Tagged again!!

I have been tagged again - that makes it two times in quick succession. Let me start with the tag description ....

Rules of this tag:

1. Name the person who tagged you.
2. 8 things about you.
3. Tag 6 people.

A.I. (action item) 1 :
I was tagged by Cuckoo. She says she has been here for three months only, and I am amazed that in this short while she has gathered a large fan following :-) And not without reason. I enjoy reading her posts, as do so many others.

A.I. 2:
This is rather difficult, given the detailed introduction I have already written in my profile. So, I guess I will have to go into finer details. Hold your breath, all ye who enter here, as I lay my soul open before you ....

1. I am a Gemini. I am not into astrology (and/or sun-signs), but my friends who are, have told me that I do not have Gemini characterstics. Whatever that means. What I have inferred is that Geminis are supposed to be dreamers, but I am rather practical person.

2. I am quite organized. I prefer to have everything at its right place. My place usually is not in a bad mess, and if it is, this state does not last long. Sometimes this works in a negative way, when I tend to take it a bit too far. During my college days, sometimes my friends used to deliberately mess up my hostel room, just to tease me. At that time, I used to get rather angry about it, but looking back at it now, I just laugh.

3. I am a simple and straightforward, and rather reserved person. I have poor PR skills, most unfortunately. I find it difficult to talk beyond normal courtsies, to people I am not well acquainted and comfortable with - I dont know what to talk about. And I take time to be comfortable with someone. At times, it gets misinterpreted.

4. I cannot sit idle. I always need something to do, that requires either my hands or my head. I love to dabble in painting and crafts, but I don't do it often, now. I also love to solve puzzles - crosswords, cryptograms, sudoku.

5. Reading has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I remember reading hindi edition of Reader's Digest when I was hardly 5 or 6. My forte is fiction, and I love to read thrillers. My favorite authors are Alistair McLean, Erle Stanley Gardener and Desmond Bagley. I still love to read children's books like Ruskin Bond's stories, and The Three Investigators. I follow comic strips like Dennis the Menace, Beetle Bailey, Hagar and Peanuts on the net, and will read Calvin and Hobbes, Archies, Asterix whenever I can lay hand on them. And I love to watch Tom & Jerry.

6. I do not like watching Television. Earlier, during my school days, I used to like watching old hindi movies on TV, but not any more. I do not watch movies on the comp, either. In fact, I watch very few movies - when I have had good recommendation. At times, even though I get good reviews for a film, and intend to see it, I am not able to do so; but I do not mind it.

7. I have rarely ever done typical "girly" things. As far as I can remember, I never owned dolls or "kitchen sets". I was happier playing board games - learnt to play scrabble at the age of 7. Later, when my contemporaries were starting to get inetersted in things like soap operas, cooking and dancing, I was busy taking walkman apart, and learning to solder. Now, I take little interest in embellished dresses and jewellery, and often get chided by family and relatives :-)

8. I can keep secrets. If anyone confides in me, they can trust that I will not divulge it even to my best friend. I can lend a sympathetic ear to a friend in distress, without feeling compelled to offer my opinion or advice.

When I started to do this tag, I found it difficult to find eight things to write about myself. As I added to the list, I realize there are so many things more I can tell about myself. But I decided to save them for some other time :-)

A.I 3

Now this is the most difficult part, as I do not have that many regular visitors to my blog. So, I'll try to find as many victims as I can :-D
GincoLeaves - I know a bit about you, but I am sure there is a lot more to learn.
VJ-Ditto. Though I'd like you to do it, but if you think this does not fit in your blog, feel free to give it a miss.
Pooja - We do change with time, grow. So I think there should be quite a few things new for me to know :-) And perhaps other who admire your posts would be thankful to me for passing this tag to you. But as with VJ, if you think this tag doesn't fit in, feel free to give it a miss.
Adi - Ditto. But you have been around here for much longer, so you are excused if you have done this sort of thing before :-)
Ambrosia - I hardly know anything about you, but I love reading your posts. Also, havent seen much activity on your blog for some time now; hope this tag results in an update.

The Tune Tag

I was tagged by Adi.
I thought I'll do this tag with hindi songs, from movies. Even in this scope, it is indeed very difficult to do this one. There are so many lovely songs there, that one can't recall them just like that. I took my time to compose the list of my favorites, but even then there are just too many to select one or two. I tried my best to make the list as short as possible, but still .....

Your favourite lyricist and the lyrics you remember the most:
I am usually not aware of the lyricist, even when I like a song a lot. But since I love poetry, in general I like Gulzar's songs which have poetic and sometimes, unusual words.
And favorite songs, in terms of lyrics:
Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai
Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaayein ham dono
Kabhi Kisi Ko Mukammal Jahan nahin milta
Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi, hairaan hoon main

Your favourite song on friendship
Diye Jalte Hain, phool khilte hain
Tere jaisa yaar kahan, kahan aisa yaaraana

Best song portraying life's emotions; about life, full of life
Zindagi aa raha hoon main
Thode Hai Thode Ki Jaroorat Hai
zindagi kaise hai paheli
Katra Katra Milti Hai

Which song are you humming today?
I have been thinking about this tag, so I am humming a whole lot of songs today :-))

One song which brings tears to your eyes
Again, there is not one, but many ....
Mujhko is raat ki tanhaii mein awaaz na do
Yaad Na Jaye biite dinon ki
Hoke majboor mujhe usne bhulaya hoga
Koi Humdum Na Raha
Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam
kasme Vaade Pyaar Wafa
Ja re, ja re ud ja re panchi
Woh bhooli dastaan lo phir yaad aa gayee
O Manjhi Mere Saajan Hain Us Paar
Koi hota jisko apna

A song which gives you hope, reason to try again and again, a reason to say that life is beautiful
Kahan tak yeh man ko andhere chalenge

When you want to be with yourself, silent and content but with music, with song would that be?
Hmm ... cant say ... it all depends on the frame of mind ....

If you have to express your love for someone with a song which would that be
Hamein tumse pyar kitna
Honthon se chhoo lo tum
Maang Ke Saath Tumhara

Five songs which you listen to the most
This is the hardest. I tried hard, but couldnt shorten the list to a count of five.
Aa chal ke tujhe
Aanewala pal, jaane wala hai
Tum Bin Jaoon Kahan
pal pal dil ke paas
phoolon ke rang se
yeh sham mastani
khwab ho tum ya koii hakikat
ek ladki bheegi bhagi

And still ... it doesn't include some very very favorite songs ....
Aajaa sanam madhur chandni mein ham
Bekarar karke hamein yun na jaiye
Chalte chalte mere yeh geet
Dil ki nazar se
Khamosh sa afsana
Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe
Mere samne wali khidki mein
Na Tum Humen Jaano
Neele Neele Ambar Par
Pukarta Chala Hoon Main
Rimjhim Gire Saawan
Tumne Mujhe Dekha
Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra
Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi
ek roz main tadap kar
mere samnewali khidki mein
nakhrewali

This was an interesting tag to do. Thanks Adi, for tagging me.
I, in turn tag noone and everyone. Try it people, and you'll enjoy it. If nothing else, you'll spend an hour or half humming your most favorite songs :-))

Rambling of a non-idle mind

Activity in my life seems to happen in spurts. Weekdays are almost always the same (with something or the always always going wrong and me getting involved in the firefighting), its the weekends I am primarily talking of. In the lean time, some weekends would pass by with no activity at all - peaceful to the point of being boring. And then there would be a few weekends with much of socializing (some of it obligatory, some willing :-)). Last few weeks have been so hectic I am just aching for some little time to laze about, relax and sleep (and update my blogs :-)) ).

This time around "the high activity period" started about 4 weeks back. Week 1 - party hosted by a colleague for his son's b'day on friday, a group outing to Chokhi Dhani (Jaipur); so went on sat and came back on sun. Week 2 - extended weekend - I spent it feeling sick with stomatch infection (which also caused my to take off for almost three days) and migraine. Week 3 - part hosted by another colleague on fri, annual diwali party in the office on sat ( I dont even remember Sun!). Week 4 - Things to do at the bank on Sat, Mom came over here to stay with my brother Sat evening, More work at bank on Sun followed by lunch at some relatives' place, and the diwali party in the housing society. And then planned to meet some friends for dinner on Mon. My head is already spinning, and the next week being Diwali, we need to go to my in-laws' place. Whew!!

Talking of Diwali, the time used to so full of excitement in the childhood. In junior classes, we had two weeks off from school for the festive time, which we eagerly awaited. My brother and I used to go to our grandparent's place with mom (dad used to come later as he didn't have that long a vacation) for almost a week or 10 days. It was a time to have fun and games (and of course, fights ;-) with the cousins (although they were much younger than us). It was a time for lots of sweets, delicious food, and crackers. It was a time to wear special dresses, and get gifts. But as I entered the adulthood, and grew up, the excitement has waned, and try hard as I can, I can no longer summon those levels of energy. I am no longer enticed by the prospect of food and sweets, and I do not like crackers anymore. The gathering of the entire family has become much rarer. Most of us "kids" (well, we are still kids to our parents and grandparents :-) ) have grown up and left our hometowns to study, and later work. Me and another cousin have got married, and now we have responsibilities towards our families. The life has come another cycle.

A long lost poem

A poem I read recently on Delhidreams reminded me of a long lost poem of mine. After a few days' inertia, I dug it out and decided to post it. I also attempted a translation, though I am not quite happy with the outcome. I guess I'll not be able to earn a livelihood as a translator ....
So, here goes ...

Sauhard Ke Rang

SaDak par bikhri hui
Masli hui, kuchli hui
Yeh komal pankhuriaan -
Yahi hain avshesh baaki
Un sukumaar kusumon ke
Jinhein kisii ne ugaayaa thaa
Athak prayatnon se
Apne praangan mein.
Varshon tak seenchaa thaa
Swed se, rakt se.

Haan, yahii pushp to the
Jinhone sajaya thaa
Ambar ko, dharaa ko,
Aur pratyek dishaa ko
Varnon se, rangon se
Sundar banaayaa thaa
Surabhi ke prasangon se.

Kintu aaj -
Sabhi rang miT chuke hain,
Shesh hai keval gaaDhaa, laal rang,
Har taraf har jagah:
Laal ho chuki hai dharti,
Aasmaan laal hai.
Hriday mein chubhtaa hai anvarat
Shonit aabhaa ka vitaan akshat.

Srishti par ke laal chihna
Mite nahin, dhule nahin
Aviral ashrudhaar se.
Lekin, aashaa amit hai
Ki ek din yeh halkaa hogaa
Jhalkengi punah anek aabhaayein.
Pratikhaa hai us pal ki -
Jab is dharti par phir se
Khilegaa ek indradhanush.


And here is my feeble attempt to translate it in english ....

The Colors of Harmony

Scattered on the road
Bruised and battered
These delicate petals -
They are the only remains
Of those beautiful flowers
That were nurtured by someone
With tireless efforts
In their courtyard.
And nourished for years
With sweat, with blood.

Yes, these were the very flowers
That had adorned
The sky, the earth,
And each and every side
With hues, with colors
And enhanced the beauty
With their fragrance.

But today -
All the colors are gone
Only the deep, red shade remains,
everywhere :
The earth is red,
And so is the sky.
The heart is pierced
By the scarlet expanse.

The scarlet signs of the universe
Did not erase, did not rinse,
With the unending stream of tears.
But the hope is eternal -
They will fade away some day,
Many shades will appear, again.
An unending wait for the moment,
When a rainbow will appear, again.

More on ... Dreams

I have intended to share this very lovely poem for quite some time. I found it on the net while surfing one of my favorite hindi poetry sites.
The poem can be found (in devnagri script!) here:
Ek Ashirwad by Dushyant Kumar

Ek Aashiirwaad
---------------------
Jaa tere swapna bade ho.n.
Bhaavnaa kii god se utar kar
jald prithvii par chalnaa siikhei.n.
Chaa.nd taaro.n sii apraapya oo.nchaaiyo.n ke liye
roothnaa machalnaa siikhei.n.
Hansei.n
muskuraayei.n
gaayei.n.
Har diiye kii roshnii ko dekhkar lalchaayei.n
ungalii jalaayei.n.
Apne paanv par khade ho.n.
Jaa tere swapna bade ho.n.
---------------------
I was holding back this post till the time I could manage a passable translation, but translating a poem is DIFFICULT. Now, there is no dearth of translation for the very significant phrase "bade ho.n". I could find so many alternatives - grow big, come alive, expand, flourish, get bigger, get taller, increase, thrive. But I cannot decide which one is the most apt. I have still made an attempt; any help to improve the translation is welcome. :-)

A Blessing
--------------
May your dreams be thriving.
May they alight from the lap of feeling
and learn to walk on the earth, soon.
Learn to crave for
the unattainable heights of the moon and the stars.
Laugh
Smile
Sing.
Lust after the light of every lamp
and burn their fingers.
May they stand on their own feet.
May your dreams be thriving.