The "Middle Class" Guy

One of the sects of the Mumbai Diaspora which continues to fascinate me, is its middle class. This archetypically modelled section is often attributed a lot of success for producing quality engineers, doctors, accountants and other pros. The reason behind this success is the thought process which the middle class has, mainly its utmost respect for education and hard work.
One of my favorite heroes comes from this background. His acting prowess and the ease with which he sinks into his roles, continues to amaze me. For the past several years, he has worked with the great "Bongs"-Basu Chatterjee, Hrishikesh Mukherjee among a few notable of them. The man i am referring to is none other than- Amol Palekar. He has been the epitome of the "middle class" hero for as long as I remember. His expressions and dialogues in all of his movies spoke a lot about the twists and turns one encounters in various walks of life. It was "Golmaal" where his character bends every rule to secure his foothold in the office of a moustache-loving babu. This movie talks every bit about the aspirations of an easy going young man who yearns to be the next Amitabh! One cannot help but wonder at how he could hold his own amongst the actors of his generation like the great Utpal Dutt. If "Golmaal" was all fun and games, "Choti si Baat" was a story of a young man whose very aim is to charm the lady he likes with his qualities (genetically inherited from his middle class parents!). The only hitch is that he is too introvert to take life into his own hands and be the "Man". "Choti si Baat" spoke about the troubles of a person who never had to make a decision on his own till it came to the issue of a girl he loved. It reflected the middle class upbringing with children living in the shadows of their parents despite reaching a nubile age.
"Baton Baton Mein" was yet another masterpiece for its simple portrayal of a young couple's marriage plans being affected by the decisions of their families. One of the most hilarious scenes from that movie was when the hero and the heroine plan a movie date, only to know that their parents would accompany them as well! Far before movies like "Saathiya" (Alaipayuthey) which showed romance brewing in the otherwise congested local trains of Mumbai, "Baton Baton Mein" started the trend. Well, one could easily understand from the movie that Mumbai had lesser population then!
This post was dedicated to Amol Palekar and the middle class fraternity cause of one reason. Both seem to have vanished from the film circuit. No longer does one find the well educated young man in movies, who Amol so graciously portrayed on the 70mm reel. Its all the Karan Johars and the Shahrukhs who have decided to take film making into their hands with larger than life roles and scenes enacted in the flowery confines of Snow Clad Alps. If only someone thought of the middle class.....:)

Room-Mat-ing......

Hi,
I am back to writing ....(plz bear me once again!). Since coming to the U.S., I have had a myriad of experiences more personal, than professional. Some are good, others are nasty while there are some which are just strange! Well, the first thing to do when we come arrive is to find a house and people who can stay with ya (by sharing rent of course! we are cheap!). These "people" or "persons" are called "roomies". Many of my close friends too had trouble finding good roomies, whilst others had trouble getting rid of the BAD ones! Well, here are a few observations...about roomies and some pointers to get you started, in general.

1) As many point out, a good friend might not turn out to be a good roomie.
2) Be aware of sweet talking people who approach you for a roomie request. Statistically, these are the ones who want to get work done from you! (ALL OF IT!!)
3) A person who often shows non chalance when it comes to matters of food, mostly is going to suck as a roomie. (Since he/she (if you are lucky!) may not be interested in cooking edible products)
4) History bears testimony to...............(that was just to grab attention!)
The best of friends can be the worst of roomies!! Try to be a roomate with a friend who has a history of being a good roomie as well. OR better still, tie up with a total stranger.
5) When it comes to disagreements, your behavior and personality as well as people skills matter. If you are known to be a bull headed ,headstrong person, just lock horns with the person who is arguing! For people like me (who are diplomatic) you have to walk a tight rope. DONOT hit back and try to pacify the sparring parties. (Machiavelli says this is a good situation to score brownie points!!! on either side!)
6) COOKING-1: This has been a subject over which roomates have split and fought like knights in shining armor fighting over a fair maiden! (with vessels etc..). You can never be sure of the "roomate" being a good cook. Please donot over expect ,neither should you under-expect (hows that for neologism over,under etc).
Some roomies are understanding ,but seem to be a rarity. Most others tend to think they are country cousins of "Tarla Dalal" or "Sanjeev Kapur".( You might suck as a cook if you are wondering who these ppl are!).
7) COOKING-2: IF you are stuck with a bunch of people who cook as bad (or worse than you !!) then here are some suggestions...a)Buy lot of ready to make vegetables from Patel bros or any ready to eat stuff from any grocery store. b)Try to find a house (preferrably one full of good looking girls who cook as well are friendly).Befriend them, and you know what ................( share their groceries ! what did you think?). For those who can ,eat out on the eve of your roomies cooking turn. He/she might do the same if you are a bad cook!!!
8) COOKING-3: The best idea is to get a girlfriend/boyfriend or import one from India and make her/him cook. Girlfriends are a good choice given their proven skills. Guys are a makeshift suggestion for girls who donot like to cook. One more idea for the male gang....try to be good friends with ur girl's roomies! In case you both break up, your stomach doesn't have to suffer!!!
9) RENT: This has been a bane for many students who come to the U.S. "My roomie $^@&*$ doesn't pay a dime!!!" and "Shell out the rent $%$@^" are some of the commonly heard dialogues. Well, I have heard of roomies stealing crockery and spoons,forks etc too! Currently there is no panacea to this situation, but there are a few suggestions. Try to divide bills equally amongst all,instead of one person paying for all. As time passes, the others forget to give their share and it becomes difficult to make them come to terms with the fact that they need to pay to stay!
10) SLEEP: If you are one of those (like me) who donot have your girlfriend as your roomie..then here are a few tips- Tell them blankly if they snore. Guys especially snore and donot admit! Well, if you have roomies who sleep walking and talking..then all the best !

"No Donut for u...Bad Server!!!"

The era of social networking is changing our perspective towards socialising. Earlier, a few calls here and there and one could get a bunch of buddies together, to watch a game (football for US and cricket for India!).It was simple. With the advent of technology, socialising has become more of an online thing. "Orkut" in particular has come into vogue.
What are the repercussions of this "Orkut" era? Well, there seems to be a clear demarcation between 2 types of user- casual and not-so-casual. The casual user usually lingers around in cyberspace, invites buddies to Orkut and sends out a few messages. He/she is not an avid follower of what happens in anyone elses' "Scrapbook" except his/her own.This user has limited "fan" following ,a couple of "testis" and a few things sprinkled abt his/her profile abt his/her preferences for stuff like cuisine and sports etc.The other type is ,what personally I would call a victim of over socialising. This user is an avid follower of everyone elses' cyber life. It is something like the "grapevine" except now it is public. The one thing which drives this user's incessantly towards orkutting is the openness of its design. You can virtually snoop on anyone and everyone. (Keep track whether your girlfriend is still committed to u!)
"Facebook" offers a plethora of options for the advanced user. "Advanced" can be w.r.t. stuff like Quizzes, Astro stuff and a whole bunch of things other than pure interaction.It's acceptance in U.S. has made it a target for even the terrorists.They use it covertly to gain access to valuable data anywhere in the world.
To be frank and candid, the whole concept gives birth to what can be called "multiple" personas. For e.g. a stupid joke sent to you,may evoke a negative reaction from you. But, to be polite ,you might send an emoticon with a "cheerful" visage. Another instance is blocking of users. In real life ,you may find it tough to avoid people who are a real pain in the a**. But, social networking allows you to block such people from accessing your cyber personalities. Thus, its quite possible for one to forget the way things work in the real world,and be content with their cyber life,which is virtual. But, for now let us enjoy what it is ...without worrying about its long term effects..I gotta rush btw....some one offered me a friend request..WHOA!!! It's a GIRL who did t.."She's Single!!!!".....[:)]

Bhool Bhulaiyya

Quite often than not have we noticed that Hindi films lack substance. The celluloid scenes are a rehash of many older flicks-some Indian ,others from Hollywood. But being an avid movie goer ,like many, I decided to watch this Akshay Kumar flick.

"Bhool Bhulaiyya" is a remake of an old Malayalam movie which won many accolades for its unique concept. The storyline is different and deals with multiple personality disorder. As a movie buff, I liked the movie and its plot,its USP being the funny action star Akki and the gorgeous Vidya Balan. The last scene focusses mainly on Balan and she does full justice to the audiences' expectations. Bollywood has not experimented much with such kind of genre. Another movie based on this theme is "FightClub" which boasts of action and suspense all the way ,right till the end. If you like movies like "Butterfly Effect" and "Fight Club"--this one should be not missed.

Enjoy "Bhool Bhulaiyaa"! "A movie with giggles if not substance!!"

Ram...

The festival of Dussehra beckons India to celebrate the event of Lord Ram obliterating Ravana. With the colors of freedom filling the skies of Ayodhya, the Lord returned in all pomp and gaiety from his victory in Lanka. The epic of Ramayana is a marvellous work of my ancestor (surprised?) ,Rishi Valmiki. Ramayana has no shades of grey ;the reason being "Satyayug" as its era. The story speaks of the righteous Dasharatha whose queens donot bear children till he performs some "yagna" to appease the deities. After that, the princes are born to the queens and then the storyline takes a turning point where Ram has to be banished from this kingdom. Then there is another important factor to this whole poetry, Lord Hanuman- the loyal one. Hanuman is said to have fought his own son ,Makardhwaja to free Ram and his brother Lakshman from the clutches of Ravana's collaborators.
In today's context, we can definitely pick and choose values from this story. Not being didactic, I feel the concept of loyalty has a strong bearing on this entire epic. May it be Sita's sacrifice or Lord Hanuman's valor. Another aspect is the concept of strong family ties and that too in the face of adversity. Bharatha, Rama's sibling who inherits the throne himself awaits Ram's return whereas he could have easily had everything to himself. A fascinating twist to this tale is of the enemy ,Ravana. Although he acts against Ram and seizes his wife by force, he is said to been a pious person, a devout individual with strong powers of concentration. This historic foe has qualities which are rare to find ,yet he acts vainglorious. His bravado and lack of respect for the qualities like compassion, love are what bring about his downfall.
The tale ends with Ram's sons reuniting with him and is indeed a touching moment when a father identifies his long lost sons. In Marathi, "Geet Ramayan" is a rendition of songs which are specifically composed for each of the events in "Ramayana". Its last parts are exemplary in the way in which the dramatic moment of Luv and Kush, Ram's sons identify themselves,singing praises of the very father who had to disown his wife Sita.
Being an indian, we ought to ponder over the virtues and vices of this "Purshottam" and not repeat the mistakes which he did. Fighting over Ram Sethu and depriving the coastal area inhabitants of their livelihood is definitely something which one should do on this day. Instead of alluding to myths, the Indian of today needs to brace up for more of incisive decision making and proper analysis of situations.Its not a question of "followers" versus "Atheists". The question is all about making sense and striking a balance between the two.

Flingz

The most pertinent question since the creation of the cosmos is- "What women want??".Albeit ,many attempts have been made including that of a movie by the same name.While Mel Gibson may be the lucky bastard to actually hear what women think, the real world situation is not so simple. One can say, it's complex the way people make it sound.On hindsight , luck is one of the factors to contend with. There are certain rules which need to be followed in general called "tenets of flirting".
Rule 1: Never show that you are trying to flirt.
Rule 2: You might gain sympathy the first time you moan about your life and sob about it.
Rule 3: Limit "Sob stories" to the minimum. It's boring if you try to score by belting out your frustrations. The girl will kick you where it hurts the most after a while.
Rule 4: Praise the girl's intelligence more than her looks!!! This is for "non-blonde" type behavior.
Rule 5: Don't overdo Rule 4, the story might not have a happy ending!
Rule 6: Always verify that the girl is single, won't hurt to ask impertinent questions and being a little too courageous.
Rule 7: Be practical!! No one should take you for a ride!!
Rule 8: Invest graciously by paying her bills initially. After a few outings she will pay ur rent.
Rule 9: If the signals are right, discard the rules and follow free-will.
Rule 10: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE! YOU CANNOT CHANGE FREE WILL!!!!

P.S. This is just a teaser, myself and a bunch of other heartbroken guys are trying to put this knowledge together in a book. Please contribute graciously with anecdotes and snippets.

Optimism..or Pessimism or..???

It's been a while since i wrote any stuff ,felt a little left out of the "blogger's world".For years ,people have been categorised as either optimists or pessimists.I met a third kind..the "realists". An optimists is always raring to go, and full of uncurbed enthusiasm. A pessimist is one who always seems to have a glass "half-empty". A realist, is one who is calculated and does'nt like to sit out neither does he/she intends to be too vainglorious.Some of my heroes from the realms of books have been "Don Vito Corleone", a.k.a. The GodFather.In one of the novels called "Sicilian" there is a protagonist who is much like the hero from Sherwood Forest , RobinHood. He robs the rich and offers the money to the needy. Such an "idealistic" person creates many enemies. Don Corleone remarks at the end of the novel about being practical, and trying to remain more of a mortal. "Idealistic Optimism" certainly kills , is what he says. Indirectly, the Don points out that realities of life are harsh and no one can surpass them.You have to face em'.
Another story soliciting my case, is of the Spartans. Personally, I admire King Leonidas for facing the powerful army of Persians with a strength of 1000 men by his side. Yet, on second thoughts,he could have saved Sparta and her army from getting obliterated without a trace.He didnot take the essential precautions before leaving his family as well,despite being aware of traitors. Secondly, he was actually inviting death by defending Sparta's glory with only 300 of his men.
Pessimists, too are a bit of worry in politics especially. They are the ones who always gear up to obstruct any novel idea or concept promulgated by any of the representatives.A coterie of pessmists can wreak havoc by objecting to development projects and new infrastructure.
As a "realist", it is better to "Stay Foolish and Stay Hungry" during battle. But, at other times, the acceptance or rejection of ideas must be dealt with ,with a pinch of "pessimist's" salt..