Quote

Read a nice quote in another blog. Below is the same:

“Only if you are willing to give up your strongest beliefs, will you feel the fragrance of freedom.”

War & Peace

The net is full of articles, posts and discussions on whether the current Israel war was essential. Many ask if the meaning of peace is lost to the world of today. Others argue that in this age of terrorism, one cannot cope up solely with non-violence.

I agree that one cannot put an end to terrorism using simply non-violent means or by preaching non-violence and peace. Not everyone understands its true meaning, especially the ones who stubbornly walk the jehadi path. For tackling and putting such forces at bay, one needs to take stronger actions such as waging a war. The war is at the core, a war against terrorism. And in doing so, thousands of innocent lives will be lost. The forces we are fighting against are so cunning, ruthless and sharp that however much precautions we take, harmless people will be hurt. Through such sacrifices we will be able to end terrorism, so everyone hopes. The images of people losing their homes and loved ones evoke sympathies but at the end of the day nothing can be done about it, their lives were destined to be sacrificed.

Hmmm…ya what can we do, what can anyone do in such a scenario. Seems logical, ain’t it? Yet, when I try to imagine if it was India instead of Lebanon, maybe Mumbai instead of Beirut, where those air strikes are taking place right at this moment, and say, god forbid, even if any of my acquaintance gets killed, leave alone my close family, will I be of the same opinion? Will I be able to reel of the same philosophy, with a somewhat intelligent expression while debating at a dinner party? Will I still be able to distance myself and see it from a third-person’s perspective? Or will I end up cursing the attackers, however civilized and reasonable they sound? Will I be able to distinguish between the real terrorists and these terrorism- fighters? Then probably, both will seem the same to me, killers of my loved ones.

I have noticed that everytime I think of such issues, I just end up with lot of questions.

My Brain Pattern...

I am a simple thinker, and this is actually a very good thing.
I don't complicate matters when I don't have to.
I look for the simplest explanation or solution, and I go with that.
As a result, my mind is uncluttered and free of stress. (Sounds cool eh, how come I don't experience any of tht?? :) )

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Old Hindi Songs

I am listening to the old hindi collection I have with me. One after the other, the songs play. Every song makes me smile, brood or stirs me. The lines, the melody, the beautiful vocals. :)

Tere Bina Zindagi se Shikva, toh Nahi, Shikva Nahi,
Tere Bina Zindagi Bhi Lekin Zindagi Nahi! - Aandhi

Aye Zindagi Gale Laga le – Sadma

Main aur Meri Tanhai Aksar … - Silsila (I just love Mr. Bachchan's recitation)

Tum Pukar Lo - Khamoshi


The list goes on and on. But these four are hmm...maybe favorites out of my favorites list. Atleast for today. Hehehe. Dim the lights, have a cup of hot tea/coffee or a drink, close your eyes and enjoy em. :)

Shubha Mugdal, Raincoat

Yesterday I downloaded songs from the Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai starrer Raincoat. I was listening to them and the voice just hit me. Shubha Mugdal. She has such powerful vocals. I just loved it. I had liked the songs when I had heard them for the first time long back while watching the movie. The songs seemed just perfect and blended with the movie beautifully.

I still remember the ‘Hai, kitne baras beethe, tum ghar na aaye re’ line screaming through the screen when Devgan reaches Rai’s home in midst of heavy rains. The movie was very touching and beautiful. The dialogues between Devgan and Rai, the flashbacks, and the way the story eventually unfolds. :) Just like one of O.Henry’s short stories.

Love

I smile sweetly at em, n show you my frown filled face,
I see em in best of my dresses, you see me in my ugliest days.

They say they haven’t seen anyone as nice as me,
You wonder what they mean when I scream at you with glee.

I hold my tears, hide from their gaze,
To let it flow in your embrace.

I don’t call em names but with you I fight,
Hey, I always believed that was my right!

‘You don’t love me’, so you whine,
Well instead of blaming that you stole my line,
I say I do it coz they are them, but you are MINE.

Mumbai Bomb Blasts

It’s highly unfortunate that such a thing happened. It came as a complete shock. The first thing I did was to check if everyone was alright back home.

All I could think was ‘WHY?’. Why all this destruction? All these deaths for whom? What purpose did it serve? Who could think of doing such a thing? Ugh…I know terrorists and their big time jehadi aspirations. But it sucks, big time.

If they have to prove something to the authority, do it in some other way. Why kill scores of innocent people who have nothing to do with the way things work?

At times I marvel at their ambitious and full proof strategies, the way they are carried out with immaculate precision, their fearless attitude and the ease with which they sacrifice themselves. But it is getting quite out of hand. The awe is gone. All that is left, is disgust and a lot of unanswered questions. Maybe there are answers but they don’t satisfy. Not any more.

Main Maike Chali Jaongi, Tum Dekhte Rahio!

Yesterday we were watching the Football world cup finals between Italy and France. Zidane gave a headbutt to a fellow Italian player and I guess that’s were it all started. I don’t remember who pushed first. I presume it was Vinu coz I am quite peaceful by nature. But I don’t show my second cheek if I get slapped either, so it started off.

The pushes, the punches, the kicks, the pinches, and so on…it was fun. I could use some of the karate punches Vinu had taught me. He is a karate black belt and had taught me a few hand moves. So I got into the mood. But the problem is when Vinu starts enjoying it too!! I punched him hard wherever I could land my fists and kicked him twice or thrice and wow what a thrilled girl I was, when abruptly a kick landed on my leg. Well, it wasn’t much but I could see where it could lead to and knew it had to stop but also, as always, wanted to leave him with a guilty feeling.

So I closed my eyes, opened my mouth as if in deep pain and about to cry. It was all so swiftly done that for a second I didn’t know where I should take my hand to, where should I feign the pain was? I placed my palm on my other hand and that’s when it struck me, how difficult it must be for the poor football players to act as if in pain and fall down and limp around to get a free kick. And what if they opened their eyes, looked around and saw everybody else playing football and nobody even noticing them. :( I was worried about the same reaction from Vinu. What if, I opened my eyes and saw him watching TV. The punches had stopped. So what is he doing now? Is he looking at me? Is he concerned? This is the problem with closing your eyes in such a situation. My mistake. I should had just cried out a bit.

But why the hell is he not saying anything. Is this the way to react to your wife who’s hurting? So what if I am pretending, he doesn’t know that. These insensitive men! And so I opened my angry eyes and saw him looking at me skeptically. Hmm...perhaps if I had pretended for few more minutes, the sympathy would had come. Now it’s too late, he knows and there comes another punch.

That’s it. First of all you make me angry by not sympathizing over my feigned pain and then you punch me again!!! That’s it I tell him with annoyance, “If you don’t stop, I will go to my Achan (Father)”. Immediately, without even a moment’s thought, with an eager expression he asks me, “How much more of this will make you leave?” Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I would had liked to curse him, call him names, hit him hard, but before all that came out, I laughed. Just couldn’t help it. I know, should had controlled myself. Hmm…next time, maybe.

Cleanliness Freak

Opposites attract. So they say. Well, in my case we definitely were opposites especially in the case of personal cleanliness. But I am not sure about the attraction part.

I used to think that only very dirty people bathed more than once a day. You know like miners, people working in the dirt, gutter cleaners, etc. Ya you guessed right, Vinu bathes twice a day and expects me to do the same. :( No way, I don’t do it. Can’t listen to every nonsense that he throws my way. Anyways, well about me, hmmm, there was a time when I used to bath only twice a week. If my mother reads this she will say, don’t you have any shame, putting this up on the net for everyone to read? Well, it’s not a big thing. I know many folks who do the same. And well, ya, you could say we are doing it for the water conservation society. But it doesn’t really matter. In Melbourne where I was for some time, the pollution is almost non-existent. And the weather is so cold, how can anyone even think of going near water? Geyser? Warm water? Nah, never heard of those.

After applying any sort of ointment or cream, I have to wash my hands before I can even sit near him or before I cook. Well, I do make sure my hands are clean before I cook, but HE has to ensure it every time, in such a case. Hmmp…Earlier I thought it’s good in a way, atleast he will keep his room tidy, will clean up the kitchen after he cooks i.e if ever he cooks! Well, how naïve of me to think so. He is clean only where his twice a day baths are concerned. His wet towel will lie on the bed, his socks in the bedroom, his desk crowded with important and not-so-important papers. Still, wherever he can, he makes sure he imposes his ‘I am the cleaner one’ attitude on me.

Staying with him has changed me a lot. Well, it sure is a lot to bath everyday. The first thing I do is bath, even on weekends. I know, what a waste of good time. But I just can’t help it now. Guess has become a habit. He has made me a freak like him. I hate to waste so much water a day. Poor souls in...uhh...Somalia….is it?

Sexual Harassment

Yesterday, I read a lot of blogs on sexual harassment thanks to the Blank Noise Project page. It obviously made me ponder. But I didn’t want to end up writing the same stuff again. Yes, that’s the fact which frustrates me. Different blogs, different experiences, yet they are all the same. Similar feelings of frustration, humiliation and annoyance.

It also reminds me of the innumerable discussions I used to have with my friends, aunties, my mother and colleagues on their harassment experiences, i.e. if they have faced any, and it wasn’t a surprise at all that there were none who didn’t had to go through it. This makes me wonder, how many perverts are out there?? Now that’s a scary thought!

Imagine them going around in their respectable manner, being responsible at work, loved by their children and wife, once in a while yelled at by a stranger of a woman for pinching her and normally no one noticing their arm extending out to stroke a bum. Yikes..If all the women out there complain of being harassed, surely it can’t be an act of few men. And if there are so many perverts out there…..hell, why is that?

Is it the Indian “under veil” attitude towards sex which suppresses emotions but maybe comes out in such horrendous ways? :) We always find something or the other to blame...don’t we? Aren’t the men who behave in such character less manner responsible for their actions? Will a stringent punishment for eve-teasing help in reducing such crimes? Also, maybe a different attitude of society towards the women getting harassed, they definitely are not asking for it!