NH8 woes or wonders?

NH8 or Delhi-Gurgaon highway for non-dilliwallahs can be a nightmare for daily commuters most of the times, but sometimes, it is a pleasure to drive down on it. Leaving office post 8pm today, the highway was almost a zip through for a change.

With Delhi airport sprawling through a large portion of the highway, and the resultant absence of high-rises on both sides of the road; I have catched quite a few beautiful sunsets on this stretch. It's a beautiful sight, where the runway is almost touching the highway, and an airplane landing on it against the backdrop of setting sun in the evenings. Inspite of so many air travels, it is still a fascination to see the planes landing and taking-off. 

At a point on this stretch, where the highway curves, the feeling is almost like cruising through the Marine Drive, with the whole expanse of lighted airport on one side and other surrounding areas and the halogen street lamps framing the other side of the road. I can sense some smirks from Mumbaiwallahs on my timeline 😉 ... 

And at the end of a tiring Thursday, the respite in the day was a meeting away from office over a decently brewed cup of Darjeeling tea, a time-out from the mundane office environment. 

Thankful for a tolerable day,

Pooja

July 31, 2014

Celebrating Eid... My way!

As I promised myself yesterday, I am back! And keeping another promise to self, had a lazy day ... Well almost, apart from couple of calls, few emails and some whatsapp messages with other people who were sadly working!

I had music on my mind, and as I rummaged in the shelf found a 1960 Akashvani recording of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Saheb which included thumri and kajri. I didn't even remember buying it! Few days back, I had attended a concert where I had a chance to listen to some Banarasi music and I wanted more of it. It was a perfect weather to listen to a rare old recording. 

Rummaging further, I found CDs gifted by a dear friend while he was moving houses, and next on the line was listening to Ustad Amir Khan, followed by Pt Jasraj. 

A sukun walk in the park, watching the airplanes fly by ready for landing, promise of rain in the cloudy skies above to end the day.

While I missed seviyan today, wishing that I had a foresight to buy some and make it at home, and remembering that special day when I started my professional life, I pray and thank God for the journey since. 

And looking forward to the festival season in India, Eid starts the celebrations and rakhi, janmashtami and Independence Day in the next fortnight, festivities and fun will continue. And so I hope my musings!

Pooja

July 29, 2014

To A Perfect Life...

Small, simple things in life around can give pleasure, make the day little easy, only if you can spot and feel them around you. While I occasionally do practice this thought, this note today is thanks to a friend, who has challenged all for a 5 day challenge, 3 things a day. However, am making my own rules, will try to do one thing a day, for as long as I can. Simply put, I am sure there is atleast one good thing that I can be thankful for during the day!

So the manic Monday was not so, for a simple reason that Tuesday is a holiday; especially because for the last fortnight, I was thinking that Eid is not a holiday. May be the mind was not thinking of an almost mid-week off due to the deadlines that need to be met, racing against time. 

Coming back home from work, while it drizzled and caused jams like always, I looked forward to a Mid-week off, having no plans for Eid, just relaxing at home. Sitting in front of the idiot box with the dinner, watching my favourite movie of all times, remembering the good, old childhood carefree days is the perfect way to end the day.

In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.

So here I am remembering My Favourite Things, listening to The Sound of Music and believing in myself that I Have Confidence in Me - exactly like 13 years ago, when I started my career on Eid day in Mumbai!

Eid Mubarak.

Pooja

July 28, 2014

Music for the Soul

Sunday morning... It is not easy to get up early, get ready and go out at 9am in the morning. I made the effort today!

After a cloudy, chilly and windy day yesterday, I was praying for a sunny Sunday. And it turned out to be a sunny, slightly windy but beautiful Spring morning. 

A perfect day to listen to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan playing morning ragas in the open amphitheatre at India Habitat Centre. He started the recital by claiming that it is very rare for musicians to get a chance to play the morning ragas these days and he is happy to be here.

Ustadji went on to play for two hours, interspersing serious ragas with shorter playful ones. Sitting in the sun, with smell of marigold flowers pervading all round, I wished the day wouldn't end. 

I have somehow never had an opportunity to listen to Amjad Ali Khan live before. As a child I do remember listening to Sarod, Santoor and other classical instrumental music while studying. Music helped clear away other background noises, forcing me to focus on studying. Somewhere in the professional race against time, music got relegated to the back. 

In the last few years, I have rediscovered music, I don't understand the science of music but love the sound, beats and generally, the language. 

Khan Sahib narrated a story of his father, wherein they were both playing and someone from audience remarked that they were still hungry for more. His father responded that if he is hungry, he should go and eat. Music is for the soul, for ruh. And how true it is ... This Sunday morning was truly music for the soul! 

"If music be the food of love, play on."

Pooja

February 9, 2014

To the Eternal City ...

I have made two trips within a fortnight to the world's oldest living city, Banaras. The city as usual inspires me, takes me back to the roots of Hinduism, but sometimes also disillusions me. On my last visit I landed on the Maha Ashtami during Navratras, and the whole city was doused in the religious fervour. Banaras is indeed a City of Temples, one can literally fina a temple in every corner - on every nukkad or chauraha, on the side of a road, below peepul trees, near a pond and of course, on the ghats of the Ganges ... in all sizes, of various deities. 

While it is called Shiv ki nagari, people celebrate every festival, pray to all Gods... And as we travelled from airport to BHU, through the city, we saw all temples decked up with flowers and lights, offerings of fruits and sweets in their decorative patterns. Devotees thronged not only the puja pandals, but the temples nearby as well. 

And while people went on going around celebrating and worshipping, one could not help observe the nonexistent roads, power through gensets, debris strewn across and the piled up garbage. The administration in its efforts to widen the roads had also razored parts of the bundling on the sides which had resulted in not only the debris but mud and slush. A good monsoon season and the non-stop rains post Phailin cyclone further exposed the crumbling infrastructure and administration of the city. Being one of the important destinations for not only Hindus, but also for Buddhists and Jainists - the town is a major tourist place. And the city plays host to plane loads of tourists every day post monsoon season. 

It makes me wonder that the infrastructure in this ancient city must have been exemplary in the past to cater to tourists from all over the world. The city has been talked about by lot of travellers, poets and other historians. Infact, the city I remember from my childhood days was a lot cleaner, unpolluted and traveller friendly. 

So who takes responsibility of making this city habitable for its residents as well as the visitors? In the election year, what promises will be made by the political parties and what will be delivered? Will the city ever gain back it's grandeur or will it perish in the years to come?

To Banaras...

Pooja

Guha decodes Gandhi

To many of us common man, whatever we know about Gandhi comes from what we read in school or what we saw in Richard Attenborough's film on Gandhi. And we leave it to historians and scholars to weave their way through the realms of biographies and writings on and by Gandhi, and present us with the finished portrait.

Ramchandra Guha's new book Gandhi before India has done precisely that albeit with a focus on deciphering Gandhi before he became Mahatma. A simple austere ceremony to release the book on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti itself symbolised the Gandhian way of life. A stage bereft of any decorations except a podium, small red carpet with two chairs and a table, Chiki Sarkar introduced the book and the author. The author then went to talk about his obsession with Gandhi, his plans for two more books on the subject given his voluminous research work.

Ram Guha talked about Gandhi as one who talks about oneself, as if he had observed Gandhi in action. He attempts to portray characters - family, friends and foes who influenced Gandhi to understand the making of the man inside. He peppered his talks with revelations on how Muhammad Ali Jinnah corresponded with Gandhi in 1897, 50 years before the partition of India. Would history would have been different if the two would have become legal partners? Or would Gandhi would have been a different man if South Africa hadn't happened to him?

As Guha cautions not to emulate Gandhi as a father or a husband, he believes that understanding of Gandhi's vision for modern, inclusive and tolerant India is still relevant for the change that we want to see in the world... 

Pooja

October 2, 2013

Does Satyagraha rocks?

Prakash Jha's Satyagraha raises more questions than it answers. Power is corrupting, we know that. But even an iota of semblance of power seems to ruin the rational thinking. Channeling the minds and power of million people, and to control those levels of energy and passion itself requires a continued impartiality, time and again.

Media played this role effectively with the Jessica Lal case few years ago, and helped get the justice rolling. Since then, there have been many more cases where either media, social media or few people have brought together masses to protest or demand from the Government. This begets another question on the role of media; with the powerhouse of information that it can dessiminate, as the provider of platform where discussions can take place or bringing a balancing act between factions of different thoughts - is it walking the talk?

In the last couple of years, this form of social justice has primarily been led by social media, and it has been a more of metro centric phenomenon. In this digital age, with the help of few entrepreneurs or support from corporates, these movements can really reach to masses across cities and states to be more effective in bringing about the social change that this country really needs. The angry young man of 1980s of Bollywood has emerged as the angry, silent masses of this century who are on the verge of bringing another social revolution. While these Bollywood heroes can do all to bring this to forefront,  what is really needed is a Gandhi-like crusader with a reined passion, disciplined energy, detached emotions and unbiased mind to tie all the threads together to bring another Satyagraha.

That brings me to the beginning, did Gandhiji's satyagraha really achieved what it set out to? Did we win the short term battle of India's independence and lost out on a bigger and long term agenda of social independence? Did the leaders of the original satyagraha also became victims of passions of power and chose to be governed by emotions over logic? And thereby leading to deteriorating sensibilities of our sovereign rulers.

In search of more answers,

Pooja

September 1, 2013