my days…

I was passing this place ( I dont know the exact name – I’m bad at road names) when I saw a bunch of small kids from a school performaing a street play. I regret that I could not stop and see it but I was with someone in a rickshaw, so couldn’t help it! It was after that, that memories just kept flowing into my head… memories of the days I was doing street theatre, memories of the day I used to be on streets.

 

My street theatre team was fun and I call it my street theatre team because it is always close to my heart. It was here that I got to know about a medium which is the most powerful in conveying a message. I learnt the basics here. I learnt whatever I know about street theatre – here! It taught me that there is a medium which makes sure that what you want to say is heard. It made me realise that there should not always be an intermediary between your message and your audience. Every street play I performed taught me one or the other things which kept me growing everyday as an individual. 

 

The days I have had in my team have been nothing but just pure fun! We all are freaks, mind you – all!!! The amount of weird acts which we have done, nobody would have done all of it. From doing street plays in our campus, on streets to being on canterns (i still don’t know its right spelling) to going to villages to dancing and singing around in our free time – We have had fun, or I’ll be more specific, I have had fun!!! Its because of my team that I met so many new people who otherwise would have been strangers to me in my campus. I have met the most weirdest of breeds here and to tell you frankly became good buddies with them in a span of just 8 months.

 

Street theatre has taught me a lot of things and my team has also taught me many a things. Things which I shall never forget in my lifetime. Things which I shall remember…

 

I just wrote this post because… well actually I don’t know why. But all I want to say here is a BIG THANKU to all my team members for giving me memories which will probably get tears in my eyes when I graduate and leave, memories which I shall cherish for a lifetime (pretty cliche but then this phrase actually defines what I want to say).

the two “makes you think” days…

There are some topics which can be debated upon again and again and again and the fact that we debate upon them again and again and again highlights how important they are to us. The two day seminar on Journalism on 13th and 14th of February,2007 had some of those never ending alluring topics and subjects.

 

We had panelists conveying to us that "packaging" of newspaper is significant. Times of India is packaged with Bangalore Times which adds on to its circulation. They made it a very "proud" fact that commodification of news is happening all throughout the world. News now is a product for which you have to pay a fair price. During one of the question answer session, I remember this particular question which questioned whether advertisements have become more important than news? The answer which all of us sitting in the auditorium recieved was an honest, "Yes, advertisements are very important". They also mentioned how the marketting department of a media house is significant for a publication’s progress as well as surival… I wonder if I now need an MBA certificate also??? By the way, we also had panelists arguing within themselves about the concept of 24 hour news channels (that was between Zee news and Doordarshan – pretty justifiable argument!!!). They were also very happily declaring that its "all number games", TRP’s matters a lot to a private channel, even a news channel! Other thing that still remains in my mind even after the seminar is the subtle manner in which one of the radio jockey put forth the significance of radio. He said, "Radio is like breathing. You breath without knowing until you stop breathing."

 

All what I can remember and recollect after the two days are some words, some words which have become more important than the quality of news, some words that hold more relevance than the actual responsibility of the media, some words that have resulted in news being a product and the journalists, a brand, some words that have made me think the present scenario of our fourth estate, some words that have made me think about my future – marketting, packaging, commodification, profits, selling of news, number games!!!

A different world….

The IT Capital, The Garden City and I don’t know what not!!!! Bangalore is growing, growing at a fast rate, probably at an alarming rate. But amidst these multiplexes, malls, great educational institutions lies a truth… a hidden truth about some who do not know about the Garden City, about some who are 24×7 worried about their every single minute not for "living a life" but just to "survive".

 

Today, along with my two "like-minded" people, I explored "one" of the million existing truths. With a beautiful platform provided to us in the form of a "documentary", the basic idea was the master mind of our dearest "laugh-cough" (sorry for addressing you like that, but I love this!!!)With the idea in our mind we went forward… though I was always behind, as in I was the one sitting behind the bike :-). The whole journey towards our "truth" was adventurous and when we were just steps away,We were curious. I remember having a conversation with my "always sleepy" pal (I’m loving these nick names!) that how both of us were unhappy with what was happening with those who have nothing, those who do not know what they actually have! I also remember the point which all three of us agreed to regarding that we had that internal satisfaction with what we were doing and how we were doing.

 

The whole expreience of the documentary made (if I can say) all three of us realise again how still in this 21st century with high-tech developments in telecommunications, lack of information and awareness still persists and in a wide scale which affects everything and I repeat "everything". Still people are living with those "age old myths" and still people are denied facilities and services which they have right to just because they aren’t aware about it!!!

 

Its like the "same old thing" which everyone talks about… but the whole question is if it is talked and debated about so much, Why hasn’t anything been done so far!!!

my favourite liners…

bE wHaT yoU ARe, iF otherS liKE yOu… itS FiNE

AnD iF tHeY doN’T…

ItS tHEIR PrOBLem !!!

 

wHY cHanGE YoUrsElf To FIT iN…

WHen You wErE bORn tO sTAND oUT !!!

 

pRincIPLes oNLy mEAN somEthING…

When tHEy aRe inConvEniENT tO stANd bY !!!

 

SmiLE whEN NOtHIng hAs BEen saiD,

LaUGh WheN evERYone is LooKINg,

anD LiVe liFe… likE nOthINg CAn sTOp YOU !!!

 

ItS nOT tHE aPTItuDe buT thE attiTuDe

thaT taKES YOU tO higH aLtiTudeS.

 

deAr FRIEndS aRE cLOSe at heaRT,

siDe By SiDE or MILes aParT.

Those beautiful hearts…

Friends are always there, well if they are ‘friends’ they are always supposed to be there. They are supposed to be there when you are happy, they are supposed to be there when you are sad…but why are they supposed to be there? Do we have to suppose? Maybe its expectation but doesn’t everybody say that you should not expect anything from any relationship? However, I would like to belive that friendship is different, may be… weird (in my words). Very recently, one of my good friends told me very casually during a conversation, "I take my friends for granted. If i don’t take my friends for granted then whom can I ?" I just thought it as ‘just another’ viewpoint but it actually twisted and turned my head! If I can’t take my friends for granted, then whom can I?

      Thankyou, thank you for making me realise that there are some people in your life who will always be there – always there for you even if they don’t make it obvious.

 

I don’t know what friends are supposed to be like or what friends are supposed to do and honestly I don’t bother too. All what I feel right now is happy, elated (I actually feel like jumping around) to realise that even though I define my happiness (well even that I started doing recently after someone just made me realise that one should not let anyone control his happiness – I’m actually passing through the realisation era…) ya even though I define my happiness, there are atleast a few hearts around me who like to share my happiness, who are happy to know me and be with me!!!

     Thank You.

 

P.S : Please do not misinterpret that I have a ‘Guru’ or someone, those advises are from those ‘few hearts’.

falling, falling, falling…

I try really hard, yes I do. Some say that its okay and some say,something is seriously wrong. Well, i struggle a lot. I scratch my head and then when my head starts aching, i leave it. I don’t strain myself anymore, i don’t torture myself to remember the dream I had last night. It simply doesn’t come to me. Why? Why don’t I remember what I dreamt of the last night? Is it some memory loss? Or is it simply my brains wish of not to remember it? I have no clue but then I get troubled by it!

 

I’ve heard my friends discussing about their dreams, why it came, what had happened that day which had a link with it… but I.. I am blank!!! Blank as a blank sheet of plain white paper… crystal clear. What the maximum I can remember is the way I continuosly fall into a pit, no its a pit, its a cliff.. its something big,huge,large with boulders all around and I am falling and falling and falling towards the light, that stong bright light which hurts my eye.. but i’m falling, i’m falling towards it until suddenly… I wake up!!!

 

Well, its been years I’ve been trying to figure out what this dream means.. one book said that I’m mentally unwell and insecure ( I would not like to believe that) and one of the books said that something of my past wants to come back but I’m not letting it. Whatever may be the reason, its the same old story for me……

 

falling, falling, falling towards the light until…. until i suddenly wake up!!!