An year, and beyond ...

Today morning there was a mail in my mailbox informing me of a new comment on my blog. This was from Bendtherulz, who reminded me that I have completed one year of blogging. He asked me how was I feeling having completed a whole year in the blog-world. I thought about it for a few minutes, and then these thoughts evolved into this post.

I first heard about the concept of the blog from my brother, who is very tech-savvy. Btw, he maintains a highly technical blog, on which he posts occasionally. I jumped up at the idea, and created my blog too. However, for a long time, I suffered from an inertia, and did not post anything. I could not think of anything to put up.

Then, one fine day, I got enthused once again, and made my first post. For first few months, I showed little activity. The low activity level was not helped by the fact that amongst my acquaintances, hardly anyone wrote or visited blogs, and I myself did not have an idea how to find blogs that will interest me. For quite a while, my blog remained primarily a reading journal. Gradually, I gained momentum, I found a few regular visitors on my blogs, and in turn, I became a regular at theirs. I kept, and keep, finding more blogs of my interest through those - and the chain grows.But my network is still extremely small.

However, in the process, I have discovered a whole new world out here, learnt new things, made a few friends. In the times to come, I hope to learn much more about things, ideas, people, cultures. I hope to get to know these friends better, and find more like-minded people.

Sometimes I debate with myself, the primary purpose of a blog. Is it the record of an individual's thoughts and feelings, like a virtual diary - not necessarily meant to be shared ? Or is it the expression of one's ideas, open to discussion with willing audience ? When I am inclined towards the first one, I feel good about having written some coherent accounts; when I am inclined towards the second, I am frustrated at not being able to express in words so many thoughts.
The bottom line is that I am enjoying myself immensely in the blogosphere. And that is the answer to your question, Bendtherulz.

Feeling content

.... after completing this sketch last week, finally, after a few weeks ...

Food For Thought

Now this gem of a thought or the "quotable quote" was given by my friend MA, when I told him about this blog, which I call "Idle Thoughts". He said:
If I am idle, how can I have even a thought. And if I have a thought, I am no longer idle.

So, I felt I had to share this on this blog :-)

Down the memory lane - IV

What's in a name

This happened a long time ago, but I still find it amusing. I am not relating this here to make fun of the person concerned, just because .
After my school, I joined a college (stayed there for a very short period). I stayed in the hostel, and the warden was a very old lady, with all her hair white (not even a single black strand!) and always dressed in white (well, these details are irrelevant, but just to give a picture). Despite her age, she walked tall and straight, and was extremely extremely strict (and if I may say so, quite short tempered). Her name was Ms Mirchandani. Because of her temparament, which terrified one and all, her name was transformed into a nickname - Ms Mirchdani (a pot of chillies), and for short, 'Mirchi Aunty' (chilli) !!

I think students have a thing about nicknaming (often unflatteringingly) the teachers, especially the ones they do not get along with very well. And more often than not, the names are passed down from batch to batch, and over the time, even the teachers get to know the nicknames! In my student life, I have come across a large number and variety of nicknames. We (my batch), our seniors and our juniors have rather disrespectfully referred to some of our teachers as Choupat (futile), GainDa (hippo rhino), Sugriva(from legend of Mahabharata Ramayana) etc.
But this incident is perhaps the most amusing and imaginative one.

P.S. Would like to request all you to share your amusing stories about nicknames :-)

Waqt

Waqt

Samay ko ikaiyon mein
Bandha nahin jata
Chah ki paridhiyon mein
Mapa nahin jata

Kabhi kabhi ek pal aataa hai
Thehra rehta hai ek sadi sa
Aur kabhi ek yug jata hai
Behta rahta hai ek nadi sa


Time

Time -
It cannot be bound in units
It cannot be measured by desires

Sometimes a moment comes
And lingers on, like a century
And sometimes, and age goes by
Flowing like a stream

P.S. Just done a makeshift kind of translation here, and I am not too happy with the result. Any help here is very welcome :-)

Old and new

Here are a couple of pencil color drawings I made ... one recent and one older one ...
They are not really good ... or at least as good as I'd like them to be, but I came to realize its not very easy to get the desired effect using pencil colors.
But anyway, I love to draw, and I love colors ...

Translation of tales, and Tales of translation

I think most of the people I know will give me an incredulous stare, if I admit that I read Sharatchandra's Devdas this weekend. How did I come to read it, anyway ? Well, my mother bought it because she was looking for something to read and she does not read english novels (which are usually what I have), and she had heard a lot about it (mostly thanks to the 'n' number of Bengali and Hindi films that have been made on this story, the most recent one being Shahrukh and Aishwarya's much publicised one). So, it was lying there, I had nothing else to read, and nothing better to do, so I picked it up.

For the uninitiated: it is the story of Devdas, a rich man who destroys his wealth and drinks himself to death, for a love that he does not acknowledge while he has the opportunity - it is not as if he was a rejected suitor who sacrificed everything for love. What I failed to understand is why has he become a legend, and why has this story inspired so many (7 or 8, I think) films.

This was the third book I read which has been translated from Bengali. The first one was 'Yajnaseni'by Pratibha Ray (translated to english), the second one was Tagore's famous 'Chokher Bali' and the third was Devdas (both translated in Hindi). Yajnaseni (Yajnaseni is another name for Draupadi) was wonderful, and 'Chokher Bali' was pathetic (who am I to criticise the work of Tagore, but well, I am entitled to my opninion). Devdas was okay (on the side of sorry, but not pathetic). I am not sorry, though, that I did read the latter two - they are considered as great classics, penned by literary giants. Perhaps they are not relevant in today's context, as they were written almost a century earlier. Perhaps they do not suit the sensibilities of the current times. But one common complain that I have with all the three is the bad translation. Frequently often, the translation is literal, and loses the intent of the author. At times, it sounds downright funny. Why can we not have a decent translation of books, even from one Indian language to other, when they share a common origin. Having attempted translating a few poems from hindi to english (where else, but in the blogosphere), I realize that translating, specially another person's work, is not easy. But I suppose that the people in charge of doing so offcially, are much more qualified than I am. So when I read a translation, I expect to read a meaningful, thorough one, not like the patchy work that I have encountered so far. In childhood, I read a lot of story books translated from Russian to Hindi or English (and believe me, I am really sorry that Mir publishers are no longer in existence after the division of USSR), and although at times the context of the stories was unfamiliar owing to a great cultural difference, the flow of words was not broken because of translation. A very likely cause is that at that age I was not so discerning. But another reason I can think of is that probably the translators of the childern's stories focussed on translating only the story. While translating serious work, and well known classics at that, the translators take their work a little too seriously, and in an attempt to preserve the literature (thoughts and ideas, as represented by sentences), tend to lose the natural flow of the story.

The time traveller's wife

This book by Audrey Niffenegger had received good reviews in several magazines, but looking at the main story plot I was not very convinced that I wanted to read it. I do not know the exact reason; it just did not appeal to me. However, at a time when I hadn't read anything for a long while because I did not find anything interesting, browsing in the book store one day, I finally decided to buy The Time Traveler's Wife. I read it over the last few days.

This is the story of the life of the time traveler, Henry, and his wife Clare. Henry meets Clare for the first time when Clare is 6 and Henry is 36, while Henry is travelling back in time. The story moves as Clare grows up according to the laws of nature, while Henry keeps moving back and forth in time, regardless of his own wish.

Although this core of the story is time travel, it is not science fiction, or even about time travel, in fact. It is about people. The entire story is related by Henry and Clare, taking turns at narration. Although I have read quite a few books in first person narrative, I found narration by two main protagonists a novel idea, quite an interesting one. Initially I had some difficulty following the story, as it brings in Henry from some future time, talking about things that have not yet happened. But after a while I got the hang of it. Also, in the beginning, I felt that the story was rather slow, but after completing about one-fourth of it, I was engrossed. I liked the book, though I cannot say I enjoyed reading it. The main downside was it was very sad - for a couple of nights while I was reading the book, I was too depressed to sleep. Some may call it the mark of a good book (or film) if it leaves an impact. But I think that things that move you need not necessarily leave you with a feeling of depression. It is claimed as a story of undying love; but I do not think it is a very strong love story, though the commitment Henry and Clare have for each other is admirable. Then it has content that I do not think is really integral to the plot (I like my fiction to be just that - unadulterated story). My summation : it was quite okay, but unfortunately did not meet the expectaions that had been raised by the raving reviews.

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 :-))