Sita Sings the Blues

Have you ever wondered why the freedom of speech, of expression and to make movies is limited to making mockery of other religions. Have you wondered how MF Hussain being muslim drew the paintings of Rama and other Hindu Gods while in India and became the best painter in world by using the brush in obscene manner, at same time Salman was given fatwa for Satanic verses. Same offense, different results. Then came out Sita sings the blues, the movie received so many awards that I was tempted to watch it once. Coupled with the fact it is available for free viewing, i gave it a shot. Lets see what western world understands from the most pure and ancient religions of the world.
The movie starts with the most violent act of some lady ( i still did not know who they tried to depict) kicking the gramophone records. Then came the title and it claimed its Ramayan by Valmiki. Then starts the torture, the way the language is spoken, the way the claim of Ramayan is questioned as if it was real or not, made me feel sad. I dont even know how many versions of other religious books exists, but for  Ramayan has a very simple text written in a way that a student in 4th grade in india is able to understand it in entirity, but the IQ of that child , atleast seems to be ages ahead of others who seem to be more proficient in reading and understanding skills. The book is considered holy for Hindus because it talks about how Evil King Ravana (the king of deamons ) was killed by Lord Rama. But then the movie depicts Ravana as a learned man who did only 1 sin, well possibly because I think stealing, molesting the original content, using abusive languages, drinking, and not respecting others is a symbol of Great Learning in the west. But sadly in my country these are not counted in good deeds. For us, respecting others, tolerating the in-disciplined, to be polite and humble are considered good. Well, the movie possibly is a veil to depict some other religion, because the story actually does not makes any sense. The way the satire is presented looks like a normal story in west, but its waste if u look at it in indian style.
The movie should start with a disclaimer tag: all those who love making fun of other religion (maybe because of insecurity that the other religion is better than their own, or for some other reason) should watch how the holy book of hindus is molested. It makes me perfect sense to compare this movie to actual Ramayana, may be this becomes a modern Ramayana, where the challenges are different than those existed when the Ramayana was written.
First thing first, Hindus are peace making and peace loving creatures, they dont believe in blasting bombs or doing blind fire. But remember everyone has a limit. The day the water overflows a tumbler, it has to flick over. I am amazed for how long can we stick to our traditions of tolerance.
Ramayana is a fight of well cultured gentleman,Ram  to fight injustice against Ravana (which according to the movie is not bad otherwise). The entire movie never mentions Laxman going to exile, neither how is he poisoned. I think the terms like helping others, lending a helping hand, be considerate to others are virtues which are prevalant only in Hindus, while being a mere dictionary term when it comes to religion which the producer director of the movie follows. I am not sure which religion she follows(if she really does), but one thing is sure, her religion tells her and encourages her to do a mockery of other religions. Which religion is that in the world.
What is the aim achieved by making such movies and distributing them on mass scale, truely reflects where the world is heading. I am still left wondering as to how much more tolerance and patience is present in the people following this religion that they still are protesting peacefully. They are still not going out and planting bombs are issuing something like fatwa for the movie crew. They infact dont have such a command to execute. They are peace loving, and very friendly, helpful, thoughful and take the world out of such crisis. But once in a while there will be a Ravana who will be waiting to be dead in hands of people like Ram.
Whatever one do, whatever be the motive , whatever be the path, the movie ends with the girl reading ramayana, over and over again. May be she is also trying to figure out how the real one is depicted to a limit where the spoof will also be ashamed of it.

Sita Sings the blues is nothing but the type of work which creates stir in the society, and is directly responsible for people taking arms to protect their identity. The people who make such movies are those who create terrorists in the society, and then go and make movies on those terror strikes. The only way to stop these types of movies getting popular does not exist, but god forbid, don't make movies which might turn the most sacred peace loving religion in this world also a menace. The world will see its end if that happens.

Sincere request: Please consider Earth as a safe place, and try to respect the feelings of others. They matter more than few awards you win by laughing on sentiments of others. The creativity is good, but please use it to make movies like Avatar and not Sita Sings the Blues. 

For you ....

Eye so shy the smile so fine,
An angel u r like the finest of wine,
Years waited my ears your mere sign,
In My heart will you be for all of you is mine.

You are as pure as that dove of love,
for the Cupid struck me with your name on the bow,
All the love that i wished i ever saw ,
With you on my side will never will be low.

I am glad that I got the most beautiful eyes,
The one you have with wonderful smile ,
Love you angel like i loved none did in the wild,
and let you fall in my arms till time might slide.

We are ...

we are most wonderful in our own stride. Even the weakest link is the strongest one. We just have to believe that God has made us in a way that we all form keys of a massive lock that needs to be adjusted, formed in proper combination and then run through for unlocking the mystery. So today take a chance, decide and go for it. you will win .... just believe that you will, and the beliefs will follow you. Just take a step to target, and the roads will move you... trust me to trust yourself and the God will trust you, and he like me , like you will hit the target and make it worth... we are what we are ... and we are all the best ...

Yuva Sakti Samarth

Sakti samarth ho tum aaj hindu yuva ,
haath mein mashaal liye ankho mein sapne liye ,
sangh ki ekta samajh ke dekho aaj duniya ke liye,
kadam se kadam mile , haath se haath jude ,
hindu yuva mridul baja ke chalo ,
aaj fir se tum shakti samarth ho ker chalo tum.

yuva ki sphoorti hai dhara ki shakti,
is dhara per kadam gad chalo tum ,
hawa mein udo bin pankh aaj se tum ,
amber se nahi pawan se prakharta seekho,
sangh ke sach ko tum ko kerna hai sakar ,
sahi raah se jo yuva mude hai baar baar,
aaj fir unko laana hai rangne basanti.

sadiyo se chale aa rahe hai shaan se jeete,
aaj duniya ko sikhana hai shaan se jeena,
sab mein dikhte bhagwan hai humko aaj bhi,
apni dhristi deni hai aaj is bhoomi ke her chakshu ko,
sangh ki nayan se suraj ke tez dena hai her yuva ko ,
sakti samarth ho ker chal rahi hai lehar aaj is jug mein

And how Does IPL bind us ...

As the season started, the drums rolled, the ribbons flew and IPL was back in the land where it all started. It not only brought back similar KKR starting the tourney, but it brought with it another stride of memories, of the IPL 1 and the second version. Of the coke bottles we opened, the chips we flavoured, the tea we had ...  the friends we were and how united we were in the regional fight of mumbai and delhi. How best it was to fight over a stupid shot played or wonderful single taken, of the last ball sixes and first ball wickets. Of the out-of-form watch winning cricketers and free fall of icons. Nothing changed as i watched the first match, nothing it seems will change. For now in my house are segments from each part of India, who cheer ,swear and shout at each opportunity so granted upon them as the masters of the game. Yet at the end are all smiles, frustration persists after a bit longer discussion to the losing side, but it fades away as soon as the next match is on. The entertainment value and the points are all well taken and very well understood. The sentiments of people overflow, are over the flow yet delimited by simple common sense, that this is like a 3 hour movie, and nothings really cricket in it, other than the swinging bat, the swooshing ball, the tumbling fielders and ever so enthusiastic audience. Did i forget the cheerleaders. But in the midst of all this, there are those 13 players on field who are trying to make a million other smile, another tens of thousands to cheer, few thousands to earn money for next day, few hundred (people) to make millions and selected few to earn hundreds of million. Other then that, it gives a hope , a hope that it will be better next time, an urge to do it twice a year, but then if World Cup is held each other, it will lose its importance.
The IPL -3 is back, and with it are the curses the smiles the abuses the swears the laughter , the sense of winning and the sense of frustration ... sense that is senseless is back ....

Mein Hindu Yuva

aaj is dharti ke dum per, nikal pada hoon jug badalne,
kal tak khud ko talaashta mein aaj nikal pada hoon amber choone,
anter-man ke asmanjas per paaker vijay badh chala hoon is dhara ko rangne,
kabhi kisi ki haani nahi ki apni raksha ker chal pada hoon shrishti bachane,
mein hindu yuva chal pada hoon poore jug ko santri rangne.

her taraf se aate mere mool per prahar hai aaj,
sej shayayya tyaag ker uth gaya fir kerne raaj,
jagat ja raha hai vipad-sthithi mein kerna hai abhi bada kaaj,
badh rahi hai dhwani bahut kerna hai ab shor ko saaz ,
mein hindu yuva jag ko bachane uth chala hoon aaj.

her roshini ke gehre saaye mein tapakta is duniya ka swaarth,
kab se bachata chala hoon mein duniya ko nar sanghar se mein ,
aaj lau liye prem ki chal pada hoon us path per mein ,
jahan fool barse her jagah per saathi ho hum sabhi saath,
mein hindu yuva is sandesh ko failane chal chala hoon apne aap hi aaj.

sadiyo se lehrate us santri se aman ka sandesh,
dekha jisne ram ko diya jisne geeta ka updesh,
lad chala jo laaj bachane jhansi ki shaan ke saath,
kahin shivaji kahin paranhans kahin hindu ekta ke haath,
mein hindu yuva badh chala hoon bhagwa lekar duniya ko bachane aaj,

badh chala hoon mein hindu yuva ab mein is lau ke saath,
jug ko dikhane sooraj ka tez,
chal chala hoon is deepak ke saath ,
badh chala hoon mein hindu yuva is jug ko bachane aaj ...

Barsaat ki Ek Shaam ...

aaj is sunhere se chamakte aakash mien kahin se to bijli giri , kahin per to door ek badal ka tukda aa gaya mere hi ghar per , jaise talaash raha ho koi apna. kabhi mein usse dekh ker muskura deta to kabhi woh ek do vidyut ki tarange chod ker mere ko jaise ched deta. kuch der is tanha se ghar ki chat per baithe mein usse ghoorta raha, na usne palakein jhapkayi , na mein wahan se hata. Avichal akhand khade us badal ke saathi , uske saath judte chale gaye. woh jo chakshu bhar in aankho mein samaya pada tha dhara jitna vishaal ho gaya tha. ab us masoom se dikhne wale badal ke aakar ne sunhere aakash ko apne rang mein dhaal mein syaahi jaisa ker diya tha. us ne samjha ki mein shayad kamzor ho raha hoon , thandi hawayein mere jism ko cheerti huwi nikal ja rahi thi, maano ki meri rooh se jaan maang rahi ho. ek aadh paani ki boondein bhi padi, per haunsala adig, aur irada chataan. kuch der phele dikhne wala masoom sa bacha anayas hi bada ho gaya. kahin se ek aawaz aayi , aur meri hum-nafaz ki khanatki choodiyon ne jaise mere ander nayi jaaan bhar di. abhi aaker mere saath baithi hi thi ki woh gor se gharja. rimjim kerti uski boondo ne jaise nayi jaan si la di. woh khadi to huwi per jaise ek ki baat hriday ke madhaym se ho gayi. uske badte kadam ruke aur woh mere aagosh mein aaker baith gayi , maano ki jaise ek hi ho. Aur jhilmil se boodein rimjhim kerti huwi humne bhigati rahi. Kab aakash ka rang hum mein mil gaya ya hum uske rang mein kuch yaad nahi raha. Her chalakti boond mein ek naya geet tha. Ek aisa anupam sa ehsaas ki jaise her ek paani ki dhaara amrit ho. chand ghanto tak barasne ke baad woh badal haar maan ke ek naye deepak ko bhujane nikal pada. aur hum dono wahin ussi tarah ek doosre mein samaye huwe kab raat ke bister per so gaye kuch pata hi nahi chala ... 
Taken from : http://deepakg83.info 

SpiceJet Ad

i would have not spent time on writing something like this, but the new SpiceJet Ad amused me more than anything else. It is an exhibition of a loser, of someone who has accepted the defeat and trying to cash in on it, shamelessly. Instead of promising a better service, the ad works telling advantages of bad service.
It tells how easy it is to miss a few important meetings, but most of the times we are flying back home to meet our near and dear ones. Delayed flights won't take into account of that loss, the frustration that follows and the reputation that sinks and stinks, rather it seems to a proud for SpiceJet to have delayed or cancelled flights.
What a pity !!!
They then openly tell they don't have the best carrier, but the best solitaire player in the country travels in that airline. Can someone of a real good repute come and claim he is happy to spend money on a below par service, which is irregular, irresponsible and proud of its shortcomings. To have worst service is one thing, but to accept it and not try to improve it, I strongly believe this is definitely not the way.
And then they claim, its only hours the flight get delayed, so what. You have time to waste, waste it on airport, why not use railways then. But then it will always be at bottom on pile, and remain like that forever, unless there is a change in mindset .
I just hope they re-think that Indian population has come of age when they now have understood what is correct and what is not. Quality is still not compromised, and failures still not accepted.

The Immortal Mortal and A Fool that follows ...

As the world starts to salute the master, as the word spreads, as once again little master prepares to pad himself up, as once again he sets his foot on the ground, with the sky in his eyes and the Indian population behind him, I stand amazed at him not crushing under the pressure. I am more amazed at his ability to wear down the age, and the wisdom has still not left him. His failures in the past and the "Elephant in Dressing Room" did not slow him down. Standing amazed at 26 years of age this guy looks at that 36 year old with admiration of an icon. A person who is majestic not because he scored centuries, runs , took wickets , fields well but because when he carries his bat to the 22 yards, along goes a steady head over sturdy shoulders, flexible legs and a whole lot of expectation from a hundred million fans.This my friends is lot of it, because the margin of error is so less, that a small mistake may be compensated in match, but lives longer in articles like these and criticism that follows. A judgmental error is mammoth in terms of reputation at stake.
There was this one person who was going in as a traitor  and openly challenges the person who is heavy in dressing room, taking much more space and letting others suffocate. One who is sitting at the top and not letting better cricketers take the opening slot, and Sachin just read it. He must have felt it too, but the answers are never given vocally. He had his ways.
When he is claimed to be wearing down and playing only for sake of it, only for WC 2011, he comes back scoring most vital runs and innings that won him Innings of the year. Nothing much has changed since he came, he re-defined the cricketing standards, and Indians adopted it. It is no surprise that kids grown up imitating him are now world class batsmen, and they proudly say so. The world is changing, he started when India were no where, and carried his career through times when no one can imagine Australia leaving number 1 spot, but he carved his career. He was a part of team which reached zenith in ODI and Test Rankings. In the time when India were to be taken number 1 spot to the time India needed to maintain it, he was the man who relentlessly scored centuries, just to keep his country at that position where it is today.
This innings might come as a feather in his career, but again, its real heart break for him to achieve it. The world will praise him, the God of cricketing world will sit in temple of heart of each Indian, who helpless by emotions will now expect him to score the target once more. Just once more, and that too each time he plays. The Fool Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, does not realise the appetite he has for runs is no match for expectations we have for him. I call him a fool, because he tries to woe all of us with his majestic batting, and we instead of beading out gems, try to collect stones and throw at him ( which he said and then converted them into milestones). Sachin is no longer an icon, no longer a phenomenon , but is now a way of life. He can not grow out of cricket, the sport he excels in, but has definitely let it grow with him.
The master stroke continues ....

My Name is Khan and I mayNot be a Terrorist

I have grown up watching Shah Rukh Khan’s movies. It all started with Baazigar (where he murdered Shilpa Shetty and ditched Kajol only to take his revenge, he was a Khan then, was he not !!!) . Then came Darr and again he was after Juhi Chawla and tried to kill Sunny Deol. Sunny was strong and survived, he was still a Khan. He must have named himself as Rahul or Raj but then he is Khan. And if those were just storylines and nothing to do with SRK real life, so please watch “My name is Khan” with same entertainment value. His name in movie is Rizwan Khan who is not a terrorist, and that is a fiction (it is not based on true story), or is it !!!

Reel and Real life are two different aspects, not to be mixed. I have grown up seeing heroics of Sunny Deol, Hritik Roshan , Amitabh Bachan (angry young man) and it took me ages to realize what they do in movies is just a screenplay. In real life they don’t go out and beat the goons, when terrorists call them for ransom, they don’t go to the den of underworld terrorist and kill them. They call the cops. They should and they do, because there is a difference in real life and reel life.

Sometimes real life resembles reel life, it must as it reel life is glorified version of real life. Things we aspire, the what we want to achieve and we can’t are so easily depicted in the reel life. In 2 hours, it covers 70 years of our life. It just can’s be real , it has to be reel. So I come to ever patriotic romantic hero SRK who has entertained us from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge ( where he takes on an engaged girl) to My Name Is Khan (again married, this time with a kid). So our hero (real life heros are different from reel life ones) has managed another heart touching flick. But was it really necessary to show him autistic. Can he not be normal and still say these words. Why is the extra sympathy needed. The whole country is saying in one single line , SRK is not a terrorist. We all know he is not. We all know he is not one in the movie. But does it matter what common man think and says and even practices.
If I understand correctly, My Name is Khan is not a mere representation of a name, but it tries to address a problem bigger than the movie itself. It tries to address the need of all Khan who are not terrorist to be recognized as innocent. It tries to address the basic simple fact that even if not all Khan are terrorist, a handful still exists who are. I should not take liberty in writing Khan as a terrorist or not, but it is the message conveyed in the movie. But it is where it leaves me confused. And I don't know why should it not leave you in same stage.
The movie shows 9/11 attacks, and that cost life and loss in millions of dollars. It is claimed as a terrorist activity ( and I personally think it is one of those activities) , so is it not feasible for the country who has been attacked in the back by some loser fundamentalists to turn back and try to find out who is that Khan who drew the airplane right into Twin Towers. Is it not feasible for a country which had the first dose of real militant power to cut through the covers and find out guilty. Is it not depicted in the movie itself that there are Khans, who are not only terrorist but making more like them ( remember mosque scene, the doctor was a Khan, who was a terrorist, strictly as per movie). I still wonder if 9/11 was a retaliation attack on the power of world ruler, and would the attackers not known that innocent Khan would be targeted. They knew it, but still went on with it. Terrorists don't have a religion, but they do carry a name.
All said and done, Khan is not a terrorist, but who is the person in Jammu & Kashmir who is killing innocent people. Must be an innocent Khan, who was trying to play with his newly  acquired AK-47, or improved RDX , with no intention of killing, but the bullets in those machines do kill. They don't know who they kill, but since 1980 they have been puncturing Kashmir like no other. They are still doing it. I don't understand why. I see so many Khan living so peacefully in India, they are sheltered by India, they love India as other religion, and India also loves them back the same way. There will never be a condition in which My name is Khan is shot in India, because we know the fact that Khan is not a terrorist. But then, is he really not.
I fail to understand if India ever attacked any country, or had seized undue or unfair advantage ever in history so that it bears the ire of terrorists. I still fail to understand the bomb attack in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Surat, ahmedabad and so many other Indian cities that his blog will have virtually every major Indian city striked by terrorist who is not a khan.
The way the movie is made, and the message it has it pure and crystal, Shah Rukh Khan is not a terrorist, neither is Rizwan Khan, but the way the world is today is because of someone who was a Khan and a terrorist.  

He is Back ... .

There was a time when the industry boomed. It boomed so fast and at such a pace that workers were roped in from other countries, so called skilled workers. These skilled workers loved the salaries they got, freedom they had and the money they were awarded. The Dollar Income was always the strongest, and appreciated. The economic deep down of 2001 crashed a few, who went back with what they had, others fought through. Few had Green card dreams, other were getting on being citizens, and the recession was not deep. The dollar was alive and US was still a leader, so still is.
But the times change, and good or bad, are over earlier than thought of. From 2001 to 2009 , the years evaporated in thin air, H1 rules became easy, skilled workers were replaced with workers, and pockets filled with more money. This was normal here, but back in India, this inflow of money caused a major shift. The IT cities got expensive, people now calculate Dosa with $1 or $3.99, or Idly plate with $7.99 as in US, and ready to give the amount. The normal guy does not understand the equation. And now comes the great daddy, year 2009. Jobs vanished in thin air, dreamed crashed like fragile glass, the clock started eating savings, the house suddenly got more expensive and insurance sky high. India seemed to be a better place, and moved back. The inflation which was inflicted by Indians in US in India got heavy on them, the market is worst and salary is no where comparable to US one. So still determined to fight it all.
Came in 2010 with a new hope, the guys who are in India are back. They heard US economy is getting better, some jobs are there. Let us try if we can, let us go alone and seek another chance. May be another chance and I wont be broke anymore. May be they need to understand ,they are not broke , but the next recession will not leave them anywhere else. He like them is the broke, and he is back with a permit to work in the US of A.

I Phone / I PAD Application Development

this article should end up in some technical blog section somewhere but it will be my mainstream topic. For there are so many things one i-phone app development desire teaches you. Few are :

• Nothing in this world is free 
• You can always find a way out , even if not free 
• If you want to pay, you will end up paying as much as you want. 

Now , I had a desire to do some I-phone application developement, it is one of the best devices i have, and i love the applications, and thought how wonderful it will be if I can develop my own applications. And so whats the pre-requisite.
When i started writing this article , it was for I-Phone, now it is for I-Phone/Ipad.
I - Pad is a real re-Invention of old I-Pod Touch, which is a discovery of I-Phone Minus Cell Phone.Well, after looking into I-Pad , i am more inclined to write a first sight not so love review, and how happy I am to buy a Mac Book without waiting for I-Pad

The i-Phone application is relatively easy, and the learning curve for simple applications is not steep. The learning material can be found at http://www.apple.com for a price though ( it was 99$ , if u dont have an apple account)
To develop an i-phone application , the first thing you will need a little knowledge of Objective-C ( a flavor of C) , a Mac OS , I-phone SDK ( available free ,2.5 GB in size) and another spare 99$ to host it.

Once done with the inital development, install the I-phone SDK, and open it. Easily though , click on New Project, and select Windows Application. Now Click on a file whose extension is .xib, it launches the application interface and a window. Select from the option in the new window, and change the background color or text , add a button. Go to Edit -> Build Project and Run . I phone simulator launches with no coding . And here u r with ur first i phone app dev.
I will be updating it with screen shots in i-phone section on www.iknowjava.com

Flexing The Power

So Finally, Its IPL3, and indian premier league is again the talk of the town. Ideally this article should be written here , but for time constraint, I am going ahead here.
So the main point of attraction is the Pakistan players were not picked up  by certain teams, and caused a fire as widespread as anger within. The reasons given by franchisee was simple, they did not knew if there was another terrorist attack planned on India in future, and again players might not come into play in the country. I am in no way accussing any country of any such activity, I am just looking into past with sight on future. A general layman would not spend $ 200k, on something he fears he cant use. So here the fact is said. No one is picked up.
Now the fire is there, so there will be useless politics. It starts with players who were priced high and thought of making good money. Disappointed ! I would be, for not picked up when I can be taken up by a team and make a million bucks in a month. Now comes the next layer, basically the people who wont benefit anything from it, like the chairman, manager and so on. They stand unfazed and tell others not to be disappointed. But then , next day, as always they have been since the creation, changed the stand. It reminds me of chameleon who changes color with the situation. Next day was coming down and critising.
Now when done with shouting,( i could use better terms like useless drama), and no attention paid to it, more press statements come out. Where the hell were the statements when Sri Lankan Test team was attacked. Where were the statements when KKR finished nearly last in 1st version with the best player , who was banned by your board but cleared for IPL. Why, is discipline only required in national sides ?
Next , when whole world published statements and Mr Modi just came out with an honest answer, he could have said , ask Francisee , they didnt find the players talented enough, so did not picked them up. If there is a problem ask the people who selected Bond and Pollard. He did not. He is such a liar that he spoke truth. Bitter as it may be , but true. The world accepted, not the one who were left out.
Now since IPL is going ahead without any other distraction, another non-sense. Virus. T20 is virus, and is this a reason why parasites won it easily. Is it the reason why players are so desparate to play for it. Is this the reason that the form of game be abolished, just because a few were not capable enough (whatever be the criteria) to get into top 15 bracket , taking 8 teans (top 120 ) .
Come on !!! give a break. We all know what T20 is, and we enjoy it the way it is. Still did not work out,
so comes the last one.
INDIA will one day rule the world cricket, and not any other country. Well why is this the feeling of RULE, or taken by someone so strong that fingers are taken out without any reason. Just in matter of months, there is a concern world cricket will run by Indian Cricket Board and not ICC. Exxageration. India have money power, the foundation to exhibit and audience to enjoy and flexing its power in the same way. The people left out are as always trying to complain, crib , attack ( on moral nature) and using the old ways of not living and not letting others live.
Well time for cricket to move on , and decide whats more important, loyalty to nation, entertainment, fearing india will rule the world cricket (as it is doing now by being at number 1 in test rankings) , entertainment, auction of players or just shouting the injustice which is by-product of sins as performed

Kite Flying

Well, for second time in US i had the opportunity to fly the kites, and it like the same old spirit of freedom to traverse the sky, brought back the old memories. The times in May - August and beyond when flying kite was a passion, not a hobby. When the best times of my childhood were harvested with a loot of stray kites endowed upon the roof, few went into trees and remaining reached skies. When our hands were full of useless band-aid, tapes and hansaplast(for those who remember), still failing to the cutting strength of that millimeter thick string and ending the day, each day, with a useless index finger, a tired body, paining arms and lots of homework to complete in the night.

Well those were the days, and even today when I have those memories, it is still impossible to imagine that we still are as busy as we were then. The kite flying is not an activity but a passion which should be seriously taken upon, helps the child to think out of box, and i can give another 100 reasons to do so, just because it has been one of my most missed memories. No more. There are kites here, and so are the winds. Enough enthusiasts to start the activity any time of the year. And the kites of plastic and thread of nylon, who cares for rain and storms.
17-Jan-2010 happened to the day when we celebrated makar sakranti, or lohri and had kite flying activity for the kids, and those who are kids at heart. Kids of all ages participated, enjoyed , laughed , smiled , shared strings, and bonded to each other more than that string which is there in the sky. It is no longer a wonder for me how important that is for me, and why is it done to mark the celebration of independence. The only missing feeling was the weak string which we could get other kites down, nonetheless it was fun to fly in as proclaimed free liberal land.
We can do it regularly, we have kites, the strings, time and most important the ever enthusiasts for the event. Lets make it a habit, to do it here, here in US. Join hands , call me , try to do it with us. Trust me , more we are more we will enjoy and better off we will be.
Lets spare a thought for the same, and let the spirit of kite flying enlighten us on each and every step till the final step. Hope to see you share your kite flying experiences with all of us ..

NRI

It was the morning today, and we were casually striding through the streets of Fremont, when one of the topics came up for Haiti relief, and how we are donating for the people affected by it, and then as most conversations go hay-wire, so did this one. And came the topic of people having green cards, citizenship and how my own website www.usarefugees.com is more suited for people holding H1-B as refugees now. Well, again someone said if you are more than 6 months in USA , you are NRI. I heard so many instances of non-required-indians or non returning indians settled in USA and not thinking of coming back. So I am also in the category of Non Resident Indian and will have to try my level best not to end up as one of definitions so talked about. But are we any less Indians, are we any less patriotic, and may be painful , the answer is NOT. And it will be revolting when   I see the Indian children growing up here better patriotic than those i saw in India. Americanisation or westernisation in India is more than that in America. The young generation is here much more conservative, much more careful, modern yet traditional values. The situation way back in India is different. For so many people ask about freedom in US, it is freedom of speech, of thought , of looking in oneself. The freedom in India is no less than in US, nor it is money affect, it is the direction of thought process.

Direction of thought process ??? In India we are looking forward to be modern, to be one who wants to be liberal, who wants to be modern , who being free in mind are still enslaved by thought that US is more freedom, the thought process is wrong. What happens when we come here, got the freedom. Now what you want to think. and to implement. Most of us stay in home and crazily sleep through weekends, and have a freedom of relaxed life. And a big tummy to end it.
So lets face it , better english , better lifestyle ,more closer to the nation, because with each thing there is one  comparison, same thing in India , good better worst but never the same. Let me  tell you , being NRI is not bad , but one should go back to india or be indian at heart ...