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)

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!!!!

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.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

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

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

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!

What's Your Blogging Personality?

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!

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?

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

Shabari: Poem by Divine Grace

The expression of one's self and its various facets takes a lot of creative outlets! Just when, poetry became one of such outlet for me, I don't know. The first poetic work of mine, (by poetic I mean, atleast in structuring, grammar and content) was when I was in my 9th Standard. It was titled "Oh! My life please come to an End". I have indeed travelled a long distance since then, and thankfully am spared with my life intact!! The inspiration to write in Kannada was also imbibed in me during my highschool days. I was very adept in writing essays in both English and Kannada, and for me poetry formed a well organized prose, albeit with lyrical/rhyming structure. Though I wrote more in English than in Kannada, I did give equal priority to both the languages. Now before this turns out to be a boring hackneyed monologue about my poetic abilities, and you all start yawning your brains out (just as I myself am doing), let me tell you about the poem that has brought me much acclaim, accolades and appreciations from all over the world!

"Shabari" is a poem written in Kannada, that describes the devotion of Shabari for her Lord Rama. The inspiration for the same came about when I had been to a dance program organized by Smt. Padma Iyengar (daughter of noted Kannada poet Pu.ti.na), thanks to Usha Aunty for making it possible for me to go. There the danseuse Smt. Bhramari Shivaprakash presented a dance ballet "Shabari-punya lahari" on the composition of Sri Sediyapu Krishnabhat. It was this performance that moved me, and inspired me to create this, which has enriched me by its sheer beauty and humbled me with its divinity. "Shabari" for me is a testimony that all talents that are vested in a human being are but gifts from the divinity that is omnipresent, to utilize the same for the enrichment of the self, and the surrounding.

When I began writing "Shabari", I had to do a lot of thinking about the presentation of the character. It had to be different than the other presentations that were done so far, be it by Valmiki, or our very own Kuvempu and Sediyapu. Each of these presented Shabari in a different context. I can analyse the same and contrast with my presentation of the character.

Valmiki Ramayana lists Shabari as an old lady in the ashram of Sage Matanga, who yearns for Lord Rama. She belonged to the family of hunters. She had been directed by the sage to wait for Rama who would be her gateway for salvation. Upon the arrival of Lord Rama, she feeds him, and eventually dies at his feet. Lord Rama performs her last rites.

Kuvempu, while remaining true to this version, nevertheless differs from it, by not letting Shabari recognize Rama in the first meeting. Shabari represents a Jivatma that is shrouded by the Maya (Illusion) had has to be lifted off by the grace of the Paramatma. And hence, she is unable to recognize Rama, till Rama introduces himself.

Sediyapu, pictures Shabari as a huntress who disgusted by the killings of her favorite animals on the eve of her wedding, abandons her family, and eventually takes shelter in the ashram of Sage Matanga. Sage Matanga before his demise instructs her to wait for Shri Rama, as he is the one she is supposed to serve, and attain salvation from. Shabari waits for years, and eventually receives Rama, feeds him, and dies at his feet.

The "Shabari" that I envisioned was all of this, and yet different from the ones pictured till now. The poem has 3 sections. The first section describes the way she yearns and waits for her Lord. Her belief in the words of Sage Matanga is so intense that she has already wasted years in preparing for the arrival of Lord Rama. Each day, she looks forward for his arrival. This yearning has taken the form of a penance, and her aatma has seasoned and time has arrived for her salvation! Lord Rama, on the pretext of searching his estranged Sita, comes to Shabari. He is completely disheveled, tired, and void of all his charm.

The second section describes in detail the meeting of Shabari and Lord Rama. Shabari is filled with motherly affection at the sight of the 2 young men at her door step, and asks them their names. Lord Rama being very humble shies to introduce himself, and hence Lakshmana with equal humility introduces his brother and himself. Shabari is filled with awe and stays rooted, till beckoned by Lord Rama. She happily embraces him, and joy fills the entire universe! Lord Rama asks her of any wish that she wants fulfilled by him. At this time, Shabari is in filled with emotional turmoil. She is unable to ward off the motherly affection that arose at the first sight of them and with the knowledge of Lord Rama's divinity her heart is filled with devotion. Lord Rama, being omniscient, realizes her state, and at first decides to appease her motherly affection. He complains of hunger, and requests her to feed him. Shabari is filled with joy, and immediately brings in a lot of fruits, and tastes each one of find out if they are sweet and fit for him to taste. Having fulfilled her maternal desires, Lord Rama asks her if she has any more wishes materialistic or divine! He is ready to bring down the riches of all worlds at her feet and give her the kingdom of heaven. Shabari declines them all, and asks him for her salvation!

The 3rd section describes the salvation of Shabari. I felt that Shabari's years of penance cannot go unrewarded, and hence made Rama show his divine form of Lord Vishnu to Shabari. She is filled with awe and bows down at his feet. Shabari dies and instantly her body is aflame! Thus ends the story of supreme devotion and its eventual liberalization from the mundane bonds.

P.S:- I'd like to express my gratitude to Prasad Naik, and S. K. Shyam, editors of www.thatskannada.com portal, who published this poem for the first time, and specially to Mr. Prasad Naik, for reporting the change in the web link.

allide nam mane... illi bande summane!

The bubbles have all fizzled out, and the bottle's gone dry!

There were moments of celebrations and moments to cry!

Now its all hindsight, as the time continues to flow;

The memories nevertheless are still aglow!

Much as I wud've wanted to express my visit on the lighter vein, I have preferred to do it someother time. Let me get you all a little bit mushy, as I myself am so at this very moment! Well the trip back home was all that I expected it to be, and a lot more! The journey to, and fro was just perfect to the "T". The marriage went on well, enjoyed a lot! My sister-in-law's just good! And no marks for guessing who the center of attraction was at the wedding ;). I did lose a few pounds running around, which obviously made my mom happy! The highlights also being that I met several of my online friends! Kishan and I went out for breakfast! I feasted well on all the delicacies as much as I could. Met Pramod and Amaresh finally! gotto talk over the phone to a lot of other online friends! With that brief summary of the trip, the most important thing to write about would ofcourse be of my place!

Contrary to what a lot of them would claim, I still find it the good ol' bangalore! Yeah sure, the traffic has soared, there is an influx of people from all over the country into it, and the culture has diversified a lot, and has also begun degrading! But then, that was never Bangalore! Amidst all this onslaught, the spirit still lives on! I cannot comment on how long it will continue to do so, but I do not give up hope!

My little kid friends, still run to me the same way they used to, and still fight on who gets to sit on my lap, or ride on my stomach, while I tell them stories of 4 headed monsters and huge lions! Its still the same ol' neighbor who still continues to spoil me with her delicacies, the morning vendor of flowers, who doesn't forget to enquire about me! My troupe of friends who still fight over what restaurant to go to and ransack! The good ol' restaurants that still panic looking at us mischief makers! The taste of vidyarthi bhavan Masala dosa, of the upahaara mandir ildies and vada sambhar! The delicious chats on the footpath! Over and above all, the real people of bangalore! Their sorrows, their concerns, their joys and happiness... it is all still the same! Maybe this picture of mine is a short lived one, like my trip! Maybe I am still trying to see what good is left out of all this sudden globalization and ultra-modernization! But for sure, I know that Bangalore will survive all this, and still flourish with its inherent feel good factor! It has to!

I had wanted the trip to Bangalore to answer some questions for me, but the irony of the whole thing was that I never got any time to think! Nevertheless, I knew one thing right from the moment of leaving Bangalore the very first time to US, that was my home, my homeland, my motherland! I belong there and there shall I rest! This trip was a short one, I know there shall be one that will take me back for good to where I belong, the time is all that has to arrive.

Good Afternoon.. this is the afternoon news reporting from Minnesota Airport. The time now is 11:44 AM. I am your spokesperson for the day Mr. Jhootmootwala. And now.. for the yeadlines....

1. Mr. Praveen Shivashankar has already left the Wichita Airport and is now at the Minnesota Airport awaiting to board the Flight to Mumbai.
2. Mr. Praveen Shivashankar's arrival to Bangalore has already offset a series of events and we will shortly provide a detailed report of the same.
3. The Arrival of Mr. Praveen Shivashankar: This forms the crux of the discussion today, between the eminent panelists, Mr. Karnekokuchkaamnahin and Mr. kelsakbaardadabbananmaga. Both of them have been acclaimed as eminent researchers of the life and works of Mr. Praveen Shivashankar!

And now.. for the news in detaiiiiilllll....

1. Mr. Praveen is reported to have left the Wichita Airport in the early morning at 7:45 AM. There was a huge party to commemorate his departure! There had been a huge rush of people at the airport. Reporters have confirmed this and also added that they were there to ensure that Mr Praveen did leave Wichita! Immediately as the plane left, there was a boisterous celebration and people were all rolling on the floor, and celebrating and laughing as if they had just now watched Himanshu Malik trying to do a Dilip Kumar in the movie "Devdas". Mr. Praveen, obviously was not available for comment as he was flying.
2. Meanwhile on the other part of the world, the arrival of Praveen has offset a series of events in Bangalore! There have been increasing reports of girls suffering from insomnia and their boyfriends suffering from high BP. The doctors have been working round the clock to develop what they call the anti-Praveenism vaccine but have been failing phenomenally! While the Meghana Naidu Fan Club have threatened to hold a protest meeting at the airport, the Himanshu Malik Fan Club has threatened to go on fasting, and have placed huge cutouts of the actor all over the airport, which incidentally has also led to a lot of panickin' among the tree dwelling beings! But oblivious to all this, Mr. Praveen was found eating(gobbling) a foot long sub at the SubWay in the airport! We refrain from showing the video as it may lead to a violent behavior on the part of the girls putting their boyfriends' lives in jeopardy.
3. And now.. we have Mr. Karnekokuchkaamnahin(4KN) and Mr. kelsakbaardadabbananmaga(KBDNM). Welcome to you two. *kirshkshskshsskkhasljskjaldjfalkfjakjflajflajlajfajfla;d;* Dear readers.. we apologize that due to some contradictory ideas among the two panelists.. a light skirmish had ensued and so we won't be able to show u the entire discussion. Nevertheless, we are happy to inform you the jist of the discussion. They both unanimously agreed that the well prevalent praveenism was very hard to resist and that there is no known cure for this! However, the effect of the same may be lightened if the ppl. subjected to this, are going to watch continuous reruns of the movies of Payal Rohatgi, and Meghana Naidu. This, the panel opinioned would lead to severe depression and suicidal symptoms and that in turn can be easily cured.

And now for the FLASH NEWS.. Mr. Praveen has headed towards the customs clearance and will soon start for the flight! *more girls shrieking... and hooting* With this we come to the end of today's updates. Thanks a lot of bearing with me.. and hope u have ur quota of Zandu Balm to get over the aftermath of this news, which I'd like to say is due to Praveenism itself!

Miles to go.. before I sleep!!

Oh yeah! Am sleepless in Wichita!! The longing grows day by day as now the days near for my trip back home! As fate would want to have it, the dates have gotten preponed! and Am arriving a day earlier than scheduled! The counting has now boiled down to hours!! All of a sudden the mind is so nostalgic with the memories of all the wonderous, magical past! The moments to relive them again, and then probably add some newer memories into the bag is nearing.. the call of the home grows louder in the heart, as the path towards it glimmers infront of the eyes! It's a journey back home, a journey to where I belong!! Till I come back, keep your health, and stay off Meghana Naidu's movies!! So long!!

Background music playing:- .... Ghar aaja pardesi tera des bulaaye re!!

Much achoooo abt. nothing!!!!

Have you ever tried to sneeze and talk at the same time?! Coming to think of it.. there isn't many things a man can really do! You know what I mean? For example, gorrillas are the only beings that can swallow while breathing! => that man cannot! Well so much for the simian ancestry! Well, you people may say, look at Bobby Deol!! Can there be a more bludgeoning evidence for the ancestry theory? I wanted second opinions.. and when I asked the simians that usually come to my house for the round branch meeting, they begged to defer!!! With a flabbergasted look on their face, as if they had just watched an entire rerun of the most famous 101 ways of defying science by Rajnikanth, they shrieked and howled and thumped vehemently denying any part in the current existence of Bobby Deol or his acting skills. Well that matter having rested, shall we now come back to the matter at stake.. Achhooooo!!!! *sniff sniff*

Well, winter bringeth with it more than its share of miseries especially for wretched souls like us! Now being fair and square I did have an option of either coming down with cold or to watch Meghana Naidu gyrate in "Rain". As sane as I was, I chose for the former! Achewwellllllsssss!!! (it kinda gets boring after a while to sneeze in the same old hackneyed style.. and so I also have been experimenting on innovative and unique ways of grossing myself out).

While people have been running away from me, as if I was Mithun da pr(d)ancing around in a red shirt and khakis from "Classic" [I mean coming to think of it.. I really wonder how people dared to go to a theatre and sit through 3 classic hours of 3rd degree torture of not only watching Mithun mouth out against sex, "hum sex ke khilaaf hain.. yada yada yada yada" on one side, while Ms Naidu and the utterly forgettable caricature of the hero make love like 2 zombies who have come down with a heavy constipation problem!], I was able to muster some time for myself to pen down something to infect all my readers! (assuming that there are some)

Now just how effectively the cold can be passed on through an online blog.. is still under research, as is also the number of ways in which one can sneeze and utter utterly unfathomable words for others to figure out! It gives me great honor to acknowledge that I am the primary researcher and also the main specimen on which these tests are being conducted!

Now.. I know I know.. that you all are considerin' yourself blessed for being able to be a witness for this phenomenal occurrance! But then, am so sorry, I gotto goshkchkllaskjkslkjkskcchooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!! *sniff* *sniff*

Romance In the Air!!

Well my internet at home has gone busted.. thanks to SBC Yahoo! I have a vague doubt that it has something to do with my negligence towards my books! I am tended to believe that its a conspiracy by them to make me hit the bed with my long forgotten books! And am glad, they did so! Well I won't really say that I did hit the books again! The devolution (which I want all my readers to believe is the opposite of evolution) doesn't quite happen that way. Though I did happen to read a beautiful book "Love Story" by Eric Seagel. This actually prompted me to infact list a few of my favorite romantic movies! (Well, actually! Sushma made me watch a rather romantic movie "Bridges of Madison County, and that also had a role to play in this post).

• You've Got Mail :- Probably the one factor that really made me love this movie was Meg Ryan! (I'd also say Tom Hanks.. but I dont' wanna send out a wrong signal, if u know what I mean.. so let's take this granted). The witty and taut script, beautiful picturization, and a wonderful story would make any person fall in love with this movie! And the original sound track is just too good! Some of the best numbers of the yesters were relived in this movie!
• Sweet November :- Apart from the story, it was the expressions and the plethora of emotions that the main protagonists - Charlize Theron, and Keanu Reeves gave out, that had me rooted down till the end of this movie! "only time" - the score by Enya has ever since remained among my favorites!
• The Bridges of Madison County :- When Sushma strongly suggested this movie, I knew I was in for a roller coaster of emotions! Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep had me spell bound with their intense talks and emotions! If one wants to realize how much love can hurt, they have to watch this movie!
• Amelie :- I am not a big connoiseur of foreign movies to be true! But this one movie, I'd say is a must watch! The simplicity of the characters, their idiosyncracies, makes it so believeable that it grows out to be a part of us, by the time the movie ends.
• An Affair To Remember :- One of the things about classic movies, is that they in no way can be surpassed by the remakes of the later days! This is one such movie that really impressed me for its originality and story!
• West Side Story:- The same goes with this one too! A musical from the start to the end, this movie is memorable for lot of reasons. The songs, the dance, the picturization, the wonderful acting, .. the list goes on! If you don't mind a musical, I surely want this to be on top of the list!
• Notting Hill:- Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts created such a magic with this movie, that I have been made to watch this countless times by a lot of my friends (you know who) whenever we would go to rent movies. Being fair to the movie, it is very catchy and has some really good numbers! The songs are worth having in your collection!
• Forrest Gump:- What actually qualifies a movie to be a romance for me, is kinda hard to explain. But this movie had made me think a lot about what it was to really love! The movie by itself is more of a single person's story! What touched me and made me add to the list was the one love he treasured all his life! It was hard for me to believe and yet somehow.. somewhere.. very true!

Boom-busty Bollywood!!

Once upon a time, there was a land called Bollywood! It was famed all around the world as one of the busiest filmland, where everyday someone or the other was doing something or the other, which did not make sense, to either them or the rest of the world! Nevertheless, sense was never a criteria and all that mattered was that someone must be doing something! Now in this melee, there were a few mutants that actually started making sense in what they were doing but they did not last long! Before long they were all forgotten and the film land again went back to being senseless and everyone lived stupidly and worthlessly ever after!!!!

It again had been a long time since I wrote anything.. and some of my friends had started sending me hate mails! They were very gory and scared me and eventually made me write out a column for all those who regularly read it (now.. I tend to do a lot of imaginations.. so don't get hung up on the numbers). Infact some of them even threatened to send me entire collections of Me-"ghana" naidu and Mallika sherawat's videos! Now before things could turn that violent and nasty, I decided to jump in and end the crisis. Now exactly what it is that scares me about the recent "bombs" that the bollywood is dropping (and the ones my readers threatened me with), is very hard to point out! (Now this, I realize is a paradox. For there is absolutely nothin' in 'em thatz hard to point out!) One thing is for sure that, what they lack in acting they more than make up in their oomphs! (am sure the maker wud have exclaimed "oops" the day he made 'em!). It takes a knack unsurpassable by anyone other than Ms. Sherawat to turn a beautiful romantic story as Eric Seagel's "Love Story" into a disaster like "Khwaish" that almost had me puking everywhere! Oh! now I hear Himan"shoo" crying.. there.. there.. don't u cry! You really had my jaws drop and eyes wide open till they dehydrated! Now, that acting which u did was really "to die for". Your acting in "Rain", especially when you dance around in the bath tub, has saved my life! I mean that thing what you did, infact sent a rabid, wildly mad and completely senseless buffoon running for cover! I owe it to you dude!!

You know, I really am all for passing a law, that should make the worst actors in the industry to be tied up to a pin cushion, with all the pins turned upwards, and play back to back all of their movies. And I am pretty sure, that they'd prefer sittin' on the pins than have their brains busted by their so called acting skills. What has me really worried is that the all pervading sense of competition among the Indians, seems to be showing out even in the movies that Bollywood is churning out! Before long, it was Ms. Sherawat who used to gimme nightmares, but then came along Ms. Meghana Naidu (I knew there was something in the name!!) and before I could swoon down into a coma, the nail in the coffin was Payal Rohatgi! I mean.. can anyone actually blame even the stone faced Jatin for showing such constipated expressions?!! There were moments, when Ms. Rohatgi was trying to seduce him with her expressive eyes! Believe me, I haven't cringed as much even while watching a horror movie! "door dus cities tak jahan bhi baccha rota hai, to baap bolta hai.. beta so jaa nahin to payal aajayegi!"

Now, what has my overly active imagination running wild as a mad dog, is the thought of casting all these madames with all those Mess(y)ieurs into one single movie! And then, we could use that to torture the most nastiest criminals into confession and even use it as a WMD (as I always say.. mass beats mass)! Or else, it would just turn out to be yet another senseless thing that everyone else in the industry is doing! Oh Well!

A ha(e)irless throne!

I have come to a foregone conclusion that there is no point in worrying about something that is for-gone! Its an eventuality that one knows will happen! So why bother about it! Not to mention that bothering only brings it closer to becoming true! Wonderin' what I am yappin' about at this time? Well.. its about follicle regression in the upper cranium area of an otherwise lucrative region of my body!!! Well if am balding.. then hell.. I am gonna be sophisticated about that!!
For one thing.. I did have my moments of glory with my hair! Well you can believe or faint but if you were to look at my pic as a 6 yr old wearing a safari suit and a golden chain, you would see the prominent crown of tufts atop my head! Then the time passed... and so did the hairs!! And yeah..there were days when I used to harp on and sing about the lost treasure... E mere pyaare badan.. E mere ujde chaman.. tujhpe tel kurbaan!
My mom tried every known methods and options only to tear her hair in despair! The contrast being that her hair stuck to the roots..and mine were more than glad to take their place!! My friends did their share in contributing to this excessive recession that I was going into.. what with their piling their problems on the vacant sites that were now open! You know.. now that I think of it.. it is just that! There is something about this baldness that actually sends a signal out to people... "hey all u cry babies.. herez a sucker for ur stories! So come and weep ur hearts out on his shoulders.. (or probably his head! as if it wasn't enough that water washed it everyday!). Some said it was the genes, (darn these damn genes... they never get 'em right! Am sure they mixed things up and started sheddin' my hair.. instead of something 'else'-which I leave it to the overactive imagination of my readers to figure out.. or if u can't, u are gladly welcome to tear my hairs over it!!!)
Now balding isn't really such a big problem, if it wasn't accompanied with its loving friend called "bulging". Especially in my case, my body seems to make up with what its losing on the top, by gaining all around my girth! This logic, doesn't seem to quite work out in my favor!
Well all said and done.. the person whoever said that "Baldness establishes the masculinity of a man, but only diminishes his chances of proving it" was so darn right.. I'd shed a hair or two for those words! Oops.. here they go!

My brother's weddin'!!!

Sooo... whatz keepin' me busy these days! Well.. for one its the work.. and for another its my laziness... but the most important thing is.. MY TRIP TO INDIA!!!! (*cheers, applauses.. and fans shriekin' and tearin' their hairs out!!!*) Oh! yeah.. good ol' nation.. and good ol' people.. good ol' brother now gettin' married.. in the same good ol' way! aaah! I can almost smell the whiff of the matrimonial air around me. Boy! am I excited?!! Ofcourse I am!! Now that hez gettin' married.. guess whoz the best man ;) !!! (* More cheers.. applauses.. and fans shriekin' and faintin'*) Now.. now.. pipe down y'all. I ain't gonna be free around to sign on all ur autographs.. or pose for pics with you!! But tell ya what! I'll let ya all have a glimpse of me when y'all come to the weddin' !!

Well.. am already excitedly planning my stay in bangalore.. the things am gonna do and the ppl. am gonna see! But then with hardly a fortnight's stay out there.. am already beginning to wonder if they will work out! You know.. thatz the hardest part! There is just never enough time! And especially when you are with your people, the time is one thing that just doesn't wanna root down its goddamn butt and stay put! Well.. while it wasn't still sure whether I would come for the wedding or not, I was eager to lap up atleast a week's time if available. And now that I got 2 weeks, somehow, everything seems still less! The only thing that seems to grow is the longing... for my mother's delicious dishes, her laughter.. at my *come kick-me* silly jokes, my buddies, and our hangouts.. the same good ol's...the same good ol's!

All (s)well that end (s)well !!!

Wow.. what a roller coaster ride the week has been!! The Ups and Downs, the Highs and Lows, the thunders and calm... yeah.. all that jazz!! What started off with a wonderful news of me being invited as the guest speaker for the Saahitya Ranga's Saahitya Goshti at California, (not to mention that I have also been asked to read a couple of poems, and the book that has my short story in it is also being released at the same time!!), immediately fizzled out due to some skirmishes, but the near ones remained near and grew even more dearer at the end of all of it. There is something that has to be said about all these small squabbles. They do seem gigantic at the onset, but then, once they are seen in proper perspective, they seem so minute, but yet they make people come close. Once we understand what led to it, and how we can get over it, and realize how much we value the person and the relationship, I guess everything turns swell again!

In fact, isn't that the very reason, why we quarrel at the first place! It's because we treasure the person too much, and it is people who matter to us, who can hurt us! We become vulnerable to them. Don't we?

Well, as the week is drawing to an end, I am happy that trust and faith have won, and the bonds have only grown stronger. There are more of my friends who are going to turn up at the Sahitya Goshti in LA, California, and that only means more fun!!! The way I see it... Life goes on....