Street musings 1

Gusts of wind bring dust

and I rust;

but tell you my story I must....

I am a van who has no more fans

I ran and ran 

but there's only so much one can...

I am lying here since Jan and now I have so much tan!! :p

#objectshavefeelingstoo #rhymebcosyoucan #streetphotography #streetart #punediaries

- Sneha Karle

Optimistic gyaan from an eternal pessimist.....

Life always finds a way...

Life has been a little rough for the last one year. Won't bore all with the details but I am kind of broken in all aspects of the word. There are hundreds of motivational books, spiritual gurus, therapists, pills, alternative therapies and the most annoying - 'free ka advice' which people never tire of giving. I have heard this particular one innumerable times- 'Once you hit rock bottom there is only one place to go and that is up'. From people on my side; read 'mental illness fighters' let me tell the rest of you all that these optimistic words are total bullshit to us. So if you really want to help just listen don't spout these empty words. 

Nonetheless, if I go on to speak about how to deal with us- 'the special cases' it won't be sufficient to just write a blog. The point here is, the four word caption above are also empty words when just said but they came to me when my flat foot hit this broken paver block and I almost fell. With my nose almost pressed to the soil and my big ass spectacles dangling dangerously on my oily nose I suddenly fell awake and I literally uttered these words- ' Life always finds a way'. 

Liar, liar pants on fire.....it is obvious that when you hit something and are about to fall you just utter all the awesome gallis you know and don't even dur dur tak think of such philosophies! 

But ya the poor old navra prevented my fall and I did think of clicking this pretty pic. Later when I was looking at it I felt calm and peaceful which let me tell you is a big ass achievement for a person fighting the two headed demon of anxiety and depression. Those little green leaves braving their way out of that small little square of concrete just said so much more than all those books, gurus, therapists, and free advice spouting idiots. Over this year I have found solace in nature and just observing soil, leaves, flowers, clouds, the sea, trees, wind patterns, even the swirls of dust rising from the farm in front of my home (ya be jealous). Every element of nature teaches me something, calms me down, makes me and my troubles feel small in comparison to the entire creation. It also makes me feel really important because I am a part of the same creation. 

Ok , so before I become a part of the ever growing advice spouting clan I will stop from further gyaan. There was no point in writing this piece. But I just wanted to share something which has helped me and continues to do so. If someone out there is facing a similar situation, they may try taking solace in nature like I did. It may or may not help you but there is no loss in been aware of the power of creation. 

Till next time then....

Sneha Karle

Muramba movie review

We were lucky enough to be invited to the premier of Muramba yesterday night. I had decided long back to hit the theatre for this one right since their promotional activity started months ago.

First things first, the promotions and especially the digital marketing efforts of this team were one of the best in recent times in both hindi and marathi movies. (marathi cinema has overall left bollywood much behind in the race in all aspects of creative expression) The film and the team had made an amazing connect with the audience much before its release. It was like we know the Deshmukh family, their quirks and way of life. 

Getting over the marketing and moving on, the movie itself was true to its name sweet and sour- a delicious muramba! The acting from the entire cast even the smaller roles such as the hero's buddy was top notch. But in my opinion more than the younger lot it were the seniors who shined. Sachin Khedekar sir has always made us move as an actor and here too he is the real star of the movie; his punches, his timing, his expressions, he is the meddling yet cool dad everyone would crave for! (He was oh-so-humble and sweet as a person too). Aptly supported by Chinmayee Raghavan ma'am; every expression of her's reminds us of our own moms. She has fewer dialogs than her reel husband but her eyes speak abundantly. (Her real life persona was equally magnetic).

Ameya wagh has showcased his prowess in Dil, Dosti, Duniyadari and the amazing drama 'Amar Photo Studio'. Here too he does complete justice to his role; so much so that you love and hate and sympathize with his Alok all at the same time. Mithila Parkar is talented no doubt and their is a certain freshness about her but here in the medley of talented actors, she didn't stand out. She did justice to her role but didn't create a lasting expression. Maybe her character needed to be sketched out more.

Equal or more credit than the actors goes to the script and the fantabulously witty dialogs. The humor is real life and smart. An example which stands out is Khedekar sir's reply " bal radat hota" to the query "kay zala". Using an old and famous ad's line in a scene high on emotions was brilliant. The entire writing team deserves the most credit for this movie. 

Debuntant director Varun Narvekar gives glimpses of Basu Chatterjee, Sai Paranjpe and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It is an unjust on my part to compare him with these legends but Narvekar has like them given us a slice of life movie aptly justifying its tagline - 'tumchya gharatli amchi goshta'. The film has the right balance of humor, drama, emotions, wittiness, family ties and  modern attitudes. It portrays generation gap in an honest yet light way. The only negative I thought was the winding up in the last half hour of the film. Maybe it was done to keep the movie crisp considering the current trend. But without revealing much of the story, I feel more time needed to be given to understand Alok's issues as to why they arose, how was he going to deal with them because those are the same issues which a considerable lot of today's youth faces. Being the main crux of the story as it affects his relationship, I feel it should have been more developed. 

All in all, 'muramba changlach murlay'! Just like the raw mango dish does to our palates, the movie leaves a sweetness behind in our minds. It is a wholesome entertainer which makes one laugh aloud, smile, and get teary eyed as well without ever getting preachy. Grab your tickets soon! 

April fool casualties

She dared to confess her feelings after 8 long years.
He laughed hard "I know it is 1st April today"

He gathered the courage to embrace his true identity. "I like guys" he told his parents.
They doubled over laughing pointing at the calendar....

Frustrated by maintaining a happy image, she gave in to her daily fight with depression. The good bye message to her loved ones was only met with laughing out loud smileys....

"I don't want to become a doctor" he said, embracing the poet within; only to be met by fits of laughter from his fellow residents..

"We don't want to have a baby" the couple declared to their parents. The words were swept under the rug as an April fools joke...the baby nagging continued..

Safalta ki vyakhya

safed ghodon ki daud mein doudti thi ek kali ghodi (2)

daud chodkar thami ek pal sochti kyun hun mein daudi??!??

issi ghodi ki yeh kavita safalta ki vyakhya

Safal kaun hai?
Bachpan mein jo first rank laye
Jo har race mein badi trophy paye
Jo khel kud mein ho awwal
Ya jisme ho pratibha kalatmak

Akhir safal kaun hai?

Jo college mein rangaye doston ki mehfil
Jiska pehlahi pyar kare usse bhi pyaar!
Ya jo ter kare apne jeevan ka lakshya bemisal

Kaun hai safal?

Jo ikkis ki umar mein pitaji ke haath mein thame pehli tankha (2)

Jiska ho bank balance dhangka
Jiska ho khudka ghar khudki gadi
Ya jiska seena tankar le sake parivar wale nam mehfil mein bhari
Safal kaun hai?

Jo kare ma baap ki pasand se shadi
Jo paida kare bacchein 'sahi' umra mein aur phir arpit kare apna jeevan unke palan poshan mein
Jo pale samaj ka har kaha ankaha mandand
Jo  career ghar aur bacchon ke bich apni khushiyon ka kare balidaan?? kya safal hai woh nadan?

Kya safalta ko zaruri hai kisi dibbe mein bithana? poori jawani kya zarurinhai uspar lutana?

Kon sala kiya asaflta ko badnaam (2)
Jhitana hee kyun hai zaruri har baar?

Kyun na ho har kisi ki kahani alag?  bachpan mein sikhate apni pehchan banao aur phir pehchan ki hee kehke lete hai!!

Kyun kare hum apni khushiyon ki tulna samaj ke safalta ki vyakhya se?
Bahot hui yeh pratiyogita ki seedhiyan,
Kyun na hum banaye safalta ki ek apni hee vyakhya

Nahi banna bhai safed ghodi hum kaale hee best hai ....
daud kar kya hai pana hum tehalne mein hee mass

The Lullaby

<<Scene- Living room of an upscale Mumbai complex>>

(Sunanda is sitting with her knitting needles, a half woven baby sweater in her hands, and a soft mumbling of a lullaby on her lips. Intermittently she moves her hands over her tummy.)

<<Sound of the door bell>>

(The buzz of the door bell brings her back to the present. Keeping aside her needles she opens the door and stares blankly at the stranger who is standing there. It is her husband Girish but for Sunanda the word ‘husband’ holds no meaning after what she has endured the previous week. Girish stands there with bouquet of roses and carnations in his hands.)

Girish – Suni, how are you feeling today? I got you flowers, your favorite ones.

Sunanda (with a blank stare and coldness in her voice) - You have already taken my favorite one away from me.

Girish- Please don’t say that darling, you know how much I care for you. We are still young and healthy, we can……..

(He is left hanging midsentence as Sunanda stares at him with an anger unmatched to what he has ever seen. He tries to hug her by drawing her close.)

Sunanda (in a loud shrill) - You have lost that right forever.

(She goes back to the couch and continues to knit whilst singing the lullaby)

Girish- You take rest dear, you just need to cool down. I will go freshen up.

(After Girish freshens up, Sunanda serves him a plate of hot poha)

Sunanda- You must be hungry, I made your favorite dish.

Girish- Thank you darling. You know, it has affected me as much as you.

Sunanda- (in a cold empty voice) No it hasn’t but it will soon.

(Girish after looking quizzically at Sunanda, starts eating but when he is almost about to finish his plate he suddenly starts frothing at his mouth and blood oozes out in a steady stream from the corner of his open mouth.)

Girish- Suni…Help!

(As he falls off his chair, Sunanda continues to sing and knit with her blank stare intact)

<< FLASHBACK>>

Sunanda- Giri darling guess what we would soon be having a new guest!!

Girish- Oh no, is your annoying sister coming here?

Sunanda- Don’t you say that about my sister, but I am so happy today I don’t wanna fight with you. We are going to be parents Giri, I am pregnant!

Girish (lifting her up) - That’s the best news ever Suni, I love you so much. I will play with our son all the time; we will make him a cricketer.

Sunanda- We don’t know if it would be a son Giri, and I really want a lil princess.

Girish (in an authoritative voice) - Don’t even think about it, our first born can’t be a girl. We need someone to carry forward the family name. You have to give birth to a healthy boy.

<< Present scene again, with Sunanda thinking to herself as Girish counts his last breaths>>

Sunanda (Like a film reel the last few weeks of her life go past her eyes.)

(Sunanda’s thoughts echoing in her cold blank voice as she sits there humming the lullaby)-

I should have escaped then and there; I should have known what would happen next. I should have fought the forced sonography and illegal sex determination. I should never have trusted that scumbag when he said it is just a routine check-up. I can never forget his mirthful stare which cut to my very bones, when the doctor announced it was a girl. ‘Was’ I have to think of her as ‘was’, because the monster killed her before she could even look at me, before she could know how much I loved her. That bastard so easily pronounced the death sentence for my unborn princess. I cried for his help then just like he is crying for help now. The cries of my unborn princess still echo in my ears, how could I ignore her cries?!? I had to bring justice to her. I did what I had to do; the poison was what he deserved.

Rest my sweet lil princess, mommy has done away with your murderer, sleep in peace now.

 (As the thoughts continue to zoom past her mind she continues to knit with the lullaby on her lips.)

Every Woman Is A Hero...

With the International Women's Day upon us, here's some gyaan from karlegyaan

    75% of the word ‘hero’ is ‘her’!!!

       Need I say more?!?              

But as you know I love saying more....

Here's What the Animal Kingdom Teaches Us!!

  Ever wondered why a honeycomb functions so efficiently?!?

              It’s helmed by a ‘Queen-Bee’!!!

              Every woman is a Queen. Every woman is a Hero.

              Step It Up For Gender Equality

              #pledgeforparity #endgenderbias #womenheroes

                 Ever wondered why an elephant herd is so organized?!?

              Female elephants rule the pack!

              Every woman is a Ruler. Every woman is a Hero.

              Step It Up For Gender Equality

              #pledgeforparity #endgenderbias #womenheroes

                  Ever wondered why the lion cubs look so well-fed?!?

             The lionesses do all the hunting!

              Every woman is a Lioness. Every woman is a hero.

              Step It Up For Gender Equality

              #pledgeforparity #womenheroes #endgenderbias

                 Ever wondered why the word ‘Gender’ has an ‘end’ in it?!?

               End Gender Inequality!

              #pledgeforparity #endgenderbias #womenheroes

                  Ever wondered why the Earth, Nature, Country, Language referred to as ‘Mother’?!?

              Woman, Nurturer, Protector

              Every woman is a hero. Step It Up For Gender Equality

              #pledgeforparity #womenheroes

       Here are some stupid biases!!

                     BIAS 1- ‘Women can’t drive. ‘

               Women lovingly drive families.

               Women caringly drive their children’s growth.

               Women productively drive organizations.

              Women efficiently drive countries.

              Wipe out the stereotypes 

              #zipitup #endgenderbias #pledgeforparity

                    BIAS 2- ‘Women are not strong.’

              Nothing strong about delivering 7 pound babies!

              Nothing strong about balancing homes and careers..

              Nothing strong about fighting wars, helming governments

              Nothing strong about winning Olympics, flying rockets

              Wipe out the stereotypes

              #zipitup #endgenderbias #pledgeforparity

                 BIAS 3- ‘Women are emotional.’

              Women are strong parental figures

              Women are communicative about their feelings

              Women don’t hide real emotions

              Women are flexibly practical and emotional

              Wipe out the stereotypes

             #zipitup #endgenderbias #pledgeforparity

                 ‘WO’ stands for ‘Strength’, ‘Nurturer’, ‘Protector’,

              That’s how the word ‘WO’MAN originated.  

              Every woman is a hero. Step It Up For Gender Equality

              #pledgeforparity #womenheroes

                    There’s Nothing Wrong With Your Brawny Boy Playing With His Dollie Or Your           

                  Princess Wanting To Fly Around Like Superman!

            This Women’s Day, Let’s Vow To Break Gender Stereotypes….

             #pledgeforparity #endgenderbias

       HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY...