My Papa-My daddy-Strongesht.. na na-i mean it!!

You know what makes my dad the best, yeah yeah, go on, make fun of me; say things like, heres another school girl, trying to participate in one of those Muqabalas "my daddy's strongesht". Its ok! Laugh at me, but i have to say this. 

He really is the best, not because he is my dad or something. He is the best for all people who know him, to his nephews, nieces, friends, business associates, acquaintances, his customers at the restaurant, his staff, people who have known him forever, people who just meet him or just anybody. There is something about his personality which really is so attractive, so pleasing, so alluring and so magnanimous. I for one, never got hit by papa, thank god for that, otherwise the Karate Champ would have really punched me hard, Just in case... Actually my brother too didn't get any memorable beating by him, nothing that we remember. 

Other than the several several good and extra ordinary qualities that he has, the most striking and i think which not many of us have is that papa, always sees other people as huge possibilities of potential. And that is flattering, in a world where we all try hard to prove ourselves and often fail to make a mark, here is a man, who will make you feel like a winner no matter what.

And that is some quality, my friends, its a kind of innocence which the modern man is not born with. We have learnt only to compete with our fellow humans, we haven't learnt to appreciate or cherish each other. I have not even seen the so called Gurus appreciate someone without a reason. 

But, my father, sees even rouges as huge possibilities. A friend of his has a wannabe actor son who couldnt even make it as a decent extra in the movies. Today his luck has shined at last upon him and he has got a Villains friend's role, in a regional movie under a big banner. Gosh, do such miracles happen these days or what. Yes they do happen and it happened. However, None of us were impressed, but not papa, Papa actually praised him so much on his muhurat shot that this guy was overwhelmed and couldnt thank Papa more for being this generous. But it was not that papa was being Generous, he was just being HIMSELF. 

Thats who HE is. He just sees everybody as a full grown possiblity of their own potentials. He always keeps telling me, why dont you write a book, i am like, papa, its ok to trust your kids, but dont be over ambitious. He was like, its true, be confident, you are a good writer, you can do it! And i will say, Yes under my breath and inside tell myself, Papa, its a different thing to publish a few articles in newspapers and blogs on the internet and its a total different thing to get paid for and make people buy the books you write. But his faith in me as a writer is unflinching. Now that is what a great Man is made of. He is a believer. 

A total outcast is what i call one more of my far off relatives son. He is most uninvited, he doesnt socialise, he talks very less, but when he does, its always WRONG.. man... he is hurting.. but thats not my point. My point is, This total outcast of a guy, who practically doesnt talk to his own brother on a daily basis, calls my papa everyday and is really pally with him. He considers my Papa his best friend. Now, again, i am not bragging, but this is the truth, he is being himself, which is looking at every human, even a social outcast as a potential as a possibility of immense talent. NOw this is not a show, he really sees potential and expresses that, so this outcast gets it and prides himself on the fact, that his old pal loves him and actually makes him feel wanted. Yes WANTED, my dad makes this and many other such people really wanted and full of potential. 

Now am i sounding like some little girly, who has lost it, on one of her barbie parties and is going on singing, "my daddy strongesht" >? right? yes, i am, but who cares its the truth..

To my dad, every person walking down the earth, is worth something, and whatever i learnt in life is a little bit of my dad. He may not realise this but it is really, he made us see that we are worth it, that we are this powerhouse of talent, waiting for discovery. And he always says, "Khudi ko kar buland itna, ki har raza se pehele, khud khuda tumse puche, bata, teri raza kya hai".. He always says this, raise your bar so high, that, God asks you, What is your wish, and i shall grant you that. 

He really made us believe that we are the makers of our own life, that it is destiny but somehow he also unknowingly gave us the intellect that we have the powers to make our own life work by being GOOD Humans..... 

(mummy, dont be mad, next write up is you.. and you and pa are not separate for me, tussi dono great ho)-- 

Acknowledging a problem is the beginning

Make a beginning - Admit it!!


If there is a problem, accept it, don't live in denial. acknowledging a problem, an issue is the biggest challenge we face as humans. Because we all like to live in denial, in a dream land, that every things fine, all is well. I kinda started getting irritated with the slightest remark of "eh chill, allz well yaar". or "oh common, we are always looking at the negative side, we are a young nation, dont always look up, look beneath you" 


Oh common!! We are getting it all wrong, topsy turvy, we are in such a deep muddle that we arent realizing that the CWG is going to crumble, i mean i never said it wont take off, but what if players/athletes dont turn up, people from the international community boycott us. Would that make us rise and take notice, say yes, there was a problem. 


Shri Shri Ravishankar said this long back, "If there is a situation in life, we first need to acknowledge it, that is the beginning." 


Living in denial is the stupidest thing we could do, it doesn't make us bad or something, but it makes us stupid. What are we gaining out of it.. when we keep saying, oh no, these things keep happening, oh this is nothing, you see what a show we shall put up. When, the reality is there for all to see. So, who is it that is looking stupid here, its the person or people or group who is DENYING or Defying a problem.


Lets begin, lets acknowledge, that yes, i have a problem, We are in a SITUATION, a bad one!! That makes us look for a solution immediately. 


So if you guys screwed up, which you obviously did, Mr CWG's Babu's ... start immediately by saying, yes, we admit it, we now want to do somthing about it, you see there will be help from all corners, MNC's international sports authorities , individuals, everyones going to join you. Unless you do so, Babu's,, there is NO HOPE AT ALL...
Amen

Latest Table Top Favourite CWG

Ab bhi jiska khoon na khaula, woh khoon nahi woh paani hai, jo desh ke kaam na aya, woh bekaar jawaani hai.. as we Read Another DISASTER about the CWgames,, its become like a daily joke, another table top discussion. can the common man do anything to save the face of the nation? We all knew that we had INTEGRITY issues as a nation, but this is an eye opener..alls not tat well and India is certainly NOT SHINNING NOW..


I put this up as my status message this morning. I just couldnt help but open my FB early in the morning, which i normally never. What else can we do? what else has the Indian Public done before, Become CITIZEN/s journalists, carry out rallies, protest, dharnas, what else? This has gone too far. I have no words to express my disappointment, once again over my COUNTRY. Why is it so difficult for us to handle things with integrity. Cant we put up a clean, great show, remember Beijing' just last year or maybe a few years back. 


Whom are we fooling? when we say things like India's shinning and we are an emerging super power, gosh, there is no greater day dreamer than us. Friends of mine living abroad, tell me that India is shinning and how the world sees it as a super power, well, sure they do, but then, why are you still living abroad, still enjoying boat rides on Thames? still going to Paris for your new years, still visiting New Zealand for your vacation? COme back, live here, its easy to sit there and comment.


Well, i drifted as usual didnt i?? (Its their choice, i know:))


The point is.............. Well, there is none....... We have done it again,, there will be a new line added to American or British slang/Lingo.. "oh, did you pull an India again" 
I really hope that doesn't happen.. it wont happen, India will Muddle through this Games too. And then awards will be given to the officials for some great work on the CWG. "What a show we put up". 
The same newspapers which carried reports about the mishaps, the same channels which made a fool of all concerned officials and politicians will be running after the same fools to get Sound  BYTES on, wow, how did you pull that off, in spite of us ruining it from the beginning? how did you organise such an awesome show... We will have Bollywood biggies shake a leg at some functions of theirs, we ll have the ambanis and the royalties congratulate the government and then this will soon be forgotten. 


Public memory is so short. The same channels will be showing the great games live and sports channels will make a hell lota money, and it will go on. Like the Legendary actor-director, Raj Kapoor said, "The show must GO on" ..


In India the same show goes on and on.. I miss Gandhiji a lot these days.. What will he have done if he was there today? Gone on another fast? Gone on another Satyagraha? Wonder if he would have any buyers for that today? For how would we have found the time to join him, he didnt do all of that alone, he had the country with him. But sadly today, out of the little time we find for ourselves, where is the time for a Gandhi? 


So, as already stated, the Future is Bright and India is truly SHINNING.. and shinning in its own glory, bragging about its own accomplishments.. Dont know what comes out of these blogs and tweets and status messages, but we write on, we have hope. 


Suddenly another thought, Would Gandhiji have hung his head in shame??? 

i bought myself some organisational skill

Day before yesterday, during the weekend, i did some great work. I was wondering why i didnt do this before. Now, i get to organise my work, i get to jot down pointers in meetings, i look like i am doing some serious work. Now you must be wondering what i bought. I bought a Dairy.. yes not a dairy milk choclate ofcourse, but i bought the other diary, the one which looks fancy and looks like you are the most organised person around!! that one.

Yes!!! In just two days of his company and i am so much more systematic. Wow! now i know why all ceo's have that fancy little notebook with them inspite of having a personal secratary.

We do so many things in one day these days, that it helps to have a reminder, ofcourse the phone does that, but having a dairy is a different ball game. No, i am not a salesman, i just happened to discover something so basic and simple yet profound. I love you, my new dairy. :)

About being back!

Looking forward to this weekend as i will be watching my favorite Bollywood star Hritik Roshans most awaited movie, 'Kites'. Yes, now how many people really want to know a nobody's weekend schedule.. Not me, would say some reader of this. Yeah, but i still want to share this. I have something to start this blog about.

Ooh, i just stumbled upon Ash's Cannes photos of this year. Wow, is one word, no words always to explain just how beautiful this lady can look. With age she is just getting better. With all the speculations and hulla- gulla about her outfits at this super event, Ash always makes news with what she is going to wear. At a recent interview i saw of her on NDTV, Ash was at her simplest best talking to Anupama Chopra. Ash is no more the giggly girl that she was yesterday and has matured into a poised woman who has a market value of  300 crores running up her head. To this Ash gave such a lovely answer, that she is humbled by such reviews of her market values and her being better than any of the younger heroines and all that. Truely, what would any great person of any era have said anything other than what she said. Of course, you feel humbled by all the attention and grace that you get as a person, as an artiste and every aspect of your life changing for the better.

With the release of the ads of Ravan on every channel, it is hard not to notice how much this actress has grown, from the daredevil acts of dancing on a rock amidst a river to emerging from deep waters, Ash has done it all now. Now i don't know why i am raving about Ash like her personal PR!!

Where did this all start, oh with my weekend, and then Hritik, popped in and then did Ash. With jumping Contexts in life, do you really think, one can achieve a lot. Yes the mind is always jumping, like, in a converstation- Is baat se mujhe yeh yaad aya, arrey, us baat se mujhe woh yaad aya, and then ussi baat se mujhe aur kuch yaad aya... and so it goes on. Thats what normal conversations are like.

In a party at home, have you noticed the conversations? Conversations are like jumping jacks.. you start off with office politics and then nation politics(indias favourite obsession) and then with movies and then with the stars affairs and then, you have lost it.. suddenly there is an argument about rain water harvesting.. waha.. whats going on.. so that is the beauty of being in a group with people.
But how many of you really sit and listen, actually there is nothing to listen, each one is blah blahing about how knowledgeable they are. But its all nice in the end, all is good.

Now where was I? i was just reading these big writers, Amit Verma, Shobha De or a Sagrika Ghosh. Doesnt this happen to them? how can they be so focussed with what they are writing about, how do they manage to write so deeply about a subject. Thinking about this takes me back to my first job in a newspaper.

Wow, what a thrill it was, with all the horrible bosses and easy going colleagues and the not to forget canteen next door, thoughts would flow. But, we also worked on it, we were focused on coming out with this article by evening. So that made us ponder and explore and research this one topic so hard that we found facts, we found, hard hitting facts to write about.

Not having a particular niche or a beat was n advantage for me i think. I would be versatile, flexible and all excited about any topic. That was the level of enthusiasm just about 6 years back. What made me quit a place which shaped me for life in a jiffy? The place which gave me so much name and an opportunity to write so much in so little time,, didnt i think once before i quit, kicking the job like dirt lying in the middle of my way.

How i regret that time i did that. Again, my thought has gone jumping from Hritik to my first journalism job. Mind is funny a times, it will make you jump more than you aerobic teacher or make you bend more than your Yoga master. From Aerobics to Yoga, from writing to journalism, from being focussed to being lost, why does  the mind play such games on us.

Can i please say HI to consistency, hi to being focussed, hi to depth in life.. Actually Hi to a better life where all the aspects i missed out while i was growing.. To grow is life.. so from a jumping jack if i ever become still water and then flow, wow, it may take me a lifetime.

Why do i learn music? For what purpose?

Someone asked me the other day, "For what purpose do you learn, i mean why do you learn, simply-learning or...." I am like, "or what?..." She is like, okay, so you learn simply.
Waha.. I learn simply???.. (funniest statement ever heard) Cause i never thought of my music like that. And i didn't quite get the "simply-learning" though.

But it left me thinking, really why do i learn, is it a valid question to ask!! Well, i learn because i have passion for singing is what i told this lady. I don't know if she got it but she frantically noded her head. (you know like when someone really gets you OR actually disagrees but wants to conceal the disapproval) So i got a HUGE nod. She got it.

Later that night, when i was doing my before bed Riyaaz, that is practice, i was constantly thinking, really why do i learn. Then just like magic, i began to float in my Raag and got transported to some other world and purely enjoyed what i was singing. I was singing a divine raag called, Ahir Bhairav.

I had gotten my answer, -I sing to connect to the divine, I sing to give solace to my soul, I sing not for anybody else but myself, I sing cause it brings me peace, I learn cause i am an eternal seeker, seeker of truth, knowledge of anything that is near perfect. I love to learn, it actually keeps me going. I am not learning to give music exams or pass some tests and get certificates, nor am I learning to please someone else. Its really a Divine connection, when i sing, I meet the divine.

I don't know if that fits into this purposeful world, but my music is my soul.

mera jahan is indeed my world-or do u feel otherwise!!!

Write to me:

This blog i am writing is really for the first time an inquiry into my writing style and who am I exactly. I have been reading a lot and of course blogging more regularly than before.
                                                  A dear friend the other day mentioned to me, that what i think and what i write are very different. She went on to explain, that who I am as a person and what i write are quite contradictory. I took her note seriously because i have always felt i express my views, my thoughts in Mera Jahan, and it is indeed ME here.
I took her note seriously for one more reason, i may be doing this while communicating to people also, i maybe saying things which i don't really mean.

So i went back and had a closer look at some of the things i have penned here. I couldn't get any single line which i didn't mean. But since my friend knows me pretty well, i decided to further ponder upon this and get views from more friends and people whom i follow too.

So people who know me, if you do happen to be reading this, please feel free to write in. Is there a contradiction, is there something i am missing, what more would you like me to write about..

It could be one line, one word, one para.. anything you feel, and if you dont think anything too, its good to hear from you anytime.

So.. you can tell me...

Nothing will happen, its ok, kuch nai hoga, yenu agalla, bidu..

All is not well...Sid(we) really needs to wake up!!

The Carlton tower episode has once again brought to the front of our callous and non-committal attitude. Safety norms were flouted big time this time and every time. How many more lives? how many more tragedies, how many more attacks? how many more accidents will it take for us to really wake up?

What happened yesterday at Carlton will certainly not shake us up, as i say this in a most pessimistic tone i know this for sure that, life will resume to normalcy very soon, papers and channels will also forget about carrying anything or any story pertaining this mishap or disaster and some overtly optimistic people will rave about the spirit of the city that got back to normal so soon. While i wonder if we should really rave about the spirits of our cities as dead or the great lively city that never sleeps or whatever.

There will be thousands of theories on what went wrong, what could have been done, fire personnels didnt even have the basic equipment and they were literally jumping into fire without specific gears to handle the fire.  There will be politicians visiting the deceased, with their false sympathies, giving them compensations and jhooti dilasa. There will be talks about some brave souls who didnt care for their own lives and jumped into the ill-fated building to save the choking and jumping people.

It is almost so sad and disheartening to see that nothing serious is ever done in our country, no steps are taken, to see to it that there are rules, there are norms, there are regulations and there is enforcement. I see, you see, we all see, various people voicing their concerns over blogs, letters to the editors, and media and wherever possible. After sometime all this dies down and we are left with a few grieving families who sooner or later dry up their tears, accept the happening as fate and say, "Uska utna hi likha tha" "Ashte bardiradu" and move on.

I ask, Really, really kya uska utna hi likha tha?, what nonsense, is all i can say!!

What really can be done and should be done now:

1) Make very strict laws and enforcements on building and constructions.
2)  Make fire drills mandatory for every  organisation. (each individual should know what to do, how to use equipment lying to save themselves)
3) I heard a fire personnel say, People should have crawled, this avoids choking, the wind was blowing towards east/west/north or some direction and that people should have gone to the opposite side and broken windows, - Hello, did you train people in this, did you spread awareness about all this? They should have done this and that and what not, it DOES NOT MATTER NOW, they are dead now. SOme are in ICU some are battling for life and death, a few lucky ones are out to tell first hand experiences. But bottom line is after it happens, they should have done this or that!!????
4) The most important thing, the blue collared laborer also needs to be trained. i have observed over the years that, this work force really needs to be trained in lot of areas other than what they do. We need them to clean and keep our offices sparkling, we need them to get Chai, to maintain the diesel for our gen sets, tons of diesel was stored on the roof of the carlton towers, what were the diesel doing there, it could have blown up the whole place in a more devastating manner, we were lucky again..
We need them, but at what cost? They cannot be there doing just the mundane work without knowing ABC's of safety, or a sound working knowledge of which doors to lock and the common knowlegde which is required in the running of a building. How can emergency exits be locked, bolted and latched?? Who is accountable for this, dont managements have a system in place to check all this?

Many a times, we hear people telling us, "Its ok, nothing will happen, you use this bindaas". How can you be so sure, Like the Kerla boat tragedy where again, many tourists sank along with our Mini-Titanic. Again i am sure, that "nothing will happen" attitude that we show comes into limelight.
How the hell do you know nothing will happen, what if it does, so you bloody well, take all the precautions needed. You better have ten life gaurds, you better have emergency boats, i am sure the owners were thinking, KUCH NAHI HOGA YAAR..which cost these holidayers their lives.

Everybody is screaming out there, in India, lives are cheap, sasta, abroad every life is precious and they will guard it, come what may. Accidents, mishaps happen, but again and again and again.. Uphar tragedy happened 13 years back and the justice still awaits, will it take the burning down of a major political establishment for us to wake up and take steps required?

The time is NOW, take action NOW, everyone is talking about this NOW, but our government seems to be asleep. A recent photo of one of our state's MLA dancing in full "Beedi jalyilee style" along with bar girls to entertain other MLA's made me think, what am i doing, what are we doing, what is Indias educated brigade doing? Apart from actively blogging and commenting on each others blogs with fiery statements? my heart bleeds to see such things, i mean, these are the bloody goons in power, country makers, Visionaries(god knows if he has any other visions than a semi clad or nude woman in his dreams) in power.

Coming back to the tragedy in Namma Bengaluru, wake up sid, wake up every one. We can do a lot in changing our attitudes, taking things seriously first, its really not ok, and all is not well, if we keep going like this, if we dont do anything about our "Sab chalta hai attitude".

pool sham- builders lure wanna be swimmers

So, you look at the brochures online, you go do the personal site visit, you have seen every nook and corner of the property, there is enough sunlight, there is enough air, and to top it all, it has a Swimmmmmmming pool. That is so more than enough for an average wannabe house owner to fall for the trap.

I fell for it. I had just learnt swimming, the beautiful apartment complex we were considering owning a flat in was inviting enough for us to just go for it now. In a months time, we bought the good landscaped, swimming pool with all amenities wala flat.
We had seen many but this one also came with a ready to occupy tag, and that was more than enough to really finalize on it. So there we were in A month doing the necessary and booking it and then registering it, doing the house warming pooja. Along with all this came the next hunt, our hunt for a good sasta and tikaoo interior guy. Found one got the interiors done. Still whenever i would visit my would be flat, i would look at the pool with a huge sigh. I would wonder and imagine myself jumping into the beautiful blue water in the summer and being all toned for the year's parties.

Little did i realise that the pool was actually a far dream and not anywhere close to reality. It was literally for the kids and the elders didnt stand a chance. Either they were too busy or if they werent, they would become the centre of attraction if they did get into the pool.

Our swimming pool actually lies in the centre of all the four building blocks of our complex. Little did i realise that it would take ages for the completion of each flats wood work and that the pool would not be used at all by us.

SO now many of us water lovers stand in our balconies and look at the blue waters with a huge sigh and hope for the workers of all the flats to finish woodwork soon and bugger off so we can use the pool. But that seems to be a distant dream as there are 120 flats in the complex and i wonder when each and every flat will get ready we will have a new set of workers who will be more than willing to ogle and make the women feel uncomfortable.  (not that the men will be spared too)

(this is the sad story of most of our apartment complexes, so next time a builder claims "all amenities with the all ELUSIVE SWIMMING POOL, be cautious, tread very carefully, only if the pool is tucked away behind the complex or is covered in the side fall for it. Otherwise say, I have more choice, there is no dearth of flats. Dont fall for the pool MIRAGE:)

My name is NUTS!

Whats wrong with every channel on indian television. right now i am seeing reporters actually following the story so seriously and saying that serious discussions are happening whether or not the multiplex owners will screen MY name is KHAN'..

Lets accept it, any publicity is good, so be a scandal or rumor or blames.. Ultimately stars and the movie makers and the business thrives.. and the Janta gets a good masala for days on news channels. We actually go about following the story like it is the only real thing happening anywhere and the big story this hour is... blah blah blah.... 

i really dunno if Sharukh should have said what he said, or what the jobless marathi manus propogandists are right in their way, but all said and done, we the people are surely getting a good live reality show, and this time run by none other than TV Channels. 

Aman ki Asha on one side, Pakistani artistes performing in India, our selfish politicians making divisive politics, and ruining the countries peace by dividing it further on the name of states and languages. What kind of hypocracy is this, on one side peace ki asha, or rather Aman and on the other side, attack your own people, on the basis of what someone said or did .. like hanging on to words, like you say something and i am going to ' SULI PE CHADA DOONGA' 

Is this democracy.. sadly .. its a mockery of one.. but what more can an educated person like me sit and do but blog.. will i go join politics tomorrow to fight for a more national cause, will we MNC job crazy people leave our plush jobs at AC offices and struggle for the nation. I guess, no, but i really hope more more of us atleast think of doing such things. 

As ForMy name is Khan, the movie is already a semi hit.. sleep well, SRK, Kjo and others,, keep tweeting.. or blogging.. aam janta cant get enough of house politics or national politics.. BRING IT ON... we are waiting for more reality NATAK..