आज.....खुश तो बहुत होगे तुम......हाएं?!! :-)

Yes, I know, it's been a while since I blogged, so this was long overdue. I was too pre-occupied with work - first at office then some household chores, and then more work and more household chores. Not that anyone and everyone inundated me with calls/mails from anywhere and everywhere! But just wanted to clear any misgivings.

Well, it wasn't as if I never got any time off, but it's just that in the time I did get for myself, I didn't feel like writing on anything that wasn't appealing enough.

During the last week, I was so overdosed with the No-Confidence motion debates and analysis, that I had had too much of it by the time I went to the web, and the First Test Match performance of the Indian cricketers in Sri Lanka was too abysmal to write about (no point killing dead meat, right?!).


So I decided to write on something different and light.
Well, I just found how to write on the Net in our lovely mother-tongue..Hindi!!
So now I'm fixated with writing this post in Hindi!
Next up, I think I should find what to write in Hindi - I want to write something that cannot do without Hindi usage, where English translations of the Hindi original would either be meaningless or spineless, if not comical.
How about revisiting the most immortal and impactful movie dialogues in Hindi cinema?!
Now then, that requires Hindi for sure - and just for good measure, may I also put in English translations of the original, Devnagri script - not to be taken seriously - just for fun.


So let me find which are the Top 10 immortal dialogues, in Hindi cinema - no, only those of the doyen of Indian cinema - the Big B, to start with. Guess Hindi cinema is such a huge ocean, spanning a great timeline too, that it would be very unfair of me to list just 10 top ten quotes. As a matter of fact, I think it's a a great injustice to Big B too, that I am putting down only 10 of his best and more memorable dialogues, because there definitely are innumerable more from just him alone.
And, the following list is a compilation of just those dialogues, that strike me on first thoughts.... ofcourse there are many, many more - and it doesn't require me to certify this!

[Disclaimer: This is, by no means, an exhaustive list. Certainly, there are many more one-liners that have captivated the audience imagination and withstood the test of time. The following is just an appetizer!]
These dialogues are not in any particular order as such, but just the ones I can remember off-the-cuff.

Ok, so here goes - my two cents..

Enjoy..

My Top 10 (in no particular order):

1. Yes, I will sign, but first get me the sign of that guy, who called my father a thief; first get me the sign of that guy, who abused my mother and fired her from her job; first get me the sign of that guy, who wrote this on my hand. After that, after that, my brother, I will sign on whichever paper you bring to me.

हाँ, मैं sign करूंगा , लेकिन पहले उस आदमी का sign ले के आओ, जिसने मेरे बाप को चोर कहा था; पहले उस आदमी का sign ले के आओ, जिसने मेरी माँ को गाली देके नौकरी से निकाल दिया था; पहले उस आदमी का sign ले के आओ, जिसने मेरे हाथ पे ये लिख दिया था उसके बाद, उसके बाद मेरे भाई, तुम जिस कागज़ पे कहोगे, उस पर sign कर दूंगा

2. What is your name, Basanti?

तुम्हारा नाम क्या है, बसंती?!

3. I am your father, by relation...(!!)

रिश्ते में तो हम तुम्हारे बाप लगते हैं..

4. The line begins from the place where I stand.

हम जहाँ पर खड़े होते हैं, Line वहां से शुरू हो जाती है

5. Twelve countries' police is waiting for Don...but it is not only tough to catch Don, it is impossible!

Don का इंतज़ार तो बारह मुल्कों की पुलिस कर रही है... पर Don को पकड़ना मुश्किल ही नहीं, नामुमकिन है

6. Sir, I know English so well that I can leave the English behind.

सर, अंग्रेजी तो ऐसी आवे है, कि आई कैन लीव अंग्रेज बिहाइन्द

7. Peter.....you guys are looking for me outside, and I am waiting for you out here.

पीटर.....तुम लोग मुझे बाहर ढूंढ रहे हो, और मैं यहाँ तुम्हारा इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ

8. Oh no Aunty, when did I say this? You are misunderstanding my Viru, Aunty!

अरे नहीं मौसी, मैंने ऐसा कब कहा? आप तो मेरे वीरू को ग़लत समझ रही हैं, मौसी!

9. I do only what, I believe, is correct.

मुझे जो सही लगता है, मैं वही करता हूँ

And last, but not the least (my favourite!) :-

10. Today - You must be very happy, huh?! The guy who never climbed up the stairs to Your temple, the guy who never bowed his head in front of You, the guy who never folded his hands in front of You - he! he is standing in front of you, with open hands..(!!)

Today - You must be very happy...
That lady, that lady whose forehead abrased (English for ghis!) the chaukhat (I don't know how to translate this!) of Your temple, that lady, on whom, when hardships increased, her devotion towards You increased, who herself kept burning from inside, but always lit the lamp in Your temple, that lady! that lady - is stranded between life and death today.

Yes, You must be very happy today, that I lost....but it is Your loss!
What cruelty, what sin had she committed?
Is this her fault, that she has given birth to me??
Is this her fault, that she is my mother, and I love her??
For what crime is she being punished?

आज - खुश तो बहुत होगे तुम! जो आज तक तुम्हारे मन्दिर की सीढियां नहीं चढ़ा, जिसने आज तक तुम्हारे आगे सर नहीं झुकाया, जिसने आज तक तुम्हारे सामने हाथ नहीं जोड़े - वो! वो आज तुम्हारे सामने हाथ फैलाए खड़ा है
आज - खुश तो बहुत होगे तुम ...

वो औरत - वो औरत, जिसके माथे से तुम्हारी चौखट का पत्थर घिस गया, वो औरत, जिसपर ज़ुल्म बढे, तो उसकी पूजा बढ़ी, जो जिंदगी भर ख़ुद तो जलती रही, मगर तुम्हारे मन्दिर में दीप जलाती रही, वो औरत! वो औरत – आज जिंदगी और मौत के बीच खड़ी है।

हाँ, आज खुश तो बहुत होगे तुम, कि मैं हार गया.. पर ये, तुम्हारी हार है !
कौन सा ज़ुल्म, कौन सा पाप किया था उसने?
क्या उसका कसूर ये है, कि उसने मुझे जनम दिया??
क्या उसका कसूर ये है, कि वो मेरी माँ है, और मैं उससे प्यार करता हूँ ??
ये किस गुनाह की सज़ा दी जा रही है उसे?

More such, later.
Adios!

MBA: My Biggest Ambition?

"Every night, in my dreams

I see you, I feel you.. (..the maddening craze and herd-mentality of becoming an MBA)

That is how I know you.. (..the MBA-stricken world)

Go on..(..rambling about the great, plenipotentiary [check the GMAT/CAT vocab docs for the meaning] MBA tag) "

Seriously guys, isn't there any salvation without becoming an MBA?
By the way, may I clarify first up that I have a lot of respect for the qualification itself.

I also understand very well that this degree enables one to rise vertically (to become part of the management) as well as horizontally (across different industries and sectors too).

If you believe I am an MBA-cynic, you couldn't be farther from the truth.

I truly admire the people who successfully (and correctly) identified this (being an MBA) as their field (and qualification), since they knew this was what they were best at, and that this is what they want to do.

What I do not admire, though, is the unending prattle and the mindless following, that exhorts anyone and everyone to go for this degree. This is the sad part. But wait, it ain't over! What I find even more depressing, is that people are falling for it too, ignoring their inner voice. Isn't there something we all want to do?

Allow me to be Yash Chopra here: "He, the Almighty has made something (the field of work, the kind of work that is best suited for us - I'm sure it CANNOT be only MBA for most of us!) for all of us, there's someone (read some field of work) that's made for you...(where you are best at), which you love. Ofcourse, most people compromise and go for something else (read MBA).

Anyone who is anyone, is keen to lap up this tag-wagon!

Has the MBA today, become an acronym for My Biggest Ambition?

If someone does a survey on how many people wanted to do MBA all along, be MBA all along, how many actually are, and even more importantly, how many MBAs are happy with what they have done and achieved - given a choice to turn the clock back, would they like to go for the same course and profile again?, the results would greatly help in gaining an insight about the "success and satisfaction" levels of each of these categories of people.

After all, it is also extremely important to know whether those people who are qualified, 'successful' MBAs, feel empty or insatiated inside, because they might still be yearning to do something they could have done but could not, due to the pressure (be it due to peer pressure or the individual simply not knowing oneself about what he/she wants and can do).

Practically speaking, is MBA among the best-possible qualification one can have in today's times? Ofcourse.
But what about the same, sane word - aptitude?
What about going in for something that you actually don't have an aptitude for (MBA), AT THE COST OF something for which you always had the requisite basic fundamentals and skill sets in place - the talent, the aptitude, and most of all, the interest, the liking, the love - but never understood/appreciated it enough?
All forsaken for the sake of practical, market forces or peer/family pressue.

One of the reasons why I almost worship a guy like Harsha Bhogle is because this guy, after completing his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, always remained steadfast in his focus and dared to chuck all in pursuit oh his inner calling, his true love (in his case, cricket and cricket commentary to be precise). Mind you, he had a cushy job as an IIM-A graduate and most importantly, the time when he gave up that job in preference for cricket commentary, there was no trace of the money, the glamour, and the razmatazz that is now associated with being a cricket commentator.
He had two (enviable??) options being in India - All India Radio and Doordarshan - for, these were the only mediums that used to broadcast cricket matches in India. That he started with AIR, worked with Channel 9 and reaped the benefits of the satellite revolution is another story and I don't want to digress. He was lucky too, in that had the satellite revolution not happened, he might have at best remained a voice or face talking cricket on DD...and who knows, there could be many who tried like him to pursue their love - before or after him - but could not have succeeded. But I hope you would agree, the quality, worth and merit of a person must not be judged by how much success he achieves, but by how much effort he puts in, to achieve it.

After all, if success were the only barometer, it should therefore translate to the 'fact' only the wealithiest and the most powerful (in terms of clout - political or any) are entitled to being quality souls out of more than a billion people in India!
I just hope that we do not continue to chase this fad of becoming an MBA - just to ensconse ourselves with a cosy life, and compromise our inherent abilities and aptitude.
Do go for an MBA by all means, if you think you are meant for it, and it is what you are best at...but please re-assess if you are going for it due to someone else's wishes, or if you think it is a known way of "success" and "achievement" in life.

As my school principal used to say, "It is better to be a first-class cobbler than to be a third-class administrator."
Here's to guys like Harsha, who despite possessing a lucrative degree that guaranteed them a great life ahead, follow their calling, listen to their hearts and despite knowing they are preferring valour over common (material) sense, take pride in doing so and stand by it, results notwithstanding!
Atleast I, for one, hope that I too continue to possess such courage of conviction and wish that all of us prefer our inner calling to public sentiment or market forces.

On Turning A Bhagat-bhakt

I have just completed reading the 3rd book of Chetan Bhagat - "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" (When I had first come to know of this title for his 3rd book, I was wondering whether the title referred to his 3 books!) but going by the record-breaking popularity of each of his books, the joke doesn't hold water! And it shouldn't either.

I must say, 3 Mistakes made for compelling reading, especially towards the end. More than the story itself, I have been extremely impressed with the way he has described the narrative and unravelled the plot, by using each real-life as well as prominent incident of recent times that no Indian can forget. This helped in not only making his story come to life, but also made each incident depicted in the story very identifiable for the reader.

By the way, his handling of each character and placing them (and their stories) seamlessly in the main plot itself has always been something to watch out for in all his books. I have, in fact, grown so fond of his books now, that I cannot wait for his next book to hit the stores.

It all began with his second book, "One Night at the Call Centre", which I read before this. I found it quite captivating and couldn't wait to lay my hands on his next - The 3 Mistakes. Interestingly, I will only now read his first (and perhaps the most popular and trend-setting) book, Five Point Someone!

Having liked his second and third books, I am sure my admiration for Mr. Bhagat's writing would not be imperiled when I read FPS, which has been his flagship release, so to say!

Happy reading to me then...more on this after I complete the book.

But one thing's for sure - I'm a dedicated Bhagat-bhakt now, and look forward to many more gems from him in future too!

Watch this space for more.

New...Clear?: What's the Big Deal?

Ok, after the news hour debate last night, I pick up the papers first thing in the morning and here they go again....media reports (print and electronic alike) have been flooded with the fallouts of the government's signing or not signing up to this deal. It'd be interesting to know just how many people are actually aware about the merits and demerits of the deal, and how many are just being rats to this Pied Piper.

Atleast I, for one, cannot claim expertise on this subject. However, what I do know, is that one must be able to reconcile the differences of opinion by debating the pros and cons of the deal, instead of threatening to pull the plug from a government that has lived its life on Left(-over) support systems.

Is the Left right, or is it right to be left out? Unfortunately, we have been discussing the wrong problems.

Surely, if national interest is common to both sides, whoever be right, atleast the differences can be sorted out by understanding each other's point of view. When the intent is the same and only the methods/ideology different, you don't issue deadlines and ultimatums. It's like the (in)famous "Either you are with us, or with the terrorists" Bushism. Why can't you be right even if you don't agree with me? And if the intent that forms the basis of taking the respective stances - national interest - is common to both parties, is a disagreement over the means to reach that end, good (rather, bad!) enough to sever ties with each other?

Something is seriously amiss.

My point is that if the goal of India being best served is common - whether it is with or without the deal - then why focus on the fights and not the issue? The developments that have been unfolding have been more about whether SP will support, whether the government will survive, when will the Left finally withdraw support, how will this impact each party in the polls, etc.

Some might argue that we have come too far from the point of discussing about the deal now.
Oh right! But how much ground have we gained by constantly bickering about the now-inevitable divorce between the Congress and the Left, and how worse could it have been if we had stuck to the stand of understanding each other's points and concerns, even if it meant doing it over and over again?? Again, assuming, we had a common national interest - ofcourse, I brought this assumption to your notice for the first time!

Just hope all the brouhaha over the deal is sorted amicably and India's best interests are taken care of, through constructive brainstorming instead of being busy recriminating and creating obituaries for each other.

Amen!

Hallo, tasssting, 1-2-3!!!

Hello World!!!

Alright then, gentle ladies and men!

Here I go..my first baby-steps towards blogdom!!

Well, the primary (actually, the only!) purpose of this post is to check how my first blog entry looks like...how it appears (er, in fact, even does it?) once I view it as a user, so that I can try newer things with the template, design/structure etc. if required.

Just want to thank my parents, my wife, my brother, grandparents, everybody in my immediate and extended family - for this historic and momentous moment in my life - my first blog!!!

After all, I am only the zillionth person to have created a blog!

Thankyou, thankyou, thanks a lot!!!!! :-) !!!!