Aasman ke Paar...

I guess this is the flavour of the month....Shankar Mahadevan is crooning आसमान के पार from Rockford. This takes me back even earlier than पिया हाजी अली . Fresh romance. The thrill of dates...Suburban Mumbai aint kind enough...and I aint cheezy enough for the Bandstands or the SeaFaces...Movies were a convenient intermediate option. The cool comfort of the cinehalls....plus the privacy afforded by the dark...Ironically though, what i remember most from this movie is 2 7th graders walking out of the theater in front of us... eyes gleaming at having seen something that they identified with...and reciting a scandalous line from the movie...chuckling...only to realise couple seconds later that their little enjoyment is being overheard by someone and then stiffening up and rushing away from the embarassment as soon as possible.

Piya Haji Ali...

Another day @ work: The WalkmanTM is belting out one Sufi hit after another….The current song…Piya Haji Ali…takes me back almost a decade. Brilliant times: when the world seemed a tad bit fresher. Everything was a promise waiting to take off in the world of reality. Here are some of the things that come to the mind on this song…in no particular order…
1. Mustafa Rawat – The first person not from my family to share a room with me. Many have come and gone and am not in touch with this fellow anymore (like myriad others)…but he became family.
2. First Diwali away from home – The cold 2000 winter. I missed the warmth of Ghatkopar sorely. Home, Parents, a past….everythings there…and then..not quite!!
3. Khuzem, Sachin, Nandoliya….my “guardians”
4. The blue sleeping bag purchased for USD 20 from Walmart. My first bed in the land of Opportunities!!
5. The anxiety to do well in Masters and in US in general.
6. Balancing study, work and chores for the first time!
7. First taste of independence….only to turn into a longing for returning back to the nest I left back…
8. The “Fiza” tape purchased for Rs. 20 from Apna Bazaar…that was my piece of India!!
The Mustafa brothers and ARR probably would not identify with anything listed here… cause the song moves on a higher plane of spirituality…asks the Lord for a bigger salavation from all suffering…but that was my suffering….so be it!!

Cynical as I am...

Yup...thats me...cynical and Indian! A shortage of the basic supplies pulled me on an errand to Costco. And passing the aisles for magazines, I came across a familiar face splashed on a glossy. A calmly confident Serd in a blue turban, whose quaint eyes exude a small chuckle..."You can doubt me for all you care...but I know my way..." For those who dint still get it past the drumroll...that face was Dr. Manmohan Singh - the now victorious man in Indian politics.

His photo himself was not what held me...but the caption - Singh's 100-day plan and how it could save the world. Yes India is, in most aspects a 3rd world nation. Yes our indices in most categories are next to abysmal...but still, what held me there at that moment is the respect that the international media is affording us at this juncture. To smoothen the darker-than-me cynics, I need to get some disclaimers out. Yes, one of the 2 authors of the article is Indian. Yes, most aspects of Indianism are reported as bare and naked as possible.

But there was something new to my eye...a respect for my India. One which I have always found missing hitherto...

During the run-up to the elections, there were some shudders that the nation could be run by the likes of the Laloos and the Karats and if that is not a nightmare enough...the Mayawatis...but am glad that sensibility prevailed and Dr. Singh rules the roost! Here's to the countdown for 100...

Please do read the article (esp. if you are Indian). Its so much better and satisfying than those stupid patriotic forwards on 15th Aug and 26th Jan...

Be a proud witness to a fantastic journey!! These days will be remembered in the history of this nation.

Austra-leah Mate!

I thought i was just missing from the bloggin scene, but when i checked by in...much to my dismay, i couldnt remember the link nor that i had last written here almost half an year ago! SO yeah..about time to be back!!...reasons for being missing from the scene : 1 part laziness + 1 part busy planning for Australeah + 1 part nothing motivating enough to write now...

The second reason is over as am back to Nihon-land. The first...thats perennial...but sometimes manage to dust it off (like today) and the third....happens to be Australeah...

When i visited this continent country a fortnight ago, there were so many wonderful things about the trip that I thought i would share with my friends...but then one fortnight later, the tube has been beaming horrific tales of the land down under!! There are some disturbing things that I see...hence the write-up.

The biggest glare: Read up the "Australian" or any print media worth the repute in AUS...They are now reporting how the Indian media is running this issue minute by minute. However, the actual attacks did not even be any newsworthy news...This tells you something. 1. Either our media is making the incidents bigger than size OR 2. These ppl are still not considered mainstream enough to be newsworthy. Either way, HOUSTON, we have a problem!!

The problem with no. 1 above is well known to Indians in a different bottle. Lets just change some actors...the victim is a lower caste (read D-A-L-I-T or its modern avataar, the B-A-H-U-J-A-N), coming to maximum city for railway entrance exams. The bullies are the local political party goons, looking to assuage their egos. The newpapers in Hindiland would then be screaming discrimination....This would then be the same!!

The problen with no. 2 is the classic Indian identity problem. Unarguably, we are the worlds biggest and most powerful consumer group. We export 94,000 students; the largest anywhere, every year, to AUS. Yet, we are denied the attention? When can we command it? BigB, way to go. We have the muscle, its time we flaunted it. Yes, we are a developing country...but some parts of it are very well developed (in the true sense of the word). Its time we started behaving it. Some things need to be done, not for their practicality, but for the need to establish Brand India. The message that needs to go out loud and clear is...we are the world's friendliest country, BUT, do NOT rub us the wrong way. You will pay a heavy price. We need to assert our presence, what some call "nuisance value"!!

Lastly, i will conclude with my basic diktat: Humans anywhere on this planet are the same everywhere apart for the epidermal differences. We are driven by the same forces of greed, money, lust, fear, ambition, love, hatred.... Equal number of non-Indians get raped, hacked to death in India as in Aus...so lets start standing up for humans and humanity. Let not the divisions of race, caste, creed, nation, gender hold us from performing our best...

The Earth as seen from the Moon

With some time to kill, I wanted to check out on some travel sites for some location scouting. Interestingly stumbled on this on India. The author is possibly an American male and from the volume that he has turned out on wiki, looks like there are fewer places on Planet Earth that he has not been to!! (For the record, i pine for such an achievement someday...till then...blogging it is!).

The adage goes on the lines that when you go on the Moon and stare down @ the Earth, it does not ressemble anything that you have seen or experienced during your lifetime on the surface here!! Without further ado, here are the links, beginning with his brush with Indian bureaucracy @the Indian embassy in Singapore, then onto Delhi, Haridwar, Jodhpur and finally the mecca of India Shining - Gurgaon!

Pros:

1. Refreshingly third party view.

2. Candid. As seen. Devoid of all baggage. A black kettle is nothing but a black kettle.

3. No fancy packaging.

4. Beautifully shows the "shining" to be as epidermal as you can get.

5. The wannabe culture of the tacky "Ruby Tuesday" is a glorious example.

Cons:

1. Limited in reach. Restricted to a typical North Indian tourist circuit (ok, Gurgaon aint on it) but not much besides.

2. The lack of understanding the culture is evident at some places. The author makes several references to cow-dung patties in a derogatory way. Yup, its shit and thats bad in the Western way of things. But, its from a cow and so "Holy Shit!!" and perfectly acceptable to me and the billions back home. Wondering here what he would think on finding out that cow-urine is a staple of most indian yagyas and hawans and is the prime facilitator in the purification of the pooja-site!!

So sit back and enjoy the ride!
1. India 0 - A taste of bureaucracy

2. India 1 - First impressions

3. India 2 - How are you relaxing?

4. India 3 - Jamming with the gods

5. India 4 - D is for depressing

6. India 5 - A jaunt to Jodhpur

7. India 6 - Googling Gurgaon

Slum"Lord" Millionaire

In the many tales of Aesop, one comes to mind of the fox and the crane. The fox invites the crane for dinner and serves it in a plate. The crane returns the favor by inviting the fox for a dinner, which is served in a flask! Both serve what they are used to, but the other way around is difficult.

India is fast becoming a place where the crane and the fox need to co-exist. The dinner here being the movie "Slumxxx Millionaire". First came the accolades, the Golden Globes, the Oscar nominations...now come the dung-bombs.

1.India is shown in a poor light!

A movie about 3 slum kids. I guess Kekta Kapoor should have made this. All characters should have had more mascara and lipstick and should have been draped in fine brocade. Afterall, India is the land of fabric, aint it? Rise up foxes!! A crane cannot eat in a plate! The movies in US have also portrayed some of the abject poverty that exists in the ghettos of America. That you have not seen it, is YOUR fault. If u want to see one such flick, go watch Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness" or Eminem's "8 Mile". Poverty, dsyfunctional social/family structure and other such "vices" in the US has been highlighted in enough movies.

On the contrary, I feel that this is a sign of greatness-en route. As a benchmark, US is what it is today, because it gives one the freedom of speech, the leniency to portray one's thoughts, one's words via cinema and other media. There are nations in the world where it is illegal to even make or screen cinema. DO we want to be one of those or draw parallels to a higher power? It is only in the US that Michael Moore was able to make and screen a movie critical of the President in power!!

2. The group in Goa, the individual in Patna - all are objecting to the word "Dog" in Slumdog!!
Again cranes...in "fox"-ese (which happens to be English here), in any sports, the weaker team is called under-"DOG". How ridiculous can we as a nation get? The word "DOG" is a part of the same theme! And even the creator has given his intentions on this loud and clear. Then why the litigation? And where were you, when the reservations bill was passed without debate? OR where were you, when inspite of everything, the Womens Representation Bill does not pass yet? There are real burning "dogs" amongst us, yet, you choose to file litigation over the literary one? Bow-wow!

Having criticized the opponents so far, I do agree that any writer, painter, movie-maker worth their salt, seeking international recognition, would taste better success by portraying a tattered, shabby, dirty, corrupt India.

But then, isnt this a reality? India is corrupt, shabby, dirty and all that. And then there is more to it. I myself, proudly Indian, know not the full truth to talk about India. Hence my advice to all is - Let SM be a movie about Jamal Malik - a guy from India. It is not India. What i like about this movie is the fact that through the length of the movie, the characters have an uncanny hold on you - start to end.

To conclude - Its easy to read a couple lines, form an opinion and continue to harangue. But we are poised at a position for greatness. We have to go the extra mile beyond the obvious and comprehend what life is beyond our well!! Heres to that journey...

And btw...Kudos Rahman!

Bye Bye 2008...

Yeah...am late. While baby '09 is almost a fortnight old...am still catching up.

2008 sure was a roller coaster. For purely personal reasons, it was a landmark year. One wherein i tendered my resignation from the Bachelors Utd. and setled into a cosy, comfy Marriage Ltd.!! Some part of this is still to sink in. Of course, staying away from the homeland has sheltered me from a full blown realization.

2008 was a mixed bag for India as well. The most successful Summer Olympics, the cash for votes scam of the Parliament...and then the growing menance of terrorism...Ahmedabad, Guwahati and the cherry on the pie...Mumbai.

In the background, the monsters of a slowing worldwide economy and recession are gripping firmer by the day.

2009 has already began miserably with Mr. Raju rocking it for India Inc. A new year blog is incomplete w/o the resolutions. My only noticeable one is to branch out into the workd of blogging - a travelog, a foodlog and a movielog amongst any others that may catch my fancy!!
Stay tuned!