Stardom at a cost

I kind of stumbled upon Amitabh Bacchan’s blog today. Well I was searching some stuff for my research and I ended up finding Amitabh’s blog. Now that I was on it, I decided to read a little and move on… However the Grand Opera’s image at the start of the post caught my eye. It was a grand and opulent theater..

You might say, what else would you expect in Paris but this place had an old world charm attached to it which instantly transported you to the world of ballets & musicals. An era when the affluent rich with long silk gowns and hand-held glasses donned the audience section!

Well, coming back to the blog as I read through, Amitji described the theater and all well. He also mentioned about a bunch of ladies who were chattering non-stop with pointed figures towards him. Obviously they recognized him and could not stop boasting about their knowledge of him. These are obviously not Amitabh’s words and if he reads them I am sure he wouldn’t approve of it. He is just too gracious and sophisticated for this.

But reading that made me think. We as audience take star’s privacy for granted. I mean he is an old man working non-stop with a hectic schedule. If he decides to take a short break, enjoy some time to himself or even pursue a hobby or watch a play, ballet or musical like any normal person, who are we to pounce on him and rob him off even that?

I mean imagine you sitting in a theater watching a movie and having a good time with your wife/husband and two rows away there is a person who knows you. That person doesn’t just stop at giving you a pleasant smile and acknowledging glace or sharing a few pleasantries but starts chatting non-stop with others about what an amazing person you are and how good your friendship is etc… Frankly wouldn’t you be irritated?

I agree that these people are in the glamour industry and almost everything they do is news, but is it right on our part to actually rob them off their meager privacy and family time too? After all we are all entitled to our short breaks, vacations with family, pursuing an hobby, taking off and watching a play/ concert that we wanted to see to badly… Why should they be treated any different?

Friends- the best part of life!

So many hands in 1 tiffin box.

So many friends on 1 bench

So many calls on 1 b’day night.

So many tears for 1little fight….

Friends are the best part of your life…

I got this message early morning and it innately brought a smile on my face! This was so true. School and college remain the best part of my life… and I guess for many this holds true. What makes them so memorable are our friends.

Even today while reading the message, end-number of images flashed before my eyes. Though I am not in touch with them on regular basis – except for the social networking sites, it doesn’t matter. They just seem so close.

I still remember the tiffin sharing days. The days when you invariably liked what your friend bought in his tiffin-box. The days when many hands in the tiffin box never bothered you. These small things were an involuntary part of our existence at some point of time.

Even today I can vividly remember the numerous hilarious incidents, our favourite pastimes, incessant chatter, the stupid fights and countless days that we spent together, while I can’t remember a single day from my so-called professional and fast-paced existence to save my life! (apart from promotions and salary hikes, ofcourse!)

School and college life has a fervor and effervescent tapestry that makes it so cherished. Where else could you participate in interschool/collage games & cultural events with your friends. Chatter and spend long hours with each other while doing nothing. Go to competitions, just to cheer your friends while you had no business hanging around there?

Or when else could you gate-crash at a friends place or call them all over to your place and have a blast. Mid-night calls on their b’days or just take off for trips and treks in the monsoon. Party in meager pocket money. When else could you plan things in a giffy and doing anything was no BIG DEAL as long as your friends were along.

Then our life did not revolve around, appraisals, promotions, salary hikes, office grapevine or things life maid’s not coming, husbands busy, kids not well, no money, no holiday etc. Now things are complicated (or we have made them to be) and with fewer friends coming along, its even more difficult to ease out.

All I can say is… “Thank God I collected some amazing and truly wonderful friends on the way. They really make your life much easier in this crazy maze of life”

Babbling away...

I have been feeling bottled up for some time, bored with no enthusiasm to do anything whatsoever. It is frustrating at times to be listlessly doing the routine stuff week after week. Nothing seems to affect you…and then suddenly, late Friday evening, I get a message that I have an off the next day! Imagine getting an off when you were just getting ready for another grueling day at work.

Oh boy, my joy knew no bounds! It was like finding money in your jean pocket when you were totally broke. It was like being invited for a banquet when you felt you would die of hunger! A little over exaggerated, but this very well summarizes my joy! I had no clue of what I would do, but was just blissful.

I still haven’t figured out, what exactly made me so joyous and what did I do with my sudden found time. But whatever it was, the fact that my rant is not about my maid’s sudden disappearance or about the dumb movie that I saw or about the water/electricity bills, costly veggies and groceries or any other general humdrum of managing a house, it sure worked.

The dosage of blissful mirth, untroubled lazing around and living without agenda sure worked for me, having pulled me out of the deep swirling shallows of boredom and plugged existence.

A tragedy long forgotten….

Yesterday I skimmed through a book based on the Bhopal gas tragedy. The images in the book were shot by Raghu Rai and the copy was written by a senior journalist who had covered the Bhopal gas tragedy extensively. Well I must attribute this as one of the perks of working under a famous photographer as otherwise I don’t think I would have been able to lay my hands on it.

The tag line read “ Portrait of a corporate crime”. What followed were tragic images , all black and white… all narrating a tale… a tale of disaster… a tale of never-ending suffering …a tale of annihilation. Leafing through the pages and reading the blurbs made blood churn towards the apathy shown by Union Carbide and the Indian government. Who was to be blamed? The corporate as they did not comply with the safety measures, illegally stored large quantities of highly volatile gases or the corrupt government that gave them the courage to flout all rules? Or our ‘chalta hai’ and fatalist attitude ?

The preface recounted the 1984 tragedy. How the leak was triggered during the routine maintenance check and how it complicated due to absence of safety measures and then quickly manifested due to the callous attitude of the corporate and their inefficiency in informing the police and local administration at the earliest. A dangerous monster was unleashed that night on a town of more than 2 lakh residents that engulfed the city, its people and left in its wake daunting memories. For the survivors this was the beginning of a long struggle. Struggle for compensation, struggle for survival, struggle for a dignified life all which remain elusive till date.

In Raghu Rai’s words "What I saw was to change my life. It was an unprecedented scene of chaos. What startled me most was the silence of death. Thousands of people had already died, thousands more than those who died in the 11 September attack on the World Trade Centre. I vowed then and there to continue my work, to do all I could to show the world what happens to people when corporations are not held liable for their operations, when they are allowed to cut costs and safety standards when they operate abroad."

To date, 20,000 have died from gas exposure and the effects are now extending into the next generation. 1,50,000 of the survivors are chronically ill and communities are drinking contaminated groundwater because Dow has still not cleaned up the dangerous chemicals Union Carbide left behind. After almost 24 years they are still living the nightmare that started on the night of 2/3 Dec 1984.

I could do nothing more than say a silent prayer with tearful eyes and hope they find peace and dignity atleast now.

Ganapati Bappa Morya…

The resounding chants of Ganapati Bappa Morya, the taal, dhol, pataka and the miravnuk… None of this during the Ganapati…

Before anybody launches a huge protest, I am talking about Bangalore. Well needless to say I miss the fun and the exuberance attached to this festival. The joy and the anticipation with which people await Ganapati’s arrival. Its more like welcoming a dear guest home and ensuring his stay is extremely comfortable and happy. When I was a part of all this, sometimes I felt it was too noisy and unnecessary, now devoid of it I cant imagine the festival!

Me and nik decided to celebrate ganapati at home this time. We didn’t actually go to the extent of getting the idol home, but did an elaborate ‘pooja’ complete with aartis and ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya, Mangalmurti morya’ chants. We actually went shopping for the pooja items after office.

Early morning, I realized I had to make the ‘Panchamruth’ and I forgot the ingredients. Well this called for quick action and the obvious was an SOS call to my mom, but she wouldn’t answer! I mean in time of need… what worse can you expect? After some more quick calls, it was my aunt who saved the day! After the elaborate pooja, modaks and lunch…we still felt there was something missing.

And then I realized it was not just the ritual but the joy, the bonding with which people celebrate this festival that made the difference. The 10 days are filled with fun. Small things like singing aarti at the neighbours house, coz they have the ganesha idol at home is looked forward to. Apart from relatives visiting each other, and mouth watering modaks, the bigger attraction is the ‘dekhave’. The various decorations and acts that are set-up by the Ganapati mandals. I vividly remember the excitement with which we awaited going out to see the decorations. Roaming on the streets far into the night, trying to catch a glimpse of all the mandal ganapatis and their acts on the way, with just a quick halt for some mid-night snacks that’s dished out relentlessly at every corner.

And then finally the ‘Visarjan’, when people finally bid adieu to their beloved god, followed by the chants of ‘Pudhchya varshi laukar ya’ i.e come again early, next year. The procession is equally zestful, with varied decorations, rangolis, flowers and mirthful atmosphere everywhere. Oh well, now you know how much I missed all the excitement.

Nevertheless, I am always at peace when this festival arrives. It could be blind-faith, it could be just the exuberance attached to the festival. Whatever it is, it truly heals me, helps me overcome my fears, my sorrows and almost always leaves me with a positive effect…all I can say is ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya, Mangal murti moray!’

Long time no post…

So here goes… Well this is more like a recap on all things that have been happening lately. Every issue could have a post of its own, but I think this is better! Basically there are so many things happening in India and at such fast pace.. Needless to say none to be cheerful about and almost all of them man –made! I guess we just can’t stand peace anymore.

Some of us create a ruckus, some others try to gain mileage out of that ruckus, some more sit and do the usual analysis-paralysis about the issue… If that’s not enough its blown out of proportions by a few others and the net result is that most of us suffer in this debacle that was created by a few. Well too many somebody’s and nobody’s but isn't this the fact of today?

To start with we have the J&K issue i.e the Amarnath land row, then we have the riot like situation in Orissa over killing of VHP leader and conversions. Then we have the Singur Tata Nano plant. We have MNS on other hand threatening to go on a rampage if the shops names are not changed to the regional language i.e Marathi. Then down south we had the bomb-blasts (so-called) and then the farmer’s agitation for want of fertilizers, the Ahmedabad blasts left a fresh scar, and then the random firing from across the border with Pakistan flouting the cease-fire. … I was tired listing the issues, I am surprised how come these people never take a break and think rationally… for heavens sake it’s yours and many others life that you are ruining for want of a new political pot-boiler! And then to top it all the nature played spoilt sport with the Bihar floods.

Isn’t the writing on the wall that apart from natural disaster all others are politically instigated issue to ruin peace in the country? Is it so hard to dream of peace, a happy secure life and a good upbringing for the children so that they could test their wings and follow their heart. Aren’t enough innocent lives lost already? Why go the same path again?