Travelogue: Paris (Day 1 - 3)

The first of our destinations in the Europe trip was Paris - the city of lights, love, dreams, romance... as it is popularly known. Landed there in the afternoon with a bright, sunny and a pleasant weather inviting us. The Charles de Gaulle airport is quite far from the city but SNCF (French Railways) connects Paris very well, so travelling within the city is very easy.

Paris Metro/Subway

A metro pass would be a good idea if you are planning to stay there for more than 4-5 days as it works out to be economical & cabs can get very expensive. Locating a hotel close to one of the metro stations will be a smart thing to do and we got lucky with that :). Like all city subways, you proceed downstairs past the human/automatic ticket dispensers and to the platform. The metro is very well signed and the lines are designated by colors, letters & numbers. It is clean, spacious and very convenient as we discovered it over the period of our stay.

Streets of Paris
We stepped out in the late evening with the weather still bright and sunny. Summer there has long days with the sunset happening around 9.30 -10pm. The streets of Paris are wide and nice and most of them are named after Mathematicians. The buildings have a rustic look and follow the same kind of architecture throughout the city.

Eiffel Tower and River Seine
The first thing to do was obviously to see the Eiffel Tower and River Seine. The river flowing through the city looks beautiful and the Eiffel Tower dominates the Paris skyline, being one of the highest points. It is definitely one of the best known landmarks in the world and a good piece of art with history, but I wasn't as impressed by it. My expectations were probably something more and it was way different from what I had thought I would see. There is a ride to the top and a restaurant at the first level of the tower where you can have dinner. But looking at the crowd and the lonnng queue, we decided not to take it. So just wandered at the base, admired the surroundings and returned back.

Food & Accomodation
In terms of food the city has a lot of options for various cuisines like Italian, Chinese and Indian too but limited options if you are a vegetarian. So make sure you ask someone if you are looking for a specific restaurant or a cuisine. The food is definitely very expensive, so depends on how much you wish to spend on every meal. There are a lot of hostels/bed & breakfast places available for budget accomodation which range from 40-60euros and 2 star hotels which cost approx 90euros a night..

Wine Tasting

The second day was the wine/champagne tasting at O Chateau, in one of the cellars within the city. It was a real good experience and we got to taste about 6 different french wines (red/white) including a champagne. This is something I would recommend as a must do, if you are a wine lover!

Louvre Museum

The visit to Paris is not complete without seeing the famous Louvre museum. So the third day morning we went to the museum (locating the entrance was a bit of a struggle). The entry is free on the first Sunday of every month but unfortunately we had to travel the next day which was the first Sunday, so had to buy the tickets . There is also a museum pass which grants multiple entry access to almost 70 museums/churches in Paris. So if you are an art lover, then this will be economical than buying individual entry tickets and you also get to skip the long queues.

I was thrilled to see the inverted glass pyramid and the Monalisa (something I've always wanted to see after reading The Da Vinci Code). The Louvre is composed of 4 floors with exhibits including sculptures, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities and much more! It is said that you need 2 full days to see the whole museum in detail if you are a real art & museum lover but again it depends on your interset level. We spent around half a day and were quite happy with what we saw... It is no doubt one of the world's best museums!




Arc de Triomphe

It is one of the most recognizable symbols of Paris/France and stands towardst he north west of the city. You can climb up the arc to get a magnificient view of Paris but we didnt have enough time to go all the way up...

A couple of other things we saw includes Champ-Elysees and Bastille (Opera de Paris Bastille)

The 4th day we hopped on to the Eurail and headed towards Switzerland......





(Note: The images displayed are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced anywhere without my consent)

Change...and resistance..

Change is always difficult, be it in professional or personal life. If one of it is constant, it becomes easier to handle the other. But what do you do when all aspects of your life are changing at the same time... new job, new city, new lifestyle, new friends etc etc.... its like getting a complete makeover; at the end you find it difficult to recognize your own self!

Coming out of the comfort zone is something no one likes to do. Everytime I've wanted to do something different, I have seen myself procrastinating and embracing the status quo; Mainly coz of the already existing sense of security and the fear of the unknown. But luckily, in retrospect, all the dots seem to connect perfectly well and am glad I took those bold steps and embraced the change, even though I was unsure and it felt extremely difficult at that point in time. So that itself gives me a lot of confidence to plunge ahead now... and believe that change is not always bad. You never know what you are missing out in life, if you do not take that leap of faith and come out of the safety of your comfort zone. Breaking that barrier is very important... if you do not stretch beyond your comfort, you are going to be in the same place tomorrow and the next day and the next!

Someone had sent these lines to me many years back and everytime I have something drastically changing in my life, I always remember this -

"...For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; and for everything you gain, you lose something else"

Now that I have a music system in my car, I listen to the radio at least 2 hours a day while commuting to work, thanks to bangalore traffic! So recently, I heard this ad on Radio One about 'Privilege Matimony', which is supposed to be a "personalized" special matrimonial service offered by Bharatmatrimony for all the busy and young professionals who have no time to find a suitable partner for themselves... and of course it comes with a premium cost. Hmmm... I am still unable to find a logical reason behind this concept.....extremely stupid and silly! How can a relationship manager decide whether you are compatible with someone or not? Searching the profiles online can be done personally on any of the regular matrimonial sites, so I dont understand this "personal relationship manager" concept at all. One of the basic and most important decision of people's lives is being treated like a mere business transaction...

Well, I believe, if you are so busy that you dont have time to invest in finding someone special, then you probably dont need that special someone in your life!

I am not sure if anyone has *actually* benefitted from this, but to me, the concept itself sounds hollow and like just another money making tactic...

It's just one of those 'not so great' days when am wondering why is happiness always relative?! You wait for something for a long time, you get it; you are happy, but the next moment you are not, coz you have just compared yourself with others....may not be consciously, but it happens and then that happiness suddenly becomes elusive....

Happiness doesnt seem to lie in what you get or have but in whether or not you have more or less than others...sigh! 'Being content with what you have' seem like just words of wisdom many a times...far beyond putting into practice...

Competition is good, healthy....but the more one learns not to compare...the better it is...I realize!

It's been ages since I wrote something here. I have been getting mails from many people asking if I am ok and why I have not updated anything here. Well..it is nice to know that there are people who actually read what I post :) It has never so happened that I've lost interest in writing coz it gives me a lot of joy and I myself was surprised to see that every time I opened this blog to write something, there was a complete lack of enthusiasm & interest, in addition to having a crazily hectic work life... Hope I find some time to update this space more often...

I've been watching this Ad which is an aircel initiative, about Save the Tiger campaign. I absolutely love it. The very first time I saw it, it touched my heart. Definitely does it's part to raise the social awareness & hopefully influence people to raise their voices and do something for the cause! I don't know what I can do about it but as the Ad says 'spread the message'....here I am, posting the video :)

I was checking my Google Analytics account for this blog today, after a really long time and I was surprised to see the statistics! Never realized that there were so many people who visited this blog regularly to read the ramblings that I write :) Yet, there are very few who leave comments....it was interesting to see the number of people who are curious to know what's happening in my life....coz there are a lot of specific searches for these keywords "pratima+jayaram+ blog+ ISB+bangalore" and so on..

This month (Jan) seems to have the max number of visits (though I hardly posted anything..)

Visits - 1,050 from 46 countries
Page views - 2,280
Visitors - 620 absolute unique visitors
New Visits - 60%
Direct Traffic - 11 %
Referrals - 72%

Top 10 Keywords
1. marilyn monroe quotes
2. pratima jayaram
3. mind over matter
4. pratima blog
5. mind over matter blog
6. pratima jairam blog
7. pratima.blogspot.com
8. "mind over matter" blog
9. mile sur
10. mind over matter + pratima jayaram

hmmm...

India sings Phir Mile Sur..

There is probably no Indian who wouldn't have heard of Mile sur mera tumhara. Most of us grew up listening to it on Doordarshan. It brings back the childhood memories. I vaguely remember starting to watch this on DD when I was 7-8 yrs old and knew the entire song, with lines in all languages (I still do). Released in 1988, this video about national integration which was pretty much like a national anthem and brings out a medley of the country's languages and diversity, is definitely a legend....

But the question is, can we recreate the legend? Well, you can surely try but probably cannot! The new contemporary version - Phir Mile Sur premiered today on TV on the account of Republic Day. Zoom TV has been airing nothing but this since morning and I've watched it a zillion time already... It was a good thought and effort by Vodafone/Times Group and it is no doubt beautiful. The setting, screenplay, direction are truly brilliant. It presents India in its true glory but according to me, it failed to create the magic. First of all, the song/video is way toooo long (16mins) and seems like a drag. It doesn't sound all that melodius like before, coz of a too many additions. And above all, it's supposed to be a national integration video, so what are SO MANY bollywood stars doing in there?!!! Most of them look very superficial, especially Ash and Deepika Padukone. To me, the best part of the video was that of AR Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Amitabh Bachchan...I feel more diversity in the artists chosen would have looked better.

Phir Mile Sur is no doubt good, but Mile Sur Mera Tumhara still remains immortal for the impact it created on the nation....old is gold..

Here is the Part 1 of the video...and full video is available HERE

Books...I love thee!

I saw this Cadbury Celebrations Ad for Raksha Bandhan which has been playing on TV for quite a while. But yesterday I noticed something more in it. This kid gives his sister a gift for Rakhi and she asks him what it is....he says "Book" and the sister makes a sad face and then opens the box to find chocolates and is very thrilled about it....

Well... for me, it would have definitely been the other way round! A good book is one of the nicest gifts that I could get (I do love perfumes and flowers too ;-) )... I'd treasure it more than anything, 'coz I am extremely possessive about the books I own. I hate getting them dirty, having folds or mishandling them while reading and I *always* use bookmarks. I hate it when people fold the pages to mark their readings! That's one of the reasons why all my books look brand new even after I've read them multiple times. I love keeping hard copies of my favorite books...I love the smell and feel of it! I might sound a bit cynical but I find it hard to lend my collection of favorite books unless I know that the recipent will handle it with care...

It's sad to see these days how the passion for reading has reduced and television, video games and other sources of entertainement have taken over. To me, a book would still be the first choice whenever I have time to spare. Leave me in a book store, and I'd forget the whole world around. It can be quite unnerving to someone who accompanies me coz I can spend hours browsing through the books and still be left un-satiated...

Sitting in a coffee shop, in a book store with a good book and a hot cup of green tea is like a perfect afternoon for me....... Ah! my life would be so incomplete without books!

A movie and the book...

Watched 3 idiots today.....I had read Five Point Someone (FPS) by Chetan Bhagat years back and had loved it. This was one book which I had thought would make a base for an entertaining movie. When I heard that 3 idiots was based on FPS, I was quite eager to watch it but I read a lot of reviews since its release last week which say that the director claims the movie plot is just 5% of the book...So today I started the movie with an expectation to see something new and more than just FPS. I was quite suprised to see almost 70% of the movie adapted from the novel and the sad part is that there has been no credit given to Chetan Bhagat anywhere.

I quickly visited his blog and found this post and this one as well. I still remember the book quite well coz I've read it twice...the characters, settings, drama, emotions, love story, everything is the same and a lot of scenes like Raju's (Alok) suicide, Rancho (Ryan) helping Raju's father and his family, Raju moving out the group, Rancho falling in love with Pia -the professor's daughter, stealing papers from the professor's office, Pia's brother committing suicide and she hiding it from her father till the end, the ragging scene at the beginning of the movie...and I can list a lot more...which are straight from the novel..

Agreed that Hirani has a great sense of humor and he has added his own flavor & twist to the plot and adapted from FPS quite well. The catchline "All is well" does make it sound like another Munnabhai movie with a social message. Everything about the movie is good, it's well made, entertaining and has the right amount of comedy and emotions...I am not undermining the authenticity. But the point is, the movie is not just 5% of the book...its much more than that and the fact that the director/producer is not giving the due credit to the author is quite un-ethical, unmerciful and shameless!! If I were the writer, I would have screamed at the top of my voice saying its my story! Bollywood churns out a lot of movies which are "inspired" from different things and the least they could do is give the due credits to the sources...

Watch the movie and then read the book..am sure anyone can see a whole lot of similarities...

On a different note, I loved Aamir's performance. Though he is 44 and playing a 22 year old college kid, he gets away with it and totally fits in! Sharman Joshi, no doubt was perfect for his role though Madhavan did seem a bit out of place...Whatever the quirks, 'All is well' in the end and the movie is definitely worth a watch!

Calvin n Hobbes

I've been trying hard to pen down my thoughts here for the last 2 hours but I was just not able to articulate what I feel...it just ended up frustrating me more and I turned to my favorite CnH collection to give me a break and ...I find this line in one of the strips which just seemed perfect!

"We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are"



They say.. "Stop and smell the roses" ... that's exactly what I need to do now

Sometimes CnH seems to be more than just cartoon strips....it gives you such a good perspective on life in the most simple way

Vacation blues

Well, here I am, back from my week long holiday...it's been 4 days but I still seem to be lingering in that mood with little or no interest in getting back to my normal routine. With all the planning and anticipation of the trip and the trip itself getting over, there is a sudden drop in the excitement and a strong feeling of nostalgia which has left me longing for more.....making it really hard for me to get back to reality & the pre-vacation routines.

I miss that city, the partying, the food, the people....the sight, smell and sounds... and every moment of my time spent there! This was one of those vacations which was so "perfect" that I sometimes fear none of the future ones might even come close to it...

After almost 2 weeks of the strong feeling in the gut, I am very close to figuring out what it is all about! My brain seems to be registering it now, whereas my subsconscious mind seemed to know it much before...hmmm..

One of the readers of this blog (you know who u are :-) ) who has also learnt pranic healing, dropped me a mail reading my previous post, reminding me that there are different energy/astral layers through which the thoughts cross before they actually enter the physical body and the brain can comprehend it. That info was helpful to me, coz I practiced the meditations taught in Arhatic Yoga which actually helped me calm down and become more aware of the "thoughts" or "events" associated with the gut feel. I could still be wrong... but I *think* I fairly know what it is! Only time can confirm...

On a different note, I am eagerly looking forward for the 8 day long vacation starting next week. It's been ages since I actually took off for so long and I am glad I am going on a long break...which I badly needed...

More when am back next month.......

It's been 4-5 days now...there has been a strange funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's a weird and queasy feeling in the gut which one would get when anxious.... like just before an interview or an exam or maybe in anticipation of a good/bad news. I know its not based on a conscious thought, coz everything around me seems perfectly fine, normal, happy and peaceful. It's that strange "gut-feel" which you experience when your brain actually hasn't registered something yet but your subconscious mind is aware of it coz it's said that our subsconscious mind functions ten times faster than our conscious mind and it can pick up signals which our conscious mind has still not processed.. I am just unable to put a finger on what's causing this and it has been bothering me quite a lot....

I am pretty sure it's not just a random feeling...I really want to know what it is... I probably know it already, but waiting for my brain to register!

First Look: Lux catch me

I caught this new Lux Ad featuring the Bachchan couple - Aishwary and Abhishek, for the first time on TV yesterday. Reportedly the couple has been paid 25 crores for this commercial! Hmmm..I feel, more than the product, concept, music or whatever for that matter... it's the presence of the duo together for the first time on small screen which is going to increase the recall value of the brand... coz when people see it, they are not seeing just another couple, its Ash & Abhi...and am sure that's the whole intention of the advertisement too..

It's been playing quite a lot and I actually loved the music and used to watch it everytime just for the song ..... was very suprised to find out today that the music has been composed by my all time fav Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy... ah! no wonder I loved it ! ;-) Their music has a very unique touch which can't go unnoticed...

In pursuit of happiness...

This is one of those random thoughts I had when I found a few hours of idle time amidst my otherwise busy schedule...those few moments which are spent contemplating on life and such...

All of us have dreams/aspirations/goals in life, small or big, doesn't matter. We visualize, plan, prioritize, chase and strive hard to achieve those *objects of desire* or fulfill those dreams. I've been there, done that too. But I have noticed that whenever I reach a goal or acquire that *object of desire*, it never makes me as happy and thrilled as I had thought it would, when I started off. In short, it doesn't live up to the initial fantasies. It really makes me wonder why?! It cannot be becoz I dont want to be at that stage anymore or I dont like that *object of desire*, coz I would have put in days, months & sometimes years of effort behind it... Then, is it becoz my priorities changed during the course? I guess not, coz then I would have not pursued the goal or chased my *object of desire* till the end! So what else could it be??

I do realize that as human beings, we are never content with what we get. We always aspire for more. It's like someone wanting to buy a house all his life and when he actually does, he'll wish he owned a bigger house or a house by the sea side. What's the guarantee that the same feeling wont pop up again? There's no limit to being satiatiated....

After much contemplation, analysis, thought & discussions, one answer did satisfy me to an extent. It's always the "pursuit" which is more exciting than the "attainment" itself. "Wanting" seems to be a much stronger emotion than "Having".... the happiness actually lies in the pursuit itself and not the end point or the goal ". So when you actually attain it, you wonder Now What?! Of course there is a short period of excitement when we attain the goal, I dont deny. But very soon we are back to picking on the next goal and sailing on the same boat, striving hard all over again...

The best analogy here could be climbing a mountain. You trek all the way up for many hours to get a glimpse of that beautiful view from the peak. But the time spent there is just a few minutes....The excitement and joy is more in the journey to and from the peak...

So in short, attaining a goal or the *object of desire* is not an end by itself.... it's the journey that matters and is more enjoyable ; pursuit is where the happiness lies...

IndiRank

Indiblogger is a community of Indian blogs; a site which maintains a database of blogs in the Indian blogosphere. So it's a good platform to gain more visibility for your blog, connect with fellow-bloggers and also find some of the best blogs around. My blog has been a part of this directory for quite a while now (more than a year).. I logged in today after ages to check the stats and was quite suprised to see what turned out below...

1. IndiRank 73/100 !
2. Google Page Rank - 3 !! (What is page rank?)
3. Frequency of Posting - Very Good

Kahi door jab din dhal jaaye.....

I was stuck in a crazy traffic while driving back from work today and was held up on the road for quite a while. It can sometimes frustrate the heck out of you, especially if you havent slept the previous night and studied the whole day and given a 2 hr exam in addition to a stressful day at work... My car doesn't have a music system, so that leaves me with very few options at such situations! I was just gazing through the window and it was just that time of sunset and I found this very pretty sight and cursed myself for having forgotten my cam. Anyways....got whatever I could with my mobile, but disappointed that the pattern it formed in the sky couldn't be captured (image above). There's very little that a 3.2mega pixel cam without a zoom can do :)

There is something about watching the sunset that I really like.. it's such an indescribable feeling...very relaxing and extremely soothing! Watching it across the sea or atop a hill would give me the best feeling ever!!

How I met your mother..

I recently started watching this sitcom and surprisingly have been quite addicted to it so far; 2 seasons,45 episodes in 3 days (currently watching season 3)......that's how interesting it got!

Honestly, in my opinion it's nothing very different or classy. It's like any usual laugh-track-with-romance-filled-show that you can think of.... but again, this recipe is what makes it click I guess! I've enjoyed watching FRIENDS, SCRUBS and SEINFELD a lot and though 'How I met your mother' doesn't fall in the same league, it does come pretty close..

The first episode starts off sometime in the future (like the year 2030 or so) with Ted Mosby (the architect) narrating the story to his son & daughter of how he met their mother. I think the 5th season is getting aired currently and till now who actually the 'mother' is, is not revealed. So, that's one concept that keeps the suspense on and the show going...Am not sure how far they can actually keep this concept going. Am curious to watch :) I absolutely love the character of Barney....a very interesting and super cool guy, who is the main attraction in the sitcom; he surely does manage to tickle that funny bone a lot!

Definitely worth a watch...it's one of the new funniest sitcoms of this season..

I have a lot more shows lined up to watch...

- One Tree Hill

- 24

- Lost

- Boston Legal

that's quite a lot to keep me busy for months! :)

Featured!

On a gloomy monday, it was a pleasant surprise to know that my previous post on Wake up Sid won a spotlight on the Sulekha Movies website and was selected by the Sulekha Team as their "Featured Review" for the movie!! :-)

It's strange that small things like these brighten your day to a great extent!

You can find the link to the featured review here

Wake up Sid!

A must watch, preferably in the theater!

I don't have to think much on giving a 5 star rating for this movie. I've been waiting to catch this movie since the time I saw the promos in August; so am glad that I watched it today

I dont know where to start my review - acting, screenplay, music, direction, dialogues...I loved every part of it. It's a mainstream bollywood movie, nothing extraordinary nor is it off beat yet it strikes refreshingly different. The entire movie is shot in Mumbai...You can smell the freshness in it, just like those rain drops in the first showers of the Mumbai monsoons shown in the movie. You can feel the love for the city, which every Mumbaiker holds dearly in his heart. Debutant director Ayaan Mukherjee has done an awesome job with his screenplay, casting and direction! The dialogues are very simple and in a casual conversation style which you can well relate to and you will be ready to emotionally invest through out the movie. Well, am sure you got my point by now... you walk out of the theater "feeling good"..

The story is probably a one-liner and predictable yet you cant complain! When the movie goes deeper, you dont need words to describe the story. The more I watched Sid (Ranbir) and Aisha (Konkona), the more I wanted to know them better. The 'nice'ities of their relationship is well depicted; the screen time is shared well to show how their friendship develops, how they grow fond of each other etc..

One striking part of the movie was the acting. Ranbir turned out to be a total surprise package. I really disliked him as an actor till I saw this one! I was awestruck. He just spellbinds you with his acting, making a flesh and blood character out of Sid; so natural, so effortless and very impressive, I must say! He is well complemented by Konkona. There is truly no doubt about her acting skills, she is as good as ever! The casting is quite unusual with a lot of new faces playing important roles, and they totally fit in...

Last but not the least, the trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy create magic with their music again. I loved all the songs...but the title song and "Iktara" are extremely catchy and lovable...it definitely adds to the whole movie experience.


You can draw comparisons to Dil Chahta Hai at quite a few parts, but heck, so what?! Similarities always exist but this one still maintains its own identity at the end...


A very competent effort by a first time director and the movie definitely has its heart in the right place...

Whos Among Us..

I found this pretty cool site (stat tool) Whos.Amung.Us which tracks the visitor statistics of your blog. I use both Google Analytics and Feed Burner for my blogs which obviously are quite detailed and exhaustive but the best part I liked about this site is the tracking of visitors "hour wise".
So it gives u a widget (scroll down the right bar of my blog) that displays the number of users currently viewing your webpage and clicking on that takes you to their site where you get a detailed report of the users online per hour, a map pinpointing the location of the users down to their city, and a monthly statistics report.

To top it all, u dont even need to register to use all these features, it starts tracking right from the moment you link it to your blog......its free and simple! :)

"Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson. I have realized that failure whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind is essential to personal expansion. It brings inner growth and a whole host of pyschic rewards. Never regret your past, rather embrace it as the teacher that it is".

- The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma

[Click here to read my review]

Om Mani Padme Hum...

All of us have heard of the mantra "Om" which is considered as the universal sound, made of 3 basic sounds A, U, M.... Each sound creates a different vibration; so it is used to cleanse the mind and body and its one of the most powerful sounds to meditate on. I've noticed that just playing the Om chanting in my room it has a very calming and cleansing effect...

That being said, not many of us would have heard of "Om Mani Padme Hum" (Hail the jewel in the lotus). It is derived from Sanskrit and the originations are traced back to Buddhism and associated with Dalai Lama. I read a couple of books by Thich Nhat Hanh a few months back and that's when I had come across these words but never bothered to find out more. Yesterday a friend of mine told me the meaning of this and I immediately read up more about its benefits and also found a link to the chanting in Youtube....

Just listening to it for 10 mins had such an amazing effect! It's incredibly peaceful & calming and the tune used is so soothing that it takes just a few mins to relax your mind and body... It's purpose is to generate positive, peaceful vibrations and mainly vibrations of compassion.

OM (Ohm) - symbolizes the pure noble body, speech and mind
MANI (Ma Nee) - the jewel, symbolizes factors of method, compassion and love, the altruistic intention to become enlightened
PADME (Peh-d-May) - means lotus and symbolizes wisdom. Growing out of mud, but not being stained by mud, lotus indicates the quality of wisdom, which keeps you out of contradiction.
HUM (Hum) - means inseparability; symbolizing purity & can be achieved by the unity of method and wisdom

More details here if you are interested:
Wiki Link

Meaning and Pronunciation

Now I play it in a loop even when I am browsing, reading a book or sometimes just in the background and the whole atmosphere feels rejuvenated and peaceful... Try it, to experience it! You can even meditate on this by just closing your eyes and listening to it and focusing on the words or reciting it yourself....

There are different versions, but I liked this the best...

Pranic Healing

I was introduced to Pranic Healing 2 years back by a friend and just a few sessions had immense benefits on me. Right from that day I've been wanting to learn this myself and explore the fascinating subject further...to create a good mental, physical and spiritual health.

Over the weekend I attended the Basic Pranic Healing Course for beginners (Level-1 Certification) which is a 2 day course conducted by the Pranic Healing Foundation Center in Bangalore. With this basic course itself you actually learn all the techniques to heal your own self as well as others, starting from minor physical ailments like headaches to major ones like Cancer, strokes, tuberculosis etc. This includes distant healing as well (the patient can be in any part of the world). You can also heal to a certain extent, psychosomatic ailments related to emotional stress, anxiety and tension. But the Psychotherapy by itself is a Level-3 course, before which the Advanced Course needs to be completed.

For the benefit of those who haven't heard of this term, first of all Pranic Healing (PH) is NOT the same as Reiki. It is based on the same principle of energy and life force, but the technique is completely different and more advanced and powerful than Reiki. Surprisingly, I came across this article on Natural Healing in TOI today & it clearly describes the essence and the basic principle of PH as below-

We all have a subtle body made of energy. This subtle body is made up of life force energy; it runs through subtle pathways or meridians and centres of energy, also known as charkas. One of the main ways that a skilful healer helps the body to heal is simply by stimulating and unblocking the meridians so our natural energies flow freely bringing mental, emotional and eventually physical balance and well being. This is the main way that most natural healing therapies work. Life Force Energy is the subtle foundation of all life, a sort of cosmic soup that supports, nourishes and sustains the cycle of birth, life and death of all forms of life....

The real meaning of natural healing is to restore a person to wholeness and having a healthy body is only a small part of this. A good natural healing treatment has the effect of restoring openness to our energy system so we can receive a well balanced flow of Universal Life Force Energy that is often cut off or restricted by illness. Being cut off from this life force is often the cause of much illness

So fundamentally it is based on "Life force" or "Prana" or "Breath". The same principle is used in Yoga and Pranayams. By regulating the breathing and making it rhythmic you can activate the different energy centers (chakras) in your body which in turn control the health of different organs (see image below)...That is why yoga is both a spiritual as well as a physical exercise...It works on the subtle energy layer (aura) which is invisible to the naked eye and nothing mystical. (The concept is scientifically proven - these energy centers/chakras are nothing but the points where a large group of nerves join together which when activated send signals to the organs that they control....)

The 2 days workshop was truly an amazing experience. We not only learn the theory but also perform healing on each other in the class so that by the end you are confident of using the techniques. You will learn how to sensitize your hands to feel the energy layer and the experience was mystical. You will be amazed to feel something that is invisible to the naked eye! It's performed completely by non-touch, scanning only from the distance without touching any part of the body and I was surprised to see some of my minor pains like headache and cramps disappear within a few minutes of self healing on the very first day of the class (without taking any pain killers!). I've also tried healing my mom thru distant healing and she could notice the relief significantly....

You also learn the "Twin Heart Meditation" which is the basis of PH which energizes your body with prana (divine energy) and it can increase your psychic, intuitive and healing abilities, leading you towards spirituality. It is one of the most powerful forms of guided meditation techniques that I have come across and doing it just for the last 4 days has helped me immensely. (Will write a separate post on this soon...)

PH is not a substitute to medicine...especially when its a chronic problem. PH is more of a parallel healing method which helps in increasing the body's natural ability to heal itself faster. Some of the top hospitals in Bangalore now have a separate department for PH and they do recommend patients to try this and some of them have been cured miraculously even when the doctors had completely given up.

PH works mainly on faith. If you have faith in the technique, you can heal; if not, u won't see an iota of difference! The person being healed should at least be neutral/receptive even if he/she doesnt believe in it... a complete mental block prevents the healing...

Last but not the least PH is a skill and needs to be mastered gradually (just like driving). You cannot acquire it in few days or give up hope. It is said that healing comes only by practice & sometimes it takes years to develop the skill. But just following the basic steps does give you the desired relief, till u master it!

Looking forward to doing the Advanced & Psychotherapy Courses (level 2 & 3) in the next couple of weeks...

The Paradoxical Commandments

Someone forwarded a mail today on this ... felt good reading it and had a strong urge to share it here... Sounds so simple and paradoxical of course! But quite difficult to implement for sure..

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

Book Giveaway: Dancing With Ana

Here is a chance to win 3 free copies of the book 'Dancing With Ana' by Nicole Barker, which is a Young Adult fiction novel. This giveaway is open till September 10th 2009 and the winners will be announced the next day on my book blog.

The author sent me a review copy a few weeks back and this being my first expermient with the YA genre, I absolutely loved reading it... very heart warming, light and fun to read. Click here if you want to read my review of the book.

Click here to participate in the giveaway and win a copy for yourself.

Yeh dooriyan..

Yeh dooriyan, In raahon ki dooriyan,

Nigahon ki dooriyan,

Hum rahon ki dooriyan,

Fanaa ho sabhi dooriyan....

Kyun koi paas hai, Door hai,

Kyun koi,Jaane na koi yahan pe....

Aa Raha paas ya door mein ja raha,

Janu na main hoon kahan pe....

Yeh dooriyan, In raahon ki dooriyan,

Nigahon ki dooriyan,Hum rahon ki dooriyan,

Fanaa ho sabhi dooriyan....

Kabhi hua yeh bhi, Khali rahon pe bhi,

Tu tha mere saath

Kabhi tujhe milke lauta

mera dil yeh khali khali haath,

Yeh bhi hua kabhi, Jaise hua abhi,

Tujhko sabhi mein paa liya....

Tera mujhe kar jaati hai dooriyan,

Satati hain dooriyan, Tarsati hain dooriyan,

Fanaa ho sabhi dooriyan....

Kaha bhi na maine, Nahi jeena maine,

Tu jo na mila, Tujhe bhule se bhi,

Bola na maine ki chahun fasla

Bas fasla rahe, Ban ke kasak jo kahe,

Ho aur chahat yeh aur jawan

Teri meri mit jaani hai dooriyan,

Begani hai dooriyan, Hat jaani dooriyan,

Fanaa ho sabhi dooriyan....

Kyun koi paas hai, Door hai, Kyun koi,

Jaane na koi yahan pe....

Aa Raha paas ya door mein ja raha,

Janu na main hoon kahan pe....

Yeh dooriyan, In raahon ki dooriyan,

Nigahon ki dooriyan,Hum rahon ki dooriyan,

Fanaa ho sabhi dooriyan....

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Have you ever found your "perfect" book? It's an amazing feeling to read the perfect book at the perfect time in your life! This one was mine :-) It's one of the most AMAZING books that I have read so far and something that I'll read it over and over again and treasure it in my bookshelf. I highly recommed this book, especially if you are looking out for some kind of an inspiration in life, or if you are going through a journey of finding your true self! This one might just do the trick for you.

Click here if you want to read my review of the book.

This book is full of anecdotes and pieces of wisdom scattered through out...I absolutely loved them; something that I want to keep reading and reminding myself often..am sure you'll know why, when you read these :)

*********

“[My guru] says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you are fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it…”

*********

"You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select what clothes you're gonna wear every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control. Drop everything else but that. Because if you cant learn to master your thinking, you're in deep trouble forever"

*********

I was full of a hot, power sadness and would have loved to burst into the comfort of tears, but tried hard not to, remembering my Guru once said - "You should never give yourself a chance to fall apart because, when you do, it becomes a tendency and it happens over and over again. You must practice staying strong, instead".

*********

'Guilt’s just your ego’s way of tricking you into thinking that you’re making moral progress.’

*********

You are, after all, what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts and you are the slave to your emotions

*********

"In desperate love we always invent the characters of our partners, demanding that they be what we need of them, and then feeling devastated when they refuse to perform the role we create in the first place".

*********

Ketut said he could answer my question with a picture. He showed me a sketch he'd drawn during meditation. It was an androgynous human figure, standing up, hands clasped in prayer. But this figure had four legs, and no head. There was a small, smiling face drawn over the heart.

"To find the balance you want, this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have four legs, instead of two. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way, you will know God"

*********

The other problem with all this swinging through the vines of thought is that you are never where you are. You are always digging in the past or poking at the future, but rarely do you rest in the moment. It's something like the habit of my dear frined Susan who - whenever she sees a beautiful place - exclaims in near panic "It's so beautiful here! I want to come back here someday!" and it takes all of my persuasive powers to try to convince her that she is already here!

Now, give me one good reason why you wouldn't want to pick up this book! :)

Early bird...

(Photo courtesy: Google search)

Till about a year back I used to be like a night owl, sleeping late and waking up late. It's different when you are studying in a B-school; there you dont have a choice but to make your days as long as possible. But when you get to doing the normal things in life and get set into a routine of going to work every morning, waking up early becomes inevitable.. Even then I used to wake up just an hour before leaving for office, leaving me with enough time to get ready and scoot!

My schedule completely changed once I started doing yoga in the mornings. Waking up at 6AM sharp seemed quite difficult initially, especially during monsoon & winters when you feeling like snuggling up! But now, after a year of waking up at 6 everyday, I realize that my biological clock is so well tuned that I wake up without an alarm at 6am sharp including weekends and it seems so easy and natural and feels great... Sometimes seems like a miracle, how our bodies are made up to function this way!

Why am I writing all this? Well, few people at work often ask me why I am an early riser and what I get out of it...I thought this would make a good post!

We've all heard of this famous quote since childhood days -

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” - Ben Franklin

I don't know about the latter two but makes u healthy for sure!

I've derived a lot of benefits switching from being a night owl to an early riser-

• Amazing start to the day by doing yoga/exercise. Maximum amount of calorie burning happens when you exercise the first thing in the morning and also improves your metabolism. So obviously your health improves!
• Grow yourself - Quiet time for yourself to meditate, contemplate and introspect!
• Watching the sunrise feels good (Well you cant literally get to watch amidst these concrete buildings in bangalore, but u get my point? :) )
• Fresh air - which otherwise is impossible to get in a crowded city!
• Productivity increases - I sometimes keep my most important work for mornings coz the mind is fresh, concentration levels are high without many distractions
• Beat traffic - starting early means less traffic and commute time, so in turn lesser stress
• Enough time to have a heavy n healthy breakfast which is the most important meal of the day

Read this article - Tapping the power of your morning routine by Jim Citrin. He says "The quiet of the morning is often the time when your mind is at its clearest and most well-suited to solving important problems". 80% of the executives he questioned, wake up 5.30am or earlier.

So you get to grow yourself professionally, emotionally, spritually, mentally and physically!

All about books..

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." - Mark Twain

I just noticed that since I started my new book blog, I have stopped writing about books in this space completely. The last time I made a post on books here was in April and since then my reading has picked up pace like crazy! Considering the fact that my job is so hectic these days and consumes most of my time during the day as well as the night, I am glad that my reading has increased beyond my expectations. My colleagues ask me how I manage to read so many books when all of us are so engulfed with proposals/deadlines/calls et.al... well, even I am suprised that I am able to squeeze in so much reading off late. Maybe becoz I have made it a habit to shut down my laptop and read for at least 1 hour before I sleep everyday and substitute the time spent watching the idiot box and the stupid reality shows with a good book! It has become a ritual now, which cant be broken :)

And of course, just the thought that a good book is waiting to be read at the end of a long day makes the day happier...

Just a quick peek into the books I read in May & June. The list looks quite long for a 2 month period, doesnt it? ;-)

Books read
1. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
2. Buddha Mind, Buddha Body - Thich Nhat Hanh
3. Keep off the grass - Karan Bajaj
4. Stay Hungry Stay Foolish - Rashmi Bansal
5. Dont lose your mind, lose your weight - Rujuta Diwekar
6. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
7. Energy of Prayer - Thich Nhat Hanh (Not reviewed)
(Click on the titles to read the reviews)

Currently Reading
Princess - Jean Sasson

On the Shelf
1. Kafka on the shore - Haruki Murakami
2. The Guns of Navar One - Alistair Maclean

Federer wins wimbledon... Roddick wins hearts

Yesterday's wimbledon finals was way more sensational than last year's. Roger Federer was playing for his 15th grand slam and Andy Roddick for his first wimbledon title. The synopsis - "Roger beat Andy in 5 gruelling sets. For almost 30 games, they went back n forth holding their serves until Roger broke Andy's serve to end the longest fifth set and create history".

But the 4hr15mins game tells a slightly different tale! Before and after the match started, most of the world including me would have wanted Federer to win. Winning a 15th grand slam & making that mark in history is something I felt he deserved.

But Roddick shocked the millions of Federer fans by winning the first set and left us groaning! Then on continued his impressive play till the last game, with an amazing level of energy, grit and determination. Even Federer couldn't manage to break his serve...not once in the entire 4hrs!! Roddick played exceptionally well, it was not only his serve that was strong but once the ball was in he was so aggressive and controlled the points at the baseline, running to the net and thru the entire court!!

In the 5th set, though my heart was wishing Federer to win, I did secretly pray for a Roddick win sometimes. Not because I started disliking Federer but Andy Roddick was undoubtedly playing better tennis and he truly deserved to win yesterday's match. With too many unforced errors and inability to convert multiple break points, Federer definitely did not play his best game...not expected out of someone who has won 14 grand slams before. But he did show his class by shooting out aces like fireworks and showed his experience and character by maintaining a calm & composed outlook as Roddick came forward and attacked him, though he was not having his best day.

"I just want to say congratulations to Roger", Roddick said after the match. "He's a true champion and he deserves everything he gets....It was a pleasure playing him today". The sight of watching Roddick see Federer lift that cup, with moist eyes wud have brought tears to most of the viewers. But sports is cruel, there can only be one winner. The sad part is, Andy won 39 games and Roger 38 and yet ended as a runner-up! Hmm...so is life..its unfair...

I feel Roddick played like a true champion and he deserved the tile as much as Federer, if not more. To me, they both were winners, even though Roddick lost the match..

Music or Reality?

I strongly feel that MTV should change its name to RTV! (Reality TV). A channel that was started more than a decade back, whose sole purpose was to play quality music is now showing everything other than music....It's almost as if they feel there is a dearth of good music in this world and they are doing everything to fill up the 24hours with these chain of reality shows...

It started off with Roadies and now there is Splitsvilla, Teen Diva, Fast & the Gorgeous, Airtel MTV Connected (some new show about twins).. I might have missed out quite a few here!! More than being entertaining, they are all just bitchy, full of drama and fake. But I can understand why people end up watching these... Having watched 2-3 episodes, I myself have got hooked onto Roadies/Splitsvilla just to see how stupid people can behave...Sometimes there is nothing good to watch on TV over the weekends and you just end up seeing this crap!! Whatever the reason, MTV's TRP seems to be soaring high...

But I sometimes wonder, even if MTV stops making these reality shows and gets back to playing music like good 'ol days, will people still watch it?? I guess 10-15yrs ago people used to wait in front of this channel to see their favorite song/video (when tapes and CDs were expensive to buy)... but with technology at our fingertips, we probably can get any music online and any video on youtube. So MTV probably did have to rethink its strategy and do something else other than playing just music! It's fairly obvious that it can no longer be a primary source of music like it had been for years. But I dont think they can afford to change the channel name either... "MTV" as a brand has built a great value over decades and changing it would only mean losing this entire brand value...

So I guess all they can do is to try and increase their viewer base and TRP with these stupid-fake-quasi-reality shows...

Thursday Tidbits: #5

2 minutes to a happier you

- Found this nice article on the Prevention magazine's website...

As per this, below are some simple ways with which you can lift up your mood... (For the complete article, click on the link above)

• Flip through your old photos
• Munch on Nuts
• Inhale a calming scent
• Open your shades - let the sunlight stream in
• Walk around the block
• Clear away clutter
• Think Fast - Turn your thoughts into a race!
• Cue up YouTube - for a hearty laugh
• Rethink your retail therapy - before you plunk down that credit card
• Put on a happy face - just smile! :)
• Zone out - rest, peace, quiet and solitude
• Chat up a friendly neighbor - socialize with a cheerful person
• Chop veggies - good unwinding technique
• Do a good deed

Agnee

....the new face of Indi-rock is the perfect blend of contemporary musicians. The band formed about a year back comprises of the trio - Arijit, Koko and Mohan. What adds the majaical touch to this band is the unique individual styles and influences that each of these members bring with them. Arijit with his Jazz-Rock, Koko with Classic rock/pop/indian and Mohan with carnatic/hindustani classical music. That's indeed a huge pool of talent!!!!!

Though I havent heard too many songs by them, the very few that I have listened to, have mesmerized me. I absolutely fell in love with the new theme song that they composed for Splitsvilla-2 (why I watched that crappy show is a totally different post by itself, so no questions entertained right now!!) . I've been desperately looking for the source of this music and finally managed to find out today and I'm damn thrilled about it :)

Here's the song I'm talking about. I *loved* the melodic content of it...beautiful!!
(The band was invited on the show to play the song and the video below is that part..)



More details on the band here

I've heard and read that they have a great stage presence... waiting to see them live on stage sometime..

Thursday Tidbits: #4

BookCrossing is defined as "the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise." The term is derived from bookcrossing.com, a free online book club which began in order to encourage the practice, aiming to "make the whole world a library."

http://www.bookcrossing.com/

A nice cool website for all those who love to read and are passionate about books. You can read, register and then release your books into the wild...for other people who are interested in reading the same. You can also follow their progress with a unique tracking ID on the label..I haven't tried doing this myself but nevertheless looks like an interesting concept. You can also read reviews, know the latest in the book world, join the community and discuss in the forums and interact with like minded people

Hum chlormint kyun khatein hai?

Looks like Perfetti has signed up the Khan brothers (Salman & Sohail) as the new brand ambassadors of Chlormint mouthfreshner. Caught this Ad on TV yesterday and I was seriously at a loss of words... Creativity seems to be going down exponentially in the Ad world or is it just the new mantra that if you can't make a good Ad which people will remember (in turn increasing your brand recall) then just make a bad one....... coz the end result is the same, people will still remember the Ad - just for a different reason!!!!! So you move up on the brand recall either ways... hmmm...interesting!

I was just browsing thru the reviews on this ad and was quite surprised to see the large number of ppl who actually loved this one - now, that's called tapping the fan following!! You know who I'm referring to, dont u?

99

In the last few months, there have been quite a few unconventional movies being made in bollywood and I've tried to watch each one of them. I have been quite impressed with the script, story line and quality of these movies...though most of them haven't done well at the box office (Glad to see that few movie makers have realized this is not the only criteria that defines a movie's success!)

A movie, with an unusual title - 99, starring Bomman Irani and Cyrus Brocha *had* to be something different and it sure was! The movie is set in the year 1999 (hence the title) in the year when communication media such as cell phones and internet were booming. Two small time crooks Sachin (Kunal Khemu) & Zaramud (Cyrus) get caught with a bookie/gangster and become his recovery agents. They end up taking on the biggest bet of their life on a cricket match...and the question is whether they will manage to hit that century in life finally, having been stuck at '99' (one short of the elusive century)

Some people say that 99 falls in the same genre as Guy Ritchie's cult crime comedies like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but more toned down and 'Indian'ised. The only complaint I had was the slow pace, especially in the first half. But it was well compensated in the second hour where the plot unfolds really fast and keeps you engrossed.

Apart from the length, the movie scores in all areas - perfect casting, fine performances, smart and slapstick comedy that can make you roll on the floor with laughter at times. In short, 99 is an interesting, smart, well-made, good looking film and a complete entertainer, if you go without much expectations..

Quote for the week

Loved this one ... so simple yet so profound..
So if u want to change something u do, change the way u think abt it!

I haven't tried yet, but I will...for sure

Movie Review: Angels and Demons

After I read this book by Dan Brown, I've been eagerly waiting to watch this movie and it finally released in India yesterday. The book was definitely a good read, it had everything that a mystery/thriller novel should have. (Click here to read my review of the book). My first impression was that the book was more apt for a movie becoz of all the masala and high intensity drama...so I was all the more keen to watch this translate into the big screen...

Whoever said 'dont judge a book by its movie' said it right! I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I liked reading the book. It is obvious that a 600page book cannot be made into a 2.5hr movie with that level of detail. But there was a serious lack of adrenalin in the movie. I was also a bit disappointed with the change of plot and the drastic reduction in Vittoria Vetra's (the female lead) role. It was almost as if she was insignificant. She played a very important role in the book and her revenge against her father's murder was the main focus. But that was completely removed here and she was made to look like a redudant actor. I had even expected a different climax but was glad that it wasn't completely different from that of the book. Even though the story was altered, it was at least weaved in well to reach a logical ending...

Tom Hanks as harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is quite impressive though the script doesnt do enough justice to showcase his ability of solving those cryptic puzzles to find the path of illumination. Last but not the least, I loved the visuals and effects. It was a treat to see those monuments, churches, symbols, statues etc described in the book! That's probably the only part of the movie that I liked. I'd anyday prefer the book over the movie :)

Thursday Tidbits: #3

I've been drinking a lot of green tea off late and hence googled up facts on it to gain more insights...Here are some random facts about Green tea.

Did you know....

• Types of green tea - Chinese, Japanese, Decaf, Asian, Herbal


• A cup of green tea should only steep between 2-3mins whereas black tea needs 3-5mins and herbal teas about 5-6mins


• Green tea tastes the best when the water is just below the boiling point whereas Black tea is best with boiling water


• Green tea is made from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) as other teas such as black and oolong, but with a different process.


• Green tea is green because it is not fermented. Hence green tea retains more health benefits than black tea because fermentation causes destruction of more nutrients


• Green tea has been shown to increase calorie burning and fat oxidation and hence used widely by people for weight loss


• Green tea contains compounds known as flavonoids, which are also found in broccoli, grapes, and red wine, and which are known cancer fighters


• Beneficial molecules in green tea may protect the liver from toxins, including those from tobacco smoke and alcohol.


• Green tea also contains natural flouride, which is a known cavity fighter.

So..what are you waiting for? Go Green! :)

Keep Off the Grass..

"All of them had some version of the same advice that I intuitively believed in, but was glad to hear from folks who had lived it. Ten years from now, none of my present concerns would matter. Would I care whether I was ranked in the top five or the bottom five of the class? No! Would I care whether I learnt finance, operations or marketing at the IIM? No. I realized that the only thing I would care about after graduating from here would be whether I had been happy at the IIM or not. Did I have experiences I would remember? Did I have relationships that would stand the test of time? These would be the only things I would look back at, and judge my level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction during my time here"

These lines from the book Keep off the Grass, echoes *exactly* my thoughts about B-school life :) I absolutely loved these lines...Sometimes you feel overwhelmed when someone else can express thoughts on your mind so easily and so well...

Click here to read my review of the book

Short notes..

Watched some good unconventional hindi movies over the last few weeks..

Gulaal - One more compelling movie by Anurag Kashyap after Dev-D, full of political drama which takes democracy to a different level, has perfectly etched characters combined with a powerful plot and superlative performances by every actor. With a lot of violence and a Shakespearean ending, the movie is definitely not for a mass appeal. I admire Anurag Kashyap for making such bold and different movies like Black Friday, Dev-D and now Gulaal. Glad to see that there are a few directors who dont care for commercial success alone!

Barah Aanah - is again not a 'typical hindi film', more of an experiment, with a short and simple story of 3 unlikely friends who are not happy with their lives. It's definitely not a comedy as the makers make it out to be. Naseeruddin Shah is the main attraction, delivers a good performance mainly through his facial expressions, though he has a very few dialogues but the maximum screen time. The pacing of the movie in the first 1 hr is very slow and can test your patience. However, with no songs, the movie is kept short and crisp and definitely worth a one-time-watch.

Straight - another light-hearted yet low key hindi movie based on homosexuality after Dostana & Fashion, which cruises through some untrodden paths. Vinay Pathak delivers an awesome performance with a great timing for comedy. There are several Laugh-Out-Loud moments as well as some sweet sentiments. The script has an interesting idea but fails to explore it deep enough and settles with a safe ending. Again I wouldnt classify it as a great movie but it's not unwatchable either.

200

Ah! I just noticed that this is my 200th post after 3yrs of starting this blog :)

Why is it a big deal? Well, it's really not but it's just a small milestone and we all know the importance of milestones in life. It's these small targets that act as checkpoints through which we keep track of our progress and they remind us that we are on the right track of achieving the larger goal...in any aspect of life. They are small yet significant events (or turning points) which indicate that we are moving closer to our destination. So go ahead and set up these small milestones to fulfill bigger dreams in life!!

The best way to mark this post is with this pic I took a few months back at Hesarghatta :)

Bikhre Bimb (Odakalu Bimba)

I've been wanting to see this play for over a year now and finally made it to Rangashankara yesterday. What an AWESOME play it was! I am truly at a loss of words here. For the first time I felt that a play was worth a lot more than what it was priced for (100 bucks). Believe it or not, it runs full house every show even today, years after being created...

Bikhre Bimb, which means Broken Images, is a one-act play written and directed by Girish Karnad originally in Kannada and later translated into Hindi as well as English. Now, if the hindi version itself was so good, I am sure I'll love the Kannada one ("Odakalu Bimba") even more. Original versions always have the maximum impact, dont they? :)

For starters, Arundhati Nag is the sole actor of the play who delivers a spectacular performance leaving the audience mesmerized with her talent! The play is a portrayal of a professor & a kannada short story writer-Manjula Naik who achieves success, wealth and fame overnight with her bestseller novel in English. The script moves on to tap into her inner soul and slowly the story reveals the truth about her book, marriage and her personal life in a very intricate and powerful way. The television image, call it the character's self image, alter-ego, conscience or the inner soul, is like a co-actor on stage whose job is to interroagate the character to reveal her true self. At the end of the play, there is a blur created between the real and the self-image and you are unclear on where one starts and the other ends. The story by itself is not unique but the way technology is used (multiple TV sets on stage) to unveil the true story bit by bit and the PERFECT timing & co-ordination between the actor and her image on TV will just leave you speechless!! It was truly a wonderful experience watching Arundhati Nag's effortless yet brilliant performance on stage...

I was surprised to learn that this play was Girish Karnad's first directorial venture in the theater space. His understanding of the character and the plot is extremly intuitive and the language of the script is pure and marvelling. It's a true reflection of what a gifted playwriter he is.

If you are a theater person and you still haven't watched it, then what are you waiting for??? Make sure you dont miss out on the next show!!

You can book tickets online for the play at http://www.indianstage.in/

Thursday Tidbits: #2

Today's tidbit is another useful website that I found:

http://www.saleraja.com/

I came across this site which has a consolidated list of all the sales and promotions currently going on in the city in various categories - Apparels, Electronics, Household, Footwear etc. So if you are looking to shop and want a good deal and plan which shops/malls to visit so that you can optimize your time, this site might just help you! You can also search by Locality and Brands, in addition to the item categories. The drawback is that the site currently caters to 2 cities only - Delhi and Bangalore.

Talk about being crazy!

Came across this piece of news on domestic violence...A new law in Saudi Arabia. Now, if this isn't being crazy, then what is! I'm amazed at where the world is heading into!

"Husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi judge said recently during a seminar on domestic violence, Saudi media reported Sunday. Arab News, a Saudi English-language daily newspaper based in Riyadh, reported that Judge Hamad Al-Razine said that "if a person gives SR 1,200 [$320] to his wife and she spends 900 riyals [$240] to purchase an abaya [the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear] from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment."

Quote for the week

I can so totally relate to this! Feel like this more often than not...

Thursday Tidbits: #1

I realized that my blogging frequency has gone down recently...to keep it more regular I decided to start this new weekly column, every thursday where I'll share some piece of useful info that I come across - it could be anything - like a useful website link that not many people know about or some health tips, articles worth reading and so on...So, don't forget to visit this space every week! :)

Here's the tidbit for today:

http://www.investmentyogi.com

I came across this pretty cool website that has multiple tools!

1. Budget calculator - helps you in planning your budget. You can track your income and expenses and organize them under various categories.

2. Tax calculator - quick and easy tax calculator which helps you estimate your taxes

3. Tax Planning - helps in planning your annual taxes with information on income tax slabs, tax covers, etc
4. Financial Plans, Insurance needs, articles and lots more!

So what are you waiting for? Go and explore the site! and let me know if you found it useful :)

Book Review: Angels and Demons

Author: Dan Brown
Pages: 610
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Fiction
Rating: 4.0/5

I was a bit let down by this book as compared to The Da Vinci Code coz it seemed more like watching a highly dramatic bollywood movie. But hey! it's supposed to be a Thriller, so I can discount this fact and say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book which always kept me on the edge of my seat with its share of surprises and a never expected nail biting finish. I dont mind suspending my disbelief if the story is well written and it can keep me hooked till the last line of the last page!
[Click here to read the complete review]