DesiReflections

We, the Indians, are always accused of defacing public places by spitting paan.And it is a fact that most of us can live without wearing a shirt or a trouser but not because chewing a paan. No body may exactly explain what kind of pleasure is hidden in Pan Beeda or Pan Gilori, in fact it can be experienced only after chewing.  Not surprising, it has become a national obsession, Neta, Bureaucrat, Teacher, Chaprasi, Housewife all are equal at a Paan Shop. It is not only the ingredients but also the person who make it , equally important. That is why, in the same vicinity there may be six seven Pan shops but you will find one shop overcrowded and others waiting for customers.  Prem ji the owner of Prem Paan Bhandar Not surprising a shop or two become iconic. Recently I had been to Jaipur, after taking our dinner ITC, our host Vakil Saheb suggested  visit to  Prem Paan Bhandar. This shop is on Mirza Ismail Road (MI Road). Biting cold wave was at its pe...

From last 5 years, I was hearing a lot about Jaipur International Literary Festival. The weeks jam packed with celebrities, dialogues, discussion as well as controversies. This time, I decided to be a part of the festival. I did not know that delegate registration, discussion schedule, release of books, display everything is made much well in advance, I had to struggle a lot to get into the festival as the flights, hotels every thing was over crowded and booked much in advance. The USP of this festival is beauty of city, its people, food and ethnic dress which also attracts people from different parts of globe.  January is the month when people in Europe,  America, Canada as well as other colder countries experience extreme cold, our  Pink City Jaipur has pleasant day and cool nights.So the festival time means attending serious discussions about literature and contemporary issues, meeting celebrity authors and enjoying flavour of Pink City all rolled into o...

I love monster.com TVC, where it is shown that an ace cricketer is washing clothes at Dhobighat with his bat and an ace Bharatnatyam dancer is guiding a plane to halt at the mark on airport. Such instances are very common,  happen with most of us. Many among us  hardly get an opportunity to pursue career  of our choice and  compelled  to do the work which  may not be of our choice. This happened with my friend Atul Agrawal who was trained at Company Secretary, did his law graduation, worked as Company Secretary, became a  ace builder, earned good name in his industry. But basically his heart was close to verse and used to write lovable shayri, he could not choose Shayari as his full time profession. Whenever he used to get chance,  he used to recite in mehfils, on TV or radio butdid not have any thing substantial to his credit, this was despite the fact that he had more than 40 manuscripts ready for publication. Some friends ...

Has a new track by Justin Bieber leaked online? Is it off his upcoming acoustic album? Is it a sad ode to Selena Gomez ? Fans around the globe are asking themselves these questions tonight, after a single titled "Yellow Raincoat" found its way online. Included among the melancholy lyrics? "I put on my raincoat, my yellow raincoat, baby it's keeping me dry...I put on my raincoat, my yellow raincoat, you know exactly why..." Hmmm. Take a listen now and decide: Is this Justin?   Who is this boy Justin, became heart throb for music lovers all across the globe only in 4 years ?  He is a Canadian pop-R&B singer. He was born on March 1, 1994 in London, Ontario and was raised in Stratford, Ontario, CANADA. Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant with her son. Mallette, who worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raised Justin Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. However, Ju...

SpeakGoa – a non-political, non-profit, Social Awareness Forum based in Canacona in South Goa is going to  launch the  Speak Up for Progress  awareness campaign.  The primary aim of the campaign is education of Goankars on various social and economic issues with the main focus on Goa’s Economy. The campaign will be conducted over two months - February and March 2013 and will include skits, stage shows, street plays, seminars and other events over the length and breadth of Goa. The aim of the  SpeakGoa Speak Up for Progress  campaign is to spur the authorities and government into promoting business ventures that add employment opportunities for the youth of Goa. Says Salvador De Costa, a former economist with  The Stock Exchange , Mumbai and now general secretary of SpeakGoa, “For almost 25 years, Goa and Goans have depended on the hordes of foreign tourists who flock to the state of Goa from November to February each year and spend weeks, if not ...

It is a fact that from last so many years, I eagerly await Mumbai Marathon event. For me it gives me an opportunity to dissolve  my complete personality in  the sea of humanity, that is  Bombay. The process helps me to  rejuvenate, enjoy and find a purpose. Again to wait  for the next year ! On a Sunday morning, when your body needs little extra respite from the daily mundane routine, it is really heart warming to see thousands soul in all shapes and sizes running on the road, some for purpose, some for health and some for fullto entertainment, and just four/ five  times to that number cheering them from the sideways. The event started 10 years back by Singh Brothers of Procam, becoming larger in size, dimension  and magnitude. Around 7 in the morning it appears all roads are leading in down town to Azad Maidan. Corporate Honchos, Service organisation/ NGO heads, performers, actors, singers rubbing shoulders with each ot...

Deepak Kher is my friend from last so many years. I know that he is a stage singer but I did not have an occasion to see his performance. So when I got his mail inviting me to an event at National Association of Blinds  to witness his group's performance. This programme was for Association of Senior Citizens Worli area. It was a pleasant experience to be a part of mixed emotions, joys and camaraderie of people who have crossed 60 years of age, and seeing Deepak performing was actually a sort of bonus. This organisation of  Senior Citizens in Worli is quite  old, its members meet at regular intervals,they  share, care,  enjoy variety of cultural and social programmes together. Every year they felicitate those members who attain 80 years, 85 years, 90 years or the one who celebrated his 50th marriage anniversary. This year the list of such members was long, which is also an indication that people now enjoy longer life thanks to advancement of me...