"As i walked home last night
I saw a lone fox dancing
In the cold moonlight.
I stood and watched.Then
Took the low road,knowing
The night was his by right
Sometimes when words ring true,
I'm like a lone fox dancing
In the morning dew."
----Ruskin Bond
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
"patriotism"--have never really managed to grasp the significance of the word. The dictionary says it means loyally supporting one's country".I always assumed it meant loving one's country.Or believing your country is the greatest in the world by virtue of your auspicious birth within its borders.These days patriotism is in vogue. A guy from a prominent business family fought successfully for the right to fly the indian tricolour anywhere and everywhere--American Style. In a multiplex you are obliged to stand before the movie begins and have that weird sinking feeling in your gut as you watch the indian tricolour fluttering on the giant screen and the national anthem playing in thebackground. After that you are free to watch the movie you paid for--even if its about how the American Army saves the world from being overrun by crazed maniacs(yet again!) by going into another country and blowing up the baddies into smithereens.
Is n't Patriotism being aware of your culture and history-- even the unflattering and downright gruesome bits.Most ancient civilizations have seen a lot of bloodshed and thats a fact that has to be contended with.And appreciative of the nice bits of course.The interesting fact is patriotism needs an adversary to manifest itself.Now that the Goras have gone how about the Pakistanis.So here is the deal.I come from a rich civilization with an enduring heritage which goes back hundreds of years.Yet i'm supposed to owe allegience to an entity which was carved out from the Indian subcontinent 60 odd years ago.And i'm supposed to hate the people who fall out of that chunk.The funny thing is if you go to England you might be called a'Paki'--- a common racist slur for all brown-skinned people.Which would be doubly insulting because you hate Pakis.You might stop to state your opinion of Pakis and how you are decidely not a Paki but dont think it ll make a difference.
Is n't Patriotism being aware of your culture and history-- even the unflattering and downright gruesome bits.Most ancient civilizations have seen a lot of bloodshed and thats a fact that has to be contended with.And appreciative of the nice bits of course.The interesting fact is patriotism needs an adversary to manifest itself.Now that the Goras have gone how about the Pakistanis.So here is the deal.I come from a rich civilization with an enduring heritage which goes back hundreds of years.Yet i'm supposed to owe allegience to an entity which was carved out from the Indian subcontinent 60 odd years ago.And i'm supposed to hate the people who fall out of that chunk.The funny thing is if you go to England you might be called a'Paki'--- a common racist slur for all brown-skinned people.Which would be doubly insulting because you hate Pakis.You might stop to state your opinion of Pakis and how you are decidely not a Paki but dont think it ll make a difference.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
was watching a reality show to pick a new VJ the other day on TV. And if u think bearing 1 VJ on TV is bad enough try 8 each trying to outdo the other. I have never seen a group of people try harder to be funny.imagine the pressure when u r up against 7 other people each 'whacky' in his/her own right.every syllable that drops from ur mouth needs to be uproarious. So cant really blame them if most of their jokes fell flat.
They had the usual suspects lined up. The guys were all over-energetic and kept pulling funny faces for our benefit. And there are 2 kinds of female VJs i guess-plain gorgeous and perky gorgeous. All the females fell into the above 2 categories except one. She was plain-looking,clearly on the heavier side and yes,bald. Maybe they picked her as the quirky weirdo, the odd 1 out in the group. dont think she would have been picked except for her bald pate which could be and was an inexhaustible source of lame quibs.
Most of their rounds were pretty lame.For eg. the guys had to wax their legs,the girls had to milk a cow--been-done-to-death reality tv stuff.But one round was interesting. They had to stand before a mirror and poke fun at themselves. And most of them did hopelessly. They could n't identify a single peculiar trait of their own.Obviously they thought the world of themselves. Except the bald girl. She was funny.And i have always had a soft corner for people who can laugh at themselves especially girls who can make fun of their looks. A lot of people r really good at making digs at others but when the joke is on them suddenly thier sense of humour vanishes.If u cant take it u should nt dish it out.
.Chances are she wont be picked unless they r trying to break a mould.She is just not pretty enough to be on TV.Which is a pity because would nt it be nice to see a jolly,likeable girl with a keen wit instead of those PYT's with the fake accents who do little more than embellish the set.
They had the usual suspects lined up. The guys were all over-energetic and kept pulling funny faces for our benefit. And there are 2 kinds of female VJs i guess-plain gorgeous and perky gorgeous. All the females fell into the above 2 categories except one. She was plain-looking,clearly on the heavier side and yes,bald. Maybe they picked her as the quirky weirdo, the odd 1 out in the group. dont think she would have been picked except for her bald pate which could be and was an inexhaustible source of lame quibs.
Most of their rounds were pretty lame.For eg. the guys had to wax their legs,the girls had to milk a cow--been-done-to-death reality tv stuff.But one round was interesting. They had to stand before a mirror and poke fun at themselves. And most of them did hopelessly. They could n't identify a single peculiar trait of their own.Obviously they thought the world of themselves. Except the bald girl. She was funny.And i have always had a soft corner for people who can laugh at themselves especially girls who can make fun of their looks. A lot of people r really good at making digs at others but when the joke is on them suddenly thier sense of humour vanishes.If u cant take it u should nt dish it out.
.Chances are she wont be picked unless they r trying to break a mould.She is just not pretty enough to be on TV.Which is a pity because would nt it be nice to see a jolly,likeable girl with a keen wit instead of those PYT's with the fake accents who do little more than embellish the set.
Friday, December 29, 2006
just another obscure blog
( I meant to write this in my blog description but, turns out, they just allow you 500 chars. Which, I discovered, is n't much more than what you can scribble on the back of a match-box.)
I 've always been fond of writing. Back in the school days I used to take part in essay competitions and suchlike. Then the focus used to be on style and verbal jugglery rather than content. A good essay was one which left you slighly zonked with an open dictionary fluttering in your lap. Not blaming the teachers here.I'm sure they kept an eye open for content.The idea was to get kids to express themselves confidently and become comfortable in English. But some of us over-zealous kids took this concept to its etymological extreme.
That was some time back. My writing habit has waned considerably and i have nt taken part in an essay competition, or anything of that sort, in ages. I am seized by inspiration from time to time and maintain a diary for these outbursts but these instances are few and far between. So basically i want to recultivate the writing habit. I know for a fact that the physical act of putting pen to paper( or typing) helps you organize your thoughts better and lends some coherence to them. Otherwise they are just muddled ideas gadding about in your head.
My choice of profession made my literary skills expendable and now i'm not obliged to write for anyone but myself. This is not to say I do n't care for other people's opinions. Its just that i don't care how my postings reflect on me as a person. I used to be very concious about what other people 'thought' of me and, believe me, thats not a very comfortable place to be in.
So here I am. I have no one to compete with, nothing to prove,no pressure at all. This is just another blog floating alongside millions of other obscure blogs in cyberspace but i revel in its obscurity.
I 've always been fond of writing. Back in the school days I used to take part in essay competitions and suchlike. Then the focus used to be on style and verbal jugglery rather than content. A good essay was one which left you slighly zonked with an open dictionary fluttering in your lap. Not blaming the teachers here.I'm sure they kept an eye open for content.The idea was to get kids to express themselves confidently and become comfortable in English. But some of us over-zealous kids took this concept to its etymological extreme.
That was some time back. My writing habit has waned considerably and i have nt taken part in an essay competition, or anything of that sort, in ages. I am seized by inspiration from time to time and maintain a diary for these outbursts but these instances are few and far between. So basically i want to recultivate the writing habit. I know for a fact that the physical act of putting pen to paper( or typing) helps you organize your thoughts better and lends some coherence to them. Otherwise they are just muddled ideas gadding about in your head.
My choice of profession made my literary skills expendable and now i'm not obliged to write for anyone but myself. This is not to say I do n't care for other people's opinions. Its just that i don't care how my postings reflect on me as a person. I used to be very concious about what other people 'thought' of me and, believe me, thats not a very comfortable place to be in.
So here I am. I have no one to compete with, nothing to prove,no pressure at all. This is just another blog floating alongside millions of other obscure blogs in cyberspace but i revel in its obscurity.
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