Life and its paradoxes

Today we have bigger houses but smaller families,
More conveniences but less time,
Today we have more degrees but less common sense,
More knowledge but less judgement..

Today we have more experts but more problems,
More medicine but less wellness,
Today we have multiplied our possessions,
But we have reduced our values..

Today we have learned to make a living but not a life,
We have added years to life but not life to years,
Today we spend more but have less,
We buy more but enjoy it less..

Today we have been all the way to the moon and back,
But we have trouble crossing the street to meet our neighbours,
Today we have taller buildings but shorter tempers,
We have wider highways but narrower viewpoints..

Today we talk too much, love too little and lie too often,
We drive too fast and get angry too quickly,
Today we stay up too late and read too little,
We watch TV too often and pray too seldom..

Today we write more but learn less,
We plan more but accomplish less,
Today we learned to rush but not to wait,
We have higher incomes but less morales..

Today we build more computers to hold more information,
We produce more copies but have less communication,
Today we are good at quantity,
But short on quality..

Today are the times of fast foods and slow digestion,
Times for tall men but short characters,
Today are the times of more kinds of foods but less nutrition,
Times for two incomes but more divorces..

It is time to search for knowledge and read more,
It is time to spend more time with family and friends,
It is time to tell them that you really love them,
It is time to forget about words like "one of those days" and "someday"

Every day, every hour, every minute is special

My heart is still a child, its a bit coward

My eyes are locked such that they don’t move from over her,

While (the age is such that) I am unable to cut a silk thread with my teeth,

I was old long back and my hair are white now,

(but) the black clouds of youth don’t want to go.

O god, my heartbeat is raising,

the color of my face is going (that means I am ageing)

I am afraid of sleeping alone,


(My) heart is (still) a child,it’s a bit coward,

yeah, my heart is still a child..

Who knew that the heart, so close to me, could be such scoundrel,

I always thought it would be a pure soul like me only,

it gives so much importance (to things), makes so much noise,

keeps track of useless things,

there is no one as mean as the heart,

someone stop it, someone check it,

I’ll be cheated in this age,

I am afraid to love..


My heart is still a child..

My heart is so sad, I am fearing even while laughing,I passed my entire youth away (from love),

And now I am meeting (her) in old age,

When the heart beats, I feel-

she is coming here only, but not looking (at me),

It’s hitting me with the knife of love,

Oh my.. Why don’t these moments pass,

Why don’t they move away from my eyes,

I am feared, don’t tell me,


My heart is still a child,

It’s a bit coward,

Yeah, my heart is still a child…


P.S. This is the english translation of the song - Dil to baccha hai ji :D :D :D

Momma's Boy

Having stayed away from home for around 10 years, the feeling and excitement to come back and settle down is amazing. It took me some time to get back to things which I had long lost and forgotten a bit. With people, environment and culture changing, there is only one person who has remained unaffected - My mom.

I have been a Momma's boy throughout my life. Some like it, some love it, some find it odd and immature after a certain age. Its good to feel like a kid again.

Some instances:

1. Everyday I leave for office, my mom comes out of the house to wave me goodbye :)

2. If I don't wish to have milk one day, she would make milk rose or a glass of coffee so that I have it .... and guess what... I actually have it :)

3. She knows what all I like to eat after I return home in the evening and I end up licking my fingers :)

4. She has answers to all my problems and knows well how will I deal with it

5. We go to a restaurant, she asks me if I will like to have a cold drink and I say yes :)

6. She still packs my suitcases at times when I am travelling and she will put some favourite of mine to eat in the bag. I would keep on saying no for it but I remember and thank her when I eat
 .......
 .......
 .......
and so many more of these!!!!


There is always something to be said about a man on who knows how he treats his mother. When he showers her with love, admiration and respect; it is a pretty good indication on how he's going to treat his wife or girlfriend

I stand here today knowing my mom has bought me so much of joy,
Today I am a man, but I will always be my Momma's boy

Housefull - Jarring and Barefaced!!!

Unfortunate Event - Again : Ankit and I went to watch "Housefull"

Call it contretemps or yet another way to fritter away time, we decided to watch it on the first day of its release - never a wise choice but... but.. but... knowing it all and regretting later. It is more of my moral responsibility rather than an obligation to stop the readers of this blog from rushing to the theatres - I would still suggest you to download this movie or buy a DVD.

Rajeev Masand feels - "If corny humor is your thing, give this film a chance. If you have even a modicum of intelligence or taste, however, stay far away from this one!"

Some observations:

1. Akshay Kumar is the center act of this movie. He calls himself a Panauti or Loser around 15 times in the movie cursing his misfortune throughout. He searches for a perfect bride with whom he thinks would relieve him with his anvil chorus.
Question: Why was the movie named Housefull ? Do you feel Panauti would have been better? (This is coming from my movie name scrutiny over the years - the word that is repeated the most in Bollywood movies often turns out to the actual movie name)

2. Lara Dutta looks hot but thats all is left in her to reveal. Some performers do not mature as actors even after their reasonably long career span. They hope to catch some attention with their bare bodies so that people overlook their puckered faces
Question: Which was the last hit movie of Lara Dutta?

3. Deepika Padukone looks hotter and I personally feel she is turning into a finer soubrette. Her dialogue delivery had been similar to a news reporter in her earlier movies.
Question: Why are you so tall Deepika? I will have to wear heels to walk with you

4. Arjun Rampal has great looks, great physique, great dialogue delivery - to sum it all, The Real Stud
Question: Should he continue doing serious roles? I feel it suits him the most

5. Whatever farcical scenes you watch during the movie trailers are the only moments where you get a laugh. Rest of the scenes would make you say "Kuch bhi kar rahe hain" , "Kya bakwaas hai yeh!!" , "Kyon movie kheech rahe hain"
Question: Is Sajid Khan forcing the assemblage to laugh or does he have a habit of laughing on his own jokes?

6. Songs have no relevance whatsoever with the movie plot - Akshay Kumar sings I don't know what to do on his first night with Jia Khan hitting with him with a hunter.... Sheer Crap!!!!
Question: Do you think Javed Akhtar or Gulzar would have immediately said NO!!! NO!!! when Sajid Khan would have approached him?

7. I like few dance steps - but those were again as shown during the movie trailers - I am being cheated by forcing to watch the whole movie :D

8. Akshay Kumar does nothing different than his previous hits. Probably, thats how junta have started liking him now.

I find the movie off the wall and defeats the purpose of rich entertaiment :( I won't be surprised if it still becomes a hit

Chal-hutt-saala

Unfortunate Event: My friend Ankit and I went to watch "Paathshaala"

We went to watch a movie after a long time. Both of us were banking on good songs of this movie especially "Aye Khuda"  - the movie turned out to be imbecilic and a sheer waste of time. Commenting on the commercialization of schools , the film script has too much of melodrama and over-exaggeration and seemed more like a reality show to me. I blame myself for not reading the reviews for this movie first and also for spending additional time writing this blog and cursing the movie further - I just hope the readers of this blog do not commit the same detestable crime of watching it even by downloading or by buying pirated DVDs.

Some observations:

1. Shahid Kapoor stars as an sincere English Teacher - but it was only for those lucky one minute when I actually saw him teaching English. In that scene also, he asked a gal to concentrate in class rather than looking at him. Later, dont know from where, the same gal was showing the cell phone recording to her friends on how he scolded her
Question: How did she manage to record when Shahid Kapoor was scolding her?

2. It would not have affected the audience even if Shahid Kapoor would have been a History or Geography or Math teacher - he eventually ended up playing music which was merely his vagary and not a real profession
Question: Was Shahid Kapoor sleeping when the script was narrated to him?

3. In the climax when Nana Patekar was delivering his speech, the big clock on the school building showed the time as 8:15 a.m. At the same time, Shahid Kapoor's watch showed the time 6:30 a.m.
Question: What could be the reason for the time difference?

4. Again during the climax, one can easily notice the reflection of the cameras and screens on Nana Patekar's lenses - One would only miss it if he/she is simply listening to the noble speech by Nana Patekar with his/her eyes closed
Question: Did the director feel that its not a big deal and the populace would fail to notice?

5. The gal whom I mentioned about in point 1 was thrown from the script in the end. She had also sung and danced on a song pondering over Shahid during the movie but to no happenchance eventually.
Question: What was the significance of taking her into this movie?

6. Sushant Singh was the sports incharge in the movie. He had this ugly moustache which did not match his personage. Those moustaches would look modish if he wore a dhoti with a red cloth tied to his forehead
High time Sushant!!! Stop doing such roles, you are far better than this...
Question: Is Sushant still facing the recession heat?

7. Ayesha Takia gets excited in the first scene when she sees Shahid Kapoor in the school. She also asks him to join for a cup of coffee. One could easily feel the sense of random endearment shown by Ayesha - probably the director would have first thought of putting together an affair for them but eventually forgot about it in the end.
Question: Why Ayesha why? You are so cute and bubbly... what did you get with such an indifferent performance?

In the end, I did not feel any of the songs were situational - It happens with me often when I am alone and I end up linking two totally different tunes.. Gosh!!!  :D

Meine to apne kaam kar diya aapko bata kar, aage sab aapke haath mein hai :)

Dekho Raste Mein

Dekho raste mein, haste haste mein,

Baat pahuchi kahan se kahan,

Mera vaada hai, yeh iraada hai,

Jaonga mein bhi tum ho jahan

 

Maan lo, maan lo, maan lo,

Zindagi hai haseen maan lo,

Jaan lo, jaan lo, jaan lo,

Pyaar bin kuch nahi jaan lo

 

Kya bataon mein, sochta hun mein,

Hum hain do jism aur ek jaan,

Dekho raste mein, haste haste mein,

Baat pahuchi kahan se kahan

Kuch tumse poochun, poocho mein sunta hun,

Tumko hai kitna sach batana meri chahat par yakeen,

Itna yakeen hai jitna mujhko sach mein mujhpar bhi nahi,

Jab yeh kehte ho, lagti hai mujhko kitni meethi tumhari zubaan

Dekho raste mein, haste haste mein,

Baat pahuchi kahan se kahan,

Saath rahenge hum, pyaar na hoga kum,

Saagar se paani dekha hai kya tumne kum kabhi,

Hone na dena paas mere tum zara ho kami,

Laake kadmo me, mein to rakh dunga, yeh zameen aur yeh aasman

Dekho raste mein, haste haste mein,

Baat pahuchi kahan se kahan,

Mera vaada hai, yeh iraada hai,

Jaonga mein bhi tum ho jahan

 

Maan lo, maan lo, maan lo,

Zindagi hai haseen maan lo,

Jaan lo, jaan lo, jaan lo,

Pyaar bin kuch nahi jaan lo

Kya bataon mein, sochta hun mein,

Hum hain do jism aur ek jaan,

Dekho raste mein, haste haste mein,

Baat pahuchi kahan se kahan

Morning Prayer

वह शक्ति हमें दो दयानिधि
कर्तव्य मार्ग पर डट जाये
पर सेवा पर उपकार में हम
निज जीवन सफल बना जाये

हम दीन दुखी निबलो विकलो
के सेवक बन संताप हरे
जो हैं भूले भटके बिछुड़े
उनको तारे खुद तर जाये

छल द्वेष दंभ पाखण्ड झूठ
अन्याय से निष् दिन दूर रहे
जीवन हो शुद्ध सरल अपना
शुची प्रेम सुधा रस बरसाए

निज आन मान मर्यादा का
प्रभु ध्यान रहे, अभिमान रहे
जिस देश भूमि पर जनम लिया
बलिदान उसी पर हो जाये

वह शक्ति हमें दो दयानिधि
कर्तव्य मार्ग पर डट जाये
पर सेवा पर उपकार में हम
निज जीवन सफल बना जाये

Do I care?

How often do I argue with my blood relation?

From hornet’s nest or by bringing my own aggression

How often do I care how much have I hurt?

When I speak in tongues or in ever increasing spurt

What will I do when I lose my nigh ones all of a sudden?

Sitting far away with my project work undone

Should I mourn over the loss for the rest of my existence?

Or should I pity myself for wrangling during their continuance?

I realize life is too short to hate them in person

Coz they stood in my despair and adulation

They won’t take anything in good heaven or even list

But would leave their fond memories of their life’s gist

 

I wish to stay awake and see them sleeping during nights

To make sure that I am always there as their wrights

I feel they need me more than I need them now

I might be scared of saying “you never know”

 

I apologize to all whom I have afflicted

I believe God is watching and I would be treated

I take another step to do well and be fair

Keeping aside my egos and reflecting the glare

The Wedding Season

The wedding season got over here on 17th Feb. It had been a tough week for me - working the whole day and then going out at night to attend the functions (Not that I don't love them). Lot of couples get married in Feb - something to do with the uttam muhrat and tinge of winter chill. With people commuting from one wedding to another, traffic was left in God's hands. What was surprising was the increase in the number of cars in Udaipur over the years (and why not? People are prosperous here and cars do come at affordable prices now) I attended nine weddings in the whole week with four weddings on the same day.

Weddings are place to meet & greet, drink & think, eat & seat. You have a wonderful aura of being social, lively and cheerful. Some grand decorations, enough of gathering, uncountable number of food items, aunties high on jewellery (real and artificial - yes yes I notice that!! ), uncles in suits (tailored and readymade). Being a small city, you already know most of the people coming to the wedding and in our case, since I was going in four weddings, I kept seeing the same set of people over and over and over again.

The conversation/per uncle-aunty/per wedding/per day would start and end like this:

Papa, "Namaskar Jain Sahab, Namaste Mrs. Jain"

Uncle & Aunty, "Namaste Dugar Sahab, Namaste Lata Ji (Mummy)"

Papa (bringing me forward), "He is Arihant, my son"

Uncle,"He doesn't need an introduction. He looks exactly like you" - I don't know how to react to this - but I guess my father and myself both would be proud to hear that :) But the funny part here is when you meet the same Uncle Aunty daily in another wedding and they say the same thing (He don't need no introduction, he looks like you)- I won't get a plastic surgery done in a day man!! I don't understand why is this question repeated at first place? We have so many other things to talk about.

Arihant (with an outlasting smile and hands joining each other in unison making a NAMASTE pose), "Namaste Uncle! Namaste Aunty, kaise hain?"

Uncle, "Namaste Beta, kab aaye?"

Arihant, "Buss uncle thode din hue hain" - Here I could have also answered ki aaye hue 25 saal ho gaye but seriousness dude seriousness :P

Uncle,"Kahan par ho aajkal?"

Arihant,"Udaipur hi hun Uncle"

Uncle,"Accha!!! Tum Udaipur shift ho gaye kya? Yeh tumne bahut accha kiya. Akele ladke ko, parents ke paas aa gaye"

Arihant,"Jee Uncle, thank you, abhi ek mahina hi hua hai"

Aunty,"Tabhi bete ke aane se Lata Ji ka chehra khila hua hai, ghar mein ronak aa gayi hai"

Laughter.. hahaha.. giggles.... hehehe.... smile... :)

Uncle,"Kya kar rahe ho yahan?"

Arihant,"Abhi to Papa ke saath hi hun family business mein - marbles ka. Learning things here"

Aunty,"Ab iske liye ladki dekhiye Lata Ji"

Mummy,"Haan wohi chal raha hai, aap bataiye koi ho to"

Laughter.. hahaha.. giggles.... hehehe.... smile... :)

Uncle," Accha Beta, aana ghar par. Ab to yahin ho!"

Arihant,"Sure Uncle"

Apart from all this that happens, I noticed a common menu across the weddings. Some of the items are:

• Tomato Soup
• Paneer Chilla
• Aloo Tikki Chat
• Pani Patashas or Golgappas or Pani Puchkas
• Makki Ki Raab
• Fruit Salad
• Pasta
• Dal Fry
• Tandoori Roti/Phulka/Laccha Parantha

Anyways, anything free is good as long as it is hygenic :P (I already say sorry to myself before sleeping every night that I won't go to the gym tomorrow)

Common lines post booze

I try to consolidate few of the common lines spoken by my friends from the various booze parties which I was unfortunately a part of in Gandhinagar and Bangalore.

1. Tu mera bhai hai, aa gale lag jaa

2. Gaadi main chalaunga, itni se peene se koi chhadti hai kya?

3. Mein teri dil se izzat karta hun

4. Aaj chhad nahi rahi hai yaar, duplicate to nahi le aaye

5. Yeh mut samajhna ki mein pee kar bol raha hun

6. Yaar kum to nahi padegi

7. Ek chota sa aur ho jaaye

8. Tu bol tujhe kya chahiye, tere liye jaan bhi haazir hai

9. Main gaana dedicate karna chahta hun tum sab dosto ke liye

10. I love you

11. Apne baap ko mut sikha kya karna hai

12. Kal se daaru bandh