Mumbaii!

The New York of India

City of dreams, city of Bollywood, a city always awake, a city whose spirit never dies, India's New York and so much I had heard about it that I was in love with it even before I met it. 

This weekend this long cherished dream came true! As I close my eyes and 

Museum

think about the buzzing city with it's calm companion (the sea), the energy still fills me up and a smile of freshness comes over. A realization of where writer get their motivation from. Closest encounter with everything that life has put on your table. It is so close to what they show in movies, so close. Be it the joggers park at Nariman Point where the old begin their day or the evening Sunset at Chowpatty where the young love finds peace, the fashion street where everything sells or the Sensex tower which decides what will sell, The Haji Ali Dargah where Hindus and Muslims are almost equal in number or The  Prince Wales museum which takes you by its history irrespective of age. I loved it, loved every moment of it.

Gateway of India & Taj

The Gateway of India, the long ferry into the sea, the magnificent Taj and Red&yellow cab. One of the first few cities I felt I was very familiar with. It never felt new, never felt like it was the first time. Wondered if it was indeed the magic of the City or because they said it all in movies.

Sunset at Haji Ali

Saraswati :) 

And Still we hear it.....

As promised, I have the saaga of the Caste System, for us.

Its been two days here and it has left me high and dry. I am not drawing any conclusions here about our country but merely sharing an experience, just an exxperience..

                                                

Not that we were never aware of this problem before but seeing it being practiced hard to the core is wonder and amazement in itself. Our first encounter. A degree college Brahmin "professor". His analogy"Just like each there are good and bad varieties of seeds of rice , so are humans". Wonder what is he teaching at his college.

The small village of Barpar is divided into four sects separated by wide roads,crossroads, the muslim area, the harijans, the SC/STs and the Brahmins. While Gorakhpur as a city sees so much of development, women wearing jeans and shorts, Barpar have Muslim women who havent crossed there area of their tribe ,forget going beyond barpar. If brahmins, they havent crossed the boundaries of their homes, thanks to our very old Pardas System.THEY ARE LIVING IN A RADIUS OF 200 M. 

Hell yeah! the good part is the Sarpanch tenure is rotated among these SC/ST/RELIGIONS/TRIBES. It has it's own pros and cons. Too late to get in that debate for the it keeps the people in harmony and secularism. That's what we are, aren't we, a secular state.

Saraswati

Not 60 Years Back!

A series of posts, for you and for me. My experiences at one of the smallest and oldest villages of India, Barpar, an India away from India, in the corner of Uttar Pradesh, tells it's own story. A living history of the country. Something I thought ceased to exist is in life and form, Barpar.

  In parts. here is the first one-

Ah! the Saaga of Caste System. Yes, there is a lot to write on this but a small part of this brutal system, which deserves a special mention. A story that shook away the pride of everything.

Moosahar -heard the name before?!. It is a tribe of people who kill the rats -which gather in the rice field after harvesting- to eat them. Yes it is true! And there are 10 lakh of such people in India. One such village was were we had been to today. Till an year back they hadnt heard of electricity ..Not that they had very frequent power cuts.. no no..THEY HADNT HEARD OF POWER AT HOMES..Reason-they are the untouchables of the village, not to be talked to.

Thanks to an OLD couple who adopted that part of the country, opened a school there. The couple say "till last year students from higher caste wont sit with them, share lunch box/eat beside them nor play with them. But now with education, the divide is decreasing. They go to each other's place and play. This recieved a wide criticism from the higher communities around. They said if you educate them who will do the labour job, but we were persitent and we see the change.  It is little but it is there." 

This community is known for making beautiful woven baskets, which are sold in cities at prices much higher than they are bought at. Poverty struck them so hard that a father charged money from her daughter to drop to her hospital for tuberclosis treatment.

She died! Because she couldnt visit the doctor the next time! Because

she didnt pay him the last time and he didnt take her the next time! They exist! They all do. Very much in our own world having a world of their own!

Saraswati

Unsaid...

I would never tell you how my day was
Coz I just heard you laughing
you telling about the best part of the day
and gaily singing

I would never tell you how my day was
Coz I realized you had a bad one
You wanted to share and submit
And I was the one

I would never tell you how my day was
Because to day you were already bored
We had to spice up life
hit the dance floor

I would never tell you how my day was
as I realized that as part of it
I hurt you too
You were angry
We had to sort it

I would never tell you
Coz today we together again and happy
I lost words I had to say
And now the unsaid felt unnecessary
for US.

M- the girly girl

It's always a wonder how we meet few people who fit in just perfectly in our life....how we see them transform over the years together..and how just one incidence proves it "oh! they haven't changed a bit- the originals".....

M, ever since we knew her, the tomboy...Over these years she grew hair,  changed her wardrobe..OMG! were seeing the other side of the coin.
Now for her ------

 Beauty is Important -- had an eye on every girl at SF ;)

Gestures and mannerisms Matter-- legs up hands down :P

Tight fittings are Necessay -- for her circuit boards

Size 0 workouts a must-- for simulation working time

Aesthetics create Impression -- of PPTs

Money is for SPENDING-- on ICs & Xeroxes & Print outs & ....

Must and should try out every outlet till she finds the exact   -- Upma (or any other food that is on mind)

The American Cute Guy at KTj exhibition seemed to make an impression, he was actually stammering when he saw her And she was all over trying to talk to him and then he looked here and there nervously and finally said to her ,confessed --"I have NO idea about that technology"...


Talkative -- I give this to her, she IS indeed.. ;)


Never the less M became girly and I guess we are glad about it. ;)

Saras

P.S. Her technology did pay off though..two hefty cash prizes at technology competitions. \m/
M rocks :) 

Never an End

Day 1
My: Edanna cheddaammeee Sankranthi ki ee sari....Last performance on stage..
Ni: Yo My..Cheddam..Evaru chesina cheyyakpoyina we do yaa.. (My:Ni Chemistry ;) )
San: Nenu chesthane..nannu lepandi practice unte ;)
Sa: Cheddamma!!)#(%#@(%!!!Chuddam!!#@$#%%
Go: mmmm......mmmmmm....aahhhh..
Su: Me no dancing..no no no.....
Pra: O my God....no yaaaa....nooo...

Day 2
<Su listening to NTR songs coming out of Song Selection room>....Do i need to mention...One NTR song got her on to the team.. :D


Day 3
Ra: Ente ...hehe...eeyande eeyandiii..heheh ...abbooo....(after 5 min)..eee nenu chesthane...anthe..Welcome to the team Ra and Pri..


Day 5
Bo: mmm..mmm....mmm..chesedaaaa..mmmm.....(done anthe, Su partner, cute couple :P )

Day 6
In, Shr Moral Support, Dance Feedback...

errani practice

Ossa Re

Step slow motion prac ;)

Day before the performance we decide on two songs Eppudo Putti from Ra and Ossa re from My..something that made the performance rocking..
And thence came up the performance for Sankranthi 2011 at the Telugu Cultural Association, IIT Kharagpur....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnlFNKrMFOw

final classical :)

Followed by the dance was the success of Shr , Su and Sh :)..Three cheers!!!

All said and done , a brilliant show, lots of praises and it all came to an end...There is something that didn't....For most of us it was the first time performance on stage and few of us it was the first time ever we even danced....It always is an option to choose the good players and put up the best...But for Halwaa it was never about public appreciation..was it.?!...

:)

No one had a single second thought about involving everyone in the performance irrespective of their dancing abilities be it at the stake of public failure...Something that always makes me wonder about the HALWAA...It's always the participation that mattered..The masti in the common room , the step to step practice, the enjoyment of being together, to leg pulling sessions, laughing at once own comic performance during practice, innocent alakas(yes indeed, girls we are ;) ), the level of simplification each step went through before everyone got it right! :)...And mind you , its not just in the field of performance but in every aspect of our life, the acceptance I have seen here brings in a tear of gratitute..they accepted all-
Someones' alaka/temper, someones' super-goodness, okalla badhakam, okala artistic restrictions ;), someones' brilliant (bangaram) ideas, someones' senseless PJs, someones' relationships, someones' aloofness..Okkala ego aithe inkokalla ati vagudu thanam...Guess they called it friendship....Lucky a soul I am to have witnessed it in its' purest form...



A blessed soul :)
P.S. The experienced here is IMPOSSIBLE to complete and do justice with just words..

Picture Coutesy: Ram Video Courtesy: Nit, Av

11 Idiots @ BoMbAy TaLKieS :)

I did want to write a big article but these words from the movie and just too good to be surpassed by anything else. :)
 "Sun le yaaron ki yeh baatein ,beetengi sab gam ki raatien"

"Taxi darawaaze pe thi.....bas himmat kar letha tho saala zindagi kuch aur hoti" :)

"Jab life ho out of control tho ho hoton ko kar ke gol ,seety bajake bol AaLL ISS WELLL"


Love
Saras