I believe in the magic of the things..in the way it unfolds..in the experience than the performance..in the beauty of ‘living it up’ than ‘having it all’! 

 अभी भी हम डरे-से, सेहमे से काल के एक कोने मैंबैठे है।.वैसे ये रात जहां हम है, एक काले घेरे की तरह है।..घूमा फिरा कर बेदर्दीसे वहीं ले आती है जहां से हम निकले थे।. जहां छोर होने का एहसास हो जाता है वहींदो घड़ी रुक कर सास ले लेते है।.सूरज का इंतज़ार है पर डर है कहीं इस अंधेरे कीपरछाई उस बेखौफ धूप पर भी भारी ना पड जाये..खाली हाथों की उंगलियाँ सिर्फ हिम्मतबांधे हुये है और कुछ नहीं।..

A roast recipe gone wrong

So it’s a win-win – Prime time of channels soaring the TRPs, and Tanmay Bhatt getting all the undeserved footage that he’s ever wanted..

If a comedian is a threat to our country, I wonder where our country is going..A democracy that bans humour is not a serious democracy.

He’s been roasted by politicians, fans, followers and protestors. But isn’t black comedy known for its prudent, irreverent jokes and the guy in the highlight belongs to the fraternity where such humour prevails?

As for the legends, they are at a level of maturity where such puny things hardly matter .

But yes, our icons must come out and speak in defense of the issue with real dignity..as Tunku Vardarajan says in the article to "The Wire", Thin-skinned icons are more dangerous than bumptious comedians."
 

We have bigger objectives to fulfill and no time to spare for a nonsensical, ill-humoured troll.. But as Sanjay Manaktala tweets – “On the bright side, at least the Indian media will educate the masses about what snapchat is..:)”

Ki and Ka -
R Balki did it again! Very sensibily written film..straightforward and convincing dialogues...
Deals with the fundamental psychological tussle between the bread-earners and the homemakers of the society... pity, the reviewers condemned the film so much..it is certainly not for the 'masala' brigade..
Kept the contextual maturity of the characters intact till the end
! Totally vouch for - "its an art to make a home" ..housewives, take a bow!!

हम सभी की कहानी -

ये जो लोग बुरे दिखाई देते है..ये लोग नहीं संकेत है..ज़माने के होने का..नज़र का टीका है अच्छी घटनाओ पर का..ये भी एक रंग है..
कुदरत के संतुलन का प्रतीक.. तुलनात्मकता का भी ..तभी तोः कह पाते है हम - कोई कम अच्छा, कोई इनसे भी बुरा, कोई बहुत अच्छा!..
ये हमे अपना ध्यान केंद्रित करना सीखाते  है..उपेक्षा करना सीखाते है..
ये वो लोग है जो परिस्थितियों से बंधे हुए है..
ये हमे अपनी सोच का परिचय देते है..जिसका असर यदि इनके व्यवसाय पे नहीं तोः इनके संबंधों पे, संबंधों पे नहीं तोः इनकी अगली पीढ़ी की परवरिश पे..उस पर भी नहीं तोः इनकी सेहत पर दिखाई देता है..ये उदाहरण है बुरी सोच के अंजाम का..
ये लोग नहीं संकेत है..ऐसे लोगों का जीवन में होना अनिवार्य है..

इन्हे मेरा नमस्कार!

They called her rain.

She emoted every time she felt. 

In her dance she hid her madness, her sorrow, her love.

To one, it was her joy..to another, it was her whim. But she expressed, every time she was touched.  Only the earth knew.

They called her rain.

And NO BODY could ever tell her tears from her laughter. She was the ever so beautiful..RAIN!

grief, divinity inter-linked!

Grief is a litmus test for our relationships.Certain hands extend for help.. howsoever inexplicable, It’s a tendency to expect for help during troubled times. From the trusted ones, even from the ones you once trusted!

And then there are those with godly attributes  who would emerge out of nowhere and go all out to help you. Totally inexplicable! They seem like demi-Gods and Goddesses. These are the avatars who surface suddenly and before you realise it’s them, they are already in your saviour list!

He keeps you blessed with his divinity! It is scattered secretly in various forms of life and it shines through with overpowering light whenever needed. Just like as a passerby, sometimes the flowers make you feel they are smiling at you, sometimes it’s the rain-drops cooling it out and sometimes it is a simple touch from a loved one that does the trick! Albeit you should be caught by the divinity awake and alert!

The goodness triumphs again - TOI Indore Plus October, 2010

Discover your style quotient - TOI Indore Plus October, 2010

City on the development path

A few of my articles published in the past month with Times of India's Indore Plus.

IT'S BIG BOSS ALL THE WAY!

Imagine yourself in a wild run through murderous jungles, leading a deadly gang of 14 dacoits, hiding from the eyes continuously chasing you and you’re still moving on. I guess you are already gritting your teeth!

And now switch to another gang of 14, not dacoits but our own celebrities in a jungle of conversations and unexpected state of affairs, only the jungle is more beautiful, posh and urbane!

Seema Parihar, the new contestant for BIG BOSS Season 4, must have been going through the same transformation as several murders and trials later (she is still under trial for certain cases though) she walks on the red carpet of the house of Big Boss.

To add to the sparks and flashes of the starry house, we had 13 other known faces, some for their talent and praise and others for being the bad boys of bolly and telly-world both…well, the Big-Boss never skips this balancing act in his ‘adda’.

But one thing is good for sure. Like the previous ones, this time too, the cynosure of all eyes is the host, none other than the Bollywood hunk Salman Khan, who opened the season by welcoming all the fourteen guests or ‘housemates’ as they would call it.

But would the contestants this time, combining actors, advocate, thieves and dacoits, be able to sustain the audience’s attention like the previous seasons did? Or this time it is going to be a li’l different with a different combination of participants or lesser known faces?

We did a small survey to find out what Indorians thought about it.

“Why not? People have always liked the show. Earlier too the participants were a combination of good and bad. And that is how it must be. We would be too bored if there are all good people in the house. I think this time too the show would rock as always.” Opined 36 year old Shilpa Mehta, Insurance agent by profession and a TV buff too.

Well, that taken but what is it this time that would keep the ball rolling for the audience?

“It’s the format itself. Reality TV has become so popular in India that people hardly prefer watching other formats. It is a blend of emotions, drama, and suspense. You get served everything in one plate and that too LIVE! As for Big Boss, it’s something like the feeling I get when I go out with my colleagues on a business trip. You are living, though temporarily, with strangers day and night accommodating their good and bad habits and behavior under one roof. So it’s a real-life situation to which you connect better.” Says 29 year old Sanskar Sharma, Director, Indore Indira Institute of Management Studies.

So it’s not only women but men too who are ardent followers of the show. But let’s find out what do the most loyal telly-watchers, the housewives think about it.

“Though I don’t follow the show hard and fast, but it’s the fact that the whole family watches it together, gives more pleasure to me.” Confesses Mrs. Meenakshi Gaud, homemaker. Sweet that was!

But some replies were not so sweet:

"It's weird how these kinds of shows turn dacoits and hooligans into celebrities. I mean how could they deserve to get so much of publicity and attention as participants of a National TV game show? And to top it all, they make big bucks in the process! What impact would this have on the younger members of the society?" Regrets Siddharth Kumar, Director- Marketing, 9 n 10 Productions.

“As for the TRPs, every show, every format has had its ups and downs. There’s always a saturation point with the audience. And though this show has clicked well all this while with the people, it might take quite some time to reach that level of saturation, maybe another 2-3 seasons. After all, people like to live into the real world but they even like to fantasise.” Concludes Dr. R. A. Sharma, businessman.

Well, let’s see how soon the saturation point arrives, but till then it’s just Big Boss all the way!