What you pick from the book shelf can reflect the state of your life! Well, not always but presently* in my case it does!

Why is it that you have to answer all these questions in life? Why is it so difficult to have a life without indecisions - life where you don’t have to grow up?

On my last 2 visits to India every person I met either asked me the same question or their eyes did the questioning for them. Being a 28 year old desi (Indian subcontinent ethnicity), born in a typical (sort of - if my extended family is counted) marwari family, with a steady job - you are posed with this question more often than you can imagine.

The big question -

‘WHEN ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?’

- humm .. well, when I feel like getting married, I will!

‘Everyone around you is getting married! All your friends are married or engaged, why wouldn’t you?’

Why wouldn’t I?

Makes me wonder - is it because I have a problem that I cannot decide? Or, is there something beyond that. Wasn’t life better when someone else took decisions for you!

While someone I know likes growing up, I don’t! I liked it more when all I to decide was between ‘5-star’ and ‘Perk’, not the question that I buy it or not!

‘Indecision’ by Benjamin Kunkel is the book, read it if the title is something you can relate - to get a kick of humor for the indecisions in life!

*presently - this post was drafted some time back when I was reading the book, situation has changed since then, but the questions are still the same!

with continuation to the discussion before ….

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Came across this snippet in BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7068875.stm

“They wear pink saris and go after corrupt officials and boorish men with sticks and axes”

I have to say, the article made me smile and frown at the same time.
While it is heartening to see more women take control of their lives, there is fine line between justice and taking law into your own hands.
Will the Govt. take notice soon enough?

The Indian Cricket League is ready to fire on all cylinders with the first T20 game scheduled for November 30 with the Chandigarh Lions battling the Delhi Jets.

The four other teams in the series, which concludes on December 16, include the Mumbai Champs, the Hyderabad Heroes, the Chennai Superstars and the Kolkata Tigers.

Its a great start. And I believe that as the number of teams grow, the ICL will (should) adopt a weekly game format like the major leagues in the US.

I ask anyone going to India in the next few months to bring me a Mumbai Champs and Chandigarh Lions t-shirt…cool prints, methinks…

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A lot of you might have already gotten the 4-1-1 on the shiny, new 45nm Intel processor called (*tune in the Jeopardy music*)…Penryn!

Here’s a video for those of us who don’t speak geek.

For more on how the teeny processor got its name check out this blog.

I wonder if looking at the world through the lenses of identity does more damage than good. Feminism has been in my bloodstream since LSR opened its arms to me. Interestingly, the institution threw myriad definitions of ‘feminism’ at me, and thankfully, also gave me the freedom to accept or discard in accordance with my sensibilities.

When I look back, two main themes stand out in stark contrast. The overarching definition concentrated on the “gender” part of gender equality; and the other, focused on the “equality” part of gender equality. While the former defined women as opposed to men, the latter looked at women as human beings who are already treated as an equal in society and whose only competition is with oneself. Though I found fervid protagonists on both sides of the theoretical playing ground, like many I believed that the complexity of human life made it indispensable for one to co-exist without another.

Assailed by these seemingly distinct arguments, how do I find my own peace? At the crux of it lies the belief that discrimination faced by a woman may not always be gender-based. But when it is, I think it’s important that it is recognized and that we don’t dilute that aspect of it.

Personally, I have my own brand of feminism. Yes, I wear wear tiny skirts and yes, I’ve definitely let boys know I’m vulnerable to them. But somehow, I maintain that I respect myself more than other girls who don’t have the courage to stand up for themselves. I may not be a Brinda Karat but I’m definitely not a damsel in distress meets dumb girl on tv.

The other day, my co-workers and I discussed marriage and work and the like. And I said that I’ll never marry someone until I have the money to run a household. I will never be dependent on a man for food or clothes or rent. I don’t want to be the bread-winner, but I want to be in a position to support myself and my kids if he decides to chuck me out one night. Not that I expect him to; but I don’t ever want to feel powerless.

So I’m not going to bash all the men who treat women wrong. I’m not going to extoll the virtues of good men I know. I’m not going to talk about the incredible women I’ve met who’ve shaped how I think and act. I’m not even going to promise I’ll start that NGO I’ve always wanted. But instead, I’ll reaffirm my stand on my life.

Men and women may come and go. They’ll all leave indelible marks on my life and my stories and will always be an important part of me. But that’s where they end. Because whatever you say, at the end of the day, it’s all about me and how I feel about myself. Not about how they make me feel about myself.

First things first — I am not a fan of the new six-pack Khan. I think he’s overrated and so full of himself. That said, if you haven’t already seen Om Shanti Om, go watch it! This is by far, the best masala movie of 2007 (and I have only seen some non-masala types like Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Bheja Fry, The Blue Umbrella, No Smoking, etc etc).

Honestly, I did not expect Farah’s second directorial venture to be so entertaining. I was half-expecting Shah Rukh’s larger-than-life persona and a lot more of those Matrix-esque stunts featuring him in a rickshaw from Main Hoon Na. Instead, I found the character he plays as Om Prasad Makhija to be very personable and in Pappu’s (Shreyas Talpade) own words, very “down-to-earth”-like.

The cameos by more than 31 Bollywood stars (the title song + the Filmfare red carpet interviews) in the film is a real treat. Everyone’s done their parts well and I think Farah has nailed it with the film’s casting. Deepika is flat-out, jaw-dropping beautiful (and she can act), Kirron plays a mum’s role with Nirupa Roy-like precision, Arjun fits nicely in the negative role - nothing over-the-top there (save the “Everyone in Hollywood calls me Mike” thing)…heck, I even liked Farah’s choices (or were they really Om’s) for Dolly and Shawar.

There are a few subtle (or not) moments in the film:
1. Abhishek Bachchan’s not-so-tight-lipped cussing after losing the Filmfare to SRK
2. Deepika’s very funny middle-fingered-monologue for “Chutki-bhar sindoor”
3. Shipa Shetty’s curvaceous bod in the OSO song (I should really learn to whistle) :)
4. The in-your-face brand advertising (Tag Heuer and Maybelline stocks are on the rise after this movie)

Oh, and SRK’s abs…they’re all over the place in “Dard-e-disco”. Like I said, bloody show-off! :)