So much for poems, for now.
Sitting in the movie hall of a recently opened multiplex near my house, I was chatting with my brother before the movie started (Star Trek, in case you were wondering).We were interrupted by a, ummm… for lack of a better word steward who asked us if we wanted to place any popcorn/drink orders.
Remarking mentally on aggressive selling strategies, I replied that we didn’t want to. He nodded, as if expecting it and turned quickly to the family up ahead along the aisle and repeated the act. As he did that I happened to look up. I started as his expression struck through my frivolous mood. It led me to wonder what circumstances must have made this young man so dejected. It was a strange sorrow, a despondency.
He waited, after one round of collecting orders, along with a co-worker, no doubt hoping for the kids’ success in bullying their parents into placing more orders.
Then, as the national anthem started, he quietly slipped away.
Maybe he was well educated; maybe he had lost a good job during the recent slowdown. Maybe he had been forced to take this up in financial desperation.
Whatever the cause, I couldn’t help sympathizing with him. To bring refreshments day after day, night after night, to people who are probably irritated at your presence anyway, to watch people have a ball with their friends and family while being on duty oneself, to be a nameless faceless utility for their entertainment and comfort is not exactly a dream job. He may have been one of the thousands of kids who say” I wanna be a pilot when I grow up” every time they see a plane in the sky. Or the next Amitabh Bachchan . . .
It’s just one of those things that help me realize how lucky I am to be able to expect dignity and affection from the people I work/study with.
Come to think of it, maybe his girlfriend had ditched him that day!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Her Glorious Past
This is the first time in years that i've written a poem. And a symbolic one, never before.
Hope u like it! Please comment and let me know your suggestions.
She’d never stepped out
Of her glorious past
Never dreamed that it wouldn’t last
She’d never stepped out
Of Rolls and silk
Diamonds, rubies and their ilk
She glided about
Her lovely doe eyes
Sweeping unseeing glances
Across chandeliers, manicured lawns,
Vales and clear skies
Blind to the sea of weeds
Blind to the splendor long gone
Leaving only pity in its wake
Not a single soul
Could she call her own
Fools they were
Those that called her a crone
Oh! What did they know?
Of the secrets she’d known?
The times gone by
Have left their scars unhealed
Scars? Or are they
Or are they relics
Of a past to be cherished?
Hope u like it! Please comment and let me know your suggestions.
She’d never stepped out
Of her glorious past
Never dreamed that it wouldn’t last
She’d never stepped out
Of Rolls and silk
Diamonds, rubies and their ilk
She glided about
Her lovely doe eyes
Sweeping unseeing glances
Across chandeliers, manicured lawns,
Vales and clear skies
Blind to the sea of weeds
Blind to the splendor long gone
Leaving only pity in its wake
Not a single soul
Could she call her own
Fools they were
Those that called her a crone
Oh! What did they know?
Of the secrets she’d known?
The times gone by
Have left their scars unhealed
Scars? Or are they
Or are they relics
Of a past to be cherished?
Friday, March 27, 2009
of balika vadhus and nagasaki
“ Saans leti hain jo katputliyaan
Unki bhi aati hain koi doliyaan
Aansuon mein bheegi hain khamoshiyan”
Wow! Javed Akhtar has managed, very skillfully, to capture, the imagery of an Indian wedding. These lines never fail to give me goose pimples every time i listen.
Suddenly, I find that a horde of women centric series have mushroomed on the television. Not that they weren’t always that way, but the ones I refer to right now are typically set in some village (obviously in Rajasthan), and churn out episode after episode of glycerine and suffer agonies that Hercules could not have endured.
Which used to make me wonder, why? Is there such a dearth of topics?
And, the other day, I was answered. As a part of the show, one of these sob factories displayed a shocking piece of data. It said that in the recent years, the female population in five states in India has fallen to nearly 800 females per 1000 males.
Living in a metropolis and being born into a well educated family has ensured that such news items remain’ news items’ for me and, thankfully, nothing more. But being an ardent fan of science in general it deeply saddens me that people do have not learnt to appreciate it in its true magnificence.
Knowledge, for its own sake alone, alas, has always been the ‘cake’of a few.
Driven by commercial or social prejudices, humanity is no stranger to its gross misuse. One needs only to look back at two days in a certain August to know what I’m referring to.
I sometimes feel that all those venerable men and women of science were born too early. Decency, compassion and infinite respect for Life should have had more chance to take root.
Like Spiderman said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” And it’s no use having power if you don’t realize this.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Burning Night Oil
Glancing at the newspaper while gulping down a hot paratha and breaking the fruit i yell "COOOVING!!!". (i've half a mind to call this the 'Mumbai effect') The headline, predictably, brings me some more (mis?)information about the captive gunman.After reading ad nausuem about the terror attacks in Mumbai over the past several days, i have successfully resisted the urge (somewhat selfishly) to write (more than 3 sentences) on the subject. With a hope that we will see no more such dastardly incidents, let me move to another topic.
I'm currently reading the much controversial ' Freedom at Midnight' (FAM).
At the outset i wish to say that this is a book every literate Indian must read. And people of other nationalities would do well to read it too.
This is because i feel that FAM has been written with an astonishing and laudable degree of impartiality. It is not difficult to see why it was banned in India; we still have to learn to accept the existance of faults in our venerated freedom fighters that FAM does not hesitate to delineate.
At the same time, it does not strike me as a ruthless piece of literature.A genuine desire to record the minutae leading upto India's freedom and the horrors thereafter is apparent.In this effort, no one is too small to find a mention.Unlike textbooks or other lofty works, Messrs Collins and Lapierre do not limit themselves to the likes of Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah or Mountbatten. First person accounts of countless peasants, policemen, shopkeepers and British officers make the narrative real and poignant as opposed to the dry, unemotional perspective of history textbooks that we're accustomed to.
One more striking feature of this work is that it furnishes one with innumerable names, facts and anecdotes (both funny and macabre). A Nawab's obsession with his pet dogs to the extent of providing them with luxury kennels equipped with hot water, bath tubs, electricity ( in 1945, remember), and other such diversions lend light moments to a most grisly and heart rending saga.
I haven't finished with the book yet, so i have no idea how it ends.
More on this later...
I'm currently reading the much controversial ' Freedom at Midnight' (FAM).
At the outset i wish to say that this is a book every literate Indian must read. And people of other nationalities would do well to read it too.
This is because i feel that FAM has been written with an astonishing and laudable degree of impartiality. It is not difficult to see why it was banned in India; we still have to learn to accept the existance of faults in our venerated freedom fighters that FAM does not hesitate to delineate.
At the same time, it does not strike me as a ruthless piece of literature.A genuine desire to record the minutae leading upto India's freedom and the horrors thereafter is apparent.In this effort, no one is too small to find a mention.Unlike textbooks or other lofty works, Messrs Collins and Lapierre do not limit themselves to the likes of Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah or Mountbatten. First person accounts of countless peasants, policemen, shopkeepers and British officers make the narrative real and poignant as opposed to the dry, unemotional perspective of history textbooks that we're accustomed to.
One more striking feature of this work is that it furnishes one with innumerable names, facts and anecdotes (both funny and macabre). A Nawab's obsession with his pet dogs to the extent of providing them with luxury kennels equipped with hot water, bath tubs, electricity ( in 1945, remember), and other such diversions lend light moments to a most grisly and heart rending saga.
I haven't finished with the book yet, so i have no idea how it ends.
More on this later...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Leveller ?
For anyone who's been stopped by a red signal, it comes as no surprise to see the same maniac who overtook you at the last corner sitting equally helplessly behind his wheel, just a few paces away.
"Serves him right"- (my instinctive reaction)
There are quite a few people you meet this way, either at a traffic signal or a traffic jam.They're the same ones who think nothing of breaking the speed limit (pardonable.After all, getting to cross the 30 kmph mark in a crowded metropolis is a rare luxury, so i don't really hold that too much against anyone.), overtaking from the wrong side (now that's dangerous!)or changing lanes without so much as a blink of the lights (c'mon, it really doesn't exhaust your battery you know, to keep the signalling lights on for a coupla seconds).
But to what end?
Ultimately, they also ended up having to wait (for longer than you too).
Which leads me to think, isn't there something similar in our lives as well?
Shakespeare wrote on it; 'Death - the Leveller'.
But even without going as far as death, i've noticed that such situations occur quite often in daily life as well.
By now some of you surely must have wondered, what about the ones who got away?
Obviously, everyone isn't detained by the Exalted Supreme One (ref : S.Nagar). So in the end, we never know whether what we do, really has any effect on our destiny.
For all our efforts, we may share the fate of those who never lifted a finger in their lives. And equally (?) possibly achieve far more than those who (in human terms) actually deserve what we get.
Is this LUCK,the elusive temptress who seduces gamblers all over the globe?The same sorceress who cons the unwary into thinking that their actions matter when it is She alone, who reigns invincible?
"Serves him right"- (my instinctive reaction)
There are quite a few people you meet this way, either at a traffic signal or a traffic jam.They're the same ones who think nothing of breaking the speed limit (pardonable.After all, getting to cross the 30 kmph mark in a crowded metropolis is a rare luxury, so i don't really hold that too much against anyone.), overtaking from the wrong side (now that's dangerous!)or changing lanes without so much as a blink of the lights (c'mon, it really doesn't exhaust your battery you know, to keep the signalling lights on for a coupla seconds).
But to what end?
Ultimately, they also ended up having to wait (for longer than you too).
Which leads me to think, isn't there something similar in our lives as well?
Shakespeare wrote on it; 'Death - the Leveller'.
But even without going as far as death, i've noticed that such situations occur quite often in daily life as well.
By now some of you surely must have wondered, what about the ones who got away?
Obviously, everyone isn't detained by the Exalted Supreme One (ref : S.Nagar). So in the end, we never know whether what we do, really has any effect on our destiny.
For all our efforts, we may share the fate of those who never lifted a finger in their lives. And equally (?) possibly achieve far more than those who (in human terms) actually deserve what we get.
Is this LUCK,the elusive temptress who seduces gamblers all over the globe?The same sorceress who cons the unwary into thinking that their actions matter when it is She alone, who reigns invincible?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Greener grass
Although i'm following up on my last post, i mean to digress this time.
Charisma.
A single word that has made and unmade the destinies of millions of people.It's simple - some have it, some don't subject, of course, to the same law as beauty (variation with respect to the beholder and all that).
So why is it that i find Indian political leaders (with a few noteworthy exceptions) singularly devoid of this quality?(Here, i must make a mention of Rahul Gandhi as an exception.)
It would be interesting to find out what is it about movie stars, sports personalities, and publicity-hungry socialites that makes people take an active interest in their public (and private) that our leaders lack.
Let's face it, if i were an American voter, i'd know exactly whom i'd vote for.
On the other hand, having been told repeatedly that i'm grown up now, that i should make an effort to be politically and socially aware, i must say, i find the task unappealing, to put it mildly.
Mark Twain hit the nail on the head in this respect (as he always did). I guess it boils down to the fact that we're put-off by what supposed to do precisely BECAUSE it's what we're supposed to do ! Not that other things oughtn't to be done at all, so if i end up writing my next blog on something entirely unconnected with me, don't be surpri'z'ed!
Charisma.
A single word that has made and unmade the destinies of millions of people.It's simple - some have it, some don't subject, of course, to the same law as beauty (variation with respect to the beholder and all that).
So why is it that i find Indian political leaders (with a few noteworthy exceptions) singularly devoid of this quality?(Here, i must make a mention of Rahul Gandhi as an exception.)
It would be interesting to find out what is it about movie stars, sports personalities, and publicity-hungry socialites that makes people take an active interest in their public (and private) that our leaders lack.
Let's face it, if i were an American voter, i'd know exactly whom i'd vote for.
On the other hand, having been told repeatedly that i'm grown up now, that i should make an effort to be politically and socially aware, i must say, i find the task unappealing, to put it mildly.
Mark Twain hit the nail on the head in this respect (as he always did). I guess it boils down to the fact that we're put-off by what supposed to do precisely BECAUSE it's what we're supposed to do ! Not that other things oughtn't to be done at all, so if i end up writing my next blog on something entirely unconnected with me, don't be surpri'z'ed!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Escapism
What's the name of Hillary Clinton's autobiography?
What's the name of John McCain's Bangladeshi adopted daughter?
What cell-phone does Barrack Obama use?
What did John McCain say about his Internet use?
Which state, for that matter does Hillary Clinton represent in the Senate?
Of which Ivy League university is Barrack Obama an alumnus?
Why do i know the answers to even half of these questions?
Doesn't it seem strange that sitting thousands of "miles" away, we (that is to say, some of us)
follow the American Presidential elections so avidly?
In this day of globalization (forgive the cliche, please), you might argue, no, not at all.
But wait, my question is not drawn from a lack of awareness about the www or the free press in general (aided magnificently by cutting edge technology).
Instead, i refer to the tendency (at least) i have acquired for being attracted to the unreal.
Is it that western politics, sports, books and what have you, have simply replaced Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and their ilk?
Is this a refuge? An escape from my own real world, only masquerading as general knowledge?
More on this later...
What's the name of John McCain's Bangladeshi adopted daughter?
What cell-phone does Barrack Obama use?
What did John McCain say about his Internet use?
Which state, for that matter does Hillary Clinton represent in the Senate?
Of which Ivy League university is Barrack Obama an alumnus?
Why do i know the answers to even half of these questions?
Doesn't it seem strange that sitting thousands of "miles" away, we (that is to say, some of us)
follow the American Presidential elections so avidly?
In this day of globalization (forgive the cliche, please), you might argue, no, not at all.
But wait, my question is not drawn from a lack of awareness about the www or the free press in general (aided magnificently by cutting edge technology).
Instead, i refer to the tendency (at least) i have acquired for being attracted to the unreal.
Is it that western politics, sports, books and what have you, have simply replaced Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and their ilk?
Is this a refuge? An escape from my own real world, only masquerading as general knowledge?
More on this later...
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