Sunday, October 17, 2010

Stupidest feed back ever

The picture says it all. Reviewing the 'Content' and 'presentation' for a cultural programme ? :)

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem resembles a nail !


-Random guy

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Qawwali - a dispassionate analysis


      I asked many of my friends from the audience about that “one word” which sums up the Qawwali performance by Nizami Bandhu in Sampoornanad Auditorium on 15th of October 2010. The choice of adjectives used was not that expected. ‘’Magnificent, awesome, best-ever-evening-so-far, elating, life-changing-experience, tremendous, great and many more” were a few of the responses. My personal experience was somewhere between “the sky and the sea-floor”, given the rapidity with which the main vocalists were diving from poetic excellence to lyrical absurdity. The appetizer that is Amir Khusro’s, Man Kunto Maula was so wonderful that for a moment I thought of bartering myself against the every line sung. It was a pure display of the artistic perfection that is more potent than a dope, more spiritually elevating than the greatest ritual any organized faith can have. But soon afterwards I felt being jettisoned from those heights as the main vocalist began adulterating Khusroos pearls of wisdom with rough gravel of “cheaply humorous” poetry taken from here and there. I do understand  his tragedy that he knew he was catering to an audience who by the virtue of being young were expectedly ‘’too cool’’ and too hostile to the idea of classical and serious spiritual music. After a while it was his compulsion to eulogize drinking to an unreasonable extent. He had no choice but to crack jokes on baldness of frontbenchers and his own dark-complexion. Then the fits of sycophancy were coming again and again when he seemed to be securing his future by singing paeans in praise of Sanjeev Chopra and Director Sir.

            I am not against comedy, no mentally-sound person can be. But the problem is that we need not be carrying that ‘’air of clowns’’ every time inside us. Entertainment is much-needed but someone who is meant to play the flute, need not amuse us by talking about ‘’ten un-common uses a pipe can be put to”! There are moments of seriousness and moments of fun. Spirituality has perhaps little to do with the riot of senses. There are times when we better be more discrete about our idea of enjoyment, when we need to nurture something else inside us that too without laughter and noise.
            But in the larger analysis it was an evening well-spent. Nizami Bandhus had a great connect with the audience, something that made this performance very special. The section of audience from non-Hindi belt particularly the south-Indians had a difficulty understanding the lyrics as well as the jokes and perhaps they were the only ones who didn’t have much to say about this performance. In fact it did  up-set me that they couldn’t enjoy it ‘’fully’’ perhaps although they had their share of joy as well.

            I must conclude by saying that let art not be just a source of gratification of senses. Entertainment isn’t just about laughter and comedy. Art has to be appreciated for sake of the art. Agreed? No? I know. I know what happens when mind is applied to matters of the heart.  Dum Mat Qalandar Mast Mast.

-Ibn Batuta

Friday, October 15, 2010

Birthday wishes to Ms Kadambari Bhagat

Friends,
Our fellow OT Ms Kadambari had her birthday on 14th of this month. A birthday party was arranged in the hostel OT-lounge. Here are the photos.

P.S Do send photos of birthday parties happening in our campus. We'll post it in our blog.



birthday cake
at 12'0 clock

is that really her? :)

the gang



Monday, October 11, 2010

The multitasking Indian woman

An eight armed Goddess!! With a ladle in one hand, while a laptop adorns the other, a diaper blooming on her open palm as she cradles her little child in the crook of her other arm. A watering can dangles from those deft fingers, as she balances the tray of cookies and other goodies, and tries answering the phone call of her boss, with one gloved hand making its way for the cake baking in the oven.
No, its not an animated movie with special effects, nor has Goddess Durga, the primeval feminine "shakti" condescended to grace thee with her presence!! Its the image that conjures up in my mind almost magically, the minute the phrase "multi tasking indian woman" is mentioned.

Being a woman in India is as challenging if not more than being one in another country with tons of laundry to be done, shopping to be shopped, that delectable sumptuous platter to be presented as per the preference of pizza loving billu and pinki, "dal roti" sasu maa, "mughlai" hubby, and thai curry- ardent guest who had chosen to make himself "atithi deva" that very day and would very much like to encroach upon bhabhi ji's hospitality.. :-)

And to top it all, imagine those incessant calls from the boss ( even when the leave has been duly taken), for this and that and this!! while the little "slice of her heart" clamours for attention and the darling husband playing romantic by losing all his shirt buttons!!
India, a society in transition, still has to wake up to the idea of fair divison of labour as with the educational and economic advancement of the woman, the "best" of both the worlds is "blessing" her with the windfall.

Therefore, the multi-tasking "superwoman" goes round and round, using all her wits and not to mention every ounce of her energy to complete her Sisyphus- tasks only to find many more springing up as from the little droplets of evil blood in ancient lores, many headed Hydras gestate!! the demons which need a goddess with her eight arms to combat and to be finished!!

Having proven their mettle in ever field, Indian women have to crusade against a more formidable foe. Having conquered prejudices, which doubted her capabilities, she now has to conquer "heightened expectations" which prove a more arduous task than any of those given to Herakles himself..

The expectation of being an exemplary leader or a helpful team mate at the work place, along with being an equally dexterous housewife on the domestic front... the expectation of being an understanding peer and following the ideals of being a perfect wife, which as per Indian tradition are "to counsel her man like a judicious Magus, to run errands for him like a slave girl, to feed him like his mother would and to pleasure him like a courtesan"

But the question that arises is whether any human being - especially the one that has been called "the weaker sex" for such a long time, really capable of accomplishing all these tasks, while maintaining her cheery benignity and not to forget her makeup- those waxed arms with french manicured nails??
Is it humanly possible for her, "the weaker vessel" to swim among the sharks just like her man does at her work place and yet must come home all smiling to do a sink full of dirty dishes and basket full of laundry clothes?? Is it humanly possible for her to bring out of her cornucopia horn (or akshayapatra if u prefer), toothsome food which would please the varying palates??

If its not humanly possible and yet she accomplishes these herculean tasks, then the epithet - "eight armed durga" is hardly a misnomer!! :-)

--
happiness always:

neha bansal