It takes five days for a cricket test match to finish.
It takes five days to tally the presidential election results of the US.
It takes five days to die of starvation.
It also takes five days for Dinesh & Ruchi to get married. Well, apparently!!
Who said weddings are simple affair?
Its no simple task especially if it is a Punjabi wedding :-), we all know what all goes around and comes back in a Punjabi wedding.
And mind you, this five-day period has at least two months of planning and preparations behind it! After all, as my father puts it, “Indian weddings are not about two people getting together but about two families”.
For us, the count down has begun. Well, being at the centre stage of wedding celebrations that started a month ago and will continue for another month, I am already getting the jitters and the shocks and everything else that comes along and frankly it is no easy task – with so many people involved, with their egos, mood swings, influence etc.
We are set to have ‘The Big Fat Indian Wedding’ with that distinct North Indian touch and the mehendi ceremony & sangeet & ghodi & band walas & pheras.
A BIG fat Indian wedding. That's what most of us have, full of noise, loads of food and gifts, gold and silk-draped aunts, uncles with turbans, rituals and ceremonies, priests, havans, screaming kids, music and nosy relatives.
People sneer that if a Punjabi has Rs 100, he will spend Rs 1,000 at the wedding. I am not sure how fair that is! But the truth is that Punjabis are big-hearted people who want their guests to enjoy themselves. They’re interested in people having a good time. The bottomline of the wedding — a question of izzat and maan-maryada.
But organising a decent wedding here is tougher than the blessed state of matrimony the couple is stepping into. Starting with the selection of the wedding card, trousseau, venue, bookings, transport, confirmation, menu, gifts, guest list, orchestra, arranging for the relatives' stay... the "to do" list is staggering.
Hope I will be able to keep up with it to pen down my experiences in this ‘online diary’.
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Phoren mein ho sapno ka ghar?
Dreams of most people -- ek ghar!
& for those with loads of cash around -- phoren mein ho sapno ka ghar, a villa probably on the beach in south Spain or in Greece or what about nearby Thailand?
Well, Indian bankers have made it all easier now by raising annual individual ceiling on investment abroad to USD 200,000/year. More so, this has put India's transition plan to move towards capital account convertability on fast track, a move prompted by the surge in capital inflows. Also local companies would find it easier to invest in foreign ventures and subsidiaries.
The surge in capital inflows has supported the strenghtening Indian Rupee and it is likely to continue till the Reserve Bank of India decides to go the US Federal Reserve way and cut interest rates.
Banks have signaled lowering of home loans rates from current levels of 11.25% but is that here to stay? And if so, till what level? Not clear yet. Well, if that is done then probably it will become easier to even own a sapno ka ghar here.
& for those with loads of cash around -- phoren mein ho sapno ka ghar, a villa probably on the beach in south Spain or in Greece or what about nearby Thailand?
Well, Indian bankers have made it all easier now by raising annual individual ceiling on investment abroad to USD 200,000/year. More so, this has put India's transition plan to move towards capital account convertability on fast track, a move prompted by the surge in capital inflows. Also local companies would find it easier to invest in foreign ventures and subsidiaries.
The surge in capital inflows has supported the strenghtening Indian Rupee and it is likely to continue till the Reserve Bank of India decides to go the US Federal Reserve way and cut interest rates.
Banks have signaled lowering of home loans rates from current levels of 11.25% but is that here to stay? And if so, till what level? Not clear yet. Well, if that is done then probably it will become easier to even own a sapno ka ghar here.
Monday, 24 September 2007
Euphoria!
So, the Indian cricket team has won the first T-20 World Cup. Was the euphoria because of winning the tournament or winning the final game against Pakistan?
I would suggest the former. In case of the latter, it is just that playing against Pakistan helps brings out best in most teams. Reason: Pak team has the fighting spirit. They are fighting tigers who will try and try till the last ball. Misabh's four and six in the last few balls he played showed that. A friend even was scared till the last moment that India may lose as Misabh was still on the field.
A regret if at all, for the game yesterday is that a cracking match was decided by a mistake, than a bout of brilliance!
Interestingly, the T-20 got a lot to cheer about. The team spirit was seemingly back. With most players of the team performing in each match, public interest was revived to the extent of euphoria. For the final, many TV screens were put up in parks and market places with huge crowd gathering and enjoying the 3-hour game. Amid this was news that few companies had decided to call it a day at half 4 in the evening so that its employees could go and enjoy the game at half 5.
T-20 is here to stay. The pace is fast. It keeps up your interest as the game can tilt to either side in a few balls. But what about Indian euphoria, will it stay? Well, definitely. After all, the way of cricket is also the way of life. Wicket bacha! or should we say what is the flavour of the season, Chak de India!
I would suggest the former. In case of the latter, it is just that playing against Pakistan helps brings out best in most teams. Reason: Pak team has the fighting spirit. They are fighting tigers who will try and try till the last ball. Misabh's four and six in the last few balls he played showed that. A friend even was scared till the last moment that India may lose as Misabh was still on the field.
A regret if at all, for the game yesterday is that a cracking match was decided by a mistake, than a bout of brilliance!
Interestingly, the T-20 got a lot to cheer about. The team spirit was seemingly back. With most players of the team performing in each match, public interest was revived to the extent of euphoria. For the final, many TV screens were put up in parks and market places with huge crowd gathering and enjoying the 3-hour game. Amid this was news that few companies had decided to call it a day at half 4 in the evening so that its employees could go and enjoy the game at half 5.
T-20 is here to stay. The pace is fast. It keeps up your interest as the game can tilt to either side in a few balls. But what about Indian euphoria, will it stay? Well, definitely. After all, the way of cricket is also the way of life. Wicket bacha! or should we say what is the flavour of the season, Chak de India!
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Day 1
So what does cogito effectus ergo sum mean?
Most in India would easily be able to guess it. After all, we all have opinions, about almost everything.
But for the ignorant lot (like me I mean and no offense here), it means I think, I act; & therefore, I am.
Definitely easier said than done... Plus, it brings you with a lot of baggage to carry as someone always points out to me.
I always wonder what we think when we act. Do we really ever think? If so, how can we be rude? Or be abusive if a car ahead of us is driving too slow? Or just flare up when someone points out a mistake? These actions are just ignored and we move ahead saying -- "I am what I am; Who the hell is the world to tell me I am wrong? After all, see the millions I earn and I spend". But does this help? Us or anyone around us?
I once read somewhere about somone labelling most people in three categories:
But somehow isn't there a talker, an opinion-holder and a doer in all of us? It becomes active in one situation or the other. After all, there is nothing black or white in life, its all shades of grey!! And even Raavan (the so-called epitome of evil in Hindu mythology) was a learned saint.
Most in India would easily be able to guess it. After all, we all have opinions, about almost everything.
But for the ignorant lot (like me I mean and no offense here), it means I think, I act; & therefore, I am.
Definitely easier said than done... Plus, it brings you with a lot of baggage to carry as someone always points out to me.
I always wonder what we think when we act. Do we really ever think? If so, how can we be rude? Or be abusive if a car ahead of us is driving too slow? Or just flare up when someone points out a mistake? These actions are just ignored and we move ahead saying -- "I am what I am; Who the hell is the world to tell me I am wrong? After all, see the millions I earn and I spend". But does this help? Us or anyone around us?
I once read somewhere about somone labelling most people in three categories:
- 1. the talkers -- who can talk about anything and everything. Just give them that mike!
- 2. the opinon-holders -- who have an opinion about anything and everything. Just need someone to vent it out to!
- 3. the doers -- who let their work do the talking. Give them a task!
But somehow isn't there a talker, an opinion-holder and a doer in all of us? It becomes active in one situation or the other. After all, there is nothing black or white in life, its all shades of grey!! And even Raavan (the so-called epitome of evil in Hindu mythology) was a learned saint.
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