Who has seen the wind?

While helping my niece Shreya with her English lessons, I couldn't help reminiscing my primary school days at Paramount High School, in the old city of Hyderabad. I fondly remember this poem (must have 'learnt' it in my primary school...probably 2nd or 3rd class) along with stories like William Tell, the Brave Little Dutch Boy (I forget the actual name of the story) and several others...I'm lucky to find this poem on the Web:

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you.

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I.

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.
by Christina Georgina Rossetti(1830-1894)

Want to try for those English textbooks during my next visit to Orient Blackswan or other such stores. These books were meant for lower primary classes, before the introduction of "Let's Learn English" series from CIEFL which we followed from 4th class onwards.

Tragic end...
Sad and tragic end of a bold and powerful leader who carved an identity for himself and broke all records in providing a stable Congress government in Andhra Pradesh. Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy leaves a vacuum in state politics that may never get filled...however, the inevitable practical reality forces a question. After him who? Can't help thinking back of the pre-TDP days when we would have a new chief minister almost every year during the Congress regime controlled by the center. Will history repeat itself now?

Fifth Anniversary at Srisairam Manor

Today I complete five years at Srisairam Manor Apartments. Memorable years! More because this is the first place where I stayed beyond 4+ years eversince I moved out of CIEFL campus after my father's retirement. Feels good because I know I've a place that'll, after few years, be my own. Not to mention that these five years seem to have fleetly fled. It really feels as if we just entered here couple of years ago.

Just remembered those years when I was inviting queries about when I'd "settle down" ... getting this flat was my way to settle "up" in life and live it to the full!!! (BTW, there can be no real "settling down" as no private job gives you the stability and security of being in the same place all your life). And I wonder how can one ever "settle down" in any other sense of the term? How can someone be so certain when there are so many struggles and unsettling experiences as we move ahead, do our best on the way to realize our dreams! And this flat has seen me live my dreams, be a part of me in highs, lows and mediums. Just remembered the stressful time I had finalizing this flat and then till the loan got approved, those anxious moments. Just recollected the day when my parents saw this flat for the first time...that nice feeling after having climbed the stairs of six floors when the lift was not fixed as the building was still under construction.

With time we all age- so has my dwelling, it's high time I got it re-painted, it's high time I did proper caring; there are so many pending things about my home, I think I haven't been to dedicate myself there , but I know I will, very soon!

Stopping by… Remembering Robert Frost

Remembering Frost
There are loads of things I need to do
Domestic chores keep bothering me
From cleaning the dust to changing curtains
From buying things to getting things done
The clutter on the table is piling up
Some Post-Its on the wall have gone
Some new ones have come up
I’m scared of looking into the deep
The to-do list is getting longer
Writing is an endeavour
That demands everything of me
My mind, body and soul
All come together
As the thoughts come and go
Lines become paragraphs
Paragraphs turn into pages
Profoundly remembering Frost
I’ve lines to compose before I sleep
I’ve lines to write before I sleep

Past, present and future
If past was in the past
What about the present that's linked to the past
If future is still unknown
What about the present that'll impact the future
When future is known, it no longer remains future
It becomes either present or past
If present is now
What about past that was yesterday
What about future that'll be tomorrow
Worry about present and not past
Worry about present and not future
Nevertheless
What about past that was today's yesterday
What about future that'll be today's tomorrow
Is past something really over and done with?
A matter of lost control
Future can't be in control
For it's unknown
So, look at present
Look at present in the way it connects with past
Look at present in the way it builds the future
Hold what is firmly
Between what was and what'll be
Present is NOW
THEN is over
WHEN is yet to come
NOW is what we have!

The daybreak

Piping hot mug of ginger tea
Kick starts my day
After those hours of involuntary sleep
My laptop gives me company
Feels good to be connected virtually
Emails, Blogs, Facebook and all that...

After some time
The gentle breeze sweeps across
The Azan echoes from Masjids around
The only other sound is the clatter of vessels
From the caterer whose day begins at midnight
The birds are about to chirp and twitter
Though very few of them live near the concrete structures

It's that precious time of morning
When the mind gets nourished with fresh ideas, beautiful thoughts
There is something about the time just before the Sun rises
The darkness before dawn may be the darkest
Yet, there's something about it
Mystic, saint-like feeling...truly energizing, empowering

As I read, write, think, compose my thoughts
Picking up where I left it all
Sometimes stitching the pieces together
Or putting those puzzling thougths together
As puzzles get solved
A picture forms
A picture gets erased
A picture gets recomposed
A picture gets repainted
The canvas waits to be filled with myriad strokes

As my mind brims with new ideas
I try to control my thoughts from wandering
Though my mind resists this taming
There is so much to do
There is so much to complete
Dreams remain dreams if they aren't accomplished
How can goals be reached without focus?
How does one focus without concentration?
How does one concentrate without clarity?
How does one have clarity without goal?
Isn't this something like the circle of ...

The first light of the day- it really brightens me up!
And I am in complete control of myself!

Bird and Clouds

by Shreya Mishra...22nd July 09

The day my car was left alone...
21st July 2009
People tell me I'm very protective about my bike and car. Why should'nt I be so? My bike and my car are a part of my family so I naturally get worried if I haven't parked them well or if they are not cleaned properly and maintained well with regular servicing and so on.
Yesterday was one of those rare days when I missed the ground floor parking in my office building (Auriga Block).* The other slots in the open which face the cafeteria were also full. The parking space outside our IT park which usually has late comers' and visitors' vehicles lined up was also completely packed. I wanted to try my luck in the Vega Block on 1st, 2nd or 5th floors...the moment I crossed the first floor, the security person, stopped me to say it was full. With nowhere to go, I seemed desperate and perhaps cut a sorry figure for the other security person who voluntarily suggested a free parking slot on the 5th floor. Having driven all the way and parked in the "free" slot, I was about to get into the lift...then suddenly another security person approached me and asked me to take away my car immediately. I realized that it was not really a free slot and it was officially allotted to some company, and I was thoroughly misled by the other security person.
After driving out, I kept searching if there was some space anywhere in front of our IT park so that I could squeeze it in at least till lunch time. But I wasn't lucky... now I was left with two options - either go back home or park it on the opposite side of the road. "I can't do this to my car" I felt like screaming ...leaving it all alone on the other side of the road and worrying all the time with "what if...' kind of thoughts !?
Eventually that was the only solution (look at the picture taken by Harry, from the 7th Floor). With a heavy heart I left it on the empty road, but wanted to keep an eye, so parked it in such a way that I could see it from my office which is on the 7th floor. I was just not comfortable...till I found an empty space in front of our building and asked Harry to physically hold on to the space there till I got my car and parked it there...this made me feel better. Now my car had other cars for company:)

Cut to the next day ...I was in office sharp at 9 am as usual ... this time more for my car than for anything else!
* I had decided to come an hour late to office for few days because of some personal work.

The Earth Song - Michael Jackson

a sensational, complicated and controversial life and an even more sensational and controversial death... What a life it must've been! flawed, touching, tragic and tormented..of someone who broke all boundaries with his enigmatic performances...with powerful, energetic visual music...simply phenomenal!
What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain.. .
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?

Aaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaah

What have we done to the world
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son...
What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaah

I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah
Hope the world really becomes a better place ...as the lyrics of another song go.

Digital art

by Shreya Mishra...5th July 2009

While I was driving and listening to my fav music

Some fine lyrics from Suresh Wadekar's songs that are sure to haunt me this Monday morning:
1. Khamosh sa afsana paani se likha hota
Na tumne kaha hota na hum ne suna hota
2. Seene mein jalan aankhon mein toofan sa kyun hai
Is shahar mein har shaksh pareshaan sa kyun hai

Bharatanatyam in the time of the Taliban

80-year-old Indu Mitha has been teaching the dance form to Pakistanis for decades...click the link below to read the complete story.

This story appeared in The Hindu.

Mall'd from all sides

There seems to be steady addition to the number of shopping malls around the place I live. With so many of them, Hyderabadis are not far behind their counterparts in other metros. I needed new batteries for my watch so visited Titan in Amrutha Mall.

Amrutha Mall...yes, this used to one of those 'original' malls in the busy Somajiguda Circle...with Midways, Minerva, etc. After ages I visited this place, also wanted to see if those old shops are still there like Pallavi and some others. After the widened road and the flyover this hardly looks like a shopping mall, not to mention that horrible stench at the dark and dingy cellar parking. In fact I didn't know such a parking existed coz earlier we would happily park all around this place. I was disappointed to see that now Pallavi sells only sarees and no dresses.

With so many malls around my place I think very soon we are going to be mall'd from all sides, all within a distance of 2 - 3 kilometers. Though I'm not a regular at malls coz I don't ever do window shopping or even find time for it.I shop only when I need something...most of the times I end up in desperate buys. GVK One has a very spacious Shoppers Stop with good collection of trendy ethnic wear....mostly tops with a poor collection of bottoms (but nothing to beat that real original shoppers stop dresses that were there in early years of this brand, can't believe that I still wear a dress, bought from their Bangalore outlet , sometime in 2000), hope that the proposed Fabindia outlet here will have more variety. City Center appeals more for its Crossword and Sahib Sindh Sultan, Lumbini has a good Food Bazaar, Basil there is just ok, what with the dearth of veg-restaurants in Hyd. Central of course has lots of stuff, but always crowded; I really enjoyed watching movies at PVR. Closer home is Big Bazaar that has Rajdhani for that authentic desi khana served in huge thalis. Cinemax is more a multiplex on the lines of Prasads. Haven't been to Ashoka mall at the intersection of Road No 12, the Music World there is quite tempting. Maheshwari group is coming up with a mall at Nagarjuna Circle. And I heard there'll be at least too more on Road No.3. I really don't understand how the retail outlets sustain their business with presence in all the malls at the same time...the same brands everywhere.

Malls don't spare me at my workplace too:) There's Inorbit Mall coming up literally next to my office. Doesn't it look like being mall'd from all sides!

Tata Tea Jaago re Campaign

I liked the Tata Tea "Jaago Re" campaign for its novelty, use of media, innovative approach to social advertising in community building. Check out the link below to know the details of this advert.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Brand-Equity/Blending-tea-leaves-with-ballots/articleshow/4461630.cms

All of a sudden*

It was a strange moment of nostalgia
Of days that were what I made them to be
When I was in college
Of time that was spent reading, writing, listening to music

Time spent with friends and cousins sharing same interests
Especially in music
Buying, borrowing and sharing cassettes
Saving all that was possible to add to the list of priced possessions
Don Williams, John Denver, Kenny Rogers, Michael Bolton, Pink Floyd, Madonna and a long list of favourites
On some holidays a medley of favourite numbers would play on
With the living room door bolted from inside
Often singing along with photocopied lyrics
As siblings we had our choice of music
Love songs vs soft rock
Hindi songs vs English numbers vs Hindi pop
Classical music vs ghazals
On radio and casette players and later walkman
Not to miss an hour long program on Yuva Vani for latest pop numbers

Carpenters took me on a high with "such a feeling" and "there's a kind of hush"
Denver and Williams - my eternal companions
Incurable romantic what I am...
Still never lose a chance to play and replay those favorites
Some evenings with George Michael or Lionel Richie
"Father figure" and "Hello..is it me you are looking for"
Those innumerable hits from Grammies in late 80s and 90s...

I listen to most of them today
But the experience is never the same.

(*Felt really nostalgic when Sandip laid his hands on an old Don Williams cassette and played one of the afternoons in summer...I simply could not control the flight of my thoughts, fondly remembered the time, people and places)

No real stuff this!

After ages I got interested in following a TV serial. Aired on Real Channel, I felt it was worth a watch... thought this would be different from those never-ending sagas of weeping and wily women in those unreal and utterly non-sensical 'stories'. Called 'Namak Haraam' with Narayani Shastri in lead role it seemed to tread a different track, seemed interesting coz it could have thrown up some relevant conflictual situations faced by several women in decision making roles, perhaps, more so in administrative services. But soon it was not to be...I simply couldn't figure out how a potentially interesting storyline could suddenly get transformed into a mushy love-triangle-sort-of-thing with the actual issues the serial was trying to address getting completely sidelined. Stereotypical characters with typical emotions resurfaced - where has that headstrong character of the District Collector gone? What about issues of idealism in today's world and her dedication to bring in and live the change she wanted to see? Why is a woman in lead always made to show up her emotional side, no matter how tough she is personally and professionally for that inevitable twist in the story?

Call it TRP or competition, can any channel worth its name has some content that is dedicated to real issues? Can it not sustain its viewership on the basis of such content and still compete with other channels? Not sure if we will get back simple and sound drama that communicates and entertains and drives good sense - all at the same time, makes the viewers ask questions, makes them reflect on reality around them... make them socially aware and so on.

As the democracy matures...

16th April was election time in Hyderabad - a holiday for many private establishments to facilitate their employees to exercise their franchise. It was a nice feeling for me to exercise my vote from my permanent address; I missed the previous elections because of change of address. There's something that made this election different from the previous ones. The awareness and education on the importance of voting, especially for younger generation, who don't relish talking politics. Worth mentioning is the Ads on TV- one by Tata Tea and many other types of awareness campaigns in rural areas. So there was something more than the usual rhetoric and rigmarole.

With each election, the number of parties seem to increase, we seem to move more and more towards coalition governments. This requires sound judgement in positively participating in the process to strengthen our democracy. Being world's largest democracy by itself doesn't mean anything - the challenge lies in evolving the right policies and sustaining our efforts in providing equal opportunities for development through a stable government. It's time we find ways to avoid frequent elections as coalitions may not be able to last a full term, given the fact that each election process drains our exchequer.

The election commission deserves a mention since it's no easy task managing this process efficiently, ensuring that it goes smoothly despite disruptions...in a country as huge as ours, with so many states, union territories that require different administrative processes...in different climatic conditions, difficult terrains, threatening situations, till the counting of votes closes and the verdict is announced.

You are in queue...please wait

Do we need to be told this in so many words!

Each time I see people crowding around cash counters or registration booths, my hunch gets re-confirmed - there are two different cultural aspects to queuing - one that holds it in utmost reverence, and the other that simply hates to line up and wait. No doubt we Indians belong to the second one. I tried finding a word that means 'queue haters' to describe ourselves, but sadly didn't succeed. Picture this: hotels, airports, train and bus ticket counters, supermarket billing counters, cinema halls even hospital counters... would we ever queue up unless thus instructed or forced?

Given a choice, every Indian would exercise his or her right to demonstrate their 'egality' by standing next to each other than line-up one behind the other. Rather strange way - it's the same behaviour whether in a star hotel or in a fair price shop. Is this some trait of being Indian, something to do with our culture -uniquely ours- we seem to display unacceptable signs of restlessness, impatience and anxiety when in public, jostling and shoving people, as if this was the best way to show off our might.Though I'm not a stickler for rules and disciplinary action, I always felt queuing is one of the significant traits of civilised societies.

This time it has to do with the school function I attended at Future Kid's School at their premises. As soon as the school staff announced that the parents could collects their passes for the show, all the parents simply crowded the make-shift counter near the school gate, making it chaotic for the school staff. I wish one of them had 'enforced' the queue system. What an example these parents were setting for their kids. This may be a very small and 'insignificant' instance, just observe our behaviour at cash-counters in food court and you will see how we spread 'horizontally' around the corner, rather than forming a straight line! I really admired the 'discipline' abroad, whether it's an eatery or any public convenience...lines make it orderly and manageable, I still remember those long queues of visitors patiently waiting for their turn to use the rest room in the Louvre Museum at Paris.

Beat the heat with cool salads

This summer I'm freaking out on cool melange of fruits,veggies and cereals. I really enjoyed these, so thought I'd share my 'recipes' for a healthy and wholesome diet.

Recipe 1: Cucumbers (unpeeled), pomegranate, musk melon and meusli
Cut cucumbers and musk melon into cubes and toss some pomegranate seeds, top it with meusli for that crunchy bite.

Recipe 2: Cucumbers (unpeeled), apple, carrots and grated beetroot
Cut cucumbers, apple and carrots into tiny cubes, add grated beetroot just before you serve it.

Recipe 3: Watermelons, grapes, cucumbers, pomegranates and pineapples...amazing mix!!! top it with some crunchy Britannia high-fibre or nutrichoice biscuits

Recipe 4: Tomatoes, cucumbers, coriander and moong sprouts...cut tomatoes and cucumbers, add chopped coriander and sprouts, spice it up with some pepper and salt

Recipe 5: Cucumbers and roasted and coarsely ground peanuts....cut cucumbers into cubes and toss in some coarse peanuts, squeeze a dash of lime, salt and jeera powder for that tangy taste!

Recipe 6: Pears, corn, grapes and apple - Cut pears and apple into cubes and mix grapes and boiled corn, add some honeyed cornflakes just before serving it.

There are many more creative and imaginative options to decide what can be 'saladed'...eat fresh and be healthy!

Robots smile in classrooms

"Unlike more mechanical-looking robots like Honda’s Asimo, the robot teacher, called Saya, can express six basic emotions — surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness, sadness — because its rubber skin is being pulled from the back with motors and wiring around the eyes and the mouth. ...."

"Japan and other nations hope robotics will provide a solution for their growing labour shortage problem as populations age. But scientists express concern about using a machine to take care of children and the elderly....." Read on...