Liberty

I just happened to read a news post just a little while ago that kinda led me to write this little post....I don't have much time but lest I forget about what I feel...and the feelings pretty strong...so here goes.......
Citywide Shutdown as a Political Leader passes away of Old age - One may perceive this to be less  of a gesture of solidarity and more of an unspoken fear about the repercussions of not complying with the expectations of a group known for its destructiveness...One may only perceive it to be that way...not necessarily believe that...I mean times are bad...and its alright to forgo a day's business worth of money than jeopardize the Entire Business itself...from whatever danger that running it on such a day may pose...Am I too politically correct? I hope so...sincerely...Life's tough as it is...Wouldn't want more!!!... So I too show my Solidarity....I too am a common man. I too bow as a mark of respect. YEAH.

Girls arrested for expressing their sentiments about the Close down on a networking site -   The I.T. Act huh......but we teach our children the Right to Freedom of Expression in our sad Textbooks...Sorry kids...Go with the flow...Yours views, if different from the populist opinions could land not only you but your entire family into trouble...Truckloads of it... Hypocrisy....never mind...

Vandalism - I don't blame the people who do it..they are poor...they get paid for it...Maybe some are unemployed...some could be dead drunks or good for nothing ( at the risk of sounding disrespectful but really guys...no offence)......but poor...they have my sympathy...Not because they destroy public and personal property but because they have to do something so ghastly to feed themselves.

I always wonder who pays them though and why their names never end up in the Paper....

While there are those of us who can silently guess.....There are a quite a few people out there who don't have the time to sit and think...And why is that? -  because the administration has created a situation where the common man is too busy to sit and think about such things......So busy earning a living....Trying to go from one day to another.....Making it work for himself and his family. This guy (or girl for that matter) has the right to know the truth......And as a truly responsible person, he reads the paper in whatever little spare time that his schedule leaves him with.....but sadly.....there's not much the paper can tell.....The press is censored.....so he'll never know....He'll just have to make do with whatever edited , censored news that bearers of truth bring to him, rationalize it and get on with his day.So much for Liberty.

Yours Truly,

RS

My Favorite Kind of People

I Love having Happy people around......People laughing around with Family.....People getting married......People going places......Kinda rubs off on me too......Sure life is full of troubles....Sure we have to take tough times.....But sometimes just running into old friends or hearing from them or meeting people who you know like you...Especially the Happy Old People.....makes you happy.......makes you smile......That's what makes Diwali Happy.....

P.S. I wish People didn't burst Super Loud Crackers.......Just the Firework display is enough to feel happy....and a right bit of sound to make it happening..You know children laughing, the crackling of fireworks, the excitement - gives me the feeling that all is well with the world...but....the loudness just takes away the feeling....leaves me a bit too shaken...... to feel anything at all.... Even Happiness.

Love Google+

I realised I love all the myriad stuff that comes up when I'm Exploring on Google+........It kinda gives me a new lease of Positive Energy.....Gets my mind off the stuff that bothers me but kinda helps me get back on track.....Its like a 10 minute break where I step out and see a lot of stuff all at once..and get back to what I was doing in the first place...Love it...Refreshing!!!!

And it was a Happy Diwali

I'm studying......but its still a Happy Diwali.....I'm Loving it.....I guess the Diyas do it to me everytime...For me Diwali is the Diyas.......and the spirit.......and Family time.....and Studying :)

Old Habits Die Hard

So after Swearing to myself for a hundred times...I still read atleast half a dozen reviews of JTHJ.
So, I didn't know the Story was written by Aditya Chopra....the man hasn't doled out anything remotely interesting post his debut..... Be it Mohobatein or Rab ne Bana di Jodi..... and now....Jab tak hai Jaan...

Each review differs on which one is the better actress....one credits Katrina, another Anoushka, one calls Anoushka an over actor, while another calls the Kat Lack lustre....one even went on to say they were both lost....and another one said They both were Great......but every review has one thing in common.......
This movie belongs to the Guitar-Strumming, Bomb-defusing, Street Dancing, Bike Riding, the ever so Romantic, and Always Alluring SRK. No matter if the story's poor, no matter the Screenplay, No matter the Dragging end.....No matter if SRK's smiling too much.....He's the Central Theme.....And I'd endure a 182 minute movie to watch him in every frame....Just doing his thing....and doing it pretty well.And I bet Yash Chopra wanted it that way......I bet.........

It might get a little mindless...too mindless maybe.....especially the Plot..And I am sure of this even though I've not seen the movie..Its like Aditya Chopra's extra emotional and he kinda lets that play havoc with his storyline everytime....Its like he's trying to express an underlying emotion or something but his reticence interferes with it.....

But one thing I can guarantee is that the Emotions will be worth the while......they will be true ,  real (no matter if the situation is as unreal as it can get) and they will make me forget my Logic and Practical Nature for a while and turn me into an Emotional Fool...albeit temporarily!!!

And so I still think its going to be a Treat.......SEE YOU SOON !!!!

P.S. If you can't stand SRK, his histrionics and the whole thing.......you'd better not watch this one....to all those who go into the movie hall and walk out cribbing about how they can't stand the man.....Please take a break......It isn't SRK, Its you.....He didn't force you to come see the movie.....So stop all the Hating business.....Try some Love instead  (wink wink wink) (smiley smiley smiley)

Memory lanes

Alright , So I'm busy reviewing answers from the qbank and I happen to hear the kids below calling out to one another, bursting crackers and laughing about. There's one kid, lets call her K, her friends are always calling out for her, they never leave her out of anything, and they are always shouting aloud for her to come down and play. She lives right below me, and I study just below the window (if I'd sit by the window, I wouldn't be able to study), so I'm pretty much witness to everything that goes on. She's a sweet one, and smart too....Like that.

Now, that kinda put me in Flashback mode and reminded me of how my friends used to call out for me. It was great.  Every evening, the one who would be down first would start calling out to the others. Well, out of the four of us, 3 were on the same floor, so they pretty much left together. And then the gang would spend all their time, telling me to hurry up, so the action could begin. and I would rush as if it was the biggest emergency of my life. Oh, Loved it so much.

Wish there was some special Memory device that takes me there whenever I feel like it.  To see myself back then and see how I was back then. It was such a long time ago. I remember the Crazy Secret Exploration expeditions to the Marshy Lands. It was great fun, walking in a line along ledges, with dirty sea water on both sides, looking for crabs, and gold fish, and going as far as we could to the dry ground on the other side.We would wonder if a cyclone was coming if it were too windy, and the best part was getting scared as hell and swearing not to go back if  we'd encountered any dangerous looking person out there - I would imagine that if there were Pirates then this would be a great place to hide the booty since the creek was so close and since the whole place was pretty much isolated , and my friends would think that this kind of place was a great place to hide for Murderers and stuff , and so we would postulate but we never stopped going back...until some dirty land owner built a warehouse along the route and it became impossible to go there without entering the stupid warehouse....and this was the end of our adventures to the marshes.

I learnt to ride a bicycle

The dances (I never danced)

Computer games - Roadrash and Sky(something)

Tom and jerry and music videos

Chatting

The card games and Language sessions in the Afternoon in the holidays....Uno, and Donkey Monkey, Gaddha Chor

Picnics in the garden...We were so stupid!!!

Badminton early in the morning and Morning walks....Singing on the road while we walked ( that road's so crowded now...can't even dream about five ppl walking and skipping about together in a row) and Jogging

And me being so sad about not going to Bharadwaj classes with Jisha, neha and Tanu.....and not getting their stories about their sirs and miss's.

And the bhootwala Building on Link road

Pakda pakdi, Dumsharaj, Corner Corner, Dubba Ex spies (that's how we pronounced it), Stop and Party,

And at the end of the day, when we'd all head back together, I would hate it that they'd all get off at 2nd floor  and i'd have to ride the elevator right upto the 6th floor (hahaha)....so the 3 of them would ride the elevator upto the 6th floor..drop me off and then head down....(I was just a year younger than the three of them but they treated me like a kid....the bespectacled serious but funny studious kid )...I  thought it would last forever....but it didn't....we grew up...I don't miss it.....I like being in my Twenties...but I'm glad I have such sweet memories......

To Jisha, Neha, Tanushree  (in alphabetical order)

and Akanksha, Monica, Nikita, Guddu, Purva , Babbu , Dimpi and there were more.....

Jab tak Hai Jaan, The music, The Man and his movies

This one is an Addition to my Previous post About Jab tak hai Jaan....
It may seem like a review but it isn't...Just an extension of my feeling about the music....have been reading a few music reviews to find out which songs are good since I needed a good one to pep me up but I ended up listening to all the songs...I realised I feel differently...  and I had to tell someone....So I guess this comes out here.

So I didn't like the videos of the other new songs when they came in but when I finally got myself to listen to the songs...I was mesmerized...Yes, they are not AR Rahman's signature style melodies but they are much more....
1.Saans...is beautiful...great acoustics and some of the lyrics stayed with me...but the song isn't soul stirring...Not even with  Mohit Chauhan....Shreya Ghoshal is as awesome as always....Haven't heard her Saans solo yet but somehow the song doesn't seem like its meant for her...good music but not fabulous.

 And somehow Are re Are will always remain my favorite Yash Chopra Love song.

  "hum mein tum mein kuch toh hai, kuch nahi hai kya?

Aur kuch ho jaaye toh, kuch yakeen hai kya

Dekh lo yeh Dil jahaan tha, Yeh wahin hai kya"

2.Challa- It was the first to be released and I still haven't gotten over the Street Performer SRK yet...Loving it.Rabbi Shergill...I'm a fan.

3.Jab tak hai jaan- the title track- Some say Udit Narayan would have been a better choice...I'd say...I like Javed Ali...And Shaktishree is melodious and so fresh...An unusual voice...Wow
It feels like an happy ending to something very intense...Sorry the song couldn't be completely shot...but it will remain my Happy song of the album...a culmination of sorts with a simple confession ...I mean it cannot be easier...

"Tum se do lafzon mein...Tum se yeh kehna tha, 

tumse hi Mohabbat thi....Tumse hi mohabbat hai....

Tumse kehna hai ,Yun rehna hai Jab tak hai Jaan." 

Sweet

4.Ishq Shava- SRK says its his favorite...not mine though...The lyrics are not working for me.

5.Ishq dance- The music didn't do much for me here...Maybe Drums aren't my thing...would want to watch the leading lady do the the dance though..

6.Jiya re- the song is groovy...and I must say I like it more for Anoushka Sharma's Grooviness than the song in itself...great expressions...Loved the 'thoomkas'...reminds me of Jugni from Tanu weds Manu....Another Wow.

7.Heer - Gulzar's a genius for this one...had to go looking for the lyrics and the meaning but once I got that...I loved it...I was hooked...got over it though...when I found out how the Sahiba-Mirza love story ends...it's tragic...Far worse than Heer-Ranjha...Heer Ranjha couldn't be together but were bound eternally by Death but Sahiba and Mirza almost had it all...And she lost it...And there's no Right or Wrong...but I found it painful...I wonder if the movie ends that way...If it does...I'm going to weep.

Looking forward to the movie...I am sure I will love it...not because I like Love stories...I don't like most of the Mushy ones...(I like the practical and funny romantic comedies but the whole dard-ki-dastaan ritual does Not appeal to me)....but because I know its going to be something about life and the way it works...maybe a little too Dramatic but Yash Chopra puts in a lot of detail in the emotions and eventually makes you want to think...His movies don't have the perfect ending...Someone somewhere is left with an aching heart...Shows you that Life is not always fair...that destiny always has pain and happiness for everybody.

Of all the Yash Chopra movies I've seen (I've not seen all of his Directions)

Lamhe - was about unrequited Love (And not just between Anil and Sridevi but also that friend of his who hopes to receive his Love someday), Friendship, And about not giving up. Its an ode to love...its persistence, hopefulness, frustrations, confusions...Almost everything.

Chandni - Happiness in Love, about how an unsupportive family can further ruin a strained relationship , About Loss, Of finding Love anew..And I didn't like the ending so much here...Poor Vinod Khanna and his Mum too.

Dil toh Pagal Hai - Only one thing, Nisha Loved Rahul....Rahul didn't know a thing about Love until he met Pooja....I am sure Nisha thought that she could have won him had Pooja not come along and that's why the envy but She really loved Rahul....so must have had a tremendous heart ache...but Its not necessary that the ones you love in Life should Love you back too....Happens....I never liked Madhuri but she did what she had to....she acted well....And the story did make me question my concept of Happy endings for quite a while....And I was only a kid then.

Veer- Zaara- the movie didn't do much for me. Liked the music..Loved the story....but the whole Aisa Desh Hai mera and the Lohri song didn't sink in. Not one bit.

And now looking forward to Jab tak Hai Jaan...

P.S.- Since I'm not going to be able catch it right after the release...I swear I'm not looking at the reviews or the Story until I catch the Movie. No Spoilers for me...I'm not even going to check the Star ratings...I don't care....I am giving it 10/10....For Yash Chopra, SRK, Gulzar, Rahman, And for Love

To Shruti Singhal

Shruti Singhal.....Thank you for all your encouragement....You put me back in the groove.....And Yes....We're going to stop thinking....and we're going to do something worth our while.....and we'll still crib but we can't complain....:)

Taking one thing at a time.....

An excerpt from an email i had sent today - came right from my heart

" honestly...i'm not even thinking about whats in store..u know the visa,the elective,the whole usmle thing actually...i've learnt the hard way that i can never tell about these things...i got to keep working, the rest is absolutely out of my control...gotta take it as it comes and accept it...all i can do is to  keep working on one goal at a time...push my limits and ..give my best shot...then move on to the next best thing on my list of things to be done...."

Its SRK time again....Woohoo

I'm addicted. Love the trailor...and love the movie already.

Here's to Jab tak hai Jaan
the link to the trailor on you tube -
Jab tak hai jaan- the new trailor with the full shayri

Friends again

Dear Ganpati dada,
For the first time in all these years, i understood what this festival was all about. i'm still not a fan of the Band Baaja and i'm sure neither are you (such big beautiful ears...i'm sure its a bit irritating to you too...you study so much too so you must know how irksome it is) but i'm slightly more tolerant of it than before(somehow the idea that all that sound is some form tribute to you and the love ppl have for you).
i had been hoping we'd get along this year but i had not expected to be this happy. i loved every bit of it.

Dharma nagar che choteshe Ganpati dada

The 2 days you were in my apartment complex were sweet..finally there was some respite from the dullness all around. The moment i saw you come the night before i knew this was going to be different..that you and i were going to have a nice time. And the icing on the cake was that i finally ventured to authoritatively decrease the loudspeaker volume myself instead of requesting the whole world about it. And it worked out fine. So we could peacefully coexist- You know- me and your loudspeaker-blaring bhajan loving bhagats.

And although i had always read in theory about how visarjan is likened to the cycle of life, i finally understood why people are so happy when they are sending you away. Its the hope that you'll be back again to fill their lives with happiness soon the next year and although a person like me has a tough time parting with such a guest as you...i realised the importance of being happy for the great time that we had together while you were here and make the most of it before it ends. Nice philosophy.
You've been my warring partner all along....and now we're friends....Who am i going to fight with now that we're on good terms..guess i'll figure it out the next time i need to complain or squabble regarding the shortcomings in my luck or the likes...with some help from you ofcourse.

Lalbaug cha Raja

and yeah...thanks for sending your prasad (thanks to the ppl that you invited there to see you,to get the prasad and pass it on to us) from one of your most famous avatars- the Lalbaug cha Raja himself. It was thoughtful sweet and touching.
my regards,
thanks and sorry(i mean both the words sincerely)
rucha
See You Soon

My Little Fairy Tale

My Little Fairy Tale on the side.

Once upon a time when I used to be a school girl, most likely in 7th or 8th grade, Mrs.Ghorpade , our Marathi teacher had just finished distributing our mid-term marks for the language and asked a particular girl why she didn't do too well. The girl (It wasn't me, I have always been a self-confessed Lingua-phile and a Logophile at that, although Marathi had been eluding me for quite a while, I still liked it.) said that she simply didn't like the language.
That's when Mrs.Ghorpade said something that still remains with me to this very day (she used to keep saying it in her class after that day,probably she too realised it was a gem)

                                  " If you love Marathi, Marathi will love you back"

 (I still remember Mrs.Ghorpade, she had that cute chocolate face and salt-pepper hair and she used speak such cute Marathi, sing Marathi lullabies in class and when she lost her temper she would even scream in Marathi, and was miserly as ever in giving marks.)

I have been struggling with Biochemistry for a Long Long while. I was beginning to loathe it and it was beginning to get on my nerves.
After much whining, suddenly all this came back to me.
 So here goes,
I must try and love Biochemistry...its going to be difficult, it might be a one sided love story for a while... but if I pursue it wholeheartedly and really want it that bad, its going to have to Love me back.
And then,  in the end
                                      " I and Biochem will Live Happily Ever After Forever "

P.S.
STATUTORY WARNING : This rule only applies to the pursuit of you know...Knowledge, or the likes of it.
 As far as people go - Not Applicable

Marine Drive and moi

18th August,2012. Marine Drive, Mumbai.


Its been my favorite place in all of Mumbai since I was a kid

I am a true blue Borivli gal...love the cosy by lanes, the Link road, the High way, the eateries and most of all the people.

 So when I write about my thoughts while I was there at Marine drive, its not the awe inspiring SoBo feel that gets me awestruck, its that one stretch of land along the sea that calms my soul that I'm writing about.

Its going to be from the point of view of a person who manages to get there once in a while...its going to be about some of the things that crossed my mind while I was there....it was like some kind of meditation with my eyes and ears open but my mind closed to everyone...it was just me, the sea and the horizon.

Surprisingly, I cannot tell whether I get thoughtful when I get there or is it that I go there when I need to think. I guess I'll never know. It just calls me when I'm lost and somehow I find a reason to get there.

 What I do know is that I love being on my own along this promenade. It puts me into thinking mode. Makes me want to plan my life just standing out there and thinking silently.

 About all the things I love, the things I stand for in life, of how tiny I am right now against this vast ocean and how I want to carve a niche for myself in this world.

Suddenly time doesn't matter. All that matters is the dream I have and spending my life pursuing it - no matter how long it takes...no matter the odds.

Standing there, I realised that life is not measured in years, its measured in the things you do to get to someplace that you want to go to. To achieve that dream that you dreamt when you were still a kid. The trick is to not let that dreamy little kid leave you. Let it stay.

 People come and go. Friends stay. They stay...in and out of touch...but they are still your friends.

One more thing that stays with you are the experiences you gain while you're in the journey towards our goal. It may seem impossible. It really might be impossible but if you believe in it enough, it might just lead you to where you always wanted to be - your happy place.

 Everybody has a destination, some have the same destination as yours and sometimes it may look to you that people get there way faster than you do. And it may be true. They had their own journey to make and you are on your track too.
 And no matter how similar your goals maybe to those of the ones around you...the way you get there is not going to be the same. In fact, you may think that the road you've taken is leading to a place you want to go to but it maybe something else entirely. You'll never know and you don't need to. All you need to remember is your main aim in life. Your no.1 aspiration and then keep working hard towards one milestone at a time to get there. Life will unfold...as you tread along you'll know where you're headed.

While you're treading along. be calm, cool and most of all make the most of the company you get from time to time. Remember, that some of the people you meet me may not stay on forever, so while you're with them, make sure you're good company. Its possible that their destination maybe different from yours, so don't lose your sense of track while you're with the people you like being around, just enjoy the few fleeting moments and then get on with your business...don't hover. And remember what you set out to be....not where you wanted to go.

 If at the end of your life...you look back and you see that you did all that you could do to turn into that person that you wanted to grow into...then you'll know it was worth the while...no matter the end result.

All this and much more happened to cross my mind while I was standing against the Arabian sea along the promenade.

 I've been to a lot of places along the sea in Mumbai.This one is different. It has its own feel. You could have a hundred people around you right there..but you can feel calm. Its like the sea just does that to everybody's spirit. Sets them free. It set me free that day..it always does.
RS

Of Loss and Reunions

Of Loss and Reunions.

So Khushi finally found Arnav.And Arnav, I hope, realised how much Khushi cares. There’s so much ‘Rabba ve’ and so much cliched melodrama but yes they manage to convince,rather beautifully. To love and to lose and to finally find it again. The stuff fairytales are made of. I ‘m surrounded by gross reality on this side of the screen, so are the actors shooting for the camera but somewhere deep down, we all need a little respite from all the sadness around us. At this point in my life ,it is not personal sadness that I’m talking about. Sometimes sad events in the lives of people you care about,( they may not be exactly close) to see them cope with a personal loss, forces you to put your life in perspective. Makes you value what you have and yes, fills you with a somewhat invisible fear of losing that. Its invisible because we don’t show it, we never discuss it (atleast I never do), but a deeper look in the eyes and you see it right there. And it is everywhere..

 Death is inevitable. Its been said innumerable times and we know it all too well. To cope with a personal loss is too difficult a matter to write about for me. To write about how one relates to another’s loss is something I’ve grown to learn. We all place ourselves in their place and its like going through imaginary hell. Tears come rolling when we can’t imagine being there, and you know you’re helpless. All  the world’s reasoning, power and philosophy comes to a standstill. That is the moment of the All consuming fear and dread. That’s when the tears roll..

So much said. We get on with our lives and slowly accustom ourselves to the realities we face.Praying that the ones in pain find stregnth everytime their thought hovers in my mind and trying to forget my own fears by making the others I live with and ‘for’ happy. We manage to get on with our lives.It is at such times that a Happy Reunion between people I know only from their onscreen stories, fills me with the hope of life, its little pleasures and the importance of caring.

So as for Arnav and Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada (who by the way is really resourceful and inspiring- she’s middle class,lively and filled with lot of good sense, joie de vivre and loads of gumption ) well I hope they continue their endearing squabbles and not get spoilt by stupid sub-plots.

Treading Along

A Direction-Been looking for a while, Finally Found It!

I have always wondered about Edward and Bella. Their perfect love.And to be truthful somewhere in my mind,the fantasy will always live. Thinking of perfect love, I used to think they had it. Not anymore. It just doesn't seem real. More after I read the book. The movie was breathtakingly beautiful. The book got me wondering if this was really worth being so hung up for, for so long. Move over Edward and Bella. Enter, Reality. 

Treading along

I am a doctor. My life revolves mostly around my own education.I have super supportive parents, who are also super protective and Loving (I'll dedicate another whole story to write just about them someday). I have extremely loving friends. The kinds that can inspire stories about friendship. As a kid, I had a gang but they all grew up, I was the last to leave school, they took up finance and I got too busy to have a life the moment I took up Science. And until Med school happened, It was a whirlwind and I was more alone than I'd ever been for all my life.That's when I felt Friendless, and guess what, Med school happened, and I ended up making friends I never thought I was capable of making. It was beautiful. Truthful, Loving, Honest FRIENDS. The kinds I know I will fight to keep in my life. Touchwood. 

I always thought myself to be like Bella in someway. Not the beautiful , slender and graceful way, just the so called sloppy, slipping, accident prone, confused as hell way. I now think that she wasn't confused at all and we aren't much alike. She was a smart teenager who knew what it was to love and trust and spend your life with someone. As I look back, I had no idea how to deal with love until I got to 20 (delayed milestone as I call it), never fell in love with anyone, had a tough time dealing with silly crushes, and eventually decided (happens to be my current scene) to just flip out of the whole thing for a while and concentrate on my career which by the way is hanging precariously on an edge.

So here I am with friends and family (not necessarily in that order cos both are invariably important to me, its a different thing that, as a choice, all of us- friends, would dutifully put our family first.) , with a question mark for a career, trying to find my way into my dream. And I think I'm growing up! I know I want to get somewhere and do something and be what I've dreamt of being, and I have an inkling of how I've got to get there, all I really got to do is keep moving on. 

RS

Hanging on

We Won

We Won.

So Kolkata knight riders finally one.The skeptic in me kept screaming "It's fixed" but I knew I wasn't happy for KKR....I hardly cared.I was happy that Shahrukh finally found what he needed. A break from all the critics and a taste of victory. I can see the man struggling.Trying to find some kind of peace that he's looking for.

 I have no idea who he is as a real person and I am going to ignore the press. I see him as someone who has come a long way from where he started. Someone who has gained through his hardwork and smart brainwork at times but it has come at cost.And he knows it. He values his success ,he knows the price he's paid to get so far. He's tired but he won't admit it.I am sure he won't succumb to it either. He's a natural fighter. I wish he had more time to spend with his real friends. I am sure he does have those. It'll make him stronger.

 I see a family man in him. I saw that side much more often earlier, more in his Swades days, some 5 years ago.He was flamboyant alright but his transition into this Media Man took away that innocence. Or may be not and maybe each person has to keep changing to grow .I do miss the Old White shirt blue jeans guy, with a smirk , the look that made him look like a million bucks. And I think he still looks like a million bucks only different.

As a child,I have fought with people who criticized him. I eventually learned that its not my job. My affection for him as an actor may have waned with age...mine not his, but as a person, well, naturally there is a strong feeling, after all its been a long journey following him. He is family, well sort of. Someone I've grown up watching and admiring. Its like a community of us who love him...and as far as that goes, I must say my mum and one of my best friends are more loyal admirers than I've ever been.Its like this person who doesn't know we exist has become a part of our lives and we'll always treasure that. This is one thing he'll never know. It's not like I am going to meet him( and I do dream of meeting him someday and him saying to me," Its a pleasure Dr.RS, I am so happy to have finally met ya" :) ) and tell him, "Oh Mr.Khan, Nice meeting you.You're like family." His triumphs and glory feel well deserved. I feel happy when he's happy. I do get mad at him for doing irrational crazy things but always rationalize his behavior inside my head. I will always care.And I believe that good wishes always work, doesn't matter how far you are, all that matters is that you care. 

I just wanted to say I was happy that his team won the IPL , I don't know if its made him really happy or it is just the pleasure of seeing a business venture finally take off. I will never know that, but I'll always speculate. I don't speculate about everyone.Just Family :) .

Falling in Love with Paris

Paris...its been more than a year since I had my first rencontre with this amazingly fresh but still full of old world charm place. 3 days- that's all I had in such a beautiful place and yet I could feel that I knew it. It was like going to someplace I'd already been to before. There wasn't any fear of the unknown. I was carefree. It may have been due to the friendly bonjours that we got from complete strangers, or the crazy broken french I used, to talk to the driver of our very first cab out of the airport.We stayed in the heart of the city. And yes. It beats, with a rhythm that feels like music- a soft,dreamy symphony. Every sculpted life form, fountain and cobbled path felt like it held some connection to a bygone era,to a story that it might tell, if it could only speak. Its good for me that I was not fore-warned of french rudeness.Maybe that's why I did not encounter any.None of the charming francaises that I met seemed to mind my broken french, and it is quite possible that they might have been greatly amused by my confidence in using it. If it weren't for my dear Dad refusing to walk another step without asking for directions I would have ventured into the city and gotten lost in its streets. I plan to do so the next time I get there. Get lost , in a place so enchanting ,it plays with your sense of time....one moment its all old and arty..the next moment its sparkling and amazingly modern. Its been a year and I am still awestruck. Its like falling in love at first sight with a stranger that you'll never see again and then spending the rest of your life trying to find a way back to that person, not knowing when and how you'll get there but still wanting it with all your heart. I've been to many beautiful places...most of them had mountains, rivers, trees and other innately rich bounties that nature offers, but for the first time, a city...filled with buildings, people, and cars and all things essentially man made has evoked such a deep feeling in me.Maybe calling it a city is too impersonal. It has a heart, it sings, envelopes you in its mystique and if you love this wonderful stranger,it loves you back. Paris, Je vous aimez.