Carry on Heaven

Sunday evening I went to see the play “Carry on Heaven” being played in Manik Sabhagriha, Bandra Kurla Complex. Written and directed by Bharat Dabholkar, the play is a musical comedy. Louis Banks has designed the music and the songs are comical take-off from popular numbers of Bollywood and Hollywood. I wouldn’t have gone to see it (ah don’t like replays of mythological stories), had not I heard about its popularity.
The two hour long play is a spoof that lampoons every aspect of life – from politics, cricket, films, languages, film stars, doctors, medical systems, mafia, music, demons and even Gods!
The King of Gods, Indra desires to see a 20th century man from earth but what he gets is much more than he has bargained for...in the form of an Indian minister (read Laloo Prasad Yadav) of considerable political clout.

What follows is a hilarious chain of events...with minister trying to woo the heavenly apsara Menaka, learning new ‘positions’ of Kamasutra; Yamraj, the God of death joining the new coalition party in heaven, the ‘hung parliament’ and so on.
The naughty witty dialogues are mainly in English with subtle touch of Hindi, Marathi & Gujarati. From wonderbra to castration – it mentioned everything. Worth watching if one doesn’t mind a little of shh shh dialogues. And Bharat Dabholkar ? What shiny head he has ! I wonder what oil & shampoo he uses. ;)

The cast included Viju Khote, Kishore Pradhan, Atul Kale, Sameer Chougule, Mukesh Ahuja, Priyanka Khimani, Palash Dutt and Sarika Mishra.

This was my first visit to Manik Sabhagriha and in my opinion, the auditorium is much better than Prithvi theatre at Juhu; both in size and infrastructure.
On my way back while waiting for 11:06 PM train at Bandra station, one small incident happened that left me thinking. More on that later.

P.S.-The "Passing the Sentence" game is still on for the last sentence and I have asked something over there. Will you be kind enough to answer that ? Pulleeease..

Current song- Love Me Do – Beatles
Technorati Tags: Play Entertainment

Passing the Sentence Game #2

Ok, as promised I am back with game #2. This time I don’t want any complaints of not being able to play. So, making it a bit longer.. that is 20 sentences for this story.

Once again here’s an open invitation. Can 20 different sentences – written by different bloggers across the globe – weave a good Horror story? Let us find out.
I’m going to write the first sentence and I invite you all to contribute the next sentence, in sequence. Yes, the sentence is passed onto the next blogger. Just leave your sentence as a comment, and I’ll keep updating this post to show you the flow of the story. Believe me it’s lots & lots of fun !

I want to see how long it takes to complete the task, so please don’t be reticent. Also, I am going to invite a guest judge (Surprise, surprise !!) – who is also a blogger – to critique our effort.

Ok now, first things first, as this petite Cuckoo always does … here are some rules of the game. Please read them carefully before playing.

Rules of the game :

1. No one blogger can participate more than once in a single game and no anonymous commenter please. I am dead scared of them ! Bhoooot...
2. The story has to finish in stipulated no. of sentences only (20 in this case). So choose your sentence carefully as to go with the flow.
3. If you write more than one sentence, I’ll take only the first one and the story will move from there.
4. Sentences can be as long or short as you wish them to be, use lots of comma & semi colons. Please refer to Game #1.

So, here goes my first sentence. Let us see who the next one is. Please remember we are trying to make a HORROR story.

She loved the mountains, unsullied greens and that chilly foggy weather.. that morning as she leisurely came out of her hotel room, rubbing her hands, mesmerized by the surroundings she stepped onto a road she wondered where that would lead her to, and then suddenly...

Now folks, the stage is all yours. Loosen the reins of your imagination and create the magic.

-----------------------

Ahaa !! The story has started moving within no time. Cuckoo khush hui.

1. She loved the mountains, unsullied greens and that chilly foggy weather.. that morning as she leisurely came out of her hotel room, rubbing her hands, mesmerized by the surroundings she stepped onto a road she wondered where that would lead her to, and then suddenly... from Cuckoo.

2. She heard a voice, stopped for a while and as she turned back, found a blurred figure from that foggy atmosphere gradually proceeding to her...wow, it was that lady.... from Sag_Nik.

3. Who was her friend and with whom she had lost touch; meeting old friends in new places is always refreshing and she expected this was the same but least did she know that wasn't the case. This was from Maverick.

Bravo Peter ! Nice twist. It actually fits well with my current song, as if someone is calling out that woman !
4. She felt something strange about it, but did not yet know that this "lady friend" actually was a disguised man. From Peter.

5. That lady proceeded with a wily smile as the rustling sound of leaves made her shiver, unaware of the disguised person she asked her to join her stroll. From Vaidya… a first timer here as far as I know.

Five sentences gone, 15 left. Now, what next ?

6. It was while strolling that she noticed that the shadows showed only one person... "this cannot be!!", she thought... with this creeping on in her mind, she walked on casting a nervous and scared glance at her companion. From Sam.

Now here comes the challenge for all of us to carry on further. What I could make out from a veryyy long sentence by Scanman is here…not verbatim exactly.

7. The word 'disguised' offers too literal an explanation for the fantastic and other-worldly transformations that have taken place in the body and psyche of the man after he was possessed by the spirit of the woman whose sudden disappearance is still shrouded in mystery after so many months and the case file remains open for the police who are increasingly inclined to classify it as an unsolved homicide.

A request to all of you. Please keep the sentences in flow, in the spirit of the game and simple.. in order to let the next person understand it, else you know what I am going to do. :)

Huh Beast ! You are always after poor petite Cuckoo. Nice continuation but lordess ?
8. Nothing about the case was simple, no wonder it couldn’t be solved; her parents narrated things that defied logic, prior to her disappearance, the woman had been possessed by a demon, the demon Cuckoola, lordess of all evil powers. From Beast

Ha Ha.. demons writing blogs ?? Very interesting.
9. People closely associated with the woman have seen her, late into the night, writing (blogging!!!) and tearing up parchments of paper in high quality blood; obviously, people speculated about the different sources of blood, leaving them all paralysed with fear, and then suddenly, one "fine" night when many people died, they saw her taking the road leading to a dense forest all alone... . From Praveen

10. And this was that very road but now it was morning.. SHE in the body of a HE wanted to be with Anita, this prettiest woman in the world who had earlier snatched her boyfriend and in a way was the reason for her death.. today she wanted to take revenge by being close to Anita.. she would definitely try to woo her and take her to the interiors of that forest... From Mayank, a very old fan of Cuckoo. Mayank, you still without a blog ?

Ok, so ten sentences are over and as I can see it now, it indeed is going to be a horror story.

11. So it was a lady demon hovering over the man, disguised as Anita's female friend Rozy and now trying to take Anita to the remotest place in the forest.. Anita in a pink flowery dress looked as awesome as always, oblivious of Rozy’s devilish plans, wanted to go back to the hotel since she was scared and found something amiss… she noticed Rozy’s hand on which there was a bracelet which resembled the one given to her by her boyfriend…how could Rozy have it ? This one is from Rohit.

The twelfth sentence came in from Lord Suicaine.
12. Her boyfriend John had given her the bracelet when they were on a romantic trip to Greece where within two days John was found murdered; on the same evening the bracelet was stolen from her bag under mysterious circumstances and now the same bracelet on Rozy’s hand.. Anita was now scared to death thinking of the unthinkable, her face became pale in spite of her pink dress.. is Rozy a ghost?

Oh la la, where are we heading to ? This indeed is a spine chilling thriller. Simpler and shorter sentences please. We still have 8 more to go and am quite sure that the story will finish in that.

Next sentence comes from Kalyan.
13. Or is it just Anita's doubting senses.. she has become suspecting of almost everyone since her boyfriend John's death. She was keeping a close look on the bracelet and trying to find the initials of their first names AJ which was embedded on it and her mind was preparing to run back if she found it out...

14. There it was, the initials AJ embedded beautifully together on the inner side of the bracelet and with a blood curdling scream, Anita fainted. From Deepti.

Ouch ! Never expected so much of bloody things out here on my blog. Ha Ha.. enjoying it immensely. Hmm.. some people just love the horrors of life. I must say, the fifteenth sentence from Ashutosh is a very good attempt.

15. She started dreaming almost immediately, wherein she heard Rozy mention about the 'Blood Bloggers Band', an association that collected blood and supplied to bloggers who wrote in high-quality blood, and then she saw Rozy and John engraved inside a heart on a tree trunk in the same forest, with the entire etching bleeding freshly; Rozy was trying to get her back to consciousness—penetrating even her subconscious—before she made her next move as she wanted Anita to see what was coming to her.

Five more to go. Let us see how it ends. As I said earlier the story is going to a spine chilling thriller ! Good Luck to all the five next bloggers for brining it to a thrilling end. Black King, be ready to wrap up the game again.

This one really had me puking. I don’t think I’ll ever ask people to make a horror story. :(
16. Her subconscious mind sent electric impulses through the nerves emitting pulses which would explode the nerves, the arteries and the veins, making her head grow larger in size, the veins and the nerves ripping apart from her skin spreading like roots of a tree and her head growing bigger than the tallest tree in the forest emanating shrieking sounds... From Prax.

And this was once again a nice turn. Thank you Adi for bringing me to senses again. And heyy I am NOT Anita. Ok ?
17. As Anita came to her senses, she saw a face bent over her, it was a smile... a benign, veiled smile on J's face...J! J? "J", she screamed and...

18. she screamed and... found no voice coming out of her which first surprised her.. and then forced her to think if it was all dream she was having.. but then her eyes fell upon something that froze her - it was her own dead body.. This came from a dear blogger SiD.

Ok, now only two sentences left. Let us see who those two brave ones are to bring the story to a respectable end. Come on guys, don’t be afraid. It is just a story we all are trying to weave.

19. .. lying next to John’s.. his left hand around her shoulder, both were smiling as if they were going for a romantic walk in that perfect romantic morning on that mysterious road and then suddenly... From Arun P.

Only last sentence left !! Who’s going to bring this story to a meaningful end ? Heyy guys, I’ll wait for another 12 hours and if no one is courageous enough to come forward then I’ll complete it. What do you say ??

Hurray !!! I asked for one and got two in bargain with a difference of 9 minutes only. Thank you both Iceman and Abhi. Nice try, guys. All the readers wanted a happy end and you both have tried to do the same.
However, I am taking Abhi’s sentence as the last one since it is more meaningful. It looks like he read the story carefully to bring in all the finer points to a conclusion. Also, Iceman’s version has multiple sentences.
So, here goes the last sentence.

20. she heard him calling her name...."Good Morning Honey", he said and there he was smiling at her, standing with a breakfast tray in his hand, specially made for her on a chilly Sunday morning,......this was just what she had always wanted....a romantic holiday to Greece....she took a look at the tray and there it was.....a lovely blue bracelet with the initials AJ embedded on it.

Now the story is going directly to the reviewer's desk. Let us see what he has to say.

Current song- Waadiyan Mera Daaman, Raaste Meri Bahen – Md Rafi
Technorati Tags: Passing the Sentence

इजाज़त

So, I am back. It feels good to be home... to be in familiar surroundings. :) Some stories, some pictures.. hmm it will take some time. At times it is difficult to balance between work, travel and (yes, you guessed it right !) blogging. Nothing more I want to say at this point except to enjoy these lines written by me sometime back.

My next post would hopefully be (Oh, you’ve guessed it again !) “Passing the Sentence”. Oh I am so much excited about that game. Keep watching. Don’t miss it this time.

तुमसे दूर जाने का ग़म ही तो है मुझे
जो पास आने की इजाज़त नहीं देता।

बिछड़ जाने का डर ही तो है मुझे
जो मिलने की इजाज़त नहीं देता।

पर ये कमबख्त दिल समझता नहीं,
भूल जाने की इजाज़त नहीं देता।

Permission

It is the sorrow of departing
that holds me back from reaching you.

It is the fear of separation
that restrains me from meeting you.

But oh! This wretched heart!
It does not permit me to forget you.

Current song- जुस्तजू जिसकी की थी, उसको तो न पाया हमने – आशा भोसले

Technorati Tags:- Poetry Love Hindi

The Cracked Pot

Off late except for one or two, I have not been able to comment on any of your blogs. You could have judged that since I haven’t replied to your valued opinions on my blog as well, which I religiously do. Work and travel are keeping me busy and these short trips always keep me on my toes.
Nothing to grouse about, let me share a beautiful story with you. I call it 'Cracked Friendship' story. I’ll come back shortly. Till then Tchao, Bye bye, Au revoir. Have a blasting happy weekend !

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the House, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For two full years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. And miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw. So I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house??

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life.

When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character. Accept people as they are. Never expect anything, always try to give .. for, it is their wonderful friendship you are getting in return.

Current song- Khushboo Jaise Log Mile Afsaane Mein – Ghulam Ali

Technorati Tags: Friendship Society Human Behaviour

Why ???

Scribbled this late last night. For true meaning, I can say… Try, try, try ;)

Why it happens whatever happens ?
Why I cry till eyes dry ?
Why scream, why not dream ?
Why it rains when it pains ?

Why I choose to lose ?
Why me caged, why you raged ?
Why a scare, why not dare ?
Why a veil when I wail ?

Why I whine, why not wine ?
Why not a fake smile for a while ?
Why affection, Why addiction, Why surrender ?
Why Why Why ??

Current song- Lag Ja Gale Ki Phir Ye Haseen Raat Ho Na Ho – Lata Mangeshkar

Technorati Tags: Poetry Questions

Happy Birthday to Me !!!

Hi all… Today is my 1st birthday…I am one year old. I was born on this day last year. What ?? Don’t you know me ? Don’t you know Cuckoo ? She is my mom, err.. correction. She is my supermom.

Ohh thank you.. thank you.. for all your good wishes.

Well, my mother had panicked the day I was born. No, no. I wasn’t a creepy creature from some alien world. In fact, she was not able to see my face !! She ran helter-skelter asking everybody what had happened to her eyes, why she was not able to see me.
Apparently she came to know that I was hale & hearty in some other room called blogspot where she didn’t have access to see me. She went to enquiry; there some people could see me and they conveyed her that I am beautiful ! *Ishhh I am blushing now*

Yes, since I was born a few days after the Mumbai bomb blasts, the Indian govt. had banned all her network to see me. That strike was called Internet censorship.

Anyway, she kept feeding me & after four feeds she could see me. Oh my food ? You all humans know it by the name of posts and today my weight is 83 posts. In my world the weight is measured in posts instead of Kgs. Hmmm.. quite a fatso I have become.

My mom cooks a variety of nutritious wholesome food for me and that leaves you all often drooling, laughing and pondering. Sometimes you guys become emotional by seeing me eat a seriously yummy food. She calls it food for thought.
Recently she has started nurturing some poems to me, both in Hindi and English, which though I do not understand much, you people enjoy a lot.

Whenever she feeds me a new dish, you all come running to see what the food is all about and then you give me beautiful gifts. Oh, I love it when you give me gifts. In your world they are called Comments… SiD uncle’s son told me this. He is elder to me and taught me many things. We are good friends and visit each other regularly.

In this one year I have made many friends and my friend circle is increasing everyday. I am happy. Some of you come, pull my chubby cheeks, see me growing but don’t give me any gift :( and some of you don’t write your names while giving gifts. Tell me, how do you expect me to give you a return gift ?

On New Year day, my mom Cuckoo gave birth to my sibling. She is also very cute. Whenever my mom goes traveling, she brings a variety of food for both of us. My little sister likes picturesque colourful food more than the stories. That reminds me that mom is traveling again next weekend. What should I do? :( or :)

These are my top three most tasted (read in your language) dishes.

Mulgi Shikli Pragati Zhali – This meal has three courses namely Part I, II & III. Please go course by course if you want to taste it.
Cry Man, Cry
Tears of Joy

Cuckoo recently prepared a very fine delicacy named That was Indu which has become quite popular among you but still has not been tasted as many times as to come in top three. It has 84 gifts... maximum no. so far.

Fabio Cannavaro was the best side dish and
Kaash was the first dessert prepared by Cuckoo, my lovely mom.

Heyy wish me good luck and a very happy & healthy life ahead and I do hope to have your company along…

Thank you for coming here, adoring me, appreciating me, and giving me lovely gifts (oh, comments). Aah my mom Cuckoo gets excited by all these gifts and starts feeding me more delicacies. ;)

Current song- Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai, Pata Chala Hai - Jungle book

Technorati Tags: Blogosphere Celebrations Humour

Blogrolling – How important ?

Is blogrolling a favour to others or a convenience for ourselves ? Is collecting links from other blogs so important ?

Quite often I have been asked about my blogroll. People say they can not see my blogroll ! Many a times I am also asked by fellow bloggers to exchange links. i.e. if I blogroll them or in simple terms if I link them on my blog, they’ll also do me the ‘favour’.

My humble answer till now remains the same.. “No, I don’t have a blogroll for this blog and sorry, I can not have one here. Thank you very much”.

Of course, I know what a blogroll is and I do have one for my other blog but not here.

Well, there are several reasons why I say that.

First and foremost, I have well above 100 regular readers who come & often comment on my blog. To me, all of you readers are very dear and equally important. I DO NOT want to make any favourites among you though I might have some. I sincerely value your opinions on my blog and try to grow with them.
I agree, in the beginning when there were a few readers I had a blogroll; but now it is just not feasible for me to link your ever increasing list here on this blog just to get a link back in return.

Second, there are a few silent admirers of my blog who read ALL my posts including EACH & EVERY comment but refrain from commenting. I get their views through other means. Whether they are bloggers or not, is not a question here, but if I blogroll (read favour) others then why not these silent admirers as well (which in turn would hamper their privacy) ?? I would not want to do that at any cost.

Third, I have other better ways of tracking your blogs and updates. Tell me, don’t I come to your blog ? I even revisit to check your responses to my queries if I had one.

Fourth, but not any less important, I do not want to succumb to the greediness of this mad race.

However, I am very thankful to all of you who have blogrolled me without expecting a favour in return (Some of you have done so on your first visit itself !). Thank you very much. I am honoured; I value the gesture shown by each one of you. And don’t forget, I value your opinions on my blog.

Well, my way of linking your blog is slightly different. I link you through my posts, quizzes and tags wherever I find it appropriate. Tags are one of the nicer ways where one HAS to link the person as Tag rules demand that.
If for you, the purpose is to get a link from me.. well, you are getting one ! Not how you wanted it but the way I do it. :)
Also similarly, I do expect you to mention my blog if you happen to refer to it in any way.

Waitttt. That doesn’t mean I don’t read your blogs. Yes, I don’t browse but READ ALL your posts irrespective of whether I leave a comment or not. Come on, having so many blogs to read, you can not expect me to comment every time. There is a saying “Don’t say if you don’t have anything to say”. I don’t believe in leaving comments like “Great post” or “Nice pictures” just to show my presence on your blog. But sooner or later, the comments do come by. You all know it, right ?

And heyy you, all newcomers in the last one month... like Ansari, Aashi, Ashutosh, Ajith, Beast, claytonia, Sahil, Indicaspecies, Praveen, Kulpreet, Rads, Jarvarm, Edmund, Desh.. Ah and many more. Thanks for coming & bearing my rambling thoughts.
It doesn’t matter whether you blogroll me or not but I need you & your valued opinions here.

In the end, my sincere apologies once again if I am blunt in refusing or for not doing the favour of linking.

Current Song: Chaand Sifarish Jo Karta Hamari - Fanaa

Technorati Tags: Blogosphere

Oh Buoy !

Oh Buoy !! I miss this lady very much. She is my fatso darling. Any guesses where I clicked her or where is she ?
I have enabled the comment moderation this time so you can not see other people's comments (Clever me). Answer Honestly .. ok ? And no cheating !!

Update:-

Ok, Ladies & Gentlemen,

Time is up. No more guessing.

People went from Switzerland, Paris, Australia, Amsterdam, Antwerp, even Delhi, Bangalore, Goa Carnival to Circus !! Ha Ha.. I could see the anxiety levels going up.

Was it so difficult ? I guess so, but I appreciate your efforts. A BIG thank you to all of you. Though there is no clear winner this time, I would like to mention two names.

I think Beast is the first most intelligent person to try it out. Hmmm.. I need to be more careful next time. :)

And Pijush’s guess was the most closest to the lady... err I meant to the clue. Also, I must appreciate where his eyes went straight to look into. LOL.. Guys are guys after all. ;)

Here is his comment ..

I think this is a rail station on the Germany-Swiss border, because part of the dress(left part of lady) holds the German flag and right circle contains a cross (opposite to Swiss flag in colour). But definitely a wild guess this one as I got no more clue.

Ok, so without wasting time I announce the place. It is Zurich Railway Station, a city in Switzerland but near to German border. The local language is Swiss-German. And yes, it is a landmark of the place, not a part of any carnival.

Hope you enjoyed this quiz as much as I did. ;)
Say yes now. Ok ?

Current song- Duggi Pe Duggi Ho, Ya Satte Pe Satta – Kishore & Asha

Review - Passing the Sentence Game #1

So, the first “Passing the Sentence” game got over within 23 hours with people participating from places like Arizona, Dubai, Isle of Man, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, and of course different cities of India and the USA. Thank you very much for quick responses. As expected it was fun with story moving from a pub to blogs, from love to murder plot..

Requests are pouring down to have another round… yes; I’ll have the game 2 very soon. Watch out this place and don’t miss the chance this time.
Here is the critique produced verbatim, by once again David Mcmahon himself. He also stuck to the record of 23 hours and I am publishing it within 23 hours !

Bravo, Cuckoo. And bravo, all of Cuckoo's readers. Completing a Passing sentence game in 23 hours is a great example of a participatory blog. The secret to a good blog, I think, is one that engages readers in more senses than one. To invite readers, as it were, to create and weave a story in any fashion they choose, is only just being explored.

The first time I introduced the concept on my own blog, I was amazed that the first two sentences came from different ends of the world, in the space of a few minutes. That, in a nutshell, is the level of engagement that is so important as the best blogs forge their way ahead. There is no vanity, no preening. There is no swaggering, no chest-beating. Most of all, there is a sense of fun, with no place for ego. Great hosts invite their guests into their homes and likewise, there can be no harm in inviting readers into one's process of creativity.

The best part of this game is its simplicity. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to participate. I really enjoyed the way you gave your readers the first serve and then it was back and forth like a serve-and-volley Wimbledon match as the sentences took the story on an entertaining and easy-to-follow roller-coaster ride.

The beginning is pure James Dean or Marlon Brando, then it becomes imbued with black comedy and suspense, all rolled into one. Underworld dons. Mysterious fruit. Yes, it takes many unexpected turns, but that is the essence of the game. As for the ending - it just proves that every story needs a poker phase!

Current song- Zara Zara Behkta Hai, Mehkta Hai – Bombay Jayashree

Technorati Tags: Language Passing the Sentence

And This is How Cuckoo Croons..

“You are a writer of many moods - and that is a compliment. A blog is a mirror to the writer's soul and your site reflects many facets of your personality. I like the fact that you are willing to tackle a variety of issues and a variety of subjects.”
“There is a capricious nature to your blog and that, to me, is a very endearing quality. It's like reading a newspaper and flicking from the news pages to the opinion pages, to social commentary and then to the humour columns - all in one.”

These are a few comments for my blog by none other than David Mcmahon who is a Melbourne based journalist, photographer and bestselling novelist.

Well, I am honoured & humbled. David, thank you very much. I know you, as a friend, are always there for me. Getting this from you is like an award for me.

Just felt like sharing with you all. You can read the full post here.

Current song- Another Brick in The Wall – Pink Floyd

Technorati Tags: Awards Blogosphere

Passing The Sentence.. Game #1

Ok, enough of seriousness. Now let us play a game to cheer ourselves up. When I first played this game on David Mcmahon’s blog, it caught my fancy. And now, I want to play it again and I can not play without your active participation. Heyy, It is nice when you read my blog, it’ll be even nicer if you participate in it.

Here’s an open invitation. Can 15 different sentences – written by different bloggers across the globe – weave a good story? Let us find out.
I’m going to write the first sentence and I invite you all to contribute the next sentence, in sequence. Just leave your sentence as a comment, and I’ll keep updating this post to show you the flow of the story. Believe me it’s lots & lots of fun !

Since I have taken this game from David’s blog, I am calling it by the same name.. Passing the sentence. Yes, the sentence is passed onto the next blogger.

I want to see how long it takes to complete the task, so please don’t be reticent. Also, I am going to invite a guest judge (Surprise, surprise !!) – who is also a blogger – to critique our effort.

Ok now, first things first, as this Cuckoo always does … here are some rules of the game.

Rules of the game :

1. No one blogger can participate more than once in a single game.
2. The story has to finish in stipulated no. of sentences only (15 in this case). So make your sentence carefully as to go with the flow.
3. Sentences can be as long or short as you wish them to be, use lots of commas & semi colons. See one of the examples where I had participated.

So, here goes my first sentence. Let us see who the next one is.

There he was in a black leather jacket sitting in a pub with a large beer and a cigarette, staring inquisitively at a lady sitting next to him wearing a short slinky dress .. Ah, his eyes go blink blink..

Now folks, the stage is all yours. Loosen the reins of your imagination and create the magic with a touch of humour.

------------------------------------------

Ahaa ! The story has started moving within no time.

Second sentence which gave me a scare in the beginning itself, is from Abhi of Mumbai, India. He gave a real humerous touch !! Here it goes ..
He took her home, and they lived hapilly ever after!!!

The third sentence is from Aditi.. again from Mumbai, India.
Or at least that is what he thought, that they would live happily ever after.

The fourth sentence came from Sam based in Pune, India.
Here it goes..
But then, fate has a weird way of playing with your fortunes and what you perceive to be reality never turns out to be so.... as it happened with him, when he found out the truth about her!!

Fifth sentence came from Iceman in Pune, India as…
“As this thought passed by his heart, she kept staring at the doorway in a somber mood.”

Sixth sentence is from Carol in Isle of Man
“The fair lady had a large husband, six children, and a penchant for taking things that did not belong to her; hence her attraction to him in the first place - but yet still, he loved her, she had ways to please him which no other woman had ever found (mostly involving rubber masks and soft fruits) what on earth was he to do?”

Rads in USA wrote the seventh sentence.
"Finishing off the husband seemed like a perfect plan except for one thing- he was half the size of that man's biceps and a whole foot smaller in any way you measure!”

Ok, so eighth sentence comes from Dubai based Ansari.
“She finally decided to hire the underworld don Chemical Ali to kill her husband and to acquire all the assets but Ali had a condition, he was ready only on one condition that she has to marry him after he kills her husband, as he was secretly in love with her since his childhood days.”

The ninth sentence is from Ozlady in Singapore. Here it goes..
“Ah, those childhood days, when she used to throw soft fruit at him and make him scream with exquisite pain (or was that last night), perhaps he is daydreaming again!”

And here is the biggest challenge for the next blogger to bring back the story on track !! Beast from Sydney, Australia has put us back on Cuckoo's blog with Paris Hilton replacing the main characters !!
“But god has his mysterious ways and Chemical Ali one day runs into Cuckoo's blog while surfing the net; enlightened, then and there he decides that he will stop bloodshed and take up blogging and dedicate the blog to Paris Hilton as she cant sing, dance, act or do anything right, and miraculously remains in headlines!”

So, with 10 sentences gone, let us see who takes up this challenge.. Oh Oh ! Where this story is heading to ? The main characters.. That man, lady, leather jacket, beer, cigarette .. where are they ?

Eleventh sentence came from US based Praveen G K as..
“By a quirk of fate, her husband came across Chemical Ali's blog and came to know of his reason for transformation leaving him dumbfounded; he filed for divorce!!!”.

Ha Ha… I am amazed at the twist the story has taken ! Thanks Praveen !

Sentence no. 12 comes from Peter in Paris.
“But the divorce was refused, as Ali claimed that what was written in his blog was only part of a game some crazy blogger had invented.”

Thirteenth sentence is from US based Maverick.
“And she thought the story ended, but never she knew it wasn’t meant to end in a courtroom with three powerful men and all loving her, she felt weak by herself and that's when that college kid entered her life.”

Oh la la.. Where on earth that man from the first scene has gone ?? I guess he drank too much. ;)
Now, only two sentences left. Readers, be careful to bring it to an end.

The fourteenth sentence is from Expression! in USA. Here it goes..
“Before the college kid would express his burning desire for her, Chemical Ali and her husband came forward with a dagger look on their face, putting the girl into troublesome situation.. what to do, whom to pick!”

Here goes the last sentence by Black King from Bangalore, India..
"Finally, the gentlemen decided to settle it all in a game of poker: winner takes all!"

That is all. No more additions to the story. So, that’s how the gentleman thought of a win win situation !! Thank you all for participating and making it a story. Now, it goes directly to the reviewer’s desk. The review will get published here once it comes back to me.

Watch out for the next game. Till then… Tchao.

Ahaa ! I think my current song is very fitting for the opening scene.
Current song- Ajnabee Tum Jaane Pehchane Se Lagte Ho – Kishore Kumar

Technorati Tags: Language Passing the Sentence

That was Indu

A few days back during general chat, somebody said it is very easy to maintain a blog. Read a few blogs, take a few links from online news and your post is ready.
Sorry to say, I am absolute contrast to him. I do none of the things mentioned by him. Neither do I have time for browsing nor do I have to ‘hunt’ for topics for my posts. And give me a break !! I am not a news broadcaster here.

I have millions of my sane/insane thoughts on which I can write. And that was the sole purpose of having my own blog !! To give vent to my emotions, thoughts and views. Agreed, sometimes our views emerge from some news but not always. There are so many incidents keep happening around me that I don’t need to look anywhere else.

Today’s post is again one of them.

She lived in my neighbourhood. She was also my classmate. A short stature, thin girl, second among four sisters from a typical middle class family, she was like any other girl of our age except for one difference – she had a polio stricken leg. She walked with a prominent limp.. pulling up her dead leg with her hand. I still remember how she used to put her right hand under the knee, lift the leg up like a dead log and put forward.

We were sharp contrast to each other except for studies where we always tried to outdo each other. We two had different backgrounds, our upbringing was different... Me a serious quiet one and she a bubbly laughing girl, I was into athletics/sports and she could not even walk properly, we had a car to go places while they didn’t even have a two-wheeler but friendship doesn’t see any differences and so ours also blossomed within no time and we became very good friends.

After about 4 months they shifted to Pandara Road as her father had got a bigger flat there. Then after a few more months when new session started, she changed her school to a local one there, as it was difficult for her to commute.

But we kept in touch. We felt a true connection in our lasting friendship. Since it was extremely difficult for her to board DTC buses, it was for me to go to her place. I was in south Delhi, my school was nearby, at times it was difficult to take time out to go to her place but I did. Week after week, months after months it was me who used to take DTC bus for going to her place. It had become a ritual to spend a whole day at her place studying, discussing & laughing together.

Not even once did I ever think that I was doing something extraordinary for her and that now it should have been her turn to visit me. I never weighed friendship in those terms and till date I have not changed. I don’t think friendship can be measured in terms of equality. It can happen between any two persons of any age and any background. Our wavelengths should match - no other parameters are required.

Accept people as they are. Never expect anything, always give.. for, it is their wonderful friendship you are getting in return.

It was a grave misfortune for her that in spite of being given the polio vaccinations, the disease had struck her. Sometimes fate has a much bigger role in your life than you expect it to play.

She was extremely simple girl, always smiling and had resigned to her fate of one leg. She never thought it as a problem or a hindrance to her life. Maybe she was used to it. In difficult times she had taught me how to smile. She was the rock, my pillar of strength whenever I needed her.

Towards the final years of school, the frequency of visits had reduced. That was the time when we didn’t have cell phones. After schooling we moved further apart. She took up Arts in college and went for plain graduation as her parents didn’t want to spend money on her.. it was to be saved for her dowry. It made more sense to them having four daughters and because of her one leg status she was the most difficult one. She never complained and had become very quiet. In fact she used to make fun of her future and used to call herself ‘one-legged girl’. Probably she was trying to laugh away the oddness in her life.

During those years, my visits to her had become almost nil. We were both busy in our own lives. In the meanwhile her elder sister got married and now it was her turn. The parents had started groom hunting. In the final year of her graduation, fortunately for her parents, one guy was ready to marry her for a hefty dowry. He had a small cloth shop in Ghaziabad.

When I came to know about her marriage, I cried. I knew she, like any other normal girl, had dreams.. dreams to get married to a decently educated well-settled boy and this one was just school passed !! I knew her choice, her taste and I knew she was succumbing to her parents’ pressure and no one could do anything.

Nevertheless, she took her marriage vows in December even before she could write her final year exams next April. She was assured that she would be ‘allowed’ to write them but apparently it didn’t happen. I had taken two day’s leave from college to attend her wedding.

On her wedding day I saw the groom. I was shaken beyond words !! He was no match for her by any means. He was a widower and at least 12 years older to her. She was smiling but her deep tearful eyes were telling a different story. She knew I could read them without a single spoken word.

It was a pain for her to be draped in a Saree when she had to lift her leg to walk and how she had managed to go up the stage, only I can visualize now. She was literally lifted by her cousin brothers to the stage. As it always happens in any wedding, she was the centre of attraction… not for being the beautifully adorned bride but for being the POOR unfortunate bride.

After the wedding they shifted to Indore, her husband wanted to set up a big showroom with that dowry money. Then after good four months I received her first letter. Yes, it was a letter not an e-mail. She wrote how happy she was adjusting to a big joint family, wearing saree all the time and was in the family way. I could again feel the pain hidden in that letter. The frequency of letters reduced further and by the end of first year of her marriage it had stopped completely.
I completed my studies, started working/traveling, shifted my base to Mumbai and was completely out of touch from my earlier world.

Now, recently, I came to know that she has passed away two years back leaving a motherless child.

That was my friend... my one-legged friend. That was Indu.

Current song- In The End - Linkin Park

Technorati Tags: Issues Memoirs Feminism Society Friendship Human Behaviour

Finally Back

So, I am back.. finally. Trying to settle down to my regular chaotic routine. Where was I ? Oh don’t ask me that. It’s my habit. Cuckoos do fly away sometimes. This Cuckoo is no exception, except that she records her experiences on her other blog.
I was also on a hurricane trip to Delhi. Oh Delhi, my Delhi. It was extremely hot out there with temperature soaring to 48+ degrees Celsius and poor petite Cuckoo felt like a tandoori chicken in an oven.

At a construction site I could see small children trying to kill the afternoon heat with a hosepipe. And I (the delicate birdie that I am) wanted to do the same.

Then fortunately, common sense (Well, not so common in me) prevailed…
Cuckoo !! Behave !! You are all grown up now, can’t shed your clothes like those little ones.

I know I know, I am a stupid silly girl and sometimes (well, many times) my pea sized logical brains are at their best trying very hard to reason it out.

No ? Don’t you remember my logical logics ? See here and here if I am lying.

Anyway, the point is that I am enduringly in love with that city, my first love, since the day I was born.. excellent roads, wonderful flyovers, vast space, big parks and what not ? Now, don’t ask about my other love affairs, I’ve had many. ;)

Sitting in the cab, once again I was awestruck looking at those magnificent flyovers. Oh I felt like flying over them ! One after another.. Dhaula Kuan, AIIMS, Moolchand. Since was already late, couldn’t even ask the cabbie to stop to click some pictures. Yet to experience the Metro train and those recently come up malls. :(

Anyways, there is always a next time & then I will fully enjoy and capture the heated oven.

Current song- Fiza, Udti Firti Hai Tu Panchiyon Ki Tarah – Sonu & Alka

Technorati Tags: Delhi Seasons Summer

तुम अनछुई सी

तुम अनछुई, एक कुल्हड़ जैसी
जो एक बार होठों से छुए जाने पर,
किसी से चूमे जाने के बाद,
आख़िरी सांस तक बस उसी की हो चली ।

और वो मेम, चीनी मिट्टी के कप जैसी
जो एक के होठों से लगने के बाद,
फिर एक बार धुलकर, सजकर है तैयार
किसी और के आगोश में जाने को।

As always, translation doesn’t convey the same meaning but it is some consolation for non-Hindi readers.

You a virgin, like an earthen pot.
Who after being kissed
and touched by someone,
don’t let anyone else claim you till your end.

She, like a cup of china clay
enjoys the intimacy with one.
And is ready again after a wash & a makeup
to embrace yet another one.

Current song- Aaja Re Aa Zara – Md Rafi

Technorati Tags: Hindi Poetry Society

कहीं नज़र न लग जाये !!

Today I read a post on superstitions on Bellur’s blog.

Hmmm.. Nothing new about it. I know people are superstitious but looks like this mini train doesn’t want to be left behind. :)

Have a close up. I clicked it on my way to Elephanta caves.

Note:- In India people hang lemon & green chillies in their vehicles to drive away the bad omen.

Technorati Tags: India India Shining

Whose Gain, at What Cost ? - II

This is India. On one hand we are competing with and aiding the best of the world in the fields of medicine, technology, humanity, beauty etc. and on the other hand we are struggling within ourselves against the dowry system, child marriages, child labour, Sati pratha and many such social diseases which are still hollowing our society.

In India, even now it is common to see marriages where bride & groom hardly get to know each other before their wedding (sometimes they do not even see each other) or a husband throws out his wife for not bearing a male child or where sex education is still a taboo.

This is in continuation of my earlier post where I wrote about a woman who died on the operation table to fulfill her husband’s wish.

Now, the next case was a horribly shocking one for me. I fail to understand why some men treat their women as commodities, a toy which can be played around at their capricious whims and fancies. I don’t have words to describe this woman’s situation. Three months have passed by; it is still haunting me terribly.

As she was being shifted to the adjoining bed from a wheeler bed, I could see her writhing in pain. A newly wed bride (it was third day of her married life), her hands adorned by still fresh mehndi (henna) and tinkling bangles. Her off white saree was fully soaked in blood.

Reason ? A man who happened to be her husband, who had pledged in front of sacred fire to take care of her happiness and safety; could not control his desire to ‘conquer’ her and pounced upon her like a beast. He didn’t want to waste a single moment after the wedding. After two days of continuous rape, there she was lying in almost unconscious state accompanied by her mother-in-law. That monster didn’t even have guts to come to the hospital.

She was immediately shifted to operation theatre and was given thirteen stitches to her private parts. Her family at Ajmer was not informed as this was ‘nothing’ according to her dominating mother-in-law who obviously wanted to defend her son. She was continuously cursing the bride for not ‘co-operating’ with her son and making it such a hue & cry.
Without letting mom-in-law know, I somehow managed to speak to her busy doctor about hospital filing a complaint but on what basis, the doctor asked me. It was neither any accident nor the husband had beaten the patient. The hospital has its own set of rules before taking such steps. The police case could not be filed unless the bride herself complains. What a mockery !!

For the fear of arising of such a situation, the mother-in-law never left the patient alone. I was very bluntly told to mind my own business. I myself was going through a tough testing time then, did not want to multiply my problems. Could no longer stay there, asked Suhani if I could go home and came back saddened.

Probably I am selfish to the core and a coward as well.

Later, I came to know that the mom-in-law took her home the same evening... only to be attacked again by that beastly creature who was waiting there.

My heart aches.
I can see one more death in near future.

Think of it. With what dreams that bride must have come to her new home – a home full of strangers where she wanted a little love and a place to blossom.
Sometimes I do not want to believe in the institution of marriage.

Current song- Zindagi Tune Hume Kya Diya, Kuch Bhi Nahi – Jagjit Singh

Technorati Tags: Issues Society Human Behaviour