Thursday, October 26, 2006

3 books, 4 films, and one Diwali.

Last week, I finished three books in a week - Veronica Decides to Die(Paulo Coelho), one Agatha Christie, and Karmbhoomi(Premchand) .

This week, it was 4 movies in 3 days - Jaaneman, Mixed Doubles(twice), Corporate (re-run, I've seen it earlier), and Dor(finally!) All 4 Hindi films.

And then there was Diwali!

One could obviously write reams on how wonderful the Diwali was.. but none of that would do any justice. Let's just say that this Diwali, we made some wonderful memories. Everything that was done was normal, like every Diwali.. but the memories feel very nice.. the painting of diyas, the making of sweets for prasad, the floral rangolis and the electrical lights outside the house.. everything! :-)

How was your Diwali?
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PS: For readers outside India, Diwali is arguably the biggest festival here in India.

This is the festival of lights. A lot of myths are associated with the festival, and they have all combined to give the festival several delightful rituals. You must see it sometime if you can!

Friday, October 20, 2006

8 Random Things about me...

Neeramathalam tagged me...

So here goes - 8 random things about yours truly..

1. I can READ. My reading speed was 400-500 wpm before finishing Class X(that was bcs yours truly took the speed reading course in Class 8), and the reading habit has not quite left yet.

2. I love the color white and everything associated with it. This includes expensive white dresses, watches, platinum jewelry, sterling silver, diamonds, but does not include white cotton sheets that I am responsible for keeping white and starched.

3. Am hopelessly old fashioned and conservative. This means that I am conservative at my convenience and modern about your inconvenience!

4. I don't like to appear in a picture. EVER. (This is especially intended for readers who know me personally)

5. Value brevity. A LOT. love people who can fit a sentence into a word. Especially since I never can accomplish the feat!

6. I have the bestest brother in the world, who is also the best human being I have ever met. OK, and all my other relatives reading this.. forget it, none of my other relatives are in any danger of ever reading this.

7. have an impossibly low tolerance for pain. Especially physical pain. Which means you had better not be around when you let that snake loose on me. Or that cockroach. Or that safety pin prick.

8. This is a difficult tag bcs there is so little to say about self!! Seriously, ask me 10 random things about the world. The world is random!

At the end of this really confounding post, is the passing on of the tag(imagine a cheshire cat grin) to.. (imagine a bigger, more gleeful grin), 8 people .. To Zoe, Chiya, Deepa, Wriju, Aradhna, Twisted DNA, Trailady, Sophie.

And the first 8 visitors to this blog after putting up the post... you're tagged too!!!

ENJOY!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

One More

If we are certain that the birth will be through a surgery, is it Ok to decide on a time and date of birth beforehand? That is like deciding the birth of a life, right? Do we have the right to decide when to marry, whom to marry and what to do with that marriage? Is it your right to decide what to study, where to work and when to stop working?

If you can decide all the small things in your life, and in other people’s lives, incl what time they should be born, and whether your next child should be born, then why can’t you decide on the biggest thing in your own life – when should it end?

Can the society that values my life so much, guarantee that I will not suffer from hunger or the pain of chemotherapy or the pain of a terminal illness? Can the society guarantee that I will not suffer from depression? Can the society guarantee that my life will be what I consider worth living? If it cannot do that, what right does the civil society have to prevent me from taking an important decision of life? And still call itself a free world? How can a world be free where people have no right to decide something as basic as this?

I am NOT saying that people should commit suicide. I am just saying that if a person decides to kill himself and acts on that decision, we have to remember that the person is going against the natural instinct. And that must be a VERY STRONG influence if it negates an inborn instinct. Eating is a natural instinct. Imagine what would make you want to not eat. Its that strong an influence.

A person already in enough pain to act against the natural instinct does not need criminal proceedings against himself. That will not restore his faith in life. He needs a society that enfolds him instantly in a lot of love, caring and acceptance. An eagerness to understand what happened, rather than a series of calls from the police station. What kind of society can penalise people who are already sad and expect them to still identify with it??

That is the most preposterous treatment of anything that I have ever seen!! Whoever made that law needs to explain how s/he expected to get a suicidal person to become non suicidal by subjecting him to the torture of the police station??

And for people who do want to end their lives, they have a right to. Your rights end where my nose begins. And this is my whole life, not just my nose!!!

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Heard this from a colleague over a really sad dinner:

Wealth is like salt in your food. Too much, and life loses its meaning, Too little, and life is tasteless.

Priceless quote, that!!