"loins of punjab presents"

a movie born in a coffee shop.an uttterly watchable film.a second gen desi comedy.it is a funfilled comic caper.a comedy with a difference.a take-off on the reality singing shows.like indian idol or american idol this is 'desi idol'.but everything is completed over the weekend.in a five-star hotel.audition,selection,finals etc etc. writer and director manish acharya and his buddy and co-writer anubhav pal,were sitting in a 'starbucks' at manhattan when they chatted about the craze for bollywood kitsch.the outcome was the decision to produce "loins of punjab presents".

a new jersey singing competition called 'desi idol' sponsored by a new jersey pork loin company called loins of punjab(lop).the movie starts with the the owner of 'lop' mounting the stage to introduce the competition to the audience.the camera slowly zooms to the oil portrait of the company's founder,in a british colonial outfit.a porker standing at his feet.the owner lights a lamp,says a few words,and pushes off.(he made his money selling pork chops) .

mr borade(jameel khan) is the sleazy event manager.there are lot of quirky contestants and aspirants for the prize money. $25,000. winner takes all.it was very funny watching the entire patel clan coming in full force to cheer their 'preeti'(ishita sharma).with their relationship with preeti written on the back of their t-shirts.and indeed talking for her.led by preeti's dad. darshan jariwalla.he got the maximum claps from the audience for exemplifying a typical gujju.in dress,manners and speech.ajay naidu,the crazy bhangra dancer(he could have been sparing in the use of the four letter word),videshi josh cohen(michael lamondi) as opama menon's( ayesha dharker) lover who puts in an excellent performance.he knows hindustani classical music,loves india and knows two hindi songs."yeh hai bombai meri jaan" and our national anthem "jana gana mana". and rrita kapoor(shabana azmi) the scheming singer who makes it to the finals.she has a guru who teaches her to sing 'chura liya hai tumne'.she is a strong believer in astrology and numerology and has a mahaattitude and wants to win at all costs to utilise the money for charity and therby earn publicity.one of the participants had to be dropped becuase his name was saddam hussain. an elderly gentleman living in the hotel who suspects everyone of being a terrorist.post 9/11 phobia. anyone who wears a turban and has a funny accent falls in this category.vikram tejwani(manish acharya),a bacchan fan, who talks mostly in numbers, his job has been outsourced to india. a pretty american born desi,sania rehman(seema rehman) who doesn't speak hindi.

an eclectic mix of people,little digs on racism,sharp and witty dialogue,impeccable performances from most of the actors,very good screenplay,superb cinematography by arabind kannabiran and good direction by manish acharya.the film produced,directed and cowritten by him and arnab pal with music by michael cohen and editing by shirish kunder(farah khan's young husband).

the climax is the best part of the 90 minutes film.when the winner josh cohen sings 'jana gana mana' and gets a standing ovation and beats shaban azmi who looked like a winner(thanks to her manipulative skills) all the way.the movie takes a close look at the people who participate in such a show and the behind the scene manipulation and politics.shabana azmi trying to eliminate her strong opponents by coaxing,cajoling and even giving veiled threats.the miserly patels trying to bribe the judges.and the desi contestants protesting against the participation of a videsi contestant(josh cohen).and shabana complaining about sania rehman not knowing hindi and getting her disqualified and breaking her heart and her father's too!

this wacky film has won the best feature film honour in the 2007 first run film festival in new york.a mad comedy,there is no dull moment.go and enjoy it.the gay rappers and the patel clan in particular.paisa vasool.

koozh is kool

it is pronounced as koor. koozh is cool. actually, it is pretty hot. "rombo kaaram" as tamilians would say. very hot! we have it for breakfast atleast once in a fortnight.rather unusual thing to have but in tamil nadu in many villages this is what the people eat for breakfast every day.

how is it prepared? for those of you who are courageous enough to try it,here is a quick recipe from gb.

soak plain rice in water for about 8 hours.then grind the rice to fine paste in your mixer. add salt and a little water and keep it for 72 hours. then,change the water and add crushed green chillies and mix properly. put the paste of rice, some asfoetida and paste of green chillies in a kadai and add two tablespoon of cooking oil and two to three glasses of water and mix thoroughly for about half an hour in a low heat taking care that the bottom of the mixture doesn't get overheated.keep on churning for some time. the koozh is now finally ready to be eaten.

this is downright ethnic and the taste has to be cultivated.a poor man's breakfast,the woman of the house has to have great patience and skill to prepare it.the endresult would justify the patience and time taken.

srk,the bollywood badshah

shah rukh khan is on a roll these days.hogging the headlines of all newspapers,coverpages of magazines and interviews with tv channels,a dime a dozen.he has just turned 42 and the country is awaiting with bated breath the release of oso(om shanthi om).there is an ad blitzkreig for the last month or so by the producers of oso, projecting shah rukh khan,the filmy baadshah and debutante deepika padukone(daughter of world badminton champion prakash padukone) as the rising star.

shah rukh,the delhi boy, started from humble beginnings to now stride as a collosus over bollywood.without any godfather or filmy connections,he has made it to the top with sheer grit,talent,suaveness and streetsmartness.unlike the other khans in the bollywood bazaar,he has no blot on his name and has a squeakingly clean reputation.also known for helping friends in need and dear ones not so much in need.like for example farah khan to whom he recently gifted a brand new S350 mercedes benz.he had earlier given her a hyundai terrracan after the completion of her debut film 'main hoon na' in 2004.he already has two cars she said but the third one is a welcome addition. one for each of the triplets she is expecting soon!

the rockstar with the six pack abs has one problem though. he smokes which his fans don't like. they want him to give up smoking. some of his recent ads showing him smoking hasn't gone too well with his admirers.maybe he will learn from what they have to say because they don't want him to go up in smoke.

the 'chak de india' hero has a long wishlist on his 42nd birthday. ten beautiful films to make,son and daughter to beat him at all sports, children becoming more educated than him, making a beautiful film studio, a trust and hospital(a la imran khan) and public utilities and amenities for women all over the country. noble thoughts indeed.he surely can do all these too.

k-jo(karan johar) and aditya chopra are his buddies.they give him the best presents and fill his life with joy and camaraderie.the king of bollywood feels that age is just a number.though white strands have appeared in his hair, he has been dyeing his hair regularly and he feels he is the most looked after person in the world.age is no obstacle.he beats kids half his age in many physical things that they do.

his on-screen and off-screen chemistry with kajol is legion.their pairing has always resulted in a superhit.be it ddlj,baazigar,kuch kuch hota hai and even kal ho na ho. they will be coming together in 'my name is khan',a setting on post 9/11.

a go-getter,hardworking and stylish and elegant,it took him only six packs to muscle his way back to the youth icon group with a focus few can match.fond of good dressing, his endorsements for hyundai or taghauer or so many other brands captivate the youth and seniors alike.a superachiever with 10 filmfare awards,padma shri recipient,featured on the cover of 'time' and 'national geographic' and cast in wax at madam tussaud's.easily another 20 years of film life is ahead of him.all his qualities will keep the king khan at the top of the pack,for sure.

lcmd (laaga chunari main daag)

the film starts with a colourful ten minutes' song in the streets of varanasi."hum to hain aise bhaiya".two sisters badki(rani mukherjee) and chutki(konkona sen)bonding beautifully.their real names are vibhavari and prabhavari respectively.a terrific song.sushil rajpal's cinematography is superb.and then immediately thereafter you are transported to a huge haveli with a ganges view owned by the parents of the irrepresible sisters,the sahays(anupam kher and jaya bhaduri).actually it is an ancestral property and sahay's brother has raised a dispute and the matter is being litigated.but since the sahays are in occupation they are enjoying the luxury knowing well that a sword is hanging over their head.one can say that they are asset-rich but cash strapped.a fit case for a reverse mortgage.for some reason sahay doesn't receive his pension and his wife burns the midnight oil trying to keep the home-fire burning by sewing till the wee hours.a film producer wants to shoot some scenes for his forthcoming film in their gorgeous haveli and momentarily there is some happiness in the lives of the sahays as they get much needed cash, but it soon turns into a great disappointment as the producer cancels his plan.and the cash has to be returned.

badki overhears a conversation between the sahays about their abject financial position.her father's medicines can't be bought as they hardly have any money.she then and there decides to try her luck in mumbai with the help of her recent contact-the film producer.several failed attempts later including a casting couch therapy, the not well-versed in english lass from varanasi finds the occupation of a sophisticated prostitute in mumbai.she decides that there is no option.with her father having had a heart attack and her mother on the fringe,she realises that this is the only way she can earn a lot of money quickly and protect her family.in their many teleconversations her mother understands and wily nily acquieses.destitution leads to prostitution.

plenty of cash starts pouring in and the family's fortunes miraculously improve.that sets tongues wagging.badki's father decides to engage varanasi's topmost lawyer to defend his case on the ancestral property.and the jealous brother sends his son ratan(sushant singh) to find out how his brother could afford to do that.the cousin tracks her to mumbai, accosts her when she is about to leave her beautiful sea-face apartment and threatens to blackmail her back home.badki agrees reluctantly to keep him on the tab with a regular money transfer.meanwhile chutki gets a job in mumbai and the sisters meet.chutki is in awe of her badki but unaware of her source of income.when one day she finds her secretly leaving their flat and follows her to the five star hotel where badki meets her client, then the truth dawns on her.she waits in the rain for her sister.the sister comes out in her shimmering black sari and goes past her,and then drives away.she bangs on the car windows,but badki doesn't recognise chutki.she breaks down emotionally and konkona is brilliant here.later in the evening she questions badki and when the cat is truly out of the bag,she lauds and worships badki for her huge personal sacrifice and for saving the family from financial ruin.

abhishek does a cameo as badki's lover and konkona gets hooked on to vivaan(kunal kapoor)the creative director of an advertising firm.he doesn't care too much about how he looks and how he dresses.the chemistry between kunal and konkona is great.kunal acts very well and repeats his performance of rang de basanti.finally it turns out that abhishek and kunal are brothers and there is a happy family reunion, when kunal is to marry konkona at benares.the villainous cousin(sushant singh) is a spoiler for he tries to wreck the marriage along with his father.by announcing badki's profession in front of all the guests.the brothers don't care.they shoo him out."daag,bojh,what are you talking about",drawls abhishek in his foreign-returned accent.

there is a mujra by hema malini in the early part of the movie which perhaps sowed the seed of prostitution in badki's mind. badki was so impressed and taken in by the mujra that she thought that it could be a fast way of earning bucks to save her family.

lcmd is dedicated to the indian woman.it is also a woman's world.all the three top performances come from women.rani,konkona and jaya.jaya had a tough role to play, pushing her badki into a labryinth and then suffer every nanosecond though that brings them prosperity.kunal as the dishevelled creative director looks good and acts well.pradeep sarkar's direction is excellent though the story line is weak.the music and in particular the inaugural song is fantastic.

not a great movie though a heart-tugging story about a blot in the chunari.a scar which will never leave the woman.but if you want to see some fine acting from the three women, hear a couple of good songs,watch nice shots of benares and cry a bit do see it. the narration and creative visuals of pradeep sarkar are terrific.it is likely to be a boxoffice hit.

dus bahaane for dus-sehra

we are a nation of fun-lovers.how else do you explain the long list of festival holidays throughout the year.add to it the saturdays and sundays and the casual leave and sick leave and privilege leave benefits that those who work in public and private sector organisations enjoy,we do come to a ridiculously low figure of working days.i have done a posting on this subject before so i will not repeat it.but then who doesn't want to have fun? particularly when you mix it with religion.dus bahaane(ten excuses) for ten days of revelry.celebrated with tremendous enthusiasm and excitement.all in the name of goddess durga.the fascinating manifestaion of the female principle. shakthi.energy.the victory of good over evil.the defeat of the asura mahishashura in the hands of goddess durga(mahishasuramardini) specially created to kill the demon.not just restricted to one state.it is all over the country.'kolu' in the south,'dandia' mania in the west,'ram leela' in the north and 'durga puja' in the east.that is why we are referred to as'incredible india'.'the united states of india'.

the asura was a combo.she-buffalo and a celestial nymph.by his severe penance he obtained a boon from lord agni that he could be killed only by a woman.actually he asked for immortality to which the lord answered 'no way'. but,gave him unimaginable powers.which sadly he misused.chased away the gods from the three worlds.they went running to the trinity who carved out a female form. a beautiful woman with ten hands and equipped with each god's special weapon-bows and arrows from vaayu,trident from shiva and chakra from lord vishnu.mahishasura was not going to be a cakewalk for the beautiful durga.he went down fighting after trying all the tricks in his trade.durga finally put him down on the mat and chopped off his head.after battling for 10,000 years.

durga also finds a reference in the epic ramayana.rama prays to durga to defeat the all powerful raavana.she agrees under one condition that she should be worshipped with 100 blue lotuses before the battle.rama manages to get 99.one short.running out of time,he plucks out one of his eyes(pundarikaksha-lotus eyed) and makes the 100.durga is impressed with rama's devotion and assures him of victory.the battle started on saptami(seventh) day and ended on navami(ninth) day.raavana was cremated on dashami(tenth) day.

consort of shiva,sati,was the daughter of daksha.once daksha performed a mahasacrifice.sati was invited and was insulted by daksha by not inviting his son-in-law,shiva.sati immolated herself unable to bear the insult.insulted and infuriated shiva came to the venue and chopped of daksha's head.the gods pleaded and shiva relented.he transplanted a goat's head on to daksha and brought him back to life.then daksha started chanting "shan cha me,mayaschame...."('chamakam') in the yajur veda and generally chanted after rudram(shiva). 'mey' is the sound that a goat makes.shiva picked up sati's body and danced.the dance of destruction.vishnu despatched his chakra which cut through the corpse of sati and sati was revived as uma.shiva's new consort.bengalis believe that uma comes home every autumn to visit her parents while durga puja is being celebrated.

revered by all hindus,even guru gobind singh had introduced the worship of durga.
different regions have their own variances in the celebrations.chandi,bhavani,etc are different names under which the durga maata is worshipped.the tenth day is the finale when she is finally immersed.on the same day lord rama(under some cloud now) is supposed to have vanquished lord ravana in battle(venerated by the dmk).the divine in us conquers the evil in us on this day.hence a good and auspicious day.durga,lakshmi and saraswati are worshiped during the nine days(three days each) in many regions.worshipped as kali in bengal,the durga puja is big time there.shasti,saptami,ashtami,nabami and bijoya are days when work comes to an absolute standstill in bengal.on dasami day people wear new clothes,embrace each other,offer sweets and engage in bonhomie.tens of thousands of pandals having durgas are worshipped.referred to as 'thakur',visiting these pandals and partaking off the bhog is a must must.in the north, ravan effigies are burnt.even kumbhakarna's and meghnaad's during ram leela.many this year wondered what sonia gandhi and manmohan singh were doing in the ram leela celebrations after the goverment had questioned the existence of lord rama.

the victory of good over bad.arrogance,bad thoughts,and other negative attribtes to be got rid of.lust,anger,delusion,greed,pride,envy and ego must be banished.

'bolo durga maa ki jai' rents the air on the day of immersion.pujas are dominated by various themes.even howgarts castle of harry porter and global warming were subjects chosen this year in some pandals.of course dandiya ruled the roost in mumbai for the nine nights.it is a wonderful sight to watch the boys and girls with sticks in their hands dancing to the dandiya beats.the 'garba ras' is a treat to watch.this year salman khan took part in a garba dance in thane.in delhi, a whole pandal was reduced to smithereens but durga rose again from the ashes in twelve hours thanks to the devoted bhaktas who put up a new pandal and a new durga was made in a very short time.in adversity all get together.

the villagers of shyampur,a village in orissa,are so attached to maa durga that they prefer to drown a human being in lieu of the goddess.this weird ritual was started by a former zamindar and is called 'kalishi yatra'.the actual idol has been made of ashta dhatu(eight metals) and being so expensive,they decided to immerse a human being instead.narayan,has been immersing himself for the past 22 years.he is anointed as durga and narayan then starts dancing.the villagers then take him in a procession for immersion.he comes out of the pond after some time and becomes a normal man again.

with festivity in the air,do you need any bahana(excuse) for going on a sweets binge.forget the traditional barfis and jalebis.revive those sweets which are lost to the gen next.motorshutir barfi(mashed green peas with elaichi powder and mewa),khajur ka laddoo(seedless black dates roasted in ghee and mixed with ground cardamom,ginger and groundnut and finally a coating of coconut powder on the balls).and last but not the least, the maharashtrian khaparpoli.a rice flour preparation soaked in coconut milk,jaggery and elaichi powder made on a mud tava! don't despair.check it out with your grandmom.surely she will teach you how to prepare these delicious sweets and help you play a role in reviving a lost art.

and finally do you know that on the final day of her earthly stay, in bengal,mother menoka serves her daughter durga with a host of elaborate hilsa(a special type of fish)dishes.taking pity on her daughter who married to the ascetic shiva may not get any of these tasty dishes once she is back in her husband's home!

the evergreen guavas

believed to have originated in brazil or southern mexico,guavas are small trees or shrubs.cultivated for more than 3000 years now,today it is a popular fruit and grown in all tropical countries of the world.guava is versatile an it has a sweet taste.its leaves are used for treatment of diarrohea.excessive consumption of raw guava can lead to severe stomach trouble.

one can see cart loads of guava in the streets of mumbai.in kolkata i find the sizes very much bigger.called aptly as 'pyaara', it is not very expensive.having about 5 times the vitamin c of orange,it is also rich in vitamin a and b1.it is also a good source of fibre.

it is best when it is bright yellowish in colour and is almost fully ripe.can be eaten raw or as a salad.just go for it.it will work wonders for you.

bittergourd(paavakkai) saambaar

the very thought of karela (bittergourd) used to send shivers through my spine. obnoxious and repulsive,i thought.i just could not stomach such a bitter vegetable.that was when i was young.what a difference age makes to a person.nowadays i love them.i take karela juice,fried karela wafers,shukto and karela saambhar which is my favourite.

if you wish to try paavakkai saambhar,here is aandal paatti's recipe.though not exactly for this type of saambhar.gb,our cook,however confirms that the end result would be the same.and it was.

1) wash red gram dal and add 1/2 cup of water and cook in a pressure cooker.

2) cut bittergourd into small round rings and onion too.

3) soak tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water. extract the juice into a thick bottom vessel. add another cup of water to the pulp and extract the juice again. add salt,sambhar powder,turmeric powder and asfoetida powder. heat and bring to boil.

4) add 10-15 pieces of cut vegetables. a green chilli can be added.place a long handle ladle in the vessel and allow it to simmer.

5) when the vegetables are cooked add the cooked dal and asfoetida powder. mix well. bring to boil and boil for a few minutes,stirrring often making sure that the dal does not srick to the bottom.

6) heat the oil in a kadai,splutter the mustard seeds and then add the fenugreek seeds and fry it dark brown,add the curry leaves,stir and add to the saambhar.

7) garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

voila,the saambhar is now ready to be served.enjoy the karela and keep your diabetes under check!

hey babby,muesli hai meri choice

i have become a little more experimental in what i eat these days.it was shukto in kolkata last week,bonda paav at home and muesli recently.with some fresh apples and bananas.when all the main ingredients of muesli are considered to be important elements of a healthy diet,wouldn't it be a shame not to have it more regularly?

muesli,i found is a tasty way to start a day.it contains oats and wheat grains which are rich in fibre.they help lower high cholesterol.walnuts,cashewnuts,raisin are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are good for the nervous system.fruits and raw vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of cancer and age-related diseases.

and i had a brown bread toast too with cheese in between the slices.it was a very very filling breakfast and a nutritious one too.i didn't need any lunch. i was feeling full! oh! i forgot the promegranate juice.they have more antioxidants than any other juice or beverage.even more than the chinese green tea and the french red wine.antioxidants help in keeping free radicals away from the body which can cause cancer,premature ageing and alzheimer's.

how long will i continue to have such wonderful breakfast and not fall into the temptation of masala dosa,paranthas and utthappams? time alone will tell.but one thing is certain.i need to watch my weight and my eating habits. with some regular tennis and yogasanas, i hope to sail through my current post60 syndrome.

hung de!

yesterday i was searching for some letters when i happened to see an old invitation card which tickled me quite a bit. 2005 was the year of the rooster as per chinese calendar.my father had received an invitation for a conference on insurance in taipei,taiwan.the first line of the invite was "in taiwan,we always serve a nice cup of hot tea to our honoured visiting guest to show our sincere warm welcome and hospitality". the last sentence of the invitation read as follows "we sincerely hope that you will give us a chance to serve you a cup of hot tea with a view of the world's tallest building...taipei 101".

i was quite amused to see this card with the caption "hung de", in the background of today's "chak de" mania sweeping india,
will someone who knows chinese enlighten me on the meaning of 'hung de'. does it mean happy new year or has it got anything to do with the rooster.or both?

Incredible Glass

Recently,I went to an exhibition of glass sculptures by Adi Unwala displayed at the Cymroza Art Gallery. The subjects of the brilliantly made sculptures were mostly centred around flora and fauna. Flowers,birds,fishes,penguins,etc. Adi Unwalla,79, is in real terms not a professional sculptor.Though from his young days he took a lot of interest in sketching, painting and sculpting,he studied different techniques of forming of glass only after retirement from his foundry business.He considers himself very lucky that he got the opportunity to work under some world-famous artists.

Adi Unwalla's empathy with nature is outstanding and absolute.His love for nature is profound. His creations throb with energy.He breathes life into glass with his painstaking and risky efforts to make them as perfect as possible.He has burnt himself several times in the process. You feel a sense of tranquility when you closely observe his creations and get lost in their beauty.They are soul-stirring and spiritually elevating.

I was so fascinated with his work that I called him and expressed a desire to meet this outstanding person.He agreed to see me at the Cymroza Art Gallery.I was dumbstruck at the simplicity and humility of Adi Unwalla. He sought no publicity.In fact he is wary of reporters.He did not want to talk about his work.His work had to do the talk. However, after some prodding he explained to me how he got interested in glass sculpting."I was visiting New York about 15 years ago on some personal work and happened to visit a glass studio.The work appealed to me.I immediately enrolled myself as a student and learnt the art of glass sculpting.Since then I go to USA atleast once every year,learn more techniques and also teach to aspiring students. And that gives me immense satisfaction".

He has no commercial interest and his overriding love is for the very art that he is pursuing.Now, he does his work at home. He showed me the scars on his hands left behind from the many burns that this risky work entails. But that does not deter him in any way.His passion for the art is overwhelming.When i asked him what factor would he attribute to his unbelievable glass sculptures,he said it was simple." I would start the work and then it would go on with the intervention of an 'invisible hand' till it got completed". Call it what you might-talent,gift or what have you.It was the divine intervention that kept him going. He cannot be laid down by such trivial things, as burns. He just shrugs off his pain and when I ask him whether I can take his picture and some pictures of his work he agrees without any hesitation.I was pleased to see him with a few issues of "Dignity Dialogue", a monthly magazine for senior citizens being published by Dignity Foundation.

The sculptures made with great precision vie with one another for your undivided attention.Be it penguins mating happily or a dolphin leaping out of clear water or a Mahatma Gandhi walking sagaciously with his trademark stick or a ballet dancer dancing with gay abandon or a fish among corals or a ship used for commerce(dhow), Adi Unwalla's labour of love is written all over. An unique exhibition of talent and gift by an unique person who transforms a basic substance like glass into a thing of beauty. And a thing of beauty is a joy for ever.

sanskrit-a renaissance in the making

considered to be the language of the gods,sanskrit is one of the world's oldest languages."samskrtah" means selfmade or selfdone. western historians, though, claim that hebrew is the source language of all world languages.according to them, sanskrit,greek and latin belong to the group of indo-european languages which originated in anatolia in turkey otherwise known as asia minor or little asia more than 10,000 years ago.experts claim that sanskrit is more perfect than greek and more copious than latin.

we know that sound is the basis of all knowledge and which was transmitted by word of mouth from time immemorial through the unique guru-shishya relationship.the vedas and upanishads are examples of this phonographic transmission. over period of time they got converted into calligraphic representation by writings on palm leaves and birch-bark strips.dialects in india varied from place to place and scripts like prakrit,brahmi,pali,kharoshti and oriya were synthesised into devanagari script in the north and tamil took a pre-eminent position in the south. after lot of research and study, our scholars have concluded that in the whole world the earliest form of communication of thought was through,greek,latin,sanskrit and tamil. while latin,greek and sanskrit must have had some links,tamil grew independently in southern india.

i was lucky that i learnt sanskrit while in school.i was taught this language by an european jesuit father.he had even written a book on basic sanskrit.proficiency in sanskrit encouraged me to study the vedas and learn vedic mantras with the correct intonation. i used to find such recitation a great stressbuster in my professional life.i was delighted to read recently that it is now being branded as the next big thing to solve all sorts of problems from stress to complex human relationships.even iits have started classes on the vedas.learning sanskrit has a positive influence on both mind and body.the sounds of the language help in unifying thought and action.sanskrit has become an important human relations management tool.

sanskrit is a highly sophisticated language consisting of 180,000words or compounds,some of them drawn from tamil and greek and latin.richly endowed with vowels,great emphasis was placed on accent for the correct meaning.deemed the perfect language,unlike in english where you have nebulous expressions for exact human relationships,sanskrit provides specific names most of which have no equivalent in other languages.its enormous vocabulary helps to achieve perfection in expressing the most complex ideas and conveying the finer nuances in meanings and feelings.in english there is only one word for water.in sanskrit there are about 20 words for 'jalam' which means water.similarly in numbers,there are terms to denote millions,trillions and zillions as well as seconds,microseconds and nanoseconds.our ancestors were walking computers who could do mental calculations with supreme ease and accuracy.vedic mathematics is a sought after subject these days.

a school in kandivli,mumbai,plans to introduce sanskrit for students. even their family members are encouraged to join. the course is being launched in association with bharatiya vidya bhavan. a great opportunity for parents,grandparents and their children to learn an arcane language together. a language which is considered almost dead. a study shows that students who opt for sanskrit score better marks than in any other language.many people do not know the meaning of shlokas that they recite. this is an opportunity for them to understand what they recite.

indalkar, a resident of mumbai,has done an in-depth study of panini's grammatical branch of the vedanga.he has mastered all the 3,959 rules in sanskrit grammar.an award winner for the best guiding teacher in sanskrit,indalkar has presented numerous research papers in national and international conferences.he wants more school students to actively participate in learning the language.according to him,it makes the learning of languages like german and japanese easier.

a mass migration of people took place about 7000 years ago from central asia to northern india and that was the beginning of the indus valley civilization.the aryans as they were called migrated down south and made their settlements.mainly sanskrit was a language of the higher castes.there are a few villages in the south,where even today sanskrit is the lingua franca.there are in all about 50,000 fluent speakers in sanskrit today.

sanskrit is one amongst a few languages that have a scientific structure.well-thought out and systematic with regard to phonetics,grammar and methodology for word formation. because of its sound structure it is the most computer compatible language.and there are many foreigners teaching sanskrit in british,american and german universities.various organisations -educational,social and industrial use sanskrit as mottoes.e.g. life insurance corporation of india has a one-liner in sanskrit."yogakshemam vahaamyaham"(i take care of the welfare of all-lord krishna to arjuna in the bhagavad gita).music diva madonna has made two renderings in sanskrit.

justifiably, sanskrit is regaining its lost place and honour. a sanskrit renaissance is not very far off.

herbal rosogollas

you have heard of herbal tea and herbal cosmetics surely. but now a sweet partnership between industry and academics has resulted in a variety of rosogollas which you can eat to your heart's content without any guilt.isn't that something really wonderful? for me,a diehard rosogolla lover this news brought me great cheers.of late,i have been under pressure to reduce my intake of sweets and rather unwillingly i have been keeping my sweet tooth under check. thanks to industrialist r k paul and the institute of chemical biology, jadavpur university, kolkata,we now have officially marketed herbal rosogollas.

durga puja is not far off and hindustan sweets have timed the entry of their herbal sweets well. when the demand is expected to be at its peak. 'spandan' for the heart; 'pran' for more vitamin 'a'; 'mukti', an anti-diabetes herb,helps to increase haemoglobin count; 'sushmi sandesh' and 'tulsi doi' guaranteeing you deep rest.

initial test marketing of the carrot-laced rosogolla has been a success.carrots provide carotene which is an active anti-oxidant and required in substantial quantitites by the human body of all age groups. the manufacturers claim that it can help fight cancer,malnutrition,lung disease and even slow the ageing process. cheaper than medicinal supplements,it is a value- added healthy food.

rabindra paul is looking at a huge rs 14,000 crores(annual) domestic market. he has also set his eyes on iran,iraq italy and the us markets from where he has received favourable response.

don't bat an eyelid and just do it.pop up a carrot-laced rosogolla and retain your youth.

the secret of "the secret"

i couldn't resist the temptation of buying this book.generally,i have a great weakness for books.when i see a book that appeals to me i immediately buy it knowing fully well that i might not have the time to read it fully soon.why do i do that? because either i will totally forget about this book if i don't buy it then and there or i might just not get the time. eitherway,my library is the winner. i often joke with my friends and family that if i were to retire from my job now and i totally stop buying books, i might still not be able to do full justice to all the books lying in my library . assuming that i live for another twenty years.

what is this book that struck me so much to fall for it? simple.it is a self-help book. about focus. on what you want and you will get it. this book has emerged as one of the most successful self-help books ever with record shattering sales.there is a video too.the book was a chart-buster.numero uno on the wall street journal's non-fiction best seller list in the first week of april and also on the new york times' list in the ending of the second week of april. the video for sale online is supposed to have been downloaded more than 2 million times.oprah has done two shows on the author and recently newsweek devoted six pages to the book and video.

the book reveals a secret puportedly known to great thinkers and philosophers from plato to einstein.so far it has been kept out of bounds from the masses. the book has been authored by rhonda byrne. she is the head of an australian film production company. imagine what you want with focus and it will come to you. there are 24 advice experts who dish out their take on how you could be what you want to be. instead of one guru,here is an ensemble reinforcing the main stream of thought running throughout the book.mind is the king.

in 2004,according to byrne her company was about to go bust. adding to her woes was the death of her father. at that time she was presented with a book by her 24 year-old daugther. wallace wattle's "the science of getting rich". published in 1910. an outstanding book in the self-help genre.

what are the secrets that are passed on? a) just 3 to 10 minutes of meditation a day will give you a good fix over your thoughts, b)your ideal body weight is weight that feels good for you, c)you will never become rich if you continue your job, d) autosuggest that you can get the objects that you want.that feeling will fulfill your desire and e) when you are not well don't worry about the symptoms of disease .just be positive and think of being well. automatically you will be healed.byrne says the secret is simple. ask,believe and receive.

do you call that the secret to byrne's success? biggest reprint in publishing business. over 2 million copies flying off the shelves in flat 3 months since publication.it overtook harry potter and the deatly hallows to no1 in amazon.com's top sellers book list. she has her fair share of criitcs though. she has been accused of plagiarism wholesale.some say this idea actually belonged to norman vincent peale who in 1952 did some original work on the power of positive thinking."thoughts are magnetic and thoughts have frequency" peale had said.

the 198 pages book is neatly divided into 10 chapters, titled the secret revealed, the secret made simple, how to use the secret, powerful processes, the secret to money, the secret to relationships, the secret to health, the secret to the world, the secret to you and the secret to life. rhonda byrne says that we are all human transmission towers.more powerful than any television tower created on earth. the last lines of the book are a quote from ralph waldo emerson "the secret is the answer to all that has been,all that is and all that will ever be"

the book's phenomenal runaway success is attributed to some very smart marketing. "the secret" got rhonda rich and the publishers simon and schuster are laughing all the way to the bank. will it do me any good? i think so. the book makes easy reading and is inspirational. will it do you any good? surely and why not? you will reach a point, says bob proctor-philosopher,author and personal coach, where you won't need to practice anymore,because you will be the power,you will be the perfection,you will be the wisdom,you will be the intelligence,you will be the love and you will be the joy . not far off from the vedantic mahavakyas."tat tvam asi"(thou art that) and "aham brahmaasmi"(i am brahma,the creator).what more can you ask for? after spending only 23.95 us$?

he comes home on saturday and departs on sunday- the elephant god

om sri ganeshaya nama:

last saturday(15th september) was the day of ganesh chaturthi.i was returning from orissa where i had gone on work.while driving back home,i spoke to my daughter who informed me that she and her mom had bought a beautiful ganesha idol and were installing it in her home.she wanted me to come over and do the official puja.after all,i am the uncrowned priest of our family! whether it is a sacred thread ceremony,wedding,seemantham(baby shower),or the naming ceremony i am there around. my family members are reassured that should something happen to the chief priest and he doesn't turn up at least i am there,as a back-up, to see the function through.early this year my mom-in-law was greatly relieved when her archbishop(our family priest's pet name) dropped out at the last moment for an important religious function and i was available to substitute him. i am grateful to my family members to repose so much of faith in me.

during this month,many devotees take a vow that they will not kill any rat.mumbai's rodent population is massive. and for ten days they breath fresh air.the rat is the official vehicle of lord ganesha. each hindu god/ goddess has his/her own vehicle.the chairman of the bmc health committee is worried that eliminating rats,which they regularly do, will attract lord ganesha's curse.he has issued a diktat. "no killing of rats till visarjan(immersion) is over on ananthchaturthi day(25thSeptember). the joy of the rats knows no bounds. indeed they are having a field day.

lord ganesha's rat is lovingly called mooshika.actually he rides a mouse.an elephant god riding on a mouse.isn't that a huge paradox? and how does hinduism explain this puzzle? the sanskrit word mooshika is derived from the root'mush' which means stealing or robbing.our neighbour prez(musharaff) has no doubt an appropriate name. mooshika represents fear and nervousness. by praying to lord ganesha his devotees can earn his grace and overcome their fear,doubts and apprehensions. assured in the belief that the 'vignahartara' will remove all obstacles from the way.the rat is a destructive pest. and lord ganesha is around to keep the mouse under check. according to puranas,when lord ganesh was a child,a big mouse started terrorising all his friends.lord ganesh trapped him with his lasso and made him his mount.

mooshika was in his earlier birth a 'gandharva'(celestial musician). by mistake he walked over the feet of a rishi called 'vamadeva' who was absorbed in deep meditation.the rishi lost his temper and cursed that the gandharva be transformed into a mouse. later, when he calmed down, he promised mooshika that he will attain salvation one day by being the mount of lord ganesha.



my daughter had prepared some delicious modaks(lord ganesha's favourite) which we offered to the lord and did an aarti. the next day,again after puja,we took the idol to girgaum chowpatty and immersed it in the sea.there are young boys who volunteer to take the idol quite deep into the sea and immerse it. i hired one of them and walked with him till the water had reached my waist level and then handed over the idol to him for a safe immersion.

'ganpati bappa morya,putch varsha lavkar ya' (dear lord ganpati, our salutations to you,do come early next year). mumbai is in a joyous mood celebrating its biggest religious event of the year.matunga's gsb mandal had decked up its 21 feet ganesha idol with jewellery valued at rs 7 crores.60 kg gold and 175 kg silver.and 'lalbag cha raja' is no less wealthy. and do you know that if lord ganesha's trunk is turned to the left,it indicates spiritual blessings. and if it is turned to the right,it indicates prosperity,health and blessings.

lord ganesha is also called vinayaka because he was born without the intervention of man.vinayaka generates jealousy in shiva and provokes him to aggression.one day ganesha is beheaded by shiva.parvati is inconsolable in grief. and when shiva resurrects parvati's creation and appoints him as the leader of his followers(the pati of the ganas),ganesha represents the change in shiva .from a recluse hermit(hence parvati had to create ganesha from the turmeric in her body) to a householder.ganesha is the intellectual.unlike his brother karthikeya who is a superwarrior.he has an elephant's head,a pot belly and a serpent tied around his stomach.these signify shiva and shakthi,a merger of the god and goddess.soul and substance.wealth and wisdom are his wives(riddhi and siddhi). his daughter is santoshi,satisfaction.the rat which is symbolic of human problems of life is kept at bay.

why an elephant head? elephant is indra's vehicle.it signifies material abundance.elephants flank lakshmi,the goddess of wealth and prosperity,gajalakshmi.shiva is known as gajantaka.he who flays the elephant and uses its thick skin as his angavastra(upper garment).

lord ganesha is the god of learning and knowledge.through devotion to him one learns to be responsible,to differentiate between good and bad and develop farsightedness.he teaches discipline.he is easily pleased.just by offering him a little durva grass.this grass collected from mount kailas came to lord ganesha's rescue when after swallowing the great asura anlasur,he suffered a burning sensation in his stomach.anlasur was creating havoc swallowing saints,sages and innocent people alive.even lord indra could not contain him.all the gords rushed to lord shiva who suggested that only lord ganesha could help them as he was potbellied and could swallow anlasur.the moment he ate the durba grass the burning sensation vanished.

he is pleased to grant one's heartfelt desires.he is very fond of modak.modak is derived from two words,mode meaning pleasure and 'k' denoting a little bit.something that gives pleasure even when it is in a small quantity.he is fond of jaggery too.

whoever offers durba grass to lord ganesha becomes like kubera,the god of wealth.whoever offers rice and paddy achieves success and fame.and whoever offers a thousand laddoos to lord ganesha has his personal desires fulfilled.