Another one from Chetan Bhagat.. and while he disappointed me after his first flick.. this one seems a little nice read.. well primarily because I have always been fond of love stories.. and specially when it involves that Family Generated Drama.. and thats the 2 States for you.. While each word seemed inspired from “Love Story-Erich Segal”, its a nicely built plot. The best part of Chetan Bhagat is his style of writing and how he connects well with those typically “Early 20s and 30s” people and how the word “Fuck” become so much important to them .. in all possible meanings of this word.. While I agree the usage of this word has helped me appreciate this book well as I could almost instantaneously utter the word whenever I saw it printed in black in the book.. Something like.. Pure Resonance..

I won’t brief the story.. as I believe a writer must be paid Royalty and his due respect.. But few things that came to my mind while reading was.. He certainly made it look like a pure drama.. just like what he did in one night @ call center .. I hate to see him adding some undesired stuff or story points just to make the fit right.. Com’on.. you are actually spoiling the fun of the book by inviting the heavenly bodies in your books.. Let them be there to answer prayers of people down here.. you don’t take the burden of inviting them down in the messy world.. I hope he gets my point.. (can somebody ping him the link of this post.. I wont.. I am modest ) and then if he was trying to pull everything together.. he seemed to add some pages for no reason.. Guruji.. why would you want him to come.. when there was actually no role for him in this entire plot.. and if you give me the reason that “Forgiveness” is what he wanted to teach us.. then.. Curse off.. but it was never required in the story.. Dad and Chetan.. I am still wondering the whole logic of this him slapping his dad to be a part of this book and then why the sad relation should be a part and if he always was irked with Pa and him, then why would he want readers to know that Pa actually got everything settled for him.. Yeah!! if you want to tell me that dad was invented to make sure that Ma’s character as “You are my son and I own you.. and I deserve command over you” attitude..then I can kind of OK this .. but then again.. there was no need for Dad to go and help Ananya’s parents pacify over Punjabi Mom’s taunts..

Well.. I think I am taking it a bit personal with Chetan bhagat .. hehe.. no no.. he is a nice writer and I specially loved his simple and connecting vocabulary.. So in nutshell.. 2 States is nice read if you are traveling in train and are TrainING for overnight journey.. this is a good timepass.. ( what am I .. a critic.. i mean some editor of any daily.. na na.. i am just trying to prove.. I am an avid reader ) So folks take care for now..

Love ya all..

Loku

PS: The main reason I could connect so well with this story or rather say enjoy this book was I HAVE seen both the parts North and South India and felt them to really appreciate each and everything he made me read.. From Madarasis to Punjabis.. and Dosa to Butter Chicken.. Its getting Globally Indian

Tags: 2 States, Book Review, Chetan Bhagat

Well.. pretending to be still young and hearty.. and in my early Twenties.. I knew this year.. I will enter into what we call as First Step towards late Twenties.. OK.. lets cut the crap.. and come to point straight.. on 20t this month.. I turned 26.. and Gosh!! ain’t I happy.. oh shucks I am.. but why.. don’t really know.. but when I see Pravek getting married this December,  Rahul (Dost) to be next one.. and Meha who already has.. I am feeling walking into that zone where you turn from a flamboyant living hell to a settled Man.. yups I am excited.. Its been a little long living alone or to say.. little long putting “Single” in all drop down menus. haha.. Well speaking of gist straight.. I am on my way to fuel in my job hunt and get Settled.. and I mean settled in quickly..

Now talking about THAT day.. i read somewhere.. you are young till 25 and then you become what Dad sees as a responsibility, mom sees as opportunity and sister sees as Cheering moment.. and your friends see as “Another one.. I mean.. ek aur bakra..” .. yups that all hint towards your apt age to look for a bride and get in the shoes of having a new family and for all that matter in Social set up.. you are now considered to be an important member in your house.. where every thing you talk is not taken as granted rather scrutinized to the last possible child node and then your intellect is rated out of 10.. and believe me.. it will never be higher than 4 points.. thats how we generally play Ghar-Ghar in THE Real Life Case Study..

While this noise is increasing daily.. I mean the bells of Wedding notion.. I can foresee many of my mates getting into groove for it.. to name a few.. Bhatti, Amit, Nitesh, Dude, Aninda.. and some beautiful ladies whom I know.. Now if you notice.. the only accrual benefit of my turning 26 is that now I can start reading and understanding the Children Insurance and Children Education Insurance Policies .. And god.. I just love this part which is based on pure speculations.. and like a lot of assumptions.. which I better not say here.. So if you are reading this.. you know you need to just keep looking for any news to come.. Am I hinting something.. No No.. I mean.. I don’t know.. may be.. may be not.. eeeeeeee… I think I must leave..

Cheers

Loku

PS: Bangalore.. here I come.. Tuesday and the Boy will land..

Tags: Happy Birthday

I came across this great mail forwarded in pure “Moral Obligation” by one of my friend.. and I could not resist but to put it on my blog. I don’t claim any content pasted below to be mine and if you dont like anything leave a comment and rest will be taken care of

You don’t buy tickets for a music concert or cricket match, but try to use your political contacts (the private secretary of the deputy secretary to the minister of state for khadi industries)

You always ask the vendor “Bhaiya, yeh gol guppe aate ki hai ya sooji ke ?”

You use the word “setting” or “jugaad” at least once a day

You overtake people from the wrong side and stare into their eyes while doing so

You have fought at least once in the last 30 days with your neighbours over parking

You pride yourself on drinking only on Monday, Wednesday and Thurday to Sunday evenings. Tuesday is a religious day, you see !!

You always praise the Metro lavishly, but you yourself only travel by car

You’ve lived in Delhi all your life, but have never visited the Red Fort. It is for tourists !!

You don’t find it strange to call a complete stranger “bhaiya”

Even if you live in posh colonies, your wife / mother will say to the vegetable vendor “Bhaiyaa, dhaniya hari mirch nahi di”. Even with half a kilo of carrots, she expects dhania and hari mirch free !!

You believe you’re an excellent driver because you can always correctly guess what the driver in the vehicle in front will do

You address the waiter in the restaurant as either “boss” or “pappeey”, depending on how many stars it has, or doesn’t have

You look down on people who call gol guppas “pani puri”

Your idea of a great time is meeting up with a friend for “daaru shaaru te kabbab shabbab”

You refer to your vehicle as “kanvense” (conveyance), as in “Apni kanvense howe na ta badi kanvinyance hondi hai ji”

You are familiar with the sight of middle-aged aunty-jis wearing Gucci shades and carrying LV bags, eating gol guppas in GK or bhelpuri in South Ex (with Diet Coke, of course)

When going to to Lajpat Nagar / Rajouri Gardens / Kamla Nagar / Karol Bagh, you park your car and take an auto-rickshaw instead. But to go to CP,  you always go in your own car although you know you’ll never ever get parking space

You refer to East Delhi as “Jamuna Paar”

You refer to AIIMS as “Medical”

You use “jugaad” (contacts) for everything, from getting movie tickets to restaurant bookings to play-school admissions

You have hit 120 kmph at Nelson Mandela Marg (Ring Road) at some time (even if it’s only after midnight)

You think every South Indian comes from “Madras”

You refer to people from North-East as “Chinkies”

The only time you went to the Delhi Zoo was on a school picnic in Class IV, and you still call it Chidiya Ghar

You  insert the words “yaar” or “bhai” at least once in every sentence

You have eaten anda parantha outside Vikram Hotel / bun omelette at Dhaula Kuan / kulfi at Karol Bagh / gol guppe at India Gate / dosa at Madras Hotel / chaat at Chandini Chowk

You are completely at home with teri maa di, teri bahen di, oye, madar …, oye, bahen…. etc

You refer to any pretty girl as “baamb”

Your favourite song is “Dilli hai dil walon ki. ….”. Of course !!

Cheers

Loku

PS: Don’t take anything to your heart.. we are Like This

Tags: General, Meri Delhi

I could not get any better word than this which could probably contain some optimism in it and as a matter of fact I don’t even know if I need to be a optimistic one for this blog. Some strange thoughts made me write this one and while trying to figure out the flowing emotions I realized that even the strongest metal is vulnerable to cracks when hit repeatedly. Well!!! So far in life after seeing beautiful (Not always) 25 summers , I eventually agreed to one of the greatest paradox about human life or any form of life for that matter.

Everyone knows where the road of this life ends at then why this entire climax speculations make every one go haunted for days. No I am not a cynical bastard!!! (not even a Pervert, as two of my best friends love to shout on my face ). The moment you are born, you know the dice has started rolling and ultimately it will stop one day… that day may be sooner or later.. But it has to.. Unfortunately Newton’s second law does not fit here.. Or perhaps it does because there are just so many external factors involved here…who knows.. My point of delusion is “why do we then never acknowledge this, prima facie… A little tough for me to understand.. As rightly copied from Chandan’s Gtalk status message “Life is but an journey to End”… Deep thought huh?? Well if you believe so then it is.. But if we change the lens we have a new canvas to see and a new motion to emote. I know philosophic me is very sad…. And Chandan specifically nods in disbelief when I write anything other than.. My usual self.. And further complicating tangle of emotions is .. My girl would never read such piece of immense depth ( I mean what I write when I am under huge and burdening impression of al-kuḥl which essentially is the mother of word “Alcohol”..you can trace the etymology on Wikipedia..) as she says it forces her to reconsider her decision about me.. And thus I keep the count to minimum..

As someone said once and then has been repeated in countless movies and public speaking (Self-assurance topics) “Live each day as it is your last”.. Aren’t we hooking our entire life path to that ultimate end.. And nothing but a trivial truth.. For simple reason that that anchoring point gives you motivation, a courage to do what you have never done, to be what you really want to be.. And likes of such “you can win” words.. And then when it comes to be face-to-face with it.. We crash..we shatter.. And eventually leave a moist space in the book of life.. During the entire life orchestra we prepare hard for coda, and when we come to that part of our composition.. We get most concerned and perhaps worried..

I don’t want to conclude with some “Moral of the Story” but I want to think that if I know I have an end to everything.. Then I will start value every second of life and face the last ticking of clock with satisfaction that “I knew all that I wanted to do in my ONE life”.. You can call this entire “I know I will die.. But I don’t want to.. ” an irony or the paradox of life.. In whichever word of English dictionary you are comfortable with..

Cheers

Loku

PS: I hate those “Self-motivating lectures” because he can never know what and how I want to play my innings..

Tags: General, life gyan