Happy New Year

It's chilling cold in Delhi and to my surprise, I am finding myself getting comfortable with the weather here, as years have passed by. I would crib a LOT about bad weather here, all the time. But not anymore. I was at home, Bangalore last month and this trip was again activity-packed. I enjoyed the trip, except that I could not go out too much with mom. Each time I go home, I get so much love from my people, I feel so overwhelmed and so special. God is really kind to me in a lot of ways and I love life for all it's given to me. It's the beginning of the new year and I have a very positive feel about this year, that things are going to be much better this year. Why and how? I don't know, but I feel that. Looking forward to challenges, opportunities, and changes. Let's see how it goes. Signing-off for now.

I am mesmerized with Vijay Prakash's voice

I heard Latt Ulljhi, Sulljha Ja Baalam in Music World the other day and I asked the shop keeper what album was that song from and who was the singer, and he said that's from Yuvvraaj, and without thinking twice I bought the Music C.D. That was the effect of Vijay Prakash's voice. The song is in Abheri or Bhimpalasi in Hindustani. He's sung the song so beautifully, that it was probably the first time that I bought an A.R.Rahman's album for the voice of the singer and not for A.R.Rahman! Surprising isn't it?

Vijay Prakash's voice is not new to our ears. We have heard him in Sa Re Ga Ma:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=_3T6u5-jhsY&NR=1
Listen to the alapana in Mohana (Bhupali) raaga, how he ends with the Thillana - thaka tha jhanu dheem tha, tha, jhanu dheem tha dheerana...it's amazing.

Listen to Kavithe from Gaalipata:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=NYtAT0z4Jkk

Listen to Sooni Sooni from Cheeni Kam or Pal Pal Hain Bhari from Swades. Although these songs did not have too much of an impact, Vijay Prakash has taken the crown finally with this classical song from Yuvvraaj. I am totally into it at the moment. I am sure lots of people are, already! He is from Karnataka I believe...:-) Anyways, me really proud of this singer.

Enjoy the song at the moment, it's absolutely mesmerizing:
http://www.raaga.com/channels/hindi/movie/H002891.html

Lay-offs

How are we expected to react to lay-offs? The U.S team I used to work with, got laid off yesterday. I mean, it's all 'doomed'...I wonder how they are all taking it. And guess what, we are all thanking our stars that our asses are well on the office chairs! It is a weird situation. The managers are trying to cheer us up, telling us to look at what we have achieved so far, and be happy that the company still thinks that we are employable. Oh yes, there comes the famous talk of employment vs employability. Well all that apart, I still feel a little unethical to remain insensitive and move on. But I guess, that's the way to live in today's world. I am not cribbing about it, but I find it strange. If I fail to move on, then I am left behind. It's a bloody rat race out there. And we are all just moving without looking back. It tires me at times, but I really want to be a part of it, so much so that I want to lead the race. When will that time come? I am now reading 'Ignited Minds' by Abdul Kalam, it's such an inspiring book; especially now because my morale is a little down because of professional and personal sinusoidal waves..well ups and downs I mean. More to come...bye for now.

Ways to compensate

Is this the only time of the year that I feel happy? I wonder...

When I look forward to going back home, I try to find reasons why I feel so happy and there are many. I feel closer to myself. I feel extremely happy about being just me. But why so...what is wrong with the way I am today, I wonder again. At the moment, I am only a part of me, but the complete me is when I am at home.

For me, the biggest change in life was when I left my home, my parents and family. Although most people say that women get used to the fact that they are now somebody's wife, or daughter-in-law, or sister-in-law, ....I still feel that it the biggest void that one cannot fill in life. Whenever I see my husband being so happy with his siblings, his parents, I feel happy for him. I feel happy to be a part of his family. But I so badly miss my family. After so many years of marriage, I still have this one complaint about marriage. There's nothing to fill the void of missing your family, there's no love to compensate the love you get from your parents.

Probably, that's the reason God gave woman the power to give birth - to compensate what he takes away. May be that's the only way God decided to compensate love in a woman's life by giving her the power to deliver a life, to be a mother. When I will be one?

Preethiya Bengaluru

The more I go to my hometown, Bangalore, the more I fall in love with the city. For very obvious reasons, that I was born and brought up there? No, not just that. I have been to several places in India and abroad. Compared to most of the cities that I have been to, Bangalore is the best city so far. For the people, who you love at times, and you hate at times; for the traffic that could almost choke you every now and then; for the bad and bumpy roads; for all of these and more - there's something so good about the city. The places, the hotels, the hangouts, the crowd - everything has a class of it's own. I can't wait to see the city having a cool metro running all through. However, I hope the greenery remains intact.

Why do so many outsiders live and thrive in Bangalore? It is because the people are accommodating and soft-spoken. In every small way, I have observed that people try to help each other. Ofcourse, there will be a section which is really bad, but in general the crowd is nice. The food joints, pubs, cafes are simply great. It feels great to see the kannada movie industry doing very well. I simply love some of the kannada songs from the recent music composers like Mano Murthy. The FM radio channels are very good. Most of the youngsters are very smart and know a lot about technology. Bangalore is hip-n-happening, in every way.

Bangalore can definitely boast of very good schooling and education compared to most of the towns in India. You need not even think of going elsewhere until you complete your education in this city. You have all possible opportunities to pursue. Bangalore has some great shopping places, although crowded most of the time, the choice and variety is good. Ofcourse, inflation is an issue in this city. Blame it on IT or politicians, Bangalore is expensive. The minimum auto charge is Rs.14 now! And we can see some great looking double-decker buses in the city now. I simply love the city. While people maintain traditional values, the culture and heritage seems to be intact too. The city has lots of budding young talented singers, musicians, artistes, actors. The music concerts, the dance concerts, plays, drama, fine arts, movies, keep the city going. Alliance'de Francaise and Max Mueller Bhavan have paved way for several international alliances and join to be part of city's pride. Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha take the crown, standing in the middle of the city. Chinnaswamy Stadium and KSCA are the cricket hubs in the town. I can't express how much I love walking on M.G Road, Brigade Road and in Cubbon Park.

I feel proud of the city and it's people. The only city that has splendid weather all the time which brings a smile on your face as you welcome each day. The only place where I look forward to be all my life, close to my people, my friends and my home. I love Bangalore. :-)

May I Have Your Attention Please?

What exactly do you see in this picture? A group of kids? They all look like students from a class room? Precisely, a government school?

Wrong!

See carefully…

1. There are only GIRLS in this group


2. The girls are of different age groups


3. They are not the students of a classroom or a school, but they belong to Sharanya, a children’s orphanage.


4. The only similarity you can see among all of them is that they are all smiling and ask why? Because I had just given them lots of chocolates, before I clicked the snap, and the little girl in pink frock, right in the front, was the happiest of them all. It was beautiful to see the children smile and talk and even sing!

I am NOT writing this article for you to read and comment, but I want you to help. Sharanya is a children’s home – that houses orphans, or ‘special children of God’ like what I call them. These children don’t need anybody’s sympathy but they need your attention, time and financial support - to evolve into educated and civilized individuals tomorrow, probably with even better thoughts and opinions than what most of us have today.

The orphanage is in Bangalore, R.T Nagar. Anybody willing to spend some time can go and visit this place. Please think about it and see to what extent you can contribute. I can always help you with ideas, since I have been associated with the group in some time now. But it will be great if you can go and see the place on your own. Please write to me and let me know your thoughts.

Also, I would like to bring to your attention that why only girl children dominate these orphanages? Why is it that only female infanticide is rising so high in our country today? Read this:

The states of Punjab, Haryana and Jharkhand have the worst sex ratios in the country. According to the 2001 census, there are only 874 women with respect to 1000 men in these states. The national average was 933.

Isn’t this a serious concern? Especially among the illiterates and the poor? These people worship Goddesses. But when it comes to giving birth to a girl child, parents step back. Why?

• Because of illiteracy and poverty?
• Because parents don’t have enough money to get her married when she grows up?
• Because parents don’t have enough money for her dowry?
• Because, today, even if parents spend on her, she will not be able to return anything when she grows up or even be there to take care of her parents, since she will be married off?

It could be any or all of the above.

In this post, I am going to share my thoughts on Dowry. To a great extent, I blame our traditions and our society. Most parents believe in proving their potential to the society by flaunting wealth when giving away their daughters during the marriage ceremony. The richer they are, the more they flaunt. Also, the biggest mistake they commit is giving dowry, may it be in the form of gifts / jewels / whatever. This culture has evolved so much and getting a girl married becomes the greatest challenge in a man’s life. So much so that today, in the North India, among Brahmins, if a girl is unmarried till 30 years for whatsoever be the reason, a fixed dowry of 25 lakhs – minimum is what the parents need to be prepared for. This is true, and I am telling you out of what I have seen very closely. Some families feel very disappointed when their sons fall in love and marry a girl, because their rights to demand more from the girls’ parents goes down, although it does not get evaded completely.

I spoke to some women. They feel that it is the only way they can instantly make place in the boy’s family and it is important that they bring wealth from the father’s house. May be in olden days, women were not working and earning for themselves. But today, times have changed. Although not all women are capable of coming out and facing the world alone, women are smart enough to manage to voice their opinions and there are plenty of ways through which they can build upon their skills and make money. It is really a matter of shame that till today we see such serious issues prevailing in our society. We do have our legal system in place. But the only thing is people are not aware of this and they fear to come out and voice their opinion.

Today we need more people to come out and stand up for what is right. We need more women who believe they can make a difference. Thanking God everyday for what we are and who we are is not enough. We need to think that since we are in a better position today, so why not work towards helping for a cause? We need to work against female infanticide and dowry. We need to think of pulling the left behind. When I got married, although my parents were not too happy, I very clearly told them not to encourage any such demands and they kept my word.

So people, please give it a thought and come forward to help. It matters. You will feel the difference within you. When you help others, you will feel that your existence is not just mere existence, but it meant something to someone, somewhere.

Pls: If you want to contribute for Sharanya, write to me or get in touch with them directly.

Simran Thirai!

I was so surprised to see my favorite actress - Simran - back on T.V this week! That too on Jaya T.V! I was just browsing the channels and caught this serial on T.V.
I must say a lot of things about this:

1. Simran - It was a pleasant surprise to see her!
2. Characters in the serial - Simran - as a girl next door, simple, college-going, voracious reader, lover of books, serious and yet confused about marriage - portrays the character very well. Her body language, style everything seems very casual and impressive.
3. Simran, I believe has lost a lot of weight to work on this serial. I somehow felt that she was still looking fat, especially in that Maami look in the title song and the orange fire-brigade kind of outfit in the same title song. After being known for her great personality, dancing and acting, Simran excels in everything except her old looks. Her face seems puffy and she needs to look thinner...:(
4. Simran's Clothes - Are very contemporary. She wears nice and simple salwar kameez, she looks the best in them. Rest, she is mostly sporting jeans and long kurtis, and stoles, that are very much in fashion these days. Most of her kurtis seemed like Westside products. However, I felt she can look much better had her clothes designer worked more on this aspect. She needs to wear more flowy outfits to look thinner and stylish. She has looked so good in most of her films and her clothes have always been very good, mostly enhancing her figure. If she has put on weight, then, to cover her fat, more flowy synthetic garments can be used with a lot of prints. That's what I felt, rather than cotton stiff kurtas for her.
5. Title song - The lyrics of the song is good and the way it is shot is also very good. The composer of the tune has tried to give the song a very modern and English feel, something like Jillendru Oru Kaadhal title song, Poo Pookkum Osai song - kind of effect. But I felt it was okay. Chinmayi has tried her best.
6. Simran's family members - The constantly pressurized father, the ever-grumbling mother and the naughty sister - are excellent. One thing I was disappointed was the actor playing opposite Simran as a lead. This guy needs a hair-do so badly. He is so shabbily dressed. I felt a better looking, or atleast a better dressed guy should have been chosen to play opposite such a wonderful actress.
7. One more thing I was excited about was - it is being shot in Delhi! There are scenes shot in front of India gate, Vinayagar temple, etc where I go normally and it was a treat to watch. The father-daughter chemistry in the serial is also very good.

Overall, the serial has just begun and seems interesting.
Share your opinion if you happen to watch this. Since I love Simran, I will continue to watch this...

I loved Jodhaa-Akbar

The more I watch Jodhaa Akbar, the more I seem to fall in love with it! I loved the movie for several reasons:

For portraying our Indian culture so beautifully...

For portraying love so beautifully...

For portraying religious tolerance so beautifully

For the palace backdrop, scenes of Agra Fort / Amer Palace...

For the clothes and costumes...

For the spectalular elephant-taming scene...

For the background music...ARR has used one specific BGM for every character in the movie. I noticed that he has used the Dil Se kind of BGM - to create a feeling of fear for Akbar's foster mother's character. It is very similar to the BGM of Dil Se. The BGM he has used for Jodhaa-Akbar's sword fight scene is fantastic. The BGM when Akbar teases Jodha is amazingly sweet. The last few lines of Mann Mohana that is used when Akbar walks in the palace after seeing Jodhaa for the first time and gets smitten by her beauty, is beautiful...I loved the gujrati group jingles that is used for Jodhaa when she enter's the Moghul palace for the first time with her ladies group, and also the one when the ladies enter the lunch room carrying the gujrati dishes to be served to the Emperor...Some of the BGMs used for the war scenes were very similar to the ones used in the serial on DD - Tipu Sultan - that old TV serial if you remember...?

For the songs...

The song In Lamhon Ke Daman which starts so beautifully with Sonu's voice, where the chorus comes in like as if 'breaking the ice' between Jodhaa Akbar is beautiful...I somehow feel, Shreya could have been better with Sonu for this song...

Khwaja song with dancers performing the Sema dance (see

http://www.geocities.com/ee_adnan/mevlana.html), the Turkish dance is simply beautiful, especially the way Akbar goes into a state of tranquil with the energy he feels within him is amazing...One thing I felt was ARR could have used 2 additional voices in the song for the chorus part, since it is picturised among 3 singers...nevertheless, I was satisfied.

Mann Mohana, as expected is a complaining song of Jodhaa to her Lord Krishna (when she says - Kaanha Suno Naa...) the song traverses through several events of Jodhaa's life in the movie - 1. When she complains to God when her marriage gets fixed with Akbar and she expresses her sheer disappointment. 2. When she goes to Agra leaving her father's house 3. When Akbar agrees to her demands with so much dignity, that she is taken aback 4. When she prays in the Moghul palace and Akbar lands in front of her as she seeks the Lord to reside in her eyes. 5. When Akbar is mesmerized with her beauty...its a lovely song and ends in a similar way like how Satrangi Re in Dil Se ends with a haunting flute piece...I am in love with this song, although Shreya Ghoshal has not sung this song...Bela Shinde is equally good.

Marhaba - I thought the song had too many people cramming up the dance area and the use of the word Marhaba did not fit in the choreography well...however, the top view of the dance looked nice. An okay song I felt, which could have been shot more neatly.

Jashn-E-Bahara: The song starts when Akbar asks the priests about 'Jannat' (I guess, that scene was not quite clear) and they say, 'Jis Dil Mein Mohobbat Ho, Usse Jannat Kehte Hain' and Akbar goes, 'Bahut khoob'...it is again shot in bits, but a very nicely done song. Portrayed a lot of dignity with Akbar's character. Javed Ali's voice is excellent. The slow version of the song wherein Javed Ali has sung without any BGM, just plain vocals is excellent....and this plays as a background when Akbar and Jodha have split, and they miss each other in their respective homes...

Certain observations: Akbar is mostly dressed in Cremes / Greens and sports huge neck pieces and sharp side-locks, looks very hot...Jodhaa dressed in beautiful hues of Yellow/Orange/Red and Green...looks surreal. Interestingly Jodhaa sports a bindi throughout the movie, including the sword fight scene and it is a typical kumkum bindi and not the dark colors available today, what I mean to say is that they have kept every detail as authentic as possible, and if you notice she does not have nail polish at all...Ash has dared to look so simple yet so gorgeous...with such chunky jewellery...I wonder if India was ever so affluent in the past...

I loved the Rajasthani paintings that are used in the movie to show Akbar / Jodhaa - when Amitabh Bachhan starts / ends the narration.

I did not enjoy the war scenes much...not my cup of tea...:-) I dont enjoy watching fights / violence so I shall not talk about that. Also, I did not quite enjoy the Maha manga part in the movie...was quite unnecessary and inspired from Saas-Bahu tale I thought...

I am sure I will have more observations if I get to watch the movie again. For now, watch Jodhaa Akbar. It is a very good Indian movie.