Confused Republic..enlightened minds

dil ki baat...

Its republic day.. our 61st..
There is a smile on my lips and the time bar at the lower right hand corner of my laptop says 4:58 AM..
I am having a party... although I am having it alone.
But I believe ,even if not by their physical presence..I celebrate with my fellow countrymen today..
I have no specific reasons to substantiate this claim..


the album on is 'ROJA"

"dil hai chota sa... choti si aasha"

How true.. So many small hearts ..with small-small dreams in their eyes..
These are the dreams that make our collective - 'the great Indian dream'. It is different for different people. We all see India differently years down the line. What India would really become would be the sum total of what we really want it to become.


next song.."Rukmany"... quite raunchy by the standards of early 90's...


Yesterday evening, i,e on the Republic day eve... at about 7:30 PM.. my mobile rang..
nothing special.. a regular every day call from my father..
we talked.. me and dad..i call him 'papa'
and then me and 'ma'... everything usual was discussed
food, health, hygine, classes, placements... my parents takes an utmost interest in me..
also were discussed news, and national stories as well as the decision and plans to close down some 'deemed' universities...It was of interest to us since children from some of our acquaintances' families are students of these institutions and this is a cause for worry,,

Kapil Sibal.. the HRD minister was on campus yesterday.. i told my parents about it...
they presumed he must have been asked questions on the 'deemed' issue..
never presuming that their son had 'bunked' the event just because he would have to dress in business casuals to attend the event...I had chosen to enjoy my freedom of wearing casuals and being unshaven, rather than listening to the minister..

"Roja jaaneman..".. what melody...

"Ye hasi vaadiyan..."   beautiful and soulful..

and now...
" Bharat hamko jaan se pyaara hai.."  

 this song makes my breath stop,,,
there are so many emotions that arise all at once...
I am dumb... quiet.. and i can't express any more..
let the song get over....

The song has ended..emotions subsided and slowly but surely confusion is taking over.
I am sure it is confusion and definitely not sleep.
Downloading songs of 'swades'. Music must go with the mood and occasion today.

Download complete...

"aahista..aahista"..   again about  dreams and sleep..

A  loner like me is smiling a lot today.. Don't know why .. but once in a while it feels good to smile just for nothing. Smiles whose reasons  lie  deep within and outside us.

So my parents asked me whether I would be attending the 'Republic Day' celebrations..
I said I would rather prefer to sleep...and instantly regretted it..
Because what followed was a lecture (expectedly)..... abou how important it is to attend such functions..
That these functions and events are held because they have a relevance and some importance.
I didn't have a choice but to agree.

I never attended any Republic/Independence day or gandhi jayanti celebrations after school.
But I told them I would go...
There were serious doubts on whether I would be able to get up that early...
8 am is really early... ask any of my friends..

"dekho na zara dekho na.... tum ho main hoon aur ye tanhaiyan hai"

my favorite from the 'swades' album...
this song can generate romance in a sadist... whether the compariso is apt is a different issue.
But i simply love this song...

11 pm on the eve and it was  time for the movie...
"so what to download today??"
Today on showtime it was 'Firaaq', written and directed by Nandita Das,
It was while watching this movie that the 61st Republic Day and I met...

"The Ramnavmi Song"..

 really good....

I feel like singing,.. But I can't ,, this would wake   my room mate

'Firaaq'.. based on the Gujraat riots (my roomie is a gujraati)
So even this remotest connection could make me feel closer to the situation..
Yes 'Godhara' happened, but it could have been passed off as a one off incident...
Culprits should have been caught and convicted and law would have taken its course,,,

But what we witnessed was the most blatent 'in the face' form of state sponsered riots...
This movie painted a vivid picture and it was difficult to watch it..
there were times it became unbearable..
Truth can be stranger than fiction and it can be painful and brutal. Massacre , rape , burning down of houses, shops, and pits dug to become mass graves. The actors have done a great job.

But this is only a movie; how horrific the truth must have been...???

That was not all . Pathetic conditions of relief camps, indifference of the common man, and the 'hand in glove' role of the state.


"sananwariya" ....

 it just passed and I didn't even notice.

time is 5:54 am... I will definitely witness the celebrations... but  the more important lessons for this Republic Day .. I have already learnt.. Still  I want to see the Tricolour being hoisted ....
I need to have 'faith' in our system....

'swades' musical track is running.

masterpiece by the maestro..... HAIL RAHMAN...

next is "Ye taara .. wo taara..".. the song of hope...

Yes we need to modify the collective dreams that we see. Because in our very own and righteously great country there are people who would love all countrymen and all structures to be 'Hindu'. There are amongst us who would want 'that' age to return when India was ruled by 'Sultans' and "Badshahs'..the so called 'age of glory'.
And then there are other religions...
and then there is the caste..
The North vs the South Indian....
There is the recession
There is illitracy.. female infanticide and poverty...
there is the total lack of  infrastructure.. both social and physical..
The naxals become closer to people...probably because their agenda is more acceptable to the masses...

Sitting in the real hub of capitalism.. i seriously have no right to talk about inclusive development, the trickle down effect, or contribution  and giving back....

"yuhi chala chal rahi.."

The song asks us to move on...
I think we should...2 hrs to the ceremony...

So much going on inside the top storey, but my limited abilities to put it all on paper acts as a hindrance...
may be some other day.....
some other time...
but i also think that that it is good that my blog has such a small number of followers...
I am really not sure whether I would want a large number of people reading the posts..
They are too preachy I think...
People may think the content to be inappropriate or even laughable...
but this sense of relative anonymity gives me confidence...

ITS 3D.... just like AVATAR

dil ki baat...

 This guy  continues to amaze people with his sidewalk 3D chalk drawings.



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Leave granted

dil ki baat...

See How people write leave Applications. It's murder of English language. But Too Funny. Just Read It. The Leave Applications; )·
Â
Infosys, Bangalore: An employee applied for leave as follows:
"Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife, please sanction me one-week leave."
  
· This is from Oracle Bangalore: >From an employee who was performing the "mundan" ceremony of his 10 year old son: 
"as I want to shave my son's head, please leave me for two days.."
  
· Another gem from CDAC. Leave-letter from an employee who was performing his daughter's wedding: 
"as I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave.."  
  
· From H.A.L. Administration Dept:
"As my mother-in-law has expired and I am only one responsible for it, please grant me 10 days leave."
  
· Another employee applied for half day leave as follows: 
"Since I've to go to the cremation ground at 10 o-clock and I may not return, please grant me half day casual leave"
  
· An incident of a leave letter: 
"I am suffering from fever, please declare one-day holiday."
  
· A leave letter to the headmaster: 
"As I am studying in this school I am suffering from headache. I request you to leave me today"  
  
· Another leave letter written to the headmaster: 
"As my headache is paining, please grant me leave for the day."
  
· Covering note: "I am enclosed herewith..."  
  
· Another one: really good one…………… 
"Dear Sir: with reference to the above, please refer to my below..."
· Actual letter written for application of leave: 
"My wife is suffering from sickness and as I am her only husband at home I may be granted leave".
  
· Letter writing:- "I am well here and hope you are also in the same well."
  
· A candidate's job application: 
"This has reference to your advertisement calling for a ' Typist and an Accountant - Male or Female'... As I am both(!! )for the past several years and I can handle both with good experience, I am applying for the post. "

Forgive..atleast Forget

dil ki baat...

there is something about old times....something sticky.. We cannot let go..we do not want to let go...

 we are criticizing days long gone..people we never saw again..and places we never visited again..
 but for the one wrong that was done to us..we become ever unforgiving... people .. places ..ideas.. cultures..even business transactions ..all become stereotyped in to a single mould...BAD...

Irrespective of all the good things that may have occurred to us,, the beautiful conversations we may have had..times that may have flown like a sweet smelling breeze... and so many moments of pleasure and togetherness that we may have spent together..It all vanishes in that one moment.. when our expectations aren't met..or there is a sudden change of tide.. or  a close someone becomes a catalyst to a worse change of fortune...
And we decide.. never to talk to that person again.. never again to look at his face... never to visit a particular place.. or even things like not carrying out auspicious tasks on particular dates....

Do we ever stop to ponder what actually went wrong??
Someone we tend to so vehemently criticize may actually not be guilty.. it may be just the tide that went against us..may be it was a consequence of trying to avert a greater loss...or may be it was just a one time lapse... just for once a conscience was taken over by greed..or an utmost compelling need...

We almost always never try to find out....
and in this way,, friends are lost... we feel cheated...
deceit seems like the order of the world... It also adversely affects our ability to have faith of someone
..rather anyone
making new friends becomes an uphill task... getting in to conversations with unknown people is rarer...and there starts the process of a complete loss of faith..everyone..everything similar gets stereotyped....

Very soon we have a shell around us..
We think its a cocoon ...it will shield us from whatever that is ugly and bad.. it will keep away things that can potentially harm us.. and help us avoid people.. who will break us down.. or just turn out to be totally disappointing.....
But actually this shell stops new light from coming in..it doesn't let us make new friends.. get in to new relationships...at times take up a new job or even visit new places..
It develops fear inside us.. fear of betrayal and rejection...
fear to get cheated Again....

This is for a friend...
May the new year bring new light in our lives...
The past be remembered for good...
The future pregnant with beautiful possibilities...
Amen!!