Yah, that's the most popular track from Dostana, topping charts and on every body's lips these days. Desi - is by definition anything that 'belongs to the homeland'. The one term that is global Indian but in our country itself used in a very derogatory manner.
Desi to us is downmarket, of lesser species, 'ghaati' or LS! Strange... coz its meant to be very chic!
This new ad on TV, that of a brand of chips with Indian flavors, says a lot about the word 'Desi'. We, perhaps, are the only region in the world where every brand of edibles has customized their food to suit the 'Desi' taste buds. Coke and Pepsi's launched their colas with sweeter flavors. McDonald's nowhere in the world has a 'veg-aloo tikki' burger but they made one for India. Pepsi came out with Kurkure the Desi gaathiya to compliment the western alcoholic drinks, Indian curries making waves in the UK and US and even the Desi Chinese cuisine hitting big in the US!
It truly means being Indian at heart and i feel everybody is a desi at heart at some or the other level however hip and posh they may be otherwise. We may go to the hippest pub or disco ... show on the exterior how much we love hip hop reggaeton and all that jazz.... bang our heads into each other pretending to understand Rock, but our souls pep only when the DJ plays hindi bollywood songs! No amount of pizzas and sizzlers can ever satiate our appetites like dal chawal. We would still not understand most words in the english flick unless we switch the subtitles on and our day wouldnt end without using a swear word in chaste hindi!
It feels so comfortable to be desi where you don't have to wear the veil of pretence of being something that we as a race are not! I feel strange and pity for people who sham 'big boss' is LS and watch sex and the city instead. Sad about the people who feel playing hindi songs in ur car and not owning an english cd is LS. Women who wear suits and indian outfits are LS, speaking in Hindi with you friends is LS??? Were you born on planet USA???? What's wrong with being desi? How can anything so fabulously grounded and rustic be LS or downmarket... and above all, who decides that?
I am proud to be desi at heart. I speak hindi even when 100 other people around me speak in english, i am not embarassed about it. I watch hindi movies and i do not understand english movies. Keep your outlook global but your heart, desi. No matter how modern our men become they will still want an Indian bride who can look after their home. Guys will love girls who wear the choicest of western clothes but his heart will skip a beat only when she wears an Indian attire. After all, anything desi is straight from the heart and has to be good!
Desi is the word and the spirit to be! Ain't nothing like our desipan...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Pecksniffian air
I was thrilled i had a friend finally in this city where i feel totally ignored. 7 months it took me to get friendly with someone. I was sharing everything i was feeling with her and then i get to know she wasn't as genuine as i thot she would be! She was telling everythng to the other someone! What a daft i was... my problem is i believe everyone... for me everything is white... everyone is good n then darkness descends upon me! I have suddenly started to see everyone in different perspective now.
Everybody is living a pecksniffian life these days. Its a matter of trust and its tough to place it in any one person. The only thing they think about is themselves. The only person they are true to is themselves and the only thing they care about is themselves. While i have traversed through life and treaded the dreaded paths and relations, one experience has truely stood out that of being lied to!
The human brain is made to see the superficial, that we cannot see what is going on in the mind. The only way to remotely know it is through the expressions and sadly that can be faked too! So whatever little you could read from the face is also doubtful now. People say something, intrepret something else, blurt something else and the whole pretence of 'oh i care about you, you can share with me' is so trust breaking. So i don't know whom to trust. How to evaluate who is worthy of my trust?
Right now, i am left with no friend again... so i talk to myself in the night... i would like to read minds.
Everybody is living a pecksniffian life these days. Its a matter of trust and its tough to place it in any one person. The only thing they think about is themselves. The only person they are true to is themselves and the only thing they care about is themselves. While i have traversed through life and treaded the dreaded paths and relations, one experience has truely stood out that of being lied to!
The human brain is made to see the superficial, that we cannot see what is going on in the mind. The only way to remotely know it is through the expressions and sadly that can be faked too! So whatever little you could read from the face is also doubtful now. People say something, intrepret something else, blurt something else and the whole pretence of 'oh i care about you, you can share with me' is so trust breaking. So i don't know whom to trust. How to evaluate who is worthy of my trust?
Right now, i am left with no friend again... so i talk to myself in the night... i would like to read minds.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bollywood Dreams
So Dostana is glamorous, chic, filled with some extremely hot looking people with surreal lifestyles. Such movies are only meant to transport you to fairyland and make you believe in fantasy. For me it was entertainment. The opening song has two of the hottest bodies in the industry - Shilpa Shetty and John Abrahim (read almost nude). Then enter Abhishek Bachhan with the tad worn out uber cool look. With Miami as the backdrop, there is bound to be a lot of bare bod display and joining the gang of 'oh look at me i am hot too' is Priyanka Chopra with microscopic clothes. I could see guys salivating over her fabulously toned abs and legs.
Frankly i knew what the movie would be like so i wasn't paying much attention either but while i almost skipped a beat when i saw John in that gray D&G, i was thinking what others in the packed house must be thinking.
Movies are such a relaxant and such a fantastic way of living your dreams that almost everybody starts to relate to one or the other character instantly. The house was packed on the premiere show with people of all walks of life excited about their own bit in the movie. If i were drooling over John somebody must be drooling over Abhishek am sure. While 90% of the guys would be fantasizing about Priyanka the rest who did not (rather could not) would be lusting over Abhishek and John! When i was walking up to the cinema hall i heard a woman exclaim painfully looking at the movie poster ' I don't want to watch this movie, Priyanka's looking so hot, she's lost so much weight!'. The lady surely was jealous of the gals body. Some wanna be's must have been admiring John's sculpted body. Some fashionista's must be examining Priyanka's costumes and some must be criticizing Abhishek's look thinking i look much better than him!
Every body had been enchanted by something from the film. I could see a gang of friends identifying with the friendship depicted in the movie while other's only dreaming of having one like that. I could imagine girls identifying with priyankas character being chased by 3 guys and not being able to make a choice. I could see men who had fallen for their best buddy but never been able to muster the courage to confess, relating to Junior Bs and Johns character. I could sense single men looking for a house dreaming of moving in with a woman like Neha. Some career centered women must be aspiring to be in Neha's place while most could have identified with her pathos of being superseded by a new guy for the position she was eying. A lot of women would have identified with her falling for her boss and some could have related to the awkwardness one feels after your best buddy proposes to you.
Since the movie halls near my area are flocked by TV stars and bollywood hotties most often, i could imagine some of them thinking in their minds that they would have done X role much better than Y. All the wanna be's thinking of playing a character like that or staring in a KJo movie some day. Every actor would imagine being the next lead opposite Priyanka!
Its such a mixed bag of emotions and the sheer vividness that one movie can create in each of the viewers heart. I salute the movie makers for the movie going experience and the jet d'eau of emotions they create on screen. More than the movie i enjoyed decoding each person's thought in the hall. Truly enigmatic, bollywood does give each one of us dreams to live for!
Frankly i knew what the movie would be like so i wasn't paying much attention either but while i almost skipped a beat when i saw John in that gray D&G, i was thinking what others in the packed house must be thinking.
Movies are such a relaxant and such a fantastic way of living your dreams that almost everybody starts to relate to one or the other character instantly. The house was packed on the premiere show with people of all walks of life excited about their own bit in the movie. If i were drooling over John somebody must be drooling over Abhishek am sure. While 90% of the guys would be fantasizing about Priyanka the rest who did not (rather could not) would be lusting over Abhishek and John! When i was walking up to the cinema hall i heard a woman exclaim painfully looking at the movie poster ' I don't want to watch this movie, Priyanka's looking so hot, she's lost so much weight!'. The lady surely was jealous of the gals body. Some wanna be's must have been admiring John's sculpted body. Some fashionista's must be examining Priyanka's costumes and some must be criticizing Abhishek's look thinking i look much better than him!
Every body had been enchanted by something from the film. I could see a gang of friends identifying with the friendship depicted in the movie while other's only dreaming of having one like that. I could imagine girls identifying with priyankas character being chased by 3 guys and not being able to make a choice. I could see men who had fallen for their best buddy but never been able to muster the courage to confess, relating to Junior Bs and Johns character. I could sense single men looking for a house dreaming of moving in with a woman like Neha. Some career centered women must be aspiring to be in Neha's place while most could have identified with her pathos of being superseded by a new guy for the position she was eying. A lot of women would have identified with her falling for her boss and some could have related to the awkwardness one feels after your best buddy proposes to you.
Since the movie halls near my area are flocked by TV stars and bollywood hotties most often, i could imagine some of them thinking in their minds that they would have done X role much better than Y. All the wanna be's thinking of playing a character like that or staring in a KJo movie some day. Every actor would imagine being the next lead opposite Priyanka!
Its such a mixed bag of emotions and the sheer vividness that one movie can create in each of the viewers heart. I salute the movie makers for the movie going experience and the jet d'eau of emotions they create on screen. More than the movie i enjoyed decoding each person's thought in the hall. Truly enigmatic, bollywood does give each one of us dreams to live for!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Walk of life...
Cold, conscious, alert, susceptible, vulnerable and ridiculed. This is how one feels when one is stripped! I am feeling the same right now.
Like everyone is ridiculing my state right now... like i am a joke and i can see people pointing their fingers at me and laughing out loud, like i am stripped! I have nowhere to run, no place to hide and no one to count on. Like everybody has suddenly turned their backs on me. Oblivion... thats my new address...
Your own friends can become strangers in the walk of life. The hands that you once held can become the hand that pushes you away today. The eyes that were full of love and affection for you once can become so cold one day. Friends whom you swore by once will turn around and curse you! The walk of life... aint as simple as i thot it is... and that is all because of what you are today and not what you actually are since forever.
In the most adverse times of your life, they say is the true test of your friendship and love, for those who stay by your side in your dips are the ones who care to see your ups... and those who get close in your ups are people who are scared of the dips! I may not have had too many ups but i can surely see in the dips who all chose to go away when i was climbing down. I can see who is waiting to console me in my dips. Very few i must say. Success can change perspectives really. But i am surprised it can be that of 'friends' as well. I think we must coin a new term for these short term 'conditions apply' friends. Ummm... how about calling them 'sunflowers'??? Coz they only last till the sun shines! or a better something else....
These sunflowers have all turned around and become nightmares. They have vanished when i needed them most... and am sure am not the only one who has seen times like these... plenty like me coz there are plenty like them too! I may have hurt somebody similarly.. APOLOGIES for it!
Walk of life... from point A to point B i have made many friends.. some strayed away by time, by choice, by circumstance... some i strayed away from! But one request to everyone... never mistake and aquaintanceship with friendship ever... there are emotions attached to the later that could be hurt. For those who stayed on... I VALUE YOU!!! THANKS for being my 'friend'.
Like everyone is ridiculing my state right now... like i am a joke and i can see people pointing their fingers at me and laughing out loud, like i am stripped! I have nowhere to run, no place to hide and no one to count on. Like everybody has suddenly turned their backs on me. Oblivion... thats my new address...
Your own friends can become strangers in the walk of life. The hands that you once held can become the hand that pushes you away today. The eyes that were full of love and affection for you once can become so cold one day. Friends whom you swore by once will turn around and curse you! The walk of life... aint as simple as i thot it is... and that is all because of what you are today and not what you actually are since forever.
In the most adverse times of your life, they say is the true test of your friendship and love, for those who stay by your side in your dips are the ones who care to see your ups... and those who get close in your ups are people who are scared of the dips! I may not have had too many ups but i can surely see in the dips who all chose to go away when i was climbing down. I can see who is waiting to console me in my dips. Very few i must say. Success can change perspectives really. But i am surprised it can be that of 'friends' as well. I think we must coin a new term for these short term 'conditions apply' friends. Ummm... how about calling them 'sunflowers'??? Coz they only last till the sun shines! or a better something else....
These sunflowers have all turned around and become nightmares. They have vanished when i needed them most... and am sure am not the only one who has seen times like these... plenty like me coz there are plenty like them too! I may have hurt somebody similarly.. APOLOGIES for it!
Walk of life... from point A to point B i have made many friends.. some strayed away by time, by choice, by circumstance... some i strayed away from! But one request to everyone... never mistake and aquaintanceship with friendship ever... there are emotions attached to the later that could be hurt. For those who stayed on... I VALUE YOU!!! THANKS for being my 'friend'.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Nightfall
I can't see... i am hazy.. my vision blurred or rather dark, my mind clogged and my head, heavy.
My thoughts have become super fast. My nights are up and awake. Clarity is what i call for. I m scared of darkness. I hate it when i can't see anything and eclipses disorient me. I cannot fight what i can't see.
Diwali is over, the dark is supposed to go. I am waiting for the new moon, some ray of light, some source of energy... It cannot be dark forever. Am taking my chance for now in the dim light. Touching feeling and understanding everything that seems so different in the dark. Simple things look like monsters, shadows appear. I can feel and sense everything around... eerie and cold. Everything but me.
My thoughts have become super fast. My nights are up and awake. Clarity is what i call for. I m scared of darkness. I hate it when i can't see anything and eclipses disorient me. I cannot fight what i can't see.
Diwali is over, the dark is supposed to go. I am waiting for the new moon, some ray of light, some source of energy... It cannot be dark forever. Am taking my chance for now in the dim light. Touching feeling and understanding everything that seems so different in the dark. Simple things look like monsters, shadows appear. I can feel and sense everything around... eerie and cold. Everything but me.
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