Digitally Exploring the world

Having read the book by Khaled Hosseini and loving every bit of it , seeing it on big screen ( I mean a 17 inch computer :) ) meant going in with a bit of prejudice. However, Marc Foster , the director of the film does justice to the actual story and his interpretation on big screen is a must watch. Both the young Afghani Child actors who portray Amir( Zekeria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) in their growing up years do a fabulous job. The cinematography is awesome with the hard stark mountains of Afghanistan (for a while I was transported to Spiti and Ladakh in India) though from what I have read most of it was filmed in China. It also has some wonderful village and market scenes and specially for someone from the Indian subcontinent you can live the scenes. Also loved the kite flying sequence. Don't miss the movie, one of the really good ones coming out of hollywood ( dreamworks production) in the recent years. I am not writing about the storyline since I gue

Watched a thought provoking movie "When Nietzsche wept" the other day based on a book by the same name. It's a fictional piece of work that deals with encounters between real historical figures- Friedrich Nietzsche, the philosopher, S igmund Freud and Dr Josef Breuer, founders of psychoanalysis. I have always been fascinated by the workings of the complexity of the human mind that has led me to the works of various philosophers and psychoanalysists including Nietzsche, Freud, Jung etc. I haven't read this fictional book, but nevertheless, I loved the movie script that was taken from Nietzsche's books. The story delves into the lives of these personalities and the director must be credited for doing a wonderful job in portraying a difficult subject . The story starts with Nietzsche, one of the greatest philosopher's of all times, on the brink of suicidal despair, while the renowned doctor, Breuer, is in the midst of a mid-life crisis that plagues man wit

It had been over 2 months since I had left the city and was itching to head out of town. Being a long xmas weekend and the last minute decision to head out meant finding no place to stay for a overnight trip. I messaged a few team mates on a Saturday morning and they agreed to hit the road in my car the next day. We decided to just drive down someplace outside city limits and head back at night. We started early sunday morning and headed to Muthathi , about 90 kms from the City. The best way to reach there is Kanakpura Road->Sathanur->Turn left and drive towards Muthathi. You drive through a nice green belt across the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and if you are lucky you might just see a herd of elephants ( we weren't so lucky !!). As you drive along with the forest surroundings, the river reveals itself every now and then , hidden behind the green shades. We crossed the Jungle Lodge's Cauvery Fishing Camp (a good place to stay but requires prior booking) and stopped besi

Joan Baez's rendition of 'Stand by me' Lyrics : When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me Stand by me, stand by me If the sky that we look upon Should tumble and fall And the mountains should crumble to the sea I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear Just as long as you stand, stand by me And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me More of her songs here

Joan Baez at her best :Enjoy! Lyrics: May God bless and keep you always, May your wishes all come true, May you always do for others And let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung, May you stay forever young, Forever young, forever young, May you stay forever young. May you grow up to be righteous, May you grow up to be true, May you always know the truth And see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, Stand upright and be strong, May you stay forever young, Forever young, forever young, May you stay forever young. May your hands always be busy, May your feet always be swift, May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift. May your heart always be joyful, May your song always be sung, May you stay forever young, Forever young, forever young, May you stay forever young. More of her songs here

Came across another version of this song in the film 'Grizzly Man' , simply loved the part where he goes..... "oooh yip ooooh yip oooh" Enjoy!!

Just a couple of days back I came across a letter addressed to a German Director Herzog. The letter fueled an interest in his films and more so because his new film "Encounters at the end of the world" was on Alaska which seemed like the next best film to watch after ' Into the wild . The more I read and the more I discovered about this creative,passionate genius of a film maker, his documentaries/films on vast and varied subjects I wanted to watch his films. 'Grizzly Man' was my first introduction to his works . It's about Treadwell, who spent 13years in the wilderness as a self proclaimed protector of Grizzlies and had a tragic end at the very place and in the hands of the very animal he was protecting. The movie doesn't try to pass a judgment on whether Treadwell was right/wrong in his choice of heading to the wild and opting to protect the Grizzlies but it was made more as a reflection of what lead him there or why some people choose to take a di

Watch...Three Little Birds Dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin: dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right! Rise up this mornin, Smiled with the risin sun, Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep Singin sweet songs Of melodies pure and true, Sayin, (this is my message to you-ou-ou:) Singin: dont worry bout a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin: dont worry (dont worry) bout a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right! Rise up this mornin, Smiled with the risin sun, Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep Singin sweet songs Of melodies pure and true, Sayin, this is my message to you-ou-ou: Singin: dont worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh! Every little thing gonna be all right. dont worry! Singin: dont worry about a thing - I wont worry! cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin: dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right - I wont worry! Singin

Came across this version of the theme song from one of my favourite film 'Zorba the Greek' by a famous blind guitarist Jose Feliciano. Check his other videos in the related section of this video. He is just unbelievable !! The video took me back to old times when I was inducted into the world of musical instruments by an elderly gentlemen, who would come over to our house every week with his big ferocious Alsatian. I was six at that time and was more interested in being outdoor playing than having a tryst with a musical instrument and singling along. Nevertheless, I was inducted into the wonderful musical world rather reluctantly but thanks to the wonderfully talent blind teacher of mine and the fear of his big black friend, I did get a footing into Indian Classical music. We were transferred out of town after 3years and I never got back to learning Indian Classical music from another teacher but somehow this video reminded me of him. He must have been around 50 those days,

Heard this song from Jal after awhile.. Love the simple lyrics and the music. Something probably the dreamer within us can associate with. It's about being like a bird and breaking free!! Most of the other songs from their album ADAAT are in the same league.. Panchi Panchi hoon….urney do! Urneyy do! Hawaaaon sey…larney doe! Rastey, galiyaan……chor aaya mein Bhooley waadey! Torr chala mein Yeh raat abhee dhal jaayay gee Yeh baat abhee badal jaayay gee Tanha hoon……..rehnay doe…rehnay doe! Aanso ho! Behnay doe…behnay doee! (Raaag) Panchi hoon…hmm…hmmm…hmm Hawaaon sey….larney doe!

I have been hooked to the music from the film since i got hold of the CD.. The lyrics,music and the soulful emotional rendition of the songs by Eddie Vedder fits perfectly into the film. Hope to be able to play them on my guitar(still learning!!) very soon. Some of my favs... 'End of the Road' 'Guaranteed' 'Rise' 'Society' Find all the lyrics from the Film here Related Post

" Into the Wild . By Jon Krakauer " - This is one of those book's that has had an everlasting impression on me. It was probably about a decade back when I first read it when my mum lent it out from the library. I had never heard or read about Christopher McCandless till then. It was really difficult to get a copy of the book those days, but my mum did surprise me with a copy of the book in the coming days,something I treasure till this day. Chris, was an intelligent young man ( He graduated in June 1990 from Emory University in Atlanta, where he distinguished himself as a history/anthropology major and was also offered membership in Phi Beta Kappa, but declined it, insisting that titles and honors were of no importance) . He was also an accomplished athlete, and a veteran of several solo excursions into wild, inhospitable terrain. After graduating he donated the entire amount of $20,000 in his account , to Oxford Famine Relief Fund. Then, without notifying any friends

Here are two movies for sportslovers that shouldn't be given a miss. The first one's about a motorbike the 2nd about a cycle(bike). It's also about human beings struggling against all odds-monetary,health and aspiring to set a mark and break the world record times. Both based on real life stories and inspirational heroes. "The worlds fastest indian" is based on a real life inspirational story line and has a wonderful performance by Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro . It's about Munro's fearless devotion to his lifelong love: speed racing, specifically on his re-conditioned 1920s-era Indian motorcycle.Though plagued by a heart ailment, Munro soldiers on, modifying his ancient Indian motorcycle using nothing more than junkyard parts and with almost no money , makes his way half around the world to race at the Salt Flats of Bonneville in Utah. Today I watched another wonderful film and this time it was about cycling and it wasn't about Lance Amstrong but O

Download or Watch this video Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. A must watch!!

Download the video in case the online video doesn't play.. One of the very few corporate guys(non-conformist)I really admire. Love him challenging established companies (e.g British Airways) and opening up new areas(e..g space travel). But the best part of him is the adventurous streak that doesn't stop him from trying to fly a hot air balloon over the Atlantic and almost getting killed a bunnch of times.Also love his frank opinion about anything. Here's the link to the page.

Thought of putting all the links as an offshoot from the main topic.. I spent two wonderful weeks in some of the remotest villages in our country , also trying to find some answers to the unanswered questions that bother me. Found a few answers in the spiritual discussions i had along the way,had some adventures, met some veteran travelers, made some friends for life, encountered what is really India in the simple and ever cheerful villagers and got back to this busy modern ever connected world and still have lots of unanswered questions ?? Hope to see of your comments on them :) Posts: On the Buddha Trail (1) ::::::Tabo On the Buddha Trail (2) ::::::Kibber On the Buddha Trail (3) ::::::Nako On the Buddha Trail (4) ::::::MacLeodGanj Pics from this trip: Manali-Kaza Tabo Kibber Nako MacLeodGanj

Here's the 4th one, after the first few ones (incase you are still interested with my semi literate writing skills!!) : On the Buddha Trail (1) ::::::Tabo On the Buddha Trail (2) ::::::Kibber On the Buddha Trail (3) ::::::Nako The bus reached Dharmsala bustop around 5a.m. and I had to wait for the next bus to MacLeodGanj at 8a.m. I could have possibly walked and taken a share jeep but decided against it since there was no real advantage getting there so early with guesthouses having checkin only at noon. Went and rested at the Canteen at the bus stop, where a very friendly attendant , made hot tea, omelet and toast (costed me only 8 Rs!!). The overcrowded bus that left at 8a.m. was at MacLeodGanj in half an hour. I tried getting a room at two of the Guesthouses recommended by a fellow traveller but both were full. Had my breakfast and was waiting for a checkout at the recommended guesthouse but I wasn't in for luck that day. I then started walking around and found a nice

Here's a 3rd one, after the first two : On the Buddha Trail (1) ::::::Tabo On the Buddha Trail (2) ::::::Kibber The bus reached Kaza in an hour's time from Kibber, and was heading to Nako and we decided to further our travels. However, the bus had trouble with its gearbox and we had wait for sometime while it got fixed. The only thought I had at the moment was to thank someone, for having reached Kaza in one piece. Savoured hot cups of chai and glucose biscuits as we waited for the bus to get fixed but after 2 hours both the driver and mechanic decided that they couldn't do a quick fix and all of us had to transfer to another bus. The journey from Kaza to Nako takes about 4hours or so and passes through some really beautiful sceneries of rugged mountains with patches of green in between and glimpses of first snow at a distance. The bus also stops at the Tabo busstop on the way. Both (Gottfried and me) were the only tourists from Kaza but some Swiss girls got up at Tabo and

Here's the 2nd post after the one on Tabo. Finally, I reached Kaza around noon after 2 days of trying to leave Tabo and being stranded because of no bus in sight, heavy rains,bad roads etc. I was really hungry and found a small shop near the bus station where i had a wonderful meal of steaming hot mutton curry and rice. A meal to remember!! With a happy stomach I tried asking around for the next possible bus to Kibber but was told that since no buses had come from the other side for 2 days, no buses were available for Kibber that day. Asked around for Taxi but there was no share ones available and hiring just a jeep for self would work out to be too expensive for just an hour's ride. Was cursing myself for not having a light backpack, else I could have walked the 20 odd kms to Kibber. But I didn't have to hurry, I had all the time, I remembered something i had read someplace earlier that goes something like this " Life, takes on a neat simplicity too. Time ceases to h

PS: The video quality could be a bit poor since it was taken using my compact camera. I saw some monks doing a slow rhythmic dance like movement while arguing about something very serious and after each major dialogue they would clap very loudly. This is the first time I have seen this kind of a ritual. I asked an elderly Tibetan gentlemen sitting around what they were talking and he mentioned they were discussing something from the scriptures which even he couldn't comprehend. Has anybody seen something like this before ??

My first post on my recent Buddhist Trail. I headed to Delhi from Bangalore on a beautiful Saturday morning with this map and the return tickets after 2 weeks and no plans !! Once at Delhi, headed to Janpath for the bus to Manali. While waiting for the bus I met Christine, an elderly French lady , an author of 15books, a PhD in psycho-ethnology( don't ask me what one really researches for that!!) . She has been a world traveller and even spent 3 years in early 1970s as a 20 year old hitchhiking around India . We had an interesting conversation while seated in the heat of Delhi (39 degrees Celsius, phew) about society, people, freedom ,women's place in the society, human mind and genetics . In the midst of our talk she said she felt i would write a book very soon :) not sure why she thought that way. Only time well tell if her premonition worked out !. We parted ways as our buses arrived. I was the odd one out in the Volvo bus I had boarded for Manali, the rest of the passenger

Came across this quote today : "Life is like Sea. As vast as you can imagine; As deep as you can think. Don't waste time measuring your life. You won't succeed. Instead, explore life. Reach for new harbours as you pass through different phases of life. Make friends on each destination. Enjoy your journey. " I am heading out for a short vacation to Spiti tomorrow .. ps: the pic is from my trip to phi phi island earlier this year.

Heard this tune after aeon's. A simple tune that one can whistle and lingers on!! I never really looked into the creator and history behind this famous song until today. I always thought it was from an old classic film 'Bridge on the River Kwai' . 'The "Colonel Bogey March" is a popular march that was written in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881-1945), a British military bandmaster who was director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth. Since at that time service personnel were not encouraged to have professional lives outside the armed forces, Ricketts published "Colonel Bogey" and his other compositions under the pseudonym Kenneth Alford. Supposedly, the tune was inspired by a military man and golfer who whistled a characteristic two-note phrase (a descending minor third interval) instead of shouting "Fore!". It is this phrase that begins each line of the melody. Bogey is golfing term meaning one over par.' Details here The

Remember those days, growing up watching these two champions battle it out in their respective sections. Graf, I was an ardent fan of hers and was one of the reason me taking up the game of tennis. I liked her reticent, no nonsense self , playing a graceful game of tennis and loved the way she let her game do all the talking. While Agassi, was the bashful young champ with flashy neon clothes and streaked hair. I initially didn't like his attitude (not his game :) ) and ofcourse always cheered the other players-Becker, Lendl,Edberg. But slowly my opinion changed and I liked his spirit when he came back from being ranked 190+ to fight and get back all the way to the top and also comeover his troubled personal life.. Watch these videos where they talk about each other... Agassi/Graf Interview: one more :

Finally got the set of stamps I had been waiting for since May.They are really nice, with all the tintin comic book covers with the titles in different languages. Marc, a colleague of mine picked up a set of these commemorative stamps(100yrs of Herge) on the day of its release in May 2007, and sent it to my office address here but it never arrived , thanks to the Indian Postal Dept. Fortunately another friend of mine was visiting Belgium and Marc sent her the 2nd set he had picked up when he heard the 1st set was lost . As the long wait was over and I was appreciating the stamps on its arrival today, it took me back to my school days, days of pen pals and letter writing. There was a medium even those days to find new friends across the globe even without high speed internet, email/chat and no social networking sites. I had a bunch of penpals while growing from places like Greece, Germany,Mauritius,Sweden . We would correspond regularly via post and write about our growing up years,