Perspectives and perceptions

Indian Weddings and ceremonies are known for their traditional and elongated processes.... and yet there are people (and families) who manage to combine ingenuity and tradition together! I'm going to be attending a wedding in Calcutta, and it's a wedding of my friend's brother. All of us were just watching the engagement video and then there is this ceremony when all the women of the house are supposed to perform an aarti of the bride-to-be and apply a small tikka on her forehead and feed her something sweet. Considering the number of women, the amount of sweet that she has to consume is huge! This family found a unique way, that was non-messy, already small in proportion and sweet, guess what?? GEMS! It may sound like that's silly and all, but I think it makes perfect sense! :) Reminds me of the changes that we all seem to be undergoing. Everywhere we see, brands are changing, CEAT, Vodafone, and so many other companies are hell-bent upon increasing their latest brand

For a long time I've been thinking, there are so many little things that we notice each day. I'm going to start writing them down as each day goes by... Day 1 (Thursday) I'm on my way back from a meeting at Malad, and in the train, on one of the stations, a transgender walked in. Most of the times they're loud, garish and overtly obvious. She was different. I would call her 'she' because she was one. Graceful, beautiful and very feminine. Clad in a short kurta with pants and a duppatta, she was dressed like any tall big woman would be. Of course she didn't hold herself in the way women would, she was comfortable the way she was. I think that's what matters. Her eyes were the most striking feature of all, sharp, deep black, kind, tender and smiling. When a fellow passenger was attempting to get in, she was looking at her just like we would and she mildly reproached her. I think, with that small an interaction, not that I spoke to her, I was merely obser

It's been just about 4 days since the rains are here! And yesterday was the first time that I got wet, willingly! :) Have you got that feeling inside you to just let go of everything that's bothering you, or that you're pondering about and you just want to feel free? The rains bring that out in me... I see them and I remember the fun I had last year, roaming about in town on the bike, and enjoying the various scenes from the seaface, the gardens and the roads... Everything undergoes a change with the season change, it's external as well as internal... This season, makes me want to cuddle up with my blanket and sleep for long hours of the day... I feel an insane urge to have hot tea and kanda bhaji... I feel like running on the wet roads... The rains bring out the child in me. :) Of course, it's flooded, all the drains are choked, it's horrible to walk amidst the filth to work, and more, but that still doesn't take away the beauty of nature, the beauty of hav

Amidst news about the recent killings and deaths, another one stands out. A man dies while trying to save couples from drowning at Bandstand , a popular seafront promenade at Bandra, Mumbai. Why? Because of Love? Or space for love? Is it a crime to want to be with the person you love? Is it a crime to touch, feel or kiss that person? I thoroughly disagree. I would agree if people said is it okay to make love in front of people, nudity and obscenity and not acceptable, but kissing, hugging and holding hands is anything but that! We see it on T.V. everyday, so what's wrong in seeing it happen in front of our eyes? Hypocritical as people are, they shun the couples away from every place... Gardens, Parks, Promenades and any public space you can think of. What's the outcome? Couples are forced to spend time together in dark, lonely paths, go far out in depths where there aren't too many people, sit in dark theaters watching some crap movie, go to lonesome beaches...

We had a photo shoot in college today, organised by the Annual Magazine Committee for publishing in our college magazine, it's amazing to realise that this is my last year in college, and I was once part of the team that organised this event and today, it's my chance to sit with my batch and get our picture clicked which will be one of the images, that we carry with us on our journey... The entire album can be viewed here...

Last year I'd written about my experience of the festival, and today as I went for this festival, there're host of other things that I've explored! I went to see the festival and the nearby places, with a friend of mine, and the glimpses of our visit are here! A few shots of what caught my eye, and some amazing work done by the artists. As I walked down the road towards Colaba, we saw a couple of artists painting a building, sitting on the sidewalk, just to watch them paint like that was exhilirating to say the least! Then we walked towards the festival and saw these artists painting on canvases, I've managed to grab a few shots of the paintings that he'd just done and I think they're amazing! The festival itself was full of people, food stalls, artefacts, ranging from furniture, to showpieces, chappals, bags, books, greeting cards, and the likes. There were a lot of NGOs who'd set up stalls to generate awareness as also to publicise their range of products

One of the most talked about movies, one that I saw a month later than most... It's a movie, that introduces a sensitive issue to all, one for which there is no awareness, that of dyslexia. A simple story line, revolving around the life of a 9 year old boy, a character beautifully essayed by Darsheel, who has a learning disability that no one diagnoses. He's tormented and hurt by friends, school teachers and most of all by his own father. His mother and brother, try to support him, but without knowledge of his problem, they too are unable to understand him. Shunned into a boarding school, where he faces the same opprobrium, he is lost, unhappy and terribly hurt, when he meets his temporary art teacher, played by aamir khan, who diagnoses his problem and strives to help him. Through creative methods, songs, and most importantly by allowing him to express himself through his wonderful drawings, darshan soon transforms into a boy who's comfortable with himself. Knowing what he

Take charge of your own things, no one else will do it for you. I suffered from lack of proactiveness on my part, and I'm going to literally have to pay for it. Rs. 1,000/- for not having submitted my CET form in time, a literal way to show that you got to take charge. Well, life, I'm now listening!

There's nothing so comforting as the sound of the train wheels gliding on its rails, The pace, the slight noisy chugging, not of the steam engines but of the engine running on electricity, The changing landscaprs, trees interspersed with habitation, slum dwellers having houses stacked up on one another, garbade dumps and huge skyscrapers striving to live up to their name, The movement of compartments which have a slight sway, speeding across their rails, held together by the energy that binds us together, There's group, that was featured in the news recently, IRFCA , Indian Railways Fan Club. This group is very knowledgable about their passion for the love of the Indian Railways, and are present at most unusual sightings for engines, locals, long distance trains, etc. What is it about the railways that so many people literally 23 million each day use this mode of transport to commute to work, schools, colleges amongst most purposes. Apart from being the cheapest, quickest, and

Since childhood, I've heard my mother say this to me very often, Don't ask me questions, Do it because I say so! It was my father who always told me, Keep asking questions till you're satisfied with the answer. Obviously referring to being satisfied as in being satisfied that your curiousity is justified. This being the base, I set off on my journey... Somewhere I lost track and then now have taken up that path again. Intelligence is not only about giving the right answers, it's about asking the right questions too. We tend to overlook this aspect almost completely, until realisation dawns upon us. Why don't people ask questions then? Does it mean that they're not curious about anything? Does it reflect their attitudes towards things? Does it indicate their insecurity? Does it show their inability to handle the responses? All this and more... I think to begin asking questions, the primary base is that, you don't accept what's in front of you without thin

The Group Snap! Sitting (1st Row) (l - r) Cord, Malika, Rahul, Meera (in his lap), Meha Sitting (2nd Row) (l - r) Akhtar, Pradnya, Geeta, Aaji, Pramod, Priya, Arjun Standing (l - r) Sandeep, Lambert, Anuja, Sonali, Ayesha, Rupali, Uma, Jennifer, Gauri and Pankaj From all over the world, We all came together, at a lovely place, I'd like to call Kalewade! Three days of absolute bliss, we spent doing lots of things, from elaborate meals literally every two hours, to dances and games of cards, The stars were glittering all night, with all the performers shining bright, Sonali with her lovely voice, mesmerized all of us in sight, the kids put up a great show, Arjun at the helm and malika, rohan, rahul and meha in tow, and then suddenly, we had a spurt! where rohan completely stole the show! and soon opened the bag of stories, with everyone joining in to share their bits, anuja with her elephant memory won the bet, while I was completely awestruck with them! to imagine the pranks and the

My friend said, it doesn't make sense to write and "crib" about the problems that festivals create without offering solutions in return. Justified. So here goes, Festivals in Bombay are definitely many, being a secular city we're bound to celebrate all the festivals associated with the various religions in our city, we'll have Ganesh Utsav, Diwali, Durga Puja, Id, Christmas, and so on... Political parties aiming to be projected as the party for everyone will support these festivals to gain a double whammy, political mileage and votes. People will accept their support because they too have a justifiable desire to celebrate! How do we, ensure that amidst this chaos, we prevent damage to our environment? Let's start with the resources used to erect these festivals, Mandals are created, Idols are sculpted, Flower Garlands are utilised, Colours (or rang /gulal), Crackers, Diyas, Lanterns and now so often used the electric versions of lights and the likes. What does

have you ever had a pet? I do... I lost my dog today in an accident in the elevator, by the time we rescued her, she had already died... it made me stop and think, about the multitude of things that we do, and the pace at which we work. made me realise the importance of slowing down the pace, because these moments that we live are precious. a beautiful dog she was.. when she was a pup, we'd brought her home from the streets, she was a tiny little thing, only 6 inches long and could barely walk straight.. her eyes hadn't opened yet, obviously the gardener had snatched her away from her mother while she was still weening. when she grew, she loved to sit at our window sill and bark away to glory.. thinking about it, makes me smile now... she was so tiny, she would slip under my divan which was barely 6 inches high, and she'd curl up there and sleep.. the first time she did that, we had no idea where she was, and it was crazy trying to search for her, the small thing that she w

[A journey of words through the times that I’ve spent in this institution, from AMAG and then BMS, making many friends, to finding a person that I am, an individual, proud to be.] Five years, it’s been five years since a curious, shy girl that was me entered the premises of this building for the first time. Everything was for a first time, each step an achievement. The moments move past me in a blur, a rapid sequence of still shots, moments of, jumping into the train for the first time, running down the corridors, voicing those opinions, etching those first words, growing up within these walls, only to learn how to fly, how to rise beyond the limits and blossom in the blue sky. A period of time enmeshed with emotions and filled with events, from friendships to crushes, from authority to responsibility, from the unknown to the widely known, from J.C. to T.Y., a journey in which I have grown. A quest for realization, a journey of knowledge, experiencing everything, the emotions, and

As I stand before you today, Birds of a kind; together, Ruffling our wings, In anticipation of flight, The moments that we’ve shared, The times that we’ve spent, All making us, who we are, To realize the finality of it all, To stand alone, To stand tall, We take our first step, Into the horizons beyond, And face the world that is, Beckoning for us to belong, We wait, we think, we decide, And raise our hands up in the sky, And take off into the wind, Only to rise, only to win, Struggles and hardships we will face, But what’s success without that pain, We will win, we will fly, Our dreams and aspirations in the sky

the mere thought of it makes me smile, the transition of my fears now nowhere in sight, what makes people fear a test, that you don't have what it takes to clear the rest? or is it the same like being asked a question, being shaken out of the world of fiction, being asked to reason out your feelings, being asked to have justifications, the numbers that seemed so incongrous, the words that seemed to escape my conscious, are now like drops in the ocean, the one i steer with my emotions, the intent and passion that i previously felt, is now more of compulsion for myself, the excitement of wanting to state my point of view, is merging into the seas of views, trying to mould an answer like it should be, is like asking your mind to think differently, not innovative or even creative, but restricted and unnecessarily extended, it's a game that i used to play very well, but this time i don't think i will gel, i've had my way, i've taken my time, i've done what i wanted a

What is a festival? A celebration of what? Of what has happened in the past, for the reasons that our ancestors established rituals, and followed traditions... Lokmanya Tilak started the Sarvajanik Mandals for Ganesh Utsav with a primary motto for bringing people together as a community to celebrate a festival and to be able to spread the message to a wider base at a particular time. Is that relevant today? What has Ganesh Utsav turned into now? More and more humungous sized idols, more chemicals, huge crowds, political powerplays, and huge environmental hazards! Take another example of Durga Puja, a primarily Bengali Festival which celebrates Maa Durga and her avataars, normally we'd expect it to be hugely popular in Bengal, accepted that Bombay is very secular and so on, but surprise suprise, the political parties in Bombay decide to give this festival a huge boost and we see Durga Pandals all across the city! I for one, spotted not less than 30 processions (for immersions) near

One of the most powerful emotions that I have ever felt, There's nothing so obvious and so pure as this emotion. It is also one of the most over-used words in the world, for reasons that I now understand. People try to typecast love, they generalise it, they try to "simplify" it. In other words, they tell you what love "should" be like, not what it is. They associate it with words like compromise, waiting, adjusting, sacrifice, compassion, support, which is anything but that. They take vows where they agree to sacrifice their happiness for that of the other, they vow never to leave, to stay together through thick and thin. By binding people into this emotion, you're killing any chance for that emotion to flourish. You can't love someone without wanting it in the first place. It is as lucid as that, you can't force/pretend a love that doesn't exist. There are no two ways about it. Love is happiness in the fullest sense of the term! It's being

Talking about responsibilities, Civic Responsibilities are the responsibilities that we have for being a citizen of the country. Yes we get a raw deal, I see my parents putting in more than they can, each day and receiving much lesser than what they actually deserve, yet they will make all attempts to be responsible citizens. What is it that defines this spirit? The feeling that when you call it yours, you want to change the way things are, you want to make a difference to the place around you, you want to live in a better environment. In an argument in the local trains, when a woman was stopped from throwing some litter into the creek by a college girl, the woman quite embarassed and miffed, snapped at her, saying, "What's your problem?" The smart girl that she was, replied, "26th July, that's my problem" (26th July 2005 was the year in which Bombay Suburbs received 944 mm of rain in a span of 3 odd hours, it caused absolute havoc to the entire system, and

The very word suggests the sort of emotion that the place is expected to arouse within you. I don't agree. I went to Esselworld and I was not amused. What I was is bruised, tired and dizzy! The entire concept is to give you a thrill of your lifetime they say! and they catapulate you into the air with nothing but the inertia and gravity and your fear which compels your body to be tense and hold onto to anything that you, and the entire torture takes about a minute and a half and your throat is hoarse from all the screaming, which is the only way for your body to complain in protest of the "forced adrenaline rush" as my friend calls it.. !! It's a known fact that these sort of thrills are enjoyed by many people, and I would prefer a softer, gradual sort of an exciting experience instead of the sudden, jerky, terrifying experience that it is. :) maybe I'll prefer bungee jumping or para gliding... para sailing was boring... :) hehe... so till the time I experience tho