a certified sentimental fool- thats what i was, am and perhaps shall always will be. guilty as charged.
my phone broke last sunday. actually the cover broke last thursday after i dropped it for the millionth time. but it was working fine. last sunday, after i got up from my afternoon nap, i saw that the screen had become...well...strange. the lcd had broken, i deduced...thus making my phone officially unusable. the repair guy said that it would take 2500 bucks to repair it...and even he said its not worth it "aap naya hi le lo" he told my dad. and off i went, with my parents, to buy a new phone. "it HAS to be nokia" i insisted (im not really a brand conscious person; but nokia works fabulously for people like me, who drop things by just looking at them). so we settled on this new phone, nokia 2700. i don't really dig hi-fi phones, they're somehow not me...dont go well with my 'non-classy' personality ;) this new phone is pretty looking, the front is black, the back is an extremely classy brownish colour (in the words of one of my classmates "it's like a pretty nailpolish!") the features are more or less like my old phone, so no big life altering changes need to be made.
but the deal is; i haven't really bonded with it.
the history of my cell phones is strange, to say the least. i got my first cell phone, a nokia 1100 (it used to be called the truck driver phone) a couple of days before i started undergrad. while i did crib occasionally about how it didnt have radio, it really was an adorable handset and i absolutely loved it. it had a super cool torch light (which really was amazingly bright), it had snake (the old versions were so much better than these new 3-d graphic ones *sigh*) and it was mine. it lasted for two whole years...before my mom decided to exchange phones with me, and i became the proud owner of a camera phone/radio inclusive nokia (im bad with the model numbers). that was a nice phone too...the camera was really crappy, but the message memory was great. i had taken some super cool pics on that...but since it was a pre-bluetooth era phone, they remain on that phone till date. 2 years later the keypad stopped working properly, and after debating whether to buy a new phone, my dad gave me his nokia (bad with model numbers remember?) which is the phone which broke last week.
it was a phone i really loved; it had awesome pictures, it had funny recordings from hostel, my cousin singing a strange song, my mom's wake up call. it is a phone i had cried on, laughed on, spoken for hours on, smsed frantically on. its a phone which i dropped a million times and still found in perfect shape. it was a phone which i could operate in my sleep; my fingers and the keypad were synchronized so incredibly beautifully- it was a magical bond.
and now that phone is gone.
this new phone...is nice. to give it credit, its not giving me any kind of trouble. but its not mine yet. all the previous phones, they became mine from day one. this one isnt really a part of my world yet...i keep forgetting that it exists and keep searching for my old handset when i need to send a message or make a call.
melodramatic? check. insane of the highest order? check. super duper senti fool? check again. yes i am one of those types who could make a soap opera out of the mundane events of everyday life. but i miss the comfort of my old phone. and thats that.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
a post dedicated to me!
thanks nima das...the post brightened up my day and made me realize that i have some awesome bonds with some super awesome people in my life :)
http://pranimadas.blogspot.com/2009/11/books-and-people.html
http://pranimadas.blogspot.com/2009/11/books-and-people.html
Monday, November 16, 2009
life's greatest lessons...me-style
I read something similar to this a while ago...and it got me thinking.
People of my generation are getting married, having kids, moving out of the country, getting fancy jobs with fancier job titles, dealing with in-laws...in short becoming adults! Slowly, life is descending upon all of us in a big way.
So here goes...some of my 22 year old life's greatest lessons. Some are mine, some are borrowed. You may not agree with all of it, but trust me, its all been tried tested and experienced first hand ;)
- Make sure the little kids play as many outdoor games as possible; later in life, its the stories about pitthoo, tag, dog in the pond, hide-and-seek, cricket, basketball, football and its like which will make them smile.
- The best things to eat are fattening and unhealthy...except your mom's food. And if you're naturally fat, you will never become reed thin or even less fat unless you give up your favourite things. So don't overeat and say what the hell coz you will feel bad on seeing those balloon like pictures of yourself, but don't give up your favourite things as well; try a middle path.
- Days seem veryyy long; its the years which pass by in a flash.
- Your parents will be unreasonable at times...hell many times. But when you grow up, you figure out the reason behind the unreasonable-ness...or maybe its just that you're on the road to being unreasonable yourself.
- One of the worst things in life is when two close friends are aiming for the same thing and one succeeds and the other doesnt. It's equally tough to deal for both parties. But if a friendship transcends this situation, it's a strong one.
- Stay in a hostel ONCE in your life. It gives you a million lovely warm memories for life. And makes you extremely creative and innovative; like decorating a room with dupattas, using leftovers to create a feast etc etc.
- Lying to your parents is a horrible thing; it can make you feel super guilty and can haunt you for life. But sometimes, SOMETIMES, it has to be done. For the betterment of the world ;)
- Hugging is awesome! It really has curative properties. It can make a good day better, and a bad day tolerable. And it shows that someone cares.
- Family vacations are the best! Location is irrelevant. People will do crazy things, fight for strange reasons, argue over silly things, and laugh over sillier things. Its always a lot of fun!
- Fighting with your younger/older sibling is a part of life; its like breathing. And there are times when you wish you could exchange your sibling for a better, more well mannered one. But there's no one else in this world who understands life in your household like your sibling does, and definitely no one else in this world who understands the quirks and idiosyncrasies of your parents like your sibling does.
- Surprises are great...if planned well ;) And even if they backfire, it's always fun for the stories.
- To all those people who think gossip is uncool and unhealthy; get lost! Gossiping helps build bonds, it helps to understand different people's perspectives, it gives you information- and its a whole lot of FUN.
- Watch a cricket match with a room full of girls who understand NOTHING about the technicality of the game; the emotions they exude, the shrieking, the shouting, the giggles could beat the scientific analysis of any cricket commentator!
- No family is like a sooraj barjatya family; there are weird characters, people who will be mean, people who dont care, and people who are a big bore. But what matters is that in times of extreme joy and extreme sadness if those people come together- if they do, then you've got a winner of a family!
- No matter how old a person gets, they still love it when you wish them on their birthday.
- Watching a good movie, reading a good book, listening to a good song; they make your day...but you don't feel truly happy unless you share them with others.
- Friendship is the most insane and the coolest relationship in the world; simply because there are no conditions. You can be friends with anyone; someone really old, someone really young, someone who's exactly like you, and someone who couldnt be more different. There really is no bar in friendship.
- A successful marriage is not merely an absence of tragedy/abuse/bad things; its the presence of a million other wonderful things.
- Read! doesn't have to be the booker prize winner or charles dickens...things like delhi times/ht city/filmfare/back page of india today/chicklit can also be extremely informative. But just read!
- No matter what a terrible time you think you are having in school and college you will eventually remember it and say "god those were good times!"
- Compliments are nice. Be generous when complimenting others, it makes their day. And be gracious when accepting compliments, it makes the compliment giver feel nice.
- Very often, it is those who you think will be around FOREVER with whom things don't work out. And the people who you become closest to are those who you never in a million years thought you would even have a decent conversation with. It's a phenomena which is impossible to understand but it is a fact of life.
- Never listen to "tu jo nahin hai toh" from woh lamhe when going through a bad day; it makes you feel even more worse and can make you depressive and suicidal. (But i really do love that song)
- You are really lucky if you have a wonderful extended family, full of aunts/uncles/cousins to pamper you; its during times of stress and trouble when you realize what having so many people around can do for your mental state.
-Friends can come in all shapes, sizes and friendship has many degrees. There are those who you have to tell every detail to, those who are awesome to watch a movie with, those who you can be intellectual with, those who you can be silly with, those who you can talk to for hours and still feel like you havent even begun, those who make your day with a single sms or phone call or ping on gtalk, those who you have nothing to say over the phone to but still love to meet up and talk to in person; the deal is, you love and need all of them!
- You can't make every single person in your life happy with every single decision of yours. Its IMPOSSIBLE. Someone will always have complaints.
- The people who have never seen you cry/shout/irritated/depressed/in a bad mood- haven't really seen you. And those who have- they're great coz they love you nevertheless ;)
- Jam sessions are lots of fun! Especially when the people around are fun. But dancing with heels has disastrous consequences.
- There is no ideal work place- either the boss will be bad, the work will be crappy, or the colleagues will be mean , or the office will be too far or the pay will be measly.
- Never get into a relationship with a friend's sibling/cousin. Or a sibling/cousin's friend. Or a friend's friend. Till date, haven't seen it work out happily for all parties involved.
- When something of yours is missing, its possible that you have misplaced it. But never blame anyone; it can spoil relationships, and make you wonder whether you did the right thing.
- It's very often that life's greatest secrets are revealed in the middle of the night; so once in a while, talk to people around that time ;)
- Power cuts/long walks and drives are an awesome time to bond with people.
- Take LOTS of pictures/videos- it may seem silly at that time, but they're wonderful to look at once you leave that moment.
- All families are messed up in some way or the other; some may be too conservative, some may be too lenient, some are too crazy, some are too boring. But they're the people you take for granted, the ones who love you unconditionally, the ones who are there for you without you asking, and the ones who know you better than you know yourself. In short, you cannot survive and live to tell the tale without them :)
- Send long emails; they make people happy. And maybe you'll recieve long emails in return too.
- Preparing for dances for freshers' and farewell parties are always done at the last minute; regardless of what college you are in. It's a pan-college phenomena.
- Everyone thinks their problems are a big deal and they most often are. Never demean someone else's problems.
- Sometimes its important to say the truth; it can save someone from embarrassment. But its equally important to know when not to say the truth.
- A girl and a guy can be friends, best friends in fact; but it is rare.
- Everyone has a strong positive trait. Everyone has something nice about them. But its not necessary for you to like everyone ;)
- Go to India gate at night; it really is one of the bestest sights in the world.
- Run at the maximum speed you can muster up when its raining heavily; its a LOT of fun! But do make sure you dry off immediately and have a lovely cup of hot tea or coffee.
- There will be times when you're upset randomly, when you feel low and you don't know why. It happens to everyone, and the moment passes just as quickly as it came.
- When you're working on an important report chances are very high that your laptop will crash, the power will go before you have saved, something strange will happen to your internet, etc etc. So save like a maniac and email yourself copies constantly; its better to have an overloaded, overpopulated inbox than not having a single copy.
- Never judge someone by their pedigree. Just because someone is from a lower rung college or a small town does not make them dumb and naive.
- Don't be overtly sympathetic towards people who have gone through a tragedy in their life; it makes them feel worse. Be nice and sensitive, but treat them normally.
- You have to have taken some classes in life; dance/music/karate/whatever...they are horrible to go to, but you always look back fondly. And hey, it teaches you something :)
- The world is a small place. You will run into the same people, or people related to people you know, over and over again. This can be good when the people are those you like; and not so good when the people are those you dont like.
- Maturity and age have no direct relationship.
- Cotton candy is messy, and will make your tongue all pink and your skin all sticky; but its damn fun to eat :)
- Be nice to your friends' friends. You may not always like them. But they're your friends' friends; there must be something worth liking about them.
- School trips are super fun; you end up forging the greatest bonds with people over them. And you see a different side of people than you see otherwise.
- Something i read somewhere, which touched me:
'You never stop caring. Even after a broken friendship or a huge fight, you just can't stop. That’s because you've given a piece of your heart away. It’s never coming back to you. And thats why the worst thing in life is to lose a friend, a friend that means the world to you, a friend that you put all your trust and faith in, a friend that you believed in from the start, a friend that took the centre of your heart, a friend that you'd die for, a friend that you wanted to cherish for a lifetime. But it’s important to remember the ways they touched your life. It makes things easier.'
- Living with people who are not family is a learning experience; it tests your patience, your adjustment skills, your ability to handle different sleeping/eating habits and strange mood swings. You will fight with people over silly things like blankets, a bucket of water, notes, messy rooms, clothes, money- but it's these things which are a true test of character and relationships.
- Try to mean it when you say "i love you". But even if you don't mean it and have to say it to make the other person feel better, say it with as much feeling and emotion that you can muster up; it goes a long way.
- Life is a one way street; you can look back but can't ever turn around. So try to give everything your best shot, there's no point regretting and saying "oh i could have done that" later.
Would love to hear any wisdom anyone else has to share :)
People of my generation are getting married, having kids, moving out of the country, getting fancy jobs with fancier job titles, dealing with in-laws...in short becoming adults! Slowly, life is descending upon all of us in a big way.
So here goes...some of my 22 year old life's greatest lessons. Some are mine, some are borrowed. You may not agree with all of it, but trust me, its all been tried tested and experienced first hand ;)
- Make sure the little kids play as many outdoor games as possible; later in life, its the stories about pitthoo, tag, dog in the pond, hide-and-seek, cricket, basketball, football and its like which will make them smile.
- The best things to eat are fattening and unhealthy...except your mom's food. And if you're naturally fat, you will never become reed thin or even less fat unless you give up your favourite things. So don't overeat and say what the hell coz you will feel bad on seeing those balloon like pictures of yourself, but don't give up your favourite things as well; try a middle path.
- Days seem veryyy long; its the years which pass by in a flash.
- Your parents will be unreasonable at times...hell many times. But when you grow up, you figure out the reason behind the unreasonable-ness...or maybe its just that you're on the road to being unreasonable yourself.
- One of the worst things in life is when two close friends are aiming for the same thing and one succeeds and the other doesnt. It's equally tough to deal for both parties. But if a friendship transcends this situation, it's a strong one.
- Stay in a hostel ONCE in your life. It gives you a million lovely warm memories for life. And makes you extremely creative and innovative; like decorating a room with dupattas, using leftovers to create a feast etc etc.
- Lying to your parents is a horrible thing; it can make you feel super guilty and can haunt you for life. But sometimes, SOMETIMES, it has to be done. For the betterment of the world ;)
- Hugging is awesome! It really has curative properties. It can make a good day better, and a bad day tolerable. And it shows that someone cares.
- Family vacations are the best! Location is irrelevant. People will do crazy things, fight for strange reasons, argue over silly things, and laugh over sillier things. Its always a lot of fun!
- Fighting with your younger/older sibling is a part of life; its like breathing. And there are times when you wish you could exchange your sibling for a better, more well mannered one. But there's no one else in this world who understands life in your household like your sibling does, and definitely no one else in this world who understands the quirks and idiosyncrasies of your parents like your sibling does.
- Surprises are great...if planned well ;) And even if they backfire, it's always fun for the stories.
- To all those people who think gossip is uncool and unhealthy; get lost! Gossiping helps build bonds, it helps to understand different people's perspectives, it gives you information- and its a whole lot of FUN.
- Watch a cricket match with a room full of girls who understand NOTHING about the technicality of the game; the emotions they exude, the shrieking, the shouting, the giggles could beat the scientific analysis of any cricket commentator!
- No family is like a sooraj barjatya family; there are weird characters, people who will be mean, people who dont care, and people who are a big bore. But what matters is that in times of extreme joy and extreme sadness if those people come together- if they do, then you've got a winner of a family!
- No matter how old a person gets, they still love it when you wish them on their birthday.
- Watching a good movie, reading a good book, listening to a good song; they make your day...but you don't feel truly happy unless you share them with others.
- Friendship is the most insane and the coolest relationship in the world; simply because there are no conditions. You can be friends with anyone; someone really old, someone really young, someone who's exactly like you, and someone who couldnt be more different. There really is no bar in friendship.
- A successful marriage is not merely an absence of tragedy/abuse/bad things; its the presence of a million other wonderful things.
- Read! doesn't have to be the booker prize winner or charles dickens...things like delhi times/ht city/filmfare/back page of india today/chicklit can also be extremely informative. But just read!
- No matter what a terrible time you think you are having in school and college you will eventually remember it and say "god those were good times!"
- Compliments are nice. Be generous when complimenting others, it makes their day. And be gracious when accepting compliments, it makes the compliment giver feel nice.
- Very often, it is those who you think will be around FOREVER with whom things don't work out. And the people who you become closest to are those who you never in a million years thought you would even have a decent conversation with. It's a phenomena which is impossible to understand but it is a fact of life.
- Never listen to "tu jo nahin hai toh" from woh lamhe when going through a bad day; it makes you feel even more worse and can make you depressive and suicidal. (But i really do love that song)
- You are really lucky if you have a wonderful extended family, full of aunts/uncles/cousins to pamper you; its during times of stress and trouble when you realize what having so many people around can do for your mental state.
-Friends can come in all shapes, sizes and friendship has many degrees. There are those who you have to tell every detail to, those who are awesome to watch a movie with, those who you can be intellectual with, those who you can be silly with, those who you can talk to for hours and still feel like you havent even begun, those who make your day with a single sms or phone call or ping on gtalk, those who you have nothing to say over the phone to but still love to meet up and talk to in person; the deal is, you love and need all of them!
- You can't make every single person in your life happy with every single decision of yours. Its IMPOSSIBLE. Someone will always have complaints.
- The people who have never seen you cry/shout/irritated/depres
- Jam sessions are lots of fun! Especially when the people around are fun. But dancing with heels has disastrous consequences.
- There is no ideal work place- either the boss will be bad, the work will be crappy, or the colleagues will be mean , or the office will be too far or the pay will be measly.
- Never get into a relationship with a friend's sibling/cousin. Or a sibling/cousin's friend. Or a friend's friend. Till date, haven't seen it work out happily for all parties involved.
- When something of yours is missing, its possible that you have misplaced it. But never blame anyone; it can spoil relationships, and make you wonder whether you did the right thing.
- It's very often that life's greatest secrets are revealed in the middle of the night; so once in a while, talk to people around that time ;)
- Power cuts/long walks and drives are an awesome time to bond with people.
- Take LOTS of pictures/videos- it may seem silly at that time, but they're wonderful to look at once you leave that moment.
- All families are messed up in some way or the other; some may be too conservative, some may be too lenient, some are too crazy, some are too boring. But they're the people you take for granted, the ones who love you unconditionally, the ones who are there for you without you asking, and the ones who know you better than you know yourself. In short, you cannot survive and live to tell the tale without them :)
- Send long emails; they make people happy. And maybe you'll recieve long emails in return too.
- Preparing for dances for freshers' and farewell parties are always done at the last minute; regardless of what college you are in. It's a pan-college phenomena.
- Everyone thinks their problems are a big deal and they most often are. Never demean someone else's problems.
- Sometimes its important to say the truth; it can save someone from embarrassment. But its equally important to know when not to say the truth.
- A girl and a guy can be friends, best friends in fact; but it is rare.
- Everyone has a strong positive trait. Everyone has something nice about them. But its not necessary for you to like everyone ;)
- Go to India gate at night; it really is one of the bestest sights in the world.
- Run at the maximum speed you can muster up when its raining heavily; its a LOT of fun! But do make sure you dry off immediately and have a lovely cup of hot tea or coffee.
- There will be times when you're upset randomly, when you feel low and you don't know why. It happens to everyone, and the moment passes just as quickly as it came.
- When you're working on an important report chances are very high that your laptop will crash, the power will go before you have saved, something strange will happen to your internet, etc etc. So save like a maniac and email yourself copies constantly; its better to have an overloaded, overpopulated inbox than not having a single copy.
- Never judge someone by their pedigree. Just because someone is from a lower rung college or a small town does not make them dumb and naive.
- Don't be overtly sympathetic towards people who have gone through a tragedy in their life; it makes them feel worse. Be nice and sensitive, but treat them normally.
- You have to have taken some classes in life; dance/music/karate/whateve
- The world is a small place. You will run into the same people, or people related to people you know, over and over again. This can be good when the people are those you like; and not so good when the people are those you dont like.
- Maturity and age have no direct relationship.
- Cotton candy is messy, and will make your tongue all pink and your skin all sticky; but its damn fun to eat :)
- Be nice to your friends' friends. You may not always like them. But they're your friends' friends; there must be something worth liking about them.
- School trips are super fun; you end up forging the greatest bonds with people over them. And you see a different side of people than you see otherwise.
- Something i read somewhere, which touched me:
'You never stop caring. Even after a broken friendship or a huge fight, you just can't stop. That’s because you've given a piece of your heart away. It’s never coming back to you. And thats why the worst thing in life is to lose a friend, a friend that means the world to you, a friend that you put all your trust and faith in, a friend that you believed in from the start, a friend that took the centre of your heart, a friend that you'd die for, a friend that you wanted to cherish for a lifetime. But it’s important to remember the ways they touched your life. It makes things easier.'
- Living with people who are not family is a learning experience; it tests your patience, your adjustment skills, your ability to handle different sleeping/eating habits and strange mood swings. You will fight with people over silly things like blankets, a bucket of water, notes, messy rooms, clothes, money- but it's these things which are a true test of character and relationships.
- Try to mean it when you say "i love you". But even if you don't mean it and have to say it to make the other person feel better, say it with as much feeling and emotion that you can muster up; it goes a long way.
- Life is a one way street; you can look back but can't ever turn around. So try to give everything your best shot, there's no point regretting and saying "oh i could have done that" later.
Would love to hear any wisdom anyone else has to share :)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
the "2 states" i love
just finished reading *2 states* chetan bhagat's latest venture. and i enjoyed it totally! it was like watching a nice, stress-free movie...one where you dont have to use your brain, but which doesnt make fun of your intellect either. and i definitely dont remember the last time i actually laughed while reading a book! it's definitely not the finest piece of literature...not even close in fact...however, its a book which made me happy.
but i would think twice before recommending the book to everyone. you see, unless you really truly knowww and love both the communities which are the subject of the book- the over exuberant punjabis, and the simple, yet stern tamilians- you probably wont enjoy it like i did. or anyone who loves both these drastically different kind of human species would.
you would have to understand what paneer and dancing at weddings means to punjabis...just like you would have to understand what rules and carnatic music mean to the tamilians. you have to truly have seen the whole लेन देन culture, just like you have to have attended early morning weddings. you have to understand what getting a good deal (in the context of marriage) means in both the communities. you have to know that a iit trained, software engineer son-in-law based in the US means to the tamil brahmin what the super rich girl with 6 petrol pumps in her family means to the punjabi. taking sides while reading *2 states* would just ruin the fun...you cant say you liked the malhotras more than the swaminathans, or that the swaminathans were cooler than the malhotras...it would just kill the soul of the book.
i am one of those lucky few (yes i consider myself that) to be a part of both these awesome, yet drastically different cultures. i understand the rules of the tamilian as well as the "ki farak penda hai" attitude of the punjabi. i relish the paneer as much as i crave for the rasam. i can dance at punjabi weddings, as well as i can (well try to) make sense of carnatic music. i love bollywood, but i love watching rajnikant movies too. we mix the punjabiness with the tamilianness in my household- at my cousin's wedding recently, amidst all the brahmin rituals, we engaged in heavy duty jhappiyan and pappiyan. we are as loud and exuberant as the punjabis, just like we're as education obsessed and rule conscious as the tamilians. we have rajma chawal and good old thayir sadam (curd rice) in the same meal. we celebrate diwali both tamilian and dilli style...i love how we celebrate rakhi (which isnt celebrated down south) with the same joy that we celebrate pongal (sankranti- a biggg celebration down south) i love how tirupati and vaishno devi are both equally special to us. to the pessimist, we may seem confused....i would say we're cool enough to take the best of both the cultures.
so yay to *2 states*- not only for being an awesome read...but also for making me think about the two states and cultures, which shape me, and which i love oh-so-much :)
but i would think twice before recommending the book to everyone. you see, unless you really truly knowww and love both the communities which are the subject of the book- the over exuberant punjabis, and the simple, yet stern tamilians- you probably wont enjoy it like i did. or anyone who loves both these drastically different kind of human species would.
you would have to understand what paneer and dancing at weddings means to punjabis...just like you would have to understand what rules and carnatic music mean to the tamilians. you have to truly have seen the whole लेन देन culture, just like you have to have attended early morning weddings. you have to understand what getting a good deal (in the context of marriage) means in both the communities. you have to know that a iit trained, software engineer son-in-law based in the US means to the tamil brahmin what the super rich girl with 6 petrol pumps in her family means to the punjabi. taking sides while reading *2 states* would just ruin the fun...you cant say you liked the malhotras more than the swaminathans, or that the swaminathans were cooler than the malhotras...it would just kill the soul of the book.
i am one of those lucky few (yes i consider myself that) to be a part of both these awesome, yet drastically different cultures. i understand the rules of the tamilian as well as the "ki farak penda hai" attitude of the punjabi. i relish the paneer as much as i crave for the rasam. i can dance at punjabi weddings, as well as i can (well try to) make sense of carnatic music. i love bollywood, but i love watching rajnikant movies too. we mix the punjabiness with the tamilianness in my household- at my cousin's wedding recently, amidst all the brahmin rituals, we engaged in heavy duty jhappiyan and pappiyan. we are as loud and exuberant as the punjabis, just like we're as education obsessed and rule conscious as the tamilians. we have rajma chawal and good old thayir sadam (curd rice) in the same meal. we celebrate diwali both tamilian and dilli style...i love how we celebrate rakhi (which isnt celebrated down south) with the same joy that we celebrate pongal (sankranti- a biggg celebration down south) i love how tirupati and vaishno devi are both equally special to us. to the pessimist, we may seem confused....i would say we're cool enough to take the best of both the cultures.
so yay to *2 states*- not only for being an awesome read...but also for making me think about the two states and cultures, which shape me, and which i love oh-so-much :)
Monday, September 21, 2009
मुझे वहां ले चलो...
मुझे वहां ले चलो
जहाँ हवाएं अपनी सी थी।
जहाँ की घास ठंडी सी थी।
जहाँ सूरज की रोशनी चुभती न थी।
जहाँ वृक्षों की छाँव में घुटन न थी।
जहाँ इमारतें बाहें फैलाती थी।
जहाँ हर सड़क दिल को छूकर जाती थी।
जहाँ हर फूल मुस्कुराता था.
जहाँ सब मेरे आपे में था।
मुझे वहां ले चलो
जहाँ कोई भी गैर, पराया न था।
Friday, September 18, 2009
a new world...a new life
JNU... to me, it was always like the IIT's- something to look upto, a place to be in awe of- but a place i was not allowed to dream about. and here i am...a certified student of JNU, attending classes...and having that campus referred to as mine.
one can be forgiven for thinking of jnu as *just a campus*- its anything but that. its a world of its own- it has its own politics, its own culture, its own lingua franca...its own ways of doing and saying things. there's everything inside there- millions of canteens, multiple photocopy shops, a whole row of book shops, a big library for each dept AND two huge libraries, a big market (with its own mother diary and other shops), lotssss of hostels...and a wholeeee lot of people.
my beloved old south campus- with all its buildings situated in a circular fashion, one canteen, one cute photocopy shop, one library, one girls hostel, and two boys hostels...and an everyone knows everyone sort of atmosphere- seems very village like in comparison.
and its not just the physicality...the culture of jnu is unlike anything i have ever witnessed before. students hold dharnas, and seem to genuinely believe for certain causes...graffitti is everywhere...there are anti-marx posters, anti-hindutva posters, anti-opening of nescafe posters, posters announcing dharnas for various reasons...at times it seems that jnu is anti-everything...
the people are so different...it actually is a mini india...im one of the three delhiites in a class of 21 in my class- its strange to be in a class where people dont know of north/south campus, or dont go to CP often, or shop at sn or janpath...hell im sure some of them dont even know of priyas. they refer to *dilli* as a foreign country...for them, jnu is all the delhi they need to know.
everyone seems to be stupendously intelligent...they know about everything..they talk of things which dont even sound like english...let alone sound familiar. and they're all intelligent in a very nonchalant way...in the beginning, during our free periods when the class would go out for tea, the topics of discussion ranged from Indo-US nuclear deal to Max Mueller's work on India...if you walk around campus, you hear people saying things like "oh he specializes in medieval history" "oh i would love to read your article"...it was all so alien, so strange...
its easy to be overwhelmed by the multiplicity and largeness of everything in jnu. it may sound strange, coming from someone who's studied in delhi for the past 7 years...but this world is starkly different from everything which i called *college* earlier. its been more than a month...but i still feel very much like a participant observer of some DU vs JNU comparative experiment. i feel like im here to take notes, and go back...
i still feel comfortable referring to myself as a DU girl; i spent five years inside that system, living and breathing the good and the bad of it...its become a part of my identity. i wonder if ill ever call myself a JNU girl, without it sounding like a pretense to my own ears...
one can be forgiven for thinking of jnu as *just a campus*- its anything but that. its a world of its own- it has its own politics, its own culture, its own lingua franca...its own ways of doing and saying things. there's everything inside there- millions of canteens, multiple photocopy shops, a whole row of book shops, a big library for each dept AND two huge libraries, a big market (with its own mother diary and other shops), lotssss of hostels...and a wholeeee lot of people.
my beloved old south campus- with all its buildings situated in a circular fashion, one canteen, one cute photocopy shop, one library, one girls hostel, and two boys hostels...and an everyone knows everyone sort of atmosphere- seems very village like in comparison.
and its not just the physicality...the culture of jnu is unlike anything i have ever witnessed before. students hold dharnas, and seem to genuinely believe for certain causes...graffitti is everywhere...there are anti-marx posters, anti-hindutva posters, anti-opening of nescafe posters, posters announcing dharnas for various reasons...at times it seems that jnu is anti-everything...
the people are so different...it actually is a mini india...im one of the three delhiites in a class of 21 in my class- its strange to be in a class where people dont know of north/south campus, or dont go to CP often, or shop at sn or janpath...hell im sure some of them dont even know of priyas. they refer to *dilli* as a foreign country...for them, jnu is all the delhi they need to know.
everyone seems to be stupendously intelligent...they know about everything..they talk of things which dont even sound like english...let alone sound familiar. and they're all intelligent in a very nonchalant way...in the beginning, during our free periods when the class would go out for tea, the topics of discussion ranged from Indo-US nuclear deal to Max Mueller's work on India...if you walk around campus, you hear people saying things like "oh he specializes in medieval history" "oh i would love to read your article"...it was all so alien, so strange...
its easy to be overwhelmed by the multiplicity and largeness of everything in jnu. it may sound strange, coming from someone who's studied in delhi for the past 7 years...but this world is starkly different from everything which i called *college* earlier. its been more than a month...but i still feel very much like a participant observer of some DU vs JNU comparative experiment. i feel like im here to take notes, and go back...
i still feel comfortable referring to myself as a DU girl; i spent five years inside that system, living and breathing the good and the bad of it...its become a part of my identity. i wonder if ill ever call myself a JNU girl, without it sounding like a pretense to my own ears...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
hope...and faith
no this post is not about the show on star world (of which i havent seen a single episode).
this post is about my recent trip to one of the most revered pilgrimages of this country- vaishno devi. no it wasnt my first trip, in fact it was my third. but it was perhaps the first time that i have really put thought into the topic of this post.
during the 12 km long steep climb, one of the members of our 9 member entourage asked "so why are we going here?" to that, my dad replied "well you see the story is that the rakshas bhairon was chasing the goddess and..." before he could complete, the questioner said "toh humhe kya? why are we climbing this steep hill?" there was a little bit of silence...and then some explanations were given...like how its all a matter of faith, and belief. and the famous saying: na maane toh pathhar, maano toh bhagwan. my dad said something about how you should sacrifice something (in this case you exert yourself physically) to attain something (in this case darshan) for it to be worthwhile. my mom said something about there being total focus since you're climbing this steep hill and you're giving it your all physically. the questioner was partially convinced...and we all continued to walk.
but the question remained with me- why is it that lakhs of people, from all corners of the country and across all strata of society, undertake an arduous journey, to get darshan of this mata vaishno devi, for a fraction of a minute? (interesting point to note- there is no idol or photo of mata; she is said to have manifested in the form of three stones, "pinds" they call it) there are people who walk barefoot the whole way, those with physical handicaps, people carrying their infant children the whole way, old people (and i mean old like 80 yr olds) walking slowly....just for a fraction of a minute. to the cynic or the atheist, it would seem sheer stupidity. to the believer, its faith.
i wouldnt call myself a very religious person- i dont pray daily or follow (or even know) many rituals...but im not a cynic or an atheist. i believe in a superpower, a power greater than humans, something which controls this universe. i find peace in certain places of worship, i have certain quirks which you may attribute to religion.
the greatest thing, i think, is faith- a kind of immense and unconditional trust, faith in your god, a state of total surrender, which perhaps drives people to walk 12 km up on a steep hill. it is a belief that mata would solve all their problems...or a kind of a thank you to mata for solving all their problems.
the climb up vaishno devi is an interesting experience...my mom, when explaining the why, stated "do you remember your worries while climbing? you are in an almost trance like state...you dont remember your office problems or the problems at home. you are just climbing."
unless you are a hardcore cynic, hell bent on proving that this climb is sheer stupidity, its difficult for you to remain untouched by the experience of this journey. its by no means easy- there are sharp turns, there are really steep stretches, at times it rains heavily, there are ponies/horses/donkeys all the way leaving veryyy less room to climb at times, its very cold and c-r-o-w-d-e-d at the top, and you may have to wait for hours to get a darshan (not to forget the body aches and pulled muscles you endure)...but the fun of the climb, the sights of all kinds of people walking up the mountains and the sheer ignorance to the physical pain, and the feeling one has during and after the journey, is absolutely indescribable.
much like life itself.
they say faith can move mountains. maybe. to me, the greatest thing is that it moves people.
this post is about my recent trip to one of the most revered pilgrimages of this country- vaishno devi. no it wasnt my first trip, in fact it was my third. but it was perhaps the first time that i have really put thought into the topic of this post.
during the 12 km long steep climb, one of the members of our 9 member entourage asked "so why are we going here?" to that, my dad replied "well you see the story is that the rakshas bhairon was chasing the goddess and..." before he could complete, the questioner said "toh humhe kya? why are we climbing this steep hill?" there was a little bit of silence...and then some explanations were given...like how its all a matter of faith, and belief. and the famous saying: na maane toh pathhar, maano toh bhagwan. my dad said something about how you should sacrifice something (in this case you exert yourself physically) to attain something (in this case darshan) for it to be worthwhile. my mom said something about there being total focus since you're climbing this steep hill and you're giving it your all physically. the questioner was partially convinced...and we all continued to walk.
but the question remained with me- why is it that lakhs of people, from all corners of the country and across all strata of society, undertake an arduous journey, to get darshan of this mata vaishno devi, for a fraction of a minute? (interesting point to note- there is no idol or photo of mata; she is said to have manifested in the form of three stones, "pinds" they call it) there are people who walk barefoot the whole way, those with physical handicaps, people carrying their infant children the whole way, old people (and i mean old like 80 yr olds) walking slowly....just for a fraction of a minute. to the cynic or the atheist, it would seem sheer stupidity. to the believer, its faith.
i wouldnt call myself a very religious person- i dont pray daily or follow (or even know) many rituals...but im not a cynic or an atheist. i believe in a superpower, a power greater than humans, something which controls this universe. i find peace in certain places of worship, i have certain quirks which you may attribute to religion.
the greatest thing, i think, is faith- a kind of immense and unconditional trust, faith in your god, a state of total surrender, which perhaps drives people to walk 12 km up on a steep hill. it is a belief that mata would solve all their problems...or a kind of a thank you to mata for solving all their problems.
the climb up vaishno devi is an interesting experience...my mom, when explaining the why, stated "do you remember your worries while climbing? you are in an almost trance like state...you dont remember your office problems or the problems at home. you are just climbing."
unless you are a hardcore cynic, hell bent on proving that this climb is sheer stupidity, its difficult for you to remain untouched by the experience of this journey. its by no means easy- there are sharp turns, there are really steep stretches, at times it rains heavily, there are ponies/horses/donkeys all the way leaving veryyy less room to climb at times, its very cold and c-r-o-w-d-e-d at the top, and you may have to wait for hours to get a darshan (not to forget the body aches and pulled muscles you endure)...but the fun of the climb, the sights of all kinds of people walking up the mountains and the sheer ignorance to the physical pain, and the feeling one has during and after the journey, is absolutely indescribable.
much like life itself.
they say faith can move mountains. maybe. to me, the greatest thing is that it moves people.
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