The expected has happened finally. Slumdog Millionaire has cast its spell on the Academy awards winning eight golden statuettes. Jai Ho!
Love is..
14 Feb came and as is wont over past few years created a furrow about its Indian context, moral police, definition of liberty, women’s rights etc…
A Dream Come True
They say a person’s age should be judged by how long he lives on in people’s memory rather than how many years he/she spend on earth. In that case, Dr Nitu Mandke continues to live today via thousands of people he had operated upon. An excellent cardiac surgeon, it was indeed a cruel turn of fate due to which he succumbed to a heart attack in 2003. It was his dream to build a cardiac hospital in Mumbai. His untimely death only delayed this effort. The hospital was inaugurated on 26 January 2009 in Mumbai, much bigger than originally planned and inclusive of other specialities as well.
Republic Day
This 26 January was marked by many of the highest peace time gallantry awards being awarded posthumously to Armed Forces or Police personnel. Their sole aim to defend the nation even at the cost of their lives.
Steamy Affairs
Jangli Maharaj Road is easily the street food leader in Pune. They say that if one eats dinner out each day on this road then one can easily spend a year and not repeat a food outlet. While this may be an exaggeration, family restaurants stand cheek by jowl with roadside thelas, fast food outlets and more.
Divine music
Pt Rajshekhar Mansoor of the Jaipur gharana presented a wonderful recital in Pune recently. Despite not understanding fine nuances of classic Hindustani fare, I was totally mesmerised by Panditji’s rendition of uncommon ragas. Compositions in Bhimpalas, Barari, Gouri and Basanti Kedar had us enthralled. A report cited Panditji as saying, ” the only thing a musician can do is to humbly and with dedication request the ragas to come to him. The ragas then decide whether they will come to the musician or not… No one can master them, we are learners and will remain so forever.”
For couch potatoes and others
All of us do devote some time each day in front of the TV be it for the ‘K’ serials or news or other entertainment/knowledge programs.
2008: Rewind
I see that papers and TV channels are flooded with everything that 2008 had to offer and what it did not. The highs and lows as it were. The faces that made or broke the year.
Wish List for 2009!
May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S. /IT DEPT
May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.
May New Year’s Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.
May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.
May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance – and include generous amounts for charity.
May you remember to say “I love you” at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor.
And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God’s love in every sunset, every flower’s unfolding petals, every baby’s smile, every lover’s kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.
Happy New Year!
I would like to attribute this mail that was forwarded to me to the original author. Do let us know if you have this information.
Sawai Gandharva Music Festival 2008
The annual musical feast for Hindustani classical music lovers begins today as is usual at the New English School, Raman Baug, Shanivar Peth. To be held over four days the 2008 festival is particularly significant as Pt Bhimsen Joshi the founder of this festival has been selected for the Bharat Ratna.