Chandrayaan

The aptly named project by ISRO has completed yesterday. The sattelite has reached its final orbit and soon a probe will land on moon. The most important thing on the probe ( for me atleast ) is the tricolor.

Just yesterday I was showing the moon to my son. I remember the mesmerising effect it had on me during my childhood , especially those clear blue skies on full moon night. That spectacular sight has never left me since. Even today I look up the sky and try to spot the moon and feel rejuvenated by its serene light. Somehow it takes me back to my hometown and my home garden.

To build a indigenous sattelite and launch it using indigenously built launch vehicle is a great achievement. Kudos to everybody involved in the conception and development of the project. Personally I would like to convey my gratitude to Abdul Kalam. He has been a symbol of all the great virtues of India.

Jai Hind

Yuvvraaj - Music Review

Hope I got the name right.. all this numerolgy thing is driving Bollywood directors crazy I think. How else do you explain the spelling of new Subhash Ghai movie "Yuvvraaj" !!!

Anyways, getting to the point.. Music for the movie is given by my favourite A R Rahman.

I have always been wondering how on earth music directors keep coming up with tunes and compositions, none better than maestro Rahman himself. This is his 4th album of the year and he keeps bettering himself and re-inventing himself all the time.

As I write, I am listening to the songs and as is the usual case some of the songs registered immediately and some are growing on me gradually. My favourite at this moment is "Zindagi". Melodious track with a melliflous voice of Srinivas. Lyrics is topnotch ,cant expect anything else from Gulzaar though.

Next on my list is "Dil Ka Rishta". A difficult structure to the composition , that makes it hard to take instant liking to this song. But repeated listening makes you come back to it again and again. Will have to wait and watch the picturisation of the song.

Another surprise is "Manmohini Morey". A semi classical song with strong vocals from Vijay Prakash. Since the time I watche a youtube clip of him singing in sa re ga ma , I have always been on the lookout for songs by him. So moment I saw his name against this song , couldnt resist listening to it straight away. He does not dissappoint.

To hear Alka Yagnik was a pleasant surprise. I have not been a big fan of hers, but do like some songs of her. She has done a good job , but I think her days in the industry are numbered.

All in all, worth a hear .. rather repeated hear.

Long live Maestro , Long live Music.

Jamboo Savari

Old habits die hard. And in this case it should also :). I was desperate to see the famed howdah that goes around my favourite city Mysore on Vijayadashami day and trust Doordarshan to help me out and they did :).

I could not believe my eyes when I got to know DD Chandana is broadcasting the Dasara procession live via a webcast (http://www.mysoredasara2008.com/webcast.html)

I become very nostalgic during festive season as it makes me miss home. Dasara is one of the festivals. I remember the pustaka (books) pooje that is performed at home for eveyday during the navraatri period. This is symbolic of worshipping wisdom and goddess saraswathi. The entire town seems to be decked up for the festive season, temples are bustling with people offering various pooja's and archane's for the well being of family and friends.

Jamboo savari is the clumination of the famed naada habba ( state festival of Karnataka ). I loved watching the magnificent golden howdah being carried by the majestic decorated elephant and also wonder how the whole thing would have been at the peak of Mysore Maharaja's reign. So to see the procession live , just the way I used to do it in my childhood, sitting in from of my work PC was very surreal. Thank you very much for everybody involved in making this webcast happen.

Jai Chamundeshwari, Jai Karnataka

A Wednesday - A review

Its not a coincidence that I have chosen today to review a movie that I watched recently.
Name of the movie is "A Wednesday". Theme is fight against terrorism. But more importantly the means adopted to counter terrorism would have saddened Mahatma Gandhi. May be not , looking at spate of recent bombings across India, Gandhi might have been a bit sympathetic towards the means portrayed. Hypothetical , but very relevant discussion I guess.

Coming to the movie , the plot is unique, well executed and very relevant. I was both shocked and satisfied by the climax. Its totally unexpected. I am not going to reveal the climax and spoil the fun.

Anupam Kher as the police commissioner of Mumbai , is the ideal police commissioner that every city would want to have. He is quick to respond, level headed, knows what he wants to do and is in total control. How I wish we had such courageous , intelligent and passionate cops around us.
Naseeruddin shah fits the role perfectly. Watch him in the climax when you realise what he is upto and his exchanges with Anupam kher. Hats off Naseer.

All in all a brilliant movie and thought provoking storyline.

Please do yourselves a favour and watch "A Wednesday".

Rafi Resurructed

I have been a listening to Rafi's melodious voice since I don't know when. I definitely remember falling in love with his mellifluous voice from day one.
I have loved his romantic numbers , sad songs and I love them to this date. The emotion that he managed to bring in to those liltful lyrics was out of the world. To name a few of my favourites

Ahesaan tera ho - Junglee
Choudvin ka Chaand Ho -
Pukaarta chala hoon mein -
Dil ke Jharoke mein - Brahmachaari
Woh jab yaad aaye -
Ae watan Ae watan - Shaheed
Jahan dal dal par sone ki - Sikander-e-azam

I am controlling myself not to type in 100 more songs in that list, but I think I make my point very clear. His patriotic songs are one of the best and every time I listen to them my eyes go moist.

So when I heard about a "never to be attempted again" album called "Rafi resurrected" , I jumped with joy. This is a unique experiment , first of its kind that I am sure will be a trend setter.
Sonu Nigam, worthy enough to carry forward Rafi's mantle, teams up with Birmingham’s world-renowned orchestra, to perform 18 legendary hits. The songs selected are good and orchestra quality is great. Sonu's voice brilliantly brings out the emotion of the original. Only thing missing is the percussion ( tabla's and dholak's ) from the original , but hats off to whoever conceived this idea.

Thank You.

flugafens, bahnofs and die posts

That will be the Swiss version of the title for the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles :)

Yes Flugafen is swiss for Airport, Bahnof is swiss for Railway station and Die Post is the bus stop. These were the first things to strike me when I entered Switzerland. Immigration control at the airport was the shortest I have ever experienced. Railway network is superb to say the least. Punctual and well connected , though a bit expensive.

Five days were not sufficient is what I felt after the tour ended. We visited the typical tourist attractions and each of them exceeded our expectations. The landscape , natural beauty is bountiful. The number of pictures I have clicked of the same place is a proof of the beauty of the place. No matter how much I convinced myself that I have taken sufficient pictures of a place , I couldnt stop myself from jumping out of the seat and taking a couple more.

Other thing I liked about the place was the eagerness of the residents to help out in case you are lost and searching for information. You just have to look confused , to get people helping you out. No need to ask even. They want to make sure one enjoys the stay as much as possible.

I would recommend a visit to swiss as a must in one's lifetime.

One more dream coming true

Yes, I am going to Switzerland tommorrow. Can't believe it still.
Hopefully will have a couple of blog worth of material on my return.

Signing off with my answers to Questionnaire. I got this as a Tag from a (new) friend of mine. I get to tag 3 more people at the end of this. I am going to tag only one though :)

Where is your cell phone? In my pocket!
Your hair? Growing Thin
Your favorite thing? Movies/Music
One thing you hate Boredom
Your dream last night? Tomorrows Swiss trip
Your favorite drink? Filter Coffee
What you’re not? Focused
Where you grew up? India
The last thing you did? Corrected spelling of my blog
What are you wearing? Business Casual
Your mood? Excited
Missing someone? Home
Something you’re not wearing? Cant think of anything
Favorite store? I give up ( after a long search )
Like someone? Hmmmmm
Your favorite color? Dont have one !
One word you overuse - Yeah
Wrap gifts? or Gift Bags? - Wrap

I tag : Krupa