#1 Hypocrite?? Naah ... may be #1 Blogger ....

With lot of fanfare I would like to take this opportunity of introducing the first guest writer to this very special blog of mine ….. “Shruti Carol” …. Taliyan J J ….. A wonderful person and a very dear friend, Shruti is an extremely talented writer. She writes about fashion and enjoys a great fan following at her blog Ramp or' Not!. Recently she won ‘The Versatile Blogger’ award for the inspiring work she has been doing all this while. Pictures that are an essential part of all her writings (as you might have seen by now) make her blog come alive. Many thanks to her for she has been sport enough to add grace to my blog with yet another lively picture of hers. Now, without any more ado let us find what Shruti has written for us today …..

This post was planned about a week ago, except that there was no content. Considering the fact that I don't write that often I have been looking for some inspiration. Inspiration is a freckle thing, comes and goes. You'll find it when it is least expected like it has happened to me today. I got down from the warm layer of my blankets, slipped into my favorite sweatshirt, grabbed a big cup of coffee and walked around the balcony with nothing on my mind.

And then I thought I was bored with my life. It had turned monotonous. I wonder if it's just me or many other twenty-something people who look back at the years passed and feel that they haven't really done anything. The frustration of that moment runs through my veins and makes me restless. I feel I am wasting my days as if I could retrieve all those days I named ‘wasted’. Which were gone! I succumb to emotions and forget that I am wasting more time and energy pondering over things that are physically impossible to change. I, for a moment feel like running away from things around and not return for five years (just a random number, don't pay attention to my figures) as if that could get me freedom forever. But then, I do a favor on myself and stay back.

Freedom is so individualistic and changes with time. Right? When we were kids, a holiday from school would mean freedom for that day. Freedom was to not apologize for coming late to school or for not doing home work. As teenagers, getting away from scolding for scoring less in the exam or even spending a day at a friend's place away from home meant freedom. Spending all day playing video games and not fearing being watched was freedom. We joined college and became rebellions. We thought freedom was to bunk classes whenever we wanted and not be punished for it. We claimed freedom to speak our mind, freedom to protest a wrong doing, freedom to decide our future and what not. Then it all comes down to where we are now. Freedom from the angry boss, from overwhelming responsibilities, from marriage, from a nagging partner or anything and everything a general survey would bring up. This is us. This is our nature. Feeling dissatisfied with what we have and trying to grab things beyond

I want to run away from the monotony of life but what happens when I come back? It's the same me and my life. Who am I running away from, some silly problems? What about the other happy things? And I feel…you know.... sometimes random is good :)

I am not complaining. There are things that weigh heavily on everybody's minds.

Mine is just a lot heavier right now but trust me, there are many MANY times when my mind has weighed lighter that you can imagine. With the genetically inherited factory of mixed emotions I own, I get surprised every time I put up with myself. It is so easy for us to succumb to emotions, to speak/act without thinking, to get frustrated, to want to give up on life (translated - run away in my language).

I will move on… like I always have. Honestly, right at this moment it is this awesome cup of coffee I hold in my hands which I am grateful for ... it raised me all the questions about the purpose of my ‘existence’ and answered them for me. And guess what is written on the cup?


'If it is important for you

You’ll find a way

If not you'll find an excuse' 

That makes me look like a #1 Hypocrite! So, I will stop here and allow you to judge :)

Hypocrite?? Naah ... Read more from Shruti at Ramp or' Not!

Thanks Shruti for this wonderful post!! :) :)

Better Late than Never!

Who would have thought that a guy for whom Kannada music used to be nothing more than noise, just two years down the line, will spend more than half of his 32 hour long journey thinking ‘Wish I had just one more Sandalwood song in my play list!’. I always knew leaving Bengaluru was going to be tough but it was only after boarding the train that I realized how much the city meant to me. And what a city! Jitni taarif karo utni kam. They all say its the weather of Bengaluru that makes it so special but believe its not the weather; its the people of Bengaluru who make it the best city of India. Weather comes second!

Gaadi aage chali main peechey!

Bengaluru mein bitaya har ek din aankhon ke saamne tha. The first time I travelled by air, the first job offer I got, the first salary credit, first authentic South Indian dosa, first trip abroad, the city gave me everything I could have asked for. And of course ‘Pace’. You might have heard a lot of actors and politicians say that they have the best job in the world. But do you know even a single software engineer who does claim that? Well here is one. Cribbing apart, J being in Pace was a privilege. I don’t think there ever was a Monday when I found it tough heading to office. I have had some of the most memorable moments with Pace and made lots of good friends. Not just this. Weekends! It used to the best part. Catch up with your friends, eat out at your favorite places, watch movies, go to Forum or may be just sleep. Sounds like usual stuff. Doesn’t it? In fact you must be thinking ‘Why the hell is he pointing out such trivial things?’ Well, I know its usual stuff. But the same usual stuff looks so much more exciting and worth it when you land up in a position like mine. I mean 26^th of every month I can’t stop but check my account balance again and again. Who knows when Citibank may make a salary credit into my account by mistake? No matter it is no longer a salary account. After Bengaluru, its salary I miss the most.

Today as I sit and write all this, there is a strong desire to come back and be able to relive that entire time once again. Thanks to Rahul, Mohit, Nitin, Ayush,Kamal, Kanak, Jojo, Palaxa, everyone. Its because of you people that I had such a wonderful stay there. Wish all you guys’ dreams come true and God bless us all!

Wondering how life here is? Well it is fun. Kannada music has finally find a substitute and I have started developing a taste for Haryanvi songs ;). Last week we had a theatre festival in the nearby university. Heard a really nice song there. Unlike other Haryanvi songs it is a soft song with nostalgic lyrics that go like:

Bin tension ke thay din bachpan ke ...

Buddhi dadi ki kahani mein
Raja ka man tha Rani mein
Jab Rani nay Daanav kha jaata
Hamein neend ka jhoka aa jata

Ek master topi aala tha
Uska thappad bada chala tha ....

Abhi ke liye itna hi. Will write more about this place in my next post.

P.S: I were to post this around a month ago but got delayed cause of my laziness. Fir maine socha 'Better Late than Never!'. Hope you guys will like it.

Chup ek Biwi thi, Bol Maa rahi hai!

Kabhi kabhi life mein break lena kitna jaruri hota hai ye hamein tabtak pata nahi chalta jab tak ki hum asal mein break na le lein ..... Well I know its easier said than done given the never ending work pressure, ever increasing peer pressure and various other pressures we have in life(including the gastric ones for a few ;) ) but then kuch paane ke liye kuch khona toh padta hi hai. Meri mano toh is baar Diwali (or whenever you might be planning to take long off from your office) pe ghar mat jao, apne liye time nikalo and do all that you have not been able to do for so long. Its more than worth. Infact its superb!! Am all happy :) :)

hmm tob ab jab ki main khali hun ... ekdam vella .... kuch kaam nahi ... toh maine socha ki movie dekh li jaye ... magar kaun si?? Aaajkal Bollywood mein toh koi dhang ki movie aa nahi rahi ... khair main kaun bada bhari critic hoon ... apan ko toh jo free mein dekhne ko mil jaye wahi sahi. So I got a DVD (read pirated downloaded version) of Patiala House and started watching it. And to my surprise the movie is not really bad. Thodi dramatic hai but the subject is quite relevant especially in today's world of globalization. Waise bhi HiFi (Hindi Film Industry) movie dramatic na ho toh maza nhi aata. Coming back to the subject, the movie is about a big joint Punjabi family settled in England with Rishi Kapoor playing the dominant head. His son Akshay Kumar likes cricket and is a very good bowler. Infact he plays so well that he gets a chance to be a part of England's national cricket team. But Rishi Kapoor due to some unfortunate racial incidents he did face in past has a problem with the very idea of his own son playing for 'Goras'. Thereafter its the same old stuff like how the family convinces him and how everything falls into place eventually.

I think agar iski jagah yeh dikhaya hota ki kisi aur country se aayi family India mein settled hai aur unme se koi Indian National Cricket team ka part banne ke layak hai toh it could have had a far better impact on audience. Globalization has really changed things and changed them for good. On a personal level I don't think there is much difference in me getting settled in Bangalore or me getting settled in Europe. Thoda bahut discrimination toh kabhi kabhi apni country mein bhi face karna pad jata hai. I am sure most of you will disagree with me on this point. But as the world becomes more and more connected and as the boundaries fade it will become rather apparent.

Waise hamari country bhi ajib hai ... On one hand we talk about women empowerment and on the other hand we have dogmatic dialogues like "chup ek Biwi thi, bol Maa rahi hai"! This is the explanation that Dimple Kapadia gives to Rishi Kapoor as to why she was silent for so many years when Rishi Kapoor didn't let Akshay Kumar play for England cricket team. Arre main poochta hoon Biwi kab bolegi yaar. 70s ke decade ki movie hoti toh thik tha. Ab toh bol lene do yaar ussey. Pata nahi kis ne likhe thay dialogue. Ye bhi nahi sochte ki these films are seen across the countries. Anyways, jab itna kuch badal raha hai toh dheere dheere dialouge bhi badal hi jayenge. Meanwhile, picturization of the song "Beeba tere haathon mein ..." is quite innovative. Same song being played simultaneously on two floors of the same house in two different genres adressing two different generations; Good attempt! I must say.

Ab mujhe bhook lag rahi hai ... so I am gonna go grab some delicious burgers. Tab tak you keep listening to the song "fire ige mis use eni Miss Fire :) Miss amma Miss amma Miss misuse aagidrey big mistake" ... mast gana hai yaar ;)