For the love of the written word...

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 05:54:00 +0000

'Evolution of Bollywood Music'

Penn Masala, a Hindi Capella group, world’s first and as of yet the most famous, has produced a music video that will take you back 60 years or so.

“Bollywood music has changed immensely over the decades,” says a statement accompanying the video. “We’ve seen legendary singers redefine genres, musical directors pushing the envelope with their arrangements, and the arts and culture of India thrive.”

Founded in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Masala is known for its fusion of sounds and songs from South Asia and the West. The group has eight full-length studio albums. They have performed for audiences across the globe, including billionaire Mukesh Ambani, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and U.S. President Barack Obama.

Since its launch on March 29, the video has been viewed more than 900,000 times.

The five-minute video begins with a song from the 1949 film, “Dulari” and ends with hits from the 2013 film, “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.”The first segment is filmed in black and white, with the six singers clad in suits, ties and bowler hats.

As the decades pass, the black and white video fades to sepia , and ends in color. And the outfits change as well. In the 1960s, the group dons bandanas and jean jackets; in the 1980s, rugby shirts; in the 2010s, casual suits and rolled-up sleeves.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 12:33:00 +0000

Salman Khan: The Sultan of Verbal Gaffes

Here we have papa Khan rescuing Beta Khan from the onslaught of media trolls. In this context, it is to be said that Papa Khan has done it several times earlier too. So, today's TBT is about recalling those times when Sr Khan came to the rescue of Beta Khan.

#Salim takes a dig at Milkha Singh to defend Salman

#Salman heeds daddy's words over Yakub Memon comments

#Prosecuted for being a celeb in 2002 hit-and-run case?

#Salim defends Salman's bonhomie with Narendra Modi

# Truth about Black buck case?

Get ready for a #feelgoodfriday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 02:26:00 +0000

To me, companionship defines marriage. Its more than just role-playing.

I should be able to look up to the guy. Should be able to say once in a while, You inspire me.

Mutual respect. To be able to speak one's mind without the fear of being judged, ridiculed. That's an open and healthy relation.

Space. That we can give ample of, to each other.
Trust. Understanding.
Sensibility.
To be able to give without much thought.

I'm a li'l old school.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 15:17:00 +0000

You could be a boy next door or the Maharaja's son. Frankly my dear, I give a damn. What matters to me is if you have got what it takes. If you do, then well....welcome onboard.

So far, the going has been good. The best part is he's got a good analytical ability and perception. He scored a bonus there.

So here's the list:

Good in analysis (this definitely ensures that he cant be led into a trap by unscrupulous individuals) (+1)
Has the right mindset to make it work(+1)
Realizes his mistake and takes corrective action(+1)
Practical
Fitness freak
Tenacious(works for me)
Creatively inclined(can expect piano lessons in future)
Open to suggestions
is perceptive
and...

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 13:12:00 +0000

The hunt has begun. The manhunt. D'ya get the picture?

I am clear about what I want. What remains to be seen is whether I get what I want or if I will have to settle for something less. I am what I am. A modern, progressive, feminist of a woman.

But then, when you know what you are looking for, you are on the right track. That tells me I can rest a bit.

I realize after one month of being into this thing that it involves lot of hard work. Last time, I was afraid to work hard and I had to pay the price for being lazy. Too heavy a price. This time, I will leave no stone unturned.
Bet ya.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 05:07:00 +0000

Hey me,

You haven't been doing much these days. You had a plan to eat oil-less food this month, didn't you?

Let's see. You can do better than what you have done these past few days, eating gobi manchurian, couple of samosas, jilepi, etc.

Though you did a good job of making fish stew and dal which were bland.
You walked many miles.

You need to be more careful in the next 22 days.

And you need to begin writing again.

Take care and love you always.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 08:12:00 +0000

Wellness rebooting..in 7 days!

A month of oil-less food should do some good to my system, me thinks.
But then, Indian food and oil-free? Difficult. But possible. The idea is to keep oil to the bare minimum.
A few are already known to me. And few others I'll dig out.
To start with, I have already cooked dal, rajma and chicken without oil.
Soups would be good.
And again, when people have jaundice, they are prescribed oil-free, masala-free food. These are completely oil-free.
So, stews are possible. Chicken, fish, vegetables.
And I'll use a few recipes from the net. Google to the rescue.
Let me begin on Feb 1. That way, it would be easier to keep track.
Zero-oil biriyani from Sanjeev Kapoor. Subzi Pasanda by Tarla Dalal. The latter is not exactly oil-free. I'll tweak it.
Chapatis need to be made more frequently.
This also gives me another idea. A fortnight of rice-free eating. But later.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 10:31:00 +0000

Gawd....did I thank you today?

I am grateful for the lovely sunrise I witnessed this morning.
Thank you for giving me the will to drag myself out of bed to walk, walk and walk some more.

I am grateful for the delicious dal I relished today afternoon.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Looks like its going to be made into a journal. I would like to pen down my day to day life here and that would be a good way to keep a record of my life here. Later when I'm old(yeah, I am young) and wish to look back on life, I can supposedly turn out here.

In the last 3 years, I made quite some lifestyle changes and I believe they were for good. Better in fact.

And there are some more I would like to incorporate.

Like munching on a few almonds daily.

Going for a 30 mins walk every morning.

Including fruits in my diet. Honestly, I have n't done anything in this Dept yet. And I have a feeling that I wont do much either. Lets still keep it here.

Consuming a mix of two or three oils. Like sunflower with rice bran?

Drinking enough water each day. And drinking water soon after brushing my teeth. Warm lime water would be even better. Lets see.

Eating kidney beans(rajma), black grams(kala chana), kabuli chana, green moong, soyabeans regularly.

Leafy greens need to make an appearance daily/weekly.

Meditate for 15 mins daily?

Whoa! That's a wholesome list huh! Gee.... and to keep this lively and not boring, let me see...I'll include a picture that exudes life. Refreshing, isn't it?

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 06:15:00 +0000

Did you know?

Body language is an important aspect of our communication, mainly verbal. We give out a lot of information from the way we jerk our head to lift a finger. But mostly don't recognize it. The following list mentions some common body postures and what they convey to the observer. See if you recognize some of those you habitually do but are unconscious of.

Arms crossed: Defensive and cautious.

Resting chin on palm: Critical, cynical and negative towards the other person.

Dropping eyeglasses onto the lower bridge of the nose and peering over them: Causes negative reactions in others.

Slowly and deliberately taking off glasses and carefully cleaning the lens: The person wants to pause and think before raising opposition or asking for clarification.

Pinching bridge of the nose: Communicates great thought and concern.

Nose-rubbing or nose-touching: A sign of doubt, it often reveals a negative reaction.

Rubbing around ears: Performed while weighing an answer, commonly coupled with 'well, I don't know'.

Resting feet on a desk or chair: Gestures of territorial hegemony.

Swaying back: Weak ego.

Retracted shoulders: Suppressed anger.

Direct Eye Contact: Interested, likes you

Smiling Eyes: Is comfortable

Relaxed Brow: Comfortable

Limited or No Eye Contact: Lying, uninterested, too confined, uncomfortable, distracted

Tension in Brow: Confusion, tension, fear

Shoulders hunched forward: Lacking interest or feeling inferior

Rigid Body Posture: Anxious, uptight

Crossed arms: Can be just cold, protecting the body, or defensive

Tapping Fingers: Agitated, anxious, bored

Fidgeting with hands or objects (i.e., pen): Bored or has something to say

Leaning forward: Interested

To be contd.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 06:17:00 +0000

The innocent intruder

With the kitchen tap hissing again and my hands dusted with flour and powdered sugar, I had no way of finding out who it is that sneaked behind my windows. The madeleines would have to wait. I had more urgent matters to tackle. I craned my neck to peep out and in doing so, I lifted my right hand onto the counter and my fingers unintentionally touched the glass bowl, tipping its contents into the kitchen countertop. So, there. I stood staring at the mess with unfulfilled curiosity occupying one half of the mind and the immediate nature of the problem at hand tugging at the other. When I finally managed to gather back most of the melted butter onto the bowl, I felt relieved. Not because I had taken care of the matter, but because I would now be free to stalk the stalker.

I wiped my hands in the acrylic painted apron and with renewed curiosity turned the knob of the door and pulled it open. Tiptoeing my way while staying close to the wall and with my back onto it, I made for the intruder fully intent on capturing him today. While I was still a few feet away, my eyes caught hold of a grey covered child’s butt bending over something, as if to pick it up. I quickly grabbed the tiny intruder by the waist and jerked it upwards, to straighten him. Taken by surprise, he looked at me his mouth ajar.

“So huh! It’s you who’s been making rounds of my garden and plucking off the yet to bloom calendulas!! Wait till I meet your ma.”

But hey. I stop. The child began to cry, its tears dropping one at a time onto the front of his short and wetting it in circular patterns.

I soften a little and ask, “what is it? Ok, I won’t tell your ma. Fine?”

But he continued to sob softly. I bend over and ask, “Now what?”

He looked up a little and lifted his little fingers towards the sky. I straightened myself and looked in the direction he pointed.

“What about the sky?”

The child now mumbles, “She lives up there, granny says. Will you tell her that I miss her, when you meet ma?"

I stepped back a little, as if taken aback by the innocence in his words. In response, I only manage to just nod my head and take him inside. While the madeleines were still in the oven, we shared a half glass of lemonade.

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 04:20:00 +0000

Balti Chicken - a Brit take-away favorite, now a part of my kitchen too. Another pot boiler from the curry nation.

An eager beaver of a cook, I am. Every week, a new dish from some part of the world. That's how it is with me. Things haven't changed ever since I learnt cooking.

Here is the recipe for you: But this is not chicken. Its made of paneer. A vegetarian version of its meaty cousin.

I didn't click a picture to share with you. Hence a borrowed one, just to give you an idea of how it will look.

BBCUKguide

Ahoy, let's get cooking!

Don't be daunted by the long list of ingredients.
Just have faith, some patience and we will make it to the end. So, there.

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon turmeric
A good slug of oil (use groundnut or sunflower oil)
2 onions (roughly chopped)
1 tablespoon crushed garlic or 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon ginger (finely grated)
400g chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 lemon
1 cup frozen baby peas (or fresh if you have them)
Fresh coriander (to serve)

Paneer : 300gms

You may want to grind all the spices to powder and then proceed. If you are the slightly lazy kind, then just use store-bought powdered spices.

1. Measure all the spices except the cardamom into a bowl. Meanwhile, bring a large frying pan or wok to a medium to high heat. Add the spices to the dry pan and stir them constantly to ensure they don’t burn. After about a minute or so you’ll begin to smell the aromas and they will be darkening in colour. Pour the mixture into a bowl and set aside. There will likely be some leftover spice in the pan. That’s ok – just leave it there.

2. Add the oil and onion to the pan and cook until the onion is translucent. Once it’s cooked, add the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly. Garlic burns easily so make sure this doesn’t happen.

3. After about a minute, stir the spice mixture back in as well as the tomatoes, the cup of water, bay leaves, cardamom powder, the lemon zest, the juice of half the lemon, (putting the other half of the lemon aside) and salt. Stir the mixture well and bring to the boil.

4. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes. You want almost all of the liquid to reduce off so that the curry is nice and thick.

5. Once the liquid has reduced, take the pan off the heat, let cool; remove the bay leaves and blend the mixture until smooth.

6. Once smooth, put the sauce back in the pan, cover it and put it back on the stove on a low heat for ten minutes. At this point, taste the curry. If it lacks flavour, add extra salt. If it’s too salty, add a chopped clean potato for the last ten minutes, if it needs more zing, add the remaining juice from the lemon. Add in the frozen peas. Add in pre-seared paneer.

7. It’s serving time! Spoon the curry into bowls, top with fresh coriander and enjoy with rice or roti!

On a not so happening Wednesday...

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:11:00 +0000

If you have got the time, sample this -

In 1805 the news of the Battle of Trafalgar took 17 days to travel the 1100 miles to London, a speed of 2.7 mph. News of the 1891 Nobi earthquake in Japan took just a single day to travel 5916 miles, some 246 mph. With the greased-wheels of Twitter, we're seeing events like the 2008 Sichuan earthquake find their way to England in under 8 minutes, at 38,250 mph. 204,000 mph, had the twitter been quicker.

via A Farewell to Alms

For some astounding photographs from the world of science, look here, Seeds Magazine

And if you are a woman, then this might make sense, Jolie's decision.

Happy reading!

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sun, 12 May 2013 05:14:00 +0000

Hello people,

I'm back after almost a year's absence from the blogging scene. Hope the world's treated you right, meanwhile.

So, what have you been up to? Done something you had been planning to but hadn't the time? Made changes to your lifestyle? Bought the latest in mobile technology and drooling all over the new tab?

Whatever, mine's been an important one. Important since I made a decision. To follow my dreams.

Sometime back I hung my boots, and hung around doing nothing "significant". Now, I am gearing to wear them again, this time with renewed vigour.

Well, I'm not writing anything today. Just read this for now - Ripley's Believe it or not

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:02:00 +0000

My first lessons in cooking were imparted by my mother, within the four walls of the kitchen. Those were days when I was grappling with the challenges of learning diphthongs, cases, datives and ablatives in the Queen’s language. Mother was not the silent kind and the moment I would enter the kitchen, she would start her conversation as if she was waiting for someone to trumpet her thoughts. She would do this while hacking away vegetables using the steel blade with a speed I haven’t been able to match till date. And then there would be queries from an inquisitive me; why do you keep the cut potatoes in water?, why don’t you slice each vegetable in the same way?, what is the necessity of adding salt to the water when boiling vegetables?, so on and so forth. At times, she would tire of the incessant pouring of questions in this manner and at other times when she wasn’t multi- tasking (which most often she was), she would oblige me with some of her tips and tricks of her own volition. When you make beguni dipped in chick-pea flour, slice them a little thinner than you would if you were frying them without the chick-pea. Before you drain the rice, press a few grains to check if they are done; try draining before they are completely done, as the rice will continue to cook even as you are draining. Steam cauliflowers before cooking them to avoid a bloated tummy; the list is endless. Today when I enter the kitchen to rustle up food, I mostly draw upon the knowledge gained during those years.

But having grown up in the North east and living in the Deccan plateau down south in the republic of India, I have come to realize that the soil in which the vegetable is grown makes a difference to its color, texture and most importantly, taste. The bottle gourd doesn’t look and taste the same as it does in my place.

Bottle gourd as found in North East. Picture from Gibberish.

Bitter gourds(melons) are larger in size than the ones found up north and are less bitter. Cabbages don’t give off water like it does when cooking one grown in Assam.

Small sized bitter gourds.Photo credit: Pbase.com

You have to be contended with small round limes only; you don’t get the deep green, large lemons (varieties available in gondho lebu (fragrant variety), pati lebu, etc).

Lemons grown in Bengal, Assam etc. Picture from Banglapedia.

And then, tomatoes are available all round the year. It’s a blessing to have coriander leaves at hand any time of the year here but then, relishing a particular variety of fruit or vegetable at a specific time/season of the year comes with its own share of fun. We call them seasonal fruits/vegetables hence. In down south, you can do away with the use of the word “seasonal” altogether when it comes to vegetables. Exceptions can be made in case of fruits though, thankfully (and personally I am grateful that, that abominable thing called jackfruits don't grow all round the year!).

Would you still savor the much-in-demand mango the same way if it was available for you 12 months, 365 days round the year at every vendor you visit? But there may be some who may argue, why do you want to be at Nature's mercy for your food?

But we have been taught to count our blessings, indeed. So I am thankful that every time I decide to make bata (for Bengalis, others call it chutney), I can simply hop on to the vendor and ask for a “cut” of cilantro leaves ("kothmiri kuri"). Ah, its a secret I wouldn't have wanted to give away, but I prefer to make the best use of both worlds.

Colloquially English!

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 05:58:00 +0000

Days and nights of Bangla

Meals of fish-n-rice in a Bengali’s home;

Color them all in new colors,

And usher in a happy new year!

My salutations to one and all for a bright and prosperous Bangla, Malayali, Punjabi, Tamil or any other new year that you could be celebrating.

How could I not write about this language that has held me in awe for ever so long? English it is I talk about. The language had its origin in North West Germanic and compared to the Modern English that we speak today, it’s unintelligible to most of us. Brought to England by the German invaders who colonized parts of the empire that in later years colonized the rest of the world, it had its influence on other languages and was influenced by others equally. In modern days the English we speak tends to adhere either to one of its two varieties – The American English and the British English. Now India having been a colony of the empire where the sun never set, have been largely influenced by the British English so much so to decide to use it as its official language. As I type this article, I however note that “s”in most words ending with “ing” (eg. agonizing) are automatically converted by MS word to “z”. That’s American English for you. The advent of technology has Americanised our British English. While we have been taught to “honour thy word” in school, MS word asks me to “honor thy word”.

English has added to its kitty words from the Indian vocabulary like “pukka”, Pundit etc. and it return for its magnanimity, we have adopted words from its vocabulary into our dialects, Indianised its use to speak what is called colloquial English, like Hinglish and Benglish to name a few. Examples are varied – the use of a English word in a Hindi sentence or even writing Hindi words in English and ones that commercials frequently use – “Life ho to aisi”.The same goes for Benglish. All the talk of Mamta didi going gung ho about “Poriborton”is simply Benglish, to me.

I came across an interesting poem in this context which I proceed to share with you, yes its hilarious and I cannot help but praise the writer for his/her ingenuity.

Through the jongole I am went
On shooting Tiger I am bent
Boshtaard Tiger has eaten wife
No doubt I will avenge poor darling’s life
Too much quiet, snakes and leeches
But I not fear these sons of beeches
Hearing loud noise I am jumping with start
But noise is coming from damn fool’s heart
Taking care not to be fright
I am clutching rifle tight with eye to sight
Should Tiger come I will shoot and fall him down
Then like hero return to native town
Then through trees I am espying one cave
I am telling self – “Bannerjee be brave”
I am now proceeding with too much care
From far I smell this Tiger’s lair
My leg shaking, sweat coming, I start to pray
I think I will shoot Tiger some other day
Turning round I am going to flee
But Tiger giving bloody roar spotting this Bengalee
He bounding from cave like football player Pele
I run shouting “Kali Ma tumi kothay gele”
Through the jongole I am running
With Tiger on my tail closer looming
I am a telling that never in life
I will risk again for my damn fool wife!!!!

Of pickles...and prosaic matters

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Between Rushdie and Kiran Desai, I have been busy. I haven't written or blogged much lately. But Mr Ashok Banker says he reads, writes and researches for 18 hours every day. I hide behind the cupboard in shame, I admittedly haven't been that diligent. But then, I haven't been totally useless either. So, what have I done? Ah, I have been writing my own book and pickling stuffs.

Pickling mangoes

Well, my book is drafted. The pickles are half-done. What pickles you ask? You see, there are things I prefer buying from the market and then there are things I wouldn't have anyone else make for me. So, I gifted myself the art of making pickles. Long years ago, I pickled the Indian olive and gooseberries. I tried them on various unsuspecting victims - aunts and cousin. The result was lip-smacking. So, off I went and made a marmalade of lemons. But later I lost myself in the labyrinth of life and the art was forgotten. During a shopping trip two weeks back, I noticed a woman picking up 3 kgs of mangoes. My curiosity notwithstanding, I asked her what they were for. She said, "pickling". I said, "Wow, you are making pickles while the sun shines." With the Bangalore sun beating down like crazy, I decided its time I too revived my skills. So I have a bottle of mangoes, limes, chillies and tomatoes basking in the sun during day time. While they get ready, I decided to pickle my brains; no sunshine needed.

I bought myself a book by Deepak Chopra and found myself trying to get clinically spiritual. If you are not familiar with the man, he is a renowned physician and a spirtual guru. His book - "Ageless body, timeless mind" has made a human pickle of me. And no, I'm not waiting to be salvaged from the bottle. You can label the bottle "Life's vagaries unlimited".

Bollywood: as you like it and I see it

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 04:32:00 +0000

a. It doesn’t matter if you are outnumbered by the goons attacking you, it doesn’t matter what arsenal they use, you will always emerge the stronger and the winner finally.

b. Even when you have been knocked out of your senses in the boxing ring, you will somehow remember your mother’s words or the last vengeful words of your opponent and return back to your foot to punch the heavy-weight champion to his death.

c. When you are with the heroine and she suffers a minor sprain, you are readily available to lift her (50+ kgs) in your Herculean arms and walk down the mountainous road even. Real men find it difficult to lift a 14 kg cylinder..Huh!

d. No matter where you are when your lady is attacked, you practically emerge out of thin air to fight the perpetrator (omnipresent??)

e. No matter how many girls he has slept with, the hero is always a good-hearted guy and deserves to be forgiven. The other way round is out of question. She must then be a vamp, not the heroine.

f. In a moment’s notice you must be ready to dance around trees in forests, in the streets, atop stony mountains, in shopping malls to the disgust of the onlookers. Do not forget to carry a few changes of clothes; you will need to change your clothes for each frame, without a break in the dance and without the audience seeing you do so.

g. Atleast one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.

h. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating, but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

i. Even when driving down a straight road, the steering wheel must be vigorously moved from right to left and back.

j. Bricks, cans, drums, watermelons etc must be stacked/piled high up right in the middle of the street or by the roadside when the man/lady loses control, brakes fail or is chasing the bad guy.

Picture taken from www.bollywood10.blogspot.com

k. Even when you are attacked unaware, you will always have a pistol hidden in your back-pocket to fire at the goons. Mostly, it will also be loaded. At times you will be able to fire more than the number of bullets it can hold. ;)

l. The man/woman always knows how to dance, sing (even in heavy rain) and kick-box. Multitalented people!

m. When the man is in trouble with the law, the lady always chips in to save him; she holds a degree in law, don’t you know? (never mind that we never saw her practice or even study, until now.)

n. The people in the movies never go to office, they only go to colleges that look like Victorian castles wearing funky dresses, impress the other sex, get out of college to go to “foren” or return from “foren” to fall in love or marry. Even if they are businessman, they needn’t do any work. All their work is done for them by others; so they are free to sing, dance, romance and fight.

o. Finally, some good news. The ladies are the healthiest lot in our country. They can dance about in skimpy clothes, including chiffon sarees even in Alaska! They have inbuilt immunity. But the men must be covered from top to toe, in jackets and heavy leather boots. They badly need some Dabur Chyawanpraash! Hic, hic.

Fair and lovely, naturally!

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:51:00 +0000

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who's the fairest of them all?"
And so asks the Queen in "Snow White and the 7 dwarfs"

We Indians are an obssessed lot. And some of our obsessions have taken a national form. Cricket, politician-bashing, fight against corruption, picking nose in public, spitting "paan" onto the road or the walls of neighbour's houses or a public building. The list is endless or atleast long. Now we love colors don't we? We have a festival dedicated entirely to that cause. To celebrate colors. But our love for color extends to our skin tone too, sadly. That is where the problem starts(I don't know where it ends, we have too many problems as a nation). While the whites, blacks and yellows have been happily married to their colors, we the browns are constantly looking to brighten our tone, by a shade or two.

Fairness products available to Indian consumers

Open the Classifieds section on Sunday Times and you will come across innumerous ads seeking a "fair, beautiful, bride...." And cashing on in this obsession are the cream-selling companies. They promise to make one fairer by several tones, infact. Aah, miraculous indeed! If creams could enhance color, what do you think the entire continent of Africa and its populace have been doing for thousands of years?

Why can't we make do with the color we inherited? Why don't we understand that we are genetically disposed to have more melanin in our skin than the Europians and Americans? Where does this need for fairness arise? Back to the rat race. Well, if you need to get ahead of the others, then you must have "fair" skin. Because its been on demand since ages long. Fairness sells. Ask the stewardess of a certain airlines why she was rejected or the model trying to make it big on the ramp why she was dropped from a certain assignment. More often than not, it has to do with her skin tone.This discrimination is seen more in professions that focus on the looks. Beauty is more than skin-deep, ever heard of that? Amidst cries of foul play and racism by various organisations, the companies continue to sell dreams in the form of creams. And our heroes and heroines continue to endorse them without a hint of morality. Listen to SRK advising a dark guy to use "mard-o wali fairness cream." It's not okay for guys to be dark, that's his message. While he drew a lot of flak for this, you think he cares a hoot? We cry "racism, racism" every time an Indian is targeted outside our country while within the borders, we shamelessly continue to shove creams/lotions/powders down the throat of our own people after calling them "dark".

With the advent of consumerism and the metrosexual male, they have now come up with fairness creams designed specifically for men. Ughh! Imagine men spending hours standing in front of mirrors lathering their faces with dollops of those gooey stuff. It's one thing to be well-groomed, presentable and other to be effeminate. Exit the tall, Dark and handsome men. Enter the Fair and metrosexual variety. Didn't I say we are nationally obsessed with color, our obsession having crossed the boundaries of gender too. Enough to make a guy steal into a girl's room to lay his hand on that tube(or so they make you think). Don't you raise your eye-brows if you happen to read, "Required: a fair, handsome groom/steward...".

And I have known women who have fallen prey to such advertisements in the chase to fulfill their dreams and ended up with rashes and dark patches on their face, the result of prolonged use of such chemically loaded creams. If we can celebrate the different colors of holi, why can't we celebrate our own skin tone? And oh, a word of caution for my dear readers: when you apply the cream, please ensure you smother some on your necks and hands too. Else you may end up with uneven skin tones in your face and rest of the body, like John Abraham in the picture(above).

Celebrating myself!

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 06:06:00 +0000

Guess with women's day round the corner, its time to throw humility into the air for a while. So what’s that thing about myself I would want to celebrate? It’s the quality of being a woman. Celebrating myself is like saying “celebrating the woman in me”, because I am synonymous with womanhood. I can be a daughter, a friend, a partner, a professional and mother all molded into one at the same time. Multiple role personality. Meeting the expectations of our families and making a career for oneself translates to donning several hats and juggling multiple roles, something I can do with ease. I celebrate that.

"The Woman"clicked by me in Pottery town, Bangalore.

Being a woman in a society that has been pre-dominantly male-centric isn't a joke by any means. There are the low-downs that come with it. During our growing up years we are taught that there are things we cannot do because we are woman. We are physically not as priviledged as our male counterparts. While biologically we may be a disadvantaged lot, there are aspects of a woman’s mental and phsychological attributes that are unique to a woman. We are a compliment to the other group, no less. There are things I can do, because I am a woman. I celebrate that knowledge and feeling about myself.

Women are incessantly laughed at for being irrational and lacking accountability but it is the woman who lends that humane touch to an otherwise dry world that is driven by logic and reason. I celebrate my compassionate nature and intuition which are the essence of being a woman.

I celebrate the feeling that comes with knowing who you are and what you stand for and standing for my rights as an individual. I am a modern woman who is understanding of her various roles and yet is assertive. In a society where women are expected to dress according to rules set by the other section, I represent a woman who knows it is not she who needs to dress “appropriately” but the other section who needs to change their "attitude".

Knowing my limitations while understanding the strengths and leveraging them to fulfil my dreams, makes me a quintessentially strong woman in today’s progressive world. I have learnt to enjoy myself and my life without being apologetic about it. I do get a few curious looks and "not-so-welcome" queries now and then, but I simpIy love being who I am. I celebrate me, in body and spirit. Cheers to me!

This post has been written in response to the contest being hosted by "Women's web", http://www.womensweb.in/articles/celebrating-myself/

Surrogate Advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:36:00 +0000

What do I write about that will click with most of ya'll if not all? We all watch the idiot box(some more, some less) and have been witnesses to the intermittent streaming of ads that seem to take up more air-time than the actual show.

Surrogate Advertising. It's possible that not many of you are aware of what it is even though you have seen it happening. Let me proceed to enlighten you thus. I heard this term many long years back when taking a stroll through the bylanes of the city(I dwell in) one evening, two eager looking lad and lady approached me with a piece of paper, pen in hand and a question in their lips - "Ma'm, do you know what's SA?" Me - "What the heck! Ofcourse I know what surrogate means and applying that to the concept of advertising, I know what you are talking about." Clever me, you say(chuckle). The lad and the lady both were Business Administration students from a certain local college working on a project. Okay, now getting down to business, let me tell you that duplicating the brand image of one product extensively to promote another product of the same brand(why? we'll see shortly) is SA. Packaging old wine in new bottle, so to say. Oops! I hope people reading this are all above 25, the legal age for drinking as proscribed by the law of our country. By the way, do they ask you for your birth certificate when you are out there buying a drink over the counter or when you pick a bottle for yourself? Whatever..I'll never know. Examples of SA - CDs, sodas, etc by a certain brand name are used to actually sell other products(banned). See image below.

The Surrogate and the Real

We all acknowledge that advertising plays an extensive role in creating awareness and brand value. Not without reason do you see these companies roping in the likes of Amitabh Bachhan or the "Badshah of Bollywood" to endorse their products. So what if they wouldn't use those products themselves in their personal life. Huh! It's the moolah that matters, for either side. Ethics can take a backseat. The fact of the matter is liquor and cigarettes have a ban on them, as far as direct advertising goes. While cigarettes are known to have an adverse effect on one's health, liquor is considered to have a sociological impact too. Hence these two products come under the scanner like no other. To bypass the law, brands resort to what is called as SA. And that defeats the very purpose of banning advertisement of the aforesaid products. A clear case of using the loopholes in our legal system to bend its own arms to further their bizness. An illegal act that must be curbed. That's what the two kids were trying to educate me about.

Whether banning advertisement of such substances through the mass media actually leads to reduced consumption is another matter altogether. Just like writing "Cigarette/tobacco smoking is injurious to health" in big, bold letters on the pack doesn't deter one from lighting the fire. So much for statutory warnings! I'm not going to harp much upon this topic for now. That's something I'll leave for times jab mil baithenge hum, tum aur Bagpiper(you know who that is?) over a cup of..er, glass of.....and Khoob jamega rang, I promise.

All I wish to do is enlighten you(my mindful readers) about what's happening in and around us. Did you hear the Chhote Nawab saying "Its your life, make it large"? Next time you do, you'll know what exactly he means. And what that actor and the brand he is endorsing is doing when they say...Men will be men! Don't we all know that somehow? ;)

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:17:00 +0000

At the beach, I sat atop a moss-covered rock and watched the crab walk past by while the sun shone over my head. My water-soaked feet I lay bare to dry. The silica was all shine and shimmer and the waves washed themselves ashore incessantly..foaming and frothing at the edges.

It was early morning and the fishermen readied their boat and fishing-net. To set out on another journey of a lifetime of toil and sweat. My curiosity notwithstanding, I asked him a questions few. Do you think you will have a good enough catch? What if a storm blows? What if the tides are high? A nonchalant look and a equally composed response - "Worry not. I'll have enough to buy my daily bread while you sit and wait."

As he valiantly waded into the water, knowing fully well that this may very well be a one-way trip, he makes no bones about it and tells me in a matter-of-fact way - "This is what I do for my survival. What if.....? Well, this is life and life will go on. We have to take some risks to get what we want and sometimes it could be at the cost of our own life. There resides an oppurtunity out there which I must explore and until I set out, I'll never know. So set out I must, come rain or snow."

Truer words were never spoken. As he set sail rowing his oar, I watched in silence till the silhoutte vanished over the horizon. A flurry of thoughts swept through my otherwise unhurried mind of a saga of survival, a battle fought and won.

The day grew long and I grew restless. Plentitude of men and women now were all around me. Came one, came all. In sea-shells, pearls and consumerism, the shore was abound. After a brief pause to whet my appetite I returned to my much-held ground hoping to see the man I had spoken to earlier, return. And then there appeared many a dotted objects on the water, far away from the shore. Someone shouted, "They are here."

Quickly, I saw them row...the muscles in their arms twitching as they did so. I jumped down from my rocky seat and stood waiting for them to row ashore. As they did and emptied their catch into the baskets laid out by their waiting brethren, I saw Silver Pomfret, Seer fish, Prawns, Crabs, Tilapia, Catfish and a host of other species unknown to me. They shouted all kinds of names and rates. I clicked a few of them with my point-n-shoot and gave way to the sea of people around me, flocking to begin their fishy business.

Having had my fill of pictures taken and glad to have seen the other side of life that lay beyond, I returned back to my room satisfied and long after they were said, the words of the fisherman reverberated in my ears - "Out there lies an oppurtunity which I must explore and until I set out, I'll never know. So set out I must, come rain or snow....."

The monk who wouldn’t buy a Ferrari

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:03:00 +0000

From my treasure trove

I’m no monk myself but I also wouldn’t buy a Ferrari either, given all the money in the world. Wisdom says you don’t live long enough to experience everything there is, yourself; which is why you need to learn from other folks’. It is last year that I adopted the philosophy of kaizen into my life. An ancient Oriental concept of constant and never ending improvement. The purpose was to enrich and empower myself and live an inspired life.

It has been a journey of transformation. During this journey I have made a few things, a part of my life that has added meaning to it. One of them being books, mostly self-help books. I have always loved reading; I only rediscovered my passion last year and consciously set a goal to read atleast one book per month. Modest and realistic. To this effect, I have read 11 books so far and I am bang on target up till now. I also decided to read only books that would help me add to my cup of self-knowledge (I had picked up two others; one by Upamanyu Chatterjee and another by Amitav Ghosh. One lies half-read till date and I don’t see myself finishing it anytime in this life, regretfully). The one book that stands apart in this category and will be in the foremost row of my library in the coming years is Robin Sharma’s “The monk who sold his Ferrari”. I was already walking the path to self-discovery and enlightenment and coming across this book only helped me re-inforce my faith in what I had already learnt and knew to be true.

I don’t like reviews myself so I don’t offer the same to my readers. I will only attempt to sum up the wisdom from Robin’s book in a nutshell and in my own words.

What it is that you want to leave behind or what it is that you want to be remembered for long after you are gone?

Do you in your twilight years wish to reflect back and regret or wish to recollect with pride and joy?

Will it be enough for you to just say you have lived and done what every Tom, Dick and Harry did?

What does a “fulfilled and satisfied” life mean to you?

What are those few things you would want to do before you die?

If you do not yet know the answers to these qs, it’s time you did some soul-searching.

Living in the times of instant coffee and nirvana I realize that the attention span of readers is getting smaller and smaller. Hence brevity is the order of the day.

If you are still walking this earth, you haven’t yet fulfilled your life’s purpose. Go find yours and live it.. Crisp, clear and simple enough?

From the writer's desk: This post has been emailed to Robin Sharma (wisdom@robinsharma.com) as an acknowledgement of the positive effect his book has had and my note of thanks for something I find worth revisiting every now and then.

All smoke and no fire

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:17:00 +0000

That's probably how you would choose to describe our country's politicians. But then, that's also what the new age cigarette is about. Its called the e-cigarette. But the smoke has been replaced by nicotine vapour! Talk of being in the e-era. First we had this e-mail thing take over the world by storm many years back. Then came many other of those "e-things" that have transformed our existence painfully into a virtual one and the latest to join the bandwagon now being the "e-cigarette". Reading about it in the daily one morning and imagining how one would look while inhaling puff from a device gave me a funny feeling. Sounded more like the vapor inhaler I was given post surgery to help ease my breathing problem, except that the vapor I inhaled was made of a liquid we are all too familiar with - water. With the new thing in town now, the joke about the cigarette being a thing with fire on one end and a fool on the other will have to go through a makeover. And then the saying "there's no smoke without fire" will have to be read as "there's no vapour without nicotine solution". The statement has lost its punch with the fire element gone, literally. And you'll have to carry about with you a battery adapter/charger to charge the cigarette-like looking device.

e-cigarette

Smoking has been banned in public places. Yet oft I found myself waving off smoke billowing from some "not so friendly neighbourhood"(read bus stand or maybe even a public building) and staring stone-cold at the perpetrator who then inched away hesitantly. Sometimes I have even had to approach some to let them know that they are actually violating a law post which, I had to be at the receiving end of cold stares. I haven't noticed much of these signages educating people about the ban in any of the deemed public areas. It's not too difficult to understand why. News is that soon these battery-powered devices will be stationed in theatres, airports, etc to allow people to smoke LEGALLY in public places! Huh! Which other country in the world has such law and administration that first bans an activity calling it illegal and then makes provisions for its citizens to "legally" pursue the very same activity in full public view?? No prizes for guessing this one.

The debate in favor of the e-cig is that it will help folks kick the habit and that it is less carcinogenic. Nothing can be further from the truth. The market is already abuzz with competition among brands to lure in customers with interesting flavors such as cooling menthol and fruity strawberry. For those who cannot live without letting off some smoke, their family/friends can look forward to a little less annoying time with the suffocating smoke, that's all there is to the e-cigarette story. For now, let them stop smoking and start vapourising.

Statutory warning: Cigarette smoking is injurious to health, be it "e" or otherwise.

Eat, Pray, Live

noreply@blogger.com (Sutapa Dey) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:48:00 +0000

Below is a list of tried and tested(not borrowed) stuff that I believe each one of us should do to make our lives better. Have a read :

1. Be yourself. It doesnt help being someone else, really. If you're not true to yourself, you can't be true to others.

2. Listen to what others have to say. But do what you think/know is best for you

3. Be acceptable of change. Adapt. Change yourself when needed.

4. Be grateful about what you have. Live in gratitude. Rem that man who lamented not having shoes until he met a man without a leg?

5. Forgive. Easier said than done, I know. But if you do, you'll feel light. If you cant, atleast try to forget. Even that helps to an extent.
6. Meditate. No you dont have to pack off to the Himalayas or become a sage. You can do it right in your home...after making sure you have the right ambience.
7. Eat well, eat right. Its your body. If you don't take care of it, who will?

Julia Roberts on a trip to India. She embraced Hinduism during the visit so she can "chant, pray and celebrate" her life.

8. Exercise regularly. Even 30 mins of brisk walking helps. Its proven.
9. Pray. There's no better way to connect "Upwards" than to spend some time talking with Him.
10. Live. Don't just survive. Give it your all and you won't regret. After all, you'll get only one chance to be around.
11. Learn from your mistakes. Experience is a teacher. It helps you become wise, if not wiser. ;)
12. Have dreams. Yes, I said 'dreams' n not 'a dream'. They will help you stay charged and directed. Having more than one helps ensure that when one is fulfilled, you have another one to live or die for.
13. Spend time with Nature, once in a while. Take time off to wander off. You will return rejuvenated.
14. Do something you love. Find some time just for yourself whenever you can, to do that one or two things that make you happy. Be it watching a movie, eating your fav food or reading, listening to music, whatever.
15. B positive. No, that's not my blood group. But its what will help you gain control when you feel things are slipping out of your hand. Know that whatever happens, happens for the best. Its the Cosmic scheme of things.
16. Believe in yourself, your abilities. Don't underestimate yourself and get going.

This list is not exhaustive. There are many more things that you can do, should do. But as I said, this is "My list". Give'em a shot and if you want to give me kudos, I don't mind. :-)