Happy New Year!

On this last day of 2008 I find myself mostly thinking about the later half of the year that was so packed with recession, terrorism,  politics.. Not the nice stuff.. So much so that I have forgotten numerous nice things that have happened in the earlier half of the year!! I think we all have a short term memory loss problem!! 

But I am already sure that the new year is going to bring a lot of reasons to cheer! Professionally as well as personally for me!! Economically and politically for all of us! Even as I write this the cynic part of me is scowling and grinning scarcastically! But I am just reminded of something S had said when we were debating when to get married (and whether!! ;) ). And he said quite nonchalantly that we need to now change our set of problems! That's it! The problems will be omnipresent! So long as we face a different one each day we shall feel alive! (and kicking!!)  

Happy New Year to all of you!! Party hard and hope there are ever more reasons to party in 2009!!  

....

All I have is a dozen or so unfinished drafts on the whole 26th November 2008, Mumbai siege. But nothing I can really bring myself to post.. Why? Maybe because it is too close to heart.. Maybe because I do not have solutions.. Not even suggestions.. And I have a lot of anger.. Nations needs anger - a friend has written.. and two days later she wrote nation needs anger channelised.. I agree.. And more.. I do not know how well I am channelising my anger.. And I do not want to preach how should you either.. I just know I do not want to forget or forgive.. I do not want to be resilient.. I do not want to get used to.. I will not let myself be terrorised.. I shall fight the terror I feel within..

I can not post anything else without posting something about this.. I feel as if I am betraying someone.. Myself maybe..

Reactions!!

I came back after a lovely vacation in Diwali week(more on the trip later) extremely reassured about the whole situation about the economy, markets, real estate, the market in Pune, my project in particular and obviously my family, Shridhar, me... Because it boils down to that finally, doesn't it? I was quite sure that at these various levels various short term, medium term and long term strategies would work. This is not something that will take us down with it if we respond appropriately, thoughtfully and with smart as well as hard work. Upon return, however, I sensed two quite distinct feelings in people.

On one hand there were a lot of them who were death scared. A guy said to me yesterday, "It is good to see you laughing/smiling(he said laughing but he meant smiling ;) ). I don't meet a lot of people who do that these days"!! And this seems to be the case with so many. Extreme pessimism which for a lot of them would result in severe depression. True, there is a problem staring in our faces but negativity in attitude only prevents you from seeing an opportunity the problem presents. Because there always are numerous opportunities and now is a time to start hunting. This not only sounds cliched but also does not have a road map. But then that is the beauty of it, isn't it?? It is eternally true that winners rise out of depressions and equally true that there is no formula for the success. Most astounding success stories are happy accidents happening to hard working, smart and prepared souls!!

And on the other hand I have in past week or two met those blessedly happy people who are simply unaware of the situation! Not that they do not read the newspapers or watch TV channels or are incapable mentally to comprehend the problem. They are just sure that this is not something that can affect them and to think this is silly. Stupid even. I simply cannot understand how one can live in such a fool's paradise! There are a few industries that will be less affected and then those that will be more affected. But affected nevertheless. One has to assess the impact. Think more than anything else. Discuss. Debate. But then these people are just not bothered. If you think you are not going to be affected in a negative way then at least think how you can benefit!

In every cycle bull or bear there would be the doomsday predictors all around us and there would be those over optimists! It is upon an individual to decide where in the spectrum he/she is. And constantly re-evaluate, re-calibrate. As wrong it is to be a pessimistic, it is also equally incorrect to assume you as a person are isolated. Can't we all just be normal, levelled, logical about all of this??

Mixed Bag

Why does it normally happen that when I want to write most, I realise it is not 'appropriate' to do so? Mostly these cases are when I want to criticize something severely.

Somebody said to be that I hardly ever am my fun loving and giggly personality in the office. Duh! Is it not how it is supposed to be??

Or am I losing myself and a chance of being my age as the responsibilities and expectations to conform are enormous??

Normally I am not the kind of a person to conform to the expectations but here I understand that it is required to be done. (or is it not???)

My sheer presence is scandalising enough!! If I start being 'me', then ya sure!!! That should be fun!!!

Who is the master craftsman?

I am sick and tired of media scripting the so called real estate 'bubble burst' every single day! Not a day passes without a story listing the free fall of real estate prices. Most of these stories are ill researched and based more on sentiment than on data. Apart from the more data oriented discussion about whether or not we shall see a correction(notice the phrase) and where and to what extent; this phase is only reminding me every passing day of the sheer media power to script the fall in sentiments which may even lead to god knows what!

Media will be most responsible if any bloodshed happens in this industry.

Is it really true?

Movine: No Reservations
Casting: Catherine Zeta-Jones as a perfectionist chef Kate and Aaron Eckhart as Nick - an opera loving fun sous-chef. Add to it Zoe (Abigail Breslin), young niece of Kate who's just lost her mother..
Its a lovely movie, hilarious and touching... Along the way I came across a quote that got me thinking... Its Kate talking to Nick when Nick is offered a job by Kate's boss without consulting her and she is feeling seriously threatened:

Kate motions at the kitchen that she has worked so hard (and where she loves to be) and says to Nick,
"This place is my Life! This is who I am.."
And Nick says,
"No. It is just a small part of who you are.."

I disagree, Nick.

"NRI"

I had been meaning to put down my thoughts on this whole issue of racial discrimination of Indians abroad for quite some time but this (goddamned) movie - dhan dhana dhan GOAL - I watched coupled with what happened in Kuala Lumpur recently stirred these thoughts much more.

Having seen and to a certain extent faced a fare share of this discrimination in the USofA which I am told is one of the better places, I really think there is a validity to the argument of global citizenship, of the fact that every man or woman should have equal rights. I, personally, would never discriminate based either on sex or colour or nationality for that matter. Talent, ability will prevail, in my opinion over above mentioned criterion.

But - now here is where things get complicated - I really think it is each individual's choice where he/she chooses to stay, work, make a life. All the choices are fraught with pros and cons. Racial discrimination IS, MOST CERTAINLY, a flip side associated with the choices made by millions. Is it fair to rest the entire responsibility on the shoulders of certain people who discriminate? Isn't it as much a function of choice made by those who are being discriminated?

I am not saying that these choices made are baseless. Those millions definitely have a reason enough to make them. Neither am I supporting this whole system of discrimination. But why cry foul in the names of ONLY those who choose to believe in the superiority of color? Why not introspect and realise that this should have been accounted for in the first place? Things, in today's world, ARE as they ARE. They may, why will, change over time but whom are you kidding by assuming this will happen in your life time??

Who is at fault??

THE thing and K

Now here’s a story of a friend –K – who, with his wackiness, craziness, work profile and the fact that I simply admire him, has appeared a number of times on this url o’mine! This illustrious gentleman had a successful movie release on Friday (of which he was a significantly insignificant part!) followed by marriage to a lovely lady on Saturday. In the midst of this he has managed to post the most insightful and succinct comment on my Sunday’s blog! He touched me with what he was trying to say (and the timing of the same!) and hence I am posting the entire comment again in the blogs’ section… just to make sure a lot of people read it and know what an amazing person he is!!!! (Dear Wifey of K please, please remind him of your existence!!!!!!)

K you rock!!!

Kedar’s Comment on Strange:

There is the THE thing!

But we deny what is obvious.

I will try to share my understanding about it in brief- (only a path can be discussed, experience is unique, one has to walk on his own!) -

Dream getting replaced by another dream once the first one is achieved – is nothing but a process of DESIRE.

Desire once fulfilled gets replaced by another desire.

But in the process the constant urge to ACHIEVE something, never dies. Hence the constant uneasiness! The power game starts.

The fun is to understand the true nature of our existence. And once we become aware, we start understanding that the whole universe is NEED based and only humans are Desire based. It is a trick of a mind!

What we are is not what mind tells us we are!

We are part of the WHOLE (consciousness, nothingness, chaitanya, parabramha, god etc. ) but our mind tricks us and tells us that we are engineers, architects, doctors, historians, clerks, actors, workers etc. But all these professions are not what we are! Deep down the core we are NOTHING!

Example – a man is observing a waterfall. He is mesmerized by the beauty around him and the sound of waterfall. Cut to He is in his bedroom, away from the waterfall. But he recalls the sound of the waterfall and thinks that it is still there. NO…it is not there…water hit the ground, created waves, they hit the ear drum and sound was heard. So we create the world around us.

(Collective conscious works beautifully and hence we all can see car as a car, tree as a tree and all the things around us.)

In reality nothing exists. Scientists have tried to answer this with proof and are still trying hard. Every thing is particles-is what Newton said. Then, Einstein- every thing is Energy. Then, the quantum physics, particle physics. And now Nano-technology!

Stephan Hawking has said in a press conference that his theory of Big Bang is incomplete. He further said that to understand it to its core one has to TRANSCEND his mind. What does he mean by that?

Einstein had said – reality is an illusion though a very persistent one! (Mithya)What did he mean by that?

It only means that WHAT WE ARE IS NOT WHAT MIND TELLS US WE ARE!

So in short, no matter how hard we will deny THE ULTIMATE goal of any human being is to realize the TRUE NATURE of our existence. Some call it Enlightenment. And consciously or unconsciously we all are walking towards it.

Power is a beautiful game of MIND. One works hard and earns money and then has a nice sophisticated life style. What is he doing by living life sophisticatedly? Subconsciously he is trying to be better than what he is, all the time. But no matter how hard he tries, the constant uneasiness never leaves him till the last breath. The detachment from the WHOLE (god, nothingness etc) makes us uneasy and we keep on running behind futile goals.

It is not bad to set short term goals in life to achieve comforts. But if one gets involved in them emotionally then that becomes his life and that brings the misery at the end!

Once the WHOLE is seen then the eternal quest ends and then one dwells in the realm of Ecstasy!

Once this is understood then the next question raise that does it mean that one should leave everything and go in woods and meditate? … NO…being aware and working passionately is the solution!

Just smile and take it in a stride!!! As you said!!

Observing our each and every action makes us understand the INTENSION behind every action and the purity starts flowing in our life style. Why to do so? Because once the purity starts flowing in, the Ego starts becoming weak and once this process starts then the nature starts speaking back!

Nothingness!!!

Take care…tata…kedar….

Strange...

We dream big...
work hard...
defeat the defeats...
fight the battles...
and achieve something...
(mind you, never THE thing - as there is always some other THE thing to be achieved after THE thing is achieved!)

But then after all that toil we don't feel as excited as we thought we would...
as excited as we dreamed we would...
we don't jump up and down neither scream on top of our voices...
we just smile and take it in a stride~

It genuinely does not mean that importance of achievement is anyway reduced...
It does not even mean that we do not value it...
No one can infer we are not happy either... 'cos you know what, we are!

But not ecstatic... enraptured... rhapsodic....

Why?

Maybe 'cos we always knew that one day we WOULD achieve it!
Or maybe .... maybe I don't know!

Vivah

Some movies leave me with conflicted thoughts and Vivah by Suraj Barjatya has been one.

What appealed and at the same time appalled me was what Mr. Barjatya was trying to say… so either my thoughts are convoluted or these times that we live in are… I was trying to brand this movie bourgeois and write it off as yet another one on my ‘why the hell did I watch it???’ list, but some very nice, respectable thoughts and messages kept coming back to me – The thoughts and messages that were no doubt highly relatable to the 90% of Indian population but a lot of it also relatable and learnable by the balance 10%... who think they are ‘modern’ but are hypocrites at the core…!

In the movie a number of explicit references are made about the inappropriateness in the reluctance of people in small towns to have a female child. This message might actually reach and be internalized by the audience who needs to….
But this whole thing about parents ‘finding’ the ‘right’ match gives me creeps. The families claiming ownerships of individuals bruises my sense of identity. The overtly ‘traditional’ ‘conservative’ Indian wedding/families’ thing, though can be attributed to the way of living and thinking of more than 90% of the populace, is not palatable for me. (yup I know! I am the crazy one here!)

The groom’s father mentioning that he does not want a dowry or the entire family accepting the bride even after an unfortunate accident – recognizing it as just that – an accident. These are ideas – or ideals that the society needs to understand today and showing it through films is perhaps the single most effective manner to bring it about…
But then throughout the movie the guy keeps looking for a mother/wife. Never a friend – Unacceptable.

However I think what psyched me the most was the most popular song in the movie. It means “I have the right” It might not have the same connotation as conveyed by the stark manner of my translation but the Hindi word ‘Haq’ in this respect meant only that to me…. “I have the right” And expectedly the guy keeps repeating this ad-infinitum and the girl keeps repeating her submission. Not once did the girl say that she might also have a right to something….
But maybe Mr.B is just trying to take one step at a time…… There are zillions out there who do not even believe in human rights being bestowed upon a female and I am thinking of equal rights. Quite the other end of the spectrum, isn’t it? Will telling these people to respect women help or tiny hints in entertainers like Vivah will?? Whichever does, Amen!


On a side note however, Mr. Barjatya has taken the caution to recover his money (inclusive of that lost in Main Prem Ki diwani hoon!) by extreme branding done all over the movie by (not so clever) product placement!