Thoughts on Mumbai Attacks - 2

Have tried to convey my displeasure to the limit I can through yesterday's blog. Here just wanted to rewrite the final edited version of the small poetry composed by me yesterday (the original first draft is there in previous blog):

Bohat daraya tumne humko,
Thoda hame bhi mauka to do,
Ruh tak tumhe hila ke rakh den,
Uthayen hath shamsheer ye jo!!!!
Waqt ab hame de rahi izazat,
Veeron ki salaami tak na ruko,
Havi na ho koi Videshi takat,
LADO, MARO par kabhi na JHUKO!!!

Thoughts on Mumbai Attacks!!!!

I see people with status messages: SALUTE TO OUR HEROES!!! It's an irony that my hands are not getting raised to salute these heroes. Whenever I think of saluting these brave mortals who fought till death to bring back normal life in Mumbai I remember a fact that we don't learn from historical mistakes - Never learnt from Kargil, never learnt from N number of bomb blasts that occurred in this country........time passes gently down and people gradually forget the names of our brave soldiers who fought till the last drop of their blood.....only 2 things will remain intact: Memories of this mishap and our old habit of not taking lessons from mistakes!!!!

Salute to our brave soldiers!!!! What the hell is happening around? Have we conquered any new place like the Pakistanis did when the acquired a part of Kashmir for which we are still NEGOTIATING (pun intended) with lost hopes of getting it back someday!!!! Have we contributed in making any third world nation free from the tyranny and dependency upon the first world nation tyrants? When this questions arise the answer I get is a BIG AND LOUD NO!!!!

This is our soil that is invaded, our soil where people from any country come at their will (they have a luxury to even choose the paths! Sigh) and kill the STUPID COMMON PEOPLE OF INDIA. We loose lives, those brave soldiers fight till the end of their last drop of stamina and courage only to see these incidents happening again and again and again? And some intellectuals and bloody thinkers like me write a column or two for these hineous acts of some merciless creatures. And those who cannot even do this will discuss and discuss and discuss till time helps their memories to fade away.

The point I want to make is not that WE SHOULD NOT SALUTE SOLDIERS!!! We should praise and salute their bravery but the fact that is keeping on coming to my mind is for how long will we will just shed some tears, salute our brave soldiers, criticize these mishaps and do nothing CONCRETE?

I guess its time to reply as harsh as we can to these bloody terrorists so that there does not arise another mishap after which we again will shed some tears, salute our brave soldiers, criticize these mishaps and do nothing Concrete!!!!

Bahut daraya tumne humko,

Thoda hame bhi mauka do,

Ruh tak tumko hila den,

Uthayen hum Shamsheer jo!!!!

Waqt de rahi hai izazat,

Salami par hi mat ruko,

Havi na ho videshi takat,

Kabhi dobara na jhuko!!!

From this place the choice is ours regarding where we want to stand in future. Will it be a repetition of the same bad old habit of not taking lessons from mistakes or we change ourselves to see that these undesirable incidents does not happen ever in India or at least, even if some people still dare to they get a equally gory reply. Its time to kill those bastards who kill us and convey the message: Bach gaye to khair manao, pakde gaye to.........(they are intelligent enough to understand the unwritten words).

Somebody please tell government to do things fast else I really fear that day when the Stupid Common People of India will awake and create many Wednesdays in life!!!!!

Movies with Good Concept vs. Movies with Bad Concept

In this entry I will comment about 2 recent movies one that made me glued to the screen though there were some weird scenes and the other made me yawn as it had even more weird scenes!!!!!

Before you people raise your eyebrows with curiosity let me explain. These two moives are: Heroes and Dostana respectively. Heroes had a huge starcast but the major leads were lesser popular stars like Sohail Khan and Vatsal Seth. Concept wise the movie is one of the best made this year (better than a blockbuster called Jane tu ya jane na, yes guys there the concept was same old one, the presentation was one of its class!!!!). I loved the message that was intended to be delivered through the movie, err... do not know how many people got that right. When it comes to acting barring Deol brothers, everybody was so damn perfect. Even Sohail Khan who overdoes some scenes trying to make them funny did a perfect balanced act here. Some scenes of Salman Khan, Preity Zinta and Mithun Chakraborty were spine chilling (loved Mithun after Guru, in this role). One of the weak points in the movie was its songs. Apart from "Mannata" I did not find any other song to be a chartbuster one. But overall the movie was good and at least had some new kind of presentation of the armymen apart from those Indo Pak fight movies. The other movie that I can relate to present army men in a different picture in the background of fight is one of my favorite ones: LAKSHYA. That one also was concept wise brilliant, in fact to me Farhan Akhtar's best till date!!!! Though these movies can't be related as the message delivered are completely different.

People please whoever has not seen the movie please do see it. If you like a conceptually strong movie (even though the presentation was lacking at some places) this is the right one to watch. One more thing off late have you never been proud to be an Indian? Please do go and watch these movie. Also do you think we cannot do anything for a better India, we cannot make India strong and safe? Do you think this is the job of only the people who fight their life out for the protection of this country? Please go and watch this movie to prove yourself wrong!!!!!

Now coming to the other movie. Well its called Dostana (a superhit movie made under the same production house, mentored by late Mr. Yash Johar, the producer's father). I saw that movie a few days back in TV and today I watched the new version of Dostana (same banner, Mr. Karan Johar dared to produce the movie). I got interested because of two basic assumptions:

1. I guessed Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna was the ultimate disaster made by Dharma Productions and things can get better after that,

2. I read somewhere Karan Johar commenting he was jealous on the director of "Jab We Met" as because he thought this is the kind of movie he should make and why did the concept of that movie not click in his mind!!!!

After watching the movies I guess I have the answer:

1. Karan Johar can never make a "Jab we Met" in the locations like Miami, New York. This rich dude and dudette meet kind of concept and extravagant locations become too Jazzy and flashy for such a sweet movie like JWM. This is the reason Jab We Met reflects Indianism without much effort while Karan Johar has to put several song and dance sequences to imbibe Indianness in his movies (Vande Mataram and our National Anthem in K3G, Pretty Woman in KHNH, don't remember what he did in KANK to imbibe Indianism and this time a waste song like Desi Girl and a concept where a lady can keep a Gay couple with her but not two straight guys, PHEW!!!)

2. Mr. Johar's concepts are surely targeted keeping the NRIs in mind. I guess he wants a decent opening in New York and London along with getting a blockbuster tag in India also and works for that. The concepts are ultramodern, suave and some where he makes some mockery out of some sensitive issues (gays, extramarital affairs to name a few) and there is overflow of emotions (quite difficult to digest :-D) which gets difficult to relate.

In one word Mr. Johar needs to make a movie in India for Indians that has Indian flavor imbibed in it naturally to get something like JWM and to get something unlike KANK, Dostana etc. made in great locations but nothing Indian about them apart from the major leads. I guess movies like Dostana will only earn some revenue because of huge expectations and a great starcast. But a decent Indian movie will earn a better connect with India. The only movie I honestly appreciate made under your banner was KAL HO NA HO (though it was shot in New York)!!!!

So finally the battle goes on between movies with good concept and movies with bad concept. Both Heroes and Dostana could have been better. But conceptually Heroes stands apart from Dostana.

As the battle goes on the following results come out:

1. Movies with great concept like A Wednesday become a hit or a semihit

2. Movies with worse concept like Ramu Ki Aag becomes a flop

3. Movies with some good concept like Heroes does not do a good job

4. Movies with bad concept like Singh is Kinng and Dostana get a good opening though there is nothing much ado about them.

And finally the battle continues. Thanks to Aamir Khan for Taare Zameen Par and even more thanks to out great Indian audience to help it to get into the first category as stated above!!!! Looking forward some REALLY GOOD HINDI MOVIES to come up!!!!!!!

Confusions around me and misunderstandings around me!!!!!

Well to start with there are lots of people who have some or other complaints about me. One of my best friends in college waited for me last Sunday whole day and I did not turn up to meet him (no excuses but it was not unintentional). I just ask a simple question: Why the hell mobile phones are invented? Why has he kept a mobile phone when he does not know when and how to use it? He could have at least given me a missed call and I would have called him back stating the reasons why I would not have been able to turn up. At least his day would have been better. But nothing such happened and couple of days before I heard from his fiance about his unending wait on last Sunday!!!! I know he would have got pissed off anybody would have got but yet only one question arises in my mind: Why the hell did he not call me up to clarify things?????

Again this is a new place for me. I have quite a few school friends here too working in different IT companies. I generally never keep in touch with them neither do they. But because I have arrived in Hyderabad now they expect me to call them up and make them aware about my arrival. I called one of my pals and told him about my arrival. Holy shit the other 2 are angry why did I not call them up and informed about the same thing. Damn! they all stay together and where is the logic in informing all the 3 separately about my arrival @ Hyderabad?

There are similar kind of things happening around me. One thing I know I can never satisfy everybody and I never try out for them. But if people do not cooperate themselves about small issues and make a mountain out of a mole I really can't help. God save them and God save me from more misunderstandings and confusions!!!!!

Am I a good decision maker, am I not???

I wrote a lot of personal incidents initially in this blog, those which depict those verges of my life where I had to take an important decision. But then I gave a second thought and found out that it is not at all a good decision to write about my personal instances and making them public simply for 2 reasons:
1. Those who know me (my parents, my best friend and other close friends) they know almost everything about me and there is no need of a repetition.

2. Those who do not know about the personal issues of mine won't have much interest in knowing them either becasue I am a complete stranger to them and they have never read any epilogue or prologue about myself before knowing these personal issues and the decisions I took. The result being: Some unnecessary judgments (after knowing half of the story) and certainly I do not give a damn to those judgments :-)

It all started with a single thought of my shifting to Hyderabad from Mumbai and my mind went into flashbacks and I crossed a lot of instances where I had to take decisions that changed the direction of my life. Do they really count now?

Decisions are time perspective, case perspective and most important its person perspective. What I mean from the word person perspective is a decision that is taken by one person may not be the same when it comes to any other person taking a decision at that point of time in a particular case. What we feel is if there is a decision that is taken by most of the people under a particular situation at a particular time that becomes the best decision but the other decisions are also not to be undermined. The least taken decision becomes a case of failure, the decision that was taken by a few not understood by many gets reflected as a decision taken under the influence of AN OUT OF THE BOX THINKING.

So before asking this question to yourself please do see the position you are in now and how influencing the decisions about which you are thinking have contributed in making you able to be in this position where you have landed. If you find the decisions to have contributed in a positive manner (even if there are hundreds who feel the decisions were not good) feel proud that you are a good decision maker and have made quite a few decisions in life that have given some positive direction to your life. I know the statement is debatable but this reasoning along with the action of greatest good to greater number of people leads to harmony and lands you in a place where you can sound reasonable for your actions and decisions. Comments awaited.

Ankahi, ansuni

Kuchh batein jo ansuni si reh jati hain,
Kuchh batein jo ankahi si reh jati hain,
Khamosh wo palkein thirak thirak ke kuchh kehna chahen,
Par fir bhi ashk jo ankhon me hi reh jate hain.

Dil me hai josh naya umang naya magarr,
Jajbaton par ab unka nahi hota hai asar,
Hua hai kuchh is baat ka ehsaas to hai par,
Un baton ko suljha na sake hum bhi chahkar.

Vyarth koshishen aashaon k tod hain rahe,
Naye raahein bhi jane kyun muh mod hain rahe,
Ankahi wo batein aaj bhi kuchh na kahe,
Sukhe hain nain taki ashk aaj bhi na bahe.

Rahon me mile naye log aur nayi rahtein,
Bhul gaye purane sang purani chahtein,
Par fir bhi jab wo aaj bhi kuchh hai bolti,
Ankahi ansuni batein rokti muskurahatein.

Chahat ne dhundh li raah nayi ummeed bhi naye,
Bhul purani batein hum aage badh gaye,
Badal diya jajbaton ka rukh rote hum nahi,
Aate jate dinon ko khushiyon se jee hum rahe,

Fir se kisi purane ne ek din yaad kar,
Chintit kiya hame kya hoga iska asar?
Niklenge kya to baat jo kabhi na tha kaha?
Yaad aayenge kya ashk chale the jinko bhulkar?

Na hua kuchh aisa mujhme main reh gaya atal,
Keh di batein hamne hamse jo chubhte rahete the pal pal,
Kahin mujhe aram mila kahin uska dil dukha,
Kabhi to use sukun mila jab tuta mere khwabon ka mahal.

Kuchh gham mile kuchh khushiyan aur ek ehsaas hua
Chahte nata tuta ho ya bhula wo pichhla jo tha hua,
Aage badhne k raah me fir bhi thokar hun tab tak khate hain,
Jab tak ankahi baton ko kehke sukun hum nahi pate hain.

Ankahi baton ko kehne se man holka hota hai,
Ankahi baton ko sun dil aakhri aansu rota hai,
Bharmukt hokar hi fir hum jeete naya jeevan,
Aane wala har pal har kal fir sukhad hota hai.

Bag of mixed feelings!!!!!!

The week has been like a bag of mixed feelings. To start off I got my dream profile I requested for and will be staying for another 6 months in Mumbai. But frankly I was not feeling very comfortable with the people in that particular Marketing domain. There seemed to be those pun intended subtle one liners in English and supreme sophistication in this team something I can never relate with me. There was a bit of “ragging” (by telling I have to work till 11 at night, no weekends, I should not have girlfriends etc.) but at the end of it my leave application was approved which meant that for Diwali I am going home and will be joining the team after I come back seeing my near and dear ones.

Yesterday I watched the directorial debut of Naseeruddin Shah titled “Yun Hota to Kya Hota”. Another masterpiece I must say the movie has 4 stories running simultenously with one common destination America and one common mishap that will change everyone’s life. Great movie developed around the incident of 9/11. Of late I have become one of the biggest fans of Naseer Saab. I wish to meet him someday and looking forward to see some more great films from him either as an actor or through his directorial ventures.

A thing that has become a menace in my life of late is my credit card. This is the first time I am using it so it took some time for me to understand how the payment schedule works and now that I am well acquainted with it things are fine but the follies I committed in its usage before getting the feel to use it properly is killing me. Have taken a credit of around 28000 bucks (mostly air tickets to Bangalore, home and back to Mumbai and some more shopping) and have paid a sum of Rs.15000 already. The thing that is bugging me is I still have to pay around 17000 more which makes the tally to 32 grand which is 4 grand more than the amount I had borrowed. Only one thing that comes to my mind these days: I HATE USING CREDIT CARDS AND WILL NOT USE IT MUCH AFTERWARDS. For booking flight tickets its ok but for shopping? NEVER NEVER.

So this is how the week has been so far. The weekend is pretty quiet by choice as I did not feel like doing many things this weekend. Sometimes it’s good to take a hiatus from long weekend trips and spending time with yourself. For me it helps to realize my faults much better way and identify the good things I did and I want to do in near future. Yeah one more thing the lady I like very much is fine and has an important day coming up in her life just after 34 more days. God bless her and in the ending note GOD BLESS ALL.