Tried something new

Vanakkam folks! So much drama happening in my favorite county India. It saddens me. And all in the name of religion. I am curious like many of you to watch "Vishwaroopam" now. Kamal Hassan is a veteran actor and to see him go through so much just to release his movie, is a murder of creativity. I have gone through this same scenario recently. Although, not to such a great degree. My friend and I had made a skit, which could not be made Public because of objection from a friend, as it had aspects of her in it. Jayalalitha's justification to the ban on "Vishwaroopam" also made sense. She had to take care of law and order in the state, as she was receiving reports from her intelligence group, saying there might be chaos at the theaters if the movie was released. Deleting some scenes from the movie was a middle ground that Mr. Hassan was gracious enough to take. Lets hope for peace, for all parties. So proud of SRK! Loved the way he addressed his latest controversy in his speech. He said he is born Indian and was proud of it and felt safe in India. He said this all with a stern face. I can see him conducting himself with dignity from now on. We will not get to see the witty side of him anymore. Thanks to him being a soft target. One surprising thing is that Amitabh has remained quiet through all this. Salman Khan may face 10 years in jail if convicted in the hit and run case from 2002, in which one person was killed. Hmmm, it took them 10 years already? And, OMG! The juvenile accused in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case has just been declared a minor by the Delhi juvenile justice board. Apparetnly even the Mom does not know the child's correct age. What is happening folks? Anyway, far away in U.K., it was cute of the Royals to take a 3 minute(?!!) train ride like normal people. And here in the US, those notorious credit card companies will be charging a fee to use the card in a few days is what I read. Not cool! I guess I have got to take it easy on using those credit cards from now on.
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Tried a Taekwondo class today, just to try something different. I was surprised at the stretching moves that are done before and after the routine. It's similar to yoga. It was an intense routine. Taekwondo is a martial art originating in Korea. The students are taught meditation, how to show respect to teachers and fellow students, how to improve flexibility, self defense and most importantly focus and discipline! It is a cultivated art. One cannot learn it overnight. I am not sure if I will continue going to the class, only because I don't think I have that discipline in me, to practice. I am better off at the gym, where there is no set routine. Routine bores me. I like variety. Getting to exercise is itself so hard. Add a strict routine to it and I will fail. The Song of the day that I chose is from the movie Sindoor. I like the melodious flute in the music. Doordarshan used to play this song so often in those days. I loved the blue Saree that Neelam wore. I was too young to wear a Saree when this movie was made. So, waited till I grew up to buy a similar Saree. I sure miss that era! Life was so much more simpler then. Luckily we have these songs and movies that have memories attached to them. Life is good. Enjoy folks! Till next time, Good Night!

Goodbyes - We only part to meet again.

Namaskar all! It's King Khan again. I read his well written, witty article - “Outlook Turning Points 2013” in which he focused on his experiences as a Muslim in the post-9/11 world. That's a beautiful human being! He is pouring the contents of his heart before you in this well written article. When are we going to get more enlightened on the true meaning of religion? However, I think, Pakistan's reaction to this article was uncalled for. There was no need to bring India into this. I think the Government of India, knows their duties. Good rebuttal by India. It was required. However, I have this nagging thought. How is that only SRK gets in this kind of trouble? Why not his fellow Muslim actors like Aamir or Salman? The whole incident where he was interrogated at the NY airport for being a Khan and the IPL incident where SRK lost his temper on hearing a remark on him being a Muslim, all shows that, somewhere SRK is making strong statements. Being a star is not easy I suppose. On the other hand, SRK's favorite heroine, Kajol has lost 16 kilos. Kudos to her! Would love to see her back on screen. A brilliant actress! I haven't forgotten my own resolution for this year folks. I have to lose my extra pounds too! I just started the whole gymming and dieting process just yesterday. I will keep you folks posted. Wish me luck. My younger son, Rohit, today said something so cool to me. "Mom, why is life so great?" This made me so happy. The child is loving life, like he is supposed to. I hope he continues to feel that way. Nothing like being content and happy with what we have. I had to learn from him. Happiness should be the state of mind for all! Here is wishing all of you, my dear readers just that.

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I always choke when I say goodbye. Whether it is to a good friend, parents, siblings, children, husband. It's so hard. The uncertainty of events that follow is so scary. My way of saying goodbye is not to look into the person's eye. And once I have said my goodbye, never look back. This way I only remember happy faces and not the sad face of emotions when parting. The dislike of good-byes is a reminder of mutual dependence on friends and family. Man is after all a social animal. Solitary confinement can be the higest form of torture.

Sometimes it's not the goodbye that hurts but the flashback that follow. Time decides who you meet in life, your heart decides who you want in your life, & your behaviour decides who stays in your life...Here's to the people that never leave, no matter how hard things get. So an appropriate song of the day is the original song "Goriye mein jana pardes" sung by Reshman, Parvez Mehdi. It was later copied in the Hindi movie Karma. Love the tune of this song. I have posted both versions, if you are interested.

Hindi movies have their own interpretation of going away sad songs and I love them for what they are. The songs are full of intensity, you really feel the pain of that character. Personally, it moves moves me so much that it brings tears to my eyes. It's a wonderful experience. I pay to cry. he he. Hail Bollywood! It's is worth every dollar I spend. Here is one such song. "Na Jaiyo Pardes" from the movie Karma starring Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff  & the pretty, innocent looking Poonam Dhillon. Enjoy! Good night folks!

Age 16 - why is it a big deal?

Hello my dear cyber friends! I missed all of you too! I had taken an "electronic" break.  It was an experiment to test my addiction to all the gadgets I own. And boy! Am I addicted! It was ok for a few days, but I don't think I could continue for long without them. I missed putting down my thoughts in this space too! Today, my older son turned 16!

Time flies. It feels like just yesterday that he was crawling in our living room. Sweet sixteen now. I don't remember my 16th B'day at all! It came and went just like any other B'day. No one made it a big deal. So then, why is it that people celebrate sweet sixteen and make it a big deal? Her si what I came across: It is the age where many thought the young had reached adulthood. Girls were married off and young men given responsible duties. Years ago, at 16,  young men were sent away for education for the most part (rich families) and came back to be educated on the finer points of the family business. After a couple of years they were expected to start handling things on their own. Girls were considered prime for marriage at age 16. Old enough to bear children and knowledgeable in handling cooking, cleaning and other duties for the wife. Rich families tried to marry into similar levels as the girl would have had training for handling servants etc. As for today it is still considered the milestone for becoming an adult. Is there any rhyme or reason to this explanation? Why not Sweet 21? Is this another hype created by society to highlight teenage years to be the best years of ones life? For American teenagers, turning sixteen is especially important because it is at this age that they are able to get their driver's licenses. If you are a girl, there is that added pressure of being kissed by a boy at the age of 16.
Appropriately then, the Song of the day is Solah baras ki bali umar ko salaam. from the movie Ek duje ke liye.

Shub Raatri.

Safe India - A dream?

Happy new year my dear cyber friends! I had a good start to the new years amidst family, close friends and some new friends. Yes, "new" friends. But one thing that keeps coming back to me, is the thought that, my India is not safe. While "Nirbaya" rests in peace, Indian newspapers continue reporting, rape cases on a daily basis as headlines. I see that this time, India is really serious and the Government is taking the necessary steps to speed up the judicial process, just to punish these culprits. But is that the end? Does that mean that, women are safe, to do what they want in India? We Indians come to the US and feel superior, when relating how value bound and culturally rich our country is. We have women deities that we pray for everyday, so much so, we refer to our earth as female (Dharthi Ma). We have arranged marriages that work! We were 6 yards of fabric and a dupatta to cover ourselves. Yet, women are brutally raped every 18 hours. This is a shame! Today, the whole world is watching us India. We better work REALLY hard to bring about a change for the good. And I want to believe that it is possible. The younger generation will see better days. I think, we should start thinking as to how each one of us can try to bring about a small change, in whatever capapcity we can. Simply saying "kuch karna chahiye" is not enough. I think, being a "responsible" citizen is a good way to start. In other news, Vijetha Pandit came out with a revaltion that her elder sister has not been in a good mental state for many, many years now. She blames the late actor Sanjeev Kumar for it. It seems he did not reciprocate, Sulakshana Pandit's love for him. Not his fault, as he was madly in love with Hemamalini at that time, who was in love with Dharamji. It's a matter of hearts, that people have no control over. Sometimes, a robotic life seems much better! Anyway, the Song of the day is from the movie Umrao Jaan.

This song is so sad...But so beautiful...Like women! We have a tough life but we are all queens. When will the men of India get it. There is no man without a woman. look at the spelling of woman. "man" is within her.  Going to bed now, with a hope for a better India. Tomorrow is a new day. Good night friends. Love you all! Share love.