India Got Talent

I was watching India got talen part 2. Normally the program showcases raw talent and some of them are really original. Especially I like the fact that Assam is very nicely represented. While watching the program, I got swept away by a group called Bolepur Bluez and then by some sand artists from Orissa.

The above two caught my attention and I know such tastes are highly subjective. Even then, the point is that there is abundance of talent in India. At times we get awestruck by some well groomed western talents and fail to appreciate the fact that India is a vast country and has huge talent pool. I think the show is doing well to the society and definitely much better than some other stupid, soulless reality shows.

Some of the other very touching performance by Vinod and a group called ability unlimited need quoted mention. Even the sense of humour of Sajid Khan, grace & elegance of Kiran Kher and sensuality of Sonali Bendre is much better than the judges of other talent shows (Anu Malik and Farah Khan, if you are reading this, please go back to your original professions) currently running on TV.

Birthday wish

1st Oct 2010

Today is a special day. The routine pauses. The grind makes way for freshness. Celebrations with family, catching up with old friends and reliving the magic of nostalgia (It was indeed a fateful day 6 years back in Bangalore). We wished this day to be filled with meaningful lessons and so went to an underprivileged school. Differently abled boys & girls sang happy birth day to you. What a joy – sharing what we can with those who can’t. How we wish, this will make you humble and more understanding towards fellow human. The day your kid’s birthday is celebrated by you in similar fashion, will be our day of reckoning.

We pray for a year enriched with learning, good health and peace.

Happy Birthday Poree. We love you and Iss ladki mein meri jaan hein

Bolia Botahor Baa

Went to Assam after 2 years. Every time I land/reach, the first thing that excites me is Mahabahu Brahmaputra. Every time the mighty river washes away all my arrogance and materialistic feelings and embrace me with an all encompassing vastness. The revitalisation is better than anything else in the world. No wonder Bhupenda has written so many emotional songs around Brahmaputra. The only male river in the world is attached to every emotion of an average Assamese.

In the last 2 years, a lot of things changed. Billboards, road construction works, huge flats, less greenery and traffic jam – these are some of my take ways.
Our family celebrates Durga puja in the ancestral Jayanti temple in Jayantipur. On my way to home from airport, this time, I saw a puja pandal every 2 kms. Amazing!!!!!.

Mone mone
Paani hoi sumaalu luitor bukut
Chor kori loi jaam buli amuthi baali
Luite hate lote dhora pelai dile
Sudhile kiyo laage mor nisani

Luitok kolu moi sajab khojo
Eti smitir bhaskarjya ei baalire
Luite hahi hahi kole
Monote garha premor bhaskarjay

Maar gall bludder operation, momo feast, aru theatre – sums up my trip. Travelling theatre are a marvel of Assam. Kohinoor, Abahon are some of the famous and old ones. As a child, I used to wait for Raas festival in place as all the big theatres used to perform during the same. What pure entertainment. Back then, when hindi movies used to reach our hemlet of a town after 2/3 years, theatre offered unadulterated fun. Isme drama hein, action hein, comedy hein, emotion hein – all rolled into one mixture of fun. I was missing the action for last 10 years. This time, I made it a point to see one. A rather low key group called Rajashree theatre performed “Bolia Botahor Baa” (Wild wind) in a village close to my town. It was mediocre but seeing it after so many years was worth the fun. Fultoo poisa usool.

Now I am back but still miss the fun. Work and family kept me engaged and away from blogging. I am back now.

The future is uncertain and the end is always near

Listening to the lizard king after gulping down 2 pegs of glanlivet is always like yesterday once more. I am drunk and lazy to switch on the music system. So nearest you can go to is the you tube (the blooding laptop was switched, BTW how? Oh shit I am really drunk). The sound quality is poor nevertheless, hits it on your face. While going thru the comments for the roadhouse blues song in youtube, i came across a comment from one Mr. Kevin652010 that goes like “This was my first rock experience. I heard this song on Armed Forces Radio in Greece late one nite in 1976. Changed my world forever.”
How fortunate is Mr. Kevin who was alive and kicking in an era when rock music was at its pick. If i ever come across a time machine, the first thing to do would be to go to the all the live concerts of the 70s.
As I go down the comment section one says that ” It's a shame but there was bad music in the 60s too... there'll always be bad music... you just have to have a little culture to choose”. I felt like Jesus. God forgive him for he not know what he is saying. Interestingly the next guy immediately commented “Relax, sport, your generation is truly fucked, so shut up, and enjoy the geezer music”. Yeah maan!
In came the lizard king riding on a storm and the comments. Rob99rst says “he doors blow the stones away”. Yeah I do agree. I am kinda coming back to normalcy. Need another drink. Don’t go away will come back soon..................................................I am back
Nestleon goes bersek and comments “I AM THE LIZARD KING......I CAN DO ANYTHING”. You can’t imagine people connects to him at what levels! Sample this comment from one Mr. Medickorea “I am not as musician, but Ray Manzerek, when he would use his left hand on the organ.......fantastic. I never saw The Doors in concert. Wish I could have....I was traveling under duress with my Uncle Sam in Southeast asia. We listened to the Doors music on small ....transistor radios. Yeah...I am as old as dirt.. But, I still love The Doors.” Soooo sweet!! Some of the comments are nasty. They are not worth my attention.
Curiosity led me to Amrican Prayer. Gosh I was missing action. The real fans are here. Sample the following
i listen to this every night cuz it helps me go to sleep it works!!
· anyone know where American Prayer is downloadable poem by poem?
· Let's Celebrate a New Religion - Let's celebrate a glimpse of inspiration!
· "we live, we die and death not ends it"....very true RIP Mr. Mojo Risin
· Gran poema, aunque la musica mas bien recuerda el soundtrack para cualquier pelicula porno de los 70s
· look at 3:03 ....... is that a dancing woman??
· Perfeitooooooo!!!!!!
· some are born to the endless night!!!

We live, we die and death not ends it - Should I say more. Even though Morrison did not actually created the album “American Prayer”, it is one of the best poetic expression of absurdity. When the doors of perception opens, everything appears in its true state – infinity.

Wish You Were Here

It is vacation time for the kids. Wifey went to native with the kids. I am left all alone after a long time and do not know how to spent my time. I miss them so much

I was watching IPL. Beyond a point all the matches look so similar – they are virtually monotonous. As usual, started surfing channel after a while. Got to a music channel which was showing a stage show of Linking Park. It made me nostalgic. How long it has been since I watched a live gig of a rock band? How blessed are these guys who got a chance to witness the program live. It made me thinking. The last live show that I saw was Roger Waters in Bangalore. My goodness, a good 7 years back (or may be 6 or 8 - after 2 beers, I lost time coordinates). I still remember the show and still hold the ticket with great pride. We were newly married and I coxed my wife for the show. Invested a good 40% of my monthly salary and got the tickets. Roger Waters arrived in Bangalore the previous day and his photo was splashed all over the newspapers. When my wife saw the 56 years rocker (then), she was like mad – are we going to watch this old fad perform tomorrow spending half our salary? What if he gets a stroke while performing? Kalpana, my dearest wife, how could have I told you – he is a god for all those who love rock music. He is the Sachin Tendulkar of rock. But I just said – honey believe me, if you have loved me to marry me, then you would love him as well. Next day was beyond description. My wife is still a great fan of Pink Floyd and would give a arm for a piece of him. I still have the tickets to show it to my grandchildren – see your grand mom and I witnessed this once in a life time phenomenon!!!!!! Just for the record – Amir Khan enjoyed the same show, standing next to us. Roger water was like standing 10 feet away from us. Definitely one of the most memorable events of my life

When can I have a similar experience? In another lifetime perhaps.
I logged into you tube for the pulse show – one of the best live shows (although Roger Waters is not part of the same). The sound quality is so poor; I lost my patience and switched on the music system. Now “wish you were here” is serenading my mind and soul. Really intoxicating. Musically nobody can beat the 70s

White Tiger

Xuwalir axus karone office jabo nuwarilu. Doctork dekhai meli ghor aahi pai bhaat tu khai bisonaat uthote calling bell baajil. Dupariya tinta bojaat kunenu amoni kore buli dorja khon khuli dekhu moloi kunubai White Tiger kitaab khon pothai dise. Surprise gift from some friend!! Ji ki nohowok, kitaab khon khuli porha arombho korilu. Emaan bhaal lagil raati duta boja loi porhi xex kori dilu (300+ pages only). English Augustor kotha monot pori gol. bhaal likhise. Kitaap khon porhile he bujabo paari. Eta line bor bhaal lagil - "for years, I have been searching the key; but the door was always open"

A must read for all Indians

Manuh manuhor baabe

Somaaj sewa xuniboloi bhaal. Korile aaru bhaal lage
Kisu lobo laage, kisu dibo laage - Rabindranatheo kole

Went to a school adopted by company today. It was an humbling experience to see small children studying in a school without the basic amenities. When you go thru such a scenario, one realises how privileged he or she is. This is the beauty of India - teachers teaching students in dilapidated infrastructure in remotest of places and producing gems that rule the corporate world. The company where I work adopts such school as part of CSR activity. I was fortunate enough to be part of such a noble cause. We got the opportunity to radically change the face of the school with a very little investment. The end result is only to be experience – can’t be explained. The smiling faces of the teachers, the energetic body language of the students and the standing ovation from each class was an emotional experience - similar to a high or kick that you get from smoking pot and listening to Pink Floyd.

India is full of entrepreneurs and wealthy businessmen virtually in every town. I am not talking about Ambanis or Tatas. Simple, smart entrepreneurs in various fields earn a lot of money even in small towns. It makes me wonder what prevents them from doing such things? Even a small repair job, mind you not amount, improves the life of a student in a big way. The model adopted by my company was good – it did not give the money to the school. Instead, adopted a school, identified the improvement points and got it done thru a contractor. It cuts out the corruption factor if the money is directly given to the school or sarpanch.

My mother runs a medium sized school in my native. Every year she invests huge amount in the school infrastructure and result wise it is one of the best schools in Assam. She manages to do all these without any donation or exorbitant tuition fees. What drives her is the urge to facilitate world class school education that builds the foundation of any human being. The point here is that as a country if we need to grow and develop, then apart from health, the other most vital requirement is good (unbiased and free from stress) education. And bulk of this is provided by small town schools where the Narayan Murthys and APJ Abdul Kalams of the world study. As Indians, we are so strong on maths, reasoning and analysis that irrespective of our outdated education curriculum, we excel in corporate, political or any other field. Hence I firmly believe that if we take care of the education impartment system then we can produce good doctors, politicians, engineers etc who in turn will take care of the growth, infrastructure and development.

So think about it. It is as important as saving the balance 1400 odd tigers from extinction.

Beberibang

Blog title tu jetiya "jee mon jai" likha billak beberi bang hobo lagibo. A sample follows.

Leonard Cohen says poetry is the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. And sometime the ash falls on the wrong side. Then you realise that the ink that used run from the corners of mouth starts eating poetry (Mark Strand, "Eating Poetry," Reasons for Moving, 1968). If imaginary gardens with real toads in them is the definition of poetry (Marianne Moore's definition of poetry, "Poetry," Collected Poems, 1951) then a poetic life is never finished, only abandoned.

If poetry is the journal of animal like me living on land, wanting to fly in the air, then my search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable is bullshit. May be it is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away (Carl Sandburg, Poetry Considered). Out of the rhetoric quarrel with myself, I, just like W.B Yeats (forgive me for using the name of such legends) try to make poetry. It starts with a lump in the throat and then takes cue from Robert Frost.

Many a times I have been kidnapped by a poet and intrigued with phrases and meters only to see that the summer sky heal the wounds inflicted by reason. I may not say “The smell of ink is intoxicating to me - others may have wine, but I have poetry” like Abbe Yeux-verdi but I can vouch by the fact that poetry is the language in which a man can explore his own amazement without feeling sorry about it. It’s just like a needle - swift enough to sew random thoughts & words into a blanket.

One day, Pixie Foudre, browsing the dim back corner of a musty antique shop opened an old book of poetry and angels flew out from the pages. He caught the whiff of a soul and the ink seemed fresh as today but was that the voice whispering to me? Or it was an echo asking my shadow to dance with thoughts that breathe and words that burn (Thomas Gray). I need to learn the art of substantiating the shadows so that they become a way to me.

I grew up in a town where my thought process was started with the blue hills and converged with the mighty river – Bramhaputra. I borrowed voice from the rain and like the timber it steeped itself in the jungle (Pablo Neruda) of my mind. Like butterflies in spring, the natural beauty of Assam awakens the spirit, stirs the imagination and explores the possibilities with its rhythmic wings. Come voyeur my mind and let your heart & soul free.

Jodio taat khali beberibaang aase

New begining

Colour my day with your skin

Make me wear it night and day

Judge me with a standard that does not even exists

Show me the door that opens up new fortunes

2010 here I come

No journey is too big

That can't be started with a single small step

Whoa

Un believable. No blog for in 2010. Taar maane hoi moi bahut busy nohole moi nijor karone xomoi uliyabo pora nai. Got to take out some time and ensure I keep ejaculating from time to time in the blogspere.