Trials and Tribulations by Fire

I have always been a straight talker, don't mince words much, have little or no patience for fools. I pride myself at being able to hold onto this aspect despite opposition from the world.  In this space, often, I have vented out many different feelings and let out several layers of emotions to virtual strangers and some friends. Sometimes, it so happens that my words are misconstrued.  Who I am, what I choose to write in my blog, on my FB Wall, etc are my personal views. I have given nobody the right to judge me, my values, or my relationships based on what I show to others.  I am slightly distracted by an  incident. I think, I may have sent a wrong message to a person. As an Indian woman, when I write about sex, sexual feelings, etc, I do so with an open mind and in the knowledge that the reader is free to misinterpret the meaning. I give a damn. The trouble arises when a person with a closed mind comes over for a chat and tries to get cozy (and into my ...

Went to watch Boiled Beans on Toast with a lot of anticipation. I have a deep sense of awe for the gorgeous and immensely talented Ms. Dubey and great respect for our land's finest playright, Mr.Karnad; and a play with great theatre artists prompted me to watch this 105 minute-long play.  The play is a brilliant portrayal of the lives of 21 characters intertwined with each other in some way or the other and delves upon several other subtle as well as prominent issues such as urban migration, concerns about environmental damage, intense consumeristic attitudes, and a general apathy towards the have-nots. Every single actor gave a mind numbing and riveting performance. Joy Sengupta was a joy to watch. As different the characters are from each other like boiled beans and the very English toast, the end product, boiled beans on toast is a yummy delight. So, is the play, a fine amalgamation of fine minds and brilliant performances. What a stupendous act!    Updat...

There have been days when I dream some really strange dreams. I am a person who dreams like people see a film or a series. I even remember what I dreamt the next morning.  So, this post is about some wild animals who have been frequenting my dreams of late, I thought I should write it down somewhere so that I don't forget. Also, I could chronicle my thoughts and refer back here when I have seen some significant incidents in my life.  So, coming to the point, last night, 18th August, I saw a dream. In my dreams, some days I see tigers or lions, sitting and idling, some walking, some looking at me, some trying to get into my house. Anyway, so this time, it was elephants. I saw elephants, a few herds, crossing the road, then one started running behind me. I wasn't scared, just inconvenienced, sounds weird, doesn't it. There were elephants everywhere, grey, huge, big ones, with shiny grey skin. They all had benevolent eyes none trying to scare me. I had a small girl with m...

Just finished reading the book, Ramayana, by Shubha Vilas. Let me write a bit about the author before I write something about the book and the contents.  Shubha Vilas, a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, holds a degree in engineering and law with specialization in Patent Law. His leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses. He also helps individuals deal with modern-life situations by applying the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and other dharmic traditions.  Shubha Vilas began his career with the Tata Group and later joined the international law firm in Bangalore which he quit to serve the society at large by taking charge of a publishing house Tulsi Books which has published over 10 books under his leadership. When I got the book, I was quite impressed by the cover design. Turning the pages, I slowly read each and every word, including, yes the information about the publisher. I do that with every book. It i...

Love Jihad is a serious crime against Hindus and it is a real serious threat. People who claim to be secularists often do not understand or rather in their urge to remain 'politically correct' tend to verbally abuse such methods by Hindu fundamentalist groups. Have you ever seen a Muslim girl converting to Hinduism if she wishes to marry a Hindu boy? Even if it is a Hindu boy, for a Muslim-Hindu wedding to happen, the Hindu only must convert, which is wrong. Why should we leave our religion and traditions just because a unilateral non-secular religion wishes to suppress us? This is not being secular, this is being silly and stupid, we, Hindus are not as united as we should be to protect our religious fiber. On the contrary, if you look at say a Christian community, the members tend to obsessively guard their way of life, their sacred texts, etc. Yes, there are transgressors, but few. Do Muslim love jihadis target Christian women? No, they don't, according to their dikta...

Feel rusted and old.  After so many years of using a smartphone, when I realized my data card did not support roaming, I decided to find some other method. I checked with someone who coolly said, oh, I just tether. Whoa! Yeah, I should have thought of this, shouldnt I?  Getting old.  So, I just googled and found out the right way to do this. And there, I saw the connection go blink blink and voila, I was connected. I cant express the relief I felt when I opened Google using my phone as a Wi Fi router.  Awesome, isn't it, technology makes you wonder, can man ever go back to living in the jungle?  I did this with my Sony Xperia. Here are steps to Tether with a USB cord . Once you are tethered, you can actually remove the USB cord and the connection will still be on. 

On July 9, I reached the Sahastradhara HQ. The building is standing in the middle of a highway. Many  vehicles ply but none stop in front of this place. Wonder why someone would select a place like this. I would have chosen a place that was well connected and more busy. Anyway, this is also nice, in its own way.  Here is a long shot of the HQ building. So, there are guest rooms on the top floor, which are decently furnished. I could have actually taken a room here, instead of blowing up 5k on that room. But then I had a genuine need too. I loved the stay at Padmini Palace too.  I took off from Dehradun on July 11. I refused any company and decided to reach my venue alone. I took a share auto from Doon, paid some 20 rupees and reached Rishikesh, then took a share jeep and reached Chamba in 2 hours, spent 100 rupees. At Chamba, I got some help from Jeetendra ji, an RM at Sahastradhara KGFS and I got myself booked into Gautam Residency. It is a decent hotel and p...

Sita's Curse: A Trailer on YouTube When I read the first page, I was taken aback. This certainly was my first erotic fiction. But, I wasn't scandalized, I was just surprised. That a woman, in a patriarchal  society like ours had the guts to write about another woman who was bold enough to break free and give in to her desires and find ways to pleasure herself.      When I met Meera Patel, or Mrs. Meera Patel, wife of Mohan Patel, I imagined her exactly as Sreemoyee had described her. For me Meera was a living breathing human being, a woman with normal sexual desires and wants. I could reach out and touch Meera's soft skin. So real is Sreemoyee's writing.  As the story progressed, touching slightly upon the incestual relation between Meera and her twin brother, Karthik, I was caught up and thrown along with the upheavals Meera went through. When Meera found Karthik's body, I cried with her. I felt her pain.  The story moves ahead, Meera gro...

Meera Rao picked up her pen and started writing in her leather bound diary. Words sprang from her insides. She kept refilling her glass with the scotch that her husband kept hidden. Tears fell on the pages while she wrote. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I seldom get a chance to get so drunk, I cant type right. I am loving the feeling, as a writer, I want to capture the emotion, the moment, in words... My eyes are aching to roll over, my head just doesn't seem right, but, I can still make out my spellings and language. Wow. So, I am actually drinking to drown my sorrow. Sorrow of being not able to have a child, because I have an impotent room mate. So, people call me the infertile woman. As if it was all my fault. As if I did all the procreation. Im sure they must have all flunked in Biology. huh. Today, we had one of those big fights. He hit me many times, on my head, everywhere. He bit me to...

A brilliant portrayal of a free man's journey to being a slave, for 12 long years.  When I watched the movie the first time, I thought it was a bit of a drag. Felt guilty about the thought almost immediately.  A man, Solomon Northup, a gifted fiddle player from New York, gets kidnapped and sold to slavery.  With a new name, Platt, and beaten to accept his  forced identity, Solomon continues to fight for his real name and freedom. Nobody believes when he screams that he is a free man.  Sold several times over to rich plantation owners in New Orleans, Solomon spends his time tending to his wounds and thinking up ways to escape the hell.  He impresses and befriends his first plantation 'owner' Ford and immerses himself in building a network of friends.  Then there is Patsey, another slave who is sexually abused and tortured many times over by the owner.  When a Canadian laborer named Bass (Brad Pitt) comes to the plantation t...