Power play

I was watching my favourite show on television the other day and suddenly the screen went blank. Doing some important work on the pc and there goes the power. This power play doesn't spare me even in the kitchen. I was trying to bake a yummy cake, and just when i was going to switch on the oven, there it went off again. If u are staying in Bangalore, this is a routine for u.

Born and brought up in a city that never had any power cuts, i initially used to get quite annoyed by these frequent failures in bangalore. But then i learned to live with it like all other bangaloreans. But this doesn't gel well with the image that bangalore carries, one of the most developed cities in india or 'HITECH CITY'. It rules in technology but it still struggles to supply some of the basic necessities to it's ever bulging population.

There's one positive thing about these power cuts though. We can take consolation in the fact that by consuming less electricity, we are saving energy. Thus, we are doing our bit for the environment , however, forcefully. Sometimes i think that these cuts are deliberate so that we can help the cause against global warming.

So fellow bangloreans, summer is coming. Be prepared to sit without electricity in the summer heat and help bring down the heat on our planet Earth.

P.S. It is often said that Bangalore was a small town and it was never meant to be a big city. So, the problems. But now that it has grown out to be quite a big city, what can we do? Mass migration?

It might be the voice of India

When i first read it, i resisted writing anything. Then i read it again and couldnt resist myself. When i read all this, my reactions ranged from anger to humour then frustration and finally disappointment. There was this article in TOI few days back, 'Why Gujarat is Special'. And i couldn't help laughing at the ideas expressed by the writer. He claims to have gone deep into the psychological analysis of Gujaratis and studied well the history of Gujarat. He feels communalism is deep rooted in Gujarat since centuries. There were the somnath riots in last century. Then Gujarat lost mumbai almost half a century back. And Gujaratis are angry over these losses and their suppressed anger is coming out in the form of votes to Modi. At least he agrees that the people of the state had reasons to be angry and injustice was done to them in the past. But i wonder how many gujaratis had somnath riots and mumbai on their minds while they voted. Infact i didn't even know about that ages old riots. And what about the cosmopoliton public living in the state and also those muslims who voted for modi? What lured them to vote for such a person? The writers views are just strange and too far - fetched. He is astonished at the elections results. So intead of justing sitting and wondering that how could people elect a person like Modi, why doesn't he do some ground work? Just visit the state and ask the voters. Go and see exactly how much maldeveloped the state is. ( he referred to Gujarat as a maldeveloped state. And it has been among the most developed states of the country since years).

Then i read 'Blame the middle class'. Ahhh! That prompted me to write something.The writer says that the urban middle class of the state is responsible for the politics of hate. Well, how many money-minded gujaratis exactly have caste and religion on their minds on a day-to-day basis? Then here's one quote ' Development in the state now justifies amorality, abridgemet of freedom and collpase of social ethics.' Since when is a job well done called amoral? Is not allowing people to resort to corruption called abridgement of freedom? If a person has the power to lead people and motivate them to work for development is following him called collpase of social ethics? All that the middle class wants is development, a peaceful life and stability. If modi provides that, what's wrong in electing him? At least he is better than these so called intellectuals and psychologists who cannot get the rubbish about caste and religion out of their minds. They are the biggest communal people. Don't they realise that they are doing nothing to help the affected people? Infact they are bringing back the old memories. That's the reason people don't trust them. Those who can't take this rubbish out of their heads cannot rule a state. Because they are the ones who will spread politics of hate. They conveniently forget that there have been no riots in the state post 2002. While Modi was talking about development , they provoked him to talk otheriwise. He talked about terrorism and how the central government has failed to curb it. He talked about how such incidents were stopped from occuring in the state. So blame yourself ' psuedo-secularists'. I fail to understand one thing. Why is gujarat so special? Why do people jump to condemn anything that happens here while turning a blind eye to a similar situation elsewhere? It is not Modi who provokes the people of this state, it is these people who don't miss a chance to say something derogatory at every instance. Afterall it was one of these writers who suggested that decades old suppressed anger is coming out now. And he is adding fuel to the fire.

Alas, 2002 will remain a blot in the history of the state. Everything that happens here will be dissected, analysed and viewed under a microscope. Gujarat has to learn to live with it.

Lastly, there was a question, 'Is Gujarat India?' How about giving India a chance to decide?

The place of my birth

Gujarat has been in the news since past some days, and mostly for the wrong reasons. But being born and brought up in ahmedabad, i can say that the city and the state are among the safest in the country. I am staying out of ahmedabad since past five years, but i miss the genuine warmth of the city. One can never feel alone or left out when in ahmedabad.

The city is my native, so it's natural when i shower praises on it. But this sentiment is echoed by my friends who have come from different parts of the country and settled here or even stayed here for a while. They feel at home here, sometimes even more than their own natives. The people are so friendly that they instantly make u feel at ease. But its not that they intrude into ur life. If u want company they are always there, and if u want to be alone, they'll let u be.

The only regret i've is that amdavadis are not vocal about their love for the city like mumbaikars or even bangaloreans. Perhaps because they (and gujaratis in general ) would rather let their work speak for themselves. Maybe thats the reason the state is progressing even when some people and the media choose to stay stuck up in the past. What's the point in bringing up the same issues time and again, bringing back old memories and hurts? Just look at the way the state and the city have progressed inspite of everything. Storms, earthquakes, floods, droughts, riots, nothing has broken the spirit of the state. It has always risen from the ashes. The people here have moved forward with resilience. They have just kept quite and continued with their work. But this has allowed some people to take potshots at the state time and again.

Resilience is good, but what's the harm in being more vocal?

Friendship is Forever

Friend - an absolute necessity in any person's life. It is the one entity where quality matters and not quantity. And among all the friends one makes in life, i guess childhood friends are the ones who are cherished the most. They are the one's we've grown up with. Our companions during the wonder years. The days we used to talk nonstop - and nonsense too. The days when we spent hours with them just chatting, laughing , roaming and doing nothing productive except making a friendship strong. Ahh!!! those carefree days.

Over the years, the kids grow up to mature individuals. Friends may move on to their separate paths. Life changes, even we change as a person. There are responsiblities to fulfill, goals to achieve and so much more to do. We find lesser time to spare for friends. But the friendship remains. There is so much we want to say and so little we really can. We want to talk to them for hours together, share our thoughts,speak out so many things. But we can't. Maybe its due to lack of time, or simply the inability to truly express whatever we feel. Whatever be the reason, we feel a certain emptiness, something missing when we really miss our friends.

Still, life changes, circumstances change, friends may change, but friendship is forever.

Friends, wherever u are, we may not meet, we may not talk for days together, but u will always remain in my heart. Because you are one of the loveliest gifts God gave to me.

Bundle of joy

It was the loveliest moment of my life, when i held him in my hands for the first time. My baby, my bundle of joy. When he opened his eyes to see the world, a brand new world opened up for me. Then i realised that birth of a baby also means birth of a mother. His smile, the mischievious tinkle in his eyes, the way he murmurs sweet nothings, its sheer bliss. I enjoy watching his dada-dadi and nana-nani enjoying his plays. I remember those days of anxiety when i wondered how would i take care of my baby. I didnt know much about baby care after all. But then, motherhood teaches everything. U just look at ur baby and realize that u can do anything and everything in ur hands for his or her wellbeing. There were days when i hesitated to even sing a lullaby. Now i can put up any words together and compose a song for him :) I can stay awake for hours if he's in a mood for play and not sleep. Moreover, its so sweet to listen to my husband, now talking like a responsible father. Papa the great.
Little worries, bigger joys, that's what makes motherhood complete.

kahan tum chale gaye

This is one of my most favourite songs. But i rarely listen to it. I just don't have the courage.

chitthi na koi sandes, jaane wo kaunsa des
jahaan tum chale gaye
is dil pe lagaa ke thes, jaane wo kaunsa des
jahaan tum chale gaye
ek aah bhari hogi, hum ne na suni hogi
jaate jaate tum ne aawaaj to di hogi
har wakt yahi hai gam, us wakt kahan the hum, kahan tum chale gaye
har cheez pe ashkon se, likhaa hai tumhaaraa naam
ye raste ghar galeeyaan, tumhen kar na sake salaam
hai dil mein reh gayi baat, jaldi se chhudaakar haath kahan tum chale gaye
ab yaadon ke kaante, is dil mein chubhate hain
na dard thhaharataa hain, na aansoo rukte hain
tumhen dhoondh raha hai pyaar, hum kaise kare ikraar ke haan tum chale gaye


She was the sweetest, cutest and one of the best friends i've ever had. Being childhood friends, we knew eachother so well and our thoughts were so much similar that we would give the same reaction to any situation. Sometimes to the extent that we would almost speak out the same words at the same time.

Bubbly, charismatic, full of life. These were the words that described her best. She wanted to live life to the fullest. But life didn't give her a chance. She and her parents, our closest family friends, were victims of the 2001 earthquake.

I still remember that day, when we were searching wildly in the ruins, trying to listen to any sound or to catch a glimpse of someone caught beneath their shattered dream homes. But in vain.

Years have gone by. I've lost some things and gained some in all these years. But this is one loss neither me nor my family can ever overcome.

One complaint God!! y do u take away the best of the lot? Please don't. We need them more than u do.

ye kaun chitrakaar hai !!!!

It's kabini, near bangalore

View from the terrace of my home in a'bad

An evening in ahmedabad

Isn't it awesome?

God is The best painter