tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74198450568051196672024-03-14T12:49:12.150+05:30Meri zubaan, meri kaefiyatPreetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-52433095395032534062014-11-02T14:58:00.001+05:302014-11-02T15:01:39.032+05:30ये मोहब्बत क्यों बरकरार है <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
मौजों की मस्ती का कया राज़ है</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
किनारे की तरफ हर कूच में </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
वही जोश, वही उम्मीद </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
हारने और टूटने की जब है खबर </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
फिर ये कोशिश क्यों बरकरार है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
दिल उसी को चाहे </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जिसकी चाहत में मैं नहीं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
दिल उसी को ढूंढे </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जिसे पाना मुमकिन नहीं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
न पूरी होगी ये तलब जब है खबर </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
फिर ये जूनून क्यों बरक़रार है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
मिलते हैं आज भी </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
पन्नो में सूखे कुछ फूल </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
आज भी टकरा जाते हैं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
इशारे कुछ बिसरे कुछ भूल </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
न होंगे ताज़ा ये लम्हे जब है खबर </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
फिर ये मोहब्बत क्यों बरकरार है </div>
</div>
Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-50322966353952188382013-07-21T10:23:00.000+05:302013-07-21T10:27:56.544+05:30कभी यूँ टूट कर रोने का मन करता है…<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
आँखों से बेरोक आंसू बहें </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
और झुलसे हुए दिल को भिगोते चलें </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कभी यूँ टूट कर रोने का मन करता है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जाने कितने गम दिल छुपाए है - कुछ बोलता ही नहीं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
धडकता रहता है मानो कोई सजा हो </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
न जीने की लालसा न ख़ुशी का एहसास </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
वक़्त की थकी सुइयों की तरह बेजान सा चल रहा है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
चीख रही हो जैसे </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
मेरी परछाई को कोई सुन भी नहीं रहा </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
गौर करूँ तो भी कानो पे कुछ नहीं पड़ता </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
बंद है जैसे किसी शीशे में </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
बस बेबसी सी नज़र आती है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
वो मिलता क्यों नहीं जिसे मैं चाहता हूँ </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कहता कोई क्यों नहीं वो कहा है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
मायूस सा खड़ा हूँ उसके इंतज़ार में </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अब थकी थकी सी नज़र भी लौट आती है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अरमानो का कब्र भी बिखर गया है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
बस यादों के फूल चढ़ा आता हूँ </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
गुज़रे दिनों के झोंके सता जाते हैं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
सीने से राख कुरेद कर दफना आता हूँ </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कभी यूँ टूट कर रोने का मन करता है...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कभी यूँ टूट कर रोने का मन करता है… </div>
</div>
Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-20986118400143661112013-04-03T14:50:00.002+05:302014-11-16T23:38:17.246+05:30...And justice for all ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang=""><br /></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...a wonderful film starring a brilliant </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Al Pacino, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is a tale on how the high and mighty may twist the system in their favor and get away even after committing serious crimes.</span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am reminded of this movie because of the prevailing debate on plea for pardon on behalf of Sanjay Dutt made by his well wishers. Reference to the movie has not been made to allude to any attempts made by Sanjay Dutt to subvert the process of law but instead to pointedly refer to the ease and advantage the privileged have in such matters over others. </span></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Should Sanjay be pardoned? If yes then what about the others who have been convicted in this case and whom we do not recognize as a celebrity? Is there a class bias? </span></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On principle, if a person is found guilty of a crime then he should be punished. Sanjay has been found guilty and has accordingly (some may disagree) been punished. On principle, once again, if there are sufficient grounds on which a convict may be pardoned, a pardon must apply. Is there enough merit in the plea made on behalf of Sanjay to earn him a pardon? This is debatable.</span></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the case made out for Sanjay's pardon may be more academic in nature, it does hide in itself other questions which are far removed from any legal technicalities.</span></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what if Sanjay is a celebrity? Does that make his crime more serious? Should he be denied a pardon only because he is a celebrity? If law must be same and be applied equally to both rich and poor then should mercy or pardon, also a form of justice, be applied any differently?</span></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is true that if one is rich and famous then one's access to various nooks and corners of the system becomes easy. Add to that the advantage of being a public figure which brings in a lot of support from other known people. A common man does not have the wherewithal to access the right hooks and anchors to take his case forward. Is this limitation borne out of his social standing or is this a limitation of our justice system that it cannot make itself equally accessible to everyone? </span></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our eyes still measure a person favorably if he is from an elite class. We somehow are more than willing to give him the benefit of doubt. This leniency is class driven despite our society having made an avowed espousal of causes for the downtrodden. The debate therefore seems to originate from a subliminal effort to redeem ourselves of this shortcoming. Also prevailing upon this might be the climate in which the verdict has come. With the spotlight these days on the big-wigs and their shenanigans, the intrinsic leniency has ceded some space to a growing cynicism towards the rich and famous. Sanjay Dutt, therefore, may have secretly wished that the verdict could have come some five years early when the cupboards of these accused money-pots, with all the skeletons inside, were still locked and secured. But all said and done one mustn't be unfair in order to seem fair. If he deserves a pardon then let him have it.</span></span></div>
<span lang="">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-36104880271637369392013-03-04T09:46:00.000+05:302013-03-04T10:18:41.576+05:30तलाश<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
कल शाम अचानक बादल घिर आये </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अब बरसे तब बरसे कैसे खेल रचाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
फिर जैसे रूठ के मान गए हों </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
हल्के हल्के पानी बरसाए<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
पहली छिठों ने सौंधी यादों के दिए जलाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
खिड़की के बाहर जलते हुए पत्तों ने </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
पानी के चटकारे लगाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
मचलती हुई बिजली ने </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अपने कहकहे लगाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
और घोंसले में सहमे बच्चों को </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
चिड़िया अपने चोंच से समझाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ख्यालों में इन्ही एह्सांसों को जगाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कभी खुद से पूछता हूँ - </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
की इतनी दूर हम चले आये </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
वही रंग और सुगंध के फूल हैं पाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
फिर भी न जाने किसकी याद सताए?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
वही तो है सब कुछ </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जो हम पीछे छोड़ आए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
गगन में वही सूरज की लाली </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
धरती पे वही फूलों के मेले </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कीट-पतंगों की वही कहानी </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जुबां अलग पर लोगों की वही जिंदगानी</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
फिर क्यूँ किसी चौराहे पे खड़ा है मन</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
एक टकटकी लगाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
क्या रह गया है अधूरा </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अब किसकी चाह सताए?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
सवालों की भीढ़ से गुज़रते गुज़रते </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
मेरे कदम एक गली में निकल आए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
हर खुली खिड़की से झांकता घर मन तरसाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
हल्की किल्कारियाँ, प्यारी दुलारियां</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
मीठे फटकार, नींद भरी लोरियां </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
खेल्ता बच्चपन, महक्ता आँगन </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कहानियों की ओढ़नी, पनप्ता जीवन</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
दुःख की बेड़ियाँ, अपनों का बंधन </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
लहराते रंग, झूलों के संग </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- हर घर छुपाए जाने कितने रतन!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
सांझे चूले में पक्ता प्यार </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
किन्ही पुरानी यादों का स्वाद ले आए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
आँखों से धुँआ उठा और पानी छलक आए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
क्या इन्ही मोतियों की तलाश में </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ढूंढता भटक्ता है मन?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
छूटे परिवार, अधूरे संसार </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
को बटोरने में लगा है मन?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
घर परिवार सगों का प्यार </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
बड़ों के साए में बसा संसार </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
इन कीम्ती नगीनों को कहा से लाएं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जब उल्झे उलझते जीवन के मोड़ में </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
खुद ही को न ढूंढ पाएं?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
किसी पेढ़ की घनी छाओं में </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
बैठने को आज जी लल्चाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
हरे पत्तों और छन्ति धुप तले </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
थोड़ी देर दिल को तस्सली दी जाए</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
शायद अब यूँ ही दिन गुज़रेंगे </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
घर के साज़ अब ख्यालों में ही गूंजेंगे </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
पर जो खो गया है उसका अफ़सोस क्यूँ मनाया जाए?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
फिर आएगा वो, फिर मिल जाएगा वो </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
इसका भरोसा क्यूँ न रखा जाए?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कहीं गुज़रा हुआ कल युहीं न मिट जाए</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
क्यूँ न यादों को समेटा जाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
और कोई नया राग गाया जाए </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ताल में जिस्के बीते दिनों की चाप हो </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
खट्टे-मीठे चंचल आलाप हों </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
और सुर से आने वाले समय की महक आए </div>
</div>
Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-16159655889290918742012-09-23T03:00:00.000+05:302012-09-24T01:07:34.509+05:30कल आप मेरे साथ थे ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
चमकती शोर से भरी</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
सड़क पे बेसबब चलना </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अजीब लग रहा था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
सूखे पत्तों पे </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अपने पैरों की चाप सुनना </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अजीब लग रहा था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कभी रुक कर कभी मुढ़ कर </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
किसी चेहरे में आपको ढूंढना </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अजीब लग रहा था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
पर दिल खुश था, तनहा नहीं था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ख्यालों में ही सही </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कल आप मेरे साथ थे ...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
महफ़िल में शामिल हो कर </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ना शामिल होना </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अजीब लग रहा था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
किसी हसीन की हसी पे </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
किसी की यादों में खो जाना </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अजीब लग रहा था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जाम के मचलती बुलबुलों में </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अपनी दास्ताँ ढूंढना </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
अजीब लग रहा था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
पर दिल खुश था, तनहा नहीं था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ख्यालों में ही सही </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कल आप मेरे साथ थे ...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
मेरी तन्हाई है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
उसमे बसा ख्यालों का क़स्बा है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जहा यूँही मुलाकातें होती हैं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जहाँ यूँही आपसे बातें होती हैं </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जाने कब ढल के शाम होती है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
जाने कब सपनों का शाम्याना सजता है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
यूँ बहारों का मिलना और आपका साथ होना </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कितना अच्छा लगता है </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ऐसा समां आज है और कल भी था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
इसलिए दिल खुश था, तनहा नहीं था </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ख्यालों में ही सही </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
कल आप मेरे साथे थे ...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-36187351794851914072012-09-09T16:14:00.003+05:302012-09-09T16:16:36.756+05:30Resuming ... with a little sadness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's
been such a long time since I last published a post on my blog. Not sure what
qualifies this feeling of resumption but there is an unmistakable hint of guilt
lurking somewhere there. Why this guilt!? I don’t have an audience to whom I owe
a post. There is no obligation neither a compulsion within but the fact that this
relaxing recourse was getting neglected because of an increasingly dull routine
in life has led perhaps to this guilt. And rightly so. More than two years now
at onsite and I am still searching for the elusive gilded delight which so
eternally seems to be the single most selling point of an onsite assignment. To
be fair, nature of work would certainly determine one’s quality of life, which,
however, doesn’t turn out to be a benefit I can claim. The drudgery has sapped
life from my being. I used to engage in quizzing and moviemaking and they too
have become memories of past. It’s almost like walking into an unhealthy miasma
whose elements are robbing me off my dear nuggets one by one. It’s scary to
think what will become of me by the time I walk out of this haze. Sometimes I feel
I am alive for the wrong reasons. It becomes difficult to understand what is
more important – a free mind which frolics in its own abandonment or a focused mind
tethered to a goal. Perhaps an equal measure of both is the trick. I am looking
for the key that unlocks this trick trapped in my messy world.</span></span></div>
</div>
Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-25825263360083396512011-12-26T15:30:00.000+05:302012-01-03T14:17:32.643+05:30ठहरा हुआ वक़्त<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
आज वक़्त ही नही गुज़र रहा…<br />
बाँध रखा है जैसे उसके पैरों पे भार,<br />
या है शायद उसके अरमानो का वज़न <br />
और धीरे धीरे पैरों को सरकाते<br />
लम्हों को बदलने की कोशिश कर रहा है वक़्त<br />
टूटती साँसों में थक रहा है वक़्त<br />
कहीं थम न जाए डर रहा है वक़्त<br />
<br />
किसी के इंतज़ार में जैसे जिंदा रहने की कोशिश<br />
जहाँ सासें उम्मीद पे और<br />
नज़रें ख्वाबों पे टिकी हों<br />
जहाँ सुकून की दास्ताँ<br />
किसी की यादों में छुपी हों<br />
जहाँ दरवाज़े से गली की वो झलक<br />
और आने वाले मौसम की महक हो<br />
वहां अगर वो न आए ख्याल जिसका आँगन को है बसाए<br />
तो वक़्त क्यूँ न थम जाए <br />
<br />
खिड़की से झांकती दोपहर की रौशनी<br />
अपनी शक्लें दीवार पे बदल रही है<br />
कोने में बैठा गुमसुम सा वक़्त<br />
अब भी अपने लम्हों में उल्झा हुआ है<br />
बस थोड़ी देर और ये धुप भी अब लौट जाएगी<br />
पीछे ढल्ती शाम और उसकी तन्हाई छोड़ जाएगी<br />
रह जाएगा तो बस यकीन का एक घोंसला<br />
जहाँ सोयेंगे हम और रहेगा ये हौंसला<br />
की कल फिर आएगा और शायद उसे लाएगा<br />
जिसके लिए वक़्त थम गया था आज<br />
युहीं तमन्ना को हाथों में लिए<br />
कुछ देर ठहर गया था आज</div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-40472790790226216562011-11-26T11:11:00.004+05:302014-11-16T23:56:32.262+05:30Sony Walkman, Jagjit Singh and my love for music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is interesting sometimes to look back and seek a reason for things that you find existing in your life. To search for that whiff, a glimpse, a touch or that tiny moment of inspiration which one catches and registers unknowingly in one’s mind, and when that seed got planted in the vast terrain of our subconscious, blooming later into consciousness - that one might want to wonder about how it all started.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hence I pondered very recently on how it all began – my love for music.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t come from a family which can lay claim to some gharana in music. So music for me didn’t come along the classical route of training of voice; rather, it was my ears that underwent a sort of training by way of listening to the melodic notes in my mother’s voice – indeed when she speaks her sound seems to fill me in some way making me feel whole – and the amazing music which I came across very early in my childhood.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My family has an ear for good music. This isn’t a peculiarity reserved only by us but it’s the eclectic taste in music which cuts across age in our family that helps me pay that compliment. The kind of music received by us with admiration or loathe is surprisingly so common that sometimes it becomes difficult to recognize that music is such a subjective matter and very private and exclusive too!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And among these commonalities is Jagjit Singh whose voice ushered me into the world of music.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It all started because of a Sony Walkman.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father had been on an official trip to Europe and among other things which he got for us was a Sony Walkman. An engineering marvel, a beautiful specimen of how man brought his imagination to reality, the Walkman became the apple of our eyes for days to come. It would gently pass from one hand to the other and a slightest hint of imbalance would evoke a collective gasp from our family. The design of the equipment was meant to suit a pair of ears – preferably belonging to the same head – but on umpteen occasions this solemn assumption by the makers of the Walkman was struck down by a creative adjustment of two heads trying to share the wonderment brought by that Walkman.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Father didn’t bring along a cassette with the Walkman, which would have completed our experience of that device, so we used to tinker along with the radio buttons to make out anything useful from the persistent static that it produced. But the wait didn’t prove to be too long, and the first cassette which the Sony Walkman played was Jagjit Singh’s Desires. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very soon Jagjit Singh replaced the Walkman with himself on our pedestal of awe and admiration.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t recall how many times I went over the same songs tirelessly listening to them again and again as they carried me into a new world of music. Never before had I listened to music and songs so carefully. The various television programmes that played film songs were at best perfunctory interruptions prior to Jagjit’s welcome intrusion in my life. Now slowly I began to critique music - not really as an expert but surely as someone who knew what he was looking for.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Among the select few indulgences, which our family had, Jagjit gradually climbed up to acquire the highest spot. Our shelf gradually piled up a collection of Jagjit’s albums. Sony Walkman had to give way to a bigger music system thereby eliminating any need for an ingenious arrangement of heads to enjoy music. Jagjit transformed from a chance encounter to become an enjoyable association, and festivals or no festivals he would play making evenings so melodious that it would be a jarring interruption if suddenly a power cut would take place forcing silence to prevail alongside the lingering tune of his song in our minds.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jagjit’s music has become a part of my life. Somehow I am able to connect to his songs in every mood that reigns me. His voice riding on the notes of his compositions extract such soulful meaning from the lyrics that one feels the poet sigh his emotions right in your ears.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s been one steady and harmonious journey with Jagjit’s music. Jagjit is no more – another sudden and jarring interruption from which one cannot recover – but his music lingers on and so shall my love for it.</span></div>
</div>
Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-52445098831124557092011-06-15T01:43:00.001+05:302011-06-27T01:46:56.264+05:30Insidious Jan Lok - II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The demand and debate of public participation in the drafting of the Lokpal bill has seemed to go awry. At many places it seems to veer off the path of rationality altogether. The ‘civil society’ may have fundamental differences and legitimate concerns on points evaded or negated by the government’s panel but it is the nature of the discourse itself that has become so worrisome.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been strident demands by the ‘civil society’ to make the discussions of the drafting committee public. Demands have ranged from making the parleys televised to having the audio tapes of the discussions released. The ‘civil society’ group itself has also been making continuous press conferences detailing the proceedings after every meeting that has taken place in a believed attempt to keep things transparent. But the question is how correct it is to make the discussions public when the bill is only in the drafting stage? There are bound to be differences of opinion when discussions happen. People in their entitlement of having different views may choose to disagree but that shouldn’t be construed as criminal, which in all likelihood would, given the popular sentiment fanned by making these details public. The matter would naturally be further compounded with the differences coming out in open as is evident with the constant coverage this issue is getting. It needs to be understood that the public has connected only with the central idea of the movement against corruption and not with the technical issues pertaining to the draft in question. At this stage the draft needs inputs from experts and not demands made out of popular sentiment. </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erroneous arguments are being put forward in order to make the discussions public. Some have cited the televised debates in US as an example. But don’t the debates in US pertain to the election of candidates to senate or Presidency? Where on earth do discussions get televised when only a draft is being prepared? The minutes of the discussions are already on the website, hence out in public, and the draft would be discussed in parliament which is anyways televised live. How more transparent can the proceedings be made? </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s imagine for a moment that the discussions are made available to public. A member objecting to a certain point, which later on gets adopted through consensus, would be seen in a poor light even though the person had every right to object in his own assessment of the point in question. It would be a PR disaster particularly so if the member happens to be a government nominee. Since it is very well known that the government panel has differences with the ‘civil society’, this attempt to make the discussions public appear less related to transparency and more to point scoring. Whether the objections are right or wrong, they would eventually be out once the draft gets discussed in the parliament, so is there really a need for this demand?</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some have also questioned the silence adopted by the PM and the UPA chairperson. It is only wise that the two have kept a silence on this matter. The very nature of their positions gives a lot of weight to their say. In this light if the PM were to make a statement on some point in the draft on which the committee members hold a different view then it will become hard for the committee to explain their divergence of opinion. Just as one should abstain from making a comment on a case that is sub judice so should be the case here too and the drafting committee should be allowed to formulate provisions without any external influence so that they can go about their business with all the peace and focus that is required for the job at hand.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The talks between the ‘civil society’ and the government’s panel have hogged the headlines also for the acrimony on display in the past few days. Both sides have failed to exercise restraint to keep the atmosphere conducive for fruitful discussions. The ‘civil society’ seems to be more hot-headed in this regard and sees red at any objection raised by the government. Here it occurs that the context of this agitation is more at play than anything else.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If one were to look back and observe then it would be noted that the entire movement had a streak of confrontation to it. A series of scams had formed the backdrop and a very lame draft of the Lokpal bill had come riding on a purported resolve of the government to fight corruption. So one understands why the ‘civil society’ group decided to confront the government. But what one fails to understand is the continuation of this attitude to confront even during these discussions. Both the sides should come to the table with an open mind to acknowledge suggestions and reservations alike. That the suggestions made by the ‘civil society’ are finally being taken into consideration by the government is a testimony of a failure on the government’s part to have come up with a strong draft in the first place. But it also testifies that the government is more serious than ever and there is a will to go the length to have a strong legislation in place. The very composition of the government’s panel – home minister, finance minister, law minister, hrd minister and minority affairs minister – demonstrates the serious intent of the government. So it’s time now for the ‘civil society’ to stop looking at the government with suspicion and work as a team to come up with a good draft. But the events of past few days have shown anything other than this. Not only the confrontational attitude seems to continue but also at work is a premise that the entire government is corrupt and a bigot. The press statements made by the ‘civil society’ bear ample evidence of this premise and statements to this effect have been made by saying that this government is scared to bring an effective Lokpal in place because more than half of it would then be in jail. This premise is making them see villainy in any objection or reservation made by the government. Just because the government has been put on a backfoot these days doesn’t mean that it has lost its right to disagree.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another question that is being raised is that of the missing opposition parties from the panel appointed to discuss with the ‘civil society’. Many, including team Anna, believe that the opposition parties should have been made a part of these discussions since it would have then involved the entire political class in the drafting of the bill. But there is a problem in doing so. If the opposition parties are to be made a part of the discussions then the panel must include representation from every party irrespective of the numbers commanded by the same in parliament. Assuming that such a panel does get set up then once a draft is ready what role is left for the parliament to play? Since all the parties are already aligned with the draft, the only job left now for the parliament is to stamp approval on it. This is a dangerous precedent that completely undermines the fundamentals of parliamentary democracy. A bill is supposed to originate within the government, tabled and discussed in the parliament before assuming any finality. Here we have already gone beyond the dictates of fundamentals of our democratic system by engaging with an unelected group to draft a bill. On the question of being ‘unelected’, people have compared team Anna with NAC. But this comparison is flawed. NAC‘s mandate is to give suggestions and inputs and not sit and draft bills with government nominees. A bill still goes through its normal lifecycle and while doing so may also consider any suggestions made by the NAC. So to allude to double standards adopted by the government is not correct. This extra-constitutional space accorded, given the extraordinary circumstances, to the ‘civil society’ therefore must limit to discussions with government and Parliament should be allowed to play its assigned role of discussing the draft before taking it any further. </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This din and commotion around the lok pal bill is slowly reducing things to a <em>tamasha</em>. Even fasting is increasingly becoming a gimmick. People in their eagerness to paint an already capitulant government as evil have stopped looking at reason. It remains to be seen what comes out of all this but the tale so far has been a tad disappointing.</span></div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-14915906808895064482011-06-12T16:05:00.001+05:302011-06-12T16:12:02.513+05:30Babagiri<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">After Anna Hazare, the next star in the horizon seems to be Baba Ramdev. Quite interestingly, Ramdev could’ve been the original hero in this crusade but he was done in by his lack of clarity or maturity, which even Hazare claims to be the case, in how to place himself vis-à-vis the popular sentiment against corruption. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anna, for all one knows, looked at it as a crusade. But Ramdev looked at it as dip-stick test to find out his reach and to find out if this was the moment to start his career in politics. Ramdev, on several previous occasions, had spoken out against black-money and corruption, and also about his intent to start a political party but he never took his campaign, if there was any, anything further than making statements. He lost the plot to Anna, and realized, only very late in the day, that the mass following he had could have been easily galvanized to give him a greater standing in public. His Ramlila affair seemed a too hastily arranged effort and even there the flip-flops that marked the entire drama reduced everything to a daily soap plot. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When he could've got some mileage, he exposed his naiveté through his list of demands. People came back saying one should focus on the essence of his demands and not in details but any average person on the street has also been making a similar set of demands – then where does it place Ramdev with respect to others? Another opportunity, a rather unfortunate incident in itself, in the form of the government excesses at the Ramlila grounds, was again thrown away by Ramdev when he made statements of building an army to set things in order. Clearly, he has a lot to learn about politics. His joining Anna’s movement would’ve done him more good than what he envisaged by opening another front on the issue of black money. His going on fast wouldn’t redeem him any lost ground as his credibility stands questioned in the face of doubts about the origin of his assets. It’s a botched up affair and Baba, at least for a while, should go back to what he does best.</div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-64003873918258304142011-05-05T15:00:00.000+05:302011-05-05T15:00:22.944+05:30भिछ्ड़े हम ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">अनजानी भीड़ में जाना पहचाना कोई छूट गया </div><div style="text-align: center;">हम इतने तन्हा और दिल कितना सूना हो गया </div><div style="text-align: center;">अब ख्याल आया खुद को कैद कर लें हम </div><div style="text-align: center;">अपनी धड़कन को सुने एक ज़माना सा हो गया </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">मेरे वफ़ा उन्की शिकायतों में सिमट के रह गए </div><div style="text-align: center;">मजबूर तमन्ना कुछ कहते कहते ही रह गए </div><div style="text-align: center;">सजाए थे जिस दामन पे आरज़ू अपने मैंने </div><div style="text-align: center;">वो दामन हाथों से छूटा और तार तार हो गया </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">वही वादियाँ हैं पर कितने सूने हैं नज़ारे </div><div style="text-align: center;">भीगी हैं यादें मेरे इन अश्कों के सहारे </div><div style="text-align: center;">कैसा ये सैलाब कैसा ये तूफ़ान </div><div style="text-align: center;">भिछ्ड़े वो हंस के जोड़े – एक इस किनारे एक उस किनारे </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-8971154146623265682011-04-22T14:04:00.001+05:302011-04-22T14:18:59.981+05:30Insidious Jan Lok<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anna Hazare went on fast and brought the government to its knees. It looks like a good beginning but where does it end? By heeding to Anna’s demands, the government has set a precedent for future demands be they legitimate or otherwise. It’s fine to say it was a Gandhian way to solve a problem but in extending this argument one is obfuscating many questions that arise out of this incident.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why did Anna Hazare get the kind of attention that he got? Could it be because of rank hypocrisy?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The issue at hand was corruption. Who was, or rather is, suffering the most from this malaise? It’s the middle class Indians, the largest demographic in India, who are soaring with the tides and times of a rising nation. What has made them out of this rapid growth story is a bunch of conceited people who know only how to trample on others to get ahead with the utmost disregard for anything that is unrelated or unprofitable to them. So naturally when someone took the initiative it made all sense for the middle class to join hands, send chain mails, start e-forums, send tweets, share views on Facebook, make public speeches, etc and be seen in this ‘hour of need’ as showing solidarity since the direct beneficiary at the end of this was the middle class, and the success of this movement required automatic precedence over all other daily chores.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is no denying that corruption ought to be rooted out of the system, but the hypocrisy reeking beneath is also undeniable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is a lady in Manipur who goes by the name Irom Chanu Sharmila. While Anna fasted for four days, Irom has been on fast for eleven years. She is demanding the withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special powers) Act from Manipur and the rest of North East. Do we recollect any campaign or mass outpouring on streets for her cause? There have been, allegedly, gross violations in North East but neither celebrities nor cyberspace forums, which usually proliferate at such instances to aid intellectual debates, talk about this. The middle class doesn’t take cognizance of this issue as also it doesn’t relate with the issue of naxalism or violations in Kashmir or suicides of farmers – because at the end of it there is no benefit for the larger middle class. Only a miniscule percentage of Indians may benefit so why waste time? Issues like these merely manage to become topics for discussions over cups of coffee and tea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other equally worrisome issue is that what happens to the institutions of democracy if civil society becomes a part of the law making body?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The committee prescribed in the case of Lokpal bill comprises eminent members from the civil society along with government officials and ministers. But however eminent a member is, he or she is still unaccountable, unlike the elected minister, and hence cannot be punished for any act of omission. The case is almost similar to that of the pre-scam Satyam saga where the board had reputed members to oversee company proceedings. However, when the loss was discovered accountability couldn’t be fixed and the most one saw were people stepping down from the board, which hardly amounts to anything. If this experiment in democracy succeeds, which in all likelihood it will, the looming threat of this becoming a practice and not an exception would acquire a concrete shape. Seemingly paradoxical, this attacks at the very roots of democracy. People would quite literally take law in their own hands and democratic institutions would lose their meaning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another aspect, which might occur a bit distasteful but still relevant, is that of marketing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this age of din and commotion, unless the product is marketed well it fails to get its buyers. The Lokpal movement had two very engaging selling points – Anna Hazare and Jantar Mantar. The movement got its mileage from a prominent social activist in Anna and visibility from Jantar Mantar, a location at the heart of the city. Both the factors came together to give an amazing result which rivaled the hysteria of world cup win. What it re-affirms is that unless one makes a spectacle of an issue (or even a non-issue) one doesn’t stand a chance to be heard. Irom, the lady from Manipur, failed on this account. Her cry for justice took place in Manipur – a region which suffers alienation from ‘mainland’ India. There wasn’t, also, any personality associated with her cause. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But there is an inherent danger with regards to marketing a grievance. When the administration bows down before such demands people get to see a well orchestrated agitation succeed, which can only lead to an assumption that a more spectacular display of one’s resent and protestations will bound to get success. Display of placard and banner rallies have given way to highway blocking, naxalite violence, hostage dramas, twin tower blasts – and all being manifestations of the belief that ‘<em>jinko kam sunayi deta hai, unhe dhamake ki zaroorat hoti hai</em>.’</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">India does suffer from many diseases and corruption is one of them. But corruption is a two way street. We find corruption because we breed it. If probity of administration is demanded then the same honor has to be reflected by the citizen. India with its size and numbers cannot offer equal opportunity and access to everyone. It is then all the more important for everyone to become honest in their own dealings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Apna gham leke kahin aur na jaaya jae</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Ghar mein bikhri hui cheezon ko sambhala jae </em></div><div style="text-align: justify;">~ Nida Fazli</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-3343863255447036692011-04-02T07:51:00.002+05:302011-04-02T07:54:00.079+05:30आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">सुबह सुबह आई रौशनी</div><div style="text-align: center;">मेरे बिस्तर तलक, छलक-छलक</div><div style="text-align: center;">कैसी चंचल कैसी मधुर</div><div style="text-align: center;">मीठी शहद सी दिखी </div><div style="text-align: center;">जब खोली आँखे पलक-पलक </div><div style="text-align: center;">आँगन खेले नन्हा सवेरा </div><div style="text-align: center;">होंठो पे एक मुस्कान बिखेरा</div><div style="text-align: center;">बोली डाल पे बैठी मैना</div><div style="text-align: center;">ऐ सखी हम खेले आ इधर</div><div style="text-align: center;">देख निकला धुप का मेला </div><div style="text-align: center;">धीरे धीरे नींद है छूटी</div><div style="text-align: center;">हौले हौले अंगड़ाई भी टूटी</div><div style="text-align: center;">गुज़रे कल का अँधेरा वो भागा </div><div style="text-align: center;">मन संभला और दिल फिर थिरका</div><div style="text-align: center;">आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है - </div><div style="text-align: center;">कहे मन का मोर </div><div style="text-align: center;">और झूम के दिन यूँ डोला वो डोला </div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-2596328386029965532011-03-21T03:25:00.003+05:302011-03-21T03:35:23.156+05:30The Quarters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has taken 15 years, or in world cup time units – 4 world cups – to have all the eight major test playing nations finally getting drawn up in quarter final lineups.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lineup for 2011 ICC WC has India, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England and South Africa. No minnows in sight – Zimbabwe has never managed to shrug off that tag. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The earlier editions had ‘super six’ or ‘super eight’ stages before the knockout stages begun. One may look at these ‘super’ matches as a round robin quarter final – basically designed to give hope to the best teams if and when they had a bad day. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But if one were to take a look at the past World Cups, especially since the time the top qualifiers of the ICC Trophy were made a part of the World Cup editions, these minnows have managed to spring a surprise every now and then. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2007, the format had the top two teams from each group advancing to form the ‘Super Eights’, which was followed by semis. The Super Eight lineup had - Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Ireland. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again in 2003, where prior to semis we had ‘Super Sixes’, the lineup was - India, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Kenya. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 1999 edition too saw one bottom ranked team of Zimbabwe making it to the pre-semi stage. Here the lineup was - Pakistan, Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s only in the 1996 edition that the lineup for quarter-finals, and this was the last time the World Cup saw a knock-out pre-semis and no ‘super’ matches, had all the top nations drawn up against each other. The lineup looked like this - England, Pakistan, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 1996 edition was played in the sub-continent with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka being the hosts, something that was originally planned for 2011 too. One may also find some other similarities. The one which immediately springs to my mind is that Sachin was the top scorer in the 1996 edition and this time too is looking all set to claim that spot. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s hope the similarities end there (India had a tragic loss in their semis against Sri Lanka) and India lifts the cup at Wankhade.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-15584419003031455532011-02-28T05:24:00.005+05:302011-03-03T14:41:42.189+05:30She loves me, she loves me not<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I arrived at the spot and looked at the bench. It was empty as usual. For past several weeks now it was thus. Empty. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This bench, our only rendezvous, had been a witness to some of the most wonderful moments of our lives. We would chat here unaware of the hours passing by and each time, when finally bidding goodbyes, unspoken promises of returning the next weekend would get exchanged in our eyes. Her eyes! Such beautiful eyes sitting in that pretty face that one would want to lose one’s heart in their depths. Enchanting as she was, she looked like an angel when small curls of her hair would kiss her cheeks and with a shy yet striking smile she would keep brushing those mischievous curls aside. Her honeyed voice would keep me hooked onto the sundry discussions we would have and the sweetness getting registered in my heart would help keep the moments alive till the next time we would meet. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But all seemed to have ended abruptly and quite mysteriously. She wouldn’t come anymore to meet me. <em>Where did we lose each other?</em> Lost in my thoughts I sat on the bench and plucked a flower and started working on that avowed method of finding the truth of my love – she loves me, she loves me not. One by one I removed the petals calling alternately the agreement and the denial. I soon reached the last petal. She loves me not. <em>It can’t be. It just can’t be.</em> Horrified, I recalled from memory the many ways she used to look at me. Those mesmerizing eyes spoke what she never would have needed to say. In utter desolation I looked down at the petals that had fallen on my lap. Eight amber colored petals had sealed my fate. Harmless looking eight petals had struck misery in my heart. I wanted to hate them. But I wouldn’t have gained anything. I kept staring at the eight broken pieces of my heart. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Eight…hmm.</em> I figured if I had started the exercise not by the agreement but by the denial then the result would have been in my favor. Eight is an even number, so in the iteration if the agreement first fell on an even number it will recur on all the subsequent even numbers. To confirm I plucked another flower and this time I started by the denial – she loves me not. And sure enough, I ended up immensely satisfied with the proclamation of the agreement - she loves me! Treacherous, as it seemed, this botanical experiment with the application of a little logic could fool the heart. I dusted the petals off my lap and decided to wait for some more time - a routine since past many disappointing weeks. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>May be she didn’t love me and that was indeed the truth. May be I had been a fool beguiled by her charms. May be that was the truth and I needed to accept and move on. Else, what could explain her continued absence?</em> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I was busy searching for answers, a whiff of perfume wafted towards me from across my left. I turned and saw that a girl had planted herself on the vacant seat beside me. I looked at her and we exchanged smiles. Something fluttered within me and I couldn’t check myself from basking in her smile. She had picked up a book and evidently looked alone. <em>May be it wouldn’t be a bad idea to strike a conversation with her.</em> Hardly had this thought occurred when my memory served up a picture, from not too distant past, of a couple on the same bench where the guy looked remarkably similar to me and the girl very familiar. Arrested for a moment by guilt, I checked myself in pursuing my desire to speak to my neighbor. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But why shouldn’t I speak to her? Shouldn’t I allow myself a fresh start when the certainty of an unrequited love is staring at my face? </span></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I looked at my left from the corner of my eyes. What a pretty sight she was! Every now and then she would give a jerk to her head in an effort to put away strands of hair from her eyes. And catching this movement would be her dainty earrings that fetched attention to her beautiful neck the nape of which she would occasionally caress with her long slender fingers. A sigh escaped my lips and I shifted in my seat to prepare to form an introductory remark when suddenly from behind appeared a pair of small arms that stretched ahead to go round the neck of the girl. My neighbor, startled at first, gave into a giggle and pulled a small mass over her shoulder and brought it over to front and looking at me said, “My daughter.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I politely smiled and regained my earlier posture. In a moment I bent ahead and plucked a flower, affirmed the number of petals – odd – and started, “she loves me … she loves me not …”</span></div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-86637244529138386342011-02-19T21:03:00.008+05:302011-02-21T13:34:04.177+05:30A thousand splendid suns...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9VSvkwFTC9cDkNbb7sjvPZnMCyTln1PdxHaujdjQCn6kLfZE6KaGgkzMgggZ4EPgr0ULkgnnFhPZDzVGoDunGb7WFDP3yy_SBT7hfg-EJlcyejw4wIzhTtZF2XfrKnw1yctf1MYyCezd/s1600/a_thousand_splendid_suns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9VSvkwFTC9cDkNbb7sjvPZnMCyTln1PdxHaujdjQCn6kLfZE6KaGgkzMgggZ4EPgr0ULkgnnFhPZDzVGoDunGb7WFDP3yy_SBT7hfg-EJlcyejw4wIzhTtZF2XfrKnw1yctf1MYyCezd/s200/a_thousand_splendid_suns.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">…that’s the name of the novel I just finished reading. Written by Khaled Hosseini, it’s his second work after <em>The Kite Runner</em>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The experience has left me with sorrow mixed with vexation and a little disappointment too. Sorrow, understandably, because of the misery that befalls the characters in the story. But it is at the other two emotional investments, which I am myself surprised at (surprised I say because the novel pummels the expectations, entirely justifiable, I had of it), a note is warranted. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>A thousand…</em>almost reads like a continuation of his previous work – <em>The Kite Runner</em>. The characters have changed but the plight, owing to the backdrop of a crumbling Afghanistan, seems to be a continuing narrative from his previous work. So what is lacking is a freshness that one would have expected after reading Khaled earlier. It did turn out to be a page turner, but not because I got sucked into the story but more so for a hope that the story would somewhere rise above the predictability it had surrendered to. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story begins by sketching the childhood of two girls living at a time when Afghanistan’s decline had just begun. Vivid as it unfolds, the initial part of the story becomes a victim of this slow unraveling and threatens to reduce to a drag. As if the author himself realized this, the subsequent events of the story occur at a rapid pace. The author explores the brutality of those times in Afghanistan and the helplessness of those stuck in the crossfire of destiny and rocket shells of the mujahedeen. But it’s here where one would find the author slip off the path of reason. The muteness of Laila, one of the characters, is puzzling. She is shown to be an intelligent girl and gives ample examples of her reasoned approach towards life. But at times when one would expect her to rise to occasion, her deflating and frustrating response befuddles the reader. The author successfully manages to arrest the attention of the reader by delving deep into the pathos of the time; his juxtaposition of a hitherto progressive and peaceful Afghanistan with that of a now unrecognizable, broken, brutal entity that it had become is stark and hits you with the force it intended to begin with, but one can’t miss a deliberate attempt to prolong the misery of the characters in the story. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story pales in comparison with <em>The Kite Runner</em>. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both the stories are telling the troubled times of Afghanistan but <em>The Kite Runner</em> is refreshingly subtle. To be fair, the approach of the stories cannot be held as a reason for critique – one chooses subtleness over candor while the other chooses to pull the motif to forefront and is more direct. But it’s the déjà vu that disappoints as one starts to flip through the pages hoping each time something different to show up from the author. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This second novel makes Khaled look so formulaic. The narrative of both of his works follows the same cadence – a slow, descriptive start, which revisits the good old times and lays the foundation for the cruel contrast that is to come later, a rapid declension into the pit of sorrow, and a hopeful, reconciliatory resurface towards the end. But despite this predictable approach, the author walks away with credit for the eloquence in describing the sadness he builds about his characters. So persuasive is he that one waxes and wanes along with the characters. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>A thousand…</em>suffers under the weight of a very successful work coming previously from the same author. Also, there is an attendant predicament here, which is that if one was to read <em>A thousand…</em> first and then pick <em>The Kite Runner</em>, one might run the risk of under appreciating a fine work like <em>The Kite Runner</em>. The criticism offered could be same as presented above - that of repetitiveness. Though one does appreciate <em>A thousand…</em> for painting a picture of the utter loss that humanity has suffered in Afghanistan, as a work of literature it would not find a place alongside <em>The Kite Runner</em>. </span></div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-30926614998425840762010-12-11T15:25:00.001+05:302011-02-21T13:21:47.338+05:30Stairway to heaven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ever wondered why people turn towards God in their fag end of life!? Even if you were to look back in history, specifically the ancient Indian history, you will find life divided into four phases – bramhacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sanyasa, where it is again in the last phase that one is supposed to devote the self in search of the divine. Why the search for unknown and eternal when approaching the end? If it is valued above all earthly things then wouldn’t it be more reasonable to invest more time thereby perhaps starting this search in our adulthood itself?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aldous Huxley in Brave New World has a point of view which is as compelling as it can ever get. Following is the extract.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>A man grows old; he feels in himself that radical sense of weakness, of listlessness, of discomfort, which accompanies the advance of age…the religious sentiment, tends to develop as we grow older; to develop because, as the passion grows calm, as the fancy and sensibilities are less excited and less excitable, our<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reason becomes less troubled in its working, less obscured by the images, desires and distractions in which it used to be absorbed; where upon God emerges from behind a cloud; our soul feels, sees, turns towards the source of all light; turns naturally and inevitably; for now that all that gave<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to the world of sensations its life and charms has begun to leak away from us, now that phenomenal existence is no more we feel the need to lean on something that abides, some thing that will never play us false – a reality, an everlasting and absolute truth. We inevitably turn to God; for this religious sentiment is so pure, so delightful to the soul that experiences it, that it makes up to us for all our other losses.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><em>You can be only independent of God while you’ve got youth and prosperity; but youth doesn’t last till the end. If you have youth and prosperity right up to the end, what follows?? <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Independence</place></city> from God! The religious sentiment will compensate us form all other losses. But there aren’t any losses to compensate when youthful desires never fail.</em></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-33338057883259074352010-11-22T04:32:00.003+05:302010-11-22T04:41:07.670+05:30दिल का चिराग<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<em>It does occur to us on many occasions that something stirs up our heart and a song or a couplet immediately </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>springs up in memory to stay on our lips for long.</em><br />
<em>The following verse from an Ameer Meenai’s ghazal has been a recurring thought for past few days; and the following poem a humble inspiration.</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<em>…वो नहीं सुनते हमारी क्या करें,</em> </div><div align="center"><em>मांगते हैं हम दुआ जिनके लिए …</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>~ अमीर मीनाई </em></div><em></em><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
---<br />
<br />
उनकी रूठी नज़रें सवाल कर रही हैं </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">यहाँ बेज़ुबां निगाहें भीग रही हैं </div><div style="text-align: center;">कल हिज्र की तन्हाई ने फासले कम किये थे</div><div style="text-align: center;">आज फासले दूरियां बन के तन सी गयी हैं </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">ज़ुबां ढूँढती है उन लफ़्ज़ों को </div><div style="text-align: center;">पर गुम हैं मेरे अल्फाज़ इस महफ़िल में </div><div style="text-align: center;">बेबस तमन्ना कैसे कह सकें कुछ </div><div style="text-align: center;">जब बिखरे लम्हों की शोर में - </div><div style="text-align: center;">खुद लम्हा लम्हा बिखर रहें हों</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">क्या दिल का चिराग बुज गया है</div><div style="text-align: center;">क्यूँ खामोश और चुप वक़्त खड़ा है </div><div style="text-align: center;">कहाँ पलट कर फिर देखूं उनको </div><div style="text-align: center;">जिनका निशां किसी मोड़ पे छूट गया है<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-73029216423514286092010-10-10T00:15:00.002+05:302011-02-21T13:22:32.447+05:30Musings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s been over two months now since my arrival here in Phoenix, and I am yet to see anything that can put me in a state of awe. Now, why should it be, anyways!? Because, isn’t America a dreamland where you find tall buildings, snazzy cars and ‘gori mems’, all unheard and unseen at home!?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This certainly was a view, unfounded or fed, but firmly entrenched in the minds of people who got a chance to travel abroad. And, to be fair, was also the case as someone from yore would vindicate. But I think this has ceased to be the case anymore. People now realize that all the above three listed are available in plenty at home and, often, are of a better quality, too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take for example the office campuses of companies like Infosys. The kind of infrastructure and architecture they present can easily outclass some of the heavy weights in the world. Marquee brands in the automobile sector like Jaguar have, courtesy Tata, become ‘desi’. Tata and other brands make India, perhaps the best small car market in the world. Indian ‘mems’ regardless of the color of their skin, have bagged more number of beauty crowns than any and are second only to Venezuela. And that’s just not all about us, which is the best part! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So has the American postcard got nothing to offer to excite us anymore? Well, it depends on what one is looking for in the postcard. Is it the visible and more palpable infrastructural development all around or is it the development in the societal mores – a kind of development which I would attribute to ‘soft’ infrastructure? While some may still be amazed by the former, it is, however, the latter which evokes larger interest and, here I would like to concede, has put me in a state of awe.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We, as a society back home, may have caught up, or are fast catching up, with acquiring the various amenities, which a developed world already has, but it is the ‘soft’ infrastructure that still keeps the society in the developed world way ahead of ours. And it is here that a lot of work needs to be done by us; since, on one hand we have shown remarkable growth in our economy but on the other, are definitely lagging behind in building a ‘social wealth’.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social wealth resides in the consciousness of a society having bred on collective conscience that is responsive to the needs of all. It is a result of a gradual maturity of a society, which takes time to absorb the numerous advances man makes, and then assimilates them into its being. Therefore it is essential for any society to give itself sufficient time to grow and become mature – in other words, follow a natural curve of progression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Developing societies, which are in a haste to get up among others, would naturally tend to follow a far sharper curve which won’t allow them to assimilate the progress in a gradual way. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">America got its independence way back in the second half of eighteenth century, and hence got more than two hundred years to settle down with the various advances its society was making. India, on the other hand, which was ruled for two hundred years and got her independence only six decades ago, finds herself with hardly any time to grow along with the changing times. And this is the reason why we as a society have so far been poor in accruing any social wealth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any invention that man makes goes through various stages in its lifetime before becoming obsolete – experimentation, exploitation and reconciliation. So any society witnessing any development needs to give itself time to allow that tool of progress to reconcile itself with the needs of the society. India came into existence amidst so much advancement that she was not able to reconcile the advances to suit her needs. She might still be in the exploitative phase of so many advancements while also at the same time trying to reckon with the rapidly changing times she is living in now.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social wealth stems from ‘soft infrastructure’, which can be loosely described as facilities a society has at its disposal. But there is a difference. For example, there are ATMs all across the US and India. This comes under the head of ‘facility’. But ATMs that have their keypad numbers in Braille too would come under the head of ‘soft infrastructure’, which one easily finds in US and not in India. One not just finds such ATMs but also almost any other public facility in US made with enough thought for people who are differently abled. Doors have buttons next to them so that they can be operated by people on wheel chair. Buses are constructed in a special manner to aid wheel-chaired people to board and de-board easily. Traffic rules bestow the first right to pedestrians by not just asking any vehicle to stop if anyone is crossing but also by allowing the person to cross first and only <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>then letting the vehicle to continue. Further the traffic lights have a mechanism to allow the pedestrians to change the signal so that they can cross the roads. These are but a few examples which are enough to suggest that the developed societies not only have made infrastructural advancements but are also sitting on a heap of social wealth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I would agree that that these societies were not having such measures in place from day one, but the fact that they do have them at least today should not take away any credit from them. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One might argue that the lack of social wealth can ever be attributed to the foreign rule India was under since, in a way India benefited from the British Raj in the sense that she had a foundation laid for her present growth courtesy the various elements of development that the Raj brought here albeit for its own facilitation. In other words, India didn’t need to reinvent the wheel and got a chance to start at an equal platform as others. But that’s the whole point – that India didn’t need to reinvent the wheel actually wasn't such a blessing in disguise as it led to an alienation of her from the evolution a human thought undergoes for any kind of development. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The platform, which India got to rest her present day growth, was heavily doped with foreign thought. It hasn’t been an independent thought, or an experiment in self to determine the course to be taken for future. India continued, and continues, to leapfrog from one milestone of development to another without going through the journey that led to the development. The result is that we lap in the various inventions that man makes but stay untouched by the ‘necessity’ that led to the invention. Our base hence becomes an imported set of developments we land upon that in turn makes us good only as far as ‘application’ is concerned. We become good in applying things but not in inventing things. It is worthwhile to ask why almost all inventions and developments take place in the West and not here? Because they have had an uninterrupted chain of an evolving thought which is growing along with the progress that is being made. Ours is an interrupted and in a way a usurped thought because of the alien rule that we were subjected to. It would be a good academic exercise to ponder on the possibilities of an uninterrupted reign of the Indian society which wouldn’t have seen the rule of British Crown but rather the growth of its own civilization through its own trials and tribulations. We could have been a society with great social wealth with our own set of inventions and advancements as we would have allowed ourselves the luxury of progressing at our own pace. Our thoughts and advancements could have surpassed all others had we followed our own natural curve of progression. It is no secret that Indian science was way ahead of times and the Western world woke up to many ideas which had been invented here centuries ago. The fast disappearing language of Sanskrit is hailed, alas by the Western minds and not by us, as the only natural language best suited for Artificial Intelligence. Had these and many more chains of thought and ideas progressed uninterrupted we could have been a different society and may be an even better one than many others.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All said and done, however, nothing should stop us from becoming better and if we have been imbibing things from West, maybe we can imbibe some more to make ourselves richer in social wealth. </span></div></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-65977978384568599442010-07-23T02:20:00.002+05:302010-10-24T14:01:43.097+05:30To be or not to be<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s been pretty late that I’ve become politically conscious. Not that this awareness is grounded on a firm foundation of theory and arduous research on the politics of this country, which the reader might construe as the reason for such a delay, but a steady accrual of interest has been courtesy the ubiquitous 24x7 news channel hogging the television screen that helps keep my political quotient grow and my political naïveté at bay.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">And what this consciousness has led to is a very engaging curiosity about the political phenomenon in <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">India</country-region></place>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Take for example the two principal parties in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">India</place></country-region>. Both the parties are remembered more for their darker deeds than for any glorious contributions that they have made in their years of reckoning. And not as if this were a specialty that only these two can find their names against - almost every political party in the world has a darker side which it tries to hide - but the effect they have had on the years that followed, and the years that are yet to come, is something that has defined the existence of the people of this country as no other party has ever done perhaps anywhere else in the world. This is not an exaggeration as it is the very nature of the Indian society with its innumerable oddities that makes the situation so unique.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Babri episode in 1992 was a major turning point in the Indian politics. An attempt so blatant to mix religion with politics could never have taken place but for a desperateness to lay hands on power that yielded to such an act of utmost vileness. The fault lines that this incident begot have been expanding ever since and got widened further in the Gujrat pogrom stemming from an act of communal barbarianism inflicted upon the passengers of the Godhra Express. It is interesting to note here that the word ‘communal’, which in standard English refers to of or by community - having therein a sense of togetherness, has acquired an entirely sinister meaning in the Indian context. Communal riots, communal speeches, communal politics and all other such terms are so antithetical to the very concept of a community. Rewind a decade back from that of Babri’s and history is yet again bloody with the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. <i>When a big tree falls, the earth shakes</i> - that was the state’s explanation to the role it had chosen to play when innocent were getting butchered before its very eyes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">A lot of water has flown through the <place w:st="on">Ganges</place>, or shall we say a lot of malice has flown through the Indian heartland since these unfortunate times. And yet, politics here has never stopped to acquire newer and more fantastic shades of color. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recent times have seen some very erudite people join these parties. Some have joined one party because the rival is overtly communal, while remaining have opted for the other party because this one is covertly communal. Which ever way you look at, both the parties have in their kitty some of the best in class people for the business. And yet, one begs to ask, why hasn’t either of them in its respective regimes done well? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The pre-millennium decade saw as many as six governments getting formed. The seventh, which finally managed to pull off decent numbers in the parliament, was a massive coalition of several parties coming together on a ‘common minimum program’ – a recent phrase that owes its currency to such efforts of coalition. The cabinet presented a very handsome picture with some seasoned players at the helm of affairs. But as one recollects now of the years that passed under them, one is reminded of some high profile scams which kept tumbling out like skeletons from their cupboard. Acts of state complicity in violence against innocents, active promotion to adopt some ancient norms and practices in the name of culture, and state support to surreptitious acts communalism dominated the headlines. Whatever happened to the scholars that formed the backbone of the government? Whatever happened to the hope that they had sown in the minds of people? The veterans of the party, unfortunately, continued to believe that holding onto the party’s ‘roots’, which they surmised to be the reason for their coming to power, would still be their best bet and hence worked hard to keep these ‘roots’ alive . This notion led to a misplaced sense of euphoria and a belief that people too shared their sentiment of a ‘shining <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">India</place></country-region>’. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then it was the turn of the grand old party. A remarkable resurgence, which has seen the party in the seat for more than a full term now, led by someone whom many had set aside as a ‘videshi gudia’, easily qualifies as one of the greatest comebacks Indian politics has ever seen. But here again nothing of note has really been seen from a very able portfolio of ministers, barring of course a few. The expectations are justifiably high since the man leading from front is the one responsible for bringing the economic turnaround in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">India</place></country-region>. Strangely, though, factors beyond their control are holding back this bunch of technocrats from bringing about another revolution in the country. The coalition compulsions forced them to befriend with people who have done more harm than the ones in the opposition could have done. First, it was the archaic ideas from Left. Then, in the second innings, came a string of pain points in the form of incompetent ministers forming the alliance. And as if this is not enough, past conducts of the party keep looming back into present to cause much discomfort to the leaders. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">In an effort to absolve it of the sins of 1984, the party leaders expressed quiet publicly of the shame and trauma they bore of the incident. But later they again found themselves in the dock with the Sajjan Kumar episode. Very recently it has been the ‘anniversary’ of the <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bhopal</place></city> incidents that has started taking a toll on the party.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is a little unfortunate that when the incumbent dispensation has some excellent heads at work then episodes embedded in the past still rise up to have a bearing on the present and stall any good efforts from being made. Even more unfortunate is that people have to stand up in defense of such episodes just to protect the image of the party and unwittingly become a party to the crime that they never involved in.</span></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-91368023518080672682010-03-29T21:33:00.002+05:302010-03-29T21:37:07.305+05:30एक रूमानी सा मन<div style="text-align: center;">कल रात आँगन में बैठ एक टकटकी लगाए </div><div style="text-align: center;">मैं चाँद को देख रहा था </div><div style="text-align: center;">हल्की हवाओं ने भी वहां अपना डेरा जमाया था </div><div style="text-align: center;">कुछ अलग ही था वो समां </div><div style="text-align: center;">थोड़ा रूमानी शायद और कुछ जवान सा भी था</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">कभी बादलों का पर्दा सामने आता </div><div style="text-align: center;">तो कभी चुपके से निकल कर </div><div style="text-align: center;">चाँद भी मुस्कुराता </div><div style="text-align: center;">हवाएं अपनी बेखयाली में </div><div style="text-align: center;">कभी मुझसे आ टकराती </div><div style="text-align: center;">और अचानक मेरे होने की खबर पर </div><div style="text-align: center;">फिर थम सी जातीं </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">सहसा मुझे ख़याल आया</div><div style="text-align: center;">कहीं हवाएं चाँद की हमजोली तो नहीं </div><div style="text-align: center;">ये शाम को रोज़ यूँ आना </div><div style="text-align: center;">कोई आंखमिचोली तो नहीं </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">मैं मुस्कुरा कर अन्दर लौट आया </div><div style="text-align: center;">खेल्ती पिघल्ती चांदनी को </div><div style="text-align: center;">हवाओं के संग छोड़ आया</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">तब दिल ने एक दस्तक दी और कहा </div><div style="text-align: center;">कुछ रिश्तों को एक आज़ादी ही सुहाती है </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">क्या हो गर चांदनी को लकीरों में समेटा जाए? </div><div style="text-align: center;">या फिर, </div><div style="text-align: center;">हवाओं की मर्ज़ी पर अपनी हुकूमत चलायी जाए?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">तब क्या होंगी वो शामें, </div><div style="text-align: center;">जिन्के लिखे गए हैं अफ़साने? </div><div style="text-align: center;">तब क्या बनेंगे वो ताज, </div><div style="text-align: center;">जिन्में किसी मुमताज़ की होंगी यादें?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">क्यूँ न कुछ रिश्तों को </div><div style="text-align: center;">यूँ ही छोड़ दें हम </div><div style="text-align: center;">न कोई शर्तें हों न हो सवालों की घुटन </div><div style="text-align: center;">बस हों तो सिर्फ </div><div style="text-align: center;">हम तुम और एक रूमानी सा मन...</div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-47117615790986388952010-01-15T09:13:00.004+05:302010-01-15T09:44:43.654+05:30Paa - Review<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AbA_YCbV6PEvDBa1A7FqUFkNrH8AZ5z06vXypMm-VWGWFUDf5IJkU1qVHo_Mmid3JduHpHGdLol3Gcx_LwsRnH5j64ykM9NKCfZJFmjdyaRPrfxlLd-HotImMuIfeOdMPPxCaL_Rssl1/s1600-h/paa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AbA_YCbV6PEvDBa1A7FqUFkNrH8AZ5z06vXypMm-VWGWFUDf5IJkU1qVHo_Mmid3JduHpHGdLol3Gcx_LwsRnH5j64ykM9NKCfZJFmjdyaRPrfxlLd-HotImMuIfeOdMPPxCaL_Rssl1/s320/paa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426814733964790002" border="0" /></a>If you remember, the promos of Paa had featured the progeria afflicted character of Auro, played by Amitabh Bachhan. Clearly, even the film-makers believed that the singularity of Auro was the selling point of the movie. Then why, in heaven's name, was the movie titled Paa?? Even a generous consideration of the movie's plot wouldn't justify this title. There isn't Paa anywhere in the movie but only Maa and Auro.<br /><br />The story revolves around Auro who is suffering with a rare genetic disorder called progeria. The body of a progeria afflicted child ages very rapidly and hence has a very short life-span of around 13 or 14 years. Auro and his single mother, played by Vidya Balan, have, apparently, reconciled with this fact and are living peacefully till the day when a fortuitous encounter brings Amol Arte, a politician played by Abhishek Bachhan, in the lives of the mother and son. Long forgotten memories spring back to life and the lives of the three unwittingly get more and more drawn towards each other.<br /><br />The most notable performance comes from Maa. In a movie where the title alludes to a strong patriarchal role, Vidya manages to lift her character and brings it to life beautifully. She grabs every little opportunity provided by the script and makes the most of it even when she has to cradle a legend like Big B in her arms. Abhishek Bachhan leaves a lot to be desired. His being the central character seemed incidental to the movie and on occasions his absence actually benefits the script. Abhishek sleep-walks the entire movie and couples that with some cheesy dialogues to make the performance supremely forgettable and unreal. Paa is to blame himself to push his character to the peripheral gloom of the movie. Amitabh Bachhan performs as per the script, but then that is not what is expected from a legend. Here, R Balki should take part of the blame. Balki sketches a frustratingly unreal character of Auro. Given this irritating challenge, Amitabh Bachhan rises to the occasion to make some sense of Auro's character. It occurs as if Balki has a completely misplaced notion of what a childhood is like. Most of the child characters shown in the movie are unnaturally mature beyond their age. Where you expected a child's innocence you find sometimes crisp and sometimes just outrageous dialogues. Same was the case in Cheeni Kum. There you had a child who preferred being called as 'Sexy', expressly wished to watch adult movies, for whatever reasons, and on top of that had worldly wise view of life even before hitting her teens! Here, too, Auro seems just too mature for his age and needs no confirmation in this since he is shown to be smart enough to engineer a truce between his estranged parents.<br /><br />This movie may either entertain you or simply annoy you. It may even thoroughly disappoint you. With such a brilliant concept - bearing an uncanny semblance to that of a movie featuring Brad Pitt, the movie had the potential to achieve the glory of Taare Zameen Pe. The potential ingredients were there but sadly no tight script. The script loses its grip in too many places to be ignored. Going by the purported theme of the movie, the script comes up with multiple sub-plots far removed from the main theme. The film wanders into political rivalry only to jump out abruptly and not before delivering a tirade against the media on ethics. Unnecessary and amateurish, the scene makes the character of Amol Arte even more unreal. The script puts both father and son in a unique role-reversal, but attempts to weave some magic moments between Amitabh as son and Abhishek as father are wasted in some silly scenes like the one where Auro sits on the hand of Amol or where Auro gives potty lectures to Amol. The only convincing performance came from the mother-son duo and may be it would have been a lot better to have the trials and tribulations of a single mother and a progeria afflicted child as the central theme. At least, that would have reduced scope for making complaints.</div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-69782926406686813712009-11-06T12:37:00.000+05:302010-10-14T07:40:49.270+05:30Sachin 175<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa0HouVhhIhtb2TsHj22_JDHhfcqTaNexitvyVnSnrx4mJMjOXxVhKAsdzIeSvNQL8u4Sygr-pMxURPzqO2Kcx4r8xjK3aUGHiP8rWgTbMZxcwsIppmdmdrAJAx-Ny-zsyrapLwrGnwGf/s1600-h/sachin+175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa0HouVhhIhtb2TsHj22_JDHhfcqTaNexitvyVnSnrx4mJMjOXxVhKAsdzIeSvNQL8u4Sygr-pMxURPzqO2Kcx4r8xjK3aUGHiP8rWgTbMZxcwsIppmdmdrAJAx-Ny-zsyrapLwrGnwGf/s200/sachin+175.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">5th Nov’09 –<br />
Australia bt India by 3 runs<br />
<br />
6th Nov’09 – <br />
Sometimes you don’t want to think about the past, not because the experience fails to be as rich as in the moments when you actually were a part of them, but more for the unacceptability of the fact that the events have ended and are now a part of history. Sometimes you want to go back in time just enough to make a small correction. <br />
<br />
Sachin Tendulkar must be feeling the same. <br />
<br />
A score of 350 on board can shore up the confidence of any team defending that total and if it’s from Australia then a victory should have been a stroll in the park. There isn’t any need to take note of the Australian bowling attack as the bowlers when required to defend such a total need only be half decent as their best. The team chasing such a score would have already buckled under the weight of the required run rate proving yet again that a score of over 300 can be a sure reason for victory.<br />
<br />
But the story that unfolded yesterday was more than just of a team succumbing to defeat. It was of defiance – a defiance so determined to go against the natural order of the day that one starts to wish for the surreal. What Sachin did a day ago would be preserved in the cricket almanac as the day when he attempted to defy the will of Gods. <br />
<br />
It was a story scripted by the vivid expressions on the faces of two men on the field – Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar. While Sachin showed the stoic determination of a defiant resolved to change the course of fate, Ricky on the other hand wore an anxious look drained by the suspense that kept him on tenterhooks. With even the last man standing for India sending the ball into the stands and along with that a chill down the spine, Ricky must have made several nervous entries in his mental logbook before the match was formally declared over.<br />
<br />
Ricky knew that to get to the target India would require heroics from Sehwag, Yuvraj or Dhoni. Sachin wouldn’t have figured in his scheme of things, as strangely many, just as he, have started recognizing Sachin as a spent force. Sehwag would have been the primary target. The world of cricket knows that Sehwag is like a ticking bomb – when it explodes you are blown away to smithereens. So it was imperative for Australia to get him away from action as soon as possible. For India it was imperative that he stick around to give the much needed momentum and perhaps also a victory. Sehwag obliged the Australians. The celebration in the Aussie camp, the smile on Ponting’s face, the enthusiastic punches in air – all reminded sights of familiar celebrations when some time ago Sachin’s dismissal used to bring untold joy to the opponents. Grimness however soon returned to Ponting’s face as he knew too well that Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni could still address the issue. One by one the three musketeers fell and left the Indian camp in disarray. Australians were all set for a thumping victory!<br />
<br />
But why was Ponting not looking as jubilant as others in his team did? Surely his bowlers, ignominiously labeled second-rate, had dismissed with equal disdain the formidable Indian batting line-up. What was holding him back from rejoicing and being content at the only result which every one had already assumed? Indeed what!?<br />
<br />
The diminutive figure of Sachin Tendulkar was still on crease.<br />
<br />
Wisdom has always preached that the tip of an iceberg belies its enormity beneath water. Amidst all the carnage on the pitch Sachin had quietly plucked away some quick runs. No one had the faintest suspicion that that clutch of a few runs was just the preview of what was to come. On an otherwise bright and sunny day the crowd would have rooted for Sachin and bayed for another merciless hundred. But this time around the raucous enthusiasm from the crowd was missing thereby further lending belief to the fact that he had already been unceremoniously pushed to the corners of everyone’s psyche like a useless grenade that wouldn’t even better a Diwali cracker. Yet, encased in that helmet emblazoned by the tricolor, Sachin’s mind had already worked out how he would demolish the Aussie celebration. The worry on Ponting’s face was only understandable as he knew too well of what Sachin was capable of and the beating, which recently his team had received downunder at the hands of Sachin too would have served as a gentle reminder.<br />
<br />
It didn’t take much time or effort on Sachin’s part to materialize Ponting’s worries. Sachin just needed some stability at the other end of the wicket and when it did come in the form of Suresh Raina, the proceedings took a fresh turn. <br />
<br />
Remarkable was the audacity and the arrogance with which Sachin wielded his bat. He batted with such command at his disposal that predicting a four or a six became an interesting game of matching one’s guesses with Sachin’s whims. Power and control were literally exuding from the centre of the field where Sachin stood deciding when to step on gas or just play around for a few singles. Seeing Sachin nudging now and unleashing then, Ponting couldn’t have helped anxiety take the better of him. You get frustrated if your fielders disappoint you but what do you do besides feeling helpless if the shots are played with such precision that the only job left for the fielder is to fetch the ball every now and then from the boundary!<br />
<br />
Then there were these gems of moments essayed on the field which made the match even more engrossing. In the course of his innings, Sachin executed a sparkling shot from a very good delivery. It came suddenly in a flash and surprised everyone as it stood out amongst the array beautiful shots he had played. A testing delivery on a nagging line and length got released from the hand of the bowler, hit the deck to rise in a bounce menacingly towards the off-stump; en route came Sachin’s bat and the ball found itself piercing the gap between point and an uppish third man. The disbelief that such a gap’s existence could even be conceived was evident by the expressions on the faces of Ponting and the bowler, who gathered the remaining shards of his shattered pride and went back with drooping shoulders to prepare for his next beating. Some shots were executed with such ease and method that the bowler didn’t even bother to stop and contemplate but rather taking the result as a foregone conclusion simply walked away. <br />
<br />
Some of the best moments were the non-cricketing ones such as when Sachin walked up to the umpire to clarify on the batting power-play. The commentators by their analysis had already proclaimed that the power play was long due but Sachn’s insistence on delaying the decision perplexed not only the pundits but also Ponting. Ponting had more things to worry about. Sachin was already going at a run-rate that didn’t require a power play; now to add a power play to that would be calamitous by any standards. With Ponting mulling over the possibilities, Sachin was observed walking up to the leg umpire to have a word. The effect of this brief conversation was felt a few feet away where Ponting was standing. Ponting gathered the obvious nature of the conversation and barely managed to hide the concern on his face. He turned his away only to contend an uninspiring countenance of a bowler staring at an uncertain fate. The element of drama that this scene captured could have beaten any cinematic brilliance known till date. <br />
<br />
When Titanic set sail, it epitomized the human endeavor of equaling the might of Gods. Gigantic in scale and hope, it almost achieved what it had set out to but not before Gods had their will lest the humans succeeded.<br />
<br />
Sachin scored half the runs required to win. Colossal on score board, the runs were sailing India towards a fantastic victory. And all this happened before Gods said – you must stay human. Sachin looped a shot into the hands of a fielder. It was a shot played almost as instructed. The mighty sank. And none of others could hold on to keep victory from slipping away. Some still fought in the sinking tide. Praveen, cricketer from a house of pahalwans, produced a six out of thin air. Lo and behold! Is there still life in this match? What’s the equation? Can India do it?<br />
<br />
The match went down as one of the most memorable knocks of Sachin. India lost, Sachin won. Selfish? No. You should have seen the match.</span></div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-27297194632222931592009-10-04T02:35:00.004+05:302009-10-04T02:59:22.812+05:30Wake up Sid - Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfIj9PhYC5hq81bguRoOPtFE2VHzun0SDrAe3BcliPAPDDzONI9dKkZIa4heeJ_MxSmaCN04xBbLWZNWmSr_uNk4BJ2vybEN1EjKVxh1imswKmyl5DFJU4Kit6WaNMjy5PW6u_l6_Ntmb/s1600-h/Sid.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfIj9PhYC5hq81bguRoOPtFE2VHzun0SDrAe3BcliPAPDDzONI9dKkZIa4heeJ_MxSmaCN04xBbLWZNWmSr_uNk4BJ2vybEN1EjKVxh1imswKmyl5DFJU4Kit6WaNMjy5PW6u_l6_Ntmb/s320/Sid.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388486142633278450" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It isn’t hard to guess the story of a movie titled <i style="">Wake up Sid. </i>The title, a figurative way of asking Sid to grow up, tells half of the story but in doing so it doesn’t take away the fun from watching the movie; rather as one must have got the drift by now the title alludes to the predictability pervading the movie from start till end.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But here’s the catch – the movie does manage to do justice to the theme alright. The movie harks back to a similar take on the subject some years ago when Hrithik stood undecided and confused in a movie called <i style="">Lakshay. </i>What <i style="">Lakshay</i> had set out to achieve and had failed miserably has been captured pretty much the right way as it should have been in the Hrithik starrer too. Whereas <i style="">Lakshay </i>couldn’t decide whether it was a war movie or a love story or even coming of age story of a boy, something it all the time intended to do, <i style="">Wake up Sid</i>, on the other hand, <span style=""> </span>sticks to the concept and conveys the same through a simple and straight forward story.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sid, played by Ranbir Kapoor, is a drifter in life and is yet to wake up to his responsibilities. A college going guy who loves cars, video games, partying, hanging out with friends, and surprisingly has a very arid love life, Sid thrives on his father’s money and intends to continue on the same note. A chance encounter with Aisha, played by Konkana, and a tumultuous final year performance set the tone for the rest of the movie. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Notable performances include that of Ranbir and Konkana, of course, but a special mention of Supriya Pathak who plays the role of Sid’s doting mother also deserves space. The subtle cameo of Supriya in the movie easily underlines the pampered upbringing Sid might have had and beautifully fits in the entire picture. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The movie, however, dilly-dallies with the sexual chemistry between Aisha and Sid and seems to have met a crossroad where it is sometimes tempted to bring it up in the form of a discussion between Aisha and her neighbour or strangulates it by Aisha’s over-emphasizing demand to keep the relation platonic. <br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At the end it is a simple and predictable movie and within its own set of limitations has achieved what it had set out to.<o:p></o:p></p>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7419845056805119667.post-37085376213129971392009-08-02T00:30:00.013+05:302009-10-04T02:57:12.903+05:30Love Aaj Kal - review<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxymAfVU8NPj9NSPjKLQfWnIXNYGlYcA2yipw9O_R2YMr1oeRjiaSSLO_r1FwI8GAfFjlGBbk9J8X082J4RBLmtNQEmPDYE2qPJmTiMrii5HVwuPvgqQOOvASnu39Fb61DbDIrae0i3tRx/s1600-h/love-aaj-kal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxymAfVU8NPj9NSPjKLQfWnIXNYGlYcA2yipw9O_R2YMr1oeRjiaSSLO_r1FwI8GAfFjlGBbk9J8X082J4RBLmtNQEmPDYE2qPJmTiMrii5HVwuPvgqQOOvASnu39Fb61DbDIrae0i3tRx/s320/love-aaj-kal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365076448511550402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ok. The movie is watchable. And that is as far as i will go. Going beyond that would be painful for me and i would protest if asked to do so.<br /><br />The movie is watchable on account of three reasons - Deepika's glowing beauty, cute intersperses of the mysterious newcomer aka Harleen and last but not the least, Saif Ali Khan. Saif is present all over the place. And when i say this i mean to say that he is <span style="font-style: italic;">actually</span> all over the place to the extent that there are some scenes where the other person is reduced to a mute spectator even when the director would have felt, much secretly, that there was indeed some scope for the other actor to utter, if not say, a few lines.<br /><br />This is the third movie from Imtiaz and quite expectedly the expectations from this movie were high, and not just because of the star cast, but also because of the fact that his earlier movies like <span style="font-style: italic;">Jab we met</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Socha na tha</span> were such hits. But this movie disappoints you. You find some great scenes in the movie but you are still left searching for something far basic that makes a movie good. And here, that basic thing is the story. I couldn't find a story in this movie. The characters kept floating in and out of the scenes and a sub plot, roots of which lie in the character played by Rishi Kapoor, is used as a prop, and, quite interestingly, it is this prop that turns out to be the best part of the movie.<br /><br />The movie might remind you of HumTum. The character of Saif is a continuation of what he played in HumTum, and also to complete the effect there is the presence of Rishi Kapoor, but this time not as a father though. There is also almost a borrowed scene of Saif playing video games much the same way as in HumTum. And i guess this repetition helped Saif to slip into his character with such ease that you can't imagine anybody else playing this role other than him. No questions then that his performance gets full points. Talking of performance, Rishi Kapoor deserves respect in the industry and somebody should really start giving him meatier roles. Really a supporting role but woefully brief, Rishi Kapoor's character had the potential to add weight to the script. Deepika, other than smiling and staring, didn't have much to do even if she had wanted because as i said earlier Saif was all over the place - in the script i mean. And as if to compensate this, scenes involving Deepika are quite considerately shot to allow her face occupy more than half of the screen each time she appears. Well, at least, there is something for her fans! Rahul Khanna makes a mysterious appearance in the film and before you realize anything makes a mysterious disappearance. Same can be said about 'Harleen Kaur' - the other love in the movie, but she is afforded the grace of three dialogues and also a song.<br /><br />Lacking a tight and gripping script, the movie desperately tries to fill in the void by some breath taking shots of the Golden Gate, San Fransisco, the city skylines in UK and US, and songs that take you back to the 'naagin' era. A lot of time is wasted by dilly-dallying to establish a point and this makes the experience a test of patience. There is also seen a deliberate attempt of wooing the younger audience by introducing certain elements like the concept of a 'breakup' party, and frequent uses of phrases like 'khulla saand'.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Love Aaj Kal</span> is at best a picturesque commentary of love then and now and is thus just a watchable movie. In spite of some peppy music the movie isn't a one that will trouble the memory for long.</div>Preetpalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030204342440595723noreply@blogger.com0