Earth Day (April 22)

इन सूखे काले पत्तों से
कुछ आवाज़ आती है सुनो
किसे आग देते हो तुम
ढेरी हमारी या तुम्हारी चिताएं

Was confused..What to do on the Earth Day? Saw some videos about it..Read some articles...But thats it...Couldn't do anything more.... :( Finally I noted that i had "wasted"(yes, that was the word that came to my mind) about three hours on this. So, hurriedly got back to the looming assignments.
Lets think about Earth some other day। Earth can wait, assignments can't. I know I should be ashamed. I am, but why do I still carry on :-( ?

I still remember when we were introduced to the issues of air pollution in the Middle School. I always looked at the leaves of the plants that grew on the central verge of the road we used to cross to reach our school bus stand. The leaves used to be dark with the soot from the automobiles that if u just wipe ur finger over them, it came out stark black like an eye liner. Always, in those encounters, I did use to think about the pollution thing for a little while but would soon get engrossed in doing 'modern art' on those leaves by moving my fingers over them. Sometimes I used to wipe off the whole drawing board (a.k.a the leaf) and perhaps 2 or 3 others off that black film and used to feel that I am a warrior!!

So, I did nothing then and am doing nothing now. Anyways.. would like to hear if you all got to do something.

Lost in Translation

Five days is what something as beautiful as a butterfly gets to live its life. Five days is what can be enough for two strangers to make a beautiful odyssey (or 1 day in case of before sunrise :-)) which they shall cherish for life. Was watching Lost in Translation yesterday...Needless to say. Beautiful, it was...the movie, the direction, the acting, the actors....and the best of all..the evening blue tokyo. The last scenes just set the mood and I wrote a little song :) Do watch the movie if u havn't already.

Was just wondering how can u make a movie in which the story spans only say about an hour in real time. basically in which say ur movie is for 1.5 hrs but the actual action took place in say 20 mins. Generally, movies compress time. How would they expand time? Well, one way can be to play the Rashomon or the Vantage Point strategy. Play the same story from different perspectives again. What can be other ways ?

Here is the movie trailer.

And here is the final part which set my lines. But I would strongly recommend u not see this if you plan to watch the whole movie in the near future.

BEHOLD ME

Just behold me
Deep in ur eyes
and take me along
wherever u go

This night is so cruel
I look at u with asking eyes
And you don't have no words
And I must smile in pain.

I know, I know we can't be
But why does it have to be
phew..bye..
bye i say with failing voice

But behold me
deep in ur eyes
as u move back
and I remain here

Confessions of a dying man

O quiet river
lead me to ur depth
i m not worthy of sunshine

Take me in
dissolve me into ur green
and relieve the world from me

Holi Aayi Re

Here comes Holi. Really missing those gujhiyaas and dahi bhallas I have been eating all those years at home. Anyways, A few lines I composed on the occasion.

मोहे सात रंग में रंगियो रंग रिज्वा
सातों ही मोरे मन को भाये
बेरंग भयी यो मोरी मैली चादर
आज तेरे रंग से धुल जाए

होली के दिन ओ सुर सखिया
रंगों में घुल रास रचायें
रंगे हुए ये हाथ मिलाकर
कोई नए नए से रंग खिलाएं

Don't forget to listen to this oldie as well

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How to read Ghalib

Attended a talk today by the Columbia Professor Frances Pritchett। The talk was titled 'How to read Ghalib'. Her claim to fame is that she has commented on each of the 1459 (if I remember correctly) shers that Ghalib wrote in his entire life and that shes now going for a second round. She tried explaining why the West is more smitten by Ghalib than any other Urdu Ustaad. The talk was more about how the language researchers should go about understanding Ghalib. She also explained a few of Ghalib's sher in this regard. I could hardly understand a few (until she translated them to English) due to my Urdu Illiteracy :).

जो खुदी को देखूं तो एक भीड़ नज़र आए
लोगों मे मैं नहीं मुझमे लोग नज़र आए

कहते हैं दुनिया मैं होना नहीं काफ़ी
वो होकर तो दिखाएं जो रहे कुछ बाकी

'अमन' ज़िंदगी से एक सवाल पूछे
तेरी मुझसे रंजिशी क्या है

Lead India Anthem

Arvind is very impressed by the 'Lead India' campaign. So am I.

http://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2008/03/tum-chalo-i-had-to-blog-this.html

Not to forget this amazingly inspiring music video which flagged this campaign. Awesome lyrics (Gulzar Sahab! Shukriya), awesome music, awesome rendition.

Arvind especially liked the use of the words फलक and उफक and motivated me to use them in my next post. Here are some lines in the same mood.

रौन्दे आज फलक को ऐ दोस्त चल क़दमों तले
मचाएं शोर के उफक के भी कान सुने
उठायें हाथ के कब तक यूँ खामोश रहे
लगाएं जोर के पत्थर को भी पानी करें
हम हिंद, हमारी ख़ाक में वो जज्बें रहे
के सूरज की गरम धूप को भी सोना कहें

Am Florida Red

Am Back from Florida, the sun and orange country. The tan from the sun, the bruises from the sea bed and those spectacular views are still fleeting through the mind. The moisture of that eternal breeze can still be felt as I rest my face over my fingers. The trip was somewhat physically rigorous as well especially when we took to water sports in the Ocean. The body is still aching..aaarghh :-( But the pain is sweet pain and smells of Atlantic :-). Will come back with some snaps...

Gulps of sea water down the throat
By sun, my body, over fed
Burnt Bruised and Scathed with salt
I am floREDa Red