Come the season of yellow and red, Cometh brightness and sunshine ahead!

This pic is taken by diyosa . check - http://www.flickr.com/photos/diyosa/151926774/in/set-72157594553959632/

Its the time when i wake up to the early tender rays knocking my eyelids,
when i walk out and see the huge smile of sun god.
Not because i belong to the land where this is the only season, or because i am sick of the pricking chillness and cold clothes there are more reasons that i say 'I love summers!' :)
Early morning wake up is no more a pain, i made friends with the sun and so i wait!
The splendid colours around me, its time when the bright salwars and pretty looks are at its best while the sweaters and jackets take rest.
The big huge trees shed their leaves shed, are ready for the new green shoots.
The flowers are yellow all over the roads the fruits are red cause 'melons' rule.
Food, Work, people, Skin, Bright and Beautiful!!!
The dawn of the mornings, the warmth of the afternoons and the yellow twitlight all make me believe that i am alive and kicking :)
I love the Sun!!

Trivial but significant realizations - 2

I am a volunteer. I believe in making a contribution that focuses on making a small change at least in one person's life. I go to a government school on Saturdays to teach the kids there. These are kids who already come to school and we go there to enhance their level of education and also to provide them better exposure to things in whatever way we could. Well, through the years that I have been going there I realized change is something that is extremely tough to bring about. The kind of change I am talking here is change in attitude, change in the way they approach things, change in their opinion towards education, school and teachers, change in the way they lead life and change in their expectation of future. It looks a little bleak at this time and I only hope that all this takes us somewhere. I am a droplet in the ocean of people who are rising towards making this change. Even a step ahead from here is victory.

Everyday when I walk to and from office, I have to go past a series of huts. I normally just wiz pass that lane. I always had a feeling that people living in these kinds of houses aren’t normal and they might harm me if it’s a little dark. Yesterday, in my regular attempt to just speed up that lane I did not notice 3 small kids playing in front of their huts. Just when I was rushing the smallest one among them came and pulled my hand. He said “aunty” and gave me a huge smile. He looked beautiful. A naughty look in his eyes teeth all over his face and little hand pulling me; he was dirty and wore torn clothes and so were the two others with him. I gently bend down and asked his name for which he said something which sounded like “ajith” to me. I spent a couple of minutes there and left. It stuck me that we have work right from home. Whoever bothered if ajith went to school or not, I am sure his parents are poor and earn just enough to feed him or may be not even that? These children grow up doing nothing and then become either child laborers or continue to do what their dads did. Unless the parents get aware and send them to schools they would probably not go to one ever in their lives. Apart from catering to kids in govt schools, labor camps, ashrams, NGO’s we have to start looking at children in the streets and slums. They exist and have no idea where to go.

Is it about breaking taboos or about respecting life??

I could feel the chords inside me strike a tone when the thought crossed my mind. When the true meaning caught my attention; i completely disagreed. I wanted to scream out that this did not make sense, i was shocked by the natural acceptance of the fact by people around me.

We are given life by the power of creation. But it is definitely not a human act to create life. nothing can explain this, neither science nor biology.
So when did we get the rights for destruction? Let that be for mercy or otherwise.
I think mercy killing is not acceptable. We have no rights to take lives of individuals, even if they are suffering hell and can see death everyday.
I believe every incident in life has a reason and is governed by the deeds of that person in life. If he has to suffer as close to death then thats how his karma is. Who are we to control his death at a point of time.
There are just two things in life beyond human control which is creation and destruction. Any effort to change this does not make much sense. We can work around it, close to it, but never control it.

'Mercy Killing' is not a Taboo to be broken. Its an unethical practise that needs more attention and thought.

Trivial but significant Realizations

When i work hard on something, put all my efforts and positive energy towards it and i succeed, its good. If i dont, its even better. I realize there is more to learn from failures than success and failure doesnt mean incapability , its jus that i have a much better purpose to serve elsewhere.

Go Kannada!

Priya: Autoooo
Auto man: Yeli hogathu??
Priya: Lavel Road.
Priya (again) : Route Gotha?
Auto man : nods his head..

(Two minutes Later)

Auto Man : Meter Light barela madam...
Priya : Yen boss ? yeshtu agathe?
(Auto Man Speaks a lot in a little complicated kannda for priya to comprehend.)
Priya : 50 Rupees (Still dosent give up; dosent reveal her weakness yet! :P)
Priya : Aasshtee Boss.
(Auto Man Speak a lot again, which was comprehendable by difficult for her to reply.
Priya Decides to remain mum than to say anything. )

(10 minutes Later, Again capitalizes on her throughly cofident words known in the language)

Priya : Yeen boss? Yeshtu aaghithe?
Auto Man : 75 kodee
Priya : Illa Illa 70 Ashteee...
Priya : Change illa Boss , Nodi (Shows the 2 hundred rupee notes in her wallet )
(Auto Man By now deciphers her fake kannda skills and gives a wide smile. )
Auto Man : Parvagilla maa.. Boneey (And puts the 70 rupees on both his eyes )
Priya smiles back and gets going all happy and feeling a little more kannadiga!

An artist who paints for a different world!

This man has based the theme of his paintings on something so different yet means a lot in everyones life.

Read on at the Diversecity sectionof Sattva:
http://www.itihas.org.in/SattvaNovember2007.pdf

A for Action!

Pounding hearts, Butterflies in stomach, clasped hands, counting beats....Three, two, one and rolling went Vasanth's keyboard to get the audience's first attention in synchronous with the introductions. 'Welcome to Chautanki'!

It was our first time on stage , the first play to go and ON went the 'Pair of glasses team'. Minutes after the play began the butterflies vanished and performances came up. The actors complemented each other as though they have been doing the play all their life, as if the journalist and the military man's families in Gujarat were really neighbours ; singing and dancing. Shaunak's entry added the much needed seriousness to the romance and the slight humour which caught on and kept people busy laughing! The puppets coordinated each other perfectly, confused a little yet acting to the moment, working as a team and making that ending as good as it can get, garnished by Vipul's Shayari verses getting our grey cells working. They had a blast on stage and came back to the green room relieved and tired.


The next was really a task. I always wondered why Ranji wanted us amatures to do something as serious as Improvisation. This was no joke. The audience were asked to narrate a story from their experience and the actors enacted it on the spot. Spontaneity and creativity had to be in tune to keep it going. When i watched the first improv team perform i knew why. In the end it was more about living that moment, letting go and jus plain acting. You only improve when you perform! The story was funny and so were the actors. The rest of the team sat giggling uncontrollably which soon got retorted by a serious 'ssssshhh' from the musician who was right next to us.



It was fun, to watch others. I had this creepy feeling growing everytime i got reminded of my turn- for improv. I was nervous and had no idea how it was gonna be. It turned out to be a simple story, rather so simple that i felt there was no story (:P) ; well, we had to perform. I had no idea what i was saying or doing, so were the others beside me. But, i had fun! Guess thats how an Improv is supposed to be. The best part was when a sweet lady came upto me after the show and said 'Hey! your "Maa ko yaad kar was super". Pause. There was a bubble which grew above my head saying "Eeeeh! did i say that?". ofcourse i was sweet enough thank the lady but.

Time for some more drama. The last play in line was 'The unknown', a regular fiction with a mysterious ending. Infact there was no ending and was left the imagination of the audience. This was designed to be a scary one and who else could be a better choice to scare ppl. Yes.... you all got it wrong, it was the tiny little poor me (grinnnn). In plain words, i had ball on stage. One reassuring thing for me before i got on was it was all dark (:P). No one could see me in light except for a small candle in front meant to make me look scary! But that was just on the first day. Sunday was all let loose, i couldnt wait to get there! I tired to get a lil creative thou for which i had the consequences to follow (:D). seriously, grt fun!







The entire show was a culmination of a lot of things. For me it was the curiousity that kept me on. I was extremely inqusitive to know what happened to me on stage, end of all those weeks of interaction. And the good news is the results were astounding. It was just too much fun pilled in a single day for all of us. It really was tiring but one of those times when you enjoy being tired. When all that pain is worth it (sob, sob ) (:P).


Like all good things come to sweet endings, the weekend cheer ended with a well deserved lunch at 'Legacy of Punjab'. This was well deserved cuz of two reasons. one, it was three in the afternoon and people hardly spoke to each other when they saw food. two, we paid a price for it (;D).







PS:

Few things that just could not go unnoticed at chautanki:





Annie's perky simle all over the place.

Manisha's cute and feminine ways at things. The best 'ma' around!

Vineet's adorable daddajish 'dum dum dum' - hilarious!!

Anish - The most lethargic military man! :P

Vipul's theartrical traits and artistic looks.

Abhijit's concern and unmistakable sense.

Ambika's easiest approaches to most complex situations.

Gaurav's awesome voice.

Bhargav's commitment and witty attitude.

Hari's compelmenting hairstyles :)

Sound and strength alias khadir.

Kishore's heartening and memorable speeches

Laynum's voice and prominence in all photographs [;)]

Madhu's hero ishtyle.

Goshia's grace that kept most men busy :P

Mayank- sense and sensibility

The magnitude of things that Nandhini has to say. Everytime! :)

Prashant's funny bewilderment at normal things.

Ranji's serious yet not so serious looks.

Rovan- The journalist babu, who sings for neighbours wifes!

Saurab's immense knowledge about cosmetics!! (:P)

Shaunak's flow of complicated hindi

Vasanth's mellifulous tamil tunes ;)

Karthik's camera skills off stage!

and the tiny but tuny and not so tawny Priya!


If I had to describe the entire show of ' Chautanki' in two words I would say Ranji and Nandini. The directors playing their cards fabulously sailed the entire team through a fun filled Journey which could not be deciphered unless experienced. Kudos YT!!