Lukka Chuppi

 I wake up in the morning and the only thing I want to do is to listen to "Luka chuppi" one more time. Only a few days back I realized how beautifully the song was written. Nobody writes like that these days, do they? The more I think about the song, the more beautiful it becomes. It is a conversation between a mother and her son. Her son passed away and she is calling him back home while the son is describing the place where he is in. She is calling her lamp back. The song describes the son's view of the place where he is (heaven). He is in such a place where he can simply jump and attain his dreams. He can be free and fly as high as he can. The way Javed Akhtar has written the song is just...(leaves me speechless) A.R.Rahman and Lata Mangeshkhar have definitely don justice to the song. I love the part when she says 'bahut' with full frustration of a mother.

The song goes like this:

Lukka chuppi bahut hui saamne aaja nah
Enough of hide & seek, come home
Kahan kahan dhoonda tuje thak gayi hai abh teri maa
I searched for you everywhere, I'm tired now
Aaja saanj hui mujhe teri phiker
It's evening now, I'm worried about you
Dhoondhula gayi dekh meri nazar aaja nah
My sight has become hazy, come home

Kya bataoon maa kahan hoon main
I don't know how to describe the place I am at.
Yahan udune ko mere khula aasman hai
There is an open sky here to fly
Tere kisson jaise bhola salona jahan hai yahan sapnonwala
The place is as beautiful and innocent as you described in your stories
Meri patang ho befikar udd rahi hai maa
My kite is flying without any fear
Dor koi loote nahin beech se kaate na
No one will cut my kite's string


Teri raah thakey akhiyaan jaane kaisa kaisa hoye jiyaa
My eyes are waiting for your arrival, my mind is goin through various emotions
Dheere dheere aangon uthre andhera mera deep kahan
The street is becoming dark slowly, where is my lamp
Dalkhe suraj kare ishaara chandha tu hau kahan
The sun is setting and gesturing the moon, where are you?
Mere chandha tu hai kahan
Where are you my moon?

Kaise tujhkho dhikaoon yahan hai kya
How an I show you what is here?
Maine jharne se paani maa todke piyaa hai
I drank water from the fountain
Guchcha guchcha kai khwabhon uchalke chuan hai
I have touched my dreams with a jump
Chaaya liye bhali dhoop yahan
Sunlight also has shelter here
Nayaa nayaa sa hai roop yahan
Everything has a new outlook her
Yahan sabh kuch hai maa phir bhi lagey bin ere mujhko akhela
Everything is there here, yet I feel lonely without


          I don't know if the meaning I have given brings the full beauty of the lyrics, but those who can understand Hindi and poetry will know what I'm talking about. No one writes songs like these now a days and no one has the time to appreciate poetry. I made my neighbour listen to it and she went "What's so good about this song? Nothing enjoyable about it!" In a time of "Sheila ki Jawani" and "Why this Kolaveri" (not that I don't enjoy them at all) there is hardly any soul to appreciate good poetry. Hope this doesn't end up in the disappearance of it.

-Shreeji

Flash Fiction 1

She always wanted to go to that restaurant but never got the chance to. He promised her he would take her one day. And there they were on that beautiful evening. The musicians played the most beautiful music. The lighting was just perfect, not too bright not too dim. She looked at the couple sitting near by. She could sense the love they had for each other. She remembered the day, he first asked her out. The joy in her put everything to a stand still. She could think about him and only him. She saw him sitting opposite to her, but something was wrong. She asked, "What's wrong darling?" He told her something that she never expected. The music grew loud almost deafening her. The lights were too blinding. She wanted nothing but to get out of that place.

-Shreeji

It's Everywhere!

A few days back, my friends and I where talking about few clubs that we can join in college. Our seniors said that participation in clubs were very important for placements in the final year. Apart from that, It's fun to be a part of club activities. We can get good friends only when we socialize and clubs are the only means to do so in a small town like this. There are about 15 clubs in our college. After the discussion, I had n club that I could join. Not because I don't have the talent, but because there is so much politics everywhere!

The literature club of our college is very good (from what I know) and they do quite a good job with conducting events and stuff. I wanted to join it because that is one and only way to improve and maintain my language. Back in school I as talked in english because my best friend was a north indian. But that isn't the case in college. I simply had to find a way to keep talking and that seemed to be the only way. But then I need influence to get in. I'm not hawte or something. There is this girl who is the sister of the club member and she is already into the club when club activities aren't for first years! She is dumb as bark But she does look pretty from the standard 'standard'. I got pissed. From where I come these things happen only in political parties and in colleges in movies but not in real life. Guess I was wrong.

With all hope lost I decide to get into another club which is as good as the literature club. And there comes another harsh reality. Influence again! The club is meant to bring up leaders and use their leadership qualities. But the criteria to get in is "Either you look pretty and act all girly-girly or have a friend who is already in the club." Shit! Isn't it? And yeah, there is of course one more criteria - Being rich. So that they'll get sponsor for the events that will be conducted.

With every club being discussed about, the only thing that we concluded was that you need influence, money or use make-up to get whatever you want in life. Only when you have money you can get into a good college. Only when you have influence, you can get a room in the hostel. Only when you look pretty (not the kind of beauty that comes form heart, but the artificial kind which is the result of wasting too much time with creams and face pack) you stand out of the crowd.

At the end of the day all I could think about is Anna Hazare. Poor guy! How can he remove corruption by just passing the Bill when it is in our blood? We have been dealing with this everywhere for the so many years and a Bill will change everything? I don't think so.

-Shreeji

Model United Nations (MUN)

         "Model United Nations is basically a simulation of the United Nations where students represent a country to discuss and find solutions for global issues. The above explanation may seem boring but trust me it's loads of fun! In fact the best 3 days since college started where those which I spent participating in K-MUN. Since my participation in it, I'm not able to stop talking about to my friends. I didn't speak much. I hardly prepare for it. I wasn't as good as those law students who are born to debate and win and yet I had the time of my life."

         I had written that almost a year back and stands true even today. I still can't stop talking about MUNs and the kind of people I meet there. But there came a time, when everyone asked what the whole point of it was? Participating in MUNs were costly, and mom started asking questions which were unanswerable. She was like you don't win also, so why do you attend? I'm sure a MUNer would know better that it is not about winning, in fact, it's never about winning.

           This became even more clear recently. I attended this Coimbatore Circuit Model United Nations which was conducted by PSG CAS. I won Honorary Mention but it didn't matter to me! It of course did matter to my mom and others but not me. I was more stuck on the memories. I met some after a very long time. I made new friends. I was thinking of how better the resolution could have been. I was thinking if I would be mentioned in the newsletter. I was thinking whether they had taken profile-picture-worthy photos. I know they are all silly things, but you're kidding yourself if you deny this.

          At the end of the day, it becomes more than just a competition for us so called MUNners. We become a family. The agenda becomes more personal than you can think. (Although it shouldn't be that way) It becomes more than just a Model United Nations.

-Shreeji

Why this kolaveri di?!

      My goodness! Such hype for such a simple song! What is there in that song to become so famous? I found nothing great about it the first time I heard the song. I heard it a second time due to the enormous number of posts in facebook but even then found nothing great about it. My aunt in UK heard it from a Bengali friend of hers and called me up to know what it was all about. But here are few reasons why I think it has become famous all over the world.

The tune: I must say the tune is rather catchy and stays in your head for a really long time, just like Chammak Challo. Although both songs have not so great and not so new tunes they do stay in your heads. The tune is simple enough to be sung by all. One doesn’t need to know singing to do that song justice. Where it for the great singers, I really doubt they would call it singing at all. Hence it is easily enjoyed by the non-singing community.

The language: The whole song is written in a Tamil dialect of English, Thanglish. This use of English words has made even those who don’t understand Tamil to easily grasp the words and sing along with it. No wonder it being played in Mtv, 9xm and many other Hindi music channels. It’s for the same reason that Chetan Baghat’s books also became famous – easy to understand and relate to.

The theme: The song is dedicated to ‘soup boys’ who are apparently those who failed in love. I wouldn’t really say that meaning is one of the main responsibility of the song becoming famous and all. ‘Cause if that was the case then ‘Oda Oda Oda’ song of the movie Mayakkam Enna is funnier. But I guess it was the medium of language through which its meaning was conveyed that really made the song go viral.

The phrase ‘Why this kolaveri?’: Is it really that catchy? I find the word kolaveri at least once in the comments for every post in facebook. WTF has now officially become WTK. I heard my north Indian classmate who doesn’t know Tamil say to his other friend ‘ho gaya na tera kolaveri’. Huh? That was like, completely out of context. I remember my friends and I using the Tamil version of it ‘yen intha kolaveri’ back in school as part of our daily language. I guess Dhanush was just lucky for that phrase being used everywhere.

      But is it really a good ‘song’? I don’t think so. It definitely is not a song that will be remembered over years. It’ll be forgotten when the next catchy thing comes around. Until then for those who don’t like it will just have to bear with its omnipresence. 


-Shreeji