Spirit of Holi

You are walking down a restless street of your city and suddenly, you find a water balloon crash against your unsuspecting skull. Bursts of water come in piercing torrents and it's hard to count the number of colours on your white kurta. Are you're still wondering what's happening? Well, for those of you who are still guessing, it sounds a lot like Holi! Yes, the festival of colours is here and no amount of skill in tactical warfare and ambush attacks will get you out of this. The streets are full of people smeared in a spectrum of colours and spotting familiar faces is almost impossible. This is how drastically the parameters of normalcy change on a normal Holi day in any part of India.

Holi is one of the most popular Hindu festival celebrated to mark the incoming spring season. The day is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month also known as phalguna. Also known as Dolyatra or Basanta Utsab in West Bengal, Holi is one of India's most popular festivals. The main day, also known as Dhuleti, is the Holi we all know. The day is celebrated with people throwing coloured powder and water at each other as friends and family meet up.

The celebrations, however, start the night before when a huge bonfire is lit in memory young Prahlad and his miraculous escape when Holika is burnt to death.

Different regions in India have come to celebrate the festival in their own unique way but the spirit of the festival still remains the same. One of the most popular traditions of the festival is exchanging sweets. Get your near and dear ones some great delicacies from one of these sweet shops. There's a better chance of finding a fire cracker go off on Holi than finding a person not smeared in colour. With all those soiled clothes buying a few new ones from one of these garment stores won't be a bad idea. They also make for great gifts. Take your family and friends out to one of these restaurants.

Personally, I love Holi. I love the spirit.  The family time, friends, sweets, laughter and love... It all fascinates me! But this year, i'll try and celebrate holi in a natural way. It's kind of difficult for me but I'll try my best.

So get all your combat training together, if any, and brace yourself for this Holi this year on March 1...
Happy Holi!!

Bura na mano.. holi hai!!

I was headed out of my colony to the market and was discussing something intently with my friend when suddenly we hear a PHAT!! And another PHAT!!! And realized a couple of water balloons had been aimed by the kid next door. My friend's light grey top were splattered with coloured water. The kid immediately ran inside his house. We went and rang the door bell. Noone opened the door but his father came to the balcony and asked us what happened. So we told him that his son was throwing water balloons and it had narrowly missed us. And all he had to say was “Bura na mano holi hai. Yeh to hota hi hai. bachche to khelenge hi.”I asked him if I could slap him and get away with “Bura na mano holi hai”. He had nothing to say for that. I asked him what if his son threw a balloon on someone who is driving a car or riding a two-wheeler and caused an accident. His son isn’t a little kid anymore but is old enough to now understand this. We had to leave then because we were getting late.

I have also played holi as a kid and I still play. But it is only in my colony that I have seen people throwing balloons randomly at strangers and passers-by. I fail to understand what is the fun in this. I was a pretty naughty kid myself but had the sense not to throw it at random people. The one and only time I did something like this, it landed on my dad’s friend who was in his white shirt. I was lucky it only had water in it and not coloured water. My parents however, were anything but amused. I have seen kids here throw it on the delivery boys on their 2 wheelers or at drivers (including a few on a bus driver who was driving at that time) which can cause a serious accident. Don’t their parents ever think of that?

I don’t mean to be the criticize Holi but I don’t understand why it cannot b restricted to friends and families and not the passers by. I still don’t think that Holi gives anyone the license to misbehave. So people better celebrate Holi with their friends and family and not with the people who dont want to be a part of it!

Kids and Reality TV

Can we please put a stop to "talent" shows for kids. Put an end to all talent shows, yes, but as of now, no kids shows puh-lease.

They are endless in number. Every popular channel and regional channel takes one show to its credit. Theoretically, there is nothing incorrect in looking for children who are talented. But the current format of talent hunt shows makes this exercise deeply reprehensible. Small children, hardly 5-6 years old, breaking down and weeping in the middle of the show, and the camera going into tight close-ups while mournful music plays in the background. Disgusting!

Moreover, the kids are made to live away from family, school, friends. In order to get them "trained"! Why don't people realize that the kid will undergo changes in the future as they grow up, that might not be suitable for an ideal playback singer. The kids don't understand half the things in the concept. They pull nice audience and get decent TRPs yes, but on the cost of what? their childhood? The children taught to beg for the votes that determine their shelf-life; They be told to work on their image, as a public figure, fan-following; Playing with their innocent emotions by teaching them the dirty tricks of the world; Pulling them onto the stage n eliminate them one by one; Torturing them until they break-down. The kids undergoing through all the trauma, why? To live their parents unfulfilled dreams? Or get some big-shot channel producer all the ad money?

The makers of the show surely need some psychologists out there to explain to them the long-lasting images that may remain in the kids conscious. Why not keep all 10-15, make them sing/dance/act/paint/recite/talk in different rounds, and chose the best? [without public voting n other nonsense please]. But this wont get them to cover what TRPs demand... Emotional Melodrama!!

Edit the tried and tested formulas, make more shows. But this is the manipulation of the most unethical kind. And its something we can all do without.

Keys to Comfort!

Nothing, absolutely nothing in the world is more comfortable than...

*~* A good old pair of blue jeans...
*~* and with it, faded extra large plain white T-shirt...
*~* Thick pair of cotton ankle socks!!
*~* No footwear, bare feet...
*~* floaters...
*~* Sleeping with your head on nani's lap...
*~* Mother's hug...
*~* Talking for endless hours, without constrains of time, topics, difference of opinion...
*~* Listening to mellow music before passing out each night...
*~* Walking on the evening beach, with damp sand all over your feet...
*~* Laughter...
*~* Pouring your heart out to your best friend(s), without having to worry about the consequence...
*~* Winter mornings under a thick blanket...
*~* Bathing, especially during summers...
*~* Watching television on the couch with endless supplies of popcorn/ chips...
*~* Short, open, soft hair...
*~* Nothing fake, no make-up, none at all...
*~* A hot cup of Coffee
*~* Getting drenched in rains...
*~* The company of the one you desire...

People say, "You can reach to the best of your potentials only when you step out of your comfort zone." Very true.
But even the comfort of reaching to your best can't beat the things listed above...............

Youth

Human Society has always been a dynamic system at the exterior. Times change, the way we live our lives change, philosophy becomes common sense, autocracy becomes democracy, spears become missiles, and Rebels become Prophets. What is it that keeps this ball rolling? You got that right. It is we, the Youth.

The youth of a society form the vanguard of its progress, of the dynamic nature of human existence. But amidst all this change, the spirit, the restlessness of youth is never lost. We humans never change.
Youth is the phase in our lives that we long for as kids, enjoy as young and recall as grownups. No-one ever stops being a part of youth, if the spirit lives in you, you live young-forever. And it is this spirit that keeps the world alive.

Let us make the world aware of what they are about to face! Here’s to the spirit.

WE DESIRE

A new life everyday!
Coffee.
Food, any type! Any quantity!
Equality, every kind.
Beds in Classrooms ;-)
Night Outs!
Unlimited talk-time.
Heavy mode downloading, all day long!
More Smileys! :-)
A Hollywood in India.
Privacy for couples ;-)
ATM cards!
S*x
Pantaloons discounted rates, all round the year!
Independence.
Trust.
Respect for hard work.
Respect for women.
Value for fellow species.
Special local trains.
Better Infrastructure.
Limited notes. :-D
Easy exam question papers.
Even easier answer papers :-P
Energy!
Gossip!
Comfort.
Colours.
Awareness.
Better Quality of Life for everyone.
Quality Education and Educational institutes.
Abolition of SCST quota
Respect for Cleanliness
Less hype, more substance.
Freedom of Expression.
Sophisticated Technology.
concerts
Better Health care.
COLLEGE! For the rest of our lives!

WE DESPISE

Dirty Politics.
Opinion-less leaders who provoke.
Religious Intolerance.
Riots.
Racism.
Being taken for granted.
Brain drain.
People who talk shit about our mother-land.
Confidentiality, which misleads us.
Reservations.
Saas-bahu serials.
Reality TV, "sting" operations.
Breaking news!!!!!!!!!
Stereotypes.
Entertainment, just for the sake of it.
Hypocrisy.
Superstitions.
Male Dominance.
Body Odour
Over-Smartness.
"Opinion" Polls.
Child Labour.
Sexual Abuse.
Waking up early hours.
Lawsuits for PDA
Student Suicides.
Pessimism.
Female Infanticide.
Child Abuse.
Pimples!
Hair Fall!
Misunderstandings.
Heartbreaks :-(
Being forced to work for what is "in".
Deadlines.
Because we are grown-ups now, and it's our turn to decide what that means!

P.S. The points mentioned above are strictly my opinions, but I represent a face amongst the youth, and there might be more who think alike, though not all. This does not represent public opinion.

Balance...

A lot of us complain of being in the middle. Having to multitask and having too many options to choose from, too much work and the desire to do none of it. The act of maintaining the equilibrium is a part of the human nature, and that how it should be. Observation leads to realization, which in turn evokes understanding. Thus, to understand your-own-self, one needs to observe their traits and how knowingly or un-knowingly they perform that balancing act.

Too much of everything is not good. Yes, it is a generalization, but if we extrapolate it to everything we do, it sure is relevant. Reminding myself of this line constantly helps me restrict my preferences.

Similarly, Too little of anything is never enough. Both these statements sound like they are poles apart, but in the deeper sense, they mean the very same; we just need to know when to stop, how to strike that balance. The key to frictionless survival is, yes, that balancing act.

Activities that usually tend to lose that balance.

Friends
Having too many friends might work for certain people, but somewhere don’t we tend to side-line the people who are really important to us? We are expected to trust so many more people, confide to all of them, update them with regular happenings of our life; just coz they do!!! It sure is complicated, and a little assistance never hurts, why you think the social networking sites are such a boom! Then having too little friends leaves us with practically no options and not too many people to share our opinions with. The only way out of this is,
Strike that balance.

Friendliness
Especially, when we meet some-one new; when we have no idea how to behave to neither be unfriendly, nor over-friendly. We meet endless “doods” who are way too annoying, call you “sweetheart” in the very first talk or crack such pathetic PJs that a tight slap would be the ideal reply. Then there is the other extreme, guys who are more interested in their toe-nails than in the conversation you are trying to make. Either they over-do the whole thing by hugging all possible people around, or end up sipping the epicenter of all their attention, their coffee! We either have to deal with it or
Strike that balance.

Food
Too much, :- ; too little :-
Then the balance between the constituents of the diet is another concept altogether. “Balanced diet”, is a cliché, and very correctly too! Yes, here a lot of us need to know before we try and
Strike that balance.

Faith (on god)
I am not saying that atheism or hard-core bhakti is wrong. Suit your own faith, but questioning the existence of god to the believer or expecting the almighty to be on our guard 24x7 is not done. Everyone has their own beliefs, sometimes depending on the way they are brought up. I belong to the class of people who believe in god and secretly want him to solve all problems. God helps me be carefree, gives me hope. It helps me because I think somewhere I manage to
Strike that balance.

Freedom
Be free, but not on anybody else’s cost. Express to be heard, not hurt. I strongly believe that freedom of thoughts is more crucial than freedom of speech, but then what is the use of having free thoughts if they are not expressed? A lot of thought has to be given to this before execution, thought that would probably help us to
Strike that balance

Blind Trust
Trust the trustworthy, but to what extent? We do need to analyze every situation and act accordingly, we need to
Strike that balance.

Talking
Too little gets us bottled, to much makes us talk non-sense. To voice opinions and also let others around you remain sane,
Strike that balance.

Smoking
I have nothing against them, smokers. But this one goes out to all human chimneys, please try and keep things in moderation, for your own good. Please
Strike that balance.

Competition
If it is healthy, all is good. But playing dirty games, trying to push the competitors down are matters that we dealt with in standard 4! And when it is not deserved, what good is that victory for? The call of the day is to
Strike that balance.

Luxuries
Need I say anything? Oh yea,
Strike that balance.

P.S. Nature has its own ways of balancing things, of getting even with man. But this is not what this post is about. General bachche ka general gyan showing off hai people! :-P

the tags!

Someone tagged me for this one and by far, its one of the most fun tags I have seen on blogs.

I used my iPod, have been honest throughout *swear* . Had a laughter riot while doing it, hope some of it reaches to you guys.

Here I go.......
The rules:

1. Put Your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT!!!

After you've answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they've been tagged.
# IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
I say ; The best damn thing- avril lavigne [Wow!]

# WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
It would be ; Lost- anouk[???]

# WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL ?
I like ; Emotional attyachar- Dev D [Lmao!]

# HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I feel ; Numb-Linking Park. [:-/]

# WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
It is ; Rockstar- Nickelback - [How I wish! Well, keeping jokes apart, please check this song out if you haven't already. Features in my top-ten 'priceless' list :-)]

# WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
They think ; Tum ho to-Rock on! [Awwww, simply love you guys! Lol..]

# WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
I think ; Witchy woman-Eagles. [LOL! No no, I love them both.]

# WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
I think ; How you remind me- Nickelback. [nevermind!]

# WHAT IS 2+2?
It is -> Tinka tinka-Karm. [lol! This made me literally roll on the floor laughing! Of the 500 odd songs, why this?]

# WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
I think; You’r beautiful- James Blunt. [Haila!]

# WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I think ; Push-Enrique [Lmao!]

# WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
It is ; Zombie-Cranberries [:-) , Love the song!

# WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
I want to be ; Never gonna be alone- Nickelback [Oops!]

# WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I would think ; Hero - Mariah Carey. [:-D sure!!]

# WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
They think; Mistake- Nickelback. [:P]

#WAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
I would dance to ; Jame Raho - Taare Zameen Par. [God! ]

# WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
They will play ; Bubbly- Colbie Caillat. [Man! this just made my day! :-)]

# WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
My interest is ; Payaliya- Dev D. [Errr, no comments!]

# WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
It is ; The Happiest Days of Our Life - Pink Floyd. [Yea, that pretty much sums it all up :-P]

# WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
I think ; love to see you cry- Enrique [Ha ha, not exactly!]

# WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS TAG?.
Ah! absolute delight!

My support system!

another dedication post! This time on valentine’s day :-)

Dedicated to the 35 important and influencing people in my life

Important because they supported me when I could see no friendly face around;
Important because I can’t imagine my life without them
Important because I care about them, in the same way that they care about me.
Important because I love them and I know I don’t say it enough.

So here they are; the most influential and imperative set of people to me (in no particular order)

Mom: I love the way you trust me blindly. I am proud of you the way you are! I love you!

Payal kalra: You are one of the first people to know if I am upto anything. You are one person I wanna hold onto all my life for pep-talks. You always manage to show me sense in a directionless path and that makes you special. Whatever anyone might say, I can trust you with my life. And you give good advice at midnight. love you sweetoo!

Neha Gupta: Our friendship has last so long that I have now begun to feel its magnificence. 8 years? Eh? Thanks for being around gal, your friendship has been a sheer delight!

Neha Gupta(college): college would be different if you were not around. Keep in touch. Love you..

Deepali Singh: My guide through music and someone who continues to remind me that I have a long way to go in Guitar :-P

Pragati Joon :-) I don’t have enough words, but yea, you do come in this list :-) Thanks for being there when I needed you.

Preeti Rani: . You made keeping my time table at college really easy, Thank-you.

Baisil K Joseph: One of the sweetest guys I know. You are a gr8 friend!

Vikas Bhagat: Influencial? Ofcourse. My course instructor and philosopher n guide. I take this opportunity 2 thank you sir, for constantly pumping in the required energy in all of us. You are the best.

Ashish Sahijani: we used to go to school together. I was too small at that time but you were my best buddy that time! I miss you somewhere down my heart!

Akanksha: My friend all through CA-CPT. Please forgive me for not keeping in touch. Thinking of you will always bring a smile to my face.

Kanika Vij: You are a gr8 friend gal. I fondly remember all the fun times I had with you. I hope you feel the same way about me, tc!

Nishith Bahety: I am sure u’ll do well in life. Good luck!!

Deepali Gupta: Yea, Happy Valentine’s Day sweetheart! If not in school, after school you are one of the people I fondly remember of childhood days.

Yukti Singhal: I ve probably not said that too many times, but yes, you matter to me. We have not spent ages together, thanks to the final year, but I value our friendship.

Apoorva Bhardwaj: your simplicity and strength is enviable. You were my first friend at the college. Love you..

Piyush Awasthi: You rock! But I am still waiting to see you perform. Ping me when you perform next time!

Priyanka Jain: As confused and directionless as me. I know we don’t talk much now a days, but there was a phase when I used to wait all day to talk to you in the evening. I don’t know how much it made a difference to you, but on me, it had a very different kind of impact. You are a special friend Pri! yes, my rock guru :-P

Aashia Mathur: metro helped us come close. I find you are the best one at the college! Keep in touch!

Surbhi Jain: One of my very good friends and definitely one person I am proud of. I am sorry if I have ever hurt you.

Vaishali Jain: you remind me of a question mark(oops!). but all I know is that you are very good at heart!

Shagun Taneja: motto, You are one of the friendliest people I have come across till date. I love your spirit gal. Keep rocking!

Neha bhardwaj:: All the advices and all the chatting. You are cute, and I like you just the way you are. No matter what, stay the same.

Swati Aggarwal: Aashia Mathur helped me know you well. A sweet down to earth girl! Take care!

Rishabh Thukral: I got to know you on the trekking trip! and well, it has been an absolute delight knowing you :-). [Yea, you don’t sing well :-P]

Suraj singhal: your commitment to work sometimes annoys me! All I can say is, keep in touch!

Pankit Narang: the gullible guy at school has grown up now! Its fun to be around with you and your jokes no more bore me!

Anshu sharawat: You are such a sweet heart! Helped us pass through 11th standard! Thanks a lot! I value your friendship!

Purti Soni: you are the coolest head girl I know. May you reach all heights. one friend I wanna treasure for life. A gem of a friend, definitely!

Paramjeet Rana: a rebellion. I could never make it up with you at school. But, now it seems to have changed! And Thanks for always keeping a seat for me at NGPA!

Jyoti Gupta: a kiddo! I am glad we made friends. Take good care and keep in touch!

Suman: haven’t spent a lot of time with you but your company seems to be doing good to me! All I can say is that stay honest, stay good!

Ritika gupta: You have been a friend, cute and smart little friend dear. Hope it stays that way. :-)

Prerna: stop doing the chichoragiri* after the college! Get back home early and study! Lol.. the other kidding is fine, but I am glad that we are such special kind of friends.

Simmi Bhasin: my maths teacher in 5th standard. I was too young to say that but I totally loved you ma’m. you always helped me to perform to my best capabilities. I miss you mam!

I can never include every-one who matters, but then these are the ones who are like life-support systems to me.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone.