Tuesday, December 26, 2006

One fine Tuesday....

One fine tuesday, there was a heading in Times of India: 'Munna Not a Bhai'....That same tuesday, a major news on BBC read: 'Hizbul Mujahidin's Most wanted terrorist 'Sohel Faisal' killed, Indian Major loses his life'

On News#1, experts like Salman Khan were reiterating their faith in goodness of Sanju Dada on front page. News#2 never made it to National newspaper Headlines.

News#1 told us how Sanju dada was the sole bread earner for His family, and how he put this point across in the court, which was 'moving'.

As far as news # 2 is concerned, Major Manish H Pitambare also had a family. But he didn't think 'I have a little daughter' (18 months old daughter, his wife and his old parents survive him) when he recieved the whereabouts of the Hizb Commander.

Ironically, as if to further link the two stories, Major Pitambare was killed with a bullet fired rom AK47.

Salute to the men of honour who fight and die for our motherland, so that we can live happily and smile at Sanjay dutt stories

Monday, November 27, 2006

Flashes in the pan... Part II

Yet another day when the free slack in my activities is allowing me to diverge from my critical path. In other words, m a bit free today. So another one of the flashes....

Talked to a lot of old school friends after 4-5 years... Orkut is Great!! Felt amazing how the distances of years can be erased in minutes.... in the same world where minutes are deemed sufficient to wipe away eras of trust and friendship...

Sometimes, I feel whether it is wise to sit back and let life take its course or to take control of it... although a staunch advocate of the latter, right now I seem to be favoring the former. Just to see what happens, if for nothing else. So for a while, life itself will decide. Unless of course, I revert back to my usual self, which I trust more than life, luck or destiny. I suspect I will...

Hoping against hope, but still hoping for the best...

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Jeetega Bhai Jeetega

So, Team India lost another match. Well, not the first time. But now, somehow, this time our hon'ble MPs want an answer.

Well, when Team India lost against Australia and underperformed against Namibia in WC03, fans attacked Mohd. Kaif's home. When we ended up runners up, why didn't these MPs demand an answer from those who did this reckless deed? When some hooligans booed Sachin Tendulkar in Wankhede, where were these demanding MPs? When Ponting and Company misbehaved with Pawar, what great were these MPs doing?

They demand answers? Let them demand answer from the authorities of places where people are killing themselved for the want of food. Let them get an answer from people who have left our Kargil Heroes out in the cold. And let them ask themselves why they do not talk business in any bill, except perhaps the bill of reconsideration of their own salaries.

About Team India and Chappel, well, they are guys who can take care of themselves. They do not need to answer anyone, except the common Indian, who still cheers every wicket of Zaheer, Every boundary of Sachin and every six of Dhoni. And answer they will, not in rhetoric but in performance.

Cheers to the spirit of Team India. Cheers to the Support mail of BCCI. Cheers to the legendary ring that we form after every wicket fall.

Jeetega Bhai Jeetega............

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The Fight Ain't fair

A long while ago, The Tramp told me to read one particular entry of his blog... and comment.

For the second time in my blogging history, he deserved more than a comment. It read

It’s a shocking tale of two Indias, the irony of which is clearly indicative of the stark socio-economic disparity.While the country’s business entrepreneurs raised a toast to BSE benchmark Sensex breaching the 13,000 mark on Monday, thousands of miles away in Bihar, a man committed suicide for not having eaten for 13 days. (more...)
"it's not that we don't care,we just know that the fight ain't fairso we keep on waitingwaiting on the world to change"
- John Mayer


and the blog ended. Abruptly.

The question is not whether we know or do not know...

Someday, each of us gets a chance to make the world a better place for someone we hardly kow. Then the question is, when that day comes, do we choose to look the other way, or do we fight our bit to make the fight fair?

Someday, the number of people doing their bit will rise.
Someday, our India will change.
Someday, Indians will change India.

Waiting for that day? Forget it. Its already time to stop waiting and start working for it.

Walk Through the Past

Yesterday I had a walk through the Churni Road streets... the same ones that we roamed during the unforgettable winter tour that we had in 3rd year... and it took me into a tour of the past...

Goa Beaches... sand in the feet, breeze in the face... stars in the sky, dreams in the eyes... "Abe Ultimate Jagah Hai"... "Samajh aata hai log honeymoon manane yahaan kyu aate hain"... "Tu Bhi yahi aayega, mujhe maloom hai"... "Time kya hua hai? Night out hua ke nahi ab tak"... unforgettable moments....

Uttaranchal... Snow all around... Himalayas towering, mystical and dreamy... Fog ahead, clouds below... "Abe yahaan ek baar aur aaoonga at least, aur is baar akela nahi aaoonga"... "Oye tu akela to abhi bhi nahi hai, hum hain naa"... "Teri Aisi ki Taisi"... The trips that we spent 4 years planning, and proved worth the wait... and I was thinking... 'If at all I get a chance to relive my life, I will start from here'

Some days, when I am alone, I think of the best friends that I have had for life. And I close my eyes. And I am back there, in 106-L, 64-De, 16-Viveka or 191-Viveka... I still feel like I can take 5 steps and see ashu in the next room, I still think that the silence will be shattered by the irrepressible Anu singing 'Chanda Chamke'... I still think that there will be a power cut in the night and Saransh, Pari and I will be singing Kishore-Rafi songs... I still feel that I can make out the ever comforting image of Roy somewhere out there in the lobby....

Cheers to the moments that made up those golden years of my life....

Monday, October 23, 2006

Touching 100!!

"Congrats Priyank. Today you have completed 99 working days." Words of my boss, guide and patron, 'Shukla Sir', as i call him. Who else but the best planning engineer could have kept track of a time span as irrelevant as this one!! Apart from comparing his announcement with NDA and UPA government milestones (which he thankfully laughed at), I said 'Thank You'.

Well, he might as well have said '99 days of your new life'. It has been a new lifetime of sorts.

It has been the worst of times. I have spent the most unsatisfying part of my life, doing a job that I hated. I have learnt how it feels being hit in the face by life. My heart and mind have gone through the most tempestuous of phases in these days. I have been shouted at on the job for no mistake of mine. I have experienced the agony of real life.

But then, it has been the best of times. The 'unsatisfying phase' has given me the stomach to go for what I really want from my life. I have learnt how to hit back when it hits you. The tempest has been preceded by the most blissful of experiences. In job also, I have made people get up and take notice of me. I have felt the ecstasy of achievement and the joy of little victories.

And some things never change. Daddy still prefers that I give him a missed call rather than a call. Daadiji still tells me to watch out for Aeroplanes before moving around the airport. Mummy still calls me whenever there is an 'Aloo ka Paratha' treat at home. Friends still talk with me in the same lingo that we used in hostel. Pretty much the same as it has always been.

I love my life.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Its only words!!

Today, having little else to do in office (for a change), I spent time pondering over things people said, used to say, keep on saying, and so on… A representative sample of my thoughts::

Roy:
From ‘Oye ye 14kg ke weight mein bahut dust laga hai… reading accurate nahi aayega’ to ‘Oye aaj Maiti ka lab mein jaane ka hai???’

Anupam:
‘Oye main soch raha hoon….’
‘Oye yaar meri samajh mein aati kyu nahi tumhari baat…’
‘Kaddu ki Taayi…’

Ashutosh:
Ashu vs Shukla… CED, ITBHU… need I say more? ‘Frankly bata rahe hain, maza aa gaya thaa!!’

Lota:
‘Really Yaar…’, on a decibel level enough to bring down a few walls of the crumbling hostel!!

Mintu:
From ‘Kantaap Maar Denge’ to ‘______ phenk ke maarenge’ to ‘One Man, Maar it, Paar it…’

Bunti:
From ‘O ________, Anoma Shah!!!’ to ‘Saadhe Dus minute bache hain, 11 pages…’ before an end sem, all in front of Cafeteria

Chintu:
From ‘Main achha hoon sir, aap bataaiye kaise hain!!’ to ‘Sir main apne aap ko missed call nahi de sakta, itni si baat aapko samajh nahi aati!!’… all to Maiti!!

Raaka:
‘With folded Hands!!!’

Pakaau Singh
From 'What Great have you done today' to 'This Venky and Pathak is a terrorists!!!!'

Champa:
From ‘Kyaa Karein, humara to phaaka lagega…’ to ‘Kyaa Karein, humara to phaaka lagega…’ The guy hasn’t changed!!!

_________:
From ‘Ab peechha chhudaana aasaan nahi’ to ‘I don’t think there is anything left to be sorted out’

Monday, October 02, 2006

"Aajkal tum Blog mein itna rote kyu rehte ho?"

Another well meaning comment from a friend of mine.... a brutally honest one, if I can call it that!!! Followed by a comparison of life with a sine curve (phew!!!) which no one else could have done!! (I hope i am not a dead man once this blog is read :D )

After a while, it felt good to see someone giving a damn... just the kind of Phirki I was talking about the other day... in the blog entry below....

And again, for the record, it wasn't crying, it was 'Reflecting'....

Do I hear u say 'Watever'??!!!

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Chhoti Chhoti Baatein...

It was a wednesday... late in the night. We were coming back from office after a long day. Had been late. Again. All of us had either missed out on a late night 'garba' plan, or missed another chance of goin out with family, or was plain unhappy to be late. Typical end-of-the-day gloom...

Then suddenly, at a traffic jucntion, there was a man selling a small toy for kids... a thread-mounted Phirki and i bought it for no apparent reason whatsoever. I couldn'y play it properly, and soon the whole group in the car was busy trying to teach each other how to do it right, chuckling, giggling and laughing all the time. The next one hour drive was as pleasant and cheerful as could have been.

And I was later left wondering why we need triggers to make us happy and become sad and gloomy spontaneously...

I still keep that Phirki that changed the mood of the car pool the other day. Just hope that somebody or the other keeps inserting a Phirki into each others' lives every once in a while... just for an ocassional heartfelt smile, if for no other reason!!!

Friday, September 22, 2006

Flashes in the pan

I am not known to myself as someone who lets out random thoughts... or so I like to think. But who cares... a lot of things I have done in recent past that I didn't know that i would... and life has not exactly been bookmarked in recent past... keeps on getting more and more weird by the way...

Monsoon seems to have passed in Mumbai as well. Doesn't rain much. I miss the rain... not because of my love of weather and seasons, but because of the memories that Mumbai rain associated with it... the ecstatic feeling of love, moments of nostalgia and dreams of future... most of them gone now... just like the rains. Something tells me I should have associated them with sun rather than rain... at least wud have been perpetual, if not permanent...

Everybody has heard that life is a battle. I seem to be at war with life itself... it keeps on testing me with smashes and bruises, and I am keen to see whether the number of brickbats in its store is enough to stop me from keeping well and fine... till now, i guess I am winning... for I have my own stockpile of happiness, friendships, wishes and thoughts!! Makes memories sweet... dsn't it?

Yesterday a friend's friend's friend commited suicide. End sem results. Second year back. And suddenly everybody is critical of volatile nature of youth, and the affinity for impulsive decesions. Why should a life be defined not by the moments that made it up, but by those that ended it? Why should we not talk about the good man he was, and emphasize on totally irrelevent things?

Will add some more whenever get time next. Got work to do now...

Monday, September 18, 2006

Back to square One!!

Today, I am eating crow, and I am happy that I did not keep my word this time. So today, i will start from the last line from my first blog...

"And the day your dream lies shattered beside you, have the courage to keep your chin up and spirits high. For Dreams never Die. Niether do Dreamers."

So, in a way, I give up on one word, only to stick to another one... forget it... even I don't know why I am trying to justify a good thing that I have done, because of which the dream still lives on!!!

Today, I can think of no other way to restart my blogging days than with a tribute to the people who have always been mine... through thick and thin, through good and bad, through joy and sorrow. They are the people who have made my life worth living. I can think of no order, so I go with the alphabetical order.

Anubhab Roy... the dude of the branch, the ever flamboyant guy who will always bring out the silver lining from each adversity that anybody faced. Been lucky enough to have spent some great times with him... the one thing that I learnt from him once and for all is to look for solutions rather than excuses, and to dare.

Anupam Gupta... the unfathomable ocean of maverick ideas, which made up his daily life. With constant antics, he would keep everyone's mood fresh. Never the one to say 'no' (at least to me ;), i can say that). Such a dependable guy, will go to any lengths to help you out, and will never ever expect something in return...

Ashutosh Srivastava... the guy who knew me in and out, kept me going through all the roughs, who always told me never to think that I do not deserve what I want... always ready with something or the other to keep me alive and jumping. And most importantly, a shoulder to lean on. I wish we will convert some of our late night talks into reality... (not 'that' one... the other ones)

Kumar Anubhav... the oldest friend of mine... the guy who knows me for more than anybody else... always ready with friendly and matter-of-factly advice whenever I needed... and will make me feel cared about when I needed it the most... almost like my extended family... par pata nahi Mummy ko Madam kehna kab chhodega...

Parijat Naha... the more you say about this dude, the less it is... unlimited energy, as many talents as there can be in a guy, and very genuine as a person. Having had him by my side throughout the four years made the roller coaster ride through the other side of ITBHU feel like a cakewalk

Sunny Verma... another member of my extended family... gem of a person... took so many pains to be there for my family when I was not there... amazingly remembers all the crap that we studied in class XII... and teaches my sister!! I can't do that... for all that I am, I can smiply not do that!! And the one thing for which I will remember him is the red rose... thanks yaar...

Thank you friends... Thank you all!!!!

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

In the End.....

I tried so hard, and got so far...
...but in the end, it doesn't even matter!
I didn't even fall... but lost it all...
...but in the end, it doesn't even matter!!!

Well... so here i am again. This time the source of my amazement is the way all questions that I talked about just faded away in wake of the mother of all questions, both of which i managed to answer. So I got the bigger ones, but was (and am) totally lost in the smaller ones. So here go the answers.

Q1. How could you simply believe all that is said?
A1. How could I not believe what is said, given the person who was saying it?

Q2. If you really are in Love, how could you let her go?
A1. If I am really in Love, how could I (and why should I) stop her?

I know, I know. the answers are also questions. Vicious cycle, eh?

A dear friend of mine told me three reasons why people blog.
1. They are preparing for CAT
2. They are having nothing else to do
3. They are in Love

Well, everybody knows that I have never had any intention for getting through CAT. or GRE. or GMAT. And ever since I joined a multinational, the second option got struck off. And the dear friend of mine has obviously no idea of whether or not one can blog when he is in the condition that I am in.

So i guess this is gonna be my last blog. And anybody, for whom Priyank has ever sounded like a nice name, pray that I restart this blog (mind you, restart, not start a new one). and if the 'anybody' who happens to read this blog happens to be, like me, a non believer of sorts, just wish me good.

I know, I know. This is not the way Priyank ends things. so here it goes... my way.

Well... I hope that i will wake up to realise that the last seven days were a bad dream. (Well, they are unreal, for sure). And I hope that I will get a call saying that this was all a good joke!! (Did her voice tell me anything? Maybe it did.)

Hoping against hope? Maybe. But hope is such a wonderful thing. An option that I never strike off, unlike the three listed above.

Will be missing the inspiration behind my blogs.

Take care
Priyank Kulshreshtha

Sunday, September 03, 2006

The belt doesn't match...

"Your belt doesn't match with your shoes today, Priyank!!! Mujhse pooch naa.... Brown belt mein mast lagega...."

The cheerful comment from my still sleepy flatmate... Not exactly what you wish to hear the first thing in the morning. Well, my moods don't match today. I don't know whether to be happy or sad. My attitudes dont match today. I dont know whether or not to laugh at things. For that matter, my life doesn't seem to match today. I dont know whether it is all blank out there or is it just haze that I am unable to see through.

And some part of the world still cares what color my belt and shoes are.

"Ya right. I should have thought of it". As if I have all the time in the world to consult Gucci and Versace to coordinate my accessories.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Why me?

Yet another one on questions… and I presume this is not gonna be the last…

A tennis champion (forgot the name… ) when diagnosed with an acute disease, was asked by a fan, “Why did it have to be you?” He replied, “When thousands watched as I lifted 3 grand slams in a year, I didn’t ask ‘Why me?’. So even now, when I inch closer to death, I do not have the right to ask, Why me.”

Today, I feel myself in a similar situation. Nothing threatens my life, though. But even then, it is as if something is slipping out of hand. Not that it was unexpected. Or maybe not even unfortunate or something I might not have deserved. But the way it did, I stand and feel the urge to ask, not exactly 'Why me?', but just 'WHY?????'

P.S. The comment is better than the post, so i decided that it needs a mention rather than a hyperlink. so, here goes...

The Tramp said......

Well the chap in question is the tennis legend Arthur Ashe...The incident goes as follows..During his battle with AIDS, from the world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does God have to select you for such a bad disease"?

To this Arthur Ashe replied: The world over -- 50,000,000 children start playing tennis, 5,000,000 learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?". And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Tujhse Naraaz Nahi Zindagi....

Not so long ago, i posted about questions. Some got answers, some didn't. Those which didn't are still there... some hanging in the air, some pinching for answers, still others which tickle, tease and fly away, only to be back again. And those which did, well, simply come back again... I guess that is the beauty of it all....

Sometimes when both your heart and your mind think that you have it all sorted out, up comes a question... innocent yet innocous. Sometimes when you think that life is finally on track, back it comes to hit you hard at the least opportune moment. For the latter, you can give it in the face. But the former, you can only laugh at, cry about, think deep and hope that it will go away. It does, and it doesn't. At the same time. It's tough, but then, it's life!!

Yes, I went for the best when better was not good enough. Yes, I listened to my heart when mind was not good enough. And yes, I am happy that I did. Can just hope that whatever comes out is good... or should I say, best??

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Happy Independence Week (? or !)???

It was Independence day two days ago. People pinned tricolors on their pockets two days ago. Speeding cars oozed patriotic songs two days ago. Guys talked about our Independence two days ago. Rallies and gatherings remembered our martyrs two days ago. The brave soldiers and toiling farmers were saluted two days ago. I received 7 Happy I-day messages two days ago on SMS.

What is striking and stands out is not the fact that it all happened, but the fact that it all happened two days ago.

In a land when marketing strategies involve extending friendship day to friendship week, where Valentine's Day is an awaited 'tryst with destiny (ironic, eh?)' for the youth, where anything from 'Sarkaar ka Bhrashtachaar' to 'Cricket team ki Haar' generates media attention that spans weeks if not months, the Independence day loses its sheen in two days.

When I used to play 'Vande Mataram' on my computer anyday, someone would come and ask 'Why?'. Nobody bothered whether or not today is Valentine day when I played Ishq 'Samundar'. And I am still receiving Happy Friendship Day SMSes.

True, we dish out money for N-Blasts of ours, cry for our soldiers when there is a Kargil, Shout 'Vande Mataram' on Independence Day and Republic Day. But, as N. Vittal pointed out... "Can we afford to be Part-time Patriots?"

Any answers????

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Things that I like, and those that I don't...

Things that I like and those that I dont; Doors which were open and those which are yet to be... were as true yesterday as they are today. And yet, the life that seemed choking yesterday feels free today. Luck which seemed out of place seems conspiring in my favor today. Moreover, the mood that i am in today is so much better than what it waas like yesterday .Just because today, there is an effort that was not there yesterday.......

So much for an effort!!!

Saturday, August 12, 2006

In perspective........

There are things that you sometimes wonder about. There are things that you sometimes dream about. There are things that you sometimes think about. And then, there are things for which you do all the three...

And right now I wonder, I dream and I think. I wonder how I managed to get what I did. I dream about what I may. And finally, I to think about what this is trying to teach me, where is this all trying to take me. Questions that seem so simple and are yet hold the key to life... questions which you neither feel like running away from, nor do you feel like taking all of them at one and the same time... questions seemingly so trivial at times, yet so deep and far reaching... questions sometimes so objective, but never ending in a yes or no.

And for these, there are only two kinds of answers, as The Tramp told me once.... one that is right, and one that is easy. One leaves things to grow out as they eventually would, and one that dares you to take control of your life... but at a cost.

And once things are viewed from this perspective, there is only one answer that remains...

Hope i got this one right............. Someday i will blog about another. Hope that day comes soon, coz the wait is killing.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

In Mumbai, it rains

And it rains, and it rains, and it rains.

I step down at CST and reach the guesthouse, absorbing the dreamy skylines of the ‘Sone ki nagari’, and it rains. I move up and down as the rugged and war torn BEST bus negotiates through typical Mumbai roads, and it rains. I wonder whether or not the safety helmet on my head will adversely affect the once high – profile hairstyle of mine, and it rains. I lie down in my bed, reliving the joys of my first salary, first home, first mobile, and, yes, u got it, it rains.

And when it rains, I think about the last day in college, when I was with the best friends I will probably have in my life… dancing in the rain, forgetting for a while that all this is about to end, on the last day in BHU. About the dreams that not so long ago seemed so far yet so near, and today seem so near yet so far. About how each drop falls and disappears like moments of my life, made memorable by one single moment that changed it all. And how I am swinging like a pendulum between what life offers and what I want. I promise myself that I will get it someday. And still, It rains!!!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

How much time is enough time?

The clockworks seem to have caught up with everybody..... the BC-ological content of room gatherings has already given way to nostalgic, even melodramatic at times, ponderings of what it s gonna be like when 'this comes to an end' and we all 'walk away, never to be seeing each other again'.

Makes me think as well.... tell me, how many days in our life do we have that we can call memorable? The day u got a job? The day u cracked JEE? First bicycle ride, with ur dad pushing u through? How many? 5? 10? 20? I don't know. But what I know is that we all have a chance to create many such days out of the ones left with us out here.... So stop thinking too much... enjoy... talk... listen...

And above all, Live!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, April 16, 2006

A real Hero

I would like to dedicate this post to a real life hero.

From the article:
When Javed, an 18-year-old class XII Delhi student, escaped the Meerut trade fair inferno unscathed he could have thanked his stars and returned home. But he did not. Aware of the grave risk he was taking, Javed moved back to the blazing pandal and pulled out nine kids to safety. In doing so, Javed suffered 70 per cent burns. The superhero succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning.There are allegations that he was not treated properly at the hospital, and then there is the issue of the reason of the fire in the first place. Overall, a sad occurance. [also, I wonder what one's chances of survival are after 70% burns]This post is for you Javed. May your soul rest in peace.-A

P.S. Can anyone from Meerut/Delhi reading this confirm how his family is doing? I mean do they have other children? How are they financially? Are the 5 lakh rupees given to them by the UP govt going to be enough [if the money ever reaches them, that is]?

Thursday, March 23, 2006

We Have Seen God

"We Have Seen God. He Bats at No 4 for India"

Seen at the Wankhade, this was probably the most fitting testimony to the kid who obliterated Abdul Qadir when challenged, to the man who carried the burden of Indian batting for almost a decade, to the hero who has stood tall to adversity and come back from career threatening injuries more than once.

In face of the man who has been more successful in the game than any contemporary, those who chose to boo their hero in his backyard should go and hang their heads in shame whenever they even look in the mirror. Isn't he the same Tendulkar who gave them endless reasons to cheer all through his life? Isn't he the same Tendulkar who fought back biting back pain while batting for a day? Isn't he the same Tendulkar who went back to play for India barely a day after he was bereaved? Isn't he the same Tendulkar whose expulsion for a match caused nationwide protests and got the match relegated to an 'informal'?

True, a man as great as Sachin will take it all in his stride and the greatness he has earned shall never be scratched. But when the hero is down, is this how he is to be treated?

Yes, Sachin. You ARE God to your true fans. You will always be.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Friends Forever

This Holi vacation was probably the last time I saw my oldest friend... before life sent both of us to avenues unexplored and unknown to us. We had a great day, a nostalgic chat, and a hearty goodbye. And then, as he got off and his reflection in the rearview mirror grew smaller and smaller, I was surprised at feeling not a loss but a contentment... not the pain of memories but a wave of satisfaction. I realised at that point of time that by sharing each others' lives as much as we had, and finally saying goodbyes when life itself commanded, we no longer remained friends. We became friends forever.

Looking for more......

Monday, January 30, 2006

Rang de Basanti? Really?

I am well aware that this entry comes agonisingly close to being the n^n^nth entry in the cyberworld about the latest flick... not an unexpected achievement for a movie that has replaced a simple "Hi! How are you" by "Hi! Rang De Basanti Dekhi?" in as many recent conversations as i can remember. Now that is what you call impact.

I guess what makes it different is the fact that it makes us think... about what our generation stands for in the contemporary world, and most importantly, what should the embodiments of this generation stand for? Sparing the cinematic melodrama (I am not sure whether that's even a word?) there doesn't exist even the remotest possibility of the most charged youth icon being able to put a spanner in corrupt defense deals, much less pull of the glaring (putting it mildly) of outcomes (I dont plan to add a spoiler to the movie, so let us leave it here).

So does it mean that we remain silent spectators as all this keeps on happening to our country? Do we restrict patriotism to convenience, to a patriotism which ceases to subsist whenever a slightest pain is involved? Is there nothing we can do to at least prevent the society from dipping deeper into the filth that it has got itself into? Well, respectively, I guess not, I hope not and DEFINITELY not.

My take is, you don’t need to go and die for your country in order to be a patriot. You become one when you put the wrapper of the chocolate you just ate in your pocket until you find a dustbin. You become one when you refuse to be put up for sale in dowry market when marriages are concerned. You become one when you pay your taxes when you should. You become one when you decide not to indulge in practices like nepotism and bribery when in relevant positions.

And before signing off, kudos to Rang de Basanti for making the youth think so much.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Saluting the Ultimate Patriot

"We should have but one desire today- the desire to die so that India may live- the desire to face a martyr's death, so that the path to freedom may be paved with the martyr's blood."

These are the words of a man who set out to create a destiny out of despair. The words that inspired a whole generation to rise out of oblivion and into the annals of history as one of the most daring and ambitious forces ever. Be it the legendary "Khooni Hastakshar" or the celebrated "Tum Mujhe Khoon Do, Main Tumhe Aazadi Doonga", all his actions were hallmarks of an Indian to the core.

Did he really pass away in a crash in Taiwan? Did Stalin really refer to him in present tense, long after his supposed death, in an intercepted military communication?

Maybe defying even the inevitability called death seems fair on Netaji, who had already transcended quite a lot of boundaries and defied quite a lot of foes in his quest for an Independent India. But, more significantly, if he did live to see an independent India, is this the one he would have given his life for?

And do even a percent of Indians remember 23 Jan as the day this great son of the Motherland was born?

Some Other Quotes

"Give me blood and I shall give you freedom" was one of the most popular statements made by him, whereby he urged the people of India to join him in the nationalist movement. Spoken at a rally of Indians in Burma, July 4, 1944

"No real change in history has ever been acheived by discussions."

"As soldiers, you will always have to cherish and live up to the three-ideals of faithfulness, duty and sacrifice. Soldiers who always remain faithful to their nation, who are always prepared to sacrifice their lives, are invincible. If you, too, want to be invincible, engrave these three ideals in the innermost core of your hearts". - TO DELHI, TO DELHI
Speech at a military review of the Indian National Army, July 5, 1943.

"We should have but one desire today- the desire to die so that India may live- the desire to face a martyr's death, so that the path to freedom may be paved with the martyr's blood."

"Indian nationalism is inspired by the highest ideals of the human race, satyam (the true), shivam (the god), sundaram (the beautiful). Nationalism In India has... roused the creative faculties which for centuries had been lying dormant In our people...'.

"I have no doubt in my mind that our chief national problems relating to the eradication of poverty, illiteracy and disease and the scientific production and distribution can be tackled only along socialistic lines... ." February 1938

"Gird up your loins for the task that now lies ahead. I had asked you for men, money and materials. I have got them in generous measure. Now I demand more of you. Men, money and materials cannot by themselves bring victory or freedom. We must have the motive- power that will inspire us to brave deeds and heroic exploits."

....'It is our duty to pay for our liberty with our own blood. The freedom that we shall win through our sacrifice and exertions, we shall be able to preserve with our own strength.' ....."

"Jai Hind" was his slogan.