Have you ever felt that your memory doesn't do justice to the reality around you. If I ever walk into the balcony of my 1304 Avalon Cove apartment, or if I ever walk on the boardwalk around Jersey City area my eyes would still search for those two buildings. They overwhelmed me, I always compared them to living in the shadow of a great mountain. I can't imagine that it has been almost 8 years since that fatal day in New York. How time flies? I still can't believe that those magnificent pieces of architecture and all those souls are not around anymore.
So yesterday I heard that Mr. Obama say that one person he whom he would like to dine with is Gandhi. Who wouldn't? When anyone praises Gandhi ji's life, one line that comes to my mind is from the Gandhi movie trailer: 'Some men change their times, one man changed the world for all time'. Now who wouldn't like to dine with him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mYdulpNEWc&feature=related
That reminds me another thing that Ben Kingsley won the Oscar for this potrayal of Mohandas Gandhi. However its hard to believe that he won it against probably the strongest competition if there was for the best actor:
The nominations that year were:
Paul Newman in Verdict
Dustin Hoffman for Tootsie
Jack Lemmon in Missing
Peter O'Toole for My Favorite Year
and
Ben Kingsley
As sandeep came to drop me we listened to a couple of good old 50s songs in his car, Stupid Cupid was one of them. However the song which I enjoyed was 'Johnny B Goode.' It reminded me all those memories from my teens when I had learnt what music actually meant.
Chuck Berry was the first to sing this awesome song and it is probably the most widely covered rock song. It has been sung by probably the greatest of the greatest musicians of all time. The list is so big that it would probably one blog in itself however some of them are:
Elvis Presley, BB King, The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Elton John, The Roling Stones, Prince, AC-DC, Judas Priest, The Carpenters, LL Cool J, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and ofcourse THE Jimi Hendricks.
The original:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8enzt3JP-I&feature=related
When Bruce Springsteen was left to be a second fiddle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPFZJF-d5kc&feature=related
The great Jimi Hendrix version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4RTVi5dfPQ&feature=related
However, my favorite has to be one which brings all my memories back. I had seen this movie in mid 80s and ofcourse I wanted to be Marty McFly. I loved everything about this movie and I have watched it at least 25 times since then. However this song takes me back to those memories in MHOW. Ofcourse it is
"All right. This is an oldie, but, uh... well it's an oldie where I come from."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFgI1FaLpGM&feature=related
(for lack of better version available on you tube)
There are lot of things common between India and the US and as India's economic strength increases one more thing that we add is a Country where a common country boy can not only imagine but can actually conquour the world (just what Mohandas Gandhi wanted this country to be). It's for that optimism......
Johnny B. Goode
Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play the guitar just like a ringin' a bell
Chorus:
Go, go, go Johnny go go
go Johnny go go
go Johnny go go
go Johnny go go
Johnny B. Goode
He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Or sit beneath the tree by the railroad track
Oh an engineer could see him sitting in the shade
Strummin' to the rhythm that the drivers made
People passing by they would stop and say
Oh my but that little country boy could play
Chorus
His mother told him "some day you will be a man"
And you will be the leader of a big old band
Many people coming from miles around
And hear you play your music till the sun go down
Maybe someday your name gonna be in lights
Sayin' 'Johnny B. Goode tonight'
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
SAD
I have something sad to share, my laptop has crashed and with it 5 or 6 articles that I wanted to post. I had put a lot of hard work in a few articles on Jinnah, that anomalous man, free will and one on presidential vs. parliamentary form of government.
I really wish that i find someone who can fix it.
I really wish that i find someone who can fix it.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Presidential vs. Parliamentary Government
A few days back me and my friend Prashant had a discussion around Presidential vs Parliamentary forms of government. He thought that India should move to Presidential form to remove the ills that are prevalent in our democracy.
I on the other hand had heard all along that the Parliamentary system is far superior to the Presidential system. However, I did not have a clear idea on the pros and cons of each of them. Both seem to provide a system which could be deemed better. Hence, I decided to read a bit and put my thoughts on it ............
Coming soon......
I on the other hand had heard all along that the Parliamentary system is far superior to the Presidential system. However, I did not have a clear idea on the pros and cons of each of them. Both seem to provide a system which could be deemed better. Hence, I decided to read a bit and put my thoughts on it ............
Coming soon......
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Moving away
One day the legendary Mir wrote
'Dilli ke na the kuche, Auraq-e-mussavir the, Jo shakl nazar aayi, tasveer nazar aayi.'
'The lanes of Delhi were not mare lanes, they were paintings from a painter's album, every face seen there, was a picture in itself.'
Now that is some compliment to a city.
Delhi has always been a city of people more than anything else. Some cities are famous because of their architecture, some because of their location but Delhi has always been because of its people.
It's location has played an important role in India's history (and mythology). It's known as Dilli becuase of King Dillu who set up his capital around birth of Christ. It came to be known as Dehleez into India during the Islamic rule. British capital was moved from Calcutta to New Delhi because of it's strategic location to control the whole country.
If mythology has to be believed, Pandava's palace at Indraprastha was a marvel which even lead to the greatest war of all. So was the Old Fort in the medieval times. Shahjahan's capital Shahjahanbad was so beautiful that the Red Fort has a carving on it which reads the famous couplet of Khusro,
'Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.'
'If there is any paradise on the face of the earth, This is it, this is it, this is it'
The British build their beautiful city here. The concentric circles around Raisena Hill, those tree lined roads, those magnificent buildings which still seat the powerful in India. Today India is building it's modern city here, with the most extensive Metro network, the malls and high rises of Gurgaon. So Delhi never lacked the magnificent architecture of a great city either.
However, its people made it what it is today. From the times of Pandavs, it has been the melting pot of all the culture that the world had to throw at it. From time immemorial when someone ventured into India they came and found their first home to be Delhi. It became the cultural hub during the early muslim rule over north India. Nizamuddin Auliya and Khusro made it their place, Shahjahan and Bahadur Shah turned it into the place where poetry and prose were almost worshipped. This is where Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, Zauk and Bahadurshah wrote there best works. Zuak had once written:
'Hamne maana dakkan mein hain , bahut se kadr-e-sukhan,
par kaun jaye ae zauk, ye dilli ki galiyan chhorh kar'
But unlike Zauk or Ghalib, Mir had left for Lucknow after the invasion of Abdali and like him I left Gurgaon after seven years. I felt sad about it. Probably, last seven years have been the toughest of my life but who said life would be easy and neither did I ever want it to be easy. There is a certain charm in walking on the razor's edge, it sharpens you too. However, I guess that's my life.
When I had moved to Gurgaon, it had potential to be India's IT, Call Center and Mall hub. Now it is. That is what has changed in 8 years. I had moved to Gurgaon when I came back form the US. I guess I never thought I would live this long there. It wasn't always a conscious choice. However I still loved my apartment and loved it's location.
As we were preparing for the departure and packing, IPL kept us sane with no TV at home. TGIF became our destination to watch those matches.
Some pics from my apartment: (A-158, Regency Park 1, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon)
Looking down from my bathroom window:
Looking west from Bathroom window:
The Building:
The Building:
Looking South East towards the new development (from main hall balcony):
Looking East (wondering how that little little garden changed in last few years):
Looking East towards Phase 1 (from main hall balcony):
Looking North-East (from bedroom balcony):
Looking towards north (from bedroom balcony):
Looking towards north (close up) (from bedroom balcony):
Looking West (from bathroom balcony):
My empty Office & Library:
Empty Main hall:
Siddharth with the packed stuff:
My last pic in this home:
Here are some videos from our train journey back. It was extremely hot through out the journey even in Bhopal.
As we are looking to spread our wings into Sports Academies, I am ready to move back to Delhi.
As the song puts it:
Yeh dilli hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar
Basti hai mastano ki dilli dilli
Gali hai deewano ki dilli
Bada kas ke gale lagata hai
Dhadkan ki dhun sunata hai
Iske baanye taraf bhi dil hai
Iske daanye taraf bhi dil hai
Yeh shahar nahi mehfil hai
Yeh shahar nahi mehfil hai
Yeh dilli hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar
'Dilli ke na the kuche, Auraq-e-mussavir the, Jo shakl nazar aayi, tasveer nazar aayi.'
'The lanes of Delhi were not mare lanes, they were paintings from a painter's album, every face seen there, was a picture in itself.'
Now that is some compliment to a city.
Delhi has always been a city of people more than anything else. Some cities are famous because of their architecture, some because of their location but Delhi has always been because of its people.
It's location has played an important role in India's history (and mythology). It's known as Dilli becuase of King Dillu who set up his capital around birth of Christ. It came to be known as Dehleez into India during the Islamic rule. British capital was moved from Calcutta to New Delhi because of it's strategic location to control the whole country.
If mythology has to be believed, Pandava's palace at Indraprastha was a marvel which even lead to the greatest war of all. So was the Old Fort in the medieval times. Shahjahan's capital Shahjahanbad was so beautiful that the Red Fort has a carving on it which reads the famous couplet of Khusro,
'Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.'
'If there is any paradise on the face of the earth, This is it, this is it, this is it'
The British build their beautiful city here. The concentric circles around Raisena Hill, those tree lined roads, those magnificent buildings which still seat the powerful in India. Today India is building it's modern city here, with the most extensive Metro network, the malls and high rises of Gurgaon. So Delhi never lacked the magnificent architecture of a great city either.
However, its people made it what it is today. From the times of Pandavs, it has been the melting pot of all the culture that the world had to throw at it. From time immemorial when someone ventured into India they came and found their first home to be Delhi. It became the cultural hub during the early muslim rule over north India. Nizamuddin Auliya and Khusro made it their place, Shahjahan and Bahadur Shah turned it into the place where poetry and prose were almost worshipped. This is where Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, Zauk and Bahadurshah wrote there best works. Zuak had once written:
'Hamne maana dakkan mein hain , bahut se kadr-e-sukhan,
par kaun jaye ae zauk, ye dilli ki galiyan chhorh kar'
But unlike Zauk or Ghalib, Mir had left for Lucknow after the invasion of Abdali and like him I left Gurgaon after seven years. I felt sad about it. Probably, last seven years have been the toughest of my life but who said life would be easy and neither did I ever want it to be easy. There is a certain charm in walking on the razor's edge, it sharpens you too. However, I guess that's my life.
When I had moved to Gurgaon, it had potential to be India's IT, Call Center and Mall hub. Now it is. That is what has changed in 8 years. I had moved to Gurgaon when I came back form the US. I guess I never thought I would live this long there. It wasn't always a conscious choice. However I still loved my apartment and loved it's location.
As we were preparing for the departure and packing, IPL kept us sane with no TV at home. TGIF became our destination to watch those matches.
Some pics from my apartment: (A-158, Regency Park 1, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon)
Looking down from my bathroom window:
Looking west from Bathroom window:
The Building:
The Building:
Looking South East towards the new development (from main hall balcony):
Looking East (wondering how that little little garden changed in last few years):
Looking East towards Phase 1 (from main hall balcony):
Looking North-East (from bedroom balcony):
Looking towards north (from bedroom balcony):
Looking towards north (close up) (from bedroom balcony):
Looking West (from bathroom balcony):
My empty Office & Library:
Empty Main hall:
Siddharth with the packed stuff:
My last pic in this home:
Here are some videos from our train journey back. It was extremely hot through out the journey even in Bhopal.
As we are looking to spread our wings into Sports Academies, I am ready to move back to Delhi.
As the song puts it:
Yeh dilli hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar
Basti hai mastano ki dilli dilli
Gali hai deewano ki dilli
Bada kas ke gale lagata hai
Dhadkan ki dhun sunata hai
Iske baanye taraf bhi dil hai
Iske daanye taraf bhi dil hai
Yeh shahar nahi mehfil hai
Yeh shahar nahi mehfil hai
Yeh dilli hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar
Monday, April 27, 2009
Those random strings of thought
I haven't written anything for a long time and now sitting here in Barista, I just had the urge to put my thoughts down. However most of these thoughts are connected through that invisible string and lots of old memories keep popping up. Now if they are connected through some kind of invisible string then they cannot be called random. However to an
Let me start with something funny, the other day my cousin Monu came to the office and started to play 'Altaf Raja' on his mobile. Why would someone have his songs on their mobile? First that made a lot of people laugh, however, he found Nilesh as his partner in crime. Another guy who was standing said that there must be around 4 people in India who liked Altaf Raja. Nilesh said who are the other 2, now this drew a big laugh. Ofcourse then the discussion went to why did they like Altaf Raja. First thing that they need to decipher was what is the Altaf Raja's philosophy. (LOL). This was funny enough. But at the end the conclusion was people who have been betrayed by women liked him and men who have betrayed girls don't. I thought this was funny and in a certain way very philosophical. I think Altaf Raja's charm was that he was able to appeal to a certain class without any snobbishness. His poetry was common and his singing ordinary. Yet people listened to him and as Nilesh and Monu have shown they still do.
This prompted me to think that a few days ago Geetali Didi had started chain of comments on facebook on who is the best writer in Hindi/Urdu. Most people including me loved Sahir. Sahir was from now what is Pakistan and moved to India after partition, one of those few muslims who moved towards India during the partition.
That reminds me of Pakistan, what the *^*^*& is happening in Pakistan. I really wish for the world's sake that someone takes control of the situation. The real problem there is that no one seems to understand who is in power and what is the level of that control. I am amazed at the Pakistani population (not that I am not amused by Indians, but somehow as Salman Rushdie says, 'In India at the end sense prevails'), how come you come out in masses, hold rallies and feel real happy when a judge (corrupt according many views) is reinstated. But, you do nothing when Taliban takes over a region in your country. That seems so appalling to me.
A few days ago a Pakistani journalist friend on the Facebook posted some lovely pictures of SWAT, the place she had visited a few months ago. I had a long chat with her on the situation. She was saying that on the ground the situation is actually worse and like me she can't understand why people are not doing anything about it. If you live in a democracy you need to take the responsibility of that democracy too. You need to fight for the founding principals of your nation. Pakistan had a great chance when it got independence, it didn't had carry the baggage of history and tradition with it. However, it has squandered that.
This brings me to the greatest exercise of Democracy anywhere in the world. BBC is running an Indian election train, NDTV a bus, millions of international media personalities are hounding over each bit of news. There has been some violence due to Maoist rebels. National leader are scampering all over the country to salvage their votes. The other day Manmohan Singh came to Indore, landed at 4:45, reached the old stadium at 5:00, gave a 30 min speech and and was back in the plane in 5:45 to give another one in Chandigarh. Now that is hectic.
We are 1.1 billion people, with almost 620 million in voting age, out of that even if 50% vote that makes it quivalent to the population of the US. Now that is some exercise.
Overall the thing that I am most proud of is that in last 62 years every transfer of power has been non violent and transitions has been smooth.
Every celebrity from Shahrukh Khan to Sachin Tendulkar is asking Indians to vote in this elections. The campaign has been outstanding but more needs to be done. We should be able to get to at least 90% voting. I think the only way that is possible is, if somehow we create an electronic system for it. Where anyone can vote from anywhere. That would have helped IPL players to vote and also SRK wouldn't have to come back for one from SA where his team is performing abysmally to vote. His logic, how can I not vote when I ask everyone to do it. Now only if every Indian had that respect for their vote.
I have voted in almost all elections barring the 2004 one, when I was in the US. It gives me great pleasure in pressing that button on the machine and seeing the ink tag on my fingernail. Since the days when my dad used to have it on his finger, I was fascinated by it.
IPL-II is the other activity which was affected by election. The security concerns moved it to South Africa. But what an event it has turned out to be. The response that South Africans have given to a purely Indian event is amazing.
So, before I could finish writing this, the election results are out. UPA is back with a bang. The encouraging thing is that it would be able to form the government on its own. Good for the country in these tough recessionary times.
Let me start with something funny, the other day my cousin Monu came to the office and started to play 'Altaf Raja' on his mobile. Why would someone have his songs on their mobile? First that made a lot of people laugh, however, he found Nilesh as his partner in crime. Another guy who was standing said that there must be around 4 people in India who liked Altaf Raja. Nilesh said who are the other 2, now this drew a big laugh. Ofcourse then the discussion went to why did they like Altaf Raja. First thing that they need to decipher was what is the Altaf Raja's philosophy. (LOL). This was funny enough. But at the end the conclusion was people who have been betrayed by women liked him and men who have betrayed girls don't. I thought this was funny and in a certain way very philosophical. I think Altaf Raja's charm was that he was able to appeal to a certain class without any snobbishness. His poetry was common and his singing ordinary. Yet people listened to him and as Nilesh and Monu have shown they still do.
This prompted me to think that a few days ago Geetali Didi had started chain of comments on facebook on who is the best writer in Hindi/Urdu. Most people including me loved Sahir. Sahir was from now what is Pakistan and moved to India after partition, one of those few muslims who moved towards India during the partition.
That reminds me of Pakistan, what the *^*^*& is happening in Pakistan. I really wish for the world's sake that someone takes control of the situation. The real problem there is that no one seems to understand who is in power and what is the level of that control. I am amazed at the Pakistani population (not that I am not amused by Indians, but somehow as Salman Rushdie says, 'In India at the end sense prevails'), how come you come out in masses, hold rallies and feel real happy when a judge (corrupt according many views) is reinstated. But, you do nothing when Taliban takes over a region in your country. That seems so appalling to me.
A few days ago a Pakistani journalist friend on the Facebook posted some lovely pictures of SWAT, the place she had visited a few months ago. I had a long chat with her on the situation. She was saying that on the ground the situation is actually worse and like me she can't understand why people are not doing anything about it. If you live in a democracy you need to take the responsibility of that democracy too. You need to fight for the founding principals of your nation. Pakistan had a great chance when it got independence, it didn't had carry the baggage of history and tradition with it. However, it has squandered that.
This brings me to the greatest exercise of Democracy anywhere in the world. BBC is running an Indian election train, NDTV a bus, millions of international media personalities are hounding over each bit of news. There has been some violence due to Maoist rebels. National leader are scampering all over the country to salvage their votes. The other day Manmohan Singh came to Indore, landed at 4:45, reached the old stadium at 5:00, gave a 30 min speech and and was back in the plane in 5:45 to give another one in Chandigarh. Now that is hectic.
We are 1.1 billion people, with almost 620 million in voting age, out of that even if 50% vote that makes it quivalent to the population of the US. Now that is some exercise.
Overall the thing that I am most proud of is that in last 62 years every transfer of power has been non violent and transitions has been smooth.
Every celebrity from Shahrukh Khan to Sachin Tendulkar is asking Indians to vote in this elections. The campaign has been outstanding but more needs to be done. We should be able to get to at least 90% voting. I think the only way that is possible is, if somehow we create an electronic system for it. Where anyone can vote from anywhere. That would have helped IPL players to vote and also SRK wouldn't have to come back for one from SA where his team is performing abysmally to vote. His logic, how can I not vote when I ask everyone to do it. Now only if every Indian had that respect for their vote.
I have voted in almost all elections barring the 2004 one, when I was in the US. It gives me great pleasure in pressing that button on the machine and seeing the ink tag on my fingernail. Since the days when my dad used to have it on his finger, I was fascinated by it.
IPL-II is the other activity which was affected by election. The security concerns moved it to South Africa. But what an event it has turned out to be. The response that South Africans have given to a purely Indian event is amazing.
So, before I could finish writing this, the election results are out. UPA is back with a bang. The encouraging thing is that it would be able to form the government on its own. Good for the country in these tough recessionary times.
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