birthday bash!

no, i am not talking about some wild birthday parties and associated orgies! those happened in the distant past in the days of my youth... and no, i am not telling you anything here! (it would be injurious to my health, given the people who read my exploits here!)

i am talking about this strange phenomenon of birthday parties we organise for our kids... our kids who become completely involved in the game of one-upmanship (or one-up-womanship, if you prefer that) that gets blatantly passed off in the name of birthday celebrations!

my son recently attended a pool party... yes a birthday party celebrated in a swimming pool! i was very keen on accompanying him for this one... i put on my most innocent face and told the 'big boss' that i could lend her a helping by taking him to this party... but she always manages to see through my tricks and promptly informed me that none of the kids' mothers would be in the pool... it would only be the kids... that was when i suddenly remembered i had some other urgent work to be done! :P

birthday parties in malls and fancy restaurants are so passe! so what if it puts back the poor dad's (or mom's, before i forget!) finances by a significant number of rupees, the weakening notwithstanding!

i've heard of birthdays being celebrated where the kids are taken for a movie... you say what's the big deal? i'm talking about the entire hall being booked! and then there are birthdays where the kids are taken on a cruise...

gone are the days when a party meant a birthday cake being cut, playing passing the parcel, and then eating potato wafers, a samosa and the cake with a soft-drink to wash it down! this was only on those rare occasions when the birthday was actually celebrated! and there was no concept of return gifts!

these days our kids sometimes walk back home after a birthday with a return gift that is more expensive than the gift we gave the birthday boy/girl! :P

and talking about gifts! the kids get flooded with so many gifts that they don't even manage to open all the gifts before their next birthday arrives! therefore it is not surprising that some gifts make their way around a couple of times and sometimes come back at our own doorstep, like the proverbial bad penny!

and the 'gifting' problem reaches epidemic proportions when you are living in a complex like ours where you have at least 2-3 birthdays every month! with an average of 10-15 kids being invited for each birthday party the numbers of gifts and return gifts can become quite mind-boggling! and as you can imagine, a few local gift shops are doing thriving business! :)

p.s. the big boss and i are trying to organise a group of friends in our complex to get together and give a meaningful combined gift to the birthday boy/girl after consulting the parents.
do any of you have any more creative solutions?

wednesday!

thanks to a good friend, who's a movie buff like i, i watched 'a wednesday' on wednesday!

and boy, was it a good film!

this is one of those movies which made a relatively quiet entry and has only gathered momentum over the past few weeks! and i think many people are watching because of sheer 'word of mouth' publicity and it is slowly acquiring something of a cult status already!

if you have not yet watched it, you must! you will enjoy every minute of the film, take my word for it! (there was only logical loop-hole i found in the film... and if you have watched the film already then i'd like to know if you spotted it too? write in with your answers and i'll reveal the flaw in a couple of days! :) )


the best part of the film is the powerful message delivered by two equally powerful and towering actors (naseeruddin shah and anupam kher). nothing preachy, just a simple message delivered with a punch.

the story line is kept taut throughout the film... there are a few surprises thrown in and some questions left unanswered...
the complete package is almost perfect, the music enhances the mood of the film (no songs in the 120 minute film), the cinematography keeps you engrossed without going overboard!

the characters are very well etched, and all the actors deliver... the dialogs are very well written and there are a few humorous moments as well!

all in a all, this is film-making at its best! a total 'paisa vasool' film... go and watch it... you can then thank me later by writing in :)

p.s. check out more details at http://www.awednesdaythefilm.com/... though the site didn't load when i tried! :(

digital puzzle!

(solution provided at the bottom of this post)

this is a logical puzzle that struck me when i was waiting at one of those traffic signals which take inordinately long to turn green!

some of the signals mercifully have a digital counter which counts down the seconds between the signal color changes. and as i watched, i noticed that one of the digital digits was showing me a weird set of numerals as it was counting down. it was obviously because one of the 7 (3 horizontal and 4 vertical lines) lines of the figure 8 was not working.

this got me thinking up this particular problem -

which of the 7 lines of the figure 8, if it was not working, would still cause the counter to display the longest sequence of valid numerals, albeit not in logical order? (irrespective of whether the counter was counting up or down)

options -
1. top horizontal
2. middle horizontal
3. bottom horizontal
4. top-left vertical
5. bottom-left vertical
6. top-right vertical
7. bottom-right vertical

also list the sequence of valid numerals.

(p.s. you can send in your answers as comments or by email. the contest closes at 12 mid-night IST on 14th sept 2008)

p.s. in case you like such logical puzzles, click here to check out the previous one!

--------------

quite a few people got the answer correctly... though some of them interpreted the problem a little differently...

the correct answer is option 5, the bottom-left vertical segment.

if this segment is defective then the longest sequence of valid numerals that result are - 3, 4, 5, 5 (instead of 6), 7, 9 (instead of 8) and 9!

i have posted all the comments received so far! manasi (http://forevermanasi.blogspot.com/) was the first respondent with the correct answer! :)

---------------

got rocked!

the 'big boss' is very particular about her quota of sleep. nothing comes in between her and her quota. not even a discussion that i want to have after a sinful dinner about life-and-death issues like the extra 2 inches that i seem to be putting on at the wrong parts of my anatomy!

so if she's sacrificing her sleep and doesn't grumble about missing her sleep for some nonsensical get-together or movie or something, then you can be rest assured that the reason she sacrificed must have been really worth it!

we watched 'rock on' last saturday! very late show... the movie ended at 1 am! we both loved it thoroughly! she actually said that this movie was definitely worth losing sleep for!!!

the movie has a 'dil chahta hai' feel to it! the best part of the movie for me was the music! the actors were perfect for the roles they portrayed, the story was simple and stayed true to the theme, there was a very gritty and natural feel to the entire film, nothing was over-the-top... very highly recommended if you have not already seen it!

i got a late sms the same night after the movie from an ex-colleague who also must have just seen the movie... let me reproduce the sms here as a short review of the film :
"Hey friends, do watch ROCK ON... its a superb flick! Its a sensitive movie with music as a metaphor for life... with delightful little nuggets of humor & realistic dialogues. The movie is refreshingly witty! The music is great, true to a raw band type. Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal & Luke Kenny have done a great job but my personal favourite is Purab Kohli. I loved the end of the movie as well! Take aways -
1. Pursue your passion, no matter what because the happiness & satisfaction you get is beyond measure.
2. Never let a small misunderstanding injure a great friendship... good friends are forever!
3. Life mein compromise karna padta hai!
4. The journey is more important than the destination.

ROCK ON completely ROCKS... Go enjoy the MAGIK!"

yeah i know, quite a long sms!
but it hit the nail on the head and it saves me the effort of reinventing the wheel and writing a review! :P

dads and the school bus

we live in a complex which has about 200 flats (apartments). what this means is that there are about 25-30 kids who go to the school in the neighborhood. both my kids go to the same school.

the school bus picks up the bus-load of kids from the complex gate in the morning. most of the kids have their mothers or maids helping them onto the bus. and there are a couple of dads too, yours truly being one of them!

but the 'big boss' firmly believes that there's nothing noble about this early morning exercise i dutifully undertake! she believes that my morning excursion has more to do with my wanting to meet and chat with the group of mothers at the gate than with seeing off my kids. i guess she knows me pretty well after so many years of living with me! :)

but then i am usually not the lone dad at the gate. there are at least one or two others to give me company. now i don't know about their 'intentions' but then i can't paint everyone with my brush, can i? :P

one of the most memorable incidents i remember tells you a lot about us dads and how we deal with our kids (before i get flamed by the numerous mothers who read my blog, i am not saying that we guys do a better job or anything... on the contrary! read on to find out...)

there's this friend who has normally already left for office before the school bus arrives. he has two angelic daughters. its usually the kids' mother or the maid who drops the kids to the bus.

now one day he happened to be leaving a little late and so was downstairs with his younger daughter, presumably to drop her off to the bus.

when i was reaching the gate with my own younger brat, i noticed him bent over trying to having a serious conversation with his 3 year old. she was intently sobbing while he was doing his patient explaining. as i reached closer i understood the situation a little better. she was very clear that she did not want to go to school that day. and he was trying to explain to her why it was very important for her and her future that she go to school.

but you know kids (actually mom know kids!), they know a sucker when they see one! she didn't relent and if anything upped her decibel level and got the desired effect... his heart melted and he asked the bus driver to go ahead without her.

suddenly, out of the blue, the little girl was lifted off her feet and carried away! it was the mother who was watching the spectacle from the window . she knew where this was headed and that it called for some drastic measures! she hollered at the bus which had just started, and managed to deposit the kid into the bus. the kid realised that the game was up and promptly stopped howling!

the father walked away sheepishly towards his car while the mother face displayed a mixture of smugness and irritation on her way back home!

all of us had a hearty laugh as we headed back home to our respective morning chaos! :P

my perfect pearl

i'm that deep-sea diver

from the legend you've heard of

in your childhood.

who had found the perfect pearl,

the queen of all pearls.

i drank in the sight

to my heart's content

and then threw it back

overboard

in the high seas.

for i couldn't hold it

any longer, it was far too perfect

to be placed in any ring

or adorn any maiden's diadem.

and i would have no reason

to dive any more

for there would be nothing more

to dive for.

so now, i keep diving

to find that perfect pearl again!

lessons from a panda

the big boss has 'asked' me to post this... and i post it, no questions asked, obviously! i mean, i am crazy and all that, but i love life. my life being the most loved one, of course!

the guruprasad family watched the kung-fu panda a few weekends ago! mr. guruprasad junior was treated to the movie separately... the rest of the family promptly went and saw it the day after that! (the excuse the seniors used was that ms. guruprasad junior could not obviously be deprived of this movie! :P )

(the murky truth lies in the fact that the parents would go to any lengths to watch such animated movies! in fact the big boss liked it so much that she was keen i post this piece here about the movie... so now you know who to thank!)

well here's the verdict to anybody out there who's still not watched this movie - WATCH IT NOW!!!

and it doesn't matter if you are single, married, divorced, separated, with/ without kids, celibate, etc. or if you fall into any other category! this movie (one of the few non-pixar ones) which ranks right up there with the best animated films! (my list includes finding nemo, the incredibles, monsters inc, the lion king, shrek, aladdin, jungle book, the little mermaid, etc.)

the story is fun for kids, and carries a bag of laughs and a few good hard-hitting messages for us boring oldies as well. its all about a 'fat' panda (do they come in any other size?) who wants to be a kung-fu warrior. and then becomes one in the end, despite all the 'heavy' odds, without any 'secret recipe' for success.

its a fairly simple straight-forward story which is presented very well. the action sequences are a delight to watch. (frankly i didn't pay much attention to the fact that the voice-overs were done by some heavy-weights including dustin hoffman, angelina jolie and suchlike.)

my only advice is that it wouldn't be a good idea to watch this movie before going to the local stamp duty & registration office... whatever inspiration you gained from the movie would be effectively sucked out of you there! but then that's the gory stuff for another post later :)

p.s. read this great review cum career advice post - http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2008/07/kung-fu-style-career-advice.html

p.p.s. i also happened to watch the latest sequel in 'the mummy' series - the tomb of the dragon emperor. my only comment is that i hope the mummies are well and truly buried this time and are not resurrected any further!

a memorable evening

last evening i finally managed to do something which i have have been wanting to do for a long time now! hold on... before your rabid minds concoct innumerable unmentionable ideas let me clarify :)

the 'big boss' and i went to watch a play called kabir.

it is a mono-act play by acclaimed and multi-talented shekhar sen who has written, directed, acted and sung in this play.

the play takes us on an interesting journey which describes kabir's life. born around 1398 as an illegitimate son of a brahmin widow, raised by a childless muslim couple, a weaver by profession, kabir is greatly influenced by the religious mood during that period. he then finds answers to most of the questions tormenting him when he meets his preceptor, ramanand, and then goes on to become one of the greatest revolutionary philosopher-poets ever in india.

his dohas (couplets) in vernacular hindi are a treasure trove of some of the highest philosophical declarations with some of the most practical and simple ways of looking at life.

in his two hour long play shekhar sen uses very very simple props but weaves powerful magic on the audience through witty, hard-hitting dialogs (where he enacts the roles of more than 30 other characters using different voices), melodious music (pre-recorded sound tracks) and over 40 songs rendered in more than 30 raagas.

the passion, the energy and the sheer power of the message of kabir as delivered by shekhar sen in this play will not fail to move the audience and make an impact. irrespective of whether you are agnostic, an atheist or a cynic! he manages to get the message across even if you do not understand the vernacular version of hindi that he uses in the play.


i would strongly recommend this play to all of you who are interested in kabir and his teachings, theatre, music, philosophy and all things indian!

p.s. i am now eagerly looking forward to seeing his other two mono-act plays - vivekananda and goswami tulsidas!

the 'fowl' pox

hey everybody! i'm back... whether you like it or not :)

its been ages... and i've a lot of people checking if everything was ok and if i would start blogging again any time soon!

i've been gaining some knowledge during this period of blog-abstinence!

did you know that the virus that causes chicken-pox also causes shingles? and that you are typically immunised against it for life once you get the disease? that adults are affected much worse than children?

the 'boss' and the kids played tag with each other and had the pox in turns! and the boss came down with the pox just the day after i left for a week-long tour... most people who knew me were sure that i scooted the battle-field since i knew it was coming... others who don't know me will believe i was completely in the dark about this :)

prasann, my son, was aghast. he accusingly asked his mother whether she had consumed chicken because of which she got a pox by the same name! when she couldn't convince him that it had nothing to do with her diet, she logged on to the internet and showed him the explanation on some site which then reassured him... that's the power of the www on our generation for you!

i also learnt that most communities in india believe that this version of the pox is a manifestation of the angry form of the 'devi' or goddess... its amazing how this belief cuts across all regions, states and communities.

another amazing learning was that none of the doctors prescribe any medicine for the pox. they just ask you to go through the entire cycle and assure you that it will heal by itself. at best they will recommend what skin creams you could use post-healing to reduce any pigmentation left behind by the scars! :P

and the leaves of the 'neem' tree are the most popular traditional medicine used for the pox. our maid would religiously tie the leaves above the door to appease the angry goddess... but i think the leaves were hung largely to inform people that there are people in the house who are afflicted by the pox :)

the leaves and twigs are spread on the bed to alleviate the itching and burning sensation caused by the blisters... but i think it just serves as a better tool for scratching the itch especially your back... and its far safer than using your hair brush for the same purpose! :P

but i'm glad the guruprasad family is over and done with as far as this pox is concerned! i would rather keep the goddess in good humor than have her pay us a visit in a 'fowl' mood again :P

Ratan is about to see the light

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Today, we're taking the fight directly to Ratan Tata. Here's how you can join. Dear friend, Your campaign to protect the highly-endangered Olive Ridley Turtles is finally showing results. As of this morning, over 70,000 Tata customers just like you have written to Ratan Tata, telling him the destructive port in Orissa must stop. Over the past three days and nights, Greenpeace activists have taken your messages directly to Tata in Mumbai, and used high-powered projectors to display them on Tata offices. Meanwhile, every day, seven new blogs mention their support for this campaign. And the media is taking note of all this. As are Tata's partners. In a big blow to the project, banking giant BNP Paribas has said -- following an independent assessment of the Dhamra port's environmental impacts -- that it's no longer thinking about financing it. This is fantastic work, and proof that your efforts are working. But it's not the end. Later today, for every message you send us, Greenpeace activists will personally deliver a lit candle to Ratan Tata. There are 70,000 Tata customers that want the port to stop. We're hoping to light a candle on behalf of each of them, so Ratan can feel the heat of public pressure, and see the light of common sense. Seventy thousand candles for the Olive Ridley Turtles. Click here to light yours. Ashish Fernandes Greenpeace Campigner for the Oceans You're reading this email because you want the Tata port relocated. If for any reason you want the turtles relocated instead, we can understand. Just click here to unsubscribe. If you have issues, questions or comments, click here to write to us.

secret doors!

she walked in and opened a door,

a door which i never knew existed

deep in the recesses of my mind,

and a fragrant breeze wafted in.

i walked through and found

a whole new world

wainting out there for me

to explore, and i went forth.

and as i went deeper, it kept leading

even further, and i don't know how far it'll go.

all i know is that

i'm going all the way to the end!

hibernating blogger

its been ages since i last posted!

actually thats not true... i've been posting... but not the regular posts. i've been going through a poetry phase! its been ages since this bug last bit :)

and i've been posting some of them on the blog.

but i have not been emailing my usual mailing list about these postings. don't ask me why!

but some people have been able to track these poems and have been commenting. while most expressed surprise at my poetic inclinations, others were appreciative.

but the most common underlying vein among most people who commented was what i found quite hilarious!

to quote some of them, there must be 'something in the air'. some wondered 'what was up?'
well i guess its not a 'normal' thing to do. but if try explain too much here they will also say that 'i doth protest too much'!

so i think i should just respond with a straight face and say that the poetry bug was in the air :P

you could check them out in the blog yourself. comments and brickbats are welcome.

i hope to resume my regular blogging soon.

adios till then :)

the endless dance

it was a full moon night

and the gopis danced with abandon

swirling and laughing and clapping

their hands in unison,

while their feet tapped to the rhythm.

and each gopi could see him

right next to her and dancing only with her,

giving her all his attention

while she danced with abandon

drunk with the joy of the moment!

in my mind each day

each thought dances with abandon

swirling and laughing and moving

ever forward, smoothly synchronised with

the myriad other thoughts of the day.

and each thought is in a trance

and swirls like a dervish possessed.

nothing else appeals to my mind

other than thoughts focused on you

and i dance, drunk with the joy of the dance!

personal pilgrimage

i climb nineteen steps

to reach my personal sanctum,

and there i take refuge in you

and shut out the world outside.

you calm the storm raging within

and drive away the fears haunting me,

and then the glowing embers ignite

and in that fire i behold your form!

this is a pilgrimage i would

make as often as i possibly could,

but i have to wait for the auspicious times

when your gates open for me to enter!

measured speech

she chooses her words carefully

and steps over this tricky terrain,
like one would walk barefoot
across a glass-strewn floor.




she wouldn't want him to quote her
out of context or read between the lines
or misinterpret her words for
the declaration of some undying love!

and he watches her with an amused look,
as she fumbles as she tries
to mouth the words she doesn't believe in.
but her eyes give the game away!

pause for eternity!

what is it about you
that makes me
swing across the spectrum thus?
sometimes i grin idiotically
and then sometimes i'm
working myself into a frenzy.

you seem within arm's reach
and yet the chasm seems
too wide for me to span.
and like a caged beast
i pace tirelessly, waiting,
for the gate to be opened
by you.

you clasp the key to freedom
tightly in your palm,
moist with the knowledge
of the power of the choice.
but you know better than to
unleash this caged beast.

and yet you move closer
inspite of yourself,
driven by the faith you harbour,
that the beast without is but
a reflection of the one within.
and by freeing one, the other
would lose its ferocity!

you take a deep breath,
reach out,
and then pause
for eternity....

waiting for the rains

the air is muggy

and a tiny rivulet of sweat

finds its way down my back.

i can smell the approaching rains

as dark clouds speed

across the heavens.

the parched earth within me

thirsts for the cloudburst.
its been a long drought

after the week-long flood.

you had saved me

from drowning then.

now i wait for you

to quench my thirst.

the young shall rule the world!

that should actually read as 'the younger sibling shall rule the world'!

its twice in the last couple of days that i have been part of a discussion involving the younger sibling in families with two kids. (i am sure this is equally for people with more than two kids :P )

ok, here's the theory.

the younger of two siblings is always tougher, more independent, more assertive and more aggressive than the older one. they seem to have a mind of their own and typically will not get bullied by the elder sibling. on the contrary, it is more likely that they are the ones terrorising the older one!

do you also agree with this theory? if you are a parent of two kids do you believe this is true in the case of your kids? even if you are not a parent or a parent with only one child, have you seen evidence around you which proves this theory?

i was trying to understand why this is the case? and here's what i could come up with -

1. the parents of the second kid are usually are usually self-proclaimed veterans at child rearing and are far more sacked-out! (have you seen at any gathering, when kids play and end up fighting or bawling, the single-kid parents are usually on their feet trying to resolve the problem. while the two-kids parent continue munching on their bhajias or sipping their drink... confident that whatever the problem, the kids will sort it out among themselves!)

2. the older sibling is told by the parents that they have to protect the younger sibling. what the parents don't realise is that they take this very seriously but it is the elder ones who typically need protection from the younger!

3. the younger ones learn all about life (which basically means getting their way around and knowing the weak spots of the parents, siblings and friends) pretty quick and usually from the elder siblings.

like i said... the young shall rule the world. how do i know, you ask? well i should.. i was the eldest among three kids!

today i meet my destiny

i woke up this morning
and i knew
that today is the day
i'll meet my destiny.

how do i know, you ask?

i just know, and i know

you will know too

when your time has come!

i'm going to light up

1008 lights to light your path

and welcome you back home,

where i'll make an offering of gratitude.

we were destined to meet

for thus would i be fulfilled.

this was destined to be

for you are my destiny!

i wonder

right in the midst

of plunging through

this hectic roller-coaster ride

i wonder.

what if we had both met

in some earlier time,

another life,

a different world?

would we still be friends

or sworn enemies,

or lovers maybe?

or would we just be strangers?

and pass each other

on a lonely street

without noticing each other?

or would we still connect

inspite of ourselves

and inexplicably

like we do today?