Monday, September 28, 2015

Food : Sprouts Egg Pulav - My experiment

I was alone again today. What better could I think to engage myself in something I enjoy? Yes! Cooking has been my passion out of work. No one who cooks, cooks alone. In the kitchen, I am surrounded by generations of cooks past, mother’s advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.
The more experiments you make, the better food.
When cooking, go by your own taste. So I came up with a unique recipe combining sprouts, eggs and some leafy vegetables. Considering the healthy benefits, I just mixed them and cooked for my lunch which turned out amazing.




















The recipe, if you want to try – SPROUTS EGG PULAV 
Serves 1 person
cooking time 20 mins
Preparation time 15 mins

Ingredients:

Cooked rice 1 cup (basmati or sona masuri)
Cooked sprouts – Green Gram + Horse Gram – 1/4 cup
Egg – 1 
Fresh Methi leaves – 1/3 cup chopped
Onion small – diced lengthwise
Green chillies - 4 slit lengthwise
Ginger-garlic paste or grated – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cashews – 5
Garam masala – 1tsp 
Coriander leaves(cilantro) - fresh
Yogurt or curd - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Procedure :

1) Heat the pan and add 2 tbsp oil/butter 
2) Add the cumin seeds(jeera) until they splutter
3) Add the cashews and saute as they get colored fast
4) Now add the onion and saute for 30 seconds
5) Add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies until the aroma comes up 
6) Now add the chopped methi leaves, garam masala and fry them  for a minute until the rawness is gone
7) Add the curd and sprouts. Saute for couple of mins so that the curd is absorbed in the mixture
8) Add egg and mix it like a burji. Add salt per your taste and mix the cooked rice
9) Saute carefully so that the rice does not become damp and remove from the stove
10) Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot

Note:

1) you can add desiccated coconut while mixing other ingredients for rich taste
2) you can serve it with raita or shorba
3) you can alter this recipe for biryani taste as well
4) vegetarians can use either tofu or paneer instead of egg 
5) sprouts was microwaved for 7mins before using

Cooking is one failure after another, and that’s how you finally learn.


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Food : Soya Chunks Pulav

The next best thing to eating food, is talking about it.
Your food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.
Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle.  Being a vegetarian it is important for me to derive the proteins into my body. Excellent source of protein is Soya Chunks and my favorite too. 
It is quick to cook, with a protein content far greater than that which comes from meat.
Soya chunks are dry when you purchase them. They need to be reconstituted in water, which causes them to become spongy. Plain soya chunks do not have much flavor at all, but they absorb sauces, spices and flavorings well. Use them to make stew, soup, curry and masala dishes, salads and stir-fries.

When my wife was away, I decided to try soya nuggets for my lunch and came up with my own recipe from the experience I have gained with cooking for some years now. I wanted something very simple and minimal masala as against to the Indian food. I hope you like it just like I did. 

This being my first blog for a cooking recipe, I hope to continue my experiments and share with you guys who are like minded and open to trying varieties. 

Recipe - SOYA CHUNKS PULAV 
Serves 1 person
Cooking time 20 mins
Preparation time 15 mins

Ingredients :
Cooked rice 1 cup (basmati or sona masuri)
Soya chunks - 10 to 12 soaked 
Onion small - diced lengthwise
Green chillies - 3 slit lengthwise
Ginger-garlic paste or grated - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cashews - 10
Cinnamon - small stick
Cardamom - 1 
Cloves - 2 
Frozen green peas - 1/4 cup (as per your choice)
Beans - 1/4cup (as per your choice)
Carrot - 1/4 cup (as per your choice)
Coriander leaves(cilantro) - fresh
Yogurt or curd - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Procedure :
1) Heat the pan and add 2 tbsp oil 
2) Add the cumin seeds(jeera) until they splutter along with cinnamon, clove and cardamom
3) Add the cashews and saute as they get colored fast
4) Now add the onion and saute for 30 seconds
5) Add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies until the aroma comes up 
6) Now add the vegetables and fry them until the rawness is gone and crunchy enough to eat for about 2 mins
7) Add the curd and the soya chunks and saute for couple of mins so that the curd is absorbed in the mixture
8) Add salt per your taste and mix the cooked rice
9) Saute carefully so that the rice does not become damp and remove from the stove
10)Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot

Note:
1) soak the soya chunks in hot water for about 20-30 mins and dry away the water
2) you can add desiccated coconut while mixing other ingredients for more taste
3) you can add any other vegetables of your choice
4) also try adding methi leaves as they suit best with soya nuggets
5) you can add garam masala instead of the spices I have mentioned
6) you can serve it with raita or shorba
7) you can alter this recipe for biryani taste as well

Benefits of Soya chunks:
Nuggets are extremely high in protein.
They are pure vegetarian beans, hence good choice for the vegetarians.
Nuggets is rich in protein diet and essential for complete nutrition.
It is proven a healthy food item for young as well as for old people.
It is un-problematic food item, especially for diabetics and heart patients.
Soy oil is also very healthy in cooking.
Soya nuggets provides a good amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein for growing children.
Soya contains high amount of fiber, it helps in loosing weight as well.
Soya bean is one of the best non-fish sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids, that can help in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
Soy protein can provide positive results for people with high blood pressure.
Soy protein has various benefits for the women, especially during the post-menopausal years.

Happy Cooking!

Friday, September 18, 2015

5 years..

5 years is a very long time.. Its time to revive my blogs..
Better late than never..
Lets not talk about what held me back or what changed my priorities.

Back to writing and reading... what I enjoyed the most..
Sometimes restarting the old hobbies is the best thing to do in life to keep yourself going..

.. and life goes on

Sunday, February 14, 2010

For You..


So much to say that I love you
Now that so much I need you
How would it be if you leave me
Feel it for me to believe me
I want to love but not alone
Living for you and dying.... for you

This is one jingle that caught my attention for the day.. Its just awesome.. and has so much to convey in just few lines. Oh my valentine.. this song is dedicated for you on this special day..
My search is still on.. and am waiting for you..

Sometimes... you just leave it god..
here I am.. for you..
Do you see my love for you growing?

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Is that all in life..


I would work towards getting the self-confidence which is less expensive and more satisfying in the long run, at least for me.

Some probably chose not to fully express their point of view. They seem to know what they want but not why they wanted it and whether it would actually satisfy their needs ever. That to me felt like living life in the reverse. Again its individuals view. If everyone was here to lead their lives individually what purpose does it serve to say it's a co-existence? Where do relations fit in here..

Reproducing the conversation transcript to let you know the thoughts of what people think:

X: leave it yaar... let me first become something in life......

me: and what is that something, X? Is it a definite goal or a horizon without an end?

7:30 PM     X: fame, money etc.....

     me: To what end, X?

7:31 PM     Is fame as important as life?

X: well...tell u once I get these two...

     me: Some of the people who do the greatest acts in their lifetimes don't get fame..

7:32 PM     Rudolf Diesel, after whom the fuel is named, the inventor of the diesel engine was not even recognized for his invention till after his death.. he died in poverty..

      and fame is something that Rakhi Savant can get if she parades semi-naked on a show..

7:33 PM     Is fame more important than achieving something worthy of fame?

     X: lol....

     me: No seriously..

      which aspect of fame are you after?

      The aspect of doing something great or getting noticed for it?

7:34 PM     X: tough to answer....

     me: It shouldn't be...

7:35 PM     ask yourself..

      if you would do things going out of your way for the benefit of people, even if you don't get the recognition..

      or whether you just want to be a page 3 celebrity..

     X: well m not rakhi sawant nor diesel..

7:36 PM     me: I always thought you were a confident and ambitious person, X..

      Confident people don't need to hanker for fame..

      After all, what is the meaning if somebody recognizes your work or not?

7:37 PM     Will it change the effectiveness of what you do?

      Steve Waugh comes down several times to India to help underprivileged children and NGOs and he does it whether the cameras are clicking or not..

7:38 PM     X: well... I don't know abt others..what they did n what they not.. I just want to get noticed ..thts it....

7:39 PM     me: What drives that desire, X?

7:40 PM     X: donno

me: You are a strong person, X..

      you don't need somebody to endorse that you are so..

      So I don't understand this need to get noticed..

7:41 PM     X: no...m not... i think all useless things......

7:42 PM     me: and where is the happiness here? If ten thousand people say you are a great person you fell happy? Vindicated? What if the next day twenty thousand people call you a b***h? something worse? Is that when you start thinking that you are worthless?              

X: LOL...dont make me think too much pal....


7:43 PM     me: Not at all, X..

      You should be the index of yourself...

      and not allow somebody else to make a judgment about you..

      You should know your worth.. and not let somebody else push it up or pull it down at will..

7:44 PM

      Nobody is perfect, X..

      nobody is fearless

7:45 PM     Nobody is free of temptations..

X: I know yaar....

     me: nobody is full of virtue..

      but every single person has to have faith in oneself..  X: :)

7:46 PM     me: You are a great person, X.. and you should not feel the need to get it endorsed by a group to realize it..

      Fame is what insecure people aspire for..

      They think it's a cloth that can cover all the bad patches..

      hide it from public view.. X: he he

7:49 PM     so u tell me...what should be done....

     me: Aspire to do great things, that is a worthy ambition X..

      What is fame? Money?

      They are no goals..

7:50 PM     Money is still a good goal..

      For you need money for everything in life..

      But fame? That is a silly pursuit..

      not unless you believe the fame can propel you even further.. you and your cause that is..

7:51 PM     X: hmm.... well m nothing now....so want to become something first.....

     me: that's not at all true..

      If you have nothing now, you can never be anything, X..

      I'm being very blunt, sorry for that..

      But you need to realize that there is latent potential in you..

      That's not nothing..

7:52 PM     If you don't have talent, potential, you will go nowhere..
     X: hmm

     me: Everyone of us has something..

7:53 PM     But many think they don't have anything. ... and that's when they go down in life..

      I might not be earning a fat pay-packet today, but I know I have potential..

      I believe that I can manufacture my own opportunities to come up even further.. that's not nothing..

7:54 PM     My bank balance may be nothing, but I'm NOT nothing..

     X: :) thts very much true what u said abt u...

     me: And it's true about you too, X..

7:55 PM     There is only one type of respect that really matters in this world, X..

      That is self-respect.

     X: :)


me: I don't need somebody to tell me that I am worthy of their respect before I respect myself..

      X, you don't need fame..

      You need self-respect.




Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Being me..


Radio Jockey(RJ) one of the passionate professions I dreamt to be on.. Did it for sometime during college.. My show on 91.1 FM used to happen every weeknight 9PM-12AM…The show I did was to ask the listeners of my show to drop in a SMS and I would call them back. Also just in case listeners wanted to leave a voice message 24/7, they hadto dial and reach out my IVR, speak their heart out and confess on what they wanted…this IVRS facility provided yet another platform me to connect with my listeners…and I realized that a lot of listeners started using the facility to reach out to me, may be they felt it more comfortable than a direct conversation. This is just like how you vent your heart out with a stranger exactly when you are unable to express the same with your loved or close ones.

One day, anonymous person had left a message saying that she is plagued with guilt about how she left her boy friend in lurch and got married to another…she kept in touch with her ex thinking she will try and ease out things with him, but realized that he was still not over her, and was insisting he would never marry another which made her feel even worse about things…for now she had changed her mobile number, but couldn’t help feeling guilty about the fact that even while she was with him, she never really explained to him why she would never be able to convince her parents about this relationship and why it wouldn’t work out..

This is such a classic situation…one thing I did not understand is that if people are already aware of such facts at the onset of a relationship and they know they won’t have the guts to stand up to their parents regarding their choice of a life partner, then why go along with the whole charade? or do we have a tendency to just leap into things, thinking jo hoga toh dekha jaayega [enaadru amele nodkoteeni]…I am thinking of the guy who must be left wondering what went wrong suddenly? How do you come to terms with the fact that somebody who professed to love you for a lifetime had suddenly chickened out and opted out of the relationship without even giving a proper reason? and the girl changing her mobile number must be another slap on the face…but maybe at that point it’s better for her to break all ties with him, and try to sort out things in her head…nahi toh agar aise hee baatcheet hoti rahi, toh samajhne samjhaane ke chakkar mein dimaagh ka dahi naa ban jaaye…[if not if the conversations continued, you would have gone insane]

As for the girl, I did not understand that it’s at times really hard to withstand the emotional blackmail that parents can put one through when they want their way…and sometimes it’s just easier to give in and surrender to their demands, and go by their wishes…but then you have to gather enough inner strength to let go of your past and start afresh, as like in this case, unless and until she stops thinking about her ex, and lets go of the guilt, she will not be able to give his 200% to her newly-wed hubby, her new life ,which deserves nothing but her best effort..

I hope she can get sorted out soon… can forgive herself for being weak, taking the easy way out and in the process hurting somebody so badly…and I hope her ex is also able to accept the fact that it’s over, and that its time to move on…can only try and imagine what he must be going through...
This is one incident I just reminisce for the days I spent as a RJ.

PS: tried out a different kind of narration to bring out some thought flow I was going through.
PPS: if you find it close to life, yes it is.
PPPS: Wanted to jot a story about this incident, bringing out the emotions involved in the situation. Somehow was lazy to narrate.

Monday, November 16, 2009

By My Side..



Save me from tears,
relieving me of fears.
For it matters my life,
with never ending strife.

Why are you so mean, 
allowing me to wean.
You wanted me to alight,
and make you feel alright.

Another day goes by,
without knowing the reason why.
Is that all you have,
me without any salve.

~Mohit

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Everything but Mine...



She said, “You’re nice. The girl who gets your love is lucky.”
Then after a while, she showed him a picture, “He’s my man.”
And he said, “You know what? he’s luckier cause the girl I love loves him.”

Slowly, he broke down; tears fell from his eyes, his heart shattered into pieces, all the sweet memories played inside his mind. And like that he stayed while watching her walk out of his life with a note in his hand which read “Time has come where I should let you go, I’d let you believe that I fooled you. I know this would hurt but it would hurt more if you’ll find out that I loved you but I couldn’t fight for you.”

The clouds poured in to accompany him.. as his mind ran through myriad of feelings.. He always knew looking back on the tears would make him laugh. But he never knew looking back on the laughs would make him cry.

His friend once had asked – “Do you love her”
His answer, “Yes". He asked him again, "Does she love you?"
He sat down, looked at the stars, closed his eyes and said, “Wishes do come true, right?”

No matter how loud he laughed, he was still not happy. No matter how hard he would cry, the sadness inside grew. The more people love him, the more he felt empty.

Several months later...
He ran towards the only place of solace he knew after his office every evening, the beach, the vastness of waters before him, and the untrammeled vista. He kept walking along the beach, farther and farther, he himself not knowing where to.

He wanted to ask her, if she knew the difference between the two of them?

I trusted you that’s why I held on. I loved you that’s why I let you go. But you? You just left me without any valid reason.

What can he do that I can’t do? What can he make you feel that I can’t? Why can’t you feel that way for me too? What does he have that I don’t? Forget I asked. I already know. He has you.

I’ve already told everybody that I’ve moved on and that things are better off like this, that we’re just friends. But one thing I haven’t told them is that I’ve been lying all this time I can pretend and say I can let go of you. I can pretend to smile and laugh over the thought of losing you. I can say I can get over this hurt fast. But my heart can't pretend cause deep inside it’s bleeding.

I don’t hate you for breaking my heart cause I’m almost getting over you but I could hate you for making me fall once more cause I know once again, you’ll only be slamming my door. I tried to take away the pain by finding someone new but then I came to realize that no one compares to you. And even if I look around pretending not to cry, I’ll always go back to the day you finally said goodbye.

If all is fair, why did you hurt me so? If all ends well, why did you have to go? If happily ever after is true then why am I here crying over you?

Fairy tales usually start with “once upon a time” and end with “and they lived happily ever after”. But for us it’s “they lived happily ever after once upon a time” as he walked through the crimson dusk..


…Zindagi Migzara (Life goes on)

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Rising.. for..

We might face many difficulties, hardships and disappointments in our lives. Things do not always go our way. If we listen to the discussions of others and review our own words and thoughts, we find that many of them are complaints about how life is treating us. There is a bitter feeling.
Most of us have love for a small circle of people which includes our family and close friends. However, as we grow, our heart must expand to embrace society, country, world and beyond. The ultimate state of love is having love for the cosmos.
With my experience with UncleSam, for people here -
Water is thicker than blood; while for most of us in my homeland it is always blood which is thicker than water.
Water accounts to the social circle called friends and love for the nation and more subjective to being selfless. The blood accounts as me, my family and world around it.
I would like to quote an incident I read somewhere - During the Great Depression in America, a government representative travelled through some of the poorer parts of the country to provide financial assistance to farmers to buy seeds, fix their homes and run their farms. The agent came across an elderly woman living in a shack without flooring. She had covered the broken windows with tarpaper. She barely managed to survive. The agent asked: “If the government gave you 200$, what would you do with it?” The woman replied without hesitation: “I would give it to someone who is homeless.”
A different perspective would reveal to us how fortunate we are. I always wonder why people back home are centered on building villas and shutting down opportunity for helping others in need. What makes people take such rigid decisions to run a rat race of pride? Is luxury all in life? A nation which stood for values and ethics today has a very little to offer.
If we could accept the cloudy days with the same gratitude as we do the sunny days, we would find our lives to be filled with more love, peace and happiness. If we could appreciate the weeds as well as the roses, we would get enriched. Not only do we need to learn to be content, we need to expand our heart to embrace all creation.
No matter what happens to us in life, we have a fountain of nectar within us from which we can drink at any time. This is the gift we can achieve through our determination. These thoughts are something which keep me engaged of what I can do and how I could be of some help. Though it’s just a drop in the huge world around, I wouldn’t stop myself from expressing that I am awakened and would live for a meaningful life rather than just a self-centered life. With a ray of hope…

Sunday, September 6, 2009

How I wish..


As Mother Theresa said The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.
I walk through oceans of shimmering blue and green, white foam rising and falling above my head. Creatures of thousands of colors dart past my eyes and disappear as quickly as they appeared. I continue walking.
Suddenly, the jeweled waters melt into rolling waves of people. Claustrophobic fear rises up inside me and pushes at my frantically beating heart. Looking around, I see no one I recognize, as this sea of faceless figures marches on. Oblivious to each other and the world around them, they only know their destination and their haste to get there. They stop. What am I thinking over...
Loneliness affects everyone at one time or another. Loneliness changes the way a person thinks and behaves. Seclusion can have various effects on a person. The person may become bitter and suffer from denial of the friendships that he needs.
Loneliness also can derive from several places within an individual. He will isolate himself away from others because he thinks they will hurt him, which may be true, but not in all cases.
Simple relationships and unconditional care could have prevented each one of us from going through awry situations. Loneliness has affected each person differently, but the source of why they changed is the same.
But somewhere my gut says you are lonely when you don't know yourself. We must realise loneliness is to express the pain of being alone. But there is solitude as well to express the glory of being alone.
That shouldn’t inspire a person to live alone as he will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts.
I want to be with people around, I want to socialize and edge those moments spent into my life’s notebook. I've got everything I need except a woman. And I'm not one of those men who think a woman is the answer to everything, but I'm tired of being alone. Where are you, honey.. cross my roads???

Help me to get out of it my friends if I’m wrong…

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Neither could she..



This is a peculiar story
Where does it start and where does it end?
What kind of destinations are these?
She could not understand, neither could I

Why, with this light
Did smoke rise from the lamp?
Am I seeing a dream
Or have I woken up from a dream?
This is a peculiar story
Where does it start and where does it end?

Congratulations to you that..
You have become someone else's glory
You are so close to someone
That you have gone far from everyone
This is a peculiar story
Where does it start and where does it end?

Taking someone's love, you
Will settle in a new world
Whenever this evening will come
I will remember you
This is a peculiar story
Where does it start and where does it end?
What kind of destinations are these?
She could not understand, neither could I

Friday, June 5, 2009

Nothing Remains..



I don’t know how much you mean to me…
I don’t know how much you meant so far…
you were in my each moment…
you were in my each memory…

I don’t know what kinda wish is this…
I don’t know what irks me these days…
why these breaths have ceased nowadays…
and why these eyes remain moist …

I was sure that this was friendship…
friendship, and nothing more than that…
what kind of new pain is this now?…
why the heart seems so shattered these days…

love, my love, I can’t know why I never knew…
that this was love indeed…
whether you knew it or not…

love, my love, hoe come you never knew it…
that this indeed was love…
whether you knew it or didn’t…

each day’s morning used to start with you…
you were the tunes from the noons to the evenings…
and the nights were spent lying in your arms…
you were in my thoughts, whether in slee or while awake…

now that you aren’t there, nothing remains…

Saturday, May 23, 2009

After all.. L O V E



as if the distance spanned endless miles…
as if the journey spread across many centuries…
and the heart was unaware of what was to happen…
even then I, feel like…
we were destined to love each other…

my love has, finally brought me…
from o far back, till quite ahead…
that the one I had seen in my dreams…
is found in my way, with me these days…

don’t love me so much, don’t adore me this way…
that if we don’t meet tomorrow, we won’t know what to do…
don’t ever say, such things again…
don’t you make me lose you…

when you look at me, my heart melts away…
and as the heart melts, my eyes lower down…
when you lower your eyes, my body shivers with love…
and as it shivers, our breaths stop in the moment…
totally crazy, I have gone for you…
as I got you, I lost myself…
don’t ever say, such things again…
don’t you make me lose you…

PS - Life is a disease, sexually transmitted and fatal
PPS -I've lived to long with pain. I won't know who I am without it.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Erase all signs of me…



all the stars belong to the sky…
but I’m searching for my moon…
the eyes are moist, the heart is sad…
and I beg for some mercy, to God…
get me my love…
listen to my prayer…
life is just of a few days…
but the pain is endless…
the pain in my heart is now immune to all cures…
my world is a colorless one…
come, and decorate my destiny, my love…

the promises of love…
that we have kept and nurtured so far …
bearing with the pain that is love…
in despair, and in tears…
we spend our nights, dear one…
we have gone through all tests of love…
now give me the results, the rewards…


the naive heart, doesn’t listen to me…
it is it’s stubborn self
give me a symbol of my affection…
or erase all signs of me…


PS - Smile when it hurts most.
PPS -A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing.
PPPS - I've got everything I need except a woman. And I'm not one of those men who think a woman is the answer to everything, but I'm tired of being alone.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Movie Review - DOSTANA


It is regressive and abounds with gay stereotypes but the makers should still be lauded for at least bringing the subject out of the closet. The first half is laugh out loud funny and was superb time pass but the pace dips substantially in the second half and could have done with some editing.

Abhishek rocks and these are the kind of real ‘chilled out’ characters he should stick to playing - hopefully after Drona he’ll stay away from playing larger than life characters. John is ample eye candy and is funny in a few scenes but by and large both the leads work better as a team. Chemistry between both of them rocks. Kudos!!

Priyanka looks like a million bucks and even though the role is nothing to write about she is disarmingly charming and chips in a fresh restrained performance. Kiron Kher rocks - I dont know why she didn’t appear in the second half. Bobby Deol was strictly average - I suspect someone like Akshay or Hrithik would have been a far better choice.

The music is catchy and the film as a whole is marvelously packaged.
A good popcorn flick - go in without any expectations and you won’t be disappointed. Far better than over-rated comedies Singh is King and Golmaal Returns.
I noticed a few gags lifted from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Few scenes which reckon me as of now -
John & Abhi flashback in Venice.. too good man and the way they put down their books after Priyanka comes out in the swim-costume.. thumbs up man!!

Kiron Kher's entry.. amazing
Abhi & John's blame before desi-girl song.. superb
List goes on..
John & Abhishek Rocks.. no doubt in the climax kiss scene

Parental Guidance:

Violence: None
Nudity & Sexual content: Loads of skin-show. And a lip-lock.
Concept: Homosexuality; People shamelessly lying their way into situations and playing cute to find a way out.
General Look and Feel: Peppy, bright - in the Karan Johar way.

Rating: 4/5 Watch for sure (as there isn't dull moment in the entire movie) - if you can stand such kind of humor.

PS - No clue if this sounds gayish I felt J for John's physique.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Age is the number and mine is unlisted. HB2Me


I seem to have been rather slow at the blogging thing recently, but one thing that I feel deserves a blog entry is my Birthday (11th Nov).
When the spotlight shines on the birthday person: I used to feel self conscious about all this attention, and now I’ve learned to enjoy it.
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
On this special day of mine, I have some personal reflections for the year:
** A birthday is a time to take stock of my own life.
** I reflect on all the friends and relationships I have made, formed and renewed for the past year.
** I remember the events, happenings and people that have influenced me to help me become who I am.
** It’s also a time to literally and figuratively “smell the roses”.



My Birthday! What a different sound
That word had in my youthful ears;
And how each time the day comes round,
Less and less white its mark appears.



As Oprah Winfrey says - The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Age is the number and mine is unlisted.
Though I pass the phase of life & cover the journey of life, some days I don’t remember when I slept while the fight of inner voices was on…
All I have learnt in my experience of life with my weakness is:

1. Smile at your problems
2. Learn from experience
3. Help your self

As I turn the pages of life getting a year older, I just want to figure out what to hope for. And the most I can do is live inside that hope.

Happy Birthday to me.. Celebrations are on.. Join the party :)

PS: I couldn’t wear my new pair of clothes to office :(
PPS: Whether I like it or not…all these seem to be just a faction of my deranged mind
PPPS: Hope my Birthday gently breezes all the choicest of things and all that my heart holds dear

Monday, September 15, 2008

Voices from the Waters...

Raj Kapoor… Nargis… love along the sea-beaten footpaths of Marine Drive
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

He sits lonely on a bench… the girl he loved just walked out of his life… a rainy night in a park
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

A motley crew of teens… an ominous tail fin… fear at the beach
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

Ponds ripple… the trees tango with the winds… is it Ravishankar’s sitar that brings the storm or the storm that plays the sitar
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

A gangster shot point-blank… his body spread-eagles across the board… the sea breeze pushes the door open
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters

The lovers’ escapades… they stand together forgetting the world, stopping time… at the very edge of the mighty Jog falls
Listen real close

Voices from the Waters


Over 70 films from over 30 countries… Cinema by the masters… A rare kind of Cinema… Cinema that is currently making news across the world… Some unknown voices so eloquent, so powerful…

The Festival, The Event, The Celebration that has put Bangalore on the world map of Environment Film Festivals …

THE BIGGEST FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD ON WATER
In its biggest most dynamic avatar yet

VOICES FROM THE WATERS 2008
3rd INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ON WATER

I was here for the inauguration of this fest. I was a great feeling to be part of such events.
Shekar Kapur, renowned director declared open the fest, along with other noted film dignitaries like Kavitha Lankesh.

The fest opened with the premiere of THE RAGA OF RIVER NARMADA, one of the best and most powerful and poetic short films to made in the country, is what I felt watching it.
There is serious crunch where we need to awaken us for the water crisis.
The felt it true what Shekar Kapur spoke. He highlighted that existing water resources can very well sustain the current population, but shortage is a result of greed. "Ninety five percent of the damage is done. There will come a time when the only ones who can afford water from taps will be those who have armed guards at home. The world is heading for a water revolution," he added.
The reason for 3rd world war would be definitely for water.
Wake up fellow beings & rise to the cause of saving environment.
I felt good speaking to Shekar Kapur & other dignitaries present after the function. One of those pages of my life which will be cherished for a long time.

Rise Awake to make world a better place to live

Sunday, August 31, 2008

[Review] Rock On..


Very few movies see ourselves getting pulled into the narrative. Some of them being TZP, RDB, Swades, Chak De, Jaane Tu…Rock On being the latest to join the list.
The writer, Abhishek Kapoor, has given each of these characters detailed attention. Together, they mature smoothly from adolescent “we can conquer the world” enthusiasm to learning to live life the hard way.
It’s youthful yet elegant. It’s contemporary yet identifiable with, by anyone who’s had a tiff with a close one. Yes, the layers of love for rock music and issues related to urban life need to be peeled off. But at the core it’s a very simple story told with compassion and sophistication.
The details of the main conflict are left to your imagination. But, the manner in which you are drawn into the story shows that smart people have been involved in its making. So, I submitted myself, albeit grudgingly, to the fact that their heart was in bringing us the resolution and not the clash. I’d suggest you do the same.
The obvious call of events in Rock on!! worked for me because I found myself getting attached to the characters and their relatively ordinary lives.
Each character in the foursome is representative of the kind of people any group of friends has. The idealist whose self-respect does not resign to compromise (Arjun Rampal), the slightly self-centered one who can’t see when he falters (Farhan Akhtar), the easy-go-lucky-cum-jackass who doesn’t let anything bother him too much (Purab Kohli) and the one who’s more emotionally attached to the ‘group’ sentiment than the rest (Luke Kenny).
The slight shiver in Farhan’s hands when confronted by his past, made me gape in awe of not just the actor but also the director, Abhishek Kapoor.
With male-bonding as the central theme, it’s refreshing to see women with well thought out characters who influence the direction of the story.
Prachi Desai is so cute…A must watch movie for any one. Music is awesome.
I had goose bumps watching the movie. I fell in love with Farhan’s house as well.
Message of the Movie: Live your dream & Friends are forever…
Parental Guidance:
• Violence: A couple fist fights.
• Sexual content: A couple of tiny make-out scenes.
• Concept: Friendship, bonding, forgiving and forgetting. While real little ones might not get it, a child above 10 might be able to grasp the concepts.
• General Look and Feel: It doesn’t have bright color tones. But, the kids might enjoy the songs and the overall feel might be appealing.
Rating: 4.5/5 Watch for sure - preferably in theatre
PS - My writeup may not serve the apt justice rather watching it. Rock On.. I felt watching a live concert as the crowd in my theater howled & swayed to the tunes of Farhan.. Awesome experience watching the movie.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Phoonk...


So, Ram Gopal Varma wanted to scare and make us question our beliefs. Well neither happened.
There’s nothing remotely scary about Phoonk. Unless of course, ogling crows, out-of-focus soft toys and wooden artifacts getting predictably into the limelight give you jitters. Then there’s the heavily made-up Ashwini Kalsekar who has a fetish for charcoaled eyes. Unfortunately, even tilt in her head doesn’t manage to evoke the fear factor. The spooky background music might have succeeded in some kind of horror, had it been used a little less.
The individual scenes too are a collection of random shots cut and pasted together. Had there been even an average amount of flow, maybe the plot and sub-plots thereof would have been coherent enough to touch my belief system.
Being a non-superstitious person, I had completely surrendered myself to a movie about black magic. Without such submission there was no hope of enjoying this one. But, that didn’t work either.
Baby Ahsaas’ act though, is really moving. She has very clearly exhausted herself in exhibiting what her character went through, and done really well too. My heart went out as much to her character as to the child artiste herself. Sudeep & rest of the cast are okay.
It’s truly not the question of whether or not one believes in black magic. It’s how believably it’s put forth. Such an issue should have ideally made me think of how I’d react if something like this happened in my family. But, as audience I’m kept at such a distance from the procedures that it’s almost as if the makers don’t want to get me involved. Employing the standard techniques used for the horror genre neither terrified me nor made me think about the topic at hand.

Parental Guidance:
Violence: Loads of black magic
Sexual content: None
Concept: Very dark
General Look and Feel: Spooky for children, I guess.
Rating (out of 5): 1

PS: On humanitarian grounds, is it really fair to have a 10-11 year old child go through the enactment of such torture? It’s the same question I had when I saw The Sixth Sense.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

[Review] Bachna Ae Haseeno..


Ranbir starts off where SRK in DDLJ had left & opposite teen deviyaan Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone, Minissha Lamba.
Bachna Ae Haseeno has a great cast, great chemistry amongst actors [so sizzling, it could melt butter], great locations [jaw dropping actually] and some great moments. Bachna Ae Haseeno suffers, to a major extent, due to its screenplay running out of steam in the climax of the second hour.

Bachna Ae Haseeno has splendid moments in the first hour. In fact, the three stories, minus the culmination of course, are beautifully told in the first hour itself. There're some attention-grabbing moments in this hour and you genuinely feel exhilarated after having watched those portions.

Now to the second hour -- the guy repents for his misdeeds and years later, goes back to the first two women in his life. That's where the problems surface...

In a nutshell, Bachna Ae Haseeno could've been the ideal youthful entertainer, occupying the position that Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na enjoys amongst the yuppy crowd. But as things stand now, it's a great looking film with nothing outstanding about it. Okay for a single watch, that's about it!

Songs are good & hummable. Khuda Jaane is superbly shot. Naughty Boy is hot. Ahista is good as well.

Ranbir Kapoor is marvellous esp after Sawariya let-down.
Amongst girls, Bipasha Basu stands the tallest [Pity John Abraham who is really gonna have a tough time with her]
Minisha doesn't work at the start, but scores in the emotional scenes, especially in the second hour.
Deepika is a sore point. Her role isn't convincing and that's the reason why this performance doesn't work. The only consolation is, she looks gorgeous & the scene between Ranbir & her at the grocery store is awesome. The climax is finished off in a haste..

Parental Guidance:
* Violence: None
* Sexual content: A couple of item number type songs, and a scene with a bachelor party.
* Concept: The movie is about adult relationships. It's also about accepting mistakes. Not something they cannot or should not understand. Just depends on the interest level of the child - whether such a thing would interest him/her.
* General Look and Feel: Generally a very bright and peppy ambience throughout the movie.

My Rating:
3/5

PS: Suffering from a bout of Monday-Morning-Blues..