Saturday, November 27, 2010

Crazy Superstitions in India: a needle and thread

Yeah we all know most of these superstitions and you guys must be thinking why I'm making a big deal out of it. Not that I'm someone who is oblivious to these superstitions. But today I think it reached a limit, I feel like expressing my frustration here.

So just sometime back I realized, that by mistake, one of my new shirt's button got ripped off during washing. So I thought of getting it stitched myself. I went to a normal stationary store in search of a needle and thread.

Location: Pune. A stationary shop in BVP campus.
Time: 7:00 pm

Me(to shopkeeper): Do you have a needle and thread?
Shopkeeper: No.
Me: (Umm why not?..Chuck that) Where else can I get it?
Shopkeeper: May be at the next stationary shop..

I moved on to the next stationary shop to get the same reply from there. :( I started wondering may be stationary shops no longer sell a needle and thread.(a speculation  :D) May be I should check at a grocery store.

At the Grocery Shop:
Me(to shopkeeper): Do you sell a needle and thread? (I had to ask :D)
Shopkeeper: Yes.
Me: (Sigh of relief), Okay then Can I get one?
Shopkeeper: (Looks at the watch (around 7:30 pm)) Nope I can't sell you.
Me: (WTF??)  Why not? I'll pay you :D
Shopkeeper: Its late now.
Me: but shops are at least open till 9 'o clock, right?
Shopkeeper: Yeah but its already night and we don't sell a needle after evening.

I felt like abusing him :D but thought it would be in vain, So left the shop in the hope that this whole 'not selling after evening'  could be only this guy's thing.

But after checking out at least 7-8 grocery and stationary shops, it turned out that, its a ritual (rather a shitty superstition) to stop selling/using a needle after a diya has been lit up in puja ghar in the evening and Not to my surprise, not a single one of them following this superstition knew the reason behind why they don't sell it. 
Uff .. Crazy stuff..

One of them even went to an extent saying, that he could sell me a thread right now and I should come for the needle early next morning. (What will I do with only thread?) Still I asked, "how early?" He said, "Sooraj ki pehli kiran ke saath.... Shop opens at 6:30 am"

I felt like the helpless Jackie Shroff from the movie Border, begging God for the Sunrise. (Saali yeh subah hoti kyun nahi hai?? Baaaaang!!:D :D)

huh,
As a matter of fact, at the time of writing this post, I still don't know why they don't sell it? 
I'm wondering now, if climates were to change ever, (may be after 2012 predicted tragedy or something), and it happens that India's climate conditions become 6 months night and 6 months day, like Sweden, then people would wear torn out clothes for half of the year and spend next half year stitching them.
Hope you understand the Bhavna (frustration) behind this exaggeration.
And I think I now understand what the term "time" stands for, in the phrase, "a stitch in time saves nine"

Thursday, October 7, 2010

UnFinished!!!

(Unfinished!!
Of all the words you could use to describe "La Sagrada Familia"
..Brown.. Pointy.. Weird..
The one that really seems to stick is, UnFinished!!
Why? Because on June 7th 1926, The architect, Antoni Gaudi, (whose beard was also brown, pointy, Weird and Unfinished) ... was run-over by a bus.
And So... his greatest Masterpiece would remain forever.......)

UnFinished!!!
Gaudi to his credit never gave up on his dream But that's not usually how it goes.
I mean usually it isn't a speeding bus, that keeps a brown, pointy, weird church from getting built..
Most of the times ,,its just too difficult or too expensive or too scary..
Its only once you have stopped, that you realize how hard it is to start again..
So you force yourself not to want it..
But its Always there...
Until you finish it, It will always be............

Courtesy : Himym s06e03

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

My Experiments with Guitar

Yesterday,  got hold of my guitar after a long time. Its difficult to catch up with professional life in full flow. 
Still , I have something to share with you guys today.I have been trying this on guitar since long time. Kinda perfected it sometime back. I don't know exactly what to call it.
But its a genuine try to generate some classical Indian music out of a western instrument like guitar.
Thought always came to my mind , How would Indian classical sound on a guitar?
Indian music in films has given this western instrument its own identity but still Indian classical on guitar?? Thought was fascinating so gave it a try.
I haven't learnt Classical as such, but from What I have heard till now, I could figure out that, the form of music I'm trying to generate on my guitar in the following video, has shades of Indian Classical instrument Sitar..
(Or is it? called something else?)
Its isn't really difficult to play, basically I'm trying to play all "Swaras" or "notes" in one Scale, also accompanying it with the rhythm with the help of B and G strings with all notes being played on E string.
Listen to it and let me know your views.
Hope you guys like it, its one of my experiments with my guitar :D
Note: Video quality might not be good as I had to reduce its size to upload it.




Monday, July 12, 2010

त्याच्या "नानाची टांग" :)





Hi Folks,Recently I came across this song from the movie Khatta Meetha, starring Akshay Kumar...

Movie doesn't really sound promising, Or may be it would do well, like all other Akshay Kumar movies. :P
But the songs in the movie are just outstanding.. Literally meaning they all stand out from the general category of songs. Two of them mainly..
1) Tyachya Nanachi Tang
2) Haath Jamayala


"नानाची टांग" ( Nanachi Tang ) is actually a kinda abuse in Marathi and the other  song "Haath Jamayala" mainly sounds like "हत तिच्या मायला" (Hat Tichya Maayala ) which is another Marathi abuse.


I want to mainly talk about the song "नानाची टांग".
Apart from the abusive name, the song has also accommodated some amazing MARATHI Lyrics in typical Rap Style. May be this is first of its kind in Bollywood or anywhere else. Marathi Cinema also has never witnessed a Rap song.
Rap Songs were mainly originated from African-American communities I guess..


These Marathi words are not the part of main song, but are there in the start and in between.
I think those lyrics are also not available on any other site.
So here goes the lyrics, of the song...
You can listen to the song here.




जिथ मी जातो , तिथ तू दिसते.. हवेत तूझी सुगंध पसरते..
मनात तू, माझ्या ध्यानात तू...चारी दिशांत तूची तू ...
जिथ मी जातो , तिथ तू दिसते.. हवेत तूझी सुगंध पसरते..
मनात तू, माझ्या ध्यानात तू...चारी दिशांत तूची तू ...


Tere peechay aaye jo bhi tere aagey aaye jo bhi pyaar se jo lega tera naam
त्याच्या नानाची टांग..
Jis ki tu nazar mein aaye jo tujhe nazar lagaaye kar doon usko main tera ghulaam
त्याच्या नानाची टांग..
Meri hai tu to meri hai
Tu mera sapna
Churaye mera sapna jo
Bolunga main usko saare aam
त्याच्या नानाची टांग


तूची तू..
आ..आ..
सुंदरी..
चल ऐक...
माझ्या तू जिवलगा , माझ्या तू पाखरा, स्वर्गाची अप्सरा,
तू स्वप्नसुंदरी, मोहिनी, कामिनी.....


Mere siwa tujhko jo dekh lagta bura
Ik din main duniya se tujhko hi loonga chura
Aake farishtey bhi tujhse mile to jalun
Subahon ko, shaamon ko, raaton ko main hi milun
Tere mere pyaar se jo jal raha ho jaan le woh de raha hoon main usse paigaam
त्याच्या "नानाची टांग
Jis ki tu nazar mein aaye jo tujhe nazar lagaaye kar doon usko main tera ghulaam
त्याच्या "नानाची टांग


मी प्रेमात तुझ्या वेडा, होऊ शकत नाही कोणी तीसरा ,
तुझ्यासाठी मी, माझ्यासाठी तू,
इतरांच्या नानाची टांग... :)
जिथ मी जातो , तिथ तू दिसते.. हवेत तूझी सुगंध पसरते..
मनात तू, माझ्या ध्यानात तू...चारी दिशांत तूची तू ...
माझ्या तू जिवलगा , माझ्या तू पाखरा, स्वर्गाची अप्सरा,
तू स्वप्नसुंदरी, मोहिनी, कामिनी.....
तुजविन संसार हा सुना, जगायच नाही मला तुझ्याविना ,
मी अस्सल मर्द मराठी ग, सगळ करील सदा तुझ..
तूची तू..
आ..आ..
सुंदरी..
चल ऐक...


Chuke hawayein kyun guzre yun tujhko bala
Takde hue tujhko kyun hai yeh suraj dala
Inn ko bhi tujhse mohabbat hui jo kahin
Ho jaayegi inn se bhi phir meri dushmani
Tu toh hai pasand meri chahatein kare jo teri pyaar ke jo bejega salaam
त्याच्या "नानाची टांग
Jis ki tu nazar mein aaye jo tujhe nazar lagaaye kar doon usko main tera ghulaam
त्याच्या "नानाची टांग
Meri hai tu to meri hai
Tu mera sapna
Churaye mera sapna jo
Bolunga main usko saare aam
त्याच्या "नानाची टांग

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

1 year at NVIDIA ...........And I'm Loving it...



Yes, its been one long year...I'm no longer a new college Grad :) Had some memorable experiences..summing those in this wordle.Hoping for some wonderful time ahead in coming years..







A side link for those who loved the movie DARK KNIGHT and also love playing games


Check Out the video at the link

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Raajneeti --- taken from MAHABHARAT?????


Rajneeti.....
The much hyped movie ...Like every other bollywood movie.. released this friday..
I don't want to get into the review of the movie, whether the direction was right, screenplay was right, Whether Ranbir did justice to the role... Not into all that..

The thing is that movie is strikingly similar to Hindu epic - Mahabharat..
Don't know , how many of you guys have seen Mahabharat actually...
But If you have, then surely you would have figured out this..

Think about, Nana Patekar as Krishna, Ranbir as Arjun, , Kunti-- Ranbir's mom..
Ajay Devgan- Karna, , Manoj Bajpayee -- Duryodhan, and If not very similar, Katrina as Draupadi..(the drama that goes on regarding her marraige with all different cadidates whom her dad want to finance for elections..)

What else,
1) When Ranbir (Arjun/ Sammar ) is in dilemma of whether to kill "Nihatta" Ajay Devgan (Karna / Suraj), Then the similar speech given by Nana Patekar (Lord Krishna ), That "Nyay anyaya ki baat mat socho, ise marna jaroori hai"..

2) When Ranbir's mom, goes to Suraj, (Ajay Devgan) to tell him that he is her son, the dialogue was like "Tum mere Jeshtha putra ho".. I think it was directly picked up from Mahabharat :D

These are just some of the examples, Watch the movie if you wanna figure out real similarities :D

If this movie is good or not, I'll leave that to you guys..
But it is surely a ditto copy of Mahabharat....

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Nothing Else Matters-Metallica.

Guys, A break from US diary. Yesterday , I came back from work and for relaxing took out my ipod after many days, ... guess wat first song that started playing was Nothing else matters.
So more about this song..



In my words, The best song ever composed in human era.. The song which motivated me towards music, Motivated enough to learn guitar.
To perform, to present my guitar skills at events and all.
When anyone starts learning guitar, he normally has a song in mind, a milestone to be achieved, that "one day I'll play this song". My milestone was this one.
It keeps driving me, even for work , During Engineering days....... keeps me going.
What to say guys.. this song means a lot to me.
don know how it missed from my beloved blog for so many days.
So here it goes...

Watch it here:

here goes the amazing lyrics:

:::::Nothing Else Matters::::::

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
and nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us, something new
Open mind for a different view
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they say
never cared for games they play
never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
and I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No, nothing else matters