2007 hits and misses

I’ve always had a ritual of sorts to recall the past years events before the new one dawns, however I feel that kind of a thing just brings back the bad ones along with the good ones. So this time year flashback will be there but with a difference.

Top 10 stories of 2007

1. Abhi-Ash wedding
2. Saurav Ganguly’s awesome comeback.
3. India T20 champions!
4. Nandigram woes
5. Shahid-kareena break up
6. Taslima nasreen ousted from Bengal
7. OSO biggest commercial hit of Hindi cinema
8. Narendra Modi became the CM of Gujarat for the 3^rd term
9. Benazir Butto’s comeback and her brutual assassination!
10. Bilwal Bhutto to follow his mother’s political legacy.
    

Here are some awards that really befits the receiver

Achiever award: Narendra Modi, for winning the elections for the 3^rd time in a row.

Smack award: Buddhadev Bhattacharya, for making immoral comments as a CM of a state, that he is not above his party. A CM has no party affiliations! Haven’t you read your oath before swearing in Mr CM!!

Publicity act award:Rakhi Sawant does indeed literally screams for attention, Miss Sawant try and accept your failure gracefully, just because you are a dancer and you dance well does not mean others are no match to you. Give others some credit and do resolve to adopt and endorse a better spirit in the new year.

Saccharine act award: Mrs Aishwarya Rai Bacchan, this bacchan bahu clings to her hubby dearest, dissolves in peels of giggles, to show just how much marriage agrees with her. Mrs bacchan no need to show off we know the media covers everything, and we have no inclination to know further.

Bravery award: Saurav Ganguly, who swam against the tide and with the dint of sheer determination and perseverance proved his mettle once again, that he really is the Maharaj.PERIOD!

Survivor award: Shahid kapoor who went through media like a brave heart for the promotion of his upcoming movie with his ex who just a few days was the love of his life, a girl friend for four years. Despite the fact that his now ex had jumped out of the relationship and right into the arms of the dreadful lawbreaker Casanova, shahid always maintained his calm and dignity by proving it to people, that relationships may end but upbringing doesn’t.

Bitchy award: No surprise but Kareena Kapoor does take the award without any competition at all. Bebo [sounds like some dogs name how apt for her isn’t it?:P ] who claimed on march 13, and I quote “ I will probably marry Shahid and I am not the kind to jump from one relationship to another. For me love is for keeps.” Well babes it dint take you long for doing just that, funny how fast ones philosophies change doesn’t it? Why don’t you write a book “how to jump out and into the arms of a new man in 3 days” it will be a best seller we assure you.

Nawabi award: well for the man who goes against norms and rituals and marries a woman older to him, for a man who is known to be a veteran but has only recently got an opportunity to rise above supporting actor category to that of an actor, the moment the blessed transition takes place so does the heart and the person, or is it that the true colors emerged. He gets rid of his wife for 15 years, with the whole world and his children back home watching, he gets himself a new Italian girl friend lives with her, sobs in front of national television of how this whole things effects him and that it is only his Italian Rossa stands by him when the world treats him like the bad man, only a year or two later the Italian lady is discarded to for more pricier catch while is she is left floundering in a new country where she doesn’t even speak the language! But the escapades don’t stop here, he then goes on to have a fling with every leading lady of tinsel town only to stop when bollywoods most successful couple split and in a day he is seen proclaiming to media that indeed he is in love even though he is not screaming it from top of the roofs! Kudos to you chote nawab! We know you are not a bad guy and no we are not proving it to the world, so please spare us the tears! Maybe you’ll need them in the near future for surely you have met your match in Miss Kapoor.

P.S- this is supposed to be a fun post! So do take this is best spirits! Hope you had fun reading it! And by the way, I am not sorry for being really bitchy here :P

Have a rocking new year everyone!

Many Lives,Many Masters

While in Delhi i was reading this book called "Many lives,Many masters" by Dr Brian Weiss and here is an extract from the back cover for i found the information befitting the book.its a good read, hope you get time to read it as well.

Psychiatrist Dr Brian Weiss has been working with Catherine,a young patient, for 19 months.Catherine was suffering from recurring nightmares and chronic anxiety attacks.when his traditional methods of therapy failed,Dr Weiss turned to hypnosis and was astonished and skeptical when Catherine began recalling pasty-life traumas which seemed to hold the key to her problems. Dr Weiss's skepticism was eroded when Catherine began to channel messages from the 'space in between', which contained remarkable revelations about his own life.acting as a channel for information from highly evolved spirit entities called Masters,Catherine revealed many secrets of life and death. This fascinating case dramatically altered the lives of Catherine and Dr Weiss and provides important information on the mysteries of the mind,the continuation of life after death and the influence of our past life experiences on our present behavior. I just loved this line-

" there is a reason for everything.perhaps the moment that an event occurs we have neither the insight nor the foresight to comprehend the reason, but with time and patience it will come to light."

ASSASSINATED!

I am not a politically inclined person,nor am do i harbor anti-Pakistan feelings.but despite not knowing the whole scenario of yesterday, Benazir bhutto's assassination,the arguments pro or against her and her political intension.but as a human being,which is way above anything nationality that i may endorse, i find this extremely unsettling.a political dynasty has been wiped out, and Pakistan politics are now bereft of their most charismatic leader.i feel proud of her as a woman, who despite knowing what the consequence may be on her return to her homeland, stepped forward to do what she believed. it is the fire in her eyes, and the poise with which she has always carried herself, her clear vision of things she wished for and the conviction with which she spoke made me admire her. and it is truly sad that a leader of such caliber was brutally assassination, who could have given the nation their right to democracy. her death is deeply mourned.

Woman empowerment

The bike came to a screeching halt in the petrol pump, the capped person turned around to serve us and to my amazement, it was a very feminine voice that asked us our choice of petrol, it was the nose ring the defined the assistant as a lady. I have seen lady assistants in petrol pumps in Delhi and read about it happening in other metro cities but this was the first I witnessed it that too in Kolkata. What made me feel even more proud was, that the eyes which stared back while waiting for the fuel to fill the tank was confident and firm, no apprehension or fear veiled her eyes. She knew exactly what to ask and what to do, and it was her attitude and poise that spoke lengths about her confidence. Two other bikers, both men waiting in a queue behind us; though this discovery was not taken too gladly by them; who were heard commenting how ladies should keep to things concerning home and hearth; while Samik turned around to say how great it was to see women doing a job that a man does and that too so well. That indeed equality is slowly makings its presence felt. The two other bikers may have represented what is an initial apprehension to change and male chauvinism, however most others feel that change is truly coming about; and what with the Supreme Court issuing a Bill allowing women to serve as bartender, women have much reason to celebrated! Here’s to the women of today and tomorrow! Cheers!!

OSO

Farah Khan’s OSO has been declared the biggest commercial blockbuster of Indian cineman, where on the other side Sawaariya by Sanjay Leela Bhansali even though was described as a Visual Poetry, created aping the Broadway style bombed at the BO. The film critic panned the latter saying that it had no story line. Haven seen both, I found OSO’s packaging real good while Sawaariya very dull, gloomy and boring. However being a King Khan movie, OSO went laughing away to the coffers while the other bombed. OSO is an outright bollywood dhinchak movie and doesn’t pretend otherwise. a full on entertainer; it never leaves anything to crib. Debutant Deepika was really commendable while Shahrukh was back to being himself as he has done over the years in his entire chocolate boy image, playing the lover boy to the hilt. A spoof on yesteryears sometimes even the overacting seemed over the top. And a lot totally unrealistic though what is commendable is, reincarnations as a topic was well handled even though one can find several loop holes. Music well, there is nothing great to talk about, its good, Vishal and Shekhar has brought forward, ankhon mein teri is one song which seems to have brought back the beauty of lyrical poetry adding melody to the already beautiful song. Shreya Talpade leaves a mark on our minds as Pappu Master, and in a never before role is Arjun Rampal as the admirato, the villain hero was really wonderful. Writing about OSO and not mentioning the 31 star song, deewaangi deewangi is without question. Its almost like a game to spot our favorites in seconds of appearance. all in all a good movie lacking a finishing touch here and there and its best advised to watch it only while your brain is malfunctioning or is totally absent. A complete masala bollywood movie a must watch for time pass.

May your days be bright,and your heart be light
may this glorious day of our Saviour's birth
resound with hope and peace on earth!

May the grace of our mighty Father be with you all during this eve of Christmas.have a blessed christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Preparations!!

Ho Ho Ho! the Christmas season is here finally! are you wondering how a festive season hater who cant bear cold rejoicing in the upcoming days of fun frolic and laughter???well,what happened was,Delhi's temperature dropping 2 degree cured me of my phobia.while writing cards for friends last night,memories flooded my mind.when i was in class 6-7 being he eldest of my play group, i used to engage all of us and we would huddle in my terrace, spread out our colours and paints, with coloured papers,glue brushes and sit and personally make Christmas cards not just for each other but family and relatives.somehow this tradition has stuck on.now hand made cards have been replaced but however the sentiment remains the same.indeed Christmas is the time for giving and sharing and remembering loved ones.this will probably be the first year i wont hand up stockings and declare to my parents ceremonially of my action and wake up to find goodies.probably life has caught up with me and i am disillusioned.but since this is supposed to be a happy post,all gloomy thoughts are banned until the festive days are over.i so wanted to bake a cake this time but never got time to do it,i have thrown away all my decorations and now i regret,i will settle down to helping Barshali [my student] decorate her room and make her believe that indeed santa does exists and that it is a time to dream for the year to come and work twice as hard to make them a reality.it feels really nice to pass down idiosyncrasies to a different child who then spreads them all over and this is how they are immortalized for some time to come.hope you all have done your bit to welcome christmas if not,why waste time,no one is too old to celebrate Christmas.spread the good cheer!

The Trip,That Was...

I was in a state of shock,a feeling or numbness accounted for my near mechanic behavior.it was only when the train started moving and i saw my mother break down into sobs did i feel a tremendous urge to jump out right into the arms of dad and mom.soon i was served tea which diverted my attention and i enjoyed myself reading a book,giving free reign to my thoughts. my maiden voyage,without parents to supervise or fall back on it was i might add a daunting and colossal task;in no time my comforter and Saviour found me, it was a bit uncomfortable initially and co-passengers really stiff but it was in a weird way experience of a kind.

my cousin was late in picking me up so i had to find my way to station but of course my Saviour was always around for comfort.i felt a errie sense of calm and matter of attitude define my approach.soon my cousin found me and in no time i was on my way to her place.i was putting up Gurgoan,in a posh locality in the 14th story of a sky scraper.it has always been a special dream to live in a sky scraper and view the city bathed in its dusky beauty with shimmering lights,so in a way the dream came true.her apartment was tastefully done and her hospitality was warm friendly and very comfortable.my cousins father in-law became my best companion throughout my short stay.liberal,good conversationalist he was just the like minded companion i needed to make this trip a fruitful one.

Delhi according to me, is a very fast paced city,beautiful roads,accurate and helpful sign boards and well planned city, i often wished Calcutta would rise too, and be just as advanced in time.it is a city just for those who can survive the race to success,there are no mediocrity's.unlike Calcutta which is for all and sundry for people from all strata's of the society thriving.cost of living in Delhi too is quite high but it is the way the people preserved their heritage and balanced it with advancement and their eagerness to improve their lifestyle is what impressed me the most.i even visited chittaranjan park,the bong locality and found myself at home and at peace.

my short stay in delhi was extremely pleasant.with several trips for shopping,loads of pictures,meeting up Puneet for the first time,being in touch with friends through internet and some awesome coffee which came as a welcome specially as the temperature dropped to 2 degree,marked an awesome combination,the perfect recipe for a great trip.though in bits and patches my Saviour did make it tough almost painful for me with lots of cribbing and hurtful words still it was the presence i cherished and valued,for all the years to come.

my journey back home was an extremely happy one.because i had some great co-passengers. the comfort level and the cheerful spirit of all made the travel even more entertaining.there was no pretense,no facade and wearing our skin was the best part ever for reasons best not known to all :) .once comfortably off Rajdhani that came in an hour late,and on my way home in the cab i really felt a deja vu and this time it was for Delhi,i actually miss Delhi and uncle my companion throughout the trip. still but it is always fun to be back home.mom almost cried and every one claimed that without me the house was empty,hmm..it does work wonders to self importance to see such welcome..what say?? :P ....love,understanding and celebration of togetherness is what i found renewed after the trip...it maybe a bumpy ride but "we" are definitely together to stay.thank you god for the beautiful opportunity, for teaching me to have faith in myself and my abilities.

Daddy's girl

last night as lay trying to get some sleep,an unknown feeling gripped me almost strangulating me.totally restless and panicked i managed to gulp down some water to calm myself.i have never traveled alone that too in an unknown city.i have been away from mom dad but never this far.my trip maybe of just 5 days but so many hundred miles away from home and family weighed down upon me like anything.i tried to reason myself, that i would eventually have to leave in a year and half's time for my post grads and then it would not be a matter of five days or an unknown land,it would be an adjustment i would have to endure and to get the feel of it,now is the time.

always hailed as my daddy's girl rather boy, this is the second time in my life that i am feeling so lost thinking that id be away from dad.the thought so destructive that i almost begged dad to cancel the trip and let me stay.packings have been done,i leave by 3 this afternoon and despite the excitement and the thrill i feel deja vu.i wonder how so many people do this every year, staying away from home and family.it must be tough na Mann?

so many things are planned,places to visit,people to meet shopping to do.it will be a whole new experience.there has been so many road blocks initially that i cant even believe that the day to leave has finally arrived.this trip is about to teach me a lot,but first of it it made me realize just how much i happen to love dad and how much my home and family means to me.i don't know if ever i will be able cut off the my umbilical cord with my home and family and move on with life,no matter how much i love samik this is just one thing now i feel i can never outgrow.my usually naughty niece too yesterday almost broke down saying that she would miss me and gave me strict instructions to behave myself and take care,she was going out of her way to be extra nice to me.the special treatment that i am receiving now due to my pending trip will one of the reasons why i will look forward to planning another one :P having said all that,as samik rightly said I'm a great planner and not a good executioner :( its fun to plan a trip but when it comes to move away from all things familiar i tend to step back a step.will miss you dad!:(

here's hoping the next few days are joyous and happy for everyone.have a fun weekend and miss me while im gone :P...cheerio!

Breaking Up!

Break ups are never easy. It often leads to a lot of heartache grief anguish and agony. Often not mutual, the one time happy couple splits to into being single again. While one finds life and time stand still forever, the other walks on, and what was once a happy liaison becomes one that is strained, often what happens is all contact is sealed all of a sudden. Suddenly all you have left is a bunch of cards, chocolate wrappers, bunch of bus tickets, gifts and cards. No longer do you have to remember birthdays, anniversaries or Valentines Day. suddenly even shopping seems a charade, when you have to limit it to just your clothes and have to restrain yourself from picking up something that you know will make him happy. a barrage of questions keep following you wherever you go, “are you single again? what happened?” it breaks your heart again to people sympathize with you or reveal that once the relationship that was the ideal was now no longer so. once the guy who loved you death has now found solace with a bomb of a babe and here you are, your kohl forever smudged, hair needing trimming and you just have to get some sleep. Break ups have always been something I failed to understand like divorces. I don’t want to delve into depressing thoughts in this post like, how painful it is to go on after a break up, but it is going to be about the change in the relationship after facing a break up.

I have been through a break up myself at a very younger stage in life. way back I used to think, when I am in love I will be with him for all my life, his family will be mine too and I will do whatever I can to make the relationship workout. Silly immature childish dreams that were. he was my neighbor, a hunk and all my friends had noticed him staring into my bedroom trying to do things to attract my attention. For some reason I never really took interest but it was just a matter of time. in time I started noticing him as well and with my friends encouraging me, It was just time and I was having a crush on him which I misinterpreted as love, and that was my first mistake. He tried speaking to me the first time, it was too filmy to be true in minutes I was not aware of what I was doing when I heard him ask me if I felt anything for him and I said yes which he took in a different context when I just meant I want us to be friends. He was elated and I didn’t have the heart to correct him. Then things evolved, my crush became affection and care and everything was fine until my friend had a crush on me. she created some strategic misunderstanding and we broke up. it was highly painful then to see my friend going out with my then ex, to hear her rant about how great he is, not once did she tell me that it was she who told him to get back at me to go out with her. Life was so difficult; I had no one to talk to. I couldn’t even cry for I didn’t want my parents to ask the cause of it, being an introvert it was hard to express. I developed gastritis from no food and extreme strain. in 1 month I was reduced to half my size and it felt that I was in a daze. in a month however that relationship dint last long and we had patched up again. it was hell then after the initial few days of happiness. I was instructed to wear only salwars and not meet up friends, not to talk to any guy [not that I new any] and each move monitored and blamed at for things I didn’t not do. Each morning id wake thinking I hope nothing goes wrong today and he wont be angry at me; id go to bed thinking, what wrong did I do today. I kept quite for six months until I found the courage to ask him what he wanted and prompt came his answer: a break up.[I later came to know he was seeing someone else]

That was it, the end. for months I was haunted thinking I was incapable to keep my relationship intact, I was to be blamed, parents by then had found out and kept me under house arrest, not that it mattered, I was called names ones that id not reveal ever. it seemed that the nightmare would just not end. I had to deal with everything alone and survive and how! And I was mature enough to grow out of my self blame and recognized how important this episode was to my latter life. I found Samik and this made me value him more and realize the gem of a guy he is, who pursued me for 6 months despite knowing how scarred I was and if today I am able to even speak of my first failed relationship, if I may call it so, it is because of him. He healed me and made me a new person.

In the last 4 and a half years, my ex put up an appearance from time to time, sometimes claiming to be friends, and sometime as a lost lover but all led to one thing : the want to teach me my place for moving on in life when he discarded me. This never however happened, despite him creating endless trouble.

What amazes me is, how a break up changes the two people who were so intimately associated. One does not necessarily be enemies just because the relationship has fallen through. Neither does one have to be overtly friendly the lest one can do is to be on a cordial terms so that if ever fate brought the two face to face, then one need not be embarrassed but smile in recognition and move on. But in most cases what happens is this break up totally changes the equation on which a relationship had blossomed. How does friendship, which I believe is the base for any relationship change with a decision to move apart?

P.S-sorry Ashu for not visiting your blog anymore and for saying that your blog depresses me. Honestly it reminds me of the times I have left behind. It has had a scarring effect on me, so generally reading about heartbreak upsets me.