Random click -07 Ramadan Period

Nights during the Holy month of Ramadan in Muscat is pretty buzzing with shops open till wee hours in mornings and one such night at about 11.30pm I took this picture

Next shot of the same scenery with slight camera shake gave the photographs light streaks making it look great

Death - As the Poet see it !!!

Image courtesy : Google Images

Few days back while browsing the face book I came across a beautiful status that was shared by a friend about a poet explaining death in a poetic way filled with so much emotions that touched my heart and then I decided that I would share it will you all ( My apologies to people who do not understand Hindi)

Kisi shayar ne mout ko kya khoob kaha hai:- 

Zindagi me dho minute koi mere pas na baitha , 

aaj sab mere pas baithe ja rahe tae,

koi tohfa na mila aj tak mujhe ,

aur aaj phool hi phool diye ja rahe tae, 

Taras gaye hum kisi ke ek hath ke liye,

aur aaj kandhe pe kandhe diye ja rahe tae. 

Dho kadam sath na chalne kho tayar tha koi,

aur aaj kafila ban sath chale ja rhe tae, 

Aaj pata chala muje ki "MAUT" kitni hasin hoti hai

Kambhakt HUM to yunhi jiye ja rahe tae!

It is quite true that poets and writers of the yester years have had undergone an immense struggle and hardships throughout their living life trying to earn through their writing to make both ends meet at their homes. Many of them were totally unknown during their prime and became famous after they had died. In fact some of their works were published only after their death and became best sellers….poor guys did not live to see the fruits of their labor. I did browse the net for the people who became famous after their death and I was surprised to note so many great names in that list from the field of literature, science and painting around the world. El Greco, Emily Dickinson, Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Allen Poe, Franz Kafka are few of these people whose works became famous after their death. There were many Indian poets and writers who had intense struggle in their lives during the British Raj but I did not come across any of them becoming famous after their death…. I am sure some were there since writing as a profession to sustain livelihood was very difficult in the past.

The most of the present lot of writers/poets have an alternative source of income to take care of their livelihood till such time they strike gold and then once they are famous concentrate only on writing and hence may not face monetary problems to run their day to day life. Yet they encounter frustrations as they would like their work to be perfect and want to be accepted in the society as a poet or a writer. Sometimes these frustrations lead to suicidal tendencies in them and they tend to wallow in their own grief most of the time alone. I think the poet’s oration I have pasted above is in frustration. Well it is my opinion and it may not be true….my apologies if someone feels otherwise.

I did read couple of blogs written by the bloggers whom I follow about such state of mind of the poets and writers.  I generally note that people who resort to poetry have generally a tough life and have personally undergone great emotional upheavals in their lives or are living through it each day. Some of the poems and stories I read on the net are so good and yet those authors lead a sedate life bidding  for a better tomorrow when they will recognized and famous. My best wishes to all the poets and writers for a wonderful and a better tomorrow!!!!

Random Clicks -06 ...Holiday timepass

Been fiddling with the settings of the camera and took this photograph of the Zawawi Mosque in Al Khuwair, Muscat Oman with Vivid color settings. Also check the picture of the same mosque taken during the night time HERE

View from my flat

View of the same Mosque from the from with the same vivid color settings

View from the main road

 A curious onlooker while i was taking pictures from my window..quite inquisitive

Rajesh Khanna ..!!!

My idol of growing years…Rajesh Khanna passed on today morning.Thinking back he has personified in most of my fantasies in my teens and I still remember to this day when I liked a girl while I was in my 7^th class and the songs I used sing on seeing her “ Ooh meri sapno ki rani kab ayegi tu” or “ roop tera mastana” both from Aradhana….the movie that propelled Rajesh Khanna to instant stardom overnight. I have hardly missed any of his movies from 1968 to 1975 and even after that I have seen most of his movies and each time I used to fantasize of having bevy of beautiful women at my beck and call…poof…dreams but then who did not have such dreams at that young age of 11 to 17 years. Songs from almost all of Rajesh Khanna’s movies sung by mostly Kishore Kumar ruled the roost throughout the entire tenure of my school and the college days in addition to Deep Purple, Eagles, Pink Floyd, Queen and others. It was a memorable journey of my life and I really need to acknowledge the influence of Rajesh Khanna in it….if I do not do that then I am lying to myself. Romanticism used to ooze out of him and we guys would try to imitate him those day… a slight tilt of head, a sensual smile and finally the romantic song!!! RIP Rajesh Khanna and may your soul rest in peace. I leave you with an apt song from one of his movie Namak Haram.

Even to this days when ever i listen to a song from any of his movies involuntarily i start humming the same. I am sure most persons from that era would say that inspite of having greats like Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Raj Kapoor the emotions evoked by Jitin Khanna... sorry Rajesh Khanna was even greater.

Thank you once again for having entertained us during my formative years Rajesh Khanna !!!!

Moral Police ...or plainly sex crazed

There has been a huge outcry in National media today from various segments of the society about molestation of a young girl in Guwahati by a mob of men that took place two days back under the garb of moral policing.  The shocking part of this particular incident is that it took place two days back and the media was filming this for over 20 minutes and yet nobody stepped forward to help the victim instead persons stopped by to grope the helpless girl.  There have been spurts of incidents all over India of moral policing by gangs of perverted young men who seem to break all moral barriers by molesting and eve teasing women who have spurred their advances and these people seem to garner some support from some of the religious political parties …. It is quite hard to digest that we are living in a largest secular and democratic country. A few questions pops up in my mind after viewing this on the TV

Is moral policing meant only for women?

Who are the people who decide to carry out the moral policing…have they looked at themselves in the mirrors first? Are they moral??

How does media be in the right place to capture this incident live??

I know these are futile questions and in the present times unless we have sterner laws and actions we are surely going to be hearing lot more of these kind of atrocities being conducted on women by sex crazed men. 

Another  news today was that of a Khap Panchayat in UP ruled that women under the age of 40 cannot own a mobile; women cannot go to markets or moving about in open, if at all they are going out with their family they need to cover their face; cannot have love marriages and so forth. A Taliban style order is being passed without any thoughts of the rights of individual as per the law of the country without consent of the women population. 

India Shining…. Are these the faces of India shining?? A national shame indeed where there is no safety or security to women.