The Good Indian Wife

Women shouldn't just keep quite – no matter who says what. Once in a discussion about “good Indian gal” obviously in the context of a “bahu” I heard somebody complain that girls these days question their husbands – obviously it was not put forth that nicely by the party complaining. If I remember right their words were more like “behes karti hain” ya “sawal-jawab karti hain” – which in the parameters of a good Indian bahu is a strict no-no. They are expected to just listen to whatever their husbands say and nod along even if they feel or know that it is wrong?

Now try imagining what would Ramayana have been like had Sita been such a woman. Just when the story kicks off, Ram is expected to give up the throne and go off to jungle for 14 long years. And he actually tells his “ideal” wife Sita to stay back and take care of the in-laws. Why then like a good wife she did not listen? The whole saga of the Ravan and Lanka could have been avoided and such a big epic might never have been written. Instead our lady, begged, appeased, gave all possible reasons and managed to get her way and go with her husband. She had a mind of her own and she exercised her rights to speak up and stick it out. And that my friends - is the lady celebrated over generations as the “ideal Indian wife”.

Now if the women today do stand up or stick it out - they are modernized, westernized, uncultured and lack sanskaar!! 

Circle of Thoughts

I keep visiting my blog from time to time  - and in the last few (..oops lots of few) months the only thing I ve done is change templates, admin, privacy settings and everything cosmetic every once in a while.
And I wonder y - i keep giving myself all sorts of excuses, lack of time, lack of creative inspiration (yeah, like I am some M.F.Husain), lack of privacy, and this and that and what not.
The truth - even i don't really know - bcoz I haven't made the effort to sit and think, and honestly i am just too lazy to do it even now. Anyway the two things that i feel have contributed most are - am impatient mind, and the fear of too many prying eyes, now that I have removed the pseudonyms etc.
I ve even toyed with the idea of having another blog - a proper one, one more suitable to the more mature me... coz honestly there are some entries in this web journal, that when I read after 10 years, are silly and embarrassing.
So, me posting here is a sign that i  have decided not to do that - not really. I am on a journey I like to think. I am in a new decade of my life and mayb its a cyclic thing where I have to rediscover myself again. Like cleaning a closet - figure out what I still hold dear, what is irrelevant, admire some and wish I could still fit into it, and look at others and wonder - what the hell was I thinking?

So lets see where it goes........for now I am happy enough just to sit and write something, rather than just toy with ideas in my mind and shelve it all, till it eventually expires and is thrown out.

Life is certainly not what it used to be - and it wld have been sad if in 10-12 years I 'de not make any progress. I am not what i used to be - call it learning, or unlearning, or growing up ke side effects.

Sometimes we like new beginnings - new places, fresh slates, clean pasts - sometimes we even get a chance, and sometimes we just gotta make lemonade out of the lemons.

So I leave "myself" with the though - what next ? I need to keep writing, and I need to keep re-discovering that much at least I am sure of.

How, when, where - lets figure out one thing at a time...

Change Alert

“You can’t prepare for a sudden impact. You can’t brace yourself. It just hits you out of nowhere. And suddenly, the life you knew before is over forever.” – Grey’s Anatomy

Define a Life Changing Event.

Something that permanently changes the course or direction of life for better or for worse, and often it is not without a divine intervention, though we may not always realize or acknowledge it. The only sign is that it will be out of your control.

Sometimes it is something you have long dreamt and waited and worked hard for. But often it is also your worst nightmare. And every time it happens – it pulls you out of your comfort zone, and nothing ever could have prepared you for it.

There are only a few sprinkled over your lifetime……..and you have no way of knowing when and how you will meet the next one. Yet we live our whole lives waiting of the good ones and fearing the not so good ones.

Did you know how many businesses empires thrive on them? Did you know here is a scale to measure the upheaval they create?

Did you know it can make or break you?

Bits & Pieces Vol.15

I want to write more, and read more.....much more.
Onto the A Song of Ice and Fire - book two, A Clash of Kings. Gripping!
I will be onto this set of books for a while now....
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Ishaqzaade  - please dont give me any more star songs/daughters. Arjun Kapoor is a sheer disappointment, not that I had great expectations. He tries to be rustic, coz that's the plot background, but his speech, and demeanor is so urban, a total misfit for the role.
Kinda went to the movie with a half heart.......but Parineeti Chopra is a pleasure to watch. A breath, no breeze..........noooooo hurricane of fresh  air in the run-of-the-mill female actors in Bollywood. If u have to watch the movie, watch it for her - and her only!
Wish the movies had a stronger message....rather than just a text in the end. 

And a great score by Amit Trivedi.
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Our social like in BLR is only getting busier and better.  All the more reason for me to look back on our decision to come back and feel great about it.
But some people I still have complain of - yes, its you I am talking about- coz they seem to have been sooooooooo busy lately. Huh!
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Satyamev Jayate  - am a BIG fan. Yes, its nothing new, yes its mostly just talking, but in the Indian society "talking about it" itself is a big step forward.
For all the hullabaloo we make of the great Indian culture and great Indian values, we have grotesque skeletons in our closets. And we are all very aware of it, in fact have had brushes with it in our own ways. Yet we dare not "TALK".
So hats off to the concept and the effort - I can only hope that it create a little more awareness and a little more sensitization in the society.

Homecoming

I am back in BANGALORE. Am Home.

L'Envie d'aimer

I am loving this song today....."L'Envie d'aimer"by French-born singer Daniel Lévi. (Video included below)

In 2002, Céline Dion released a version in English under the title "The Greatest Reward" on her album A New Day Has Come. I have heard the song and re-visited it today, but the original is still preferable somehow.

Am still looking for exact English translation of the song tough....am sure some french lovin friends can help ;)

P.S. Also if someone can share an audio version for my phone, it would be most welcome :)

Bend in the road

A tiny bend in the road, a slight change of plan, a pressing dream, a shattered aspiration......any of them (and more) can alter the course of life probably forever.

As I look back I can think of so many instances where a slight turn of events / thoughts / or aspirations could have led to an absolutely different outcome ....or would it really?

Some say it's all pre-destined but sometimes I wonder had I not answered that phone call what sea of difference it would have made? Could have been worse and that's a relieving thought, but could have been better....only I ll never know.

No use crying over spilt milk...but does not never dare to imagine the sweet and creamy taste of custard it would have made had it stayed in the pot!