Monday, October 29, 2012

Grumbly and Mark






Grumbly did not like to study,

Parents, teachers, friends, he didn’t listen to anybody.

“School work is so boring”, he would complain,

In every subject, an ‘E’ grade was all he could obtain.

One day while playing in the park,

Grumbly met a boy named Mark.

He seemed to be good at every game,

His polished manners added to his parky fame.

Everyone wanted to befriend him,

Except Grumbly, who looked forlorn and grim.

Mark approached the lonely boy,

Who seemed to be curious and coy.






Grumbly: You seem to be good at everything.

Mark: How can you say? About me, you don’t know a thing.

Grumbly: Oh! Stop being modest!

Mark: No pal, I’m just being honest.

I am no good at school

Grumbly: Ah! You bet I’m a bigger fool.

Mark: How can you be so sure?

Grumbly: My parents and teachers regularly assure.

Mark: So what are you good at?

Grumbly: Umm! I think I can bat.

Mark: Grand! I’m good at bowling.

Grumbly: Would you mind playing?

Mark: Why not! Let’s see how well you bat.

Grumbly: You won’t be disappointed, I can assure you that.




Grumbly hit a six of every ball,

Everyone in the park was enthralled.

For the first time in his life,

Grumbly experienced a sense of pride.

The poor lad, had never tasted success before that,

Other children gaped, as they watched him bat.

Mark was humiliated,

He left the park feeling defeated.

Grumbly was relishing his success,

He didn’t care about Mark’s distress.

After this, Grumbly started working very hard,

He now wanted to be clever and smart.

All the school work, he happily did,

And soon became a star kid.

Grumbly continued going to the park,

But he never met or even missed Mark.

The boy who was indirectly responsible for all his fame,

Never came back to play a game.

Years later when Grumbly became a successful man,

He often pondered over the divine plan.

That game had changed his destiny,

And Mark remained his life’s greatest mystery.





One day when Grumbly was hiring people for his company,

He met a man who looked doleful and melancholy.

(Grumbly started interviewing him)

Grumbly: What is your name?

Mark: I am the boy you defeated in a cricket game

(Grumbly carefully observed the man’s features. He was Mark without a doubt)

Grumbly: Oh My God! It’s you at last!

Mark: Yes, many years have passed.

Grumbly: Why do you look so sad?

Mark: I feel like an absolute loser. At everything I am bad.

Grumbly: Oh come on, each one of us has some talent.

Mark: All my talents seem to be latent.

Grumbly: Do you know, you made me?

Mark: Huh!!!! How can that be?

Grumbly: You do remember the cricket match when you bowled and I did bat?

Mark: Yes, I how can I forget that? I left feeling very sad.

Grumbly: You gave me the first taste of success man!

Mark: Well that precisely was my plan!

Grumbly: I’m afraid, I don’t understand.

Mark: You looked very sad. I wanted to make you feel grand.

Grumbly: What urged you to do that?

Mark: Don’t know why, but I had seen you bat.

Grumbly: But I wasn’t very good at that.

Mark: Lack of confidence was your problem, I could sense that.

Grumbly: How did you guess that I would hit a six of every ball?

Mark: Ha-ha! Because I didn’t know how to bowl!

Grumbly: Oh My God!!!!!! God! You were humiliated!

Mark: That’s why Mr. Entrepreneur, in front of you I am seated.

Grumbly: What do you mean?

Mark: I felt defeated and gave up my dreams.

Grumbly: Well, from now on you’ll never regret what you did.

Mark: Can you be a little more lucid?

Does that mean that I have been selected?

Grumbly: The Director of this company, you’ve been appointed.

Mark: I can’t find words to express my gratitude.

Grumbly: My dear friend, you’ve been rewarded for your solicitude.





Friday, October 26, 2012

ROAD TRAFFIC IN DELHI






People People everywhere,
Not one with time to spare.
Everyone is in such a mad rush,
That no one bothers to even look at the people they push.

Metro trains are always crowded,
And buses are hopelessly overloaded.
Rikshaw pullers always obstruct traffic,
And processions create much panic.

Cab drivers have to pay different types of surcharge,
So they shamelessly overcharge.
In an auto rikshaw, the meter never works,
If you ask the reason, the driver smirks.

On Delhi roads, beggars abound,
If you don’t give them money, their curses resound.
Another thing that contributes much to Delhi’s traffic rattle,
Is the crossing of roads by stray dogs and cattle.

Overtaking gives us pleasure sublime,
And honking is our favourite, national pastime.
Vehicles move at snail’s pace,
For pedestrians, there is hardly any space.

You can claim to have witnessed a miracle,
If you find a working traffic signal.
In Delhi, nobody follows the traffic rules,
Those who do are hailed as the finest fools.


Image: rushlane.com






Monday, October 22, 2012

A Tribute to Mr. Yash Chopra












‘Jab tak thi jaan, he kept making movies’

Ordinarily, I do not react this way when people who have crossed 75 die. But I am devastated by the sudden demise of Mr. Yash Chopra. He seemed to be perfectly fit. It’s hard to imagine that something like Dengue killed him.

People do not take Bollywood seriously but the fact is that Hindi films have affected the lives of Indians in ways more than one, without even their realizing it. And without doubt, Yash ji was the most successful and influential personality of Bollywood. He was a creative genius.

I grew up in Delhi, in the nineties. Was in my early teens when ‘Dilwale Dulhanian Le Jayengein’ was released. This movie sort of initiated me into the world of love and romance. And I wasn’t the only one. I really wanted someone like ‘Raj’ to come into my life. The dialogues of Sharukh Khan were repeated by the teenage boys around me, all the time. The whole idea of a man respecting his lady love changed the patriarchal notions of many, to a very large extent. I have watched this movie some 95 times. After that ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, presented a love triangle in a very different way. Karishma Kapoor was presented in a new ‘avatar’, a woman who was smart and sporty, who exercised to stay fit. It was something which hadn’t been done before. It started a new trend. Gyming, aerobics, dance, Yoga etc became very popular amongst girls. The best part about Yash ji’s filmmaking was that he changed with time, dabbled with new ideas and seemed to have a very flexible approach. That is the reason why people of all ages love and respect him. He was a very able researcher. From 'Dhool Ka Phool' to 'Band Baja Barat', each of his films is unique.

Yash ji can never really die.