More Saiyan To Hai Pardes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcD4epRdamc

He : Hi Sweety!!
She : Hiii Teddy .. !!!
He : I missed you all day today.I couldn’t concentrate in office. All the time your face,your words kept on lingering…
She : Me too… All day , I kept thinking of you.
He : This stupid *** ( His firm’s name ) .why did it have to send me onsite NOW.. away from my fiancée !! They say “courtship period is the best period of one’s life “ ..Why..Why..Why..and here I’m miles away from my sweetheart on a lonely sojourn. If only you could be here with me…
She : Don’t worry dear , we’ll soon be together and we have a lifetime to be together…and I’m sooo excited.. Oh!! This winter we’ll be together!!! (As they are getting married in the fall this year)


The above conversation is between a young IT employee and his fiancée who are planning to get married this winter. While he is away on a foreign land for work assignment , his fiancée is here in India. They say that the sweetest moments of their lives have been ruined by this Co. that required one of them to travel abroad. But… I think the other way round. Of course it would definitely have been better had they been together… but isn’t the other way also good. The way they are missing each other , the way they are yearning for each other is only slowly blossoming their love.. love that will carry them a long way through the institution of marriage.. love that will fill their hearts and souls with a bonding to last forever..emotional bonding..which is the base of any relationship. Yes, they are apart..but isn’t this also true that
“ Distance makes the heart grow fonder " … This makes me ponder ..what will I do if caught in a similar situation . Hmmm…While it will be really sad to be so far apart but how can one be far apart if he/she is right there in your heart. So , I think I’ll make the best use of telecom and technology to stay connected and simply wait for the day he would be back to India. I’ll wear my Best dress , get a bunch of beautiful flowers and drive to the International Airport a good 5 hours in advance  to greet him !(As I would be so excited that instead of waiting at home for the correct time , I would rather wait at the airport!!  

Commonwealth Games 2010 - A National Shame ?

Only a few weeks left for the much awaited Commonwealth games, which was supposed to be a matter of National pride, but sadly it has been reduced to nothing but a matter of National shame and International ridicule in full media glare.
Crores of money being siphoned off to some UK firm , shows that how the Indian bureaucracy is also hand in glove with all the corrupt people out there looking for their share of pie. It’s all a big chain where everybody in the league – from top to bottom is somehow gaining from the CWG 2010 .
60 days left , and I don’t think Delhi is ready to welcome it’s guests . The traffic is pathetic all over Delhi and the expected footfall of thousands of guests is only going to add to the worse situation. Although , it feels good when I go out in the city and see the new Metro tracks being laid and work being carried out in full speed , I felt particularly sad when yesterday in a news channel , I saw the plight of the workers and labourers involved in beautifying our city and making our city ready for the Commonwealth games.
With the D-day arriving and pressure building in , the workers are made to toil more and work in inhuman conditions. I doubt if right in the heart of our city and in the capital of our country , proper Labour Laws are being followed , if they are being paid the correct wages and what precautions are being taken as the sites where construction work is being carried out are often very dangerous and risk prone. Already 40 workers have been reportedly killed in mishap . Will India host the Commonwealth games out of hard work and toil including blood and life of it’s poor ? Most of the labourers toiling day and night have been employed by private contractors and are not even registered. As a citizen of India , I feel there should be a proper account of each and every person who is contributing on his/her part to make the Games possible .Proper and correct registration of all the workers involved and correct wages paid to them , so that next time when I travel on the newly laid Metro line or any new flyover in Delhi , my heart would know the labourer who made it possible and that he/she was given correct remuneration for his/her work rendered.

Traffic blues !!!

I had a really harrowing experience Wednesday evening while going to Gurgaon from Noida in the evening. Used to a comfortable life and minimal travelling to and fro office , yesterday , I came to know and understand the agony and discomfort of people who travel a distance to reach their office especially people who travel from Gurgaon to Noida or vice versa. I believe myself and suggest everybody who cares / does not care to listen to me – Please stay in a locality that is NEAR to your workplace. It will not only save time , but will also keep your mind and body relaxed.
And so it happened that I was supposed to attend a day long training in my Noida office and in the evening I had to return back to Gurgaon. We started well in time at 6 PM by our office bus , but as we reached the Expressway , we could see that something was wrong . The entire view of the expressway was worth seeing , with cars all lined up till your eye could see. And from then and there , the agony began , our bus only inching forward.They say that when bad time comes , it comes with all fury . So, after sometime we reached the Moolchand flyover and as we were watching the traffic all gone Hayward and a long queue of vehicles all around , our bus suddenly stopped right there in the middle of the flyover!!! We were informed that the bus has broken down and there is no way it can move ahead. Soon , I found myself WALKING !! on the Moolchand flyover in the middle of inching and honking cars during Peak traffic hours. In weirdest of my dreams , I had never dreamt that…I don’t even know how much I walked with a heavy laptop bag. After sometime , we managed to get a cab in which I unfortunately got a seat in the back. It was hot , it was humid , the back seat’s windows could not be opened , probably there was no AC/ or was not switched on . I felt like I would die with suffocation or anoxia. I was getting dizzy as I was sitting at right angles to the direction in which the car was moving.( Not used to that either!! ) From here we had to goto Dhaula Kuan but we came to know that the traffic at Dhaula Kuan was on a standstill since the last 2 hours. Plan was changed..there was no way out .So, it was decided to reach the nearest Metro station .At least we would not find a traffic jam at Metro. So, we had to reach the newly opened Mehrauli metro which we reached after 1.5 hours of which every minute that I spent was an agony with a Capital ‘A’ , add to it the nonsense playing on FM . The moment , we reached the metro station , I jumped out of the car , and breathed a good volume of oxygen into my lungs. Finally , when I found myself alive and okay , we started from there . It was midnight by the time that I managed to reach home. I had never experienced such a thing in the 2 years that I have been staying in Delhi , leave 2 years, I had never experienced such a thing in my entire lifetime .
One thing that I learnt – stay as close as possible to your workplace , so that you don’t have to travel on roads where you can get stuck and secondly , I’ll think twice now ,before confirming to attend some training which requires me to travel 40-50 kms !!!
And … as I write this …water is again dripping from my AC!!! The stupid person who came to install the AC last year did not drill the wall for the outlet pipe. Now, the water drips from the AC inside the room right near me !!! And nobody should laugh , when I tell you that I have kept utencils of various shapes and sizes to collect the water that drips like a bucket , a mug , a tumbler , and a serving dish !!!! I have made so many phone calls to the AC wala bhaiya, to the Society’s Sharma bhaiya but nobody has come until now. Sometime back , I went to the society’s office and wrote a compalint in the register. But , of course ..everything will happen the Indian way…till then I’ll continue collecting water in buckets and utencils!!!!

A new Era

I woke up today morning to find an extremely pleasant weather outside my window.Though not an early riser especially on Sunday’s , still I could not put myself back to sleep again. This weather is such a rarity in this latitude and longitude that I crave for it all the time , myself having spent most of my time in a latitude and longitude that witnesses a good 2 months of monsoon and incessant rains. I just love the greenery all around , the trees , grass and houses all bathed in fresh rain !!!
Anyway , let me not get carried away with this beautiful weather , the post is about something else that I wanted to share.It’s about my maid . Our earlier maid – Mumtaz or we fondly call her ‘Momo’ is on leave for 2 months .Sadly, she has had a mild paralytic attack , so she is on bed rest. There began a search for a new maid as one day without Momo was enough to realize and appreciate her worth and importance. We , got a new one… a shy , coy ,barely 21-22 years old. Her name is ‘Meher’ and she has a 6 months old daughter.I came to know something very surprising yesterday. My maid has a “Maid” !!!!! Yes !!!! Meher has kept a help who comes to look after her little daughter while she is away for work !!! and how ignorant I was…I used to think only the Urban working class keep nannies / help for their babies .Wowww.. I’m really amazed and happy to see this progression in society. Meher pays Rs.1000 to the maid who looks after her baby out of a total Rs 7000 that she earns per month !!!

The first Monsoon showers..

My collegue in office called me to say that she is taking the day off today. I was just getting ready in the morning to go to my office but call it a chain reaction or whatever , I suddenly felt like not going myself. So , I took the ‘Work from home ‘ option today.There was no work today , I actually enjoyed the whole day talking on phone , watching TV and having lunch.Sometime , in the evening , I got a call from my office that there was some issue and so I needed to be there for sometime .I walked to my office , my office being a stone’s throw away from my apartment.The weather was surprisingly cool and nice. It was actually starting to get windy and I could feel that it was going to rain.I reached office and turned on my laptop to begin my work .I have a window facing seat which gives a clear view of the outside if the curtains are not drawn. I drew the curtains apart , so that I could see the dark clouds outside.And…then… it rained  . It rained heavily . Wow… I went downstairs with one of my friends in the open lobby .There were many people like us trying to get absorbed in the beauty of the first monsoon showers.Almost everybody was looking happy and busy in their chit-chats. We went to the office cafeteria.Today they were serving hot samosas !!! We also ordered samosas and enjoyed our evening.

दादीमा

छोटी सी प्यारी सी अच्छी सी
दादीमा
सबका जो ध्यान रखे ऐसी है वो
दादीमा
छप्पन भोग बनाये ऐसी है वो
दादीमा
बच्चों के सिर में तेल लगाये
ऐसी है वो दादीमा
मेरे बालों में चोटी बनाये
ऐसी है वो दादीमा
क्यूँ चुप हो गयी हो अब
बोलो न कुछ दादीमा
मैं आई हूँ तुम्हारे पास
मुझे टोफ्फी क्यूँ नहीं देती दादीमा
आँखें तो खोली थी तुमने
तब मुझे क्या देखी थी तुम दादीमा
भगवान के घर चली गयी
और इस घर में हमें छोड़ गयी
क्या अब भी इस घर में
हमको तुम देखने आती हो दादीमा
हर पल तुम्हारा एहसास है
लगता है तू यहीं कहीं पास है
उसी बिस्तर पे खिड़की के पास
जैसे मुझे पुकार रही हो
मेरे बालों में चोटी बनाने के लिए...दादीमा

पूनम का चाँद

आँखें जो देख रही थीं
दूर कहीं वीराने में
अचानक ही पलकें मिलते ही
अश्रुओं से सराबोर हो उठीं

ठिठक के बैठ गयी तब गोरी
दामन जब भीग नमकीन हो गया
वफ़ा के तराजू पर जब प्रेम को तौली
साजन का पलड़ा हल्का पड़ गया

कह के गया था साजन उसका
वो लौट के वापस आयेगा
वो आँखें बिछाये बैठी थी
किसी दिन तो चाँद आएगा

आये तो बस गर्म लू के थपेड़े
आयीं तो बस आंधी वर्षा
और फिर आयीं बर्फीली हवाएं
वो आँखें बिछाये बैठी थी
पूनम का चाँद तो आयेगा

Strange happenings

The same ring that the old lady who came to our house today admired , I lost it today in office :( What is happening? It's my Mom's gift. i have looked all around in my office..cannot find anywhere.. :(

Unexpected Guest

I met a 75 year old (or rather young) lady today. She and her Husband had come to visit my Landlady. They were old time friends when both their husbands were in Defence services. They were meeting each other after 45 years….!!! I was really amazed and really happy to see the connect that they all still had with each other.The lady , let me call her Dadima..coz she told me that she has a grand-daughter of my age.So, this Dadima had such an astonishing personality that awed me.She was smart, she was intelligent , she was well-read , she was well-informed and she was so fluent with her English and her pronunciation so accurate. And she was so aware of the latest fashion and trends – she took my hand into hers and looked at my nailpaint and remarked that they were a very nice shade.She complimented me that I had long beautiful fingers and she even admired the ring that I wore in my finger.She told me that she had been trying to find such a ring to gift to her grand daughter. Dadima had come from Cuttuck, Orissa and she told me about all the political situation of Orissa , Jharkhand …about the illegal mines and all.She even told me about the latest murder mystery in Koderma area near Ranchi about some girl named Niirupama. I was unaware of this news although I belong to Ranchi , maybe I’m not following the news channels since a few days. But , dadima was better aware of the world and happenings than me . She despised the unnatural and untimely death of a 22 year old girl and said that she herself is a Brahmin and doesn’t believe in casteism and things like that. She said she felt sorry for the boy who was lamenting on the national TV that she had promised him that she would convince her family and that when she would return , everything would be fine.Dadima, was dressed smartly in a crisp sari nicely pleated , a tight bun which made clear her face and a big red round bindi . She looked very smart , I must confess.She asked me about my work , my future plans and all. She was very loving.I had to leave for office , as I was already late , so I couldn’t talk much to her.But whatever interaction , I had with her , I liked it. Sometimes , totally unknown people can appeal to you so much . I liked everything about her , her presence itself propagated positive vibes all around . Instantly , I felt some positive energy all around.
I’m really glad, I met this lady today.

Intuition

Intuition--Is it something real?Is there a logic behind it.Why do we get intuitions ?I know it is something related to psychoanalysis, wherein certain things that are destined to happen to us give us an early sign by some way or the other.I don’t know about many people personally who get intuitions , but I sometimes get intuitions and they prove to be correct eventually.

I got up today morning and automatically picked up the phone lying next to me still in daze. It’s my habit every morning when I get up to call either my mom or dad.Earlier when I was a kid and used to be at home , when I got up in the morning ,I used to get up and automatically walk up to wherever my dad was. He would then hug me for sometime or if he would be reading his morning newspaper he would allow me to sleep for a little while more in his lap until he finished his newspaper, after which I would be sent to brush my teeth.Now that I don’t have my dad to hug when I get up every morning since we stay in different cities, I have become dependent on my mobile to get access to him n my mom. Some great man he was indeed...who invented the telephone !!!! It eliminates the distances and strengthens the bonds.And so , since I moved on to a different city, I call them every morning in the attempt that they will pull me out of my slumber and every morning this is what they do and tell me to go and brush my teeth !!!Everything still remains the same , physical distances apart.

Actually since a few days , I am getting some intuition kind of feeling , which I fail to understand. I don’t know something good is going to happen or something bad is going to happen or… nothing is going to happen…but there must be something.I had called dad this morning to tell him about it.But when he picked up his mobile, he told me – “ I’m in a conference, we’ll talk later”!!! Ohhh…my God… Who goes for a Conference on Sunday 11 AM ? Well..apparantly my dad does. Till date , I don’t know exactly what he does, but I know that he is involved in negotiations , tenders, bids and deals for his organization.Phew… whatever..looks big things to me and I sometimes fantize if someday I could go and win a billion dollar deal for my esteemed organization!!
Well , because I couldn’t speak to him , I now called my mom who was busy with her maid at this time of the day.Mom’s tape recorder is the same everyday. You got up ?? So late?What will u eat ? Has your cook come ? What has she cooked? Did you soak the almonds.I know u didn’t .Why don’t you do , It’s so easy .I do a thousand things and you cannot even soak a few almonds!!!! Phew…again.

Well all that apart, I now told my mom about my intuition and my feelings .She asked me –Are your eyes also fluttering. Left one or right one .Some old wives tale it is ,I have heard.Well , I told her everything and confided in her and she being my mother consoled me and told me not to worry and that everything will be fine. That reminds me of the “Aaall is Well” of 3 idiots   It is such a good way to console oneself.i’ll search more on google about intuitions ..where do they arise from , what is their source and are they for real. Well , what I am feeling is not clear,what is going to happen .Is it going to happen to me or to someone else related to me …. But I feel restless and clueless.
Only time can tell me what is in store for me and what were these intuitions about.till then I’ll perhaps rather wait..  


When the going gets tough
Smile 
When times are difficult
Smile 
When nothing seems to be clear
Smile 
When the darkest of nights is there
Smile 
Coz the morning is not far away
Coz every question has an answer
Coz God stores his best of surprises
When they are least expected by us.

It rained today...

And so it came down this evening , a welcome respite from the heat’s fury that had gripped the city since a few days….Rain !!!!! Oh ! I love rain soooo much. I had come from office a little early today evening and was pondering what to do.The best constructive way was to try my skills in the kitchen. And so, I started cooking macroni.As I was grating the cheese , the queer and known smell of earth which comes after rain entered my nostrils. I was instantly happy and I pushed open the kitchen’s window…and there I saw raindrops falling from the sky.It was enough to give me a high as I stood there watching the raindrops fall from the sky onto our earth. I went downstairs and stood at the stairs so that I could have a better feel of the rain.There , I saw my friend coming home trying to save herself from the rain . She came upstairs and we both stood there admiring the beauty of rain. And then we both at the same time felt that we should go out and enjoy the rain rather that watching from a safe distance .Giggling like little girls we immediately rushed down and indulged ourselves in the rain . We went into the park of our society and enjoyed strolling there in the rain.
All drenched after sometime , when we started feeling cold , we came back towards home but then we had another desire growing in our hearts—Ice-cream !!!! We went to the shop nearby to get our favourite ice-cream. Happy and contented we came back home . Little things in life can sometimes give so much happiness and joy that nothing else can be compared to them …
And another thing that has come into my mind just now…why hasn’t anyone until now tried to capture this aromatic scent of earth after rainfall and sold it in bottles? Believe me , I’ll be the biggest customer and the person who does this will make great business as every person I know in this world likes this particular scent !!!
I have this business idea !!!! Anyone ready to actually endorse this and try out? It will be a huge success, I know !!! :):)

Music...a passion

Music is something that gives me immense pleasure.I can go on hours and hours listening to music that I love.When I am alone I like soft music in my room.I often sleep to the mystic sound of favourite music. My mother realized my musical instincts very early and so I started learning Hindustani Classical music at the age of 9. I remember my music classes used to be on every Wednesday evening 5 PM and I didn’t like the timings as it was my playtime !!! It then got shifted to Sunday mornings which was then suitable to me !! I had picked up very quickly and came to know many ragas and taals over the years…from raag bhairav to bhoopali to yaman to asavari and many more…and of course the various taals that they are based on dadra , kaharva , teentaal and so on. My highly learned guru was a Bengali lady and so she also taught me Robindra Songeet . My hands were well set on my Harmonium which I used to play . Little kid that I was, I often didn’t do the ‘Riyaz’ as other engagements also attracted me like my friends playing a new game or my brother playing a new video game. It has been years now that I have not played my Harmonium which still occupies the same place in my room in my house in Ranchi…Yes, I make sure that whenever I go home I take it out , dust it , tune it and open my old Music Diary which still has a sticker over it written –“Upasana Sinha,Std 2 ‘B’
and play it… My fingers now fumble and I realize I am not that adept as I used to be and I have to look at the notes and play while earlier I could play even with closed eyes. Of course… as my Guru always said ‘RIYAZ’ is very important , the more you do the more hold you will have…
It has been more than 10 years now and the little fingers that used to play the keys of the harmonium now play the keys of the laptop and do all sort of technical miracles. I am really amazed when I compare the 2 keys – first – of my Harmonium and second of my Thinkpad. Clicking the keys of the first kind can render innumerable tunes of music to soothe one’s mind and lift one’s spirit. A feeling that perhaps no money can buy..a state of mind that no other engagement can replace .The latter is no less.Clicking on my Thinkpad , I do things that helps global organizations streamline their entire process.I implement SAP in their business by which my organization claims that they (Client) lower costs, posts profits !!!! Big profits..big deals , big money …may also soothe some people’s minds… who knows…Diiferent people have different temperaments and different ways to see life and be content.

Well …since sometime I am having an urge for something… I want to learn playing the piano and also learn the dance form salsa. While salsa is much in vogue these days in NCR and there are many dance schools which send pamphlets in the newspaper that I get everyday morning about their experienced and trained dance teachers,I don’t know about piano classes in Gurgaon …This reminds me of the Grand piano that my father says was in our ancestral house in Munger, Bihar.Apparantly , my Great great grandfather was a great connosier of music and had the Grand Piano transported all the way from England in those days. Sadly enough, the piano was destroyed in the fury of the Great Bihar Earthquake that had hit Munger very badly in 1934. The remenants of that piano , a few rods and keys though still remain in the ‘Tehkhana’ of my ancestral house ‘The Lawn’ in Munger,Bihar. I have seen them with my own eyes there although I feel a little scared going down there as it is dark there and bats will fly above you as you enter the creeking iron door… Anyway, lets leave the scary part..the good thing is that my family still retains the Polyphone music box and it lies there grandly in the Living Room.I think it is nearly 100 years old. I remember once my dad went to an antique shop in Kolkata to enquire about a spare part for our polyphone and will you believe?? The guy started enquiring the make , details and all and was ready to pay a handsome piece for our Polyphone as it came in antique category!!!Of course my dad went away as he didn’t want to put a kind of family heirloom in some antique shop.

Well, coming back to my latest desire of learning salsa and piano… I’m figuring out what to do . im sure if I find seriously I’ll find some Music school in Gurgaon which will offer both these art forms…I’m making up my mind and checking my office schedule.It’s a li’l hectic these days as I’m working on a critical assignment. I think piano classes will have to wait…till then I’ll play them in my dreams and play with the keys of my Thinkpad in actual so that my organization fulfills client expectations on time and make them post profits so that the CEO of a Top German chemical company rests in peace!!!!!

उमंग

आज फिर ये मन कुछ सवाल कर बैठा
कुछ ुल्झे से सवालो के जवाब पूछ बैठा
क्या ये जीवन ेक छन्भन्गुर है..
जो ेक पल तो है पर अगले ही पल ओझल?
िस छोटे से जीवन मे
चाहत है तो बस ितनी
कुछ पल तितलियो सन्ग खेल लू
कुछ पल जुग्नुओ को पकड लू
िक डिब्बी हो जादू की
जिसमे रन्ग सभी समेट लू
जिसमे आसमान के तारे भर लू
जिसमे फूल सारे सजा लू
जिसमे गीत सारे भर लू
यही मेरी पून्जी हो
यही मेरी धरोहर
पर ाकस्मात ही ये सोच बैठ्ती हू
क्य ैसी चाहते जायज है
क्य जादू की डिब्बी मे ये सब कैद कर सकती हू
या फिर ये मुठ्ठी मे बन्द रेत की तरह है
जो मुठ्ठी खोलते ही फिसल जायेगे
बस फिसल जायेगे

Jackey and Hilary

When you love someone,
you find that pictures of them stay with you
all the time in your heart.
Pictures of the way you think of them
when you think of them.
With mummy, it's that day
you broke the drum at the BBC.
Whenever you think you've lost that person,
you start with a picture
and then you find them again.
You want to know what I think of
when I think of you?
When people say Jacqueline Du Pré to me,
I think of a day on a beach
a long time ago.
Long before you played the cello.
Before that Jacqueline Du Pré
or this one.
And we were playing a game.
When I was but 13
or so...
I went into a golden land.
Cimbarozo Cotopaxi took me by the hand,
over the Orinoco...
across the blazing Kalahari desert
through the untamed grasslands of the veldt,
over the steppes...
and home.
Do you remember what you said to me that day, Jackie?
You said that EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT...
And in the end, it was.




I heard these lines today morning when I tuned into my TV. A movie was going on and although I had tuned in casually , I ended up deeply engrossed. ‘Hilary and Jackey’ the movie shows the beautiful relationship between 2 sisters and the story of the very noted and celebrated cellist Jacqueline Mary du Pré
The movie got into my nerves so much that I instantly started hunting for all that I could know about this lady. Thanks to Google which happens to be my best friend , I found a lot to satisfy my quest for knowledge.

According to reviews for this movie : It's stirring, reckless, loving, involving, and rife with unconventional passion; passion for music, life, art, and the delicate relationship between these two synchronous, extraordinary sisters as played by brilliant actors Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths.

It truly is.

The movie based on the true story of Jacqueline is about 2 little girls who are taught by their mother to play musical instrument – Jackey plays the cello and her sister Hilary plays the flute.Jackey becomes a genius and wins International acclaim. The movie portrays Jackey’s homesickness when she was away from her family and her longingness for a sense of security.
The last quarter of the movie chronicles in detail the last fifteen years of Jacqueline's life: she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ,loses control of her nervous system, becomes paralyzed, goes deaf and mute, and finally dies. The film ends with Jacqueline's spirit standing on the beach where she used to play as a child, watching herself and her sister frolicking in the sand as little girls

I digged out the following details about this noted cello artist.

Jacqueline Mary du Pré (26 January 1945 – 19 October 1987) was a British cellist, acknowledged as one of the greatest players of the instrument. She is particularly associated with Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor; her interpretation of that work has been described as "definitive" and "legendary". Her career was cut short by multiple sclerosis, which forced her to cease performing at the age of 28, and led to her premature death.
Amazon.com Review
Jacqueline du Pré saw the outlines of her short, brilliant, and tragic life when she was still very young. The first time she heard a cello (she was 4 years old), she said, "Mummy, I want to make that sound." She got a cello for her 5th birthday and made her professional debut at age 16. She went on to become one of the century's most amazing musicians for 10 years. Then her career was ended by multiple sclerosis. She seems to have foreseen that crippling illness, which killed her at age 42 after years of slow deterioration. She was 9 years old when she confided in her sister, Hilary "Don't tell Mum, but... when I grow up, I won't be able to walk or move." Before she was stricken down, Jacqueline du Pré led a life of unusual richness and complexity.

Her friendship with musicians Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta and Pinchas Zukerman and marriage to Daniel Barenboim led to many memorable chamber music performances.


So , this is what I did this Saturday morning…It’s a good movie and a true story . It’s really sad that such a Great artist had such a short and difficult life. It is said – everybody salutes the rising sun . People who taste Fame and Power though live life Kingsize , but it’s only untill it lasts. And that ,I feel is a very pathetic case when you are used to a certain way of living , of people acknowledging you and then one fine day , everything is gone . While the Sun was rising ..everybody you knew and you did’nt know was with you..but in the Sunset of your Life , you are all alone.
But if at that time you are with your soulmate , all your anxieties will disappear and you will feel complete watching the deep orange sunset together overlooking the dark sea…..

And I now remember a very cute forwarded mail which I am putting here.

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?
There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese.....

Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children

Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back
Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip
(As shown in the figure above):


Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.

Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)...., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.

Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)...., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.

Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT....., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!

Please try this out.............

It’s cute and It’s true…….

Soulful Feelings........

The chirping of birds on the roof
The bright rays of the sun
The new leaves of the spring
Fills my heart with joy and fun.

The sweet voice of the Koel
The quick moves of the squirrel
The blue wings of the peacock,
I’m amused to see the parrots quarrel.

Soon it will be summer
The scorching heat with all its fury
Will leave the earth dry and parched
As I watch from my window,soulfully.

The clouds will then engulf the sky
Causing raindrops to fall
I’ll then play in puddles ‘n pools
And dance in the rain till nightfall

So fixed is the cycle of seasons
Then why not , the flight of life
Why not can I see my future?
Why not can I predict my life?

As the clouds get darker ‘n darker
And lightning strikes the sky
I am afraid…… suddenly
And for no reason I’m about to cry.

The very clouds that I was enjoying,
The very rain that provoked me to dance,
Scare me now to no respite,
To soothe me now,there is no chance.

But, as I stand alone
Terrified in the middle of the road,
An arm falls on my shoulders,
And I know that I’m not alone.

I turn back and look up
And meet my father’s gaze
Of course he was right behind ,watching me,
All the while , I was struggling through the maze.

He takes me into his arms
And fondles me with care
I tightly clutch his fingers , we walk towards home,
And all my fears instantly disappear.

"The essence of life !!"

Have been thinking of blogging for a long long time , but other engagements have prevented me so or maybe I didn’t have a reason enough to blog. After a long long time, I jus sat back today to reminiscence my life ,the way it has moved all along .I cannot say that I have had a life full of highs and lows , because till now I have had a smooth life …. Moving in its own sweet pace. It’s still difficult to find out when childhood games were replaced by books and when school text books were replaced with thicker and more exhaustive college texts, when all scribbled notes were replaced with powerpoint presentations and texts in laptop , all it does is brings a smile on my face. Yes, time has passed and I have moved with it . I left my college campus with a degree in one hand and a job offer in another. Here I am in my office , in one of the world’s biggest IT firms ,sitting at my desk and pondering… how life has been … People who know me well know how cheerful a person I am to even think like this … looking at the past…but everyone has a side to him/her .. a corner unknown , unexplored by others , a corner that is familiar to only oneself… a corner where one can be at peace with oneself..where one can probably find all the unanswered questions beacause this is the place where one gets the truest of ones answers…

Everything was perfectly fine…until now… when I put a thousand questions to myself..some questions which have suddenly cropped up from absolutely nowhere..some questions which are difficult to answer.Maybe time only has the answers to such questions .But the uncertainties of life and the unpredictability of life, boggles me to no respite. If only we could know the future , if only we could peep into tomorrow , things would be better because the Serendipity of life although is sweet but sometimes is scary.
I read somewhere – “In reality, serendipity accounts for one percent of the blessings we receive in life, work and love. The other 99 percent is due to our efforts.”

I feel , that in the mad race to reach the top or achieve a prized trophy , people forget to see or grab the little things in life…things that may seem trivial…but things that may actually be of great value.Things for which we may not have time , but things that may give us although momentary pleasure but a reason enough to feel happy and contented. Work is very important these days.I find people toiling hard at office , working late ..the reason they give is work pressure , client deadlines, millions of issues.I was talking to a senior in my workplace – He told me that he goes back home everyday at 10 PM ,he’s handling 3 clients and responsible for 3 projects.He has a 1.5 year old kid. I just asked him one question – what is the use of such a work that gives you no time to spend with your family , your kid. What will you do with all your work –experience if you do not experience/witness your own 1.5 year old child growing up. I saw a sad look in his eyes…Sometimes , we forget to give importance to those things /work / people that are actually the most important in our lives. We start taking for granted things that actually matter to us the most or are the greatest reason of happiness for us. In the small drama called life of which we have been given the divine opportunity to play a part , I feel we should , play our characters the best way we can.As somebody has told me that life should be lived like a commercial movie , it must have all the thrills and frills in a short span , so that all the aspects are explored. The one life that we have , we should respect it and make the most of it because I have also heard that human beings get to be born again in homo sapiens species only once in 83 crore years !!!!