Attitude: Life is All about it!

1. SOLDIER : SIR WE ARE SURROUNDED FROM ALL SIDES BY ENEMIES ,
MAJOR : EXCELLENT ! WE CAN ATTACK IN ANY DIRECTION.

2. EVERY ONE KNOWS ABOUT ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL WHO INVENTED THE
TELEPHONE, BUT HE NEVER MADE A CALL TO HIS FAMILY. BECAUSE, HIS
WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE DEAF. THAT'S LIFE " LIVE FOR OTHERS " .

3. THE WORST IN LIFE IS "ATTACHMENT " IT HURTS WHEN YOU LOSE
IT. THE BEST THING IN LIFE IS " LONELINESS "BECAUSE IT TEACHES EVERYTHING AND, WHEN YOU LOSE IT, YOU GET EVERYTHING."

4. LIFE IS NOT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ACT TRUE TO YOUR FACE
IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO REMAIN TRUE BEHIND YOUR BACK .

5. IF AN EGG IS BROKEN BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE..A LIFE ENDS. IF
AN EGG BREAKS FROM WITHIN...... .LIFE BEGINS.
GREAT THINGS ALWAYS BEGIN FROM WITHIN .

6. IT'S BETTER TO LOSE YOUR EGO TO THE ONE YOU LOVE. THAN
TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE ....... BECAUSE OF EGO.

7. A RELATIONSHIP DOESN'T SHINE BY JUST SHAKING HANDS
AT THE BEST OF TIMES. BUT IT BLOSSOMS BY HOLDING FIRMLY
IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS.

8. HEATED GOLD BECOMES ORNAMENTS. BETTED COPPER BECOMES WIRES.
DEPLETED STONE BECOMES STATUE. SO, THE MORE PAIN YOU GET IN
LIFE THE MORE VALUABLE YOU BECOME.

9. WHEN YOU TRUST SOMEONE TRUST HIM COMPLETELY WITHOUT
ANY DOUBT....... AT THE END YOU WOULD GET ONE OF THE TWO :
EITHER A LESSON FOR YOUR LIFE OR A VERY GOOD PERSON.

10. WHY WE HAVE SO MANY TEMPLES, IF GOD IS EVERYWHERE ?
A WISE aaSAID : AIR IS EVERYWHERE, BUT WE STILL NEED A FAN TO FEEL IT .

Of Splendor ... remains behind;

What though the radiance which was once so bright

Be now for ever taken from my sight,

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains behind;

In the primal sympathy

Which having been must ever be;

In the soothing thoughts that spring

Out of human suffering;

In the faith that looks through death,

In years that bring the philosophic mind.

From William Wordsworth's

Ode: Intimations of Immorality from Recollections of Early Childhood

Ickky Indulgences

Wow – did not expect this to ever happen!
I am so over it – I think…for now at least I am.

It all started on Monday when I found out that Colors, an Indian TV channel has been added to our Desi TV Channel lineup. Overjoyed, I started to look for a new addition to my daily dose of soap addiction. I mean, I used to catch up on "Balika Vadhu" which is a Colors soap on YouTube but watching it on TV adds something to the impact of the drama.

On TV – oh the clothes are so clear! Those suits and duppattas, the saris and jhumkas... what’s new in fashion… what’s the hot new color combo! … oops sidetracked.

Okay - back to what has me all irritated, annoyed, ... etc.!

So on Monday, I was glued to Colors for at least 2 hours straight. Watched four different soaps and many advertisements of other soaps on the channel. I watched those shows again on Tuesday only to notice how stress inducing they are. The basic hypothesis is certainly righteous. The makers of the show base the show on different social evils that continue to plague Indian culture and society – mainly due to unawareness and illiteracy. These shows touch upon the important issues such as female infanticide, child marriage, caste system, sufferings of the poor, sexual exploitation, etc.

What irks me is how the female-main character in the show constantly exploited (mostly by another female character) and she continues to bear the brunt quietly as she focuses on the Hindustani-pativrata duties without raising a voice to stop the injustices against her. She will raise her voice only for other but never for herself! Isn’t putting up with injustice as bad as doing it? That’s what we have always been taught. So the approach is all wrong … if the channel is trying to expose the evils of this age-old practices than I wish they would show stronger and more direct voices that can be heard loud and clear by the audience who would actually benefit from these story lines. Don’t do this because of this reason - show a little logic even if heavily drama induced…. Ok I am making premature judgments but other shows I follow have similar issues.

Oh I have to mention the theme of non-romance kind of romance – it is all about sexual tension where a woman is married to a man who does not accept her and thus begins her journey of winning him with sacrifice (of her self-respect at times), servitude and love (?). Eventually, after a lot of drama and tensions, he accepts her but is emasculated due to one reason or another. He hardly stands up for her to his village of a family who lives with him. How can any woman love a man like that?

So here is a line-up that has irked me and done what Zee (wait it came close), Sony, NDTV Imagine, Star and Star Plus failed to do.

First show is “Laagi Tujhse Lagan”. The show is set in Mumbai and shows the exploitation of the poor and particularly the women by corrupt policemen. A beautiful young girl catches the eye of a corrupt middle-aged policeman who forces the family to marry her to him. The steps he takes to achieve this goal are amazingly gory and disturbing. The last I saw was that he intends to play marriage with her for a few days and then sell her off into the meat-market in the middle-east. Scarieee!!!

In “Na Ana Is Desh Laado”, the focus is on female infanticide and treatment of women in a Rajasthani village. Ironically, the central negative character is the matriarch of an influential landlord family of the village. Everyone calls her Ammaji – translation Mom. Her body language is very masculine and she suppresses all the women in her family by essentially taking away their right to voice their opinions or anything else! Their only purpose is house work. In the advertisements you hear her scream at the top of her lungs – is gaanv sey baraat javey hai, aavey ko na – and she points at a new born girl and orders that she be killed! Here we see Sia, one of her daughter-in-laws fighting a battle without the support of even her husband. Sia is demeaned in every way possible by Ammaji and her family.

Another one that I have not watched is “Bairi Piya” but based on the synopsis-type ads I can tell its another one based on the exploitation of a poor woman by the village landlord. Quite similar to “Laagi Tujhse Lagan”, the landlord wants to bed this woman who won’t comply and employs every kind of evil tactic afforded by his financial status to manipulate her into his bed.

Ohhhh … how these wrong-doings continue to happen because the rich negative characters manipulate the system to the hilt and what’s worse that what all is shown possible with a little bribe. Like the soul of a whole society is in a coma and the immense task of bringing about a change falls on the feeble shoulders of a tradition-bound female positive central character.

I have to say that technically these shows are very apt. Hmm - too overdressed but hey its drama and theatrics which pull the audience and the primary purpose is entertainment. However, the hopelessness and desperation of the exploited characters is so well depicted sometimes that it can depress even the best of the strong-hearted.

Okay so … like an addiction I will perhaps continue to watch the old ones but please stand witness as I solemnly swear to not start new ones.

Off to find something delicious to watch on Food Network!

Happy TV indulging dear All...

How one book ignited a culture war

It's 20 years since Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini pronounced a death sentence on Salman Rushdie for 'insulting' Islam with his novel The Satanic Verses. The repercussions were profound - and are still being felt. Andrew Anthony traces the course of the affair, from book-burnings and firebombings to the dramatic impact it had on freedom of expression in a multicultural society

Read the complete article here : http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/11/salman-rushdie-satanic-verses

Quote: January 12, 2010

Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love.

-Lao Tzu

Raas

From: Chala Vahi Des & Meera Bhajans (2002)
Artiste: Lata Mangeshkar
Song: Radha Pyari (Track 11)

One of my all time favorites! I had heard Lata M. sing Meera Bai's Sanware Rang Raachi (Track 7) and had to find the album. When I recieved this album, I was introduced to Radha Pyari. It is a raas leela song where Lord Krishna urges Radha to return his flute which she has hidden ... I am certain that all fans of Braj poetry and Hindustani music would love this bhajan!

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Click HERE To purchase this CD online.

Quote: January 10, 2010

What is hell?

I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.

-Fyodor Dostoyevsky

what's the matter?

Beautiful weather; a chaotic beach scene; and before I know it, out of nowhere a plane crashes and drowns in the water. Some people seem to struggle but soon everything is back to normal like nothing happened. I turn around a huge eighteen wheeler-ish type of truck crashes … more details I can’t remember. Next thing, my father is loosing his temper at me … and I wake up!

Its still thirty minutes before the alarm goes off. However, the vague visions of the dream have me shook up. I am drained of all physical energy. I decide to wait for the alarm to go off before I pull myself out of the bed. Meanwhile, I think of what my subconscious is trying to tell me! I also have this belief that Lord Shiva gives you signs in your dream.

I decide to consult with the authority in this matter – what did those symbols/motifs mean? I turn on my computer and cruise away to Glamour.com’s dream dictionary. I start typing away … Sunny means “A clear, sunny atmosphere is a most fortunate omen of prosperity, domestic happiness and faithful friends, but cloudy or overcast skies are a warning of stormy personal relations ahead.” … Drowning means “An unfortunate omen pertaining to business interests, unless you (or the drowning person) was revived or rescued, in which case you will get a chance to recoup your losses through the intervention of a friend.” …Accident means “The meaning of this dream varies greatly depending on the circumstances and surroundings, but as a rule it is a warning. …” I look up ocean, father, yelling, … only to confuse myself further since one contradicts the other. I give up! My own female instinct has never been reliable and on top of that Glamour.com’s dream dictionary was disappointing as well. I am on my own – no safety jacket of superstitious symbols to misguide me into fool’s paradise!

I crawl back into my bed. Maybe I can go late. I did leave early yesterday so everyone knows I am running a fever. I don’t have a fever right now – I won’t lie; I will just say I feel completely weak and will be working from home and take the day off. The Boss dude took the offer seriously. Soon after my note to him, I hear back from him with a list of things to do! I am working till noon.

Something feels very off!

Something is not right!

Something is missing!

I have this icky feeling in my stomach and I feel the chills.

I fix myself some Brandy with honey and warm water.

Not sure if I am warm or still cold after I finish up the concoction – but the buzz magnifies the “I don’t feel right, I feel all left” feeling.

I switch my phone service from my blackberry to my back up phone.

I forget after an hour and stare at the screen in hopes to see a smiley face with a red star on it (Blackberry’s Messenger Icon); nope that will not come again. Its over!

Oh shoot – all this because I am heart broken … and plan to be so for a while !

listening today!

don't be afraid to be weak
don't be too proud to be strong
just look into your heart my friend
that will be the return to yourself
the return to innocence

- from Enigma's return to innocence

Quote: January 2, 2010

There's something liberating about not pretending.

Dare to embarrass yourself.

Risk.

-Drew Barrymore