A Spectacular Illusion- Life

Everyone lives in an illusion about most things these days. Life is not as easy as it seems to be. As kids maybe we were too innocent or naive to understand, but as we grow up, we start realizing the true nature of this very world! It's not as goody- goody as it looks like! Sometimes we are made to believe somethings but with time we realize that what we yearn for is actually something impossible because that's not the way things work here!

Take a simple example, everyone talks about finding their soul-mate in life. Katy Perry’s song “Teenage Dream”, goes like this, “I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece, I'm complete!”. Okay... So what were you till now, incomplete?? :-P

Blame it on the movies! Blame it on the damn romantic songs! SRK and Kajol share a great on- screen chemistry, but really? Running around the sarson ke keth? Is that really happening, Senorita? :P Blame it on all drama kings and the queens for creating a hazy cloud of fantasy around us! :P Blame it on the girl and the guy circumambulating the peepal tree! *You spin my head right round....right round....* 

It is said that when you are in love, violins and saxophones start playing in the background score. Who are you kidding? There's one reason why movies show these hypothetical things and I'm gonna tell you the reason now- BECAUSE- They are MOVIES :P Its REEL life, not REAL life. They are made for entertaining people, to give them a break from their realistic monotonous not- so- dreamy life! Duh!!! 

You really think Prince Charming is gonna come riding a horse and swipe you off your feet? :-| Well, even a slippery floor or a banana peel can do that! :P :P  

To the oranges rolling down the grass ;-) C'mon life is not as smooth as Silk ;-) *Oh la la* and the hope that you'll get the perfect girl next door, Jessie? :P Ahh...IN YOUR DREAMS!!! *Ek Deewana Tha* 

Neither are you an actor, nor is she. 

*Unless you are in that profession ;-)....* 

Life in a nutshell- An illusion!

I would like to quote William Shakespeare, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages." Life is not a play inside a play! So, the sooner you realize that you are not living in a movie, the better for you! 

*....Roll, Camera... Action!!: Sun rising, Birds chirping, Squirrels running around, Kids going to school and the adults to their workplace....*

What is actually happening =>> 

Sun rising? Hmm... Happens everyday right? Its' not really in your control to make the sun rise or set. :P

Birds chirping? Yeah it's early in the morning and they are screeching for food! Maybe the early bird got the worm and they missed it :P And you thought they were singing their early morning chorus :P

Squirrels running around? What else do you expect them to do? :P Talk Spanish? :P

Kids going to school? As if they have an option. Who loves taking weekly, monthly, half-yearly and term end examinations? Movies show the school gates opening and the kids just running in with beaming smiles...LOL.. that doesn't happen in reality! ;) Unless you are Rancho and you are the whizkid in thirst of knowledge! :P

Adults to their workplace? Maybe it's just the greed of money that makes them go? Who will pay their bills and taxes?

This is reality, boss! Good Morrrnnninggggggg!!! *Time to wake up from your deep slumber, Rip Van Winkle..* ;-) 

Here's another thing, there's nothing called "FOREVER"... What can you have forever? Nothing!! You yourself are on Earth for a short span and in that short span you make bade bade vaade/ big big promises of being best friends forever with some people? Someone phuuleezzeeee justify this word first! You are not immortal, nothing is forever! :) Life is an illusion, death is the ultimate truth. We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone. Accept it! :)  

“Life has no meaning the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal.”- Jean-Paul Sartre

“What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet”-  Woody Allen

Well, realizing the truth might make us have a negative take on this world. The only thing is not to lose hope. Anyways, that's how it is. It's all an illusion: the people and their promises; their fake love and the superficial attachment; the society dwells on the concept of use- and- throw of people and admit it, that's the ugly truth. People just need a valid reason to hang out with you and when that sole reason is over they disappear. Yes, they do. You will understand that if someone is good to you then they might probably want that back from you in some form or the other, and that's the reason why they are doing that for you in the first place. Nasty ain't it! That's life. A bitter sweet thing. It's no movie after all. It's not sugar, spice and everything nice unless you are the power puff gals! :P :P It's all a mystery which keeps unfolding one after the other. The best thing is to be practical, accept reality and act accordingly, make sure that no one uses you for the heck of it and make sure to set some of them right, for the ones who belong to Smartass Ville, show them that you are from Smarter-ass Ville! LOL! :D 

27th April, 2012

Why this Kolaveri, Karunanidhi?

Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa on April 13th, 2012 led the state in celebrating Tamil New Year (Tamil month of 'Chithirai'- mid- April in Gregorian calendar). Soon after Jayalalithaa-led government took over, it had reversed a 2008 decision of her arch rival M Karunanidhi to celebrate new year in the Tamil month of 'Thai' (mid- January) to coincide with the harvest festival, Pongal. The practice of celebrating the Tamil new year in the month of Chithirai was being followed for 2000 odd years and the calender was based on seasonal cycles and other geographic parameters. There was also a mention of Chithirai as Tamil new year in inscriptions of Chola and Pandya kingdoms besides literary references. It seems the scholars claim that the mid-April celebration was an Aryan practice that filtered down to the south, while the Thai month that heralds the festival of harvest, Pongal, was the original Dravidian celebration. Jayalalithaa also recalled that Karunanidhi himself had greeted people on Tamil New Year’s day in Chithirai in the past. In 1990, Karunanidhi had, on two occasions, affirmed that Tamil New Year’s day begin with Chithirai. Despite the then DMK Government effecting a change, people had, however, continued to celebrate the Tamil New Year in Chithirai only.

What Karunanidhi did hurt the sentiments of people, big time! Jayalalithaa took a swipe at Karunanidhi for his decision to change the calender as he did it for purely publicity/ commercial  motives and it, in no way was to help in development of the language. The sentiments and the opinion of the 'people' were not taken into consideration at all. I mean what is he? GOD? To make such changes? For the record, Karunanidhi married thrice. So, in his next term (if there is one) is he gonna promote polygamy in Hinduism? Huh! Looks like he's capable of making any insensitive change! :-/ Moreover, he's an atheist- so is this the kinda CM, TN would like to look up to? NO.

I have never ever taken any interest in National politics and for, that matter I have never been 'for' or 'against' any political party. But, this thing Karunanidhi did in 2008 really got me thinking. Well, now I'm definitely not 'for'-DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)! Who the hell is he to change our new year? Every year, till 2007 we have been celebrating it in April and overnight we come to know that the new year has changed to January??!!!! This is not fair!! Chithirai is the first month in the Tamil Calender and will always be!!!  

On a personal note, infact, the "imposed Tamil new year" in 2009, 2010, 2011 at my college have been working days and I remember attending classes. And I used to think, being in Tamil Nadu we don't have a holiday for our new year, whereas Ugadi- Telugu New Year was ALWAYS a holiday! I never accepted the 'new' new year and we continued celebrating it in Chithirai. I mean why did he have to mess up with this? Are there already less problems in the State? Sheesh! My heart really ached to see the Tamil new year marked in the month of January but alas in 2012 it was removed and it was for the first time in 4 years the University was actually shut down for the "actual" Tamil New Year! Felt really really good to see things falling back in place! Good work done by Jayalalithaa. AIADMK(All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) totally rocks for this cause! Infact she went one step ahead to nail down the matter by ordering a grand celebration by her government on April 13th. The grandiose celebration was personally kicked off by her at the Madras University centenary auditorium in accordance with Tamil tradition and culture. Three cheers for TN CM Jayalalithaa for restoring our Tamil New Year! :)

14th April, 2012

Holy Crap!

I have been thinking about sitcoms a lot off- late and the impact they have on our lives. :P Intense research paves way to the fact that sitcoms play a major role in the jam- packed- procrastinating- schedule of a youngster who is simply clueless about his responsibilities and duties towards his whatever :P. No surprises there!!!! :P

There are these never-ending gamut of feelings we undergo when we advance from season to season in any sitcom :P It’s nothing less than a spiritual transformation, I tell you! It just grows within you :P [And, seasons are not just 4 anymore! Can you believe that? It can go up to 9 or 10!!! :P] The more the better. Who’s anyway bothered about the ice- caps melting or the next elections or tigers getting extinct or the exams coming up? :P  And, as we progress little by little a sense of achievement sinks in, herculean task right? :P Juggling between “Facebook” and “VLC Media Player” is really a tough job! :P I think with timeline on Facebook now, it really has become more difficult!! :P :P An occasional peek-a-boo in LinkedIn too! Hey what would I do for a living if I don’t get a job!?? Jeezaloo!!! ””Creating”” a LinkedIn account is not gonna fetch you a job!! :-/ Looks like you believe in miracles! GOOD!! :P

It’s amazing how the mind works, at some point of time, we even start thinking and believing that we are a part of the family in a sitcom, coz of many reasons and seasons :P Especially if it’s a one with family drama or any character that we wanna relate to! With time we get familiarized with all the characters and we know them in and out and we all have our personal favorites, even though it might be a one starkly different from ours!!! :) :) :) 

A friend calls you up and asks, “Wassup!” and you say “I’m seeing so- and-so sitcom and on season 4”, and your friend says, “I’m on season 3”. And thaaaaaaaaat’s it!!!  

AHHH!!! THE JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :’) :’) :’)

[Tears of joy rolling down my cheeks! :P :P Is this what they call “ecstasy”??]

The happiness you get when you know you are ahead of your friend by “so many” episodes! Yep, this stuff happens! :D  Meanwhile, newsflash!!!!! “First Indian to achieve….. blah blah blah….Has made the nation proud” AND, you (indifferent) think SO WHAT??! Lemme tell you something!! Back in the good old days, the definition of achievement was SLIGHTLY different! :P LOL!

Many a time, we start aping our favorite character in real life. Phases I tell you! It really doesn’t sound as cool as you think it sounds. Hmmm, hearing impairment is what you should get yourself treated for. :P Because what you say is not really superimposing with how it’s originally being said :P  It’s supposed to be in an “American accent” NOT the “fake-American- actually-Indian-local-party-accent”. *facepalm*

[Never ever ever ever give up…..OK??] :P

And at last, the feeling you get when you finish seeing a series is when a sudden realization dawns on you and you start thinking, “OMG! What am I gonna do with my life now??????!!”…LOL… :D

A faint voice (from heaven??) replies, “YOU HAVE BEEN PUT ON EARTH FOR A PURPOSE AND YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED IT!!!!” :D :P

Hearty Congratulations to youuuuu!!!! :D :D

Time to explore the other planets! ;) ;) ;)

A spur of the moment doodling!

(Redefining procrastination! :P)

April 3, 2012

The Dying Race

"Being a full- time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love." - Mildred B. Vermont

The only way a woman can make a house a home is by "being in one" "making it one", in the true sense. With the passage of time, there's a rapid change in the priorities of women. More and more women are preferring to be working mothers. A house is just made of bricks, mortar and stone. A home has more to it. :-) Gone are the days when a woman ‘worked’ at her home. Now are the days, when she ‘works’ at an office, and indirectly for her house. 

Women are known to be primarily at the household doing domestic chores, taking good 'personal' care of their children, cooking, taking 'personal' care of the house, her husband, her in-laws and the like. Unlike in these days wherein the most of the women go to work and most of the household work is taken over by maids, cooks and helpers. 

Now, there’s nothing wrong in working and it makes absolutely no sense to be sitting at home with a professional qualification in hand. But when I was a little girl my mom used to be at home throughout looking after my every little need, and she did have friends who were working. But that was a situation I could never imagine for myself. She gave up her job after I was born and I always felt that she has done a great job in bringing me up. Going to work to earn a little more cash for the benefit of the family is good, with an extra income, the child would be provided with a better standard of living, but what the matter of concern here is to me, is that, the child these days is not getting the attention it needs to be given by his/ her mother during it's initial years of development. Maybe the children who have working mothers become more independent and responsible at a young age but do they also become more detached from the family?

Every kid yearns for constant personal attention and motherly love, warmth and care, and they shouldn't be deprived of that, for heck for earning a few more bucks. The whole idea of a working woman is indigestible in my eyes. I think the children whose mothers are homemakers stand out in understanding and perceiving family values in a better way. They are more loving, cultured, behaved, understanding and know the value of a family. They are more sensitive towards their parents. I have a lotta respect for the women who give up their career for upbringing their child in a wholesome way. Nothing to beat the food cooked by the lady of the family, there is a different thing to it. A cook will make the same curry for you, but the major ingredient will be missing in that, LOVE. Yes, I right away differentiate between the two, and so can you! There is a different charm the family has when the woman takes full responsibility of the home, that’s when the house truly becomes a home.

Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother. A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. I have seen my mother doing that many a time. Here I am not questioning the motherliness of a homemaker mom or a working mom, but what I am looking at is the home on the whole. The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.

"Biology is least of what makes someone a mother."- Oprah Winfrey

It’s not wrong to be a working mother, but I would surely say that a woman who is a housewife has an upper hand over the working mother because she spends more time with her family, and that is what is more important, FAMILY. What is more precious than this? I feel sad for the kids who’s mothers are so job- oriented and money- minded, who do not give due attention to their kids.

I would like to appreciate all the women, who sacrifice their career for the bringing up a family, because such a woman understands the true essence and the value of being in one. Hats off to The Dying Race- The Housewives!!!

April 1, 2012