Few things about Rock On..!! ;)

'Rock On ye hai waqt ka ishara'...honestly speaking, when I first saw the trailer of this movie, I couldn't recognize Farhan Akhtar & thought that its a trailer of another flop movie!! 

One day, someone asked me...'Have you seen Farhan Akhtar in the trailer of Rock On?' Only then I discovered that it was him...& then eventually I started liking the songs & trailers of this movie!! 

Finally,the movie released and my sister saw the movie. That was the First review I got about the movie. She was super excited after watching it & told me that its really good.

Then daily in the newspapers n t.v., I could see everyone talking about this movie. So,I decided to watch it & believe me, it was a good decision. I must say the movie is really awesome! I really liked it...the music, songs,actors n basically,the concept of the movie is great! It's always been said that to attain something, people sometimes have to compromise. Sometimes these compromises make the journey to the desired future enjoyable and sometimes, people have nothing but to repent for whatever they had done in the name of compromise.The film, Rock On, rocks on that basic thought only.

Now certain things which are worth noticing about this movie... :-

~the Caption - 'Live your dreams' - very true, people should never stop dreaming. Dream big &  try to achieve your goals. Live your dreams..fulfill them!

~the Music - The music of this movie is its USP!! All the tracks are beautiful, whether the fast numbers like Pichle saat dino me,title track,sindbad the sailor,socha hai...Or the slow ones like..ye tumhari meri baatein, Tum ho toh,phir dekhiye. One exception is there..Zehreeley...I hate it like anyting!! :P Even the background music is good! I even liked that fun song in one scene.."Joe ne glass toda...Debby ne kaan marora" :D

~ the All-rounder 'Farhan Akhtar' - His debut movie & he has done a fabulous job. And what a singer!! His hidden talent has now been discovered...

~ the Friendship- The bond of friendship b/w the four...the Magik..really created 'magic'.Lil bit like 'dil chahta hai'...but still makes us realize that friends are always important in life. We should never let our egos come in between our friendships.

~Fulfillment of  dreams- How the four of them reunite & at last perform on stage...the performance was rocking..!!

~ Prachi Desai n Shahana - The sweet girl prachi desai is  looking beautiful, n has  played a wonderful role of a caring wife! &  the bong girl..Shahana has also done a good job..!!

Last but not the least-

~Arjun Rampal -Extremely good...he is looking very handsome!! ;) n I bet no one in Bollywood can look as Hot as him in such long hair! :D

Altogether,a really nice movie..After a long time, a film has been made to touch all the generations.!!

So if u haven't seen the movie yet...go n check it out..!! n Rock On..!! ;)

Durga Puja..!!

Durga Puja- The most happening festival of the Bengalis!! 

Durga Puja epitomises the victory of Good over Evil.The puja is traditionally viewed as the coming of married daughter, Durga to her father's home. Bengalis all over the world during the days of Durga Puja, rejoice to their heart's content reconnecting with friends and relatives. It is an occasion when the familiar sound of Dhaak, Dhunuchi nachh, the mild fragrance of Shiuli, gives a familiar tug to every Bengali heart. 

For me, Durga puja,is & will always remain a very special occasion! I know that in Kolkata,it is celebrated in a very grand & magnificent way. So, may be its not exactly the same way that we celebrate it in Lucknow, but still we enjoy,have fun & celebrate it in our own special way!! 

The name of our committee which organizes Durga Puja is "Milon Shongho", which comprises of 40+ bengali families. Every year my sister & I eagerly wait for this festival to come. Durga Puja mood starts off with "Mahishashur Mardini"which is a radio programme which has been popular with the community since 1950s. Bengalis usually wake up at 4 am on Mahalaya day to listen to this programme.

Excitement starts much before the festival mainly because of the new clothes that we buy & the gifts which we receive from our relatives! And, sometimes its due to the rehearsals of our dance programmes which we perform during durga puja.

There is a park just in front of our house and the pandal is set up there. I can see from my room's window, when the grass in the park is cleared and the bamboo sticks are brought, in order to create the basic structure of the pandal.  I feel super excited when I see that!! And then my countdown begins.I keep counting in my mind "ok, just 3 more days left..2 more days left"....

Pandals are the temporary temples created for the Puja. Padals are of diverse kinds. And,in Kolkata, some pandals are made of simple yet attractive cloths while some are made up of kullads, cococut shells, diyas, toffee wrappers, straws, cold drink bottles etc.results of great imagination and hard work.

The days of fun and festivity start off with Shoshti, the day when goddess Durga arrives. Followed by, Shoptumi, Oshtumi, Nobomi, and the day of farewell, Doshumi. On the day of Chaturthi, the 'protima'(idol) of goddess Durga is brought by the Uncles(kakus n jethus) of our colony! Then the decoration of the pandal is done by all the youngsters!I remember,once we had soo much fun decorating that place..till late night!

The very next day,Panchami, in the morning we have art competition for the kids, Even I participated in many & won lots of prizes. I still have one drawing sheet in which I had sketched Goddess Durga. The end result was very nice & I received the 2nd prize for it! :) Then in the evening,we have 'Anand Mela'. Now that's when all the member families of the committee put stalls of yummy and mouth watering eatables . My mom & dad always put 'KABAB PARATHA' stall. Actually I shoud say "THE FAMOUS KABAB PARATHA STALL'. My parents make really very delicious mutton keema kababs. Both of them are such awesome cooks.The dish is quite famous & in demand every year! :) 

The next day,Shoshti,at around 5:30 in the morning we go for "Prabath Pheri"...which is like an early morning mini-procession.In all the six happy days,we get up early,wear our new clothes and go to the park to give 'pushpanjali'. 

My post would be incomplete if I do not mention about the BHOG which we have during puja days. If u ever give me 'khichdi n chorchori (a bengali dish) at home, I wont like it that much.But the same thing when I have it there in the pandal as bhog, it tastes very different & delicious. After having the bhog, we stay in the pandal only & chat chat & chat! We dont feel like going back home! 

The evening time is wonderful, specially the Aarti time! When the aarti is going on..the kakus(uncles) & dadas start the "dhunuchi nachh" (meaning a dance holding hot earthen bowls emanating sweet smelling camphor and incense smoke) & we sit in the side,clapping & hooting! After some time the dhunuchi dance is over & our "Pagalpanti Dance" begins. All the youngsters get inside & become mad,literally,on the beats of DHAAK! 

After the Aarti, everyday we have some cultural programmes..orchestra,drama,dance performances,magic show,etc etc etc. We all enjoy watching these shows & have our dinner in the pandal only as all the moms do not want to enter the kitchen during those 6 days of festivity.We stay in the park till late night, sit & chat, what we call  "adda mara"...in bengali!! ;) Second last day,on Navami...we all, the 'bacha' group go out to see the other pandals in the city. The entire city springs to life and the streets are full of people. At night, I start feeling sad. The mere thought that the next day it is  Dashmi..it will all be over, makes me upset!! :(

The Last day..Dashmi,in the morning,all the married women start their "shidur khela"...which means married women smear one another with sindur and pray for long and happy married lives n sometimes they put that red thing on our face also...:P  After the lunch,its "bishorjon" (visarjan) time..!! The idol is taken for immersion. We all go to the banks of Gomti. We dance like mad people and enjoy to the fullest. We scream on the top of our voices- 

"Aamra kara..Milon shongho..ashche bochor aabaar hobe..hobe hobe aabaar hobe".(meaning..we are Milon Shongho..next year we'll again have durga puja, all this fun and again Maa Durga will visit us and shower her blessings on us).

Then finally we reach the Ghat n bid goodbye to the goddess...When we come back,the 'pronaam' session begins..n we wish everyone.."shubho bijoya"..(happy dushera).... These special 6 days remain glowing in people's mind like a glittering diamond whose shine can never fade.

Durga Puja every year is a fun time for me..!! It leaves behind wonderful memories to cherish...& I feel so lucky that I'm able to experience this amazing festival..as I'm a Bengali.. Proud to be one..!! :)

You are my SONIaaa :)

Sonu was her name, but I loved to call her SONI. I have never ever seen such a cute and innocent dog in my life! 

Ya, Sonu was my pet dog...not exactly mine..actually, my cousin's pet, but somehow she was mine.

She was a Pomeranian- twinkling eyes, small demeanor, fragile and a face quite different from other dogs of her breed, so innocent..so lovable! I loved spending time with that little creature - play with her, talk to her, hug her- such a cutie pie she was!

She was my little friend! I used to talk to her and she would quietly listen..giving such expressions that she really understands. I dont know whether she actually understood or not, but I felt very nice after our conversations.She was very quiet in nature and I usually like such kind of dogs who are not ferocious. When I used to call her..Sonii..the way she used to wag her tail & come to me..I just can't ever forget that!  She had a cute basket in which she used to sleep.Whenever I used to go to my Uncle's place  I used to pull the basket,which was placed under the bed & wake her up from her sleep...hug her..n she may not like it all the time..but she never showed her anger or rage. She loved me..just the way i loved her.

Mangoes were her favourite..she used to go crazzzy after seeing them..and we cant forget her cute activities in order to get just one little piece of it! :D 

During Diwalis,she used to get terrified(every dog feels the same bcz of the crackers), & I used to hold her tight and pacify her. I used to treat her like a small baby..

I think I got very much attached to her because I spent a lot of time with that little one. I am very much fond of dogs and always wanted to have a dog at my place but my mother made me understand that its very important to take good care of a dog otherwise we should not bring one home. We went to school and my parents were working, so all day long the dog would have been locked inside the house. I understood her point & agreed. But sometime in my lifetime, I'll definitely keep a dog one day, and take very good care of it. That's one of my wishes!

I believe that dogs are very much like humans..they are sensible & very emotional...that is why they are Man's best friend. They are your true companions...just like Sonu was mine.

I read these lines somewhere, which I believe are very much true. The lines are:
"A cat thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me...I must be a god. A dog thinks: Hey, those people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me.....They must be gods!"
Sonii is no more with us! It has been 3 yrs now,that she left us..left me!

It was a tragic death! but she has given me really wonderful memories to cherish...

Even today when I go to my uncle's place..I feel like sonu is sitting in her basket under the bed..& waiting for me to wake her up..!!

Wherever you are... be happy always!

I'll always remember you my sweety pie.. :)

I miss you..!! ♥

Kids do love me...n I love them too..!!

If you ever feel sad, low or you are not in a good mood,then just see a baby smiling..n you'll forget all your worries! :) This happens in my case at least. People say..' Kids are God's greatest gifts'..&  I agree with it, they really are..!! 

They are like little "Angels"..

It happens quite often with me that wherever I go -whether a shopping mall,doctor's clinic,bus stop - when babies look at me,they start smiling. I don't know the reason, but I really feel delighted. There is some sort of connection,may be!! And,what I found  is that Kids do love me...n I love them too... Their one caring/cute gesture can make your day.

I know many girls who hate it when someone calls them masi or bua..."dnt call me that"..n say stuffs like that. But I on the contrary, I feel so happy when some kid calls me.. didi, mashi, pishi etc. :D Strange na?? Well, can't help it...I'm like that only..!!I want to mention the names of few of the "bachas" who are an important part of my life- Trisha, Khushi, Ahaan and Enaya. There is a special corner for each one of them in my heart, especially for my cute baby doll Enaya!  I LOVE YOU all a lot..!! I love spending time with her. When you interact with the little ones today, you realize they know so many things which you as a child were not even aware at that tender age. :D

Kids are innocent souls and therefore, it is very important to nurture them in a right way.They are free from the daily hassles . They  question, they learn and they enjoy to the fullest. They are like clay and need to be molded perfectly. 
They learn everything from their parents, family and their surroundings. I've seen many parents who in their busy lives, neglect their children and try to compensate the time they can't spend with them, with material things. That is not fair. There are the others, who manage their work and personal life very well. They take out time for the kids from their busy schedules, which is very much essential. The work-life balance is required.

Childhood is the golden period of everyone's life. I so wish that I could roll back the Wheel of Time, and become a kid once again.... "Give me another chance....I wanna grow up once again...."