Opinions, Mentations, Sentiments and Me

Friday, March 07, 2008

Aishwarya Majmudar

UPDATE : Aishwarya is the WINNER.
Although I am fan of Anwesha and would very much like her to win Star Voice Of India 'Chotte Ustaad', there is another beautiful voice that is worth mentioning. And that is of Aishwarya Majmudar.

While Anwesha enthralls you with variety and technical finesse, Aishwarya's strength is her tonal quality.

Aishwarya has got a very sweet and unique voice. Her renditions have a very melodious touch. Couple it with her wonderful demeanor, and you have a delighting performance.

At the age of 14, she has more than 80 live performances to her credit, which is an achievement in itself.

Here is the snapshot of her journey in 'Chotte Ustaad' :

1. Kehna hi kya (Bombay)
2. Mann kyu behaka
3. Kaisi Paheli Hai Zindagani (Parineeta)
4. Aaj Main Upar (Khamoshi)
5. Mose Chal
6. Raat akeli hai
7. Mohabbat Aisi Dhadkan Hai
8. Pyaar Hua Chupke se (1942 A Love Story)
9. Piya Tu
10. Yaaro Sunlo zaara (Rangeela)
11. Jhooth Nahin Bolana
12. Piya Bole
13. Aankhon ki Gustaakiyan
14. Pardesia
15. Ishq kabhi karyo na
16. Bengali Song
17. Soni de Nakhre
18. In Dino
19. Kesariya Balam
20. Piya Tose Naina
21. Nimbooda
22. Pyaar Ki Yeh Kahani
23. Mash Allah
24. Hey Baby
25. Kaal Dhamal
26. Barso re
27. Mera Piya Ghar Aaya
28. Aaj Phir Jine Ki Tamanna Hai
29. Tasbeer se bigadi huyi
30. Mann mharo Dhadke
31. Janeja is Dil mein tum
32. Dil cheez kya hai
33. Jise dhoondta hun har kahi
34. Hey Rang lo (Gujrati)
35. Chupke se
36. Ye Gore chore
37. O Sajna
38. Rangeela re
39. Albela Sajan
40. Mera Piya Ghar Aaya

Check them out!!!

Courtesy:YouTube

Friday, February 29, 2008

Budget 2008

Being the last budget before poll, Mr. Chidambaram has come up with 'populist' budget.

The most salient feature for individuals being the change in IT slabs.

The new IT slabs are :

Income Slab	Tax (in %)
0-1.5 lakhs (for woman 0 – 1.8 lakhs)	0
1.5 – 3 lakhs	10
3 – 5 lakhs	20
5 lakhs & above	30

So if you are earning 5 lakh + income, you would have tax saving of around 45000.

Capital gain tax has been increased from 10 to 15 %. This would have effect on shares and land deals transactions done in short period.

For Corporates though, the budget has been ‘average’.

On a different note, read article that realty prices in Pune are on downslide.

All in all, Today was a happy day for middle-class people.

Other Budget Features

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Anwesha Gupta

UPDATE : Anwesha has finished as "Runner-up" in Final.

It’s raining ‘Reality Music Shows’ these days. Friday & Saturday’s prime slots are booked by these shows on most of the premier channels. For me, the commercialism of the shows in order to garner more sms votes has been the “turn off’ factor. But, I bear those things as I am an avid music buff and, as it is, there is not much option available :-).

In these 3-4 years, I have been follower of “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” and “Voice Of India” and have enjoyed performances of budding singing talents like Nihira Joshi, Vinit, Aneek Dhar, Amanat Ali, Mussarat Abbas, Harshit Saxena, Sumitra Iyer, etc. I liked them but never felt an urge to vote. But, there is one girl whom I want to vote, will vote and wish that everybody votes for her.

The name is “Anwesha Gupta” and she is participant of Voice Of India – Chotte Ustaad.

She is barely 13 years old and a true prodigy. But, to my surprise, she always is among least vote getters. Show playing regionalism card also doesn’t help her story. But, she takes all this in her stride and delivers power pack performance week after week. To see a child prodigy lose due to regionalism factor is heart-breaking and a reason to make this post.

Anwesha enthralls and mesmerizes by her almost technically perfect renditions. Don’t believe? See these videos and if you agree, here are the voting details : http://www.indya.com/chhoteustaad/vote.asp

Anwesha's performance video links:-

1.Guru:-Barso re megha- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3awVFPYcf4

2.Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTq_9aflOAU

3.Aandhi :-Iss Moor Se Jaate Hai:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sLP2JUgh5A

4.Bhool Bhulaiya :-Ami Je Tomar - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4quCDhQRaW0

5.Hare Rama Hare Krishna :-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjbi9k0j-4c

6.Guru :- Maiya Maiya - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6okXwoxlyw4

7.Daiya Yeh Mein Kahan Aa Paasi :-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISWKOUWkzPY

8.Bawariaa :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT_CUbkw-6U

9. Tumhari Adaon pe main wari wari :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_dOod2uWIo

10.Zindagi Maut Na Banjaye :-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOQEVBqeSiE

11.Morni Bag Ma Bole :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uToha7cGaCs

12.Mausam Ki Adla Badli Mein :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncML1Jv00VA

13.Aao Naa :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QTzJC8PW8c

14.Khallas :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-HicO_2vg

15.Is Mor Se :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxTO5kEAU6o

16.Soniye :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZRV2BwdB0s

17.Kaanta Laga :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=W91BbrQOTjo

18.Deedar de :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=FAT87tH2c58

19.Gaa re mann piya :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=3IzW2B9QQKg

20.Kyun ki itna pyar tumko :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=cu8OPVxNgVw

21.Ankhiyaan na maar :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=q8FYYI360EY

22.O Mahiya :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=E9qBoTIuKZo

23.Ye Galiyan Ye Chaubara :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=_fHVsADnad4

24.Jaane Kya Chaahe Mann :- http://youtube.com/watch?v=wY9RgYzxxbo

Courtesy : India-Forums and You Tube

Monday, December 31, 2007

JAB WE MET

I enjoyed this refreshing romantic movie. Shahid & Kareena gelled well with characters & looked good as pair. It was ironical that they split just before this movie was released. Imtiaz ali again impressed me after his debut directorial venture – Socha Na Tha.

Recently, Moser Baer announced “Jab We Met” contest where couples need to send details of their first meeting.

Here’s my version:

I and my six friends (3 boy, 3 gals) hang out together in college and outside. We call ourselves “Seven Wonders” :-). My nature is something between being extrovert & introvert. I am very comfortable with friends but take time to open up with strangers. But , in all, I really enjoy company of seven wonders (including myself :-) ).

We see the movies and freak out together on weekends. A month before, we decided to watch “Jab We Met”. Little did I knew that it is going to change my life forever. Watching Kareena was a revelation . Her happy-go-lucky & gregarious nature, instincts based decisions not only changed my perceptions towards Kareena’s acting but also towards Sunaina (my “seven wonders” group mate). It turned a critic into a fan. More so it made me think, we were different but we could click together. Her chirpy talks, peppy manners, vivacious nature could spice up my subtle, predictable life. After the show, I went to her & said ,“Tumhe pata hain na ki tum unique piece ho!”. She spontaneously replied with a big grin “Bilkulllllll!!!”.

It was the first meeting between 'changed' me & Sunaina.

Since then, Our relationship has grown by leaps & bounds. Yesterday, I proposed her and She accepted it :-).

Thanks a LOT “Jab We Met” team!

P.S: The above story is imaginary . All characters are fictitious. Any resemblance to real life characters is purely coincidental.

Friday, October 12, 2007

My Grandpa

Today, it has been a year since my grandpa bid farewell to the world. It's an emotional moment because I continue to miss him. This post is an attempt to blog down my memoirs and the qualities I admired of him.

I have observed that grandfather- grandchildren relationships are always special. The closeness and rapport that children share with grandparents is almost equal and comparable to that they share with parents. This has been my observation at least.

When I was young, I was in awe of him. So, at start, the relationship had more of a respect quotient than love. He wanted all of us to have good education and hence used to always ask about our studies. Over the period of years, the talks became much casual. Sometimes he used to talk candidly about his struggle.Grandpa's mother died when he was very young. He used to speak with great respect about his father's devotion in bringing up the children. Then, he toiled hard to get a law degree. He used to walk and not take horse cart ride to save 2 annas. Sometimes, he even used to skip the meals to save money.

After hearing about his struggles, my respect for him increased multi-fold. We had casual and funny conversations as well. I still remember that once he had heard me singing hindi song "Kya aada kya jalve tere paro..." and then whenever he used to see me, he used to tease me in loud voice "oh paro!". I used to be so embarrassed that I used to avoid coming in front of him for days together . Those were the days of innocence!

when I was in X standard, he used to take extra care so that I could concentrate more on studies. He saw that I didn't have watch and in midst of that year brought me a cool Titan watch. It was a PLEASANT surprise for me. The watch continued to be my prized possesion for years and when I lost it,I sulked badly.

I got good marks in XII standard. I missed the merit list rank just by 2 marks and was topper in city.He was so proud of my performance! :-)

One of my most memorable moments was to see my grandpa (age 82 years) and my grand mom (age 75 years) do impromptu dance on stage in front of hundreds of people. They were so happy to see my marriage and enjoying a lot. This is what I call unadulterated happiness!

But, after 2-3 months, he was diagnosed to have serious disease. And then there were frequent hospital visits and on 12 October, 2006 he passed away.

I had privilege to see grandpa from closed quarters . He had amazing qualities. Some of them are:

1) Dedication:
if somebody asked me , which is the one thing that grandpa could not live without? I would say - His law practise. Such was his dedication that he was revered and respected by his peers as well as opponents. He used to wake up at 5:30 AM (almost daily)to write notes. He used to fight a case as if it was his personal case. Also, he fought many poor people's cases at minimal or at no cost.

In hospital, due to his disease, He used to go in trans. Subconsciously, He used to plead for cases and used to speak for hours as if he was in court. Such was an impact of his practise on him.

2) Satisfaction:
Starting from scratch, grandpa progressed step by step. To bring up and educate 7 children was a tough task. This meant that he and grandma had to give sacrifices daily so as to provide good platform to children. They did a very commendable job for all my uncles (4 of them) are well educated and well to do. But, in spite of all this sacrifices, he was a satisfied man.

After he was diagnosed with disease , I used to bring & read out poems to him to keep him entertained. He used to listen to them keenly and used to discuss & smile at me (just to make me happy) even when his hearing and other senses had gone weak.2 days before his death, Seeing that everyone was sitting glum faced in front of him seeing his health, He forced everyone to bring sweets from market, eat them and smile at him.To see the death approaching and still put a smile on face. This is bravery & satisfaction at its best!

3)Financial Planning:
In spite of limited resources, my grandpa (grandma especially) had a penchant for saving & that helped him in his old age.

& many many more....

Thursday, August 09, 2007

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Yaaron dosti badi hi haseen hai
ye na ho toh kya fir
bolo ye zindagi hai
koi to ho raazdaar
begaraz tera ho yaar...............

So apt words for the only relationship that we have choice of. We have a choice of choosing our friends are and isn't that bliss? Be it school or college, tuitions or sports, profession or trips - They are one of the most important factors of our gratifying memories.So much so that if one goes down the memory lane, emotions vent out through eyes automatically.

Teri har ek buraee pe dante woh dost
Gham ki ho dhoop to saaya bane tera woh dost
Nache bhi woh teri khushi me
Yaaron...

It's such a comfort feeling to have someone with whom you can share everything;who sees your acts, listens to your talks without prejudice;whose companionship brings you solace and joy; who is your soulmate in truest sense of words.

Tanman kare tujhpe fida mehboob woh
Palkon pe jo rakhe tujhe mehboob woh
Jiski wafaa tere liye ho
Yaaron, mohabbat hi to bandagi hai
Ye na ho to kya phir bolo yeh zindagi hai
Koi to dilbar ho yaar
Jisko tujhse ho pyar
Koi to dilbar ho yaar

Best relationships are the ones which have strong base of friendship.Friendship brings you closer, narrows down the communication gap, and most often elevates you to a level where you realize - 'Giving' makes you more happy than 'Getting'

BLESSED are those who have a TRUE friend!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

My tryst with poetry

Since childhood, when I used to read poems in school curriculum, I used to think that writing poems must be a 'cool' thing. I was always in awe of poets who could pen their thoughts in poetic & concise manner.

When I was in VII standard, my school decided to launch a school magazine and invited poems/articles for it. I belonged to green house; hence thought of writing a poem on it. I thought one needs to be logical while writing poems. Have rhymed words at the end of sentence, create the sentences that are in context of the subject by maintaining the order of rhymed words and the poem is complete :-). So simple, isn't it?

I built the list of words that rhyme to green. Words like clean, mean, dean, lean, queen, hygiene, scene, etc. made it to the list. This was just for first verse. On the similar lines, I created different lists for different verses. Now that I have you all already mesmerized by this logic ;-) , I don't want to rewrite the poem here. Copyrights problems, you see ;-)...he he

I was completely smitten off by poetry bug at that time. So, I and my partner-in-crime(I am seeing your faces nodding in affirmation) Vaibhav wrote this creative piece to inspire athletes for Olympics (in Hindi):

Doodh Roti khayenge
Dhast poost ho jayenge
Lambi daud lagayenge
Olympics me medal jeet ke layenge

No wonder, India returned empty-handed :-)

Now that I have grown older, have become more sane and matured; I have realize that poetry is not my cup of tea (so you can heave a sigh of relief). But, I am still astounded by the poetic works and continue to read poems and attend programmes whenever I get time. Internet and email forwards are also one of the primary sources of my poems database.

I especially like ones that are sprinkled with humor or carry philosophical message. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Frost, and Sandeep Khare are some of my favorite poets. And here is one of my favorite poems - I hope that you would like it too - :

If
By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!