The list of the books with me is here… I left some of them back with Mom in Ahmedabad. So, this list is quite incomplete

The ones that can not be seen clearly are:

• Do sakhiyan by Shivani
• Do behenein by Rabindra Nath Tagore
• Aagami ateet by Kamleshwar

हिंदी के उपन्यास पढने का हमेशा से मुझे बहुत शौक था. ये शौक मैंने विरासत में अपनी माँ से लिया है, जो कि स्वयं हिंदी के उपन्यास किताबी कीडों कि तरह चाट डालती थीं. परन्तु हिंदी के उपन्यास ढूंढ पाना बहुत कष्टदायक कार्य है… माँ ने कभी किताबें खरीदी ही नहीं थीं, वे लाइब्रेरी से किताबें ला ला के पढ़तीं और उन्हें लौटा देती थीं. इस कारणवश किताबों का कभी संग्रह न हो सका. जैसे तैसे मैंने मुंशी प्रेमचंद की “निर्मला” पढ़ी थी और आनंद से प्रफुल्लित हो उठी थी! परन्तु उसके बाद से कोई अवसर ही न मिल सका! लेकिन इश्वर के आगे कहीं कुछ रुक पाया है? कुछ ही दिनों पहले मुझे एक ऐसा ही सुनहरा अवसर मिल गया… ऐसा जिसकी मुझे हमेशा से तलाश थी… लैंडमार्क में हिंदी किताबों का ढेर लगा था जिसे मैं उठा लायी! अब एक एक कर के मैं वो सारी किताबें पढूंगी, जो पहले न पढ़ सकी थी.

इनमे से सब से ऊपर थी श्री धर्मवीर भारती की “गुनाहों का देवता“. इस उपन्यास के बारे में मैंने माँ से बहुत सुना था. वे हमेशा मुझे कहती थीं, कि कभी ये पुस्तक हाथ लगे तो पढना ज़रूर! आपकी जानकारी के लिए बता दूँ, ये उपन्यास हिंदी के सभी उपन्यासों में से १० सर्वश्रेष्ठ उपन्यासों में माना जाता है! इस उपन्यास पर एक फिल्म भी बनी थी, परन्तु वो रिलीज़ न हो सकी! उस फिम में रेखा और अमिताभ बच्चन प्रमुख भूमिका में थे! सो हाथ लग गयी और मैंने पढ़ डाली! सच बात तो ये है कि इस उपन्यास में एक अजब सा नशा है. आप जितना भी चाहें, एक बार उठाने के बाद इसे रख न सकेंगे. न तो ये कोई थ्रिलर है और ना ही कोई रोमांचक कथा. ये एक साधारण सी कहानी है – चंदर और सुधा की.. उनके प्यार, उनके बलिदान की… और तो और, यह महज एक काल्पनिक कथा नहीं, बल्कि इलाहबाद युनिवेर्सिटी के एक रिसर्च स्कॉलर की वास्तविक कहानी है!

एक तरफ चंदर, दूसरी ओर सुधा! उन दोनों के अद्वितीय रिश्ते को श्री भारती जी ने इस बखूबी से दर्शाया है, कि आपको मालूम पड़ेगा कि जैसे ये पात्र आपके चारों ओर मंडरा रहे हों! उन के मन कि उलझनें, अपने मन कि उलझनें लगने लगती हैं! उनके सुख, दुःख, उनकी कठिनायों को हम अपना बना बैठते हैं! और इस कहानी के अंत तक हम में एक छोटी सी झीनी सी आस रहती है कि काश! काश! ऐसा न होता!

खैर! इस कहानी के बारे में जितना भी कहा या लिखा जाये, कम हैं! अगर आप हिंदी भाषा के ज्ञाता हैं, तो ये उपन्यास ज़रूर पढें! आपको निराशा नहीं होगी!

English translation:

[I have always loved reading Hindi novels. This is something that I have inherited from my mother, who used to be a book worm when it came to Hindi novels! But it is extremely difficult to find such novels these days! In those days, mom used to just rent the books from the library and return them back. So, somehow there was never a collection of books! The last Hindi novel I read and loved was Munshi Premchand’s Nirmala. But, after that I never found the resources to be able to read more hindi books! It was only recently that I got such a golden opportunity! Landmark had this huge collection of Hindi books and I ended up buying many of those!

On the top most of this list was “Gunahon ka Devta” by Dharmvir Bharti. I had heard a lot about this novel from mom, who used to say that if I ever get a hold of this book, I shud definitely read it. So, I did! Just for your information, this novel rates as the top 10 best hindi novels ever written! There was a movie also made on this book, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, but it was never released! This book is like magic! No matter how much you try, you just can not leave it! It is not a thriller, nor an adventurous novel. It is a simple story – of Sudha and Chander! About their love, their sacrifice.. and it is not just a fiction, but the real life story of a research scholar of Allahabad University!

On one side is Chander, on the other side, Sudha! Mr Bharti has depicted these two characters so beautifully that you feel they are revolving around you! You cry with them, you laugh with them and you make all their problems, your own! By the time the book ends, you feel for the characters! and wish certain things would not have happened the way they did!

Anyways, whatever you write about this story is less! Please read it if you understand hindi well You wont be disappointed!!

This is all I have on my mind these days. I soooooooooooo want a Macbook Pro!!!

Droooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllllllll

• You hunt for toilet papers in Indian style bathrooms!
• You switch on the ignition of the gas stove, waiting for the stove to light up on its own! (I am glad, I did not cause an accident because of this)
• The sound of temple artis and vehicles honking start getting on your nerves! Why do people have to be so loud?
• It is a relief to talk to your domestic help in Hindi
• You are about to gulp down a glass of tap water and are stopped in the nick of time by your mother!
• When you are tooo happy to pay the taxi/rickshaw wallah more than they deserve because of the exchange rate!
• When you forget “tipping” at the local restaurants and invite glares from waiters!!
• When you start getting scared of stray “dogs”

Any others u can think of?

Raj Kumar Santoshi has striked once more!!

The movie is all about the president of Happy Club, called Prem, played by Ranbir Kapoor. He is a happy-go-lucky chap whose prime motive is to make people happy!! The movie is about the love story of Prem and Jenny, an orphaned girl played by Katrina Kaif. 

Strenghts

• The best part about the movie are its comedy scenes. After a long time, we have a movie that can boast of fresh and clean comedy!! It was missing from the Bollywood scene for a while! 
• Excellent performances by Ranbir Kapoor and the rest of the cast. Ranbir is a revelation, If he played the role of a sensitive, useless guy in Wake up Sid with ease, he cruises through this one with perfect elan! His comic timing is so good, he can match up to some veteran comedians with surprising ease!!
• Excellent music by Pritam. The songs are fresh and catch up with the audience. I remember people clapping in some songs  
• Brilliant choreography. I specially loved the rocking steps of Prem ki Naiyya by Ahmed Khan
• Crackling direction! Rajkumar Santoshi is a pro at comedy. He shud make more of these

Weakness

• Comedy scenes are interspersed by emotional scenes, which can get too much to handle after a while… Slowly you realise that you are laughing on the emotional scenes as well!!

The last time I laughed so much in a movie was during Andaz Apna Apna, Hera Pheri or Chupke Chupke. I laughed so so hard, my stomach ached by the time the movie got over!!

I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good laugh

Happy laughing

Depression is defined by google as “a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity“

These days it is so common to hear of people saying “I am feeling depressed”!

I was listening to the words of Sri Sri Ravishankar once. In him, I find, an inspiring leader and a treasure of wisdom. Something he said, made a lot of sense to me. He said

Have you ever known a poor man being depressed? Depression is a luxury that only those people enjoy who have everything in life. Someone who doesnt know where his next meal is coming from, doesnt really have the “time” nor the “energy” to be depressed. He is too busy arranging for his square meals!!

History repeated itself. After a crackling performance, Sachin had set the foundations for a momentous victory for India… But… as soon as he got out, the rest of the cricketers fell like a pack of cards and we lost by a very thin margin. The worst part was the run out of Praveen Kumar when we had 5 runs to make out of 2 balls!!

Nonetheless, it was really sad to lose! Noobie went to bed with a very heavy heart and a disgust “Why cudnt have Sachin stayed a little longer”!!! Despite my dislike, I felt bad at the loss too!

She is 24. Got married when she was 18. She proudly claims today “Meri to love marriage thi… 18 me hi shadi kar li thi maine“. She works as a beautician today. Earns about Rs. 5000-6000/month. Around Diwali, her earnings sometimes go up to Rs. 10000/month! When probed on her educational qualifications, she shyly admits just having passed 10th std! Her husband is a real estate broker. Doesnt look very well educated either.

She has been married for 6 years now and is as bubbly and as ever! She has a loving husband who takes awesome care of her. Not just her, but her blind father as well.

Lone child of her parents. She frequently goes to her parental house and stays with them. Both her husband and his parents, do not mind this. In fact, her husband takes care of them as well!!

Ab shaadi ho gayi, to iska matlab ye thodi apne parents ko bhul jao! Main to apne papa ka bahut dhyan rakhti hun. Jitni income hai meri, usi me se unke liye jitna ho sakta hai utna karti hun! (Roughly translated: Now that I am married, it doesnt mean that I will not visit my parents, or forget them! I take care of my dad very well and in whatever pay I get, I try doing things for them)

She also told me that she has had 2 miscarriages and is taking medical attention to help conceive a child. But, if God doesnt want her to have a child of her own, she said she need not worry

Main ek anath ashram me se ek bachchi ko utha laungi na… Uska bhi bhala ho jayega and mujhe bhi ek bachcha mil jayega (Roughly translated: I will adopt a girl child from an orphanage. Both she and I will be benefited)

The moment these words got out of her mouth, I sat gaping at her. I could not believe what I was hearing. I wanted to confirm.

Me: Beta ya Beti? (Son or daughter?)
She: Beti baba. Ladkon ko to sabhi pyar karte hain. Main ek ladki god lungi! (A girl. Every one loves guys. I will adopt a girl)

I looked at her again. Here was a girl, barely in her mid-twenties, not that well educated, not that well-to-do and yet, such profound thinking!! I was overwhelmed and convinced… this kind of thinking or attitude or even mindset had nothing to do with our class, caste, education or even wealth! It is imbibed and sometimes even acquired.

Most of it, if you see carefully, is just common sense, anyways!

And just when she was about to leave, she looked at me and said

Agali baar aao to mere liye Rs 500 ke chocolates laana Singapore se… I love chocolates! Main khud pay karungi (Bring me chocolates worth 500 rs when u come the next time around. I will pay for it myself)

Such generosity! Although, this doesnt really count as generosity, since this was spending on ones own self. But, even then.. I was impressed by her carefree attitude and willingness to spend on things she liked

Another important lesson: You do not need money in your pocket to be able to spend. You need to have the heart

Seeing her wave me goodbye, I asked myself… if this is not success, what is?

Many book reviews of this latest product from the Chetan Bhagat factory suggested a good read… many strongly recommended the book as well… So, it was not surprising that I picked it up on my recent trip to Landmark.

Story

Book is the story of a Punjabi boy from Delhi and a Tamilian girl from Chennai. How they fall in love and how they convince their parents for marriage. The start is good. The author takes us into a trip to the dorm rooms of IIMA. How the budding friendships gallops into love, sex and then the time when the guy has to take a stand and commit to the girl. Now is the time for the parents to meet. Their parents meet and yes sparks fly. They cant stand each other. And thats when the journey starts.

They manage to convince their parents, get married and live happily ever after.

My 2 cents on the book

• Start is good and captivating.
• The protagonist of the book is supposed to be Hari from Chetan Bhagat’s first book, 5 point someone. He is battling a screwed up family and a haunting past.
• The attempts of the guy to patao the girl’s family reminds one of DDLJ, only a really bad attempt at that.
• The struggle of the couple to convince their parents seemed sinfully lopsided in the favor of the girl – The guy had to suffer a lot more to convince all the members of the girl’s family, while the girl had a cake walk.
• The whole story kind of brought the character of Ananya in a very bad light. She is shown to be this smart, intelligent girl… and throughout the book, Krish has only one arguement in her favor: She is from IIMA and she works for HLL!
• Towards the end of the book, the guy slogs and slogs… handles his parents, his parents-in-law and his girl friend… all in the same vein.. while the girl happily sits back and enjoys. In the end, she gets all she wants. The guy slogs for 6 months, while she gets everything done in a week!! Wow!! A little too hard to believe.
• The author has tried his best to give our hero the charm of DDLJ’s SRK. He does make him seem convincingly lovable, but with reservations, due to loop holes in the story and some unanswered questions towards the end – For instance, Krish’s dad is shown to have a very shady character. Why he is physically and mentally abusive towards his wife and son is not made clear even towards the end.

With all due respect, I think Chetan Bhagat has now started writing novels, not for the love of the art, but in hope that after Aamir, some other big time director will want to make a movie out of this novel… which is not bad… but these ulterior motives take away from what could have been a good entertaining novel.

On, the whole I will not strongly recommend this movie book!!

This movie starring Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Asin has

• No Story
• Bad Direction
• Some really crappy acting, even from veteran actors like Ajay Devgan and Sallu miyan
• Pathetic music
• Really lose script with gaping loop holes

In short, there is NOTHING good about the movie…

In fact, the movie is so bad… u will want to pull out your intestines and twirl them around!! So, if you love your sanity and want to continue to do so, please spare yourself the torture and give it a skip!