Changes

Things that are changing with each passing day, as my wedding day approaches.

• I like songs like Genda Phool, Paayaliya and Jahan Piya more than ever before.
• The cellphone that needed to be charged once in two days now needs charging twice a day.
• I am trying to grow my fingernails. That is a big, huge deal for me. This requires more willpower than resiting a chocolate chip cookie that's right in front of me.
• I go out shopping both days, every weekend, and feel terrific about spending all my money at the speed of light.

Will keep adding to the list as things occur to me.

The Melody Of Dev D

Much as I disliked Dev D when I watched it, its soundtrack is one of a kind. It rocks.

I think everybody loves Emosanal Attyachaar for its combination of music, lyrics, and singing style. And the Elvis look. An odd combination, if you actually think about it, but it works. It's wonderful.

Then there are the numbers like Nayan Tarse, Duniya and Pardesi which have a bit of a fusion music feel to them. I think the lyrics of Pardesi are an integral part of the USP of this album.

I really like the clothes the heroine (Her name escapes me, and it's not really important to me.) wore when she danced to Dhol Yaara Dhol. I also like the vocals in this song. This girl, Shilpa Rao, has a lovely voice.

And then there's the Punjabi touch that can be felt markedly in Mahi Mennu and Hikknaal. Both beautiful, foot tapping numbers.

And my favourite in this album is Paayaliya. After Mar Jaawan, Shruti Pathak is at it again. She's given me a song I just don't grow tired of. I can play it on repeat all day long in the office, and then again in the car, and then again when I'm back home, and I'll also want to hum it when I don't have ready access to a music playing device.

Okay, I cannot talk about all eighteen tracks. I don't really wish to. But it's a great album. It's refreshingly different from the other stuff one gets to hear these days.

The Timeless Charm Of Munnabhai

Munnabhai MBBS has got to be one of the most adorable movies of all time. It has this way of cheering me up from the darkest of moods. I love the message it carries, and the way the message is conveyed. I love the idea of the jadoo ki jappi, I love what Gracy wears in the Chann Chann number, I love Circuit and his black kurta (which I was once asked to replicate for my brother. I came up with a pretty close match). Here are some of my favourite quotes:

Agar bahar casualty mein koi marta rahega to form bharna zaroori hai kya?

Bhai, bhabhi mil gayi!

Ward boy to Dr Asthana: Sir, Munna bed le ke aayela hai!

Dr Asthana: Main uski waat laga doonga!

Suman: Tum jisko chahoge, khush rakhoge.
Munna: Apun ko sirf tujhe khush rakhne ka hai. Jab tum smile karta hai na, to lagta hai ki kya mast life hai. Apun ko saari zindagi sirf tumhe smile karte dekhne ka hai.

Ye bed tere letne ke liye nahin hai mamu!

Boyfriend bole to?

Bhai teri yaad to bahut solid hai re. Apun ko bhi maa dikh rahi hai.

Jab do logon ke beech mein connection ho, feelings ho, to dil ki baat dil tak pahunch sakti hai.

Bahut kuch life mein first time hota hai re.

Tujhe pata hai ki 206 type ka sirf haddi hota hai? Apun todte time sochte the kya?

What is the procedure to change the room, please?

Thoughts For The Day

After four days straight of feeling perfectly normal in the daytime and coming down with a fever every night, I'm feeling quite well today. So I felt like writing about some of the things that are going on.

The D-Day is scheduled for 19th April. My actual wedding is going to be a small ceremony in a mandir. Just like I always wanted. A simple ceremony, without too much stress or hassle. Some people are quite taken aback at the very idea. (Not that it bothers me.) A particular friend of mine was looking at me open-mouthed when I told him. I asked him what the big deal was. Another friend remarked that people in India don't really expect weddings to take place in temples. And she's quite right. Pretty ironic, isn't it? In a country where people are so religious and spend so much time, energy and money in religious affairs, nobody expects anybody to get married in a temple. On the other hand, in the United States, just about everybody gets married in churches. You know what else is ironic about this? A lot of people in this country make regular trips to temples. I've done that about twice in the last twelve years. And I'm getting married in a temple.

There seems to be so much to do, and so little time to do it in. My brother is contemplating whether my room should be converted into a laboratory or a gymnasium. That's all that bothers him. I asked him whether he wanted to wear a sherwani or a suit. He said he'd wear a suit, because a sherwani would be too Indian. He has a slightly weird sense of humour.

I have about six unread books lying about in my closet that I really want to read. I guess I'll get time to read them only after the wedding is over and the visa is taken care of. A friend in office asked me when my vidaai is going to be. Which vidaai, I asked. There will actually be three of them, all equally significant, equally emotional ones. The first one will be when I leave my office. I've spent almost three years over there, in the same office, in the same team now. Some people in the team now feel like family to me. Then there will be the vidaai from my maternal home. I guess I don't need to elaborate on this. And then from the country. Where I've always lived, for twenty six years.

There's a lot to plan, shop, do. There's a fear of the unknown, of what awaits me in that foreign land. There's some amount of anxiety. But the important thing is that I'm really looking forward to getting married. That I'm really happy about it. Because I think I've found a better guy than the kind of guy I always thought I wanted. Touch wood!

Song Of The Week

I haven't been feeling too well this week. Not well enough to actually write something. But there's this song that's been floating about in my mind for a few days now that I felt like quoting a few lines from.

Aisa lagta hai ki dil ke andar kuch toot raha hai
Baabul ke aangan mein mera bachpan choot raha hai
Main khush bhi hoon udaas bhi
Nadiyaa mein jaise pyaas bhi

In case you couldn't place it, this is from Jahan Piya from Pardes.

All for now. More when I stop being attacked by fever almost every night.

Waqt Ki Qaid Mein Zindagi Hai...

Sometimes, life becomes so fast paced that we actually forget about the important things in life. We worry about the stock market going down and about our next increment, but we forget that there are things that are way more important. Love, family, friends, taking time for yourself. When was the last time you found some time just for yourself and spent it doing something you enjoy and don't profit from? There are these words from the song Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo (featured in Monsoon Wedding)

Waqt ki qaid mein zindagi hai magar
Chand ghadiyan yehi hain jo aazad hain
Inko khokar mere jaan-e-jaan
Umr bhar na taraste raho

There's also this song from Zindaggi Rocks that I really like listening to from time to time, whenever I feel that things have become too stressful or too fast.

Ek din fursat ne thaamein haath hamare
Le gayi uss dagar pe jahaan rehti hai bahaarein
Chal diya ham bhi ghar se ho ke kuchh befikar se
Dil tha apne bharose, hum the dil ke sahaare

Musings On Rachita's Wedding

Just a few little things I want to write about here.

Rachita was the prettiest, loveliest bride I ever saw. Her lehenga was my favourite shade of pink! I love that colour. I want to wear it for my wedding too. Which reminds me, I need to get going. I need to find stuff for my trousseau.

Rachita has this notorious history of sprained ankles, scratched knees, and what not. She'd injure at least one of her feet on every trip. She has passed on that karma to a lot of us, including yours truly, who injured her feet thrice on a three day trip to Jaipur and fractured an ankle soon afterwards. Anyway, since it was Rachita's wedding, somebody's foot had to get injured. Chaya sprained hers rather badly just as she stepped out of the car outside the venue. Thankfully it's not quite as bad as it originally seemed.

Anyway, I think this is becoming a tad too random. I'll just wind up by wishing the newlyweds all the very best for their life ahead. May all the dreams you ever dreamt come true, and may they turn out better than you imagined.