched far and wide for his companion.

The morning was dizzy and the sun’s rays woke up a groggy Sorrow. He had fallen asleep on a lonely outcrop of a cliff. Tired he returned home to find Joy with her friends, frolicking outside their cage. Folding his wings carefully, he tiptoed towards them and snatched a bit of their conversation. Joy was complaining about him, of how small his cage was and that she was tired of spending her days in the damn contraption. She was complaining about Sorrow’s mood swings and how she had to compromise on a lot of things to keep him happy.Noiselessly Sorrow felt something break inside him. He turned around and spread his wings again. The flapping sound subsided as Sorrow flew out of sight carrying with him the remains of a broken heart.

The night was stormy and thunder rattled the thin rods of the cage. With his head buried in his fluffy chest Sorrow slept. The sound of the rain outside startled his dreams and he woke up with a start. The cage was locked from inside. Joy had moved to the free mountains with a friend of hers.

Suddenly, Sorrow heard the sound of wings through the rain. He watched with love soaked eyes as his friend alighted in front of the cage. Joy tried to open the cage. Realizing it locked from inside she urged him to unlock it. Sorrow turned away as tears welled up in his eyes. He had thrown away the key. He had given Joy the thing that she needed most-Freedom.

At the same time a question cropped up in my mind. Will Joy ever be free?

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PS: This piece was written by John Sarkar, a junior of mine from St. Joseph's College. If you liked it, you can go to http://mindraga.blogspot.com/ and read more of his works!! Worth the visit is my recommendation!!

Yo..tube..

Today I discovered the power of Youtube!!!

It all started with a hamrless click on the YouTube link to a Hrithik Roshan ad.. or was it an Abhishek Bachchan ad.. for a new Motorola mobile and headphones.. Before i realised i was looking at clips from KANK (which i promptly discarded) and going on to Dhoom 2.

I would have not been so impressed even if it had ended with Dhoom 2 clips. As i searched for something more interesting than D2, i chanced upon clips from DCH.. Yes "Dil Chahta Hai".. one of my all-time favorite movies as i am sure it is of many others. Rarely does a movie capture the spirit of the youth and blend it so seamlessly and naturally with the complexities of growing up. Rarely does a movie reflect the aspiration of a group of friends.. of continuing to be such good friends, what else.. in a manner so natural that you do not feel you are watching a movie.

Anyways, coming back to my YouTube story. From the clips of DCH, i quickly discovered a link to the entire movie split in 10 equal, continuous clips. And the next thing i knew, i was watching the movie. Sitting in office, in the middle of the day, in the middle of an important deal note (that i am to write).

And the next 2 hours passed by in a jiffy ('cos i decided to not watch 1-2 clips which had some of the unpleasant scenes such as the fight between Aamir and Akshay or when Akshay's mom and Dimple find out about Akshay's love for Dimple). And not just me, even Mahesh, my colleague came by to chat and stayed on for a reasonably long period of time!!!

Came home, once the movie finished and didn't dare mention it to Surabhi when she asked me what I did during the day. Anyways she thinks I do no work in office and hence have to work every day late into the night (little does she know that she is reasonably on the mark ;)

The cat got out of the bag when she was berating me for something and saying - "tum nahi sudhar sakte na!!"

Pat came my reply - "Perfection ko improve karna thoda mushkil hai!!!"

More on toilets

I wonder what gave this friend of mine the idea that I might be besotted with toilets that he sent me this link -

http://cybour.50webs.com/Resources_toilet.html

Enjoy

Unique waste management model

An innovative way to tackle the waste management problem that is plaguing various Indian cities and is most visible whenever one visits any Government owned/controlled place.

Kudos to the Ahmedabad Airport authorities for their simple, innovative and (I am sure) effective approach to waste management.

Waste management is a challenge due to the inordinate amounts of waste which is generated and mindlessly dumped by the citizens of this country.

This system hits out at the root cause of the problem and solves it. At the heart of this system is a simple bucket. Here is how the system works -

i) A bucket is placed at the bottom of each unit in the waste management facility at the airport.

ii) The bucket is used to collect the waste generated by various visitors to the airport.

iii) Once the bucket is full, it starts to overflow and creates a mess in the adjoining area. It also generates a stink, but more on that later.

iv) New visitors to the facility are discouraged by the mess and avoid using this particular unit, and shift to other units within the same facility

v) The same system is also installed at the other units within the same facility

vi) Soon all buckets start to overflow and the stink envelops the entire facility.

vii) All visitors to the airport are now discouraged from using any units in this facility, and have to carry it with them to their various destinations.

End Result - Less waste is dumped at the Ahmedabad Airport and hence there is less waste to be treated. Hence, the waste management problem is contained to manageable levels. How this reduced waste is then managed is the topic of a different discussion.

Currently this system is being tested out at a couple of units within the facility. The authorities invite all suggestions on how to make it more effective before they roll it out throughout the facility and the airport.

Air Dhakkan

This is a notice I found when I travelled by Air Deccan to Delhi for Vijit's wedding.

I wonder how can one fold a child ("shishu") no matter how good or bad the weather!!!

A Morning in the life of a Newly Engaged Man

The following account is based on an eye-witness account. Since the chief protagonist is a close friend, I have changed the names of the personalities to protect their identity :)

7:00 AM

Tring Tring… The mobile phone breaks the stillness of a winter morning in the hotel room in the capital of a Well Known State in West India.

Surprise surprise.. the phone is picked up on the second ring by Lord. Call centre agents should take a lesson in response times from this.

A melodious voice, sweeter (to the ears of Lord) than any chirping of a Mynah ever has been, on the other side - “Good morning sweetheart. Its time to wake up sleepy bones.”

“Good morning darling”

“Did you sleep well, baby.”

“Yes darling. I had the most wonderful dream about us.”

“Hmmmm.. so what did you see in your dreams?”

Lord, with the hotel blanket over his head, and the mobile phone held close to the ear, like an ostrich, oblivious to the world around him – “Well, it was a sunny winter morning. The park was full of the morning mist and the fragrance of the dew made the morning ever so romantic. The birds were chirping and the rose plants were in full bloom. You and I were walking hand-in-hand and I was admiring the gentle beauty of your face.”

“My my.. I did not know that my beau could be so poetic.”

“Anything for you my darling. What are you doing up so early?”

“Arre.. you forgot. I am at the airport. I am coming back to Mumbai. You are only interested in your dreams. Don’t even remember anything I tell you.”

“No no dear.. I remember. I just did not realise it was already 7 o’clock.” (Men are such smooth liars!!)

“What a liaaaaar.. Anyways, why don’t you get up now. Don’t you have a meeting? That motu colleague of yours has landed or not?”

“What yaar.. subah subah why do you have to think of other men!! Ya.. he is here. Came in a few mins ago and woke me up. Think he is washing up or something.”

“Chalo.. I think my flight is being announced. Will talk to you once I land.”

“Nooo..not so soon. Atleast talk for one more minute. Tell me you love me.. pleeeeaaase..”

“I love you baby.”

By this time the motu colleague has emerged out of the bathroom and plonked himself on the other end of the bed. Lord suddenly realises that he is not alone in the room.

“Hmmm… Me too..”

“What?? You cannot even tell me that you love me too.”

“I do baby.. samhja karo.. please understand..”

“Ohhh.. looks like that motu is back in the room. Achha.. I am going now.. Byeeeee”

“Byeeeee….”

7:10 AM

Lord has gone back to sleep, snoring lightly, with a half smile on his face. Obviously, he is thinking of the lovely conversation and the sweet voice is still ringing in his ears. Perhaps, he is now dreaming of a walk by the lake on a moonlit night.

8:30 AM

Tring Tring.. The phone rings again. By the time the Lord had put the phone for charging on the table. He gets up with a start and jumps across to the table and picks up the phone.

“Hiiiiii…. You have reached??”

“Ofcourse my teddy-bear. I cant be talking from the plane no.. You know they don’t allow phones up in the air.”

“I am glad you have reached. The last hour or so seemed like a few years without hearing your voice..”

“Liaaaaarrrr…. I am sure you were sleeping every moment that I was on the plane.”

Lord is unable to think of another reply now that his lie is caught. So he is grinning from ear-to-ear while trying to mumble a reply.

“Why aren’t you saying something? Are you alone in the room or your colleague is still around?”

“Wait yaar..” Saying this, Lord steps into the washroom holding the precious phone in his dear hands. Obviously he doesn’t want anyone overhearing his sweet nothings to his Mynah.

A few minutes of muffled voices and then Lord is back in the room. The love is showing in the glow on his face as he skips across the room and announces… “I think its going to be a beautiful day.”

The Solitary Reaper

Whether one believes in the Bhagwat Gita or listens to Tagore's "Akela Chalo Re", the message is the same everywhere. We all come alone into this world and will all go alone. In our journey through life we shall meet a lot of people, some of whom will become an inseparable part of our journey, and others who will fade away into oblivion in some time. We will do a lot of deeds, many of which we will think redefines us and our lives. Yet, at the end of the day each of us is alone. That is the fundamental truth and there is no more.

One of the best expressions of this view is William Wordsworth's "The Solitary Reaper". I read it in Class 9 in school in the collection of poems called Panorama. Still tanks as one of my favorite pieces. You may have other interpretations of the same, but I am sure will agree with me that this is indeed a most beautiful piece.

----------------------------------------------

THE SOLITARY REAPER

Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so shrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listen'd, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

My Budday party

My book of life turned another leaf a few weeks ago on my birthday. I had thought of writing about the day but then got lost in the daily rigours of life. I got reminded of it today and thought I will live up to my resolve of boring everyone a bit.

I am, by nature, an attention-seeking person. Hence the birthday is an important day for me as i get lots of attention that day from family and friends. While i seem most unpretentious about it, i wait for the day with a reasonable amount of excitement (Was going to say lot of excitement but then realised that i am going to be a father of a kid soon and hence will need to stop behaving like a kid).

This birthday was a good mix of surprise, pampering, routine, and some physical labour thrown in for good measure.

The birthday itself started a bit early as we went to Mahesh's place (for the uninitiated he is a friend from work) the previous evening, where I had a nice birthday cake awaiting me. My Scheming Sweet Surabhi had connived with them to plan the same. My dear friends had also, very thoughtfully, taken the trouble of getting my favorite snack i.e. samosa as well. All in all, it was a good prelude to the actual day.

The actual start to the day (or say night.. midnight) itself was rather simple and subdued. Surabhi tried very hard to stay awake to wish me at midnight, which she just about managed to do successfully. The next minute she promptly dozed off and her soporific, melodious snore was all i had for company.

As it turned out, i did not need that company for too long as I myself dozed off the next minute much to the chagrin of friends like Dhakkan who had made it an effort to remember my birthday and call me at night (twice in a row). Others were kinder and sent me smses and made it a point to underline their kindness.. "decided not to call you and disturb a....." Nevertheless, I was glad that they remembered and all wished me.

Papa was extraordinarily kind to me in waiting till 7 am or so before wishing me. I had half expected him to call at 4:45 am when he woke up. Thank you Papa. The series of phone calls, smses and emails (and orkut-ting) continued through the day and I got most of the expected greetings.

Surabhi did the most extra-ordinary thing thereafter by taking off from work post lunch (TATA-AIG stock would have most certainly hit the bottom circuit if it was a listed stock and the markets knew about this). She came to my office to pick me up and then she took me shopping. All the while she kept insisting that I buy this and that and the other. Got to buy some clothes and some books. Even had the offer of a new mobile being impressed upon me, but given my view of "uska paisa = mera paisa", I refrained from the offer. Anyways, it was the thought which was more important. Basically, I got majorly pampered.

In the evening we went for dinner to Dakshin at ITC Maratha Sheraton with my office junta - Mahesh, Ramya and Manish. Why Dakshin, I do not know really. It is usually good food but not my favorite. Actually, initially the idea was to go to Konkan Cafe at Taj President. Both Surabhi and I really like the place and the food. But then it was felt that it would be too far. Hence we settled at the suburbian cousin in terms of choice of cuisine.

We had two cars and since I am the official guide to Mumbai roads, I was leading the way. Traffic turned out to be much worse than what we had anticipated and soon all of us were plagued by the "mice jumping in the tummy" phenomena.

As if the traffic was not bad enough a problem, at one of the intersections the other car refused to start. And it was a heavy intersection and like the thing in Mumbai, the traffic here refused to give us a moment of respite as we tried pushing the car to a side. Anyways, after a bit of heave-ho and traffic management, we got the car onto the petrol station n the side. We contemplated leaving the car there for the night and getting it fixed next morning. But a brief interaction with the tout convinced us that it was a bad idea.

Result - Some more pushing and as God helps those who help themselves, the car started and we again proceeded on our way to the hotel.

Dinner was a nice, quiet affair which ended off with two cakes - one that Surabhi got and the other which the hotel felt obliged to offer us. The slight damperner was that the food turned out to be a bit disappointing and resulted in a bit of badgering of the hotel staff. Anyways, it was too small an issue to spoil what had been a good birthdya overall.

And on this special occasion, I would like to thank God Almighty for sending me to this world, thank my parents for giving me birth and raising me, thank my wife for making it a special day for me, thank all my family and friends for remembering me and wishing me, thank the mobile and email networks for bringing all the good wishes to me, and thank the car for making me push it and completing my day!!!

PS: the pic is of the lovely plates that Surabhi got for the cake :)

The final lap

Imagine hanging in a bag of fluids for 39 weeks!!! And then the bag being turned from left to right, right to left, upside down!!! How would you feel?

These are questions that have been in my mind for quite a few weeks. Ofcourse I am referring to a child in a mother's womb. And i keep telling Surabhi the same everytime she wants to twist and turn, and ofcourse she does not like it :)

Relax!! Before someone gets on my case, I dont tell her not to twist and turn or anything like that. I just sometimes tell her about my feelings for someone hanging in a bag of fluid.

Anyways, this period of agony for the baby is supposed to end soon. And is about to be replaced by another period of suppression!!

The baby's movements are much more obvious than before. Every now and then Surabhi and even I can feel and even see the baby's movements. These movements are only going to get more pronounced as time goes by. Its not like the baby was not moving as much before. Its more because as the baby is growing within the womb, the womb does not grow as rapidly. Infact, the womb even stops growing beyond a point. The growing baby faces increasing space constraint. Earlier, a lot of its movements might not have been felt on the surface. Now, every movement is felt on the stomach.

Anyways, all these will soon be a thing of the past. The same nine months that seemed insurmountable at a point in time are now almost a thing of the past. The move from 2006 to 2007 has made a huge difference to the psychology of things. What was then "next year" is now "this year".

Surabhi has already entered her third and final trimester. Its just another three months to go and then we shall be proud parents of a wonderful kid. I still often find it difficult to believe that MY baby is about to be born.

We took another step towards the final act today by going and booking one of the potential venues for Pu's arrival. Went and checked out the maternity section at Nanavati Hospital and made bookings for Surabhi. Fortunately she liked the look and feel of the place. We have to now check out one other place and register there as well. Then, if the baby is going to be born in Mumbai, then we are set.

Its just a matter of the wait....

The low-pressure situation continues...

.. and the rains continue to pour excitement into our lives..

Since my last post on the rains, have discovered three more of my friends caught in the storm of babies:

• One of my IIMA batchmate's wife has had a kid a couple of weeks ago in NJ;
• A friend from Bangalore has reported that his wife delivered a baby girl 3 months ago, and was full of advice when he found out that we were also expecting;
• Another couple, this time both being friends from SRCC and now living in the US, are expecting their kid in June.

Keep the good times pouring...

Shifting complete..

All old blogs have been shifted from the previous location to this location.

Thanks for all the help and support.

Changing homes

'No Sorry' is shifting to the following new location -

http://surnik.blogspot.com

See you there

Welcome

Have moved my blog to this new location due to several constraints on the earlier site..

Wish you a Very Happy & Prosperous 2007.