I was happy to see the two wonderful actors, Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah together after a long span of nineteen years, in the short film, Rice Plate in the movie: Dus Kahaniyaan . I admit, Rice Plate was very impressive among the ten short films. Rice Plate was directed by Rohit Roy of the famous mega serial: Swabhimaan, which ran for couple of years on Doordarshan.

Shabana Azmi has played unique roles in her acting career. To name a few, be it Morning Raga where she plays the role of a Carnatic singer losing her son and best friend in an accident, or even Saaz, where Zakir Hussain falls in love with her inspite of knowing that his daughter loves him, I admire her style. Needless to say, Naseer has also done his best. To name a few: Tridev, Mohra and Iqbal..The duo have acted together like Paar, Sparsh and Masoom...

Rice Plate:
Shabana Azmi plays the role of an orthodox TamBrahm widow. She is all set to visit her grand daughter and has already packed her baggage. At the same time she receives a phone call from her grand daughter. Leaving the house in a hurry, she forgets her purse at home. While hiring the taxi, she is reluctant to board the taxi run by a Muslim driver and gets in to a taxi which has gods of all religions thinking that the driver is a Hindu.

When she reaches the Railway Station, she realises that she had left her purse at home in a hurry. The taxi driver yells, "ya allah, kaisa boni karwayah", Shabana realises he was a Muslim. She misses her train and decides to board the next train. Being a diabetes patient, she visits a hotel mess nearby and buys a Rice Plate with the change she has. She keeps the luggage down the table along with the full meal and leaves the table to wash her hand. After she comes back, she is shocked to see Naseer eating from her plate. She grabs the plate from him and eats the remaining food. She realizes and then, leaves the place.

At the platform, she is reminded that her baggage and handbag are at the canteen. She runs there and finds her belongings and food untouched. She is guilty of her mistake. On the platform, she offers seat to a Muslim family. This shows she changed her attitude!

If you haven't watched the movie, see it below. You will love the message imparted in this ten minute video :)



© Manasa. All rights reserved.

Today, my dearest computer turned five. It was in the year 2003, that I religiously pestered my father to buy me a personal computer with the latest configuration. It was assembled during my third semester of computer science and engineering. Till now, compy has been my most adorable friend who has helped me during all my practical lab exams, preparing the reports and presentions using MS office, in finding my first job and of course, connecting to the whole world. "Compy", is what I call it with affection-neither it can reason but only respond to all my weird requests at a single click in a nano second.

Initially, I installed only the necessary software required for my academic. During the phase of time, I learnt that what I knew was not sufficient and began exploring the latest technology. I have even lost count of the .exe files I had downloaded and deleted them without installing. The no of browsers, yahoo widgets, gaim, the latest symantec update, open source, .Net, MASM, Lightroom, Picasa, Flash, VCD cutter, players like VLC, DivX.. Yet, I don't play a single game nor have I downloaded. I hate playing games on my PC and cell phone.

Till date, I haven't upgraded any of the components including the RAM. The configuration remains as it was five years ago:
256 MB RAM
40 gb HDD
Sony Floppy Drive
Ergonomics keyboard
Creative Speakers
APC - UPS power backup
Intel 1.8GHz Processor
Intel Motherboard
15" monitor
Samsung scrollable mouse
Frontech mike

Six to eight months ago, I had to replace the SNMP; which is the only replacement I've done.

Apart from listening to music, reading e-books, messenger, emails, it serves the need for photo editing which is the only worthy deed I'm currently occupied with!

"When I got my first television set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships." - Andy Warhol


With a computer, you tend to forget the entire world around you and yes, it has made the world much much smaller and virtually meeting people via mediums like blogging, flickr and twitter.

Unlike humans, machines aren't selfish and most patient.

© Manasa. All Rights Reserved.

Drafted on 20th Aug '08

It was the most precious day of my career. It was the day I stepped into the corporate company that offered me-my first job. Yes, it was the first day of induction. The conference hall was occupied by us, the new joiners just passed out of college. As we made ourselves comfortable, we were greeted by the HR's and soon followed small introduction by each and every department directing us what to do and what not to. During the coffee break, we introduced ourselves and it was too hard for me to remember so many names on that day.

The first two days of the week was induction. On the third day, we were allotted to respective training streams and the cubicle partners. The training was like 9th semester of engineering :) During this time, I came across various people from different states and cult. When the training concluded, a girl from the same training batch, who was now a good acquaintance of mine, and I were allotted the same project. Let me call her I~. We knew none of out teammates except our reporting manager. Thankfully, both of us were given the adjacent cubicles and we didn't get bugged up. A week later was team building and we met all the members of this project. :) One more wonderful person I met was K~ to whom I was deeply attached to.

Everyday, I~ and me took tea/coffee breaks together. She would laugh at every joke I made, we had loads of stuffs to speak of and we did. She was one of the dearest friend.

20th August '08:
I~ quit the job. Just the way, anyone would quit, I had no regrets about it. It was around 3:30 pm, she treated us. We captured loads of moments since I knew she would never be coming back to Bangalore or this country. I accompanied her till the bus and we started to cry. Tears rolled down our cheeks at its ease and we weren't able to control either. We hugged each other.. I, finally, bid good-bye to her.

Well, I had cried when K~. though, I didn't weep before her, I had cried in my room.

I had never felt sad even during the school or college farewell since all of us were moving out at a time. When these two friends whom I was deeply attached quit, there was extreme sadness.

A people in a short span of time leave behind sweet memories. The absence of a few bring nostalgic memoirs. I don't know if I would meet them again in person--the people who meant so much to me, who supported me before I asked.

It might sound stupid if you're reading this. But it is necessary to have at least one good friend at workplace. It is difficult to stay working all day without people talking with you. Remember, Tom Hank's Cast Away??

This post is dedicated to I~. Friday, 10th Oct, was her birthday.

© Manasa. All Rights Reserved.

I have almost forgotten the way to the bank or even the record of transactions called-"Passbook " exists ever since I got my first salary and anywhere, anytime, easy to use "card".

When I was less than ten year old, I used to visit the bank with my father. At that age, I never understood why people considered the money to be safe at bank and how the bankers were gaining profit without charging any money for safeguarding ours! When I was in high school, my father considered I was old enough and taught me how to fill up the pay-in-slips, the cheques should never be signed in advance, the importance of crossed cheque , the entries made in the passbook should always be cross verified, etc...

Yesterday, I had some work at the bank near by which I had been visiting since my childhood with my father. I was given a token and had been waiting for them to call the token no. While I sat there at the counter and filled up some form, a lady in her middle age came to me and requested me to fill up the pay-in slip for Rs10,000/- handing over the passbook to me for referring the account no and her name. Though, the pay-in slips are printed in the three languages, Kannada , English and Hindi , for the ease of all people, the lady neither knew how to read or write any of the three languages except sign write her name in Kannada. After I filled up the form, I pointed at "Depositor's Signature" and asked her to sign. As I finished, another lady in her thirties approached and requested me to fill the form to withdraw the money from her account. She, too, handed her passbook to me to refer the correct spelling of her name and the account no. This lady also just knew how to sign her name in Kannada. The signature was more like written words rather than an actual scribbled signature like we do; which can be misused by anyone just by writing the name. When I handed over her book and the pay-slip, another aged woman was waiting for me to write hers. The token number was called and I ran to the counter.

When people who can't read or write request the clerks at banks, they are literally pissed off due to the work pressure and the mistakes that are made in the cheques... I was sad sighting these people who had to request others for each and every paper work involving money and blindly trust what others write on their behalf. Few of them even use the thumb impression on cheques :(  Can't we do anything about it?

I thank my parents for providing me the best thing in life-the best education, the ability to read, write and communicate with others. I need not depend on others in such cases.

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

Recently, I installed an add-on, Chromifox, to the Firefox I'm using. Google's web browser didn't impress me except for its bluish appearance. The most annoying being Chrome lacks the google search tool present in Firefox right top. Hence, I'm sticking to my Firefox since I've had installed too many add-ons at ease. Moreover, I'm not able to upload the photos to flickr using Chrome. Don't know why Chrome isn't supporting this. :(


Here is an add-on to Firefox with the appearance of that of Chrome. Go, install..... and feel the difference ;)

Thanks to Prashanth for sharing this link.

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

I am back attending the wedding of our family friend. The wedding Muhurtham was too early and I was too lazy to wake up early on a holiday. My mother's effort spent for an hour in waking me up bore fruit.

We reached the Kalyana Matapa (marriage hall), the pujari was chanting the auspicious mantras. The bride was beautiful and the groom was strong. After the groom tied the knot around her neck, there were infact few rituals where the couple have to bow down and touch elder's feet for their blessings. In most cases, the bride alone has to fall at her husband's feet. I have even lost count how many times she had to bow down at his feet. This made me think: Is there no such ritual where the husband bows down asking for wife's blessing???Then, the Saptapadi (seven rounds), where both of them round the fire or homa for seven times.

 The lunch was good served on the traditional South Indain plantain leaf. The image is on the right side. The menu contains:
Payasa (Kheer)
Appalam
Puliyogare
Gojju
salt
Two varieties of kosumbari(salad)
Two varieties of pallya(curries)
Rice served with Rasam/huLi/curd.
Two sweet dishes.

Sometimes, it is sad to see the invitees wasting the good food on whole sale. The contents on the entire plate or the leaf will remain as it is :(  When you can't eat so much, then why do you keep quiet while the food is being served? If you're not paying for it, you're wasting somebody else's.

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

The yellow metal denoted as Au (Aurum in the periodic table) is commonly known as gold: admired and adorned by the ladies of all ages from many ages. Be it 24 carat, 22 carat or even 18 carat; gold in the form of jewelery or even a biscuit drags everyone's attention. The 916 KDM gold occupies the highest rank in this category. This metal being a good conductor is considered to be most stable, when compared to metals like silver, during all seasons. Hence, most preferred :)


In an experiment in Chemistry: Rutherford Model of an atom, gold foil was used to determine and prove the atomic structure namely: the nucleus, electrons and protons.

During the earlier times when Kings ruled, gold coins were in currency circulation. People invested on gold, silver and other stones like diamond, topaz, emerald, ruby etc... Gold is also considered a sign of wealth and most of them prefer buying it on auspicious days like Akshaya Tritiya.

Even fifty years ago, when there weren't any stock market or shares, electronic gadgets, cars and hi-fi bikes, or any insurance for that matter, elders always considered it to be a WISE investing on gold. And yes, why not? If you see the current situation: banking sector is hit, stock market and shares are down, the software MNC companies are laying off, real estate is down, even then the gold price remains as high as possible .i.e. Rs 13,410 ten grams today. Aren't our elders the witty people? ;)

Last thursday, my mother wanted to buy a gram or two of gold. When I enquired the gold rate from a goldsmith on the very same day, I was told Rs 1175 per gram. Today, when I check, it has reached Rs 13,410 for 10 grams :O

Though, we spend too much on the junk jewelery like an imitation of gold or earrings/bangles/chains made of jute or clay; nothing can beat when compared to gold jewelery.

Whenever we want to sell off old electronic devices like TV or even a laptop, it doesn't fetch us half the amount we invested on them. But it is a different case while selling off the gold (Be it an obsolete design or the latest design) which has been used for ages together.

What would you consider a wise investment? ;)

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

I have been using Google Reader for a long time. In fact, I have been reading more and more of blogs: be it tech blogs, foodies, designers, humorous ....  Many of them are on my google reader and a few which I subscribed via email from Feedburner. To be frank, I am reading blogs than I read a book or magazines or even news paper.

Past a month, I've subscribed to so many RSS feeds that my google reader has lost the exact count and shows 1000 +. Due to the lack of time, I have been unable to read many. But I'm sure I can read them all one fine day :) Earlier, I had a blog roll on this blog. But now, its hard to fit in all the blogs in a single blog roll. Hence, I've chosen to stick to the google reader and feedburner :)

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

I am tagged by Reema and Arvind. The tag is a LOVE tag. *wink*

Currently listening to "Jaane kyon log pyar karte hain" from Dil Chahta Hai.

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and they cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.

02. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
      Apna Sapna Money Money ;)

03. Whose butt would you like to kick?

04. What would you do with a billion dollars?
      Of course, shopping, shopping and shopping till I'm tired of buying; and a big house to accomodate  those  stuffs :D

05. Will you fall in love with your best friend?

06. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
      Both. It hurts if you don't love the person who loves you.

07. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
      Till my last breath. Hope I meet him soon ;)

08. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
      It makes things more easier ;)

09. If you like to act with someone, who will it be? Your gf/bf or an actress/actor?

10. What takes you down the fastest?
       Depression.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?
      May be a pucca home maker cribbing that hubby doesn't help in households, tutoring kid/s :D

12. What’s your fear?

13. What kind of persons do you think the persons who tagged you is are?

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
      See the time and say --"ooh, its already late."

16. Would you give all in a relationship?
      Yes, of course!


17. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
      The person who loves me most.  

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

19. The one thing you can never forgive in love?

20. List 6 people to tag:

1.       Sudipta
2.       Chakoli
3.       Mampi
4.       Maverick
5.       Manoj
6.       ~nm 

If anyone likes to write this tag, you are most welcome. Write it and leave a comment here to your post :)

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

In my earlier post: Copyright Infringement, I had mentioned that my blog-post was stolen and published on his blog without my prior permission. The person has now apologized and removed the post from his blog.

Today morning, he commented:

Hi Manasa...... Sorry for the belated response.I apologize U for copying your article without your prior permission. But I have mentioned clearly that it is copied from your blog.... I copied your article just to share good things.. I believe sharing the good things is the purpose of any blog... I have deleted the article of you( Its a matter of Trust)....


Once again sorry for that....
Take Care..

To be clear:

1. All that is available on the internet is not free. Respect the copyrights, patents and IPRs.
2. When you want to use photo or article by someone, please respect the person's effort and ask if you can use it or not; then go ahead. 
3. Sharing your views is different from sharing someone's work by stealing.
4. If you cannot write on your own, then better be off. But never steal someone's work and take credit.

To the copyright holders:
If you find someone taking an advantage of your work without your knowledge, don't hesitate to fight back. It's your hard work.

Edited to add the most important note (comment by Sudipta):

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

Rock On: The latest movie on the box office produced by Farhan Akhtar, who also plays the lead along with Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny and Purab Kohli. This is the first time I am watching the person behind the screen-Farhan Akhtar: director of the hits like Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya, on screen.

The movie kicks of with Farhan's wife, Prachi Desai, unhappy that her husband isn't paying enough attention to her. She discovers the fact that her workaholic husband was a music freak a decade ago, during his college days had were a band of four- Farhan(Aditya Shroff) singer and lyricist, Arjun(Joe) as guitarist, Purab(Kedar Zaveri aka KD, Killer Drummer) as drummer and Luke(Rob Nancy) on keyboard. The band was called--Magik since the tunes played by Rob and lyrics by Aditya had a magical effect. The band had broken up long time. Her efforts not only re-unites the four buddies but also heals their relationship.

The story is not only about rock music, it is also about the bonding, the trust and faith among them. How the four of them re-unite for a concert and win, after a long span of ten years. Though, the music (by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) is completely rock with Hindi lyrics, the movie is definitely a worth watch. Two songs which I liked: title track-Rock On and the remix of Saason ki zaroorat hai jaise, sung during Dandiya. Needless to say, Farhan's curly hair with hair band and Arjun's long hair drove me crazy :D

This movie also reminds me of the famous Jhankaar Beats which was released in the year 2004. If you've seen Jhankaar Beats, you will notice the similarities and differences between the two movies.

If you liked Jhankaar Beats, I am sure, you will like Rock On, too :)

© Manasa. All rights reserved.