Her dream...

She dreamt of a wooden study desk with a small table lamp.
Reading in the soft glow of light. Listening to her favourite music?
The night falls slowly, and the trees whisper in silence.
The stars peep out and watch her as she sits on her desk by the window.
Writing in her diary perhaps?
Sometimes glancing outside the window, staring into the sky.
She dreamt of that one world of her own. Of uninterrupted silence.
So simple. So pristine.

It took her several years.
And one ordinary moment of epiphany, to realize that the dream did come true.

-Merci.

Ranjish hi sahi....

Last one week has been a whirlwind journey. So many lows and so many highs. Let's just say I couldn't catch hold of the minutes or the hours or the days. Time just flew by. Can I say that I still have control? I don't think so. Not yet.

But one does tune into their favourite songs, to lose a sense of time and in this pursuit I discovered a beautiful ghazal sung by the very famous Mehdi Hassan and written by Ahemad Faraaz that goes as below:-

रंजिश ही सही दिल ही दुखाने के लिये आ

Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa

(le

t it be anguish, come still at least to torment my heart)

आ फिर से मुझे छोड़ के जाने के लिये आ

aa phir se mujhe chhod ke jaane ke liye aa

(come, even if to leave me again)

If you are in the mood for soulful music that holds the universe together for you in those few minutes, click play on either of the two that you prefer. Thank me later.

Original Sung by Mehdi Hassan

Recreated by Papon

That 70's Post!

I've binge-watched a lot of television series this year. If you do follow my posts, you'd notice I occasionally write about it too. In fact, a trend with all of these shows is that I end up falling head over heels in love with every show I choose. Yeah and it's suddenly the 'bestest' show I have ever. seen. So talking about the last show that I watched and went completely crazy about is "That 70's Show." So much, that I am dedicating a post to it.

This show is certainly not like any other sitcom out there. I don't really know what caught my attention throughout 8 seasons but I liked the period set up( 70's era) and the imperfect lives of the quirky characters who lived through the series. None of the characters are perfect and that in many ways makes the show so real. I think problems youth face while growing up remains the same irrespective of the era you talk about. But the 70's definitely seemed like a trend setting era.

The show is themed revolving around the life of Eric Forman and his friends who are always over his place. Eric's father is a brilliantly sketched character who is soft hearted with a tough exterior. Yeah, he gives Eric a hard time which contributes to his awkwardness and rebellion.( But isnt that how most of us teenagers feel?) Eric's friend Hyde is a rebel who thinks the government is out there to get everyone.. He is a non conformist. ( Do I like him or what). He also loves rock music and is seen wearing rock band t shirts. Which brings me to music. The 70's saw bands like Pink floyd, Bee Gees, metallica, Iron Maiden( to name a few) peak in their careers. What a path breaking era! ( P.S: I do enjoy alternate rock though i'm not into metal). 

Eric's friend Donna is a strong lady who is a feminist. Yes feminism was on a rise in the 70s too, while her mom did not care much about it. Donna has strong views about life and yet is struggling to find where she is going. There is another female character named Jackie, who is a rich spoilt girl and bossy (stereotyped into the rich bitchy gals). 

Then there is Fez who is the foreign exchange student and is quirky as hell searching  his place in the stereotypes of America.  My favourite character is Michael Kelso played by Ashton Kutcher, who has done the most amazing job of being the pretty and dumb guy. He easily has the best lines which are funny yet true. In all his plainness, Kelso speaks his mind always, which most people would keep in their head out of fear or embarrassment.

The show has many trend setting concepts- one of the most famous ones being the "circle". A unique trait that became a defining attribute of the show.

This is definitely a different kind of a sitcom which I'd recommend you watch when you have the time. 

Meanwhile I wanted to collect and share a few quirky dialogues by Kelso that I absolutely enjoyed. (Well, there were too  many and for me this is Kutcher's best performance)

Here they go:-

1. You know what your problem is? I'm very good looking.

2. I knew you'd say that Donna. For once, why can't the naked thing and the right thing to do be the same thing?

3. I'm like ketchup. I go good on everything.

4. If this is about maturity, then I got nothing to do with it.

5. My mind's always doing things that even I don't know how about.

6.  This one below:-

7. Kelso: What is his name Jackie? Whom are you going out with?
    Jackie: His name is not important. What's important is that he is better than you in every  possible    conceivable way.
    Kelso: Damn Jackie! That could be anybody!

8. This Gif again:-

9.  Or the one when he did not hear what he wanted to..

10. When he was downright honest?

Well, the 70s show had a lot to offer. It certainly isn't like every other sitcom you see and it definitely did not falter with the period setting risk it took. It also helped me discover the city of Wisconsin which otherwise remained oblivious to my existence. Here's to hoping that someday i'd get to say " Helloo Wisconsiiiinnnnnn!! "

In life there is never a wrong number...

"Shyaam: Tu Kehna kya chahta hain?

Raju: Main ye kehna chahta hun ki ye sab humaare saath hi kyun hua?

Baburao: Kyun Hua?

Raju: Kyunki ye Ishwar ki chaal hain.

Baburao: Kaun Ishwar? Woh Ration ki dukaan wala halkat baniya?

Raju : Woh baniya jo upar ki dukaan mein baithta hain. Jo apne taraazu mein sukh-dukh sabko tol-tol ke deta hain. Agar woh chahta hain ki hum road pati se crorepati ban jaaye tu ismein problem kya hain? "

P.S: Hera Pheri is without any doubt my favourite movie. And this is not only because it is an insanely funny movie, but also because it is a story about 3 ordinary men trying to make life's ends meet, struggling with their existing problems, not failing to dream big or keeping hope alive and most importantly never losing their sense of humour. 

MAILS

This is the story of a room

Buzzing with activity each day.

Mails flew in, Mails flew out.

Others – stacked like hay!

Some mails were good, others bad.

And when there was a conflict,

the room went sad.

The mean ones were plenty-

found everywhere.

Overpowered the good ones-caused despair!

Mailboxes lined the door

‘Today’ overflowed,’ Past’ was overburdened.

‘Future’ held the dreams; some undelivered

many left unopened.

‘Hope’ though kept asking for more

This made it a healthy room for sure!

And then the Storm arrived in town

The mails fluttered in grief;

The Door shut, the Windows vanished

No sign of hope or relief!

No helping hand, no place to go,

No long lost love, no one they know.

However, the season changed soon

Happy mails buzzed in the room!

The sun shone, the flowers bloomed.

Music sailed, the angels danced.

Rainbows smiled, reindeers pranced.

Every mail was stamped with a smile

An extra letter, takes you the extra mile!

The room lies still now

Peaceful walls, so serene

Beautiful picture of every changing scene

Mails are all silent, for isn’t

“Well done better than well said?”

In case you wondered…….

The room is in my head!

p.s: I had written this one in the second year of engineering degree. Found it hidden somewhere in my closet and here it is!

Bloggerversary: 3 years old !

Wow. Time does fly. My blog has turned 3 years old. 3 years since I have been filling this blank space on the internet with my thoughts, poems and perspective. Technically, my blog turned 3 on 22nd January and I am late in celebrating my humble feat. However, I have been very busy off late.
The past one year has been super fantastic and I'm hoping 2017 follows the same or an even more awesome rhythm for me.

The resolution for the year remains to be excited and challenged with new things in life. It is what creates momentum and excitement.The year has been off to a decent start but there are many new changes that need to  be embraced or rather created.

What's new? I've been watching a lot of televisions shows in the past one year. Many American and English dramas and sitcoms but I really want to mention about a bunch of shows I ended up watching from different geographies of the world.

There is a channel on Indian television, named Zee Zindagi, that is premiering fantastic shows from across the world. They have shows from Turkey, Ukraine, South Korea and even Pakistan( long before they got banned in India).My family and me recently finished watching a Turkish show called 'Fatmagul' and it was really nice. We also ended up seeing another show named 'Little Lord' from Turkey. The exposure one gains by watching shows from across the borders is very unique. It expands your life perspective and makes you realize that no matter where one is from, the human heart, beats just the same. I also like how you end up learning a little ( if not much) about these regions which we otherwise don't care about much. I am currently watching a Ukrainian show named 'Snowdrop', which is a revenge drama. It is fast paced and interesting. Yes, I'm hooked on to it. The characters of the show are nice and the actors who are playing them, even better. I also love the soundtrack of the show. I wish I could find it online somewhere. And the best (or worst?) part is that it has taken me back to the Prime Time television days, where my family waits for the clock to strike 9 in the evening and we gather near the television to watch it everyday. The show is not available online for viewing. I could only find the original Ukrainian version with Russian subtitles and that doesn't help (that stalls my binge watching spree). However, Kudos to Zee Zindagi for the fantastic dubbing in Hindi and also for showcasing a variety of shows that provide relief from the 'rinsed and repeated' saas -bahu sagas, India is stuck with.

Yeah, I have become a binge watching,  TV show freak and that's what I had been doing in 2016 as well. I think it's time I read a book again. Trust me, it has been a really long time, since I last read one.

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I recently visited  Las Vegas and on my way back, halted for a few days in New York. It was a business trip but you know what - Vegas! Hell, yeah, I was kind of excited. Especially because of the enormous hype created around it thanks to movies and media. I have to give my honest opinion. Vegas is  a fantastic amount of work done for a mile long strip. Amazing casinos, shows and atmosphere which I'm sure is generating huge amount of revenue for the region.But unless you do not really enjoy gambling it's not a place for you. Maybe a day or maximum two. That's all you can spend there. Not more than that. Which burst a lot of bubble for many, I'm sure. New York on the other hand was fantastic. Amazing city. Reminded me of Mumbai. They share the same soul.

Dumbo,Brooklyn

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I want to give more time to my personal blog. But it's slowly declining. This is my first post for this year! In March. Not good. Work load has increased and that should not be an excuse! Bah! I will write more. And take a vacation. Until then.Happy 3 year Blog Anniversary to me.