Thursday, October 29, 2009

Do it now..

Come out of the procrastinating you.

The procrastinating armour certainly protects you from the labour, the pains and the bitter realities of life. But it also bars you from the fruits of timely work, from the fruits of getting a few steps ahead of the world and most importantly from living your life to the fullest. The world is asleep, so why not you go out, turn on a few street lights and start the race; be that facilitator, be that protagonist and hit the road.

Don't wait for things to happen, take the burden of actually making them happen. This habit has to be shed; just like those leaves that are to be shed to welcome the arrival of the newer ones. This is life, welcoming the new and hence welcoming the changes attached.

In the journey called life, if everything goes by without any speedbreakers, haults, fuel getting exhausted; then what's the fun. Magnify your dreams by applying this added lens, called change. Then see the effect, the dream would be much clearer, much better visible and hence much more comprehensible.

Procrastinate the procrastination for some future time in life and never let that time come by. Gear up, gird up your loins and go for the kill; be it finishing some assignment, studying for some exam, bringing back some relationship on track, conquering the world or even climbing the Everest. Go for it!!
Go for it now...

More soon..
--sudharm baxi

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

My resolution..

I took a resolution a couple of days back and missed it on the very first day. Damn it.

No worries. This is how life is, FLEXIBLE. You plan something, something altogether different happen to you and then you find books, theories and philosophies claiming what you think is what you get; what you visualize gets materialized and similar SECRETs.

But i only follow one simple rule... Never to worry. Always keep your worries aside, give your best shot, whatever you get in return, is what is best for you. Always be honest to yourself, never let your spirit go on a shopping spree to find out the easier ways, the less troubling ones.

Instead, create your own ways; devise your own paths and you won't even realize when those paths become roads for others to follow in your footsteps, not just to admire and cherish you as a pathbreaker but more importantly as a pathmaker.

Live this life to the fullest, never have remorses, never regret decisions; instead always learn from the decisions that somehow went wrong. Those decisions might have crumpled you entirely but what will you gain in worrying now? Nothing. In fact, more worries. Your ruined past is ruining your present and hence your future. Come out of this cycle, break the chain.

So, go out and shop for a few seeds that will conceive fruits for the life ahead. With a positive mind, toil the land, sow those seeds, water them, take care of them and hence, experience the enlightening growth.

More soon..
--sudharm baxi

Monday, October 26, 2009

I am a writer..


The other day, i was thinking about writing, yes, instead of writing i was thinking. Absurd, no? I am a writer and i love to write and yet i write so less, why? No answer.

Time doesn't permit. How much time is required in shooting off a few well-organized words on the web? A few minutes. Then what must be the possible explanation for a writer who loves writing, yet doesn't write much. No answer again.


But not anymore. From now on, i am taking a resolution to write; write till my eyes go soar, write till my fingers ache, write till my thoughts exhaust and then write some more.

The things i would write might amuse you, entertain you, enlighten you or God forbid bore you. But those few words on a daily basis, are surely going to help me out in exploring various facets of my writing and also widen my scope of writing.

But, why am i writing this thing here? So that someone out there give me a tight slap whenever i get lethargic, whenever i procrastinate.

So God, give me power and creativity to pen the words in my mind and the feelings in my heart. On this positive note, ending the post...
--sudharm baxi

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Ingloriuous Basterds

I have not seen much of Tarantino's works, but have heard a lot about him and of course his works. Out of many of his famous quotes in media, I particularly like this one - “Sure, Kill Bill’s a violent movie. But it’s a Tarantino movie. You don’t go to see Metallica and ask the f*****s to turn the music down.” Pulp fiction and Kill Bill; for many come at the top of their best ever list.

Inglorious Basterds, beginning from the very first scene till the end, the movie was a canvas depicting shades of black. I guess Quentin always deals with the darker side of life. It always gives a lot of scope for a director to depict or portray a gloomy, dreary, dark scene; but it also takes a lot of skills to make it look really devilish (Joker of 'The Dark Knight' is at the zenith). Every one has a devil hidden somewhere in the closet of his thoughts and Quentin can portray that devil better than anyone else. He reveals the devilish grin out of every character in every possible minutest detail. He surely is a master story-teller, a fantastic writer, an offbeat director and above all a super expressive artist.

The dialogues, the frames, the immaculate choice of actors and a heavily fictitious plot set in real times strikes the chord in an innovative manner.
Christoph Waltz as the 'Jew Hunter' was impressive and Brad Pitt has set a new level for himself by delivering one of his most memorable performances ever. Brad delivered this particular dialogue extremely well - "Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps..and I waant my scalps." A must watch even if you don't like the dark, violent cinema.

--sudharm baxi

Wake up Sid

Wake up Sid, a lovely, well-paced and beautifully articulated movie, produced by Karan Johar, whose name if attached to any movie definitely makes it catchy on style and vibrancy. Be it Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum or this latest offering.

You might not like the food but the ambience of the restaurants even remotely associated with KJ, leave you wondering about the fantastic aesthetic, colorful touch KJ puts in. Everything ranging from the clothing, the sets, the cinematography and the overall styling of the movie is pretty chic.

KJ has not directed this movie though, but he always has a major say in all his movies, directed or produced. Ayan Mukerji, as a debutante director has done good work. Though, I doubt if he can handle anything other than this kind of cinema, time will tell.

The film has a colorful vibrancy, a very naive and jolly effect attached to it. It keeps you engrossed for the most of the part. Songs are not something to really vouch for, barring the lovely composition of Amit Trivedi's 'Ek tara' (yes, the same guy who did the godly work in Dev D). Ranbir Kapoor has done a good job, he has almost been type-casted in such roles and stereotyping is not good unless he is the next Salman Khan.

As the climax approached, it appeared as if the director was in a hurry to wrap things up quickly, there can always be a twist in a typical Bollywood movie and Wake up Sid lacked it. But still a good movie to watch.

--sudharm baxi

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Wake up Raj!!


Hello Mr. Thackeray,

How are you? I have been thinking of penning a few lines in favor of you but something always stopped me from doing so, what it was I am not sure, but there was something. But now, I have woken up and with profound pleasure decided to write this letter.

There are a few people on this planet who have the personality, the aura of a leader. In a way, they are born leaders. God has made them that way. And with a little grooming they become solid mass-pullers. You are certainly one of them. People listen to you, people adore you, people follow you. Undoubtedly everyone would agree that you are the next Thackeray (no offenses Bal Thackeray Jr, I mean Uddhav).

You are pretty much sure of your ideologies, but I am not sure whether you are sure of your motto or not? I mean do you really want all the non-Maharashtrians to be thrown out? If that is the case, okay. You have your point and I completely agree with it. There should be overall development and prosperity across the country and not just here in Maharashtra. Why not create a couple of more Bombays....err Mumbai (will come to that in a while)?

But sincerely speaking I have a gut feeling that a man like you should be doing much more than what you actually are doing right now. I agree that Maratha is your gadh but emperors don’t have a single castle, they also have a lot of palaces and forts. So why don’t you go for a bigger cause. Go for something that would aid in the development of the nation.

Sorry to say, but the work you and your people do; not exactly lead to anything apart from disturbances and of course some media attention, Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai, Vir Sanghvi and all the other honchos get to do an episode or write an editorial on that, but that’s all. And I sincerely feel that’s not your worth for sure.

If there is some genuine face-reader somewhere, please please consult him and I tell you from the depth of my mind he’ll suggest the same - Go for something big and not just involve yourself in the local politics, it is the right time for you, and this nation needs your energy, your enthusiasm and your leadership.

I also know that if you move out of Maharashtra, you surely are going to lose grip on the Maha-politics, but even if you stay here, the rewards, the results are not that enormous; they are petty when compared to your skills.

About Bombay, I have just been living here for last two odd years and what I fell in love with was Bombay and never Mumbai, because I always felt that Mumbai was for the Maharashtrians and Bombay is for the rest of the Cosmo population. I might call my mother-ma, mummy, momma or whatever, but for others she will always be auntie and that’s what Bombay for us was and is.

In a way you have made it that way for us. You made us feel that. I completely agree with you on that too, why should I call your home mine, why should I ask for food from your mother. But the thing is she is also my auntie and she loves me, not as much as you, but at least to some extent. So she lets me lead a tough yet fulfilling life. A child always has a feeling that his/her mother might start loving other kids as much as she loves him/her. So is it this thing that worries you?

About Wake up Sid, I am not sure why was that necessary? Is it a crime to do so? Are you the moral police? If yes there are dirtier things happening in the streets of Bombay, your men can clean those up, instead of wasting their energies in such a petty thing. It was just a movie nothing else, nothing more. What say Raj? The complete episode to me was incomprehensible. Just like in the flood times, I am more worried about the brand of the blanket provided to me than whether some food, some aid would be provided at all or not.

So, these were just suggestions from a person who himself is going through a lot of turmoil in his life. I too wish to do whatever I can for my nation; I too wish to serve my nation and be its loyal child and hence suggest a few things to a few people who are in my eyes are - the CHOSEN ONES!!

With positive vibes,

--Sudharm

Friday, October 2, 2009

Vikram Hazra


Went to see Vikram Hazra’s concert cum satsang at Fine Arts Society, Chembur. Seeing him perform was such a delightful sight, his energy, charisma and the way he took everyone along with him on the spiritual journey is simply mind-boggling.

A devoted pupil of Sri Sri Ravi Shanker, he has been spreading the love and message of his guru for many years now. I have not heard or read of Sri Sri much, but one thing I remember watching on TV, when one of the reporters asked him about his never fading smile and the love and jolliness he carries? He replied – “I refuse to grow up” with the same childlike smile, so pure, so serene, that you can’t help but fall in love with the mojo of the Guru.

Vikram Bhaiya, as he is famously called, sang bhajans of many deities including Shiva, Krishna and Durga. In his mellifluous voice, it appeared as if even the songs were enjoying themselves. We were all singing along with him with the same fervour and same energy.

How time passed not a single soul in the auditorium realized. When he was singing ‘Radha raman hari bol’, people started leaving and I soon realized it was his last song for the evening, but he had not sung ‘Achutam Keshavam’, his most loved bhajan, yet.

As soon as he finished, put his guitar aside and bowed to say goodbye, I stood up from the farthest corner of the auditorium and shouted, “Vikram Bhaiya, Achutam Keshavam”, he was humbly adamant of not singing it and said now even the guitar has fallen asleep. I replied no guitar needed, just you sing. Soon there were pleas from all the corners, “please”, “please”,” one last song.”

So he picked up the guitar and hence came the most mesmerizing of all the performances of the evening. Everyone was spellbound , singing and enjoying , reaching the seventh heaven on that spiritual extravaganza.

It was one of the most memorable evenings I have ever had. Thanks Vikram!! Thanks Sri Sri!!

Catch a glimpse of Vikram's jamming.