A gem from Asha Bhosle..

Another fav...divine....

chain se hum ko kabhee, aap ne jeene naa diyaa
jahar bhee chaahaa agar, peenaa to peene naa diyaa

chaand ke rath mein, raat kee dulhan  jab jab aayegee
yaad humaaree, aap ke dil ko, tadapaa jaayegee
aap ne jo hain diyaa, wo to kisee ne naa diyaa

aap kaa gam jo, is dil mein dinaraat agar hogaa
soch ke ye dam ghootataa hai, fir kaise gujar hogaa
kaash n aatee apanee judaee, maut hee aa jaatee
koee bahaane chain humaaree, ruh to paa jaatee
yek pal hasanaa kabhee, dil kee lagee ne naa diyaa

108 seconds that changed my life..

Anxiety and apprehension were the only two things on my mind, could see the growing tension on the faces of the two people accompanying me. A weird sense of tension filled the air of the silent room. The enormity of the situation was beginning to sink in. "Please come this way" and i was led into this almost 'science fiction' type looking room with gadgets all around. I was made to lie down with a huge machine over me. "Look up", and almost mechanically, i did as i was told. "Do not move and keep staring at the red light"...never in my life before would i have followed instructions so meticulously. Only thing i could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat which was growing faster by the second. "Your laser time is 53 seconds"..."half way done"...."5..4..3..2...1.stop", "you did very well Ipshita..now let's go on to the second one". It was like time had just frozen at that moment. Looked up again and stared at the red light as instructed. "Your laser time is 55 seconds...3..2..1..done". That's it..all over. I was then led out where people were waiting for me in anticipation of something never experienced before.

"How are you feeling?"..."I am feeling better and i can see you much better too doc!...as long as i can remember for the first time in my life, i am independent of glasses or contacts to see..thanks so much". Am sure noone noticed, but i could feel tears in my already watery and itchy eyes...a few moments had changed my life.

Ten days later, my hand still unknowingly goes to the bridge of my nose...looking for the old companion...i just smile and say to myself "it will take some time....:)"

Where is such music now....?

One of my all time favourites...this composition enthralls me every single time i listen to it..absolute magic by Geeta Dutt (this being one of her last songs just before she died in 1972)...romance and beauty in each word and nuance portrayed exquisitely by Tanuja and Sanjeev Kumar..and of course the mesmerising mystic of black and white....

From 'Anubhav'...

meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
meri jaan, meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
meri jaan, meri jaan

jaan na kaho anjaan mujhe
jaan kahaa rehti hai sadaa
anjaane, kya jaane
jaan ke jaaye kaun bhala
meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
meri jaan, meri jaan

sookhe saawan baras gaye
kitni baar in aankhon se
do boondein naa barse
in bheegi palkon se
meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
meri jaan, meri jaan

honth jhuke jab honthon par
saans uljhi ho saanson mein
do judwaan honthon ki
baat kaho aankhon se
meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
meri jaan, meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan (smile)
meri jaan, meri jaan

A farewell to remember..

A little over 10 months back, i was saying goodbye to my colleagues from my very first and only organisation i had ever worked with. Had witnessed quite a few farewells but had never thought saying goodbye could be so tough..particularly to a place and people who had been so much a part of me for almost 4 years...

Then again..as they say..life moved on..a new country..a new job..entirely new set of people..can still remember the first day i joined work...apprehension, anxiety, excitement..all kinds of things playing in my mind. Had no idea what to expect..will there be discrimination? would i fit into their 'system'? would i be good enough? an entirely new chapter to begin and perhaps a point to prove, yet again...

Now that i say goodbye to my new found colleagues and friends here..i take with me a bunch of beautiful memories..associations made over these past few months that have added a whole new dimension to my thinking and personality. My workplace here truly epitomised the 'multi-cultural' fragment of Melbourne..i worked not only with Aussies, but with people from Singapore, China, Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, UK, Spain..we were literally a 'global' organisation! and all i can say is that i feel immensely blessed and fortunate to have had this experience..i have had learning that goes beyond the scope of 'work'..i have been exposed to a whole new paradigm of work, interacting with people and much much more...

So, no i did not face any discrimination...in fact i have received much more warmth than i had ever expected for..to the extent of being overwhelmed..in terms of talent/intellect i would still maintain Indians are as good as or even better than anyone else in the world..but i cannot help but appreciate the 'systems' and 'processes' that these guys have for each and everything..the desire and 'habit' of 'planning' everything in advance and NEVER assuming or taking anything for granted, the thoroughness and attention to detail (at times i must admit it annoyed me to bits!), the respect for time and deadlines (yes even in media and advertising!), the true partnership and singularity of objective in the client-agency relationship (agree my view could be myopic due to the experience of only one agency..for me that is good enough)..a mutual respect and admiration for 'work' and 'only work'...all in all a completely PROFESSIONAL approach towards the 'job' at hand...yes in all these respects..we do have a long way to go...working here has certainly increased my faith in true ability, talent, focus and professionalism...virtues i had always believed in..believed in to be sufficient enough to be successful...

As my colleagues bid me farewell here with a huge box of gifts and a beautiful card..i can feel a special bond..a bond that will stay with me for a long time to come..yes they too have now become a part of me..i will probably never see these people again in my life (though a few have promised me they will visit Delhi during the 2010 Commonwealth Games!!)..but memories will always remain..once again i part with a heavy heart..somehow the words...'we will miss you Ipshita' seem very genuine....:-)

Something beautiful...

Recently saw a beautiful movie - 'Prime'...one of the lines from it just stuck with me...

"sometimes..u love..and learn..and move on.."

beautiful thought...so simply put...

Time to say goodbye..

It's pack up time again! Time to get all the bags out and cleaned..as i get into this mode it feels like the end of another chapter in my life's book..and of course the beginning of a new one..so as i say goodbye to Melbourne, i add to my bag of memories, a lot...mostly good, some absolutely breath-taking, a few strange and amusing...in a nutshell..mostly 'memorable'! I am glad i came here with an 'open' mind without any pre conceived notions/expectations..and that's why i believe this place has left so many imprints on me..and made this one year so incredibly special...so cheers mite..here's to Mel..

- the land of the aussies...where there are more sheep than humans! (had always read and heard that..now saw it too!)
- the entire continent's population is equal to the number of people in Delhi!!
- a place where for the first time, i found colleagues who got astonished whenever i spoke..and commented.."u speak very good English"??!! (do they really think Indians don't know how to speak in English...well..i give it to their 'innocence'..believe u me..aussies are genuinely nice people..to the point of being silly!!)
- a place where u can LITERALLY have all the four seasons in a matter of a day! (was snowing just last week..and this week it's 36 degrees! crazy!!)
- where people think 'India = Bollywood' and 'Indian food = Butter Chicken' (kudos to the Mumbai film fraternity and the enterprising panjus who have opened a 'Taste of India' in every nook!!)
- where public transport is an epitome of clock-work...oh how i will miss our every morning runs to the station (all because of T..i always got ready on time!!!)
- where 60% of the women are obese! that explains why i could not shop any clothes for myself...could never find my size!!! ughhh!! (T is very happy though...)
- a land where mother nature is at its full glory...mesmerising beaches, mountains, deserts, forests, wildlife...wish we could have travelled a bit more!
- where SPORT (any kind!) is religion..it's a way of life..and that can of beer is the life saviour!
- where people are generally sweet, good humoured and trusting..greet you with a huge 'Hii..how ya goin mite?' everytime you enter a store...these people just LOVE to talk..have myself had many random conversations with complete strangers in the trains, trams..believe you me..it is all in good spirit..
- a land where they eat their own national animal...CRAZY!! and then call it 'skippy'!!
- this one's my favourite - people (irrespective of industry) work 9-5.30..and calling your colleague/client on work after hours or during weekends is considered 'un civil' and 'rude'...and you have every right to tell them so! (would we ever reach this state in India!??!!...guess the answer is negative...sigh)

well..i could go on and on...this list is never ending..memories never fade..do they? So goodbye to you...thanks for making me feel at 'home'..hope our paths cross again sometime...till then..cheers mite!! :-)

Married happily to....Happily married!

I have often been accused of 'clinging' too much to the past..thinking of the times gone by..of being too nostalgic and so on...well..may be i am..love being that way..'coz i inherently believe..the person one is 'today' is fashioned profoundly by one's past..past experiences, successes, failures, mishaps..past is something like that 'birth mark' that always stays with you no matter how old or how ahead you get in life...

So, now as i near the two year mark of my 'married' life..i can't help but introspect! I have often been asked by my friends, family...'how has marriage changed your life?' and somehow i have always found myself at a loss of words answering that question...have either laughed it off or said something completely vague!!

Now i reckon it is time to give this thought some 'thought'! As i look back at the last two years..one feeling completely over rides every other emotion...'how less i knew of myself'..and 'how much i have discovered'...what a journey it has been...

It's been a journey where i have learnt (and still learning) what 'sharing a life' is, what the word 'us' actually means and that happiness lies in all the seemingly 'small and irrelevant' things and episodes...i always thought i am a very patient and calm individual (people around me said the same too)..but after being with T, i understand how significant the word 'relative' is (hahah!!)..he seems to me the epitome of composure and patience and makes me look impulsive!! (can u imagine!!)..there is a very fine line between being 'determined' and being 'stubborn' or may be they are just two sides of the same coin..i used to think i am a border-line case! but oh Boy...this man has completely revised the definition of 'determination' and 'stubborn-ness'...just wait till something gets into his head...he just never gives up!! (i have learnt my lesson and promised to myself i will never again ask him to fix anything in the laptop!!)

We are two individuals..as different and as similar as two can be..over the last two years..guess both of us have discovered new dimensions about our personalities..bringing out the best in each other..

You complement me..you complete me...you make me realise that 'marriage' is not just a ceremony and a date..it is an ongoing process..process of knowing and discovering each other, of sharing the good, bad and ugly..a relationship where i can be just myself...

As i embark on the journey from 'married happily' to being 'happily married', i don't think i have 'changed' or life has changed...yes i have certainly 'evolved' and life is becoming much more 'complete'....:-)

Irony...huh?

Just came across this..LG in Australia has come out with a new television set, the USP of this set is its 'ad-skipping' technology! The TVC promotes the same..and guess what all the TV channels (free as well as pay) have banned the commercial! Ironical?? Any tips/suggestions for LG .. what say fellow media planners?!!

What's in a name??

As far and as long as i can remember i have always taken my own decisions, good or bad, fortunate or drastic, whatever may have been the consequence, have always stuck by them...to the extent that i have been termed 'obstinate', 'in-flexible', 'stupid' and the works...but have i ever cared!!?!

But one decision about myself..and an important one too...was not taken by me..'coz then i had just about arrived in this world and had no experience with 'decision-making' till then..in all his good intention and out of the in depth knowledge of the Sanskrit scriptures, my grandfather, before anyone could even think of anything..named me 'Ipshita' (the root of the word being the Sanskrit word 'ipshit' which means 'the desired one')..and voila what a decision that was...a decision of a lifetime!!!

Then came the natural progression of going to school..making friends..interacting with teachers and so on..and as days passed by..i found that i had kind of started hating answering one particular question -- 'what is your name?' 'coz everytime i would say 'My name is Ipshita'..the standard replies would be 'what?', 'sorry can u please repeat?', 'can u please spell it?!!!', 'oh deepshikha (that was the craziest i reckoned)??!!'...NOT a single person could ever understand my name at the first go!!! After 2-3 attempts (rather struggles), i accomplished the 'name' mission..before i could even take a sigh of relief...another one hit me..'oh that's a different/nice/never-heard-of name..what does it mean?' fortunately for me, my dadu (grandfather) was also my tutor at home..and obviously by then he had made me memorise what my name meant...so there i rattled to anyone and everyone...'my name means.......' by this time i was quite tired and sick of my own name (believe u me..i was!)...as time went by i thought how lucky all my friends were...'Anu', 'Pooja', 'Neha', 'Rati', 'Parul'...and so on...noone ever gave them 'that confused look'...why on earth did i have such a complicated name!!?! (It was only later that i realised that my predicament was one of the perils of growing up in Delhi - North India...away from the 'Bong' land...'coz in Kolkata..noone seemed to have any issues with my name!!) So there...i was the only 'Ipshita' in my entire school..and by the time i passed out...everyone (hopefully!) knew how to pronounce 'it'...and as i had added one more name in their dictionary of names...they added multiple to mine...so now i was 'Ipshy', 'Isha', 'Sheeta', 'Ips'...and probably many more!!

Then came college...again another round of introductions (ragging i meant!)..and once again my name became the topic of contention...by now i was grown up and took it all by my stride...i spelt it even before anyone could give me that 'confused look'...in one of my ragging sessions i was asked to explain 'why i was the desired one?' ... well that's another story...will delve into it sometime later...my micro-economics professor was so impressed by my name..he spent almost half the session delving into the beauty and gravity of the sanskrit language...i must confess by now...the feeling of repulsion towards my name was gradually turning into a kind of 'pride'...for the first time ever i felt being a bit different/out of the ordinary was good...so once again i was the only Ipshita in my entire college...had reconciled myself to the fact that my name was probably unique..that was a good feeling...TILL....

I reached MICA!! What a shocker!! In a batch of 58, i had two namesakes!! My name was no longer UNIQUE!!! I felt devastated (hahaha!!)...as one can imagine very well...three Ipshitas in one batch certainly became a topic of discussion for others...for the three individuals who held that name..it became a matter of confusion..total chaos...phone calls getting answered by the wrong Ipshita...all three getting up and running off whenever that 'name' was announced...oh what a mess!! then thanks to the kind soul (or souls?)..(i still do not know who)...for bringing some order to the ongoing chaos...the three Ipshitas were given nick-names...so there from that day on..from Ipshita i became 'IC'...my other two namesakes became..'De' and 'Ghosh'....and 'Ipshita' got lost somewhere....and till this day...i am known as IC to many...

I can't even begin to explain my predicament with my name once i reached Aussie land...just imagine...!! Those who turned 'Kolkata' to 'Calcutta', 'Bengaluru' to 'Bangalore', 'Mukhopadhaya' to 'Mukherjee' and 'Gangopadhaya' to 'Ganguly'....could i ever think they would spare me!!??!! So my adventures (rather mis-adventures) with my name continue...in the last one year..numerous permutations and combinations have been added to my name-dictionary...impossible to even jot down with the written word....

Well...thanks to you Dadu...for if it were not for u..i would have probably missed out on all these numerous interesting experiences/anecdotes!! and would have probably never wondered 'What's in a name?'!!