Babu Mushai!

Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee, one of my favorite directors, passed away yesterday in Mumbai's Leelawati Hospital due to kidney failure at the age of 83. Why I liked his films so much was because his films were definitely very "Hatkey." None of his films had any usual Bollywood scenes like running and singing around a tree or unbelievable heroisms. The heroes in his films were very down-to-earth, middle-class characters whom we can relate with ourselves. He kept equal distance from commercial cinemas as well as parallel ones. It was actually a mixture of both. He has directed films like Mili and Anand (a little sentimental ones), but most of his other films were humurous. Films like Golmaal, Chupke Chupke, Rang Birangi, Khubsoorat, Jhoothi etc. are films that can be watched even now. His last movie Jhoot bole kauwa Kaate wasn't a success. His best two films are undoubtedly Abhimaan and Namak Haram. No doubt, with his departure, Bollywood has lost one of its best directors.

Funny People in A Funny World Series -2

Is winning an argument so important? I really don't know the answer to this. Maybe the answer varies from person to person. There are people in this world who are very knowledgeable. Throw any topic, and they start speaking. Now there is another group, who really has the skin of a hippo. This group coolly passes comments on a topic which they really don't know. But in most cases, the listener catches it and understands that this guy is just bluffing, but might just keep quiet. The speaker in this case has certainly fallen in the eyes of the listener, but that fool believes that he has created a good impression. And the listener might think that let the speaker be of the impression that he has created a good impression. In this case, actually who has fooled whom? I don't know what is so low in admitting that we don't know about a particular topic. Not everyone will know about all the topics in this world except a handful as I mentioned before.

Another thing that I have noticed is even while you are chit-chatting, and you give your piece about a topic and even if the other person agrees to your views deep inside, he will not admit it. He will come out with the exact opposite of what you said just to show that he is different and has a different view altogether. Days later if again you happen to discuss the same topic, you might see him saying and supporting what you exactly said before. By this time, the guy must have forgotten the first conversation.

Though all these are harmless, I don't feel that there is any need for these.

Funny People in A Funny World Series -1

Today afternoon I was at the famous Kairali hotel. I had my lunch and was waiting for my turn to wash my hands since there was a guy who was already doing so. As I was waiting, lo! suddenly two guys came from behind, overtook me, washed their hands and coolly went off as if they hadn't seen me waiting in front of them (or were they blind? God knows). And they know very well that I wasn't waiting there to watch a movie.

And this is not the first time it has happened with me. A month back when I went to have my breakfast in a nearby mess (a small one), only one table was vacant. It was almost 8:35 and I had to reach my office at 9:00. I washed my hands and was proceeding towards that table when from nowhere a guy ran and overtook me and sat in that table. I really got irritated to the core. But since that was my birthday, I didn't want to spoil a good day.

I know that everybody is in a hurry, and that in today's world it is "kayi ookullavan kaaryam kaanum," but isn't there something called a courtesy at all? After all what did the guys involved in both the instances gain? My curses or a few seconds? There are instances in life where you need to be competitive, but definitely not in such cases, where there is not much benefit for such actions.

I basically feel that it is their parents who are responsible for such actions. Somebody who is not brought up in the right way are bound to behave in such ways. I think animals have better courtesy!

August 15 - 2006 - MAA TUJHE SALAAM!

Fate??

Is there something called "Fate?" Well I believe there is. Well then who decides your fate? It is that superpower we call GOD, which is further bifurcated as Shiva, Allah, Jesus etc. But of course there is some superpower that exists who decides your fate. I have seen people who does not believe in GOD at all. GOD is a three-letter word created by us to name that superpower. There are people who say that there is nothing like fate and you can achieve anything in life by sheer hard work. I beg to differ here. I have had experiences wherein I have given my 100% and yet faced obstacles in achieving a goal, whereas there are instances where by applying just 20% have got the results unexpectedly.

We are what we are at present mainly because it was decided that way. There are so many people who are born blind, deaf, handicapped. Why weren't I? Who decided that? And on what basis? Why were they born like that? Of course NO ANSWER. I am what I am today just because I was born to my parents and not to someone in a slum. That of course was not in my hands as to where I was going to take birth. Who decided that again? And again on what basis? Do you think that it is just a coincidence? How much ever good a driver we are, it just takes a minute's folly of ours or someone else's for our lives to end. So, what is in our hands? Nothing. So, just carry on enjoying this beautiful life, for we don't know what is tomorrow, and thank the Almighty for whatever we are. No preaching here, of course.

Back Again!

It is not that I stopped blogging. After the lift of ban on blogs, only yesterday I was able to open blogs here. And so after a short break, I am back!