Husbinder returns back home, from the big bad Jungle !

याद आते हैं वो दिन जब मुहब्बत थी ताज़ा
फितूर भी था, मगर जोश था ज़्यादा
कभी खोने का डर, तो कभी पाने की आस
कुछ फ़िज़ूल वाकिए बन जाते थे ख़ास

वो लव्ज़ जो हम कह न सकते थे
हमारी नज़रें  बयां करती थीं
जो नज़दीकियों से समझ न पाते थे
वो बातें दूरियों में रहती थी

वो फ़ासले, फैसले बनकर
हम दोनों के दरमियाँ आते थे
और तभी हम इत्तफ़ाक़न मिल जाते थे

इस वक़्त को गुज़र जाने दो
इस सफर का मुक़ाम दूर है
आसान नहीं कुछ ख़ास पाना
मुश्किल है ख़्वाबों का महल बनाना

जिसे फासलों का था न कोई डर
अब है बस खौफ फिर से दूर जाने का
ये वक़्त है करीब आने का
एक बार फिर से अपना घर बनाने का !

The V-day Bug!

In the run up to the Red Letter Day, I had punched in an hour of impulsive shopping at a mall. Nothing much, I assure you. It was just the usual love for colors, that often gets translated into buying eye-shadows and nail-paints that may or may not be needed :-P . Well, in a retail space like a mall, I can't get down and start painting the walls any shade I like, can I? So I did what I did and thanks to what I did, I got a freebie with it.....I was quite happy to know about the free gift but my toothy smile waned at the sight of it. It was nothing but a cliched mug with hearts on it! I usually like to joke about this day, poke fun at it, maybe even indulge a bit in it reluctantly but can't ignore it. The marketing buzz that surrounds this day is crazy! Red becomes a hated color for a 2nd reason that's not even violent, infact the opposite of it. Flowers become 10 times more expensive. For the V-Day freaks, romantic expectations rise 100 times higher and so does their expression. Sweet to the extent of being bitter, this day gets blown out of proportion, no matter what and the pseudo-fundamentalists get a mindless job to do!

I laughed at the mug, took it back home and presented it with a fake serenade to Deepak (now keep guessing who that is)! Just as he took it and acted out a romantic 'Thank you' ....mid-way through that, I took it back, saying 'You wont like to use a mug that looks like this, so I'll keep it instead!' :-D

No matter how much one ridicules this day, one is forced to think of it! I am amazed at the number of people who take it seriously though. But even non believers like me, like to ask someone ..a particular question on this day, i.e. 'Will you be my Valentine?', and without waiting for an answer, laugh endlessly after that; probably even say, 'Cheers to you, my Beloved Ballentine' ....Heh!

Come 14th Feb and everything takes the shape of the heart and gets colored in red! I just realized how I have contradicted myself by choosing the background theme that you can see on this blog!!.....Quite ironical, isn't it? Nothing to worry. I'll be quick to add that I have been thinking of a new design for the blog :-P

So, try and run wherever you want to, you can't run far enough from V-Day. The bug is out to get us. It is a 15th century concept apparently, but the face that's now been given to it has completely redefined the very concept itself. The word 'expensive' has got prefixed to it and if you read in between the lines 'superficial' too. I would seriously skip this excess and rather stick to laughing about it, not necessarily with loved ones, but strangers alike. There are other dates that are more personal and hence, more precious than the "14th". In any case, the most priceless expressions of love can be witnessed during the worst of times and that's the time we celebrate it without the glitz. I raise my hearty coffee mug to that!

All said and done, celebration really needs no reason.....any day suits. So why leave out this day? To take off the pressure from it and witness hopelessly lovey-dovey sights around, I might go out for dinner too. And to those who are too lazy to fix their dinner and plan to order pizzas instead, you know what shape you'll get them in. :-)

A new year wish...

Yet again we start anew,
yet another chance we stumble upon
The umpteenth new world we enter into,
as this day breaks into a brand new dawn.

With this sunrise our spirits rise ...once more.
We toast and boast of things to come
predicting yet again, the fulfilment of
our ambitions that lie in ambush.

Our soaring hopes build glass palaces
as we succeed in fooling ourselves...this time too.
With abundant optimism, we raise our chalices
to a sense of deja vu that they call new.

Wish good health, happiness, love, success and cheer,
for family and friends, they are way too dear !
I also hope to come into my own
and tread into that 'desired unknown'
I pray the new moonlight, shines on bright
and makes my destination crystal clear.

Cats Chaos!

Feeding rice and milk to a cat and her seemingly innocent kittens didn't seem like a silly thing to do, a couple of weeks back. I committed this act of generosity even though I felt petrified by 2 of the kittens. There was no reason why I should have fed kittens that showed their teeth to me, but I did it nonetheless. I don't know why.

The 'mom cat' is primarily white (I don't mean British) and she has a few patches of yellowish-brown and black on her. This multicoloured cat, obviously named Kitty, has 4 kittens each of a different colour, you name it: white, brown, black and grey. The last two are pretty notorious. One glance at them and I had realised what they were made of. And didn't they prove me right yesterday! So, talking about yesterday......I returned back home last night to see that to my horror, these two crazy kittens had spent a whole day locked at my home. Scared to enter my own home, I tip-toed through the mess and meows, to discover the kittens had nicely relieved themselves at various spots that they found comforting. But apart from this, there was no breakage etc. These dumb or rather exceedingly clever kittens must have quietly slipped into my home, in the few seconds before I would have locked the door last morning and i had not even heard a चू!

What this event made me realise (as if i didn't already know) is that cats are basically opportunistic, strange and surreptitious. They think they own any place that they like. How convenient right? And yes, curiosity would have actually killed the kittens had I left for a longer duration ...maybe a holiday. Moreover, its quite terrifying when Kitty starts howling at night, soon as the male cat comes to take away the kittens. That's such a wierd thing to do, to abduct your own kids! I just learnt that this could be becasue different kittens in a litter may have different fathers. Weird isnt it? Garfield, I feel is the only cat one can relate to in some ways. He is really so funny and different!

Despite this new found wisdom that dawned on me yesterday, I still felt a little guilty for having separated the kittens from their mom (who waited eagerly, outside the door all day) and for having wasted a day out of their nine lives. To make up for it, guess what did i do ?......
I fed them rice and milk all over again!

Dharamsala- The Land of Lamas

Silhouette Stories

Creativity is limitless and it never stops springing surprises!

A case in point, is the story of this unassuming French lady by the name of Beatrice Coron. I recently viewed her talk on TED.com, following a friend's suggestion that its a 'must-watch'. So, who is Ms. Coron and what's so interesting about her? Well, she seems to be an amply-travelled gypsy woman who has dabbled at many professions and lived across Mexico, Egypt, Taiwan and NYC before she turned 40. She travelled extensively across Tibet & Central Asia and then something happened. She decided  to begin telling stories cut out of paper! Simple, artistic, unique, catchy and imaginative are just a few top-of-the-mind adjectives to describe the result of her creativity. Wherever she travels to and whatever she reads, notices, sees, feels ....comes out in the form of this admirable art. Here's what she does.

This is inspiring! I really get enthused to know that people do such stuff. There is a kind of  'setting-free' effect that they have on you. Suddenly, you begin to dream your dream again and suddenly, you become lost and foolish again. Instantly, the holes in your blinkers start expanding and you see that there is a world beyond your current state, that is calling out. It's good to have one foot on the ground; I do believe in that. But, there is no harm in being an explorer. Who knows, you might just stumble on that missing block one day? There is no harm in trying, hoping, dreaming, wanting .....but someday, one has to decide and start working upon the 'doing' to reach the 'being'.

I particularly liked her concept of 'Dead Beats', that shows skeletons dancing, as they groove to music. Then there are other concepts like 'Floating Islands', 'Balloon Houses' and 'Web of Time', that I found unique.

Creativity is the heart of expression, intricacy and simplicity. It can be practical; too simple infact. It is practicality that complicates matters by colouring ideas with questions, desires with fears and freedom with convention. Yes! we need to strike a balance. But in this battle, practicality wins most of the time and that is the reason creativity is so unique. That is the reason why art is wanted. That is the reason we are spell bound when we get to the oasis!

The point is, there are things we won't know until we take a plunge and test the waters. The question is, which ocean should one jump into? Which waters would one be happier in? Which shore is one most likely to be able to swim to? ........

Like Beatrice Coron says, 'Everyone is a story teller and everybody has to make a story to make sense of the world we live in.' Touche and I believe, it's never too late to begin writing!

Radio Nowhere

He introduced 'LA Woman' as a song about Los Angeles and she transferred the credits of  'Hey Jude' to maybe- The Rolling Stones. Yes, I am talking of the humanoids that are designated Radio Jockeys for 102.fix FM. Disaster Andrews is one who can give priest-like sermons and bore us like no other. A 'country songs hour' is anchored by him and God save you if you request for something country-offish. 'Not done my child, not done. You shall pay for this sin.' You shall have to listen to a preacher on air and then be left without the song you requested for. It is against the rules, didn't you know ?! Aah! Putting off people- not being able to break the ice or crack a joke- consistent preaching- sermonizing on air- these are talents, which aren't worth honing or showcasing.

My limited knowledge or current awareness of 102.nix FM is through the times when I have mistakenly pressed the forward button on my car stereo console. Even this mistake has taught me that music can't JUST be learnt. There is something about it that is inbuilt, that comes to you, grows on you and takes you along. There are some songs that one has grown up with, and no amount of information about those songs can overshadow the way you would talk about them through your own experience. I can see it RJ. I can hear you. The worst thing in life is to be a 'wannabe', and a wannabe music aficionado for sure is a complete no-no I say.  Am not saying I haven't enjoyed listening. Yes, I have toppled off my chair, when you took the credit for Tom Petty's rendition- 'Learning to Fly', saying ' Now Tom Petty and I make you air-borne'. Believe you me, Bob Dylan is not a sardar from the Tillawn clan (if there is one, and here the 'n' is silent) neither is Enrique Iglesias a rock singer. That made me roll on the floor too. There are times when you may not remember the year in which a song was composed| sung| and hit the high charts of Billboard Top 100. There are things you may not know about the songs you play. It's okay! Take a deep breath, don't make incoherent noises and begin sentences you can't complete. 'I am going to play you a song by ....ummm .......ee oo aa ..........whoever ....sung in the nineteen.........errrrr ......whenever.' Whoa! That's some insight dude! The truth is, no one really wants much information. They want to live through experience. There are two kinds of people who listen to music, ones who know it and ones who don't. And both the categories of listeners would rather enjoy the songs you play and live that experience, than be burdened with facts they know better, or don't need to know.

Rock legends may have got their music right ....but why has their bequeathed property landed in the hands of lemurs posing to be RJs? This is dangerous ...to 'ears' and to 'world peace'. Jimi Hendrix may have taken a 180 degree turn in his resting place on hearing that 'Foxy Lady' is  being introduced as a song dedicated to the Animal Kingdom. Golden years of sweat and toil, unbridled talent, being washed away by a careless concoction of mindless RJ-ing. You know Pearl Jam neither sings about precious stones nor jellies. Tracy Chapman is a woman, Moby is not a cartoon character and if you don't know the full form of CCR, no worries, just don't try. It is humor that listeners long for in between songs. Music related information is 'by the way'. It can add a charm to a music show, if meted out in concise and correct proportions. Humor too can't be learnt-  it is inborn, it is a state of mind, a way of being. If both music and humor are not your cup of tea then save that attempt. Moreover, both are endless and no one can master either completely.  Not sure if you should claim to. Shobha nahi deta :-P Articulation issues and social awkwardness make matters worse anyway.

Basically, Sarthak on 95 FM contrasts you folks in a manner that's unbeatable and this gives a solid context to this blog post. I only intend to make fun of what I truly, honestly, sincerely, found funny on that frequency (the 102 one) which no longer matches mine. The days of Shamsher are over. The accented days are here. I can put a face to your voice and I know you would be the guy wearing a tight tee or a tight tucked-in full sleeves shirt on a tighter pair of pants and pointed light brown shoes to boot. I know you would flaunt a cigarette to act cool or talk in a self-invented accent, something in between an American and Australian one.  Don't know any of the 102.kicks RJs personally anyway. With all due respect, I think you all must have a chat with Sarthak and learn a trick or two from him. You'll know why he rocks on air.

The Mantra is- Be your self, keep it simple, have no airs, know your stuff, deliver the intended result, exude a positive vibe and bring a smile to our faces and that is it. :-) Quoting from 95 FM, 'Bhagwaan ka diya hua sab hai humaare paas, bas ghamand nahi hai '...:-P

So 102.mix, please pardon the satire and exaggeration- it has come out of forgotten love for the channel that I used to sing out loud with, the jingles included . The music isn't bad, esp. on the Hindi shows, but the RJs....umm....eeerrr.....are hard to listen to and so, the current form of the frequency is quite .....ee oo aa .......I don't know what to say.