Barfi - Background Check

Movie BARFI & My Experience :

Watched BARFI in Udaipur two weeks back. Loved the movie that time. A movie buff like me could not stop himself from clapping with many others like me in the theater at the end of the movie. Just had a thought that time that I will go to FB and post my review and feeling for what a piece of ART this movie was for me. Thank god I was not having internet access for two days and that I still don't use a smart phone, which saved me from making a fool of myself.

This week I got to know how more then 32 scenes of the movie were directly copied from oscar winning films. How the complete background music is a copy of the Oscar winning film Amili. I was shocked and angry, felt like a fool....a big one. Shame on you Anurag Basu and Pritam for doing this!!!! 
Its so amazing to know that the film has done 100 crore business. And to add to the shame the film has been sent to Oscars. Its a fact that the film will be thrown away in Oscars in screening committee due to its copied content. But what has happened to the Film Federation of India (FFI) who are so brain dead to pick up this film for Oscars. I guess they don't watch too much of Foreign Movies like me these days....

This incident has evoked a fresh interest in me for Foreign films and diluted it for my Hindi films as of now.... and i feel sorry for it but can't help it.

Don't Judge till you know them

Read this story and could relate it with our real lives... How soon do we judge people from your actions, behavior till we truly know them...

A 24 year old traveling in train with his parents was looking at the sight outside from his train window.. He shouts, "Dad!! Look the trees are going behind." Dad smiled and a couple sitting next to the boy's parents noticed the childish behavior of a 24-year old with pity, the boy again exclaimed, "Dad!! Look the clouds are running with us!" The couple couldn't resist and said to boy's dad, "Why don't you take your son to a good doctor?"

The dad smiled and said, "I did and we are just returning from the hospital, my son was blind from birth and he got his eyes today...."

APL - Apna Premier League

Guys!!!

We are not talking about Cricket here.. we would talk about entertainment, frenzy and colorful way of living your life every Sunday morning.. oh yeah!!! thats what we do in Udaipur every weekend

Apna Premier League a.k.a APL has its roots from famous IPL.. the base rules staying the same but with lot of injustice, prejudice and unfairness mixed with it. Though, there are instances of harmonious and equal environment, sense of appreciation towards the batsman, bowler, fielder and wicketkeeper - but you need to play with us to understand what I mean :D

Golden Rules:

1. There is a five-match series played between captains on every possible Sunday morning (unless it rains or players are too tired to wake up) . The captains would change after every five-match series. The decision of appointing a new captain is biased and deserved by a close friend who has always found an excuse from becoming one. The criteria may or may not include good performances, sutta and rajnigandha consumptions, sense of humor, capability of listening to everyone.
2. The captain who wins the toss will always field first. Why? Bcoz of pitch conditions? Simply because it becomes quite sunny after 9:30 AM for players to field. They would prefer fielding in shade rather than in sun. Early morning dew causing ball to skid, seam movement etc. are not applicable. No-Tanning comes first!!!!
3. The bowler would set the field bringing slow and heavy players in the circle so that they dont have to run much, the quick players would be sent in deep positions. Since the bowler doesnt know where will he bowl or pitch the delivery, he uses his best guess initially to set the field.. then probably after a boundary is hit or the bowl goes in the direction where the fielder was not set, he would simply move the fielder to that position. You know its hard to predict everything!!!!!
4. More than the wicketkeeper, the thirdman and fine leg positions play an important role. It would be dishonest to say that the wicketkeeping gloves have a problem :P The batsman can miss the ball and still get runs
5. The fielder receives an applaud if he is able to stop the ball within first time.
6. Every player have their own box of suggestions which they keep telling the bowler or batsman after every delivery. You know we are friends and our captain is also our friend!!!!
7. After every 10 overs, there will be a strategic timeout. The strategy is to have 2-3 sutta and 1-2 rajnigandha first and then joke around. This is so prevalent and coercive that even after the strategic timeout that the fielder standing in deep position will need it - Again we are friends and happy to help!!!
8. The umpire's decision is final - he is respected and obeyed 99% of the time. To make the match interesting, he might give a wrong decision with a grin on his face :D I tell you, the applaud he receives from the team he has supported with that wrong decision is AWESOME!!!! I have experienced it myself
9.  After the first innings, the players would be served with poha, samosa, kachori and cold drinks. Naashta na kiya to kya khaak kiya!!!
10. Even after batting first and with other players sitting in shade, the team is so tired that they are unable to field properly. You have to blame SUN for this!!!

Overall, it is an adventure and worth experiencing :)

Written by An Indian Software Engineer

Written by An Indian Software Engineer
A Bitter Reality

As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in Software Engineering and joined a company based in USA, the land of braves and opportunity. When I arrived in the USA, it was as if a dream had come true.

Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I would be staying in this country for about Five years in which time I would have earned enough money to settle down in India. My father was a government employee and after his retirement, the only asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.
I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started feeling homesick and lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and speak to my parents every week using cheap international phone cards. Two years passed, two years of Burgers at McDonald's and pizzas and discos and 2 years watching the foreign exchange rate getting happy whenever the Rupee value went down.

Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents that I have only 10 days of holidays and everything must be done within these 10 days. I got my ticket booked in the cheapest flight. Was jubilant and was actually enjoying hopping for gifts for all my friends back home. If I miss anyone then there will be talks. After reaching home I spent home one week going through all the photographs of girls and as the time was getting
shorter I was forced to select one candidate. In-laws told me, to my surprise, that I would have to get married in 2-3 days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After the marriage, it was time to return to USA, after giving some money to my parents and telling the neighbors to look after them, we returned to USA.

My wife enjoyed this country for about two months and then she started feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India increased to twice in a week sometimes 3 times a week. Our savings started diminishing. After two more years we started to have kids. Two lovely kids, a boy and a girl, were gifted to us by the almighty. Every time I spoke to my parents, they asked me to come to India so that they can see their grand-children.

Every year I decide to go to India… But part work part monetary conditions prevented it. Years went by and visiting India was a distant dream. Then suddenly one day I got a message that my parents were seriously sick. I tried but I couldn't get any holidays and thus could not go to India ... The next message I got was my parents had passed away and as there was no one to do the last rights the society members had done whatever they could. I was depressed. My parents had passed away without seeing their grand children. After couple more years passed away, much to my children's dislike and my wife's joy we returned to India to settle down. I started to look for a suitable property, but to my dismay my savings were short and the property prices had gone up during all these years. I had to return to the USA... My wife refused to come back with me and my children refused to stay in India... My 2 children and I returned to USA after promising my wife I would be back for good after two years. Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married to an American and my son was happy living in USA... I decided that had enough and wound-up every thing and returned to India... I had just enough money to buy a decent 02 bedroom flat in a well-developed locality.

Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of the flat is for the routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife has also left me and gone to the holy abode. 

Sometimes I wondered was it worth all this?

My father, even after staying in India, Had a house to his name and I too have the same nothing more. I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA BEDROOM. Looking out from the window I see a lot of children dancing. This damned cable TV has spoiled our new generation and these children are losing their values and culture because of it. I get occasional cards from my children asking I am alright. Well at least they remember me.

Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbors again who will be performing my last rights, God Bless them.
But the question still remains 'was all this worth it?'

I am still searching for an answer.................!!!

START THINKING

IS IT JUST FOR ONE EXTRA BEDROOM???

LIFE IS BEYOND THIS …..DON'T JUST LEAVE YOUR LIFE ……..
START LIVING IT …….
LIVE IT AS YOU WANT IT TO BE ……

Courtesy: Facebook

I'm thankful

Few things I am thankful for:

1. Worries at the start of the day, that means I am alive :P
2. Clothes that don't fit me anymore, that means I am getting good food (thanks to my mom and wife) :D :D
3. The mess to clean after a party, that means I still have friends around me :)
4. My house roof needs fixing, that means I have a house
5. I pay taxes, that means I am not penniless
6. Often hear from quarreling relatives, that means I have a family

Rat race - it hurts

Ever wondered why are you one of those people who are caught in the race? You must be an engineer who did his/her graduation in Computer Science/ Electrical/ Mechanical / Civil from one of the many good colleges in the country. You completed your graduation by copying the answers from your friends, googling projects or even strong guesses. You always dreamt of big things during graduation but yet appeared for campus interviews. Probably you were the lucky one to get selected early or you were the one who scraped through. You then joined an IT major and became one of 25000 candidates selected that year from different colleges/ universities to do an outsourced job... and then?

You became a rat.. you joined a rat race. The rat race of appraisals, on-site opportunities, promotions, buying a new car, flat etc. etc. Didn't you?

Question: Does it hurt to be in the rat race?

Busy running a rat race, many people forget the real reason they are chasing a dream. Some people get into the habit of running a rat race because they are trying to compete with people or make people in their lives, such as their parents, happy with the decisions they make.

I am a Software Engineer. I've developed desktop and mobile applications, product development using SAP. I also did an executive MBA during my job tenure. But none of my job profiles offered me to "manage" and "grow" something until lately I took the reigns in my hand. Wondering what I did during my last 6 years, was it something I real wanted to do? Sadly, the answer is NO. I always wanted to run my own business.

Life beyond the Rat Race


The life beyond the rat race only begins when we take a small but meaningful journey within us. It is important for us to know what we really want to do, what you are passionate about. For example, if you think that you are trapped in a lousy career, its a good idea to look back and see why you are in a career you hate.

Second good way would be to stop trying to compete with other people. Whether you are competing with someone with better possessions or better job, you will be stuck running a rat race because you probably won't be able to catch up with them. You are only in competition with yourself. 


Every one imagines a life beyond a rat race. But hardly any one dares to try and live it. All we need to do it first know what we want and then take steps to do it. Money is secondary. If Edison invented electric bulb because he wanted to earn, he’d have never invented an electric bulb. Do it if your heart says. Do some thing new, some thing better and do it if it is fun. If you are good at it, the money will follow.

DSLR - You don't stop with that, do you?

As I browse through my Facebook feed through various tinted photographs of poor people and crows making out on a high tension power line, it only compounds my irritation.

Apparently anyone can now own a DSLR without knowing what it expands to. The moment you get one, you update your Facebook status with technical specifications of your camera that serves as a harbinger to us. Then you have two passive Facebook users (Their role in online social life ends with the like button) to like it. I think they are like assassins. You can hire them and get them to like stuff on a temporary basis. An innocent girl falls for the bait and comments “Wow”. A hound of wolves go and like her comment, which tallies to a higher rational number than the likes for your original post, thereby embarrassing you. I mean, why this hoopla?

When you get your DSLR, do you start looking at everything as a prospective photograph. Poor people are now the target of your black and white pics. Suddenly old senile men clad in loin cloth are of value to you. A wrecked car becomes an object of art. I mean, how suddenly?

You categorize stuff into different senseless albums. Stray dogs come under the category of wildlife. Why man, why?Do they live in the forest? Are they endangered? I really don’t think so. They chase me all around the housing colony, as I drive my car with my windows up out of fear, when I return home after 11 pm. Your cycle bell is shot in high resolution and uploaded into “random pics”.

Doors, windows, bullet enfields and light switches go under the category of classic pictures. Who certified it as classic dear? The Academy awards jury?Sigh, self-proclamation. And yes, find new names. “What I see”, “Brilliant shots from my eye” and “Shots through my lens” are exhausted names for an album.

”Random pics”, the worst ever name, not just for an album. If you hate your child, you should name him “Random pics”.

You know what I dread the most? When you walk alone and call it a photowalk. Apparently it is exactly like your normal walk, except for the fact that you annoy other people with your camera during your walk, thereby intruding their privacy. You shoot pictures of mango sellers, beach, shops, lakes, carvings, pillars and everything you find. Then you post process it and make it look pretentious. And then you put your logo along with a copyright image. Yeah, because Sanjay Leela Bhansali is looking to sneak away your photos and plagiarize it in his next movie. Some of the folks even put “Rights reserved” at the footer of the image. I wonder what rights you have reserved for yourself. I will plagiarize it and see how you effectively sue me in high court. 

It is tiring to see “Ram photography” , “Shyam photography” or “Soorpanaka photography” as image footers.

You don’t stop with that, do you? You have to bestow your photography tips on us. When we common men click photos with our “point and shoot” cameras, you go all over our pictures and say “This should have been shot in Macro mode” , “That should have been shot at this exposure”. Ok, I know you understand the nuances of photography. However all I want is just to click a button and get a picture. From now on, your shooting tips will be met with shooting, from a gun.

End of rant.

P.S: Don't take it to heart you DSLR owners, please keep clicking my pictures in any mode you want :)

Mending Wall

Another school era classic....makes so much sense now :) I esp love the lines that are in bold...


Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall, 
That wants it down.' I could say 'Elves' to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors." 


~ Robert Frost

Relationship

4 stages of a relationship between boy and gal:

1. Hand in hand
2. That in hand
3. Hand in that
4. That in that

Must watch movies

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914798/

Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences

The Boat that rocked - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1131729/

A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960s.