Sights, Sounds and Smells

Has it ever struck you that how people and places can be uniquely identified based on how they look, sound and smell?

Isn't it amazing more in the case of places?

The feeling of the salt in your hair on a beach, the smell of fish cooking from a bengali's house, the sound of the morning aarti bells from a temple, the sight of a whole city lit up in the night!

I have always felt that India is the richest when it comes to the diversity and the peculiarity of the varied sights, sounds and smells. I do not think there exists another nation so pregnant with such sensory stimulation.
And the truth of the fact strikes you the most when you are returning from an alien (read phoren) land :). I am sure my fellow "desis" will nod their heads in agreement (and amusement). The first proofs of this are available at the airport itself.

So, this time when I landed back from my transatlantic vacation - mind warped in the rapidly changing time zones I had travelled through - as I dazed through the ramp, I heard a 4-year ABCD (yes, american born confused desi) kid exclaim in a very matter-of-fact tone, "Now, this smells like India!".
Smart kid, I asserted to the slightly embarrassed parents. It was raining, and the muffled smell of wet cement and an unhealthily moist carpet, familiar to every Indian who has experienced the proverbial Indian monsoons, wrapped the air.

I, almost instantly, realized that actually there has been no other place where I could have landed and proclaimed "Now this smells, sounds, or looks like xyz". I mean you cannot distinguish HongKong and USA at the airport - There is this antiseptic sanitation - you cannot feel anything specific to that place - there are generic expected noises and sights - no smells (which believe me is very pleasant, and no am not complaining about that :))!

Forget the airport, most fast paced cities in the developed and advanced nations look so same - you visit one and then the other and the other and there is this characteristic cloning.

It never seizes to flabbergast me how even the various Indian metro cities still manage to have their distinct characteristics that attack, revolt, and please your senses alternately.

Where else in the world would you land and be welcomed by the smell of bidis from an open construction site (Delhi airport), the shouts of "gents and ladies separate line please for security" (Hyderabad airport), the gentle chiding of the security guys, "madame no need to take out laptop" - so what if the board says so (Mumbai airport), the strong smell of jasmine flowers from the masses who have come to receive a single member at the middle of the night (Chennai airport), and ofcourse, the sight of thousands of black and yellow auto rickshaws and taxis whose drivers in khaki uniforms create a stampede to invite travellers (Chennai airport again)!

My musings were suddenly interrupted by the blackout because of a power cut.

"Welcome to India", many co-passengers joked as we went on to face shortage of immigration forms, soaked luggage, and continued power cuts at the airport, but that is a different story, isn't it? ;)

Q&A Time

Tagged again by TBG here. Delayed a little – but well, I am on a vacation and I forgive myself ;).

Yes, and I do realize this month has been more of tags than blog posts :)!

Anyways, so I'm supposed to answer these questions, then make up my own ten questions for you and pass on the tag.

I learn quickly, and like TBG will let you answer the same questions. Please feel free to tag yourself – Let me know if you do – I’ll catch you on your blog!

1. What one material thing are you hoping/ scoping to inherit?

I would love to inherit a huge palatial house on a sea side – Pacific sounds great or even a castle somewhere in the Norwegian wilderness!

2. You're driving. It's great weather. Attractive member of opposite sex in expensive car looks at you and half-smiles. You're in a relationship. Do you return the look and half-smile back?

One, if I am driving I’d be too nervous to notice either the expensive car or the good looking hunk. Two, even if I did notice, in all probability the half-smile would be because either I am too slow or in the wrong lane! So no, I would not return the look or the smile, irrespective of my relationship status.

3. Can't smell or can't taste? For six months, and if you had to chose, would you rather lose your sense of smell or not be able to taste anything?

I would rather lose my sense of smell – It doesn’t matter. My food needs to taste good!

4. Pick a situation

a. You're 42. Would you rather go without sex for three years and win a lottery after that, enabling you to never have to work again? Or

b. Get twice the lottery money now (at 42) but have your partner sleep with your boss?

So option b is lame! Option A, if these were the only two choices with None of the above not being an alternative.

5. What's a quicker turn off, bad pronunciation or maroon lipstick?

I assume this question is to be answered by the guys.

If not, a guy with bad pronunciation would be a definite turn off, and a guy wearing maroon lipstick would be a revolt to my senses!

6. Would you rather your kid turn out to be a nymphomaniac or gay?(For my amusement, please answer in the format: I would rather my kid be ---)

I would rather my kid be confident, poised, sure of himself/herself and my support and backing irrespective of sexual preferences.

7. For which one thing have you not forgiven your mother?

For not going for regular cholesterol and other checkups.

8. Would you rather go bald or lose your front tooth?

Hmmppphhhh – Artificial dentures would be irritating – so I’d rather go bald and get a pretty wig!

9. Your sibling is sleeping with your married close friend. Who do you go to first, sibling or married close friend?

Though I would like to believe I have no right to interfere and that I would stick to that stance if this ever happened, but in a practical scenario, I think I would have a word with my sibling.

10. When was the last time you cried that wasn't while watching a movie?

It doesn’t take much to make me cry – I cry out of joy and sadness. I am quite your typical emotional fool :D

Phew! Am done. Your turn now!

Tagged (by TBG)

My first ever tag - tagged by TBG here.

Okay, so I'm supposed to mention 9 things that I've worn the most. These could be anything!

And, here I go:

1. My wedding ring - More than 3 years now, and it is on me almost always!

2. My pink flip flops - I am wearing them right now and wear them pretty much all the time I spend at home - Have owned them now for more than a year – and love them!

3. My plain black hair pins – Very rarely will I be seen without my hair pinned back ;). And if I tell you for how long I have been using hair pins, you will pretty much guess my age :D.

4. My favorite denim skirt – My parents bought this from a Numero Uno sale in CP when I was in Class X for my birthday! With each passing year I fall in love with it even more! (and yes, I still fit into it :p)

5. My blue jeans – basic Levi’s 584. Very comfortable for just about anywhere and everywhere. I have owned this one for more than 5 years now!

6. My favorite pair of earrings – and obviously the most worn pair ever! One of the just-after-wedding gifts from my hubby!

7. White capris/shorts – My first ever buy in the U.S of A at the American Eagle Outfitters store on the Third Street, Santa Monica, a couple of years back. And that’s not the only reason I like it so much. It’s convenient for most activities – walk, trek, trip to the theme parks, etc etc.

8. My only khaki skirt – Have owned this one now for almost three years now and whenever I have got the opportunity to wear skirts (which I don’t do much in Chennai) this one’s always on the top!

9. Last but not the least - My formal black trousers – I have this pair from Van Heusen that has been with me since my first ever job interview. It’s classy and neat at the same time. Team it up with any formal shirt and am ready to take it on :).

All those who read this, please consider yourself tagged and I am sure it will be fun reminiscing on all the treasured possessions over the years!

The Sin City

Las Vegas has been on my list of must dos since a long time now, so when finally Vish and I got down to making the trip, I was super kicked!

Road trips are always fun in the US thanks to the wonderful infrastructure that provides for basic amenities that human beings would require on a travel – food and restrooms!

As we left balmy coastal California for one of largest deserts – Mojave in California, and of course Nevada itself - the change in scenery was prominent. The elegant palm trees gave way to stunted shrubs, cacti and prickles, as I learnt, white cotton wool over a blue spread covering the barren mountains also make a picturesque site.

After a 5 hour drive, the fabulous city of Vegas welcomed us. There was an unmistakable sense of excitement and abandoned gaiety (no pun intended) in the air. So I was at THE Entertainment Capital of the World – true to its word, the sin city offers everything it promises – glamour, glitz, gaming, fine dining and a truly high end shopping experience.

The Venetian is undoubtedly the classiest and the most happening (and Vish will add the most expensive :)) hotel I have ever stayed at. Everything about the hotel was awe-inspiring – beautifully done up scaffolding, the Grand Canal, the Gondola, Madame Tussauds, casinos – It took us a couple of hours just here!

I will not get into details of what the attractions at The Strip are – just about everything is available on the Internet and trust me when I say that all what they show in the movies – The Hangover, What happens in Vegas, and the many others IS absolutely true :D.

Vegas is, in many ways, the embodiment of what the big American dream means to most outsiders – fast money, instant gratification, an oasis in the middle of a desert, convenient morality, enabling anonymity – the chimera of the Midas touch.

It also, at multiple levels, exposes the shallowness of a whole civilization of people that most of us – across the world – represent. Short lived relationships, compromised solutions to problems we don’t even try to understand, complicated sensibilities, the rat race to own it all, the enchantment of the blinding neon lights fading into obliviousness in the reality of the day, the urge to risk it all in a gamble and the obsession to not let go, the irony of doing whatever it takes to get inside a limo and then rolling up the darkened window to avoid recognition.

We have learnt societal and political diplomacy – aren’t, so very often, our smiles and polite nothings as fake as the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty that adorn the Las Vegas boulevard?

Winnie-the-Pooh diagnosed with behavioral disorders - What Next?

Apparently, medical schools in the US have commenced using fictional characters to train therapists on psychoanalysis and other related behavioral sciences. This article from the Wall Street Journal makes a very interesting read.

Actually, as fascinating and innovative this may sound, associating fictional characters and their behavior patterns to symptomatic “types” is not really a new phenomenon. Those with a background on psychoanalysis would instantly remember Freud’s obsession with Shakespeare – Oedipus complex, anyone?

At one level, of course, this approach towards classroom teaching is highly advantageous with the positives ranging from retaining interest of the students in the “subject” to securing the privacy of the “subject” - I mean how paranoid would Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind be if her narcissistic personality disorder case is discussed openly in a med school class room!

At another level, the concept actualizes what can only be imagined by reading dry theory. I knew what schizophrenia meant but I understood it so well only after John Nash’s stunning performance in A Beautiful Mind.

Books, plays, and especially motion pictures strongly appeal to one’s cognitive senses. I have had so many conversations with friends and colleagues revolving around characters from novels and movies as if they were real people.

Such is the power of a well communicated fictional piece – given a holistic context to the plot and people, you begin to understand not only the social milieu but also the subjective emotional construct. And exploiting this facet for inclusion in the formal mainstream education structure is, I think, a definitive step in the right direction.

On a lighter note, as I smiled at some of the diagnosis of famous fictional characters, I wondered on a parallel “desi” version.

So, if the good ol’ bear, Pooh, is a bundle of co-morbidities that may include cognitive impairment, how does our very own Baloo and his subservient love for Rebecca in Tailspin fare?

If Bella from Twilight represents a case of chronic low self esteem and depression, what kind of a complex behavioral pattern is exhibited by the character of Paro from the hugely popular DevD.

Is Ranbir Kapoor in Rajneeti a guy with deep seated insecurities and judgment impairment leading him into mindless violence and forcing him to live the life of an escapist who is circumstantially coerced into wrongs after wrongs?

And then isn’t Katrina Kaif a classic case of bipolar personality disorder – on one hand, she is this beauty with brains – a fast paced go getter, and then she goes and enters a marriage alliance because her dad pressurizes her into marrying a to-be CM. WTF!

No, I did not think much of Rajneeti, and this is just one way of trying to get even for my lost money :D)

US med schools should try including some of our bollywood classics in their curriculum!

P.S: Just in case you didn’t notice, this post also covers the movie review of Rajneeti, which was a huge disappointment.

That was not fair of Ram!

This post comes, well, a tad bit delayed. And don’t get me started on how I trapped myself into being so busy when I thought I was “done”.

Last weekend, my nephew Ads – yes the super brilliant guy I talk about here – asked me to tell him one of the Ramayana stories from his Amar chitra katha collection. This four-year old has recently acquired a new found fascination for Indian mythology – especially Hanuman, Ram et al.

I was more than willing to spend a lazy Saturday evening with him, and enthusiastically asked him to choose the story he wants me to narrate.

As my luck had it, he chose the Uttar Ramayana – For those unfamiliar with Indian mythology, this is the part of the epic where Lord Ram sends Sita to the forest after his subjects (starting with some idiotic launderer) raise doubts about Sita’s chastity after her having stayed in Ravana’s custody. As is obvious from the subject of the tale, this one is not a simple tale about all good and destruction of all evil. Many hindus in fact do not consider this part of the original Ramayana – Else how can they claim Ram to be “Purshotham” (the best among men) when he turned his wife when she needed him the most!

With doubts on how I would gloss over the uncomfortable parts of the tale, I started telling Ads the story. But haven’t I told you before – this is not just about any 4 year old – he is not only very inquisitive who wants a story neatly laid out right to the finest of details – but he also exhibits a keen understanding of the details.

As you would expect I was ragged big time; here are some excerpts from our conversation that day. Most of the vocab I have used at the first go is a direct pick from the Amarchitrakatha book:

Me: So let’s start – so as you know Ram was a just and fair king.

Ads: What is just and fair.

Me: He was honest, always did what is right, was a good ruler.

Ads: Oh ok, I am also just and fair.

Me: Yes you are.

Me: One day, Ram heard that his people did not like Sita because she had been kidnapped by Ravana – so he decided to send her away to the sage’s hermit.

Ads: Why did they not like her? But Ram fought with Ravana, right? And he saved Sita – then why should he send her away just because people did not like her.

Me (trying to spin whatever excuses I could at the top of my head – crap, as if I cared what Ram did): But Ram also thought that his children should be born in the jungle with the sages so that they become intelligent and powerful.

Ads: Was Ram born in a jungle?

Me: No

Ads: But he was powerful and brave right? Then why should his children be born in the jungle.

Me: But it’s just a story and this is what happened. Everybody makes mistakes right. Ram also made a mistake by sending Sita away. So can we continue with the story?

Ads: Okay…

Me: So Ram did the ashwamedha yajna (I explained to him as much as I could what it required) – yajna has to be done with the wife else gods get angry. But Sita was in the jungle, so Ram built a gold statue and used that statue for the prayers.

Ads: Did he ask her to come?

Me: No

Ads: He should have said sorry and asked her to come – she would have.

Me (given up on defending Ram): He didn’t think of that.

Ads: Okay, but gods know right – Ram can’t fool the gods – they know his wife is in the jungle and this is just a statue.

Me: Yes….let’s continue…

Me: So Luv and Kush were defeated Hanuman and Lakshman, and started fighting with Ram without knowing he was their father.

Ads: Why did Sita not tell them?

Me: She didn’t want them to feel bad that their dad left them in the jungle.

Ads: Ram was not a good father, no?

Me: No. Okay, so then when he asks them who’s your mother and they say “Sita”, Ram becomes very sad – he feels very bad and becomes unconscious out of grief.

Sita tells Luv and Kush about Ram and they are happy. The sage asks Ram to go back with his entire family to Ayodhya.

But, Sita wants to go back to her mother (I didn’t want to get into the insult and suicide concept) and her mother is Earth – so the earth opens up and Sita goes inside.

Ads: She kills herself (see, I told you he is no ordinary 4 year old)

Me: It’s not really killing

Ads: But why does she not go back with Ram?

Me: Because she is angry with Ram as Ram sent her away to the forest and was not there to protect her when she was scared.

Ads: But the sage protected her.

Me: But Ram just left her right?

Ads: Yes, That was not fair of Ram. Just because someone tells you something, you can’t leave your wife and children right? (Well, if this was so simple, I wonder why Lord Ram faltered)

I think Hanuman is the best person in Ramayana – he helps everyone and saves everyone – he respects and loves everyone also. I think he is better than Ram. Ram was not fair.

Me: Yes, but Ads these are all stories, okay? Now let’s order pizza.

Ads: But stories can happen for real right?

Me: What topping on your pizza?

Ads: Paneer without spice!

Me: Thank god for pizzas!

Demystification

A moment on the edge of time

A sigh on parched lips

A bubble balanced on the tip of a sword

A shrieking echo in vacuumed space

A promise of permanence in changing times

A curse of hollow years from empty palms

A sinking ship in the beautiful ocean

A dream on partially open lids

A drop of dew in the morning sun

A green leaf just before the onset of fall

And so, my life lies in the crevices

Of the worlds that have not fallen

There must have been a reason

Or then maybe none at all

I will not ask the question again

I know there is no answer

It was never meant to be

Anything but a coincidence

This talk of a mission and goal

The pilgrimage to resurrection

When waiting for the final annihilation

Wish ‘Kites’ soared higher!

Yes, that was precisely my emotion after watching the much-awaited Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori starrer.

So, what is Kites all about? A romantic, action-packed, adventurous thriller with the mandatory song and dance sequences, a love quadrangle of sorts, connections with a dangerous family that turn bloody, a senseless lustful villain, the lead pair with a teary childhood, circumstantially forced into illegal acts, hopelessly in love – long story cut short - a clichéd bollywood melodrama with the only saving grace being Hrithik Roshan, and the fact that there is no happily after (remember the whole logic of kites soaring high only to fall back to the ground?).

Hrithik is incredibly good looking (you didn’t need me to tell you that) and he carries the movie in his arms (I just realized, 'on his shoulders' sounds so bland :p). He is this drop dead gorgeous smooth talker you would go out of your way to bump into Vegas, or any other city in the world for that matter.

Barbara Mori is, well, okay – nothing much to write home about (sorry guys!) – but the on-screen chemistry between J. and Linda is convincing and cute, so I hold nothing against her really.

Kabir Bedi is wasted, wonder what made him agree to the role!

Music’s nothing great either, though I kind of like ‘zindagi do pal ki…’

I loved Hrithik (oh, did I already talk about that before? ;))!!! His international looks really blow one away – girls, you need to watch the movie, if only for the Greek god himself (I know this sounds highly exaggerated, but c'mon indulge me for a change!)

I am trying to think what more I liked about the movie….

…. Okay, yes to be fair, some of the scenes were beautifully shot – exquisite locales – the cliff scene in the end was breathtaking – Locales from Nevada and Mexico are mesmerizing.

The tragic unfolding of the tale, in parts, did tug my heart - but then I am a certified non-cognitive nitwit :(

And sadly, nothing else justifies the time the movie took in the making and the hype it created. I hear that the English version is shorter (90 minutes as compared to the 130 minute long hindi version) and releases 28th May. My recommendation – go watch that one!

And, by the way, I didn’t forget to mention how handsome Hrithik Roshan looked, did I ? :D

3 weeks later!

Naah, this is not the latest Danny Boyle zombie movie – 3 weeks is the time I have been away from the blogging world, dormant on FB, totally inactive on Orkut, completely out of circulation on Twitter, and silent on my phone!

So, even if you didn’t really miss me on any of the channels above and couldn’t care less about what kept me away, in the true spirit of being me, I shall go ahead and burden you with the bloody details :D!

It has been work, work, and helluva work – almost the entire 3 weeks were spent writing documents, conducting reviews, “following up”, sitting late nights burning the midnight oil, less of food intake, more of calorie burning (still no reduction in the uneasy number people refer to as weight), reworks, last minute troubleshooting, near cardiac arrests, not-so-easy recoveries, dull weekends, and everything else that symbolizes a product release in the big bad IT world! The good news is I am done duna done done! (however silly and irritating it sounds)

The missed “blog” moments…

I really wanted to blog about the Kasab drama (a well deserved death sentenced), the Nirupama tragedy (a giant leap back to the stone age), the Burqa: to be or not to be (I think I can still write on this one – will make a note) and finally my tryst with Laila (for the ignorant, laila is the name of the cyclone that recently hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and created some havoc in my life too – I was stranded in the middle of the flyover and etc etc - none of which was remotely humorous :().

What else has been happening?

Apart from work, some other news too!

# My darling brother has finished his 4-yr degree program and is back in Delhi – this directly translates into me being all by myself on the weekends – he has been a wonderful companion for all my shopping sprees and gastronomic indulgences! Will miss u Priyank, enjoy and take care :).

# I finally managed to plan my long due vacation – It’s going to be a wonderful Californian summer – remember to check out this blog for the updates on that!

# My school years’ crush on Hrithik Roshan has kind of re-inflamed – it takes a lot to get me star struck and oh I am so in love! I go for Kites today and am hoping there’s lots to write when I am back!

# And finally, some songs refuse to leave my lips – and have been instrumental in retaining my cheer in the dark ages (3 weeks). Posting them here for your consumption too…

>> Uff teri adaaa – An instant mood lifter

>> Zombies…in your head!

>> Ranjha Ranjha – from Mani Ratnam’s Raavan

>> Blackbird – singing in the dead of night…

>> Pal pal har pal – from the second Munnabhai movie

>> There are a few more all time favorites, which gave me company - but I stop here at Wake me up when September comes…

She

She wakes up to the din of the dawn

(Whoever painted the serene morning star,

Did not have a lousy spouse and kids to feed)

She works amidst the mass of chaotic humanity

(Brotherly love and knightly charm are

Superfluous verses on scraps of paper)

The heat, and the gray sky opaque with dust

Struggle to offer her hope and joy

(Those who talk of the beauty of summer

Must try taking her place, she thinks again)

Shared smiles and cursed exchanges

Are the highlights of her day

She dreads the walk back home

The night is neither dark nor quiet

Awaits is the cacophony of the

Evening chores and the kitchen fire

(Calm and warmth that dusk brings

Is a privilege of the mighty rich, she knows)

She wades through the needs of the house

And the demands of mutual habitation

(Familial love and celebration is welcome

Only when the stomachs are full)

Into the four walls and the closed doors

She finally makes one desperate attempt

To seek peace and solace

(She still wonders whether she feels

Relief or fear when he does not return)

Sleep eludes her, so does life

Her heart dips, that sinking feeling

The night will not end her woes

It will not drown the aching pain

It will not promise a new morning

She must get up tomorrow

To roll the stone uphill, once more

This game must be His favorite to watch

She muses,

No wonder He makes us play it again and again.