Speak-eth!!!

Mr. Raj Thackrey spoke his mind…right or wrong, that is for you to decide…but he had the guts to speak his mind and face stiff opposition…even though it is a publicity stunt!

I like many do not agree to it…we are ONE country with our diversities…isn’t he trying to undermine the competency of the Maharashtrians by talking about reservations? Why do we need these on the basis of caste and region?

What I find amazing is that the so- called intelligentsia of the state did not one oppose his project of ‘Jai Maharashtra!’ does it insinuate something?

Mr. Deshmukh, were you sleeping in your cozy leather couch? Where were you, when innocents were beaten up? zzziinnnngggg???

Why are we going back to ‘regionalism’ and re -igniting the whole ‘I am better than you’ debate? What is Thackrey getting out of it? Should the Central Government then ban him from visiting to other parts of the country? In the future, will we have to acquire visas and work permits to enter other states? Ohhh…what a nightmare!!!

Come on politicians, speak up for the wrong…condemn him and any such anti- national feeling…forget vote banks, they will come running to you if you do things right!!!

Speak up like he did…or else go to hell!!!

Boom Boom!!!

Boom...goes the bomb...my head goes numb with the sounds that pierces through my ear and took my mind to the battle zone...ohhh!! so much noise...

Burn burn...the money burns with the smoke of the patakhas and phuljharis...was I discussing about the financial meltdown yesterday??

Why do we waste, oh lord!!! Diwali is to illuminate the house to ward off all evils and to chant or pray...to eat loads of sweets and spend time with loved ones...but I could do none...

My head was reeling, I could hear infants cry and dogs go restless because of the booms and bangs...enjoyment as someone else's cost? to prove what?

I kept wheezing all night in the hope to catch some sleep at night..but hell no, I wasn't allowed to do so...

Lets celebrate festivals with our sensibilities intact...enjoy ourselves to the fullest without draining it out from other's lives!!! Can't we be considerate???

Hope you had fun... :)

Fasted!!!

The celebration time is on...and we are enjoying to the hilt!!! and of course all of a sudden, we become satyawatis, kalawatis and pati pujarans...hail our embedded patriarchal thoughts. Modern Indian woman is definitely not truly 'modern' after all...thanks to Ekta Kapoor's idiosyncrasies that reflects in her 'traditional' serials, where on one hand the man has relationships with umpteen number of women and the wife is fasting- 'karva chauth' and praying for his long life even after bearing the misbehaviour of the pati devta, sasuma and others!!!!

The worst of all, all women sit in front of the idiot box and greatly enjoy these atavistic serials that does nothing but give new ideas to suppress women...how lovely!!!

Isn't it time for the guys to do something? Hello...we bear the pregnancy, bring them up and manage the family logistics...isn't it time for them to fast for us?? after all, they can't afford to let us go to the heavens earlier...god save their lives!!!

Have we really understood the meaning of 'modernism' and 'equality'? Now I know a lot of you are going to say, 'its faith, what's your problem?' I know its your life and you can do whatever you want...but don't show off na...its become a fashion to demand or discretely expect expensive gifts from your darling hubbies!!!then why mix 'materialism' and 'faith'???


I don't understand our system at times..isn't love, all pure that breaks boundaries of creed, caste and religion??? Pray from the heart for love, not for diamonds...

Meandering life…

So what is happening to India and the world? Are we experiencing the sophisticated version of the 1930- 40 era?
Why are we branding a community for a few ‘black sheep’ and allowing the political parties to design our thoughts according to their convenience? We have stopped thinking, the only thing that bothers us today is how to earn more, live luxuriously and enjoy expensive vacations…
I saw ‘Wednesday’ yesterday…and yes, we are the stupid common man who has adjusted to every wrong and despicable activity taking place around us. We are ok with not going out and enjoying ourselves without fearing another bomb attack or talking to a stranger…we are ok with glancing suspiciously at a person wearing a safa, topi or dawning a beard…but why are we not ok with coming out of our comfort zone and asking the power hungry people to end the politics of terrorism? Utter ridiculous…then we blame the bajrang dals, secularists, communists and the SIMIs of the world…if they are doing what they think is right…why are we sitting like nincompoops and letting them do what they wish to.
Why are we ok with ethnic cleansing, conversion and re- conversions, caste killings, rapes and murders…why have they become a part of our daily lives and newspapers? Why have we allowed the ‘religionisation’ terrorism and ‘communalisation’ of its combat?
Are we heading towards a world war ? I see their mini- version happening already…hasn’t our lives become like that of the mosquito, living with the fear of being squashed by the bombs, religious-socio- cultural violence, road accidents…
Why am I living it and what’s the purpose of my life now? May be its time we take history seriously and bring it out from its coffin before we end up like the past!

Rock On!

Aashche bochor aabaar hobe!!! Pujo spirit lingers on

I had a terrific time during pujo...office in the morning and celebration in the evening...so why do bengalis suddenly feel all cultural and nostalgic during this time??? obviously coz its the only thing we wait for in the year!!!! The resonance of dhak (drums) and dhunochi naach (dancing with the pot that carries smoking coconut sheel in it) are the kickstarters and the essence of durga pujo that we don't get to see in our daily lives...
Excited kids and elders showing off their new wardrobe, bengali cultural functions in the evenings, galavanting around the city at wee hours in the night to see other pujo pandals and eating sumptuous chops, cutlets and maansher jhol (mutton curry) are the star attraction..

The mood is carnivalesque...a good time for youngsters for bird watching...but all in good spirits!!!

I have been associated with Patel Nagar Pujo since my birth...acting in plays, to distributing bhogs, to singing in agomoni (songs to invoke Maa Durga)...done it all and the spirit lives on in me...I wish these days could last a bit longer as it takes you away from the usual maddening lifestyle and force you to let your hair down and enjoy to hilt as if there is no tomorrow!!!! My countdown for the next year has aready begun :)

Work during pujo!!!

Now for me that's a sacrilege!!! But what can I do??? I have to come to office because I can't take a holiday after a long ailment period...

For a person like me...this time is all about venturing out, loafing around with family and friends and watching different pujo pandals and choose to watch from a plethora of cultural programmes.

But this time it was dampened by fear of terrorist attack...tight security checking led to long queues outside, thus hindering us from going inside!!!

This is the only festival for us bengalis when we get a chance to freak out, but sadly we were restrained this time!

Pujo always makes my heart flutter like a 2 yr old...its so exciting for me...and naturally so...

more on this later on!!!

Enjoy...the festival time has begun!!! Finally!!!

Stubbed!!!

Yes!!! I am happyyyy... that finally someone has banned smoking in public areas!!!

Now I would not have liked that 6 years back...when I used to smoke...well, I read Shobha De's comment on this issue where she protested the ban saying its 'un- democratic'!!! well what about the rights of those who suffer from passive smoking?? I wonder...I might sound like a disillusioned communist, which maybe I am...its far better to be an active smoker than a passive one! Also, since I am working in TERI now, I feel it is one of the small steps to combat climate change...so why not make these small efforts to make a BIG impact :)

But that makes me think, why I started smoking and why did I quit!!

Well in college days you are bound to try new things, cigarette creates a facade of creativity...so naturally as a singer, actor and director, I should be smoking or else how will my creativity ooze out...what a high it was to just hold that Wills Classic :)

Suddenly, juniors respected you or so you felt...and I became this pseudo artist...and then of course it was to forget emotional pain, or so it was meant to be...

And then I quit...one fine morning...not that I was a chain smoker or could not live without it...that's a good thing my dad taught me, he said, "never get addicted to anything, coz nothing is more worth it than Life itself"...and I followed it...and still do...

Has my creativity suffered a setback?? or have I gone 'madder'?? well no and yes...and I have christened myself with the title of 'innocent madness' :)!!

I have to come to one conclusion...no artificial thing can give you high or bust your stress levels...we really need to 'love' our lives to be free from all this...freedom in altruism!!

And so I never had a craving ever again since the last 4 years...I am asthamatic and I realise what others go through when I am on the other side of the line...

So guys...no gyaan.. but try and quit...there are many more things to get addicted to..music for one!!!

Rock On!!!