Top Three Songs

Movies and songs have always been a part of my life, just like books. At home, when all gather, inevitably the topic of movies and songs comes up. I have always leaned towards songs than movies; especially songs with good lyrics. For me more than the music, good lyrics matter. Sometime back we were listing out our favorite songs from movies. Listing out the top three songs, based upon their lyrics along with the best part of the song. This was my list, thought would share with all. Of coure, all are hindi songs, since I relate to them more than telugu (mother toungue):

1. Zindagi ka safar hai yeh kaisa safar - 

      movie: Safar, 

      singer: Kishore Kumar, 

      lyrics: Indivar
what i like most about this song, everything lyrics, music, singing, picturisation etc. etc. This song basically gives the philosophy of life in a nutshell.

favorite bits:

Rote Rote Zamaane Mein Aaye Magar
Hanste Hanste Zamaane Se Jaaenge Ham - loosely translated we arrive in this world crying but promise to leave it smiling

Phool Aise Bhi Hain Jo Khile Hi Nahin
Jinko Khilne Se Pehle Fiza Kha Gai - there are less fortunate than us so be grateful with what we have in our lives

2. Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwah toh nahi - 

     Movie: Andhi, 

     Singers: Kishore&Lata, 

     Lyrics: Gulzar
Sanjeev Kumar at his best, with unbeatable Gulzar's lyrics.
There are no complaints with life without you but life without you is no life at all. What else can we say after this, apart from wah wah.

favorite bit: after that starting there cannot be anything else

Tum jo keh do toh aaj ki raat chand dubega nahin, raat ko rok lo
Raat baath hai aur zindagi baki toh nahin 

This should be understood in context, hero & heroine are meeting after 14yrs and can spend only few moments together. Hero promises her not to let these moments end and at the same time understands that we cant do that with life.

3. Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho - 

     Movie: Arth, 

     Singer: Jagjit Singh, 

     Lyrics: Gulzar
We all have experienced this, smiling at the face of adversities.

favorite bit

Jin zakhmoN ko waqt bhar chala hai,
tum kyun unhe chhede ja rahe ho. 

We all tend to live in the past, reliving past in our minds and worrying and feeling the pain again and again. Instead let time heal the wounds and get on with life. Just like we delay healing of wounds by "kelukofying" (a Tinglish word i invented meaning the thing we do with a loose tooth, keep poking it) them, by reliving past we dont let the wound heal properly.

Polite Autowallah

Polite Hyderabadi Autowallah, no I am not talking about oxymorons. I really encountered such an entity. I was zapped and went through the rest of the day like a zombie. 

For those uninitiated, let me tell you about auto drivers of Hyderabad. They come in various flavours. But one attribute is common to all, they are masters of the world. They have a list of destinations they do not ply to and it is a long list, in short, they wont go where you want to go. Then their meter is always broken, so we have to haggle over the price. Even in the rare occasions when the meter is not broken, be assured it has been tampered with and it is rounded off to the nearest 5 or 10 rupees making it a round figure. Don't ever expect change from them. Once you board their auto, you are at their mercy, they have a preferred route and no amount of protest or cajoling makes them deviate from that set route. Then they zip through the traffic as if there are no other vehicles on the road except theirs. They are adept at taking u-turns where none exist, taking right turns where it is prohibited, going the wrong way in a one-way lane. The essence of auto drivers was captured very well in the bit in the movie "Kshanam Kshanam" where Sridevi is taken for a ride by the auto driver (RGV has this knack of placing tit-bits which make actors more from our world)

Coming back to my polite auto driver. This particular guy was very apologetic about not being able to take me to my destination. He had school kids to ferry and by the time he drops me and comes back it will be too late. He told all this without my asking and before I got into his auto. Now, I am sure auto-commuters of Hyderabad don't believe me but it is the truth.

This incident made a believer of me and there is hope for mankind.

To my Valentine

Yesterday being Valentine's Day, there was a lot of hoopla going around. I never understand these special days. My take for true love, everyday is a Valentine Day.

Anyway, this year I thought, since I am blogging, I will dedicate this blog to my Valentine. There were many things in the newspapers and on internet about how to dedicate your love this day. On thing caught my eye, things about your Valentine that drives you nuts. I thought I would come up with the list and see where it goes.

So here it goes, I hate it that:

• he loves me so much that he doesn't find anything wrong with whatever I do (except my driving, of course)
• he is so comfortable around me that he doesn't feel the need to dress up or follow basic etiquettes around me
• he asks what gift I want and I cant think of anything, since he has already got me everything I need
• he seems to know me better than myself
• when he is away I miss him, even though I am among my family and friends

 Happy Valentine's Day

Reading Books - a Lost Art

My idea of relaxation has always been in a reclining chair with a good book in hand. Any book would do, for that matter, and old hindi songs playing in the background. I am not much of a TV person, and find watching TV a bit of a strain. My favorite time to watch TV has been to remove monotony of some job like cutting veggies or ironing clothes. Apart from that not a TV buff.

Coming back to reading books, there have been many phases to it. Initially it had been comics, cartoons in magazines, then Enid Blytons, Nancy Drews, Hardy Boys, a very short phase of Mills n Boons (never got hooked onto those), then the fiction. Summer vacation at grandma's would mean visits to local libraries for Perry Mason's, James Hardley Chase. When we were in London and later US, got hooked onto public libraries. A great concept, wish it were implemented in India. Of course, all the while Mummy's home library was always open. I still find it hard to spend money on books, I always believe books should be recycled not stored in one place, they have to circulate.

My taste for books has always been influenced by people/situations around me. Initially it had been what was available at school library - that is where Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys came into picture. I still remember boys resenting my reading Hardy Boys. According to them it was guy stuff and Nancy Drew and Enid Blyton were girlie stuff. Perry Mason and Chase were based on the availability during the long summer vacations. Later in London, a friend introduced me to the Classics - Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, etc. etc. TV introduced me to Sherlock Holmes, Carl Sagal, Robert Ludlum(Jason Bourne) etc. (ok, TV is not that bad after all). Another friend introduced John Grisham; my sister-in-law to the world of Harry Potter and JRR Tolkien; my students to the world of Twilight and vampires; my husband to the world of Dilbert, Calvin and Hobbes; my brother to Superman, Spiderman, Asterix (he tried a lot with PGWodehouse, but somehow wasnt successful). Of course, first and foremost my parents for encouraging me to read. Never did I hear my parents object to any book I picked to read, even if it was beyond my age/understanding. 

Recently, Tintin movie was released. Everyone enjoyed it. I asked a few kids, who really enjoyed the movie, if they read the comics. No one had read it. In this age of video games, the reading is taking a back seat. It is done only for school books, nothing else is read. Books teach you so many things, first the language, then the art of communication, the art of peaceful enjoyment. The kids these days are missing so much. They get all information online. But is that sufficient? I am not a big fan of e-books but I would recommend them to kids who think computer to be everything. Anything to get them to read again. Oh the beauty of Amar Chitra Kathas, Twinkles, Chandamamas, I could go on and on and on........

NRI Parents

Disclaimer: this blog is not intended to offend any person, it is just a statement of facts, so kindly forgive me if i offend any one.

The other day a lady from our building was complaining. Her son and family were coming from US and she was having tough time making arrangements for them. She was in her early 60s and is not as active as she used to be. There were many demands from her son and grandchildren which she was not able to say no to, and she was not able to manage. "We make all arrangements for their stay, which is 2-4 weeks, they see all the arrangements and think that we are doing great. They don't understand what we go through before and after their visit. They don't realise how much rest we need after they leave and how many medicines we pop during their visit. Even if we tell them they don't believe, they think that we are saying to  pressurise them into coming back." Another lady was pacifying her saying it is only once a year that we have to bear this, anyway since we cant travel and visit them, we have to compromise. Another lady was saying we go there every year but now are not able to make the trip, but since we have green card we have to, once we get citizenship we will not go every year, only when we are not able to manage here on our own. (for those who are wondering, we stay in apartment where NRI sons bought flats for their parents' comfortable stay).

All this talk set me wondering. What is the solution to this situation? When they are young, parents encourage their children to go abroad - be it for higher studies or better career options. They go around telling all my son is going to US!!! Then 20-30yrs down the line, parents get old and are ready for retirement but there is no place to go and relax. They do go to US, but most are not able to adjust to the atmosphere there and get bored. They return to India but are not able to manage on their own. Then starts the badgering, when are you coming back? Children are in a dilemma, cant leave the luxuries nor ignore the parents. Some tough kids tell their parents outright, either you come here or don't complain. They are branded as bad. Is it right to ask the children to leave all the luxuries and come back to take care of their parents? Or is it correct in wanting the senior citizens to compromise at this age and shift their roots to US? Given the fact that children are not able to adjust at their age, even after spending 20yrs in India, how can parents adjust in a foreign land?

One of the NRI son's has started his own business and has an office in India, so he keeps coming to India once a month on official business and visits his parents, everyone is happy with that arrangement.

Another solution many are adopting. Living under the care of their daughters. Our Indian mentality, we encourage son to go abroad or far-away places, but daughter we hesitate marrying her off to a guy in the neighbouring city. So come old age, many are having arrangements with their daughters. Staying near to where daughter stays and taken care of by her. Three cheers to caring daughters!!!