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Monday, December 7, 2009

Paa...


I saw the movie 'Paa' today. Amitabh Bachchan sported a phenomenal look in the movie. He was barely recognizable under mounds of makeup. Kudos to the makeup artists.
The ultimate purpose of any movie is entertainment and a box office hit, but when entertainment is blended with information and awareness about something of which even the learned are sometimes not aware, makes the movie a nonpareil. Same is the case with 'Paa'.
The movie is about a 13 year old, intellgent and witty boy, named Auro, who suffers from an extremely rare disease known as Progeria, which gives children an appearance of accelerated aging. Mentally Auro is 13, but physically he looks 5 times older. Besides, the appearance of Amitabh Bachchan, another thing which impresses are the witty dialogues of Auro. The way he sends her mother away from the school before anyone sees them, runs away at the sight of a cute girl who wants to say something to him and talks about potty in most of his jokes is rib-tickling. Infact, he calls his grandmother 'bumps' because she has a big one :P
Abhishek Bachchan refuses to have the baby and Vidya abandons him, gives birth to Auro and brings him up with the help of her mother. Its too late when he realizes that he has a son but is fortunate enough to hear the magical word 'paa' from the child's mouth just before he takes his last breath. Auro as the main protagonist takes the responsibilty of getting his parents married before his death by making them go 'round and round' his hospital bed with a religious grandma chanting the mantras.'Paa' has been projected as a father-son film but the mother-son relationship was something that touched me. The love and tenderness the mother has for this trudging 'boodha baccha' is stimulating and works far better.
With all the characters being superb, Auro steals the show. His mischeivous eyes and laughter stays with you after coming back home. The little speech of Abhishek Bachchan on media responsibilty was also appreciable and arousing.
It's a tender,simple, moving, and brilliantly written story (the dialogues especially) .
It's worth a trip to the theatre.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

SANKALP-YUVA UNSTOPPABLE



PC (Priyanka Chopra) smiles at me showing those pearly-whites on TV , playing smart and saying,"Why should boys have all the fun?"... Well to be true, I feel no one has as much fun as girls these days ;)

We have the world falling on our feet literally... Nopes am not being arrogant... Naah! Naah! I, the girl, am not arrogant. 

We are shining bright and we are sought after.

Advertising industry has taken a complete turn when it comes to portraying women.




I feel so elated to see 'US' shining... We are everywhere, we are CEOs of organizations, we are ruling the film business,we are ruling the health and beauty industry, we are towering people in IT now. OMG, I am so happy for us. 

Men are advised to use AXE, Fairness Creams and what not just to land an impression on their women. ;) The whole perspective is changing gradually. 

Long gone are the days when women used to give in to what came in their way. Now, they demand, they explore and they 'call the shots' too.

Things are changing and I hope they are for good. I feel blessed that my family educated me and will, as long and as much I want to study.

I know there are many who are still caught up in the low-side.
I know we still have a long way to go... but I am glad atleast we have started walking in the right direction. 




Yes, my dear friends, we have started something under 'YUVA UNSTOPPABLE'. Today Jaya, Megha, Poonam (one of our juniors) and I went to a nearby slum, collected few children, talked to their parents and will be teaching them English every Saturday. Isn't it amazing?Four girls, 20 year olds, all on their own, took a step to contribute in a major way to the society for the upliftment of the underprivileged. OMG!!! I am sooo happy. The enthusiasm of the kids and the treatment we received there was exhilirating. We have zeroed in on the name 'SANKALP'. :D  Its not just we four, we have a chapter with a few members and the sankalp, I am sure u know what it is by now.


 



For once, I want to say that women are not all about suppression and pain. We have moved on. We have evolved and We are here to conquer the world. :) Enough of blame games and enough of crying behind the curtains. Optimism wins it all at the end.

Kisi mere jaisi kudi ne kaha hain :
"Bas ek kadam badaaney ki baat hain, raastey khud-ba-khud ban jaatey hain. Manzil par kadi nazar rakhney waaley hi ant mein jeet paatey hain".


Let's Keep Walking!!






Tuesday, November 17, 2009

beautiful GOA!!!

Goa, the smallest state of India is one of the most beautiful and charming state. It is globally famous for its pristine beaches fringed by coconut trees, beautiful landscapes, azure sky, medieval monuments, forts and churches and mix blend of culture. One visit to this state will surely compel you to come time and again to explore the magnetizing charm of Goa.

 I got a chance to visit this "Pearl of Orient" on the pretext of attending a cultural fest of BITS, Pilani, Goa campus. Nesting in the lap of verdant hills, overlooking the Zuari River, the campus proves itself to be one of the most beautiful campuses of India. The location of campus is unique in respect of scenic beauty and panoramic view of picturesque surrounding encompassing Zuari River, hillocks, waterways, forests and landscape and the students out there were a vanguard. A perfect combination of beauty and brains.




But this post is not about my experience in the campus but my experience in the scintillating combination of sun, surf, sand and sea which makes Goa one of the picture perfect destinations in India.

Visiting Goa is like getting into a big party, where everyone is enjoying life at its best. We also got in the same festive mood.

Our first excursion was to MAJORDA BEACH. This beach is a white sand beach and the first sight of this place was stunning. At 9am there was a perfect silence responding to the humming of the sea, where you can sit engrossed in a book and look up to catch the picturesque scene of the sea but sadly I had no book with me :P :P :P









After spending a wonderful time at Majorda we hired a taxi and left for CALANGUTE/BAGA beach.

Traveling such places on road is a totally different experience. One gets the essence of the state and its culture while on road. One thing which caught my eye was not the greenery, which was abounding, but the houses which were painted in dramatic and startling colours like violet, yellow, blue etc. Thus creating a sensation. They resembled colourful flowers blooming in copious greenery.

We reached the Calangute beach when the sun was sinking in the oblivion. It was beginning to get dark and so we got to see a completely different shade of the sea. One thing I must not forget to mention is that you can bet on the fact that in a day the sea never repeats its appearance.

The atmosphere at Calangute was very different from that at Majorda.  It was crowded with people, children making sand castles, colourful crowds surging towards the sea and the young and old alike lazing on the golden sands. This picture of a perfect tourist haven was completed with shacks and stalls under the shade of palm trees selling everything from fried prawns and beer to bags and clothes to sandals and even trinkets made of seashells.



At night we went to the most popular and happening night club of Goa - TITO'S 

 

"The year was 1971. It was the time of the hippies and the flower power generation. The hippies and other young people from Western Europe and the Americas were searching for Nirvana or Spiritual Salvation and Goa seemed to put them on the right track. The Goans also accepted these peaceful and gentle people whole heartedely. Life in Goa was simple then. No motorbikes, cars and restaurants.It was here and in this environment that Tito Henry de Souza who had traveled extensively decided to settle down and also provide a place for all the expats to meet up.
Today, Tito's is still the place where the world meets up. It is now run by Tito's two sons - Ricardo and David, and boasts of an indoor night club, a multi-cuisine restaurant called "Brass", an outdoor pub, the currently most popular beach pub - "Mambo's" a 24 hour coffee shop and boutique. Tito's is still the place to gather info on the various things happening along the Goan coast."

  Every Night is a Party Night in Club Tito's Goa


  Although we came very late at night and were very tired, we got up early in the morning to go for water sports. Goa is a paradise for water sports lovers. The long coastal area offers wonderful oppurtunites to indulge in all sorts of water-sport activites. The para-sailing and water scooter took our breath away.



PARASAILING was spine-tingling.


 
WATER SCOOTER was DHOOM machale :P

At 12 noon we left for the campus but lost the way as the driver did not know the location of BITS. We had our train at 3:10pm and somehow we managed to reach the campus at 2:45pm. The drive from the college to the station is of half an hour. You can imagine how tensed we were while leaving the paradise. Instead of relishing the last scenes of Goa we were praying to God that we don't miss our train. Our prayers were heard and we reached station just at the right time. As soon as we boarded the train it started. Phew!!!

On our way back in the train we saw the famous Doodhsagar waterfall. Goa is no less than a hill station. The hills and the waterfall were magnificent. We were spellbound. The waterfall takes a steep plunge down in the wooded mountains  and appears to be milky streaks cascading down the mountainside. Believed to be amongst the highest falls in the country, this magnificent fall is located in a blissful tropical jungle with crisscrossing streams. The view from the train was breathtaking.




Like a child joyfully rotating a kaleidoscope and chuckling at the changing patterns, one just gets hooked on to Goa. Beauty can be quite inebriating especially when you are in India and when in Goa, you have so much of it - in the golden sands, the blue waters, the sylvan forests and the lakes.

Almost everyone who visits Goa usually does the normal tourist circuits including one or two beaches and Madgoan or Panajim. But that is not enough. Beauty, they say, is not skin deep. So, when in Goa, you have to put in more days to fully savor the place, the pleasure of discovering a crab under a stone, churches of Old Goa, temples of small villages, and the thrill of walking on some of the best beaches in India full of crisp sea-shells. The mind stops thinking and the heart begins speaking. Such is Goa that you may not have seen. Goa has more than 100 km of coastline and the sea has different shades to offer at various places.

I will again visit the place and cover up what I missed this time. But even a day out there is captivating and memorable.




Sunday, November 15, 2009

WORTH IT!!!


Today at 6 am I woke up, startled, by a loud thunder. Quickly I threw the bedsheet, went to the window and saw a horrendous yet a breathtaking beautiful scene. Dark clouds covering the horizon and making the atmosphere a little gloomy but when the downpour started I realized brass tacks.

There’s a day when you realize it is all worth it.

You awake from the dark, dreary shadows of doubt to realize that this life is beautiful and breathtakingly worth it. All of it.

Every single second. minute. hour. day. week. month. year.

Every single friendship. relationship. goodbye. distance. hello. love.

Every single tear. binge. escape. reaction. suppression. smile. regression.

Every single memory. story. joke. trial. mistake. tribulation. lesson.

It doesn’t come in the form of a person, place, or idea. Rather, an elemental eclipse that shakes the soul. An instantaneous shutter that shoots beams of light deep into the pits of the heart. Violet. Navy. Amber. Ivory.

Beams of purpose radiating from the mind. finger tips. ears. stomach. eyes. heart.

A purpose is all you’ve been searching for…and one day it just appears.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

LIFE IS FULL OF BUBBLES!!!



Life is full of bubbles.
Millions of bubbles. 
BIG bubbles. 
SMALL bubbles. 
These bubbles float around us. We can't see them. They are microscopic. They are at the alpha level of the mind (now don't ask me what that means!). Each bubble contains a dream, an idea, a wish, a desire. Once in a while a bubble floats into the conscious state of the mind. The bubble grows. Bigger and bigger. Day after day. When it reaches its optimum level, its all we can think about. Day and night. All you want in life is that little dream inside the bubble to come true. And once that wish takes over your mind-body-soul, the bubble BURSTS. Just like that. Just as inconspicuously as it had surfaced in the first place. For a second you're paralyzed, not realizing what has happened. You don't know what to do, where to go. Your heart breaks. Your mind freezes. Your soul cries.
Time passes. And then slowly another bubble floats into the conscious state of the mind. This one too grows bigger and bigger, day after day........until.......
PHUT!!!

Life becomes a full circle.   

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

LOVE FOR ALL!!! ALL FOR LOVE!!!

I received it in the mail, and I just couldn't help crying.
I cried so much that even now my eyes bleed.
It isn't the pour of sadness, but the fact that beauty and humanity have come along hand in hand all along and all we can see is the negative, the little, pointless ailing.
Yes there is a cure. There is beauty.
Here and Now.

The girl in the picture is Katie Kirkpatrick, she is 21. Next to her, her fiancé, Nick, 23.
The picture was taken shortly before their wedding ceremony, held on January 11, 2005 in the US .

Katie had terminal cancer and spent hours a day receiving medication.
In the picture, Nick is waiting for her on one of the many sessions of chemo to end.

In spite of all the pain, organ failures, and morphine shots, Katie is going along with her wedding and took care of every detail. The dress had to be adjusted a few times due to her constant weight loss.

An unusual accessory at the party was the oxygen tube that Katie used throughout the ceremony and reception as well.
The other couple in the picture are Nick's parents.. Excited to see their son marrying his high school sweetheart.

Katie, in her wheelchair with the oxygen tube , listening to a song from her husband and friends.

At the reception, Katie had to take a few rests.The pain not let her stand up for long periods.


Katie died five days after her wedding day. Watching a women so ill and weak getting married and with a smile on her face makes us think..... Happiness is reachable, no matter how long it last. We should stop making our lives complicated.


Life is short
Break the rules
forgive quickly
laugh constantly
And never stop smiling
no matter how strange life is
Life is not always the party we expected to be
but as long as we are here, we should smile and be grateful.



Sunday, October 25, 2009

LIFE AND ME!!!

IN LIFE

WE WALK ALONE ON THE SANDS OF TIME


LIKE A LONELY DRIFTING CLOUD



CLINGING TO HOPE...

 
BELIEVING THAT, AFTER EVERY WINTER COMES A SUMMER



HOPING FOR A RAINBOW AFTER RAIN



EARS TRYING TO LISTEN TO GOD...



DREAMS DO COME TRUE!!!


SUN PEEPS THROUGH THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT...
AND...
MORNING ARRIVES...



WAKING FLOWERS TO BLOOM...



AND INSPIRING ME TO DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL...


:) :) :)




Wednesday, October 14, 2009

HAPPINESS OF WINNING + VACATIONS AT HOME :)

Hello everyone... :)


These days I am at home :D came for Diwali and I am enjoying myself like anything. Remember the post I had written "Longing for a date with myself"??? Well, God is great. He granted my wishes so soon that I can't help smiling :) :) :) :) :) So, its not the exact replica of my imagination but its no less. I have whole 24 hours of the day for myself. I can do whatever I feel like, I can sleep anytime, get up anytime, eat anytime, bathe anytime, watch TV anytime and study anytime...yeah I am studying and studying not casually but seriously and studying a lot. So that is giving me immense satisfaction. I am not tired when I go to bed but I have satisfactory smile on my face when I go off to sleep because I am glad to know that my day was spent according to my wishes and it was far more productive than those hectic days in Bhopal. I am missing Megha and Jaya but I am happy with papa, mumma and toshu. I can't describe how cute mumma has become. She is now probably the cutest mother on planet earth (no offence please). So I am having a heavenly time dating myself :)
One more thing, before I forget, I participated in a debate competition just before coming to Jhansi. There were three rounds, first was a general selection round. The topic was given on the spot which was "Religious diversity is a hindrance to the development of a country" and I spoke against the topic. Second round was infront of a crowd of approx. 500 people. The topic was given 5 min prior to the event and it was "Due to delay in judicial procedure, punishment of the accused in public by masses is justified or not?" and once again I spoke against the topic. The third round was a group discussion round on the same topic.


So finally when the results were declared the next day, I stood FIRST :) and got a printer as prize. I am thinking of starting an electronics shop with a printer, a laptop, a webcam all of which I have won in various competitions :D :D :D
DO ENJOY DIWALI AND IN THESE HOLIDAYS TRY TAKING OUT A DAY FOR YOUR OWN SELF. I TELL YOU ITS HEAVENLY :)

Sunday, October 4, 2009

SAY NO TO RESERVATION


Today I added a logo to my blog (see the sidebar) which says I'M AGAINST RESERVATION. Now adding this logo doesn't really mean that I am completely against reservation. I have my own views regarding this topic.

I have always believed in equality and caste was nothing for me anytime in life. Earlier when I was very young, I was absolutely against this concept and my blood boiled on reading or hearing anyone getting preference over other just because of his caste. The question which pops up in my mind always is, how can a caste of someone determine whether he needs some relaxation from the prescribed criteria or not? There are many SCs, STs and OBCs who are better off than people of general quota.

A few years later when I got the taste of real life and I became a little politically correct, I analyzed that there are actually a few people who need reservation but the criteria which our apathetic government has decided is faulty. Is it not one's background, his upbringing, his family history which determine his standing and claim for reservation?

From my perspective I really don't see the need to offer such high percentage of seat reservation to few castes. But the issue is not that simple. It has a lot more complexities and ramifications that my young mind can comprehend. So just to make you understand some part of it, here are the links for the blog 'I AM AGAINST RESERVATION'  http://imagainstreservation.blogspot.com/  and a very sensible comment by journalist Ms. Barkha Dutt http://amit-chopra-bawa.sulekha.com/blog/post/2006/05/an-article-by-barkha-dutt-ithought-u-should-read/comments.htm
Please take out some time and go through them.
One thing which I found very amusing in this link is a comment, "why can't we have 49.5% of our loksabha and rajyasabha seats reserved for weaker sections of the society? why can't we have have 49.5% berths in the cabinet reserved for obcs / scs / sts? why can't we have 49.5% representation given to bckward classes in our cricket team? why can't we have 49.5% of consultants and engineers postings reserved for backward classes at infosys which competes with accentures and ibms of this world? why can't we have 49.5% postings of our scientists at isro reserved for backward classes? why exclude army / navy / air force from reservations?"
HE HE !!!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

YEARNING FOR A DATE WITH MYSELF!!!



Amidst a hectic lifestyle and trying to be super-human; managing college, coaching, studies, friends, family and virtual life, we end up losing touch with the most important person, our own self. Even the so-called ‘Me time’ on weekends/ holidays is spent with other people and we end up being tired rather than relaxed. I, like many people around me, crave for that one day when I can have a date with myself. It should be easy right? There are no appointments to be made, no fees to be paid …wrong! It’s a hard realization that I am not that easily available to myself, not anymore. There are other things that have taken priority. :( :(
People who know me are aware that I love going for vacations. Sometimes I feel like packing my bag and going for a holiday just like that, to spend some time away from the maddening world around me. There are so many achievements, prizes won and so many dreams to be fulfilled which require hard work and diligence. Ideally, I would love to switch off my phone and not check my mails /orkut/Facebook/blog. I would walk for hours on a beach, dance away the evenings and indulge in body spa for hours. I would love to visit some religious places and eat my favorite foods, meet new people and silently watch the sunset. I would love to sleep for a good 10 hours and do window-shopping the rest of the time. I wish I could shut out the worries of day to day life from my mind for a few days and enjoy peaceful sleep interrupted only by beautiful dreams.
I have been promising myself this date for long, where I will have my undivided attention and when I will spare no effort in pampering myself. I will listen to myself with patience like I have never done before and I will discover things about me that I never knew existed.

PANKHURIS :)


I have nothing to write about this picture. No thoughts provoked by this. Its just that I found it so beautiful and soothing to eyes that I thought of sharing it with you all.
Hope you too like it.
:)
Lots of love,
Yours only,
Pankhuri

Thursday, October 1, 2009

WINNER AGAIN

Remember that essay I had written a few days back on racism...the topic was "Doesn't really matter whether one is black or white or are we still ruled by the colour of the skin?" Yeah...So I won the second prize :D :D The prize is a book voucher worth Rs. 1500 :D :D

Just wondering which books to buy :P :P
(for people who have not read the essay :- scroll down you'll find it :) )

Thursday, September 24, 2009

MY LINE?? IS IT FAIR??


EVERY MAN HAS, BUT ONE DESTINY
This the line of the Don that I have taken from ' the book'.
Just wondering what would be mine? And when shall I know? 
 

And if I believe what Mitch Albom says in "The five people you meet in heaven", I might not discover, till I die, that whatever I have been doing throughout my life, when I thought I were not doing anything, was actually what I were destined to do unknowingly.
BUT IS IT FAIR???


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