होमलेस

दीवारें हैं,
दरवाज़े भी,
खिड़कियाँ हैं,
पर खुलती नहीं,
एक बिस्तर है,
रात सोने के काम आता है,
मेरे भी,
कंप्यूटर के भी,
और कुछ किताबों के,
एक कमरे, हॉल, और रसोई का,
पूरा अपार्टमेन्ट है,
पर तेरे बिना,
मेरे पास घर नहीं.

Taking Government Seriously

Before UPA-II, I never took governments seriously. When they said they were going to do something good, I'd consider that their time pass, and when they actually declared something good, I'd consider them lollypops for the public. But now it's different. Now every time the government comes up with some really important and big, even things I have always wished to happen, all I think is How many thousand/lakh crores can be made out of this and/or how is the government going to control people with this measure/law. This is what I find unfortunate. I hope a non-working government (say NDA) would be better than this.

The Itch

So I'm writing. After a long time, I guess. Not like I have not written anything for such a long time, but whatever I have written in all this time was not really writing. It did not come out of that itch that the hand feels when it has not written for long. Instead it mostly came out for the reputation I think I have established among the online Hindi music junkies. The reputation actually exists or not, I have never tried to assess, though what I have been able to confirm is that I have my presence across the webliophilic websites of the world. I don't really know what I should talk about here, or what I want to talk about, so since I have been thinking about the itch of hand, let's continue on that. This itch is a strange thing. It does make you write, but it doesn't generally give you enough matter to write a small essay on. I mean, mostly one can write a small paragraph out of it, and then it stops. Even worse, when you start writing without 'the itch', the itch almost does not surface. Not easily. And the result is that you keep writing for these things, while most of the times, 'the itch' was the main reason you started writing in the first place. And thus, due to lack of 'the itch', the flavor that existed in what you wrote, goes. Many times. So it's an important, very important duty of yours to maintain that itch in whatever ways possible. Whether you need to take breaks, or need to go out of your regular zones, mentally or physically, or just think a little out of the box or cubicle or sphere. And yes, while it's not easy to maintain that itch, there are the other type of people too, who make the mistake of not writing when their hands feel 'the itch'. For them, a strict warning and a humble request, please write, irrespective of the time you can find, because if the itch goes, it may never come, and you might actually feel an itch to bring it back when 'the itch' is no more.

Review: Aliva (Fritolay)

Well, I just wrote a music review for Himesh Reshammiya's new movie Radio, and now after reading some pages of Cecelia Ahern's Thanks For the Memories, I was having some new biscuits that I got for the first time. And while eating, I suddenly felt like telling people about the biscuit, and so here I am, writing a review for the biscuit.

Well, This thing called Aliva from Fritolay (read Pepsi people) was seen today in an ad when I was setting up TV on my laptop. The ad was an utterly old concept but it did catch my eye. And today when I was on biscuit hunting in a supermarket, I happened to see the biscuits. I remembered the ad and when I saw it was from Fritolay, I decided to give it a try.

It might sound like an ad but it's not. I'm getting no money to say that Aliva biscuits are good and you should eat them. But genuinely, I loved the Pindi Masala flavor that I had selected for my first trial. Guess I'm gonna have some Mint flavor next. The biscuit is OK and the masala is good which is going to make it demanded. My guess is like Kurkure, this biscuit may also become a travel accessory.

Right now the biscuit is priced at rupees 12/packet of 60g which is not very expensive. Fritolay probably has an idea about the future of the biscuit and has already written rupees 12 as a special price while original price is supposed to be Rs 14/packet.

Another interesting claim about the biscuit is that it has no artificial flavors or colors. Even the box below the ingredients says CONTAINS ADDED FLAVOUR (NATURAL AND NATURE IDENTICAL FLAVOURING SUBSTANCES).

Overall, the biscuit is tasty and if you're one with taste buds for spices, go for it.