Since Long

It’s been a really really long time since I have posted on my blog. I wonder why?
Today I sit comfortably at my home and feel the rumblings of my mind starting to move making slight creaky sounds. I will it to churn up something for me; it grumbles and complains that since long it hasn’t been asked to do anything, why this sudden demand?

Sudden demand? Well, I look back towards the slack period. To be frank, it can be called slack only for the absence of my posts otherwise it had been the most wonderful time in my life. Calling it just wonderful doesn’t cover it all.

I met my soul mate, my life partner, my friend, my confidant, my husband and so much more. Meeting him was the first thing that happened which was followed by numerous beautiful things and now “Life is Beautiful”. The courtship period is probably the most important time for every new couple. It is the base, the foundation on which our life starts laying the first bricks. It was beautiful and greatly delightful for both of us, it transpired our lives into a colorful rainbow, whose colors I am sure will last for the rest of our lives, it made us into what we are today, not just husband and wife, but so many facets of relationships which emerged and got strengthened as and when their need was felt. I just realized that I wrote a complete para and failed to mention the one important thing which hit us both with its beauty and tranquility, along with it, its breath taking feeling: “LOVE”. It’s the key ingredient that makes up a beautiful life, as my senses witness with my own life.

Moving forwards, I think my mind and I were so much full of thoughts about him that nothing else seemed to enter my mind. And now maybe that’s why I would have to hear the grumblings of my mind and slowly and steadily ask it to start chugging for me. It’s been long but not so long..

Delving into the human mind

The human mind is a curious mix. A single mind has billions of facets, a thousand different reactions for numerous different situations. There is so much we can do and yet we may be only using half of its capacity. Our premonitions, our instincts, our perceptions, the ever filling memory and still as sharp, the dreams and the reasons behind them, a legion of emotions and feelings, the mood swings and the energy and the unconscious behind, it’s all so overwhelming. It is sharp and fast, agile and clever.

We take it for granted and it never disappoints. Think about our lives without so many different aspects. What if, our mind was not equipped so much? Wouldn’t it have been a tad bit dull?

Whatever the origins of the human mind are considered, either the scientific evolution or the grace of the God, it is complex, intricate in its design and even after centuries of research, for the human, it still stands as the greatest unknown in our lives.

The human mind is so much interesting. One can observe it for years together and yet not get bored. In a collective way it is so much similar, the way the complete human tribe lives. It amazes to watch its intricate similarities amongst the billions of minds parting through the vast individual diversities. Most minds think alike, act alike, behave alike and yet there are the subtle changes in the way they do it. No two minds are completely similar and yet no two minds are colossally different.

The city of dreams

The city: where Indian dreams are born, lived, squashed and reveled in. Some dreams make it big, some don’t. This is the Indian land of dreams and don’t stop dreaming.

So much has been said about the city by different people in all kinds of different media, that it momentarily makes me stop writing about it.

A short visit to Mumbai: the city of dreams and my mind was full of its thoughts. The city is boundless, not restricted by limits; according to the geography, other districts might start and end, but as a whole everything around is known as Mumbai. Some parts of the city are ethereal, with the beauty being though wild yet pleasant. From the windows of the local train, a carpet of green cover can be seen around the edges of the ocean, which peeps in and out across the city. The ocean is eye-soothing, though it is not the exotic kind like in other cities, but it has life.

It seems like the city has a soul which is benevolent and kind. It houses in itself people from all over, believing in different religions, of different social classes and most important of all, it tries giving employment to every individual. The city is like a mother, which helps her children grow by encompassing everyone in its loving embrace.

The city’s history is magnificent in its grandeur. The parts which were built by the British still exist. Such structures give the occasional tourist a feeling as if he has stepped back in time. The CST terminus which is majestic and looks more like a ancient palace than a railway station; the building that houses the Times of India and the structures nearby. The Gateway of India stands tall with the undulating waves of the vast ocean lapping its feet.

There are many more such things that are awe-inspiring in the city. But, what exactly strikes a human heart is the spirit with which people live in the city. And unfortunately the number of people living there also becomes the dent in its shining armour. There is crowd everywhere in the city. Not a single place exists across the city where there is peace and quiet and travelling becomes a pain. Though the life line of the city: the local trains are too efficient and try to make the travel a bit bearable, the crowd again becomes a problem and especially for the people who are new to the city.

There will come a time, when the city won’t be able to take anymore and it will collapse. Its serenity is getting lost somewhere.

Zayka North India ka..

It was in the second week of December that I and my family went to attend a cousin's wedding in Lucknow, well to be specific it was Suprit weds Anuradha :). It was a fun fare and the shaadi was North Indian to the core. There was lots of food, great amount of dancing and even more of healthy discussions, conversations and very loving people. I had fun meeting everyone there after such a long time. The fantastic part was that, even though a long time had passed, all of us met as we were in contact on a daily basis. Not even for a moment, did I feel like an outsider. It was a refreshing change to see people talking to each other and enjoying each other's company just because they wanted to and not because they had to. And there was color, glamour, music, fun and every needed masti ingredient.

And that's the zayka of north india. I stared with wide eyes at the glitz of the wedding. The amount and taste of food had me feeling as if i was eating for the first time in my life. It had an allure that you cannot find anywhere in the world. And the loving way I was fed everything (twice!!) was very touching.

I fell in love with some of the things. Fufaji's home where we stayed, it was a history in itself. A kothi from the nawabi era, it has housed generations of people. I could not get over its greatness and grandeur. The chudi wali gali that housed a number of bangles's shop and which was so narrow that at a time only two people can walk together. The winding narrow lanes getting connected at numerous places and yet when the houses emerge in those lanes, they were huge and great structures. The malai makhan, a delicacy I haven't had anywhere. The chat that was prepared right there in our house the night before the wedding. And last but not the least the dholwala and the incessant dancing. In saari cheezon ne mann-moh liya humara :)

Every part of India has a different flavour to itself. It is unlike any other. I loved every moment of the wedding. Though it was not the first time i had been there nor was it the first time I enjoyed, but it is just the first time to write about it. Even after so many days have passed, we at home still talk about it, as a moment in time we savoured.

(I just wish I had some images to go with this)

The era of Remixes

Last night, I was enjoying my tryst with late night radio music. There is a certain fun when the next song about to be played is not known. I guess that's one of the things which draws me to the radio.

A little while later, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the remix of the song - "Hum bewafa hargiz na the par hum wafa kar na sake". As it played in the encompassing silence of the night, I remembered its famed remixed video as well. The guy from the city in his open top white car getting attached to the scorching hot sexy village belle; the villagers grouped together against their alliance.

I recalled the time period when Instant Karma had recently released a remixed album of choicest songs. There might have been other remix done but i can't think of one which had become as famous as this. So much thought had been put into those complete set of songs, changed the music in such a way that it was soothing and subtle and quite alluring. They brought back the old songs to the lips of everyone, the crucial point being, that all of it was done without degrading the original essence of the songs. Even today I can remember them: "Meri soni meri tamanna", "Saamne yeh kaun aaya", "Baahon mein chale aao", "Nahi nahi abhi nahi" and lots more..

But then an era of remix erupted and every other song was being used and abused. Yes, I use the word "Used" because the originality of it was snatched from it. Even the videos were colored, dirty, so was the music, the changes made so the song would seem sexy though in the first place it was not, hoping and rooting that the modern populace would love it. A business had begun which required not much talent and yet fetched money.

But I am glad that such work has reduced over the time. No wonder as the general public rejected it with feeling.

Making remix also needs finesse and talent. When moulded carefully and gracefully, another art form can emerge.