Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Scale Scare

Today I did quite a daring act…no I didn’t jump from the clock tower or killed a cockroach. Not as daring as these, but certainly quite a daring one at least to me. After keeping myself away from my weight machine for quite a long I finally gathered some courage to do a reality check on how much I have put on in the last couple of months after I stopped working out.
So everyone is right that I have put on weight and today even the scales proved so. Well the results were not very shocking to me as it was something I was very much anticipating after indulging into food (all unhealthy ones) so much all these days. After all, I spent most o the time in either a restaurant or coffee shop in past few months. Why? Well I myself don’t know. Perhaps just wanted to break the monotony of eating the same boring ‘healthy’ food. By the way a foodie doesn’t need any excuse to indulge into food! When you see those eyes giving you strange looks as you try getting an extra scoop of ice cream at the dinner table… when the waiter at the restaurant welcomes you with a big friendly smile as you become a regular customer …when that favorite dress of yours that you bought couple of months back becomes tight like your old rags… when you don’t fit into that dressing table mirror anymore… all these doesn’t mean that you have added inches around your waist but just remind you that the past few months have been quite a solace for the foodie inside you.
What I fail to understand is that why everyone around keeps reminding you that you have put on weight as if you don’t know that? :P Yes I know that I have put on before anyone else realises, still everyone brings this reality to the surface that I just don’t wanna face! I wonder why is it the others that are more worried about MY weight that ME? Guys why don’t you please mind our own business (Read: Tummy)?
May be we all are a bit more judgmental when it comes to others. Or may be because they really care for ME. Well whatever, the bottom line is I have put on weight and need to shed it down. Time to hit the treadmill…..again!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Kick-Ass!!!

Today I am going to talk about a particular type of creature whom I am sure we all have got the chance to see in our lives at some point or the other. You will find them every where and at every stage of life. At home, at office, school, college, almost every where, even in the mythology you will get to see the proof of their existence, having a lot of credit on their lap for being the catalyst of many of the great wars in the history. We grew up among them, always surrounding us and annoying us. You will find them everywhere among friends, siblings, classmates and yes last but the most important habitat of these creatures…office. Some love to keep them, some love to become one and the rest (read: me) who don’t fit into the earlier two just watch helplessly cribbing about them. So helplessly venting my frustration here. Take a look around and you will find them all around. These are the people carrying the secret recipe of being successful without actually working. I have seen quite a many and I am sure you too have had to deal with your share of such jerks. One is enough to change your life into a hell. You do everything…work sincerely towards your goals…try to achieve all your targets on time…do almost everything to get what these get doing only one thing i.e. nothing! If you wonder why am I talking of them?? Well just happened to see one such creature sitting in front of me and don’t have any other place to express my frustration, so am here.

If you still wonder that whom I am talking about then let me tell you. The dictionary define these creatures as ‘a person who flatters someone important in a servile way’ and others like me call them…well there are quite a few of them….Sycophant, asskisser, butterer, parasite, suck up, crawler, toady, yesman, but my fav is the desi version ‘chamchagiri’. Sucks!!!

Monday, October 19, 2009

'Happy Diwali'

Life is so unpredictable. Full of surprises and sorrows. A mystery that we keep solving throughout this journey and still don’t get an answer to it. A simple question that leaves us all puzzled. What is life? A fascinating journey that teaches us lessons at every step, a journey that we start alone and as we move ahead people keep joining in. Some momentarily, some for a little more than that. Few we forget easily, few we cannot and there are few whom we want to forget but cannot. The unpredictability about life is perhaps the most fascinating thing about it. You never know what will happen the next moment. You never know you will have the same people around you the very next moment. Yet it is this optimistic human nature that lets us go to sleep with the hope of waking up the next day to witness a bright sunshine. We meet people, some touch our heart, and some leave without any impact. I never thought that it was my last meeting with him and I will never be able to see him again when he came to see us off a year back when we were leaving Delhi. I still remember his ever smiling face and humorous nature that helps him strikes a rapport immediately with anyone he met. He was a distant relative of mine whom even I was not aware of until I inquired among my close ones to find someone to help me find an accommodation for my internship in Delhi. That was the time when me and my family met him for the first time.

A day before yesterday while browsing though my phone book to send ‘Diwali Messages’ (the forwarded ones) suddenly his number popped up on the screen. After returning from Delhi, not even a single festival went without wishing him. And this Diwali, he is no more there between us. Or may be he is still alive in our memories, and will always be alive in our hearts. Wish you ‘A Very Happy Diwali’ Uncle!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Sach Ka Samna

‘Ghandhi Jayanti’ just passed by and the first thing that comes to my mind when you say ‘BAPU’ after his trademark round glasses, is his autobiography ‘My Experiments with Truth’. “Truth and honesty have always been an integral part of ‘Bapu’s’ life and we should also try to imbibe the very same in ours”, that’s what has always been told to us since childhood. But the truth about ‘Truth’ is that it is bit not so practical to stick to telling ‘Truth’ all the time in today’s world. In other words, it is hard to survive without lying in the present scenario. At least without the small ones, which we use every now and then without even realizing that we are lying.

Why am I saying this is that recently I have broken all my previous records on lying and lied quite a lot this week. And no I am not here for apologies. Sometimes a little lying is necessary for your own survival in this not so honest world. I mean you have to become sick when your boss doesn’t grant you leave and you have exhausted all your casual leaves and you definitely don’t wanna miss that outing with your friends. Especially for a journo like me where week doesn't end on weekends. :( So what if your Boss too knows that all your excuses are so ‘not true’! I know most of us do that (except for those of us who are from Mars and clame having never lied in their lives!!! Duh?).

Now giving a make over to my image that I ruined in the above few lines let me tell you, I am not a typical liar who uses this art all the time. On the contrary I have always tried to refrain from lying. The reason could be that I have always been bad at lying. And so ventured towards honesty and always abstain from lying of course except for a few instances where it just came out on its own as a self defense. Thought every lier gives this excuse of 'self defense'. But yes honestly is the best policy and I totally imbibing that. Why do people lie? What makes them lie? The truth about lying is that, we all indulge into it. Some a little less, others a little more. The bottom line is as long as it doesn’t harm anyone’s sentiments, indulging into a bit of lying is not that bad. What do you think?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

'Doordarshan turns 50'!!!













A cup of hot ‘Masaleywali Chai’ (masala tea) with some hot snacks, and see your home turning into paradise after a long tiring day at work. Switch on the TV and browse through your favorite channel (news channels in my case…now don’t say they are boring…I know that!!!) and relax on your couch…what else you can ask for! J Now that was exactly the scene in my life yesterday after reaching home late in the evening. Ok I don’t want to make you bore giving details of my everyday events but something interesting which I am sure many of you must be aware of, hopefully. Our good old once upon a time our favourite and only channel available turned 50 yesterday! And this was the prime time news in many of the top (in terms of TRP ratings) channels. Which one? ‘Doordarshan’ yaar!!!


DD started broadcasting in India Sep 15, 1959 when UNESCO gave the Indian government $20,000 and 180 Philips TV sets. Hmmm…i wish I was born then so that I could have established 2-3 channels on my own. Kidding!

Not very long ago Doordarshan, once was our favorite channel. And the unavailability of satellite channels was not the reason behind. So what is the reason behind this once a most wanted becoming totally ignored old member of the family? I remember my association for ‘Doordarshan’ has been quite a long. Not that I was born before the cable TV revolution era but my family (and me too) made it clear that we wont take any cable connection till I complete my board exams. Now whether that decision helped me score better marks or not is a different story all together. I don’t have much idea about the golden age of Indian television, when people talk about serials like Buniyaad and Hum log, which were Indian television's first soap opera. But whenever you talk of ‘Doordarshan’ one thing that flashes in my mind are the weekend’s programs on Sundays especially ‘Sindabad the sailor’, ‘Mogli’, ‘Alice in wonderland’, ‘Malguri Days’ and of course my favorite ‘Chandrakanta’. I used to miss my Sunday painting classes just so that I can watch these favorite programs of mine. Another favorite was ‘Alif Laila’, which used to come at night time and I used to watch even when my entire family was sleeping. And of course how not to mention great sagas of all time 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata'.

‘Doordarshan’ has got so many memories of mine and I am sure yours as well attached with it. The ‘Doordarshan’ era was really a golden one and so were its programs. The way we all cherish our memories with those serials I don’t think we can get the same nostalgic feel with the serials and programs of the current lot, except a very few. Each one of us could relate ourselves with the simplicity and grounded nature of those programs and their characters, which turned out to be their USP. Life used to be equally simple where morning used to start along with the signature tune of ‘Doordarshan’ playing first stanza of 'Vande Mataram'. How can we forget that montage and the visual images? Day used to end with the ending of the transmission. I still get nostalgic every time I hear it. Yes, now in ‘youtube’ of course.

So what went wrong that we got detached with this favorite channel of ours? Why we all ditched those simple and grounded characters for these new age glamorous wamps?


Is it the “commitment for healthy entertainment suitable for family viewing" the main reason for it being left out single in the race, in this highly competitive market where sex and TRPs are almost synonyms. Still ‘Doordarshan’ enjoys the widest terrestrial reach which caters to remote and border areas that are often neglected by other channels due to their commercial interests. However, a recent survey by TAM (Television Audience Measurement), the television research agency, said that ‘Doordarshan’ not only commands the highest channel share compared to private networks but attracts a far greater number of viewers.

But the million dollar question is ‘are they watching it by their choice or because they are not left out with any other choice’? Well time for some reality check to be done. Whatever be the present scenario, ‘Doordarshan’ holds a very special place in our hearts. Always has been, always will be. But the irony is that we are getting this news of ‘DD turning 50’ from some other channel.

We all have our share of stories with our association with this good old friend ‘Doordarshan’. Would love to hear yours. Please feel free to share.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

"Getting Bore"




























Ok so it is just another day at work. A boring, dull day without any excitement (even my boss is not shouting today). Actually, his marriage is fixed. So he is not in his senses. ;) And here I am without any assignments to work on today. I am bored to death. Now you must be thinking ‘wow lucky you’. Hmmm…yes I am but what is the use of spending free time in office…I wish I could have gone out or just chilled (read: sleep) at home. But alas, I can’t. :( My present state is the best example of being ‘Jobless at a Job’. Or you can say, the greedy human nature…when bombarded with assignments I curse him (read: my boss) and when not I still curse him. “Let me go home man!!!” I truly miss my good old college days. The only difference between a boring lecture and a boring office is that, the later pays you for getting bore. But the only good thing about the former is that you can always bunk it!!!