Things Untold

List Of Favourite Slow Songs - Hindi

2009-08-19T12:31:00.001-05:00

Not many posts where I tag myself but couldnt resist this one :-) After going through so many lists and songs, I have finally come up with a list of my own :-) One thing...I cannot restrict myself to just 10 songs...so please bear with me :D

I will put up tamil, telugu, bengali and malayalam when time permits :D

001. Junglee - Ehsaan Tera - Rafi Saab
002. Bheegi Raat - Dil Jo Na Keh Saka
003. Gharana - Husnwale
004. Jewel Thief - Dil Pukare
005. Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke - Yeh Khamoshiyan Yeh Tanhaaiyaan
006. Chirag - Teri Aankhon Ke Siva
007. Parasmani - Woh Jab Yaad Aaye
008. Loafer - Aaj Mausam Bada
009. Love In Tokyo - Aaja Re Aa Zara/ O mere Shaah-E-Khuba
010. Kashmir Ki Kali - Ishaaron
011. Kohinoor - Do Sitaaron Ka Zameen Par
012. Gambler - Mera Mann Tera Pyasa
013. Dulaari - Suhaani Raat
014. Neel Kamal - Tujhko Pukare Mera Pyar
015. Guide - Din Dhal Jaaye
017. Hum Dono - Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar :-)
018. Aaj Aur Kal - Yeh Waadiyaan Yeh Fizaayen
019. Naya Daur - Uden Jab Jab Zulfein Teri
020. Prince - Badan Pe Sitaare
021. Dulhan Ek Raat Ki - Ek Haseen Shaam Ko
022. Kaajal - Chhu Lene Do
023. Mere Sanam - Humdum Mere Maan Bhi Jaao
024. Barsaat Ki Raat - Zindagi Bhar
025. Chaudhvi Ka Chand - Chaudhvi Ka Chand
026. Aap To Aise Na The - Tu Is Tarah
027. Suraj - Bahaaron Phool Barsao :)
028. Dosti - Chahunga Main Tujhe
029. Yakeen - Gar Tum
030. Taj Mahal - Jo Baat Tujhmein Hai/ Jo Waada Kiya
031. Abhimaan - Teri Bindiya Re
032. Shagird - Woh Hain Zara Khafa Khafa
033. Asli Naqli - Tujhe Jeevan Ki Dor Se
034. Karz - Dard E Dil
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035. Blackmail - Pal Pal Dil
036. Yaarana - Chhukar Mere Mann Ko
037. Patita - Hothon Pe Jaan
038. Aradhana - Kora Kaagaz
039. Aap Ki Kasam - Karvate Badalte Rahe
040. Raja Jaani - Jaani O Jaani
041. Zehreeley Insaan - O Hansini
042. Silsila - Dekha Ek Khwab
043. Kabhi Kabhi - Pyar Kar Liya To Kya - in fact all songs
044. Saraswati Chandra - Chandan Sa Badan
045. Himalay Ki God Mein - Chand Si Mehbooba
046. Malhar - Bade Armaanon Se Rakha
047. Madhumati - Dil Tadap Tadap
048. Chori Chori - Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi/Rasik Balma
049. Yeh Raatein Yeh Mausam Nadi Ka Kinara
050. Kinara - Naam Gum Jaayega
051. Saath Saath - Tumko Dekha
052. Baaton Baaton Mein - Suniye Kahiye
053. Golmaal - Aanewala Pal
054. Padosan - Mere Saamnewali Khidki Mein :)
055. Safar - Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhen (GOD I LOVE THIS ONE)
056. Baharon Ke Sapne - Aaja Piya/Baharon Mera Jeevan
057. Anpadh - Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha
058. Paying Guest - Chand Phir Nikla/Chod Do Aanchal
059. Mera Saaya - Nainon Mein Badra/Mera Saaya Saath Hoga
060. Inteqam - Aa Jaanejaan
061. Baat Ek Raat Ki - Jo Ijazat Ho To
062. Anupama - Kuch Dil Ne Kaha
063. Yeh Shaam Ki Tanhaaiyaan (Dunno the movie)
064. Anarkali - Mohabbat Aisi Uljhan
065. Sujata - Jalte Hain Jiske Liye
066. Upkaar - kasme Vaade Pyar
067. Shree 420 - Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua (The mother of all romantic songs)
068. Bramhachari - Main Gaaun Tum So Jaao
069. ABhilaasha - Waadiyaan Mera Daaman
070. Humraaz - Neele Gagan Ke Tale/Tum Agar Saath Dene Ka Waada Karo
071. Kudrat - Humein Tumse Pyar Kitna
072. Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi - Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si
073. Milan - Saawan Ka Mahina
074. Bandini - Mora Gora Ang Laile
075. Khamoshi - Tum Pukarlo
076. Dil Ek Mandir - Lag Jaa Gale (One hell of an emotional song)
077. Naina Barse Rimjhim Rimjhim
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078. Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee - Tere Darpar Sanam (All SOngs)
079. Deewana - Teri Umeed Tera Intezaar (All Songs)
080. 1942 A Love Story - Kuch Naa Kaho (All Songs)
081. Naaraz - Sambhala Hai Maine
082. Pardes - Do Dil
083. Rangeela - Tanha Tanha
084. Saajan - Mera Dil Bhi (All Songs)
085. Aashiqui - Bas Ek Sanam (All Songs)
086. DDLJ - Tujhe Dekha To (All SOngs)
087. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun - Pehla Pehla (All Songs)
088. Raja Hindustani - Aaye Ho Meri Zindagi Mein
089. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar - Pehla Nasha (All Songs)
090. Sangharsh - Mujhe Raat Din
091. Border - Humein Jabse Mohabbat
092. Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain - Chhup Gaya
093. Jeet - Abhi Saans Lene Ki Fursat
094. Ziddi - Hum Tumse Na Kuch
095. Auzaar - Thehra Hai Yeh Sama
096. Gambler (Govinda) - Hum Unse Mohabbat Karke
097. Darr - Jaadu Teri Nazar
098. Mohabbatein - Humko Humein Se
099. Dil To Pagal Hai - Are Re Are (All Songs)
100. Dhadkan - Dil Ne Yeh Kaha Hai Dil Se (Sonu Nigam's Version)/ Tum Dil Ki
101. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham - Suraj Hua Maddham
102. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna - Tumhi Ddekho Na
103. Hum Tum - Hum Tum
104. Kyun! Ho Gaya Na - Aao Naa
105. Aur Pyar Ho Gaya - Meri Saanson Mein Basa Hai
106. Chalte Chalte - Tauba Tumhare Yeh Ishaare
107. Yes Boss - Ek Din Aap
108. Baadshah - Hum To Deewane Hue
109. Criminal - Tu Mile
110. Kalyug - Jiya Dhadak Dhadak
111. Jab We Met - Tum Se Hi
112. Ghajini - Guzarish
113. Jodha Akbar - Jashn E Bahara
114. Lage Raho - Pal Pal Pal
115. Naqaab - Ek Din Teri Raahon Mein
116. Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein - DIl Ko Tumse Pyar Hua
117. Anwar - Maula Mere/Tose Naina Laage
118. Main Meri Patni Aur WOh - Doob Jaana Re
119. Devdas - Hamesha Tumko Chaha
120. Black - Haan Maine Chhukar Dekha Hai
121. Murder - Bheege Honth
122. Saathiya - Saathiya
123. Kal Ho Na Ho - Kal Ho Na Ho
124. Zeher - Agar Tum Mil Jaao
125. Ankahee - Ek Pal Ke Liye
126. Krishna Cottage - Suna Suna
127. Guru - Tere Bina
128. Kidnap - Mausam
129. kasak - Saansein Maddham Hai
130. Chandni Chowk To China - Tere Naina
131. Khakee - Waada Raha / Yunhi Hum Tumse Pyar
132. Paheli - Dheere Jalna
133. Jism - Chalo/Jaadu Hai
134. Krish - Pyar Ki Kahani
135. Saawariya - Jabse Tere Naina/All Songs
136. Fanaa - Chand Sifarish/ Mere Haath Mein/ Dekho Na
137. Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi - Dil Se Mere/ Woh Pehli Baar
138. Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai - Rabba Mere Rabba
139. New York - Tu Ne Jo Na Kaha
140. Deewaar (New) - Piya Baawri
141. Ru Ba Ru - Tera Woh Pyar
142. Woh Lamhe - Bin Tere Kya
143. Race - Pehli Nazar
144. Tere Naam - Tumse Milna
145. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom - Bol Na Halke Halke
146. Vaastav - Meri Duniya Hai
147. Pukar - Kismat Se Tum
148. Pyar Ke Side Effects - Jaane Kya Chaahe Mann
149. Parinda - Tumse Milke
150. 1947 Earth - Dheemi Dheemi
151. Taal - Nahi Saamne
152. Dil Se - Aye Ajnabi
153. Sadma - Aye Zindagi
154. Jeeva - Roz Roz Aankhon Tale
155. Na Tum Jaano Na Hum - Tum Se Mujhe Pyar
156. Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha - Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha
157. Dushman - Pyar Ko Ho Jaane Do
158. Tarkeib - Meri Aankhon Ne CHuna Hai Tujhko
159. Refugee - Aisa Lagta Hai
160. Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai - Yeh Hawaayein
161. Om Shanti Om - Main Agar Kahun (Love singing this for my fiancee ;0) )
162. Veer Zara - Main Yahan Hoon
163. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - Tadap Tadap/Aankhon Ki/ Chand Chupa/ Jhonka Hawa
164. Metro - O Meri Jaan
165. Lekin - Surmayee Shaam
166. Zakhm - Hum Yahan/ Gali Mein Chand
167. Namaste London - Yehi Hota Pyar
168. Saaya - O Saathiya
169. Kuch Na Kaho - Achchi Lagti Ho
170. Shortkut - Kal Nau Baje
171. Ta Ra Rum Pum - Hey Shona
172. Humko Ishq Ne Maara - Aapse Pyar Hai/ Jaadu Hai Yeh Naya Naya
173. Aryan - Jaaneman
174. Cheeni Kum - Jaane Do Naa
175. Dostana - Kuch Kam
176. Saher - Palkein Jhukao Na (Movie - Saher)
177. Dastak - Jaadu Bhari Aankhon Waali Suno
178. Paap - Mann Ki Lagan
179. Heroes - Main Mangiyasi Mannata
180. Tango Charlie - Dheere Dheere
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NON FILMI SONGS

181. OM - Tu Jo Mila (Alisha)
182. Tera Mera Pyar - Yeh Kya Hua (Shreya Ghoshal)
183. Ek Tukda CHand Ka - Isi Ko Pyar Kehte Hain (Shaan)
184. Suno To Deewana Dil - Suno To Deewana Dil (Kamaal Khan)
185. Deewana - Ab Mjhe Raat Din (Sonu Nigam) - Infact All Songs
186. Jaan - Deewane Hoke Hum (Sonu Nigam)
187. Saher - Tere Baare Mein Jo (Jagjit Singh)
188. Stolen Moments - Aur Aahista (Pankaj Udhas)
189. Humnasheen - Phir Haath Mein (Pankaj Udhas)
190. Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin - Kahin Kahin Se (Jagjit Singh/Lata Mangeshkar/Asha Bhonsale)
191. Pal - Pyar Ke Pal (KK)
192. Piya Basanti - Piya Basanti/ Surmayee Aankhen (Ustad Sultan Khan/ Chitra)
193. Tum Yaad Aaye - Saare Sapne Kahin (Alka Yagnik)
194. Tum Aaye - Tum Aaye (Hariharan/ Alka Yagnik)
195. Kaash - Maikade Band Kare (Hariharan)
196. Breathless - Breathless/ Ghul Raha Hai (Shankar Mahadevan)
197. Doorie - Kuch Is tarah (Atif Aslam)
198. Nusrat - Tere Bin Nahi Lagda (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)
199. Aankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra - Aankhon Mein Tera (Aryans)
200. Talat Aziz - Chanda teri Chandni Ko Karde Thoda Kam
201. Love Is Life - Tum To Ho (Udit Narayan)
202. Kehna To Hai - Kehna To Hai (Kumar Sanu)
203. Tera Mere Saath - Kitni Haseen Zindagi (Lucky Ali)
204. Sifar - Nahi Rakhta Dil Mein Kuch (Lucky Ali)
205. Random - Anjaani Raahon Mein/ Gori Teri Aankhen (Lucky ALi)
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Shreya's concert in Blore on july 25th and in Delhi on july 26th NOT HAPPENING!!!!

2009-07-15T10:44:00.001-05:00

Hi,

There is no Shreya Ghoshal concert in Blore on jul 25th and in Delhi on 26th. Please DO NOT GET THE TICKETS!!Its an online scam. I got the news from a credible source. Please spread the word.

Past - A Bucket Of Ashes!!!!

2009-01-20T18:02:00.003-06:00

Life had always been a roller coaster ride for me. I thought I was the master and could control my life the way I wanted but you never know when the past comes back at you. I had that painful experience somedays back. This is about my best friend Abhimanyu. Abhi and I were always partners in crime. Let it be the cricket ground where we knock out the batsmen or chasing girls in school....we were called Veeru and Jai by our classmates and quite rightly so...he was more outgoing while I was an introvert to begin with. I had this studious and no nonsense type image while he was an affable chap. Two people totally different yet the best of friends....amazing isnt? He has had a huge influence in my life..let it be on the field or off it, we've struck many wonderful partnerships. There was nothing hidden between us...when we met, the only common thing for us was our birthday( we share the same date)...he's exactly a year elder than me. When I met him, I thought he was a cartoon...GIRLS GIRLS and GIRLS...is this what he can talk about??This was the impression I had..but I was wrong. I realized pretty soon what a wonderful human being he was and above all a great friend. In no time, he got me out of my shell(something he said he regretted as I ate away his fan following :-) )and we became partners in crime.

After school, I lost contact with everyone including him. My life had been a struggle and at that point, I didnt want to talk to anyone. Time just flew and I was on the verge of completing my Masters. I had gone home for my vacations when I recieved a call. I picked up the phone expecting it to be one of my friends...or GIRL FRIENDS(as mom puts it)....."Dooooooooooooooooode"....someone screamed from the other end..I couldnt believe it. This was something I had not imagined in my wildest dreams...the same voice and the enthusiasm still there............"Where the hell did you vanish??" I was stammering on the other end still in a daze and he was hurling expletives at me for not staying in touch. We caught up with what was going on in each others lives when he suddenly said."Ok lets cut the crap..I want to tell you something.......I'm in LOVE dude".I was pleasantly surprised. For someone who didnt believe in relationships, this was a huge improvement......I was very happy for him and while I stayed away from talking to anyone, he still chose me to be the first person he could share this with. He wanted to propose to her and was thinking how......even in school, people used to come to me with their problems and I would try to solve them. I felt nothing had changed. He wanted to learn how to say I Love You in tamil as the girl was an Iyengar(a tam bram).....We spoke for a long time and exchanged our contact details. And look at the coincidence, along with me, he had lost touch with our entire gang and had no idea about them. We registered in orkut with the hope that someday, we'll find them there. He decided to propose to his girl the next day and I hung up as I had my GRE the next day.

I gave my GRE the next day and got a fantastic score. I instantly hoped that he was successful too. I waited impatiently for the result but he didnt call. I kept trying his number but it was not reachable. A couple of years passed. I mailed him only for it to bounce. I didnt get any news about his whereabouts. Slowly through orkut, I got back in touch with my old gang and none of us knew about him. I chose to keep his proposal a secret as he had not told anyone else about it.
In the meanwhile, I had joined my company and work was taking its toll on me. Luckily, I had a good manager and a wonderful team. Thanks to Abhi I had become a total extrovert...and a ladies man too...was really popular among them :) There was a girl in my team( my senior) whom I thought was intelligent and attractive. The problem was, she was too reserved and would talk about nothing but work. I tried my level best but flopped miserably. One day, I was passing through her cubicle while I saw her browsing some pics. Her machine was directly in my line of sight so I could clearly see them. I could make out her face in it...looks like it was taken during her college days. I was in for a huge shock when I saw the complete pic. She had taken it with Abhi. I asked her how did she know him. She asked me the same question for which I replied that we were best friends and one day he called me suddenly only to vanish again. She broke down when she heard this and said she would talk to me later. I asked her where was he...she told me to see her near the coffee machine. I had tried to have one with her many times but never knew it would be this way.

We went for a small walk outside our building when she broke the news that Abhi was no more. He had met with an accident the same day he had spoken to me....this was too much for me to handle....I had not expected this at all. She said he had always been talking to her about me and she knows me as well as he does. Everything fell in place then. I realized she was the girl he loved. The only thing I knew about her was her name. And here, she was in front of me in this situation...I didnt know how to react. I was close to tears and didnt want to cry in front of a stranger. She had already broken down and I was just standing like a moron doing nothing. She told me how much she loved him but couldnt express it. She trusted me because I was his best friend. She didnt even know that the feeling was mutual...I was about to tell her that he planned to propose to her the next day but I stopped. She was getting married in a month and she had agreed with great difficulty for her parents. I didnt want to spoil the whole thing. This secret still stays inside me. I dont know what I did was right or wrong. I decided never to talk to her again for obvious reasons. Being an emotional guy, I didnt want to blurt this out someday in a moment of weakness.....till date she doesnt know that he loved her too and if she comes to know that I knew it, maybe she would never forgive me for not telling her but whats the point? It was already too late. She was going to step into a new life and I didnt want her past to haunt her. I guess if Abhi was in my place, he would have done the same. Somethings are better left unsaid.............she left the place not wanting to meet me again. And I was down on my knees with my head skywards and eyes full of tears.

Back!!!!

2009-01-17T20:45:00.001-06:00

Finally....a blog update long due...was busy moving to NYC....USA's Mumbai :-)....Always active and awake....I do miss Dallas and my old team though. All my plans to go to India have been put on hold. Spent the weekend with some close relatives and had a blast. Going back to my hotel tomorrow...back to the boredom I was dreading....have tonnes of things to do...finish off my tax returns, apply to B schools etc...YAY!!This project is only for 4 months...I can leave NYC after that.....nowdays a strange feeling has engulfed me....cannot call it lonliness but at the same time, am missing someone in my life...maybe all my relatives are happily married or friends are getting married.....well, depends on how the girl search is also going on....am finding an interest in it suddenly......well, lets hope this is just a passing phase!!!!Guys often try too hard in finding a girl and then once the wedding is over, they regret their decision...I dont wanna do that.....and all the people I roam around here are guys...am badly missing a female influence in life...anyways, as I said hope this is just a passing phase...am waiting for next week to finish off a few things and start work too. Got a good appraisal and hope to continue the good work....4 months in NYC.....looking forward to it.

Crazy Crazy!!!!

2008-12-29T02:11:00.002-06:00

Back....end of my exams and finished them off with decent scores :-)...Enjoying my unplanned vacation and ya...working out religiously to get back in shape...that will take me 3-4 months more I guess, broke my middle finger and had to keep it in a cast for 3 weeks grrrrrrrr. Might fly to India in the second week of Jan...before that, I am flying to NYC in the next 2 hours :-) gonna watch the ball drop at Times Square....caught up with all the movies and cricket matches I missed, prepared new dishes and burnt 600 calories almost everyday....results are beginning to show :-) Looks like I'll tone up before my wedding (hope it happens in or after 2010...not 09)...saw Ghajini and loved Aamir's performance as usual...though I thought Surya was better as Sanjay. Asin was lovely ;) and Shreya Ghoshal was wonderful in Lattoo...am lattoo over her voice, the song and Jiah :D...loved the cement scene and the scene where Asin tells Aamir that she sold the car for his mothers treatment....so damn touching!!!I hope someone loves me like that in future....seriously...in todays world, people are so obsessed with money that they ignore all the wonderful moments with their family...I hope I am not one of them!!! I dont have much experience but I am a hardcore romantic at heart and a sucker for such things...may not sound manly but hey...we are also human beings!!Men love to be romantic and if the lady responds in a similar way, men feel they have reached heaven!!!Cant say this to any of my friends as they will pull my leg...am the only guy who is single in my group...all my friends are married (disadvantages of being the youngest!!!!And underage by 2 years!!!) Anyways am looking to meet my family after 8 months :-) Mom's aalu paratha and lassi...MAN!!!!!Missed it a lot...the roadside pani puris, an occassional drink with dad, teasing my lil sis...man that was a perfect life...now I am here in the US all alone missing all the wonderful moments I shared with my family......am gonna relive them soon :) ...Anyways gotta start my packing...will update this space soon......hafta rewind 2008 :p

2008 Unfulfilled....

2008-12-04T09:41:00.003-06:00

Another year is about to end and looking back, there are some things I always wanted to do but I couldnt...maybe these can be counted as my resolutions for 2009 :p

01. Sing a song with Shreya Ghoshal (alrite....I can hear you guys sneering :D....I dont care if its a recording room or the streets, just a line would be enough :D...)

02. Get rid of all the excess flab I acquired (Well....almost there but not enough!!!Its a long journey from a 103 kg to a 77 kg guy but still not in shape!!!...I am the one to blame here as I was not a regular in the gym)

03. Get my H1 (:( what to do.....no problemo...I still have another year :) )

04. One last drink with dad (Oh k! Mom is gonna kill me if she reads this!! Dad has quit drinking and I want to enjoy a drink ONE last time with him...had plans this may but had to leave suddenly)

05. Meet some good friends I havent met AT ALL...(strange but true...I rarely make friends online but there happens to a good friend of mine in Mumbai (Dude..I know you'll read this one thanks to a google alert ;) and I expect you to comment too ) whom I always wanted to meet and the plan never went thro :( )

06. Make cofta (have to learn this from mom....she makes the best cofta.....)

07. Resume my kick boxing classes (been a whooping two years since I got back to martial arts....my leg has still not healed from the horrific crash I suffered on my 24th bday..:( )

08. Do something for my country and people (Right now its limited to donations during mine or my family member's bdays and occassions....I want to do something like sponsor a kids entire education etc....soon....very soon!!!!!)

09. Rein my temper.....(He He He.....Its impossible.....:D)

10. Complete the design of my dream house (A little known hobby....I love to design homes and this one is in process for 10 years now...still not complete :D)

11. Send my parents on a world tour....My lil sis and I can stay behind ;)....Plans are in place!!!!

12. Get a car in the US.....(A perfectionist...I have rejected so many cars just because one of the specifications was not in place....am obsessed with detail..a typical virgoan trait!!)

Well...Thats like one per month...:) The list has not ended but hopefully it will shrink :).....

A Wednesday - Mumbai Attacked And India Bled!!!!

2008-11-28T15:39:00.007-06:00

A Wendesday....Mumbai under Seige!!!! Terrorists infilktrated our country through the Gateway of India and in all of a sudden, so many innocent people either lost their lives or were badly wounded. What on earth is going on????Yet another terrorist attck???Is it an act of negligence or is it that these terrorists hoodwinked our intelligence? It is hard to fathom. In either case, its the innocent people who have lost their lives. Three of Mumbai's or I would say India's finest officers sacrificed their lives for the country. Why did that happen? Because their revolvers were no match for the terrorist's AK 47...DAMN!!!!!! The Taj Hotel Manager's entire family got wiped out leaving him to pick the bones...so many like him are mourning the loss of their entire family and that too for no fault of theirs!!!!

I am deeply saddened to see the sorry state of affairs in Mumbai. A city where I share a lot of childhood memories has turned into a playground for these bastards (sorry abt the profanity...they deserve it!!!) who enter our country and go on a killing spree. It pains me to see that our country is so insecure that anyone can just come in thro the GATEWAY OF INDIA (Ironically) and kill at will. And what pains me even more is the blame game the COngress and BJP are playing now.....how long will we remember Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte's sacrifice???A week??A Month???Max a year!!!!Then its the SO CALLED SPIRIT OF MUMBAI (let me take this opportunity to salute the spirit of Mumbai...the resilience Mumbai has shown after the various attacks it has faced is amazing!!!!) which will eventually prevail and this too will be forgotten. It will take another jolt for our country to actually wake up and realize that we have a problem.

Why is it that everytime we are attacked, the intelligence supposedly has no clue? Lot of theories came out. A coast guard apparently alerted our government on Nov 18th that there would be a possible infiltration through sea. The fisherwomen have noticed strange people unloading ammonutions at the gateway and when they reported this to the local police, no action was taken (indeed baffling).....Russian intelligence had warned our government that Mumbai would face an attack yet our Intelligence is clueless!!!!Thats what they have to say!!!!!! Is our INTELLIGENCE INTELLIGENT enough???? And I was waiting to type this out.....WHERE (Profanity deleted) is Raj Thakeray and his MEE MARATHI spirit???? Was he too busy bullying the bihari/UP bhaiyaas that he had no time for these terrorists??WHERE IS the MNS OR NMS Whatever!!!!!!!!!!! Cant they beat the hell out these terrorist bastards like they did to our own countrymen?

I might not know anyone who was directly affected with the blast but my heart bleeds when I see the happenings on screen. The first thought that comes across my mind is It could have been me. And to be frank, my entire body shudders at the very thought of it. The Mumbai Police and the army did a great job in combating the evil forces and making Mumbai secure again...but are we really secure??? Do we need the police and army to risk their lives time and again so that we can sleep in peace? Arent they human? Dont they have family and friends they like to be with??If there is a way to anhilate these terrorists in one go, nothing like it. These people cannot be considered as humans...bloody masochists!!!!!

Frankly speaking, we do not have anyone as tough as Sardar Vallabhai Patel in the highest echelons of the Govt. I do not know how our government functions internally and I have no rights to comment about it whatsoever but I feel our Govt is really soft on terror. Policemen still resort to lathis and the terrorists have weapons more sophisticated than AK 47 (courtesy NDTV)....blasts are happening in all parts of the country in the last 2 years and these people are getting away scott free. All that remains is the blame game politicians enjoy playing over our dead bodies!!!!!!!!. So many Hemant Karkare's, Ashok Tambe's, Vijay Salaskar's and all other innocent people will keep dying and nothing will change!!!! GIMME A BREAK!!!!!!

I admit that sitting in the US, all I can do is type this in my blog and give vent to my feelings. And millions of us feel the same way. But the way things are shaping up, it wont be long we pay these terrorist bastards back in their own language and that day will be deadly.

Excellent Day :-)

2008-11-28T01:32:00.003-06:00

Amazing day.....made the most of it and prepared hard.....didnt get a single algebra sum wrong (that goes for data sufficiency too)....am on a high now...you know what??I am going to San Antonio this weekend. The guys couldnt let me stay behind!!!!!!Well, they are a driver short if I dont turn up ;)...didnt know I was Mr. Popular here....This would be my last trip with them as I am packing off on dec 22nd and there was no way they would not let me not to come :D...Am gonna attack statistics, permutations and probablity tomorrow. They have been my Archiles heel for quite sometime...well, I have conquered sentence correction.....this is nothing...as Vijay said in one of his movies....Evalo Pannitom...Ithu Kooda Panna Maatoma :p

Made Aalu Jeera and people loved it....mashed potatoes with jeera all over it...pretty simple na :)..Made the Non Iyengar rasam (or should I say...Shaathumadhu) because my roomies dont like the Iyengar one :(.........came out OK...could be better...but what the hell....those gluttons gorged on it leaving none for poor lil me.....feel bad that I am not doing anything for the trip...my roomies are so focussed on making me travel at any cost that they are supervising my studies :)...How much can a 26 yr old take?????

Oh ya....todays song of the day...its vintage Rafi saab...Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar Ki Dil Abhi Bhara Nahi :)

Cold Feet...:(

2008-11-26T12:39:00.000-06:00

Well....yesterday I was gung ho about my San Anonio trip with my roomies. Though I did have my reservations with the GMAT looming, the thought that it would be my last trip with them kept me going...and today, I developed cold feet and backed out...and as expected, am under pressure to come back in. I didnt divulge the real reasons to back out though...true, it was the fear of the GMAT and on top of it, I had an extremely bad dream that I scored just 580...MAN...that number was so damn clear....and I had given myself a 2 day break from my books..and that has been slashed to a day :(....On the brighter side, I caught up with the India England one day matches and saw Sachin and Sehwag flog the Poms all around the park...hurray!!!India should make it 7-0...would be interesting :-)...back to the trip, I would be extremely uncomfortable throughout the weekend wasting all the $$( the expense is not the case...it is just that I will not be able to enjoy the trip for the money paid) and on top of it, not studying!!!! :(.....

Another good thing was catching up with one of my best buddies from college. Niranjan had come down to Dallas this week and was pleasantly surprised to see a 103 kg heavy guy lose weight to 78 :-0)...no prizes for guessing who he is :D...We caught up on old times and time just flew. Should do this more often. Had a small altercation with mom on the GIRL issue :( I was not too interested to carry the conversation forward with the GMAT coming up but you know how pushy moms tend to be ....had to let loose all my pent up anger and tension..(I can be really mean sometimes) and spent the next 30 mins cajoling her and apologising :D...Thats me...anyways those who are reading this...and those who do or do not know me, do wish me luck :-) I need lots of it.

A small note...been stuck with the song Endhan Nenjil from the movie Kalaignan since morning . All my non tamil friends pls do listen to this song. Its a masterpiece.

Dec 15th....Am Ready For Ya

2008-11-24T23:06:00.003-06:00

Back to my often neglected blogspace..as a matter of fact, I've been neglecting everything I used to do...my piano is full of dust, I am NOT watching the India - England series(the first time I am missing a cricket series), dropped out of the Dallas cricket league (not to mention that I scored a first ball duck in my only match ;p but what the hell....took 5 wickets with my so called right arm medium fast bowling :p...at last my shoulder is responding to the treatment) my blog is not updated and I've not COOKED for 2 weeks!!!!!! Its almost impossible for a foodie like me not to try out new stuff in the kitchen and force them into my roomies :p.....anyways....I am taking the GMAT on dec 15th and after a week......AM HEADING TO INDIA AND FOR A MONTH LONG VACATION WOHOOOOO.....cant wait to go home and gorge on my mom's aalu parathas :) and ya....BESSIE BEACH!!!!!Missed it like crazy!!!!!!! ...........have a long list to complete once the GMAT is over...it has taken a huge chunk of my life away :(.....The first thing I am gonna do is take my piano out and play my favourite tunes. Next, my house is in a MESS and I am a typical virgo(ya a cleanliness freak...THE MOST UNCLEAN CLEANLINESS FREAK!!! ;)...Next, track the circus which is going on at home (the girl search).....more than me or my parents, my relatives are buzzing with excitement...CANT THEY LEAVE ME ALONE?????I AM HAPPY STAYING SINGLE!!!!!! And the list goes on and on and on. ..............anyways gotta go back to my books....:D

Tagged....Again!!!!

2008-10-28T00:35:00.002-05:00

Well...I was tagged by a blogger friend long long ago and I did this at 12.36 in the night :)...Anyways here goes...

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
A. Am a typical virgo....one thing I cannot stand is betrayal!!!No chances...I tend to get very destructive.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?
A. MBA...and the most cherished dream....send my parents off for a world tour :-)

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
A. Always my managers....whoever he is or will be :)

4. Why do you blog?
A. Giving vent to my feelings, try to get my creative side out (if I have one he he he)....and seeing my imaginations come alive

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
A. NO WAY!!!!

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
A. Definitely being loved by the person you love.....

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
A. If that person also loves me, then I would wait till eternity....else ladkiyaan, bus aur train......:)
8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
A. Ladkiyaan....Bus AUr Train...: I follow this religiously.

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
A. Old age homes and under privileged children.....

10. What takes you down the fastest?
A. The fear if losing my loved ones.

11. What resurrects you the fastest?
A. Shreya Ghoshal/Mohd Rafi/SPB's voice.....my mom's songs and ya GOOD FOOD!!!!

12. What’s your fear?
A. Heights...can be called my greatest fear and my source of entertainment....I've skydived 3 times :)

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
A. A typical scorpion...I need not add anything else :)

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
A. Single and RICH....Any Problem?

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
A. Brush My teeth

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
A. Do Phool Ek Mali..??Interesting...depends on who likes me out of the two

17. Would you give all in a relationship?
A. YES!!!!

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
A. I can forgive but cannot forget...unfortunately God has gifted me a wonderful memory and I cannot erase these things no matter how much i want to.

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
A. Single.....if I dont get the person I like

20. Tag 6 people.
A. Nasreen, Venkat, Nirenjan, Arthi, Aditi and Ananya

Coffee And Rain

2008-09-20T21:19:00.003-05:00

Last weekend it was raining cats and dogs in Dallas (courtesy hurricane Ike in Houston)...one of my favourite seasons sine childhood...really missed jumping on the mud puddles and dancing in the rain. This time, I was in an alien country with strangers...all I could do was get a hot cup of coffee and stand by the window watching the waters trickling down. I always felt that this was the most romantic weather and ya, many bollywood movies would agree with me too :-). Guess the stong coffee was having its effect on me too.....I was humming some of my favourite tunes when I suddenly realized these could be made into a cd. Most of them are the typical slow numbers you would like to listen by your warm fireplace or stand near the window with the music playing in the background. I want to trim this list to fit it in an audio cd so some help would be appreciated...and ya additions are welcome too....I can make this a 2 cd collection :)...I have tried to cover all emotions a man undergoes when he is in love so pls bear with the sad songs.

The list is as follows :-

01. Jab We Met - Tum Se Hi
02. Thakshak - Khamosh Raat
03. Babul - Bebasi
04. Saawariya - Masha Allah
05. Adnan Sami - Tera Chehra
06. Adnan Sami - Kisi Din
07. Duniya Dilwalon Ki - Jaa Ri Jaa
08. Kyun! Ho Gaya Na - Dheere Dheere (Shankar Mahadevan)
09. Stolen Moments - Aur Aahista Kijiye Baatein
10. Pal - Pyar Ke Pal (KK)
11. KNPH - Na Tum Jaano Na Hum
12. Fuzon - Mora Saiyaan
13. Metro - Dil Khudgarz Hai
14. Metro - In Dinon Dil Mera
15. Deewana - Yeh Pehli Mulaqat (Sonu Nigam)
16. Mukesh - Kabhi Kabhi
17. Rafi - Husnwale Tera Jawaab Nahi
18. Kishore - Pal Pal Dil

Pa.....

2008-07-22T00:08:00.003-05:00

Before anyone reads this, let me warn you that I had written this after gulping 2 bottles of beer...ha ha just kidding.

Pardon the writing...I know the sentences were not formed perfectly or there is no continuity but I wrote the whole thing from the heart and I am not going to edit this!!!!

I was watching this movie "Mere Baap Pehle Aap" today...it was a typical priyadarshan movie( except for the fact that this time, he did not have too many people running here and there like his earlier films THANKFULLY!!!!). Though I knew it was a remake of yet another South Indian movie,this movie took me to my days when I was happy with my family...My Parents!!! Its said that sons are more close to their mothers and I am no exception.

Everytime I call home, the first thing I used to say is "Where's Mom??" I never even thought that my dad or lil sis would have something to say. It was always mom. Its not that I had a strained relationship with dad...we were BINDAAS together..it was just that I used to give mom too much importance compared to dad.

But this movie forced me to think about all the moments I spent with dad. My childhood saw very little of him, given the nature of his job. But he had always seen to it that every whim of mine was fulfiled. He made me feel that I was born with a silver spoon. The first 12 years of my life were extravagant.

Then bad times struck when dad decided to enter the stock market and in the end, thanks to one Mr. Harshad Mehta, we lost everything. But kudos to dad. He never let this get to him. But the world saw him with a different view now. Everything he did was criticized in the worst possible way. I was sent to my uncles place in Chennai where I completed my 10th. Dad had never let this get to him. He got another job and within 3 years, got the family to a respectable position once again. But he did this with only my mom to support him. I was kept away from the entire problem and my lil sis waas just 3 years old then.

Anyways, focussing more on my relation with dad...unlike most father and sons who fought because of the generation gap, dad and I got along really well. Yes, we did have our share of heated arguments but dad was much more accomodating. In the end, I realized how right he was. We used to fight in the morning and then make up in the evening...(he used to get me my fav shoes or cd's everytime we fought :p)..Once I was really upset that he gave our driver more importance than me and made it a point to curb the drivers wings which I did and in style (this impressed dad too). We are a total mismatch..not a single characteristic is similar. Dad loves casuals...(and I love formals :D) Dad prefers bikes while I am always game when its a 4 wheeler and so on.....

I always had problems with every little habit of his...he was more carefree while i was a perfectionist!! I am a neatness freak while dad doesnt even care about it. I am totally into music while dad doesnt even know the M of music!!!!

Slowly, we became more of friends than father and son..and I started taking him for granted. It was always mom for me...it was like "Dad ka kya...dekha jaayega!!!"

This particular incident always brings a smile on my face. We shifted base to Coimbatore after dads retirement and I moved to Chennai to pursue my MCA. During a singing competition, I saw a girl (she was the comperer and I won the second prize for Tere Dar Par Sanam) and asked her out the very same day :-) Surprisingly she agreed. After dinner, we were walking by th ebeach when she asked me whether I smoke...I said No...Then she asked me whether I drink!!! I said no...She laughed saying Kaise mard ho??Main 2-3 peg gatak leti hoon!!!!That turned me off!!!I left for Coimbatore and was mulling over what she said when my dad noticed it...I am going to replicate the conversation with him at that point of time...

Dad: Dude (dad calls me that), what happened??Girl problem?

Me: Correct pa...you know this girl...she said this to me...(And told him the whole story)...

By the time I finished, dad rushed to his room and came out with 2 bottles of beer.......and said this

Dad: I was waiting for this moment...chal...aaj bete ke saath ek peg maar leta hoon!!!!(This is how I started drinking...gave it up pretty soon too :D)

How many of us could talk to our dad like this??Very few!!My maama is so strict that my cousin refuses to go home.... mom still doesnt know I used to drink :p...and dad instigated it!!!!

My girlfriends (girl - friends) used to come home to meet my dad thanks to his BINDAAS nature. He was a big hit among my friends and was always invited to our outings...pity he never joined us even once...;-)

When fathers day came, I sent him a big senti card (knowing he hates such stuff :D) and a watch. He called me back and said this...

Dad: Kameene....baap ko fathers day pe rulaayega kya??Now make up for this and send me a scotch!!!!..

Me: Dad, main kameena hoon to aap mere baap ho ;)...I need not say anything more :D

(This was the first thing I recollected after seeing the movie)

Looking back, I think of all the times when my dad didnt get the importance he deserved from me. Despite doing so much, he never said a word. Maybe it was his bindaas nature which didnt allow me to notice it. Or maybe he never bothered!!! When Mom had high BP, I was tensed. When dad had it, I joked telling him to quit smoking!!! He just smiled and said nothing. This seemed so natural but now I realise...deep down his heart, he does feel that his son does not give him the importance he deserves and today, I feel really guilty. To all the people out there reading this, its not too late. Do tell your dad what he is in your life. I am going to do that right away...I dont wanna spend the rest of my life regretting!!!

Anyways, I never said this to him till date.....I am proud to be his son in this lifetime and will always be.....Love you Dad!!!!!!

P.S.-On a lighter note, now I know why Abhishek Bachchan keeps eulogizing his DAD!!!!!:p

A Lot Can Happen Over Coffee And Music

2008-05-25T19:05:00.003-05:00

Hey All, I am back with a new story in my life and that too after a brief hiatus. Well, the last one month just whizzed by leaving me in a trance. I had to go back to India and after a month, was packed off to the US again (Oh ya....so freakin bad right!!!).....Lots happened this one month. There was a person whom I had proposed in the past and had rejected me then...this person suddenly felt I was THE GUY for her after 5 years.....unfortunately for her, I had moved on. Currently, I am enjoying my single status and have made up my mind for an arranged marriage. Till then, I have my cricket, Shreya Ghoshal's music and of course coffee for company ;-).

I spent this month honing my cooking skills and now am a master chef...OH YA I can give all the girls out there a run for their money ;)....anyways sorry for digressing. I had to leave my homeland in a hurry as I was given just a days notice to pack. I landed at the airport waiting for the boarding call. My flight was delayed by an hour. Irritated, I was walking aimlessly around when I saw a group of airhostesses walking by. Mostly firangs and I am NOT attracted to firang women....it was then I noticed an Indian face among them. And I thought she was really cute...actually, her smile was amazing. I stood as if I was struck by lightning and was shamelessly looking at her for a long time. She met my gaze as if she knew I was looking (whats with these girls man...how do they come to know when a guy looks at them???I get caught everytime...grrrrrr)..A small frown followed as she was whisked away by her colleagues. I made a silent prayer that she should be in my flight as I proceeded to board.

As soon as I entered my flight, she was the first person to greet me inside....I couldnt help smiling(THANK YOU GOD!!!!!) and she smiled back knowingly (I think so)... and as luck would have it, she was the one who attended to me in the flight. I did not take undue advantage of that and tried not to look whenever she passed by but couldnt...heheh all the guys put there would understand. And I would get caught everytime too :D.

Almost all the passengers were fast asleep while I was struggling to get some (which is a prob for me...I dont get sleep in flights usually...the beautiful miss doesnt have anything to do with this...or maybe she did ;D). I switched on my N73m to listen to some good music. I was listening to the number Lambi Judaai from the movie Jannat and as luck would have it, she passed by. In excitement, my hands pulled off the headphone from the phone. She stopped by as I sheepishly plugged the headphones back. I thought she would just frown at me for being a nuisance but yet again...lady luck was by my side. We had our first informal conversation and it went like this....

Me: Heheh sorry, guess the headphones slipped. I will take care next time.
She: thats ok and by the way, thats a nice song. WHich movie is it from?
Me: Oh, its from the movie Jannat.....so you havent heard this before?
She: Oh no...we dont get time though music is my hobby too. frequent air travels do not allow me to keep in touch.
Me: I can understand. But the job must be kinda exciting right....a new place every day and new people....
She: Of course!! I love my job and yes, meeting new people everyday and handling them is not as easy as it sounds.
Me: I know...so many might have tried to hit on you I guess ;) Putting them in their face without offending them would be tough :)
She: Oh...maybe (with a surprised look)....
Me: (interrupting her) but I guess some good people like me do not mind a frown too ;)
She: (Laughing)...You guys are all the same....so you admit hitting on me...
Me: (Laughing too)...Well...was just trying my luck and ya are you a Punjabi?
She: Thats perfectly right....how did you know that?
Me: Typical Soni Kudi I guess ;) And I love Punjabi food a lot :D
She: Too much :) You know what, people might get disturbed. Why dont we talk somewhere else if you dont mind?
Me: Sure...

We walked all the way to the back where these airhostesses usually stand. All had gone to sleep leaving just the two of us. A perfect romantic setting...all alone with a beautiful girl and....sigh anyways back to the story...

She: So you listen to a lot of music huh...whom do you listen to?
Me: Usually Shreya Ghoshal, Mohd Rafi and Dire Straits...I do listen to lots of country music too.
She: I love country music......not many takers these days and Shreya Ghoshal is amazing too...at such a young age, she has achieved so much...so what else you do other than music?
ME: Talk to a beautiful stranger in a flight ;) to pass time
She (blushing):....well...I guess its getting late now...it was fun talking to you...I had not interacted with passengers like this....thanks for that
Me: Hey, this conversation is definitely incomplete without a cup of coffee :D...it would be perfect to end it with that....cmon.
She (Thinking)...: hmm....trusting a stranger is dangerous but I will do it for the coffee (smiling)...hey one more thing, sing a song for me a good old one....
Me (wondering why ): Well....I hope the coffee stands because I am really bad at that :D...anyways this one is just for you.....Sang Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar (Surprisingly sureela)
She: Oh My, that was wonderful....you never told me you could sing....alrite....the coffee is on me....how about the coffee shop in the airport if you have the time?
Me (Thanking my stars): wouldnt mind missing the flight too ;)

We called it quits for the day and ya, she did mention that she will not ask for my number nor I should for hers....this will strictly be a one off meeting only (for the time being and no pics...SIGH!!!!!!)

I slowly drifted off to sleep not knowing when and ya...she was in my mind throughout and when I woke up, she greeted me with a smile (I didnt mention that she had a beautiful smile and that forced me to look for her always)....and that smile was for a lil baby in the row ahead of me...that suited me perfectly...saw her best smile so far and ya, got caught again...:D Hum Nahi Sudhrenge (Thirundave Maatom!!!)

She opened the window to let the sunlight embrace her adding a glow to her face. I was waiting for the flight to land and when it finally did, I rushed to the door so that I wouldnt miss her. She came out with her colleagues and as soon as she saw me, she whispered something in their ears and bade them goodbye. They gave me a knowing smile and left, giving us the much needed privacy :D.

I asked her whether it was ok with her. She responded by placing my arm in hers leading me to the cafe. We spoke for 2 hours about everything...my first crush, her first crush, all the dark secrets and what not....Guess it was the coffee but what the heck!!These two hours saw us become friends from strangers (wish I could have taken this further) and I could feel a strange connection between us.

Sadly, the time came for us to leave. Both of us sat there not wanting to go but life goes on.

She: This cup of coffee was the best I ever had. Thanks for everything.
Me: You must have meant it because you didnt frown at me even a single time :D
She (smiling): That what you get for being such a bad boy but you know what, deep down, I think I like the bad boy more....
Me: So can this bad boy break his promise and ask your number/contact details?? Heheh
She: That still stands. But unlike most of the guys, you stuck to your word. Not even once did you ask for my number or tried to take my pic without my permission...I think I am going to miss you. Thanks a lot for everything and I hope we meet again.....for coffee

I was sure I heard her choke but chose not to reply. She gave me a hug followed by a peck on the cheek and just left. I didnt ask her why we shouldnt exchange numbers or not keep in touch though I was curious. She might have had extremely personal reasons for the same and I didnt want to interfere. For the first time, I looked up to catch her staring at me....and she didnt move her glance.

I boarded my next flight with a heavy heart but as I said, life goes on. Maybe Lufthansa will be kind enough to depute her in my flight again :D...That one cup of coffee made a huge difference to my life. The aroma of both, our little rendezvouz and the coffee is still fresh and will always be....who knows, we might meet for another cup pretty soon :)...pray for me folks!!!

Shaurya - A Tribute To Friendship

2008-04-12T23:21:00.001-05:00

Sensible movies have become a rarity these days. Movies like Om Shanti Om, Partner etc have been flooding the market. First, let me clear the air. I felt the above mentioned movies were entertaining though they dont provide food for thought. But when you always come across a Rahul Bose movie, you need to look at it from a different viewpoint.

I am talking about his latest movie Shaurya. Set against an army backdrop, this movie revolves around a court martial case where Rahul Bose defends the suspect and is against his best friend Javed Jaffery. Both of them are under-rated actors and rank very high in my favourites list. First, I need to give credit to director Samar Khan (whose first film Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye was a dud) for handling this sensitive subject brilliantly. The film was perfectly handled thought the second half could be trimmed by 15-20 minutes. All the actors performed brilliantly within their scope. Kay Kay Menon was amazing as the corrupt and dogmatic Brigadier. Nothing much for the ladies Minisha Lamba and Amrita Rao(a glorified special appearance) but they did well.

The film focusses on the court martial case where the two best friends try to upstage each other in the case. The director has paid attention even to the finer points here. I am not going to rant and rave about the army plot as every single review focusses on that.

The best thing I liked about this movie is despite the two best friends are pitted against each other in the case and they come out all guns blazing against each other, their friendship is not affected at all. Once they are out of the courtroom, things are totally normal despite their bitter arguments in the courtroom. The scene where Rahul Bose brought a Kashmiri Pundit just to get Javed Jaffery married in the middle of the night was touching. This movie reminded me of my close friends who would do anything for me and I would sacrifice everything just to be there for them. Despite the high profile case, despite the tension surrounding them, they have come out with their friendship intact which in the real world is tough.

I have seen many friendships destroyed in a single second and that too because of a small misunderstanding. Friendships built over a period of time (from childhood too) have disintegrated in todays world and are losing their importance. Friendship is the most beautiful relation we can get. As it is known, we dont get to choose our family or life partner(if it is an arranged match - mostly the case in India) but we definitely get to choose our friends and the greatest joy is keeping the friendship intact till the last breath. I have had interesting rivalries with some of my good friends and experienced keeping the friendship intact despite the intense debates we've had.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends from the bottom of my heart for being there with me, putting up with my idiosyncracies and for loving me for what I am. This is to let you all know that I value all your contributions in shaping me up and making me the achiever I am today. You are God's gift to me and I am always there for you all whether you need me or not ;) (why do I hear voices which say OH NO?? :D)

The below video is a song very close to my heart. I had sung this as a farewell gift for a close friend when he left to pursue his MBA in IIM - Calcutta. I would like to dedicate this song to all my friends without whom, my life would be incomplete.

My Storied Life - 1

2008-04-10T02:24:00.002-05:00

Okies.....My next post after a looooong time :-) The credit goes to my good friend Shiladitya for pulling me out of the writers block here :-) It all started when I had to mail a package to his friend which reached my own house much to my amazement. I didnt realise that I had interchanged the from and to addresses and mailed it to myself :-) WHen I sheepishly admitted this to him, he said this has to be a blog story...well, my life is full of incidents like this so I thought this could bring a smile to your face....am mentioning some of them down(just to mention a few)...I would like to add a disclaimer that they all are true..believe it or not!!!

Meeting a close friend's boyfriend

Now how simple this looks but rest assured, this story is not. Lets go back to my school days in Chattisgarh when I was a lanky boy with long hair and a beard (in short I looked like a terrorist). I was a leading fast bowler for my school team and was pretty aggressive by nature. In one of my matches, I came across a batsman who was continuously taunting me and hurling expletives at me. I tried to be very patient but he didnt stop. I decided that enough is enough and greeted him with a superfast bouncer(for school standards) which missed his mouth but took his nose :-). I walked upto the fallen guy and dished out words o my own in typical Rajinikanth's style. We won the match and the incident was forgotten.

Now fast forward 6 years after. I had completed my post graduation and returned to Chattisgarh to visit my old school and friends. And not to mention my trimmmed locks and clean shaven face. Most of the people whom i knew back then couldnt even recognize me.....as long as the change is for the better, I dont mind at all ;). I was staying in Aditi's place for 3 days and was having a great time till the minute she thought of introducing me to her boyfriend (then boyfriend, now husband :D). We were supposed to have lunch together in one of our adda's (hangouts during school days) and I was eagerly looking forward for that. Aditi and I reached the place 5 minutes early and saw the other guy waiting for us. I thought the guy looked familiar. It was when I saw the mark on his nose I realised who he was :( .

Well, thanks to the drastic change in my appearance he couldnt recognize me. Aditi was the one who did most of the talking. We spoke about everything except cricket (I had consciously avoided the topic till then for reasons known only to me)...but with two cricket players there, who can stop this from coming?

The discussion started with his nose(ahaaaaaaa.....). The very mention of the mark on his nose prompted Aditi to curse the bowler and his future generations....I was listening to Aditi cursing my children (the ones yet to be born - I am still single and if any beautiful single girl is reading this, do contact me ;) ) that their noses will be worse than Shah Rukh Khan's nose. Till then she had no clue that the offender was sitting right there. I couldnt say anything or stop her from saying anything. Suddenly, Aditi asked me..."Vicky, tum bhi cricket team mein the na...tum aur gaurav(her boyfriend) to ek do match mein meet kiye hoge")....and I pleaded ignorance :D...easy way to escape. Nothing more was said and we were enjoying our lunch.

Suddenly Gaurav shouted "Yehi Hai Woh!!"....Poor Gaurav...Aditi who was drinking water literally spit it on his face out of shock :D...it was a sight to behold...I almost fell out of my chair laughing which contributed to his anger. he continued..."yehi tha woh lambe baalwala now I remember....I knew I had seen you somewhere but man...you have totally changed..."

In the end we had a good laugh and Gaurav was an addition to my friends circle. Its been a year since Aditi and Gaurav are married and we do laugh about this whenever we get together....

Such a simple thing....meeting a friends boyfriend...but look at how this happened...my life is full of anectodes like this. I will be presenting them one by one as and when I find time...hope you people are smiling reading this......

Fall From Grace - Just Not Happening!!!!

2008-03-06T15:11:00.005-06:00

This month has been one of the worst ever so far in my professional life. Got a screwed up appraisal despite an excellent performance in the previous time period and now looks like I am suffering from a serious case of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)...since Feb last week, I have seen so many slip ups in my work which is uncharacteristic of me. I was known for my perfection and precision at work. I was the perfectionist who according to people was never there till they met me. Now I just seem lost somewhere trying to find myself. I am being yelled at in my workplace, something which had never happened all these months. My lead used to say he sees himself in me when he was my age...now he doubts my capability. he says maybe I need someone to watch over my shoulder when I work!!!! No one would dare to check my work knowing it would be perfect in every sense.....now forget perfection, I am not even getting it right repeatedly despite been given chances again and again....does this mean I have just lost my capability?

If this was a match, I would have said this is not my time or day. I cant afford to say this when I am at the clients place or this early in my fledgling career. This is indeed a fall from grace. People who said I achieved the impossible time and again are chastising me left right and center now. My performance drop is puzzling to everyone around me. I dont know what went wrong and where did this happen. No amount of introspection helps. I am giving my best even now though that bad appraisal did dampen my spirits a bit. Work which I used to finish effortlessly is increasingly found fault with now. Is is that I am not able to carry the huge burden of expectations on my shoulders? I have carried much bigger ones in the past time and again. This is seriously unfathomable. I have endured loss of form in sports a couple of times but never have I seen such a performance dip in my professional life. Maybe a break from everything will help or maybe I need to channel all my energy into this but I do that,..whatever I work on, I give my best. All I can hope is I get out of this very soon before it is too late.

Rewind....

2008-02-04T16:58:00.001-06:00

I should have written this post long ago...thought of doing it after a month got over in 2008 lol..anyways looking back, 2007 was one hell of a roller coaster for me. Too many incidents to mention, too many moments to cherish and ya, my biggest heartbreak too. I had the chance of meeting people whom I always wanted to, made some new friendships which ended up being close to my heart...wow man, I can just go on and on :-)

The year started with me getting Parthi Sai Baba's darshan in Chennai. For me, he is God and I did notice miracles happening around me too. My mobile got repaired miraculously and whenever I thought of him, he was right in front of me in a flash...people might term this as a coincidence but for me, it is and will be a miracle nonetheless. It happened whenever I wanted to behold his lotus feet.

Next was maha shivratri which I celebrated for the first time ever. I spent the night in the temple not getting sleep at all but it was worth it. I witnessed the abhishek for lord Shiva. I saw that the crowd was desperately trying to get a drop of the milk that was used for the abhishek and had given up hope of procuring it. I barely stepped out of the griha when someone came running upto me and offered the milk. For me, he was Lord Shiva himself. My friend despite being close to the griha couldnt get it while I standing so far away was extremely lucky. Before the abhishek, my friend and I were discussing Shreya Ghoshal's show which was to happen the next day and I had expressed my desire to meet her after the show concludes. My friend who had accompanied me to the temple and the show scoffed at my thought saying it was impossible. Little did I know that my wish was to be granted in an emphatic fashion.

And as mentioned above, I did get to meet Shreya Ghoshal much to the amazement of my friend. I not only got to meet her, but also had a pretty long conversation. Well, I thought things cannot be more strange but I was wrong. A blog I had written about her triggered a google alert and reached her boyfriend's inbox. He got back to me asking for pics which I shared and that was the beginning of a friendship which is still pretty close to me.

As the years progressed, I thought things couldn't get better. I had got my first car and was understandably over the moon. I was also told that I would be leaving the country for the first time in my life. So far, 2007 had been the best year in my life.

Oh I should mention the Garam Masala Performance :P....got drunk by mistake and was due to sing on stage...drank a cocktail by mistake and did a Garam Masala with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom on stage :) Man...was really embarrassing .....I happened to mention this to a friend and she wanted me to upload the video..NO WAY!!!!I don't want anyone to see me embarrassed :D

This post had some censored stuff...and I had to remove it...!!!!That goes for the comments too...sorry ppl.
.....this was 2007 for me.,..,

My MIS-adventures with the miss'S :-)

2007-12-07T15:02:00.000-06:00

Watch this space.........am gonna fill it soon and ya for all out there, this title is registered :P

Halloween.....Felt Hallowed After That :-)

2007-11-03T15:19:00.000-05:00

Looks like US has something special for all the 365 days in the year. I reached my workplace only to find my cubicle filled with sweets and candy (yum!!!!)...Upon enquiring, I was told that it was halloween and we are supposed to stock our refrigerators with chocolates and candy as kids come door to door today for treats. Tough for a chocolate buff like me but anything for lil kids :-). I left early for the day and got into my costume(ha ha ya you guessed it...I was the devil...Literally!!!!)..my roomie preferred something sober and we were busy with the party arrangements. It was supposed to be a guys only party and as we were making a list of things to do, we realised that we ran out of beer. My roomie offered to get some bottles from the near-by store and I decided to listen to music till then.

I stared listening to Saawariya(the title track) and since no one was at home, I thought of breaking into a small jig :-)...well...I have 2 left feet when it comes to dancing(something I would never do in public) so I always prefer to dance when no one is looking. I got into the groove in no time and when the song finished, I heard laughter sounds. I tiptoed to the door only to find a bunch of kids who were excited in seeing a DEVIL DANCE!!!!!!(At least I had my costume on unlike Aftab in Mastee lol) Imagine me in a devils costume jumping here and there happily thinking no one was around and that FOOLISH roomie didnt bother to close the door when he left!!!! The kids had come for their candy which was customary on halloween and I was in no mood to get embarrassed in front of them. I replayed the song and said if they want candies, they should join in the devil dance :-)....Just imagine this sight....a devil in the center of strangely dressed but really cute kids jumping away to glory :-) It was real fun. I had the time of my life with them and even played games like whos gonna catch the devils tail :-)....Innocence personified...(No I am not talking about the kids...I am talking about ME!!!! The good ol devil ;p)...couldnt click much pics and the ones taken are only for a few eyes so dont expect me to forward them :-)....

I got to know a lot of people because of this and my devil dance has become legendary now...not a nice way to be famous but ya it was real fun!!!! One of the sweetest days for me in the US and I hope this is just the start of my enjoyment here.

Satrangi Re.......A Sight To Behold!!!!

2007-10-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

I saw my first rain in the United States yesterday. Someone had told me long back, in the US, nothing is permanent. The weather patterns also agree with this. In a few seconds, the sky was enveloped by the dark clouds and before we could realise what was happening, the rain started pouring. I was driving back from work and since it was raining heavily making life difficult for a novice like me, I decided to pull over and listen to my compilation. Yes..this time it was a collection of songs by Shreya. A couple of weeks back, I had mailed her criticising her choice of songs of late and she was really sweet enough to reply hoping she wouldnt disappoint me in future...instead of telling me to mind my own business :-) I never even imagined that a phenom who took the music industry by storm would reply like this. No wonder I like her:-). And according to her mail, I had heard the songs she had mentioned and realised that I had reacted a bit too soon.....Anyways, my compilation had 14 of her songs which according to me, is her best till date.

The first song which played on my music system was Thode badmaash from the movie Saawariya. I had already fallen for Sonam Kapoor's eyes and that with Shreya's voice is a killer combination. I had fallen in love with this song right from day 1 and hearing it with the rain pouring outside was wonderful. Her soft voice, the beautiful lyrics and soothing music (not bad for a debutant music director) were having the desired effect.

The song describes what a woman thinks of her beloved. The only thing missing was a mug of piping hot coffee to go along with the mood. I would say this is a must hear for all music and Shreya lovers out there. In this song, her voice had everything..let it be emotions, love or the pain and yearning....I was totally mesmerised...I was lucky enough to miss the Tsunami by just 5 minutes back in 2004 but this time, the Shreya Tsunami got me totally :-) And I wanted to get swept away on this occassion.(On a personal note, I couldnt help feeling jealous for the man in her life..(errr...if there is one)...who is her BADMAASH!!!!! ;p)

The next one was my evergreen favourite..yup its the song from Ankahee :-) and possibly her best one till date... the rains were gettting worse but I was enjoying every single moment then. As soon as the song went on air, I was transported to my dreamland. I always get a recurring dream when I hear this number. I feel I am walking among the clouds searching for the voice I was hearing. At the end of my walk, I see a rainbow which says my search ends here. I snapped out of my reverie as the song ended and I noticed that much to my annoyance and relief(Annoyance because now I had to drive not concentrating on the music and relief as I can reach home now), the skies were clearing and before I realized this, the dark clouds vanished.

I started the ignition of my car when something caught my eye. It was one of the most beautiful visuals I had seen in my entire life. Right in front of me, were 3 rainbows; two of them were concentric and the third one was intersecting them with small white clouds floating between them. I was stunned by what I saw. I never knew that my dream would meet reality in such an emphatic fashion. The rainbows enchanted me with their radiant display of colours and believe me guys, I felt blessed. And that made me fall even more in love with this song :p and I have decided to bug her even more to sing this in her concerts from now on.

I drove home hoping I get to see this wonderful sight again. Maybe this is Gods way of telling me to convey this to her...how much he loves her voice too :-0)...(So when it rains again, I'll listen to her songs :) )I must say God has been really kind for giving her to us and can only pray that she always remains in the pink of her health and all her dreams are desires are fulfilled. Thank You God and ya Shreya........A BIIIIIIG THANKS TO YOU TOO :-) Love your voice even more now.

Remembering Rafi Saab - The Romantic Genius!!!!

2007-10-09T14:28:00.000-05:00

I have written so many blogs in the past, composed shayiris and even tried my hand at poetry but never did I think of paying a tribute to the man I idolize. Its not because of laziness or nonchalance. Even while I am writing this, I feel I dont deserve even to talk about his greatness. His contribution to music is second to none and yes...I am talking about none other than Rafi saab.

Rafi saab has been the main reason for my obsession for music. I grew up listening to his songs thanks to my mom who happens to be a huge fan of him too. I have been singing his songs from the time I was 3 years or so....that was when I gave my first stage performance too and I sang Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki from Dulaari. Since then his songs were a part of my life.

Rafi saab is the only one who can control the mood around you.The human mind submits to his voice whenever it hears him and he is the master from then. I have always been gathering little titbits of information about him and I was told that he always smiles whenever he sings. This would cheese off the music directors whenever he sings a sad song because the melancholy would not be there. But when he sings his trademark romantic songs, he was always unstoppable. This explains why he smiles in all his photos :-)...

I always envy the heroes for whom he had given his voice. Dilip Kumar and Shammi Kapoor were the most fortunate ones in this case. Almost all their songs were sung by him. Shammi Kapoor had his greatest hits with Rafi saab and his movies used to click at the box office mainly for their combination. Who can forget Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujhpar or the naughty Tumse Achcha Kaun Hai? Shammi Kapoor had himself stated in an interview that Rafi saab was his alter ego. I shudder to think the music industry without this great man's voice.

Dilip Kumar also had his share of luck. Do Sitaaron Ka Zameen Par Hai Milan with Rafi Saab in the movie Kohinoor was a huge hit. Rarely this combination was disturbed.

Rafi saab had also given beautiful hits for Dev Anand like Abhi Naa Jaao CHodkar and Mera Mann Tera Pyaasa. I would consider even those people lucky who had his voice just for one song. If he was alive today, I would have begged him to be my voice just for a song whether the video releases or not.

He was miles ahead of his contemporaries like Mukesh and Kishore too. Listen tot he songs sung by them together or the different versions. In Amar Akbar Anthony, Rafi saab was the most melodious of the three. In songs where he had sung with Kishore, his voice had a soothing effect to the song compared to Kishore's rough voice...yup it was a superb combination nonetheless. He sang O Duniya Ke Rakhwaale flawlessly and ended up damaging his throat because of which he was out for a long time.

Rafi saab never had the luxury of modern technology something which singers today like Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal enjoyed(very competent singers but they always had another chance for a mistake) but he has sung his songs perfectly in the first take and has never cribbed about re recording the song for someone else's mistake too. A man with a heart of gold, he never hesitated in helping music directors who were struggling. He even sang songs free for them when he was in dire need of money. A man who never says no to anyone.....not even to the people who wronged him repeatedly, he was forced to beg for songs in the early 70's when Kishore Kumar was ruling. Still, he showed his class by winning an award for his comeback song Teri Galiyon Mein from Hawas and then his second innings at the top started.

Sadly, it didnt last long as Rafi saab left us early. Maybe God felt he was worth much more than his place among us mere mortals. Maybe the heavens needed him more. But one dream will always be unfulfilled. I always wanted to meet him, touch his feet and get his blessings but that was never possible given the fact that he died before I was born. I did dream that I met him in the heavens, sang a couple of his songs and got his blessings then and yes, till date this has been my most cherished dream......now with the advent of remixes, his voice is fading away slowly and I only wish the future generations do not lose out.

Even today when two lovers decide to leave after spending some romantic moments, the guy says Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar Ki Dil Abhi Bhara Nahi :-)...or Abhi Humse Bachkar Kahan Jaaiyega....Jahan Jaaiyega Humein Paaiyega :-). Badan Pe Sitaare is still a rage in parties and Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujhpar is a romantic's delight. And no matter how much modern technology has advanced or new talent comes, Rafi will still be GOD...no one can even think of coming close!!!!!!

I always listen to his songs when I go for a long drive..........am putting up my music listing(my long drive cd's) here, any suggestions are welcome

01. Love In Tokyo - O Mere Shaah-E-Khuba

02. Gharana - Husnwaale Tera Jawaab Nahi

03. Aaj Aur Kal - Yeh Waadiyaan Yeh Fizaayen Bula Rahi Hai Tujhe

04. Loafer - Aaj Mausam Bada Beimaan Hai

05. Taj Mahal - Jo Waada Kiya Woh

06. Chaudhvi Ka Chand - Chaudvi Ka Chand(My personal favourite)

07. Barsaat Ki Raat - Zindagi Bhar Nahi Bhoolenge

08. Parasmani - Woh Jab Yaad Aaye

09. Mere Mehboob - Tumse Izhaar-E-Haal Kar Baithe

10. Junglee - Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujhpar

11. Prince - Badan Pe Sitaare

12. Teesri Manzil - Deewana Mujhsa Nahi

13. Sharabi - Kabhi Na Kabhi

14. Neel Kamal - Tujhko Pukare Mera Pyar

15. Gambler - Mera Mann Tera Pyaasa

16. Jigri Dost - Dil Mein Kya Hai

17. Hum Dono - Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar

18. Jewel Thief - Dil Pukaare

19. Haste Zakhm - Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho

20. Karz - Dard-E-Dil

21. Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke - Yeh Khamoshiyaan

22, Mere Sanam - Humdum Mere

23. Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya - Jaan-E-Bahar Husn Tera

24. Naya Daur - Uden Jab Jab Zulfein Teri

25. Hum Kisise Kum Nahi - Kya Hua Tera Vaada

26. Yaadon Ki Baaraat - Chura Liya

27. Kashmir Ki Kali - Ishaaron Ishaaron

28. Chirag - Teri Aankhon Ke Siva(Just love the lyrics)

29. Aaye Milan Ki Bela - Tum Kamsin Ho

30. Kohinoor - Do Sitaaron Ka Zameen Par

Be Right Back!!!!

2007-09-30T19:54:00.000-05:00

Okies.....I know I am neglecting this space for quite a while...what to do things are so tight and as usual, my life is too dramatic :-) right now am experiencing life in the US...and ya miss India and miss India :D.....am thinking of something to post and will be back with lots of them.Thanks to everyone for all the comments I've received in my mail. I am thankful that you all spend time to read my blog and some of the mails I received regarding the last article were really touching. Yes it is a true incident, not one of my fictitious exaggerations.

Once I start posting, I'll delete this post as usual. And ya comments are always welcome. I still get mails for Koi Kare Kisi Aur Se Pyar and am happy I am the reason for you to smile.....will come back with more humor. I know thats lacking now for quite sometime. The theme of my next story is a love marriage in which knowingly or unknowingly, I was the reason for the girl and boy to meet....am trying to induce a humor element in it and am hard pressed for time...I hope it would be worth the wait...so please be patient, I'll be back very soon...its a promise.

The Auto Driver

2007-08-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

This is one day I will never forget. I was to handle a training session for the new joinees in my company but the problem was the training academy was in a place far away from the city. Given the bad state of the roads there, I was pretty reluctant to drive. The travel arrangements had also changed and I was totally unaware of it. So quite expectedly, I missed the bus in the morning and to make matters worse, it was raining cats and dogs. I hurriedly stopped an auto and asked him whether he was willing to drop me there. He asked me how much would pay him and I said "Usually I give 180...what do you say". He requested me to give him an extra 50 Rs as he was in need of money. Well....he was polite unlike the other auto drivers I've seen and I agreed thinking that he might have a valid reason. We had barely crossed 100 meters when he got a call on his mobile. I didnt know what transpired in the conversation bu I could see that the auto driver broke down. Putting bits and pieces together, I could somehow make out what had happened but I wanted to be sure.

When we resumed our journey, I asked him what happened, He didnt say anything but I was asking him persistently. He said that his was a love marriage and his wife was admitted in the hospital as she was expecting their first child today. Because of lack of money, the doctor was not admitting her and he was terribly worried. On top of it, he was an orphan too and his world revolved around her. He was telling me that his friend gave him his mobile asking him to sell it and keep the money as that was all he could do. He was pretty upset that his owner refused to give him a small loan with which he could have taken care of the medical expenses. He showed me his silver lamp which he used to light in front of the Gods saying that he didnt even dream that he had to sell it.

At this point, I didnt know what happened to me. I asked him how much he wanted. He said 6000 but he can manage with 4000. I told him that I will contribute. He was flabbergasted. He asked me I have not even seen you before today, why do you want to help me? I said this is not the time to ask questions. If you need the money, just shut up and take it. We can discuss the reasons later. His emotions took over him as he fell at my feet literally. I told him to stop saying that do that in a temple and do not fall at the feet of a mere mortal like me. I am not God and I dont encourage all this. I asked him to stop in front of an ATM and withdrew Rs 3200 as that was all I had. I came out and gave it to him.

I still maintain that I never knew this man till that day and it didnt even occur to me that he might be lying. All I knew was his world revolved around his family and he was really lucky marrying the girl he loved. Expecting their first kid was a momentous occassion which I wanted him to experience. I got into the auto and he had barely started till this thought struck me. I asked him where the hospital was. He said it was in Royapuram(in the opposite direction of my destination). I tol him that he needs to deposit the money immediately...how will he reach there on time? he said he'll manage somehow. I told him to stop the auto and got down. I was all prepared to catch another auto and go to Siruseri. The only thing that was running in my mind was he should reach the hospital soon. He left me with great hesitation but not before taking down my number. I didnt have a single detail about him and yet I carried on with a strange satisfaction.

I reached my intended destination and started the training but I was unable to concentrate. I was thinking about the auto driver hoping that all's well with him. I called up my mom and told her the entire incident. I even told her that I didnt know whether he was lying or telling the truth but I am happy that I was able to do something. My mom agreed with me saying that in some situations, we have to listen to our heart...we have no choice. I just finished talking to her and cut the call when I saw someone trying to reach me from a landline number, I picked up the call and was pleasantly surprised. It was the auto driver. He was indeed speaking the truth. Earlier, I was cutting that call thinking it was some stupid credit card or loan agent.....I didnt say anything...he said "I am blessed with a daughter.." I asked how are the mother and child? He said "Both are fine. Can you tell me your mother's name?" I asked him why. He said he wanted to name his daughter that as he believes this happened because of me. I was really overwhelmed. I told him my mothers name and promised him that I'll come to see the child one day.....And yes...I did break down when he said that...couldnt help it.....but this incident forced me to think. We donate to temples and other institutions but we dont help the people who really need it. If his owner had loaned him the money he needed, he wouldnt have been driving the auto the enire night and the morning. If I had not given him the money, who knows what would have happened. I am not saying we shouldnt donate to these places. All I am requesting people is to show some empathy to these people. Maybe I was foolish as I did not bother to verify the facts but others can right....do extend a helping hand...you never know what difference it makes to a life.

The 7 Tag

2007-03-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

Here I go blowing my own trumpet....thanks to Nas who tagged me here...7 is too less yaar...it should be 11 at least :(( anyways here I go now.......

Seven things I plan to do before I die
... Sing a duet with Shreya Ghoshal ( He He...I know this is too much but I do hope this would happen sometime...and will not mind it if it is more than one..... ha ha ha)
... Drive all the way to Mumbai from Chennai all alone :-)
... Bat at least one ball in LORDS........THE BEST CRICKET STADIUM IN THE WORLD!!!!
... Tour New Zealand(One of my favourite spots)
... Finish my book( Ya ya its started and its goin on :-) )
... Sing a tamil song perfectly (he he being a tam myself, I am not able to do this)
... Buy a Merc E Class (Yup I will and sooooooon)

Seven things I can do
... Be meticulously clean
... Be a patient listener
... Can sing at a high pitch for a very looooong time
... Finish a 300 page fiction novel in one go... I am simply too eager to know the end, ok... and yeah, I read pretty fast.
... Write shayiri(dont ask me how)
... Baby sit (can manage lots of kids at a time - I love them :-) )
... Play a double role on stage(yeah....I've done it successfully)

Seven things I can't do
... Sing classical music
... Dance(Though I have danced on stage once, I am baaaaaaad....seeing Main Hoon Naa reminds me of my friends...how they made me dance :) )
... Cook South Indian food
... Draw
... Watch football( I hate the game)
... Bat right handed in cricket(Always been a leftie...only in cricket)
... Study continuously(even for exams)

Seven things I say the most
... Wowoo...
... Yup
... Amazing !!!
... Perfect
... No Probs
... Hey
... I know

Seven things I say the most on my blog
... Should be the same as above

Seven things that attract me to the opposite
... Speaks impeccable English
... Great sense of humor
... Being Witty, Intelligent, Ability to carry on interesting conversation
... Being just the right height
... Is independent
... Sings really well
... And loves kids a loooooooot

Seven celebrity crushes
... Vidya Balan in Lage Raho Munna Bhai
... Kajol in Fanaa
... Rani Mukherjee in Hum Tum
... Kate Winslet in...what else...TITANIC!!!!
... Tabu in Kaadhal Desam (Duniya Dilwalon Ki - was dubbed in hindi)
... Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally
... Julia Roberts in Notting Hill

Seven Favourite Hobbies
... Singing
... Cricket
... Long Drive All Alone
... Reading
... Shayiri
... Interior Decoration
... Movies(Bollywood)

Seven Songs I Would Die To Sing...(One Per Singer)
... Agar Tum Mil Jaao from Zeher - Shreya Ghoshal
... Tumhi Dekho Na from KANK - Sonu Nigam
... Mun Paniya Mudhal Mazhaiya from Nanda - SP Balsubramaniyam
... Khilte Hain Gul Yahan from Sharmilee - Kishore Da
... Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujhpar from Junglee - The Great Mohd. Rafi
... Kabhi Kabhi from Kabhi Kabhi - Mukesh
... Tu Mile from Criminal - Kumar Sanu

Seven people I want to tag
Alright.....you've read this right...now stop wasting time and carry this tag forward with your 7 things :)).

Happiness always!

AGAR TUM MIL JAAO – MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH IT

2007-03-05T11:57:00.000-06:00

It was a horrible day for me. I was pretty irritated with what happened in college today and wanted to get the hell out of that place. Can’t people mind their own business? Why the hell should they poke their nose in my business? I never interfere in what they do, then why do they? I ended up slamming the door of my hostel room in anger and people in my floor were thinking what was wrong with the usually cheerful guy they knew.

I know I can be really bad when I lose my temper and to avoid any unpleasant incidents, I prefer being alone till I cool off( a view endorsed by people who have faced my wrath). Only few people have the courage to talk to me when I am in a foul mood and one of them (my junior Devjit Pal) just walked into my room then. The conversation went like this:

Me: Devu, can you leave me alone?

Devjit: Hey man...could see you're ready to blow up! Chill!

Me: What do you want?

Devjit: Well...I think I have something to cheer you up.

Me: It better be good!!!What do you have?

Devjit: Your favorite singer has sung a song in Zeher and it goes like Agar Tum Mil Jaao..something of that sort.

Me: Hmm...wait pls dont sing it..I will start hating it before listening to it. How is it? I hope you mean Shreya Ghoshal (it was no secret how much I admired her voice)

Devjit: Ya Ya the Jism singer...I didn’t like the song at all...but it is your type of music. I am sure you will love it.

Me: Alright! If you don’t like the song, I sure that I will love it...leave the cd here...I will hear it. Tomi Paagol...you don’t know what real music is!!!!Anyways thanks.

He knew that the only thing which could make me feel better was music and he also knew what sort of songs I listen to. I could trust his judgement. But today, I was in no mood to listen to a new song. I always prefer my tried and tested combination (a cd of songs by the greats Rafi and Kishore) whenever I am in a foul mood. I thought a long drive would be THE THING for me at the moment and I left the hostel in my car.

Being a post graduate student, I never had any restrictions on timings and I knew that I could come whenever I please. I drove a long way to the beach all alone (usually I like long drives alone with my music). I stopped the car near the waters and searched for my tried and tested combination.

To my dismay, I had forgotten to bring it with me and I had brought the zeher cd by mistake. Cursing my luck, I thought now that I have no choice, why not listen to the song my junior said.

The song Agar Tum Mil Jaao was the first song on the cd and it was sung by Shreya Ghoshal...one of my favourite singers. It was a dream for me to meet her once atleast...But today was a totally different situation. The song started on a slow note and once her voice was on air, I was totally transported to a different world. Everything about the song was perfect…the music, the background, the lyrics (I really adore them) and of course, the female voice. She was emoting every word(something which is a rare quality in female singers – I thought after Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhonsale, no one could do it - listen to the line teri surat na ho jismein woh sheesha tod denge hum – the way she stresses on the Tod Denge Hum part…I could literally imagine her doing it)

Imagine the situation...me all alone at 1 in the night near the waves and this song is playing in my car....I wished that the waves immediately rise and take me away...I was in a state of bliss. This song had not only made my day, it became a part of my life. It’s been my airtel caller tune since the time I heard it. I have changed my number a couple of times but not the caller tune. I had decided that if at all I get to meet Shreya Ghoshal, I would sing this song for her (I too have a decent voice folks :-) everyone say so) as a token of my appreciation.....

A Page from my diary……………………

@vrvivek@gmail.com

A Rendezvouz With Shreya Ghoshal

2007-02-18T03:46:00.000-06:00

There are singers who are born for music but in this singers case, music was born for her. This was how this young singer was introduced by the announcer to us and fittingly so, she deserved a standing ovation which she got. Yes! I am talking about the supremely talented Shreya Ghoshal. She had flown down to Chennai for a musical night on the 17th of February 2007 and gave the crowd much more than they expected. Before the concert, Shreya had the image of a romantic singer who could not set a stage on fire(pre concieved notions of people who know nothing about music) but at the end of the day, she had the crowd dancing at her feet literally.

If Barso Re drenched the crowd with melody, Dola Re swept them off their feet. Salaam-E-Ishq was her tribute to the crowd and Parde Mein Rehne Do had them wanting for more. She left silencing most of her critics who had always harped that she can never sing item or pacy numbers. She handled them with elan, and romantic numbers which were her forte had all of us mesmerized. Waada Raha promised that this was just a trailer and there is more to come. She kept up the promise by delivering the knockout punches with Munbe Vaa and Agar Tum Mil Jaao( my all time favourite) which she had sung like a woman possessed calling out her lover. The dholak which was played at the end of the song to make it a fast number was excellently executed and Shreya had us swirling around her in no time. Chalo Tumko Lekar Chalen took us to the skies and Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai was intoxicating enough. That doesnt mean that the rest of the songs were not good enough...I am not good enough to talk about them :). Pal Pal Pal and Piyu Bole were really cute we enjoyed listening to them. She took us to a fantasy world with Leja Leja where everything was perfect. Overall, it was really a night to remember.

There arent enough words to praise Shreya's voice in any language. So I will safely stay away from describing her voice for the time being. We all know that she is a wonderful singer and has already scaled great heights at such a young age. But on that day, I noticed a side of her which I never knew. She is not only an excellent singer, but also a very nice person. I had the good fortune of meeting her after the show and we spoke for maybe about five minutes. The way she handled the people who were fawning on her(well.....I was guilty on this count too) was simply amazing. I started the conversation by saying that she was mindblowing but I expected her to sing Yeh Kya Hua and Ek Pal Ke Liye. She said those were her favourites too and promised that she will sing them next time. We spoke for some more time and I requested her to take a pic with me. I didnt expect that she would readily agree for that. We did take a pic together but much to my dismay, it didnt turn out well. I was feeling sad and went to her saying this didnt come out well. To my astonishment, she was really sweet enough to pose for another one. I was literally bowled over by this gesture. Not many people do that, especially if they reach where she is today.

That night, she made me feel really nice. Like all good things had to come to an end we shook hands and parted ways. This was a side of her I never knew.I left the place completly overwhelmed by her smiling demeanor as this was something I didnt expect at all. It will be really great to see her again whenever she performs here.

I also noticed a childish streak in her when she took stage for her first solo concert in Chennai. Her love for kids was clearly evident when she called out to them to dance with her for Barso Re Megha and all the kids had a gala time. Well, I am someone who has spent half of my life with them and it was really a treat for my eyes watching all the kids dancing on stage. Even the way she reacted when the audience wanted more before singing Parde Mein Rehne Do does make me smile everytime when I see it or even think about it. This particular quality is very rare these days and I was really happy to see this in her. I can only wish that she doesnt change at all and continues to be like this. For people like her, sky is not the limit. It is just the beginning. I pray to God that she achieves greater heights in her career and also has a happy life ahead.

Before closing the topic, I have made a list of 15 of her songs(one from each movie) which are really good, but were not given much publicity. If you people find time, please do listen to them.And Shreya, if you are reading this(I should consider myself extremly lucky if you are), please please please sing them too :-). There are lots more to mention but I guess this is good for a start.You people listen to them and I will add more to the list. Ya, Tere Bin from Bhagam Bhaag(a light hearted song) and Bhor Bhaye from Bandish Projekt( now if anyone has not heard this one...go and hear it NOW!!!! Dont waste time reading this!!!)

01. Tango Charlie - Dheere Dheere(A romantic duet with Sonu Nigam - a must hear)
02. Ankahee - Ek Pal Ke Liye (Easily my favourite and a beautiful solo)
03. Nazar - Mohobbat Zindagi Hai(Minimum music but her voice will reverberate in your ears for a long time)
04. U Bomsi And I - Tu Kahan Kho Gaya( A sad song in which she gives her best)
05. Wajah - Sapna Koi( Another sad song which she carries on her shoulders)
06. Dhoop - Yeh Dhoop Ek Safar(A Cute song which will give you hope in life)
07. Aryan - Jaaneman(A romantic song which will make you feel good)
08. Saaya - Aye Meri Zindagi(This song will haunt you)
09. Sitam - Pyar Tumko Hi Kiya Hai(This song makes me slightly nostalgic- sounds like an old kishore lata duet but well done)
10. Kasak - Saansein Madhdham Hai(Her voice modulations are terrific and her voice was really alluring)
11. Main Meri Patni Aur Woh - Doob Jaana Re(Sab gaane mein doob jaayenge :) DONT MISS THIS)
12. Woh Lamhe - So Jaaun Main(Touching)
13. Krishna Cottage - Suna Suna(This song is unforgettable)
14. Fun - Jal Raha Hai Badan(She has put life in this song..only a few singers can do it)
15. Khakee - Yunhi Hum Tumse Pyar(Simple - no comments - this song is way above that)

My Most Cherished V-Day

2007-02-15T01:40:00.000-06:00

Well...here comes the much hyped valentines day again. One thing I continuously fail to understand is what is the need to celebrate a day for love? What about the remaining 364 days?? Now having read this, you must be wondering why did I name this "My Best Valentine Day"??? Read on and you will know.

Unlike my other stories, this did not happen long long ago...just last year. The day started with me bunking office and going to watch the movie Rang De Basanti with a lovely lady (now dont get any ideas...tickets were not available for the rest of the days and the fact that feb 14th was v-day had totally slipped out of my mind). This was the first time I was going to watch a movie in a theater alone with a girl and that feeling was pleasantly strange.....I went with her to watch the movie and thankfully, the movie was excellent...we had a good time watching it and I escorted her back home like a perfect gentleman(well...this is the only place I can call myself one :D).

I returned home only to realise that I had forgotten to have my lunch and was feeling really hungry. My bad luck...that day my roomies had finished all the snacks that were left at home. I had to satisfy myself with the top ramen curry packets which I successfully dug out of nowhere.

Before switching on the gas, I noticed that the window of the apartment directly opposite to my kitchen's window was wide open. Well...like all guys, I wished a beautiful girl would look out and smile at me..but having said this, I would like to point out that I am different from the rest. I dont believe in just dreaming...I wanted to live my dream.

I started singing the song "Mere Saamnewaali Khidki Mein Ek Chand Ka Tukda Rehta Hai" from the movie "Padosan" and believe me guys...I always hate my voice...but on this occassion, even Kishore Kumar would have conceded that I was better than him that day(ok ok...I know this is too much but I have to live my dream na ;) )....I was so engrossed in the song that I started emoting it literally (danced around with the noodles packet in my hand imagining it to be a girl) no bothering about my harried neighbours or my stomach's grumbling).............

Once I was done, I heard someone clapping. I peeped out of the kitchen window only to find an old lady in my saamnewaali khidki applauding my performance. The sweet lady gestured that I sing really well and I acknowledged by blowing out some kisses for her. She laughed and invited me ove for a coffee......I got back into the gentleman mode (Ya I am like a switch...sometimes naughty and sometimes too good to be true....the naughty side dominating me), hurriedly made myself presentable and got a box of chocolates for my DATE before leaving.

I reached her place in five minutes and I could find out her flat from the smell of fresh coffee reaching my nose. She ushered me in, accepted the chocolates and ya .....gave me the coffee...man...simply the best I've had till now. I asked her about her family and she said she was here for a vacation and will return to the US where her son is posted now.

I could make out from her voice that she is very lonely and wanted some company for the day. Well... the nice side of me surfaced and I decided to make the day memorable for her. I did entertain her for a long time and even cooked dinner(smart lady na ;) ) for her...

Like all good things come to an end, this day had to end. When I was leaving, my DATE said "Thanks a lot! In this one day, you gave this old lady so much happiness".....I felt very nice and wishing her well, I left.

Even today, when I look out of my kitchen window into my saamnewaali khidki, I still relive that day...I dont know where she is today(must have gone back to the US) ...............but she's a chand ka tukda at heart...dil se!!!!

Guys, do spend some time with elderly people who are alone....you will get so many blessings that your life will be really smooth and satisfying...believe me!!!!

Adoption...Why Not??

2007-01-01T04:25:00.000-06:00

It was september 3rd 2006. I wanted to do something different on my star birthday this year and thought why not spend it with the little kids at the orphanage? Little did I know that this would remain etched in my memory for good. Four days back I had met with a severe accident badly damaging my ribs in the process. Naturally I was not in the state of mind to go to the orphanage which was somewhere in Thiruvanmiyur but thinking about the kids made me change my mind. So despite the doctors orders of being strictly in bed, I got my ribs heavily strapped for extra protection and somehow made it to the place.

I reached there grumbling about the weather and that I had committed to them earlier but the moment I reached there, things changed a lot. One look at the small kids filled my heart with so much pity and sympathy that I forgot what I was undergoing at that point. We had our early morning prayers and I served breakfast to them. In the meantime, I started a convversation with the governess there asking how do they find these kids. The stories I heard were really pitiable....some parents throw their own kids in the dustbin leaving them to survive on their own and some abandon them because of poverty or social issues. Some were just shunted away just because they were girls.....how do people have the heart to do this??

I always believe that we can see God in children. When a new born is placed in a parents hands, the parent feels that he has got what he wanted and that the entire world is at his feet. Believe me its an amazing feeling. Watching a kid grow up, spend time with him, not every movements, the first words and smile etc...how can the parent just abandon a part of him just like that??These poor kids do not get what they actually deserve. Though people in the orphanage are really caring, it is mandatory to get parental love.

I left the place a changed man and this had me thinking for a long time. What is the fault of these hapless children?Their parents abandon them, carry on with their lives and it is these kids who as ostracized as ophans...poor things. They are treated as if they are a burden on earth. I lost my heart to them and was never the same. I then decided why not try to make a difference and adopt a child?Anyways you need to have kids...then why not adopt them?They are so lovable and caring and would do anything for you. Yes, I need to consult my better half when I take this decision because for a man, this is very easy but for a woman, lots of things are to be considered. There are very few people who can give the same amount of love to an adopted kid. Whatever it is, they were not born in their womb so understandably, it is a very difficult decision.

I pray to God that the girl who will marry me will support my decision in adopting a child. I came across a couple who had their first child which was a girl and they adopted a boy to complete their family. Seriously, these people deserve a huge round of applause....they have begun to make a difference and thats how we can make a difference. If everyone of us think the same way, the future for such kids will be really bright and more than that it is really a great difference we will be making for a life....I hope reading this people will think of this option.

A Sweet Love Story - Concluding Part

2006-12-26T10:20:00.000-06:00

I spent a sleepless night thinking about all the events that had happened between me and her wishing that my mom had not taken up this topic.The time to visit her place came sooner than expected and we drove to her place at around 6 in the evening. Her father greeted us at the doorway and I must say that I liked him at once. He seemed really cool..not bad for a first impression!!! We were ushered inside and my parents were happily chatting with their prospective samdhis. I started getting fidgetty noticing which the girls mother called her out...Anu...pls bring something to drink for them.I could hear her footsteps as she walked into the room and my heart skipped a beat hearing each of her steps. I just couldnt bear the suspense anymore and I put the head down prompting some friendly badinage from the people around...the girls mother had a ball teasing me saying..."Tum to dulhan se bhi zyaada sharmaa rahe ho bete!!!"She came close to me and said..."Chai lejiye!!!"

I knew it. The same voice....which had haunted me all these years...I looked up only to see her right in front of me. I looked up slowly to see her staring at the floor. The same girl whom I really loved and the one who rejected me was right in front of me...as my prospective wife!!!What a situation to be in.Not even once did she look at me. I had a doubt whether she knew it was me all along. There were lots of questions in my mind and lots of thoughts which were floating inside and on top of it, the elders yakking around was not helping my cause.Fortunately, the girls father noticed it and said..."Beta...akele mein baat karna chahte ho??To sharmaate kyun ho??Waise hum oldies ke beech mein tum log to bore ho jaaoge :-)...VenkateshJi, you were telling me that you have an interest in gardening right!!I have a small terrace garden and at this time, the breeze is also good. Why dont we go there...and let these youngsters talk what they want...(winking at me)!!!!

They immediately left us alone to do all the talking...and now was my chance again. WE sat opposite each other without saying a word until I said "How are you Ananya?"

Ananya:"FIne Vivek...its been a long time."

Me:"Yeah...did you expect me to be your prospective groom once you heard what your parents said?You didnt seem to recognize me at all"

Ananya:"Dont be silly!!!Of course I knew all along that it was you. And what do you expect me to say in front of everyone...Hi Vivek how are you...abhi tak tum mujhe bhoole nahi or what??"

Me:"Sorry for putting you in such an uncomfortable situation. IF I had known it was you, I would not have come."

Ananya:"Why do you say so?"

Me:"IF you had really wanted to marry me, you wouldnt have rejected me then."

Ananya:"Vivek, why dont you understand??Things were really different then. I didnt want to get committed at all. I wanted to achieve something in my life. I wanted to be independent and prove something to the world..I never said that I didnt like you...do you know how much I missed talking to you when you were avoiding me?Do you know how much I wanted to tell you that I really loved you...??"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. In a flash I forgot everything and I was by her side once again.ME:"You know Anu...seeing you after such a long time, I feel really nice. But I need to think about this now...I am really confused and right now, all this is too much for me...I will get back to you soon".

Ananya:"I totally understand..I will wait for your answer."

We left her place after having dinner. I spent the whole night thinking about her and the events which took place at her house."Lots of negative thoughts also flew by.."How can someone who rejected you without thinking now suddenly come up and say that she loves you...??She broke my heart...and now...wants to make amends...does she love me??But who cares yaar...the problem is that I still love her."The final thought settled it all and I slept in peace having made my decision.

The next day, I called her up and asked her to come to cafe coffee day in the evening. And when she came, I made sure that she saw the most beautiful sight ever in her life. I had decorated every corner of coffee day with red roses with each one having her name on it. And just like college days, I went down on one knee, pulled out a rose from my pocket and repeated the same words. Her emotions took over and she hugged me as if she was never going to see me again.

We conveyed our approval to our respective parents and immediately got engaged. Wedding preparations were going on when Ananya's parents invited us over for dinner. I sat opposite to her enjoying my view and my dinner when her father popped up a shocker...!!"So Vivek...how did you propose to my daughter in college?"

We were speechless. I immediately looked at her and she seemed equally puzzled. I looked at my parents and they were smiling too...Suddenly everything dawned on us. This wasnt a co-incidence at all. Both the parents knew this beforehand and therefore arranged our marriage!!!!

FInally, her dad admitted that he had found my photo under her pillow...which she hadnt told me at all...and also that he had found out the details about the entire incident from her best friend to whom she had confided earlier...and conveniently forgot to tell me about it.

Immediately they met up with my parents, got our horoscopes matched and then you know the rest!!!!!

"Anu darling...!!!"'Hmm..."she said!!! We were sitting in the same garden in Kodaikanal where we had come for our honeymoon. Do you remember this place??""I remember this place and also how stupid you looked while you tried to propose...but cant help it...you looked too cute :-)""Shall we go to Coco's walk tomorrow?"Coco's walk.."she exclaimed with childish excitement...not quite for a 24+ woman....I smiled and brought her face towards mine...eagerly hoping that the years to cme will be as sweet as this moment.

A Sweet Love Story Part 1

2006-12-18T11:42:00.000-06:00

It was the end of a usual tiring day. I had returned from office ennervated and tired after undergoing an arduous routine throughout the day. Today, my house had a different air around it. My parents were behaving in a different manner and that didnt go unnoticed by me. I knew that eventually something would come up at dinner so I didnt bother to ask.

Dinnner time finally arrived and I sat along with my parents waiting for them to break the suspense. As the silence lingered, my parents talking in hushed tones obviously how they are going to talk to me, I started feeling uneasy. I was hoping...Oh God...anything but that please.....finally the thought I dreaded came from my wonderful mothers mouth..."Vikku, we have seen a girl for you. Your horoscopes have matched and we are going to meet her family tomorrow so come early from office."

As soon as I heard that, I groaned with agony. I was a fiercely independent person who loved his independence. I was really unsure how I would be able to adjust in this new relation. The idea of losing it was a bit painful, a view all bachelors would share. I tried to wrigle out of it but no avail. Finally I gave in and asked my mother what is the girls name. And the reply was the girls name is "Ananya".

This name sounded really familiar to me...in fact...more than familiar. I retired for the day and was lying in my bed thinking about my past, something I had locked somewhere away in my life. I closed my eyes searching for the face which haunted me throughout these years, the face...on which even a smile would light up my entire day and for which I was even willing to die a thousand deaths.......yes that face was Ananya's...my Ananya's.

Ananya always had a larger than life personality. A very sweet girl with a never say die attitude and always lightens the atmosphere around her. Though we share the same friends circle, I never had the courage to talk to her. She was always yakking around with everyone she knew and was always there for her friends. Our talks were always limited to studies, notes and other boring stuff. But she made me realise that my life is incomplete without her.

There were numerous occassions when I tried to tell her what I felt but ended up fumbling with words. Finally the moment came...we had planned a trip to Kodaikanal...just a group and Ananya was also coming(well...that was the only reason why I decided to camp along)...all of us had a great time sightseeing. After sometime Ananya just wanted to sit down and she told us to continue. We were not for the idea of leaving her alone and here, I grabbed the chance with both my hands and told the guys that I will stay here and you people continue.

Ananya was as usual at her radiant best and one look at her beautiful face is enough for a guy to lose his mind completly. I gathered enough courage to start the topic. I said "Anu, If you dont mind, can I talk to you about something??'Ananya: "Sure Vivek, why are you hesitating...?Are you going to propose to me or what??" There was a childish chuckle on her face when she said that. GOD!!!I hate these girls for this...they very well know whats going on in your mind but they plead ignorance...

I: "Ya you are absolutely right...thats what I was going to say"Ananya: "Go on what do you want to say...chuckles again"....God this was too much for me to take.

I immediately took out a red rose from my pocket, the one I wanted to give her when I profess my love, went down on one knee and said ..."Anu, I may not be the smartest or the most romantic guy around but believe me...I really love you and would do absolutely anything for you. Every time you smile at me, I feel as if I have been reborn. You have given my life a new meaning and have absolutely no idea of what difference you have made to it. All I know is my life without you would be hell. Please....will you be mine??"

She was surprised...rather I would say shocked!!!!"How can you say this Vivek?? I mean how can you even think about this??" "Why what is wrong" I asked. "There is absolutely nothing wrong...but I never felt the same way for you. I respect you as a person and as a friend but nothing beyond that. My parents trust me a lot and I would not want to let them down. We will be good friends forever."

I felt that my entire world came crashing down that day. Soon after, the others returned and this incident never came up. I made it a point to avoid Ananya and no one suspected a thing as I never spoke to her much. Eventually, we finished college and moved to our respective careers. I never made any efforts to find out what she was doing or whether she was married and moved out of the country. I never thought about her.......................... until today.

Part 2 coming up!!!!

Aaj Dil Ne Socha.....

2006-11-02T12:06:00.000-06:00

Today on the 30th of august, I sat all alone in my room rueing the fact that no one had wished me on my birthday. My gaze fell on an old photograph which had me and my close buddies Neha,DK and Jazz(Jai kaishen but he likes it this way). Immediately I started feeling nostalgic and my mind raced 15 years back when we celebrated Neha's birthday by freaking her out.

The date was Nov 2nd 1991 and it was 11.55 in the night.Dk,Jazz and I had decided to sneak into Neha's room to give her a surprise. DK and I slithered down the compound wall without a sound but Jazz landed with a thud loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood(one thing - he can never be a thief!!!!). This woke Neha's parents and her dad being a police inspector immediately came out with his stick but not before waking up the neighbours. It didnt take them long enough to find us and we were literally mauled by all of them.

It was this sound which brought Neha running out find what happened and man.........the inexplicable expression on her face when she saw us there was hilarious. The clock then struck 12 and we sheepishly pulled out the surprise gift we had bought for her. We then celebrated her birthday in the middle of the night with the entire neighborhood but not before a small diatribe from her dad...all in good humour though.

After that, all of us chose our own paths in destiny. Neha got married to a gem of a guy and settled down in New Zealand. Jazz went to the states to pusue his P.Hd and DK joined a software company in Noida leaving me all alone in Chennai.

I was bought back into the present with the sound of the bell ringing. I opened the door only to find the three of them there...and as usual like an idiot sttod there in shock unable to comprehend what was happening around me. I still remember what jazz said...abe khade khade kya kar raha hai...gale nahi lagega kya.....MAN!!!!We hugged each other tight,caught up with old times and finally cut the cake to start the celebrations.

That day all of us realised how empty our lives were without each other. We made up for all the lost time that day but eventually we had to return to our respective lives. We parted with the promise that no matter whee we all are, we'll be very much a part of each other's lives and will always be together. Afterall, this is what friends are for.

Koi Kare Kisi Aur Se Pyar or Kaadhalae Jayam....A VRV Production!!!!

2006-09-30T23:01:00.000-05:00

Well...this might sound like a Karan Johar/Balachander movie and its too long too .....but I assure you guys its not one. This is my return to blogging after a loooong gap...reasons unknown to me too. Well..its been over a year since this has happened but the memories are still fresh in my mind...wow what amazing fun we had...

I vividly remember the date...it was August 19th 2005. It was my first day in Cognizant and my first job too. I walked into the sprawling office in Thoraipakkam with a flurry of thoughts. A mix of excitement and uncertainty could be felt as it was my transition from college life to a professional in the big bad corporate world. I went through the usual formalities which included the medical check up where I had an amusing experience...well this blog is not about that so I will stick to the topic. Nothing special happened that day and we were asked to report in Tidel Park for our induction on the 22nd.

After the weekend flew by, I was geared up for the grand induction into my company. It was my first entry into Tidel Park the much hyped IT palace in Chennai and that added to my excitement. I saw lot of people moving here and there and felt proud to be a part of this wonderful industry. The induction was a big bore except for the final part where our training batches were announced and we created our first salary accounts etc.

The training started on Aug 30th which happened to be my birthday and I was given a sweet surprise by my batchmates who happened to be from the same college. Well, now the interesting part starts. We were known as dot net 13 and since we all knew each other beforehand, there was no excitement. We decided to snoop into the adjoining batch to know about them....now I am an ordinary guy..you people must have guessed why I was so interested in the next batch...specially the GIRLS in the next batch :-)

There is a wise saying...99% of the girls are beautiful...the rest are in my college and most of the guys do agree...well with me there wasnt an exception and there were some girls whom I found good to look at but not in my batch!!!!. There was this particular female in the other batch who caught my eye.....let me call her Miss X. Our first meeting was a typical filmi meeting where she was late for class and while running for the classroom, bumped into me by accident. Well...I am still confused ..should I consider myself lucky or regret it...for her eyes said it all...I just stood there like an idiot gaping at her openly not even bothering to apologise while she entered her class giving me a frown all the time :-)...

I returned home still thinking about her and wow.....when I looked into her eyes for the first time, I could hear voilins playing in the background...and the song Tumse Milke Dil Ka Hai Kya Haal plays in the scene...

The next day, I reached early and started loitering near the stairs hoping to be lucky again. But to my disappointment, she came with a friend of hers and was quite early this time. I thought of apologizing but didn’t have the guts...her friend was no less pretty but I thought something was missing in her face. I thought I should befriend this FRIEND so that I can talk to my gal :)

After days of anticipation, I finally got a chance to talk to both of them...they were lost in the city and I got the chance to be their knight in shining armour. I was quite successful in diluting the tension between us much to my relief. We moved more freely with each other,exchanged numbers..messaged each other till early mornings, talked for long hours over the phone in the night and even went out for movies together...of course with that friend tagging along..I used to feel irritated so I started bringing another friend so that he could keep the other girl busy.

This happened quite discreetly as we would have been ridiculed by our respective batch mates who wouldn’t have spared any effort in deriding us. I was also irritated with the fact that I couldn’t get her out alone because of her friend (Miss Y)!!!!!

One fine day, she called me saying that she wanted to meet me alone. My heart jumped and I prepared myself for the occasion I was waiting for all these days. I showered twice, brushed my teeth and used mouthwash over it, used the best deodorant to avoid risk. I reached the place one hour before time as I was not able to wait.She was 15 minutes late but the fact she came was enough for me. I took her near the waters and waited for her to say something.

After some moments of deliberation, she finally spoke...after she did, I wished this day had never happened...but retrospectively thinking, this was one of the funniest days in my life.She opened up by saying that"You know something, in such a short time you have become a very important person in my life and I dont know what I would have done without you." I was holding my breath eagerly catching every word. She continued..."I hope you will not take me wrongly". I said Nope....she said "I like you very much"...that was what I was eagerly waiting for but before I could express my joy she followed it up saying this..."But my friend is really mad after you and I also thought you two would be perfect for each other thats why got her along wherever we went!!!!"

I was shellshocked!!!!She was playing matchmaker all the while and I was blissfully ignorant about it...I thought this was the end but what followed was even more shocking!!!!She continued saying this..."Now that I have told you this...there is something else I would like to tell you...I like your friend more"!!!!!!!!!!!!

It turned out that my friend was mad after Miss Y who was mad after me...but I was after Miss X who inturn was after my friend!!!!!Life is funny friends...in tamil we say...vidhi valkai la valayadithu!!!This is the game of fate....and ya the ending was we guys laughed over it with a bottle of beer and both the girls got married to stinking rich NRI's.....luckily we werent serious about them.....When I think about it today, I do laugh a lot over it...wanted to share this with you all, thats why I put it here.

Nature's Fury

2006-09-01T11:26:00.001-05:00

It was a lovely start to my day. The sun had just risen from the horizon and its evanescent rays were touching the clouds...I started my usual routine by going out for my morning jog by the lovely waves in the beach. Strangely, one day the sea did not wake up. The waters had receded and the sea was ususually quiet. I felt uneasy and left before completing my jog. Minutes later, I was shocked to see the waves engulf the entire coast and swallow whatever was in the way. Had this happened a few minutes earlier, I would not be writing this today.

The waves receded again..this time leaving a trail of destruction. Many had lost their loved ones and a lot more had lost everything they had. This catastrophe had indeed scarred many for life. Seeing what had happened, I shuddered. Had I not felt uneasy and left early,had I not listened to my inner voice, God knows what would have happened. I made it a point to help the people who suffered the most here. I attended many social service camps, reached out to the people, heard their harrowing experiences,wept with them and in the night camped out with the other people. No matter how much we try to console them, they were just inconsolable. Some were fortunate enough to survive this miraculously while most of them were not.

Going through all this, several questions appear in my mind. How long will mother nature continue to bear the brunt of man's insalubrious activities?How long will she be patient?If we dont get a grip of ourelves and stop interfering with natue's laws, the reaction is going to be even bigger.....the world might just be seeing its last days...it is just a question WHEN!!!!!