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Showing posts from February, 2008

Broken Dreams

I was on my way back from office when we passed a house under construction. Unexpectedly, the first thought that struck me was that 'here stands someone's dreams' in the making. The subtle delight and sense of satisfaction and pride that comes when a dream is on its way of coming true was palpable in that incomplete abode. But the joy was shortlived as I remembered the tragedy of countless homes and buildings that were gutted during the Latur earthquake in 1993, the tsunami in 2004 that was caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean, and for that matter even the attack that demolished the World Trade Center in 2001. All that was material and physical including the property, human lives, money was accounted for, but all that was implicit was lost. All the dreams woven inside the bricks, the pillars, the steel bars, the walls, the rooms, the homes, and the offices, were broken and lost forever. Here is my tribute to this huge disembodied loss. A dusty curtain slowly lifts, t

Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo

I am back to crib about another advertisement. This time one on the radio. I wonder if you have heard that cheeky ad in which a family friend calls on the landline number of a friend couple. Their child who sounds anywhere from 8-11 picks up the phone. I don't remember the exact words but the conversation goes something like: Adult: Hello Child: Hello Adult: Beta, papa ghar par hain? Child(mimicking the adult): Beta, papa ghar par hain? Adult: Kya? Child: Kya? Adult(getting a bit worked up): Beta, mummy ya papa ghar par hain? Child (in exactly the same tone): Beta, mummy ya papa ghar par hain? Adult(gathering patience): Beta? Child(in the same tone): Beta? Adult (Angry) : Beta? Child (mock-anger): Beta? Tag line: "Looks like some one is still not back from their Zen Estilo test drive" Now the Adult and the Child on the phone were really good actors. They conveyed a lot through their expressions. But other than that rest all is awful. Child is awfully rude. Moreover, what

Jane Eyre - The Implausible Modern Victorian Woman

When I first started reading Jane Eyre, I had expected to find the protagonist to be a materialistic socialite like Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind or, at best, a prig like Fanny in Mansfield Park. The last thing I expected was a woman who could very well be my idol today in the way she follows her heart and mind and takes strong decisions. It is hard to believe that Charlotte Bronte wrote this novel in 1857. Jane Eyre, the protagonist is an intelligent, passionate orphan who is being raised by her rich aunt who is not too kind to her. She gets her education in a charitable school, Lowood, and emerges as a much learned, passionate, but sensible woman. Her many talents include a flair for languages, painting and sketching. She is hired as a governess for a french girl, Adele and falls in love with Mr. Rochester, her employer. They are about to be married when something from Mr. Rochester's past intervenes and makes it impossible for both to be married. Jane refuses to be M

Counting Smiles

On my way to work today, I counted smiles. It is a 20 minute drive from my home to office and as my husband took care of the driving part, I spent my time chatting with him and also counting the number of people that were smiling while travelling. In the entire journey, I counted (hold you breath) two people who seemed to be smiling heartily. One was this young lady (somewhere in her early thirties) who was all wrapped up in a shawl and was presumably walking towards a bus stop alone. She must have remembered some incident that tickled her and made her smile spontaneously. Her whole face was lit up and she was oblivious to all around her, too engrossed in her own pleasant thoughts. The second was the driver of a mini-bus carrying students to some school. He was chatting with the bus conductor who stood right behind the driver and they seemed to be sharing a joke. His smile was good natured and I was able to judge the type of joke that they shared. It was surely not lewd or slapstick. I

Religion - To Each Their Own

I am a Hindu. That goes to say that I follow Hinduism. I have friends who are Sikhs, Muslims or Christians. While there are some common beliefs in all religions, every one essentially follows a religion of their own. Religion cannot be imposed, it can only be felt and faith makes you a follower. According to your up-bringing, your personality, your values, you choose to accept few things and discard few things that the religion teaches. In Hinduism, I admire the in-built spirituality, the flexibility, the openness and the practicality, especially as defined in Geeta. But I shun practices that pollute air, environment, water etc. Many rivers, such as Yamuna and Ganga, suffer because of these practices. On every bridge across Yamuna in Delhi, Government has built huge net boundaries to prevent people from throwing offerings into the river. But the energetic Hindus religiously hurl flowers, polybags into the Holy River. It is sad to say the least. I consider myself a worshipper of the sup