Plain Luck is it!

I was just plain lucky to be at the place at that time! I was thinking about it for the past few months, talking about it with a few friends, trying to find information on the same. And there I was, the information I needed presenting to myself on its own. Had I left at my usual timing from the Office I might not have been able to lay my hands on it. But just that very day I decided to hang on till late for some data. It was almost 9.30 in the night. Had I even left with a colleague 10 minutes back which I planned to, still I would not have been able to get this on my palate. Thats what you call destiny.Well not destiny. That is what I might make with this piece of information. This is plain luck.

It seemed a bit weird that someone else was collecting just the same information I was looking out for, for this information does not have connections with anything I am doing currently or even any connections with the other person who found out all about it and presented to me. Strange, I said to myself. But hang on, probably that means I am thinking in the right direction myself. For someone else in similar shoes as mine, with no connection to this particular piece of information also sees a logic to it.

Thats the weirdness of some ideas, you cant draw a clear logic for them and still you understand that the idea is hinged on absolute logic. And you also know that the idea will work !

One foot from a winning touchdown

I had written sometime back about a victory on the sports field giving the maximum high possible, at least to me.
http://independent-judgement.blogspot.com/2007/09/dancing-on-that-ground.html
(Yeah read that again :-) )
The other day I was watching the classic Roddick vs Federer final. I put myself in Roddick’s shoes and my heart felt for the guy. He had put in his everything, un match able serves, a pure glimpse of grit over class, but just felt short. Just like sports is able to give you the maximum high I felt it can also give you the biggest of lows. “Emotionally drained” that is all I could make out from Roddick’s face after the defeat, at least for that particular moment. It’s that moment when you are so close from what can be a huge victory and suddenly you see it slip out of your hand. You are left helpless and dejected and emotionally drained. Just wanting the thing to play over again. The thoughts of how you could have changed a few things keep lingering in your mind. Just hoping that that one stroke of luck had gone your way…..You have gone into the match picturising the entire crowd shouting your name and cheering you and then suddenly you are there watching the opponent/s clutching the winning trophy and dancing on that very ground!!!.....
When I mentioned this feeling to a friend the question I was asked was, “Is winning everything then?” I do not have an exact reply to this question(although my heart probably continues to say Yes) but I believe this entire feeling comes more because of the love for the sport and the passion for the same than just the pure thought of winning.

Impatience is a virtue??!!??

Airtel advertisements off late have always been one expressing emotions or are ones to do with emotions. So I got quite interested on seeing the “impatience is the new life” advertisement which seemed completely different than the Airtel genre of Ad’s.

An impatient new generation not ready to wait patiently for its turn. The whole Ad seeming more like a chant by an entire generation. An Ad which the generation connects to and I guess would definitely give it a Thumbs Up. Nothing preachy, nothing exaggerated, no thrusts.

Telecom advertisements in India have become things that are getting discussed on canteens, streets and buses. From Vodafone kid and the pug to zouzous, Idea’s “what an idea sirji”, Airtel’s “express yourself” and the highly famous AR Rahman tune had made Telecom advertisements instant connects and reconnects. The Reliance Ad even made Sehwag’s maa amongst the biggest hits of a cricket season. But somehow the Airtel Broadband “impatience” Ad I feel, has taken the whole thing to a different level. Kudos

A Fluent 99

I am going to praise this movie for a few reasons.

One, it wasn’t that average as the reviews I got from friends and the ones I read. Two, there’s no other movie releasing. Three, its actually decent enough.

The story revolves about nothing actually. An attempt to a story is made through Kunal(Sachin) and Cyrus(Dravid) falling into the hands of a local betting syndicate. The story moves from Mumbai to Delhi for no particular reason except for taking a dig at a bit of Delhigiri, so it seems.

The thing I liked about the movie is that all the important twists are subtle. The romance between Soha and Sachin is more of friendly nature than filmi types. You won’t even realize when the only song of the movie started and got over with. So guess what works for the film is that none of the typical Bollywood trappings are used. The music is pretty decent while the dialogues at times are brilliant, cute and crisp. “sochna bhi mat” Soha Ali tells Sachin while the two are sitting in a lounge and the whole set of dialogues is portrayed so innocently. Kudos. Some silly excerpts, “Delhi me ladkiyon ke do hi naam hote hai, Pooja aur Neha”, “saari ladkiya DTM, desi turned mod”, “yaha ke taxi me meter bhi nahi hote”

Kunal Khemu is getting into the league finally and Soha Ali is cuteness personified. Cyrus and Mahesh Manjrekar have added good humour without a single good punchline given to them. As expected Boman Irani steals the show and a near perfect performance by Kuber.

All in all a clean comedy. A nice easy 99 on a slightly spinning track. After all its often that a 99 gets remembered more than a normal century.

Worth a see(As if you have choice these days) I hope there are some more producers who will get bugged of the strike soon and have mercy on us ‘velas’.

This summer

This summer spare a thought for each of these:

1. The Bus conductor who is standing throughout his long journeys in this heat
2. The Goods Truck driver sitting in hot truck cabins who ensures supplies reach your neighbourhood store
3. The old man who sells vegetables by the roadside because there is still no pension provided for the unorganized sector
4. For all those government employees who have to do compulsory election duty for a reimbursement of only Rs 128 per day(A steep hike from the Rs 95 per day in the last election :-))
5. For all those non-corrupt candidates with different ideologies who are campaigning in this heat, at least they dared to take the plunge into politics!
6. For all the policemen who have to stand in scorching heat for terrible pays and still be criticized.
7. For all those who do not get regular electricity to keep their fan going
8. For all those who not get enough water to quench their thirst
9. And for the UNFORTUNATE STUPID COMMON MAN who like all of us travels in buses and trains, walks for kilometers, at times drinks un hygienic water so that a few summers later he can afford to have an air conditioned car, sit and enjoy bread with honey, have his children to afford a cold drink when they please, watch un interrupted television and criticize the system!

Umeed....

Yuhi baithe baithe najane kitna arsa beet gaya
sannate ke goonj me dubkar apna hi awaaz ghum gaya

itna tha ujala fir bhi andhiyara use daba gaya
Shyam ki dastak ayi aur aaj ka bhi din dhal gaya

ek masum khwahish leke tha nikal pada
raste pe thak gaya, woh bhi aage na badha

khwab sabhi dekhte hai par bhool gaya tha disha
sirf ek lehar ki chunnauti se sara sapna simat gaya

ussi lehar par kudne ka ek armaan mann me jhunjhta raha
takrake chur honewale pathar se alag astitva banane ka chaha

sunhari dhoop me bhi dhundne laga badalon ki chaav
jhuki aankhon me aa gaya ab umeedo ka bhaav

ruka nahi thama nahi, jaana sirf sapno me hai jaan
leharo se ladne laga dene sapno ko anjaam

The twenty-five somethings

I read a forward about the “quarter life crisis” which inspired me to write about this stage. Whether I connected to it. Well I wont state that bit…..

For twenty-five somethings time does exist in two different dimensions depending on ones state of mind. Twenty-five’s something could be the most exciting part of your life and at the same time it could be the most anxious part of your life. A life partner, your standing vis a vis your friends, your career, your dreams everything gets decided or finalized or changes its path drastically for the good or bad during this interesting period.

At times you would be quite content on being an observer of the unfolding drama of life while at times you would think, this is the time for me to act, now or never! You would be wondering whether its actually the right time for you to get married or you are just not ready for it. Marriage?? For some shaking hands with a new person of the opposite sex is still a sexual experience at 25! The enthusiasts still hope for meeting someone in trains, buses, classes, treks, friend’s parties, etc. You start considering people you have known all along but never given much thought to earlier. The advantage being that at least you know the person. Those in relationships start thinking about how the same would progress till and after marriage. The future plans start falling in place. Those few have-beens and out of a relationship start dreading another and prefer to take their own sweet time when presented with photographs and suitable Resumes. Not trusting things becomes a norm. Time seems to be moving on crutches.

The job that was the absolute dream just a couple of years back seems the most dull thing for the moment. The adventurous are still busy planning ventures, failures which were never really felt before start taking huge tolls. Uncertainty and Living on the edge seems a part and parcel of life, especially in recession times like these. The ones who have always been rankers in college, well settled in their jobs start feeling that time investment to find a life partner during the study times would have made so much more sense.

What exactly would success be?? Another question which keeps lingering on and on. Is this what I actually want to do with my life?? What if I get extremely successful in my professional life but not find the right partner? What if I am unable to achieve my dream?? Let me just settle down now?? For the first time, even the most confident varieties worry about their future.

One phone and you are back in your mood…one mail from your Boss and you feel like quitting….you call your friends and discuss the same bullshit for hours again and again…..you hear a news and you suddenly feel insecure….. Life is a confusing question paper...Anticipation goes on forever….

DEV D

Fabulous Music, inspiring camera work, characters who do absolute justice to their bold roles and absolute brilliant masterwork by Anurag Kashyap!! A treat for someone who appreciates unconventional cinema. No pop corn bullshit, emotions which aren’t loudly portrayed, simply superb background music which wants you to immediately go to a friends place and copy all the songs(Since the whole world believes in piracy and not buying CD’s anymore)

Hats off to the unique scenes like 3 performers at the bar, the scene where Abhay Deol lands from the drinks table to the bed, and the entire “duniya gol hai’ song…. Anurag Kashyap and the cameramen deserve kudos. Some Desi swearing, Abhay Deol shown drowning in the Vodka, and Paro’s brilliant dialogue, “tumhe apni aukaad dikha rahi hu” give the movie continuous punches.

Dev and Paro are brilliant right throughout. Deol has got the charizma and Mahi the boldness which is loved. Coyness is a thing of the past! And Abhay Deol is the next kid on the block.

People loving unconventional movie watch it more than once, those loving the Shahrukh-Yash Chopra-Karan Johar type drama, at least do go for the music.

No soda …a complete Neat 5 star…this is no pop corn movie….some beer in your belly before going to the movie hall would do.

Mockery!!!

Welcome to -Lok Sabha Elections 09- glimpses of the colorful politics in a young vibrant country and currently the second fastest growing economy.

Sanjay Dutt who could have been possibly spending his time in jail is now contesting Lok Sabha elections. We offer direct transfer from jail to Lok Sabha! We believe in absolute democracy. Thugs too need representation in Parliament! Just go and talk some crap “Mamugiri”, give it a touch of Gandhigiri, and you could be through. Till 5 years back we had the nation’s leader contesting from Lucknow, now we have the nation’s thug. Apart from Mayawati the town has one more reason to stay on the political map.

Shibu Soren charged for murder too might contest Lok Sabha elections. With some effort and time, he could get the CID to close the case and we have Shibu Soren as a possible Ministerial candidate.

The current PM at age 78 is busy resting his currently beating heart. To challenge him we have a 81 year old Leader of Opposition who perfectly knows when to bring in the Mandir issue. Err did I just hear that the Mastermind of the Gujrat riots being made his successor. Out here development and mass massacre go hand in hand. Bhakti, Shakti and if time permits then Vikas!!

Raj Thackeray is missing from the scene? Well, these aren’t Mumbai Corporation Elections or Maharashtra Assembly Elections. He doesn’t indulge himself in National level things.

And then we see everyone bending and touching an Italian lady’s feet. “I know my limitations and I don’t like politics. I am involved only because of my husband” we hear her say.

And who says youngsters do not have a representation. We have Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Omar Abdullah, Rahul Gandhi, Priya Dutt, Milind Deora and a few others. It’s sheer co-incidence that all of their parents were in politics too. There were a few other youngsters from colleges and organizations interested in improving the system. They rather chose to get in the rat race and bother about their fat pay cheques. They say politics ruins the character.

15th August 1947 gave us a glimpse of the possibilities and responsibilities we all have. We were a child then. The child is grown. But the dream is still ON. Probably just that we have become comfortably numb.

A glimpse of the Maximum City

I get down from the bus to see a line of taxis and autos waiting. I get into one of them. The city is lighted as if Diwali is here for good. It’s 2 O’clock in the night and the city seems to have just come to life.

The auto rickshaw is now flying at full speed. Heavy traffic on the road even at this time of the night. I see a few motor bikes parked by the roadside. People are having “cutting chai” being served by a guy who has bought the same on a cycle. His cycle is his shop. Some road repairing work is in progress. “Anda bhurji” stalls having the busiest time of the day. The owner might have just completed his day job a few hours back. But he has chosen this life for himself. This city boasts of people who chose a tough life rather than fate chosing one for them. My rickshaw fellow overtakes a guy on the cycle who’s driving right in the middle of the road. “tere baap ka rasta hai kya?” my rickshaw-walla screams. Slang is the poetry of everyday life for Mumbaiites.

We meet with some traffic when nearing the airport. “There are too many flights at this time. That’s the reason for this traffic.” My rickshaw fellow informs me, “They should have an evened out time table through the day for these flights”. In this city everyone has an opinion about things he has no say in. We cover just about a hundred metres in the next 5 minutes thanks to the traffic. “Is there so much traffic everyday at this time?” I ask. “Because everyone is in a hurry everything walks on crutches here.” I smile at the philosophical reply. “How much do you earn in a day?” I ask. “Thanks to the high fuel prices, with this rickshaw I earn lesser than the watchman of your building who would be fast asleep by now” He replies with all the sarcasm he could put in the sentence. “However I operate a garage which gives good money. Me and my brother take turns between operating the garage and driving this Mercedes.”

I reach my building and ask the rickshaw wala to halt. The fare comes to 93 rupees with the night charge. Before I remove a 100 rupee note from my wallet the fellow is ready with coins amounting to 7 rupees. Mumbai thy name is efficiency! I make a futile attempt to get in through the gate which is locked from the inside. I go inside the society compound by jumping over its wall for the watchman is fast asleep.