Gajra 2008 - A memorable evening !!!

Last Saturday (April 5th), I attended my first ever program for the DFW Marathi Mandal - "Gajra" - and must admit, I was totally spellbound by the performances. Before going into those, I must say that I am impressed that there is a sizeable number of Maharashtrians in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. This Marathi Mandal has been functional for quite some time and having seen their organizational skills and the honest efforts of some senior members (Rane kaka, Pandit kaka, and a whole lot of others), I must admit I plan to attend all their functions in the coming months during my stay here in Texas.

So now to "Gajra". A 2-hour show that felt like just a small time due to the astounding performances given by 4 legends. We were lucky to not only witness them perform live, but also talk to them off-stage and chat on a normal level and also click some snaps.

Sudhir Gadgil

This man needs no introduction. He has recently completed 30 years in the field of Marathi media and he regaled the audience with his funny anecdotes, awe-inspiring experiences, and some real interesting observations.



Smita Talwalkar

This lady (though she prefers to be called a 'girl') has seen and done it all. The first lady to venture into Marathi film production and distribution, an amazing actress, a news reader and a wonderful human being. She had the audience in splits with her experiences in the fields on acting, producing, film-casting, and film-distributions. And she is amazingly proud of her upbringing and the fact that she is from 'Huzoorbag' in Pune.



Deepak Deshpande

The holder of the coveted 'Hasyasamrat' title on Zee Marathi, a professor by profession, and a magnificent human. His mimicry was top notch and he not only covered actors such as Nilu Phule, Sriram Lagu and Prabhakar Panshikar, he also mimicked politicians such as Sharad Pawar. His observational skills were seen at their very best when he mimicked the voices heard at locations such as ST stops, railway stations, and even airports in Japan.



Tyagraj Khadilkar

The winner of the first 'Sa Re Ga Ma' on Zee TV, and a wonderful singer and composer, he was the star of the evening. From mesmerizing everyone with his renditions of 'Omkara Swarupa' and 'Doul Morachya', to magnificently mimicking the voices of Kumar Gandharva, Ghulam Ali, and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, and even Dada Kondke, his performances were top-notch. And a special performance in which he sang in 3 different voices at the same time (Mehmood, Kishore Kumar, and Manna Dey) to sing the very difficult 'Chatur Naar' from 'Padosan', simply brought down the house.



I tried to record a small video of his mimicry of Dada Kondke which can be seen at -



All, in all, a magnificent evening !!!

Verse of the Week !!!

From this week I plan to add a 'verse of the week'. Since its the onset of a new year, its the perfect time to start a new dimension to the blog. Let me make it clear that not all verses are written by me so dont think of me as some great philosopher or poet...

Heres the first one ...

A Creed for Those Who Have Suffered

I asked God for strength to achieve. I was made weak so that I might learn humbly to obey...

I asked for health to do greater things. I was given infirmity so that I might do better things...

I asked for riches to be happy. I was given poverty so that I might be wise...

I asked for power to be praised by men. I was given weakness so that I might feel the need of God...

I asked for all things to enjoy life. I was given life so that I might enjoy all things...

I got nothing I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I, among all men, am most richly Blessed ...

Quotes of the Week !!!

Ok, I am back with my quotes of the week. The lazy person in me still does not permit me to post the 'quote of the day'. Hence here goes 5 quotes for the coming week ...

1. It is when we have given more than what has been asked out of us, that we have given our best - Anonymous

2. Belief is the thermostat that regulates our accomplishments - Anonymous

3. There is nothing permanent but change - Mahatma Gandhi

4. Two roads diverged in a wood; I took the one less traveled by others and that has made all the difference - Robert Frost

5. I am not discouraged by failure since every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward - Thomas Edison

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Check back again for next week's quotes !!!

Gudi Padwa

As another new year dawns on us, here is little trivia about Gudi Padva obtained from different sources on the Web. Right now, I am doing it manually; however, if my PhD thesis realizes into something good, this can be done automatically.

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Gudi Padwa is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month. Gudi Padwa is celebrated as the New Year day by Maharashtrians.

Houses are cleaned prior to the festival. Colourful rangoli designs are drawn at entrances. New clothes are worn on this day. There is a family gathering and Maharashtrian delicacies are prepared for everyone. The Maharashtrians make puran poli or sweet rotis, soonth pak and usal.

Traditionally, bittersweet leaves of the neem tree (kadulimbachi paane) are eaten on this day. A paste of crushed neem leaves, cumin seeds, jaggery and salt is taken before eating any food in the morning.

On this day, gudis are hung outside the houses or in the localities. A 'gudi' is a pole on the top of which an upturned brass or silver pot called a kalash is placed. The gudi is covered with a colourful silk cloth and decorated with marigold flowers, coconuts, and mango leaves that symbolize nature's bounty. Gudi is worshipped by offering sandalwood paste, turmeric and vermilion. Then, boys and young men of the locality form a pyramid and the person on top of the pyramid breaks the coconut which is in the kalash.

Gudi Padwa is considered a very auspicious day. New ventures are begun, house-warming poojas are performed, and people also may choose to buy gold, silver or property on this day. There are some elgends behind the celebration of Gudi Padwa. It is said that the Universe was created by Brahma on this day and Satyuga (The Age of Truth and Justice) began.

It is also believed that on this day, King Vali was killed by Rama and Shri Rama returned to Ayodhya victorious.

This is one of the 3 and a half days in the Hindu Lunar calendar, whose every moment is considered auspicious.

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So, here's wishing all readers of iBlog, a very happy Gudi Padva and a grand new year !!! Or in other words, "Nava varshachya hardik shubhechya !!!"

Life goes on ...

Definitely not written by me but still I can relate to some parts. Again, I am not the author and is just a copy-paste from somewhere...

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I hear curses...pinch myself...nope...not a dream. It's my roomie lying next to me and screaming. He's mad at my alarm going off at 6.30AM. Well, I can't help it if he sits up all night chatting with his friends, enemies and any other human being having a Yahoo ID! Ok...ok...I'll switch it off...slowly open my eyes, and I see my other roomie standing beside my bed.... bath towel around his waist, toothbrush in his mouth and giving me the look. "Wasn't it your turn to go to Walmart??...We are out of toilet paper!" Great! Looks like a fun filled day ahead.

After some quick formalities in the restroom, I manage to find a tee shirt among some pile of papers, popcorn and coffee cups. Thank God (well, actually, thank my roomie) for the deodorant! Time for a quick breakfast...as I enter the kitchen, my roomie walks out munching on a sandwich. "Forget it...that was the last one", he says half asleep. "What about cereals?" I ask. "Finished last week...there's some milk left...". Milk??...Only if I can find a cup in this jungle. Oh...forget it! One less breakfast won't reduce my life expectancy. I finally make my way out of the apartment not stepping on anyone or anything. As I walk out, I realize it's raining heavily. All I have on is a tee shirt and jeans. I stand there thinking of my options. I can either go back to bed or...hey! There's that guy living next door (don't know his name...they call him 'the guy with the car').

I see five guys wearing 5 layers of clothing, gloves, raincoats and under one umbrella...all walking towards his car. As he ! starts his car and fills up the parking lot with black smoke, I look at him and give him the best smile I could. "You need a ride?" he shouts out like a Hindi movie hero. Well, what do you think?, I say in my mind as I run towards his car. At least, I got to sit on someone's lap...much better than those worn out seats. Huffing and puffing, the car finally reaches school. I see all these people staring as six guys come pouring out of the car. I thank the 'guy with the car', when suddenly I hear this most gayish tune...something like a nursery rhyme I remember from two decades ago! It was his cell phone ringing.

Downloaded it yesterday, he tells me proudly and attends the phone. I hear words like..."talk faster"..."day time minutes"..."gas prices"..."classes"..."Priya needs a ride?"..."Sure no problem"..."on my way". As I walk towards the fridge (to be understood as our school building which likes to show off its air conditioning powers), I can see my friend, the 'guy with the car' pull out of the parking lot and driving off...DDLJ music blaring out of his 5 W speakers...with other noises from the car making it sound like a badly made remix....Some girl somewhere needs a ride I guess.

My brain starts to work as soon as I enter the Fridge. I was supposed to meet my proff today...oh well...I am only 10 minutes late and he must be getting used to it by now. After the meeting, I run to the computer lab and find myself a PC. Man, anyone who walks past the lab might think that the Chinese and Indians are so dedicated and hardworking and determined and studious...but only the privileged few know that while the Chinese are use the lab times to be dedicated and hardworking and everything else, the Indians are busy strengthening family bonds around the globe. (I would like to take a second here to thank that cool software that can integrate yahoo, rediff and msn messengers all into one!). After exactly an hour, I just have one more (out of the six) e-mail account to check. As I walk out of the lab, I see this human traffic heading for the exit. My proffs, the department secretary, janitor...I see all of them heading out. I look down at my watch and realize its 12...time for lunch.

'Lunch'- a word I knew before reaching this country. As long as the Civil Department offers courtesy coffee, I don't need lunch. I see my roomie by the vending machine, standing there like a lion waiting for his next victim. Finally, it happens. Two unsuspecting desi guys walk towards the machine. One of them - a nerd doing his Ph.D. is bragging about his research on developing an adaptive control chart to eliminate the difficulties of using a standardized control chart to control processes to his friend who is also doing a Ph.D. ,...well, ...to keep his visa status alive. As soon as they get their chips and cookies out of the vending machine, the lion ...oops!...my roomie goes to them and I see his hands disappear into the packs of food. Well, at least he knows to keep himself healthy (or should I say...filled??). After taking a one hour 20 minute nap in class, I pick up my assignments and head straight for the lab. You see, the probability that someone somewhere would have sent me a mail in the last two hours is quite high. And then it strikes

me again. I was supposed to meet a proff for chances on funding. Maybe another day. After deleting the twenty forwarded mails that reached my inbox in the last two hours, I walk back home, catching a glimpse of those flashy cars zooming past me. Someday...I think...

As I open the door to my apartment, I see my roomie sitting with a bottle of Corona and watching an Amitabh movie for the twentieth time??!! I tell him something's burning in the kitchen. "Don't worry...its aalu sabji...its for dinner", he comforts me. Aalu...again??

I ask myself as I find a spot to place my shoes. "Where's my laptop?", I hear a shout from the bedroom. "Check in the laundry basket", I hear a reply from the restroom. "Get off the phone...I wanna use the Internet!"..."Hey, its boiling in here...which chu**** switched on the heater??". My roomies...they are all here. "Lets all clean up the place", I say...hmmm...maybe they didn't hear me. I say it once more..."Lets all clean up the place", a bit louder this time. "Assignment due tomorrow!"..."headache"..."midterm day after"..."Aunt's cousin's friend online!"... come the replies! Oh well...might as well do it myself...

After I make some quick phone calls to my friends spread over from Alaska to Florida and also using up the last two minutes of my phone card to India, I decide its time for bed. I slip under my comforter cum sleeping bag cum bed spread and slowly doze off...thinking of sports cars, rock music, hot girls...and all the good things I used to think about while standing in line for the visa, under the scorching Chennai sun, outside the American consulate....

Life goes on...

Nostalgia

We have bid our farewells with teary eyes to our mothers.
We hugged our fathers and left without turning back.

We all came here, some long time back and some recently.
We all were alone in the beginning.
We missed our mothers cooking.
We missed the vada pavs on the road side.
We missed those days when we gathered with friends at a Cafe Coffee day and spent hours on silly but yet fun chats.

We missed that girl, whom we used to see daily in the bus, who may have smiled at us,who may even have talked to us in that angelic voice, if only we had the courage to talk. Most of us grew out of it over here. We all made new friends.

We all clung to each other. We watched countless movies.
We even learnt to cook and throw pot luck parties where we always played Antakshari.
We confess that we even smiled at those beautiful girls across the street.
We all took trips to India; some annually, some less frequently.
We all tracked the "sale" events at Sears and KMart.
We all went to Indian Grocery Stores, and bought Rice and Rotis.

Now what do we do? We all work in software, we go to the local temple to socialise, we attend movie screenings, and argue countless times that Honda Accord is better than Toyota Camry or vice versa. At times, late night before falling asleep we switch on the stereo and listen to that old Hindi melody or even Pula Deshpande which makes us remember the land that was ours. We recall the green grass, the muddy roads, the wet monsoons, the pretty girls that we never talked to.

We hear the words speaking to us from across the oceans:

A Mother who gave sour medicine to her son, because she wanted him to recover soon,who let her son move miles apart though the thought was tearing her apart, she let him go as she wanted him to be happy and successful, who hides her agony in telling others that her son is abroad.

A Father who understands his son's ambitions and the limitation and frustration he has to overcome of in India, who would not let his voice reveal that says "I'll miss you son !, I love you but am unable to express the feeling".

A sister who would not have her adoring one to escort her to help her out of troublesome situations, who knows she has to send 'Rakhi' by post,who wishes he would turn up for her wedding, if not atleast to fondle her baby that longs for a MAMA's (Uncle's) love & affection.

A friend, who is left with mundane tasks, unable to exchange the chirpy jokes & comments, discuss various thoughts from family, friends, politics, & economics, who visits your home because he still remembers you not only on a day but everyday. Who would jump with joy on
receiving a mail, who tries to keep himself free for all the days when his friend is coming back on a holiday.

Whatever our roles, it is only to say that we still love and care for you, wherever you are,you are still dear to us. We don't know what you have to go through, we only know we have love & wishes to give for you. You might have learnt or the circumstances might have taught you to handle emotions and that time and work are more important than feelings and their expressions but we are still in India and are still the same, waiting and wishing for those who moved away from India,

INDIA - a land of love, emotion & sentiments....