Happy Teachers Day

We can never thank our teachers enough. But i now realise that the gratitude is even deeper for the teachers of our children. Because of them, we see our kids blossom into real people.
Thank you, for being who you are. No civilisation has yet paid its debt to its teachers.

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sansaar

हर घर में होता है
सारा संसार
बाग़  गलियारे,
मौसम सारे

वेदना की खाई, महत्वाकांक्षा  के पहाड
हंसी के फव्वारे, आहों के अम्बार

हर कमरे में मिलती है
धुप, छाँव, और बारिश

रूठने के बादल से,
इन्द्रधनुष की गुज़ारिश ।।

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The Child Labour you did not know about

Warning: Controversy ahead

There is this training for children. Every year, thousands of children go into depression because of this. A few hundreds even commit suicide. Yet there is no law against it and no one talks against it.

We say that children should not work. Yet we think nothing of burdening not just their bodies, but also their minds, with content that they are unlikely to use again for a long time. We see no crime in taking them away from curiosity and pushing them into memory games that they nothing for the spirit.

Why is it, that no one thinks of formal education as child labour? Because, inherent in this whole "education is best for children" lie, is the assumption that formal schooling is the only kind of "education" that a child should get. Anything else is "child labour".

Yet, to a child not interested in rote learning, or what we call "formal education" that is the worst form of child labour - where you tame the spirit and teach the mind to absorb rather than question.

Even in the new age schools that promote discovery and a spirit of enquiry rather than rote learning, there is a curriculum to be covered.

Obviously, there is nuffink that is universally suitable. So i want to know why parents of multiple generations have believed the lie that formal schooling is the "only best thing" for their children? Why did no one look at their children and say, "this one? he wants to learn vocational work. His heart is in wood."

I am not saying keep children unlettered. Nor am i saying that we should accept child labour for what it is. I just want to modify the definition of child labour - What a child is being forced to do is child labour. A child labours in school just as s/he labours in a vocation.

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ek aur paheli. one more ridde

दो पहेलियां :

वो क्या है, जिस में पड़ना तो आसान है, पर निकलना मुश्किल?
(जवाब सोचें)




वो क्या है, जिसे पाना बहुत कठिन है, पर गंवाना आसान?
(जवाब सोचें)






और अब तीसरी पहेली :

वो क्या  है, जो इन दोनों पहेलियों का जवाब हो सकता है?
प्रेम. 

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Why do we need a second name?

Some of my friends have a very simple naming convention. They just take the father's / husband's name as their last name and thats that.

Last night, i was thinking, its such a lovely way. And then it occured to me: Other than filling up forms and reinforcing patriarchy, a second name doesnt do anything. For anyone.

It helps us slot people into stereotypes. It hurts the society by reinforcing the very pernicious caste system that we are trying to get rid of.

There was a brilliant Idea advertisement, where the protagonist comes up with the idea that henceforth, people will be known only by their phone nos. No caste, no religion, nuffink.

So, why do we need a second or last name at all?

 

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Review of Play Begum Jaan by Ekjute

It was a delight. Thats the short review.

Nadira Babbar plays Begum Jaan and as Juhi Babbar says rightly, Begum Jaan mein jaan daal di (she put life in the character) .

The play is entertaining without being flippant, funny without being vulgar (yeah thats a rarity these days) and tells a story without preaching.(ok, only in parts).

When one goes to see a play, one expects a play. one expects performances, sound modulation and stage presence. One gets all that. AND, one gets a lovely stage setting. That stage setting had my jaw drop from the word go. That the play itself is very, very nicely written is a bonus.

This play is like an onion - layers come off personalities, bit by bit. One of the dialogues in the play can be roughly translated as : People are a lot like onions. If you start peeling off the layers, at some point, your eyes will water.

The play is also like a classic book - everytime you encounter it, you are likely to come away with a new meaning. The characters are not black or white. They have shades of grey, turqoise, bright green, and everything in between. They are real characters, with real personalities - not the unidimensional personalities that popular fiction has us believe exist.

The play raises no new questions. Provides no new answers. But for those 2 hours, it takes you on a journey into a different world. Its like a roller coaster ride on the wings of a thumari.



 

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in this country, politics is in safe hands. the thinkers dont vote, and the voters dont think. :)
 

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How Congress will help Narendra Modi win

Dear Congress: Every time you mention 2002, we remember 1947. And 1984. And 1992. All over the country. And Bhagalpur. And Bhopal.

We start to wonder why congress was the leading Political party of India in 1947 . The country was divided, bloodshed happened. And not one citizen asked the political party for accountability? Till date, no one has asked the Congress: Why did you divide the country??? Prime ministership was given away, not through democracy, but through absolute sycophancy like it was the personal fiefdom of Gandhi.
And these are the people who laid the foundation of democracy in India.

What was Gandhiji doing when people were being mass killed in the most brutal way in the North and the East in 1947? aah.. Sitting on a fast unto death in Birla House! What was Nehruji doing at that time? Aah! sitting near the feet of Gandhiji, imploring him to end his fast. Not one of these founding fathers entered the streets as a leader should have. Or even as a salaried public professional should have.

But we dont remember all of this till you start screaming 2002 into our ears.

Everytime you try to victimise him, he gets some more sympathy votes.

Alone, Modi cannot sway the country on one side. But with your co-operation, he can spin the pendulum. Keep at it. You are doing very well.

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तुम्हारी बस इतनी ग़ल्ती

ये मेरा गहरा ग़म
तुम्हारा दिया नहीं है
ये जन्म से मेरे साथ रहा है
अज़ल तक मेरे साथ रहेगा

ये मेरे अन्दर की खला
ये भी तेरी अता नहीं
ये जन्म से मेरे साथ रही है
अज़ल तक मेरे साथ रहेगी

तुम्हारी बस इतनी ग़लती
कि जब  तुम मेरे साथ  चले थे,
तब ये खला भरी भरी लगती  थी
और ग़म को भी मैं
भूल  गया था
 

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Moonshine by Richard Murphy

To think
I must be alone:
To love
... We must be together.

I think I love you
When I’m alone
More than I think of you
When we’re together.

I cannot think
Without loving
Or love
Without thinking.

Alone I love
To think of us together:
Together I think
I’d love to be alone. .

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पहाड़

एक मेरी बोली
सब जहां सुनता है
एक मेरी चुप
सिर्फ पहाड़ समझते हैं 

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maura - punjabi

koi tupka tupka vi
maura pee sakda hai
koi
ik ik saah
vi mar sakda hai


Someone
can poison themselves
one drop at a time
Someone
can die
one breath at a time.

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Hit and Run will continue in India

Last night, i saw an episode on TV(based on a real story) . A young man was hit by a motorbike and then, in a critically injured state, was hauled into the bushes next to the road because the inebriated riders wanted to avoid conviction.

All day, i thought about the heartlessness of it all. To hit someone in an inebriated state is bad enough. To physically throw them at a place where you know they wont be able to get medical attention, is pure murder.

Today, on the way home, someone ran to cross the road. It was a 5 lane road and i was in the 3rd lane. The person started running from the 5th lane. I had to apply emergency brakes. So did at least 2 other vehicles.

And then. I thought.

This is what would happen in a logical place had i accidently hit the person:
1. I take him to hospital.
2. While the patient is being administered medical aid, the police arrives.
3. IDs of both parties are checked and statements taken from both.
4. I was driving within the speed limit, with the seat belt on. He was running (not just jaywalking, running) to cross the road at a place where there was no pedestrian light, no zebra corssing. In short, no place or right to cross the road.

Here is what will happen in India:
1. I take him to hospital.
2. No matter what the condition of the patient, the hospital will not start treatment till the police arrive. Most likely, they will ask me to take the patient to a public hospital. Especially if he is not well to do.
3. The police arrive. Both IDs are checked. I am booked for rash driving, my vehicle is impounded and i spend the night in jail.

This is why Hit and Run will continue in India:
1. When planning roads and flyovers and fancy toll roads, pedestrian subways and crossings are not planned at all. Its as if pedestrians dont exist, much less their rights.

2. When traffic lights are installed, pedestrian lights should be installed too. They seldom are. Where they are installed, they are rarely used.

3. Two wheelers think that they dont have a vehicle. They have a stunt machine, and the road is not for transportation. It is a stadium for their racing championshiops. Bigger vehicles need to look out for a motobike appearing out of nowhere suddenly, then apply emergency brakes. If they happen to be rearended by the vehicle behind in the process, too bad. The other vehicles are life insurance providers anyway.

4. Bicycles and Cycle Rickshaws want to use the same roads, but with no intention of using also the same rules. There is no lane discipline for them, no one ways and no traffic lights. they go where they please, just because they can. When they get hit, the blame lies squarely on the other person. I have never understood this.

So, Hit and Run will continue in India. Not because people are heartless, but because our administrators plan badly, and we have poor citizens. Very, very bad citizens. And thats the scourge of India.

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parauna

तुझको चलना तो था मेरे साथ
हमदम
और मैं
रुका भी रहा
तेरे लिए
पर ऐन  उसी शब  तुझको
तेरे माजी ने बुला लिया
और तू
बीन मोहित नाग की तरह
चल दिया
सब छोड़ कर .

तुझको चलना तो था मेरे साथ हमदम
और मैंने
तेरे लिए बनाया भी  था
एक छोटा सा आशियाँ
जहां न बिजलियाँ गरजें
और न ही
तन्हाई की लू  सताए
पर तू
ऐन उसी वक़्त
पड गया
सोने की चकाचौंध में
और सोना भला
चैन से सोने से
कब हारा है ?

तूने थामा तो था मेरा हाथ ज़रूर
पर उस हाथ में एक मुंदरी भी थी
अब उस मुंदरी के हीरे को
मैंने निगल लिया है
अब
न तू, न तेरा साथ
न तेरा माजी
न सोना
बस ये
कमरा
सुबह की धुप
छन कर आती हुई
और एक खाली हाथ

अब तू
इस घर का कहाँ रहा?

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Radha Krishna..

राधा से कृष्ण ने पूछा , " कोई ऐसी जगह है , जहां मैं नहीं हूँ? "
राधा बोली, " मेरे नसीब में . "

फिर राधा ने पूछा, " हमारा विवाह क्यूँ नहीं हुआ? "
कृष्ण बोले : " विवाह २ जीवों का मेल है. हम में तुम में, दूसरा कौन है राधे? "

 Krishna wasnt one man.. he is every man a woman ever loved.
Radha wasnt a woman. she is every woman who ever loved.

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Audio Files for Short Quizzes - Doordarshan, Indus Valley Civilisation, Solar System, Constitution of India...

I havent posted in a while because i really had nuffink important to share or say.

But today, the esha blog has a post that methinks is of use to a lot of people, not just the visually challenged.

Try this:
http://www.eshabraille.blogspot.in/2013/06/audio-files-for-short-quizzes.html

And of course, if you do know the visually challenged who can use this content and benefit from it, do share with them especially.
 

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सारी यारियां, अय्यारियां ...

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Keeping Quiet - Pablo Neruda

Now we will count to twelve
and we will keep still.

... For once on the face of the earth,
let’s not speak in any language;
lets stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

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Why i dont talk about Jiah Khan's suicide..

We think we can neatly label everything and put it in boxes. "This? oh this belongs in that category. "That? oh thats in that box."

15 year old in love? oh thats under the label "infatuation" - she will get over it.

40 year old in love? if its male, thats "middle age afflction" - he will get over it.
If its female, "cougar syndrome, it will never work out."

25 year old and unemployed? "These days kids dont like to work. No wonder there is so much unemployability"

40 year old and unmarried? "Its so hard to get married these days if you dont do it at the right age"

We know, in advance, the cause and outcome of everything. We are so good at labeling and packaging. Suppose, we stopped, at some point, and looked at the GOODS?

Labeling helps us understand stuff, because after all, things do fall in some patterns. But the risk of labeling is that we tend to do it as a matter of habit - ALL the time, and fail to see the distinctive nature of some things. In missing those some things, we miss out on a lot in life. Because it is the distinctive stuff that makes up the special moments in life.

Today, almost everyone who cares has a theory about why a young girl committed suicide and whether or not her boyfriend should be charged with abetment to suicide.

But sit back and think, do we know enough? To speak and opine, one way or another?

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More Metaphors on relationships

This blog has has a lot of metaphors.. this is a day for 2 more.

In relationships, some people are like computer programmers. they work day and night to build something beautiful, bring it to realisation, spending hours on it. And once the code is complete and their dream realised, they seldom come back to the source code. Except to fix a snag that might occasionally arise due to user behavior. But by and large, they expect the code to be self sufficient and not ask for any more attention.


Some people are like vegetable growers. They get up every morning and get to work. Like gardeners, they nurture. Unlike gardeners, they dont see or get beauty alone. Usually, goodness comes with it.
They nurture every part of what they want to create. Every single day.


 

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Poetry by Sunita Biddu

Door zehen me chhupa ek Armaan likh du!
Lafzo'N ki bayaani, ghazal ki Zubaa'N likh du!!

Gumnaam Yu'N Huye, is dillagi me Jaana.N!
Gar Pooche koi, Takhallus Anjaan likh du!!

Ye Zindagi hai kya, mehez chand saanse!
Tere naam se bani, Vo Pehchaan likh du!!

This is a piece that i really liked.. its short, and impactful in every sher... hindi script and translation later in the day please...
 

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Hafiz

Don't surrender your loneliness

So quickly.

Let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you

As few human

Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight

Has made my eyes so soft,

My voice

So tender,

My need of God

Absolutely

Clear.

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apne honthon par sajaana chaahta hoon... nida fazli

अपने होंठो पर सजाना चाहता हूँ,

आ तुझे मैं गुनगुनाना चाहता हूँ...


कोई आंसूं तेरे दामन पर गिरा कर
बूँद को मोती बनाना चाहता हूँ

थक गया मैं करते करते याद तुझ को,

अब तुझे मैं याद आना चाहता हूँ...

 

छा रहा है सारी  बस्ती में अन्धेरा

रौशनी को घर जलाना चाहता हूँ

 

आखरी हिचकी तेरी जानों पे निकले ,

मौत भी मैं शायराना चाहता हूँ।

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU0ML2gQU74

 

i want to celebrate you on my lips

come, for i want to hum you..

 

i want to drop a tear in your palm

and convert a droplet .. to a pearl..

 

oh! for how long will i think of u

for once, i want to be thought of....

 

it is dark again, in our village

let me burn my heart, let there be light..

 

let my last breath be in your lap

even in death, i want poetry...

 

 

 

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vo dil mein raha aur use tod gaya bhi... वो दिल में रहा और उसे तोड गया भी

काँटों की चुभन पायी , फूलों का मज़ा भी ...
दिल दर्द के मौसम में,  रोया भी हंसा भी …

आने का सबब याद ना जाने की खबर है…
वो दिल में रहा और उसे तोड गया भी .

हर एक से मंजिल का पता पूछ रहा है
गुमराह मेरे साथ हुआ रहनुमा भी .

गुमनाम कभी अपनों से, जो ग़म हुए हासिल
कुछ याद रहे उन में, कुछ भूल गया भी ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfKFYb8vyzQ

it had the pain of thorns pricking, and the delight of flowers,
in the season of pain, the heart laughed and cried by turns..

i have no clue why he came, nor know when he left..
he lived in my heart, and broke it too...

he asks everyone for the way to our destination..
with me, even the guide is lost...

the hurt i got from the ones i trusted
some of it i remember, but the rest is forgotten...

 

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Hitchie's hatching... and the memories that got made...

आज , गुदगुदी लिखो…
क्या करना है
नेइत्श्स्चे बन कर
आज
रूमी बनो
खूब हंसो :)

आज
ग़ालिब नहीं
चुटकुला कहो…

Today,
write a tickle
what do we gain
by being Neitzsche
Today, we be Rumi
and laugh a lot.

Today,
recite not
a Ghalib
tell a joke instead...






pug-dandy...

jan-nat :)

bad-all

ped.. is par koi pun nahi..

 

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microcosms

how can i explain how much i love you
like love was a linear metric
with a scale?

love, like life
... is amoeba
a thousand different shapes
in a hundred different directions.

depths that cannot be fathomed
because even microscopes have limitations
and microcosms created by love
are limitless.

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When a Tree Shook Delhi - excerpts

It is a commentary on the Indian democracy that Sajjan Kumar, who has been accused of leading mobs during the carnage in the most number of affidavits, secured the maximum no. of votes in the whole counry - 8,55,543 - when he won from the Outer Delhi constituency in the last Lok Sabha elections in 2004.
*********************
 

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The 1984 riots and how they deprived us of the one thing - hope.

The 1984 riots are a miracle in human history, because NO ONE KILLED THEM, and yet, 2700 people burnt to their death in the biggest known occurence of spontaneous human combustion(look that up).

 

For 29 years, the victims have waited patiently, hearing after hearing, court after court.. for SOMEONE to be convicted. But miraculously, NOT ONE of the leaders who killed thousands in the most brutal way, not one of them was convicted.

 

Today, as Sajjan Kumar was also acquitted, i lose all hope.

 

Waris Shah, a well respected Sufi poet from Punjab, wrote of the plight of Heer - a daughter of Punjab. Many centuries later, Amrita Pritam, a Punjabi poetess, saw the massacre of partition, the rapes and the forced conversions, and wrote a very famous poem, in which she exhorted Waris Shah to rise from his grave and see. When he saw one daughter of Punjab cry, he wrote a long story about her. What will he do today, when millions of daughters cry in the land of Heer?

 

Today, this comes, straight out of grief. There is no other emotion. No anger, no rage, not even a hollow sense of injustice. Just. Grief. and an emptiness that cannot be filled.

 

The piece is in Punjabi, and borrows from the original of Amrita Pritam.. because today, i know what it is to not have a single living soul to look up to for hope or solace.

 

ਆਜ ਆਖਾਂ ਅਖਬਾਰਾਂ ਨੂ,

ਕਿੱਤੇ ਪ੍ਰੇਸਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਬੋਲ

ਇਕ ਧੀ ਮਰੀ ਸੀ 

ਤੂ ਲਖਾਂ ਅਖਰ ਵਗਾਏ (ਅਥਰੂ ਵਰਗੇ) ..

... ਆਜ 2700 ਲਾਸ਼ਾਂ ਪੁਛਦੀਯਾਂ ,

ਕੀ ਸਾਡੇ ਲਹੁ ਦਾ ਮੋਲ ?

 

ਕੋਈ ਇਕ ਨਾ ਅਖਰ ਬੋਲੇ,

ਕੋਈ ਇਕ ਨਾ ਅਥਰੂ ਰੁਡਯਾ ,

ਬੀਬੀ ਬੈਠੀ ਸੁਬਕਦੀ ,

ਕੋਈ ਇਕ ਨਾ ਲਁਗੇ ਕੋਲ...

 

ਆਜ ਆਖਾਂ ਜ਼ਮੀਰ ਨੂ,

ਕਿੱਤੇ ਕਬਰਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਬੋਲ 

ਤੂ ਉਸ ਵੇਲੇ ਵੀ ਚੀਖਦਾ , 

ਜੱਦੋਂ ਬੁੱਲ ਰਹੰਦੇ ਅਡੋਲ 

 

ਆਜ ਆਖਾਂ ਚੀਖਾਂ ਨੂ,

ਜਿਗਰਾ ਫਾੜ ਕੇ ਪਾਓ ਸ਼ੋਰ 

ਡੋਰੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਜਜ ,

ਸਾਡੇ ਹੌਕੇਯਾਂ ਨੂ ਕਰਨ ਖਮੋਸ਼ .

आज आखां अखबारां नु,

कित्ते प्रेसां विचों बोल 

इक धी मरी सी,

तू लखां आखर वगाये (अथरू वर्गे)

...आज २७ ० ०  लाशां पुछ्दियाँ ,

की साडे लहू दा मोल ?

 

कोई इक न आखर बोले 

कोई इक न अथरू वगेया 

बीबी बैठी सुबकदी ,

कोई इक न लंगे कोल ...

 

आज आखां ज़मीर नू 

कित्ते कब्रां विचों बोल 

तू उस वेले वी  चीखदा 

जद्दों बुल रहंदे अडोल 

 

आज आखां चीखां नू 

जिगरा फाड़ के पाओ शोर 

डोरे सारे जज ,

साडे हौकयाँ नु करण खमोश .

 

Please see the comment for a translation.

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Absence by Pablo Neruda

I have scarcely left you
When you go in me, crystalline,
Or trembling,
... Or uneasy, wounded by me
Or overwhelmed with love, as
when your eyes
Close upon the gift of life
That without cease I give you.

My love,
We have found each other
Thirsty and we have
Drunk up all the water and the
Blood,
We found each other
Hungry
And we bit each other
As fire bites,
Leaving wounds in us.

But wait for me,
Keep for me your sweetness.
I will give you too
A rose.
Pablo Neruda

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Not tonight, darling.

Another day, perhaps,

I will take
your pity
poured in a glass
called "love"

Not tonight, Darling.

 

किसी दिन शायद

मैं पी पाऊँ,
तुम्हारी दया की मदिरा,
तुम्हारे प्यार नाम के प्याले में,

आज मन नहीं है जान!

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Computer Abbreviations quiz

1. CPU stands for _______.

2. CAD stands for _____________.

3. USB stands for _____________.

4. ATM stands for ________.

5. URL stands for ____________.

6. WWW stands for _______.

7. HTTP stands for _______.

8. DVD stands for _________.

9. VCD stands for __________.

10. DBMS stands for ______.

11. OCR stands for ____ .

12. SQL stands for ____________.

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Happy Lohri .. old draft post

पींगा , हूटे, ते मेरी माँ

सुवेरे सुवेरे चूडिया, गौण , ते हासे

किनारी वाली चुन्नी,

आठ आने दी रेवड़ी

ते रुपये दी गजक।

माँ,

आज लोहड़ी देंदे हाथ

तेरे हथां नु बड़ा तरसदे आ ...

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Indira Priyadarshini

25 years ago, on this day, I was a perky 7 year old. Stuck in a friend’s house in Jammu bcs the road to Katra was blocked by snow. Sometime at midday, when uncle came home for lunch, he told the elders that Indira Gandhi has been killed. All of us laughed in his face, asking him to stop spinning tall tales..
In a while, there was a curfew, we were told to forget abt Katra, and I remember being driven through curfew, to “safety”. I remember boarding a train to Delhi. I remember the journey, and what happened at Delhi.

25 years is a long time to wait for justice. It’s a long enough time to see an entire generation, left fatherless and education-less, gone nowhere.. children massacred and the sheer ruthlessness of the whole thing..

In 25 years, I have not understood the logic of this plan.. not understood why it had to be so barbaric , and not understood why no justice has been possible, in all the 25 years..

Not ONE culprit punished. However, all of them have been elevated by the Congress High Command. Answers, anyone?

Oh, and if u are planning to write in the comments section, a la Manmohan, that 1984 should be “forgotten”, here is my reply:
If you want me to forget 1984, sure, I will do it. Just allow me to pull your men and your young male children, drag them out of the house, pour kerosene on them, and then, put a burning tyre around their neck. Allow me to let you see all this, and you should also see me laugh hysterically at your wails, and at the wails of the one being charred to their death. Let me hack your child to pieces, a little 2 year old, who was caught while he was still wondering what just happened. Let me do this in your full view, forcing you to see this right after you have seen your husband and /or young son being burnt with a tyre around his neck, when none of your neighbors could, or did, come out to help. Let me leave you with 3 generations of just widows.

Now, tell me, how long do you need to forget all this happened? How long will you wait for the judiciary to bring you justice? How long will you wait before you become a terrorist to avenge your dead? How many of the victim Sikhs went on to become terrorists in this country after 1984? They could have. And they have waited, patiently, year on year, for the justice system of this country, to deliver that justice to them. 25 years.

And you think it’s a sin to remember?

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On the Congress Party

If you are pro-Congress Party of India (Indira), you must read this post and comment. I love a good fight sometimes.

The voters are talking anyway, but like people touched by the moon drops, our Congress leadership is wondering in delusion as to why this is happening. Madam, this is your coffee beans service. Smell the coffee.

1. Take the 9% growth rate statistic to the farmers committing suicide, to the small shop owners losing their livelihood to retail giants, to the small entrepreneur for whom things kept getting difficult till the recent budget; for the urban unorganised sector that still does not get easy loans and is therefore in the grip of the unorganised credit sector; the rural unorganised sector that is heavily in the grip of goons. Ask them what they think of your statistic. Income disparity in this country is today much higher than what it was when the BJP lost power. What is your hope?

2. VP Singh implemented the Mandal Commission- literally, on the corpses of hundreds of students. But neither he, nor his party was ever seen in power again. MMJ got into a similar tiff with the IIMs, and the BJP has not seen power since. Now you have Mr. Arjun Singh. Moral of the story: it is a bad idea to antagonise the students and their parents, and to play with the futures of meritorious students because they were not born into a certain caste.

3. For 50 years, this country has tried to rid its people of their labels of caste, religion and region. You might remember the old patriotic songs sung by your elders in the same party - Hind Desh ke niwasi, sabhi jan ek hain.. ?
Now, suddenly, the administration appears hell bent on pasting these same labels on people, with a vendetta। To get an admission, you need to indicate your caste. To get a bank account, you have to indicate your religion. To get a job, you must indicate your mother tongue. Whatever happened to merit?

4 It has been a long time since the 1984 riots, the Babri masjid, Operation Blue Star et al. Yet the congress has not been able to win back the "vote banks" that it lost then. There is a reason for that. A Sachar Committee and compensations for 1984 riot victims will not bring back those votes. Ever. Quit trying.


5. Interest rates are almost at the pre-reform levels. So is inflation. What is the difference between then and now?

6. Under the congress regime, there is never any explanation. EVER. Inflation rises within a matter of months. No explanation. Madam comes up with a quote like "Retail FDI on hold". No explanations(don't worry, the whole country knows the names of companies that benefit from this. There are very few Indian retail companies that are going it alone). Interest rates continue to rise because the RBI thinks that liquidity = inflation. No explanation. What are economists like Singh and Chidambaram doing in the cabinet if a Lalu prasad Yadav can come up with a better budget?

So, let's see the report card.
1. Economic Reform: Interest rates high. No direction plan on h0w we want to use FDI and FII. Inflation rising and economic disparity rising even faster.

2. Social Reform: Zilch. Even the population control program has gone for a toss.

3. Politics: No accountability for politicians. Lok Sabha members can skip the house and still get paid. No Control on keeping out criminals.

4. Infrastructure: No master plan. Even the Golden Quadrilateral project has been sidelined. SEZs are a hazy concept.

5. Human Resources: Nothing even remotely forward looking in the areas of education, incubation of sports talent, Research facilities.. anything!!

And to end, the PJ: Why is it that in spite of a think tank like Manmohan Singh, Chidambaram etc., the Congress party has failed to come out with any bright idea in all this while?
Ans: Because only one person is allowed to think in the Congress party.

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Crimes against children - an unpopular view - the responsibility of the guardian?

All of Delhi and most of India is still getting over the barbaric rape and mutilation of a 5 year old child.

And over the last week, i have been thinking.. asking... what leads to crimes like this? Criminal depravity, for sure, but that has been around forever. Other than blaming the police and asking the government to do something, what else can we do?

And here is the distilled thought:
The primary responsibility for the physical security and emotional well being of a child, rests with the parent or guardian of the child. When we bring a child into the world, it is assumed that we are ready and capable of shouldering that responsibility for as many years as it takes for the child to be self reliant.

In some cases, parents do not have the resources or the inclination to watch over the children. Self reliance is therefore thrust upon these children, whether or not they are ready. My maid leaves her 4 year old and 2 year old daughters "in the colony" when she comes to work. Thats over 4 hours of no parental supervision.

To me, thats criminal neglect of the child.

In India, the law places no obligation on the parent or the guardian. In most of Europe and the US, the children will be taken away from you if you do not take care of them.

But here, we listen to the parents scream in pain when a child is a victim of horror. But we dont turn around and ask them - was your child protected enough? Were you there to watch over the child? Did you make sure that the child was physically safe and in an emotionally non threatening environment?

No. We let the parents abuse and neglect their children. We place no blame or responsibility on the guardian. And we are quick to blame the police. Or better still, the government.

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Parent child love ?

I have a lot of respect for parent child love.

However, one does believe that its not the absolute that its made out to be. In fact, quite the opposite.

• Parents who abort daughters as accrued liability and nurture sons as term deposits.
• Yesterday, someone was talking to me and told me that he and his wife are very stupid and their parents decide everything for them - including buying items of daily use and clothes. they dont buy anything for themselves. why? bcs "my mother is very smart. she does all this for us in a way we never can."  - Really? and what happened to learning by practice?
• Parents who sexually abuse their own children, or look the other way when the child reports something?
• Parents like this one
• Parents who want to control every aspect of their adult children's lives - who they will marry, when they will have kids, where they will work, even what their grandchildren will wear.

Between them, methinks this covers the entire gamut of parental interactions in society.

Tell me, where is love in all this?

I was told that once i become a parent, i will stop seeing the selfishness in parental love and see the love in it. i dont. i still see selfishness. And my son highlights it to me over and over again. When he does something that i dont like, he makes it a point to tell me that just because i dont like it doesnt mean he doesnt do it. it has to appeal to HIS reason, not mine. And though one is angry, one has to agree in principle.

I want him to comply not for his good, but for my convenience. i dont consider what works for him, i think of what works for me and try and coerce him to comply. I try to reason it out with him, but i start from the perspective that what i m saying is right. Which it is not.

What do you think?          

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Will the soap kill the family?

It is generally tom-tommed by the said programs that they are the upholders of "bhartiya sanskriti" - indian culture. that they bring indian tradition and culture)and the latest design in saris, hairdo and jewelry) into our houses. that they demonstrate what model families are like (sanskaar and all that).

But bear with me here, as i make the exact opposite assertion - The serial (or the soap) will be the end of any healthy family - forget about Indian et al. It is the serials that are responsible for families turning even more political, for the end of real camaraderie and the start of role plays in all interactions.

What you see is what you become. Dont take my word for it. When you read Jane Austen , does your idea of romance change for a few hours? When you see Olympics, do you wonder about the state of sports in India? When you read about death sentence for terrorists and the "implications" - do you get angry that people have no objection to feeding them taxpayers' money, but will object to justice being done? Yes you do. Or some variation of these thoughts. The stimuli we choose for ourselves will shape our thoughts - at least momentarily.

And when u repeat the same kind of stimuli (ask fans of Hindi novels, Wilbur Smith or people who watch crime shows), your brain is even more attuned to think in one direction.

Now lets see the direction that these soaps give to our minds:
1. The only way to take the story forward is to be mean, nasty, cruel and to hurt another person. Since the sphere of our activities in the serial is the home, it teaches us how to misinterpret, how to hurt, how to misrepresent and how to be cruel to our own family members or friends or those closest to us.

2. The "bhartiya sanskriti" tom-tommed in these serials is the MOST MYSOGYNISTIC representation of Indian culture that i have ever seen. If this is what the women are watching and enjoying, i really dont have much hope for womens emancipation in India.

3. There is no story. TV is not called Idiot Box for nothing. There is no intellectual stimulation except to second guess the next maneuver of the characters. The only message is that you should judge people, misunderstand them and misrepresent. Use information, not constructively, but to create webs of deceit.

If people in your family enjoy serials, do be ready for layered communication, circumlocution and domestic politics. And oh yes, you can kiss that simple family communication goodbye. in these serials, there is no family. Just a set of "good people" and a set of "bad people" sharing the same house and working on cross purposes.


 

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Saddest Poem - Pablo Neruda

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.

Write, for instance: "The night is full of stars,
and the stars, blue, shiver in the distance."

The night wind whirls in the sky and sings.

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

On nights like this, I held her in my arms.
I kissed her so many times under the infinite sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her.
How could I not have loved her large, still eyes?

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
To think I don't have her. To feel that I've lost her.

To hear the immense night, more immense without her.
And the poem falls to the soul as dew to grass.

What does it matter that my love couldn't keep her.
The night is full of stars and she is not with me.

That's all. Far away, someone sings. Far away.
My soul is lost without her.

As if to bring her near, my eyes search for her.
My heart searches for her and she is not with me.

The same night that whitens the same trees.
We, we who were, we are the same no longer.

I no longer love her, true, but how much I loved her.
My voice searched the wind to touch her ear.

Someone else's. She will be someone else's. As she once
belonged to my kisses.
Her voice, her light body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, true, but perhaps I love her.
Love is so short and oblivion so long.

Because on nights like this I held her in my arms,
my soul is lost without her.

Although this may be the last pain she causes me,
and this may be the last poem I write for her.

Pablo Neruda

source: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/saddest-poem/

 

This one was also shared by my teacher.. and these 2 pieces made my day yesterday..

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More Pablo Neruda

These are from a teacher .. both these poems speak so much to one.. like all Neruda...

Poetry

And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where
it came from, from winter or a river.
I don't know how or when,
no they were not voices, they were not
words, nor silence,
but from a street I was summoned,
from the branches of night,
abruptly from the others,
among violent fires
or returning alone,
there I was without a face
and it touched me.

I did not know what to say, my mouth
had no way
with names,
my eyes were blind,
and something started in my soul,
fever or forgotten wings,
and I made my own way,
deciphering
that fire,
and I wrote the first faint line,
faint, without substance, pure
nonsense,
pure wisdom
of someone who knows nothing,
and suddenly I saw
the heavens
unfastened
and open,
planets,
palpitating plantations,
shadow perforated,
riddled
with arrows, fire and flowers,
the winding night, the universe.

And I, infinitesimal being,
drunk with the great starry
void,
likeness, image of
mystery,
felt myself a pure part
of the abyss,
I wheeled with the stars,
my heart broke loose on the wind.

Pablo Neruda

Source: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/poetry-2/

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Henry Charles Bukowski

we are afraid.

our educational system tells us
that we can all be
big ass winners .

it hasnt told us
about the gutters
or the suicides.

or the terror of one person
aching in one place
alone

untouched
unpoken to

watering a plant.
 

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You want love? that scarring lil acid called love?? Really?

Good luck with that one. What we call love, they call obsession. What they call love, we call "taking us for granted" .

Hotel Heartbreak is such safe sanctuary.

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वो हमेशा वहीँ दिखती थी। एक पत्थर पर बैठी हुइ. उस के पास की जगह, हमेशा खाली हुआ करती थी . और उस की आँखों में , हमेशा इंतज़ार .

फिर एक दिन, एक अजूबा हुआ .
उस के पास वाली जगह, खाली नहीं थी . वहां कोई बैठा हुआ था.

पर "उस" की जगह खाली थी .

और जो उस के साथ वाली जगह में बैठा था, उस की आँखों में इंतज़ार नहीं था. उस की आँखों में एक खला थी . उन आँखों की खला , जिन्हें अभी मालूम हुआ हो, कि उनके पैरों ने आने में बहुत देर कर दी .

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all women this, all women that, all women what the hell!!!

When i was growing up, the Gurudwara had 2 parts - one for the men and one for the women. the men sat on one side and the women sat on the other. As a consequence, children could be seen happily flitting from father to mother - which meant from one side to the other of the whole big hall.

over the years, i have seen that segregation end, and have been very happy to see it end. Why should spirituality not be with your family? Why should partners not sit together ? so now, in most gurudwaras, families sit together.

However, the opposite seems to have happened in the rest of the world. Especially since December 16, and the ensuing paranoia about crimes against women. We SAY "dont teach me to cover up. Teach your boy to not rape" But what we DO is segregate women even more - separate autos only for women, separate this only for women, separate that only for women -to ensure their safety, of course. And now i hear the most hilarious of them all - a bank only for women.

What will this segregation do? It will take people further and further away from the mainstream of life. Women should not be segregated. They should be given a seat of respect in our own space. Dont treat a woman like a piece of soap in a water puddle. If you have noticed, immediately, the water separates, and the soap piece is pat in the middle, apparently pretty secure, but also pretty isolated. However, with some effort, the soap does mix with water, and nicely cleans up too.

Please do not segregate women any more, or create women only infrastructure. Because the next step after that is girls being forced to use this women only setup, which is not good for anyone. Slap every single eve teaser, every single child abuser. thats an awfully nice thing to do.

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What do you think should be done in this case?

This really happened where we live. Do read on and tell me what you think would be the right thing to do in this case.

A's car cleaner took the car keys to clean the car. However, without informing A, he took the car to learn driving - within the apartment complex. He ended up banging a really expensive SUV parked in its own place. Both A's car and the SUV were severely damaged, though the car cleaner driving the car escaped completely unhurt (bcs the impact was on the other side - not the driver side).

What should be done in this case? The SUV owner wants damages.

So there, what do u think?

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I, me aur Main: what an awesome movie!!

So, I me aur Main is a John Abraham film that came and went. no one noticed it and if it wasnt for the cute lead cast, i would have given it a miss too. And what a mistake that would have been!

Here is the story:
Ishaan is a young person who has been spoilt silly by his mother and consequently, also his elder sister. He lives in with his girlfriend, in her house, and she pays all the bills. Finally, it is commitment time and the dude is commitment phobic. so the gf dumps him. Simple. Easy. Final.

The dude finally picks up a flat to live in. At work, he has a boss who hates him for some reason, will not let him live or act independently. Though her provocation is not clear. So, at this flat that he has hired, he has a fiery neighbor with a devil may care attitude. predictably, he falls for her.

Now comes the twist. The ex realises that she is pregnant. But also that she does not want him. His sister informs him and the mother exhorts him to own up to his responsibility.

Again, predictably, towards the end of the film, when the ex is having her contractions, he is by her side. He is there at childbirth. After that, he decides to stay with her, out of responsibility. And the ex tells him - Our story is over. The child is much better off knowing that her parents are not together, but they are happy.

From there, they collaborate on childcare, but have partners whom they love.

This is by far the most mature, the most evolved treatment of a situation like this that i have seen  - what do u do when you have a child with someone, but have fallen out of love with them? You owe it to the child to be there for them, but you also owe it to yourself to be happy. You owe it to the child to show them what it is to be loved. but you also owe it to her to show her that its possible to be loved but not in the same house.

i loved, loved, loved this film.
 

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ये जो वक़्त है न, जो हम गुज़ार रहे हैं , ये बहुत अच्छा वक़्त है. एक दिन हम इस वक़्त को याद करेंगे और मुस्कुरायेंगे .

इस लिए आज इस वक़्त की कद्र करना सीखो. इस बात की, की तुम मुस्कुरा सकते हो. इस बात की, की तुम्हारी ज़िन्दगी की सब से बड़ी पशोपेश है की खाएं क्या.

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on relationships

some relationships are like hybrid fruit - they look big and juicy and full of promise. but they are tasteless and soul less.

some relationships are like the kitchen garden yield. they look inconsequential, promise nothing, but oh! the nurturing that goes into each day of growth. and they feel like they are really yours.
 

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Leading them to failure in a big glass shell

One day, we were playing tambola at home. The ones who won were jubilant, and the ones who lost.. some of them, the kids, were really sore losers. The biggest heart burner was Quick 5- typically the first prize to be won.

Suddenly, i laughed and said, "If we played tambola like we do grading at school, everyone would get a prize on their Jaldi 5".

A few days later, the gravity of that statement hit me.

The reason the children are sore losers, is not just that they are children. It is also this - Systematically, we, as a society are working to remove failures from their lives. The net result of that is that they also lose the chance to learn coping skills that are so crucial .

Life is made up of failures and successes. its a mix of both. Part of parenting and nurturing children is to teach them how to handle both - success with humility, and failure with resilience. Instead of teaching children coping skills for failure, we, as a society, are working to remove failures from their growing up years. Which is, in one word - STOOPID.

How long can we keep them in this mass glass shelf where there is no failure? where everyone gets a participation prize and no one fails because there are no exams? and when there are exams, we get grades and not marks, so there are no passing marks, and no failures?

And then? And then they enter the "big, bad world" - totally unprepared. This big bad world has dissapointments, and that criminal thing - failure - to secure every job that they sit for, to get every promotion that they want, to get the kind of raise they think they deserve.
And then, 14 year olds commit suicide (we blame the system of course, not the coping mechanism of the child), 24 year olds get stressed, 35 year olds get diabetes and cardiac / BP problems. And adults treat success, not with humility, but with obvious gloating. And failure, not with healthy coping mechanisms, but by blaming the boss, the interviewer, the world, or, best of all, the parents and the spouse.

Here is, in brief, what I am trying to say:

• Removing failure also removes the opportunity to teach children healthy coping skills.
• The system is not to blame if your child commits suicide at 14. His/her coping skills are to blame.
• It is as important to teach children how to deal with success as it is to deal with failure. And gloating or putting other ppl down is NOT  a healthy response to success.
• When we dont teach our children coping skills, it has definite impact on their health and wellness later in life because we have to deal with failure all our lives.

 

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bravery awards 2013

http://www.siliconindia.com/news/general/Republic-Day-2013-22-Children-to-Get-Bravery-Awards-nid-139524-cid-1.html

every year, as they pass in the parade, i wonder about the stories behind them smiling faces, and wonder why those stories are not published a lot more.

this link above is all one cld get for national bravery awards 2013.

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BE.LIEVE.

The word believe actually means Be.Live. To believe something is to BE it and to LIVE it.

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Inkaar - Film Review and the questions it raises

Inkaar is not a stellar film. In fact, as pure cinema, it will make no history. and box office records show probably not even a present. So why is it being reviewed?

Its being reviewed because one thing, and that one thing only, stood out. Loud and CLEAR.

When the lady announces her decision to accuse her boss of sexual harassment, the way she is treated:

The Super Boss: Business compulsions. Why are you doing this? we have done so much for you.

FEMALE Colleagues: Just sleep with him and get it over with.

Fiance: Why dont you quit? (Her response? I DESERVE This. why should i quit? Why indeed?)
Fiance: OK, u had a scene with him, dont think i dont know. (So, if i had a "scene" with him at one time, he can harass me now?)
Fiance: Its embarassing. I have clients in these locations. They will hear and its embarassing for me. (Really? Your fiancee getting harassed is not an embarassment, but she reporting it is?)

And this is painful because its REAL. Because when women around us talk about dowry harassment, eve teasing, office politics against them, sexual harassment, street harassment, we look away. even today. we wish they would come to terms with it and not speak so much about it. we wish they wouldnt demonise the people closest to them - their families - parental or marital. We wish it away. Like most other negative things.

So, look deeeeeeep inside you and tell me, how will you respond if you know of a female colleague you know accuses someone in office of sexual harassment? For the record, lets make her someone who is hot looking, dresses well, and does not mind speaking her mind - even (hawwww!!) even around men. What will you say - to her, and in  your head??

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If The drunk named movies ..

There is a facebook group called "The Punnery" . Yesterday, one of the posts asked.. what if drunkards named movies.. the answers were so awesome i took special permission to post them here.

These are answers only from those who have given permission to reproduce their comments on the blog.

If drunkards named movies...

Anurag Singhal:

• Beer Zaara
• Soda Akbar
• Hum Tunn
• Rum de Basanti
• Kabhi whiskey kabhi rum
• Rub Ne Pila Di Thodi
• Talli Six
• Whiskeya
• Hum Talli Ho Gaye Sanam
• Ek Tha Bagpiper
• 7 Ghoonth Maaf
• Mere Brother Ki Bottle
• Maine Neat Kyun Piya
• Boozi-gar
• Jab we Drunk
• Miller Ki Raat
• Beerta (Veerta)
• Abb Tumhare Hawaley Liver Saathiyon

Ashish B:

• Paani Kam
• Scotch-lay
• Peena teri galee mein
• Ajab Tharre ki gajab kahaani
• Life in a Mai'khaana
• Tunn'u weds Maddi'nu
• Wake up Piyakkad
• Kyunki Saas bhi kabhi Bavdee thi
• Toddy'Guard
• Gin'gham
• Bevda Rathore
• Khol Dhakkan (Bol Bachchan!)
• Don of Beerbar
• Tunna Bhai MBBS / Lage Raho Tunna bhai
• 3 Drunkards
• Piyakkad-e-Azam
• Ham hain Rahi Bar ke
• Pirates of the Curry Beers
• Kyunki Main Booze nahi chhoDta
• Albert Pinto ko Tharra kyun bhaata hai?
• Ram teri Ganga Tulli
• Jab We Tunn
• DaruKaJosh (Sarfarosh)
• Hamara Drink Aapke Paas Hai
• Phir teri Daru-Party yaad Aayi
• Pati Patni Aur Vodka
• Tequila No 9211
• Rum Bin
• Ek main aur ek Daaru
• 1857: A Pub-rising
• Naache Angoori (Nache Mayuri)
• Jhooth bole Pauwa baante
• Salaam Khambey
• Kashmir ki Tulli

Jatin:

• naach bottle naach!!
• Gin'nie in a bottle!'
• When Sally met Tully!!
• Peeo aur peene do!!
• Behoshi!!
• Theke pe theka!!
• Happy hours!! (i think, for Happy feet.)
• Jab daaru liya toh darna kiya!!
• Tharrabaaz!! (remember Jaanbaaz?)
• Peeke'zaa!!
• Woh 7 Tunn!!
• Peg'am!!

And what would remain unchanged?

• Hangover
• Cocktail
• Pyaasa
• Do Aankhein Barah Haath

Go on, add yours... this is fun!
 

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