India, the land of mystics and mysticism, snakes and snake charmers, elephants and mahouts, Maharishis and Maharajas.
While all of the above fail to make news any more and are nearly as extinct as the soon to be ‘black buck’ of Salman Khan fame..what lives on is Sati- a ritual where the widow burns herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. (more…)
Kaveeta Kaul
Since I hadnt checked on the technorati links for almost a week, decided to do that. And look what I found..This-thank-God-for-small-mercies-gift!! For me n my Sachiniti..awww.. I am so touched.
Few things in life get you all weepy,grateful and humbled!
I want to really thank all those who have bothered to listen. Just to see the site meter clicking was enough proof that you all were here. A special mmmuuaahh ofcourse to those who have been so kind and wonderful with their comments.
Gosh!!..must check myself.. before I begin to thank my parents, hubby, kiddies, doggy. neighbours..and make it sound like Rekhas lifetime achievement award speech..I will sign off.
Waving.. a flying kiss with my tear laden lace kerchief.. Marilyn Monroe-ish.
Update: The critique on font, background, page etc was for the ‘Blogpost’ address… have since shifted to “WordPress”… New And Improved Blog..wish theyd evaluate it again..(blushing abashedly)..vanity thy name is woman!!.
“A mask tells us more than a face.”
If there is something which is ubiquitous, across the board, ethnicities, cultures, nations, nationalities, races, civilisations..it is the irrepressible tendency of humans to mask..as in a verb. Their intentions, desires, moods, temperament, in fact their whole personality.
Strange isnt it? I mean you spend a lifetime becoming what you are and then spend a major part of it masking that. So then, why did you get to be that in the first place? (more…)
Promod Mahajans brother Pravin shot him at point blank range, in what seemed as a pre-meditated act, stemming from frustration at being the ‘ignored poorer’ one. The media, internet have been all agog with the News. Rightfully so. Sibling rivalry in its latest serpiginous reflection.
What caught my attention however, was the underhyped but equally ,if not more tragic news of the suicide of actor Navin Nischols (Sawan bhadon, Buddha mil gaya fame) wife Geetanjali. She was at home at her Mahim residence when she decided to put an end to her sufferings, or so she imagined, by hanging herself from the ceiling fan.Her servants reported the incident.So… another unsung, unceremonious, futile end! Another love story bites the dust. There is nothing more heartbreaking than to be witness to a heart break.
A while back, in an interview to the media she had gone on record to narrate how Navins brother Pravin( again!what is with this name!) Nischol had allegedly duped them of their plush apartment at Khar, which had been bought with Navins money in the ’80’s, but had been on Pravins name to avoid tax hassles, or so she claimed. Financial constraints had led them to become homeless and therefore were now living in appalling conditions at Mahim.
The ‘alleged’ suicide note, found by the police states however that she was taking her life due to the alcoholism of Navin and the property dispute. Reports claim that Navin had been living separately for almost a year, in Pune.
Irrespective of the details and circumstances, which would be unfair to comment upon without adequate proof, what seems clear is that the couple had been unable to cope with
1)adversities in finances
2)adversities in career
3)adversities in relationships
This was a second marriage for both.Barely six years old.
Walking the tightrope of life, , a piece on the suicide of Kuljeet Randhawa, in totally different circumstances, will shed further light on the sreiousness of this scenario and the underlying causes and implications. She was an acclaimed actress and model, young and beautiful. Her reasons surprisingly too boiled down to failed relationships.
“Anguish of mind has driven thousands to suicide; anguish of body, none. This proves that the health of the mind is of far more consequence to our happiness than the health of the body, although both are deserving of much more attention than either of them receive.”
While I am feeding in details of the news which at most skims the surface of what is working in my mind right now, I find it increasingly tragic that in this world of apparent modernisation and progress, humans find themselves alone, forlorn and at sea, desperate and friendless. Also, it is sadly true that positivity is a sentiment which is starkly unavailable as an ingredient of the lives of most,especially at times like these.
“Adversity is the salt of life”..so said Swami Vivekananda. Remembered by some, but adhered to by fewer!
Do we tend to give our all to emotional well-being over and above any other? Yet fail to instill in each other the joyous wonder of being together as the only premise worth any deduction.
If , love be the centre of our existence, why cannot we love unconditionally? Not in expectation of any return and to avoid in the face of disappointment, hurt? Alternatively, desist from placing our life in the palm of another humans inconsistent loyalties or capabilities of reciprocation. The other maybe as confused or himself/herself in need of strength and solace.To expect super human efforts from another while not displaying any ourselves, is fallacious and can only lead to disaster. As has been apparent in this case.
Most men are at their lowest, if careers fail to translate into compensatory and commensurate returns financially. It is at such periods in life that most marriages break under the pressure of coping with the demands of life on one hand and an unresponsive or asympathetic spouse on the other. What should have been a ‘give only’relationship, in terms of love and understanding, disintegrates into a ‘take only’. Soon the ‘blame game’ takes over and the two become unrecognisable even to themselves.
“True Love burns the brightest, But the brightest flames leave the deepest scars.”
The path of love and togetherness is fraught with uncertainties, trials and tribulations.
A hint of philosophy, which points towards the direction of patience and wisdom, a tinge of spirituality which opens up need for faith and trust in the Unknown Plan, and a dollop of love for that one person who has pledged herself/himself to you, would go a far way in minimising incidents such as these, which speak of a Broken heart, more than anything else and the final revenge at having not been heard.
Is suicide then the end to suffering? Negative. If only she had known that perhaps it would serve only to perpetuate the seed of unhappiness which could have been allowed to wither away on its own, over time, with patience, in barren soil inconducive to erroneous thinking, emerging out of an awakened mind. If only..
“All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.” Swami Vivekananda
To be fallible is to be human too. But if you want to feel the power in you and your potential to be what you were mean to be, all you have to do is read Swami Vivekanada.
I am a voracious reader, but have rarely been inspired as much by any other. To top it, all of his works are speeches he has delivered, which have been collected and compiled. (more…)
Times are fast-a- changing..for better or for worse, depends on which side of the fence you find yourself.
As parents, all is not hunky dory. Our brats are under focus, scrutiny and attack, if I may add. Close on the heels of a report that kids in Mumbai receive the highest amount of pocket money,they naturally earn the privilege of being the highest spenders. The ad gurus, fast to learn and quick to implement have decided to address their ads to the ‘new entrants’ on the block. The savvy young breed of decision makers, our kids. (more…)
• Today is the International day of Smart & Attractive people. Send this to someone who fits the description! Don’t send it back; I’ve already received hundreds.
• The Japanese have produced a camera that has such a fast shutter speed it can take a picture of a woman with her mouth shut!
• When u feel lonely and alone & cannot see any one around you, the world seems to be fading away, come along with me I’ll take u to an eye specialist!
• Unlike others your brain is a masterpiece. In the left half, nothing is right and in the right half, nothing is left.
• Today, tommorow and yesterday there’ll be one heart that would always beat for you. You know Whose?
Your Own Stupid!
• Be careful when a guy tells u that he loves u from the bottom of his heart for this may mean that there is still enough space for another girl on top.
• Q: If a devil catches your wife, what would you do?
A: You can do nothing. if devil has committed a mistake let him face the consequences.
• What do u call a woman in heaven?
An Angel
A crowd of woman in heaven?
A host of Angels
And all woman in heaven?
PEACE ON EARTH!
Aamir khan apparently has been impressed with Medha Patkars Narmada Bachao Andolan’s fight for the villagers of Gujarat, So much that he has decided to join hands.
While Medhas fight began almost a decade back, when she demanded that the villagers be re-habilitated in direct proportion to what they were supposedly to be deprived, in the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam, Aamir has decided to pitch in now. (more…)
Kaveetaa Kaul
We are proud to be the largest collection of O.P. Nayyar fans on the web..Welcome!
27558 views
Update: You can listen to the podcast of my tribute in a programme dedicated to the Legendary O.P. Nayyar on PodioIndia Ep 31
Updated: 28th Jan07: A legend is no more.Shri O.P. Nayyar has passed away. An era has come to a close with him. None can replicate him and never will there be another Nayyar saab..May his soul rest in peace and in the knowledge that he is loved, admired, respected and will never be forgotten..
The finality of death is stark. One cannot die with the dead.. at best can mourn for them.. Let us feel solace in the fact that he perhaps lives on in his melodies, and will continue to do so for aeons. The sadness that creeps in at such news is beyond words.
He suffered a cardiac arrest all of a sudden, probably still under the care of his foster family, in Thane..the destituteness of his last 12 years, when his family allegedly forsake him, a witness to the vagaries of life…sad but true.
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Who can forget the lilting, romantic numbers unforgettable renderings, which had a distinct feel, recognisable in the choice of accompaniments, the piano, sax, acoustics and then the soulful strain of melody..
*Pukarta chala hoon main.. galli galli bahaar ki..bas ek shaam zulf ki..bas ikk nigaah pyar ki (more…)
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It is 14th April. Vaisakhi or Baisakhi, the New year for North Indians.
My childhood memories are resplendent with “Baisakhi Di Raat” celebrations, where fun, frolic, Dhol, Bhangra and masti reigned Supreme.
It seems a thing of the past. There are fewer celebrations now. And it saddens me. However much I may attempt to re-create the culturally enriched childhood I enjoyed, because of paucity of the emotion shared on a similar note by the population, I feel I have been not wholly successful. How can I single handedly duplicate a Baisakhi Nite, a common enough feature (more…)
Read Updates of August 07 here
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So Yes, salman has been jailed or atleast sentenced for 5 years and 25k.The 105 page order was unprecedented and passed on a Monday. Intentionally I suppose , since Tuesday is a public holiday and he cannot apply for bail or appeal in the High Court, so had to spend these couple of days in the jail with 200 undertrial dreaded terrorists from kashmir and Punjab. His mother has reportedly been hospitalised on hearing the news.
The judge validifies the harshness with ‘exemplary action’ as excuse. (more…)
Chewing on it again..
“It is not the greatness of a man’s means that makes him independent so much as the smallness of his wants”William Cobbett
I experienced this, in my first tryst with truth while living at the Yoga institute, learning Yoga sutras and asanas. Apparently it was a mandatory stay prior to the year long teachers training course, prompted by the ‘love for anything Indian’ phase. Insiduously, (more…)
There are maids and there are maids..and then there is mine.
She is young and sweet. Lovely as well. Loving too. Rushes to get me a tissue as soon my early morning bout of a 97 sneezes is onto its third or so. What she cannot do however is make tea..Can you believe that ? Tea ..I have tried, to train her with measure cups and special milk. But like mom says..She just does not have it in her to make an “Aha” cuppa. (more…)
Just finished reading Scarred - Experiments with violence in Gujarat - by Dionne Bunsha.. a must read . I remember how one reacted when the incidents happened and one saw them splashed on TV.. horror, outrage, shock.. but somehow there remained a tinge of disbelief… a feeling that these were just isolated incidents.. (more…)
What I have observed as a constituent of blogging mentality, is the urge to be Rude at the slightest provocation. It has puzzled and perplexed me.
Rarely does one take these insanely inane statements personally..it seems so tiresome. But often for those more sensitive and refined it seems uncalled for and uncouth. One has two options then. Either wanting to hit back with the same intensity or logically battle it out, (more…)
The media and its activism in highlighting stories such as Jessica’s or Meher’s had almost made me want to send them a note of thankfulness.
However,as before, the media has revealed itself as a double edged sword.It has angered, disgusted and irked me enough to write this piece. The issue in question is the undignified, uncalled for and blowing up beyond all proportions of accepted decency, the ‘wardrobe malfunction’scam. (more…)
