Wild Encounters!!

I must mention in the start of this article that I am not much of a wild life buff, but call it chance or destiny or forced will, I always land up inside a wild life sanctuary when I am out on holidays. For every sanctuary I have an anecdote to tell, as every sanctuary had a lesson to teach. The earliest memory of wild life that I can rekindle was when we went to Bharatpur sanctuary, a place famous for its birds, specially the migratory ones. A toddler in my mum’s arms I was unable to spot even a single bird, not because of eyesight problem but because of the fact that whenever the jeep stopped and people looked at a bird with admiration I would be busy either fiddling with something in the jeep or dreaming about fairies in the jungle. Finally when the trip came to an end I realized that I had not even seen a single bird. Many years have passed and I have not got a single chance to visit the sanctuary again. This incident taught me one thing if you have an opportunity grab it, don’t let it go as it may not come back to you.

The next trip was to Sariska. Like wannabe wild life freaks we entered our jeep sporting the best cargos, the best hats and the best glares. All of them had colors well blending with Sariska’s hues. For an hour or so we went around the safari and were forced to show excitement for every deer we saw, out of the zillions that were spotted by us. Later on, when we told the owner of the resort that we were unable to spot a tiger, he convinced us that a tiger visits that resort every single night and you have to wait patiently outside for the wild encounter. As urchins with dreamy eyes we sat all through the night amidst the mosquitoes and temperature which was hot and humid. To kill the boredom and heat we kept taking aerated drinks that the owner sold us at an exorbitant price. Dawn came, sun came, but tiger never came and tired and drowsy we went back home, the owner had the last laugh for fooling us and making surplus profit overnight. Lesson taught: - investments done by hearsay have bleak chances of giving fruitful results.

Few years later bhai came from Canada after a long hiatus, and was very keen to see the rhinos of Kaziranga and we were very keen that he enjoys his trip back home. Bag and baggage the entire family flew to northeast and was in the world of rhinos. We were scheduled to visit the forest in the morning and our mode of transport was the magnificent docile creature the ‘Elephant’. After lots of adjustment and stretching exercises so unfamiliar in the metropolitans we finally sat on it, and went swaying and swinging much like amusement rides. Once deep inside the jungle we spotted many rhinos. You can call it the guard’s stupidity or our naivety our family came extremely close to a rhino that was apparently mother of two. Sensing danger she charged for us, this made the elephant restless. Neither a gunshot fired by the guard in the air nor the one shot on the ground hampered the rhino’s resilience. Finally when we backtracked and were away from her territory she stopped and went back. This made me understand that in order to protect the family one should go that extra mile even if it means fighting with the biggest and the mightiest. The elephant also had a lesson to teach. He was being hit by a stick by his master for every mistake made and whenever the stick fell on the ground he picked it up and gave it back to the master. It was a classic example of how we are rebuked by our seniors and end up losing great jobs or relations because of ego hassles. The mammal taught me that its okay to be spanked by the master once or twice when one makes a mistake. After all this is a learning process and the individual does end up getting the essential fodder for the day and the relaxing mud bath at the end of it all.

If the east showed me a mock charge by a rhino the west showed me Ranthambore the land of tigers. They were so professional when it came to getting snapped that they literally came up with the most elegant poses that made the tourists praise them. With this so subtly they told me that it’s not that bad to be media savvy, or in layman terms if you have the talent flaunt it, then only will you be admired by many.

Last but certainly not least were the king of the jungles, the lions of Gir with a mane so picture perfect and a body that every athlete would die for. They lay lazily in the midsummer afternoon when we went visiting them. So much authority they commanded that even if they were just lying around not positioned for an attack, not hungry from inside, we feared approaching them, we feared clicking photographs. That made me ponder that if one is perfect in one’s ability and is confident about his/her existence he/she fears no one, they will be kept in the highest of esteem.
Out of all these tales of wild the best one is yet to state. When we were just returning back from Gir we saw a hospital for the injured and the sick animals, a lion was circling within the fences of the hospital. Seeing this, a little girl innocently asked her father what had happened to the lion, promptly the father replied he was just sick and tired of seeing humans. We all roared into laughter, but it’s so true and so inhuman to encroach on the animal’s rightful property. I mean don’t we get sick and tired of people who try to invade our privacy and our space.

This article was published in an E magazine Boloji.com,
http://www.boloji.com/memoirs/088.htm on May 05,2007

This article was published in The Times of India Soul Curry Column http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lifestyle/Spirituality/Mind-over-Matter/Soul-Curry-Lesson-in-the-wild/articleshow/4683144.cms on June 21, 2009

Future Wise

I remember humming the song ‘whatever will be will be the future is not ours to see’ in my school choir. I feel in these days and times this has a slight deviation, it should be ‘the future is ours to see and for that we charge a fee’.

The ‘we’ that I refer to in the new and improvised version are the zillions of astrologist, numerologist, palmist, face readers, coffee mug readers, tarot card readers etc. In this clan of future predictors, there are few who are thorough with their knowledge and give rightly and just advice to the seeker. Alas! They are outnumbered by the ones who are here to misguide the populace and it is for them I speak. They make you misspell, distort and disorient your name. Make your hands feel alien to your body by forcing you to sport precious gem rings on them. So, Anu becomes Annu and Karishma becomes Karizma. Neelam, Ruby, Panna are forced to be in constant touch with a man as demanded by his wife. Feeding stray animal becomes the order of the day. No wonder the street dog looks healthier than the pet, and the milkman dutifully lets his cows free with the assurance, that they will be fed by someone who needs ‘Gaumata’s’ blessing to pacify his/her stars.

The profession of future predictors has seen an exponential increase. One finds coaching centers teaching these mystic skills spreading all over the city like algae. Hoarding and boards with taglines ‘future ban jayega mast, lets hear your question first’, or maybe something like ‘know your future the idea is bright, just log in to our site’, have become a usual site all over the place. The consultation fee will be 1 followed by zeroes in accordance with the popularity and reliability of the pundit. So, a highly popular one charges 1000 per question while a not so famous one has to do with RS 10 per question for a living. Thanks to conjunctions and other joining words that languages of the world provide the customer makes sure 10 questions are clubbed into one. Such exorbitant charges and no accountability in the income tax department, this surely is the most fruitful profession in today’s times.

The role of a pundit also has to be played with conviction. Clothes that make you look of this era are a strict no-no. The attire should be straight from Ramayana age. Adorn the shades of orange, Footwear should be archaic in style, ‘Khadau’ will be the most suitable option. Accessories should be predominantly ‘Rudraksh’. Bearing this in mind and keeping a calm exterior one can expect to have a huge line of followers.

Lord Krishna thousands of years ago stated in one of the most pious of all books, Bhagvad Gita, that one should not worry about the consequences (fruits), one should just perform one’s duties with the utmost sincerity and dedication. Then why this sudden rise in people’s interest for future. Of course it’s a proven fact that there is always a curiosity of the unknown, but this is also true that the increase in dissatisfaction, lack of self-confidence, disillusionment with life, leads one to approach the astrologist. So do the remedies prescribed by them end bad times? If you do a survey, 90% of the public will speak in affirmation with the sentence but logically speaking these help you preoccupy your mind in your low phase. If we can master the art of snapping our minds from worries and taking success and failure in the same spirit we would never feel the urge to find the future. Instead of the curiosity of what next one should have the contentment of what’s now. With this I do not condemn the act of planning, one should plan the future, by living in the present, not by dreaming about the future. Theoretically every event has a probability and it is you who can alter the probabilities of events thru your own capabilities and not by the effect of precious gems and name distortion. So instead of the pundits conspiring against you to confiscate your finances ponder on the thought by Paulo Coelho wish something and the universe shall conspire to give it to you.

This article was published in an E magazine Boloji.com,
http://www.boloji.com/ramblings/145.htm on Sept 02,2007

Changes - A Quarter Life Crisis

‘Mum I think I don’t intend to marry right away’. I guess this is one line, every mother dreads!! when u reach the marriageable age. I am no exception in this case. All was well till I was studying and the minute I graduated hell broke on me. Every day I am asked the same question ‘when will you marry’ from my near and dear ones, when my facial muscles start showing slight trepidation the next question is quickly shot. ‘Do you have someone in your mind’ Phew!! Ladies and gentleman welcome to the world of mid 20’s a time of your life when you become financially independent, when your aspirations are soaring high, when the world is not enough for you. A time when suddenly pop stars and Hollywood actors are no longer your idols. The likes of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates seem like iconic figures for you. And amidst all these ambitious dreams you are frequently awaken to reality and coaxed with that appalling line of marriage. This period of life with a sobriquet ‘Quarter life’ is a stretch where you experience radical changes in all aspects of your life and like everyone else I find these changes creeping in my lifestyle.

With changes I refer to all the subtle changes, the essential changes, the ego boasting changes, and the ego crushing changes.I pen down some of the illustrations of all these changes that have come in my life as swiftly as if they were with me right from birth.

With subtle changes I refer to the changes which are bound to happen, when you start earning. For instance one has to pay taxes and do tax returns at the end of the year which until now was just a theoretical concept learnt during exams and forgotten the very next day. This now is a kind of yogic kriya which you got to do in order to lead a peaceful and calm life. Paying bills, Buying grocery a concept so alien turns out to be as much a reality as your own existence.

The Essential changes are the ones that had to come if one has to survive the quarter life. So you are more concerned about the nutrients intake for your body, whose onus till recently was on your mother but now becomes a part of your daily thoughts for the very simple reason one doesn’t want to fall sick when one is alone. The hesitation to talk to strangers fades away because it seems one is in constant contact with strangers. Slowly and gradually the ‘fearful little girl’ becomes the ‘Fearless Nadia’.

Next are the ego boasting changes. They are the ones loved by all, cherished by all and will be definitely written in golden letters, when one decides to write his/her biography.For illustration the pride in you, when you become the idol for someone, while you are just performing a mundane act of yours, when seniors start appreciating you, when you yourself start appreciating yourself for a remarkable job and the icing on the cake when your parents with pride flaunt your achievements.

Then they are the ego crushing changes. Argh!! The ones you want to bury deep in ground and hope nobody gets a chance to dig them. These are the changes from which the terms like loser, failure etc find there origin. For example how a single mistake of yours is blown out of proportion as it has a mammoth like consequence, When an act of ignorance results in a deadly aftermath. When it seems that there was no fault of yours but all fingers point at you. These are the changes which you want to erase from your memory as soon as possible but they crawl in your thoughts with a very high frequency and bring guilt and dejection along.

One change which every one feels but you really don’t have words to describe this or at least I fall short of vocabulary for it. This is the one where it seems the entire universe is conspiring to get you married and you alone are resisting from it. This is the change where the entire world is in search for your soul mate and you are in this constant mode of finding flaws with their findings. So predominant is this change that it rattles in your mind and leads to mentioning of it in the start and end of an article by a person going thru this stage of life. I have reached a conclusion, the fear one feels for this change is the fear of losing one’s independence and the fear of taking the extra responsibility.

So changed is the life after these changes that you are a complete changed person. You feel the all these changes are happening right in front of you and you have no power to change them. Then hey!! What the heck aren’t changes the spice of life!!!!

This article was published in an E- Magazine Boloji.com
http://www.boloji.com/ramblings/185.htm on Oct 05,2008

Dostana - Phew!! They Really Make Such Movies..

Okay!! I agree I am a movie buff. These days enjoy being a critique for them too. Happened to see Dostana and here is what I feel

I am part of the generation who grew up watching Karan Johar’s flicks. A generation who dreamt a college with likes of Rahul, Tina, Anjali and Miss Briganza for company, later dreamt the fast pacing, stylish life of New York as depicted by his ventures to woo the NRI. With movies those have left an indelible mark on my generation, with tunes that you want to hum and beats you want to dance on, Mr Johar had my expectation soaring high with his movie ‘DOSTANA’.

Either I have grown and can not digest same old larger than life depiction of people outside India or he really has to do a lot of rethinking to create magic again in the box office. The movie starts with Shilpa Shetty leaving no stone unturned to show her perfect curves and curls thanks to power yoga, and giving her company in this bare it all modus operandi is John Abraham and the ever stylish Abhishek Bachchan. It kick starts with a fresh plot of apartment hunting by two guys who end up declaring that they are gay (for an apartment!!) to the landlady, then to her beautiful niece and then slowly and gradually to almost the rest of the world even to the immigration office to expedite their processing.

The skeleton of the plot is refreshing but has been dealt in an outlandish manner. The humor is loud and doesn’t do much to your funny bone. Priyanka Chopra sizzles the screen with her presence and her about to achieve zero figure but really struggles the entire movie to act a professional and the girl next door all in once. Kiran Kher’s portrayal of London bred but Punjabi at heart ‘Bebe’ seems a blast from the past and her acceptance of her son’s relationship with a guy is more eccentric than normal. John Abraham ends up being a mere treat to the eye. Then there is Boman Irani the editor in chief of a fashion magazine dressed in the most hideous style who tries to bring in humor but ends up leaving the audience wanting him to dissipate from the screen as soon as possible. The only solace is from Bobby Deol who acts normal and looks more real than others and Abhishek Bachchan’s comic timings.

The end seems the story writer was running out of time and wanted to wrap it up quickly. Actually the entire script has been written as if it was done in haste and has not been reread. There are times when the scenes look more like college skits than actual large screen portrayals. As for music it is a come down seeing the history of melodies from Dharma production. Barring one or two songs the rest are a drag and you want them to be skipped if the theatre permits fast forwarding. I feel the directors these days have to be told that super cool clothes and ultra cool locales really don’t make a film, the story and a proper treatment to it is essential to make the movie likeable. My verdict Don’t watch the movie if you are looking for something different go if you want some eye candy and want to know the latest in fashion. For the thinking class well this is surely avoidable.

Lend Me Your Ears

A very famous speech by Mark Anthony in the equally famous play Julius Caesar starts with a line ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears’ and that is where the irony of the situation lies. Imagine such an important address such a crucial part of world history and still the general public is being asked to listen. They are being coaxed to pay attention. This speech is an integral part of the play, as it expresses an opinion with conviction. As per my interpretation it also indirectly states a truth so surreal, which is, even with two ears and a massive frequency range of human hearing spreading from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz, we are still bad listeners. We still have to be repeatedly told ‘Could you kindly listen’.

Mundane incidences empirically verify this fact that humans lack the art of harking. Mums yelling ‘My children don’t listen’, kids shouting ‘Our parents don’t listen’, wife sulking ‘he never listens’ strengthen this verity. One often sees debates on TV channels where eminent guests are invited to speak for or against a topic. The audience is expected to listen, form an opinion and ask questions. While the host plays the role of a convener. Well organized and planned with the idea that one at a time will speaks while the rest listen. However when the implementation time comes this is not what happens, At one time all speak and nobody listens, resulting in pandemonium in the studio which eventually leads to the host going in for a short break or the viewer surfing to another channel. Another example that I recall, in one of the communication technique lectures we were asked to quickly draw a mama bull a papa bull and a baby bull. At once all scribbled the best caricatures their talent could permit of papa bull, mama bull and baby bull without even realizing that how can we have a female bull!! That was when a very important fact was taught to all of us that the populace pays less attention to instructions and even if we listen it is always selective hearing.

With this global problem of too many mouths to speak and too little ears to listen I decided to be a listener for a day. I vouched that come whatever may I shall not unnecessarily speak, even if my brain curses me I shall not give any sort of opinion or advice (solicited or unsolicited). I was heading for a tough task but I surely wanted to experience the feeling of being a listener for a day. Mostly I heard gibberish from all the corners, generic sulking is what others had to offer. Those who met me for the first time that day instantaneously termed me as shy, reticent, taciturn, aloof, worse cum worse arrogant and snob, because I had nothing to offer in speech. Still that day was a very edifying experience, as I got to know so many new facts and figures so alien to me just by attentively listening to conversations floating around me. I became the agony aunt for so many not by giving them my valuable advice but by lending them an ear in their hour of despair. My mind was in peace with itself as it had the assurance that not even a single word had come out of it which may disturb somebody. It was a blissful experience but strange it may seem I didn’t want to continue it for long for the simple reason that human by nature prefers speaking and voicing his/her opinion than listening. Listening is an art that we don’t learn in a day but inculcate in us gradually. With listening I mean attentive hearing and not the selective that we usually do. Surely learning this art is a Herculean task in itself but let me leave you with these thoughts, which incidentally I ‘Listened’ from somewhere. ‘Listening isn’t a need we have; it’s a gift we give’.

This article was published in an E- Magazine Boloji.com
http://www.boloji.com/perspective/291.htm on Jan 06,2008