Wisdom lost and gained!

Ok, don't be aghast! That title was to add shock value (and gain a few pageviews I suppose :P).

I am talking about my visit to the dentist few months ago when I had my wisdom teeth extraction. The poor teeth had given up all hope of me taking good care of them and had spoiled beyond all redemption and rescue. Blame it on my incorrigible liking for chocolates and sweets but stubborn that I am, I will definitely not give up the habit!:) Or it could be because they are located so far behind in a weird position, what is my toothbrush to do? Of course, I definitely prefer removal of unused (respect the dead/lost; lets not call them "useless"!), crooked and nearly invisible wisdom teeth to losing my canines and looking like a "postbox"(the term used in school to tease you when you lost your baby teeth:)).

So, anyway, after about a week of slight nagging pain and one night of unbearable pain, I decided it was high time and visited the "feared" dental clinic. Ok, fear is a strong word. Lets say, I blame much of my discomfort to having had RCTs ("Root Canal Treatment" for the uninitiated. I learned this was a way of sounding cool from the junior doc at the clinic :)) way back in school and some weird but bang-on and memorable poems from school-http://www.ee.nus.edu.sg/~teokh/dentist.html

So, there I was, staring at the X-ray while the junior doc made a long list of issues and consequently, treatments needed to correct them while I was just hoping their "special offers for Women's Month" would help me salvage the upcoming hole in my pocket!

After deciding that extraction was inevitable, it was scheduled for late evening. I grudgingly agreed after being told that the surgeon had his day full and couldn't make it before then. So, then, after enduring pain all day and having a really early dinner, I drove down at the appointed hour only to be told that the doc would be a few minutes late. Sometime later, I was guided to the operating room, done up in an interesting shade of pink and was told to be seated at the semi-reclining operating chair and given a disposable apron to wear on top of my clothes lest saliva, blood or whatever else spilt on them. As I was sitting there for a few minutes twiddling my thumbs, in walked Dr.Goodlooking :) To add to the good looks, he was also polite and charming contrary to the bossy, I-am-too-busy-and-important kind I was expecting. Then comes the start of the "zor ka jhatka dheere se laga" series that my newly awakened college-girl drooling avatar would endure during the evening:) Doc PR (initials only for fear that someone chances upon this post; it is a small world after all) held up an annoying concave mirror and there, in enlarged focus were my wisdom teeth in totally decayed condition. I still can't believe they had turned brownish black!:( There goes all the impression I tried to create. Dr.PR was playing the perfect chivalrous gentleman that evening. This put me at ease and I didn't die of shame. But one weird thought did cross my mind. When an engineer or architect dates or marries, he or she isn't actually going to gauge the prospective spouse or date's knowledge or skills. But isn't it an entirely different ballgame for doctors? Take Dr.PR for instance. If he is considering an alliance or date, would the thought cross his mind on how much care does the dame bestow on her pearly whites? Would the condition of the teeth help him gauge the girl's personality or character?If he does take these factors into consideration, I pity him because it is really rare to find a set of perfect pearly whites and if he does, will the rest of the person be as adorable? That is a remote possibility.
Anyway, back to the dentist's operating table, Dr.PR took a long while; maybe he wasn't as skilled as he was handsome. :P As I mentioned earlier, my wisdom teeth were in a weird twisted position. So, he had to drill my teeth into little pieces and take them out. By the end of it, I was totally in discomfort what with cottony mouth and increasing awareness of pain as the anesthesia effect started to gradually wear away. That probably explains my faux pas-when the exhausted Dr.PR said, "It was a pleasure operating on you", I was convinced he was being insincere or sarcastic or both and retorted, "I am not sure I can say the same". After all, dude, what pleasure could you have possibly derived from operating on a behenji with dreadful teeth? Thankfully, Dr.PR ignored or maybe pretended not to hear my retort and walked away-God bless him! The teeth did put up a hard fight for the week thereafter too with swelling and pain but anyway, that's a story for another day. Good luck, Dr.PR with your soulmate-beautiful teeth, looks, heart and all!

The death of the Hanky

The other day, my son's teacher asked us to send a handkerchief with him to school everyday. As I hunted in vain around the house for the non-existent entity, I could not help but wonder how times have changed.

Gone are the days when Mommy neatly folded a square-shaped handkerchief, or hanky as we liked to call it, into a triangle and pinned it up alongwith with the nameplate/id on the shirt or uniform. The faithful hanky stood by you through thick and thin, whether it was wiping your dripping nose and cleaning your messy mouth after those counteless "pepsies" (not the drink, the ice-lolly's ancestor I mean) and at the end of the day, it helped mommy piece together the puzzle of what you had been upto all day in school! At the movies, the handkerchief also helped many-a-desperate loverboys break the ice with the pretty women they were pursuing by subtly falling down when the woman walked past her silent admirer prompting him to be gallant and giving him courage," Maaf kijiye, yeh... shaayad aapka rumaal wahaan gir gaya..."/"Excuse me, I think you dropped your handkerchief"! Aww...how simple were those days when just picking up books that fell when you bumped into each other or returning the carelessly-dropped handkerchief was enough to kindle the romance! So many songs inspired by the "rumaal"-"sir par topi lal haath mein resham ka rumaal haaye tere kya kehna!", the most cheesy one being "Haathon mein aa gaya jo kal rumaal aapka". And then, it was also mommy's tool to teach her little girl the fine art of embroidery! Generations of girls have made a start with embroidering pretty summer dahlias, orchids and roses on their handkerchiefs. You could also add on your initials to proclaim that it was your custom-made kerchief and also to help future beaus guess your name :p Better still, a few drops of your favorite perfume and you have your guy hooked for life (gross :P)

Cut to recent and present times, "rumaal" and hanky are old school, use a tissue, you fool! Oh,ya, no headache of washing for reuse. Use it and throw it. No regrets of losing a pretty embroidered one, supposedly better hygiene IFF you dispose of the tissue appropriately. At present, a girl with an embroidered handkerchief is not hep or cool enough. She could be the demure, clingy damsel-in-distress material if you are contemplating matrimony but seriously, even then, wouldn't you rather prefer a glam girl capable of later becoming a "yummy mommy"?

All said and done, personally, yes, the tissue is practical but oh! I miss the cuteness of the pinned square hanky and romance of the rumaal! sigh...:)

Dilli!

Revisited the capital of India after 5 years and came away with a very good opinion. Here are a few good things:

Metro: best thing to happen to the city. The roads (good at a few places; quite bad at a few others) are at last relieved of so much pressure. Found the Metro very efficient-quick, clean, economical, scaleable. Hats off really! Waiting for the time when the metro will be completed and running in my city:( Of course, how the amazing Sridharan sir managed to get the project completed in time in the land of babus is the stuff worthy of legends!

Akshardham: The history of the Guru Gujaratis revere notwithstanding, one important takeaway was the showcase of our glorious past and the encouragement to carry on the legacy and create history that we can be proud of. Also found the security, cleanliness and crowd management quite efficient. I really wonder how terrorists could even manage to sneak in a bomb at this place. Heck, my son's Rs.5 toy car was not allowed in! How I managed to convince the kind security ladies to keep it safe until we returned from inside Akshardham is another story.

Kingdom of Dreams and Zangoora, the Gypsy Prince: Very interesting concept, quintessential Bollywood, superb execution, brilliant set design (trademark Omung Kumar) and of course, Hussain (aww...). Kind of an Indianised Broadway show. Heard they are heading to Vegas soon. Good luck!

The Culture Galli concept is good though there is some room for improvement of the inventory.

All in all, India is definitely learning the ropes of marketing well. Great attempt at showcasing India and hope to see it evolving much more. Zangoora & the Kingdom of Dreams, take a bow:)

Where am I heading?

It has been a long day

Let me rest awhile

To prepare for another day

And face it with a smile.

Years pass by in a blur

Where did they go, I wonder.

In the pursuit of living,

Just didn't notice life leaving.

People and places

Known,unknown faces

Betrayal, friendship

Happiness, hardship

Agony, epiphany

Twists and turns so many!

I will carry on

In the quest for the elusive

Blurring the lines

Between real and delusive

Till one day

When it will all end.

I will carry on,

Carry on to that end.

--------------------

Before it gets lost, preserving for posterity, a reply in verse from a friend-thanks a ton, AC!

life may've gone unnoticed
but now is your chance
read through all those skipped pages
and re-write your plans

at times you may regret
what all you've lost
but believe me when i say
some things are better in the past

sometimes you may be astonished
what all you've achieved
how little you've asked for
and how much you've received

pick all the gems
your friends and relation
for you must go on
and they'll be your motivation

don’t hold it tight
let it pass as sand
embrace the life waiting
smiling on the other end

What I want in 2010

I wont put these down as resolutions cos resolutions are made to be broken. So, these are the things I want. Will how much of it turns into reality:

• More love and patience in caring for my child. I hate the times I yell at him. I hate the times he has to adjust so much for me. My child, I want to be a better mother to you
• A more healthy me:less junk food,more fruits, more exercise...sigh
• Good news- for my dad, my son,my hubby and me for different reasons(promotion,school,etc.). if possible, good news for everyone-may all our good wishes come true
  
• Return to some good hobbies-singing, reading, old friends (and new)
  

That's it for now. will probably return to add more

Retrospect 2009

A fond adieu to 2009. Some of the good things that happened this year:

• hubby finally got thru the entrance to his dream course. tough years during the course but all in the game
• little one learnt to speak, picked up so many rhymes and words, has been potty-trained, has nearly outgrown his bottle, loves me in the way that only children can and that, more than anything, is enough for me in life
• finally got a team-change...letting go of my baby-the previous project and a tl position to get back to development was a huge emotional upheaval but getting out of the comfort zone has turned out for the good so far
• had good breaks this year-coorg in april, mumbai in june, home for diwali for a nice big family reunion(i'l never forget the treasure hunt bro and i set up :)), lovely driving and shopping in pondy...i'm loving it
• finally got a new car-the fiat grande punto. lovely so far but havent yet tried MS's Blue and Me

Hoping the new year turns out to be a happy, peaceful, green, healthy and prosperous one for everyone. God bless!

Knowledge is free

Today, I did something that made me feel good. In that sense, I have been selfish for, I did it to make myself happy. I could also be counted as a bragger for gloating about it here. But the reason I am putting it here because I want more of us to realise the value we can add and make a conscious contribution.

There is a different kind of discrimination that people cutting across countries, religions, castes and creeds practise today and that is based on knowledge. As with other powers, there are people who have the power of knowledge and those who do not. People who have it sometimes abuse the power in oneupmanship over the have-nots. They may either make gains or withhold the knowledge which may otherwise have put everyone on an even keel. Some others may distort or misuse the knowledge to bring about harm. Wouldn't it be nice to stop this abuse if all of us had easy and equal access to all the knowledge and information around and the only way someone would fall back would probably be because of their laziness around not gaining that power? I look forward to such a world where knowledge flows freely without fear or insecurity.

There are so many people around trying to bring about that change. Like, for example, the man who is trying to set up computers in the remotest villages of Asian countries so that children can freely access the tonnes of information online and learn more than they ever possibly could from simplistic schoolbooks. I was initially skeptical about this idea assuming vandalism and porn access but surprising statistics reveal the former was in a miniscule (less than 10 I think) percentage of cases and there was no occurrence of the latter. Think about the impact this one man has the potential of creating-children from rural areas will be on an even footing with the urban kids when it comes to exposure (in a positive sense) and of course, knowledge. They (rural kids) will not lose out on opportunities just because they (rather their parents) chose to create their home outside noisy, polluted, overcrowded but busy, cosmopolitan, trendy cities.

Then there is also the man who is collecting , repairing and donating cycles to kids in remote villages in India so that they can commute to schools which may be miles away from home. In most cases, the people in towns and cities no longer had use for the cycles and they were simply lying around. This kind gentleman collected such cycles, got them repaired (change of tyres, seats,chain and painting probably) and donated them to children for whom the nearest school was probably atleast 10 kilometres away. Now, the children need not remain uneducated just because they had no means of commuting to school.

A salute to such people who are going out of their way to remove the discrimination based on the power of knowledge. I added my own miniscule drop to the sea of efforts today but there is room for doing so much more. Go on, help spread knowledge. Happy holidays!

Des Parfums

There was a time when we had not heard of the concept of deos (deodorants for the uninitiated). Yes, yes, makes it sound like I'm an old hag, ain't I? To tell you the truth, maybe I am but lets not deviate from the topic. This is about my tryst with the mysterious world of perfumes. I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to perfumes and my taste(?) of fragrances is about as developed as a donkey(for want of a better comparison. No offence intended, all ye animal activists out there). So, there was a time when we made do with Hamam soap and Ponds powder and temperatures had not soared due to global warming. Yes, summer temperatures were mid-30s but lets save global warming for another day. So, we saved up the rare bottles of Impulse and Fa that uncle got us from USA during his semester holidays(another typical TamBram phenomenon of the time-children finish B.E. and go abroad to do M.S.) for the special occasions like the New Year's Eve party. Then came Rexona with the first deo in India-a small rollon at a tempting inaugural price. We got totally hooked. After ensuring that everyone was totally addicted to the concept of daily deo use, Rexona started its exponential inflation of price but people could not retreat. Cut to the past few years... There are so many brands of deo in the market-Fa, Implulse, Rexona, Spinz, Nivea, Yardley, Enchanteur...I could go on, not discounting the men brands like Axe(!), Brut, etcetra, etcetra. Don't judge me by all the names I know(:-P)

My brother and I are polar opposites when it comes to the world of perfumes. His idea of a perfect gift for someone special is an expensive bottle of specially chosen perfume while I grab for the first bottle in the closet every morning, not caring whether it is a perfume deo spray or my husband's after-shave! Yes, I still can't understand how my brother could even dream splurging $50 on a bottle of perfume for my mother on one of his annual trips home from US. And I definitely do not understand him regretting he got me the 'Jennifer Lopez' perfume as he would now not be able to buy the same for his wife. Heck, is it a life-threatening issue if two people end up smelling the same? The probability is even more less because my sis-in-law, my brother and I are at the same place (same house to be more specific if you will) less than a week per year. So, what's the chance of me wearing the JLo at that particular time considering that I have about 7 bottles of perfume (not counting the deo sprays) collected(rather gifted to me) over the years? I don't even wear perfume everyday!

Anyway, the clincher that ultimately made me give up trying to understand the mystery world of perfumes was when my sis-in-law's brother(!) and I were both in London on office assignments and we decided to go shopping for gifts for the family. Some well-meaning (!) lady in my office suggested Selfridges(If you have ever been somewhere there, I can see you rolling your eyes:)). Now that I look back, I realise I had asked my client for suggestions and though she would deny it, I'm sure she hated me:). Anyway, so, Selfridges it was and man! I must deviate at this point to say a word or two about the shop (that's an understatement but anyway). It was probably my first window to the world of high fashion and top class brands! CK, YSL, TH, D&G, Gucci and many more that I don't even know and appreciate! I was overwhelmed. I suspect so was B (my sis-in-law's brother). So, what did we do? We went and got my brother a C&K kit and a my sis-in-law the latest YSL summer make up collection. And I will not put the price down here for fear of sending the weak-hearted into cardiac arrest. To say that it burned a hole in our pockets is an understatement. Lets say it was more like burning the whole b****y pocket! Now I wont deny that my sweet sibling and sis-in-law are every bit worth those gifts but forgive my modest upbringing-I do not appreciate splurging a fortune on a bottle. And I don't care even if it smells like God himself (or herself)!

My sweet big brother has also given up trying to educate this bumpkin on the sophistication of perfume choice. He says girls should choose more flowery or fruity smells while guys go for the serious deep aromas. Heck, I DON'T LIKE flowery fruity smells (except for the CK rose perfume in my closet) ! Why is it or rather, is it really a cardinal sin to like something that does not fit inside the frame of so-called sophistication? You may be wondering why I am ranting about this so much. Because I have a confession to make-brother, dont read this-I wear the Axe Below Zero(blue bottle-special edition last summer) deo everyday ;-P

My Daddy made this!

Yes, thats what I felt like proclaiming again and again to all those who would listen during the recently concluded Aero Show. It is ironic that I grew up listening to aircraft engines being tested and seeing practice fighter planes but never got a chance to come to the Aero Show all these years. In fact, since our office is close to the airport, while many of my colleagues complain of the noise of aircraft, I secretly get annoyed at them as well as feel happy to be near the sights and sounds of my childhood. So, when I learnt that Dad could afford to get me a pass this time, I grabbed the opportunity to go to the show with both hands! It was a brilliant experience watching the typhoon, Boeing, MIG, SU-30 and Dhruv (sorry, couldnt manage more names-I am not good at this). It was indeed astonishing to watch the mid-air acrobatics and definitely, hats off to the Sarang team! But it really was a proud moment for a daughter to see the SU-30 soar and proclaim to family and friends that ,"Hey, my dad made this! He was involved in the setup of the factory for manufacturing the engines, he was involved in the engine manufacture as well and now, he is involved in the aircraft manufacturing"- he has tried and is nearly succeeding at achieving a seemingly impossible deadline for manufacture and delivery even though he got the opportunity to take over quite late last year. I am very happy that I at last got an opportunity to brag about my dad's work as well. My little one was apprehensive at first to see the planes but he started enjoying himself soon. In fact, on our return home, he has been asking for a fan to be fitted on top of the plane he has for it to double-up as a copter. We went and asked Dad for a "test-drive" of Dhruv!:) Come on, car and bike shows have it, so, why not airplanes?;) Dad of course didn't oblige but atleast helped us get a photo-op in a stationary copter-that was also good. Though the AeroShow trip was tiresome for the little one, we certainly hope to come back and next time, we both will know all the planes by name!

Absurd lyrics

Thanks, bro, for the beautiful verses in 'Colours'. That brings me to the current topic of how some songs sound so nonsensical that you wish the lyricist would go die/stuff himself/herself (pardon me, just showing off two new expressions that I learnt at work) ! Taking poetic liberties is fine with me but sometimes, lyricists go overboard. Sometimes, the words sound jarring and out of place and sometimes, they have just been thrust in there more for the sake of rhyme than reason. If you are unsure what I am talking about, here are a few examples:

• the song 'Anbe,anbe' from the Tamil movie, Jeans-A melody thats takes you with it with beautiful visuals of Aish (looking great, I must say) and Prashanth looking handsome (a rare occurrence). So, Hariharan is cooing, 'Azhagiya nilavil... OXYGEN nirappi'! Oops, that hurt! Suddenly, I am in Chemistry class instead of literature. I'll never forgive this one. The other one in the same category is 'Gulmohar malare'. One, I have met atleast 5 Tamil people wondering what kind of flower was Gulmohar. Yes, the heroine is Hindi and sometimes, Hindi words sound cute in Tamil songs ('Dilbarjaane' from Kalaignan comes to mind) but any other flower would fit here. Two, the paragraph goes 'Yearkanave manam erimalai dhaane, yeanadi PETROL oothugiraay?!' Back to Chemistry class! Talking about whatchamacallit, Math class(?), another gem from Jeans goes '50 kg Tajmahal'! Spare me, ye Gods!
• the song 'mind-blowing Mahiya' from Cash. Check out "hai nikle par armaanno ke, you taking me higher. saiya saiya chhodo mori baiya, ho na jau dekho crazy with saaiyaan. U r my mindblowing Mahiya"! Whoa! I am sure the lyricist really intended to irritate people when he/she wrote this one.
• the song 'Haaye Mera Dil' from Josh. The paragraph starts "Kitna Pyaara hai yeh Pyaar...Pyaara, Pyaara!" Hello?! I am sure a kindergarten kid would be able to make up better rhymes.

On the other hand, I confess I love some of the total nonsense songs especially Govinda ones like 'Madhuri Dixit mili raste mein' (really funny and entertaining), 'Sharmana Chhod Daal/Zara Hawa Aane de', 'Main toh rate se jaa raha tha' (the 'nani mari' bit is jarring but ok overall), 'Ande ka Funda' (I find this one innovative somehow), 'Nazuk nazuk/Chingaari bheegi dekho'. These songs don't try to be poetic or beautiful, they are trying to be funny and entertaining and they are.

So, I hope lyricists make up their mind about the mood of the song and write accordingly. Otherwise, a perfectly nice song ends up becoming an earsore (is there a word like this similar to eyesore?).

Do share any other stupid song examples that you can think of-we all could use a few smiles/laughs any day.

I had to edit this post to add that BAAP of all worst lyrics: 'Dard-e-Disco'. It lives up to its name-PAIN! If you dont agree, check out this:

Ab phirtha hun mein London Paris Newyork LA San Francisco

or

dil todh gaya mujhe chood gaya, woh peechle mahine ke chabees ko

Mummyyyyyyy:-(

Colours

Happy New Year to all! As g3 requested, here is an "inspired" piece of poetry by yours truly, enjoy!

Colours

Green is the grass in the fields
Green are the leaves on trees
Green is the hue of envy
Her veil that flies nonchalantly in the wind
Is green.

Pink is the sky at sunset
Pink is the untouched rose
Pink are the feet of a newborn
Her cheeks when she blushes after a compliment
Are pink.

Red is the beak of a parrot
Red is the magic of a carpet
Red is the blood in my veins
Her pouting lips, and her heavenly smile
Are red.

Blue is the cloudless sky
Blue is the shoreless lake
Blue is a blooming violet
The beauty of her captivating eyes
Is blue.

Black is the cuckoo that sings in the rain
Black are the wings of a raven
Black is the flute-playing Lord
Her velvet tresses that shone in the sun
Are black.

Yellow are the swaying sunflowers
Yellow is the life-giving sun
Yellow is the gold in her jewels
The turmeric she smears on her face when she bathes
Is yellow.

White is the soul-stirring swan
White is the beauty of the Taj
White is a pearl in an oyster
Her heart, as pure as heaven
Is white.

Taslima and Hussain-freedom of expression?

A lot has been written about how fanatics in India are trying to stifle the freedom of expression of people; of how people like Taslima and M.F.Hussain are being harrassed. It has become fashionable to defend the 'freedom of expression' under any pretext. Adding fuel to fire are rookie journos who are forever in search of scoops and sensational stories and their bosses on 24-hour news channels. Guys (or gals for that matter), please give us a break and go analyse the whole picture before sensationalising an issue. I can bet none of the journos who raised a hue and cry about Taslima being tortured ever read her books. I, for one, was intrigued by what the fuss was all about and googled extensively for a translation of her works (I do not know Bengali) but could not find any. Ditto was the case with hubby who is a more avid googler than me and who is known among friends for his reputation to google on any topic and fetch the details within minutes or in some cases, seconds. So, if anybody out there has a translation of Taslima's works, can you please send them to me? I want to judge for myself what this lady wrote that put off so many people across the country.
Coming to M.F.Hussain...I would surely like to join in if somebody is protesting in my locality against the works of this artist. The guy/ old man has the guts to paint Mother India and Hindu gods and goddesses in the nude but could not muster up enough courage to paint himself, his family or heads of his religion in the nude. Yes, sir, they are painted most respectfully-fully clothed/draped. So, why the distinction, Mr.Hussain? You could not 'creatively' imagine yourself in the nude? Hats off to the judge who pointed out this and specified in his judgment that Mr.Hussain could not hurt sentiments in the name of freedom of expression or creativity and if he wishes to do so, he should try it first on himself and his immediate circle. If charity begins at home, so must creative rubbish like this. Hats off to journalists like Gurumurthy as well, who do not write to scandalise or sensationalise but actually bring out the facts. After all, that is what the fourth estate is supposed to do-tell the truth and expose those who do not. Alas, they are losing focus nowadays.

Guess this song?!

Got the inspiration from one of the blogs I regularly visit:
http://mosakutti.blogspot.com/2007/09/guess.html
http://mosakutti.blogspot.com/2007/07/guess.html
Thanks a lot, RS!

So, here goes...take a shot...and yes, guesses in comments...

A young moon is raining its love
and drenching us to the soul
The strolling clouds witness this vision
The immense sky, a carnival, beholds

On her way,
in the mist,
daily the maiden moon bathes
She picks up the bamboo
to caress her face
and into the dawn, sashays
The eyes of the damsel
On fantasies dwell!

Why do the clouds wander?
Have they lost their goal?
Having lost the abode,
They do weep -a downpour!
Silver boats in a blue sky,
They show off so, but why?
Sky studded with precious stones!
By whom are they sown?

I hope the translation does not smudge the beauty of this Tamil song.

Return of sheepish me;Good and Bad

So much for embarking on the journey of discovery of the Indian Constitution:P But I have an ego to protect; so, I say, someday, I will get back to it.
This blog is again to talk about some things that have made me think in the past few months. The first of them is a news item that occupied barely two square inches but I am happy it atleast made it to the front page amidst the usual Paris Hilton or Aishwarya Bachchan that day. It was about a school in Kerala-the so-called most literate state in India. Five students in that school belonging to class 2 and 3 were/are HIV positive. The reaction to this is that other parents refuse to send their wards to the school unless these children are prevented from coming. And eventually, that is exactly what happens-the HIV positive children stop coming to school. It is disheartening to note that the government has not been fully successful in its AIDS awareness programme. Of course, now the parents have heard of AIDS but do not know (or refuse to believe or acknowledge) that it does not spread via touch or air unlike infectious diseases. Note that the children belong to classes 2 and 3. So, the only way they could contract AIDS would be from their mothers (by birth) or from the use of infectious needles for say, vaccination. If the kids in question had been high schoolers like, say, in class 10 or 12, I would have suspected other sources of the AIDS infection-now, come on, let us stop trying to believe that kids are perfect saints and do not know anything about sex and stuff; it is high time we admitted that and did something effective about awareness. So, now the little kids of 2nd and 3rd class are subjected to discrimination and humiliation in their school when what they need most is emotional support. I would like to ask the cruel parents of the other kids what would they have done if their own children had been HIV positive? Abandon them? And at the time I would expect the government(state or central) to have gone all out to support the affected children, directing the institution/school to allow them or cancel its licence to send the message across clearly. It could also have used the opportunity to spread awareness. Instead there is resounding silence on this issue and the MPs and MLAs are busy condemning a vibrating condom as a sex toy which encourages sex! I had great belief in the media and at one point of time, wanted to become a journalist desperately. Unfortunately, they did not use their popularity for a good cause on this occasion in their thirst for 'scoops' and 'breaking news'. They could have garnered support easily for the affected children through a signature, email, SMS or candle light campaign, could have made the other parents well aware of how AIDS does not spread by air or touch and could have ensured the kids' education continued smoothly. Unfortunately, I guess all this would have been possible only if the kids had been celebrities themselves or had been children of popular people. They were simply not 'breaking news' material. So, ultimately, all the story warrants is a small space in the newspaper one day and from the next, we do not even hear of it and I do not know how this episode concluded. My prayers are with the HIV positive children and their families.

Okay, the blog has been depressing so far. So, lets talk about an amazing movie I saw recently. There was a Hindi lesson from school that I recollect which said that while it is right to condemn bad things, it is equally sinful if you do not openly appreciate good things. So, while I have been critical of many issues, this was one movie which I wholeheartedly felt like appreciating. Every scene from of the movie, 'Mozhi' was pure poetry on screen-the sets/art direction, the characters, the story, the music. The apartments of the hero especially and the heroine to some extent are so beautifully done up. Hats off to the creativity and thoughtfulness of the art director! While the hero's open, creative nature is brought out through his simply but elegantly done home, the heroine's introvert nature, the beauty of her loneliness and silence in her life are brought out by the dark colours in her home. While Jyothika received loads of appreciation for her 'farewell' movie role, I would grade the hero, Prithvi's performance much higher. The character is near perfect, I would say, caring, compassionate, responsible,lovable. In fact, he now joins my list of perfect husbands/boyfriends onscreen. The list already includes both Mohan and Karthik from Mouna Ragam, Raghuvaran from Anjali, Aravindswamy from Roja and Madhavan from Alaipayudhey. Hmm....what is it about heroes in Mani Ratnam movies?! Looks like the director and I mostly agree on what a good man should be like:) The story of Mozhi is simple but nicely rendered. No matter how many walls we build between ourselves and those around us, in the depths of our hearts, love and affection are what most (or all) of us yearn for. Though every scene was noteworthy, one of my favourites was the anti-climax when the hero goes to the heroine's home and tries to reason with her. Some bits of the dialogue-'sila samayam, sila vishayangalai nambi dhaan aaganum' (sometimes, you have to BELIEVE in certain things-his reasoning that he will not desert her like her father deserted her mother), 'un kannula vaazha aasai theriyardhu, vaazhndhu dhaan paaren,di' (I can see the longing to live in your eyes. Why can't you try living?) Sorry if the translation doesn't sound impressive but I was touched by them. While the comedy bit was a bit crass in some places, it did not take away from the beauty and pace of the movie. I feel annoyed when I now see the season's favourite songs I had put up in an earlier blog-many of them feel like trash now. The song, 'Kaatrin Mozhi' is my current favourite-lyrics, singer, music, all A+. I am contemplating adding this movie to my all-time favourite movies list which includes Baby's Day Out, Anand, Anjali and DDLJ right now.

Indian Constitution-1

Today, I resolve to start doing what I have been meaning to do for long. All this while, I have been using my blog as a princess diary. Not anymore. I realised the impact one can create with blogs and want to use mine to be of some use to the community. One worthwhile cause I found was reading about the Indian constitution and putting it across. Like the field of medical sciences, the law has been one area which hitherto has best been left to experts. All we learn in school is our fundamental rights and the Preamble. I have great faith in the pioneers who won our country its freedom and drafted the Indian Constitution. I believe they would have had great foresight and the lack of adequate knowledge of the Indian Constitution among the masses is the main cause today of law being abused. So, I want to read sections of the Constitution and put down what I understand from it. It may be possible that my interpretation is wrong and I am hoping if somebody someday stumbles upon my blog, he/she will share his/her views. It is a slow, long-drawn process but this is something that may benefit me as well as others. So, why not?

For starters, here's the link to the Indian Constitution:
http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/welcome.html
And for reference, the Indian Penal Code:
http://www.indialawinfo.com/bareacts/ipc.html

And here's some nice info of the various Articles of the Constitution that I found on Wikipedia and from next time, I will pick out one of the Articles and delve further:


Part I - consists of Articles 1 - 4 on the Union and its Territory
Part II - consists of Articles 5 - 11 on Citizenship.
Part III - consists of Articles 12 - 35 on Fundamental Rights.
Articles 14 - 18 on Right to Equality,
Articles 19 - 22 on Right to Freedom,
Articles 23 - 24 on Right against Exploitation,
Articles 25 - 28 on Right to Freedom of Religion,
Articles 29 - 31 on Cultural and Educational Rights,
Articles 32 - 35 on Right to Constitutional Remedies.
Part IV - consists of Articles 36 - 51 on Directive Principles of State Policy.
Part IV (A) consists of Article 51A - Fundamental Duties of each citizen of India.
Part V - consists of Articles on the Union.

Chapter I - Articles 52 to 78 on The Executive.
Articles 52 - 73 on the President and Vice-President,
Articles 74 - 75 on Council of Ministers,
Articles 76 - Attorney General of India,
Articles 77 - 78 on the Conduct of Government Business

Chapter II - Articles 79 - 122 on Parliament.
Articles 79 - 88 on Constitution of Parliament,
Articles 89 - 98 on Officers of Parliament,
Articles 99 - 100 on Conduct of Business,
Articles 101 - 104 on Disqualification of members,
Articles 105 - 106 on Powers, privileges and Immunities of Parliament and its Members,
Articles 107 - 111 on Legislative Procedure,
Articles 112 - 117 on Procedure in Financial Matters,
Articles 118 - 122 on Procedure Generally.

Chapter III - Article 123 on the Legislative Powers of the President.
Article 123 on Power of president to promulgate Ordinances during recess of Parliament

Chapter IV - Articles 124 - 147 on The Union Judiciary.
Articles 124 - 147 Establishment and Constitution of the Supreme Court

Chapter V - Articles 148 - 151 on the Controller and Auditor-General of India.
Articles 148 - 151 on Duties and powers of Comptroller and Auditor-General.

Part VI - Articles on the States.

Chapter I - Article 152 on the General definition of a State of the Union of India
Article 152 - Exclusion of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from the general definition of a state of the Union of India.

Chapter II - Articles 153 - 167 on The Executive
Articles 153 - 162 on The Governor,
Articles 163 - 164 on The Council of Ministers,
Article 165 on the Advocate-General for the State.
Articles 166 - 167 on the Conduct of Government Business.

Chapter III - Articles 168 - 212 on The State Legislature.
Articles 168 - 177 General
Articles 178 - 187 on the Officers of the State Legislature,
Articles 188 - 189 on Conduct of Business,
Articles 190 - 193 on Disqualification of members,
Articles 194 - 195 on Powers, Privileges and Immunities Parliament and its Members,
Articles 196 - 201 on Legislative Procedure,
Articles 202 - 207 on Procedure in Financial Matters,
Articles 208 - 212 on Procedure Generally.

Chapter IV - Article 213 on the Legislative Powers of the Governor
Article 213 - Power of governer to promulgate Ordinances during recess of Assembly of state.

Chapter V - Articles 214 - 231 on The High Courts in the States.
Articles 214 - 231 on High Courts in the States,

Chapter VI - Articles 233 - 237 on the Subordinate Courts
Articles 232 - 237 on Subordinate Courts

Part VII - consists of Articles on States in the B part of the First schedule.
Article 238 Repealed, Replaced by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, s. 29 and Sch.
Part VIII - consists of Articles on The Union Territories
Articles 239 - 242 Administration, creation of Council of Ministers and High Courts
Part IX - consists of Articles on the Panchayat system.
Articles 243 - 243O on the Gram Sabha and Panchayat system
Part IXA - consists of Articles on Municipalties.
Articles 243P - 243ZG on Municipalties
Part X - consists of Articles on the scheduled and Tribal Areas
Articles 244 - 244A on Administration, creation of Council of Ministers, and legislatures.

Part XI - consists of Articles on Relations between the Union and the States.
Chapter I - Articles 245 - 255 on the Distribution of Legislative Powers
Articles 245 - 255 on Distribution of Legislative Relations

Chapter II - Articles 256 - 263 on Administrative Relations
Articles 256 - 261 - General
Article 262 - on Disputes relating to waters.
Article 263 - on Co-ordination between States

Part XII - consists of Articles on Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits
Chapter I - Articles 264 - 291 on Finance
Articles 264 - 267 General
Articles 268 - 281 on Distribution Revenues between the Union and the States
Articles 282 - 291 on Miscellaneous Financial Provisions

Chapter II - Articles 292 - 293 on Borrowing
Articles 292 - 293 on Borrowing by States

Chapter III - Articles 294 - 300 on Property, Contracts, Right, Liabilities, Obligations and Suits
Articles 294 - 300 on Succession to property assets, liabilities, and obligations.

Chapter IV - Article 300A on the Right to Property
Article 300A - on Persons not to be deprived of property save by authority of law
Part XIII - consists of Articles on Trade and Commerce within the territory of India
Articles 301 - 305 on Freedom of Trade and Commerce, and the power of Parliament and States to impose restrictions on the same
Article 306 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, s. 29 and Sch.
Article 307 - Appointment of authority for carrying out the purposes of articles 301 to 304.

Part XIV - consists of Articles on Services Under the Union and the States
Chapter I - Articles 308 - 314 on Services
Articles 308 - 313 on Services
Article 314 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Twenty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1972, s. 3 (w.e.f. 29-8-1972).

Chapter II - Articles 315 - 323 on the Public Service Commissions
Articles 315 - 323 on Public Service Commissions

Part XIVA - consists of Articles on Tribunals
Articles 323 A - 323 B
Part XV - consists of Articles on Elections
Articles 324 - 329 on Elections
Article 329A - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978, s. 36 (w.e.f. 20-6-1979).
Part XVI - consists of Articles on Special Provisions Relating to certain Classes.
Articles 330 - 342 on Reservations

Part XVII - consists of Articles on Official Language
Chapter I - Articles 343 - 344 on Language of the Union
Articles 343 - 344 Official Language of the Union

Chapter II - Articles 345 - 347 on Regional Languages
Articles 345 - 347 on Language of the State

Chapter III - Articles 348 - 349 on Language of the Supreme Court, High courts, Etc
Articles 348 - 349 on Language used in Supreme Court, High courts Etc

Chapter IV - Articles 350 - 351 on Special Directives
Article 350 - on Language to be used in representations for redress of grievances.
Article 350A - on Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage.
Article 350B - on provision for Special Officer for linguistic minorities.
Article 351 - on Directive for development of the Hindi language.
Part XVIII - consists of Articles on Emergency Provisions
Articles 352 - 359 on Emergency Provisions
Article 359A - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Sixty-third Amendment) Act, 1989, s. 3 (w.e.f. 6-1-1990).
Article 360 - on Provisions as to financial emergency.
Part XIX - Miscellaneous
Articles 361 - 361A - Miscellaneous
Article 362 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1971, s. 2.
Articles 363 - 367 - Miscellaneous
Part XX - consists of Articles on Amendment of the Constitution
Articles 368 on the Power of parliament to amend the constitution and procedure therefor
Part XXI - consists of Articles on Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions
Articles 369 - 378A on Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions
Article 379 - 391 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956,
s. 29 and Sch.
Article 392 - on the Power of the President to remove difficulties.
Part XXII consists of Articles on short title, date of commencement, Authoritative text in Hindi and Repeals.
Articles 393 - 395 Commencement, authoritative text in Hindi and repeals [3]

The World is my cup of tea!

Maggi!

MAGGI-the first dish that any Indian boy or girl learns to make; the dish that many Indians staying abroad for studies or on work survive on; the dish that still spells a mini-celebration even now when mummy makes it at home some evening. Maggi is synonymous to 'noodles' for our generation; no matter what the brand, noodles are almost always referred to as 'Maggi' at home:)
A dish that can be made as simple or as complicated as you wish. Everyone has their own secret special touch to add to it when they make it. I, for instance, add a dash of butter (Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul!) and some tomato sauce (again Maggi sauce:)). My brother meticulously adds all sorts of vegetables like carrots, onions, peas, tomatoes. And I still tease my husband when he insists on draining the water out of Maggi before having it-I show him the instructions on the pack which specifically mention that the water is not to be drained out.
Many brands entered the noodles market in recent years like Top Ramen or Wai-Wai(!) and Maggi came up with many variations like 'atta' noodles but some people like my bro-in-law still prefer good old Maggi Masala. To confess, though I fight for Top Ramen Oye(!) Tomato when we shop, I still dont really mind Maggi Masala.
Then, there's the Maggi Club. My brother and I have fond childhood memories of playing all the board games that we used to trade for using empty Maggi packets. We used to debate the pros and cons of each game before choosing and ordering for one from a list that used to frequently change so as to not let the excitement die. I would still love to sit down for a game or two when I visit my parents nowadays. In keeping with the times, their website, http://www.maggiclub.com is definitely worth a visit though you cant register if you were born before 1985:(
Exceptions apart, Maggi is a universal favourite for adding a little bit of cheer to a long, dull day. In its simplest form, it is quick and easy to make and that definitely is its USP over the other wholesome and reasonably tasty dishes which would require more time and effort.
So, Hats off to the modest/stylish, tasty/bland, seemingly innocuous/exciting, in short, confusing but memorable dish called Maggi that is part of not only the childhood but also other phases of life of every Indian.

There's a song in this heart of mine...

This post is not to give gyan as usual but to rave about some beautiful songs that I have heard in recent (or maybe not-so-recent) times. I dont know (and maybe dont care) how many people will agree with me but I like these songs nevertheless. So, here goes:
1. Chalo, tumko lekar chalein from Jism: Shreya's voice, expressions and the lyrics make this song an out-of-the-world experience!!
2. Jadoo hai Nasha hai (again) from Jism: I hate the duet but the solo by Shreya again is a treat! After these 2 songs from Jism and Bairi Piya from Devdas, I'm completely in love with this girl's voice. Hats off to her!
3. Sajna ve sajna from Chameli: This song has a very sweet memory associated it. One of my close pals from college got married last year. During the sangeet ceremony, she had performed for this song (yes, the bride performed/ danced during the sangeet ceremony of her wedding!). The song was so situational and meaningful that I was bowled over.
4. Kaatril Varum Geethame from Oru Naal Oru Kanavu-A beautiful song with good synchronisation among the singers. A good blend of Carnatic music and ghazal form. 'Halka halka-sa yeh nasha' from Chocolate in Hindi is also a good example of excellent synchronisation and good lyrics.
5. Pani Thuli and Kanda Naal Mudhalaai from Kanda Naal Mudhal-The former is a wonderful duet except for the jarring chorus bit. Kudos to Shreya once more and KK. The beats are not conventional and make a good impact. Kanda Naal Mudhalaai reminds me of the classical numbers from Alai Paayuthey and Kandukonden Kandukonden.
6. Noothana from Karka kasadara: A very different song. I love the combination of beats, flute and violin. Somehow, reminds me of 'Thom Thom Thithithom' and 'Narumugaiye', both excellent numbers! 'Minmini Kangalil' from the same movie is also worth a hear because of the violin bits but Sadhana Sargam's pronunciation puts one off. This one is similar to the umpteen heroine introduction numbers, the best of them being "Chinna chinna aasai" from Roja.
Other recent favourites already feature on everybody's favourite list. So, I prefer to restrict the list to the above melodious numbers. But who knows, as I listen to more songs, I may add sequels to this post:))
Signing off with a few favourite lines from a song that I just remembered for no specific reason:
"You know, I love the rain,
I love the rain..
There's a song in this heart of mine,
There's a smile on my face everytime
Because I love the rain!"

What we have always known

Again, there's been a long gap between my last post and this one. I will not claim the dumb reason of not having time. It is just that I have been feeling for quite some time now that, "Who am I to comment on something?" Even now, I am writing not because I wanted to voice my opinion on a topic. I just wanted to put down a few stray thoughts into words so that I can mull over them further. Last weekend, I had registered to attend the Landmark Forum. For people who asked me what it is, I couldn't really say anything beyond "It is a self-development programme". I attended it on Friday from 9 am to 12 am (midnight) and decided that I wasn't really doing it out of my own interest but just because I couldn't say 'no' to my brother who recommended me to it. It is so easy, isn't it-putting the blame on others? Anyway, my other reason was if I continued the 9 am to midnight schedule on Saturday and Sunday as well, I would be too exhausted to attend office on Monday. So, I silenced the little voice in my head which was telling me, "Oh! But you are wasting so much money!" and skipped the course on Saturday and Sunday. Mind you, I did not find anything wrong with the course. I would still recommend it to people who want to better the quality of their lives by overcoming shortcomings.
The thought that surprised and annoyed me was that most of what self-development books and courses tell us are what we have always known. "Be authentic","Be forgiving","Don't read more meaning into things than what they actually are" and so on. As the instructor of the course said, "Do you take notes to learn and remember how to ride a bicycle?" Or walk? Or speak? These are things that just get imbibed and stay on. You never really forget them. Then, why do we need other people and situations to remind us about our humane side? When and how do we stop being considerate?
The flip side of this is I know I am not a saint and I don't think anybody is. So, why do self-development books and courses tell us to be saints? To never lose our temper? To forgive wrongs that others do to us and not nurse grudges? So, is sanity in striking a balance between both the above and continue to be what we are?

Make me not God Almighty,
Nor in the Devil's league, do consider me .
Let me just be human but
What is it to be human, can you tell me?

Me, the journalist!

Hey, I've been bursting to tell the world! I forget to mention it everytime I blog. So, now, I've decided to dedicate an entire blog to it. Skip it if you want to( in case anybody cares to read this blog of mine). Its all about my long anticipated foray into the world of journalism. One of my articles or rather restaurant reviews appeared on rediff.com You can access it at:
http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2005/nov/10sethji.htm
Of course, I have published stuff earlier like a few poems on http://www.poetry.com (you can search for last name: bala, first name: gayatri and check out the entries by Gayatri Bala and Gayatri Balakrishnan respectively) and I think aloud on this blog. But this time was different since somebody actually had the power to reject but still published my review. Deep down, I feel really proud of myself and a trifle bit sad thinking of the alternative career path that I missed. I cant help recollecting the time my mother brainwashed me into taking up a professional course instead of the degree in journalism or literature that I was contemplating. I wish I hadn't relented. And I admit I continue to be jealous of the distant cousin who was allowed to pursue a degree in visual communication. Her articles are featured regularly in a national daily.
Again, I end up thinking that perhaps, in a parallel universe (this is becoming a frequent occurrence in my blogs!), I am happy being a journalist and enjoying writing. In the meanwhile, if not a hardcore journalist, I atleast made a start at being a foodie journalist! I dont claim I'll write regularly about every restaurant that I visit but if there is something that I really like or hate, I'll surely write about it. Thats the upside of not being in the profession, huh?!;)
Well, then, bloggerboy, 'Good day!' from the foodie journalist!:)