Rain and Rainy Days

Why is it that rains are always welcome but rainy days are never? What a contradiction! But probably we have never pondered over that. All things associated with rains fascinate us, for instance, an umbrella, a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee etc. but things associated with rainy days like floods, flash floods etc. too keep reminding us of their presence off and on. Now in 2013 it is the Uttarakhand floods that will serve as an eye-opener. But only if we grasp the message between the lines. One message and the most important is that 'we should not be playing with Nature'. One must remember John Dryden's words 'Beware the fury of patient man'. Much in the same manner it is Nature that is furious, now that it has been witnessing the devastation being done to it my man because of his selfish motives.

We also know that there is always an equal and opposite reaction to whatever we do. It is what we sow so shall we reap. But man is a forgetful being. We all have a habit of postponing and ignoring things by telling ourselves 'Doesn't matter'. And then comes a time when we realize that it did matter after all. By then it is too late to mend things. It is just like any other relationship - the give and take. It is simple: we can only take that what we give. If we nurture with care, respect and affection, it is the same we have in return. But if we keep on exploiting the other, be it our partner or Nature, it is bound to boomerang on us.

It is time we all wake up. The alarm bells are already ringing very loudly. Don't turn a deaf ear. Let's waken up our senses before they are deadened by the deafening alarming noise! P.S. A silent prayer for all those trapped because of floods. May they all be here with us safe and sound!

India Non Fiction Festival 2013

“Our country does not have a strong enough political leader to even go up against an Italian housewife”. Ms. Tavleen Singh This was a 'strong enough' statement made by Ms. Tavleen Singh at the Inaugural Session of the India Non Fiction Festival being held at Mumbai. The theme of the festival is 'Be Bold Stay Real'. The keynote speakers elaborated about the theme of the festival in their own unique way. While Mr. Kiran Karnik reiterated that in India we have no choice but to be bold and hence stay real while talking about the problem of social sustainability; it was Mr. R Jagannathan who said that the theme of Be Bold Stay Real is wasted on Indians as we have to be bold and very real as the survival in our country is an effort for all of us; and Prof. Vivek Dahejia added that the country’s youth are bold but they are stymied by institutions which hold them back.

When it comes to being bold, how can one not talk about the digital age and this age's gadgets. Talking about some fun tricks you can use for your electronic devices, discussing cyber crime and the question of privacy with Mr. Suresh Venkat, Ankit Fadia also made a mention of the cool interesting things you can do with your smartphone, social media and much more.

Mahesh Bhatt, the celebrated film-maker, presided over the panel on Bold Cinema for Real India. Apart from that the session‘India: Real Consumers, Markets and Bold Brands’ witnessed a conversation between bestselling Authors, Branding and India experts Mr. Santosh Desai and Mr. Anand Halve. In a parallel session ‘Leadership in Imperfect Times: Daring. Spirited’, author and founder Chairman of Prasanna Trust, Shri Swami Sukhobodhananda and leadership author Dr. A K Khandelwal were in heated discussion with author, TataLog and MD of Tata Global Beverages, Mr. Harish Bhat.

The festival also witnessed the launch of the book 'Directors Cut: 50 Major Filmmakers of the Modern Era’. The book penned down by Mr. M K Raghavendra and was introduced by renowned film director, producer and screenwriter Mr. Mahesh Bhatt. In attendance at the event and giving their support were Writer and Director Mr. Sanjay Gadhvi, Actors Mr. Rahul Bose and Ms. Minissha Lamba along with Critic and author Ms. Bhawana Somaaya.

See more photographs of the event here: INDIA NON FICTION FESTIVAL - 2013

Of the People

We have all believed at one point of time or the other that silence is a good way to talk. But it cannot always serve the purpose. We do need words many a times. After all, it is not for nothing that Arthur Rimbaud went on to say in 'A Season in Hell/The Drunken Boat', “I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still.”

But everyone doesn't possess the art of using them to their optimum value. Some undermine them by putting them to use in a 'derogatory' way. By 'derogatory' way here I mean, they all do not know how to use the right word at the right place. And if words are misplaced, they change the whole thing. The world turns topsy-turvy and hence, the defamation of the word itself, makes the usage derogatory. Then there are some, who are such good weavers that the moment they open their mouth for their calculative utterances they would weave such a yarn around you that you cannot help but be impressed.

It is always good to talk to some people. They help you relive all the wonderful moments of your past. While there may be others, whom you would not even touch with a barge pole. One such category might be of the bores but there are still others, who can be classified in this category, for instance, the ones who would always take potshots at you. They would keep sharpening their words like the knife to attack you the moment they get the slightest opportunity.

Let the count going...more categories will follow soon...Keep watching this space...

Facebook and Literature

Life is all about Facebook now. A person can be called 'informed' only if he is always in and out of Facebook. Starting his roaming here from his desktop. Then he might want to take some rest, so he shifts on to his laptop, while reclining comfortably on his bed. Suddenly a while later, he gets a business call and he has to leave the cozy comfort of 'Facebooking' to attend an urgent business meeting. Now what! But there are no worries now. He continues to shower the likes uninterrupted because he has it all on his palms now, thanks to the fully loaded phone. Till this point it was still acceptable. But things have gone too far now. The literature being produced by the youngsters these days, is becoming more and more centred around Facebook and they are all love stories. It is as if talking about the Facebook is the only marketing strategy left. They all want to cash in on the popularity of Facebook. The latest in this line-up or should we say 'pile-up' is Sudeep Nagarkar's 'It all started with a friend request'.