Aamir Khan is way better

Me and my friends always fight over who is better- Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan. Its one of those debates which really don’t have a true purpose other than to pull the Shahrukh Khan fan’s leg.

But, I got to say, me being a pro-Aamir Khan, got a massive boost last Sunday the 6th : Aamir Khan’s Satyameva Jayate, his first TV show aired that day.

I am not going to shout down other contemporaries who have not gone the path of Aamir Khan, but want to genuinely appreciate what Aamir Khan has done and will be doing in the subsequent episodes of Satyameva Jayate, literally meaning “Truth alone triumphs”.

This is a fantastic show. Although the female foeticide and/or female infanticide is rampant in India, not many people had the courage to talk about it, at least had the means of getting the message across to all sections of people and with such great impact. True, Aamir Khan being a household name and a star greatly helps, but that is the crux of the matter isn’t it.

Aamir Khan has a life that most of Indians crave for. He didn’t have to go and do a show which will take up the issues faced by ordinary Indians. He could have been blissfully ignorant of the issues of India and could have happily spent the rest of his life in a bubble. But, he chose to look beyond himself, that many famous people (not all, obviously) seem incapable of.

Do me a favour, stop  reading, if you are, right now and go and watch the above video.

I think the Shahrukh Khan vs Aamir Khan debate is pretty much settled now, don’t you think?

When Aliens attack, the World become a better place!

Imagine this: Aliens from an unknown planet somewhere in the Universe attack Earth and they want to take over. They don’t target individual Countries, for obvious reasons- they don’t give a crap.

How do you think we would react?

Is each country going to prepare its own defence plans or would like to co-ordinate with others? Would America let Chinese pilots fly its planes? Would Pakistan allow India to use its logistics? All this considering that if you don’t co-operate with one another you are likely not going to survive and that forgetting your differences and helping each other out will guarantee that the Earthlings win and the Aliens lose.

Now, imagine this: Aliens have lost, and the Earthlings have won a glorious victory. Humans have fought side by side forgetting their differences; North Koreans have fought alongside the Japanese, Muslims alongside the Jews, Brahmins alongside Dalits.

The war is over. . .

Will things get back to normal? Will the Muslims still hate the Isrealis (by extension, jews) knowing (lets say) that it was due to Israel’s advanced weapons that the Arab world was saved and millions of Muslim lives saved? Will Pakistanis still view India as their enemy and believe in the Two Nation Theory, even after realizing that it was due to their combined effort that most of the people of the two nations are alive and that they aren’t that different after all?

Of course, not. May be it would. I cannot say for sure, but I have a hunch that things would not go back to normal. Hate-mongering will go down, new alliances will be made, when not too long ago it was thought to be an impossible feat.

Why? Not because of gratitude, but because of the realization that ultimately the wall that have been constructed by the state and non-state actors are meaningless; they are artificial separations of a common identity of a biological species. The identities are not real, they are man made. They can easily be broken down. Once broken, its equally meaningless and utter stupidity to build them back up. Every Human in the World will finally be (at least for a while) a truly Global Citizen, the ultimate Globalization would have been achieved.

What is an identity? A sense of belonging to some region or being someone, being somebody as opposed to the numbness of being a nobody in a World of 7 Billion just like you.

Identities just don’t just grow naturally, they are indoctrinated by states, by your peers, by your parents,etc. You are brainwashed into believing you belong to an XXX great nation and XXX great Religion or an XXX community and the behaviour for that identity is also defined, some explicitly, some subtly by both forces seen and unseen. If you are an American, you HAVE to believe that America is the greatest Country in the World. If you are a Muslim, you have to believe, to the point of absurdity, that Islam is the only “true Religion” in the World.

I am not saying I have no identities at all or have completely rejected them. I do have them, but I also realize the hollowness of it all. I need a root, but also wings. I need to feel grounded, to feel proud, but at the same time empathize with someone with a completely different idea of himself, with a wholly varied point of view from myself. I want to be a Global Citizen, as well as cheer for my Country in the World Cup or the Olympics.

For some, their intellect forces them to pick sides. You are either embrace your identity and become one with it; Or, reject the whole idea of it and see the World anew. As for me, I am lucky. I don’t want to pick sides. I am comfortable being both and I think I am damn good at it. You may call it hypocrisy, perhaps. But, I don’t see any harm in behaving this way.

Would I tolerate it if India (hypothetically) attacks an innocent set of people who are not Indians and will I blindly support it? Definitely not! That would aghast me. My Global Citizen in me will kick in. If India is beating that same Country in Cricket or Hockey or whatever, I would hope the other team is decimated.

Saying Goodbye is never pretty

I took a small, but a pretty substantial step forward today. No, I didn’t get a promotion, nor did I achieve a feat that anyone else apart from myself can be proud of. What I did might sound inconsequential. But personally, I am feeling a lot lighter now that I have done it.

You admire people for various reasons: You might appreciate the fact that they excel in something that you are fond of; Or, you might like them for being pretty.

I once liked a quality in a friend. That person could easily unhinge themselves from a thing or a person the moment they realize its not in either of their best interest. I hadn’t quite understood at the time, neither had I appreciated that quality. Now I do.

I am proud- I unfollowed an old friend on Twitter. The last remaining window to that life is now shut.

Unexpected, rather, in this case expected, things happen, but the important thing is to realize the event has occurred and move on. That I have done, which I was incapable of doing few months ago?

I don’t want to forget also, why the hell should I! But, I don’t want to think about it too.

So, goodbye my old friend. It was nice knowing you.

How Pakistan is good for India

When a limb is infected beyond hope, you have two choices: Persist with it and hope against hope that it will heal and risk death, or you cut it off to save the body.

This is the story of India’s partition into the soul- India- and the gangrenous limb-Pakistan, or what I would like to call- the result of an idea, The Two Nation Theory.

I’ve heard from various intensely,bordering on the jingoistic, patriotic Indians, (privately, of course) how India was broken into two by the ‘M’. Little do they realize that creation of Pakistan ended up saving India.

1. Two Nation Theory

As with any political–slash-religious theory the Two Nation Theory (TNT) has different versions and interpretations based on the guy’s political leanings.

Essentially it comes down to two points:

a) There are two Nations withing India (In spite of the fact that both of them have been living side by side for centuries).

b) The point of divide being Religion (This point is important). The divide is so great that these nations cannot co-exist at any cost.

A secular, liberal, progressive mind will probably disagree, including me, but not completely. What I am going to say next might sound contradictory in nature(and, controversial even), but is really not.

I do agree that dividing Humans into two sets based on some lofty man-made idea called Religion is idiotic, but we have to also agree that division exists and have to factor that in our calculations.

Hindus and Muslims were at each others throats. Muslims formed around 25% of the population of British India, making them a powerful bloc. Owing to their size and strength in numbers in certain parts of India, they had terrible nuisance potential.

But, one will argue that this is also true of the Hindus. Yes, but Hindus never wished for a separate state from Muslims. This is important. In the Hindu Religion(If you can call it that), there is no political side, as in Islam. Its priestly class has never been all-powerful.

But, its not the case with Islam. Its scriptures do interfere in the matter of the state. For instance, there are more than 50 Muslim Majority Countries in the World and only few of them are Democracies. Most of them call themselves Islamic.

One can easily see how this is dangerous. As it went, Muslims began to see themselves as a separate entity from majority Hindus and began to see themselves as victims and more crucially, Hindus being their tormentors, despite the fact that it was the British who had complete control of India and before the British arrived there was Mughal rule in most parts of India.

What guarantee was there that these separatist emotions would have been locked away had India stayed together?

The thing is: Once a case is made for a separate state, rightly or wrongly, and if the people who make that demand are present in very large numbers, have financial and political capital (Like Jinnah had British patronage), its very difficult to impress them not to make their demands. They would not settle with anything less than complete political power, either in the present state or the new state.

A few enlightened Muslims did recognize this cancerous theory for what it is. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan (also known as Frontier Gandhi or Sarhadi Gandhi, for his love of non-violence, a trait he shared with the greatest proponent of the art- Gandhi), for instance said, “You have thrown us to the wolves”, when he learned that Congress had accepted the plan for partition. Maulana Azad too recognized that this was a flawed theory.

TNT was the disease, India the patient. The diseased part had to be cut off; A sacrifice to please the Gods had to be made.

If these separatist tendencies were ignored or somehow placated with concessions, what is the guarantee that they would not have raised their ugly head again when time seemed right? Riots went on even after Partition, with both sides attacking each other. Had Pakistan not been born, they would have occurred at a much grander scale, thereby destabilizing India, robbing it of the opportunity to build itself a solid foundation, which it got. Which brings me to my next point.

2. India needed solid foundations, not uncertainty

“We shall have India divided or we shall have India destroyed.”

- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

India got a solid foundation, thanks to Nehru. But, this would not have been possible if Pakistan had not been created. Riots would have caused havoc in all of India. India could have easily been plunged into Civil war (Note: Jinnah did in fact threaten Civil war if his demands were not met. In a show of strength he called for ‘Direct Action Day’ on the 18th day of Ramzan [Note the Religious overtone of the call]. Suhrawardy, a Muslim Leaguer and a close associate of Jinnah; who was the Chief Minister of a Muslim-Majority united Bengal and in charge of the Home Ministry, did nothing when Muslim mobs went on a rampage against their fellow neighboring Hindus). That day shook India. About 5,000 people died and 15,000 injured.

What if someone in a united free India and invoked similar emotions and demands among Muslims? The Nation would have been hostage to the blackmail of thugs like Suhrawardy, who went on to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

There was a very real chance that India could have been divided into two or more states had the Cabinet Mission Plan been accepted. The Cabinet Mission Plan, which Nehru put a brake to, would have left India a “moth-eaten” state, in which the 3 wings of India possessing the power to declare independence after 10 short years.

The proverbial steam was let off.

3. Pakistan – The buffer state

Be it Alexander or the Mughals or the Afghans, who used to raid India to loot and plunder, they all came from the same direction.

Himalayas to the North and North-East, the Indian Ocean to the South acted as natural barriers for ancient India. Not surprisingly, India was invaded and looted only from one direction (Only the British came via the sea). Pakistan, today, graciously, plugs that hole.

Pakistan and Afghanistan(Af-Pak) today are some of the most dangerous, volatile and violent regions on Earth. If Pakistan hadn’t been born, that region would have been part of India! If Pakistan didn’t exist, the porous, long borders with Afghanistan would have made sure India was sucked into the instability.

4. The Demographic Challenge

Today Pakistan and Bangladesh have a combined population of 316 Million, out of which only a fraction are non-Muslim. The total Muslim population of South Asia is around 450 Million.

If Pakistan had not been born, the Muslims would have formed about half the population of India.  India would have been sitting on a time bomb today. That bomb would have torn the fabric of India into shreds. Riots would have engulfed India and would have torn it apart not too long after Independence.

Pakistan was always inevitable. If it was not Jinnah in the 1940s, it could or would have been someone else in the 1950s or the 1960s. Religion is a handy tool to gain popularity and hold the nation hostage (Just look at the History of Pakistan where many despots and politicians alike have used it to their advantage). Jinnah did that beautifully. Nehru recognized that.

A Nation should be born on the ideas of unity, brotherhood and love of the Motherland. Sometime the ideas of division creep in and in rare cases it is best to give respect to such ideas and let them take their own course.

Today India is a Secular, Democratic, Pluralistic society, and is at peace with itself; Everything Pakistan is not. Sacrifice the limb to save a life, the saying goes.

Mrs.Rahul Dravid

There is a certain aura and mystique that surrounds people who are introvert by nature. That is especially so if that happens to be one of your icons.

Mrs. Dravid has penned an article about her husband and it gives quite an insight into the man who I and so many around the World admire so much.

Some excerpts:

“Now I know that with Rahul’s cricket, nothing is casual, unconscious or accidental. Before he went on tour, I would pack all his other bags, but his cricket kit was sacred – I did not touch it; only he handled it. I know if I packed only two sets of informal clothes, he would rotate them through an entire tour if he had to and not think about it. He has used one type of moisturising cream for 20 years because his skin gets dry. Nothing else. He doesn’t care for gadgets, and barely registers brands – of watches, cologne or cars. But if the weight of his bat was off by a gram, he would notice it in an instant and get the problem fixed.“

This statement just floors me, makes me look into myself. I gather that this is not about dedication but about caring about something you love. Dravid not being superficial is not such a surprise, is it!

There are some other rare insights into the man of the hour.

“Once the game is on, at the end of every day he has this fantastic ability to switch off. He may be thinking about it, his batting may bother him, he will be itching to go back and try again, but he can compartmentalise his life very well. He won’t order room service or brood indoors, he would rather go out, find something to do – go to a movie or watch a musical, which he loves. He will walk out to the sea to wind down or go to bookstores, or find something else to do.

He has dealt with all that goes on in cricket because he can separate the game and the rest of his life and put things in perspective. No matter what was happening in his cricket, at home he is husband, father, family man. He has never said, “Oh I’ve had a bad day.” He wouldn’t speak about his work unless asked. Other than dropped catches.”

The reminder of him being such a simple guy, a family guy brings one down from the lofty imaginary heights one propels themselves onto everyday of their lives.

I am glad that Dravid and I have one thing in common – Love of Literary Arts and Music.

Do read the whole article. A must for every fan.

Book Review – Part 1

Been super busy. But, the consolation is that I get time to read during the commute from home to office and vice versa. So, have finished quite a few books in the past few months. So, thought of reviewing some of them.

1. Nehru – The Making Of India, by M.J.Akbar

Very few book do you come around to read will change your whole perception of a grossly misunderstood historical figure. It is even more significant if that individual was the first Prime Minster of your Country.

In one go Jawarharlal Nehru went from being the first PM of independent India to one of the greatest freedom fighters, who gave everything he had to his Country, that he loved dearly and followed values acquired though reason and the basic understanding of the human psyche.

My father never talked of such topics but others around me did and I was thoroughly influenced by part-Right-Wing, part-Ignorant view of Nehru by my peers and elders. After reading this book all that changed, I became more aware of my own History. I became aware of the part of History of my Country that is really relevant to the Country that I call my own and the values it is based on.

The writing of M.J.Akbar is sublime and a joy to read. His anecdotes, irony-filled remarks enrich your understanding of some of the greatest and not-so-great-but-appear-to-be-great beings of that era, but also enriches your language and writing skills.

If you read M.J.Akbar articles and like them, you will love this. If you like to know more about modern India and think your knowledge is insufficient, this is the book for you.

To sum up, you will realize how India’s Constitution is moulded on Nehru’s philosophy and vision, which in turn is partly, but substantially, responsible for everything good that India is today.

4.5/5

Chanakya’s Chant, by Ashwin Sanghi

Well, it was a fun read. But, honestly, I really don’t know or could not make out with certainty how much of the background and circumstances in the story about Chanakya is true.

The book is about two stories, intermittently told, very pacy and intelligently written. One about Chanakya’s path to glory and anothe of a Gangasagar Mishra, from UP, who goes on to become a King Maker in India, much like what Chanakya accomplishes when he installs Chandragupta Maurya to the throne of the Emperor of all of India in some 340 BC, defeating all odds and with some massive brain power. The line between good and evil is very blurry in the story, which is, in a way, nice.

3/5.

Immortals of Meluha, Amish Tripathi

This is one such book which will take you into another World. To be more precise, to ancient India. Well, with some changes, of course.

The book is about Shiva, a tribal-warrior-Chief. Sick of violence among the tribal clans of the area he moves to a Ram Rajya of a city, literally, called Meluha. But, he is drawn upon to fight evil there too in the form of the supposedly notorious Suryavanshis but, in quite a surprise, realizes that the only fault of the Suryavanshis is that they are different, which is symbolic of the divide among Human Beings in the real world; the hate of ‘the other’.

The concept is great. But, the writing is not. I don’t know if it is just me because I found the word ‘Flank’ repeated too many times in the book. Apparently, the word is a hot favourite for the author who uses it in every other chapter.

And, guess what! Karan Johar, the simple-minded fellow, is making a movie out of it with Hrithik Roshan in the lead. I can’t tell you how much perfectly Hrithik Roshan fits into the character of Shiva. While the story is too slow, the fictional characters Tripathi builds up are very powerful and potent; and they stay with you long after you have finished reading the book.

While it was a decent read, the movie based on it has the potential to be really good, that is of course Karan Johar has nothing to with the Direction aspect of the movie, and also the scripting part. Karan, dude, it’s not supposed to be a chick-flick, so better you stay out of it. I hope a good director is roped in.

I almost forgot to mention, this is part of a trilogy. Anxiously waiting to read the second book of the trilogy.

I would give 3/5, purely for the brilliant concept.

Okay, that’s it from me for this post. There a lot of books I’ve read but not reviewed for a variety of reasons. Next time, maybe.

Happy reading.

My Dravid, My Icon

Growing up on the by-lanes of Basavangudi there are a few things that dominate your life- Watching Cricket, Studies(occasionally), watching Cartoons, playing Cricket, ogling at girls, being too shy to talk to them; discussing Cricket, playing Cricket and watching some more Cricket. Frankly, we didn’t follow any other international sport other than Cricket.

In view of all this here comes a guy, from the same by-lanes of Bangalore and scores a gritty 95 in his debut test in England, followed by an 84 in the second. He follows it up by going to South Africa and standing up to the likes of Donald and Pollock in the Tests. In the ODIs, when people say he is unsuitable for that particular version he becomes the highest scorer in the 1999 World Cup, with the highest number of Centuries by any batsman in the tournament. His name: Rahul Sharad Dravid.

I don’t want to get into how many runs he has piled on or how many very many great innings he has played. I don’t want to talk too much about how many times he has saved India’s ass and win matches when most players would be thinking about how to come back in the next match.

Dravid represented much more to me and my friends of my generation than a mere statistic. He represented us, each and everyone of us who grew up watching him play. Sachin failed at times, went through bad patches. That was unthinkable with Dravid. It was as if Dravid piling on runs and not getting out, with the help of his magnificent technique, was a given, taken for granted, no need to give a second thought to.

No where in India would you find kids from my generation arguing ‘Who is better Sachin or ?’, but in Bangalore. Dravid provided us the luxury of comparing him with the blue-eyed boy of Indian Cricket, another great- Sachin Tendulkar, whom the rest of India knows as batsman par excellence. Saying player A is better than Tendulkar was considered blasphemy, but in Bangalore.

It was not just the love for the people from Bangalore I admire Dravid, although I would have to agree that it is a contributing factor for my admiration for him, but the sheer number of successes at the top level.

Add to his Cricketing achievements, his humbleness, Gentleman-like behavior, his habit of putting the team first, propels him to the level of an Icon; someone whom you can look up to, who will never fail, who will never give up, one who will act with grace in the time of hardship, who will push the limits if it means donning roles that ill-suit you(He kept wickets in the absence of a good Wicket-Keeper-Batsman), who will never yearn for power but only success in the trade that the one is involved; someone who can talk like this:

Rahul Dravid, the quintessential family man, was never one to hog the limelight. Heck, people talked of him only when he scored all those runs to save all those matches India would never have won without him. He was never the one to talk back to his opponent even when they heckled him, abused him and tried to unnerve him. He would show his poker face and answer with his broad bat, by piling on misery by batting for hours on end, with shots that can easily be used for a Tutorial on Cricket. Getting out Dravid early was a rarity for the opponents.

Today, March 9th 2012, I get up, turn on the TV and hear the dreaded news- Rahul Dravid is retiring from all forms of Cricket. My Icon is not going to bat for India no more. My dream of watching him score a century in Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore from the stands will remain a dream.

He retires the way he played his Cricket – with dignity, grace and with a smile.

Good bye, Rahul, thanks for all the memories.

One last thing. Look at his stats. Cricketers would kill for such stuff. 10,000 runs at an average of 52 and 39 in Tests and ODIs, respectively, is what makes Cricketing greats.

Iran

The Middle East is always burning, probably have to do with the fact that there is so much oil!

Haven’t you heard? Iran is going nuclear.

The BBC tells us:

How soon could Iran make a nuclear bomb?

This would depend on Iran taking the decision to make a nuclear device and Iran says it will not do so. But experts believe that technically it could produce enough highly enriched uranium for a bomb within a few months. A US general said in April 2010 that Iran could still take several years after that to make a device. Former CIA chief Leon Panetta said in June 2010 that it could take two years. Israel’s retired intelligence chief Meir Dagan has said it could take until 2015.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in January 2011 that sanctions had slowed down Iran’s nuclear work. She also said that Iran had faced technical difficulties, possibly a reference to a computer virus said to have affected its centrifuge machinery. But in July 2011, Iran said it was installing new, faster centrifuges to speed progress in uranium enrichment. If successful, it could shorten the time needed to stockpile material that can have civilian as well as military purposes, if processed much further.

In theory Iran could leave the NPT with three months notice and it would then be free to do what it wanted. However, by doing that it would raise suspicions and leave itself open to attack. If, while remaining in the treaty, it enriched to nuclear weapons level or was found diverting material for a bomb in secret, it would lay itself open to the same risk.

Is this good news or bad news for us?

The answer is not that simple. Only 9 countries in the whole world are considered powers with nuclear weapons capability- USA, Russia, China, UK, France, Israel, Pakistan, North Korea and India. Its an exclusive club and when you are in an exclusive club, you make sure that it remains exclusive. Iran going nuclear will only push the Saudis to go nuclear as well.

But, India cannot openly protest or take actions against Iran, however minute, for several reasons.

1. When a state as large as Iran and with such resources decide to go nuclear, there isn’t much anyone can do

When a state as large as Iran and with such resources decides to go nuclear, there isn’t much anyone can do, apart from sanctions and isolation, which the World is already imposing. India cannot add to that pressure, so it better stay out of the whole mess and sit aside, with a halo over its head. Better to stay neutral and get on the good side of all the powers, than create enmity and ill-will with a probable future nuclear power.

2. India imports a lot of Oil from Iran.

Iran, in fact, is the second largest supplier of crude oil to India after Saudi Arabia. India is one of the few Countries in the World, I assume, that have friendly relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. India would  want this to continue, even on a lesser degree, since the channels to pay back Iran are drying out fast.

3. Afghanistan.

Iran is the gateway through which India gets into Afghanistan. Iran let India build a multi-billion dollar deep-sea port in Chabahar and India has built a railway system connecting Iran and Afghanistan.

India's plan to lessen dependence of Afghanistan on Pakistan

But, why is Afghanistan so important? Indian footprints in Afghanistan will not directly benefit India. Afghanistan has a lot of nuisance value and India should be in a position to do something about it.

In the 1990s Pakistan supported the Taliban regime and the fighters who used to fight the Soviets in the 1980s were diverted to Indian Kashmir to fight India. The Kashmir insurgency in the 1990s were terrible. India doesn’t want that to be repeated. But, Afghanistan required a completely different post. Lets just say that India needs to be in Afghanistan and has to make sure no anti-India activities don’t take place.

There is also a matter of around $ 1 Trillion worth of mineral deposits in Afghanistan. India should make sure we get a piece of the action. This would only be possible with Iranian help. Everybody wins but Pakistan. That just sweetens the deal even more, doesn’t it!

4. India has good relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, a rare feat.

It should maintain that neutrality. Both these powers have the ability to hurt India by stopping their Oil supplies and a growing India needs a lot of Oil to fuel its engine. India should just stay out of this mess.

What ever actions Iran takes, will have serious consequences for the entire World. Iran is threatening to close the Strait of Homuz. Whats the big deal? Just that the World crude oil price will skyrocket, making the economic recovery unimaginably tougher and will definitely have a direct bearing on the Petrol/Diesel prices back home.

Here, in a brilliantly detailed piece in The Hindu:

The Strait of Hormuz is the kink in the hose of the Gulf’s oil supply to the world. A small amount of pressure can have a disproportionate effect, sending crude prices soaring and starving the world’s oil-dependent economies.

At its narrowest point, the strait is 20 miles wide, but the channels down which more than a third of the world’s ocean-borne oil flows — 17m barrels — are just two miles wide in parts.

The butterfly effect of crude oil affecting the consumerist economies of the West, which will in turn reduce the trade traffic in the entire World, which in turn will affect the economies of the whole World, will likely happen.

I really hope Iran stops obsessing about producing nuclear fuel so that everyone goes home happy. But, when Islamic clerics are at the helm, you never know how strong the anti-non-Muslim-slash-anti-West-slash-anti-Saudi-Arabia agenda is or how will it impact the decision making.

I have a feeling that we will have a nuclear Iran soon. The Nuclear Weapons Power club membership will go up to 10.

Which country will follow suit? That’s easy to guess- Saudi Arabia.

Why this Kolaveri?

“Why this Kolaveri?”, screams NDTV. So, does the status of my friends on Facebook.

The latest video to go viral on Youtube is this song, given shape by Dhanush, a Tamil actor.

The lyrics are mediocre, the tune is catchy but not great, video looks like a amateur’s work. But, there is something else about this song which makes it great.. I cant put my finger on it but you will know what I mean when you will listen to this.

Shruthi Hassan is a looker, isn’t she!

You have to change only a handful of words to have a Kannada inspired version of the song. Who will sing it? Dhanush’s doppelganger  in Karnataka:

The word you are looking for is: "Bevarsi"

Warning: Do not zoom in.

For those of you who don’t know who is the person in the photo, all I can say is : lucky bastards! If you really want to know he is, then he is an “actor” in Kannada movies who plays the lead, most unfortunately, more often than not.

I dedicate this song to all the fellow soup-boys out there..

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

I suddenly decided that I like The Beatles song ‘While my Guitar gently weeps’. The song is so awesome that there are many different versions of it. As they say, imitation is the best form of flattery.

If you were wondering why The Beatles were crazy popular back when our parents were teenagers, then this song pretty much settles it.

Check it out, I found some other interesting versions of this song. This one by Santana[Love the voice of the Girl].

Some dude on the comments section told me about the Eric Clapton version. I HAD to check it out.

Eric Clapton, as usual, didn’t disappoint[Guess who is on the Piano!!].

Another version a YouTuber asked me to check. It was his rendering of the famous song. Its nice, so what the heck, I’ll post it.

Which one of the versions I prefer? It has to be Eric Clapton version. There is something magical about that dude. He gets me. . .

The one song I really admire by Clapton is his ‘Tears in Heaven’.

Clapton’s son, Conor, dies and he is devastated. He gives up playing music for a while. He cant handle the pain, so he vents out his sadness in this beautiful piece of music. He and Will Jennings write this song. The fact that it goes onto become a very famous song is immaterial. What is important here is the song itself, its lyrics, its soul: a father’s cry for his son aching to be with him, hoping they will meet in heaven; wondering if his little boy will recognize him, hold his hand when they do meet in heaven; wondering if there is peace ‘Beyond the door ‘.

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
I must be strong, and carry on
Cause I know I don’t belong
Here in heaven

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven
I’ll find my way, through night and day
Cause I know I just can’t stay
Here in heaven

Time can bring you down
Time can bend your knee
Time can break your heart
Have you begging please
Begging please

Beyond the door
There’s peace I’m sure.
And I know there’ll be no more…
Tears in heaven

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
I must be strong, and carry on
Cause I know I don’t belong
Here in heaven

Cause I know I don’t belong
Here in heaven

Sometimes a song is more than a piece of music. Its piece of one’s soul; a string of words expressing an emotion felt deeply, some sacred bond between the artist and the listener. Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’ is one such song for me. . .

Everyone interprets a song in their own way, I’ve done the same.