रब दिलके इरादे आजमाता है
ख्वाबोके परदे हटाता है
होसला मत हारना जिन्दगीमे कभी
क्योंकि थोडा दर्द ही इन्सानको जीना सिखाता है
(Forwarded)
Friday, July 29, 2011
I was waiting at the counter of a stationery shop when the guy standing next to me started speaking on his mobile. Apparently he was giving directions to someone.
"Yes, yes, you get down at Dadar station and come upto the temple."
I guess that at this point the fellow at the other end did not understand which temple was being referred to.
"अरे वो गोल टेम्पल, bomb-blast वाला" said this guy referring to the Hanuman Temple near Dadar Kabutarkhana.
I did a double take. What have we Mumbaikars come to? We are now using the blast sites as landmarks :-(
"Yes, yes, you get down at Dadar station and come upto the temple."
I guess that at this point the fellow at the other end did not understand which temple was being referred to.
"अरे वो गोल टेम्पल, bomb-blast वाला" said this guy referring to the Hanuman Temple near Dadar Kabutarkhana.
I did a double take. What have we Mumbaikars come to? We are now using the blast sites as landmarks :-(
Why is the Pakistani foreign minister pitching for Indo-Pak cricket matches? Anyone who has watched even one of these matches can attest to the fact that there is nothing 'gentlemanly' about them. They are played as if both countries are at war again. If anything, they add fuel to the fire that has been burning since 1947.
In the wake of the recent blasts in Mumbai, this suggestion is not only absurd but totally insensitive and should be turned down decisively. Or else Pakistan's next suggestion will be to employ Ajmal Kasab as the 3rd umpire!
In the wake of the recent blasts in Mumbai, this suggestion is not only absurd but totally insensitive and should be turned down decisively. Or else Pakistan's next suggestion will be to employ Ajmal Kasab as the 3rd umpire!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
I was feeling very listless over the weekend because of the cold. On top of it, there is some vague feeling of uneasiness, nothing frightening, just some stupid inexplicable haunting feeling. It could be of course a by-product of the season. Monsoon always makes me long for something, though I don't know what.
So I decided to do a little spring-cleaning. For months, I have been thinking about getting out that stack of CDs which I had put together during my last days at the B School, stashed away on coming back to Mumbai and then forgotten. I decided to make good use of the time I had.
Many things tumbled out of those disks - articles, pdf files of finance books, photos. And 3 things that I was looking out for. One, a collection of cartoons - Asterix, Calving & Hobbes and Tintin - that a friend had put together for me. Two, a collection of Tom & Jerry that the same friend had been generous enough to copy. Karthik, pal, thanks a zillion times for this! :-)
The third item was the diary which I had managed to pen almost every day of my stay there. I could not resist the temptation of opening up a few pages to check out their contents and cringed at the abbreviations and the short clipped sentences that I had used. I saw references to classmates who had been part of my universe during that year. I wondered what I had meant by DMO and MDM. In one of the pages I had mentioned going to the Mining class. For a moment, I wondered what this was all about. Then it struck me that it meant Data Mining class. :-)
There were countless references to going for walks, breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, grief over assignments and fretting over results. It seemed as if I was reading someone else's diary. I could not recognize this me that was peeking out of the pages. Amazing, this thing that we call Life. :-)
So I decided to do a little spring-cleaning. For months, I have been thinking about getting out that stack of CDs which I had put together during my last days at the B School, stashed away on coming back to Mumbai and then forgotten. I decided to make good use of the time I had.
Many things tumbled out of those disks - articles, pdf files of finance books, photos. And 3 things that I was looking out for. One, a collection of cartoons - Asterix, Calving & Hobbes and Tintin - that a friend had put together for me. Two, a collection of Tom & Jerry that the same friend had been generous enough to copy. Karthik, pal, thanks a zillion times for this! :-)
The third item was the diary which I had managed to pen almost every day of my stay there. I could not resist the temptation of opening up a few pages to check out their contents and cringed at the abbreviations and the short clipped sentences that I had used. I saw references to classmates who had been part of my universe during that year. I wondered what I had meant by DMO and MDM. In one of the pages I had mentioned going to the Mining class. For a moment, I wondered what this was all about. Then it struck me that it meant Data Mining class. :-)
There were countless references to going for walks, breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, grief over assignments and fretting over results. It seemed as if I was reading someone else's diary. I could not recognize this me that was peeking out of the pages. Amazing, this thing that we call Life. :-)
My voice has turned slightly hoarse in the aftermath of cold and because of the cough that has followed in its wake. Listening to myself speak on the phone today morning, I suddenly thought of Phoebe - from Friends. Remember that episode in which she thinks that her voice has become sexy because she is suffering from cold? Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't think my voice has become sexy. If it were possible, I think cold has made it more rude than it already is :-) But that didn't stop me from remembering the Friends episode and having a good laugh - never mind that I coughed for a good 2 minutes after that :-(
A politician with a difference
All ye "so-called" wizened Indian politicians, take a leaf out of this young one's book, sorry, Facebook - Facebook hero fights for Ankleshwar Nagarpalika.
Why is everyone going gaga over Hina Rabbani Khar's bag? She is a foreign minister from Pakistan, for heaven's sake! There is absolutely no need to gush over her 'supposed' charms. We should deal with her only as an emissary from a country which has been responsible for much bloodshed in India and not give away anything which we will come to regret later.
I hope the Press finds more worthy topics to cover. Surely, we don't have a dearth of them in this country.
I hope the Press finds more worthy topics to cover. Surely, we don't have a dearth of them in this country.
Dwarakadheesh (Imagine TV)
I cannot be counted amongst the fans of mythological serials that seem to have mushroomed on the Idiot Box these days. The serial "Dwarakadheesh" (Imagine TV), however, has been an exception to the rule.
Lord Krishna has always been one of my favorite deities. And the actor playing the part in this serial fits the bill perfectly - what with his soulful eyes, deep dimples and cute mischievous smile. You should see his crestfallen face when he gets chastised, which is more often than not, by elder brother Balram. Simply adorable! He delivers his dialogues - even the philosophical ones - with conviction. Till now, the word "Krishna" used to conjure up image of Nitish Bharadwaj who played the part in the famous serial "Mahabharata". I guess it is time for Mr. Bharadwaj to bow out. :-)
It will be interesting to see who plays the famous characters of Karna, Duryodhana, Arjuna and Draupadi. Though I eagerly await the decisive battle at Kurukshetra and of course, the delivery of Bhagwad Geeta, I don't mind watching Krishna play his enchanting flute in the meantime. :-)
Lord Krishna has always been one of my favorite deities. And the actor playing the part in this serial fits the bill perfectly - what with his soulful eyes, deep dimples and cute mischievous smile. You should see his crestfallen face when he gets chastised, which is more often than not, by elder brother Balram. Simply adorable! He delivers his dialogues - even the philosophical ones - with conviction. Till now, the word "Krishna" used to conjure up image of Nitish Bharadwaj who played the part in the famous serial "Mahabharata". I guess it is time for Mr. Bharadwaj to bow out. :-)
It will be interesting to see who plays the famous characters of Karna, Duryodhana, Arjuna and Draupadi. Though I eagerly await the decisive battle at Kurukshetra and of course, the delivery of Bhagwad Geeta, I don't mind watching Krishna play his enchanting flute in the meantime. :-)
Poor Baba Ramdev! On hearing that Rakhi Sawant is interested in marrying him he must have gone in search of a yogasana that will enable him to vanish into thin air at the drop of a hat. Failing which, he can always go for the Shavasana :-) Jay Ho!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Nothing can be more ironic than this - well, at least as far as I am concerned. I had gone to the chemist's shop on Sunday to purchase some medicines. I brought back 'cold' instead. I just happened to be standing very close to the counter when the shop attendant sneezed. Of course, it's not the rule of the land to cover your nose while sneezing so I got a full blast of the germs right in my face despite jumping back in alarm pretty quickly :-(
I am not at all fond of popping pills so I didn't touch "Celin" though prudence demanded that I down at least 3-4 of the tablets to ward off the attack, if any was coming my way. That, as it turned out, was a big mistake! The enemy attacked while I was sleeping soundly so I woke up the next day - sneezing and wheezing. Luckily, I know a very good home remedy for cold. You basically make a paste of Sunth (dried ginger) and Vekhand (Google tells me it is also called 'Acorus Calamus'), heat it up a bit (just to the level that your skin can tolerate), apply it evenly across your forehead and leave it overnight. More often than not, by morning you are relieved of nasal congestion, heaviness in head and runny nose!
What I am more worried about is the cough that follows these cold bouts. It takes ages to get cured and drives me as well as those around me absolute nuts. :-( I do have a home remedy for this as well. I mix lemon juice and honey, add a touch of black pepper to this mixture and consume it throughout the day. It is not a quick-fix but I believe it does go a long way in easing the symptoms and providing relief.
In the meantime, this cold attack has made me grumpy big time and not a soul has ventured into my cabin all through the day :-) Finally, time to get some work done!
I am not at all fond of popping pills so I didn't touch "Celin" though prudence demanded that I down at least 3-4 of the tablets to ward off the attack, if any was coming my way. That, as it turned out, was a big mistake! The enemy attacked while I was sleeping soundly so I woke up the next day - sneezing and wheezing. Luckily, I know a very good home remedy for cold. You basically make a paste of Sunth (dried ginger) and Vekhand (Google tells me it is also called 'Acorus Calamus'), heat it up a bit (just to the level that your skin can tolerate), apply it evenly across your forehead and leave it overnight. More often than not, by morning you are relieved of nasal congestion, heaviness in head and runny nose!
What I am more worried about is the cough that follows these cold bouts. It takes ages to get cured and drives me as well as those around me absolute nuts. :-( I do have a home remedy for this as well. I mix lemon juice and honey, add a touch of black pepper to this mixture and consume it throughout the day. It is not a quick-fix but I believe it does go a long way in easing the symptoms and providing relief.
In the meantime, this cold attack has made me grumpy big time and not a soul has ventured into my cabin all through the day :-) Finally, time to get some work done!
Monday, July 25, 2011
आजकाल माझं एफ़एम ऐकणं जवळपास बंदच झालंय. सोनीचा वॊकमन एव्हढा वापरतेय की एखाद दिवस तो नक्की संपावर जाणार ह्याची खात्री आहे :-) खरं तर ८जीबीचा घ्यायला हवा होता. पण आपल्याला आवडणारी एव्हढी गाणी आहेत हे मला कुठे माहित होतं? :-( तरी अजून त्यात मराठी गाणी लोड केलेलीच नाहियेत. आशा भोसलेंची माझी एक लाडकी सीडी कुठेतरी गायब झाली आहे. किती दिवस शोधतेय पण सापडतच नाही. माझी खूप आवडती अशी बरीच भावगीतं त्यात आहेत आणि मला ती वॊकमनमध्ये लोड करता येतात का ते पहायचंय. आज संध्याकाळी पुन्हा शोधतेच.
काहीकाही हिंदी गाण्यांची तर पारायणं झाली आहेत आणि दररोज होतात. ’अभिनेत्री’ मधलं ’ओ घटा सावरी’, ’मेरा साया’ मधलं ’तू जहा जहा चलेगा’, ’हिंदुस्तानकी कसम’ मधलं ’है तेरे साथ मेरी वफ़ा’, ’कुदरत’चं ’दुखसुखकी हरेक माला’, ’लिबास’मधली ३ गाणी, ’नमकीन’मधलं ’फ़िरसे आईयो बदरा बिदेसी’, ’मिलाप’ मधलं ’कई सदियोंसे कई जन्मोंसे’......
पूर्वीच्या काळचे इजिप्तचे राजे मेल्यावर आपल्या आवडीच्या वस्तू स्वत:सोबत पिरेमिडमध्ये पुरून घेत म्हणे. हिंदू धर्मात पुरायची सोय नाही म्हणून नाहीतर मी माझा सोनीचा वॊकमन आणि आवडीची पुस्तकं बरोबर घेऊन गेले असते. :-)
अरे हो, ९८.३ मिरची चॆनेलवरच्या पुरानी जीन्सचा अनमोल परत आलाय. त्याच्याऐवजी हा कार्यक्रम सादर करणारी आरजे चांगली होती पण अनमोलची सवय झाली होती. आणि सवय कुठे सहजासहजी बदलता येते? सो अनमोल, वेलकम बॆक. :-)
काहीकाही हिंदी गाण्यांची तर पारायणं झाली आहेत आणि दररोज होतात. ’अभिनेत्री’ मधलं ’ओ घटा सावरी’, ’मेरा साया’ मधलं ’तू जहा जहा चलेगा’, ’हिंदुस्तानकी कसम’ मधलं ’है तेरे साथ मेरी वफ़ा’, ’कुदरत’चं ’दुखसुखकी हरेक माला’, ’लिबास’मधली ३ गाणी, ’नमकीन’मधलं ’फ़िरसे आईयो बदरा बिदेसी’, ’मिलाप’ मधलं ’कई सदियोंसे कई जन्मोंसे’......
पूर्वीच्या काळचे इजिप्तचे राजे मेल्यावर आपल्या आवडीच्या वस्तू स्वत:सोबत पिरेमिडमध्ये पुरून घेत म्हणे. हिंदू धर्मात पुरायची सोय नाही म्हणून नाहीतर मी माझा सोनीचा वॊकमन आणि आवडीची पुस्तकं बरोबर घेऊन गेले असते. :-)
अरे हो, ९८.३ मिरची चॆनेलवरच्या पुरानी जीन्सचा अनमोल परत आलाय. त्याच्याऐवजी हा कार्यक्रम सादर करणारी आरजे चांगली होती पण अनमोलची सवय झाली होती. आणि सवय कुठे सहजासहजी बदलता येते? सो अनमोल, वेलकम बॆक. :-)
Recently, I saw a banner fluttering outside a home on Pedder Road in Mumbai. It said something like this:
Dear Home Minister,
Can we please stay with you? We don't feel safer in our own homes anymore.
And here's one that came in an SMS:
To the President and Prime Minister of India,
I don't ask you to hang Ajmal Kasab.
I just request the Government of India to protect all of us in the same way as you have protected him.
Long live India's democracy!
Dear Home Minister,
Can we please stay with you? We don't feel safer in our own homes anymore.
And here's one that came in an SMS:
To the President and Prime Minister of India,
I don't ask you to hang Ajmal Kasab.
I just request the Government of India to protect all of us in the same way as you have protected him.
Long live India's democracy!
What a (crappy) idea SirJi
Can the person who conceived the new Idea 3G ad please stand up? I would really like to ask you what in the world prompted you to bring forth this inane, stupid and absolutely idiotic ad? If your creativity has so pathetically dried up, go do something else for a living!
For those who feel as disturbed by this ad as I do, you can lodge a complaint against it here.
For those who feel as disturbed by this ad as I do, you can lodge a complaint against it here.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
I recently came across the word 'Amuse-bouche' somewhere. Since I didn't know what it meant, I made a note of it on my mobile. And there is sat for days till today when I decided to have some mercy on the poor gadget and cleaned up a bit of its memory. :-)
So, in case you too don't know what an 'Amuse-bouche' is, read on.
So, in case you too don't know what an 'Amuse-bouche' is, read on.
Sites for a rainy day
Here's my next set of sites for a rainy day or evening :-)
http://www.amosweb.com/cgi-bin/awb_nav.pl?s=awb
http://www.justiceharvard.org/
http://sizzlingpots.com/
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
http://www.amosweb.com/cgi-bin/awb_nav.pl?s=awb
http://www.justiceharvard.org/
http://sizzlingpots.com/
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
