The end is only when you stop moving ahead..
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Michael Jackson
The legend passed away leaving a mourning world behing. Death does change things.
It was only a few years ago that MJ was being labelled with child abuse, money problems, family problems, kid problems etc. Today when he's nomore, people are yearning to see him moon walk the stage. This is the real world!!
Why do we humans like to kill a person's spirit and reduce him to a rubble, when he'd rather be a happy n famous personality? Jealousy, intolerance, cut throat competition and riches are to be blamed. Success is indeed demanding.
MJ paid the ultimate price for his popularity. He lived a vibrant life and did what he was best at - singing and entertaing. MTV has dedicated songs exclusively to the grand master and as I hear the songs, I try to decipher the lyrics. I did manage to get a few words of his song.. That would make me sound dumb, I know, but that's how it is. I was never an MJ enthusiast. Honestly, his music never sounded like music to me! much to the disappointment of my friends and siblings. In fact I was disowned by my bro for not knowing the moon walking steps. Though, there are a few exceptions, a few songs that i find worth listening. His moon walking steps and dance moves were exceptional too.
He has gone away to another world, a world where no man would haunt him. He could be up there somewhere, maybe on the moon, walking on the still sands. His footprints may not be visible, but the music he created will ring in the air for eternity..
It was only a few years ago that MJ was being labelled with child abuse, money problems, family problems, kid problems etc. Today when he's nomore, people are yearning to see him moon walk the stage. This is the real world!!
Why do we humans like to kill a person's spirit and reduce him to a rubble, when he'd rather be a happy n famous personality? Jealousy, intolerance, cut throat competition and riches are to be blamed. Success is indeed demanding.
MJ paid the ultimate price for his popularity. He lived a vibrant life and did what he was best at - singing and entertaing. MTV has dedicated songs exclusively to the grand master and as I hear the songs, I try to decipher the lyrics. I did manage to get a few words of his song.. That would make me sound dumb, I know, but that's how it is. I was never an MJ enthusiast. Honestly, his music never sounded like music to me! much to the disappointment of my friends and siblings. In fact I was disowned by my bro for not knowing the moon walking steps. Though, there are a few exceptions, a few songs that i find worth listening. His moon walking steps and dance moves were exceptional too.
He has gone away to another world, a world where no man would haunt him. He could be up there somewhere, maybe on the moon, walking on the still sands. His footprints may not be visible, but the music he created will ring in the air for eternity..
Friday, 26 June 2009
Rath Yatra
The scorching sun had shone all day but the enthusiasm of the devotees wasn't dampened. Artificial showers had been arranged for by the authorities and was a welcome idea. The day was long and sunny but by evening rains drenched the state and washed away the dirt strewn all over. It wasn't only the streets that had been cleaned. Parched souls and tired minds sighed a relief. All this on a day when Lord Jagannath embarks on his yearly trip to Gundicha temple, the residence of his mausi.
It was the second time that I would have the chance of watching a spectacle that draws more than 5 lakh people to it each year. I have been told it went up to 8 lakhs this year. The people transcend barriers of caste, colour, state or country. The first time I went to watch the chariot roll on the 'Bada danda' (grand road) was more 17 years ago. It was a memory that had been lost somewhere in the years I toiled to make a home. I watched the ritual on TV year after year and told myself that I wasn't missing out on anything, (so I thought!!) This year, the proximity to Puri from the place where I live, had me wanting to go and witness the Rath yatra once again. It would turn out to be a battle of sorts was something I would discover later, but when I came to know I could actually go I was more than happy.
We were among the priviliged lot (ahem!!) and got a backdoor entry into the temple. It wasn't the first time that I had been to the temple and yet the excitement was writ all over my face. Lord Jagannath was to be carried to the chariots waiting for him at the temple gate and the crowds chanted his name. Cymbals, drums, conches all added to the religious fervour. I waded throught the sea of people, into the temple. Catching a glimpse of the deity was beyond imagination but I had to see it. So, I patiently sweated along with the other devotees. Men women children all stood there with folded hands. Some people were so overwhelmed that they could not stop their tears. Lord Balram and Shubhadra had been moved out and it was finally time for the Lord to be brought out. He emerged and I realised why people cried when they saw him..
He is undoubtedly the most well marketed God of the Hindu culture. Which other God could gather 8 lakh people each year!!? None.. The Pandas of Puri are the marketing managers who have very smartly created a halo around the temple. The government has tried various means to create a systematic infrastructure for the temple but all their pleas have been turned down by the ever so dominant Pandas( pandits). The temple continues to be the industry that employs people for cooking, performing religious functions, maintenance of the temple etc.. Foreigners and non hindus aren't allowed into the temple which tends to get embarassing at times, especially if it is a friend who is with you. The city of Puri can hardly be referred to as a city. It is only the road leading to the temple that has been widenend. The rest of the city can easily claim a name into the world heritage site list. The dusty lanes, the shady huts along the road, the broken bridges, and an overcrowded beach.. Any kind of development is only in the form of resorts along the beach. The ritual called 'Chera Pohra' 9cleaning the floor with a broom) is performed by the Puri Maharaja (maharaja!!) which shows how people refuse to move ahead from the past. The feaudalistic fire is fuelled in the name of tradition, something which needs to be done away with. Nandini Satpathy, ex Chief Minister had tried her best to do away with the system but the pandas revolted and the chariot wasn't made to move.
A temple that has withstood the ordeal of trying times and good and bad weathers under different regimes has very few of it's originality left. Two portions of the temple are now cemented and painted red and white. It is only the main dome that is left with the carvings. It's only a matter of time when the temple could crumble down. What then would be the plight of the residents of Puri dham. The state government needs to take a decisive and swift action and renovate the temple and systemize the entire temple activities to keep pace with the times. Religion should be a guide to living but when religion become life, life becomes tough. Those who live through it know it too well.
Better said than done! It would take a visionary leader from among the religious gurus who could work out a miacle and take the state away from the state of poverty that hovers over it. Lord Jagannath, is the only person who can do it, because he has the numbers (8 lakhs). each year, year after year, the numbers increase. He will come to the rescue, I do believe..
It was the second time that I would have the chance of watching a spectacle that draws more than 5 lakh people to it each year. I have been told it went up to 8 lakhs this year. The people transcend barriers of caste, colour, state or country. The first time I went to watch the chariot roll on the 'Bada danda' (grand road) was more 17 years ago. It was a memory that had been lost somewhere in the years I toiled to make a home. I watched the ritual on TV year after year and told myself that I wasn't missing out on anything, (so I thought!!) This year, the proximity to Puri from the place where I live, had me wanting to go and witness the Rath yatra once again. It would turn out to be a battle of sorts was something I would discover later, but when I came to know I could actually go I was more than happy.
We were among the priviliged lot (ahem!!) and got a backdoor entry into the temple. It wasn't the first time that I had been to the temple and yet the excitement was writ all over my face. Lord Jagannath was to be carried to the chariots waiting for him at the temple gate and the crowds chanted his name. Cymbals, drums, conches all added to the religious fervour. I waded throught the sea of people, into the temple. Catching a glimpse of the deity was beyond imagination but I had to see it. So, I patiently sweated along with the other devotees. Men women children all stood there with folded hands. Some people were so overwhelmed that they could not stop their tears. Lord Balram and Shubhadra had been moved out and it was finally time for the Lord to be brought out. He emerged and I realised why people cried when they saw him..
He is undoubtedly the most well marketed God of the Hindu culture. Which other God could gather 8 lakh people each year!!? None.. The Pandas of Puri are the marketing managers who have very smartly created a halo around the temple. The government has tried various means to create a systematic infrastructure for the temple but all their pleas have been turned down by the ever so dominant Pandas( pandits). The temple continues to be the industry that employs people for cooking, performing religious functions, maintenance of the temple etc.. Foreigners and non hindus aren't allowed into the temple which tends to get embarassing at times, especially if it is a friend who is with you. The city of Puri can hardly be referred to as a city. It is only the road leading to the temple that has been widenend. The rest of the city can easily claim a name into the world heritage site list. The dusty lanes, the shady huts along the road, the broken bridges, and an overcrowded beach.. Any kind of development is only in the form of resorts along the beach. The ritual called 'Chera Pohra' 9cleaning the floor with a broom) is performed by the Puri Maharaja (maharaja!!) which shows how people refuse to move ahead from the past. The feaudalistic fire is fuelled in the name of tradition, something which needs to be done away with. Nandini Satpathy, ex Chief Minister had tried her best to do away with the system but the pandas revolted and the chariot wasn't made to move.
A temple that has withstood the ordeal of trying times and good and bad weathers under different regimes has very few of it's originality left. Two portions of the temple are now cemented and painted red and white. It is only the main dome that is left with the carvings. It's only a matter of time when the temple could crumble down. What then would be the plight of the residents of Puri dham. The state government needs to take a decisive and swift action and renovate the temple and systemize the entire temple activities to keep pace with the times. Religion should be a guide to living but when religion become life, life becomes tough. Those who live through it know it too well.
Better said than done! It would take a visionary leader from among the religious gurus who could work out a miacle and take the state away from the state of poverty that hovers over it. Lord Jagannath, is the only person who can do it, because he has the numbers (8 lakhs). each year, year after year, the numbers increase. He will come to the rescue, I do believe..
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Sunday, 21 June 2009
losers yet again - T 20 '09
Sri Lanka lost the game. Pakistan won it. India sat back in introspection - dazed and agonized. It's one thing to lose but to see your enemy win is hardly palatable. To see Pakistan win a match has never been easily accepted by me(not any Indian i'm sure!) but they did. I remember a Pakistani cricketer promising that they would take away the T 20 cup in 2009.. They kept their promise. Sri Lanka played well too but were made to bow out.
The Don of Indian cricket - our very own Sachin Tendulkar sat thru the match and seemed to enjoy it. (Isn't it an irony that the world's best cricketer has never won a World cup!!)I thought it was more of a preparation match for him. He must have started preparing himself to be able to voice what he sees on the ground, rather than break more records. He smiled and clapped at the good shots as the Indian TV channels cried fowl about BCCI and tried to explain the folly of the BCCI and skipper Dhoni.
An injured Indian team isn't acceptable by a nation that is easily forced into burning effigies of players who return as losers. We aren't a nation of easy losers when it comes to Cricket and all this because of the money and time involved in the game. It is sad to see cricketers struggling to keep pace with the number of matches being played. They have their health at stake and yet play on. The insecurity of the team selection makes them cover up their injuries.
Is the IPL really a good idea after all? I do not think so and if they must still carry on with the game then it must be done over a span of 2 years rather than making it a yearly phenomenon.
Let team football and team hockey play money matches for a change!! It isn't uncommon in parts various of the country. Kids and youngsters in eastern part of the country often spend their sunday's playing competition matches(football). It could be a matter of time and there would hopefully be a Lalit Modi for other games. Hope is something we must hang on to..
Am I kidding myself or what!!!!!!
The Don of Indian cricket - our very own Sachin Tendulkar sat thru the match and seemed to enjoy it. (Isn't it an irony that the world's best cricketer has never won a World cup!!)I thought it was more of a preparation match for him. He must have started preparing himself to be able to voice what he sees on the ground, rather than break more records. He smiled and clapped at the good shots as the Indian TV channels cried fowl about BCCI and tried to explain the folly of the BCCI and skipper Dhoni.
An injured Indian team isn't acceptable by a nation that is easily forced into burning effigies of players who return as losers. We aren't a nation of easy losers when it comes to Cricket and all this because of the money and time involved in the game. It is sad to see cricketers struggling to keep pace with the number of matches being played. They have their health at stake and yet play on. The insecurity of the team selection makes them cover up their injuries.
Is the IPL really a good idea after all? I do not think so and if they must still carry on with the game then it must be done over a span of 2 years rather than making it a yearly phenomenon.
Let team football and team hockey play money matches for a change!! It isn't uncommon in parts various of the country. Kids and youngsters in eastern part of the country often spend their sunday's playing competition matches(football). It could be a matter of time and there would hopefully be a Lalit Modi for other games. Hope is something we must hang on to..
Am I kidding myself or what!!!!!!
Monday, 8 June 2009
movies are back
I am suffering from the 'No new movie syndrome' There is a sudden lull in life and nothing to look forward to. Now that the tiff between the producers and the theatre owners is off, the wait fr movies will finally end.
swine flu may be creating havoc in the minds of people. Health ministry is in a daze and clueless of what they ought to do. "We cannot have all passengers checked" said some health ministry official. Well, we are in India, Sir. 'Yahan sab adjust ho jaaenge'
We are used to other scarier health terms like Dengue, malaria, typhoid, plague, Bird flu and worst of all poverty.. the list is endless.. Swine flu is also welcome because - that disease will also pass.. It might take with it a few lives, but then it's just a few lives after all. As long as we are safe, do we really care about others?? Why am I typing away in anonymity when I should be hankering after the politicians to create a healthy country.
I am not shouting my lungs out because I presume the politicians are aware of the catastrophe these diseases could create. For the time being I will rest my mind and relax and wait for the big screen to buzz back some colours and music into the world.
swine flu may be creating havoc in the minds of people. Health ministry is in a daze and clueless of what they ought to do. "We cannot have all passengers checked" said some health ministry official. Well, we are in India, Sir. 'Yahan sab adjust ho jaaenge'
We are used to other scarier health terms like Dengue, malaria, typhoid, plague, Bird flu and worst of all poverty.. the list is endless.. Swine flu is also welcome because - that disease will also pass.. It might take with it a few lives, but then it's just a few lives after all. As long as we are safe, do we really care about others?? Why am I typing away in anonymity when I should be hankering after the politicians to create a healthy country.
I am not shouting my lungs out because I presume the politicians are aware of the catastrophe these diseases could create. For the time being I will rest my mind and relax and wait for the big screen to buzz back some colours and music into the world.
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