Monday, December 19, 2005

The Great leveller!

Last night I had a dream, in which I died a peaceful death. There are few things as intriguing and mysterious as death. The thing that I really romanticize in death is the fact that it is the only thing that unifies all animate entities. I would (if it is possible), be really interested to know what people would remember of me, after I died, and more so, what their reactions would be at my death.
Let us not infuse this with emotions but instead look through an objective stand point. If anything, I would like to be remembered as an enigma! I say this, because, I know how so many people have claimed to have known and understood me, and yet, they quite haven't. Infact, I feel this is the same of every person we meet in our life time. Isn't that the reason, why death of a person itself is so intriguing? I remember, the first time, I was confronted with death. It was when my mother's youngest brother died of a fire accident. I was 6. I remember my mother breaking down inconsolably, at the news. It was the shock of the gruesome way he died that augmented her grief, as also the fact that he shall no more be a part of our lives. It did not have any effect on me, and I was infact left at home to play, while they went to the funeral.
When I was 15, my paternal grandmother, who had literally brought me up since my infancy died, all of a sudden. That was the first time, since I got my senses, that I saw my father break down. We left immediately, and when I saw the body of my grandmother laid down, strangely enough, I did not miss her. It was the moment they lifted it to be buried, that the sudden realization of her physical absence plagued my mind, and I cried. I cried so much that, death, that day, lost its tragedy to me. I have lost all of my grandparents, and I haven't cried. I find myself in the same position as I was when at the age of 6. Only thing being that, I now can feel the implications of death - the physical death.
Then there is a death that happens much more frequently; one that isn't physical. It is the murder of a personality that others do - of you. A personality that you are typecast in as, and then one day, they say, 'I never thought you could be so' - 'you are no more what you were'! That is when I realize that I am not a human! That somewhere in the course of life, I have become a typecast and lost my right to be human. And when a person dies such a death, even then people remember, not him, but his cast, his role, and his mask, that they had put on him, and had somewhere down the lane become his identity. It is revolting to me. Yes, I want to be remembered as the most mysterious person. I want people to wonder... "Hmm.. and I thought I knew him!" And probably, I would be standing right there, next to them, smiling, saying to myself, "That's what you thought.. "

An instrument of thy peace!

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.
Prayer of St. Francis (13th Century)

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Top 10 Reasons to Cast Meghana Naidu in a movie!

Now for all those of you who are fed up of me talkin' about Meghana Naidu... well.. just go and watch a movie of hers!! You will start liking my blog better!! Now lets be fair to her.. and to make up for the grave injustice I have meted out to Ms. Me"ghana" Naidu by so vociferously voicing my pleasure of watching her do, what she believes is to be "acting", I list for you all the top 10 reasons for casting her in a movie! So all of you people who downplay her role in a movie, shall realize her true worthiness!

10. Her movies offer a change from the other dreary movies churned out by the Johar and Barjatya Co. Inc. with oh-so-purrrfect hero, heroines and mummies and daddies and designer sleazy clothes, and ofcourse a dog, or a cat, or a kabootar; whose only big problem in life is to choose a variety of people to fall in love with, and what locales to sing their mushy songs, and what designer clothes to wear to show how dreary our life styles are!!

9. The director for one doesn't have to bother about a story! All that needs to be present is a couple of love making scenes thrown along with, the often beaten, washed, dry cleaned, and torn story plot of a rich boy and poor girl, or a way ward wife/husband, or a misled girl (Oh! Woebegone).

8. She is not as bad as Payal Rohatgi in terms of looks, and not as costly as Mallika Sherawat (who by the way I hear, has decided to keep her clothes on for the time being!)

7. Her movies have been proven effective in treating people with mental disorders and has effectively replaced the painful shock treatments!

6. Her movies are used to educate people on 101 ways of undressing in less than 10 secs.

We now take a break for an important announcement.. zandu balm zandu balm.. peedaa haari balm.. zandu balm.. zandu balm!!

T-Series presents the startling actor cast and re-cast once again! *bada boom.. music playing in the background* sitaaron ka sitaara.. aa rahe hain.. Kishan kumar!!! Ek nayee movie mein.. "Main Amitabh Bacchan banna chahta hoon" - music playing in the background.. "toink toink..( a pig goes oink oink).. toink toink.. aaaa... aaaa... aaaa... bada booom*

We now resume our program once again!!!

5. While her movies can be used under limited circumstances to treat depressions, it has been established that an overdoze of the same can amount to a 3rd degree torture that has been proven worthwhile in extracting the truth from hardcore criminals and terrorists.

4. The production cost of the movie is obviously going to be extremely low! The hero can be supremely forgotten as obviously it is a one-woman show. That the story writer hasn't been paid is evident by the story line, and so is the case with the dialogue writer, and editor! The only person who seems to have enjoyed would be the cameraman (for obvious reasons!) and the male lead!

3. In case of an alien attack, which reliable resources have confirmed to me would be imminent, it can be used as a self-defence mechanism, to fool them into believing that the earthlings are supremely retarded and infectiously mediocre species, and before long they shall be running for their brains!!

2. There is no need to spend thousands on the clothes, as she quickly manages to get out of them! For the same reason it doesn't even matter what she wears! (That should offer Salman and Govinda a challenge).

1. I would have lost a wonderful topic to write about in my blog!!!

PS:- And they said this blog was pensive and philosophical!!!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Surprise of Surprises!!!

Woah!!!! Know what I was in my last birth!! A GIRAFFE!!! Hmm... seems like I have lost quite a lot of things.. the tail for instance ;) and not to mention the loooooooooong neck!! Well.. ok.. my friends tend to disagree! They say I was more of a primate!! Oh well!!

You Were a Giraffe

You are a high achiever - able to reach things others can't.
A great communicator, you are good at getting past superficialities.

Me and My Birthday!!!

Ok.. the reason I am posting this.. hehehehe.. is not to know what my birthday would mean to me.. but to let u all know when my birthday is.. so start buying the PRESENTS!!!!! :D :D :D

Your Birthdate: March 19

You are resilient, and no doubt your resilience has already been tested.
You've had some difficult experiences in your life, but you are wise from them.
Having had to grow up quickly, you tend to discount the advice of others.
You tend to be a loner, having learned that the only person you can depend on is yourself.

Your strength: Well developed stability and confidence

Your weakness: Suspicion of others

Your power color: Eggplant

Your power symbol: Spade

Your power month: October

Me and my blog!!

Ok.. herez what one of the websites had to say about my blogging, ie. after I answered a few of their questions.. ehehhe.. what do u guyz think?


Your Blogging Type is Pensive and Philosophical

You blog like no one else is reading...
You tend to use your blog to explore ideas - often in long winded prose.
Easy going and flexible, you tend to befriend other bloggers easily.
But if they disagree with once too much, you'll pull them from your blogroll!

Monday, December 12, 2005

Rivers of Blood

Ok.. I seem to have written this poem when the carnage at Godhra and Ahmedabad happened. This poem was dedicated to all the victims of these massacres.

The Rivers of Blood

Deep in the interiors of the battered lands
Carving the courses with shapeless hands,
Unhindered flow, a thousand scarlet streams
Fed by sadness, endless tears and shattered dreams.

The monotonous, moaning, deathly song
Piercing the stillness all night long,
Filling it with stories-of mistrust, betrayal, and hatred.
Thence they flow- the rivers of blood.

Parched throats, barren eyes, seeking love all their lives,
Thousands wander on the land, shadowed by bloodened knives.
Deep they suck, with never ending thirst,
Lest they dry, fall down and rust.

Down beneath the trickled blood seeps
Sorrows and sighs – it hoards and reaps.
To nourish the stream, down it goes,
Joins the troop and along it flows.

Woe! Begone! To the hand with the glistening knife
Alas! Its my friend of yesters who holds strife.
Yet its he, who brought this gloom-
The drought of hell, the message of doom.

One wonders why, in the stead of love,
We always choose to hate our brethren?
We choose to kill, we choose to burn
Them whom we would love and be loved in return.

Its an attempt futile – we fail to see,
The game of death fills us with glee.
Blinded by rage – the glisten of scarlet and burning red,
Like fools we swim, in the rivers of blood.

-Praveen

What a discovery!!!

When I was ravaging through some of my old documents, surprises of surprises... I discovered the collection of my English poems and short stories "Hope and Despair". It was a mushy moment.. as if I were watching Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan meeting eachother in K3G (yeah true!! Duh!!). Well, without much ado about nothing, lemme go on a spree of posting some of them here. Isn't it gonna be a welcome change! I mean.. for a few days, I can get to bug you with prose, that not just runs across, but instead runs down, and what more! It rhymes too!!! For those of you wondering when these were written, hehehe.. well when I was in my high school.. boy was I romantic since then!!! (My first kiss was when I was in 1st standard..hehehehe).

WHEN THE HEART CALLS!

Deep in my heart, a voice echoes
A melodious, sweet song of distance-beckons,
Me to a far off land, of dreams, of paradise;
And lose myself in the enchantment of beauty.

It takes me to the land of starts,
Twinkling far away, all the hours.
It carries me through moonlit ways,
Off to a land, where love tune plays.

A voice unknown, a face unseen.
Just a feeling of love inbetween.
Yet somewhere deep in my heart,
She dwells to make my life smart!

The elixir of heaven fails at her lips,
My heart leaps at the touch of her tips.
The beauty of the flora queen,
In front of hers, seems too mean!

She binds me with her locks,
With her looks, she sends through shocks!
And paralyzes me with her smile,
Making me wonder all the while.

The nights are spent with no sleep,
Thinking of her in my heart’s deep.
Every beat of my heart calls for you-
Just tell me – I LOVE YOU!

Sunday, December 11, 2005

On Chronicles and Potter!!

So I did say that "Chronicles of Narnia" deserves a special mentioning of its own, in a separate blog altogether! The movie, it must be specially mentioned is all about one of the books - "The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe". The Chronicles, itself has different sets of books, probably 7 in number, totally. The movie in consideration deftly presents with ample special effects, the story line. It is well told, taut in presentation and remarkably enchanting. The Lion is probably the highlight of the entire movie! It is so majestic, one has to see it to believe it. Ofcourse, its animated! But yet, it made me wish so much that it were not! Imagine having Lions as huge and magnanimous as Aslan!! I could find traces of Lord Of the Rings, here and there, afterall C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien were very good friends. Well, don't miss it for any reasons.
Today, I had been to watch "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Frankly the movie is a bit of a disappointment. It made me realize once again, the difference between a book and a movie. The books weaves magic in every page! It is so extensive in its description, that it sets our imagination free to explore the magic world of Hogwarts. The movie seemed to be done with a lot of hastiness, skipping the nuances that would make the movie memorable! A lot of precedence has been given to express the adolescent wishes of the characters, and trust me, its over done!! Whatz with moaning myrtle hitting on Harry Potter!! One really notable point of the movie is the return of Voldemort. Joseph Fieness has been chosen for the role of Voldemort, and he certainly suits the character! His return has been effectively picturized. Personally, I also find the character of Albus Dumbledore in the movie a bit funny! While the character in the book is refined, stately humorous and very patient, the one in the movie is restless, and unsuitably mannered. I miss the Dumbledore of the very first movie, its a pity he had to pass away so soon. One can definitely see the charm slowly withering away from the movie! I do hope the next one succeeds in making up for the loss. Else, the good ol' books and the brain shall raise to occassion, and its the journey to the magical land of dreams, that is going to be in vogue! Ready for the call?

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Of movies and more..

Ok.. today I went on a rampage in terms of viewing movies. I watched "The Chronicles of Narnia", "House of Wax", and a disgustingly horrible telugu movie "Idiot" (well.. thankfully its aptly titled). While the Chronicles would warrant a very special mention of its own, and a separate blog altogether, I would also not like to group it with the rest of the mentioned insipid and senseless movies.
Ah! the pleasure of criticisms!! I mean, coming to think of it.. there isn't much of a difference between Indian movies and Hollywood movies when it comes to being senseless! Know why? Well, while the movies in India choose to gross out the viewers by having actors like Ravi Teja, Meghana Naidu (wow.. both of them together in a movie.. would probably be the most horrifying movie ever made!! Eeeks!! am already getting nightmares!!), Himanshooo, and the likes; Hollywood has its own refined way of grossing us out with their idea of "horror".
Gone are the days when they used to make classic horrors that sent the creeps down one's spine! Exorcist, Poltergeist, Omen, The Ring, and such other movies had given me sleepless nights! (The most embarassing thing was to go to the rest room during nights by waking up others or making loud noises.. or switching every damn light in the way! Well for one, the demon would have known for sure where I was heading for, and what exactly would have been the purpose. Now that I have matured enough, I know that all I need to do to scare the shit out of it is to put on Ravi teja's movie.. and bingo, the devil is runnin' for its life! Or better still, prance around like Mithun in "Classic").
Coming back to tackling Hollywood, it has degenerated horror into psychopathic killings, gross murders, and a lot of shrieking by the females!! There are quite a lot of things that actually baffle me when I watch Hollywood movies! For instance..
  • Why does the killer strike in moments of intimacy? (My understanding would be that the depravation of physical proximity has made him highly caustic towards such behavior, and he is hell bent on denying anybody the pleasure of it, including the viewers for that matter!! Oh! you guyz, don't squirm.. after all there isn't anything else that is worth watching in such movies!!)
  • For heaven's sakes, won't someone knock some sense into the feminine species!! In majority of the movies, it is always the female leads who put the life of the entire platoon in jeopardy with their stupid tantrums, and emotions!! Well.. one can't really expect much from blondes.. can they?
  • And for the last time.. DO NOT GO AROUND ALONE IN A LONELY HOUSE FAR AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION CROONING LIKE A CONSTIPATED CAT!! "Helllooooo... anybody there? Here I am.. dressed in as less clothes as possible.. and walking around waiting to be hunted down.. hey you killeeeeeerrrr... where are u... come and get meeee... aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh" *rolling the eyes* Well duh!!
  • And whenever they are walking backwards, you can always expect a shock! Most of the times, its their overly active partners, trying to joke around scaring the hell out of their girlfriends whose shrieks only end up giving us a headache!

Well, but seriously no horror can get better of the movies churned out by the good ol' "Tollywood" (hehehehe.. funny name.. ain't it?) It is hard for me to decide which is worse! Watch Raviteja in "Idiot" or walk around with a toilet paper stuck in the place-that-must-not-be-named. Well, the latter atleast can be gotten rid of instantly! But the former is like that stinking piece of sock that spreads its stench all over the house and lingers on for days to come! Am I exaggerating? I don't feel so!

Personally, when I watch a movie, I look for a wholesome entertainment! Humor is my panache! But one would certainly want to feel like an intelligent viewer and certainly would love to be treated as one! Nowww.. wait a minute.. did I just see someone pass by me.. or was it an illusion.... I see the remote is moving all by itself..... it has turned on the TV... whoz that... its Meghana Naidu.. in a Kannada movie!!!!! AAAAAAAAAahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

PS:- Surprisingly enough, Meghana Naidu has acted in a Godforsaken Kannada movie "Kattegalu saar Kattegalu" .. need I say more about the movie?!! :P