Here comes another bubble.....

Check this out on YouTube. Adear friend sent this to me.

Here comes another bubble

News overkill

Some of the news trivia surrounding Dr Haneef's return to Bangalore as seen on one of the news channels on TV

There is an atmosphere of celebration in Dr Haneef's residence.

But of course !!!

Haneef's wife, Firdous Arshiya decked up to meet her husband.

Is this supposed to be of interest to the viewers??

Chicken biriyani has been prepared to welcome his return.

OMG !!! Gimme a break !!!!

Am sure this is not the end of things.....there definitely is more.

News reading has come a long way indeed...from the serious broadcasts of Doordarshan in black and white, to this over colorful and over public nature of events.

Wonder what's next ??
What should be the right balance

Music and more

I just finished watching "Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee" ...... and as always I was moved by the music in the movie.

The songs are beautiful.....penned by lyricists Kaifi Azmi, Qateel Shafai and Zameer Kazmi....directed by Anu Mallik.

Timeless tunes, I would say. The movie went unnoticed but the music was pretty successful when the movie was released in 1993. A classic example of one of those movies who go into history only because of the songs.

I enjoy music....but am not the types who keeps track of who directed the music of my favorite songs. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the songs of this particualr movie was directed by none other than Anu Mallik.

For the kind of songs Anu Mallik is coming up with in the past few years, and for all the "inspiration" he seems to draw from songs all over the world to give music to his own....maybe he does have some talent. Wish he would use his talent more and not just stick with "make what sells" kind of music.

Rajni Can :))

Last Friday...I saw "Sivaji" finally.

I had been planning to see this movie since it was released, out of sheer curiosity, after hearing and reading about the mania around its release.

Three of us went for the movie...one knew Tamil very well, one knew Tamil partly and me...I do not know Tamil at all :)

Fortunately, the story was easy enough to understand and follow, though of course I could not follow the dialogues. There were times I felt that the movie has been made to suit Rajnikant and not the other way round, which probably could be true.

On the whole I found the movie okay......the story that is. I loved the songs..... especially "Sahana...."(downloaded the songs the very next day). I liked the sets and the picturisation of the songs (Shreya looks very pretty).

I did not find Rajnikant very good till he reappears after his death with shaved head and beard (new style....never saw that before). I loved him after that. I think he was much more comfortable with that part of his role than the earlier one. I could finally relate to the mass hysteria surrounding him and his movies.

I have heard he has acted in some really good movies where his true acting talents have been tapped. Hopefully, would get to see some of these movies in future as well !!!

Pottermania

I have strongly come to believe that there will never be dearth of surprises in this world. The mania around "Harry Potter and The Deathly Gallows" is unbelievable.

Potter fans, both young and old, queued up outside book stores since midnight to lay hands on the book

Apparently, the sale of the book has broken all previous records in India.

Frankly I only heard of people queuing up like this for either train reservations or for US visa interviews. This definitely beats everything hands down.

Just wondering.....will I ever line up outside a book store at midnight to buy a book?????

Wah Taj !!!

The entire nation recently celebrated the inclusion of Taj Mahal in the list of new 7 wonders of the world, in a ceremony in Lisbon on the just the right date 07/07/07.

I recently visited Taj Mahal in Feb, as part of a short tour of North India, which I have been promising to write about in my blog for quite some time :).

This was my first visit to the world famous monument.

Yes, I loved the place.

What struck me was the sense of peace which I felt there. It was kind of unexpected, but the serenity of the place was overwhelming, inspite of the milling crowd. Maybe it was because of the white marble. I just did not feel like walking out the place.

Surprisingly, the entrance to this world famous place is very unassuming. You need to pass a series of extremely narrow roads before you reach the gate where the entry tickets are sold. I think I entered through the east gate. Inspite of the fact that these narrow roads were outlined with shops selling souvenirs for tourists, I was still not sure if I had come to the right place. I was unsure even when I entered the gardens shielding Taj by high walls. Then suddenly I entered a huge arched gateway and there it was. I felt a shiver of excitement run through me, for setting my eyes on the Taj Mahal for the first time in my life, and also at the realisation that I had not lost my way :))

Just after passing the arched gateway, lies the "famous bench" where everyone who visits Taj gets their photo clicked with the Taj in the background.

The inner sanctum of the Taj has a foul smell to it. I was surprised because there is ample air flow inside because of the carved marble panels forming the walls. It is difficult to stay inside for a long time. More than that, it is very disappointing. Come on !!! The last thing you want to be greeted with, when you enter Taj Mahal is foul smell !!!! Its time something is done about it, especially with Taj being in the new list, and the new increased tourist activity.

It was evening time and the place was full of tourists. Photography was at the top of everyone's mind. People were trying to capture the monument in various creative ways, e.g, there were many lying prostrate in front of the small water body in the front garden, trying to capture the reflection on water. Others would pass by, first wondering what was going on, and later joining the activity :)

Anyway, I walked around and spent as much time as I could there till darkness set in. I would love to visit this place again and spend more time if possible.

I have been travelling.....

For the past 2 weeks...To Delhi, Agra, Rishikesh, Amritsar.....Saw quite a few places and would love to talk about them...

And as a result of which you will soon see some travelogues up here...

Hopefully, the two week break will help me put an end to my blogging break and put some life back on this page.

Will be back soon !!!