In its truest sense
the rainbow should come
before the rain
as
then at its end would be
not only
a pot of gold
but a shower
of rubies
and gems
and diamonds
This is a random personal blog - covering everything from poetry to politics. Views presented are strictly my own.
In its truest sense
the rainbow should come
before the rain
as
then at its end would be
not only
a pot of gold
but a shower
of rubies
and gems
and diamonds
Carefully select one well-grown
and thick skinned student leader
dress him up like a chicken
then put him in a kneader
the purpose of the kneader
is to make a spineless dough
but the thick skin should remain
to tell half truths and to bow
now put this special dough
in a national party mould
party name is not important
provided its leaders are old
keep the mould in a furnace
lit by communal fires
and blow air mixed with slogans
to brainwash and inspire
when this hardened lout turns
red and yellow and white
you know he is ready to change
colours, and wear what's right
the 'brick' is now ready
to lay another foundation
to join Indian politics
serve parliament and nation.
मैंने तुमसे नहीं सीखा
गिर कर सम्हलना
तुम्हारा योगदान
बस गिराना भर था।
वो जो छींक
आधे में रुक जाती है न?
जिसके आ जाने तक
सांस रोकने के अलावा कुछ नहीं कर सकते?
पूरे अधिकार से
रोक देती है
जो भी ज़रूरी काज या बात
कर रहे हों।
सर्वाधिकार संपूर्णतया सुरक्षित।
कुछ कविताओं का मन में आना भी
ऐसा ही है।
You know that sneeze
that stops midway
just to demand
complete attention?
Where you have to stop doing
or saying
Whatever it is that you were
saying or doing?
Yeah, some poems
come to the head
in the same way.
Yesterday was elections where we live.
I noticed that on the Electronic Voting Machind, the candidates from the 2 main parties - BJP and Congress were placed next to each other.
Anyway, I registered my vote but to my surprise, the button next to it lit up.
I thought, at the time, that i had pressed the wrong button.
But since the other button belonged to a party that is responsible for the massacre of my family members, I just could not let it go.
All day and all evening, I kept thinking of how I could have pressed the wrong button.
And at night, I focused the brain to go back to the moment the button was pressed. The symbol of the candidate is to the left. Which symbol was it when I was pressing the button??
It was the right symbol. I did press the intended button, but the machine registered my vote differently.
I understand this is a serious accusation, and there is no way of proving it bcs there is no CCTV camera inside the booth, but I know what happened here.
Incidentally, only one party created a ruckus saying that the EVMs can be tampered. It was the party that 'erroneously' got my vote yesterday.
Even if no one knows, I know.
Update: The results were announced and the party who got my vote unintentionally still lost. Surprisingly, only in my state, they started talking about an EVM malfunction. No other state where they lost, did they allege EVM malfunction. My sense is that they expected some amount of ground votes (real votes) and some amount of EVM rigging, and that would be the way to win elections. But the rigging did not quite compensate for the lack of ground votes, hence the frustration. However, after this, i will never allege that EVMs are incorruptible. I stand corrected through personal anecdotal experience.
This book is now out of print. It came out in 1992.
Every book belongs to an era. 2024 is not the right era for half of this book. But for the other half, it is still relevant.
The writing is crisp and intelligent. The metaphors are well drawn. Sarcasm drips in the right dose from every line.
One of the strangest things on earth
is a place they call school.
while the place is meant for learning,
you learn out of as a rule.
At some places, there is timeless angst:
without a motherland to defend,
a soldier should kill who?
In a poem called Life Management, he presents a view that many of us will chuckle and agree with:
The long-term objectives
vs the short-term goals;
the debate is endless
but the theory has holes.
The futility of words is rued at the end of a long poem on the subject:
Great poets, thinkers, and the like
will come and go for ever
they can't change a thing
but fill library shelves forever.
It is in education and politics that his comments are most incisive. One can debate their practicality, and that is what makes them food for thought. On education:
The whole outlook on education
needs a revolutionary U-Turn
each to his needs should be the aim
not to his age as is the pattern.
Love for nature is also very evident at more places than one. But this paragraph stands out:
It its truest sense
the rainbow should come
before the rain;
as
then at its end would be
not only
a pot of gold
but a shower
of rubies
and gems
and diamonds.
The poems I especially liked are Coloured Vision, and the series on Indian recipes.
Coloured Vision:
If green is the colour
of leaves
It can't be the colour
of envy.
If blue is the colour
of the sky
how can I ever feel blue?
If red is the colour
of the glowing sunset
how can it mean danger?
If black is the colour of
a starry night
how can black bring bad luck?
If white is the colour
of a new born day
how can white stand for mourning?
Reason #142587 that I love secondhand books: I got an author signed copy of the first edition - 1992!!!
First things first, Dharma Productions is the producer of this movie. How do we know that? From the endless plugs of ghosts of movies-we-hope-you-will-remember-but-nope-you-don't.
The writers are Tarun Dudeja and Ishita Moitra. They deserve a special award for having the highest number of missed opportunities of humour in a script.
What I loved about the film is the plot. One will not even blink at a plot about two women who are dependent on the same man because he is the father of both their children. But a woman is having step-fraternal twins - from two different fathers. What's more? The prospective fathers agree to a paternity test AND don't bat an eyelid when they are told the results.
This could so easily have been a moral science story with a serious lecture in place. The woman sermonising about the general ills of society for women. But it was crafted as a funny script, where the protagonist is an ambitious chef. The situations that lead to the... situation.. appear natural, not forced.
Tripti Dimri is a good actress. The revelation in the film was that Vicky Kaushal is not just a versatile actor, he also has amazing screen presence. In a character that has probably been played ad nauseum, and for Dilliwallas, is not a character at all, he manages to create something that one continues to want to see. Any comparisons with Ranvir Singh are not fair - for the simple reason that this character is a little more nuanced. The empty bravado that was integral to Ranvir's character is totally missing here. He is GOAT but also attached to mom and vulnerable and scared of not having his phone on him.
Amy Virk is a surprise. The casting of Amy Virk is perfect-o. This character needed his calm presence. While both screen time and range for his character are limited compared to Vicky's character, he manages to make his presence felt.
The storytelling is interesting. In the sense that the situational comedy does not all fall flat. It remains light-hearted, and most importantly, is able to avoid the irritating slapstick flavour that one has come to expect from Bollywood films. Where it does not amuse, it at least does not irritate.
The cinematography is good, but is more than ably aided by the fantastic locations. The music score did not really lead to humming once the movie was over. The background score made its presence felt in the right way at some places.
Final feeling? I was amused for the most part. Some chuckles were drawn and once, laughter also happened. Can this trio deliver another comedy? Maybe. But it will be a lot of hard work.