priyankajain

Void.

Vacuum.

Emptiness.

They brought some peace.

Suddenly life is moving slow.

There is energy around.

Physical, mental, emotional.

A legacy.

Faraway.

Memories and some conversation.

Loss.

Phases.

Passion.

Unrequitted Desire.

Accepting one’s weakness, having questions and wanting to do something about it is half battle won.

But the results will never come if the other half is not worked upon.

So now there are lots of questions out there.

The best thing is to be receptive of myself. Be aware and open to change that one wants, the way one wants. Think of solutions that always exist but we are too afraid to try, thinking they may not work. Sometimes one is plain lazy and does not want to put that extra effort in changing things. 

Also because there was advice a phone call away. One tends to get dependent, thinking solutions would come. But you know what nothing comes sitting down. The different view points help.

By being aware of oneself one can be equal to all. Different people excel in different things. Is it a rationalisation?

Whatever it is lets try to work on this hypothesis for a while. Lets see the results.

The wind is towards being in touch with one self. Learning, growing, learning, unlearning, bettering one self through everything.

Giving the quest a chance to be fulfilled.

Be always open to other’s opinions, see what works best and do that.

Who does an intelligent, seemingly interesting and reasonably good looking man/woman date?

Opposite sex or same sex who is along the same lines? Now that would be anybody’s guess.

But what happens when such a person dates below their standards? Does the interest remain alive?

How do they keep each other’s interest alive? Is it just the chemistry? Or do they connect on a mental level? What do they talk about? Do they talk?

Does the more intelligent person get bored of the other? What is their connection about? How can they be different and still be together?

Or is it a doomed relation from the word Go?

____________________________________________________________

What does it mean when just one person takes the onus of being in touch? calling? pursuing? working on?

Is it that the person does not have any self confidence and is clinging the'snake to the sandalwood and destroying everything it clings to?

Or is it hopeless optimism?

Is that what being a twit means?

Retention and Intelligence are not connected?

But then why are people who can quote from x, y, z considered intelligent?

Where is intelligence?

Does everyone go through phases of self doubts? 

Why does it seem whatever you learn is never enough?

Is there greed? Or again is it vanity?

Comparing self with others is detrimental. 

Hold your own. 

Dont be ’influenced’, ‘inspired’ or ’try to borrow’ from other people’s  intellgence without realising the effect it has on you.  

Realise the rush. Dont crush the little bud that grows inside us all to do better.

Keep sowing seeds.  

Work 100%. 

Not because it sounds good but knowing it will make things better. 

Keep your beliefs intact.

Retention

A poem that touched my heart like To- 

To —
       P B Shelley

One word is too often profaned
for me to profane it
One feeling to falsely disdained
for me to disdain it

One hope is too like despair
For prudence to smoother
and pity from thee more dear
than that from another

I can give not what Men call love
But wilt thou accept not
The worship the hearts lift above
and Heavens reject not

The Desire of the moth for the star
of the night for the morrow

Cant draw myself near…

—

But then one can’t feel for everything very strongly right?

So what does one do?

How do you remember interpretations of what you read, see and the facts?

Is the perspective beginning to come? Do subtle changes take place in the unconscious/subconscious?

Does the subconcious come to conciousness and help us evolve?

How is one sure about such things?

Is not equal to being voluptuous.

During one of my talks with ex Miss India Gul Panag she said, “Not doing anything about one’s excess weight is plain laziness. It shows that the nature of the person. Of the laziness and carelessness.” I agree. 
 

What does one do when anger takes over?

Counting 1 to 100, 1000 or even up to 1,00,000 or more does not work.

Anger stays.

Making senses numb only aggreviates the situation.

Reasons could be endless.

The mind does not stop thinking. It refuses to give up.

There is more to just anger.

Call it attraction, chemistry or connection. Isn’t it mere words?
 
The meaning and essence will remain in spite of putting it in different ways.

There is this constant growing mountain of desires of 'what can be'.

And then again there is the question of controlling the senses.

But if the logic is to be in touch with the basic instincts, what is the point of controlling the senses?

And trust the analysis is not all that useful.

When the moment passes, it's just the analysis.

But that is never even close to what one felt at that time because that is the moment that touched the inner soul.

That made the knowledge of the sensibility its five w’s and h’s clearer.

Without touching even the tip of the finger. Without even the presence.

That changed something forever.

But then nothing is constant.

What was there yesterday is not there today and will not be there tomorrow. [Loosely quoted from the holy book Gita]

Don't try to protect from the hurt.

If it has to be then so be it irrespective of either or.

Experimentation will continue. So will the exploration and learning.

Because there is an urge to know among other things what it will bring. 

But doing it in spite of oneself. And that knowledge of 'why' one is doing is there at a conscious level. 

The subject should for now be away for a while from the reason and the solution.

Because the need to go through the experience and arrive at solutions seems to be more important. 

Because understanding the wants, desires, needs, the difference between each and their importance and the reasons why they exist in the first place is essential.

Because separating 'sexuality from sensuality' and understanding the reason and the difference may perhaps after all help in understanding the concept.

Also because there is a lot of anger, anxiety, frustration, confusion, questions about everything that has been told, learnt and implemented.

The belief is shaken and trembling so is the mortal. 

There is a lone battle.

A part is being sedated.

The fear to lose what could have been by just trying to accept a concept is there. Perhaps the loss and regret… 

But perhaps the reason will see that there is reason - a strong personal belief, that sometimes the reason should be able to look beyond one’s own belief and accept other view point.

To know and acknowledge that it would have been easier for the subject to perform, act according to what was told and get what one desired.

To accept the others honesty and nakedness in totality. 

To not let it pass.  

Because the subject believes in thee.

Did you know that being called a South Indian is not polite?

‘South Indian’ is coined by Northerns who do not want to give much thought about which states lie in the South and so is the case with the North East. Both the regions have been largely ignored while we are being educated. Hence the lack of knowledge at early stages in our life. But meet some of these very intelligent, interesting and charming people from these regions and you are sure to want to know more about their roots.

There are four states in the South viz Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and each is distinct from the other and the people there are very very passionate about their culture and roots. At least the ones I have met.

And they have made it easier for me to understand the difference between Mallus/Malyalis [Keralites], Kannadigas, Telegus and Tamilians. They have made me value my own culture and inspired me to know more about my own roots.

My Kannadiga friend got me hooked to coffee while also singing one of the Kannada hymns sung by Dr Rajkumar. I did not understand a word, but the person’s translation and melody together made it a memorable event.

My oldest school friend is from Kerala. My first editor at Indian Express was a Mallu. The commanding officer when I joined NCC was from Kerala too. Some of my close friends now are a mix of Mallus/Malyalis [Keralites], Kannadigas, Telegus and Tamilians and I am so kicked about the fact that I now know the difference and a little bit about some of their traditions.

Now I also want to watch some cinema by Girish Kasaravalli whom I interviewed post Dr Rajkumar’s death, listen to their songs and know more about their film industry, why people worship their actors like demigods.

As a 15 year old, I had gone for a travel to all these parts with my family. I saw some of the most beautiful and serene tea gardens in Coonor and Ooty in Tamilnadu. Some relatives stay there too. My real aunt is from Coimbatore [Tamilnadu] and it was a wonderful experience to have visited her farm house there, though it was long ago.

Some where in an old diary, i have an account of my visit there. Will fish it out and add it here soon.

See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_India

Turning 56.

Did not realise the 32 year age difference. That it is a huge age cum generation gap.

Fought. Hurled verbal stones. Rebelled. Tried to run away. But the basic values were ingrained long ago. Could not fight that out of my system even then. I dont want to either now.

Today I love and adore him.

We have made our peace.

Beyond understanding for the ones who still consider having a mind of one’s own to be the same as being an outcast from the social systems.

We may not agree on everything. We dont need to. There is mutual respect and understanding and that is a great milestone achieved.

Forgive. Forget. Learn. Move on.

There are great memories cherished of everything.

I am. Because you are…

Love you papa.

Happy Birthday.

Too free to be controlled?

No.

Perhaps just value being an individual.

But that does not mean that one does not want to be taken seriously.

Naah!!! It kills to know that being a free spirit is considered the same as being frivilous .

Offcourse there have to be other flaws… There are.

Learn, Silence, Listen - greatest virtues.

“Be pragmatic”

“Chuck baggage.
Travel light.
Keep mind free.
Body supple.”

Freedom will not always make you pay. It will pay off too.

Keep the faith.

Lots of parallel examples running in my mind…

April Fool? Salman

You see a Salman picture on the movie poster and go for the movie. During the movie you realize you are cheated. Ah it’s April. So I have been had.

1. Without looking up the dictionary or www.m-w.com, I could not come up with adjectives that would do justice to describing how pathetic the movie was.

2. I have been Salmaan fan! [ah don't snigger] Despite him being targeted and being into controversies, I have had the hots for him since teen days m not over it yet and I could not, would not and am not trying to slam his work in the movie but I have few questions for him.

~ Did they have a gun on Katrina or Aishwarya's head to make you do this movie?

~ Do you ever think what your fans go through seeing you waste like this?

~ please give one good reason why did you have to do this movie?

3. What did I see in the movie?

~ Sallu's intense eyes

~ His long hairdo [suits him a lot]

~ His body, the layered t-shirts he wore and the stone house he lived in in the movie.

After the movie

~ tried to get over the exp of having to go thru thrash for 3 hours

~binged on food, coffee, red bull

~bought a pencil, eraser and notebook to write and get it out of my system

~paced for about an hour window shopping

~went for banaras [that is another story]

On the most sensuous Indian festival Holi - the festival of colours, men, women, old and young all mingle together and colour each other with joy, fun and a lot of madness.

Its amazing to see how strangers come together and enjoy the festival, get drunk and dance like there was no tomorrow.

The Zoom party was one such event. Read Holi with TV stars
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/16holi.htm

[For the Milee party I got a text message saying "Milee wants to touch your cheeks. Come and play Holi with the cast. However three hours post the time the event was to start, there were only a bunch of journalists and crew waiting for errr milee to come and touch their cheeks we however decided to move on after wasting about half an in the sun looking at blank faces.

While the glitterati of the television world were dancing to Indi-pop, Holi songs, some bhangra and getting drenched in an artificial shower, more than half of Mumbai janta was having a blast in the open sea in sun and sand at Juhu beach.

On both sides of the fence everybody was in high spirits - whether it was the music, bhang or just the 'high' the festival brought. While at the party people were posing and perhaps smiling more often than required for the cameras, at the beach people had genuine charm in their smiles and the sheer joy of tearing each other's shirts out their could be seen radiating on their faces.

Some wore the oldest of old clothes, tracksuits but even in the colourful muck some celebrities stood out as they made their style statement. Anchor Pooja Bedi in her bikini blouse and saree was the star of the show-dancing non-stop to the tunes of Holi until her shoe broke and a handsome young guy gave her his Osho chappals to wear for the rest of the day.

All said and done the party was a grand affair - From sponsored head massage by a hair oil company for all invities, to bhaang, food, and drinks. music -everything undoubtedly was in good taste. Lots of firang women were used as props. Some eggs too did the rounds and landed on my friend's hair.

There were three different DJs for the entire day. While the first two were good they didn't really added any spice than the usual. However the last DJ who came on the scene dressed in red, literally got the dance floor on fire. DJ Ashrafi started out with some offbeat bhangra tracks, urged people to sing along and got roaring response from the crowd. She was just awesome.

After a long time, I played Holi too. I just think twice before leaving the house… about the men on the roads and all that… but it was peaceful… but i guess once you are there there is no stopping. My day was full of fun and drinks… Late evening there was some salsa with another friend at a pub… Man what a day…

Enjoyed all the colour. Touch wood.

At a recent press meet, I met a fellow journalist talking about her experiences in the profession. Slowly the conversation wandered into questions about why we chose the profession.

In your comments, do write… what profession are you into and why. about what keeps you going…

Here’s an interesting read. No, what follows, is not written by me. It was forwarded to me by a senior journalist during my teething days in journalism.

In case you’re wondering what you’re doing in this profession, here’s an endorsement from way up there! An endorsement by the world’s most well-known journalist.

The Best Profession in the World by Gabriel García Márquez

A Colombian university was asked what aptitude and vocational tests are administered to persons wishing to study journalism. The response was categorical: “Journalists are not artists.” These views are, however, fueled precisely by the conviction that print journalism is a literary genre.

Fifty years ago journalism schools were not fashionable. This craft was learned in newsrooms, print shops, run-down corner cafés, and at Friday night parties. Newspapers were produced in a factory-like setting, where the right training and information were provided, and views were generated in a collaborative atmosphere in which integrity was preserved. Journalists formed a tight-knit group. We shared a common life and were so fanatical about the profession that we talked of nothing else.The work itself fostered a group friendship that left little time for one’s private life. Although there were no editorial boards in a formal sense, at five o’clock in the afternoon, the entire staff gathered spontaneously to take a break from the tension of the day and to have coffee in any place where there was editorial activity. It was a kind of loose gathering at which there was heated discussion of the topics of each section and where the finishing touches were added to the next morning’s edition.

Persons who did not learn in these 24-hour roving academies of fervent debate or those who became bored with all the talking that took place there were those who wanted or believed themselves to be journalists, but in reality were not. At that time, journalism fell into three broad categories: news, feature stories, and editorials. The section requiring the greatest finesse and carrying the greatest prestige was the editorial section. The reporter’s job was the one that was the most undervalued, since it implied that the person doing it was a novice who had been relegated to menial tasks. Both time and the profession have demonstrated that the nervous system of journalism operates in a counterclockwise fashion; to wit: at age 19 I was the worst student in law school and began my career as a member of the editorial staff. Gradually, by dint of hard work, I made my way up, working in different sections, until I became a plain old reporter.

The practice of this profession required a broad cultural background, which was provided by the work environment itself. Reading was a supplementary job requirement. Persons who are self-taught are usually avid and quick learners. This is particularly true of persons of my era, inasmuch as we wanted to continue to pave the way for the advancement of the best profession in the world, as we ourselves called it. Alberto Lleras Camargo, a perennial journalist who was, on two occasions, president of Colombia, was not even a high school graduate.

The establishment of schools of journalism later on was the result of a reaction in academic circles to the fact that the profession lacked scholastic backing. At the moment, this does not apply to the print media only, but to all areas of the media that have been or will be invented. However, in a bid to expand, even the humble name assigned to the profession since its beginnings in the 15th century has been abandoned. It is no longer called journalism, but rather communication sciences or mass communications. Generally speaking, the results have not been encouraging. Students who graduate from academic institutions with unrealistically high expectations, with their lives ahead of them, seem to be out of touch with reality and the main problems of life in the real world, and attach greater importance to self-promotion than to the profession and innate ability. This is particularly true with respect to two key attributes: creativity and experience.

The majority of students enter the profession with obvious deficiencies: they have serious problems with grammar and spelling and do not have an instinctive grasp of the material they read. Some take pride in the fact that they can read a secret document upside down on the desk of a minister, that they can tape casual conversations without informing the speaker, or that they can publicize a conversation that they agreed beforehand to treat as confidential. What is most disturbing is that these ethical breaches are based on a risqué view of the profession, one that has been consciously adopted and is proudly rooted in the sacrosanct importance attached to being the first to know something at any price and above all else. The notion that the best news is not always the news that is obtained first, but very often is the news that is best presented, means nothing to them. Some of these persons, aware of their deficiencies, feel that they have been cheated by their universities and do not mince words when blaming their teachers for failing to instill in them the virtues that are now demanded of them, particularly curiosity regarding life itself.

Clearly, this is a criticism that can be leveled at education in general, which has been corrupted by the plethora of schools that persist in the perverted practice of providing information rather than training. However, in the specific case of journalism, this seems to be compounded by the inability of the profession to evolve at the same pace as the tools of the trade, and by the fact that journalists are getting mired in the labyrinth created by technology as it hurtles forward. In other words, there is fierce competition among companies to acquire modern tools while they have been slow to train their staff and adopt the mechanisms that fostered team spirit in the past. Newsrooms have become aseptic laboratories where people toil in isolation, places where it seems easier to communicate via cyberspace than by touching the hearts of readers. Dehumanization is spreading at an alarming pace. It is not easy to understand how technology, in all its glory, and communications, which takes place at lightning speed, things that we all hankered after in our time, have managed to hasten and exacerbate the agony associatedwith closing time.

Beginners complain that editors give them three hours to complete a task that really cannot be done in fewer than six, that they ask them for material for two columns and then at the last minute give them only half a column, and that in the chaos of closing time no one has the time or the inclination to provide them with an explanation, let alone a word of consolation. “They don’t even scold us,” said a novice reporter who was anxious to receive direct feedback from his bosses. Silence reigns: the editor who was a compassionate sage in times gone by barely has the energy or the time to keep up with the punishing pace imposed by technology.In my view, it is the haste and restriction in terms of space that have reduced the stature of reporting, which we always considered to be the most prestigious genre, but also the one that requires more time, more research, more reflection, and superb writing skills. Reporting is, in reality, a meticulous and accurate reconstruction of facts. In other words, it is the news in its entirety, as events actually occurred, presented in a way to make the reader feel as though he actually witnessed them.

Before the invention of teletypewriters and telexes, someone in the field of radiocommunications with a fanatical devotion to the profession quickly captured the world news amidst the cacophony of the air waves, and a scholarly editor prepared it complete with details and background information, in a manner akin to the reconstruction of the entire skeleton of a dinosaur from a single vertebra. Only the interpretation of the news was off-limits, since this was considered to be the sacred preserve of the editor-in-chief, whose editorials were presumed to have been written by him, although this was not the case. In addition, the penmanship was almost always famous for its flourish. Renowned editors-in-chief had personal linotypists whose job was to decipher this handwriting.

One significant improvement made in the past 50 years is that the news and reports are now accompanied by comments and opinions, and background information is used to enrich editorials. However, this does not seem to have achieved the best results, since this profession has never seemed more dangerous than it does now. The excessive use of quotation marks in statements, either false or true, provides an opening for innocent or deliberate mistakes, malicious distortions, and venomous misrepresentations, which give the news the force of a deadly weapon.

Quotations from sources that are entirely credible, from persons who are generally well-informed, from senior officials who request anonymity, or from observers who know everything but are never seen, make it possible for all kinds of offenses to go unpunished. The culprit erects a fortress around himself by citing his right to withhold his source, without asking himself whether he is not allowing himself to be easily exploited by that source who, in transmitting the information to him, packaged it in the manner that best suited him. I think that a bad journalist believes that he depends on his source for his livelihood, especially if it is official, and for this reason considers it to be sacrosanct, agrees with it, protects it, and ends up entering into a perilous relationship of complicity with it, which even leads him to look askance at other sources.

Perhaps this may sound too anecdotal, but I think that there is another major culprit in this process: the recorder. Before its invention, the profession managed quite well with three tools of the trade, which, in truth and in fact, were really one: a notebook, uncompromising integrity, and a pair of ears that we, as reporters, still used to hear what was being said to us. The professional and ethical use of a recorder did not yet exist. People should teach their young colleagues that a cassette is not a substitute for one’s memory, but rather, a sophisticated version of the humble notebook that provided very reliable service during the early years of the profession.

The recorder hears but does not listen, and, like an electronic parrot, repeats but does not think. It can be depended upon but does not have a heart, and, in the final analysis, its literal rendition is not as reliable as that of the person who pays attention to the live words of his speaker, uses his intelligence to assess them, and judges them based on his ethical standards. While it does, in terms of the radio, offer the enormous advantage of providing an immediate and literal rendition of words, many interviewers do not listen to the responses provided because they are thinking about the next question. Because of the recorder, excessive and misguided importance is attached to interviews. Radio and television, by their very nature, have transformed them into the supreme genre.

However, the print media also seem to share the mistaken view that the voice of the truth is not so much that of the journalist who witnessed an event but of the interviewee who provided a statement. In the case of many newspaper editors, transcription serves as the acid test. They confuse the sound of words, stumble on semantics, trip up on spelling, and become ensnarled in syntax. Perhaps the solution is to return to the modest notebook, so that journalists will use their intellect to edit as they listen and let the recorder occupy its rightful place as an invaluable witness. In any case, the assumption that many ethical and a host of other lapses that debase and bring shame to modern journalism do not always stem from a lack of morality, but also from a lack of professional skill, is a comforting one.

Perhaps the shortcoming of mass communications academic programs is that they teach many things that are useful for the profession, but very little about the profession itself. Clearly, humanities programs should be retained, although they should be made less ambitious and rigid, in order to provide students with the cultural background that they do not receive in high school. However, any kind of education should focus on three key areas: assigning priority to aptitude and vocation; establishing categorically that research is not a specialty of the profession, but rather that all journalists must, by definition, be research oriented; and building awareness that ethical standards cannot be a product of happenstance; like the drone of a bee, they must be the constant companion of every journalist. The ultimate objective ought to be a return to the basic level of education by offering small group workshops, which provide a critical appreciation of historical experiences, within the original context of public service.

In other words, insofar as learning is concerned, the spirit of the 5 p.m. get-togethers should be revived. I belong to a group of independent journalists, based in Cartagena de Indias, that is trying to achieve this throughout Latin America through a system of experimental, itinerant workshops bearing a rather lofty-sounding name: Foundation for a New Approach to Journalism in Ibero-America (Fundación para un Nuevo Periodismo Iberomericano). This is a pilot program geared toward journalists who are just beginning their careers. They work in one specific area-reporting, editing, radio and television interviews, and a host of others-under the guidance of a veteran of the profession.

In response to a public announcement of the foundation, candidates are proposed by the media organization with which they are working, and that organization covers travel, accommodation, and registration expenses. Persons must be under the age of 30, have a minimum of three years of experience, and demonstrate their aptitude and level of skill in their area of specialty by providing samples of what they consider to be their best and worst work. The duration of each workshop depends on the availability of the guest instructor, who rarely can spend longer than one week. During workshops, the instructor does not attempt to provide participants with theoretical dogma and academic biases; instead he seeks, during the round table, to strengthen their skills using practical exercises, with a view to sharing with them his experience gained in practicing the profession. The goal is not to teach people how to be journalists, but rather to hone the skills of those who already are, through practical exercises. No final exams or evaluations, diplomas, or certificates of any kind are given. The sifting process will take place through the practical application of their skills.

It is not easy to assess the benefits reaped thus far from a pedagogical standpoint. However, we are heartened by the growing enthusiasm of persons attending the workshops, a phenomenon that is already providing fertile ground for nonconformism and creative rebellion within the media circles of these persons, an approach that is supported, in many instances, by their boards of directors. The mere fact that 20 journalists from different countries met, over a five-day period, to discuss the profession is already a sign of their progress and of the progress of journalism.

In the final analysis, we are not proposing a new way of teaching journalism; rather, we are seeking to revive the old way of learning it. The media would do well to support this rescue mission, either in their newsrooms or through scenarios created for that express purpose, in a manner akin to the air simulators who recreate every incident that can occur in flight so that students can learn how to avoid disaster before they actually encounter it in real life.

Journalism is an unappeasable passion that can be assimilated and humanized only through stark confrontation with reality. No one who does not have this in his blood can comprehend its magnetic hold, which is fueled by the unpredictability of life. No one who has not had this experience can begin to grasp the extraordinary excitement stirred by the news, the sheer elation created by the first fruits of an endeavor, and the moral devastation wreaked by failure. No one who was not born for this and is not prepared to live for this and this only can cling to a profession that is so incomprehensible and consuming, where work ends after each news run, with seeming finality, only to start afresh with even greater intensity the very next moment, not granting a moment of peace.

Earthquake

The minor earthquake in Ahmedbad yesterday night
[see http://worldnews.rediffiland.com/scripts/xanadu_diary_view.php?postId=1141815971]
brought memories of Gujarat Earthquake of January 26, 2001 back.

Back then; I was a 19 year old in 2nd year college. It was the Republic Day and I was supposed to be attending the NCC Parade

but found solace in my room waiting for mum to call me for tea. I was still in bed and my family was having breakfast. I had a saucer filled with tea in my hand when the earth began to shake. I thought I was still asleep. Till then I had never known what an earthquake is, how it happens, what are the indications and the zing bang about it.

By evening, the ones who were alive and fortunate were out in their cars trying to take a look at the fallen buildings.

Pictures of the aftermath


Till next day however we couldnt sleep. Everyone was talkign about it and the channels were flashing all the gory details.

The next day there was a call from NCC, they wanted some volunteers to help people in distress. With some reluctance mom allowed. Was stationed at V S Hospital to talk to the families, counsel them and help them get anything they might need. Each passing hour, saw more than 10-15 people breathing their last. Apart from grandpa’s dead body, I had seen no other. Needless to say, cadets lost their appetite, some fainted and were sent back home. The ones who stayed got into arguments with the media, who were trying to get their precious bytes/quotes[5 yrs down the line, i did not know i will be doing the same, for me it was covering the collapses that rocked Mumbai post 26/7 deluge... without any heart i would be probing them while they lay in bed tring to overcome the pain and suffering they are going thru... didnt know the conscience would be lost in the competitive edge]

Collapses
Home-wreaked
http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/117360.htm
After Sadaf, another bldg collapses
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/117072.htm
This woman saved 24 lives
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/116963.htm
Third collapse in 10 days
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115831.htm

but back then i got into a major argument with a senior reporter from indian express [back then i was a full timer with Indian Express] who was doing his job. I was angry and tears ran down my cheeks as i argued with him. He backed off. Then came the politicians. All that drama was too much to take. Things have remained the same.

Though my home on the 3rd floor was intact, I still feel giddy when I look down from a tall storeyed building. My cousin who stays on the 13th floor often complains that I rarely visit her. In Mumbai however, tall buildings are favored by many. However I cant seem to over come my phobia of sky scrapers. Both my rented accomodations here thankfully have been on the first floor of a 3 storey building. And the new one is a ground floor tenament with a small garden.

Thank God for small mercy’s.

Four years ago I was supposed to do a project on “Glass” for my course requirements.

It talks about how I found a glass shop, what I observed about a glass shop, the owner, a virtual picture of his shop accompanied by a few photographs [I used an old Yashica camera with a black and white roll. Will upload the pictures within this week.]

The Search

The search for a glass shop started with real madness. You don’t know where you would find one and then you never needed to visit one! Being new to Mumbai, I was enjoying exploring my surroundings here

After walking in and around the Lion Gate, Colaba, the lanes near Reserve Bank of India, then finally found one in Bora bazaar. [South Mumbai, its called town in local parlance]

The Aura Around

I went to Bora bazaar area thrice, first I sat at the tea shop (a small kitli joint) opposite the glass shop and kept observing peoplewho were working inside and those who were visiting the shop.

Just outside the 25X12 shop, there was a wooden lorry, which has two side hangers; [you can see them in the Picture 1.]

Bora bazaar area is very busy in the day time and the rush is slightly low during lunch hours I couldn’t get an uninterrupted view of the shop from the place I was sitting so after an hour I decided to walk to the shop and get the inside view.

The Glass Shop
The entire shop had a wooden floor; this lessens the possibility ofbreaking the glass if it falls. As I entered the glass shop on theright hand side facing the side where the sun rises, was the owner’scounter.

According to Vaastu, he said it was auspicious to sit on that side.There were huge posters of various Jain Gods and Godesses and the “Navkar Mahamantra” [http://www.jainnet.com/navkar.html] inscribed on a poster behind him.

On the table there was a wooden case with ten shelves, which had different types of glass. These samples are shown to the customer, carpenter, construction engineer, housewives etc. He enlightened me that even though there are no established brands in the glass market yet some local names like Modiguard, Balsurya, Asianglasses are preferred by customers who come personally to choose glass.

Otherwise mostly the carpenter takes any glass that fits his budget and helps him get maximum profit. Not only this, the carpenters and these glass owners have an understanding, if thecarpenter buys from a shop, the owner gives him commission.This is because most people are not bothered what type or quality of glass they are buying.

Rates of these glasses depend on their thickness and size. The goods are delivered at the person’s place atno additional cost.

While I was standing there, a weary looking carpenter came in. he was perspiring and top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned and he was looking damn tired. I wondered what he had come there for.

Sensing that he could be a customer, I brought my questions to a halt for a while and diverted my attention to the details of the shop and to their conversation.

That guy said 3.5mm mein batao. The owner showed him a few samples of glass kept on his table. The person selected, bargained for almost half the rate he was told and within minutes a deal worth lakhs was over ! [who says lakhon ki deal fancy board rooms mein blazer pehne log hi kartein hai?]

After the customer left, I told the owner, that everything seems very unorganised to which he agreed and went on to say that for small shops like ours this is the best way it works. “My family has been in the business for three generations now.”

I looked at him and smiled. He did not return the smile.

The glass shop owners I found were very business kinds and would not be very sweet or courteous to you, may be because they are used to talking to carpenters and the like.

There’s one more hitch to buying glass directly: the customer mostly do not have a clue of the market rates and the types of glasses available. “We tell them higher prices, then give them discounts and when they buy and leave, they feel glad of having got a good bargain.

[More so in the case of ladies, he said and smiled for the firsttime]

Pic 4
On the opposite side of the counter there was a huge wooden table like thing, which is used for cutting glass.

Behind it on the wall there are Posters and pin-ups of a few glass manufacturers. Have a look at the pic. A little further in the shop,there is a little space with huge wooden partitions to store glassesof different sizes.

Pic 5
Many a times, while cutting glass these people get injured. The owner himself had three stitches in this year alone. Wonder if there can be something they can use to safeguard their hands.

No snaps please! Till I was asking questions the owner was very co-operative. The moment I asked him if I could click some snaps, he asked me to leave.

I tried to reason, showed him my college IDcard, but nothing would convince him, nor the fact that I was astudent and needed his help, neither that I belonged to his religion.(I felt a damn fool to be harping on this fact, because never did I resort to this for anything before.)

However, I saw myself at his shop again the next day (see how persistent I am) this day he was in a better mood but still stuck about not taking snaps, However, he told me to come the next day assuring nothing about taking the snaps. [in my mind I was cursing him, does this bugger think, my professor would give me all the time in the world to complete the project?]

However I had no choice so I decided to come again.

The next day when I reached his shop around afternoon, he was not around, hence I took the liberty of asking his men to model, and pose with glasses, while I was capturing them in the camera I had borrowed from college for over three days now.

I thought things were going fine, so I ventured to the other room in the shop where they cut huge pieces of glass. Just as I was about to shoot, the owner entered. Instead of being calm, I got damn scared and I told him I have only taken the lorry snap and he started shouting, using abusive language I tried to answer, he would not listen and he was standing so near to me, that I could almost feel the anger, I reminded him that he asked me to come today and bla bla,

Ideas

While sitting near a window covered with blinds, that were kept to shun the sun out, I thought why not have manually tainted /electronically tainted glass.

Think about this, if its possible to turn a knob or adjust a switch and have your window tint to complete black or any other darker shade to block the sunlight while still allowing you to see out of the window.

Imagine never to have to pull the blinds, just to adjust the shades,or having a remote control to darken the glass or lighten the glassas per our needs, or probably a self tinting glass, like a room temperature controlled air conditioner.

Just how essential is a roof over one’s head?

And really how does it matter whether one stays in the same place for an okay amount of time?

Isn’t it better to live a hippy life, stay in different areas, know about different places, overcome different difficulties, emerge a stronger person?

But is it worth the energy we put in such non issues… the migranes it causes… the irritation, losing temper, snapping at others, or being lost phases…the tears that pop up no matter how strong you think you are, no matter that you know you will find another roof for the next 11 months may be…

But is it really worth?

In the quarter to 4 years that I have moved to Mumbai I have stayed in a private hostel for the first 3 months, in a hostel for 2 years, in a rented flat for 7 months, a friends house for a week, a PG for a month until i found the current house which i need to vacate in a fortnight because the house needs ‘repairs’. Like h*** it does. A drama that happened at home kicked of this whole thing… but since it involves others I dont want to get into that.

Infact when the news was broken, I looked at my friend and smiled. She thinks I am crazy. I did not feel any emotion. It was still sinking in.

I like this house. The first one where I felt ‘at home’. Its very well located. I pay a negligible amount of deposit. It’s well furnished with all basic gadgets and two most interesting people I live with.

Is there a way to convince?
The answer is NO. Have tried everything. The only thing I cant do is cry sympathies. That’s not working.

Is a relief period possible?
I dont want it. I dont want to stay here for another minute.
And no its not possible.

What next?
Umm… M too blank right now. Will sleep over it. Tomorrow is another day.

How will you manage?
I have managed to so far. I will manage in future too. I am hopelessly optimistic as one of my very dear friend says.

I fear…
In the midst of all this I think I am breaking up inside. I have been doing interesting things. I have managed financially too. I have been doing things that hold my interest, I have been watching plays, going for long walks very late in the night, piling up at friend’s place, going home more often than ever, cleaning my house, writing movie reviews et all.

Other people have far more bigger issues than these in life??
Yes!
Offcourse, they do. However, it does not positively or negatively influence my state of being. I can and should do better than this to avoid such things in future.

What are the options?
“HE who gives the mouth, feeds it too”
I have friends who will let me stay in their place for a month or two. [Thanks! but I dont want to.]
There are estate agents. A rented appartment can be worked out. [Hope I can afford it]

In your comments avoid…
Sympathy [I dont need it]
It will be ok [I know it will, I am a firm believer in myself] 
Numbers of agents [I have a directory full...]
I am tired of house hunting. I think its time I have my own place from where I am not thrown out. Is it feasible?

Well looking at my lack of financial management skills I wonder how?

Lessons?
SAVE MONEY
A good bank balance and a roof over your head is a must.
If you have that you respect yourself much more and dont end up in such situations, you don’t need to be at the mercy of landlords, agents, room mates.
KEEP SHUT
When you see someone in your house has erred, dont complain. You may also be thrown out. “Gehun ke saath ghun bhi peesta hai”

It’s a nice feeling to get flowers any day. It surprises, amuses and always brings a smile to one’s face. Thank you so much.

They are still fresh in my memory. I relieve the scent even today.

The Flame.

In the flight of fancy,

She recalls the past

That sets rollicking

In a bohemian spirit.

Life - a jigsaw puzzle

She discovers in early years of puberty

Slyly feeding on herself

The mystic touch of passion

The fires of lust

Stealthily sneak into the

Pulse and gyrates

Transcending severity of earthquakes

On seismic scales

A change that Eve tasted

In fiery pursuit of the flame

An buried the enigma

In an apple that conjures all ages.

(C)Priyanka Prakash Jain

For more of my poems www.poetry.com
search for priyanka jain in both orders.

I UPDATE THIS REGULARLY

There is so much more out there to explore, to live and learn. Still a toddler. [as one of my friend says about life and learning]

Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan/ Zara hatke, zara bachke/ Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan'.

Moods and Phases of life, people, cultures fascinate me nonstop.

Boman Irani: ‘I love playing mean’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/feb/15boman.htm

Soha Ali Khan: ‘It was strange when Saif decided to act’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/feb/15soha.htm

Raima Sen:My career is shaping up well
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/feb/13sld1.htm

The rare, first movies of Bollywood’s best
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/feb/08sld1.htm

When Shabana Azmi went on a Honeymoon
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/31shabana.htm

Meet Traffic Signal Cast
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/feb/01slide1.htm

Madhur Bhandarkar:’Konkana did not want to do Traffic’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/31madhur.htm

Dressing Abhishek for his wedding
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/30abhishek.htm

Shabana Azmi: ‘I hope Water wins the Oscar’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/25water.htm

Daruwalla dispels Manglik rumours
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/23bejan.htm

Govinda: Salman is the best friend one can have
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/23govinda1.htm

Risk is worth a watch
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/19risk.htm

From Big B’s hotseat to SRK’s
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/17kbc.htm?zcc=rl

When Sudhir Mishra beat up telemarketers
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/17sudhir.htm

Part 1: Lessons from Syd Field, the guru of scriptwriting
http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/jan/10syd.htm

Part 2: Syd Field: How to make your own movie
http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/jan/11syd.htm

‘I don’t care what people say’
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/05sd1.htm

TV stars’ memorable moments of 2006
http://specials.rediff.com/yearend/2006/dec/30yrslide1.htm

I See You: Story with a difference
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/29isy.htm
Film Review

Comeback is gift to fans: Birthday boy Govinda
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/21govinda.htm
True to his comedy hero image, Govinda will make his comeback in a hilarious Priyadarshan movie.

‘I don’t force humour into a film’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/21priyan.htm
“Bhagam Bhag is what people expect of a Priyadarshan film. Keep your brains at home, come and have fun.”

Meet Jai from the new Sholay
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/19sd1.htm
Prashant Raj Sachdev has a tough job. He will make his movie debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s remake of the Bollywood classic, Sholay.

Film Review: Aryan
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/15aryan.htm

‘Rani and I would fight like mad’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/07rani.htm
Rajaa Mukerji talks about his sister and his upcoming film

From Angelina Jolie to Mira Nair
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/05slid1.htm
Irrfan Khan interview

When Shilpa Shetty removed her skirt
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/29sld1.htm
On the sets of Anurag Basu’s Metro

Deadline is too melodramatic to thrill
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/10deadline.htm
Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante simply fails to keep you gripped.

Shahid: Arranged marriage is alien to me
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/10shahid.htm

Amrita: I have never gone on a date
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/09slid1.htm

‘I’m waiting for Salman to see Vivah’
http://ia.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/09sooraj.htm
The Rediff Interview / Sooraj Barjatya

‘I play a serious role in this comedy’
http://ia.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/09shreyas.htm?q=np&file=.htm
The Rediff Interview / Shreyas Talpade

‘I didn’t choose Aishwarya. Umrao Jaan chose her’
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/02sld1.htm
The JP Dutta interview

‘You will always remember the old Umrao Jaan’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/06farooq.htm
The Rediff Interview | Farooq Shaikh

Making Ash look like Umrao
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/31slide1.htm
Fashion designer Anna Singh’s sketches.

First Look: Asking Aishwarya for a date
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/26ash.htm

How Anu Malik made Salman, Ash sing
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/19anu.htm
He has scored music for two of the most-awaited movies this year — Jaan-E-Mann and Umrao Jaan

Aishwarya Rai on playing Umrao Jaan
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/10slide1.htm
‘I am inspired by Rekha, but I cannot ape her’

Don’t bother with Mera Dil Leke Dekho
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/06mera.htm
Yet another film trying to jump onto the comedy bandwagon.

‘A film’s point is to upset people’
http://ia.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/05tanuja.htm?q=mp&file=.htm
The Rediff Interview / Tanuja Chandra

Shiney Ahuja’s stars shine bright
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/03slide1.htm
If a movie were to be remade, I would love to portray the layered emotions Guru Dutt managed so beautifully in Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam.

An ode to cinema of the 1950s
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/03bahut.htm
Sudhir Mishra claims that Bahut Nikle Mere Armaan will be his ‘least dark’ film.

Quest: Well made
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/29quest.htm
Amol Palekar’s bilingual film Quest is not for light entertainment.

Krishna: Good intentions, bad execution
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/29krishna.htm
But the animation done by Media Solutionz falls short of expectations. It is not even a shadow of what we have seen in Tom and Jerry cartoons, and definitely not Hollywood films like Shrek and Finding Nemo.

American Blend: Great mix of cultures
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/29blend.htm
Although the climax could have been etched out better, it isn’t abrupt. The film has its light and emotional moments.

Aamir’s Oscar plans for Rang De Basanti
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/27oscar.htm
The nominations in the Best Foreign Film category will be announced on January 23, 2007.

How Gandhigiri found a place in Munnabhai
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/26joshi.htm
Interview with Lage Raho Munnabhai cowriter

From Iqbal to Behrupia
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/20shreyas.htm
The Rediff Interview | Shreyas Talpade

‘Shiva is a pro-police film’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/14ramu.htm
Ram Gopal Varma thinks people who don’t like his films shouldn’t watch them.

Why Urmila Matondkar should get a Guinness mention
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/11slid1.htm
After Bas Ek Pal, I have signed Rajkumar Santoshi’s London Dreams, Vikram Bhatt’s Speed and Sunil Advani’s Non-stop Fun.

Geeta Basra wants to be Madhuri Dixit
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/06slide1.htm

Viviek Oberoi: I play a mad, spoilt brat’
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/08slide1.htm
Vivek Oberoi is in a fun mood. His Naksha opens today, and he’s currently working on a film called Shootout At Lokhandwala.

Sushmita, Sachin and Shah Rukh
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/24slid1.htm
While the gorgeous Sushmita Sen crooned into a microphone, Sachin Tendulkar and Shah Rukh Khan could be seen tapping their feet.

‘I could have done without Mela’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/25dd.htm
Director Dharmesh Darshan talks about Priyanka and his next movie

Dino is ready for more
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/23dino.htm
Dino is planning to open a production company. He has already zeroed down on the director and script for the first film he will produce under his banner.

Javed Akhtar re-releases Hindustan Humara
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/21hh.htm
Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Farhan Akhtar and Divya Dutta were some of the film personalities present at the event.

Shilpa Shetty in Gangster director’s next
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/17metro.htm
About Metro: Anurag Basu’s next movie.

‘Ahista Ahista is inspired from real life’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/17nair.htm
Director Shivam Nair has directed Abhay Deol and Soha Ali Khan in Ahista Ahista.

Why Abhay Deol likes Soha Ali Khan
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/17abhay.htm

Soha Ali Khan: On her film Ahista Ahista
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/16slide1.htm
‘My parents would be happy if I quit films’

Isha Sharvani:’I'd die to work with Amitabh’
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/04slide1.htm
A complete feature.

Shilpa Shetty: Marriages are not easy
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/04shilpa.htm
She has all the elements: elegance, grace, beauty and that perfect figure.

Salman and Shilpa don’t arouse interest
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/04shaadi.htm
Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya: A review

Darwaza Bandh Rakho
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/03slide1.htm
Chunky Pandey, Manisha Koirala, Isha Sharwani and Aftab Shivdasani

Minisha Lamba
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/03sd1.htm
Acting happened to me by accident,” says minissha Lamba.

‘Arshad, Anthony kaun hai?’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/02arshad.htm
I think I am as bad an actor as I was in my first film. I have just become smarter now and expect a lot from the work I do

Madhur Bhandarkar takes it to the streets
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/jul/31traffic.htm
A Rs 150 crore joint venture has just been announced between Madhur Bhandarkar and Percept Picture Company.

If you’ve seen Collateral, you’ve seen Killer
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/jul/21killer.htm
The Killer : A review

Emraan Hashmi: In The Killer
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/jul/21slide1.htm
The women love him, and men like his innocent, yet mischievous, face.

Kaifi Azmi’s 4th death anniversary
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/may/10kaifi.htm
On the eve of her father Kaifi Azmi’s fourth death anniversary, Shabana Azmi and husband Javed Akhtar staged a play called Kaifi Aur Mein at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre.

Neha Dhupia: Kareena was wonderful to work with
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/may/09slid1.htm
Of late, Neha Dhupia seems to be doing a lot of comedies. After Kya Kool Hain Hum and Garam Masala, her next, Chup Chup Ke, starring Kareena Shahid is also aimed at making the audience laugh.


Shahid plays dumb
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/may/08sli1.htm
After all, journalists usually want to know more about his relationship with Kareena Kapoor than his work.

Kareena Kapoor, unplugged!
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/may/04sl1.htm
Kareena chats with Priyanka Jain about her upcoming films, Shahid and what the two of them have in store for us.

Upen Patel: Hot, and lovin’ it!
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/may/03slid1.htm
Makes his debut in Bollywood with Subhash Ghai’s 36 China Town.

Ram Gopal Varma on Darna Zaroori Hai
http://ww1.mid-day.com/smd/play/2006/april/135804.htm
I don't think fear is a positive or negative emotion. It's a real emotion.

Sandeep: Waiting for D-day
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/21sandeep.htm
Indian Idol contestant Sandeep Acharya says,”I want this time to pass quickly, to know my fate. I try not to think too much about the result. I am a bit nervous, and excited”

Karunya: Of course, I’ll win!
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/20karunya.htm
19-year old Karunya from the city of charminars is all set to play his version of Hyderabad Blues at the Indian Idol finals on April 22.

MF Hussain, now on stage
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/14mf.htm
After the recent controversy over M F Hussain’s nude paintings of Mother India, the title of the play was changed from Maqbool Se Fida Tak to Pencil Se Brush Tak.

‘Rajkumar brought Kannadigas together’
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/13nag.htm
A tribute to the great Kannada actor.

Meeting John and Salma Khan
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/13john.htm
Over tea, the senior Abraham spoke at length about the excesses of the media. She felt curious about how the media manages to get information in seconds and exaggerates each and every incident in her son’s life much to the chagrin of his family. As she voiced concern for John, she spoke for universal motherhood

Say hello to Tom, Dick and Harry
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/11sd1.htm
The comedy Tom, Dick And Harry — featuring three physically challenged individuals played by Dino Morea, Anuuj Saawhney and Jimmy Sheirgill.

Gladrags winners, 2006!
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/11models.htm
Will they make it to the big league? Maybe. They’ve just gotten noticed. And that’s a start.

Director Anurag Basu talks about Gangster
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/05basu.htm
Gangster stars Mahesh Bhatt’s favourite star Emraan Hashmi, Shiny Ahuja and newcomer Kangna. It promises to be controversial as it is apparently about Abu Salem’s romance with Monica Bedi.

Lakme India Fashion Week 2006 Complete Coverage
http://in.rediff.com/getahead/fw06.html

Collections

Suneet Verma finally brings designer clothing for men
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/apr/01fwsuneet.htm

Savio Jon keeps it simple
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/apr/01fwsavio.htm

Anshu Arora Sen: Time to go backless
http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/29fwfirst.htm

Rocky S Collection
http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/28fwrocky.htm

Perfect for fun in the sun
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/31first.htm

Models

Ujjwala Raut: Life after motherhood
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/30fwujjwala.htm

Acquin Pais :In love with Bangalore
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/apr/01fwmodel.htm

Upen Patel: Single and Available
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/31fwmodel.htm

Shahwar Ali: 15 egg whites a day
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/29fwmodel.htm

Shivani Kapur: An apple a day
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/30fwmodel.htm

Tips

How to wear make-up like a model
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/31fwmakeup.htm

Models eat more than fruit and vegetables
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/30fwgossip.htm

Makeup tips to be attractive in five minutes
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/30fwmakeup.htm

Celebs at Fashion Week

Salman and Rani cheer for Ritu
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/apr/01fwcelebs.htm

Katrina Kaif to walk for Ritu Beri
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/31fwkatrina.htm

Man in black: John Abraham [Rock S Collection]
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/28first.htm

Neha Dhupia roots for Suneet Varma
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/30fwneha.htm
___________________________________________________________
Filmi

Making Urmila, Aamir and Hrithik dance
Interview with choreographer Ganesh Hegde
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/27slid1.htm
A lot of credit for Yana Gupta's raunchy moves in the Babuji zara dheere chalo track, and Isha Koppikar’s in Khallas goes to Ganesh Hegde.

Meet Mrs India World 2006
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/27sd1.htm
The contest first came under the spotlight when Aditi Gowitrikar won the international Mrs World crown in 2001.

Aarthi Thakur wins Mrs India World 2006
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/26mrsworld.htm
Thakur said, “Sacrifice. It’s only then you can manage work and home beautiful and give hundred percent to both.”

Smriti Irani’s birthday plans
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/23slide1.htm
Today, March 23, India’s favourite bahu turns 30. Smriti Irani, or Tulsi — as she is called in the very popular soap, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi — has already achieved superstardom.

Smriti Irani’s fave TV shows
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/23list.htm
Television’s favourite bahu, Smriti Irani, claims she does not watch the immensely popular soap, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

First Look: Ekta Kapoor’s new soap
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/20look.htm
The central character — played by newcomer Sanjeeda — is a clumsy girl who is almost never favoured by Lady Luck and gets into trouble all the time.

Meet the new Miss India!
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/20slide1.htm
For once, Femina Miss India contestants didn't want to be Mother Teresa. They didn't pray for world peace either. Their answers sounded honest and straight from the heart.

Neha Kapur is Miss India Universe
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/18miss.htm
“Oh god! It’s still not sinking in. It has to sink. It has to sink,” were among the first few words Miss India Universe 2006 Neha Kapur said when she won the most coveted crown.

Umar : Movie Review
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/17umar.htm
What made Kader Khan say yes to this?

Holi with TV stars
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/16holi.htm
I could see some people had climbed up on the hotel wall trying to catch a glimpse of the celebrities inside. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, no matter where you are.

The Dus team is back!
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/14sl1.htm
The Dus trio — Producer Nitin Manmohan, Director Anubhav Sinha and Sanjay Dutt — is back with another thriller called Tathastu. It supposedly means `Be it as you desire’.
March 14, 2006. 
 
Indoors this Holi? Switch on your TV
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/14slid1.htm
It’s the order of the day — shooting festival specials for TV serials.
Here’s what you can expect this time around.
March 14, 2006.

Jigyaasa: Avoid at all costs!
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/10jig.htm
Verdict: Don’t bother with this film!
March 10, 2006

Single’s guide to grocery management
http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/09shop.htm
Independence comes with a lot of responsibilities and one of them is managing your grocery shopping!
March 9, 2006.

Women, step forward!
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/08sd.htm
Aditi Gowitrikar’s tips for choosing your footwear.
Shopping Mantras
March 8, 2006.

Hrishita Bhatt : Controversially Yours!!!
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/mar/07slide1.htm
Bhatt talks about her role in the forthcoming film Jigyaasa.
March 7, 2006.

Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai: Predictable
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/24humko.htm
Should you risk watching it? Only if you aren’t tired of typical Bollywood escapist fare yet.
February 24, 2006.

Meet Sa Re Ga Ma’s Vinit
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/24vinit.htm
On the day of the finals, Vinit Tejnarayan Singh, 17, talks to Priyanka Jain about his family, singing and winning.
February 24, 2006.

In John Abraham’s bedroom
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/23slide1.htm
I am with one of India’s most desirable men. In his bedroom!
February 23, 2006.

Meet Nana Patekar, the chef
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/22nana.htm
Nana Patekar might be famous for playing cold, ruthless and tough characters on screen, but in real life he is one of the most warm-hearted people in Bollywood.
February 22, 2006.

Meet the Fanaah scriptwriter
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/21shibani.htm
Newcomer Shibani Bhatija’s first script has been creating waves. She has also co-scripted Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna with Karan Johar.
February 21, 2006.

Sameera Reddy: Up close
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/20sd1.htm
Her Kaalpurush, directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta, has already become a favourite on the festival circuit.
February 20, 2006.

Sonali Kulkarni: Sexiest housewife?
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/21sonali.htm
I play a completely sensuous wife. The whole world is going to feel like marrying me — I can bet on that.
February 21, 2006.

Mindblowing Sush, boring Chingaari
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/17chingaari.htm
Sushmita Sen is the only possible reason to watch this movie.
February 17, 2006.

Taxi 9 2 11: Surprise of the year?
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/15milan.htm
Milan Luthria says Taxi 9 2 11 opens up in a way, which is unexpected, and surprises you with its humour, its story, and music. It’s a fast paced two-hour film, with something happening every two minutes. It will be the surprise package of the year.
February 15, 2006.

‘Men don’t know how to woo anymore’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/13koel.htm
Koel Puri says, “I would like to be swept off my feat, be completely surprised. I don’t mean expensive gifts or anything like that. I want to be surprised in a very creative manner. I would actually like to be wooed. Men in this day and age lack the art of wooing. They just don’t know how to do it.”
February 13, 2006.

Mixed Doubles is worth a watch
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/10mixed.htm
It’s unconventional. Period.
If you are the kind that likes happily-ever-after movies, Mixed Doubles — directed by Rajat Kapoor — may not entertain you.
February 10, 2006

‘Rang De is a very honest film’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/10atul.htm
Two-time National Award winner Atul Kulkarni — whose role as Laxman Pandey, the angry young right-wing guy in Rang De Basanti, has won him critical kudos yet again ' is all praise for Aamir Khan.
February 10, 2006

‘Nadira lived life on her terms’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/09tribute.htm
Nadira, the graceful vamp of yesteryears, passed away early on Thursday morning. She was alone in life but never lonely.
February 09, 2006

Madhavan, the remote control pilot
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/08mad.htm
Madhavan has hit the bull’s eye with his cameo as Flight Lieutenant Ajay Rathod in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti.
February 08, 2006

Himesh outshines Ismail in promoting protégé
http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k6/feb/7feb/news_sa.php
On stage, Himesh went overboard promoting Vineet, while Ismail added a few remarks here and there. However, Ismail was largely diplomatic. Was this mild behaviour inspired by his earlier irate attempts at quitting the show midway?

‘Women like bad boys’
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/07emraan.htm
Emraan Hashmi — who is quite a hit with young moviegoers –has no fears about being typecast
February 07, 2006

Why ‘Sukhi’ loves dying roles
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/07sharman.htm
Sharman Joshi says he loves to do roles that deal with death — where his character dies at the end or is suffering from an ailment. While playing such a character you realise that there are so many things that we fuss about, that really don’t matter.
February 07, 2006

The Buniyaad folks, 18 years later
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/02sld1.htm
As Buniyaad continues making history on television, we take a look at the people who had become a part of our lives for a very long time. What are they doing now, almost two decades later?
February 2, 2006

Nadira: A woman ahead of her time
NAdira: No loner
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/jan/16nadira.htm
Nadira has been a woman so much ahead of her time — in fact, she was a woman for all time — beautiful, bold, truthful. What today’s woman strives to be, Nadira was 50 years ago
January 16, 2006

Celebrities

September 2005
Aaja meri gaadi mein baith ja
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/119664.htm
It’s television actress Rakhanda Khan’s birthday today and her costars have a great idea for a birthday gift: a driver! Khan (who stars in Kyunki saas and Jassi) has changed 10 drivers since January.

Safety issues dog Ekta’s animal welfare
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/119543.htm
About 50-60 stray dogs in the Sankraman Studios area (rented from Aarey Colony) are being sterilized for the first time by a studio, which sounds like a very welcome decision.

Gorretti to host new television show
http://web.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/september/119121.htm
Former VJ Maria Gorretti is all set to make a comeback after a two-and-a-half-year break ? this time, as an anchor in a news channel. Gorretti, who is married to actor Arshad Warsi, has a one-year-old son, Zeke Zidaan.

Hero Zeke Zidaan quits Hindi films
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/118803.htm
Zeke Zidaan has his parents worried. The one-year-old son of actor Arshad Warsi and former VJ, Maria Goretti, who recently did a cameo in the film Saif-Preity starrer, Salaam Namaste, had not been eating well since the film released on September 9.

Ramuji gave me new name: Nisha Kothari
http://web.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/september/118635.htm
Ramuji and The Factory gave me a new identity and my present name,” blushes 21-year-old Nisha Kothari, the lead actress for the forthcoming James.

Kyunki Jitu bhi kabhi chawl mein rehta tha
http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/118182.htm
A beaming Jitendra arrived at Shyam Sadan, Girgaum to celebrate Ganesh puja with his former neighbours, on Wednesday.

Bollywood began in chawls
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/117595.htm
Some of Bollywood’s big names began their lives in chawls. With the demolition of unsafe buildings in the city, many of these celebs stand to lose their childhood memories.

August 2005
Pigs Tie
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/117522.htm
Actress and model Sushama Reddy has a pig fetish. She has a huge collection of pig soft toys, wall hangings, soaps, key chains, ceramic and clay pigs in different sizes.

Riya, Raima perform puja at new home
http://ww1.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/august/116923.htm
The actresses are planning to complete doing up their home once they return from their short vacation…

Celina scared to death of butterflies
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/116896.htm
While shooting for the film, No Entry, in Thailand, actress Celina Jaitley nearly died. Celina spotted a butterfly and was so terrified that she started running, heading straight for a cliff, and had it not been for her co-actors, would have certainly fallen to her death.

Do you believe in punar janam?
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/116835.htm
Rani, Kodak, Whitey, Pinky, Raja, Pedru, Brownie and Tiger are among the 24 stray dogs that Firoza Abraham feeds daily near her home at Andheri (E). Firoza is the mother of heart-throb John Abraham.

Purab jaisa koi nahin
http://web.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/august/116440.htm
We caught up with Samir Soni to find what he’s been upto post-jassi.

Drainage block leaves comedian Manmaujee with no choice, even on his birthday
[to see story scroll down after clicking on the page]
http://web.mid-day.com/diary/2005/august/116310.htm

Ideal bahu? Not quite
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115653.htm
She may be considered the perfect Indian wife but apparently Tulsi Virani does not always set a perfect example. Priyanka Jain spoke to psychiatrist and sex consultant Dr Ketan Parmar, who believes that some of her actions in the serial may negatively influence women and even cause disharmony at home

Messy actor learns to clean his room
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115184.htm
Actor confesses he was very messy earlier, but studying in the US changed it all.

July 2005
Revealed: Emraan Hashmi’s secret girl
http://web.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/july/114833.htm
Mid-day Exclusive : Teacher Parveen Sahani and Murder actor Emraan have been in serious relationship for three years.

Lage raho Ashutosh!
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/july/114529.htm
Film director Ashutosh Gowariker talks about his new project with Priyanka Jain. Over the last couple of weeks he has helped evict all the hawkers from 16th and the 17th Road, Khar.

Cuddly refused food till Ayesha fed him
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/july/114353.htm
Cuddly is alive and doing quite well, thank you. After five days at the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals in Parel, the Pomeranian is recuperating at home after being bitten on its tail, by his Labrador friend.

Aditi turns panipuriwallah into hygiene freak
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/july/113883.htm
If you walk down Bandra’s D’Monte lane and find a panipuriwallah with an inordinate number of customers around him, stop, down a few puris and then move on. For this chap is one of Mumbai’s most hygienic panipuriwallahs -trained and tested by none other than model Aditi Gowitrikar.

Tulip back from hibernation
http://ww1.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/july/112814.htm
Actress Tulip Joshi is looking forward to her new film, Matrabhoomi. Tulip speaks to Priyanka Jain about her long hiatus and battle with ill health.

Lifestyle

October 2005
Don’t shed tears for the onion, say chefs
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/121758.htm
Your food can taste just as good without the 28 per kg kanda. Priyanka Jain spoke to some chefs in the city to find out how they are dealing with the price hike

September 2005
Don’t let high heels let you down
http://ww1.mid-day.com/yourlife/2005/september/117877.htm
Despite what you’re willing to tolerate as a lover of heels, you may be underestimating the damage that high heels can cause, beyond just having sore feet at the end of the day.

August 2005
Eat what Riya Sen does
http://midday:8005/yourlife/2005/august//116539.htm
Aside from her steamy item song for the credit titles in the soon-to-be-released James, the actress has been steaming up her kitchen, experimenting with different kinds of dishes. We hear sister Raima and Riya’s three dogs are acting as her guinea pigs.

July 2005
Bald and gorgeous
http://web.mid-day.com/smd/play/2005/july/115136.htm
When worn with confidence, a completely shaved head can be intriguing, beguiling and alluring.

June 2005
Let’s play ball, fellas!
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/june/112460.htm
Priyanka Jain caught up with models Upen Patel, Raman Lamba and Haroon Kazi getting down and dirty, enjoying a game of football with kids, yesterday.

Bleached and beautiful
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/june/112017.htm
The city’s metrosexual man has finally arrived. He does not feel any shame in being pampered at a ladies parlour, reports Priyanka Jain. Men these days frequent parlours simply because women understand their needs better than men.

BPOs

November 2005
BPOs want to hire physically challenged
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/november/123420.htm
To counter high attrition rates, BPOs are considering hiring senior citizens and physically challenged individuals who are not as prone to switch jobs.

Orphans have a rocking day at BPO party
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/november/123338.htm
On the occasion of Children’s Day yesterday, a BPO, Intelenet Global Services, invited 150 kids from Don Bosco Orphanage to spend the day at the office and organised games, a painting competition and dances to keep them entertained.

Call centre exec’s body found at home
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/november/123271.htm
Call-centre employee Kingsley Gibert D’Souza’s (39) decomposed body was found at his Orlem residence, Jude’s House, on Saturday afternoon. D’Souza, who worked for E-funds was staying alone after having separated from his wife, a year-and-a-half ago.

Call centres advance time from Sunday
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/121931.htm
Mumbai’s call centre workers will have to report to work one hour earlier from this Sunday, when the UK, US and Canada shift back from daylight saving time.

Want a BPO job? Try now!
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/121410.htm
All major BPOs in the country, which cater to foreign clients, will see a surge in recruitment till mid-November. This is because of two reasons: Firstly, the festive season in the UK, US and Australia means customers shop more.

BPO makes night travel safer
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/120540.htm
After a female employee was threatened by a coworker, a BPO has decided to make night travel safer by installing wireless radios in all its vehicles.

Cost-cutting BPOs say no to Navratri
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/120346.htm
Every year BPOs celebrate festivals with fervor. But this year, most of them have shown little interest in organising garba festivities at their call centres. Cost-cutting tops the list of reasons.

BPO bikers united by passion for Enfields
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/119729.htm
Who says call centre workers have dull lives? On a typical Sunday evening you’ll find a passionate group of BPO employees discussing their obsession - Royal Enfield bikes - at IC Colony, Borivli or Marve Beach, Malad. They call themselves the Road Rapplers, and have known each other for at least a year.

Call centre exec juggles five jobs
http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/118316.htm
Nizar Furniturewala (27) manages not one, but five different jobs a day. He is an entrepreneur, a shopkeeper, a tutor and an interior designer and ends his day as a call centre exec - notching up an 18-hour workday.

Call centre kids work on I-Day
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/116348.htm
While India celebrated the 58th anniversary of Independence yesterday, not everyone was fortunate enough to get a holiday.

_______________________________________________________________________

Crime and Civil
Brothers get into a jam with traffic cop
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/121616.htm
Two Malad businessmen got into trouble yesterday evening when they tried to tell a policeman to do his duty. Brothers Manish and Deepak Zhaveri were booked by the Malad police for allegedly assaulting and misbehaving with a traffic constable at Chincholi signal.

Boss shoots clerk… accidentally
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/119156.htm
Mohiddin Tayiyabban Soni, a building contractor, accidentally shot his clerk Ismail Beban (50) yesterday. Beban, who was admitted to KEM hospital, is in a critical state.

Man runs over traffic cop’s feet
http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/119019.htm
On Friday, when traffic constable Suryaji Shivaji Patil was checking Kiran Kumar Krushnalal’s (44) driving licence outside Churchgate near KC College, Krushnalal suddenly stepped on the accelerator, and drove the car over Patil’s feet, grievously hurting him.

Best dandiya dancer commits suicide
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/120861.htm
When 19-year-old Sushil Shinde returned home on Monday night after winning the best dancer award at the local dandiya fest, his parents had no idea that he may have been disturbed. They woke up in the morning to see their son hanging from the ceiling inside the kitchen.

Drug addict kills sister, injures mum
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/120797.htm
Kenith D’Souza (53), an alleged drug addict, killed his sister Tina (43) and stabbed his mother P D’Souza during an argument over food yesterday. The mother is recuperating at Rajawadi Hospital.

Driver disappears with employer’s Merc
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/117806.htm
Radhakrishna Chitrapuchan (45), a driver, disappeared with his employer’s Mercedes, Rs 10 lakh in cash, and documents worth Rs 25 lakh on Thursday. He was employed by Laxman Bhagtani, a builder. A complaint has been lodged by Mukesh Bhagtani (25), his brother at the Bandra police station.

Pregnant lady loses baby to rush in train
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/september/118379.htm
Anahita Shelar, 35, who was two-and-a-half months pregnant, lost her baby because of the heavy commuter rush at Dadar railway station on Friday.

Policeman surrenders in Provogue cocaine
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/july/113724.htm
Assistant Police Inspector Shantilal Jadhav, key accused in the Provogue cocaine case, surrendered at the Airport Police Station last night.

DC-designed buses at airports soon
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2004/march/78746.htm
The Airport Authority of India will soon start a bus service from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Sahar) to Dadar (Sitlamata Mandir) and Nariman Point (Air-India building) and the Gateway of India.

TC eyes World Power Lifting Championship
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/october/120091.htm
Central Railway Ticket Collector S Nagrajan (28) from Coimbatore has been selected among others to represent India at the World Power Lifting Championship to be held in Miami from November 13. Nagrajan has won three gold medals consecutively from 2003 to 2005.

Collapses

Home-wreaked
http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/117360.htm
The one thing common in the collapses that recently rocked Mumbai was that its occupants were all middle class people who had their life savings and belongings destroyed. Priyanka Jain went in search of some affected to find out their status and check what help they had received, if any.

School demands dues for broken wall
http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/117337.htm
July 26 has left a deep scar on the minds of the sisters who run the Divine Child school in Andheri East. As if water logging within the school was not enough, housing societies next to it broke boundary walls to let the water from their compound into the nun’s campus.

After Sadaf, another bldg collapses
http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/117072.htm
Residents of Mistry Building, Tardeo, blamed corporator Gunvant Singh, for repairs made to his ground floor flat, for the partial collapse of the 110-year-old structure yesterday.

This woman saved 24 lives
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/116963.htm
Fatima Kanees (40) and her daughter Zariyad, quietly dress the corpses at the Muslim prayer hall. Fatima’s aunt and nephew died when the four-storeyed Sadaf Manzil collapsed yesterday.

Third collapse in 10 days
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115831.htm
A two-storey building, Manda Niwas at Hanuman Nagar, behind Pragati College, collapsed at 2 pm yesterday, killing a 70-year-old man. This is the third such incident in Dombivli in the past 10 days.

Unpaid coolie shot for demanding salary
http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/august/115530.htm
Abdul Latif Shaikh (26) a private porter at Bandra terminus was shot by his boss Nawajis Chaudhary at around 4.30 pm, yesterday.

Rediff.com
ENTERTAINMENT
February 01, 2003
Nikita Anand wins Miss India crown
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jan/31miss.htm

BUSINESS
 January 28, 2003
A dummy’s guide to immigration to the US
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/jan/28guide.htm

14 January, 2003
SLIDE SHOW
Sabrang music festival
Images from the festival, part of the birth centenary
celebrations of renowned singer Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jan/14sld1.htm

26 December, 2002
SLIDE SHOW
Getting Ready to Sashay
A peek at the moves of the Sunsilk Femina Miss India 2003
contestants.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/dec/26sld1.htm

CITY CENTRIC
06 December, 2002
Heavy security arrangements greet Mumbaikars
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/dec/06maha1.htm

27 September, 2002
One killed as part of building collapses in Mumbai
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/27mum.htm

DIARY
04 December, 2002
Rediff Diary: Ms Independent
Priyanka Jain on the fine art of burning chapattis.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/dec/04diary.htm

Connect with me at priyankajain23[at]rediffmail.com

Me
Xaviers Newsletter
http://www.xaviercomm.org/alumni/studentcomment.htm

Itsmyhair.com
http://itsmyhair.com/opinion/bald_and_gorgeous_by_priyanka_ja.htm

Jainism
Read more at www.jainsamaj.org

Feb the 14th is arriving. Mumbai is painted red. So is the whole world, I guess this week. At least everywhere where they sell Valentine Day as a marketing gimmick. There are hearts, roses, cards and special offers screaming out of hoardings telling you to make the most of the valentine day. Restaurants are full of offers and so are newspapers… my roommates are discussing their valentine plans and so are my friends. People are writing volumes for couples on what to do on valentine day. I too, am contributing. 

No one says what the single people are supposed to do? Sit and crib? or feel worse. I wondered what advice you give to singles who are down and out around this time, when stories about budding love are everywhere?

Read on…

So you’re not going to get anything (again) for the big day, smack in the middle of February. Who cares!!!

1. Don’t obsess about what you won’t get. Focus on what you can give. Volunteer anywhere, preferably somewhere with kids. You don’t meet anyone more loving than kids. And don’t limit your commitment to February 14th.

2. Think back to the most rotten person you ever dated. Better to be alone than with that person!!! You no doubt gave up something to be with that unworthy person. Did you spend a lot of money on them?

3. Do you have a nasty “friend” (ok — acquaintance) who thinks s/he’s all that because s/he has a guy/girl and you don’t?

Happy Valentine’s Day, all! Remember: Cupid isn’t shooting arrows at people as much as he is holding a gun to their heads.

As well, get a group to go bowling, dancing, or even hiking. Be the leader and plan ahead.

Reserve a special table and ask those invited to bring along a single friend of the opposite sex.

And most of all, count your blessings. Some singles say that Valentine’s Day makes them take a deeper look at some of the realities of life… like the advantages of being single. You need to be grateful and accentuate the positive attributes that you have so you can attract people that are on the same wavelength.

1. Do not define yourself by your relationship status. Your relationship status is not your identity.

2. If you are single because of a recent loss, allow this to be a day of grieving. Do not pretend that it's not a hard day. Get support and sympathy.

3. Realize that Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday. It is not about love and relationships; it is about selling flowers, candy, and diamond jewelry. Think of all the money you are saving.

4. Plan well in advance to do something that will not place you in the path of billing and cooing couples. Even if you usually like dining out alone, do something else on Valentine's Day.

5. Get together with people who do love you — friends, family members, the people who already have relationships with you.

6. If you are single and you don't want to be, start now to think about what is in the way of you creating the relationship you want. Find ways to work on becoming the person your dream partner would fall in love with. Start therapy. Take up yoga. Begin to volunteer. Create art. Make meaning. Act to change the world. It is into the fullest lives that love is most likely to fall.

7. If you are single and you like it, now is the time to affirm your choice. People who never marry or partner have close, loving, emotionally intimate relationships and lives worth living. Do not let a couple-driven culture define your choice as something wrong.

Dont crib.
Don’t mope around at home on your own. Get a friend to mope with you. Sometimes misery does indeed love company.

It’s your life. Celebrate.
Organise a social gathering yourself, invite a few single friends over and tell them to get a friend of the opposite sex along.

Order at home.
Don’t go to a restaurant where you will be surrounded by amorous couples. It might be depressing for you to look at this.

Dont open those love letters. 
Make it easier for yourself by not picking at the scabs of the past. Dont even touch those old love letters and photographs of your ex flame.

Get away. Go on a hiking trip or a beach. Anything as far away as possible from red roses and Valentine’s Day restaurant and store specials.

Watch comedy.
Get a few comedies on video and invite friends over. Get each person to bring something to eat. You might end up not having to cook at all.

Have an early night. Go for a long walk and have an early night. Take pleasure in the fact that, on the morning of the 15th, you will be the only one on time for work and without a hangover.

Spoil yourself.
Well, if no-one else is going to, why not go out and buy yourself some flowers, a nice book or magazine or the nice new pair of jeans you saw last week? Sometimes a bit of retail therapy is appropriate. Go to a parlour. Get a massage. Or just leave town and go to place where you are less likely to find couples or just stay home with some nice books and tv.

Be bold.
If you are feeling brave, ask someone out. If your invitation is refused, follow the above steps. 

Stop thinking: I feel none of the above will work if you dont stop thinking about being single.

For Couples…

The valentine day falls on a weekday this year. Since most us will be working through the day, let's not wait for the last moment and be pissed later since all the restaurants are going to be full. Here's how you can plan ahead.

Send your valentine (male or female) flowers or card at work. Build up the romance through the day. Talk to your partner once or twice or send a mail or text message about how much you are looking forward to the evening.

Dedicate a favorite song to your Valentine on a radio show that he or she will be listening to.

Write “I Love You” in lipstick or shaving cream on the mirror or use post it notes on the cupboard, refrigerator if you are living together.

I usually keep an eye on the local and national newspapers to see advertisements of what's on offer.  During valentine's several resorts, restaurants, discos and pubs have great offers for a cosy romantic dinner for couples.

Some of the deals given are quite a steal. For example Seijo at Bandra [westen suburb in Mumbai] is offering a couple's pass at Rs 2000 for a 3 course Oriental cusine along with wine and Lounge music or you could go to Starters and More for Rs 1200 in South Mumbai for a four course menu, cocktail and romantic music. 

Do something unexpected! Drive across town to take your Valentine out for lunch. Or just drive out of town and go to some nearby resort/hill and spend some quiet time together. Around Mumbai there is Manori and Aksa beach which has some really cool cheap cottages from Rs 500 to 2500 a day. There are other places like Ali baug, lonavala, khandala that are about an hour from Mumbai and Pune. For the reservations, you can find numbers and deals published in local newspapers.

Play soft music playing in the background. You could stop by at of one of the highway joints, which are not so crowded. Food at Punjabi dhabas on highways is normally good and economical.

Or why not prepare a romantic dinner at home. Cooking together brings in a lot of intimacy. It's a very playful activity when done together. You don't need to prepare an elaborate meal. Just some pasta with wine would do or make your partner's favorite dish. Keep some ice, chips, grapes and cheese handy.

Poetry is traditional for Valentine’s Day. Make up your own or buy a book of love poems that you can read together.

Ummm… this is something i wrote long ago.

Remembrance
In the blue void, endless
Where the stars and nebula swim,
Our earth too spins as a top
In a timeless, eternal scheme.
There in a small corner of the earth
You came to me as a star,
Thrown by planetary swing
Suddenly from afar.

I look dazzled and dazed
From a distance, my dear!
I love and adore you,
But can’t draw myself near.
When the petals drop from the rose
And dew sparkles on the moss
I think of your smile, Love!
And forget the defeat and loss.

Priyanka Jain

Copyright ©2005 Priyanka Prakash Jain

 

 For General 

Cook something nice to take to office to share with your co-workers. Show the people you work with that you really rely on just how important they are by buying a small token gift: a coffee cup filled with candy, a single flower, a book or take them out to lunch!

You could buy a nice shawl for your mom or a nice pair of glasses since she refuses to do away with her old ones. Gifting a nail polish or lipstick is also a great idea. For your father, it could be a book, a music or movie CD or something he is interested in. Ditto for siblings. If you are living on your own with roommates, it's a great idea to buy a small memento for them, as the gesture is always welcome.