HI INFIDELITY...ARE YOU STILL GAME ???

I don't know how many of you would have listened to the famous 80's rock band, REO Speedwagon's smash hit album, "Hi Infidelity". It was one great album though, I can vouch for that having heard it many a time. But I'm sure Tiger Wood's infidelities are buzzing around in everybody's ears. Since the past more than two weeks, when ace golfer Tiger Woods crashed his car outside his Florida mansion while reportedly fleeing his angry wife, the print and electronic media (not only in the US but all over the world) has really hyped up the frenzy attached with the news to feed us with all kinds of stories regarding his womaniser ways and his alleged infidelity. Every day as you read the morning paper, a new girl claiming to be Tiger's mistress crops up. Sometimes I wonder, the man truly has a great appetite for women like his PGA titles. He has become a butt of so many jokes on front pages of most newspapers. Is there any method in this madness ? Till my last count it was 11 girls until I read the following astonishing news item : "Mistresses of Tiger Woods March on Washington." You also need to read the same to believe the story on the following link http://om.ly/cuZt . The news claims that in one of the largest mass demonstrations in recent history, over one million women claiming to have had sexual liaisons with Tiger Woods marched on Washington on 7th December, 2009.

I mean what a way to bring a global legend and icon (till a few days back) down...a massive fall from grace right into the abyss of ignominy. Pepsi has already cancelled his Gatorade drink endorsement and more such cancellations are bound to follow since he is no more considered a national or global icon. In US they have already stopped airing all Tiger Woods ads. Tiger Woods’s problems seem to be multiplying with the American media reporting the existence of a love child and sex tapes of the golfer. Friends of his wife, Elin Nordegren, however, have said that the golfer’s wife although devastated planned to stay with him for the sake of their children despite his philandering ways. “She is a child of divorce and that’s not something she’s likely to want to do to her children,” an unnamed friend told People magazine. But you never know what transpires in future and despite Tiger admitting to his transgressions and apologising for his sins to his family in the media, his reputation is under fire all across the world. We still don't know to what extent the allegations about the mistresses are true but his image is definitely tarnished. Just hold your horses a bit. We all are fans of the golfer because of his golf and not because of his faithfulness (or not) to his wife. Here, I am not defending Tiger or advertising the "SAVE TIGER PROJECT" :)). But everyone has a private life and everyone messes it up once in a while. It is not for the public to scrutinise private lives and more so by writing uncomfirmed news items and giving rumormongers a field day. In any case, why choose to make him a role model on parameters other than golf ? If we do, then obviously we and the media alike are to blame. I'm sure whatever sins he has admitted to his wife after cheating her would have taught him a life-long lesson to never ever transgress. Reports say that he's taking an indefinite break from golf to repair his marriage, if at all it can be repaired. I'm glad his children are too small to understand what all is happening otherwise it would really have left them in bad taste about their hero father.

But I still doubt that whether through this scandal, all men either ordinary or celebrities would have learnt a lesson or two from Tiger's battered image so as to mend their philandering ways or my so-called 'HI INFIDELITIES'. As the cliche goes : 'Men will be Men'. Even their pretty wives won't deter them from going astray every now and then. Most still fantasize of bedding every beautiful woman they come across but never admit that in reality. However, you will have to ask God whether he will save them from their wives' wrath or not. We can only speculate that Tiger's wife might forgive him to save her marriage. But, suppose we reverse the roles here and the husband gets to know of his wife's adulterous affairs. I'm sure he isn't going to easily digest that, leading to a messy divorce in nine out of ten cases. Gul Panag, the actress on a lighter note rightly tweeted recently on Twitter that, the next PGA tour( or Tennis grand slam, F1 race, Olympics, T-20 for that matter) should have a score card for 'fidelity' as well to choose the 'true' winner. Ha..Ha..Ha...

DIVIDING INDIA....MY HEART BLEEDS!!!

And now they are further dividing the country on the basis of language and caste politics. Where are our politicians headed to ? When will they learn ? I totally fail to comprehend. Their one-sided negative approach will leave an indelible mark on our younger generations as they are in no way setting a good example by creating unnecessary furore and disruptions all over Maharashtra and other parts of the country. Lately, they have targeted a sporting icon like Tendulkar for his forthright comments that "he is proud to be a Maharashtrian but is an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians." I totally endorse and respect Sachin's opinion. He has done the country proud on innumerable occasions and much more than these ill-speaking politicians. But Bal Thackeray says that Sachin should concentrate on cricket and not indulge in politics. Will somebody explain to him that apart from being a celebrity and a sporting legend, he is first a citizen of the largest democracy in the world. As such he has equal voting rights like anybody else and has a very important role to play in a democracy by electing the right people as our leaders and at the same time voice his opinion if they are playing dirty politics to divide the country. So now will the Shiv Sena and MNS send goons to Tendulkar ?

I am also annoyingly surprised at all the crap, Raj Thackeray and his MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) party is upto in Maharashtra. They are already guilty of so many acts of violence against the North Indians in the state. He is acting in such a way that Maharashtra is a country independent of India and he is its führer like Hitler. He is trying to become the self-appointed saviour and brand ambassador of all Marathis. Just ask him what has he done to better the infrastructure, the living conditions, the slums, the poor drainage systems in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. MNS has even threatened to stall the recruitment process at State Bank of India, saying that they should recruit only Marathis and no outsiders should be allowed to sit for the exams. I feel very appalled seeing this dictatorial approach. It looks like they have become politically desperate. I would not be surprised if a PIL is soon filed or maybe has already been filed against such political parties and politicians who only have one agenda as their prime motive....to spread hatred and disturb the peace in the country by hook or by crook.

It's high time the Supreme Court takes stringent action against such politicians who are spreading unnecessary hatred amongst fellow Indians in the country. Don't they have better things to do in public life, I ask ? Why can't they dedicate themselves to policies and opinions which unite the country. If we can't fight our internal communal forces, I doubt how are we going to tackle the forces across the border and global terrorism. If every other state and its political leaders keep dividing India on some or the other basis, then one fine day there will be no India left for us Indians. So I sincerely hope and wish that better sense prevails among our politicians, maybe through some divine intervention. I also appeal that many more Indians come forward to voice their opinions to thwart division politics. My heart bleeds till then....

THE FINE ART OF REDISCOVERY.....

Man has discovered many a place and invented many a thing since times immemorial. But has he mastered the art of rediscovering or reinventing himself too ? Have you mastered this art ? We all need to rediscover or reinvent our lives every now and then to make it more worthwhile and meaningful. And also at times to make it more spicier to get out of the rut we all fall in :). This is particularly essential for all guys and gals hitting midlife and the accompanying 'famous' crisis in many a case. Do you ever find that life has become so hectic and monotonous that if you look back at it and wonder 'just how did I manage to get through it till now ?' Well, this is the feeling I have quite often. I totally agree with what the famous authoress, Jane Austen once said : "Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings". So each of us need to get out of this humdrum existence. I feel that we need to have that child-like attitude to find joy in the simplest of pleasures life offers us on a regular basis, thereby killing the ennui felt in everyday life. So every year as I age, I try to introspect (on my birthday) on the year gone by and how to rediscover my life yet again in the year coming by. Something like a new 'Bucket List' (i.e. a list of things one must do before kicking the bucket i.e. bidding the final goodbye) every year. This keeps me involved for the rest of the year. It becomes a cycle of sorts each year. Try it and you will never regret. I'm sure it will lead you out of your vacuum to a feeling of immense ecstasy and euphoria.

THE 'TOP TEN DISCOVERIES' THAT REDISCOVERED MY LIFE

1. I first learned the art of rediscovery way back in 2004, maybe a little late in life. But it's OK. I'm doing fine after that. Thanks to my US trip five years back and quite a few nasty food habits accompanied with a sedantary lifestyle bereft of any physical activity resulting in obesity and some lifestyle diseases. I was quite down and out but still never crumbled. I resolved to hit back at life with vengeance and I'm proud I could achieve my goal. I have already mentioned in one of my earliest posts why and how I became a fitness freak, so I needn't repeat that again. But what I want to stress is that I rediscovered the 'zing' I was missing in my life after I became fit. I still regret how I let my 20's and to a large extent my 30's pass by without batting an eyelid but now realise that the grass is truly greener on the other side. I am glad that my regular calisthenics have added more meaning to my life. I truly look forward to flaunt my fit self, be it an official meeting or a party.
2. In the late thirties, I finally discovered that I indeed had the stamina to run long distances.

3. I discovered what it is to be a vegetarian after being a hard core carnivore for almost four decades. It certainly is easy on the tummy if you exclude the deep fried stuff, I must admit. However, this discovery truly tested my will power and pushed the envelope for me.

4. I also discovered how pleasurable and blissful it is to cook breakfast for the entire family every Sunday. My little girl gets so excited about it that she also ends up helping papa in the kitchen and I love that bonding.

5. I was amazed to discover my fascination and love for gadgets and history of the World War II era (yes the 1930's and the 40's) with equal ease, that too coming from an accounting background. I try to take out time to read and watch more about both these love affairs.

6. I discovered the Apple Mac notebook after being loyal to Microsoft windows and resisting change for 17 years. But I must say that this discovery was truly awesome as Windows sucks compared to Mac OS. Thank God for no virus attacks anymore.

7. It was awesome to discover that there is no harm in partying 'stag' once in a while to recharge your batteries.

8. Being a movie buff, I discovered the classic hollywood movies (a list of 101 to watch before you die) which I had missed seeing in the several years gone by though many are still left to be seen out of this list. However, I'm at it.

9. I have lately discovered how gratifying and delighful it is to put a smile on the face of a physically or a financially deprived person.

10. And finally I have discovered my writing skills (still nascent though) with this blog.

All the above discoveries made me rediscover my life in a brand new fashion. I hope you too can keep discovering and reinventing your lives in an interesting manner consistently and more so once you enter your mid-life. Particularly, please care to find joy in the simplest pleasures of life. Try taking an early morning walk in the park with your loved ones amidst mother nature or go on a picnic with them and you will understand what I mean. 'Why are we just busy collecting wealth more than what is required to lead a decent life ?...Love life and live it right'. Let's try to prove the old saying about 'man being a greedy animal' wrong and take the same delight while sharing and giving as we get in receiving. I'm writing this as another year passes by and it's time to start all over again to rediscover....reinvent....and make my life more zingy by making a fresh bucket list of all those things which arouse passion in me :)). I'm sure the festive season ahead will provide us all with such wonderful opportunities. Happy Diwali to you all.....

DO COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.....

The entire nation mourned the tragic death of a very able politician and AP Chief Minister YSR Reddy and four others accompanying him in an unfortunate Chopper crash in deep forests near Hyderabad on 2nd September, 2009. May his soul and of the four others, rest in peace. Lately, whenever I hear or read about air crashes, my entire body shudders at the mere thought of it. I have become a little paranoid about flying. This is so because last year when me and my family were travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi in Malaysia, we were part of one such monstrous flight made all the more haunting and unceremonius by a f***ed up fellow passenger, that we could have easily crashed into yore. But for God's blessings, we are very lucky to be still alive and kicking.

That one hour flight was so jittery and full of turbulence that our heart's were sinking every now and then. And to make matters worse was a guy from Bangladesh who (sitting alongwith his two male friends right behind us) was uttering all crap and nonsense about the flight, as if in jest. Whenever the plane went up and down due to turbulence, he kept on blabbering that he had a nightmare only last night about this particular flight definitely crashing and he was so sure because his nightmares always turned out to be true. He literally scared the s**t out of me and other fellow passengers who were listening to his scary outbursts. Obviously, my two little girls were also scared to death. It all reminded me of the movie, "Final Destination". I was constantly praying deep inside my heart that nothing as averse as mouthed by him happens. I don't know why anybody didn't muster up the guts to shut him up there and then. Fortunately, by the grace of God we somehow landed safely in Langkawi in one piece. Thereafter, his two friends immediately apologised to me and my wife for the harm their idiotic friend's brainless comments about the flight might have caused us. It was visible that they were quite embarrased because of their friend and also probably due to the timid look on our faces during the whole duration of the flight.

After this particular experience, I always make it a point to thank God and Count my blessings. It has taught me that we should get rid of all kinds of negativity around us, believe in the Almighty, remain grateful and contended with all the good things in life he has provided us with; rather than crib for what we don't have and finally take a cue from only the positive things happening around us. I hope the Ambani brothers who are among the richest Indians soon stop their now infamous fight over money and rather count their blessings. The fact that you are leading a happy and healthy life in itself is a boon. 'So Let us just impart & imbibe only positive energy'. And please !! please !! do count your blessings before you go to bed every night as we often forget to do that in our mundane existence and remember that each day is a gift from God :)

SOME BIZARRE NEWS & A BIT OF ECCENTRICITY

I am afraid that some of my friends are proving to be my muses for some of my blogs, once too often. But I am also glad, that at least this way I get inspired to write, with no offence to them in particular. Just recently, I received two links about a same news item from my cousin in the UK which I found very bizarre but anyway they made for some amusing reading. As such I posted the links on my Facebook wall to share with my FB friends. But the reaction of some of my friends (interestingly all in their forties, I doubt what became of the adage : 'Men get naughty at forty' ) to these links was pretty abashed, unforeseen and negative as if I had offended them and they were some kind of soothsayers. Or were they trying to scoff at me in a pretentious manner before the FB community that 'Yours Truly' was having a mortifying effect on them ? I will never know the truth but I would like to believe it that way. Their reaction was as grotesque and eccentric as the news item itself. Here, I am not trying to defend myself but just as a rejoinder to their comments, putting across the fact that I am no loser who thrives on any kind of voyeuristic pleasures.

To me, if a particular news article (be it on any subject) poses some interesting fact, then I definitely like to share it with my friends. Due to this instinctive nature and not because of any other misunderstood reason, I had shared the links on FB. However, now I truly believe that some people lead a dual life, one which appears so artificial on social networking sites and the other which is diametrically opposite in person. I'm afraid that such people are not going to win very many friends with this sadistic approach. It will be definitely better for the entire FB community, if they can make some real, debatable and meaningful comments apart from the obvious funny and light-hearted ones. You guessed it right : I am slightly miffed and confused at such meaningless eccentricities.

The links pertained to a recent news about an all nudist hotel coming up in Germany. A few commented that I was fascinated by nudists camps and frustrated like the Germans and my next trip would surely be to Germany. Ha...Ha. No doubt I was fascinated by the bizarre news item (but certainly not for the experience) and so just because of the curiousity quotient attached to such news items, I shared the link to it. The news read something like this : " In what is claimed to be probably the world's first, a nudist-only hotel is all set to open in Germany.Yes, you have heard it right. All the hotel guests will be required to leave their clothes at the reception while checking in and must be naked at all times when on the premises -'or they will be required to leave.' the Daily Telegraph reported. 'We hope to open as soon as possible. It will be the first comprehensively nudist hotel in Germany,' a staff member of the planned Hotel Rosengarten in the black forest town of Freudenstadt ("Town of Joys"), Silvia Probsthain said.The hotel rules state that all guests must put towels on chairs and lounges before using them, that there would be no sexual harassment and that all sexual activity in 'commonly accessible rooms' is strictly forbidden. Those who disobey will have to put on the ultimate badge of nudist dishonour-clothing-and leave."

The Germans are quite infamous about their views on nudity since the German FKK (free body culture) movement was founded in the 1920's and later banned by the Nazis for reasons of immorality. Still about 40000 Germans take holidays every year on nudist beaches in their own country and nearby Croatia. Last year a German travel agency organised a nudist plane trip from Eastern Germany to Usedom, a Baltic resort. Passengers had to dress before leaving the jet. And even Americans are not far behind. A recent news item in one of our national dailies reported that Nude Yoga has become a latest fad among international celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, J.Lo, Naomi Watts, Nicholas Cage and the like. The technique involves practicing conventional yoga postures without a stitch on so as to liberate oneself from all inhibitions and help in unification of the mind, body and soul. That's what the exponents claim. Hence a number of Nude yoga clubs have mushroomed across the US and are actually creating a stir. Then last Sunday, protesters, mostly women across seven cities in the US walked naked through the streets demanding equal rights for women to go topless on the beaches. They were celebrating "National Go Topless Day" to honour Women's Equality Day at Venice Beach in LA and promoting the idea that women have the same constitutional right to be bare-chested in public places as men.They say, "If men can go bare-chested on the beaches, then why can't we ?" But to me this is nothing less than perversion and gimmickry. However still, doesn't all this news make attractive reading material to normal human beings for a change ? We all look for an interesting change of thought during a hard day's work. There is nothing sinful in that :-).

I, maybe out of sheer enthusiasm wanted people to know the morbid extent to which Germans can go to fulfill their perverted pleasures in the 21st Century and certainly not what I intended doing :-). The Germans and now even the Americans are in fact planning to go back to their prehistoric roots when humans were bereft of any clothing. I may never muster the guts to come out in my birthday suit in my entire life but I get the inkling that my same friends who were surprisingly acting to have been appalled about my post referring to the nudist hotel camps could actually be the ones who would be game for such wild experiences ;-). Most others intelligently managed to refrain themselves from commenting on the links on my FB wall, lest their guilty pleasures would also become public prey. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So I would like to believe that when people dream about participating in sexual jamborees which can never be fulfilled, then they are the only ones who rant and rave about such activities in public. I am neither a dreamer of that kind nor a practitioner. Anyways, for those who never got a chance, I would still (even in the aftermath of some brickbats) call upon them to read if they wish to, from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/germany/article6016553.ece and sign off with a message for my muses : chill as the link was never meant for you, but try getting a life.

MMMOVIES, POPCORN & MORE...

After a very hectic month at work, all I can now think of is movies and more movies. So with this blog entry, I intend taking you on a brief journey of the engrossing world of movies and my own first-hand experiences which changed my life for the better. I must first admit that I am a total Hollywood movie buff and a very passionate one at that (similar to the appetite of some of the voracious readers). So passionate, that over the last ten years I have indulged in a fine home theatre and built a gargantuan DVD collection to save on the time and hassle (parking blues for sure!) of visiting the multiplex every now and then without regular company in tow. And the best excuse to own one is that multiplexes don’t run at my beck and call, whereas my home theatre does. So now I can watch whatever and whenever any number of times depending on the flavour of the day. I have noticed many affluent and the nouveau-riche owning the best of home theatres which are biting dust on their walls (I can exchange mine with them any day) as they are never viewed but just flaunted in their circles. However, I don't belong to that class at all. The visual medium is a truly enjoyable and gratifying exercise. As when one thinks of going to the Movies, then Popcorn, Coke and the Fun factor definitely come foremost to mind. But as my experience unfolds before you, then at the end of it all you would realize that there is a lot more to movies than just a jumbo popcorn. In my case the ‘more’ was and still is 'Enlightenment and Education', both with a big ‘E’, but not necessarily similar from the fiction/non-fiction books we all read. Some movies are a great inspiration to educate oneself on all that was undone in school. However, the so called educational movies I am referring to are not the boring documentaries but astonishingly, the mainstream Hollywood English films only and not the majority of bollywood trash we are subjected to more often than not. I have been watching the Hollywood stuff since the late seventies when I was in my fifth grade, but catching the American accent then was like a cat and mouse game. Still my interest in them didn’t wane and I continued my love affair with the enigmatic original stuff, Hollywood churned out year after year whether at Chanakya or Archana cinema in Delhi or on VHS tapes at home, many a times bunking school and college. I have very vivid memories about the first English film I ever saw. It was the John Travolta blockbuster “Saturday Night Fever” sometime in 1978. What a huge rage it was during those times. And you won’t believe it, that I had asked my favourite English teacher to get me the tickets for this movie as she used to stay next to Archana Cinema in GK-1, Delhi. She not only bought the tickets but accompanied me and my cousin for the movie. So as a bonus, even popcorn and coke was on the house :-).

But true independence as a Hollywood movie buff came much later, at the start of the new millennium in 2000 when I bought my first Sony home theatre and a TV to match. It’s another matter that both these purchases broke my back at that time. However, in hindsight it was money well spent. Since then my personal Hollywood DVD collection has swelled to over hundreds of titles (before my friends and relatives have other ideas, just wanted to clarify that I don't intend being in the renting or lending business though.…LOL). Moreover, I detest when people borrow my DVD’s and books but never return. My treasured DVD collection is spread across all genres from Action thrillers to Romance to Suspense and Horror flicks to War/Historicals and many famous classics. Earlier, I was mainly a fan of the action flicks as they are abound with fast paced screenplays and the accompanying car chases, fights, stunts etc. particularly look terrific on the big TV screen. Later in 2007, when I graduated to a larger LCD, I still restricted my DVD collection to a handful of action flicks and some classics. But then one fine evening while flaunting my new LCD and home theatre at a party, I had a very profound conversation with another movie buff. He had an excellent insight into the movies, Hollywood had churned out between 1940’s to 1960’s, a period abhorred by the gen-next and a lot others (including my wife) for being black and white and out of sync with our present times. But that was the time when movies relied more on outstanding scripts rather than the SFX (visual) effects of today and mind you some of them are really awesome and amazing.

So I gradually started doing my own research on the actors, directors and films of that era mainly on Wikipedia. Thereafter, I purchased some of the Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Rock Hudson classics and several other historical and war movies of that period. I enjoyed watching them all most days of the week, on my personal seven thirty evening show in the confines of my comfy mini theatre-like bedroom carrying over the backlog of some lengthy films to the next day(s) as I had strict orders from my wife and kids to vacate the room for their nonsensical TV soaps after nine pm :-). On a more serious note, the genre which has really intrigued me the most in recent times is definitely the ‘War and Historical’ category. As the cliché goes, “Rome was not built in a day” and how true it proved in my case. But it was well worth the wait to discover and realize the true potential of the Historical/War genre. I am completely enamoured by it and still continue to fall into its abyss. What an irony, as I use to dread history and the Battle names/dates in school. But now after exploring history through the creative and visual medium of films, I surprisingly (coming from an accounting background) have started adoring history, particularly of the World War era and the Roman/Greek Empires.

Now I would finally like to introduce you to some of the films which completely floored me and turned it around for me. I thoroughly applaud the style in which the American Civil War, the Russian Revolution, Napolean’s invasion of Russia and World War II have been beautifully blended with sweeping romances in ‘Gone With the Wind’, ‘Doctor Zhivago’, ‘War and Peace’ and ‘Casablanca’ respectively.The serious issue of rape and racial injustice depicted in Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was definitely some enlightenment. I also admired ‘Cleopatra’, ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Alexander’ which gave me a lot of insight into Julius Ceaser, the Roman Empire and the Greek empire respectively. Then films like ‘Passion of the Christ’ apprised me a lot about Jesus Christ and Christianity. So did the conspiracy aspect of US President John Kennedy’s assassination and the ‘Magic Bullet Theory’(stating how a single bullet caused all the non-fatal wounds in both President Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally) shown in the film ‘JFK’ is just mind-boggling to say the least. Enthralling films of this genre were also made later in the 90’s by renowned directors like Steven Spielberg and will continue to be made. My education about the Holocaust (a period during World War II when about six million European Jews were brutally killed by Hitler and the Nazis), Hitler, the Nazis and World War II stems a lot from two of Spielberg’s heart wrenching blockbusters, namely the ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ alongwith the classics, ‘Life is Beautiful’ and ‘The Great Escape’. I hardly remembered anything about the history of these menacing yet passionate times from my school days where history till today is all about learning by rote. This education though didn’t come by me in just two to three hours of watching each of these films. When a particular film floored me, then the curiosity to know more and more compelled me to research extensively on the wars, famous historical personalities, the era they belonged to and many other finer nuances. The resulting exercise led me from one page to another on Wikipedia thereby enriching my knowledge like never before. I somehow never missed reading the voluminous books from which these films were adapted. If ever it would be possible to travel back in time like Michael J.Fox in the 'Back to the Future' movies, then I would love to visit the pre and post-war eras.

As they say, God has given us only one life and it will soon be past, so we ought to take out time to indulge in activities we relish the most (which I definitely did) and will continue to take out with the added bonus of conquering new territory to augment my faculties. It has given me a high very difficult to describe in words. The phenomenal exercise of watching these great epics has endowed upon me some purposeful education and left me a more compassionate and peace loving person at the end of it all. I vehemently think our generation should thank their stars to have not encountered the ravages, miseries and atrocities of the World War era and pay homage to those who did. Although terrorism is a new kind of war to be tackled in our times and maybe best left for some other time on this blog.

'A TRIBUTE TO MJ - THE LEGEND'

Though my heart is heavy, eyes moist and full of grief but I still definitely want to write (while listening to MJ's music) and dedicate this blog to the memory of the greatest pop icon of my generation. That's the biggest tribute I can offer to MJ (Michael Jackson). I was shocked when I read my US-based brother-in-law's status update on Facebook yesterday (26.06.09) early morning, informing me about his untimely death the day before (25.06.09) when we were all sleeping in India. At first I thought it to be a prank; another one of those rumours circulating on the net. But then I immediately confirmed it on TV. However, the news has still not sunk in. I have been one of his most ardent but silent fans since I first gyrated to his 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' songs way back in school in 1983. That was the time when the American pop culture was just starting to hit the Indian shores. And I was among the few lucky ones to have watched all his 'Thriller' videos even before they were released in India. The entire world was stunned by a black guy who was conquering the world music stage from nowhere. The kind of mass hysteria, the 'King of Pop' generated during those times was to be seen to be believed.

I have literally grown up on MJ's music after he first shone on the music scene with his hit album 'Off The Wall' in 1979. And I am proud and privileged to have lived in the same era when the legend, 'Michael Joseph Jackson' walked this Earth. Because he was a true phenomenon who took entertainment to another level, be it his addictive music, shrieks and shouts, astonishing dance steps and spectacular videos. He was one electrifying performer par excellence.I am pretty confident that the memories of his exhilarating musical brilliance and genius will definitely surpass his eccentricities and controversies which mired his short but enigmatic life. When one of my friends on FB (obviously after reading my status update on my tribute to MJ) jokingly commented or rather taunted that I should attend his funeral, I felt it was nothing less than belittling the icon and the genuine sentiments of a fan. Though now I have taken it in my stride and sincerely hope that better sense prevails after he reads this blog so as to appreciate the connection between one of the greatest entertainers, the world has seen in the last century and the emotions of a passionate fan. As Shahrukh Khan rightly said : 'He lost his youth when MJ passed away'.The same is so true for me and many of his fans in their forties.

Like my friend, millions around the world love to hate him but many more millions are also fans of his gravity defying dance moves and the legendary 'Moonwalk'. However, apart from his exceptional dances I am also a big fan of his brilliant lyrics, enthralling videos and his mesmerizing voice in some of his greatest songs like ''Heal the World, Cry, Childhood, Lost Children, Earth Song, History, Billie Jean, Human Nature, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel, You are Not Alone, Stranger in Moscow, Man in the Mirror, Black or White, Remember the Time, Speechless, Smile, We are the World''.....the list is endless. So let's try to remember MJ for the heights he achieved in his lifetime and not for his falls. At the end of it all, he was also a mortal like all of us. Even the great 'Elvis' had his share of weaknesses and drug problems. And as if, we all are God. But MJ's genius transcends not one but many lifetimes and generations. If you have been following his music, you would know what a compassionate, benevolent, philanthropic and peace-loving musician he was. I am truly overwhelmed by the fact that many Indians who are legends in their own right like Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, A.R.Rehman and Javed Akhtar are also his fans. Amitabh dedicated a blog to him yesterday. And I am gratified to be following suit.

So let us all play a requiem in his honour by praying : "May his soul rest in peace and God give strength to not only his three young children and his family but to his innumerable fans all across the Globe to withstand this unbearable loss." I am 'speechless' but his music will live on forever.......and in MJ's words, 'Will heal the world and make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race.' I will always remember you, Michael from the core of my heart.

A CASE OF TWO EMAIL ID's - VERY HAZARDOUS???

At the outset, I would like to state that I certainly desire your feedback on this blog entry which dwells on an issue pertinant to most of us. This post is a direct consequence of the very few but indispensable and unfortunate responses generated by this blog, though not directly aimed at it. It is also inspired and triggered by a mail of one of my school friends based overseas who wanted me to tread the fine line between a person’s official and personal mail ids and thereby tickle the readers of this blog for their reactions. 'Unfortunate' in the sense, that a handful out of my several friends who are in the loop informing them of the latest blog entries, insisted that the mail informing them such and the reader’s responses on the blog should not be routed through their official mail ids (their ‘official’ status was made known to all only now, after these ids were in circulation for ages) by clicking the ‘Reply All’ tab. If at all such responses have to come, then they should be sent only to their personal ids. They (till date only four of my cherished readers : 'The Fantastic Four') are feeling offended as the responses are obstructing their privacy or more so because of the prowling eyes of their incoming mail office servers. These servers and thereby their bosses are hawkishly watching their personal stuff. I do appreciate their concern and afford them their two cents. But as a brisk rejoinder, I would request all to read further, allowing me to put in my two pennies worth.

Nobody would disagree that emails have made the entire world’s life very comfortable and miserable at the same time. The way we communicate in the 21st century has undergone a massive change from the days when we just relied on the ubiquitous postman.The two way communication is not just fast but instant. So who needs to post a letter anymore and wait for innumerable days to get the reply, particularly when connecting with somebody who is abroad. But we all get flustered, when we find our inboxes being bombarded with spam and frivolous mails. Such mails are a hazard and cause a lot of exasperation. But do personal harmless mails from friends on work ids also have this vexing effect ? They should not, but you never know.

The main bone of contention is whether it is ethical to mail private and personal matters to work mail ids ? Certainly not. But who made them public in the first place ? The owner himself. And in my opinion, he only needs to find a solution to this self-generated problem if he feels ruffled at the sight of unofficial incoming mails, since it will never be the other way round. My experience with the e-group formed for our school silver jubilee reunion tells me that nobody does it on purpose. Atleast I and several others don’t. It happens out of one's impetuosity. Hence this blog also aims at bridging any ill-feelings between the '84 batchmates of our school e-group due to the plethora of bouncing emails. We have been friends since childhood and let us strive to remain that. Majority of the people in the Corporate sector have at least two mail ids, one official and the other personal. But when these Corporate honchos hand over their business cards or mail ids to us, you will notice that ten out of ten times, only the official mail id is flaunted (to tell aloud where they have reached on the corporate ladder) as they are barred from printing their personal mail ids on their cards. And these are the same people who later complain about unofficial mails flooding their official inboxes. Once their official mail id is made public, they loose control over what reaches their inboxes as they themselves entered into a mutual consent of two-way communication. Maybe only official on their part. But everybody is not always official and ethical with friends. That's not what friends are for :-). They are suffering of their own folly. Nobody known to them has the time and inclination to send them unofficial mails unless they consider them friends or close enough.

In my opinion, if it infuriates them so much then they should have never leaked their official ids, even to friends. Either they should specifically distinguish between the two mail ids beforehand or never dispense with their work ids outside their office. But in case they have thrown caution to the winds, then also technology affords them ample opportunity. I am sure this fastidious lot are no luddites if they rely on email rather than the non-spamming postman. They can simply ignore and delete (or block the offending senders like myself) the private mails received on their work ids instead of making such a hullabaloo about it. It just takes a second. But they would not deign to do that and the best part is that they want to have the cake and eat it too. Instead of resorting to the instant policy of ‘press the button to shoo your worries away’ they will have the tenacity to request the sender(s) to definitely keep them in the loop but on an alternative mail id (hinting as though they are enjoying every bit of it, but are scared to admit it due to their prowling bosses and inflated official egos). I say this because many of my other friends who are in the top echelons of the corporate world, have never ever complained regarding this malice, if at all it is so hazardous. But how can all friends be alike in their approach ? Have I forgotten the good old school and college days ? Or am I too foolish or naïve to understand this ?

My own independent research also tells me that corporates are more concerned about those employees who consistently receive and spend more time on porn and the ludicrous erotic stuff instead of the amiable innocuous stuff. So dear readers, here is an opportunity for you to decide. I vehemently request for your views on this matter. And last but not the least, I would also like to mention that in case the sender and the receiver are members of an e-group, then the recepient should only complain to the administrator of the e-group to change or delete his mail id and not vent his ire on other members when mails and counter-mails often bounce back and forth. Why the F*** did ‘His Royal Highness’ give the official id to the e-group in the first place, if he is the regal one and the rest downtrodden. I would like to confess that I am still in two minds whether it is uncourteous and uncouth to reply back telling the respondent (who is not a stranger in the first place) to remove his work id and add the personal id instead, when self-help is just on your keyboard. Simply ignore, block or delete such mails. The sender and your prying office server will get the message anyway. What say….?

IPL and BOLLYWOOD...

How long will the Marriage last ?...after the fall and fall of the famous and mighty.

With the Indian Premier League-IPL (Cricket’s equivalent to Soccer's English Premier League) Season-Two currently in its final stages in South Africa, for cricket fanatics what mattered most was an exciting game of cricket accompanied with a chilled bottle of suds every evening during the month long duration of the championship and hopefully they got it that way. In my opinion both the fanatics and connoisseurs of cricket alike are nonchalant about the owners (or their antecedents) of the teams participating in the league. I also give a damn…..and rightly so, it should be the least of our concerns. But cricket having been catapulted to a status of religion in India, when some of the team owners represent our top bollywood brigade then an eyebrow or two are bound to be raised alongwith a multitude of media hypes and glares. Two of our very famous bollywood actors, Shahrukh Khan and Preiti Zinta embraced the league as major investors last year in its first season played in India and the third being Shilpa Shetty, a never so popular Bollywood actress unlike the other two (who merely became famous in the last year or so, courtesy a British reality TV programme called ‘Big Brother’) also jumped on the bandwagon this year by investing alongwith his rich UK-based boyfriend in the last year’s tournament winners, the Rajasthan Royals (RR). There are no two questions about the fact that the actors and the firangi (a term used for foreigners) cheerleaders have brought along with them a lot of glamour in the T-20 format of the gentleman’s game, but in my opinion it is only the quality of cricket played on the twenty-two yard strip which emerges the victor in the end. Sorry to say, but their teams, particularly SRK's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have hardly indulged in that kind of play. It’s been a morbid and sordid tale of horrors for SRK and his men who couldn’t qualify for the last four stage, second time in succession. And Preiti’s and Shilpa’s teams too met with a similar fate in the current season.

I feel empathetic towards King Khan whose team, KKR finished last on the points table with a very disappointing performance to say the least. Even worst than the first season.They only won three out of their fourteen league matches, the worst in the short history of the league and thereby discovered new and bizarre ways of ‘How to lose a match’ or more aptly put, 'How to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory' particularly in the last over. Their last two victories, I guess came a little too late when they had already been bludgeoned out of the tournament like a brutal sixer off Yusuf Pathan's bat. However, they would atleast take pride in the fact that they shattered the dreams of defending champions, Rajasthan Royals (Shilpa’s team) of reaching the semi-finals. Shilpa would definitely brand them as party poopers. For a second, let’s cut from real to reel and I can vividly remember that scene from a hit bollywood movie named ‘Baazigar’ in which SRK pushed Shilpa from the rooftop to her end. Sometimes life and fate can be so cruel that they imitate art. It would be a repeat act for SRK who would be dancing in the aisles crooning, “ Sanam, hum doobenge to tumhe saath lekar doobenge” meaning, “Dear, If I drown, I'll make you drown with me” .

Neither did SRK’s energized (despite the actor’s fashionable sling) and refurbished promotional video nor did his charisma work wonders as it does on the silver screen. Even the young female cheerleaders selected by him through a heavily promoted talent hunt show on TV, were not allowed to perform in South Africa. Such horrendous has been his luck with the IPL venture in both seasons that he would be so dismayed and cursing himself for making such a rash business decision. I am sure he would soon like to forget it as his worst nightmare. Shahrukh maybe the king of the bollywood box-office but ultimately it is not the seventy mm screen on which he has to perform as a superstar but the cricket field on which his pack of eleven players have to mesmerize the fans with their performance. The team’s performance has severely deteriorated as compared to the last season despite a highly publicized change in team policies a’la the controversial multiple captain theory and their subsequent defence by Shahrukh. But no amount of Shahrukh can save a non-performing, under-confident and demotivated bunch of cricketers. Same goes with Preiti Zinta’s team, Kings XI Punjab and Shilpa’s RR, being last year’s loosing semi-finalists and champions respectively. Both have not performed any better and could not even surpass or score past measly totals of hundred odd in their all important last league matches, when it mattered the most to ensure a last four berth. The actors ought to know by now that there are no re-takes in cricket unlike their films.

It’s very difficult to assign any one reason for the unflagging failures of the three teams. Or are the actors just jinxed for their teams ? Particularly in the case of KKR, the sacking of Ganguly (first season’s skipper), the multiple captain theory, the foreign coach’s emphasis on foreign players in the playing eleven put the team on a backfoot even before the start of the championship. Recently, there have also been overtures of racism within the team. And in the case of Kings XI Punjab, has the team been affected by the Preiti-Ness Wadia rumored break-up ? Well this is anybody’s guess. It appears that gossipmongers have been in good business all throughout the IPL. But all this grapevine in the media combined with the immense pressure of belonging to a famous actor’s team could have definitely buried the players under the burden and anxiety of non-performance.

The marriage of IPL and Bollywood and the subsequent honeymoon extended well into the second season but the extended honeymoon period seems to be fizzling out by now. So I won’t be astounded if any or all of them sell their stakes before the third season (the murmurs have already been heard in the media, as Shahrukh after excersing his franchise in India didn’t even return back to South Africa to motivate his devastated team). As per 'The Economic Times' dated 21st May'09, many private equity funds are envincing interest for a stake sale in KKR. The same report also carries a story stating that KKR is the most valued team in the IPL (a UK based valuation company has given it a brand value of 42.1 million dollars) despite all the controversies and lacklustre performance. But I totally fail to comprehend this. If you ask me, the value should be put on team performance and not on the star value of the owners or underperforming star cricketers. Anyway, having burnt their fingers twice over, the actors would have definitely realized that they should now concentrate in the craft which made them famous in the first place rather than making a mockery of themselves on the cricket field which is the least of their forte. So friends, I would suggest that the next time an actor thinks of investing in an IPL team it should be a win-win situation for all of us. The actor ought to think twice about the impending doom but you and me would fortunately know on whom to put our money on :-).

THE FACEBOOK GENERATION...

...love them or loathe them but you cannot ignore them.

Hi ! Are you on FB ? Are you on FB ? Aren't you on FB ? What the heck, how LS :-( [short for low society]. That's how a youngster will greet you in today's times. And I am not fibbing if I tell you that I am thoroughly enjoying being part of the Facebook (FB) generation. For the uninitiated, Facebook is an extremely popular social networking website on the world wide web. It is my fifteen year old daughter who introduced me to the medium last year sometime in March, 2008…..and I considered myself to be very net savvy :-). As of now I find FB better suited to my tastes and sensibilities like its ever growing 200 million users around the world and more enjoyable than Twitter which is mainly a real time short messaging service akin to micro-blogging. Twitter, though is trying to catch up fast but is still laggards behind FB. Hence I am restricting my experiences mainly to FB though I have a twitter account too. FB is a great idea to stay connected with hundreds and thousands of friends and relatives all around the world ranging from children to adults to the young at heart and that too in real time without draining your pocket on international calls. But beware, your very own children will never want you as their friends on FB for reasons which would become obvious once you read further ;-).

I love and so does the entire FB generation, the way you can post all kinds of messages (except the ones hinting at profanity) on the walls (a space on each user’s profile) of your friends for them to see instantly and send them virtual gifts in the form of icons alongwith messages. Also the fact that whenever you log on to your home page on FB it highlights what your friends have been upto on FB alongwith the 'Top Stories' of the day. However, if you want to be a little private then you can send your friends an email, only for them to read. The best part is I can do most of this stuff from my iphone without ever logging on to my computer. The ‘Looking For’…dating or ...a relationship and the ‘Relationship Status’ are quite interesting aspects of each user's personal profile. The latter may range from 'single' to 'married' to 'in an open relationship with…….' or 'in a complicated relationship with…….' . This info pretty well generates a lot of curiosity among friends about the user’s intentions :-). Incidentally, you can chat too and upload your profile photo (what’s facebook without a user’s face), family photos and videos on your wall to share with your friends.The 'Poke' feature which is often referred to as Facebook flirting and a little controversial is something I would rather refrain from so as not to offend my friends of the opposite sex :-). After using the medium for over a year, I applaud the creators for initiating a great social networking tool which has brought me so very close to my cross-country friends and relatives. I have been able to locate my long lost school friends (through the extremely helpful friend finder tool in FB) whom I first knew as toddlers but had lost track of after passing out from school a good 25 years ago. It seems the entire world is on FB today. The connection with my school friends through FB has been extremely gratifying to say the least and pretty nostalgic too. Some of us even met over dinner at my house last Christmas. The friends you make later in life may be very good but nothing can beat the bonhomie and banter of friends who have grown up with you since kindergarten. I love and thank FB for that and we will soon be having a silver jubilee reunion of our class of '84 in December this year.

Another interesting but at times frustrating (when I don’t understand the acronym or emoticon) is the chat lingo or dialect the FB generation has created to interact with each other. It’s basically a mélange of acronyms, characters, emoticons and abbreviations. When I started, the concept was a little alien to me and I had to take classes from my daughter :D. I hope you get this :D sign right the next time you read it elsewhere as it symbolises that I am smiling big while writing this sentence. You have others like :P which means sticking out your tongue to tease, :S meaning the person is confused, :O signifying a shocked face, :@ signifying a very angry face and so on. And then there is my sister (she'll kill me for this) in the US who starts or ends almost every sentence on FB with LOL !, short for laughing out loud. Another very common acronym used is OMG!, short for Oh my God. Many users casually use acronyms specifying the F-word in a very blatant and unabashed fashion without a tad bit of remorse and definitely not for the prudish. Writing complete words and sentences is totally out of sync and uncool for this gen-next. Write complete words on FB and you are murdering their lingo. So Beware :-). Every word in the thesaurus has been abbreviated for sake of brevity and paucity of time to type. My daughter interestingly calls them and herself the "Phataphat Generation”. They are always in a hurry to do things. So my dear friends better catch up with this lingo if you want to survive the FB generation or be part of it and I pride in the fact that I have caught up with it sooner than later, though still gasping for breath. To be a cool parent, be as cool as your kid and speak their language and I bet they will love you for that. However, I still get infuriated at times though, of what have we made of the conservative Queen's English we were taught in our formative years. Particularly so when I see my daughter jotting down her notes in school in FB lingo, I get flustered. In my opinion, the parents should caution their kids to restrict this lingo only on the net and not carry it to their classrooms and examination halls. But you never know, maybe ten….twenty years from now this disease would have communicated and multiplied across generations, that I foresee even exams being written in this dialect. Also by that time, many out of this FB lot would have become teachers and examiners and be well equipped in handling their new mother tongue. Currently, the fall back of all this is that many people open a FB account out of curiousity but never come back again or their status updates are very intermittent. Now don’t tell me you’re soooo... overloaded with work to update your status.They don't or maybe can't even upload their profile photo. My due sympathies are with the lot. But alas this lot was never meant to be on FB in the first place.Or they rather pull up their socks like me:-)

Let's finally talk about the very hilarious ‘Status Updates’ which the users give on FB on a daily basis or any time they feel like. These are a way to convey to their friends, what they are upto or are feeling at that point of time or about their current whereabouts. On FB they ask you, “What’s on your mind ?" and on Twitter they ask you, “What are you doing ?“. I have one very interesting friend (no offence please) whose several status updates are mainly by way of Hindi poetry and lyrics written in English making his updates very philosophical. It’s so difficult to understand his state of mind. Then there are others who post updates as funny, nonsensical and cheesy as ‘I am in the loo’, ‘F*** my life’ or 'What the F***'. The way you can publicly advertise on your profile that you are a fan of some famous personality, celebrity, company, brand or something as uncanny as the 'smell of petrol' is not only incredible but maybe brings a sense of fulfillment to the user's wishes. FB has special pages dedicated to the famous. In a way, being a fan of something or somebody highlights one's characteristics and an insight of the user's personal profile to others. You will also find many social groups and networks who form a community to address any matter of public interest or voice a concern and accordingly any FB user can become its member if he feels for that cause. For example, the “Pink Chaddi” group ( 'Chaddi' being a term for undergarments) formed on FB to muster support for the freedom of women and retaliate against the beating up of young girls in a Mangalore pub by members of Sri Ram Sene in January this year. I see users being totally immersed in the numerous fun applications and quizzes on FB to whale away their free time and the quiz results once posted on their walls are really intriguing to say the least.

Though this generation has become so addicted to the Facebook way of life but when there was a recent poll amongst its users on whether they would like to pay to use FB, then millions of users came together to form a group venting their ire. FB was started as a free site and should remain one. What say guys 'n' gals ? Also when FB recently announced major changes in its terms and conditions of service there was a major hue and cry by its users and FB had to revert back to the previous terms. That’s the strength of this generation. This is also the same generation which is least hesitant to announce private matters like divorce or separation on their walls and many a times posts fake and multiple identities on these sites.You either hate them or love them or better still, be a part of them as you cannot ignore them. I decided the latter. For better or for worse....you decide. But it definitely keeps me vibrant and in sync with my kids ;-). However, a word of caution for the young girls and women on FB, Twitter & other sites would not be out of place : Never add strangers to your friend lists even if they pop up as mutual friends, as would be evident from a south delhi based rich and educated young man recently arrested for raping girls and videotaping the acts. He had lured his victims from social networking sites of FB and others only. But honestly my idea is not to frighten you away from FB and the like :-).