25th July 2010
Happiness.
What is happiness? To some,this question would instantly bring images of people, places and things and of all sorts that they associate with this word. Literally an abstract noun, describing an abstract state that is 'all in the mind'. A thing to be felt and enjoyed, happiness may come easily to some while others may spend years of time, money, energy and efforts in search of it. Some would say happiness is getting what you want. Others may call it a general state of well being. And for yet others happiness would mean seeing their loved ones happy.
Listed below are a few things that came to my mind when I thought of happiness.
Happiness is –
Seeing a smile on a child’s face.
Finding money in an old purse.
The first showers that bring with them the “mitti ki khushboo”.
Watching a wonderful movie.
Finding a spiritual connection.
Finding a place to sit in the local train.
Helping someone cross the road.
Warm blankets and a cuppa chai on a chilly day.
Someone sending you flowers.
Holding hands with your loved one.
Going for a long drive on a starry night.
Listening to great music.
Finding a beautiful dress that fits you.
Looking gorgeous.
Losing those extra pounds.
Being able to assemble a new gadget
Honesty.
Feeding a hungry puppy.
Your favourite food cooked by mum.
A state of the art phone.
Your house spic and span when you return from work.
Diamonds on your finger.
Sailing in the deep blue sea.
Your favourite television show.
Being able to maintain your diet.
Finding time to exercise.
A nice massage after a long and tiring day.
A far off relative bequeathing her property to you.
Seeing your kids perform on stage.
Waking up late on a weekend.
Gifting your parents something they could never buy.
Your wonderful cook.
A happy marriage.
Your best friend’s wedding.
A fat pay-cheque.
Being able to make an urgent call just before the mobile
phone batteries die.
Garma garam wada pav on a rainy day.
Watering your garden.
Fresh linen.
A clean toilet.
Thoughtfulness.
An old photograph.
Doing charity for a cause dear to you.
Your first salary.
Old memories.
A wonderful holiday with your loved ones.
Teaching your adorable child to walk and talk.
Appreciation at work. Appreciation at home.
Watching Zakir play tabla.
Passing with flying colours.
Flying.
Falling in love.
Being able to stay in love.
Prayers answered.
Reading a nice book.
Meeting your idol.
A nice party given for you.
Marine drive in the evening.
Matheran with friends.
Buying an expensive perfume and knowing that you can afford it.
Crazy dancing on Bollywood numbers.
Sneaking out in the night to have beer with friends.
Learning a new sport.
A nice job. A nicer boss.
Your first car. Your first everything.
Eating at your favourite restaurant.
Shopping-anywhere.
A warm hug.
Your very own house.
Your dream-buy at the best deal.
Sharing your umbrella on a rainy day.
Cool 'ganne ka ras' and a dip in the Arabian sea on a scorching afternoon.
A friend who listens to you when you need to talk and offers advice only when asked for.
The serenity of a temple.
Finding your lost earing.
Donating your eyes.
Trekking in the Himalayas..........
The list is endless. Small things that happen everyday bring us joy. It isn’t very difficult to be happy. It isn’t very difficult to smile. And yet we choose to be dissatisfied, sad and gloomy, brooding over what we don't have and trying to find that that we are surrounded by in abundance. Share and give and you'll receive and get.
Bring a smile to someone's face and happiness will come knocking at your door.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Original and Hatke
28 June 2010
Original and Hatke
I have grown up watching Hindi movies like most of you. They captured my fantasies like sheer poetry on a canvas, leaving me mesmerised. Watching movies was like looking at great works of art. Each one, a masterpiece in its own right with the right medium, perfect strokes and a vivid colour scheme, conveying a meaning deeper. The Black and White images left me spell bound. The progression to Fuji and Eastman colour was exciting and like any other child I marvelled at this technology- the sole aim of which was education and entertainment.
I am a Hindi movie buff and have been enjoying watching movies since the age of maybe five. Beside being in awe of them, I seem to find everything about all of our movies is original - the larger than life characters, the sometimes gaudy sometimes designer costumes, the song and dance sequences, the dialogues, the screenplay, the direction, the 'hatke' treatment and even the “ The end”. Romance, Comedy, Drama or a Thriller, entertainment is guaranteed! As I rack my brains to find something ‘unoriginal’ about our movies, I am at loss even after persistent persuasion. This is how my train of thought goes…
First, the music which is an integral and inseperable part of our movies. The music of our films have added quality to our lives- whether it is the original rendering of yesteryear stalwarts or the ongoing trend of “originally inspired music”. Mukesh singing “ Kisi ki muskurahaton pe hon nisar”, Asha’s “ Katra katra”, Kishore Kumar’s “ Nadiya se dariya”, “Rafi’s yeh chaad sa roshan chehra”, Lata’s-“Lute koi man ka nagar ban ke mera saathi”, S.D., R.D., L.P., Shanker-Jaikisan , Nayyar, Madan Mohan, Kalyanji Anandji to Bappi Lahiri and todays Anu Malik, Jatin Lalit, Shakar Ehsaan loy or A.R Rehman, the music- original, inspired or version, lilting melody or a foot tapping number- will remain a dear part of our lives. The lovely poetry – be it Yeh Kahan aa gaye hum, Mera kuch saaman, Ek ladki ko dekha, Kal ho na ho or even a beedi chalay le, is music to our ears.
The choreography, be it Gopi Krishna with Sandhya in Navrang, P.L. Raj with Vaijayanti Mala for Jewel Thief, or Saroj Khan and Madhuri’s controversial Dhak Dhak, Prabhu deva, or Sridevi, Hemamalini and Waheeda Rehman’s graceful movements, these are people capable of enthralling us. Whether lucid and beautiful, sensuous or vulgar, we never tire of watching some of the most beautifully picturised songs on beautiful faces complete with wind and fog machines, artificial rain, dancers coming out of nowhere in colour co-ordinated clothes, flower showers from helicopters, dramatic body movements and more............ The sets- a thousand pots arranged in symmetry with Jeetendra jumping around, Rishi Kapoor and the revolving C.D in the song Om Shanti Om, the lavish sets of Mughal-e Azam, or a Ranbir Kapoor in an exotic location……… whether an outdoor set inside a studio with quaint little streams and a boat and artificial flowers hanging on trees and Nutan draped in a saree singing-“Woh chaand khila, woh tare hasen”, or a grand palace built outdoors for Jodha Akbar, the songs and dances are nothing but a display of great creativity. They transport you to that different world which is its creator’s imaginative best. Who can forget the symbolic 'coming together of two flowers' or the camera changing its frame to show us the blue sky just when lips are about to be locked!
"Yeh dhai kilo ka haat jab kisi pe padta hai, toh aadmi uthta nahin uthjatahai", Anil Kapoor’s – "Jhaakas", Amjad Khan’s- “Are O Samba kitne aadmi the?”, Amitabh’s “……..mere pas ma hai”, “Mein aaj bji pheke hue paise nahin leta”, “yeh toh mera farz tha” and many many more dialogues, are etched in our minds forever. Nowhere else but on the 70mm screen have I seen characters use lines such as –“Kutte, kamine main tera khoon pi jaoonga”, or “Apni ma ka doodh piya hai toh saamne aa!” I don’t know of any woman who has ever said- “Main tumhare bachhe ki ma banne wali hoon” and has then been swept off her feet filmy style, or an overtly melodramatic bhagwan ke liye mujhe cshod do, nor have any of the men who have fallen prey to somebody’s wrath made statements like- Mard ko dard nahi hota! Hah! Maybe they weren’t men after all!!
The antics of Rajanikant, He-Man Dharamendra pulling back a chopper with ropes, angry young Amitabh and his dishum dishum, Sunny Deol and his telephone –booth ‘ukhadna’, Rajesh Khanna setting of an avalanche with the shot of his gun in Roti, Mithun catching two bullets shot at him in mid-air and hurling them back to kill his enemy............ What more can one ask for? If this isn’t original, what is? Is art, architecture and literature an imitation of life or does life imitate them? Do our films hold a mirror to the society or is our society shaping up under influence of the audio-visual media? A creation however original has to have an inspiration- whether it is drawn from within or from the outside, whether it is Leonardo’s Monalisa or Michealangelo’s David.
Original and Hatke
I have grown up watching Hindi movies like most of you. They captured my fantasies like sheer poetry on a canvas, leaving me mesmerised. Watching movies was like looking at great works of art. Each one, a masterpiece in its own right with the right medium, perfect strokes and a vivid colour scheme, conveying a meaning deeper. The Black and White images left me spell bound. The progression to Fuji and Eastman colour was exciting and like any other child I marvelled at this technology- the sole aim of which was education and entertainment.
I am a Hindi movie buff and have been enjoying watching movies since the age of maybe five. Beside being in awe of them, I seem to find everything about all of our movies is original - the larger than life characters, the sometimes gaudy sometimes designer costumes, the song and dance sequences, the dialogues, the screenplay, the direction, the 'hatke' treatment and even the “ The end”. Romance, Comedy, Drama or a Thriller, entertainment is guaranteed! As I rack my brains to find something ‘unoriginal’ about our movies, I am at loss even after persistent persuasion. This is how my train of thought goes…
First, the music which is an integral and inseperable part of our movies. The music of our films have added quality to our lives- whether it is the original rendering of yesteryear stalwarts or the ongoing trend of “originally inspired music”. Mukesh singing “ Kisi ki muskurahaton pe hon nisar”, Asha’s “ Katra katra”, Kishore Kumar’s “ Nadiya se dariya”, “Rafi’s yeh chaad sa roshan chehra”, Lata’s-“Lute koi man ka nagar ban ke mera saathi”, S.D., R.D., L.P., Shanker-Jaikisan , Nayyar, Madan Mohan, Kalyanji Anandji to Bappi Lahiri and todays Anu Malik, Jatin Lalit, Shakar Ehsaan loy or A.R Rehman, the music- original, inspired or version, lilting melody or a foot tapping number- will remain a dear part of our lives. The lovely poetry – be it Yeh Kahan aa gaye hum, Mera kuch saaman, Ek ladki ko dekha, Kal ho na ho or even a beedi chalay le, is music to our ears.
The choreography, be it Gopi Krishna with Sandhya in Navrang, P.L. Raj with Vaijayanti Mala for Jewel Thief, or Saroj Khan and Madhuri’s controversial Dhak Dhak, Prabhu deva, or Sridevi, Hemamalini and Waheeda Rehman’s graceful movements, these are people capable of enthralling us. Whether lucid and beautiful, sensuous or vulgar, we never tire of watching some of the most beautifully picturised songs on beautiful faces complete with wind and fog machines, artificial rain, dancers coming out of nowhere in colour co-ordinated clothes, flower showers from helicopters, dramatic body movements and more............ The sets- a thousand pots arranged in symmetry with Jeetendra jumping around, Rishi Kapoor and the revolving C.D in the song Om Shanti Om, the lavish sets of Mughal-e Azam, or a Ranbir Kapoor in an exotic location……… whether an outdoor set inside a studio with quaint little streams and a boat and artificial flowers hanging on trees and Nutan draped in a saree singing-“Woh chaand khila, woh tare hasen”, or a grand palace built outdoors for Jodha Akbar, the songs and dances are nothing but a display of great creativity. They transport you to that different world which is its creator’s imaginative best. Who can forget the symbolic 'coming together of two flowers' or the camera changing its frame to show us the blue sky just when lips are about to be locked!
"Yeh dhai kilo ka haat jab kisi pe padta hai, toh aadmi uthta nahin uthjatahai", Anil Kapoor’s – "Jhaakas", Amjad Khan’s- “Are O Samba kitne aadmi the?”, Amitabh’s “……..mere pas ma hai”, “Mein aaj bji pheke hue paise nahin leta”, “yeh toh mera farz tha” and many many more dialogues, are etched in our minds forever. Nowhere else but on the 70mm screen have I seen characters use lines such as –“Kutte, kamine main tera khoon pi jaoonga”, or “Apni ma ka doodh piya hai toh saamne aa!” I don’t know of any woman who has ever said- “Main tumhare bachhe ki ma banne wali hoon” and has then been swept off her feet filmy style, or an overtly melodramatic bhagwan ke liye mujhe cshod do, nor have any of the men who have fallen prey to somebody’s wrath made statements like- Mard ko dard nahi hota! Hah! Maybe they weren’t men after all!!
The antics of Rajanikant, He-Man Dharamendra pulling back a chopper with ropes, angry young Amitabh and his dishum dishum, Sunny Deol and his telephone –booth ‘ukhadna’, Rajesh Khanna setting of an avalanche with the shot of his gun in Roti, Mithun catching two bullets shot at him in mid-air and hurling them back to kill his enemy............ What more can one ask for? If this isn’t original, what is? Is art, architecture and literature an imitation of life or does life imitate them? Do our films hold a mirror to the society or is our society shaping up under influence of the audio-visual media? A creation however original has to have an inspiration- whether it is drawn from within or from the outside, whether it is Leonardo’s Monalisa or Michealangelo’s David.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Intriguing things
18 June 2010
Intriguing things
I wonder why Lord Krishna did not marry his beloved companion Radha? I know he told her that they were inseperable- so much so that for generations to come Her name would be taken before His…. What then compelled him to choose Rukmini and Satyabhama? I am sure if he had told Radha that he had “miles to go before he sleeps”, she would not have come in his way of fulfilling karma and dharma, and would’ve happily played the role of a dutiful wife. Why was his destiny so?? Things like this and many more intrigue me............. What was it about Him that left the milkmaids of Gokul and Vrindavan enchanted and mesmerised? If He was so charming and enigmatic, why then is Lord Ram and not Lord Krishna called Purshottam-The ultimate man. His loyalty and commitment to his parents, people and kingdom was undeterred. He was a just and benevolent king. Yet he could not stand by Sita after she was freed from Ravan. Sita who was joyous to return to Ayodhya after her turmoil in Lanka found herself in another heart wrenching situation. Lord Ram, for the sake of his subjects, for the sake of dharma- questioned her chastity and allowed her to disappear into the gaping earth. Sita-the very reason for the great battle with Ravan, was lost to beliefs then prevailing and the unbendable rules. Lord Ram believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, drowned himself in sorrow. Why wouldn’t God himself change his destiny?? Who writes destiny? Bramha, Vishnu or Shiv? Bramha creates, Vishnu sustains and Shiva destroys. Why are there no temples dedicated to the creator of all- Brahma?? Why do we worship the Shivling? What is the significance of the 330 million gods and goddesses that we have?? Do we pray only to ask for favours by the dozen? Is our belief in God our need for spirituality? Or is just nice to have someone to blame all all the time? Are male gods more powerful than their female counterparts? Is it male domination in their world too? Or do they strike a perfect balance? What are Shankar-Parvati and Vishnu and Laxmi without each other. In our otherwise male dominated world, I am surprised to find no such distinction or discrimination being made when it comes to worshipping a deity or a god. Both male and female gods are worshipped alike. After all when it comes to seeking of blessings, and granting of wishes, god or goddess is immaterial... He or She who grants me what I want is MY GOD.
Yet I am amused that if Durga, Saraswati, Laxmi and Kali are worshipped for what they symbolise, worshippers (both men and women alike) pray for a male offspring. Does religion discriminate at all? Are the poor bad and the rich good? Does God give more to the rich and less to the poor? Isn’t the cycle of Karma and Dharma the same for all! The definitions of Paap and Punya may seem simple but are very complex. The same hands that don’t tire offering flowers and incense to Him, conveniently and selfishly engage themselves in activities that are gross and sinful. Paap and Punya are subjective and they can alter your faith and beliefs. A religion may be open to interpretation or may have specific guidelines and code of conduct. Either one follows it religiously or chooses to follow only that that is convenient. What is religion after all? Is belief in a certain God religion? Is following the teachings of that certain God religion? Is manipulating those teachings to suite your needs religion? Is blindly following a sect religion?
If we say God is one- we only call Him by different names, why do we fight over religion? Why the need to convert people from one faith to another. Why impose religion on anyone? Does faith come by force? Can you love one religion and hate the other? Why not just have the freedom to pray to God- this one or that- by joining hands or opening them. Why hate and kill in His name. Why bring Him shame?
Intriguing things
I wonder why Lord Krishna did not marry his beloved companion Radha? I know he told her that they were inseperable- so much so that for generations to come Her name would be taken before His…. What then compelled him to choose Rukmini and Satyabhama? I am sure if he had told Radha that he had “miles to go before he sleeps”, she would not have come in his way of fulfilling karma and dharma, and would’ve happily played the role of a dutiful wife. Why was his destiny so?? Things like this and many more intrigue me............. What was it about Him that left the milkmaids of Gokul and Vrindavan enchanted and mesmerised? If He was so charming and enigmatic, why then is Lord Ram and not Lord Krishna called Purshottam-The ultimate man. His loyalty and commitment to his parents, people and kingdom was undeterred. He was a just and benevolent king. Yet he could not stand by Sita after she was freed from Ravan. Sita who was joyous to return to Ayodhya after her turmoil in Lanka found herself in another heart wrenching situation. Lord Ram, for the sake of his subjects, for the sake of dharma- questioned her chastity and allowed her to disappear into the gaping earth. Sita-the very reason for the great battle with Ravan, was lost to beliefs then prevailing and the unbendable rules. Lord Ram believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, drowned himself in sorrow. Why wouldn’t God himself change his destiny?? Who writes destiny? Bramha, Vishnu or Shiv? Bramha creates, Vishnu sustains and Shiva destroys. Why are there no temples dedicated to the creator of all- Brahma?? Why do we worship the Shivling? What is the significance of the 330 million gods and goddesses that we have?? Do we pray only to ask for favours by the dozen? Is our belief in God our need for spirituality? Or is just nice to have someone to blame all all the time? Are male gods more powerful than their female counterparts? Is it male domination in their world too? Or do they strike a perfect balance? What are Shankar-Parvati and Vishnu and Laxmi without each other. In our otherwise male dominated world, I am surprised to find no such distinction or discrimination being made when it comes to worshipping a deity or a god. Both male and female gods are worshipped alike. After all when it comes to seeking of blessings, and granting of wishes, god or goddess is immaterial... He or She who grants me what I want is MY GOD.
Yet I am amused that if Durga, Saraswati, Laxmi and Kali are worshipped for what they symbolise, worshippers (both men and women alike) pray for a male offspring. Does religion discriminate at all? Are the poor bad and the rich good? Does God give more to the rich and less to the poor? Isn’t the cycle of Karma and Dharma the same for all! The definitions of Paap and Punya may seem simple but are very complex. The same hands that don’t tire offering flowers and incense to Him, conveniently and selfishly engage themselves in activities that are gross and sinful. Paap and Punya are subjective and they can alter your faith and beliefs. A religion may be open to interpretation or may have specific guidelines and code of conduct. Either one follows it religiously or chooses to follow only that that is convenient. What is religion after all? Is belief in a certain God religion? Is following the teachings of that certain God religion? Is manipulating those teachings to suite your needs religion? Is blindly following a sect religion?
If we say God is one- we only call Him by different names, why do we fight over religion? Why the need to convert people from one faith to another. Why impose religion on anyone? Does faith come by force? Can you love one religion and hate the other? Why not just have the freedom to pray to God- this one or that- by joining hands or opening them. Why hate and kill in His name. Why bring Him shame?
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