From across the table.,

Saw Dev D – I am floored.
Music by Amit Trivedi : Top class.
Nayan Tarse. Saali Kushi. Emotional Atyaachar. Dhol yaara Dhol. Paayaliya.
Darn!! Each better than the other.

Taras Na Mile, Nayan Tarse
Dono Se Bahe Dhaar, Nayan Tarse

Tapish Ki Phuhaar, Sawaan Barse
Chubhan De Hazaar, Sawaan Barse

Gaali Si Lage Malhaar,
Sawaan Barse Barse Barse Re

Movie- Dev D
Music : Amit Trivedi
Lyrics : Amitabh Bhattacharya
Vocals : Amit Trivedi
-------------------------------------------------------
Little people – Story 1

Turing believes machines think
Turing lies with men
Therefore machines do not think

-Alan Turing in a letter to his friend.

Computer Science students and Theory of Computation enthusiasts especially, will remember Turing fondly. He is the man behind the Turing machine.
The man who broke German codes (ENIGMA) in the Second World War.
The man widely held as the Father of Computer Science.
The man whom we owe Artificial Intelligence to.

He was convicted for homosexuality.
Was forced to take estrogen hormone injections.
Was disqualified from continuing secret cryptological work.
And committed suicide by eating a cyanide laced Apple.

Blood riles!!
--------------------------------------------------------
-Currently reading : The Kite Runner
-If you skip the irritating item songs, Billu (erstwhile Billu Barber) is a sweet little story.
--------------------------------------------------------
-Understanding is what they call it; your comfort level with moral ambiguities.
-Prioritizing is a skill I was not born with.
And the acquired talent isn’t any great shakes either.
---------------------------------------------------------
The countless rehearsals betrayed more than the actual act.
The words did not match the tone of her voice.
There was pain in one and exhaustion in the other.
From across the table the emotions seem to come filtered.

raise your glasses, will ya...

To AR Rahman for his Oscar wins.
Here’s hoping that lots of great work comes his way.

Isn’t all art so?

Rajeev Masand in his ‘Seven Pounds’ movie review says… “If you like to be emotionally manipulated, this is just the film for you.”
But then I wonder… isn’t all art emotional manipulation at some or the other level?
-----------------------------------------
Nandan Nilekani’s blog.
------------------------------------------
Dawn has a fascinating piece on the peace agreement reached between Pakistan government and Taliban in Swat valley and Maulana Sufi Muhammad’s role in it.
The Opinionator points to reactions from all around on the issue.
------------------------------------------
-23
-And I feel ancient. Huh!
-Saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
-Not sure if I'l grow up to be a kid one day, but I sure as hell, was born old.
------------------------------------------
Coffee mug in a hand. Calvin n Hobbes in another.
Ah! The simple pleasures of life.
------------------------------------------
A whimsical thought was a visitor recently -
has this blog run its course and should I be shutting it down!

Reason#17 - Why you should go travelling

So you can capture these - sights, scenes and the signs.
------------------------------------------------
Marooned on a windy island, for too long.
Time locked in a freezing sunset, for an eternity.
Cutting through every breath, the unforgiving air.

The warm sun on my cheek today, a queer stranger.
Fluttered and unsettled, can I contain it My love?

-Jill finished it with "The joy and the shock".
-------------------------------------------------
We console ourselves in curious ways.
With time, we whisper in our ears, it will be OK.
Do we have a backup option left though,
when the hour-glass unmasks a pitiless face?
-----------------------------------------------
AR Rehman won the Golden Globe.
I hope he'd bag the Oscar too.

On-the-other-hand...
Am I the only one who pleasantly marvels at how similar Sachin and Rehman are?!
For a hero hungry nation, what better role models can one ask for?
They are both ofcourse, amongst other things, short, shy, soft-spoken and come with a 'cute till 80' warranty.
------------------------------------------------
Obama's inaguration ceremony speech - I agree with the general verdict out there.
There was punch and spunk, oh yeah. But in his delivery and not the words.

How predictable can you get?

Lots of list-making happens, at this time of the year. Don't we all love lists?
Anyways, here's pointing you to lists of 2008:
-Ten best news from the Muslim world.
-Ten things we did right.
-Ten most undercovered stories.
-Actually, let me point you to the baap of all lists. Top 10 Everything of 2008.
-Movies I liked: Wall-E. Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye. Welcome to Sajjanpur. Rock On. The Dark Knight (Solely for Ledger's performance).

2009. Young it might be, but it's 'big, best and most':
-Predictable thing that has happened : Pak says Mumbai evidence provided by India is not credible. Really, did anyone not see this coming?
-Trailer out : Masakalli Masakalli. Sonam Kapoor is totally Wow.
-Catchy phrase : Emossional Atyaachaar. Alright the song was out late in 2008. But Time mein kya rakha hain, bhaavnaon ko samjho.
-Awaited : a Federer victory.
-Stories that will continue: Isreal - Hamas, India - LeT and SriLanka - LTTE.

Kya keh ke gaya tha, shaayar woh sayaana

It's a shame that history is taught the way it is, in school. It is much like a conscious attempt to strip us of any little interest we might be harbouring towards it. Back then, it was a chore; it was about memorizing names with silly roman numbers after them and god-knows-how-many battles and the years they were fought. The sole aim - to remember long enough to pass the exams. No one cared thereafter. But history can be made so much more interesting, something that I have discovered outside the social studies text book.

If it were not for the knowledge of what transpired in yesteryears, how could we ever hope to answer the 'why' of things happening today.

Anyways, the Middle-East is on boil again. If you are done following the traditional media coverage, here is where you should head to, if you, as Lustig says "want to know what bloggers in Gaza and Israel are saying about current Israeli military operations there, rather than just reading what people thousands of miles away think about them".

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

Kya keh ke gaya tha, shaayar woh sayaana,
Aag ka dariya, doob ke jaana.
Tu sabar tho kar mere yaar,
Zara saans tho le dildaar.
Chal phikr nu goli maar yaar,
Hai din zindadi de char.

Lyrics – Jaideep Sahani
Music – Salim Sulaiman
Movie – Rab ne bana di jodi
--------------------------------------------
New year resolutions and all that is done to death. Lets talk predictability. Do you know how the new year is gonna be for you? How much of it is going to be as planned and laid out? Or are you in for a wild ride?

Did you know why Romania will survive the end of the world?

Robin Lustig makes his case for how journos are not very good at dealing with stories that move slowly, here. Stories of steady disintegration - bit by bit.

It's true ain't it? The big spectacles make headlines and grab eyeballs. We rattle of the names and numbers real fast... WTC, London, Madrid, Bali, Mumbai. Lustig talks about Congo, Darfur and Zimbabwe. We needn't go that far. Closer home, have we really took notice of just how many have been killed in Maoist attacks in the past decade or so? Or the ever-volatile North-East?

Not really pointing finger at the media or the administration, but rather wondering if we, humans, are wired that way?

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

Meanwhile, much is being made out of the so-called united face the parliament put up yesterday. I am not in a hurry to paint rosy pictures of optimism yet and prefer to ask, did they really have a choice and did it take any effort? Once the L-e-T links were established, it was quite easy to call the attacks, a war on India. And talk in glorifying terms about standing united against the outsider. After all when the country is at war, as Mr Advani would like us to believe, it is the obvious and expected stand for you to take.

Enemy, however, does not always come from across the seas. What about the case when you are up against an insider? Mr. Advani, when you will not have the refuge of nationality, would you still refrain from identity politics? When you will not have the convenience of branding them as outsiders, will you still say that terrorism knows no religion?

Having said that, I admit it was relieving to see some civility return to the parliament sessions. To see young MPs talk passionately about reforming the security infrastructure and de-politicizing the police force, is mildly comforting. But the political process has made such cynics out of us, that words don't really mean much.

Not really pink with optimism, but still willing to hold on to hope.

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

Like I said. If you are in IT now, you are looking at potential bachelorhood for quite some time to come.

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

People engage, stay connected and comment upon the political process in their countries in varied styles. The drawing room discussions, college debates, the dejected shaking of head seeing the news everyday, media, taking out rallies and sometimes even voilence.

How would a populace denied basic rights under a totalitarian regime cope with it's grim situation?

Here is a nice piece on humor in Communist Romania.

tumhein bhi kabhie yeh sataatein hain?!!

Curtains raise... the tamaasha begins.
With the general elections due, the recent assembly polls in 5 states (Delhi, MP, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Mizoram) were widely being held as some kind of semi-final.
The results have left everyone scratching their heads and scrambling for theories.

-The terror card works? No.
The general elections might shower more light on this, though.
-In-fighting, an exclusive Congress bastion? No.
Raje's loss in Rajastan has widely been attributed to this.
-Anti-incumbency, a factor? No.
Dixit just won her 3rd term. Phew.
-Indian voter comes of age, as some journos want us to believe?
Er, I doubt it sire.
-The mild mannered politicos won over the flamboyant ones?
Alright Dixit won and so did Gehlot. But Modi is still ruling and so is Mayawati.
-Predictions for big polls due next year?
Congress is not going to do as badly as BJP wants it to.
-Is a coalition still the most probable outcome?
Yes.

Reminds me of the first general election I followed. Back in the days when 24X7 news channels were unheard of. Back when Pranoy Roy's NDTV used to make news for StarPlus.
I remember staring wide-eyed at all those graphics that Roy threw up and uttered his favorite word - landslide. I still like the sound of the word from his mouth.

Before the news channels/shows segregated on linguistic lines, there was a news-show that delivered the goods in an appealing mix of English and Hindi. It looked like common sense. Most of us talk that way after all, substituting words from other languages. ZEE tv was it?
------------------------------------------------
A route which I considered to be safe enough even after 9 in the evening, turned out otherwise, at 1300 hours. Yesterday. What is one supposed to do? Let out a prayer each day on reaching home, for miraculously still being safe?
------------------------------------------------
Tumhein bhi kabhie yeh sataatein hain,
Muskurake dil ko churaatein hain,
Jeene ko tho dil yeh chaahta hain,
Jaane phir kyun sharmaata hain

Lyrics - Tanvir Shah, Arshii
Singer - Lucky Ali
Album - Aks

I have a friend who was to take a train that day in CST. A friend's friend who saw people drop dead infront of him. 2 out of 9 blogs linked here, have first person accounts of how they 'missed' it by a whisker.

Have been trying to avoid writing about the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Have however decided that its best to get it out and out of the way. Most households in India with a cable connection have spent a good 60 hours in the past few days, watching that horror unfold, LIVE.

Some talk of enough is enough. Some have written passionately about it. Some are taking candle-lit marches. Others are filing PILs.

I, for one, have no words to say. Not even those which come loaded with angst, anger and exhaustion.

of dhabas and gourmet kitchen...

I think there isn't really anything called a cool job. There are just people who love what they do.
You can really tell when you see someone who likes what he does. It's pure and infectious.

There are loads of so called food and travel shows on air. Somehow amidst all those 'awwhh's 'mmhh's and 'ooohh's eachone utters... there are two that stand out.
Their love for food - I can almost smell and taste from my living room.
Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations
Rocky and Mayur - Highway on my Plate

Kitni baatein yaad aati hai...

Truly trivial and nearly spectacular – Chapter 5
Having a secluded corner with a sunset view for a cubicle, at work.
-------------------------------------------------------
Khuda Ke Liye
The Simpsons
Ashta Chamma
Aavakaya Biryani
Quatum Of Solace
Fashion
Aamir
-----------------------------------------------------

It’s that time again...
When,
You see nervous whispers at lunch in the canteen.
You dread the three words “You’ve Got Mail”, each morning opening your official mailbox.
Everyone walks around with a “Is it my turn today?” look.
You no longer get hourly calls from people offering you loans with no interest and credit cards with no limit.
Your market value at shaadi.com dips considerably.

Thats right… it is the IT lay-off season.

---------------------------------------------------
A not-so-oft remembered, but beautiful nonetheless, song from Lakshya.

Kitni baatein yaad aati hai
Tasveerein si ban jaati hain
Main kaise inhein bhooloon
Dil ko kya samjhaoon

Kitni baatein kehne ki hai
Honton par jo sehmi si hai
Ek roz inhein sun lo
Kyun aise gum-sum ho

Kyun poori ho na paayi daastaan
Kaise aayi hai aisi dooriyaan

Kitni baatein yaad aati hai
Tasveerein si ban jaati hain
Main kaise inhein bhooloon

Lyrics - Javed Akhtar
Music - SEL

he hated the sunshine today...

Her eyes fell on a little black bag lying in the corner, casually forgotten.
All she could recollect was a cloudy picture of its contents, nothing more than that.
She stretched a hand to wrap her fingers around it.
Only to feel her hand break through a invisible film of dust that seemed to curtain the past and the present.
She grabbed whatever she could of the bag and pulled it to her chest.
As she hastened to open it, the contents spilled out.
Lying before her, strewn all over the place was her past.
Things that were meant to freeze the moment they were part of. For an eternity.
Things that were trusted to deliver back that moment, unadulterated, no matter when beckoned.
Things that spoke aloud of the naive self-importance of those moments.
Pale shadows of yesterday they were, now. What's the point? she caught herself wondering.
But she could not bring herself to let go. Not even today.
She dusted the bag and placed it back in that dark corner carefully. Smiling silently all along.

-----------------------------------------------
He looked out of the window. It was a sunny day.
An irritated sigh and muted curses later, he went back to the keyboard.
You wouldn't realise that anything was amiss,
If you'd miss the forced key strokes.
Eyebrows knitted together, he mouthed a silent - I hate the weather.
Each sunny day came with a 'this won't last long' written all over it.
And every time he woke up to a clouded sky, the sunny days past seemed like an illusion.
He hated it. Today.

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

Najaane kab se umeedein kuch baki hain
Mujhe phir bhi teri yaad kiun aati hai

Juda Hoke Bhi Tu Mujhmein Kahi Baaki Hai
Palkon Mein Banke Aansu Tu Chali Aati Hai

Sath Mere Hain Tu Har Pal Shab Ke Andhere Mein
Paas Mere Hain Tu Ujale Savere Mein
Ab Toh Aadat Si Hai Mujhko Aaise Jeene Mein

Lyrics - Goher Mumtaz

Singer - Atif Aslam

Symbolism - Isn't it quite a thing?

Obama won. And you can have a look at the papers... here.
And I find myself pondering over the very thing which the results have mandated as a non-issue. Yes, race.
The results show, ‘it’s the economy, stupid’. That and Iraq + Bush.
True. But in spite of all that, to have the race issue relegated to the shadows I think is quite remarkable.

To go from white-only seats in public places to electing an African-American as the President – in living memory. Isn’t it quite a thing?

I have read a news report about an African-American, who remembers what it’s like to have dogs set after you and to be beaten up for daring to vote. Today he listens to a black man deliver a presidential election victory speech. Isn’t it quite a thing?

Symbolism has great potency. And not just to prep-up the rhetoric.

Second link - courtesy - Justin Webb's blog at bbc.co.uk

Beauty. Speechless. Dream. Sigh.

Courtesy : http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Oct31_2008.htm

er...

“Man has no ears for what he has not experienced. If he agrees to something, he knows it already.”
- Unknown

Courtesy: bigb.bigadda.com

Photograph is a wonderful thing. Ain't it?!

A woman makes flower offerings before the statue of a bull outside the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 22 October 2008. Indian shares have lost nearly half their value this year as the global financial crisis has rippled around the world. - BBC

aksar us chauraste pe nazar padthi hain...

Some quite cool things happened... Chandrayaan launched!
----------------------------------------------------
"Well the correct answer is, 'He's not a Muslim, he's a Christian, he's always been a Christian'. But the really right answer is, 'What if he is?'"
- Colin Powell
First word that came to my mind - Sense.
And sense not just in the context of Obama or the negative campaign, but in the broader context of a much prevelant tendency to brand people on the basis of their religious identities.
Closer home they are calling it 'identity politics'. They are teaching or rather re-drilling into us what is 'us' and 'them'.
And not just religion, the plague of intolerance never seems to find itself wanting for potential subjects. Everything is a problem - your religion, your caste, which state you were born in, the color of your skin, your sexual orientation, your gender, your political ideology, heck even the language you speak.
----------------------------------------------------
Baavra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Baavre Se Mann Ki Dekho, Baavri Hain Baatein
Baavri Se Dhadkane Hain, Baavri Hain Saansen
Baavri Si Karwaton Se, Nindiya Door Bhaage
Baavre Se Nain Chaahe, Baavre Jharokhon Se, Baavre Nazaaron Ko Takna

Baavra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Baavre Se Is Jahaan Main, Baavra Ek Saath Ho
Is Sayaani Bheed Main Bas Haathon Mein Tera Haath Ho
Baavri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Baavra Ek Raag Ho
Baavre Se Pair Chaahen, Baavron Tarano Ke, Baavre Se Bol Pe Thirakna

Baavra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Baavra Sa Ho Andhera, Baavri Khamoshiyan
Thartharati Lou Ho Maddham, Baavri Madhoshiyan
Baavra Ek Ghooghta Chahe, Haule Haule Bin Bataye, Baavre Se Mukhde Se Sarakana

Baavra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Lyrics - Swanand Kirkire
Movie - Hazaaron Kwaishien Aisi
----------------------------------------------------
Seeing Jill running her hand frantically over the book, Jack came over.
“Oh I am trying to wipe out the water”, explained Jill.
“But I can’t see any”.
“Oh, I don’t know”, she looked at him.
“It’s not the page, it’s your eyes”.
She had to blink twice to see what he meant.
She chuckled “Ohh...silly me”.
Jack kept staring into the book.
“When it stopped raining in Bologna”, he muttered slowly.
“You were reading the same line an hour ago”, he finished.
---------------------------------------------------
Aksar us chauraste pe nazar tho padthi hain.
Magar us gali se guzarne ki izzazat khud ko,
kabhie kabhie hii diya karte hain.

jaane kyun dil jaanta hai, tu hain tho I'll be all right

random observations...

-There is something quite inexplicable about listening to jazz on a lonely evening.
-If I were to make a movie, it would definitely be a Drama.
-News and Coffee are addictions that are hard to fight off.
-------------------------------------------------
Currently reading – Catch 22
Page after page, I am amazed at how Heller manages to keep it going. A friend of mine once talked about how the rest of Heller’s stuff pale in comparison. I am not surprised. A book like this one can only happen once.

Mr. Joseph Heller, take a bow.
-------------------------------------------------
Currently listening to -

Jaane kyun dil jaanta hain... Tu hain tho, I'll be all right.
Tu hain tho tedhi medhi rahein... Ulti pulti baatein, seedhi lagti hain
Tu hain tho jhoothe muthe vaadein...Dushman ke iraade, sache lagtein hain
Jo Dil mein taare vaare de jaga...Woh tu hi hain, tu hi hain.
Jo rothe rothe de hasa... Tu hi hai wohi.

Jaane kyun Dil jaanta hai... Tu hain tho, I'll be all right.

Movie – Dostana
Lyrics - Anvitha Dutt
Singer - Vishal Dadlani
Music - Vishal - Shekar

Correction: Music is by Vishal - Shekar, not SEL

-------------------------------------------------
Statutory Warning: Those allergic to things morose, please feel free to stay away.

Awash in thought she reached home,
hoping to wash the day away with a nap.
Jolted out of sleep, desperate for air,
she allowed herself to grasp it fully, only after a second.
It was a dream, she figured.
Only a dream, she tried to tell herself.
Dared to laugh, she would have,
had she not fully comprehended it.
Resting her head on the pillow, she closed her eyes,
waiting for her racing heart to slow down.
She shifted a little to the right, thinking it could help,
then she shifted to the left, hoping it would help.
She then opened her eyes slowly,
and searched for the ceiling lost in the darkness.
There shall be no more sleep for the night, she knew.
The watch said three more hours were to pass,
for another morning to come-by.
Three more, she whispered into the air.
Fresh ears would have sensed fear in those words,
but then, so did her own.
Another morning of aspirin, she almost chuckled,
drawing up the covers a little and closing her eyes.
--------------------------------------------------
The To-Read list...

The Last Lecture
Stay Hungry Stay Foolish
Dreams from My Father
Crime and Punishment
--------------------------------------------------
I can’t believe I missed out on this for so long. Let me put a comma to my excitement and get straight to the point.
Alice in the Wonderland – *ng Johnny Depp, directed by Tim Burton.
3 favs; together; what more can I ask for?
Just when the idea of Depp in the next Batman movie had started to settle in, this piece of news comes along. O Boy!

wat u up2?

-Watched a play.
The president is coming. A political satire by Q Theater Productions.
Thanks to The Hindu group, the Hyderabad Theater Fest has now become an annual affair.
Fun, it was. Witty dialogues, exciting characters, a generous dose of irony et al.

-Asked Ramu a question.
You say.."I am liar". Can one really reach a state of complete moral indifference (to oneself)?
He replied... "I did".

-Watched movies like
Chintakaayala Ravi
Singh is King
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
Er, yes... I sometimes do that. Watch such movies.

-Followed the match.
Yes, India vs Australia.

Of ghastly grammar, irresponsible punctuation and forced rhyme

The irreverent lot, we are.
Of ghastly grammar and irresponsible punctuation.

We think we are wise,
“The end is to communicate”, we state.
If you think otherwise,
You are the lot, we love to hate.

Instinct, our scale.
Mention rules, and we turn pale.

Right are our words, only when they ring right .
You will find all heart and no mind in sight.

Don’t we cringe, you wonder.
Dear Friend, we only smile and ponder.

Get away with blasphemy, we can.
Break all rules and pose smug.
Poke the heel of your high-horse, we can.
Then smile at you and ask for a hug.

Oh dear, we know all the tricks.
Just that, flouting propriety gives us the kicks.

The irreverent lot, we are.
Of ghastly grammar and irresponsible punctuation.