Rock On...My own movie experience

Here I am, writing at 3:30 am in the morning...so yes, the movie Rock On did have an impact on me. I think it will touch all of us who have lost out on a dream just to be able to survive in the practical world and still are hanging on to the tiniest thread that still has us connected to it. After watching the movie, I got home and before I knew it was writing my own version of Rock On Song...So for all its worth, here it goes:

Udasi si hai kyu chhayi huyi
Khayalonko bhi neend aayi huyi
To...Bolo na chup ho kyu
To...Bolo na gum ho kyu, tum huye bolo na
Wo O Wo O O bolo na
Chup ho kyu huye bolo na
Ab to bolo, baat ye samajho
Kuchh to bolo

Baatome teri hai jaadu
Aankhome teri adaaye
Bhula hu teri muskurahatoko main
Tujhe dekhake main khoya
Raatoko tanaha soya
Khwabome teri ho chuka tha gum yu main
Ab...Chhodo na sare gum
Phir...Se hase yuhi hum
Wo O O Bolo na
Wo O Wo O O Bolo na
Chup ho kyu huye bolo na
Ab to bolo
Baat ye samajho kuchh to bolo
Udasi si hai........

After writing and composing a tune on this, I can't even tell you how happy I felt with myself. You never realise the little things that give you the most happiness are sometimes on the back seat because of all the other things you have in your life. This movie took me back to my hidden part which was always there but somehow was lost somewhere in the back of my memory.

Now that I was on a high, I decided to see if I could write more and came up with a semi-classical version of my Rock On geet. You will see why I am calling it a geet instead of song as its so different from my first one that I couldn't believe it myself that I composed it one after another. So here goes the next one:

Ghir ghir aaye badara badara
Sawan kyu na aaye
Jiyara mora ghabaraye haaye
Ghir ghir aaye badara badara

Bhor bhaye jab panchhi gaaye
Manava mora aas lagaye
Phir bhi kyu na barase naina
Aas jiyaki kyu nahi jaaye
Jiyara mora ghabaraye haaye
Ghir ghir aaye badara badara
Ghir ghir aaye...Badara...Badara...

After writing this one, I had to share with all of you my euphoria....I feel like I am back somehow, as if I was lost before but now I know which way I need to go...Does that even make sense or is it just me talking at 4am, half asleep. All I can say is a BIG thank you to Rock On and makers of it, because of whom I got in touch with the old me, who was sleeping for a long long time....

Me and Music...(General)

Just like everyone else, I have certain things that I cherish the most in my life...My family, food, my pets and music. I am told that I started singing when I was two years old and I just wouldn't stop. Anyone just had to say the word sing and even before they finished the word, I would start singing....I have come far from that age, hence now I show modesty and ask someone else to sing first but the music lover in me is still the same. I grew up listening to Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Gulam Ali, Talat, Saigal, Noorjahan, Hemlata, Yesudas, the list goes on. I even like todays singers like Shreya, Sonu, Sunidhi, K.K., Bombay Jayashree, Alka, Richa Sharma etc etc.

I do not want to get into who are better than others as I feel every singer has their own niche. Everyone is great in their own right. The fact that they get to sing a song and so many listeners from all over the world get to listen to their voice, makes them special. Growing up, music played an important role in my life. I remember vividly that I would listen to music first thing when I woke up and would sleep, listening to music. The kind of music I would listen to would depend on my moods. The days when I didn't feel so happy, would certainly belong to Talat, Kishore Kumar (his sad or slow songs), Lata, Saigal, Yesudas and Noorjahan to some extent. Yet, when I was very happy and upbeat, I would automatically choose Asha, Kishore Kumar's fast songs. But then there were days when a song would change my mood. So having heard all the sad songs for the most part of the day, a good club song from Asha or a fast number from Kishore Kumar would lift my mood up for the rest of the day.

After all these years, now that I am a busy mum, I still sing while doing most things in the house, whether its cooking, cleaning or any other chores. I always have music in my car and I sing whenever I get a chance. Lets just say that music is where I feel, I am myself and completely relaxed. And over the years I have listened to other music styles too but my all time favorite is still Bollywood music and then Marathi music. I hope I pass this liking to my son, who I must say does show a liking towards music as of now.

I can't imagine my life without music in it. It's as essential as food for me. Now that I am learning the classical music, I have come full circle and feel that there is so much of it that I have yet to explore. The sea of music just keeps on widening and a keen listener in me feels like I don't have enough time to explore all of it. Yet the journey continues...

Another version of Potato Subzi (Indian Recipe)

Is there anyone in this world who doesn't like potatoes. In our household, that's the favorite most for everyone. We cook them in very many ways but this works out to be the simplest of all for me because there is not much for me to do in it. I got this recipe from a lady whom I used to work with. She used to do most of her cooking in the pressure cooker and even though I love to cook, I use my pressure cooker for basic things like khichadi or daal or chicken instead of making vegetables in it. So when I cooked this recipe, I was amazed at how little I had to do and how tasty it turned out to be. So here goes....

Ingredients:

2 Large or 3 Medium potatoes (peeled and cut in cubes)
1 onion (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp jeera seeds
1 tomato (finely chopped)
pinch of hing
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
water (just enough to cover the ingredients in the pressure cooker)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp of tomato paste
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
4-5 tsp oil

Put the potatoes, onion, tomato (fresh), jeera, hing, turmeric powder and water in pressure cooker and cook till one whistle. Now switch off the flame but do not move the pressure cooker from gas and let it cool. Once its cooled then open the lid and bring to boil on medium flame. Add salt, tomato paste, garam masala. Heat the oil on side and add mustard seeds. Once they pop, add curry leaves and add this to the potato mixture and cover. Cook for couple of minutes and serve hot. You can garnish with coriander leaves if you like. Serve with chapaties, bread or rice. This is a gravy dish so goes well with any Indian bread or rice.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe and do let me know how you liked it....

My favourite Maharshtrian Breakfast (Indian Recipe)

Breakfast is that first important meal of the day, that can carry you till lunch time. So given a choice, I would love to have these every day but in a family you have various members with varied choices so we have it at least once a week to satisfy my taste buds. I got this recipe from my dear Ajji (she is not my real Ajji but I call her Ajji because she surely reminds me of my own and she has the same love for feeding me so this one is all thanks to her.) because every time I would go to her house from school, she would feed me with hot pohas that always were mouth watering. So here is the recipe for Kande Pohe.

Ingredients:

1 cup thick poha
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
4-5 tsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp suger
1 tsp salt
1 green chilli (cut in 3-4 pieces)
coriander leaves for garnishing
2-3 tsp coconut (optional for garnishing)

In a strainer put the pohas and wash them with warm (not boiling hot though) water till they soften a bit and are clean. Now keeping them in the strainer sprinkle suger and salt on it. Do not mix them. In a kadai or pan, heat the oil. Add chilli pieces, onions & turmeric powder. Fry onions till slight brown (don't let them burn otherwise it will not taste good. Just fry them till transparent. Now add the pohas straight from the strainer. Mix well and cover. You only need to keep it on a low flame for about 4-5 minutes as the pohas are almost cooked while washing with warm water. Turn the gas off and garnish with coriander leaves and coconut and serve.

Note: You can also add green peas to it but I prefer it plain. And for all the non-veg lovers, have you heard of prwawn/shrimp pohas, well I have tried them and they are yum. All you do is, after the onions are fried add the shrimp (raw cleaned) and cover with a lid till they are cooked and follow the rest same. Believe me, you will love them.

Do let me know how you all liked the pohas once you try...

Are we really social? (General)

I always thought I am a friendly and social person. I would have never had to doubt this belief before. My son who is three is actually shy when he meets new people and takes his own time to make friends, which is perfectly fine. But as a mum, I make sure we take him to socialize with all his age group kids and also encourage him to talk to our friends to get him used to the socializing skills. After moving to the USA, I have tried to go out more with my little one so that in the process of his socializing, I also meet new friends and have a good group of friends. I mean how can one live without any family or friends in a completely strange country, right? After all we are all social animals. Hmmm, well its been almost two years since I have lived in this new country. I have come across thousands of people in this time. People even talk to each other in this part of the world even if you are complete strangers, unlike the previous country we lived in where people would find it strange if you smile at your co passenger in the train. So in spite of the thousands of people I have come across here, I have made how many friends you would ask now...Now its time for me to think...I used to think all the people whom I am friendly with are my friends. But lets just say that certain experiences have made me realize thats not the case. So once I take that equation out, honestly speaking there is no one that I would feel comfortable calling at 3 am for anything. So does this mean, I am not a social person? So how can I teach my son this very important life skill, if I don't posses it myself. So I think hard as to why is that the case? Is it because I am not as adaptable as other people, but then wherever I go, I can talk to anyone and I mean absolutely anyone so shyness or lack of initiation is not a problem. But how do you develop that friendly relationship to the next level where you would feel you can tell that person absolutely anything and you won't be judged or laughed at. Is it even possible for anyone to share yourself so easily? I have lots and lots of people with whom we meet on regular basis, due to our son's preschool gatherings or the community gatherings but still there is a big difference between social circle and friends circle isn't it. Then I think back to the time when I had such friends and I go back to my school days...always...That was when I had one such good friend. We could talk for hours, understand each other perfectly and no matter what we did, we never laughed at each other. It was almost the feeling of being close to someone whom you just never judge, no matter what. And then the sad thing was, she left school and we lost touch. I guess, since then I have been searching for that great deep connection and come up short with every friend I come across. Luckily for me though, my hubby is that one someone that I can say I can wake up even at 3am (though not for girl talk....) and he is the best friend for me. Will I ever feel that kind of kinship with any other friends ever, I really don't know. But the search is on....May be its not yet too late but how do you teach your kid something that you don't know is the million dollar question.