Ambitions

Those who have two or more kids marvel at the personality differences. If you ask my older one what she wants to be you would get a shrug and if you prod more you will get a slightly more clear answer - I don't know.

On the other hand you do not have to ask the little one. She has no fewer than a half dozen careers chosen. When we were driving back home, she saw this bridge under construction and told me that she want to be a Crane Builder. I asked her if she liked building cranes, no she said she like building bridges. So I pointed out that she wanted to be crane operator. She liked that a lot.

Then she casually mentioned three other careers she had chosen for herself and the first on the list was Archeologist. I tried to put her in place by asking her if she knew what that was, but she is made of unsquashable India rubber. She promptly said, she was going to dig for Dinosaur bones!

Oh, BTW, she also wants to be a doctor and a teacher.

This is the first season she has paid serious attention to fall colors. She asked why some were still green and my wife told her that pines were ever greens and then explained to her that pines do not shed their needles.

Manama insisted that that pines also change color. My older one explained again to her again what it meant to be ever green. But the little one is stubborn as a mule. She insisted that she has seen pines change color.

This argument went on for a few minutes when she triumphantly pointed to a pine like tree that had changed colors. We are not sure if it is a pine or not. In any case my wife and my daughter mustered as much dignity they could and moved on.

The next my wife needled her.

"Manama, look at that pine. I think pines too change colors"

Her reply was typically cocky

"You think. but I know they do!"

The Little Red Book

I am a book worm. I read books everyday. I start the day with a book and go to bed with a book, not necessarily the one I started the day with. I read them anywhere, everywhere. I read them several times. I own hundreds of them. If I sit for 10 minutes, I would rather sit with a book, even if it were on a potty.

In fact let me tell you a secret, that is one place no one can disturb me.

My Wife - Honey can you do me a favor?

Me - Sorry sweetheart, I am reading a book, oops, I mean I am in the bathroom.

So our bathrooms always contain books. Luckily since my wife and older daughter share this passion, it has not caused too many troubles.

It was not unusual in our house for someone to announce "I need to use the bathroom" and run to the library to pick a book! I am bad but I am proud to say my daughter is worse. She has no sense of time. When you want her to get ready for an party, she will promptly take a book to the bathroom and come out an hour later. During that time, her mom would pop several arteries screaming

where are you, what are doing, please hurry, we are late, irresponsible, you are just like your dad....

Anyway, recently it was borne on me how much of a women world this is, at least my small world, my house.

I went to the bathroom and found to my dismay that I forgot to take along a book. So I picked one lying there, a library book, a small red book aptly named, My Little Red Book. I did not know that my wife was interested in Communism or Mao to read his book. You see I had not borrowed this book from the library.

Imagine my surprise when I read the first chapter and found that this book had nothing to do with redistribution of wealth. It was not The Little Red Book. It was about the onset of Menarche, aka, the First Period. I know my older daughter had varied interests but this one was a stunner. We all avoid this topic, definitely the men. I do not know why. Well we all have a mom and many of us have one or more sisters and have seen their pain first hand.

So I will say this.

Please read this book.

This is an anthology. Almost all of them are 1 pagers, little stories by women across of the world and their introduction to The Period and how each of them dealt with it in their own way. Even if we do not entirely understand it we may have some sympathy for our mom, sister, daughter, and better half.

Bigamist? Me? No Way. Maybe. You be the Judge!

Two years ago, my friend, Sriram, got married. Before I go into the details of his marriage, let me tell you a little about us.

Sriram and I used to be roommates for a little over 2 years during our time in Graduate School. It is interesting how we met and ended up being room mates. During the summer of 1991, I was in the campus getting my admission process rolling while simultaneously looking for rooms to share, when I saw these two Indians walking in the street. A brief introduction later we found we shared not only a nationality but a mother tongue as well. Naturally it helped a lot to break down barriers. They needed a roommate and I needed a room. That is how I met Sriram. It was that simple. My initial suspicions were soon confirmed; although he was from a rich family, Sriram was guilty of being simple, easygoing, and generous to a fault.

After my marriage in 1993, he moved out but stayed still in campus apartments and so we had ample opportunities to meet. Then the Gold Bug bit him, at least the fever to move to the Golden State hit him after he vacationed in California for 2 weeks. I forgot to mention, Sriram was also very impulsive. He very soon got a job and moved to the left coast and has lived there since then. We stayed in touch regularly despite the distance.

Sriram then behaved in the most unfilial manner possible for an Indian boy. He refused any proposal for marriage. Since I met my wife during graduate school and got married, his mother believes he was unduly influenced by me. Soon he met a nice girl in California and after a while she moved in. Melissa and Sriram lived together for a while before he popped the question. She accepted and they set the date.

Now comes the location where they would get married. I told you earlier how Sriram was simple, generous, easygoing, and impulsive. I forgot to mention he was also romantic. He liked the movie Shawshank Redemption. If you have seen the movie then you know the place where Tim Robbins settles after escaping from prison!

I liked the movie a lot and I thought that the place was beautiful too. I wanted to vacation there.

Well Sriram chose to get married there!

If you have not seen the movie, it is Zihuatenejo, Mexico. It is a beautiful place on the Pacific coast.

The marriage was a secular ceremony conducted by a Mexican official. It took place on the beach with chairs set in several rows facing the water. The bride and the groom stood a few feet away from the waves. A ten person music band dressed in beautiful traditional clothes played very nice music. To cap it all there was the setting sun in the background. Altogether it was a wonderful wedding, uniting two very nice people.

During the ceremony conducted mostly in Spanish - I forgot to mention the bride and the groom spoke Spanish quite fluently - the secular minister (if there is such a phrase) mentioned several names including mine. That did not surprise me since I was one of the official witnesses and had to sign various documents. Also I was not sure since there was the sound of the surf in the background we could not hear much of what was said. So I kept quiet till I heard my name spoken for the fourth time and then I knew it was time for me to speak now or forever hold my peace.

Well I am sure you understood what happened. It turns out that minister got the two names mixed up, our names being very long, unfamiliar, and similar enough for him. Now you all know my name is Ramaraghavan Srinivasan and my friend's full name is Sriram Ramachandran.

We all had a good laugh but to this day I am not sure about my friend's marital status....

or mine for that matter!

Twenty Years Later

I have been in this country twenty years! Two decades! Where did all that time go?

I still remember the blue skies when I landed in San Fransisco on July 4, 1989. Yes I came to the good old USA on the Independence Day. I could not believe that the sky could be so blue. In India I do not remember looking up in the middle of the day for fear that the glare would blind me.

On the first evening, the manager of the motel where I stayed initially in Santa Clara, suggested that we all climb on top of the roof of the motel to view the fireworks. Spectacular!

My first year in this country was filled with so many novel experiences. I remember the awe with which I used the ATM the first time, something that now is passe even back in India.

My boss was amused that I found it strange that someone would accept a plastic card from me in return for expensive goods and services merely on my assurance that I would pay him back in 30 days. I did not realize then that the banks had a noose round my neck! The noose has gotten lot tighter since then. Back then, formal credit was mostly unknown especially in middle class. My parents and everyone I knew paid cash for everything. Now, credit in all forms in ridiculously common place in India.

I remember with wonder that the darkness set at the insanely late hour of 9:30-10:00PM! I had not heard of Day Light Savings.

With no email and only one choice of long distance, I cannot forget what a pinch it was on the purse to make a 10 minute call to India. A minute of long distance was about $3.00! Adjusted for inflation that is about $6.00 in today's dollars. So I would make one quick call to our neighbors to tell my parents to come on line and then after a suitable interval call them again! How crude. Since then India went completely wireless by (almost) skipping the land line phase! I now pay about 5 cents a minute and can call my parents any time, any where, however long I want!

Within a month of coming to the US, I got my driver's license, and soon I became a proud owner of a beat up Honda Civic of indeterminate color; let us say Gray; with over 85,000 miles on it. I roamed all over Bay Area using my new, used car and a bicycle.

I survived the 6.9 earthquake! After that all the minor tremors were like storm in a teacup. In fact I found out that I had slept through several 5+ earthquakes.

I discovered The Supreme Court and pretty soon added much needed bulk to my lanky frame.

I watched the great Joe Montana win a Super Bowl without understanding rudiments of American Football.

It probably rained in the Bay Area, but I do not remember those days for there could not have been many of them. All I remember were long days with blue skies and wonderful balmy weather.

I probably had the most carefree 12 months of my life, which is why California always manages to evoke extreme nostalgia.

India Is Racist, And Happy About It

I am ashamed but there is quite a bit of truth in this statement. Outlook published this article recently. A while back I told someone (and it is not an original observation) that the caste system in India is a form of color based discrimination and they did not accept it. In Sanskrit it is referred to as The Varna system. Varna means color.

My former CEO is an Indian American and his VP is a white American. He would tell us that when the two went to India on business trips, everyone would automatically assume that the VP was the boss!

I am not sure if India will ever stop discriminating on the basis of color. It is so deeply rooted that I am not sure of a lot of the people think of it as discrimination!

Top 10+10 Kishore and Asha - Part II

Here is Part II of Top 10+10 Kishore and Asha. Observe the preponderance of RD Burman in this list (Songs 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19). RD and Asha had a very productive relationship since his first film Teersi Manzil.

10+01) Sharaabi - Intaha Ho Gayi (Video)
This song should be in the previous list, so putting it on top is my way of making amends. Bappi Lahiri can be a good music director when he chooses to not copy pop songs.

10+02) Aankhon Aankhon Mein - Aankhon Aankhon Mein (Video)
Great song but the Rakesh Roshan is nuts.
When Rakhee says "Mujko Apni Bahon Mein Sone Do"
His reply is "Shaadi Ho Jaane Do"!

10+03) Seeta Aur Geeta - O Saathi Chal (Video)
Just before the song starts Hema cutely mispronounces the word skate as kates. She plays the role of a uneducated but confident girl.

10+04) Chor Machaye Shor - Le Jayenge Le Jayenge (Video)

10+05) Deevar - Kehdoon Tumhe Ya Chup Rahoon

10+06) Hum Kissi Se Kum Naheen - Hum Ko To Yaara Teri (Video)
I do not know if this girl ever acted in any other movie.

10+07) Jhootha Kahin Ka - Jeevan Ke Har Mor Pe (Video)

10+08) Khel Khel Mein - Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu (Video)
Every song is a hit, but putting Iftekhar in the role of a jealous romeo is absurd.

10+09) Yaadon Ki Baarat - Meri Soni Meri Tamanna (Video)
The only redeeming feature in this movie is Zeenat Aman. The hero's acting is worse than my writing!

10+10) Zakhmee - Jalta Hai Jiya Mera (Video)

The End

Top 10+10 Kishore and Asha - Part I

After my previous post, my wife requested that I make a similar list with Kishore and Asha. She also added that a Top 10 list would not suffice and she was right. But that is not surprising since duets by Rafi-Lata and Kishore-Asha are more common than the cross pairs, Rafi-Asha and Kishore-Lata.

I was easily able to identify my Top 10, but I found that there were several others that were good and worthy of being mentioned in a list. So I decided to create a list which I titled Top 10+10 to be presented in two parts.

I feel that one of the important aspects of these songs is the absence of quality lyrics. Kishore songs are known for their energy and I think such songs do not lend themselves well to convey deep thoughts. Consequently these songs do not have great lyrics. They are simple and the songs invariably revolve around both the quality of the music and the voices of the singers and their abilities. Poetry and yodeling somehow do not go hand in hand.

This is by no means a put-down of Kishore songs; I personally feel that Kishore songs with pathos in them tend to have better lyrics, not his happy ones, with a few exceptions of course.

So let us jump into the without much ado.

01) Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi - Haal Kaisa Hai Janab Ka (Video)
Are you surprised that Kishore is the actor? I do not think anyone else could have done justice.

02) Baap Re Baap - Piya Piya Piya Mora Jiya Pukare (Video)
There is an interesting story about this song that Asha describes in details on one of her CDs. She made a mistake in one of her lines during recording and you can clearly hear it in the middle. She confesses to it to Kishore who assures her not to worry since. He informs her that he is the lead actor for that movie. He then tells her that right at the moment when she makes the error he would put a hand over the heroine's mouth!! Watch for that in the middle of the song at about the 2:15 minute mark.

03) Dilli Ka Thug - C..A..T.. Cat Mane Billi (Video)
Good spelling tutorial.

04) Paying Guest - O Nigahen Mastana (Video)
Amazing song. Asha sings not a single word, so technically it is not a duet. Nutan is great, but I feel Dev Anand did not do justice on screen.

05) Nau Do Gyarah - Aankhon Mein Kya Jee (Video)
Again the chemistry between Dev Anand and and Kalpana Kartik is clear.

06) Paying Guest - Chhod Do Anchal Zamana Kya (Video)
Nutan was an underrated star from that period. She was probably more famous for her histrionic abilities. She won five Film Fare awards.

07) Baton Baton Mein - Suniye Kahiye (Video)
I wish to make no R-rated comments and I am sure you will agree that Tina Munim is not in this movie for her acting skills. Good things, since she cannot act if her life depended on it.

08) Budda Mil Gaya - Bhali Bhali Si Ek Surat (Video)
Who is this heroine? You do not know? Neither do I!

09) Humshakal - Hum Tum Gum Sum Raat (Video)
I have always liked Moushmi her since I saw her play the role of the ditzy wife as the wife of Sanjeev Kumar in Angoor. A steamy song for its time (India in 1974)

10) Javaani Deevani - Jaane Jaa Dhundtaa Phir Raha (Video)
This song shows RD Burman at his experimental best. He makes Kishore sing at certain times at a very high pitch and Asha down a whole octave!

Well which one of your favorites did I miss?