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whiffoffreshair.rediffiland.com/
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WOH man or WOE man, ….. neither is she…… …….just a WOMAN ! Can you read a woman?
I ask, can you really, man?
Born out of her
As her desire
for a mate,
or by fate?
or just hate? You venerate your mother;
How many do really bother?
To think
Maa bhi ek aurath hai
Har aurath ek maa hai!
Is she a book to be read?
or just an item to be spread?
As per your need,
or your greed?
The root of all evils,
Worse than a thousand devils?
Oh, then why was she born? Just to give you birth?
Not add to your mirth?
A woman, in all her glory
I can say without a sorry
Can never be understood.
If only someone could!
An open book she may seem
Reading her, is an eternal dream.
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Adam, I am madam………. Am enjoying a one month vacation at KL where my hubby is working now. Early morn as he leaves for work I go to the gym. Yesterday when I was back, I saw three ‘missed calls’ from hubby dear, and that too within an hour of reaching office. Worried, I called back immediately. “Congrats” he tells me. Huh? I wonder, there is nothing that I do nowadays that will merit a “congrats” from anyone, as he continues “ you are on the rediff home page”. I log in to check and there is my name Shivaja on the home page, with a “read my blog - Vulgarity” displayed. I pull out my hair in despair. What marketing gimmicks Rediff? My blog on the comments on “Aesthetiscm and Vulgarity”, they chose the latter word for display. Sigh! I open my rediffmail inbox, as expected it is overflowing with mails. My eyes neglect all the “team rediffmail” mails and search for my friend’s name. Ah yes! there it is. I open it and read that first. A congrats for being on the home page and asking me to enjoy my stay at KL. I smile, and go on to the next mails. A long list of people wanting to add me as friend. I skip them. Need to take time out to read their blogs and decide what to do. Then I open up comments, read each one. For the first time I get a criticism, I take it in my stride. I am no great blogger that all should agree with me or my blogs. I take time out to thank my regular iland friends for their wishes on my guest book. In between the net connection goes off umpteen times making me impatient. My house work is pending and here I am sitting glued to my laptop enjoying all the adulation at being on the rediff home page. I go to the next category. Mails from a few others who have read my blogs first time today, after seeing it on the home page. Someone has written “Please keep writing and forward me the same” . Sounded like an office memo to me. Dear friend, I will keep blogging at iland, please do visit. Then there was another personal mail asking me if he/she could be my friend. Yet another was “mesmerized” by my writing! I am sure he/she has not read the blog well, since the person has mentioned that I presented “vulgarity” very well. Uffff…..the blog in itself were my comments on “the comments” on aestheticism and vulgarity. Now for the funniest part of all. I have been addressed ‘Sir’ by a few. The first thing that I notice on iland beneath the ilander’s name are the two symbols which tell me the gender and the zodiac of the ilander. Like the Libran males Prabod Kumar and Dilip Krishnan, the Scorpio male KB, the Scorpio female Kavita Ganguly, the Taurean females Jissy Thomas, Savita Dutta (and also I), the Sagittarian male Madhavan, the Sagittarian female Mona Lisa, the Aquarian female Alakananda, the Aquarian male Sunshine, the Capricorn females Shyama Menon and Tammanna, the Capricorn males Moe M and Think tank, the Cancerian female Ekanthapadhika, the Cancerian males VT and PGR, the female Leo Saakshee , the male Gemini Frozen sun………….goes the list. I check once again. Nay….neither rediff nor I have made the mistake of showing me as a male. But then I am being called sir by quite a few….! Adam please watch out, I am Madam. Every dog has its day and so did I, at rediff iland. Shining on rediff home page on 5th August 2008, my inbox overflowing and a whole lot of friend requests that need my attention. Thanks to all the ilanders for the wishes they sent me yesterday. I will keep blogging and reading all your blogs. Ciao!
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Aestheticism and vulgarity........ 3rd July 08, Q n A at rediff.com was follows. Some of the answers have you in splits. The nine comments are reproduced below as it is! Q. How do you differentiate the thin line between aestheticism and vulgarity? 1. If a person does not have belief in the concept of God he is aesthist. Vulgarity is obviously what is equalent to improper decorum or manifestation of indecency. These two are different things.
For instance MF Hussain paiting hindu gods and godesses in a provocative indecent manner is vulgarity. He claims that he's got freedom of ex-pression - but even that is biased because he doesnt do the same to muslim or christian gods, people or characters - he is not an aesthist. He has some religious sentiments. Ultimately he is Chauvinistic. Pls see dictionary to see the meainign of the word 'chauvenistic' so you can also learn a new word which is also connected. (Guess our friend should have first referred to a dictionary the two words aesthetics and atheists before asking us to check up the word 'chauvinistic' and learn a new word!! * keeps wondering how chauvinistic, atheist and Vulgarity are connected *) 2. If lower belt portion of female sideways----aesthetisim
if lower belt portion of female moves back and forth---vulgarity (Aha.. what a ‘brief’ way of presenting! I wonder how our friend would define aestheticism and vulgarity with reference to a male!! ) 3. It is purely the prerogative of the creator. The oserver might see it with his own perspective, but it's the perpetrator's last laugh. The ‘creator’ created in all aestheticism, the ‘created’ changed his perspective after he bit the apple, and the ‘perpetrator’ (devil) had the last laugh………. as vulgarity was born! 4. The difference is not a thin line but a very thick one surely human beings have a sense of discrimination which they can use to know the difference. How thick? Can the line be measured by a screwed mind…oops…. Screw gauge or a Vernier Call hippers(calipers)? 5. Objects and all their collective and/or complex manifestations, whether living or not, have no purpose behind their existence. Human beings talk about temporal and long run objectives to satisfy their intellect, otherwise they too are complex adaptive systems, biologically and socially, having no predetermined objectives behind their existence. Superiority of human beings is contained in their plans by which they try to device methods for their own well-being.
Some objects and events have significant impact up on the intellect of human beings. These things go in favor or against their plans for progress. If a thing inspires something undesirable from the perspective of that plan, it is vulgar. If it is good as such, it is aesthetic.
So, the point is in what results from the impression of a thing. The result cannot be definitely predicted because we cannot understand the complexity of human beings - either as biological individual or as social collective. Thus, a line cannot be drawnThus, a line cannot be drawn in between aestheticism and vulgarity although there is a line.
Preferences of an individual are designed by his/her past and gene. When a person identifies something as aesthetic or vulgar, it is judged by that upbringing and gene. Every person acts in a sphere of bounded rationality. In that space, he/she rarely feels any obligation to the social collective he/she belongs to. Besides he/she cannot pursue the complexity in which he/she lives. As a result, individual preference may or may not resemble to what is socially desirable.
CONCLUSION: Individuals draw lines in their own ways, which are naturally different. The socially desirable line can be drawn only after the impact can be perfectly predicted. But such an exercise is impossible due to the complexity of the social whole. So, such line cannot be drawn socially although some definite social line exists. The social line is built up on the basis of the plan for progress devised by the human beings. The plan is an invention of the human beings up on which they judge what is good and what is bad. The plan is based on objectives which the human beings prepare. As such, human beings are not born to serve any objective. And so, if human beings stop inventing objectives and plans, there will not be anything aesthetic or vulgar. close YAWNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!! I am drawing the shortest line to my bed… 6. Aestheticism It is a doctorine that beauty is the basic principle frm which all other principles, especially oral ones are derived. where as Vulgarity is sexual display in bad taste in general. Hence we can safely say, that models who display fashions or even other things that are used on body maybe aestheticst where as people who do vulgar display are purily for sexual satisfaction. Doctrine, Oral huh am safely skipping reading this comment! 7. Aesthetically vulgar. Vulgarly aesthetic. Add the letters, "l" and "y" Yes when the eye(s) see and the why(s) answer, you know the difference, not by adding I and Y!! 8. Eat healthy and stay healthy. Now whats eating and healthy got to do with aesthetic and vulgar? 9. Since the opinion whether a piece of art or culture is aesthetic or vulgar depends upon the opinion holder, which in this democratic country everyone has a right to the opinions vary. And the variance is much more pronounced as the dividing line in some cases is very thin and hence a lot of people may not be able to see or differentiate it and cross it either way. Just hope for the best that you are not a victim of it ! A democratic country and opinions galore on aestheticism and vulgarity. I am only a victim of reading these hilarious comments at rediff at my own peril ………..God help!!
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KB the greatest........
KB the greatest Full of zest Messaged me to write….."pronto” Like the one he did on Dodo?? Why not I do One on Voodoo? Oh no! Will he blink And think As the glasses clink When filled with a drink. That I am a witch Or a bitch? Neither of which Am I Sigh! But a cutie pie Who keeps her head held high. Oh Look at my plight As I sit down to write ‘Reading’ glasses for my sight With the lamp so bright For some light In the middle of the night When I need to sleep tight Right? I end my nonsensical verse Hoping that you do not curse Please do appreciate What I dared to create!
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Jab they met…………… Two old pictures from my collection. 
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, with Ms.Junko Tabei, the first woman to climb Mount Everest, a t a seminar on Himalayan conservation in New Delhi (some years back).  Cricket legend Sir Don Bradman celebrates his 90th birthday with Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar in Adelaide.
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Ye andar ki baat hai………..
Prologue
This probably will be my last blog !!!!!!!
Either my son will kill me (but I doubt whether he is capable of matricide, because he takes after his Dad and loves me!) or he will pull out all the hair on his head in frustration! In all truth, I assure you, he will laugh it off and say “Amma is weird” in his inimitable style. Psst……psst…. However, there is a saving grace……. he doesn’t read my blogs!!! phewwww that’s a relief !
Ye andar ki baat hai………..
“Plong”, I heard the sound of my mobile phone. SMS again! Huh, must be one from West side informing me of a 50% off sale, or Pantaloons with buy 2 get 3 free. Or is it from Citibank asking me to pay up or acknowledging the receipt of my cheque. It must be one of those boring messages I get daily, I thought. I picked up the phone hoping it would be an “I love you “ message from hubby dear, he does surprise me that way once a while J. I am sure he must be sitting through a boring meeting when he sends me one !!
As I read the message, I guffawed so loudly that my daughter looked up startled, from the sofa where she was lazily curled up with her “ Stephen King” book. HA HA HA HA HA HA…… I just rolled on the floor with laughter as my daughter wondered whether I had gone crazy. Huh ? “gone”?? I am a permanent denizen of crazy town as per my family. “Just look at his message, the idiot”, I thrust the phone into my daughter’s hands. Curious about what made her mom guffaw so much, she read it and laughed. I just send a reply SMS “ edaaaaaa..... just take a peek at what you are wearing…….. must be 80-85cms”.
Now for the message I received from my dear eldest one, my one and only son, away at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut Hostel, an aspiring whiz IT Kid, about to be blue eyed new recruit in some top shot IT firm.
“Ammooos, whats the size of my underwear?”
Now before you find fault with my parenting let me tell you I have taken him to the shop for purchase and kept blabbering on how to buy one. The size, price, brand, color et al that has to be checked while buying one. Now I am sure that when he was shaking his head to my chatter, he must have been doing some computer programming in that thick head of his!
A few months later he came home from the hostel and as usual with two bag loads of dirty clothes. While washing them I noticed his new under wears (finally he got the correct size!!). One look and I knew this model of Jockey was priced a bit higher than the normal ones he gets. I asked him “why did you get this particular model? It’s a bit costly na?” With a worried exasperated look, his hands in the air, he told “ oh fo amma evideyo ninnu ithengilum vangaan patti, ini vila onnum chodichu budhimuttikanda”. (Uh Oh Mom.. I managed to locate at least these with great difficulty, and you are hankering after the price????) I sighed in resignation.
One year later, the next vacation while he was home, I asked him to help me with some shopping at the local supermarket. He obliged, a rare gesture since the lazy one thinks amma is superwoman who needs no help. I play the “ Amma (damsel) in distress” act saying “my hands aching da, come with me”. I remember that in his younger days he would always accompany me to hold the bags as I did my veggie shopping, not out of love for me, but just to eat the succulent samosas I got him at the shop near the market!
As I went through the provisions and all, which never interests him, I asked him to check out the underwear section and pick up a few if he wanted them. He didn’t need my guidance anymore, I felt and just left him to do the job. The things were packed and we reached home.
Next day he came to me, looking sheepish. “Ammoos..” he grinned showing all his teeth ( by the way my sister calls him Sebastian -the crab in Little mermaid- when he smiles!) As I peered through my reading glasses holding the newspaper I was reading, he told me “The u/w I bought yesterday is XXL size”.
My jaws dropped. My Gawd!!! “XXL” ? I almost screamed, adding “Even your achan (Dad), who still dreams of losing weight, doesn’t need that size”!!!
And I asked him, trying to control the urge to give him a whack on his back with whatever I could lay hands on that moment, “ Didn’t you check the box for the size yesterday?” Pat came the reply “ But I looked at the price this time” !!!
The Taurean mother that I am, I have not given up hope. There is ample scope for improvement, he will learn I tell myself. If not you will find more posts on my blog in future ………ye andar ki baath hai, seriously!!!
Epilogue Ye andar ki baat hai beta………… But your antics are so hilarious that I felt like sharing this with my iland friends. Hope you will not tear your hair in despair. And even if u do, let me assure you “Bald is beautiful” as much as “black is beautiful” So Good luck to you daaaaaaaaaa!
To my iland friends
Please check up whether I am in one piece after a few days or the inevitable has happened after I have posted this blog. ;)
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Happiness of my soul....... A smile lights up my face Am smiling to my hearts content…… I will keep smiling…………….. Just like you wanted me to………….. Thanks for the courage you gave me, Thanks for the strength you showed me, Thanks for making me confident……. I wont ever let you down ! Never will I weep again! I smile....... And keep on smiling.. In all adversities The smile It stays with me Of the happiness that I have known you I smile, I smile, I smile Remembering you always After all I keep my promise to you dear friend! Click here for Tears of My Soul........... Picture courtesy : Internet
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Sometimes….. - Pritish Nandy Sometimes when everyone is farway And I have taken all the masks off my face I feel the evening closing in. All the fires burn in the sky All the fevers of the heart are still All my griefs have set asail All I remember then, is just you…. What hurts are the simple loves we shared What hurts are the gentle fears we knew What hurts is the way we said goodbye What hurts is knowing you are not there. All the fires burn in the sky All the fevers of the heart are still All my griefs have set asail All I remember then is just you…. Everything else remains just as it was Nothing changes nothing’s gone Only the void within the heart grows Only the void within the heart grows. PS From my old collection (1980). Picture courtesy : Internet
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A Pure Veg Tee shirt…………. This tag on the T shirt I purchased recently seems very innovative…………. “With this T-shirt on dip thyself gently in the holy waters of Ganges to cleanse thy mind body and soul” Wow! I never knew washing away your sins was so easy………..…Ganga Mayya….…..here I come………….. “Do not use soap or detergent on Karmic Garment, Try an ayurvedic cleanser” Huh A Karmic Garment????? Ayurvedic cleanser?? (scratching my head in ignorance) Aha! Now this sounds great…. This garment is made of 100% cotton combed yarn with Lycra on neck rib (for everlasting shape) I try it on, dreaming of gifting this to all friends of my age group who are losing their shapes. Looking into the mirror I realized, though a bit late, its not “my shape” but the shape of the T shirtneck they are talking about!!! “Refrain from the deadlly (sic) sin of ironing on the print”. Was the extra “ l ” added to confirm the intensity of deadly??? “Iron on the reverse side” ….ouch……..aarrrgh……….. my back………....oops…. it meant reverse of the Tee I guess!! A lesson learnt… “Citizen friendly” tee which can be gifted to friends and foes alike” Whoever gifts things to foes and even if you do, wont they eye you suspiciously? A “Pure Veg” T-Shirt. Now can anyone tell me what that means huh?? After reading all the instructions by the T shirt manufacturer, I have, with due respects, packed this Karmic Tee shirt and placed it in front of the diety in my pooja room. I hope one of these days, my favourite God will appear in my dreams wearing this Tee!!! OM Shanti !
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My boyfriend…………... I wondered why he slowed down the car near ICICI ATM, when I had already told him HDFC ATM. “HDFC” I gently reminded looking at him. He had a smug ex-pression. “Where is he?”, he asked me smiling. “Your new boyfriend. You mentioned he hangs out here.” </ | | | | |
