"Dear Zindagi"

Dear Zindagi,

How are we doing so far? Since the writing bug bit me we both are interacting in one form or other, sometimes on paper , some times  on blog and some times by telepathy. So what is it like, is it carpe diem till now or did we totally waste some  moments? Hand in hand we surely have come a long way! If I have to write a letter to a 15 year old you, I would like to write that I miss you. I miss the innocence , the purity of thoughts and  the bigger dreams. Nevertheless I just want to tell that I am proud of you for dreaming big, for believing in yourself, for being in terms with your conscience always. I just love you more as your heart was less complicated and demenour was more sweet. Time and things have changed you for good and sometimes for bad. But that is how dealing with you is no?  The issues which seemed like mountains are like molehills now. I hope the mountains of the present day would be molehills tomorrow. I still remember how some things seemed like burning issues years back. 

The social studies exam paper which always gave me shivers and the memory of how I just wanted to tear the pages off the civics or economics text books after the exams is still fresh. But later in life I loved few concepts I learnt. I mean just think about law of diminishing marginal utility--- The first unit of consumption for any product is typically highest, with every unit of consumption to follow holding less and less utility. Consumers handle the law of diminishing marginal utility by consuming numerous quantities of numerous goods. I still remember how my wonderful social teacher explained this law and the supply and demand theory using the banana fruit as example. You first eat a  lot if you are hungry, then if supply keeps increasing and you are no longer hungry , the demand for banana reduces. The study of demand and supply and law of diminishing utility got etched in my mind and I even applied it to my interests in life. When something is in abundant, we never love it. When we lose it, we miss it and start craving for it, we all know this fundamental principle. I realized every thing I study can be linked to life in one way or  the other. I started enjoying whatever I was taught or whatever I learnt all by myself. I realised that the feeling of learning something new is so liberating.

Years kept moving on and the things I love kept changing with time and happenings. If I loved drawing at  8, I loved writing and reading at 17. If I loved motichoor laddu as a kid, I loved barfi more as a teen :) Some loves  remained constant and some didn’t. While  racing with you I realized nothing is constant. The things which felt may kill me didn’t seem so harmful later. The day I broke  up with my best friend due to some silly reason seems  funny today. The day I cried because  I thought I would fail in the annual examination which would be the end of  my life  sounds stupid now. Some  friendships stayed with me, some were seasonal , some were there for a reason but every sort of bonding  taught me what I need to know. My love for reading started some time in high school when I finished the English non-detail book, Great Expectations – a novel by Charles Dickens. I finished it even before the school term started during a train journey and I was super excited by this colorful world  of books I entered in. My imaginations got new wings and I got new friends in the form of books. To all my friends it is a common  sight to spot me sitting in a corner, sprawled in the hostel lawn or sofa or sleeping on my bed holding a book. Harry Potter books were my best companions  during  my college life. It is not an exaggeration if I say that these books helped me get over my home-sickness , only difference is, I  was not in Hogwarts but was just pursuing graduation like every one else!

Many books influenced me in many ways and I evolved. Anne Frank’s – The Dairy of a young girl left me teary eyed  during an industrial trip in college. Life of Pi taught me how to face adversities and Tuesdays with Morrie is the book I will keep near to my heart. The Alchemist has every thing you need to know in a nut shell.  Great poets  like Robert Frost , Maya Angelou,  Oscar Wilde, Kahlil Gibran, Kabir and so on so forth influenced my thoughts and made me pen down many poems. Their wisdom is contagious! I am a bibliophile but a slow reader. I don’t read everything on which I get a hand on but most of the things I read stay with me . There is so much to read and so less time. I am still catching up with my reading list and I hope to read more and talk only when there is a  need!

My love for books has surely changed me and you for good! This  letter is an ode to all kinds of books I read, be it in curriculum or outside it, which influenced me. Thank you books for filling less non-sense in my head and for being there  always no matter what! Hoping that the mountains always turn to molehills in the end I sign-off!

Source: here

With love,

Afshan

“I am writing a letter to life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda".

Dear Zindagi - Take 1: Life is a Game

"C'est la vie"

Dear Zindagi,
                     
I remember writing letters of this sort in my personal diaries or journals. Now that the habit of writing a diary is a thing of past, this is a wonderful opportunity for me to thank life and fall in love with it all over again. C'est la vie in French means  "That's life" in short. It is what you say when something happens that you do not like but have to accept because you cannot change it! Life is a mixture of events, some may give immense happiness and some leave you stranded and teach you the much needed lessons. How much ever hard a phase may seem in life, it passes too. This  is the biggest lesson I learnt, that time heals the wounds and always gives a chance to begin afresh! In my 20s when I was struggling, figuring out my actual ambitions in life and fighting my body-weight issues, I  started hating and cursing my life. I do have many hate letters written in my personal journal , cursing life and God for the life I got :-).

I know "being slim" was and will always be the in thing. How much ever attractive or smart you may be, you know for a fact that looks matter and mostly the first and foremost factors which attract a person to other person are - good looks, physique, the debonair way of dressing and so on so forth. It takes lot of maturity to actually know a person and like him or her. Due to my obesity I used to shun from any kind of relation-ship even if life gave me some fair chances!  The same life gave me few great memories and friends who made me feel good. I realized I am good looking, no matter what. I slowly came out of the shell of self consciousness and mingled with people who can hold an interesting  conversation for more than 15 minutes atleast. The life which made me feel like a  loser due to turbulent graduation years and body image issues made me feel like a star when I cleared job interviews effortlessly and got a wonderful opportunity in a reputed organisation.

It was always a roller coaster ride as I sailed through my adolescent years.  Which major subject to choose? Maths or Biology? Which choice has more career options? What do I actually want to do? Do I like that boy? were the questions which strangled me for long. All I wanted to do was "have fun" and let time decide the best for me. I was a topper, rank holder all my life but YES I never actually had clarity on what I want to do and neither do I have a clarity now. I love this suspense. When life hits me head on I feel prepared as I faced many uncertainties by now and have come out of them in  flying colors. Education and career-wise, I transitioned from being a full blown Biology student who is quite  attached to the subject, to a Bio-Technology student, to a Software Engineer , to a Technical Writer and I am quite happy on the podium I am standing today with no idea of  what future holds for me. 

I am at that juncture where I feel happy by my acts and not the place or people. This made it easy for me to live even when I am surrounded by some folks who can pierce me like a prickling cactus. I bloomed like that brilliant flower in mid of cactus spines.Years of life have taught me how to respond to cacti or just not respond to them. 4-5 years back it would have been an impossible scenario to me, but thanks to life which taught me to bother about things which actually mean something to me.

Crossing all my 20s , now after a decade,  I feel like a winner at 31 when no one's shit matters much. I have outgrown opinions of others about me but I don't like to announce my victory to the world because when did world actually care about it? 

When I remember my 20 year old self and when ever I am facing life as my opponent I recollect Baz Lurhmann's powerful sunscreen song shared below. This  holds good for me till my last breath and summarizes days of my life!  Listen to it carefully! Concentrate on all lyrics. If it didn't relax your nerves and change your perspective a bit, let me know!

Once out of my la la land where day dreaming ruled my hours during my teen years, I realised life is not a bed of roses. There is not  going to be a knight in shining armour or a dewy eyed Shahrukh Khan waiting for me at the end of the tunnel :) The real need to work on self-love and on things which made me feel better and happy dawned on me, some time immediately after my graduation and I sensed that things will slowly fall in place when I love myself. Losing body weight felt good , not for any Tom, Dick or Harry but just for myself. It did boost my confidence , when I started wearing clothes I liked, which earlier were not available in malls in my size . You know how the best attires are made for skinny people :) I  danced to myself on my achievement but I understood I may gain weight once in a while and free advice would always be dispensed by anyone and everyone regarding all aspects of my life!

There are funky people like Aunty Acid and so much humour embedded in universe in so many forms which come to my rescue when I feel like dispensing an advice to folks around. Having some inbuilt humor in me helps in overcoming the biggest obstacles or the nosiest  people around!

Source : here . hahha . Joke is on u ;)

"The next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it." --- Frank Clark

All in all I feel content with the life I am living. On this day if I get a time machine and travel back in time, I really can't think of editing something I have done already because how much ever you travel back, life is always full of surprises , challenges, smiles and tears and it always lifts you up after making you fall down. I am trying to take life as it comes and make it less complicated because it all depends on how I react to life and its happenings and I will always remember to count my blessings! Ending my post with a beautiful quote by Abraham Lincoln!

Love you Zindagi,
Afshan

source : here

“I am writing a letter to life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda“.

Being a die hard SRK fan I am quite intrigued by Gauri Shinde's Dear Zindagi, in which the talented Alia Bhatt acted too. I just can't wait for it to hit the screens on November 25th. Watch the teaser below.

Dear Zindagi - Take 1: Life is a Game

For the Love of SRK!

Some call it madness, some are in sync with me. Some think I am still stuck in teens. Some say I should move on! (but why??) 

I say that this love is unfathomable and irreparable. My unconditional love for SRK cannot be explained clearly to 'others' . I dont even remember the exact moment, when it started. I was 7 years old when Baazigar was released and was clean bowled by this man with captivating eyes. I didn't know the actual meaning of words crush, mush or love then but one feeling I had was I could easily get drowned in those eyes, get arrested by that stare and keep staring at that adam's apple. Those contact lenses Vicky Malhotra  uses to look different from the good SRK aka Ajay, make him look almost vile and some one like me cannot stop admiring every shade or color he shows! The song ye kaali kaali aankhen (though both hero and heroine do not have black eyes :) ) is my heart favorite till date. Baazigar is one of its kind. There are many movies where hero goes to any extent to take revenge on the villain but baazigar has an interesting plot, two charismatic new comers (Kajol and Shilpa) with our very own heartthrob SRK. The movie has many factors to make it a good watch, also it is the first movie which earned Khan a Filmfare Award for Best Actor.  The sweetest Fauji who enchanted the audience on small screen, acted in many more tele-serials like Circus, Dil Dariya, Waghle ki Duniya  and has just spread his charm quickly in all directions!

Young lad from Fauji- source here

SRK as Deewana

His intense acting in Darr and Baazigar won my heart. I became an instant fan in Kabhi haan kabhi naa. I mean look at how he looks at you. Can you escape the charm? The innocent Raju from Raju bangaya gentleman who travels to city to establish himself, again made me fall head over heels for him.

This wonderful song is quite inspiring

The role in Raju Bangaya Gentleman is very near to SRK's real life. Juhi and Shahrukh made a cutesy couple though it never felt like there was hot chemistry between them, atleast to me. The movie shows the struggle of a man who wants to succeed. Two more good movies, where the duo showed their charm are Yes boss and Duplicate, with a slightly similar story line where a talented young man is trying to establish himself. Each and every movie done by SRK and Juhi is enjoyable. Their comic timing is perfect and they both complement each other well! Then came 1995 ... The first movie I went out with friends, the turning point of my life when my eyes couldn't dart off from RAJ MALHOTRA on the screen is Dilwale Dulhaniya Lejayenge. I mean just see how he turns around and looks at you ;) . My heart was gone that moment and it goes on and on even now and the hotness both the actors kick started continued for years :) ! Even after 21 years I still see people arguing on Facebook that DDLJ is a bunch of crap , quite unrealistic and totally non-feminist (this part I never can comprehend even though I am a feminist myself). First and foremost thing for which movies are made is - entertainment. There are different genre of movies , some are hardcore romantic , some are real , some have senseless comedy and so on so forth. How much ever unrealistic some haters may have felt  while watching the flick, it is not an exaggeration if I say, it made many people believe in love which can happen like an accident, not necessarily in a train or in Europe but the belief keeps a person get going. The hope that there may be a guy or a girl  just there who can love you as much as Raj and Simran love each other is good. The words, "Mai aaraha hu Simraan" or the way they both wait for the elders' consent overcoming all challenges may be unrealistic but life can be unreal and magical once in a while right?

source : here

A different angle is shown in Bachna Ae Haseeno where our protagonist Ranbir Kapoor goes to apologize to Minisha Lamba who blindly thinks Ranbir is her Raj but finally starts feeling may be her husband who has overseen the shortcomings and accepted the challenges in the marriage may be her real Raj? The point here is, Raj has set a benchmark which sometimes may be fulfilled by the most unexpected person in your life! YES. This can happen. Even though many guys say they hate the movie and SRK and curse the movie makers by cribbing that no one has shown what happens after Raj and Simran get married, I know that secretly they adopt a pinch of SRKism to woo a girl. The magic of DDLJ still is intact in my heart and many hearts like mine and my belief in love is unflinching no matter what!

source: here , Sarson ke khet became the most romantic place to hangout for me after the movie ;)

No one can romance like this man does. It feels like he is romancing the mind and not just the body! After all these years even in his 40s when he played Suri Paaji in Rab ne Bana di Jodi, I was clean bowled. Such a cute, innocent common man who puts a sincere effort to win his wife's heart will make any one feel good and dreamy. The story line may seem silly and the comedy at times may seem monotonous but the premise of the movie and the sweet nothings can make your heart warm! If a fighting couple goes and watches the movie, I am sure they would cool down after the movie :) "Aapka dil chahta hai ki uska dard kam hojaye!", these words work like a balm when told or just calmly implemented! There are many more movies where SRK showed his magic of wooing / romancing a woman. If friend ship bands became famous after Kuch kuch hota hai (which almost feels like the famous Archie comic- with Archie, Betty and Veronica), valentines day became a hit-celebration after Dil to Pagal hai. For the unromantic in you, if the rugged looking SRK boiled your blood and made Chak de an overwhelming watch for you, I am sure you would have liked him just for once though you may not want to accept it. 

With Swades he ignited my patriotism. As the detective in Baadshah or the reporter in Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani or journalist in Dil se, he made me smile and feel good. His exuberance and energy levels are unbelievable. He is quirky and will make you laugh no matter what! There are many more good movies done by him which influenced me in one way or the other. Every one talks about Kajol and SRK but there is a movie Chalte chalte, which shows the much wanted after marriage-love and struggle of Rani and SRK who effortlessly heated up the screen with their chemistry. The song pyaar ham ko bhi hai pyar tum ko bhi hai makes one muse a lot ;) 

When the topic of sad songs has come, how can I not talk about Hamesha tum ko chaha - from the epic movie Devdas? Dilip Kumar may be the best Devdas but SRK is the most adorable Deva. Paro and Chandramukhi weaved their own magic and make this one of the most memorable movies of Sanjay Bhansali that exudes grandeur!

The song which once upon a time made me cry!

Coming to his quick wit and humor, I am sure there is none in Hindi film industry who is as witty as him and who talks to his fans with so much ease! His fandom is unmatchable. I have heard and seen the stories about people waiting outside Mannat (his residence) for having one distant glance at their super star. Recently after watching Fan, I wanted to write on how I felt connected to the movie but I was at loss of words. Though there were elements in the movie which were not much to my liking, I loved it for many other elements. I may not be a psychopath like Gaurav Chadana but the intense passion and love of SRK's fans is so aptly shown in the movie. Going to the movie with another fan was an exhilirating experience for me . I went on first day first show and there were people in theater who were as mad as me, screaming during the opening scene where all bits and pieces of his journey, interviews and awards are shown! I loved fan for the very Jabra (something extra ordinary )factor and the words, "Rehende Tu nai samjhega!" is what I tell to many who question me how can I like him ? and exclaim that he is a old bag, he has no talent and is just lucky or this or that! 

Seriously this feeling can never be explained...

Some of the many witty quotes told by Shahrukh Khan are here .  

When asked if he is bisexual - Source: here

Just like there are many memorable movies done by him, there are some poor choices too. I  did not like watching him in Happy Newyear, Chennai Express or Jab Tak hai Jaan or Dilwale and some other movies. Even if I play the songs in loop, these movies made me feel bad as the work done by him doesn't suit his skill set, humor or mettle and the movie may not always work when a guy is good , acts in all his glory and gets what he wants or the love of his life no matter what. I would be lying if I say, I missed his good movies and started craving for them.

 I had my fingers crossed hoping that he strikes back with some thing different, something which will mark as a new start! May be he listened to his fans' hearts, he came up with the apt film - Fan ! Even if the movie has minor loop holes it was blissful to watch him play both roles of Aryan Khanna and Gaurav Chadana. All the fans were taken back to the Baazigar and Darr era. I am eagerly waiting for Nov 25th, for Dear zindagi and for other upcoming movies- Raees  and Imtiyaz Ali's romantic film (still untitled). I am sure with better directors, SRK would be able to deliver better performance and mesmerize me like he usually done! I can write  many sequels to this post but for now I want to stop  here, and wish him, a very happy Birthday! The hope to meet him one fine day is still strong and inshaallah it will happen :)

Dear SRK,

Thanks  for making me an absolute romantic at heart :) May this year give you great health, more success , more awards and many more good movies - 
A post, straight from the heart of a Jabra fan!