Pages

Delhi: It’s My Way or the Highway!

October 28, 2011


After numerous discussions, views, allegations and confusions, I decided to begin with the obvious. Delhi is fun to be 'with!'

I am not saying that because I am born and brought up here (yes, that too) but because my many years in Delhi have taught me that the city can be dicey but only when you are not living “with” it. Accept it the way it is and it can be the best city you have ever lived in/been to.

Board a congested metro train, try “Shamsher ki Mashoor Shikanji”, allow yourself the luxury of “Chandni Chowk ke chole bhature” stuff yourself with plum “aaloo gobhi ke paranthe”. No matter how sophisticated it claims to be, most people here barter sanitation for taste and it goes well with the richest of them.

Never question obvious things. Why are men disinclined to leave the seats reserved for women/old? Why do people take jumbo sized yawns with their hands nowhere near to their “pretty” wide mouth? Why they can spend thousands on “Dal Makhni and chapti” in Le Meridian but argue with a poor vegetable seller for Rs. 5/-. Ignore all this and you will be forgiven.

One major factor that makes the city a ‘must explore’ metropolitan is its capability to remain mysterious and a stranger to the majority of people living in it. You will never understand why some people have 4-5 ACs at home and some can’t even get blankets for winters, why one feels lonely here even with 200+ Facebook friends and why people get hyper for nothing! If the nation rues Fiscal deficit, the city is resident to trust deficit.

“Sutta” will remain sutta because fag is a term reserved for the 'Elitists' and it does not sound cooool. Carelessness runs in the family of the car drivers and the “elderly” CM should not be blamed for any mishap.

If the traffic jams and the complicated ways confuse you, ask someone for the way and you will find that his situation is not any better because he himself is searching for a destination. Soothe yourself for the things you cannot get hold of. Give time a chance and be patient.

Stay here for a year or two and you will be amazed with the kind of surprises the city throws at you and the way it watches your reactions. It is a homeland for strangers – living life all by themselves, busy but lonely!

The Formula One roads, metro rail all over the city, the much talked about Common Wealth games, swanky malls and 7 branded shops in 100 mts radius will tell you how far the city has come and how it has hugged comfort and convenience but has very little space to accommodate your inflated sentiments.

If after all the glitters and discos, the city makes you lonely and creates a pigeon-hole in your heart, “faluda kulfi” and “dark chocolate ice-cream” can work wonders. If the search for jobs and family issues write struggle all over dusty faces of people, just remember that dust never settles here!

The First World stays with the Third World in Delhi. The maid from Munirka gets AC's chill in a plush Hauz Khas bungalow and an amateur helper from Okhla manages square meal at NFC’s expensive condominium.

Delhi can be a multi-talented crook or a warm lover, you either get used to it and its ways or you don’t!

AddThis Social Bookmark Button
Email this post


Jagjit Singh - A Tribute

October 10, 2011

They say people die, voice remains forever! Same is the case with the ghazal maestro Late Jagjit Singh. There never was and will be another voice like his! The uniqueness of his voice and the depth of his songs will remain forever in the hearts of his fans. He has touched the hearts of several people with his powerful music, heartfelt renditions and live performances, and fortunately, I was one of those lucky ones who got the opportunity to watch and hear him live.

Known for his rich baritone and intricate “aalaps,” Jagjit’s voice ruled the music industry and that is reason why he was, is and will always remain “the Ghazal King”. His songs like “Hosh Waalon Ko Khabar Kya” and “Yeh Daulat Bhi,”, teleport listeners to a place of musical nirvana. Here are some of the interesting Ghazals of the King that still provide peace and harmony to listeners.


Tere Aane Ki Jab Khabar Mehke - Jagjit Singh



Koi Fariyad - Jagjit Singh



Tamanna Phir Machal Jaye - Jagjit Singh



Aapko DekhKe Dekhta - Jagjit Singh (Live)



Manzil Na De Chirag Na De - Jagjit Singh

AddThis Social Bookmark Button
Email this post


My Favorites by RUMI

June 21, 2011

A Persian poet and a Sufi mystic, Rumi has always been my favorite. A poet whose words give peace to my soul. Here are some verses that I love of Rumi. Hope you like them too!!!

         The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you
                         Don't go back to sleep
                              You must ask
                      For what you really want
                       Don't go back to sleep
                 People are going back and forth
                          Across the doorsill
                 Where the two worlds touch
                  The door is round and open
                     Don't go back to sleep
                                       ---------

       Today I'm out wandering, turning my skull
         into a cup for others to drink wine from.
 In this town somewhere there sits a calm,
                       intelligent person
     who doesn't know what he's about to do!
                                       ---------

                                    Be Fair  
 Admit that love has in it all the righteousness
                         that we need.
            Confess that you're willing to forget                     
          and be numb enough to call some low

                          desire a holy name.                         
            Live as evidence that there is a way

                       from wanting to longing.
                                       ------------


           When I am with you, we stay up all night.
           When you're not here, I can't go to sleep.
              Praise God for these two insomnias!
                and the difference between them.
                                      -----------

                  When it's cold and raining,
                   You are more beautiful.
 And the snow brings me even closer to your lips.
     The inner secret, that which was never born
   you are that freshness, and I am with you now
      I can't explain the goings, or the comings.
              You enter suddenly, and I am
            nowhere again. Inside the majesty.
                                        ----------

       Keep walking though there's no place to get to.
                Don't try to see through the distances.
                     That's not for human beings
                     Move within but don't move
                The way that fear makes you move.
                                        ---------

         Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing,
                 There is a field. I'll meet you there
                When the soul lies down in that grass,
                   the world is too full to talk about.
                   Ideas, language, even the phrase
                         doesn't make any sense.

AddThis Social Bookmark Button
Email this post


Blog Widget by LinkWithin

Design by Amanda @ Blogger Buster