ye hai Vividh Bharti..........

Damn it!! Again I forgot my earphones at my desk itself, now I’ll have to go all the way back to fifth floor, collect it and rush back to catch the bus. But there is no other choice; after this nine hour torturous job missing my favorite most show would be the last thing I want to do. God! Hardly five minutes are left and now this haunted lift will not let me go. Don’t know why everything has to go wrong at this time only. Finally, here it is. I quickly put on my earphones and started the radio. ‘Bengalurille bombat music station Radiooooooooo Pity’, ‘Minimum music Minimum choice Maximum ads Maximum noise’, ‘FM One-du Irudu Nura Nallaku’ etc. se hote huay I finally reached my sweet and sober radio channel – ‘Vividh Bharti’. Aur aayiye ab aapko sunwate hain Border film ka ek geet; Iski farmaish ki hai Rajasthan se Subedar Pahalwan Singh ji ne; aawajein hain Sonu Nigam aur Roop Kumar Rathore ki….and here it goes ………’Sandeshe aate hain….’. Thank God! I didn't miss it. Believe me pure din ki thakaan aur boriyat ek gaane mein door ho jati hai. You feel as if you are in some far away place listening to those few selective songs you always wanted to have in your play list. Not just one or two songs, there complete line up of songs is awesome. I mean seriously yaar once is a while getting to listen ‘Na kajre ki dhaar’ and all is actually pretty cool.

Pehle pehle main bhi Vividh Bharti kam hi sunta tha. And then I didn’t even realize when this whole thing changed and I become one of those loyal listeners. I think what makes Vividh Bharti stand out is the versatility in the programs being broadcasted by them. Their content relates to the lives of common men. They have programs targeting various sections of society e.g. ‘sakhi saheli for women’, ‘Youth express for the new generation’, ‘sms ke bahane vbs ke tarane for music lovers’, ‘chayageet’, ‘sadabahar nagme’ and many more. The one more program that I look forward to listening is ‘Hawa Mahal’ –featuring skits (Radio Play) based on various novels. Through these skits they try to find solutions of the various small problems that we face in day to day life.

In the present world where advertisements and marketing have reduced the value of meaningful content to such an extent that before getting to hear the song, we get to hear the brand who is presenting it, Vividh Bharti is the only Radio channel that values the listener’s preference. In fact they have a dedicated program in which they read the letters written to them by their listeners and try to take note of what their audiences like or dislike. The way Vividh Bharti has evolved over the 52 yrs of its existence is also worth appreciation. Providing healthy entertainment to everyone in a country which is developing so fast and still have more than sixty percent of its population in villages is no easy job. But they do it and do it really well. Kudos! to Vividhta in our country and kudos! to ‘Vividh Bharti’.

I got these lines somewhere and found interesting:

kucch aawaje hasaati hai.........kucch aawaje sikhati hai.........kucch sudur anchal mein lekar jati hai...kucch gudgudati hai.........barso se ye dhwaniyan hawan mein tair rahi hai........inhe aap ke gharo tak pahunchati hai.......VIVIDH BHARATI

trip to Malaysia........truly Asia!!

hardly five days in malaysia and I am dying to come back. Not that I didnt like the place, its the food that has taken toll on me. Matlab chirag leke bhi dhundne niklo toh jaldi se vegetarian food nahi milta......but then its a beautiful country as if someone might have pull in the weather of Dehradoon to Connaught Place.

Hmm...so my trip started as soon as I stepped out of airport. The first thing you will notice about Malaysia is its excellent transport system. Wide roads, fast running buses, easily available cab and efficient taxi services make it even more appreciable. Infact for the first time in my life I got to see a tunnel, meant for reducing the traffic jams, like the ones we generally see in hollywood flicks. It is known as the SMART Tunnel and is is the longest stormwatertunnel in South East Asia and second longest in Asia. It took me around one hour to reach the hotel. The very next day was a public holiday here and I got a three day long weekend to roam around and see the places. The first place I visited was none other than the famous PETRONAS Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur's biggest tourist attraction. I know we all have seem it in pictures and its beautiful. But believe me, when you actually see it then only you realise that its far more huge than how it looks like in the pictures, i mean huge as in 'really huge'. At the back side of twin towers is the KLCC Park. It contains a fountain with incorporated light show and is a nice place to be visited in the evenings. While returning I took a taxi and for the first time in my life it so happened that somebody thought that I belong to SriLanka. When I asked that taxi wala that what made him think so, he told that my face cut is like that. I just hope thats not true.

The next day one of my colleague and I went ot Batu Caves - the greatest murugun temple in Malaysia. Its situated in the hills and to reach the main temple one needs to climb a steep flight of around 300 steps. It being a Hindu temple there are a lot of south indian food restaurants nearby and hence I finally could manage to get a meal of my choice. We had south indian meal and yes ..it included Rasam as well. Khane ke baad we proceeded to the main temple and spent some time inside. The whole place looks marvellous from inside. And as in most of the Indian temples, monkeys can easily be spotted here also. Isn't it strange? Like as if there is some strange connection between monkeys and temples. Nearby the Murugun temple is a Ramayana Cave and a big statue of Hanuman ji. Evenings, it generally rains here in KL and while we were returning it started heavily. So while waiting for the rain to stop we had some coconut water,one other good thing you get near Batu caves. Finally, on our way back we stopped at One Utama City Center and booked the tickets for 'Genting Highlands'.Yep, 9:00 am package is what decide to take. I only know how I managed to wake up and reach in time. I actually put some 15 alarms and thank god! I reached in time.

'Genting Highlands' I was really looking forward to visit there, cause one of my friends had told me that if you are going to Malaysia and you dont go to Genting then its a waste. Also known as the Las Vegas of Malaysia the place features a lot of exciting things like 'Genting Skyway a 3.4 km ride in a cable car', 'indoor and outdoor amusement theme parks', 'casino' and 'First world Hotel which is the world's largest hotel'. Oh! did i mention 2002 IIFA awards ceremony was held in Genting Highlands only? Yeah mujhe bhi aane ke baad hi pata chala. Well....yes the place was extremely beautiful and we had a lot of fun. In fact some silly incidents happened as well. There was a ride named as space trip. The picture outside created an impression as if there will be a gravitation less chamber wherein you can go and experience the feel of being in space. So with lot of enthusiasm and expectation, I decided to go for it. Now, inside there were quite a few people, all left in doubt what exactly gonna happen, then finally they switched off all the lights and the show began. And you know what happened then, instead of rotating us they rotated the round chamber we all were seated in.........sheer torture of full ten minutes.........yep it actually was meant for small kids.In Genting there is one Indian restaurant as well. Its name is Spice Garden and they serve pretty decent food. Finally the three day weekend was over and we returned back to pavilion :).

There is a lot of self realization that has happened during this trip. I in fact believe that travel more than an opportunity of learning new cultures or things, is an opportunity of learning ourselves better. And the first thing I noticed about myself is that mujhe daily soaps dekhne ka keeda hai. Yeah I started watching a Malaysian tv serial there. Its name is Siong and it has got English subtitles. Believe me its good, quite like Mandira Bedi's Shanti. What? I am not talking about the female protagonist; the serial is good. Waise you may be surprised to hear that they play Bollywood songs in the background songs in their serials. In one of the programmes based on a love story they played Kuch Kuch Hota Hai while the hero was day dreaming about the heroine. Even bollywood radio stations are also there. And their song selection also is pretty awesome. I was thrilled to hear them taking about Deepika Padukone, Ranbir and Katrina. Well I don't know why but it really felt good.

When in Malaysia I used to feel very special about I being an Indian and would thank God every now and then. And there were a lot of reasons behind it. I generally don't watch news channels much but as there were no Hindi entertainment channels available, I would see BBC World at times. And it used to be heartening to see India being the highlight in many a special reports.

Isn't it nice to see our Finance minister's daughter writing an open letter demanding solutions from him on the eve of Union Budget. Its great! In Malaysia also the dropping attendance in Parliament is a concern these days. At least that's what I read in Strait Times one of the leading newspapers there. I felt proud when I read on net, the ruling party chair person in India is taking strict steps in this direction. Another programme on BBC talked about the nation wide competition to select a currency symbol. And again it was heart touching to see the sheer energy and passion with which people from all age groups were going gaga to tell their views about the same. Another great thing to be seen was Sandra Bullock receiving the Oscar at an age of 45 reiterating the fact that if you work hard you are bound get your dues some day or the other. And what an acceptance speech, still doing rounds all over the net.

Ok ab bahut ho gaya I don't think anything else is left to be written. Yeah that's it for today.

Budhiya ke baal.........

Remember those pink colored fluffy cotton candies?...the ones that the old street hawker used to bring in a pack of six. He would come after school hours and make announcements in cacophonous though sweet voice, sweet because the very name would leave a person's mouth watered, 'budhiya ke baal lelo......'! Well aware of my liking for the same, he used to wait a bit longer while passing by my house. And believe me convincing my mother for buying it was far more difficult then convincing my manager for approving my leaves.

Yesterday, while coming from office I happened to see cotton candies and though there was nothing special in that I did feel a bit nostalgic, may be because I got to see them after a long while. But to my surprise this time they were available in various colors ranging from 'blue' to 'silver'. Probably the Budhiya has started coloring her hair these days :). But seriously, these are the things that bring back the memories of childhood. Infact there are many such things that we used to eat when we were kids and hardly do we get to see them these days. For example, the various kind of Churans, then woh ice cream jo pipe mein aati thi aur ek ka toh main bhi bhul gaya hun; but haan the person selling it used to bring some elastic material roped around a big stick and then he used to prepare so many creatures out of it like Bichhoo, Elephant, lockets etc. And then we use to eat infact khate kam thay aur dusron ko chidhate jyada thay....

How I wish the same days were back!!!!!

Happy Independence day!

The spirit of the occasion is everywhere. Here are some pictures displaying the shades of tricolor.....

Waise toh India is a country of festival but '15Th August' has its own importance!

Today, all the citizens of the country together celebrates the spirit of 'Freedom'!

The picture displayed at the left depicts the beautiful decoration at the Forum Mall. The feeling of love for the nation can be easily seen. 'Students dressed in tricolor', 'the flags at auto rickshaws' and 'the patriotic songs being played everywhere from radio stations to the loud speakers at schools and colleges arranged specially for the festival' -all this has grown into a tradition over time.

Shown below is one more picture that I found really good. All I would like to say is: I am really proud to be an Indian.

'Maana agam agadh sindhu hai, sangharshon ka paar nahi hai
Kintu doobna majdharon mein sahas ko sveekar nahi hai!!
Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!

Bindakalor is cool!

It has been more than two weeks that I am here in Bengaluru. The decision of coming here was taken all of a sudden without any preplanning. And now I have a lot of interesting events to mention.

I hired a taxi from the airport to reach Kormangla. Hardly did I know at that time that the journey was supposed to take more than an hour. As the numbers being played by most of the radio stations were in Kannad, starting a conversation was the best option left. Everyone has his own domain of questions and how different this domain can be is evident from the things we inquired each other about. ‘What is the current price of petrol in Delhi?’ he inquired. However it was a general question, I had to admit my ignorance as I didn’t know it. What I asked was ‘Mumbai is named after Mumba devi, Kolkata after Kali Maa so what is the story behind naming this place as Bengaluru’? Well he was a ‘Paanchvi pass se tez guy’ not ignorant like me and he told me a story that goes like this…….

Bahut samay pehle ki baat hai, ek raja tha. Uska rajya dur dur tak faila hua tha aur praja bhi use bahut chahti thi. Ek baar woh yudhh mein sab kuch haar gaya. Who bhukha pyasa idhar udhar bhatak raha tha. Khane ko kuch na hone ki wajah se usne ek budhiya se madad mangi. Usne use daal mein pani milake koi vyanjan diya jise ‘Bindakalor’ kehte hain. Baad mein jab raja ne dobara apna rajtantra prapt kiya to jagah ka naam ‘Bindakalor’ rakha. Jab angrez aaye to it became ‘Bengkalor’ then ‘Bangalore’ and finally we know it as ‘Bengaluru’.

Within an hour I reached Kormangla, and went for sleeping as it was already late. The very next day started brought with itself a whole new set of experiences. Kannad being the mother-tongue of people here, they don’t understand much of Hindi. So whenever I do have to search for an address it becomes pretty difficult. However, people here are very helpful and they find out some way or the other to solve this problem. And if they fail to understand you, what follows is an innocent wink of eyes in an expression of the fact ‘bole toh humein Hindi nahi aati!’ But this winking is so childish and so innocent that it makes me unconditionally happy.

How can I forget to mention the delicious food of this place? The typical South Indian food! Earlier I had tasted only ‘Idli sambhar’ and ‘Masala dosa’ but now I can name many of them. In a small restaurant the menu comprises of : ‘Sambhar Idli’, ‘Sambhar Vada’, ‘Pongal’, ‘Curd Rice’, ‘Rice Bath’, ‘Lemon Rice’, ‘Masala Dosa’, ‘Plain Dosa’, ‘Rava Masala Dosa’, ‘Onion Dosa’, ‘Uttapam’,’ Sev Puri’, ‘Khakra Bath’, ‘Plate Meals’………………….

‘Chai’ jo mujhe bahut pasand hai who to yahan kuch jyada hi badhiya milti hai.

Also, the weather of Bengaluru is very fine. Neither very hot nor very cold, it is just moderate. You never know when it is going to rain. I think that’s what sets Bengaluru apart from other big cities: especially Delhi. Even if it’s a long tiring day you don’t feel exhaustive. All in all it’s really a cool place. It has got some really good places as well. One can easily pass his free time there. The most happening place is ‘Forum-the mall’. Well, it is just like all other shopping malls but being in the middle of city it is always busy and lively. Bengaluru has got a lot of gardens also. I too visited one of them. It is known as ‘Lalbagh’ and has got a lot of points of attraction. At the entry there is a statue of a Maharaja, nearby which you get to see a ‘Floral Clock’. Apart from this the garden also has a ‘Glass House’ and a small lake.

Aray haan radio se related ek baat toh main batana hi bhul gaya, the restaurant I have my dinner at has a radio and at times I get to listen Kannad songs. Though I can hardly understand them one of them is everyone’s favorite. Its music is really nice and it goes like ‘Nindanhale………Nindanhale…..!! ’

1..2..3..4 Tai tet thai

Don’t try to reach any consequences by reading the headline because this time it has nothing to do with the content that lies below. Yeh heading toh aise hi likh di kyonki kuch aur samajh nahi aa raha tha.

Chai garam chai----what can be better than having tea (chai) when you are traveling in a train and it is raining outside. I have always been very fond of tea. I also remember a poem that goes like…..

Chitrakut ke ghaat par bhai santan ki bhid

Chai piyan ko jut gaye raja, rank, fakir!!!!

Yesterday, I was traveling from Moradabad to Delhi by the train ‘Guwahati Express’ and apart from this tea not even a single favorable thing happened. In fact it was one of the worst journeys of my life. After facing a lot of difficulties like

a) not being able to catch the train ‘Sampark kranti’ at Rudrapur and ending up in a bus to Moradabad which was willing to compete with a bullock cart

b) managing to catch the ‘Guwahati Express’ at the last moment

c) then unnecessarily reaching late as the train stood for 45 minutes to be modest enough to let other trains go first, when only a few kilometers were left for the destination

d) all this along with a lot of sweet fellow passengers who were willing to create as many problems as they could

when I finally reached Delhi and looked back at the whole day the thought that came to my mind was that it was fine as it gave some pretty good material to add to my blog.

‘Railway Station’ this place has always fascinated me a lot. Life in its various shades can be seen here.

Life in its various shades can be seen here. Everyday hundreds of people come here to do their journeys. The guys who were no less than strangers just a few moments back do find so much to talk and share that anyone would mistook them for childhood friends. In a single train are discussed, all the topics ranging from ‘hot bollywood gossip’ to ‘the sensitive political issues’. The description would be incomplete if I forget to mention the hawkers who sell various delicious food items.

If someone enjoys watching people endlessly, as do I then a train is the best place to be at. Masses from different part of country, having different background be it the lifestyle or the mother tongue are all at same place at the same moment. I can bet that a long route Indian Railways train can give complex to a museum in terms of cultural diversity it holds within itself. Yet another example of ‘Unity in diversity’ that lies in the soul of our country.

Now, let me come to the point why I did choose the tagline “ “. Well today while roaming in the Connaught Place I happened to come across a cultural program being organized over there. It was a showcase of paintings made by small kids during their summer camps. Along with this were some dance presentations of ‘Kathak’ and ‘Kuchipudi’. The lady who was guiding the kids started like ‘Tat taam tam te hit tat taam tehi’ again ‘Tat taam tam te hit tat taam tehi’ and then ended up it as ‘ One two three four, five six seven eight’ next time it was ‘One two three four to thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen’. And I found it humorous strangely. Thank god! She didn’t count it further. One of the student performers was giving weird expressions so this time that lady recited ‘Tat taam tam SMILE BETA te hit tat taam tehi’. However, as it was a marvelous performance as they were small kids after all.

Ok ‘goodbye’ and ‘Tat taam tam te hit tat taam tehi’ for now!

Life just moves on.......

'Life just moves on' - actually its my tag line on orkut nowadays. But there is a reason behind it. I just returned after the final year project submission from Saharanpur. I was there for 4 days and each day recalled memories of the four years spent over there. It seems like yesterday when I landed in SIET for doing B.tech in Computer Science and Engineering. After that time just flew away and now here we are going to our homes with a hope of meeting somewhere in future. It is really strange that the day we all wait for so long time, when finally arrives a feeling of belonging starts finding place in some soft corner of our heart and we try to find reasons for staying with our friends for one more day!!

But mine case is a bit different, I miss the place more than the persons. It has always been like this with me. I still can feel the airs of Nainital, the scenario in Kota, the rush in Noida and the silence of Greater noida. The same thoughts surround me when I think about Saharanpur. Maine kahin padha tha 'Shahar kisi ka nahi hota - log yahan aate hain, iska hissa ban jaate hain par phir bhi apni jadein(roots) hi unke jahan mein rehti hain!' Well the phenomenon seems complex enough to be understood by a ordinary person like me.

Memories keep on unwinding themselves but we need to look forward as time waits for none and life just moves on.............................

But before finishing I would like to thank 'Gaurav' and 'Priyanka' for their lovely comments that inspired me to write further!!