What do I Say???

While I was thinking of writing something, only these words came to my mind " What do I say?"  Once you stop writing, somehow the expression inside you dies down.  It's happening with me. 

 I'm even asking myself, first that are we be held accountable one day for what we write on our blogs and the comments people leave on our blogs and second, does it make sense sharing about your life and your thoughts in the cyber space? Do these thoughts come to your mind too? Huff! All this is my self talk, so don't bother much about it!

Actually, I had been very very busy all this time.  Although I love to work but this time it was full of stress as well, the bad stress I mean! (Remember my post on Stress - Eustress -Distress?) And it took me a long time to cope with it, and find a way out of it.  I have not just neglected by blog, but have also neglected my health.  I need to begin my daily Yoga soon!

I am grateful to my fellow bloggers, who keep visiting my blog frequenlty and make it a point to leave a comment on the topic concerned, thereby leaving a mark of their foot prints on this blog!  Really, I check my blog only to see what you had to say!

Meanwhile, I think i missed out on telling that "My World - My Perception" has been selected as an "Excellent Blog" by "Indian Top Blogs -2011".  Thanks a ton for that!

By the way, how had you been? Yeah, you the reader?!

RESTLESS

Charm of Old Buildings

On my recent visit to Jaipur, while waiting for others to finish their breakfast, I was waiting near by where I noticed this metal plate with some numbers,  fixed on a huge door.

 

I was tempted to click the picture of the building.  Old and traditional looking, but an AC fitted there.

 

I don't know why should I be so excited about spotting an old building, when there are plenty of them in Delhi itself.  But clicked it because I felt like!

 

Such buildings remind me of Daryagunj in Old Delhi where I would go to stay with my cousin's family when I was a little kid.  I think that's why I feel connected to such old kind of buildings.

Seen near Nainital

A small temple - characteristic of any place in Northern India - you'll find them at a place least expected. This was on a road side.

An old hut at a place called Mangoli

 

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The Beggar Girl - Portrait

This little girl was begging with her mother on the streets of Jaipur, the place I visited recently.  She managed to grab some leftover glass of lassi.  My kids didn't like it one bit when I clicked a beggar's photograph.

It's really painful to see small children drowned in the drudgery of a life(style) inherited by parents and sometimes by the streets they are born on.  Seeing small children into begging is much more painful because it's not a thing of choice for them, it's just the way of life.

As a mother ad as a person, I feel sad because, it's ultimately destiny which decides on which side of the line (above or below the poverty line) any person will be born into.  It could be me too.

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Chameleon - Snapshot

I waited for it to change its colors.... but in vain!

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The Flight - A snap

I was keeping extremely busy all these days.  Blogging requires such dedicated continous effort, that for some time I felt I'll never be able to get back to my little space in the cyber space.

Sharing a picture I clicked on a holiday.  Observe the various stages of flight of the birds.

They are so free unlike us, humans.  Or are they even free? Is there something like freedom, absolute freedom? freedom from everything? I doubt that.

Take care

RESTLESS

Ragging - A Parent's Perspective

I still wonder, after years of passing out of a Delhi University College, as to what is that makes (or made) ragging cool? Still can't figure out a thing.  You have to have some inferiority complex to put a guy down in front of a crowd.  

I wrote a post on ragging a few months back.  It was a detailed post bringing out various facets of the issue. It was Ragging - Who Is Responsible? 

I got reminded of the post, as the colleges have started.  I was reading how parents are anxious now, because there had been so many ragging related deaths in colleges of late.  Many parents are accompanying their daughters and sons to the colleges (at least for the initial days).  It's so unfortunate.  Loss of human life is unfortnate and losing a child because he/she went out to study in a college and was harassed to death is a very painful thought.

We are reading that police personnel have been deputed in colleges in plain clothes.  Also, some NGOs and senior students are too helping in checking the menance of ragging in Delhi colleges.  I hope and pray it works.

Isn't that so disturbing a thought that the society is churning out youth who need to show off, get into using muscle power, or money power or political power to prove they are superior than others?  Isn't money and power not intoxicating them.... so young?  When they still have to earn some worth for themselves, they don't mind swelling their chests on the exhaled carbon dioxide of their wealthy and influential fathers.

There is a lot of awareness now but the anxiety of the parents is understandable.  

Have you ever wondered what made ragging so cool all these years? How were you ragged during your college days? Or are you a parent? how do you feel about it? Do share.

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I feel dwarfed

Suddenly your ordinariness as a common man ceases to lose its sheen.  Suddenly you feel so vulnerable, so small.... so dwarfed.  Another attack on common people, and this time again Mumbai, doesn't bring out anger, or angst. It has given a frown on the forehead of scores of other urbanites, like me.  A sense of helplessness, a feeling of no control on the violent world around freezes you one moment, and the next moment you want to unshackle yourself from the memories and the frames frozen in time, which are spread all around you - in visual and print media.

The people who died, and who will die in the cruel hands of terrorism have created and will keep on creating void in the lives of their loved ones, their families.  But beyond that, it's just numbers.... dead or injured.... just numbers.... critical or stable.... just numbers..... just a record.... of uncelebrated death.

This time I'm not angry.... I'm just dwarfed. 

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The Gurgling Belly of Delhi!!

Or should I have named it the aching belly of Delhi?!! My tummy ached laughing at the gags - some intelligent and the rest pure....shitty ones!

I would be a hypocrite if I say I didn't enjoy the movie... I laughed in sheer disgust at times covering my face and the other times I just laughed (yeah... on those potty jokes).  Yes I did like the movie, for sure.

Yes, of course, it was me who wrote about my anger over the Bose DK song.  And it's me again praising this movie. Can you guess why??

First of all, let me say that I didn't know that there are two versions - English and Hindi.  I just happened to land at the English version, and thank God for that!

I hear so so many people cursing the movie makers (oops.... i thought you hated the guys who cursed all the way long!!) I heard that Delhi Belly is being hated because they are earning money by saying curse words!  Can a movie really really survive only on curses?!! Let's give it a try.... no dialogues... only curses... any language will do! ha!

I am pretty clear that it was a movie to be watched by adults and as adults of a young nation, a westernized nation, an English speaking - eating - walking - drinking nation, we must grow up.  I didn't find even a single word out of place. Not a single utterance was artificial.  The lingo used WAS the real youth.  It is the trend of the times.  Here I'm not being judgemental.  I'm not even saying it is f*****g cool to be heard saying such words... am not even contesting it.  (May be someday I'll write how bad I feel when young boys and girls from educated families dish out ma... behen... gaalis) But still I fail to understand why so much anger watching people speak such words on the big screen??  The only reason, you can give me is that, such movies encourage more indecent behaviour.  Btw, art imitates life or the vice versa??

Art is supposed to show the reality of the society.  It mirrors what is actually happening.  Is the urban youth not using swear words at the drop of a hat?  I had a misconception that educated people would use slightly sophisticated words, mostly in English but I know i was wrong. It does not matter much.... the taste seems to get better with mother tongue. 

It is said that we prefer not to curse in our mother tongue, as a foreign language helps us keep distance from the gravity of the words.

It is also said that we speak out in our mother tongue when we are really really very angry.

But, today I see all rules bent!

I am yet to see the Hindi version of the movie, Delhi Belly (what do call it 'Dilli ka pet'??!!!)...... Or may be I wont... who would like to hear the hindi translation of "i will cut ur ***** " :(

Another thing that's upsetting people is the sexually explicit content.... again I would say this was a new generation adult movie... a NOW adult movie.  Do you mean to say you won't like to watch such stuff with your partner? I'm sure either you are lying or you don't want to see what kind of openness this generation is living and experiencing. I call it adult movie of NOW generation because it was minus the drama attached to sex and neither any guilt or strings attached to it!  Isn't that the real youth of this generation all about?

I've heard so many people complaining about the movie.  What is your say? Did u watch the movie? Hindi or English? Didn't you laugh and enjoy the whole fun and drama? Let me know!

Cheers!

RESTLESS

PS: btw, one intelligent line from the movie.  Imran, the journo,  asks a star in an interview, what more she wants to do in future?  The young, chirpy, fascinated girl says I want to start my clothes line soon :D Imraan corrects her - 'oh, u mean clothing line!' Happy washing clothes girl!!

I miss Blogosphere!

I think today I'm going to write a very brief post on my blog! I just think so!

I'm keeping extremely busy these days and I know that the forthcoming days are going to be equally busy.  I'm not able to view any blog.  I had been devoting whatever time left with me on my blog, posting something or replying to the wonderful comments of blogger pals.  What all did I not do for the love of blogging!  I bought a laptop and a USB internet connection solely for blogging and of course some more browsing, but it seems even that is not helping me much.

I never knew I'll be jotting down how busy I've become of late, in my blog! But really, work, home and kids and yes social commitments are keeping me away from blogging.

Every morning while reading newspaper I think about what to write today!!  So many things i wanted to share... but it seems I'll be writing about them when the phase is over.... phew....

Anyways... just wanted to share that work and lots of work is keeping me away from blogging and I'm looking forward to the time when I can spend lots of time blogging and reading blogs.

Till then,

Take care and enjoy!!

RESTLESS

My Blog's First Anniversary!

Wow! I can't believe that I have completed one year of blogging. 



A painting by Raja Ravi Varma



A person so unpredictable that I am, I never knew I will stick to blogging.  Being sensitive can be such a pain at times that you don't even know from which side of the bed will you wake the next morning.  Dealing with my sensitivity and using it in a productive manner was a challenge for me.  Also, giving an outlet to my thoughts and expressions was a need which had to be addressed.  Another, most important thing was that I needed an anchor.  I found mine in my blog, or rather blogging.  Because my blog alone ( like a stand alone PC) won't have helped me.  Only, and only hearing from other people, through comments, sometimes through email, on various forums like Indiblogger and Blogadda made the experience so rich, and so satisfying.  It's a networked PC now!

I wrote my first post on 21 June 2010 titled My World - My Perception.  Today, when I read it, I smile.  I guess, my words speak for themselves.  Today, I feel mellowed down, soften down.

Often, when I wrote a lively, bubbling post, somewhere I was disturbed from inside.  They say words have power.  And I do believe in it.... strongly.  Words change the way you feel.  I tried never to bring in my bad state of mind on the blog, rather concentrated on writing something positive, something nice, something interesting.  After writing a post, the comments that followed from blogger pals would brighten up my day.... howsoever low I felt.  Each morning, when I turned on my PC and logged in to Blogger.... the dashboard would open up and say "10 or 8 or 5 comments" waiting moderation.  Somewhere you feel, you are being heard.  Somewhere you feel your views are being reciprocated - in agreement or disagreement.  Especially for us, the psuedoanonymous bloggers who know no one in the blogosphere and nor they would share their blog with their friends, it's an amazing feeling to be liked for what you write.  To be liked for your expression from unknown people.

Today, I'm a one year old blogger, a more happy person and in love with my blog completely. Can I ask for something more?!

How did you feel when you completed the first year of blogging? Do share your thoughts on how did blogging affected your life.

Take care

RESTLESS