Happy New Year

Here it is. The very last post of 2013. I go into 2014 with only one resolution - to become a better person. And hope to God to stick to it, come what may.

So, here's wishing all of you a Very Happy, Fulfilling, Healthy and Wealthy New Year!

ADIOS 2013!

HOLA 2014!

Jack Higgions - A Game For Heroes

I must confess that after reading a few pages of this book I wondered if I should have got some other book instead. The tale of British soldier Owen Morgan towards the end of WW2 didn't seem to make any sense, at least to me. Neither did the characters - Owen, Ezra, Simone, Steiner and others. It also didn't help that many of the terms like coxswain, mill race and Pioneers were totally unfamiliar and I was in no mood to trawl the net looking for the explanations.

But I didn't want to leave my last reading of 2013 halfway through. So I trudged on. And was glad in the end that I did.

As far as the plot goes, British soldier Owen Morgan is sent to an isolated part of Channel Islands - St. Pierre, where he grew up - in order to gather information about a secret project undertaken by the Nazis there. A band of American soldiers is sent with him to mine everything standing in water. This group gets captured but Morgan manages to hide in a secret location. He is forced to show himself when he finds that no one is willing to venture out on a mine-laden beach to save a man who has been washed on shore.

Enter Manfred Steiner, a German officer, who is in love with the same woman Morgan once loved, Simone. Morgan has every reason to hate Steiner and yet, he finds himself agreeing with the assessment that his friends on the island have made of the German - that he is a very remarkable man.

Morgan - and the rest of the people on the island, except for the SS men - have a very different opinion as far as Colonel Radl goes. They are proven right when Radl declares his intention to keep fighting, despite the fact that Hitler is dead and Germany has lost the war. Things come to a boil when a boat called Pride Of Hamburg tries to find its way to the island in very bad weather and Radl refuses to send anyone to the rescue of the people on board.

A few lines from the novel will remain forever etched in my memory:

The field of battle is a land of standing corpses. Those determined to die will live. Those who hope to escape with their lives will die.

Men die or get wounded or crippled for life for the same reason it rains for every day of the fortnight's holiday that some poor wretch has saved for, and looked forward to, for the whole of a working year. Things happen because they happen. No reason. No reason at all.

The Oath Of The Vayuputras - Amish Tripathi (Spoiler Alert!)

It had been nearly six months since I read the first two installments of the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi. So I wasn't sure I remembered all the details of the story. My first task, upon resuming the library subscription was, therefore, to read The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret Of The Nagas. About two weeks back, I brought home the last novel, with a lot of expectations.

And then I was mightily disappointed.....besides being very sad. Why, oh why, did the author have to kill Sati? Granted, as per the scriptures, Sati is supposed to have thrown herself in the sacrificial fires at her parents' home because her dad insulted her husband, Shiva. And then Mahadev has married Parvati - the daughter of the king of the mountains, Himalaya - who has remained his consort thereafter. But the trilogy has used only parts of the well-known story. I wish the author hadn't stayed true to the part that took her away from Shiva. :-( To be fair, I am glad that he showed her to be a woman with not only a great character but with exceptional fighting skills. But I must also confess that I couldn't make myself read through her last fight. :-(

I didn't understand why Shiva decided to use the Pashupati Astra to destroy Meluha because it housed the backup Somras building factory. Surely, after what happened to Sati, it would have been possible to convince the Meluhans to destroy it willingly and also to punish Daksha through proper judicial means - especially given the fact that the knowledge about the Somras was supposed to be preserved. The author described the destruction of Meluha in vivid details but devoted only a few paragraphs to the revenge that Kali, Ganesh and Kartik exact on her true Egyptian killers.

Having said all that, I liked the way he tied the storyline to the Zoroastrian faith, the battle of the Mahabharata, Lhasa and the Lama, the founding of the North Indian states - like Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland - and the practice of worshiping Ganesh and Kartik in the southern and northern Indian states. But, like a true Indian, who likes to see all loose ends tied up nicely at the end of the story (in a typical Hindi movie 'And They All Lived Happily Thereafter' style!), I expected some sort of closure to the childlessness angle of the Krittika-Veerbhadra storyline.

All in all, the 3rd part of the trilogy disappointed me a great deal! But at the same time, a paragraph provided me with a strange sort of comfort and calm. I quote it here:

Indians believe that the body is a temporary gift from Mother Earth. She lends it to a living being so that one's soul has an instrument with which to carry out its karma. Once the soul's karma is done, the body must be returned, in a pure form, so that the Mother may use it for another purpose. The ashes represent a human body that has been purified by the greatest purifier of them all: Lord Agni, the God of Fire. By immersing the ashes into holy waters, the body is offered back, with respect, to Mother Earth.

Death, when viewed from this perspective, sounds neither terrifying nor random, does it now?

It's hard to say what is more delectable - the chef or his creations. But I will go out on a limb and vote for the Chef - Vikas Khanna. ;-)

Looks like Fox Traveller is all set to air his show "Twist Of Taste - Coastal Curries", starting 20th January, 2014, 9:30pm.

You bet I have got my reminder in place :-)

A haunting line from a book I am currently reading led me to a search on the internet. The book mentions that the line comes from a Chinese poem that was translated by Ezra Pound. The poem is titled 'Lament of the Frontier Guard'. You can read it here.

In case you are wondering about the line, it does like this - Lonely from the beginning of time until now!

As the X-Files progresses well into its 9th and final season, I find myself getting increasingly exasperated with the storyline. Whatever happened to good old aliens and their grand plans to take over Planet Earth? The idea of super-soldiers sounds so stale now (maybe it wasn't in 2001 when this season was aired in the US). Oh, and correct me if I am wrong, but aren't such soldiers supposed to be immortal? If what Scully's son can do is anything to go by, these soldiers are adept at telekinesis. Then how can they be killed by iron? In the words of John Doggett 'it doesn't make any sense to me'.

There is no denying the fact that agents Monica Reyes and John Doggett have brought the show a much needed freshness. I was getting tired of Scully's 'I am sleep walking' look as well as Mulder's smugness. I positively rejoiced when he got abducted.

Here's hoping that I will get to see an episode or two of an x-file that has nothing to do with super soldiers before the series draws to a close.

New exhibition at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), is showcasing a remarkable exhibition ‘The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia – A New Beginning’ from December 21, 2013 to February 25, 2014.  More information can be found here.

WSD X'Mas Holidays Workshops For Kids

The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) announces fun-filled workshops and activities for kids with a street dog theme.

1) Crafty stories! – Story telling working with puppets and paper.

Listen to a story with puppets and learn to make puppets and origami crafts with Sonya Shastri, WSD Volunteer on Thursday, December 26, 2013 (11.00 am to 1.00 pm)

Ages - 6 to 9 years
Workshop Venue : Maharastra Mitra Mandal (MCubed Library), Princess Building, Near Bandra Gymkhana, D’Monte Park Road, Bandra (West), Mumbai – 400050
To Register – Call the MCubed Library on 02226411497

Lend an ear. Spin a tale. Fold the paper. Let the doggie unveil!

2) Straying Around – Know your street doggies!

Walk around town and know about some of the adorable street doggies with Abodh Aras, CEO of WSD on Friday, December 27, 2013
 Ages – 6 to 10 years (Children have to be accompanied by their parents)
Meeting point – Churchgate. 9 am.
To Register – Call on 64222838 (WSD Helpline) or 7208051404 (Neha Morparia)

Take a tour around town and know more about your friendly neighbourhood doggies!

3) Be a street dog reporter!

Writing workshop with Fiona Fernandes, Journalist on Saturday, December 28, 2013 (12.00 pm to 1.00 pm)

Ages – 10 to 15
Workshop Venue : Maharastra Mitra Mandal (MCubed Library), Princess Building, Near Bandra Gymkhana, D’Monte Park Road, Bandra (West), Mumbai – 400050
To Register – Call the MCubed Library on 02226411497

The pen is truly mightier than the sword! Write write, right away for the street doggies!

4) Masterchef  WSD!

Baking workshop with Yadika Sharma, proprietor of The Spoilt Brat Barkery on Sunday, December 29, 2013

There will be two sessions:
Session 1 – Ages 5 to 9 (10.00 am to 11.00 am)
Session 2 – Ages 10 to 15 (11.30 am to 1.00 pm)
Workshop Venue: The Spoilt Brat Barkery, 2 Horizon View, Ground Floor, 138, General Bhonsale Marg, Opp. Sachivalaya Gymkhana, Mumbai
To Register – Call on 64222838 (WSD Helpline) or 7208051404 (Neha Morparia)
Note: All bakes are vegetarian.

Bake for the doggies! Who said the ones who bark do not eat bakes?

All the workshops are free of cost. However, prior registration is mandatory. Limited seats available so please register at the earliest

To register for the workshops that will be conducted at the MCubed Library, please call the library directly.

To register for the other two activities, call on 64222838 (WSD Helpline) or 7208051404 (Neha Morparia).

फुर्सत नही घरसे मंदिर तक इन्सान को आनेकी
और ख्वाहिश शमशान से सीधा स्वर्ग को जानेकी रखते है

(Forwarded)

If you are looking for gifts for friends and family, do check out this article - A Personal Touch

Beetroot Raita

Ingredients: beetroot, curd, salt, sugar, oil, asafoetida (hing), mustard seeds (rai), cumin seeds (jeera), turmeric powder, green chillies, coriander leaves

Recipe:

1. Peel the beetroot and boil in water.
2. Grate it after it cools.
3. Add salt and sugar (if needed)
4. Mix it with curd.
5. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies (chopped finely), asafoetida and turmeric powder.
6. Pour this seasoning on the beetroot mixture prepared in step 4 above.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Mix thoroughly.
8. Serve chilled.

I first heard about Capgras delusion in an episode of Criminal Minds. I thought they had made it up so I checked on the net and was surprised to find that the mental disorder is quite real. Here's an article about few more such disorders which sound too fantastic to be true but are.

आदते अलग है हमारी दुनियावालोंसे
कम दोस्त रखते है मगर लाजवाब रखते है
बेशक हमारी माला छोटी है मगर.....
फूल उनमे सारे गुलाब रखते है

(Forwarded)

Driven - Memoirs of a Civil Servant Turned Entrepreneur by Jagdish Khattar

Do you know the names of these plants?

I was in for a shock when I called my salon to book an appointment for a haircut. I was told that the guy who had been doing it since past 3-4 years has left. 'This is a disaster!' was my first thought. It is very difficult, if not downright impossible, to find a good hair stylist. Mine had helped me a lot in increasing the length of my hair. 'I used to have waist-length hair a few years back. I cut it short for easier maintenance. But I want to grow it back again.' I had said sadly. 'It will take some time madam' he had remarked matter-of-factly. I don't know how he did it but within a couple of years I was sporting shoulder-length hair. Of course, every time I went for a trimming session I never tired of giving him 2 instructions - don't cut it short and don't straighten it while drying. I rather suspect that these stylists look upon hair as their personal enemy and start attacking it the moment they get their hands on their client's head :-)

Okay, back to the present tense. 'Who else have you got?' I asked in my best 'the-show-must-go-on' voice. The lady in charge of taking appointments recited a list of names of strangers. 'I want someone who has got a good amount of experience' I was firm. 'Madam, all our stylists are experienced' the receptionist piped up. 'Yeah, right!' I muttered. Now it was simply a matter of "eeny meeny miny moe". But I had a better idea. 'I want the first appointment on Sunday. Who have you got?'. The list had got whittled down to just 2 names - one of which was a male. So I chose the female stylist. And left the rest in God's loving hands.

On Sunday, I made my way to the salon with some trepidation, wondering what my head was going to look like on my way out. But the stylist seemed to know what she was doing. When she was done, my hair, instead of its usual habit of turning every strand in a different direction, looked like it belonged to the head of only one human being. An impressive feat indeed!

So, it looks like I am going to be okay.

It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself.

-- The title 'Knock Me Down', Artists 'Red Hot Chili Peppers'

ये जीवनके रास्ते, जीवनसे लम्बे है बंधू

I came across a few lines of a song from the 1968 movie Aashirwad in an article. Intrigued, I looked for the lyrics online. Here they are:

जीवनसे लम्बे है बंधू, ये जीवनके रास्ते
एक पल थमके रोना होगा, एक पल चलना हसके
ये  जीवनके रास्ते, जीवनसे लम्बे है बंधू


राहोंसे राही का रिश्ता कितने जनम पुराना
एक को चलते रहना आगे, एक को पीछे आना
मोडपे मत रुक जाना बंधू, दो राहोमें फंसके
ये  जीवनके रास्ते, जीवनसे लम्बे है बंधू

 दिन और रातके हाथो नापी, नापी एक उमरिया
सांस कि डोरी छोटी पड़ गयी, लम्बी आस डगरीया
भोर के मांझीवाले उठकर भोरसे पहले चलते
ये  जीवनके रास्ते, जीवनसे लम्बे है बंधू

As per the information on the net, the song is penned by the late Harindranath Chattopadhyaya and Gulzar. Hats off to both of them!

Oh hell! Fox Mulder is back from the dead and his sauciness as well as arrogance seems to have increased manifold. His all-time 'know-it-all' expression makes me want to punch him across the face. That's surprising, considering the fact that when Agent Doggett joined the x-files as Scully's partner, I had groaned in protest.

I would have liked to see Doggett and Mulder reconciling their differences and getting back to solving the bizarre cases. But since the series is just one season short of its end, I suspect that the aliens will not be an exception anymore, but rather a rule.

I just hope that they don't bring back the 'Cancer Man'. :-( 

Stir Fried Vegetables In Peanut-Chilli Sauce

Recently, I was looking for a gravy dish as an accompaniment - other than vegetables in Schezwan, Manchurian or sweet-sour sauce - for Chinese Fried Rice. I have tried a few recipes from Sailu's Kitchen and liked them. So I checked it out and found 'Peanut Flavored Vegetable Fried Rice & Stir Fried Vegetables In Peanut-Chilli Sauce'.

I am not a big fan of peanuts. Since the gravy cannot be made without them, I decided to omit them from the fried rice. Actually, I did not make fried rice as per her recipe because I thought it would be too bland for my taste. But I followed her recipe for the Stir fried veggies to a tee. And the result was delicious. :-)

Who knew the Chinese and the Thai would get along so famously!

New Tata Docomo Ad

I am one of those who reach for remote's Mute button and try to complete a chore or two the moment the commercial break starts. But since past few days, I have been keeping an eye out for one ad in particular - The Tata Docomo one.

It shows a kid running out of what can only be a bathroom, screaming at the top of his lungs. His dad, on watching him sprint past, decides to go and investigate. Seconds later, he runs out screaming for his mommy.

If you want to know why, go check the ad. :-)

Buniyaad (80s series) on DD National

I was surfing the TV channels last Thursday when I noticed the words 'Buniyaad' in the TV schedule. The channel in question was DD National so I tuned in. Sure enough, it was the 80s show. This episode had Lajo (Anita Kanwar), Satbir (Kanwaljeet Singh), Roshan (Mazhar Khan), J.B. (Abhinav Chaturvedi), his fiancee Mangala (Krittika Desai) and J.B's parents (Anjana Mumtaz and Vijendra Ghatge).

Funnily enough, I seem to remember that Lajo is a widow when her husband, MasterJi (Alok Nath) marries her, that though she raises Satbir as her own son, he is actually a son born out of wedlock to her husband's sister Veerawali (Kiran Juneja) and J.B.'s dad and that Mangala later falls for Satbir. :-)

I checked the channel's schedule - the show is aired every Wed-Thurs at 10:30pm :-)

Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible

-- St. Francis Of Assisi

2 more books that I plan to read (perhaps next year!):

Managing the Design Factory by Donald Reinertsen

Agile Estimating and Planning by Mike Cohn

"Scrum and XP from the trenches - How We Do Scrum" by Henrik Kniberg

Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Sprint Planning Meetings, Reviews, Retrospectives and Daily Scrums. Do a little search on Scrum and terms seem to topple on to each other. Yet, very few places seem to offer any advice to anyone wanting to embark on the Scrum journey for the first time in his or her life.

Henrik Kniberg's "Scrum and XP from the trenches - How We Do Scrum" is one such book that I am currently reading. You can download it from http://www.infoq.com/minibooks/scrum-xp-from-the-trenches. I am really thinking about getting a hard copy of it. The author has got an experience of going through multiple Scrum projects and experimenting with different techniques when it comes to important parts of Scrum. He has made sure that all that he has learnt is brought to the reader for his/her benefit. To give you an example of how painstaking his effort has been - he advises us not to forget to attach the post-it notes to the wall using real tape to prevent them from tumbling to the floor in a neat pile one day!

Apart from this, the book is replete with valuable practical tips - both DOs and DON'Ts - when it comes to using Scrum. It doesn't hurt that the language is very friendly - you cannot help but feel that you are talking to someone while having your mid-noon cuppa tea. And all this is wrapped up in easily digestible pieces - which won't put you to a deep sleep, take my word for it.

If I have to recommend one book to someone wanting to do their next project using Scrum, I would go for this one for sure.

X-Files, Season 8, Episode 'Badala'

I really hated this one. Right from the way the Mumbai Airport was portrayed - I doubt that there have been any beggars moving about in droves in any Indian airport at any time in history, let alone in 2001 when this episode must have been aired - to the disgusting plot that a man endowed with special powers, a Fakir if you may, avenges deaths of innocents by entering the body of the culprits from their rear ends and then existing the body, thereby killing them. The whole episode smacked very strongly of racial bias. Absolutely unpardonable!

Having said that, as the season 8 is drawing to a close, I find myself losing patience with Agent Scully. She seems to be walking about with a perpetual air of superiority over Agent John Doggett. Granted that she is more experienced in matters that are sort of 'out there' but her transformation from a healthy skeptic and a doctor who doesn't believe in anything that the medical science cannot prove to an agent who admonishes John for not having an open mind when he displays the same kind of skepticism is rather sudden. I am also growing tired of Fox Mulder's abduction. I think it is time to bring his story to a logical conclusion the way his sister Samantha's was. Now that he is found dead, please let him stay dead.

With a couple of more episodes to go before the Season Finale, I hope it is at the end of this season rather than at the end of the last.

Books on WW1

The War That Ended Peace - Margaret MacMillan

Catastrophe 1914 - Max Hastings

The Sleepwalkers - Christopher Clark

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - Adhyaya 8

The commentary at the end of this chapter says that 'the first and the last six chapters are like coverings for the middle six chapters, which are especially protected by the Lord.' It also recommends that the middle six chapters be listened to in the association of devotees. The moment I read that I had a vision of rows and rows of people sitting - the men on one side, the women on the other - singing, chanting, crying. That's a sight I had witnessed years ago in the Iscon temple during my one and only visit there. I was okay with singing and chanting, at least to a certain extent. But the crying alarmed me. Somehow all the 3 activities made me think that I was part of some cult activity. And that scared the hell out of me. Since then I have consciously stayed away from any kind of organized religious activity. I suspect that there is a lot there that needs to be taken on faith and not much is explained in great detail. If that is the case, then I am better off being on a one-to-one relationship with my God. So here I am - reading the Gita and trying to make sense of it as best as I can. This may not be the best of the approaches but it's the one that I am comfortable with - at least for now.

So, now about the takeaways from this Adhyaya - there are 2 of them - Text 6 and Text 7.

Text 6

यं यं वापि स्मरन भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरं
तं तमेवैती कौन्तेय सदा तदभावभावित:

Translation:

Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail.

I must confess that this verse worries me. If remembering Krishna constantly in the course of our daily lives is difficult, making sure that we remember Him at the time of death seems well nigh impossible. What if I slip into a coma and and die without ever gaining consciousness? What if I die so suddenly that I don't get any time to think about anything - leave alone Krishna? What if I go senile (shudder!) and don't remember my own name at the time of death? Even if I consider the best case scenario where I will die in ripe old age comfortably in my own bed with all my faculties intact while chanting the Holy name, who is to know what I may or may not remember just in between 2 chants? The possibility that my next life (if at all there is ever one!) totally hinges on what I think during the split second of my death is rather unfair! :-(

Of course, the scripture suggests that if we make it a point to always remember Krishna during our lifetime, we don't have to worry about not remembering Him at the time of death. That brings us to the next verse.

Text 7

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धीर्मामेवैषयस्यासंशय:

Translation:

Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.

It is stated in previous verses that Krishna tells Arjuna that he is not expected to renounce his worldly duties in order to walk on the path that leads to Krishna and that he can remember Him while performing his duties. Now, there are some activities where you may be able to achieve this by chanting as you do the activities e.g. cooking or cleaning. But if you are driving a car in the evening rush hour traffic or trying to cross a road (God Forbid!) at a busy intersection (where you wish you had 10 heads like Ravana instead of just one!) or trying to manage a project or performing a difficult operation, how can you remember Him? Our mind is capable of concentrating on only one thing at a time. I am not saying this lightheartedly. I am genuinely puzzled and wish to know how this can be done because right now the only times that I can remember God is while doing my morning Puja and while saying my prayers just before turning in at night. Oh, and when things don't go as planned (which is more often than not!).

What, then is the way out?

A helping hand for child labourers

धनंजय - दिवाळी अंक २०१३

ही पोस्ट इतक्या उशिरा टाकायचं कारण म्हणजे दिवाळीनंतरच्या आठवड्यात घेतलेला धनंजय ह्या शनिवारी रात्री वाचून संपला. ३ शब्दांत सांगायचं तर "फुल्टू पैसा वसूल'! गुढकथा, रहस्यकथा, भयकथा ज्यांना आवडतात त्यांनी आवर्जून वाचावा असाच हा अंक आहे. जवळजवळ सर्वच कथा छान आहेत त्यामुळे प्रत्येक कथेचा उल्लेख करायचा म्हटलं तर ही पोस्टच १ पान भरून होईल. पण एव्हढा सुरेख दिवाळी अंक वाचकांपर्यंत आणण्यात ज्यांचा ज्यांचा हातभार लागला त्या सर्वांचे मनापासून आभार मानावेसे वाटतात. दर दिवाळीला धनंजयचा अंक गुढकथावर असतो का नाही ह्याची मला कल्पना नाही पण तसं असेल तर प्रत्येक दिवाळीला मी खरेदी केलेला पहिला अंक धनंजयचाच असेल हे नक्की. :-)

भविष्यनिर्वाहनिधी आणि निवृत्तीवेतनाची रक्कम देण्यासाठी या कार्यालयाने एक अभिनव योजना सुरु केली आहे. त्यासंबंधीची माहिती इथे वाचा.

Bhagavad Geeta - As It Is (Adhyaya 7)

I finished reading Adhyaya 7 last week. But looking back, I cannot think of a clear takeaway - except maybe for Text 16. It goes like this:

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जना: सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन
आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ

Translation:

O best among the Bharatas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service into me - the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

When I read this, I wondered how can the distressed and the desirer of wealth be categorically called 'Pious'. Most of us think of God when we are in distress, when we are sad or confused. That doesn't make us pious. If a person goes to God because he wants wealth, then he clearly is seeing God as the means to an end and not an end in itself. Both these people are on the path of spirituality temporarily. And as far as the inquisitive and those searching for knowledge of the Absolute are concerned, it's more likely that they will veer off the spiritual path sooner rather than later because it takes a lot of patience - a commodity that's increasingly becoming rare - to keep walking on it.

The purport says that 'These are not pure devotees because they have some aspiration to fulfill in exchange for devotional service'. Can such people even be called 'Devotees', let alone 'Pure' ones? And is it possible to find a pure devotee in this day and age?

Which category do I fall in? Certainly 'the distressed'. It usually begins with 'God! Why me?'. But not 'the desirer of wealth' - not because I don't care for money but because I believe that no one can give you a penny more or a penny less than what you are destined to get. So 'try your best and leave the rest to God' is the motto that I have chosen to follow since a long time now. I also honestly cannot call myself 'a searcher for knowledge of the Absolute' because my steps in that direction are so small that they will give even 'baby steps' a complex! But yes, I am inquisitive about this whole life, Karma and assorted business. But am I pious? Hell no - even if you stretch the definition of this term all the way to China!

All in all, this Adhyaya left me with more questions than answers.

अर्ज किया है.....

मौत को तो यू ही बदनाम करते है लोग
तकलीफ तो जिंदगी देती है

Chokola, Bandra (W)

No words are needed. I am sure the pictures will suffice. Just make sure you order two scoops of vanilla ice-cream with the crepes. One scoop isn't enough.

Fudge Brownie Dessert

Crepes with Chocolate sauce and Vanilla Icecream

Language has created the word 'Loneliness' to express the pain of being alone...and it has created the word 'Solitude' to express the glory of being alone.

-- Paul Tillich, The Eternal Now

The Practice

It's sad to see the firm breaking up as the final season draws to an end. I had come to love the series as each episode left me thinking at the end - something that these crime-based shows can rarely do. Take for instance, the episode in which the Romanian girl asks Alan Shore to represent her because her parents are going to get her married at the age of 13 against her wish. I simply couldn't understand why the judge ruled that she be released to the custody of her parents. Granted, he didn't have the right to impose the American laws on citizens of a foreign country - especially when it was a matter of their own cultural practices. But I think it was wrong of him to conclude that if the majority of the girls from that country, who are the same age as the girl in question, don't find the practice unfair or wrong, then it is not wrong. That logic is twisted. The girl's mother says that even the Hindus go for arranged marriages. True, but that doesn't mean that all Hindu girls should go for an arranged marriage. So, if this girl thinks that she should not marry a stranger and that too at such a young age, no matter what the practice is in her country, she should not be forced into it. I felt sorry for her.

Then there was the case of Alan's childhood friend who was accused of killing the woman he was having an affair with. Shore's accusation that the friend's mother killed the woman out of jealousy was simply unacceptable and completely uncalled for. His motive was to point the finger of suspicion at as many people as possible in an attempt to let his friend off the hoo. I feel that the same could have been achieved if he had said that the mother killed the woman to save her son's marriage and the family's reputation. The end doesn't always justify the means.

On the contrary, I found myself in agreement, albeit partially, with the judge's ruling in the matter of the woman who ends up punching a law-enforcement officer when he tries to escort her to an area designated for protesters during a presidential visit. I agree that it is ridiculous to park such protesters in an area where they would hardly be noticed by the president. It is equally, if not more, absurd to assume that all those who aren't carrying any protesting banners are on the president's side. But I wasn't too sure why the woman expected to be let off with just a slap on the wrist. The policeman was after all just doing his job. I said I was in partial agreement because just like Ellenor I thought the punishment was a bit too harsh. Judging from her expression though, I think the judge did leave some room for appeal and possible reduction of the sentence. That part was not cleared in either that or the subsequent episodes. And now that the series is coming to an end, I doubt if it ever will be. BTW, that bit about the US going to war with Iraq so that the Iraqi people could have freedom was simply hilarious.

I never liked the character of Eugene Young - because I found him to be too uptight and in general angry with the whole world. Setting impossibly high standards for everyone might be acceptable if you don't yourself fall short of them. He, however, fell short of them miserably when he didn't hesitate to accept the money that Alan Shore brought in with his corrupt and illegal practices but was quick to fire him on the same grounds with a measly cheque for $15000. It served him right when the firm was ordered to cough up a hefty sum in damages. He never tired of talking about integrity but it didn't strike him that he wasn't following his own advice when he neglected to tell Ellenor about his interviews.

Another character that always seemed to irritate me was that of Jimmy. I sometimes wondered how a lawyer can be so downright stupid. Did he ever talk about his desire to work for his people in his neighborhood when the firm was doing well? But he is the first one to bail out of the sinking ship.

I really feel sad for Ellenor. She is left behind as everyone follows the philosophy of 'each man to himself'. But she has the grace to say sorry when she realizes her mistake and tell Eugene that she will be proud of him if he is elected as the judge. Personally, I think that she made a huge error of judgment in bringing Alan to her firm. It should have been obvious that his style of functioning was at odds with the prevalent culture there. He was bound to be on a collision course with Eugene. And it could have ended only one way. To her credit, she fights for her friend right till the end and doesn't shy away from telling him that he is going to end up destroying himself one day if he doesn't seek help soon. It was naive of her, though, to hope that things could still work out. But all said and done, I think she was wrong when she told Eugene that he was the soul of the firm. I think in many ways, Ellenor herself was the soul of the firm - the very essence that gets left behind in the end.

I am going to miss this series.

The new Domex ads on TV aren't fun to watch - at any time of the day. They are especially dreadful when you are chewing on a mouthful of dinner. All that brown stuff (animated! Thank God!) clinging to the sides of a toilet makes it difficult to swallow the food in front of you and keep whatever you have eaten from being thrown out. I seriously think they should have a warning before such ads are shown - 'Close your eyes if you are eating' - the way they show the statutory messages about cigarette smoking being injurious to health (I find it funny when these captions appear even before the cigarette does!)

I find their radio ads hugely entertaining though (maybe because I can't see the yellow stain that the ad talks about!). They are funny and yet the core message - that an unclean toilet is heaven for all sorts of germs - is not lost. Tatya Typhoid, Jaggu Jaundice and Danny Diarrhea simply rule!

Hercule Poirot on Zee Cafe

All Agatha Christie fans, tune in to Zee Cafe on 25th November, Monday at 11pm. Hercule Poirot is coming to town! :-)

Street Dogs Of India - WSD Calendar 2014

If you are thinking of gifting a 2014 calendar to someone, do take a look at this:

http://strayingaround.blogspot.in/2013/11/street-dogs-of-india-wsd-calendar-2014.html

Run for WSD in the Mumbai Marathon 2014. Few Charity Bibs Available!

I got the following email from WSD:

Dear street dog supporter

Do you want to run in the Mumbai Marathon in the Dream/Half or Full marathon category. The Welfare Of Stray Dogs(WSD) through the United Way of Mumbai have a few charity bibs left. If you wish to avail of the same, you will have to fill a form and submit the following 

    Cheque for Rs.7000 in the name of United Way of Mumbai
    Copy of either PAN/Aadhar Card/Passport
    Colour Passport size photograph
    Details of PAN (in case you are giving either the Aadhar card or Passport as proof of ID) - we need to give the PAN details of every participant to United Way of Mumbai
    Also, please indicate in whose name the donation receipt from United Way of Mumbai should be made.

To know more about WSD, you can check the link on the United Way website given below.

http://unitedwaymumbai.org/ngo230_wsd.htm

Call 64222838/9819100808 for obtaining the application form. Hurry as last date is 20th November,2013.

Regards

Team WSD

Boston Legal starts on Fox Crime on 11th December

Boston Legal starts on Fox Crime on 11th December at 9pm. So all you fans of Alan Shore & Denny Crane, get ready for the action :-)

Offbeat Diwali

सह्याद्रीच्या डोंगर रांगातून  भटकंती करणार्या ट्रेकर्सनी  साजरी केलेली अनोखी दिवाळी - ऑफबीट  दिवाळी

Education in India: There’s still hope

The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It's the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness.

-- Edward Gibbon

चैत्राली - दिवाळी अंक २०१३

मागच्या एका पोस्टमध्ये म्हटल्याप्रमाणे ३-४ ठिकाणी शोधाशोध करून 'चैत्राली' चा दिवाळी अंक पदरात पाडून घेतला कारण पेपरात आलेल्या परीक्षणावरून तो चांगला असावा असं वाटत होतं. काही लेखांचा अपवाद वगळता अंकाने मात्र निराशा केली.

अंकातला पहिला लेख डॉ. शोभा अभ्यंकर ह्यांचा - मराठी भावगीतांबद्दलचा. लेखात माहिती आणि विश्लेषण भरपूर ह्यात वादच नाही. पण मांडणी अतिशय विस्कळीत वाटली. खूप माहिती वाचकांना देण्याच्या प्रयत्नात लेखाचं गोडाऊन झालंय. पहिलाच लेख अर्धवट कसा सोडायचा म्हणून मी नेटाने वाचला खरा पण शेवट येईतो कंटाळून जायला झालं. दिवाळी अंकातला लेख हा वेगवेगळ्या तऱ्हेच्या वाचकांपर्यंत पोचतो त्यामुळे त्यांना तो मनोरंजक वाटावा अश्या पध्दतीने मांडायला हवा ह्याचा विसर पडल्याने पी.एच. डी. चा प्रबंध वाचतोय की काय अशी शंका यावी असं लेखाचं एकदंरीत रुपडं आहे.

ह्यापुढला लेख डॉ. विजय ढवळे (कंसातलं "ओटावा- केनडा" हे वाचून खूप करमणूक झाली) ह्यांचा 'स्टायलिश अमिताभ'. अमिताभच्या हिंदी चित्रपटसृष्टीतील प्रवासात त्याची वेशभूषा कशी राहिली ह्याचा आढावा लेखकाने चांगल्या पद्धतीने घेतला आहे पण अनेक ठिकाणी व्याकरणाच्या चुका आहेत. वाक्याची सुरुवात आणि शेवट ह्यात काही ताळमेळ नाही असं बऱ्याच ठिकाणी झालंय. उदा. हे एक वाक्य 'रेखा व ज्या बच्चन ह्याना एकाच घरात राज्यसभेत - एकत्र आणणे!' ह्या वाक्याचा अर्थ काय आणि लेखाशी त्याचा संबध काय हे मला विचार करूनही कळलं नाही. ह्या अश्या चुका प्रसिद्ध झालेल्या अंकात रहाव्यात हे दुर्दैव आहे. त्यांचा कंगना राणावत वरचा लेख मागच्या वर्षी लिहिला आहे की काय अशी शंका "'आय लव्ह न्यूयॉर्क' हा तिचा सनी देओल बरोबरचा सिनेमा २०१२ च्या शेवटापर्यंत तयार होऊन प्रदर्शित केला जाईल' हे वाक्य वाचून आली.

'मला उमजलेले अण्णा' हा भालजी पेंढारकर ह्यांच्या कन्या सौ. गिरिजा काटकर ह्यांनी लिहिलेला लेख उत्सुकतेने वाचायला घेतला कारण भालजींचं नाव ऐकलेलं असलं तरी त्यांच्याविषयी खूप माहिती मला नाही. परंतु जेमतेम दोन पानी असलेल्या लेखाने मोठी निराशा केली. :-(

एव्हाना अंक वाचायचा माझा उत्साह पुरता मावळला होता. पण तरी नेटाने पुढे वाचत राहिले. मेघश्री दळवी ह्यांचा मराठीत सायन्स फिक्शन चित्रपट का निघत ह्यावरचा लेख वाचनीय वाटला. आणि त्यापुढचा सौ अपर्णा आणि रामदास पाध्ये ह्यांचा विष्णुदासांच्या लाकडी बाहुल्यांवर आधारित नाटकं करायच्या प्रयत्नांबद्दलचा लेख तर खूपच आवडला. मी पाध्येंचं 'लहान माझी भावली' वाचलंय. आधी तर त्याच पुस्तकातून घेतलेलं हे प्रकरण आहे की काय असं मला वाटलं कारण माझ्या आठवणीप्रमाणे त्याही पुस्तकात ह्या बाहुल्यांचा उल्लेख आहे. पण बहुधा तसं नसावं.

'गडकरी वाचावेसे वाटतात' हा विनायक गंधेंचा लेख अपुरा वाटला. ५-६ मुद्दे घेऊन त्या अनुषंगाने गडकरींच्या नाटकांचा उहापोह झाला असता तर लेख अधिक माहितीपूर्ण झाला असता असं मला वाटलं. 'तेच माझं माहेर' ह्या रमेश पाटील ह्यांच्या कथेत दिवाळी अंकात सामील करण्याजोगं काय आहे हे मला अजिबात समजलं नाही.

दिवंगत अभिनेत्री स्मिता पाटील हिच्यावरच्या डॉ. निशिकांत श्रोत्री ह्यांनी लिहिलेल्या लेखाने मला आधी गोंधळात टाकलं. ह्या पूर्ण लेखात स्मिताविषयीचे उल्लेख वर्तमानकाळातील आहेत. पुढे लक्षात आलं की स्मिता हयात असताना लिहिला गेलेला हा लेख आहे. असे लेख वाचण्याची संधी क्वचीतच मिळते. लॉरेन्स ऑफ अरेबिया वरच्या स्टेनली गोन्साल्वीस ह्यांच्या लेखाने हा चित्रपट पहायचाच आहे ह्याची पुन्हा एकदा प्रकर्षाने जाणीव करून दिली. 'आधुनिक मराठी नाटकांतील स्त्री प्रतिमा' हा सौ. मधुरा कोरान्ने ह्यांचा लेख आवडला आणि अनेक जुन्या नाटकांबद्दल बरीच माहितीही मिळाली. ही नाटकं पुन्हा रंगभूमीवर आली तर पहायला नक्की आवडतील. 'छेड सखी सरगम' हा स्व. सी. रामचंद्र ह्यांच्यावर लिहिलेला लेख, डॉ. अरुण मांडेंचा इंग्रजी चित्रपटांच्या आठवणीवरचा लेख, 'कानून' ह्या बी. आर. चोप्रांच्या चित्रपटाविषयीचा लेख, 'पुराने फिर भी सुहाने', 'छोडकें जाने कें लिये आ', 'आगळेवेगळे', 'सफाईदार रिमेक', मदनमोहन, अशोक कुमार, नितीन बोस, राजेश खन्ना, श्रीकांत साठे ह्यांच्यावरचे लेख आवडले. रजनी हिराळकर ह्यांचा 'यादे' हा लेख विषयाच्या मानाने छोटा वाटला. तीच गोष्ट 'नायिका प्रधान हिंदी चित्रपटातल्या तारका'  ह्या लेखाची.

अंकातले काही लेख मात्र वाचले नाहीत कारण काही विषयांत मला फारसा रस नाही तर काही लेखांचा थोडा भाग वाचल्यावर हे लेख म्हणजे माहितीचं भरताड आहेत हे लक्षात आलं. ह्यात 'काव्येषु नाटकं रम्यं', 'कलावंतांचे देहबोलीतील गुह्य अंतरंग', 'बरसे मेघ मल्हार', 'बंदिश एक चिंतन', 'चिरश्रवणीय भारतीय शास्त्रीय संगीत', 'संगीत रंगभूमी काल, आज आणि उद्या' हे लेख येतात.

मराठी संगीत रंगभूमीवरचा डॉ. शोभा अभ्यंकर ह्यांचा लेख वाचायची हिम्मत झाली नाही. 'वेडा' ही अनुवादित कथा वेगळी वाटली. पण 'फलं भाग्यानुसारत', 'निराधाराचा आधार' ह्या कथांत काही वेगळं वाटलं नाही.

मला कवितांतलं फारसं काही कळत नाही. पण 'उध्वस्त' आणि 'काजळवेळी' ह्या कविता सोडल्यास बाकी कविता आवडल्या नाहीत. अंकात ठिकठिकाणी विखुरलेली व्यंगचित्रेही सुमारच वाटली. बऱ्याच लेखांत व्याकरणाच्या चुका आढळल्या.

एकंदरीत पुढल्या वर्षी ह्या अंकाच्या वाटेला मी जाणार नाही हे नक्की.

दिवाळी अंकातल्या एका कथेत हा संस्कृत श्लोक वाचला.

पितारत्नकरो यस्य, लक्ष्मीर्यस्य सहोदरी
शंखो भिक्षाटनं कुर्यात फलं भाग्यानुसारत

रत्नांचा साठा असलेला समुद्र ज्याचा पिता आणि संपत्तीची देवी लक्ष्मी ज्याची बहिण असा शंख मात्र बैरागी, गोसाई ह्यांच्यासोबत दारोदार भिक्षा मागून पोट भरतो. ज्याचं जसं भाग्य तसं फळ त्याला मिळतं.

The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone

-- Henrik Ibsen

बेस्ट तोट्यात चालत असल्याने कर्मचार्‍यांना ह्यावर्षीही दिवाळीचा बोनस मिळाला नाही हे वाचून वाईट वाटलं. खरं तर ह्या तोट्याला सरकारची कचखाऊ वृत्ती आणि बेस्ट प्रशासनाचा भोंगळपणा सर्वस्वी जबाबदार आहेत. सकाळी व संध्याकाळी peak time ला रस्त्यावर एक नजर टाकली तर २-३ गोष्टी लक्षात येतात. एक तर केवळ एक ड्रायव्हर असलेल्या खाजगी गाडया एकामागून एक ओळीने उभ्या असतात. काही बेस्ट बसेस मध्ये मुंगी शिरायला जागा नसेल एव्हढी खच्चून गर्दी असते तर एसी बेस्ट बसेस रिकाम्या धावत असतात.

'मी माझ्या गाडीने ऑफिसाला येतो' ह्या स्टेट्स सिंबल साठी अनेक लोक आपल्या गाडीने प्रवास करतात ही वस्तुस्थिती आहे. त्यामुळे car pool हा प्रकारच अस्तित्वात नाही. पेट्रोलचे दर निवडणुकांवर नजर न ठेवता निश्चित केले तर त्याची विक्री करणाऱ्या कंपन्यांना एव्हढा तोटा होणार नाहीच. पण नुसतं मिरवायला म्हणून गाडी वापरणाऱ्या लोकांना चाप बसून car pool अथवा एसी बसेस ने प्रवासाची शक्यता वाढेल.

नॉन-एसी बसेस मध्ये निदान peak time ला तरी खूप गर्दी असते. तरी तोट्याचा कारभार चालू आहे ह्याचाच अर्थ तिकीटदर वाढवायला हवेत. अर्थात ही सेवा सरकारी असल्याने सर्वसामान्य माणसाच्या सोयीसाठी आहे म्हणून भाडेवाढीला मर्यादा येतात हे मान्य. जरा भाडेवाढ झाली की इथूनतिथून बोंबाबोंब होते हेही मान्य. ते काय कांद्याचे दर वाढले तरी झाली. म्हणून ती दरवाढ व्हायची थांबली का? मग हा नियम इथेच कां लागू आहे? शिवाय बस मध्ये गर्दी असेल तर विदाउट तिकीट प्रवास करणाऱ्यांची संख्या जास्त असणार हे सांगायला नकोच. सटीसामाशी दिसणारे टीसी नित्यनेमाने दिसू लागले तर हा प्रकार कमी व्हायला नक्की मदत होईल.

तिसरी गोष्ट म्हणजे route planning. एसी बसेस मुख्यत्वे करून ऑफिसला जाणारे लोक वापरणार हे नक्की. त्यामुळे सकाळी ७:३० ते ९:३० आणि संध्याकाळी ५:३० ते ८ ह्या वेळा सोडून तसंच शनिवार-रविवार ह्या बसेस चालवण्यात काहीही अर्थ नाही हे जेव्हा बेस्ट प्रशासनाला कळेल तेव्हा सोनियाचा दिनु. सकाळी उपनगरातून दक्षिण मुंबईकडे आणि संध्याकाळी दक्षिण मुंबईतून उपनगराकडे जाणाऱ्यांची संख्या जास्त असते तेव्हा उलट्या बाजूने धावणाऱ्या एसी बसेस ताबडतोब बंद करायला हव्यात.

पण मांजराच्या गळ्यात घंटा बांधायची कोणी? ह्याचा फटका बसला तो मात्र वाहतुकीचे कोणतेही नियम ना पाळणाऱ्या मुंबईच्या बेशिस्त रस्त्यांवरून बसेस चालवायची अवघड कसरत करणारया ड्रायव्हर-कंडक्टरना. अजब सरकार आहे!

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself

-- Mark Twain

लोकसत्ता दिवाळी अंक २०१३

मराठी माणूस म्हटला की अभ्यंगस्नान, उटण, रांगोळी, फराळ आणि फटाके ह्यांच्यासोबत दिवाळी अंक हा आलाच. मग मी तरी अपवाद कसा असणार? :-) लोकसत्ताचा दिवाळी अंक इंटरेस्टिंग वाटला म्हणून आणला. अंकाने निराशा केली नाही हे विशेष.

अंकाची सुरूवात झाली आहे ती मिर्झा गालिब वर गुलजारने लिहिलेल्या चरित्राच्या मराठी अनुवादातल्या दोन प्रकरणानी. हा अनुवाद अंबरीश मिश्र ह्यांनी केला आहे. ही दोन प्रकरणं वाचून गुलजारने लिहीलेलं चरित्र कसं असेल ह्याची कल्पना येते. मूळ पुस्तक "वाचायची पुस्तकं' नावाच्या मारूतीच्या शेपटीपेक्षाही अधिक वेगाने वाढत चाललेल्या यादीत समाविष्ट केलं आहे. :-)

कवितांचा आणि माझा अगदी ३६ चा आकडा नसला तरी फार सख्यही नाही. त्यामुळे किशोर सौमित्र ह्यांच्या कवितांची मला फारशी ओळख नाही. सिनेमा आणि नाटक ह्यातून काम केलेले कलाकार म्हणून ते मला माहीत आहेत. त्यामुळे त्यांचा 'लोन्ली' हा लेख मोठ्या उत्सुकतेने वाचायला घेतला आणि आतून हलायला झालं. गर्दीत राहूनही एकटेपणाचा अनुभव बहुतांशी लोकांना नवा नव्हे पण स्वत:च्या आयुष्यातल्या अनेक घटनांतून त्याचेही अनेक पैलू लेखकाने छान उलगडून दाखवलेत. 'झुलवा' हा चित्रपट मी कधी पाहिला नाही. आणि कधी पाहणार ही नाही. ह्या बाबतीत मी अगदी पळपुटी आहे. जगात खूप दू:ख आहे, अगतिकता आहे, वेदना आहेत - सगळं माहीत आहे. मी काही काचेच्या राजवाड्यात वाढवला गेलेला राजपुत्र सिध्दार्थ नाही. मग उगाच त्यांची वर्णनं असलेली पुस्तकं कां वाचायची? चित्रपट का पहायचे? डोक्याला ताप देणार्या अनेक गोष्टी असताना हा नवीन भुंगा का लावून घ्यायचा? 'हे असं काही होत नाही' असं म्हणून जे सोडून देता येत नाही ते आपल्या आयुष्यात का आणायचं? अर्थात ह्याबाबत मी मित्रमंडळीच्या अनेक शिव्या खाल्ल्या आहेत. पण माझी भूमिका कायम आहे. 'जोगवा' तर मोजून दहा मिनिटं मी पाहिला आणि मग चेनेल बदललं तरी खूप अस्वस्थ वाटत राहिलं - ताप यायच्या आधी वाटतं तसं. लेखकाने ह्या चित्रपटात भूमिका करताना आलेला अनुभव लेखाच्या शेवटी मांडलाय. तो वाचावा असाच आहे.

ह्यापुढचे लेख कधीकाळी भारतात असलेल्या राजेरजवाड्यांच्या आत्ताच्या वंशजाबद्दलचे आहेत. ह्यात पुण्याचे पेशवे, जव्हारचे मुकणे घराणे, अहेरीचे आत्राम घराणे, सावंतवाडीचे सावंत-भोसले घराणे, कोल्हापूरचे राजघराणे आणि सांगलीचे पटवर्धन ह्यांच्याविषयीचे लेख आहेत. सावंत-भोसलेवरचा लेख थोडा रटाळ वाटला.

जमशेटजी टाटा हे नाव ऐकलं की शालेय जीवनातलं इतिहासाचं पुस्तक आठवतं. पण गिरीश कुबेर ह्यांचा लेख त्या पुस्तकापेक्षा जास्त माहिती देणारा आहे. म्हैसूर-बंगलोर मध्ये रेशीम उद्योग भरभराटीला येण्यामागे जमशेटजी टाटा आहेत हे मला आत्ता कळलं. तीच गोष्ट गोरेगाव-जोगेश्वरीमध्ये असलेल्या गोठ्याबद्दल. भारतात पोलाद कारखाना काढायला ह्या माणसाने किती परिश्रम घेतले आणि भिलाई आणि मयूरभंजला त्यानी कसं संशोधन केलं ह्याचा इतिहास अतिशय रंजक आहे. हा लेख म्हणजे राजहंस प्रकाशनातर्फे प्रसिध्द होणार्या टाटा उद्योगसमूहाबद्दलच्या पुस्तकातलं एक प्रकरण आहे. अर्थात हे पुस्तक वाचायला हवंच.

माझ्या 1000 Things To Do Before You Die च्या यादीत बंगाली शिकणं ही एक एन्ट्री आहे ती ह्या भाषेतलं साहित्य मुळातून वाचता यावं म्हणून. भाषांतर हा प्रकार मला फारसा कधीच रुचला नाही. अर्थात दाक्षिणात्य भाषा शिकता येतील असं वाटत नाही त्यामुळे त्यातलं साहित्य अनुवादित स्वरुपात वाचायला लागणार हे आलंच. तर 'नमनाला घडाभर तेल' घालायचं कारण म्हणजे 'गीतांजली आणि नोबेल' हा लेख. गीतांजलीला नोबेल मिळाल्यावर भारतात आणि जगभरात ज्या प्रतिक्रिया उमटल्या त्याचा आढावा डॉ. शरद देशपान्डे ह्यांनी ह्या लेखात घेतला आहे. 'गीतांजलीतले रविंद्रनाथ' हा रजनीकांत सोनार ह्यांचा लेखही वाचनीय आहे. थोडक्यात काय तर बंगाली शिकायला हवं ह्या माझ्या एन्ट्रीची पुन्हा आठवण ह्या निमित्ताने झाली. योग कधी येतो ते देवालाच ठाऊक.

पुस्तकं वाचणं हा माझा अत्यंत आवडता छंद असला तरी प्रकाशक कोण हे कधी आवर्जून पाहिल्याचं आठवत नाही. खरं तर पुस्तक वाचकापर्यंत आणण्यात त्याचा मोलाचा सहभाग असतो. 'राजहंसी वाटचाल' हा राजहंस प्रकाशनावर आधारित लेख त्याचे संचालक दिलीप माजगावकर ह्यांनी लिहिला आहे तो ह्या दृष्टीने छान माहिती देणारा आहे. व्यंगचित्रांकित साहित्यसंभार (शकुंतला फडणीस), सृजनशील मुखपृष्ठे (वसंत सरवटे), 'रंगायनचे दिवस' (अरुण काकडे) आणि 'सत्यजित राय आणि प्रेमचंद' (विजय पाडळकर) असे सगळे लेख वाचकांच्या माहितीत मोलाची भर घालणारे आहेत ह्यात वाद नाही. प्रशांत कुलकर्णीचं 'ब्रेकिंग न्यूज' मस्तच. त्यामानाने 'काय बरे होणार ह्या निवडणुकीत' सपक वाटला.

ज्याला इंग्रजीत 'Running from pillar to post' म्हणतात तशी धावाधाव करून 'धनंजय' आणि 'चैत्राली' हे दोन अंक आजच मिळवलेत. पाहू धावाधाव किती सार्थकी लागली आहे ते :-)

We are born alone. We live alone. We die alone. Only through our love and friendship we can create the illusion for the moment that we are not alone.

-- Orson Welles

Bhagavad Geeta - As It Is - Adhyaya 6

I have to be honest here. Ever since I read that Bhakti-Yoga is considered to be the best for the present age of Kali, I read the Adhyayas on Karma-Yoga (Adhyaya 5) and Dhyana-Yoga (Adhyaya 6) for the sake of it. Still, my takeaway from Adhyaya 6 are the following 2 verses:

Text 34:

चंचलं हि मन: कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवदृढम
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुषकरम

Purport:

The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.

I was mightily relieved when I read this. All the talk of controlling senses (this brought memories of yummy black forest cake to mind!), regulating life (Boy! Our lives already run as per the schedule dictated by the clocks!) and treating friends and foes alike had begun to scare me. It all seemed just impossible - not only in this life but probably in next several ones. Though I understand that all this is necessary for one to be on a true spiritual path, it looked very overwhelming - kind of asking a 7th grader to solve a Physics paper meant for someone in the 10th. Where am I going to start? How am I going to know that I am on the right track - given especially that I am unlikely to find a bonafide master to teach me the same. But it turns out that I can take baby steps - like chanting the God's name. I doubt that I can do so all throughout the day as some people have done in the past, if the scriptures are to be believed. But if I am not bone-tired by the end of the day, then a little chanting before I hit the bed and close my eyes is practical. Or so it seems at least for now.

Of course, it is clear that even if I manage to do so on a consistent basis, it is not going to take me very far on the spiritual road in this life. If there isn't going to be another one, then I would have reached as far as I could and that would be the end of it. But if there are more - and I certainly believe in rebirths - then the question is - do I get to pick up from where I left off? This becomes especially relevant because none of us seem to be remember if we have ever been before on this planet. The 41st verse answered me - but only partially.

Text 41:

प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वती: समा:
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते

Purport:

The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.

Comforting as the verse is, I am not entirely convinced by it. We all see people born into rich aristocratic families waste their life by adopting a lifestyle that has nothing whatsoever to do with spiritual progress. So either they don't remember their spiritual efforts from past life or they choose not to follow it. In both cases, whatever you do in this life to not get attached to the illusions of the world is a waste, isn't it?

An article on the late director Satyajit Ray's first Hindi movie - Shatranj Ke Khiladi - mentioned a book "Lucknow - The Last Phase Of An Oriental Culture". Should be an interesting read!

Kayani's, Fort

I still remember the first time I had been to Kayani's a couple of years back. The decor was very different from the restaurants I had been to till then. It had an old world charm to it. Why isn't the waiter handing me a menu - I wondered till I was informed by my parents that the menu was secured under the glass top of the table. What? After the process of doing a double take was over, I scanned the menu. It did seem like it was printed sometime in the last century. I need not have bothered for my parents knew exactly what to order - chicken & mutton patties, the famous Irani tea and of course, the Mawa cakes & Cherry Custard to end the meal on a sweet note, well, several sweet notes. I have been a fan of the eatery ever since - though it has mostly been takeaways.

A visit had been overdue since last year so I decided to go this weekend. The menus under the glass tabletops are new now and seem to have a lot more items on offer since I last sat down there for a meal. Chicken Patties and Mawa cakes were on my takeaway list so I looked at the menu closely. Kebabs, Kheema Ghotala, Mutton Salli, Fish & Chips - the list was pretty exhaustive. But I wanted to have something lighter so I ordered Masala soda along with a plate of chicken sandwiches, Akuri on toast and Cherry Custard. The waiter promptly informed me that they didn't have Masala soda. I didn't want to go for the run-of-the-mill Coke, Pepsi, Mirinda etc. So a cuppa Irani tea it was.

The chicken sandwiches weren't anything to write home about. A hint of butter, and perhaps mayonnaise, with chicken mince that seemed halfway between being grilled and steamed. I am unlikely to order this item again in future.

Chicken Sandwich

 But the Akuri on toast more than made up for it. It looked like simple egg bhurji on buttered toast but I suspect that they must have added some secret ingredient to it to make it so tasty. You HAVE TO try it if you ever visit this place. The Cherry Custard was yummy as usual.

Akuri On Toast

Cherry Custard

So if you are on the lookout for something different to eat in a setting that looks as if it has been transported here from another era, go to Kayani's. I am definitely going there again - gotta try the Fish & Chips next time!

अर्ज किया है…

उसे कभी फुर्सत ही नही मिली पढनेकी
और तू बिकता रहा उसके शहरमे किताबोंकी तऱह 

Bhagwad Geeta - As It Is (Adhyaya 5)

I have finished reading the 5th Adhyaya. And for me, the whole of it boils down to this 12th verse:

युक्त: कर्मफलं त्यक्त्वा शान्तिमाप्नोति नैष्ठीकीम
अयुक्त: कामकारेण फले सक्तो निबध्यते

The purport goes as follows:

The steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers the result of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, becomes entangled.

On the theoretical level, this seems almost like a no-brainer, isn't it? The best way to get disengaged from the material world is not to renounce it completely but to be there and still be free from it. And yet, it is one of the most difficult things in life. In this day and age, who has got time to do anything just for the love of it? We all do most of the things because we have to earn our living or because it is our duty. That's precisely what gets us into the anxiety about the results of the work. Have I done it right? What if I have messed it up? What will this person say and what will that person think? Sleepless nights, increased stress levels and a complete waste of time - none of it is conducive to our well-being.

Yet, somewhere deep down, we all know that it is futile to fret over things we don't control. But we do it nonetheless. And make our lives miserable. Only if we could follow the adage 'Do your best and leave the rest to God'. Not only will we get rid of unproductive worrying, it will leave us with a lot of free time to do things we really love doing. There will be lot of peace and calm.

And who knows? In the process, we might actually be able to take ourselves a teeny weeny bit far away from the illusion that is this life.

If humility is the strength of the weak,
then hubris is the weakness of the strong.

—Mardy Grothe

For those of you who haven't yet watched Madras Cafe, you can catch it on Colors tomorrow afternoon at 1pm.

Treacherous Alliance - the secret dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States by Trita Parsi

A couple of months back I had come across a reference to this book in a newspaper article. Earlier, a mention of Israel would have made me think of only the Palestine and the US. I didn't know of the Iranian angle to this equation. But then I wasn't too interested in international politics before. This book has changed it all.

It begins at the very beginning - the relation between the 3 countries i.e. Israel, Iran and the US right from the era of the cold war. The US probably had only one agenda then - to keep the erstwhile USSR out of the region. But the sheer complexity of the relations between Israel and Iran is mind-boggling. On one hand, Iran needed Israel to get closer to the US while on the other a very open diplomatic relationship ran counter to her pursued goal of leadership in the region. And Israel looked at Iran through the prism of her Periphery Doctrine. While we are grasping this, the author takes us through the event that changed the dynamics of the region right from its very core - the collapse of the USSR. It is intriguing to find that the very Israel that always wanted the US to have closer ties to Iran did a smooth U-turn and cited Iran's nuclear program as the reason why it wanted the country isolated. Add to this the Sunni-Shia angle, Iraq, the rest of the Arab states and of course, the issue of the Palestine. The plot thickens to such an extent that it would put the pea-soup fog in England to shame. The author also describes how the regime change - from the Pahlavi dynasty to the reign of the Ayatollahs - has shaped Iran's foreign policy.

After reading this book, I have come to realize what complex web of reasons can lie at the root of a seemingly perplexing action by a nation. If formulating a foreign policy was like walking on a tightrope in last century, it must be nothing short of a trip through a minefield in this one - thanks to globalization and terrorism.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read the following:

With assembly elections less than a month away, the Congress has asked the Election Commission "to hide lotus ponds from the eyes of voters", in a desperate attempt to keep voters away from the "party symbol of the BJP".

I guess we all will have to walk with our hands covered if the BJP decides to respond in kind. :-)

Have you ever noticed that when you are driving, anyone driving slower than you is an idiot, anyone driving faster than you is a maniac?

-- Comedian George Carlin

This Sunday watch:

1. Life Of Pi on Star Movies, 1pm and 9pm

2. Skyfall on Sony Pix, 1pm and 9pm

I can't say for sure but I think that Heaven isn't exactly in Heaven these days. Wait, before you think that I have gone gaga, let me tell you that I am talking about the Golden Retriever that's part of Bigg Boss house. He is the only reason I can stand the show for at least a few minutes.

BTW, shouldn't PETA be concerned about his well-being? I am sure all that back-biting and bitching isn't good for his health ;-)

I have finished reading Adhyaya 4. But I am still clueless about what exactly is meant by the term 'transcendental knowledge'. It is used everywhere in the purports, and yet hasn't been fully explained. The purports keep talking about being in 'Krishna Consciousness' but till now no practical example has been given - probably because one is supposed to learn it from the master. If that is true, I guess there is no hope for people like me who don't trust folks in saffron robes. I agree that a spiritual person need not be so attired. Nor does he/she need to have a large following. In fact, I would expect a truly spiritual person to be free from such ceremonial trappings. Ironically, it is precisely this fact that will make it harder for one to come across such a person.

It is said that when the student is ready to receive knowledge, the master appears. Maybe, I am not ready enough.

A trip to a Voter's Help Center

I probably wouldn't have bothered about it but the last time I voted (was it in 2009?) the guy who examined my voter ID card at the booth had told me that the card has expired. I had no idea that the card can expire - after all it does not have any expiry date mentioned on it. But he had allowed me to vote and it was all that mattered. I had forgotten all about it till I saw the ads in the newspapers that asked the populace to visit the Voter's Help Centers for any change in the voter ID cards or for getting a new one made. Still, I could not make myself go to one because I dreaded the setup - a room in some municipal school, 7-8 desks manned by bored-looking government employees, a crowd of harassed public running from pillar to post with a bunch of documents and unbearable stifling heat. No way!

But then I had to make sure I would be able to vote in the upcoming elections. So I mustered up every ounce of courage I didn't know I had and headed for the nearst center with whatever documents (and copies!) I could lay my hands on - PAN card, existing voter ID card, domicile certificate, ration card, passport & photos. A security guard at the municipal school gate directed me to the center and I stepped into the room feeling as if I am entering a dungeon full of hidden traps.

The room wasn't crowded and there was no "unbearable stifling heat" - thanks to the ceiling fans and open windows. Thank God for small mercies! I approached a guy sitting at the nearest desk (as usual, the desks weren't marked!) and showed him my voter ID card. He directed me to a lady who was sitting a couple of desks away 'she will check if your name is in the voter roll' he said helpfully. I approached the lady, she took the card from me and tapped on her desktop. She asked me my address and told me that my name was in the list but it didn't have my photo. Then she asked me to get a form - form 8 - from the nearby desk. My heart sank when I saw the number of pages in that form. 'Do I have to fill up this whole form?' I asked, mightily alarmed. 'No, no, just fill this section' the lady pointed out the relevant sections to me. 'Do you have any adhesive that I can use to stick this photo?'. 'Right there' she said.

When I approached the table that was supposed to contain the 'adhesive' I was taken aback. The bottle and the thick sticky glue in it reminded me of my childhood days when I used to accompany my maternal grandfather to the nearby post office during summer vacations. I hadn't seen it in nearly two decades and was really surprised that it was still being used. At this rate, I won't be surprised if I hear that the government is keeping a few dinosaurs tucked away somewhere just for the heck of it. :-)

I managed to stick the photo to the form without getting myself stuck to the table or the glue bottle. When I trooped back to the desk, the lady told me that I will have to submit a few documents. But when I started fishing them out of my bag, she said pointed to an unmanned table and told me that they will have to be submitted there. Of course, it was so naive of me to expect that everything will be done so soon and without any hassles!  'When is the person expected to be here?' I asked, though I knew the answer. 'He should be here in another 5 minutes'. Yeah, yeah, and I am Miss Universe!

Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to wait and die.

So I waited and waited and waited. About 15 minutes passed. Slowly, the room started to fill up as more people walked in. A knot of people formed around the table where form 8 was supposed to be submitted. A guy in front of me complained to no one in particular 'There are 2 people sitting at the other table. Why can't he come here and collect these forms? If we can inform the guy who is sitting across there, he might be able to ask him'. 'Really? then let's go' I said. The two of us approached who possibly was the in-charge of the center. When we informed him about it, he started to say something and then pointed to a guy in a cap who was walking into the room. 'There he is. He will take your forms' he said. So we came back to the table.

I got this one thing to say about this new addition to the room. He might have come late but he was a picture of efficiency - rarely seen in government employees - once he set about his work. Within minutes he instructed all who had gathered around the table as to the next step. People handed him their documents, signed where he asked them to, got the forms stamped, collected their receipts and left.

As far as I am concerned, I got off lightly. Just had to attach one copy each of the ration card and PAN card, sign at a few places and get the form stamped. I heaved a big sigh of relief as the guy tore the receipt off the form and handed it to me. Now, I don't have to think about this before January, 2014 when I can inquire at the same center and confirm that the changes have been done.

When I left, it was heartening to see that the room was almost full of people - many of them appeared to be no more than 18. I hope they are as enthusiastic about it on the voting day!

Bhagavad Gita - As It Is (Adhyaya 4), Verses - 1 to 23

There was quite a gap after I finished reading Adhyaya 3 - so much so that I feared I was destined to abandon the project once more. But then I started reading 1-2 shlokas at a time and got back into the regime. I have also decided to note down my comments as I read so that I don't have to go back and look them up later.

My first comment is about the purport for Text 1. The shloka doesn't mention it but the purport goes like this:

Bhagavad Gita has to be accepted as it is, from thd disciplic succession, and it is described herein that the Lord spoke to the sun-god, the sun-god spoke to his son Manu, and Manu spoke to his son Iksvaku.

Okay, let's say this disciplic succession was exactly the same as described here. But doesn't that make it all the more necessary to NOT accept Gita as it is? After all, there is a real possibility that things could have got lost in translation across centuries - given that there were 32 people involved in the succession chain, if the list at the end of the introductory chapter is anything to go by. It also means that there is really no need of any 'purport' because however one might try, it is humanely impossible to keep one's views, opinions and judgement out of it. The chances of one misunderstanding something are more when one is told to accept what is told as it is. No way!

This Adhyaya contains 2 of my favorite verses of the Gita (I must confess though that the reason I know them by heart is B. R. Chopra's TV series Mahabharata!) . The first of them (#7) is:

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत|
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम|

I was glad when I came across the following in the accompanying purport:

It is not a fact that the Lord appears only on Indian soil. He can manifest Himself anywhere and everywhere, and whenever He desires to appear.He speaks as much about religion as can be understood by the particular people under their particular circumstances. But the mission is the same - to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion. Sometimes He descends personally, and sometimes he sends his bonafide representative in the form of His son, or servant, or Himself in some disguised form.

These lines kind of rhymed with what I have always believed - God appears in the form that the devotee chooses and that's why we have different religions all talking about their own scriptures, rituals and beliefs.

I looked forward to reading the purport of my other favorite verse (#8):

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृतां!
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे!

I agreed with most of the purport except a few lines at the end. 'As stated in the Srimad-Bhagawatam, the incarnation in the Age of Kali is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who spread the worship of Krsna by the Sankirtana movement and spread Krsna consciousness throughout India'.

Here, another confession is in order. I don't much care for the modern age swamis and sadhus. So I had skipped the section giving their names and photos at the beginning of this book. This line made me go back and find out just who this Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was. Turns out that he is the founder of the ISKON movement. His name was mentioned in the ancient text Srimad-Bhagawatam? How is that possible? I read that line again and realized that the Srimad-Bhagawatam talks about Krsna's incarnation in every age. And it is the author's interpretation that this 'incarnation in the Age of Kali is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu'.

My suspicion was confirmed by the following lines at the very end of the purport:

Lord Caitanya as the incarnation of Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, is described secretly but not directly in the confidential parts of the revealed scriptures, such as the Upanisads, Mahabharata and Bhagavatam.

Guess the author has committed the same crime that he accuses mundane wranglers of committing (Page 217) - speculating on the Gita in their own ways.

The Chaturwarna system is mentioned in verse 13 as follows:

चातुर्वण्यं माया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागाश:|
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विध्द्यकर्तारमव्ययम|

Translation:

According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.

It is clearly mentioned that the Chaturwarna system is based on nature of human beings, and not on one's birth. So, if a Brahman's child displays aptitude and inclination to follow the duties of a Kshatriya, he or she can do so and vice versa. One doesn't need to follow a particular profession just because one is born to parents who practice it. Wonder who twisted the definition of Chaturwarna and how.

Mackenna's Gold- the Indian Version

My first reaction to the news of the excavation by ASI at the Unnao Fort - just because a so-called seer claims to have been informed about 1000 tons of buried gold in a dream by a king who ruled the area around 2 centuries ago - was of utter disbelief. Are these guys certifiably insane? That's one possibility and a more believable one, considering the government actions of the past few months.

But there is another possibility (a very very slim one!) - an attempt to preserve the law and order in the area. Apparently, the seer is very much trusted by the local people. Clearly, people believe every word that he says. None of us would want a riot like situation if people decide to pick up shovels and go prospecting for some royal gold. If ISI stumbles upon some gold, it's a Happy Day scenario for the government - provided all of it ends up in government coffers (a fat chance!). If they don't find anything, the seer is automatically discredited.

Of course, there is a downside in both cases. If gold is indeed recovered, the seer's power will grow manifold. And even if it is not, the government will be powerless to stop people who will descend on the place in droves to try their luck, thus destroying a centuries-old structure (not that the governments have done anything to protect such sites in the past!).

What beats me is how in the world does a long-dead king know about the state of the Indian economy? That's a question worth it's weight in gold, what say?

While reading an article 'The Conscientious Civil Servant', I came across references to the following 2 books:

Massacre by Robert Payne
The Blood Telegram by Gary Bass

I have finished reading the 3rd Adhyaya of 'Bhagwad Geeta As It Is'. But I could not stomach some of the contents of Adhyaya 2. Here they are:

Text 31

स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसी|
धर्म्याद्धी युध्दाच्छ्रेयोsन्यत् क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते|

Translation:
Considering your specific duty as a Kshatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation.

When I read the words 'fighting on religious principles', I thought to myself 'well, this is a pretty subjective matter'. Who gets to decide what is a religious principle and what isn't? If tomorrow a band of people starts looting and killing saying such-and-such activities are against the tenets of Hinduism (aren't they already!), who gets to decide whether they are justified or not?After all, we cannot expect Lord Krishna to descend to earth and sanction or disapprove it, can we? So how does this apply to the present age?

The same Text gives following lines from a source that has been vaguely mentioned as 'religious law books':

यज्ञेषु पशवो ब्रह्मन हन्यते सततं द्विजैः
संस्क्रत: किला मंत्रेश्च तेsपि स्वर्गं अवाप्नुवन

The translation given is like this - 'The brahmans attain the heavenly planets by sacrificing animals in the sacrificial fire'. The purport further elaborates saying that 'The animal sacrified gets a human life immediately without undergoing the gradual evolutionary process from one form to another'.

I had to read this line twice before I could be sure that it means what I think it means. How can this 'religious law book' sanctify killing animals in sacrificial fire'? And that too by saying that we are doing them a favor? Yeah, yeah, I know I am a non-vegetarian and so have no right to take such a self-righteous tone. But I was brought up on a non-veg diet and I am sure that if I had been given a choice, I would not have opted for it. Because it is plain wrong to kill other animals for food - especially because we longer live in caves.

Text 62

ध्यायतो विषयान पुंस: संगस्तेषुपजायते|
संगात्सन्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोsभिजायते|

Translation:

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust developes, and from lust anger arises.

The purport says that 'One who is not, therefore, in Krishna consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fail, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will agitate him to gratify his desires'.

Now, elsewhere 'Krishna consciousness' is defined as 'doing everything for the enjoyment of Krishna'. But how do we know what will and what won't be enjoyed by Lord Krishna? Again, the text mentions that we need to be guided by a person who is Krishna conscious himself. How in the world is one supposed to find such a person? In this day and age, the probability of one stumbling across a religious crook is more than finding someone who is truly enlightened. So what do we do then?

Text 64

रागद्वेषविमुक्तैस्तु विशायानिंद्रियैश्चरन|
आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति|

Translation:

But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord.

A part of the purport goes something like this - If Krishna wants, the devotee can do anything which is ordinarily undesirable; and if Krishna does not want, he shall not do that which he would have ordinarily done for his own satisfaction.

Now, let's say I am craving for a piece of pastry that is so full of calories that I can practically see them dripping off it. I know that it won't do me any good and hence should be avoided. But I can argue that I will offer it as Prasadam to Krishna first and then eat it. So actually I am doing this for my own satisfaction but can argue that I am doing it for the Lord's enjoyment. And this clearly is not the way to go. So what is?

पवित्र रिश्ता नावाची कापूसकोंड्याची गोष्ट

एक होती अर्चना. ती, तिचे आईबाबा, तिचा भाऊ विनोद, वहिनी आणि दोन धाकटया बहिणी - वर्षा आणि वैशाली. अर्चना आईला तिच्या आजारपणात मदत करायला घरीच असल्याने फारसी शिकली नाही. म्हणून नोकरीही मिळत नाही आणि लग्नासाठी चांगली स्थळं येत नाहीत. पुढे तिला भेटला मानव - एक कार मेकेनिक. मग ही गोष्ट पुढे सरकली ती त्यांचं लग्न होतं की नाही ह्या मुद्द्यावर. जोडीला वर्षा, वैशाली आणि मानवाचा भाऊ सचिन ह्यांची आयुष्यं तोंडी लावायला होतीच. मानवला भेटली उद्योगपती डीकेची बायको. मानवचा उत्कर्ष सुरु झाला. वर्षाला मूल होणार नाही हे निदान झालं. अर्चनाने आपला मुलगा सोहम तिला वाढवायला काही दिवस दिला. वर्षाला त्याचा लळा लागला. आणि अर्चनाच्या जुळ्या मुलींच्या बारश्याच्या दिवशी त्याला घेऊन ती गायब झाली. मानव भडकला आणि दोन्ही मुलींना घेऊन त्याने तडक केनडा गाठलं. अर्चनाने अनाथ पुर्विला वाढवायला सुरुवात केली.

इथे सिरीयलने पहिली टाईमलीप घेतली. मग मानव केनडाहून येणं, जुळ्या मुलींचा आईवरचा राग, वर्षाचा बिहारी नवरा बालन आणि सोहम प्रकरण, पूर्वी आणि ओवी एकाच माणसाच्या, अर्जुनच्या, प्रेमात पडणं, आधी पूर्वीचं लग्न अर्जुनशी ठरणं, मग तिने ओविचं लग्न त्याच्याशी लावून देणं, पूर्वीचं प्रेग्नंट असणं, ओनीर आणि कोलकाता, मग पूर्वीचं अर्जुनशी लग्न लागणं, अर्चनाचा स्मृतिभ्रंश, तिचं बरं होणं, तेजू आणि शेजारचं गुजराती कुटुंब, सोहमचं डॉक्टर गौरीच्या प्रेमात पडणं, मधूनमधून अर्चनाच्या भावाची मुलगी पुन्नी आणि तिच्या नवर्याच्या कारवाया, अर्चनाने सचिनचं डॉक्टर गौरीशी लग्न ठरवणं, सोहमने तिला पळवून नेणं वगैरे यथासांग पार पडलं.

आता म्हणे सिरीयलने पुन्हा एक टाईमलीप घेतली आहे. मानवचे आईवडील, अर्चनाची आई सगळे जिवंत आहेत. दोन दोन लग्नं होऊन बिचारा अर्जुन भारतात एकटाच राहतोय. पूर्वी त्याला सोडून आईवडिलांबरोबर केनडात आहे. सचिनला ३ मुलं आहेत. इथे भारतात सोहमला ४ मुलं आहेत. मोठी मुलगी अर्चनाची कार्बनकॉपी आहे. पूर्वीच्या दुसर्या बाळाचं काय झालं माहीत नाही. सध्या तरी परी एकटीच दिसतेय. ओवी कुठे आहे माहीत नाही. तेजूचं लग्न झालेलं नाही तेच बरंय नाहीतर पुढल्या आयपीएल सिझनमध्ये ह्यांनी आपली टीम उतरवली असती. अर्चनाबाई मध्येमध्ये पिकलेले केस घेऊन भारतातल्या समुद्राकडे पहात 'केनडामे सुबह हो गयी' असे मजेशीर संवाद म्हणताहेत. आता सोहमची मुलगी अर्चनासारखेच कष्ट उपसणार हे सांगायला ज्योतिषाची गरज नाही.

एकुणात काय तर पहिले पाढे पंचावन्न अशी ह्या सिरियलची गत आहे. आणखी काही महिन्यांनी अजून एक टाईमलीप आली तरी अर्चनाबाई फार म्हाताऱ्या दिसणार नाहीत. त्यांची पणती कष्ट उपसायला तयार होणार आणि कापूसकोंड्याची गोष्ट चालूच रहाणार हे नक्की.

A Grade 5 cyclone,  a topographically vulnerable state like Odisha and India's record of always being caught unprepared seemed like a sure recipe for disaster. But surprisingly, the loss of lives was limited to 21. With all due respect to those who lost their lives, it seems like the state administration managed to pull off what can only be called a Herculean task - considering the fact that upwards of half a million people (if the figures published in newspapers are to be believed) were safely evacuated. Timely warning by IMD - made possible by sophisticated weather information and analysis sources, the timely delivery of critical information, a proactive administration - that perhaps took a cue from the disaster in Uttarakhand - all had a role to play.

Of course, there is a lot of damage - disrupted road and train services, loss of electricity, people stranded in far-flung villages, loss of crops, looming threat of flood and water-borne diseases like diarrhea. The administration and voluntary organizations need to pull up their socks to manage all this efficiently. Plus they should compare notes with other states in an effort to share the lessons learnt on ground.

In the meantime, we all can take comfort in the fact that finally this country is waking up to the realization that every life is worth saving. I hope there won't be any Grade 5 cyclones in future. But if there are, I would pray that the loss of life would be nil.

Cable Trouble

I hope my last call to my cable service provider was 'recorded for quality assurance purposes' and that someone listens to it. When the customer service representative asked me my card number as soon as she came on line instead of wasting precious seconds saying 'Good morning, this is so and so. How may I help you?' I was pleasantly surprised. Then, of course, she had to verify my account information, address, contact number etc. I said 'That's right!' to all 3 questions patiently but was stumped when she asked me my email ID. I said I don't think I have provided them with one. She seemed surprised making me wonder why she couldn't see that the email ID was missing from the account information in front of her. I could have let it go but then she asked me if I wanted to give her the ID. I sensed my patience wearing thin and before it totally disappeared like a sheet of ice in blazing noon sun, I told her that I would appreciate it if she could solve my current issue which happened to be quite a pressing one. Email ID can wait.

She graciously agreed to hear me out. I told her that I wasn't getting any transmission and wanted to know if the locality was experiencing any cable issues or I was being punished for my sins. She said that the locality was fine and dandy. Guess all my neighbors are saints - though they don't look (or behave!) like one. Then she asked me to switch the TV and power off and give it a try once again. The cable equivalent of Reboot. That failed to work.

Just when I was about to ask her when they would be sending the friendly-neighborhood cable guy to get the thing working again, she told me that they are getting reports of a cable outage in my locality. The timing sounded so suspicious that I had to ask 'Are you sure?'. She said that she will check with her seniors and let me know if I would agree to be put on hold. As if I had any choice! A few seconds later she confirmed the outage and said that they are trying their best to sort it out as soon as possible. I pretended not to have heard the 'as soon as possible' part and asked her if she could tell me approximately how long will it take. Predictably, she said that she cannot or at least I think she said that she cannot. Her usage of tenses would have driven my English teacher to her early grave for sure.

And this is for whosoever has it in his/her destiny to listen to the recording - for God's sake, stop these people from saying 'I am very sorry for the inconvenience' after every 2nd sentence or so. It makes us callers sorry that we called at all.

'Who is the killer' screamed the headlines on every news channel as they covered the stampede in Madhya Pradesh that claimed the lives of 115 people. While it is true that the administration fell short of providing adequate crowd control measures, it would be wrong to lay the entire blame squarely at their doors. We Indians simply don't seem to have discipline in our DNA.

The idea of forming a queue never occurs to even the educated among us. I went to my favorite shop to buy Jalebi and Fafada on Dassera morning. I had mentally prepared myself to get jostled in a sea of bodies but was pleasantly surprised to see people waiting in a queue. Happily I joined it. The queue was moving ahead at a fair pace because the shop attendants were efficiently handling the orders. Just then a group of 2-3 people came along clutching money. They looked at the queue, went ahead and asked for some items while proffering the money. No one in the queue said anything so I said in a raised voice 'how can these people barge in like this?'. Taking a cue, two gentlemen ahead of me told those people politely that there was a queue and they would have to wait their turn. Those people seemed surprised that they were asked to join the queue and pretended to walk away. But I could notice them moving to the head of the queue trying to get attention of the attendants. So I complained to the attendant standing next to me and he assured me that they will not be serviced.

I would have believed him except for the fact that I noticed the lady who was standing behind me calmly collect her purchase and walk away while I placed my order. I opened my mouth to complain yet again but then dropped the idea. Why spoil my mood on an auspicious day? It wasn't worth it simply because people who follow rules are exception in this country. You see the chaos on the streets as people take illegal turns right under the nose of the traffic cops, near the elevators as people try to barge in without giving the occupants a chance to get out, in the parks as people stand chatting in groups right in the middle of the walkway. We want to be the first one to race ahead when the signal turns green, the first one to get in the bus/train/elevator and the first one to get out. Why? No one knows.

This same lack of discipline has led to these deaths. And we will keep seeing such deaths unless we realize this and choose to act on it.

Gravity (Spoiler Alert!)

Sometimes I feel that in Hollywood it must be illegal to make any movie about space without the customary dialogue "Houston, we have a problem". Well, this movie ain't any exception except that Houston behaves like the proverbial cops in the Hindi movies - they arrive on the scene just before the credits start rolling. At least, a voice from mission control does. So if you plan to look out for Ed Harris in this movie, just don't bother.

What's the plot then? We have Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a doctor + engineer, on her first shuttle mission. And then we have Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) (looking every bit American, not even an ounce of Russian! Maybe he is a Russian American) who, we are told, is not only an astronaut but also a very experienced one. This is his last voyage before he hangs his boots - and space helmet, Oxygen tank etc. There is one more astronaut who I believe is depicted as an Indian because he sings 'Mera Joota Hai Japani' while flying in circles as Ryan and Matt attempt some repair or other in space.

Of course, the 'big bad' Russians are at it again. This time they manage to blow some satellite or something like that (I can't be sure what because I was too busy gawking at the aqua blue globe of earth and munching on Caramel popcorn to pay attention to the dialogues). The point is that this sets off a chain reaction in which debris start flying through the space and Houston warns the astronauts that they better be indoors. Of course, Ryan being the pig-headed woman that she is (ain't this a stereotype?), refuses to immediately abandon whatever she is doing. By the time she does, it is already too late. The debris arrive on the scene and in the ensuing confusion, Ryan is set adrift in space. Matt manages to reel her back in but the singing Indian is already dead (did they really have to blow part of his face off?). Since the communication is knocked out of order, Houston is blissfully unaware of this space drama. Lucky them!

Matt and Ryan set the course for the International Space Station (ISS). To add more excitement to this space journey, Ryan is running out of Oxygen and running on fumes (perhaps more literally than figuratively!). When they reach the ISS, she fails to grab on to anything and Matt has to be the knight in the shining white armor again. It's just that it doesn't end too well for him because to make sure that she sees the inside of ISS, he has to cut himself loose.

And that's precisely how Ryan, who at one point says that she chose to be in space because of the absolute silence there, ends up all alone up there in the stratosphere. It's true what they say about being careful what you wish for. The rest of the movie is about how she makes it back to Mother Earth.

Frankly, I am surprised that Clooney agreed to be part of this project and that Bullock is the main character of the movie. I devoured a sizable portion of my caramel popcorn trying to figure this mystery out. But if you leave that part out, the rest of the movie is fairly enjoyable. At least you don't have to worry about aliens out to colonize earth, macho man armed to the teeth fighting them till the very bitter end and earth's population dying of some mysterious flesh-eating disease of extra-terrestrial origin. Though at times you have to concentrate to be in sync with what Ryan is doing like e.g. to move from the ISS to the Chinese station, there is something fundamentally soothing about a movie that contains characters that can be counted using fingers of one hand only. No complex relationships, no ranks, no duets of emotions. Just a person's conversation with her own self - something that is increasingly becoming rare in this age. The irony of human life is that we all want to be left alone but we all want to be part of the crowd as well. The scene where Ryan tries to communicate with someone on earth whose transmission she is able to listen to just because of some technical glitch and whose language she cannot understand was for me the highlight of this movie. If I ever chance upon this movie on some TV channel in future, that's the scene I would like to watch again. That said, it's no surprise that the special effects are awesome in this 3D movie. You really feel as if you are in space.

Last but not the least, it is difficult to tear your eyes away from the planet that we call our Home. Earth is devastatingly beautiful - more so when seen from the infinite expanse of the space. Not many of us will be able to go where no one has gone before but this movie sure lets us take a peek at it while at the same time telling a story of someone who almost loses her will to live, only to regain it and fight back.