Time for some good old songs

It is 11 PM and it is not surprising that I am waiting in office again. My blogs about my late nights in office are probably becoming as irritating as Himesh Reshmiya's songs. But what is true.... is true. But Thanks to my employer's policies, I have internet access which I can use in positive ways. And also for some good TP. So here I am again, waiting... Anyway, when I am waiting like this in office, I like to listen to some songs which are very close to me and which I enjoy listening to. So it is again time for me to indulge in my favorite songs. I find these songs interesting because for some unknown reason, I have some triggers to some memories associated with them. And also, they are not crappy as the songs these days. Dev Anand's films had really good music. It could be the much in love guy urging his gal not to leave, through "Abhi na jao chod kar", the lover who sees his gal everywhere in "tere ghar ke saamne" , a lovers' tiff in "achcha ji main haari", the mischief in "hai apna dil to awaara" or "Jiya o Jiya kuch bol do", or the man who has lost and is leaving everything behind as he moves away in "wahaan kaun hai tera", the songs are soulful and not like mere fillers in the movies these days. My introduction to these songs has been through my parents, both of whom are from the era when songs were art, actresses wore clothes and movies were luxuries, not smoke given out as a factory operates. My dad is a Huge fan (with a capital H for emphasis ) of Dev Anand, and I am thankful that he is so, because I got the chance to listen to all these songs. Madhubala trying to pacify Dev Anand in "achcha ji main haari" is fun to watch. I don't have to worry about some stupid dance steps and I can enjoy the song and Mohd Rafi's antics as he sings.
Other songs that qualify as really good ones are "Chaudhavin ka chaand" and "Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam" and many many more.


I personally believe that after 1995, there have been very few songs which qualify as good. Eras of good songs came and went, making way for new genres, but like a well aged wine, the old songs are still an epicure's delight. Not the rotting orange juice past its expiry date.
Speaking of which, there were some songs now, which even though not up to the level of these, are still OK to hear. They can't hold their own against the songs that I have mentioned, but are still worth listening to. "Yun hi chala chal rahi", "Maa", "Luka Chuppi", "chaiyaa chaiyaa" and "Dil se", the "theme music of Iqbal"
and "Dor"
are some of the good ones. Rehman is one of the few people who is able to make good music, but these days, he is trying to imitate his competition and is forgetting what makes him so unique. The sheer talent of the Genius is visible in how he has used Lata Mangeshkar's voice, who is now well past 80, for the awesome song Luka Chuppi from Rang de Basanti. If you are a guy and you happen to be staying away from home, from your Mom whom you find too pushy at times, but miss her otherwise, you will know. If you are a normal guy and qualify for what I have just said, if you are a hostelite staying away from your home, you are bound to feel really sad when you hear this song for the first time. I know I did, when I heard it after leaving home. And if you happen to be a Mom like my mom, you are bound to be full of tears when you listen to this song. Now that is genius... a song that clears noise, which haunts you when it ends, not something that adds to noise. The only song that stands parallel to this is Maa from TZP. My mom cried after hearing it and I'll be frank, I don't like to listen to it when I am in Bangalore, because I start feeling even more homesick after it.

Songs have the effect of triggering some emotions in your mind, and some memories from a time you probably thought you had no memories of. One such song is "aakashi zhep ghe re paakhara"
, a marathi song, which for some reason always reminds me of my grandfather, or Nana as we all called him. And when I hear that song, all the memories associated with him flood my mind.... and it feels really great. And I am also reminded of how much I miss having him around. I guess that is what the purpose of songs is; to make us remember. To remember that there is a tune for everything in life, for every emotion, for every feeling and that knowing these tunes is what memories are.

Too philosophical? oh well, I just went with the flow of my mind while listening to all these songs in the last 45 minutes. So you know that there is something to it.

Live hot Jelabi !


Ok.... I have my own Kryptonite. Rather I have a few things which qualify as my kryptonite.... Ice cream (Choco chips, death by chocolate), my mom's Ba-Chya-Ka (its a code word) and a few more. But what comes first on the list is an awesome Jalebi. I think I got this from my Mama. He has the same liking for it and both of us can easily finish off all the jalebis in a wedding reception. But as I have moved away from home, the customary jalebi on my B'day has also stopped. Since 2nd June, 2008, I haven't had the chance to eat a decent Jalebi. And then... today dawned. The Gastronomical Gods of the IBM Food court rained blessings upon us. (Normally that is when the food is actually cooked properly, or even cooked for that matter) They had a stall for Live Hot Jalebi. Word of caution..... never doubt the guy making the Jalebis. Heavy is the head that makes the Jalebi curve. 15 bucks for 6 jalebis..... thats a freaking steal in Bangalore! So there I was, watching my Jalebis fry and then drown in sugar syrup. I mean, my state had literally become something like that kid from the Dhara ad many years back....Jalebi!!! But then I was in for a rude shock.... and a real high from all the sugar that went into my body. Have you ever seen how blood gushes out of the gunshot wounds in movies? yeah... that was how the syrup was pouring out of the jalebis. My brain was telling me only one thing. Syrup se lath path lath path.....Khaana mat khaana mat . Newsflash.... too much sugar..... not good for health. A sugar high causes me to concentrate in office. yeah.... I concentrate in office when on a sugar high.... Makes sleeping a little difficult. And then the problems really begin.... I start getting work. And not the interesting I-can-go-without-sleep-for-the-next-5-days-and-experience-hallucinations-of-grandeur work. I get the oh-God-not-again-where-is-the-nearest-wall-i-want-to-bang-my-head-on-it-bad-dobby-bad-dobby kind of work. And then when I finally reach home, that is the time when the Japanese are having breakfast. Yeah, I just made that up and Googled Japan time for coming up with that line. Nevertheless, it is true. Coming back to the Jalebis. Live Hot Jalebis.... you bet.... i burned my tongue on them. The sugar level in them was something which would kill Jane Fonda by just thinking of it. The calories in it were probably enough to run my bike for 2 min. But hey, it was all worth it. Once in a while, you just think from your stomach, not your brain. Oh well.... there goes my diet.

Veni, Vidi, Veterni - I came, I saw, I took a nap.

How many times in a week do you wake up to the thought... "WTH!!" ? (I actually wake up to something worse, but a public blog demands less severe profanities.)
How many times do you go to office and the first thought that hits you is... "WTH"?

If you haven't understood the drift of this article.... I am back in Bangalore after a long stay at home.
And now that I am back, there is a sudden sense of Deja Vu creeping upon me.
I still go to office and wait 9 hours for some work to come, which comes 10 hours later and doesn't work properly. Then I end up waiting till 2 am trying to convince others that it isn't working!
So another day lost and another pay day earned.... Hell, what do I care, make me wait like this everyday. I might give up my apartment and get my bed here. I will save on rent, internet will be free and I won't have to care about the weather.

Recession hits us in many ways, but IT guys who are still employed only get the severity of the complication when their free coffee is taken away from them. 2 weeks back, fate dealt us this critical blow. The effect? After 4 PM, you can see Zzzz floating above everyone on the team. Ashspear is no exception to that. Don't believe me? Have you ever stepped out into a
garden in the evening in the rainy season? If you have, you know that there are tonnes of mosquitoes (obvious overstatement; Measuring a tonne of mosquitoes will take immense patience) hovering above your head. That is how our office now looks like after 4 PM with small Zzzzs hovering above our heads. With everyone walking in Bullet time, the SFX effect made popular by the Matrix movies, and with many people trapped on the train station like Neo in Matrix Revolutions...(Sleeping! :P)

So what else? Still single, still 23, still in the same job (getting paid !! touchwood :) )The new thing is that I now am crazier than before. I am thinking of cooking at home and try to save some moolah!
Maybe I should write a book. Lets see how all of these work out.

So, hello to the 5-6 pair of eyes who actually ever read my blog ( there are more than 6.5 Billion people out there.... 5-6 is ok). Hope to start regular blogging soon. Don't expect any more poems as of now. Maybe when a Fair Maiden walks into my life instead of Iron Maiden, there might be some output on that front.

See you soon