Friends Part 1

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin

What are exactly friends? Why do we require friends? What role do they play in your lives?

Instead of breaking my head into defining friendship and stuff lets put it this way, friends are friends. I can write an entire essay on values of friendship: love, affection, caring blah blah. But instead of writing what friendship is I will write how important friends have been in my life.

Starting from school I was extremely lucky to make some great friends. Friends with whom I stay in contact till today......All this 18 years has not had any effect on our friendship. Though we dont talk that often, they are there and I am there.

Primary and middle school was great. It was lot of fun.....But the importance of friendship was realized by me in the secondary years. Especially during my XI-XII years. Here were bunch of 10-12 guys (most of them together for more than a decade) playing for their future in a place (read Angel School) where the only thing that kept them there was the sheer emotional attachment to it and its people. And those were some days: tuitions, masti, mischie, imitating teachers, cricket, football, studies. It was as if all our lives were attached together, each day a new challenge. Not in the real sense (we werent doing anything special). It was just the idea to survive in the competitive world that was challenging.

And then we moved on to different career. Different places. Probably moving towards a different realm of life altogether.
I always believed that people remain where they are. Its the bond joining two persons that is stretched. And its the responsibility of the person to take care of the bond, so that it doesnt overstretch to the extent that it breaks nor is it understretched so that it ceases to be taut.

Angel School gave me friends with whom I cherish the oldest memories of my childhood and with whom I also spent the most dynamic part of my life. But life moves on. Its a sedimentary rock. It is composed of different layers. And as new layers are deposited, the underlying one gets metamorphosed to form a beautiful mosaic like a marble (by the way this is one of the most beautiful thought I have ever thought of).

I have to go to play now. I think I will write my about college friends tomorrow!

Friends Part 2

So I enter college. Hardly knowing anyone except Divya and Shishir. But it hardly took a few days to realize that the friends I am going to make here are going to be something special. It was unlike school (where I had a class of 15 boys and everybody was my friend). Here its different. There are hundreds of them. But there are those with whom u form an instant rapport. And thats it.

One thing I learnt in college was that any mutual interest or activity can make friends. I formed friends with my room mates, my block mates, those who played TT, those who were regulars in the TV room when any damn sports match would be goin on, those from my class, those in my practical group, those in my project group, those who used to love having a "bakar" on the corridors of the hostel, those with whom I traveled with in train while going back home, the list just goes on and on. Every human being around you is a candidate for ur friendship. It just depends whether that human being has anything common with you or not.

Staying in hostel adds a new dimension to your friendship all together. You stay with each other for major portions of the day. Have food together. Hang out together. Its like they actually become a part of your daily routine.

And among all this friends you find a group of them with whom you are most comfortable with. And it could be a group of 2 or 20. But thats a group which you are generally identified with. And even I had a group. I was lucky enough to be a part of a group of 10 wonderful people (including me). Ten people who really helped me identify myself to a great extent. And I wouldn't be exaggerating if I say the times spent with them were the most fun moments of my life.

Those long hours of playing cards in Abhinav's room. Or those countless trips to Sunrise and Shiv Mahal. Getting up in the morning and bunking the class if one of the ten is not in the moods. Those frustrated moment just before exams where we start cursing the teachers and the syllabus and the books and engineering in general. Goa trip. And countless other moments. The fact that made this moments even more beautiful was that we were in a stage of our lives where we were so carefree. Free from responsibilities of any sort (we hardly considered studies as a responsibility by the end of engineering.). I am sure, never in my future life am I going to be so carefree.

But as I said previously. Life moves on. All of us have moved on with our careers. Hoping that all the rest would be doing great as well. And all those moment have been collected and wrapped in a beautiful canvas and stored in some part of my hippocampus.

One last comment. If you have the right group of friends, than friends can teach you what no one else in this world can.

Greatest Sporting Moments

Heres my list of the greatest sporting moments that I have been witness to (there may be many moments which I was unfortunate not to have witnessed it).

10) India vs Pakistan Jan 1999,Chennai,First Test Match

The first Indo-pak test series in 10 years. After watching a masterclass by Sachin tendulakar go in waste as India lost, the entire Chepauk crowd rises and applauds as the Pakistan team takes a victory lap. Sport once again proved how it can bring people nearer.

9) Michael Schumacher becomes World Champion, Susuka, Japan, 2000

After 19 years Ferrari produces a world champion, Michael Schumacher and for 5 years dominated the sport like none.

8) Pete Sampras U S Open Champion,Flushing Meadows, New York 2002

In his final U S Open (in fact his final professional match) Pete Sampras becomes the U S Open Champion in front of an emotional New York crowd to bid good bye to tennis.

7) Abhinav Bindra becomes India's first individual gold medalist in Olympics, Beijing, 2008

After years of wilderness in Olympics sports (barring the hockey successes) India finally gets an individual gold medal.

6) Sachin's two gems: The Sandstorm and The Happy Birthday, Sharjah, April 1998

Two glorious knocks, one to propel India into the finals (fighting a sandstorm) and the other to win the tournament (on his birtthday) were much more than a masterclass against the best team in the world. They defined Indian cricket of the 90s. It was a one man team whose fortunes along with a billion hopes solely depended on a 5 feet 5 inches tall superman.

5) Very very special Laxman, Second Test, Eden gardens, 2001

1-0 down, following on, 4 wickets down against a rampant Australian team on the look out for a world record for most number of consecutive wins. You can't imagine a recovery. But Laxamn in company of Rahul Dravid achieved a feat that in history of test cricket will be unsurpassed.

4) Sachin Tendulkar,Diana Memorial Match, Lords,July, 1998

There will always be questions asked on who is the greatest batsman after Sir Don. But at Lords on July 18 1998 playing for ROW XI against bowlers of quality like Donald, McGrath, McMillan and Kumble, Sachin scored a match winning century some answers were given. So what was so great about a Sachin century in an "unofficial" match? Well it was the occasion, the atmosphere, the moment. Great players are generally defined depending upon how they rise at great moments. At Lords,the birthplace of cricket, on a "solemn" occasion, amidst the best of players of his times, in front of an emotional crowd, the scene was set for something spectacular and spectacular it was!

3) Michael Phelps,Beijing, Olympics, 2008

Ask a sportsman what is his greatest fantasy? 99 out of 100 will say its a olympic medal. They literally put their heart and soul just to win a medal. And heres a guy who has won 14 golds and 2 bronzes over two Olympics including a record 8 in a single Olympics beating the record of another legend, Snitz.

2) Zinedine Zidane against Brazil,Paris 12-7-1998 and Frankfurt 1-7-2006

There are few sportsmen who are as popular as Zizou was in France. And he deserved it!
In final of the 1998 world cup, Zidane scored 2 super goals to impress a shocking 3-0 victory over favourites Brazil and bring France its first ever World Cup. His popularity can be guaged from the fact that the entire Paris had hoardings that read"Zidane For President". In a country notorious for racism, Zidane transcended all to emerge a national hero.

But to me his single handed demolition of Brazil in the QF of 2006 WC was an even better performance. At 34, coming out retirement to take France into the WC and then inspiring them to the finals, Zidane was magnificent against Brazil. His dribbling and magic with the ball left the Brazilian players dumbstruck. He was literally toying with the football making the rest 21 players on the field look mediocre as well as blessed to witness greatness from so close!

1) ASHES 2005, England claim the Ashes in 18 long years.

The Ashes of 2005. Forget what it meant to the English cricket and English sport in general. Forget it literally shattered Aussie domination on the sport. Forget that for the first time in a decade, cricket took the front page headlines away from football in UK. Forget every other thing associated with that series. Even on the basis of sheer quality of cricket it was unbelievable. Extraordinary would be an understatement. The drama, the excitement, the batting, the bowling, the fielding, who the hell says test cricket is boring? Every moment of that series was amazing. I am going to make an entire new entry in this blog to describe that series. Just wait for it!!!

1) Wimbledon Final, Nadal beats Federer, July 6, 2008

This particular moment will require 2 separate entries to full describe it. Heres an outline. The greatest player ever, 5 time Wimbledon champ losing against a player who by his own admission is not at all comfortable on grass. The greatest Wimbledon final ever. The longest lasting final ever. The last point played in virtual darkness. That was not sport. That was like watching two heavenly descendants playing on the earth and we mortals simply witnessing it. I was glued to the TV sets for the entire 8 hours the match lasted including the rain breaks. And believe me I was on the edge of my sit for the entire 8 hours. I could only imagine the tension in the arena, and especially tension on that 2 great men. And despite that numbing tension, the two produced arguably the greatest 8 hours of tennis that the world has ever seen or will ever see.

Band Baaja Baraat

Imagine going to the canteen at a best bus stop and being served a savory, spicy, tangy bhel puri ever !!!!!! They never promised you a three course meal. It was not the most hygienically prepared bhel. Heaven knows what oil and chutney they used. But who cares as long as you enjoyed it!!

Band Baaja Baaraat, with all its obvious flaws (which I am in no mood to list out) is just plain enjoyable. It never boasted the best star cast or a stunning foreign locale or super computer graphics or lavish sets or even a "different" story. It has a bunch of newcomers, shot mostly in outdoor Delhi with a decent yet seemingly original (a film based solely on marriage planning cant be conceived in Hollywood) script with absolute zero publicity.

But just like our "best" bhel, it has got a perfect blend of whatever few ingredients are available. The casting of the movie is by far its biggest USP. Each of the actor are just perfect for their roles, starting from Bittu Sharma to the DJ. Special mention for Anushka Sharma. She looks just so fresh. I call her the "sunshine" girl. The dialogues have that Delhi flavor and spices up the movie deliciously. All in all, its a movie definitely not for a "three course" film connoisseur. But if you are in a mood to try out some "bhel", Band Baaja Baaraat might be appetizing.

Ratings: 3/5

Rocket Singh-Salesman of the Year

Watching Rocket Singh was like eating a simple homemade meal cooked by your mom after years of outside junk. No extra spices, no artificial flavors, fresh ingredients, no unnecessary garnishing. Just an ideal recipe for your appetite made straight from heart.

No recipe can be perfect. Rocket Singh has its own set of flaws. But for me its one of the better movies made in recent times.

The biggest strength of Rocket Singh is its background team. Jaideep Sahni is one of the best script writers in India. And yet again he delivers a super story. The characters are so beautifully etched and the story moves in such a coherent manner that it captivates you from start to end. He is brilliantly complimented by the director Shimit Amin. Agreed he may not have the vision of a Rajkumar Hirani or the flamboyance of Ashutosh Gowarikar but the air of sincerity and earnestness he brings to the board is clearly visible.

Each of the actors of the ensemble were very good and it would be highly unfair to pick out one in particular. It was a thorough team performance with none of them trying to outdo the other.

But what endears you the most is the simplicity and integrity. There could so easily have been an item song, a foreign locale, a toilet humour scene, a preachy speechy scene, some special effects here and there etc, incorporated inside the film to "commercialize" it. But the film makers resisted all this temptation and stuck to the job in hand i.e to tell the viewers a nice story that they can take home.

The film is a lesson to all those so called makers of "brilliant" and "spectacular" cinema (read 2012 and Blue as examples). The first component of film making is story telling. If you cant be faithful to your story no amount of thrills and frills can bail you out.

Ratings: 3.5/5

Love Aajkal

I have a general theory regarding talented Hindi film directors.....Their first or second movies are generally their best creations. The list includes Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Vinod Chopra, Milan Lutharia, John Matthew, Matthan,Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra etc etc. And now Imtiaz Ali....

You go into the cinema hall imagining the fun you had watching Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met and how this would be quite similar. But alas!! I am not saying Love Aajkal is a bad movie. But its nothing compared to the previous two. The innocence, the charm, the fresh as a daisy feel is just simply not there. And thats because the director tries to incorporate too much in the movie (for commercial reasons) and thereby misses out in focusing the small moments of the films. Great romantic movies are not about super cinematography, great locales, the hiphop, the good looking protagonists, super drama and numbing stills. Its how well the director captures the small moments and forms a collage of such beautiful scenes that differentiate a OK film to a very good romantic movie.

Scenes like when Abhay Deol and Ayesh Takia spend a romantic night at the light house or the adventurous night of Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor in Ratlam are simply missing in Love Aajkal. Instead we get a fast paced drama with little soul.

Jab We Met was one of the few films in recent past in which the songs were genuinely a part of the film. Love Aajkal has a decent score but not one song actually deserves its place in the storyline.

Saif Ali Khan is good but he has done such roles umpteen number of times.His Punjabi is pathetic but likeable.Rishi Kapoor is lovable. But the biggest disappointment is Deepika Padukone.That lady needs some serious acting lessons. The entire performance is summed up in the last scene where on a ladder she is supposed to be emotional and cry. I can bet Katrina Kaif's mom could have done a better job with that.

In all, a decent movie with good peppy dialogues but it will be much better if you rent Socha Na Tha again !

Rating : 2/5

Some Crap

क्यों यह दिल किसीको चाहता है
क्यों वोह लम्हे मुझे याद आते है

क्यों यह फिजा मुझे उड़ने को कहती है
क्यों यह नीला आसमान मुझे अपनी और बुलाता है

क्यों मुझे अपने आप से इतना प्यार है
क्यों किसी और से न मुझे कोई शिकवा है

Why is the world such a beautiful place to live
Why did God bestow me with all this happiness

Why do my parents love me so much
Why am I blessed with such great friends

Why did I always get the unexpected
When I least expected even the expected

यह नही है मेरी कहानी
यह है हमारी कहानी

तो क्यों यहाँ पे लोग झगड़ते है
क्यों नफरत की प्यार पे जीत होती है

क्यों इन्सान इन्सान का दुश्मन है
क्यों इश्वर के नाम पे हम इश्वर से दूर जाते है

Cant we live in harmony
And show some humanity

Isnt it too difficult to hate
When we could so easily Live And Let Live!!!