Zee Top Ten!

When cable TV flooded the Indian household in the mid 90s, entertainment would never be the same again. The days of Doordarshan's Chitrahaar were quickly replaced by a newer and slicker music show - Zee/Phillips Top Ten. Of course, looking back now, it seems quite cheesy. 

I think this show was one of the pioneers on cable TV, what with only Zee, Star and Sony channels ruling the roost back then. I suppose it might even have been the very first countdown show in the history of Bollywood Music. Better versions followed suit on MTV and Channel V, but this one stole the hearts of the masses, mainly due to the comic skits that were aired in between songs. It's a program format that you do not get to see these days and frankly, I might just be a wee bit thankful for that. 

M and I sometimes like to revisit songs from our growing up years. Just for Laughs. When we were doing this a couple of nights ago, one thing let to another, and soon we had re-created out of memory and YouTube, an entire line up of Zee top ten songs. It was super-fun to watch long-forgotten, cheesy music videos, so I just had to share them here too.

There are the songs I could remember from around 1994-1995, which is when the show first started I think. Outrageous costumes, ridiculous sets, aerobics-style dance steps, the kind of music you thought was cool back then (but will never, ever, not in a million years admit to now), these songs have everything that is typical of the 90s era. Watch, Listen, Enjoy!

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Number 10 - Raah Mein Unse

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The video starts off as any good love song should, with the girl making tea for the boy. Their eyes meet over a cup of chai, and they are instantly transported to the land of romance - Switzerland! So then you get to see lush, breathtaking mountains, a green countryside, and then, wait a second, are those flags?! Yep, hundreds of white flags on thin, long poles - wtf are they doing there? And the heroine in a shocking pink sari, who is playing... no, wait! She's molesting, abusing even - a grand piano. I don't know if she's in the throes of passion or is very, very mad. But she makes you want to stand back and watch. Way, way, back.

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Number 9 - Main Tho Raste Se Ja Raha Tha

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Ah, no 90s countdown can ever be complete without a Gyrating Govinda number, now can it? Sleazy as sleazy can be, lyrics that are possibly even worse than the Kolaveri 'massacre'. Oh well, that's Govinda for you. :D And seriously, teri naani mari tho main kya karoon??

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Number 8 - Mukkala Muqabla

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Honestly, to this day, I have no idea what 'Mukkala Muqabla' means. In any case, this was perhaps one of the better songs of the 90s. At least, Prabhu Deva's dance was and always is worth watching. In case you've forgotten, lemme remind you of the headless sequence. Cutting edge special effects of the 90s, sir!

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Number 7 - Aankhon Mein Base Ho Tum

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Another 90s classic. Featuring - Sonali Bendre... 's legs! Seriously, the tricks they used back then to show a heroine's legs on screen. Teehee :D 

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Number 6 - Hai Hukku Hai Hai

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Meaningless gibberish that once again, sold. Catchy tune. Mildly embarrassing to be caught with someone humming it though. Also, Sunil Shetty!! 

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Number 5 - Churake Dil Mera

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The one where Akshay Kumar is a monkey! Seriously, why is jumping about like that? And Shipa Shetty's doing some serious aerobics back there at 0:32. Probably rehearsing for her future workout videos. Nevertheless, an immensely popular song back then. 

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Number 4 - Ruk Ruk Ruk

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Ah, this one was invariably a part of every single Antaakshari session. The song all kids would belt out as soon as the first 'R' came up, and everyone would join in the fun! It was a fun song, and probably one I could still bring myself to like after all these years. Not bad, Tabu, not bad at all!

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Number 3 - Humma Humma

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It was new, it was exciting, it was 'super-cool'. Almost every kid made it a point to memorize the lyrics of this song back then, no matter if they even understood it or not. I remember learning it phonetically, no idea if I even got some of the words right! Definitely one of the better songs, a saving grace for the 90s.

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Number 2 - Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast

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The song was good at first, but then people played and sang it over, and over, and over again. I'd had enough within a few months. It stuck to the charts for a very long time, though. More gyrating, for your viewing pleasure...

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Number 1 - Didi Tera Dewar Deewana

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I never liked this song, seriously. Not back then, and not now. But it stuck to the charts like, forever. Just like this girl who came first in my class every single time. The song just wouldn't move over. I think it was a topic of discussion at all Indian social gatherings and at school when it finally vacated the no.1 spot. 

So that's the top 10 countdown. Now, there are two more songs that I just had to share, that bring alive the memory of the 90s. Couldn't fit them on the top 10, so here they are as bonus tracks:

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Bonus Track #1

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Haha, just listening to this sends me into peals of laugther. Oh, how we loved this one when we were kids. Now I can't really help thinking my mom was right to have called it the 'picchakaren pattu' (beggar's song). LOL! How she hated it when I sang it all the time. 

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Bonus Track #2

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Now this is the one I like to call - The Great Indian Laxative Song. Need I say any more? 

These are only representative of hundreds of other songs that defined the 90s. What are the ones that define your childhood the most? Tell me in the comments!

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This Made Me Smile!

M and I went to watch Kahaani yesterday.

Sitting beside me were this young couple. Dating, I presumed, from the nature of their conversation. Yes, I shamelessly eavesdropped, I admit. Only a little though, for the movie was too gripping to listen to everything they were saying. Two particular lines amused me to an extent that I simply had to share them here.

Scene in the movie: Vidya Balan checks into the motel/guest house for the first time. When she's alone, she bursts into tears.

Boy (in an incredulous tone): Why is she crying??

Girl (presumably rolling her eyes in the dark): Because she can't find her husband, DUH!!

**

Scene in the movie: Vidya Balan is pregnant, yet sending her husband away for a two-week assignment in a different city.

Girl (in a puppy voice): You'll also leave me like that, re?

Boy (also in puppy voice): No baby, I'll never leave you re!

**

After a while, they abandoned all pretense of watching the movie, devoting their time to declaring their affections and discussing love-hurdles. I could only pick up bits and pieces of these.

Overheard:

Boy: How can she not accept it re? I love you so much, I'll take care of you so well. I'll explain to her re, how much I love you.

Ah, the trials and tribulations of young love! On a side note, Kahaani totally kicks Don's ass. 

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The Tag

I'm bad with tags. Really. But then Spiff tagged me with this very nice one that I actually wanted to do. Mainly because it allows me to talk (gloat) about my writing. What writer would want to pass up that opportunity? :D But I couldn't get around to doing it, and now Spiff has declared that she's 'Katti'.

So, I've finally decided to sit down and do it now as a peace offering and also because, well, I think I'm going to have fun doing this.

1. Your Most Beautiful Post

Ahh, this is like a mother choosing her favourite baby. It's impossible, but if I had to, it would be a tie between these two. They're both very similar, and both very, very close to my heart. I truly meant what I wrote, they transport me to a different state of mind when I read them even today.

Love Because
Compassion

2. Your Most Popular Post

Going by Blogger Stats, the most popular would be the one with the giveaway. But that hardly counts for artistic talent, so I'll cheat and talk about my second most popular post. It's something I wrote on impulse really, but yes, it still holds true.

The Indian Marriage

3. Your Most Controversial Post

I'm not exactly the queen of controversy. I'm generally diplomatic and tend to play it safe. Generally.  There are exceptions, of course. Here is one of my more 'bold' posts, if you could even call it that. I made a few blatant statements. Do let me know if it fits the bill or not.

Love vs. Hatred

4. Your Most Helpful Post

Don't know if I helped anybody, but I'd have to say, this one:

Getting him Talking

5. A Post's Success that Surprised You

It would have to be the third most popular post according to Blogger Stats. It's the one in which I listed all my favourite blog posts. Surprised to see that people loved it a lot!

And These are a Few of my Favourite Things

6. A Post you Feel Didn't Get the Attention it Deserved

This one got 'zero' comments. Although, I think it was because I was rambling on about death again. Nevertheless, it was on a positive note. No takers at all. Perhaps, now?

At the End of it All

7. The Post you're Most Proud of 

Again, I face a mother's dilemma. An extremely difficult choice. I would list at least four or five here. But then, I don't want to bore you with too many things to read. So I'll just have to pick one. And then apologize to the rest. Here it is:

Of Being Bullied

I'd just like to say here that bullying was a huge part of my life growing up. The reason I'm proud of this post is a) simply because I found the courage to write it, and b) because I have been able to not dwell on the past and talk about moving on. I'm not implying here that I'm great or perfect. Nothing about me or my life is perfect. But I've found a way to move on. I'm incredibly thankful and proud for that. :)

Spiff, thank you so much for giving me this tag, it's been super fun going back and reading long-forgotten posts.

I know most of the posts I've listed here are kind of serious. If it's your first time here, I do try my hand at lighter/funnier ones too. Look around and you're sure to spot them. :)

Okay for once I won't be fair and I'll actually choose people to tag for this:

The Girl Next Door
Smitha - Any Excuse to Write
Archana - Myriad Hues
Nil - MeetNil
Phatichar - Malignant Humor...
Rambling of a Single Girl

I tried to pick the ones who've been blogging for a few years, so they could get the chance to dig through their old stuff too. But I'd love to read all of your posts you love, so please do try and share them in the comments!

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EXIT

Warning: Dark post ahead. My 'lady hormones' have been acting up, and I've been kinda down lately. So, you might not want to read if you're looking for some cheer. : (

A fear of the unknown has kept me company pretty much ever since I can remember. A fear of insects also, but in a way, they're unknown too. Know what I mean?

Img Credit: blvesboy

It's hard to put a pin on exactly what I fear the most, but the one concept that I've had a hard time wrapping my mind around is Death. That's right, I fear death. Not so much dying, as death itself. I'm not afraid of the fact that my life has an expiry date, but there are other things about death that I feel highly uncomfortable with.

Like losing my loved ones, for instance. I know death is inevitable, but for some reason in my life, I haven't really lost the people I love. Yet. The only person I loved who died was my Grandfather, but I was very young and we weren't in the same country, so I didn't even see his body or his funeral. That was a surreal time, I don't think I really understood most of it. I just figured out I wouldn't be seeing him anymore on my next visit to India.  Apart from him, I haven't yet known death, up close and personal.

So that's what makes it all the more scary for me. I fear losing my family, more than anything else in the world. No, I don't go around acting like a paranoid freak, but deep down inside I have reason to believe that I am one. There are moments when I imagine what it would be like if my mom or dad or M died, what it would be like to look at their lifeless bodies, what it would be like to go through every moment of life without their company, their smiles, their frowns and their words. At times like these, I can truly feel the pain of their loss, even though they're very much still here. It's like a tight grip on my chest, a strange breathlessness, unstoppable tears. Even the person whose loss I'm mourning couldn't comfort me, because no matter what they say, I know they're going to die someday. I know that I'm the lady with the super-long life, who is ultimately going to outlive the rest and watch everyone die. It's just something I know, like knowledge I was born with. I guess I'm pretty much like Mrs. Weasley in this respect, my experience would be no different from hers if I ever encountered a Boggart in a shelf. 

But say, I were to die first. Say, I were to be inflicted with this horrible disease that would take me down slowly, one day at at time. Say, I knew I was going to die, at least a month in advance. I think about that sometimes. Oh yeah, that's kind of scary too. But I have a plan. Thankfully, I have a plan. I thought it out, and I wrote it down a long time ago. I'll share it with you today.

When the end comes, the right way to leave the body is in total awareness. This is what my Guru says. However, if I were dying now, I would be frightened of the unknown. Of leaving familiar surroundings and people and moving to an unknown place, all alone, all by myself. I fear the unknown, I fear facing it alone.

If I were to die now, I highly doubt that I would go gracefully. I would most certainly go in fear. This cannot be a good way to die.

To be able to die in awareness, I must be alone, no attachments clinging to me, nothing holding me back. I must make this clear to myself.

So what would I do, if I were told that this is the last day of my life, and by tonight, i would be gone?

Well, for starters...

No drama.

No telling anybody about it. Nothing special. No attempt for closure. No messing with the worldly possessions. No writing letters or talking to people. Most certainly, no Facebook updates.

What I would want to do instead, is to go about my day normally, performing my daily tasks and responsibilities in silence. Not with a sense of attachment, but only with a sense of love and compassion. I would try to remain aware of my every thought and action, while maintaining a distance from them. 

I would try to live my last day with a sense of devotion towards the Lord Divine, whose unknown territory I would be stepping into. Perhaps, with some reverence towards the owner of my life who would soon be coming to reclaim it from me. I would pray to the Divine, to help me make my exit in awareness. I would pray that when the final moment comes, I would not struggle to leave the body, I would not want to hold on or stay back, and that I would be able to go, happy and smiling, ready and excited for the adventure ahead. I would pray not to cry for my mother or father or M to be with me, holding my hand like they did on my first day of school, or on the day of my wedding. I would like to be brave enough to make the journey alone, for that is how we come, and that is how, we must all go.

This is the manner in which I would like to conduct my death. 

The tricky thing about this is that in all probability, I will not be given a day's notice, heck, not even a moment's notice before being frisked away. How in the world am I supposed to prepare myself then? 

The answer, my dear, is simple. This is the manner, in which you must conduct your life.

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My Favourite Posts, Part II

I can't believe it's already been almost 2 months since I last did a Favourites Post. And to think I actually wanted to do it every week. Well, it's not that I haven't been reading any, I've actually read a lot of great blogs and posts between then and now, I guess I just couldn't get around to writing about them.

Just as before, I'm going to be listing out and talking about the posts that I found interesting and really enjoyed, and not the blogs themselves. So, some may have been featured before, some may be new. And some of the posts themselves may be pretty old, but I've just read them now.

• Unreciprocated Love: A piece of 55 fiction, written by Sruthi on her blog, From the Ashes. It's cute and it's got a nice twist. A quick, short and fun read. This girl's got some talent!

• An Obsession for Torture: This post is from Myriad Hues, by Archana, about how women torture each other when it comes to food and size. I've only recently started reading this blog, and I must say, she writes so well that I had a hard time picking a favourite. There were three posts that I really loved, but in the end I picked this one, because it talks about something I can so relate to, as can many other women. As I told her in the comments, if I wrote something on the subject, it would pretty much be the same. Oh, and you can check out the other two posts, here and here. Go, fall in love. With her writing, I mean.

• Picture Perfect Experiment: A cute story evolved from a picture, this one's by CD, who blogs at Pagal Hain Kya?!!?. When Spiff put up the challenge on her blog, I think CD was the only one woman enough to take it up, and boy did she come up with something great! Watch out for that ending, it's bound to catch you by surprise. :-) Very new and refreshing.

• Chapatti-Nomics: This is the first post I read on the popular Sangry Words, a blog by Sangeeta. And although I read more of her posts later that I enjoyed too, this one was a winner for me hands-down. She talks about her love affair with the ever versatile chapatti, and a few funny incidents to boot. Go take a look for yourself.

• Avva: A beautiful and heart-warming tale about an encounter with an frail old lady. Priya's spun it beautifully on her blog, Alayam Kanden. I've been reading quite a few travel stories in the past week, and this has certainly been one of the best.

• The Handbrake: Easily one of the best short stories I've read from a blogger (and book) in quite some time. It's sweet, it's simple, and it's smooth. It's almost like wine. You'll float through the story effortlessly, and come out of the experience feeling good. La Femme Nirvana is quite popular, so you might have read this already, but please do if you haven't. 

• The Casanova: This is another post I came across while reading up on travel experiences for the Indiblogger contest. Again, one of the best I've read. Written by Abhyudaya on his blog Regular Doses, the post tells the story of a real-life creep he met on a train. Abhyudaya is not only funny, I think he has a really nice style of writing. Many writers tend to mess up the ending, but this one is very well done. 

• The Fleeting Liason: This is again from a blog I've only just started reading, The Daily Ramblings of an Eccentric, by Zeebs. The first post I read, and then I just had to follow. It's not so much what she's saying but the style with which she's saying it. I really like the way she writes, it speaks to me. The post is about her take on relationships. 

• Blame it on the British: Now, any blogger worth his/her salt should and must already know about the super-popular The Local Tea Party. It's Blog-Crime if you haven't been reading this one. So if you haven't, I command you to go right now, take out an hour and read every single post he's written, ever. And then thank me for an hour well spent. So yeah, I wanted to mention this post, because I so agree with what's been said, again, exactly my views on the subject. Whattay read, I say!

Please do feel free to share your favourite posts with me!

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And, It's a Century!

Hello, and welcome to my 100th post! I've finally made it here, after about 4.5 long years. I really like it that this post coincides with Women's Day. So, Happy Women's Day to all you girls out there! In case you haven't been told yet, you're beautiful and you're awesome!

Img Credit: Pierre Willemin

I have an interesting anecdote to share about this day. Well okay, I'll tell it and you can decide for yourself if it's interesting or not. When I was a college-girl, I had this super-awesome habit of bunking all the time, along with my gang of girls. Also, we had this horrible lecturer-woman who was real-life's answer to Dolores Umbridge. No kidding at all. I'm not really in the mood to criticize a woman on Women's Day, so I'll just leave it at that and you can let your imagination do the rest. (If you haven't ever read Harry Potter or watched the movies, kindly Google 'Dolores Umbridge' for an accurate picture).

It was in the 2nd year of college when Miss. Umbridge decided that she wanted to celebrate being a woman. She called all her female students to her office the day before Women's Day and asked us to come dressed in white for the occasion (please do not ask me what wearing white has to do with women). Now, I think the problem was that March 8th that year was a Saturday, and we only had a few hours of special classes scheduled. We hardly attended classes on regular days, so going to a special class dressed in white was like, not even an option to be considered. So naturally, we bunked, and I don't remember the details but I guess we pretty much celebrated woman-hood in our own way.

Ah, the following Monday Miss. Umbridge was in her element. It turned out that we weren't the only girls who bunked, so she was really pretty mad that her little 'initiative' fizzled out. We got this huge lecture from her, finger-wagging, nostrils flaring, and everything. I distinctly remember this one thing she said to us, "You all should be ashamed of yourselves. You aren't proud of being women at all. How could you bunk on women's day?" To which, we were like, wtf??! And then we had a good laugh about it later. So yeah, even after all these years, March 8th brings to me the memories of those good old days. 

So yeah, today is a nice day, Women's Day and my 100th post. A lot of reminiscing. Please do go check out my very first post, if you've got the time. It's called "I Love". I was 22 when I wrote it. Reading it now makes me realize how much times have changed, and how girly I was back then! And also that over the years, not many of my loves have really changed. Perhaps a few have been added, but almost none have faded away. 

Here's wishing all you lovely ladies a lifetime of love, laughter and happy times. Here's wishing you a warm and blessed life! :)

P.S: Why isn't there a Man's Day. Shouldn't there be one?

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The Frogs of Our Lives

Img Credit: HikingArtist

Prince Charming does not, I repeat, does not exist. Neither does the Frog Prince.

There, I’ve said it. But you know, the more I think about it, the more I realize that the story of the frog turning into a prince with true love’s kiss is actually metaphorical. Real-life frogs of a particular variety, the ‘good’ variety, can indeed transform into something nice, when and only when need be.

So allow me to present to you, a few important things that you need to know about frogs and good frogs, before you end up marrying them.

‘Girl Problems’

You will be crying/PMSing/in the depths of depression/extremely irritable for a completely valid reason that all your girlfriends would get in a jiffy, yet said frog would be totally clueless as to what’s happening to you. He will start off by treating it as some sort of mechanical failure, trying to ‘fix’ it, and you. Wrong, wrong, wrong, right?

The Good Frog: After true love’s kiss and also after many educational sessions, this one can be trained to respond in a more appropriate manner during future breakdowns.

Presents and such

You will have started dropping hints about what you would like for a birthday/anniversary gift at the exact time that is not too late so he has time to shop, and not so early that he might end up forgetting about it. And yes, he will not forget what you said, but said frog will be too thick to get the hint. So after racking his brains about what to get you, he will finally buy something that you neither like nor can use.

The Good Frog: After seeing the disappointment you are trying to hide with a smile, Good Frog will slap his forehead, kick himself for not getting the hint and take you out to buy you what you really want. Yes, this is definitely a possibility after true love’s kiss.

Ahh, Housework…

The thing about most Indian frogs is that they’re spoilt silly by their moms. Also by a few aunts and cousins, who believe him to be the prince he never really transformed into. So in all possibility, he has never cooked, washed dishes, done laundry, cleaned his room, or done anything remotely related to physical labor at home.

The Good Frog: A few sessions of  ‘Perspective Cleansing’ later, said frog will realize that the ‘frogettes’ of his generation have pretty much been raised the same way – spoilt silly by their moms. A mutual understanding with regards to sharing of household responsibilities can be reached, once temper tantrums have given way to a mature conversation.

Romance, or Lack Thereof

Frogs can be pretty sneaky when it comes to their woo-powers. Actually, stingy is the right word. They will use these powers only to the exact amount needed to ‘pataofy’ (impress) a girl. After girl has fallen for the frog-charms, all romantic capabilities will vanish into thin air, faster than you can say Evanesco! More so, after the wedding bells have sounded. Tell me, what is a poor girl to do without some romance in her life?

The Good Frog: Despair not, my frogette sisters, for all hope is not lost when the Good Frog is around. After making sure that his ‘needs’ are met, it is easy to appeal to him with logic and reason that our needs are important as well. Said frog will then use the powers of Google to come up with romantic ideas and (after botching up a few things), will do something to our liking once in a while.

So there you have it, my two-cents about the Frogs of Our Lives. Of course, I will have several more points to add when little Froggitties come into the picture. Until then, I leave you to ponder some more over these little tidbits of frog-wisdom.

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