One of my all time favorite authors.
Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?
On my way to the Holy City I met another pilgrim and I asked him, "Is this indeed the way to the Holy City?" And he said, "Follow me, and you will reach the Holy City in a day and a night." And I followed him. And we walked many days and many nights, yet we did not reach the Holy City. And what was to my surprise he became angry with me because he had misled me.
Our mind is a sponge; our heart is a stream. Is it not strange that most of us choose sucking rather than running?
When Life does not find a singer to sing her heart she produces a philosopher to speak her mind.
The voice of life in me cannot reach the ear of life in you; but let us talk that we may not feel lonely.
Every seed is a longing.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Delhi Quiz
I have been busy.. making phreee quizzes for Braingle. However, Braingle has a loooooong turnaround time on quizzes.. so here they are for you.. the first quiz is about Delhi. Enjoy if u like quizzes. Ignore post otherwise. :-)
# 1. Which of the following historical monuments is in Delhi?
# 1. Which of the following historical monuments is in Delhi?
- Gateway of India
- Qutub Minaar
- Char Minaar
- Taj Mahal
#2 Which of the following prestigious academies is based in Delhi (the term Delhi includes New Delhi)?
- National School of Drama
- Film and Television Institute of India
#3 The term "NCT of Delhi", with reference to the political boundaries of Delhi, refers to the:
- National Capital Territory
- National Capital Region
- National Capital Treaty
#4 Which of these universities is NOT based in Delhi / New Delhi?
Delhi University
New Delhi University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jamia Hamdard University
Indraprastha University
#5 Delhi is said to be built on seven ancient cities. Which of the following is NOT among the seven?
Indraprastha
Shahjahanbad
Kurukshetra
Tuglaqabad
#6 The Akshardham temple, among the newest temples in the city, has entered the Guiness Book of Records for being the world's largest Hindu temple complex. True / False?
#7 Which of the following tourist spots is NOT in Delhi?
Lotus Temple aka Bahai Temple
India Gate
Humayun's tomb
Qutub Minar
Dilwara Temples
#8 The river that flows through Delhi is the:
Yamuna
Ganga
#9 Ghalib, arguably the most noted poet of Urdu, was based in Delhi. Which part of Delhi did he call home?
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Why you should participate in Emotional Atyachar only if you want your relationship to end..
I have to admit- this reality show has my attention. In Emotional Atyachar, you can do a loyalty test on your partner at a small price - the whole country gets to see the results, and your partner finds out at the end.
The modus operandi is simple - a model is hired to try and flirt with your partner for a few days. All their interactions are recorded, and you get to see the footage after a few days of this. Then, after seeing the footage, you confront your partner.
Lets see what the outcome of this is likely to be:
But you know what? Its a really bad way to break your heart..
The modus operandi is simple - a model is hired to try and flirt with your partner for a few days. All their interactions are recorded, and you get to see the footage after a few days of this. Then, after seeing the footage, you confront your partner.
Lets see what the outcome of this is likely to be:
- If your partner cheats on you, you break your heart, AND lose your relationship, AND all the viewers in the country get to know for free. Imagine your parents watching that show.
- If the partner does not cheat, they will anyway dump you, because you did a what??
But you know what? Its a really bad way to break your heart..
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
original one liners and random ashar that come to mind..
When you love someone, remember to love them with as much compassion as passion.
ज़मीन कितनी भी रेतीली हो, दर्द उसे ज़रखेज़ बना देता है... (given the plight of our farmers, this one liner shld only be taken to mean the heartland)
Random old poetry in mind:
अर्श तक तम्मनाओं की फ़रियाद गयी,
और दिल जो टूटा तो बहुत दूर तक आवाज़ गयी॥
हम ने माना की तगाफुल न करोगे लेकिन
ख़ाक हो जायेंगे हम तुम को खबर होने तक॥
प्यास की कैसे लाये ताब कोइ
नहीं दरिया तो हो ?? कोइ
तुम पूछो और मैं न बताऊँ, ऐसे तो हालात नहीं,
एक ज़रा सा दिल टूटा है, और तो कोइ बात नहीं॥
Add add.. any old poetry that comes to mind ..
ज़मीन कितनी भी रेतीली हो, दर्द उसे ज़रखेज़ बना देता है... (given the plight of our farmers, this one liner shld only be taken to mean the heartland)
Random old poetry in mind:
अर्श तक तम्मनाओं की फ़रियाद गयी,
और दिल जो टूटा तो बहुत दूर तक आवाज़ गयी॥
हम ने माना की तगाफुल न करोगे लेकिन
ख़ाक हो जायेंगे हम तुम को खबर होने तक॥
प्यास की कैसे लाये ताब कोइ
नहीं दरिया तो हो ?? कोइ
तुम पूछो और मैं न बताऊँ, ऐसे तो हालात नहीं,
एक ज़रा सा दिल टूटा है, और तो कोइ बात नहीं॥
Add add.. any old poetry that comes to mind ..
Saturday, January 30, 2010
More Gurdas Mann
o paudi parakh laiye pair nu jis paudi te dhariye..
(test the step before you trust it with your foot)
Bekadraan di laggi nalon tutti changi hai..
( it is much better to let go of a relationship with someone who is not grateful to have you in his/her life)
These lines play in the head very often.. esp the first... look before you leap.. and test before you trust :-)
That is what i love about his songs.. one line that will make a LOT of sense...
More Gurdas Mann coming up, or River My Guru, whatever one can lay hands on!
(test the step before you trust it with your foot)
Bekadraan di laggi nalon tutti changi hai..
( it is much better to let go of a relationship with someone who is not grateful to have you in his/her life)
These lines play in the head very often.. esp the first... look before you leap.. and test before you trust :-)
That is what i love about his songs.. one line that will make a LOT of sense...
More Gurdas Mann coming up, or River My Guru, whatever one can lay hands on!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The National Girl Child Day
Viola!! The Times of India inform(s) me that today is the National Day of the Girl Child.
And what has the girl child done to deserve a day all to herself? Umm..lets see..
And what has the girl child done to deserve a day all to herself? Umm..lets see..
- Foeticide
- Infanticide
- Lack of basic nutrition
- Lack of education opportunities
- More manual labor than men in some communities
- Dowry
- Honor killing
- In some communities, the girl is the primary bread winner
- Eve Teasing
- Childhood(or otherwise) sexual abuse
- "Sanskar"
- "Adjustment" (the same adjustment that Neha did on New Years day)
- ...
Monday, January 11, 2010
3 Idiots - Film Review
Personally, i felt a HUGE sense of loss after watching the film. I have missed out on something really important in life - my parents NEVER forced me to choose a stream of education, or anything else for that matter. Was i unduly lucky, or is the film an exagerration? Methinks its a bit of both.
First, the summary of the review - its a 2 out of 5 stars film. Am sorry, but the backsides of random college students, or multiple top shots on potty do not make good enough entertainment for me. Dropping pants might be part of saying Hi at the Imperial College, but am sure the director could have thot of another gesture without taking anything away from the film. Also, whats with the ridiculous delivery scene? I mean.. seriously!!!
The overall feel of the film is:
A. All Indian parents force their children to study engineering or medicine. thats not true. Not true at all. I mean, even Pia's sister is not a doc, for god's sake!
B. All student suicides are because of the "pressure from the system". The issue is a lot more complicated than that. Parents and "the system" are not the only , or even the main culprits. How come some children are able to cope and some others are not? There cannot be any one sided answer to these questions, and the film takes sides without even explaining the whole issue.
C. It is more important to enjoy your education. If you like what you do, you will automatically excel. Not true. The converse is also not true - just because you do something really well is not reason enough for you to want to do it. But the overall point is well taken.
D. The principal is a caricature. I do not know of any such principal, and can safely say that such principals, even though they might exist, are not the norm. It is not nice or kind to promote such a caricature, imho.
Basically, I am confused. Is the film about entertainment, or is it about a message? Or is it about plain nostalgia about college?
If it is about entertainment, i really did outgrow the chaddi based entertainment a long time ago and should be excused.
If it is about a message, the message can be argued really hard. Not enough time goes into exploring the various dimensions of the message.
If it is about pure nostalgia about college days, sure, that one is spot on. One did laugh a lot during the film, and, except for the parts about the Mona Singh delivery (am yet to get over that one) and the Sharman Joshi suicide attempt, the editing was pretty slick and kept u glued for what happens next.
The music, though a hit at the moment, is not exactly memorable and except for the "Give me some sunshine.." song, none of the other lyrics even register for a more than 4 week period recall.
Kareena has done much better work - this is not one of her benchmark performances, or even looks.
The lighting in the film is really weird - whats the point of that blue flicker in most shots of the film - i mean, why? Or maybe it was just our screen, but one came back with a solid headache from all that flickering.
And finally - Aamir, Madhavan, and Sharman. there is only one line to contribute - Sharman, as an actor, was severely under used in this film. This is a film for which his casting is perfect. And he has done his work really well.
Will i see it again? No. Is a one time watch recommended? Sure. Especially if you want to relive your college humour again.
First, the summary of the review - its a 2 out of 5 stars film. Am sorry, but the backsides of random college students, or multiple top shots on potty do not make good enough entertainment for me. Dropping pants might be part of saying Hi at the Imperial College, but am sure the director could have thot of another gesture without taking anything away from the film. Also, whats with the ridiculous delivery scene? I mean.. seriously!!!
The overall feel of the film is:
A. All Indian parents force their children to study engineering or medicine. thats not true. Not true at all. I mean, even Pia's sister is not a doc, for god's sake!
B. All student suicides are because of the "pressure from the system". The issue is a lot more complicated than that. Parents and "the system" are not the only , or even the main culprits. How come some children are able to cope and some others are not? There cannot be any one sided answer to these questions, and the film takes sides without even explaining the whole issue.
C. It is more important to enjoy your education. If you like what you do, you will automatically excel. Not true. The converse is also not true - just because you do something really well is not reason enough for you to want to do it. But the overall point is well taken.
D. The principal is a caricature. I do not know of any such principal, and can safely say that such principals, even though they might exist, are not the norm. It is not nice or kind to promote such a caricature, imho.
Basically, I am confused. Is the film about entertainment, or is it about a message? Or is it about plain nostalgia about college?
If it is about entertainment, i really did outgrow the chaddi based entertainment a long time ago and should be excused.
If it is about a message, the message can be argued really hard. Not enough time goes into exploring the various dimensions of the message.
If it is about pure nostalgia about college days, sure, that one is spot on. One did laugh a lot during the film, and, except for the parts about the Mona Singh delivery (am yet to get over that one) and the Sharman Joshi suicide attempt, the editing was pretty slick and kept u glued for what happens next.
The music, though a hit at the moment, is not exactly memorable and except for the "Give me some sunshine.." song, none of the other lyrics even register for a more than 4 week period recall.
Kareena has done much better work - this is not one of her benchmark performances, or even looks.
The lighting in the film is really weird - whats the point of that blue flicker in most shots of the film - i mean, why? Or maybe it was just our screen, but one came back with a solid headache from all that flickering.
And finally - Aamir, Madhavan, and Sharman. there is only one line to contribute - Sharman, as an actor, was severely under used in this film. This is a film for which his casting is perfect. And he has done his work really well.
Will i see it again? No. Is a one time watch recommended? Sure. Especially if you want to relive your college humour again.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
2 more logic puzzles
The first is a sitter. The second was slightly more difficult to make. Tell me what you think.
I: Neighborhood.
On Cobbler Street, 4 people live in different colored houses. Each of them has exactly one pet and exactly one car. From the clues given below, see if you can figure out what goes where.
1. Smith loves walking his pet dog every morning, and he stops by at Hannah's for a coffee afterwards.
2. The yellow house has a chevy in the garage and Charlie, the owner, often talks of selling it.
3. The owner of the Audi has a really tiny pet.
4. The red house has a ford in the garage.
5. The owner of the white house has a goldfish for a pet.
6. The cat is the most aggressive pet on the block, though she is pretty agreeable when Beth's rat stops by.
7. Smith drives a Ford to work, and his neighbor drives a Ferrari.
9 The owner of the brown house does not own a Ferrari.
II: Round Table Conference.
8 people have to be seated at a round banquet table. The seats are number 1-8. For this teaser, 5 is opposite 1, 6 is opposite 2 and so on. Likewise, "next to" means one of the neighboring seats only. i.e., 8 is next to 1 and 7.
A and H are the only French speaking people on the table. They need to be seated together.
B and F should sit opposite each other.
C, F, and G all know Russian, but don't necessarily need to sit next to each other. In fact, G wants to sit next to someone who knows French.
D is English and insists on sitting next to at least one other English speaking person, and pat opposite the good looking H.
E is the only other English speaker in the group, but he wants to sit next to someone who knows Russian.
G agrees to sit next to F only on condition that the other side must have a French speaker.
C does not sit next to either of them.
C however, agrees to sit next to B, who is the only Bavarian in the group.
A will not sit next to a Russian or an English speaker.
I: Neighborhood.
On Cobbler Street, 4 people live in different colored houses. Each of them has exactly one pet and exactly one car. From the clues given below, see if you can figure out what goes where.
1. Smith loves walking his pet dog every morning, and he stops by at Hannah's for a coffee afterwards.
2. The yellow house has a chevy in the garage and Charlie, the owner, often talks of selling it.
3. The owner of the Audi has a really tiny pet.
4. The red house has a ford in the garage.
5. The owner of the white house has a goldfish for a pet.
6. The cat is the most aggressive pet on the block, though she is pretty agreeable when Beth's rat stops by.
7. Smith drives a Ford to work, and his neighbor drives a Ferrari.
9 The owner of the brown house does not own a Ferrari.
II: Round Table Conference.
8 people have to be seated at a round banquet table. The seats are number 1-8. For this teaser, 5 is opposite 1, 6 is opposite 2 and so on. Likewise, "next to" means one of the neighboring seats only. i.e., 8 is next to 1 and 7.
A and H are the only French speaking people on the table. They need to be seated together.
B and F should sit opposite each other.
C, F, and G all know Russian, but don't necessarily need to sit next to each other. In fact, G wants to sit next to someone who knows French.
D is English and insists on sitting next to at least one other English speaking person, and pat opposite the good looking H.
E is the only other English speaker in the group, but he wants to sit next to someone who knows Russian.
G agrees to sit next to F only on condition that the other side must have a French speaker.
C does not sit next to either of them.
C however, agrees to sit next to B, who is the only Bavarian in the group.
A will not sit next to a Russian or an English speaker.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
If you have 5 minutes...
What does one do with an empty day? Thank God for the opportunity and sit back with Coke and some phenomenal reads. Here they are, each one of them worth a read, but if u have time for just one, it would be this one (don't miss it) :
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126258063197814415.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
Prof Madhukar Shukla on An Invisible Revolution in India.
Here are the others:
http://www.hrbartender.com/2010/employee/opinion-surveys/ - Super for its simple, brief and spot on presentation.
And i loved this article for its one liners. Samples below the link:
http://www.bretlsimmons.com/2009-08/engagement-soup/
"Want to know if a tree is healthy? Look at the leaves and the fruit. These are indicators of the health of the tree. Just because we give our tree lots of fertilizer, water, and sunlight does NOT mean it is healthy. These are all very smart things to do, but they do not guarantee health, and the only way to evaluate health is to examine the tree and not its environment."
" correlation is not the same as causality. " - aah, the no of times one has banged one's head on that one point.
Appy reading, while moi moves on to the next link...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126258063197814415.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
Prof Madhukar Shukla on An Invisible Revolution in India.
Here are the others:
http://www.hrbartender.com/2010/employee/opinion-surveys/ - Super for its simple, brief and spot on presentation.
And i loved this article for its one liners. Samples below the link:
http://www.bretlsimmons.com/2009-08/engagement-soup/
"Want to know if a tree is healthy? Look at the leaves and the fruit. These are indicators of the health of the tree. Just because we give our tree lots of fertilizer, water, and sunlight does NOT mean it is healthy. These are all very smart things to do, but they do not guarantee health, and the only way to evaluate health is to examine the tree and not its environment."
" correlation is not the same as causality. " - aah, the no of times one has banged one's head on that one point.
Appy reading, while moi moves on to the next link...
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