More from the sent-box!
05/12/2005 05:30 PM: What we are
The funda is that what we are is not in our hands. It's all circumstantial. If truth is relative, then even the statement that "truth is relative" is relative if it is true. So, I just thought I won't do anything special to re-rail the derailed train. That has become a kind of policy. Don’t know why so many people think so many things about so many things that somebody else doesn't even think about. It's always thought that drives some kind of action.
10/07/2005 05:05 PM: "Cinema Paradiso"
And, talking about films, we saw a wonderful Italian movie on Friday night called "Cinema Paradiso" (Italy, 1988) on DVD. I'd just SMS-ed my Current Mood to be "Angry with the world". But as I sat down to watch the film, it just melted down, and I was transported to a different world… as the review of this film rightly points out : "Affecting (but not cloying) and sentimental (but not sappy), Cinema Paradisois the kind of motion picture that can brighten up a gloomy day and bring a smile to the lips of the most taciturn individual."
There's one dialog between the protagonist, Salvatore and his older friend, Alfredo. Salvatore falls for a girl named Elena, but his deeply-felt passion isn't reciprocated. So he agonizes over the situation and seeks out Alfredo's advice. Alfredo talks about a soldier who fell in love with the king's daughter, and proposed to her. She asked him to stand outside her window for 100 days, and then she would marry him. She was surprised to see the soldier do so. It was a great struggle for him, but he suffered the pain and continued till the 99th day. But, that day, he decided to leave, and the princess was so sad for him. Salvatore then makes a bold decision: he will stand outside of Elena's window every night until she relents. But later on, Salvatore finds out why the soldier left on the 99th day. If he doesn't leave, he'll succeed, and the princess may or may not carry out her vow and that will break his heart. But, if he leaves on the 99th day, he will believe that the princess still loves him, and that will keep him happy forever, even though she doesn't become his.
[View a teaser to Cinema Paradiso, with its engaging theme music, that could just nudge you to watch this movie!(Courtesies due)]
10/07/2005 00: 00 PM: "Doublethink"
Seems like it's the right word to describe people who get so immersed in their artificiality that they are unaware of that they're artificial. ~ Ravi
The lines below are from "1984" by George Orwell:
" To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to forget, whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again, and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself - that was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word "doublethink" involves the use of doublethink. "
09/28/2005 03:37 PM: One Life?
Don’t know when or if at all we can reach the levels of mental stability that the likes of Vivekananda had. My brother always refers to this quote of Vivekananda: "If you think hard, you'll remember your childhood. If you remember harder, you'll remember your past life.". I was looking at the facial reactions of my brother's one month old baby, when it was sleeping, and I felt it is true. But, rationally, we're led to believe that we have only one life. And, we might come to know only once we die.
11/07/2005 10:04 PM: Painless
Pain seems to have been there throughout. And suffering too. As we journey through them, little joys seem to be a lot to ask for. But heavier miseries don't cause much of mayhem. They lose their relevance by visiting often. They pervade and lose their bite.
08/04/2005 03:50 PM: Bachelore
>> Remember:
1. I don't mean what I say.
2. I'm always there with a listening ear.
>> Hey! The house-keeping boy had, some two months back, taken away / misplaced the Ganesha idol I'd stuck to my monitor when he cleaned my desk in the morning. It was gifted to me by a dear erstwhile colleague (a she!). And, when I asked it back, it being my only ru-ba-ru (tété-a-tété) with God during a major part of my daily drivel, he was initially reluctant. But I maintained that I wanted it. And, just minutes back, he replaced it with a Hanuman icon and ran away, saying "Brahmachari" (bachelor), as a reason why I would find it better than Vigneswara. I couldn't help laughing. Anyway, Hanuman and Ganesh were my all time favourites, maybe because most of the stories I heard as a child had them as glorified protagonists. (Also, maybe, they had something to share with two of the commonest wildlife found in the Indian countryside.) My only fear is of some brahmachari turning-up out of the blue to claim it from me!
06/15/2005 07:24 PM: Left Unsaid
Here's some interesting observation: I wrote: "I share the same feelings, thank you! (This might have been obvious, but it's not always good to leave matters to explain themselves, isn't it?)"He wrote:*** A stage where matters can explain themselves is something we all strive for, knowingly or not, as we talk and share more and more. But it’s in the best interest of healthy communication that such a stage is not assumed before it is reached. However, we do strive to reach it, and you ‘n me are no exceptions. Thanks Ravi."
11/16/2005 10:20 PM: A Light Left On
From last week's Hindu Literary Review: A Piece of Poetry named "A Light Left On", as described by the poet May Sarton:
"In the evening we came back
Into our yellow room,
For a moment taken aback
To find the light left on,
Falling on silent flowers
Table, book, empty chair
While we had gone elsewhere
Had been away for hours.
When we came home together
We found the inside weather.
All of our love unended
The quiet light demanded,
And we gave, in a look
At yellow walls and open book.
The deepest world we share
And do not talk about
But have to have, was there,
And by that light found out."
05/12/2005 05:30 PM: What we are
The funda is that what we are is not in our hands. It's all circumstantial. If truth is relative, then even the statement that "truth is relative" is relative if it is true. So, I just thought I won't do anything special to re-rail the derailed train. That has become a kind of policy. Don’t know why so many people think so many things about so many things that somebody else doesn't even think about. It's always thought that drives some kind of action.
10/07/2005 05:05 PM: "Cinema Paradiso"
And, talking about films, we saw a wonderful Italian movie on Friday night called "Cinema Paradiso" (Italy, 1988) on DVD. I'd just SMS-ed my Current Mood to be "Angry with the world". But as I sat down to watch the film, it just melted down, and I was transported to a different world… as the review of this film rightly points out : "Affecting (but not cloying) and sentimental (but not sappy), Cinema Paradisois the kind of motion picture that can brighten up a gloomy day and bring a smile to the lips of the most taciturn individual."
There's one dialog between the protagonist, Salvatore and his older friend, Alfredo. Salvatore falls for a girl named Elena, but his deeply-felt passion isn't reciprocated. So he agonizes over the situation and seeks out Alfredo's advice. Alfredo talks about a soldier who fell in love with the king's daughter, and proposed to her. She asked him to stand outside her window for 100 days, and then she would marry him. She was surprised to see the soldier do so. It was a great struggle for him, but he suffered the pain and continued till the 99th day. But, that day, he decided to leave, and the princess was so sad for him. Salvatore then makes a bold decision: he will stand outside of Elena's window every night until she relents. But later on, Salvatore finds out why the soldier left on the 99th day. If he doesn't leave, he'll succeed, and the princess may or may not carry out her vow and that will break his heart. But, if he leaves on the 99th day, he will believe that the princess still loves him, and that will keep him happy forever, even though she doesn't become his.
[View a teaser to Cinema Paradiso, with its engaging theme music, that could just nudge you to watch this movie!(Courtesies due)]
10/07/2005 00: 00 PM: "Doublethink"
Seems like it's the right word to describe people who get so immersed in their artificiality that they are unaware of that they're artificial. ~ Ravi
The lines below are from "1984" by George Orwell:
" To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to forget, whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again, and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself - that was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word "doublethink" involves the use of doublethink. "
09/28/2005 03:37 PM: One Life?
Don’t know when or if at all we can reach the levels of mental stability that the likes of Vivekananda had. My brother always refers to this quote of Vivekananda: "If you think hard, you'll remember your childhood. If you remember harder, you'll remember your past life.". I was looking at the facial reactions of my brother's one month old baby, when it was sleeping, and I felt it is true. But, rationally, we're led to believe that we have only one life. And, we might come to know only once we die.
11/07/2005 10:04 PM: Painless
Pain seems to have been there throughout. And suffering too. As we journey through them, little joys seem to be a lot to ask for. But heavier miseries don't cause much of mayhem. They lose their relevance by visiting often. They pervade and lose their bite.
08/04/2005 03:50 PM: Bachelore
>> Remember:
1. I don't mean what I say.
2. I'm always there with a listening ear.
>> Hey! The house-keeping boy had, some two months back, taken away / misplaced the Ganesha idol I'd stuck to my monitor when he cleaned my desk in the morning. It was gifted to me by a dear erstwhile colleague (a she!). And, when I asked it back, it being my only ru-ba-ru (tété-a-tété) with God during a major part of my daily drivel, he was initially reluctant. But I maintained that I wanted it. And, just minutes back, he replaced it with a Hanuman icon and ran away, saying "Brahmachari" (bachelor), as a reason why I would find it better than Vigneswara. I couldn't help laughing. Anyway, Hanuman and Ganesh were my all time favourites, maybe because most of the stories I heard as a child had them as glorified protagonists. (Also, maybe, they had something to share with two of the commonest wildlife found in the Indian countryside.) My only fear is of some brahmachari turning-up out of the blue to claim it from me!
06/15/2005 07:24 PM: Left Unsaid
Here's some interesting observation: I wrote: "I share the same feelings, thank you! (This might have been obvious, but it's not always good to leave matters to explain themselves, isn't it?)"He wrote:*** A stage where matters can explain themselves is something we all strive for, knowingly or not, as we talk and share more and more. But it’s in the best interest of healthy communication that such a stage is not assumed before it is reached. However, we do strive to reach it, and you ‘n me are no exceptions. Thanks Ravi."
11/16/2005 10:20 PM: A Light Left On
From last week's Hindu Literary Review: A Piece of Poetry named "A Light Left On", as described by the poet May Sarton:
"In the evening we came back
Into our yellow room,
For a moment taken aback
To find the light left on,
Falling on silent flowers
Table, book, empty chair
While we had gone elsewhere
Had been away for hours.
When we came home together
We found the inside weather.
All of our love unended
The quiet light demanded,
And we gave, in a look
At yellow walls and open book.
The deepest world we share
And do not talk about
But have to have, was there,
And by that light found out."
10/24/2005 05:55 PM: Individual
Here's a great statement of Individuality (by a friend): "Not many have been my friends so far. But not many foes either so long as we don't care. And those few I knew have been excellent." ~ Thanks, Sarv
10/05/2005 12:56 PM: House Hunt : our requirements in Black & White
The requirements:
1. At least 2 bathrooms, 1 toilet (so that newspapers may be read)
2. Big kitchen (so that we have space for waste also)
3. Wardrobes in all bedrooms (so, that we have space to lay our extra clothes around the room)
4. At least 2 full length mirrors, (so that a few guys never reach office in time, improving work-life balance, u know!)
5. A big garden (for walks after supper)u guys want anything more? Maybe a goooood house owner??...well, that's the most difficult thing!
01/25/2005 06:39 PM: Mera Gaanaa...Dil Doondtha Hai!
"dil dhundhataa hai phir vahii furasat ke raat din - (2)
baithe rahe tasavvur-e-jaanaan kiye hue
dil dhundhataa hai phir vahii furasat ke raat din...
jaadon kii narm dhuup aur aangan men let kar - (2)
aankhon pe khiinchakar tere aanchal ke saae ko
aundhe pade rahe kabhii karavat liye hue
dil dhundhataa hai phir vahii furasat ke raat din...
yaa garamiyon kii raat jo puravaaIyaan chalen - (2)
thandii safed chaadaron pe jaagen der taktaaron ko
dekhate rahen chhat par pade hue
dil dhundhataa hai phir vahii furasat ke raat din...
barfiilii sardiyon men kisii bhii pahaad par - (2)
vaadii men guunjatii huii khaamoshiyaan sunena
ankhon men bhiige bhiige se lamhe liye hue
dil dhundhataa hai phir vahii furasat ke raat din... "
Credits:
Movie Name: Mausam; Actor & Actress: Sanjeev Kumar, Sharmila Tagore; Singers: Bhupinder, Lata Mangeshkar; Music Director: Madan Mohan; Lyricist: Gulzar
Video Courtesy: Zee TV, YouTube. [copyright violation unintended]
01/27/2005 11:41 AM: A Useful Acronym
(Update on 15-Dec-2006) This video is from my Video PickleBox. This song has a sad version too, but this is the one I like more, particularly for the variation of Lata's rendition in comparison to Bhupinder's. Bhupinder goes "Dil-e-doondtha/hai fir wohi" while Lata sings "Dil doondtha hai/fir...". Where did I first see it? The credits go to Doordarshan's Rangoli!
Sanjeev Kumar is one of my favourite actors. His style and substance impressed me, though he did not hold as much mass appeal as other actors during his time. I've heard that 'Mausam' is a movie of class, but haven't yet been able to watch it fully. (Which I will, someday!)
Madan Mohan is an exceptional music composer, with songs like "Ek Mutthi Aasmaan" and "Aap ki Nazron ne Samjha" to his repertoire. Another fact to note is what Wikipedia tells us:
Like Sanjeev Kumar in acting, Madan was never as popular as other music directors of that age. Searching for the composer of Dil Doontha Hai, I landed up on a goldmine of songs that I used to love, but never knew to be Madan's.
Madan's unused songs were posthumously dusted-out by his son, and arranged to Javed Akhtar's beautiful lyrics in 'Veer Zaara'. 'Do Pal Ruka', which was also mesmerizingly picturized by the director Yash Chopra, was my favourite in that album. Later, I got to know that Madan Mohan had sung 'Dil Doondtha Hai' to the tune of the most popular song of the album, 'Tere Liye', when he composed it.
Sanjeev Kumar is one of my favourite actors. His style and substance impressed me, though he did not hold as much mass appeal as other actors during his time. I've heard that 'Mausam' is a movie of class, but haven't yet been able to watch it fully. (Which I will, someday!)
Madan Mohan is an exceptional music composer, with songs like "Ek Mutthi Aasmaan" and "Aap ki Nazron ne Samjha" to his repertoire. Another fact to note is what Wikipedia tells us:
Madan did not usually employ Kishore Kumar, as his tunes were complex classical-based compositions and "Kishoreda" had a singing style that was more pop-oriented.
Like Sanjeev Kumar in acting, Madan was never as popular as other music directors of that age. Searching for the composer of Dil Doontha Hai, I landed up on a goldmine of songs that I used to love, but never knew to be Madan's.
Madan's unused songs were posthumously dusted-out by his son, and arranged to Javed Akhtar's beautiful lyrics in 'Veer Zaara'. 'Do Pal Ruka', which was also mesmerizingly picturized by the director Yash Chopra, was my favourite in that album. Later, I got to know that Madan Mohan had sung 'Dil Doondtha Hai' to the tune of the most popular song of the album, 'Tere Liye', when he composed it.
Video Courtesy: Zee TV, YouTube. [copyright violation unintended]
01/27/2005 11:41 AM: A Useful Acronym
MMVVS,BDXAR : Mail Me Very Very Soon, But Don't Xpect A Reply!
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