THE NEW DAWN!

In the times of despair

with the tears of hurt.

those piercing memories,

A soul covered with dirt.

The scene is dull,

lacklustre and demeaning.

I struggle to sport a smile.

Loneliness accompanies me mile after mile.

This cloud lacks the lining

i try hard to see one.

I wish i could rewind

and get things undone!

Not much left to cherish

not much left to uphold my pride

A meaningless life

with no luck to ride!

I still have my head high

to bow, my courage does refuse.

i choose to fight my fear,

as i tell myself...the dawn to this night is near!

BOLLYWOOD FAILS TO IMPRESS!

Bollywood and its glamour captivates us all. It also plays a very important role in shaping our society and to some extent our lives! The influence, good or bad is felt across all the spheres of the society. Bollywood has till date gifted us with some great movies and some amazing actors whose memories will be everlasting.

We grew up watching Vijay Deenanath Chauhan from Agneepath,  Mogambo from Mr. India, Raj and Simran from DDLJ and the latest being Ranchoddas Shaymaldas Chanchad from 3 idiots. All these films and many more like these were considered to be classics of a unique genre which etched a permanent place in our heart and mind.

Time has changed and so has Bollywood. The quality of films is on a downward trend. What is more disheartening is that, the essence of the films has now moved from "substance" to "skin". No wonder, A film without a Munni or Sheila crashes at the box office. The dearth of ideas in Bollywood has reached to an extent that the starlets from the tinsel town can no longer make the flop films work....the star cast should include a PORNSTAR!

Today it appears that Bollywood has lost its identity and is no longer a brand that would mesmerize all its lovers. Creativity has become a scarce resource in Bollywood. Film makers are rather skeptical about their abilities or may be too lazy to explore new subjects and come up with ideas of their own. They rather prefer Re-making a hit film from the south which would help them earn quick bucks!

Gone are the days when people would research on a particular subject for years before making it into a movie. The latest trend is simple. Borrow a hit movie from the south and simply replace Surya or Vijay with Aamir or Salman! There is no harm in remaking a film, but the problem arises when we overdo it. Thanks to the success of some South remakes, these days even the popular movie channels like Zee Cinema and Sony Max broadcast Tamil and Telugu films dubbed in Hindi!

Be it Surya, Vijay or Mahesh Babu. All are great actors in their respective industry and I hold high respect for them after watching their movies. But is it sensible to coax our bollywood actors to ape them in every movie? Ghajni, Wanted, Singham, Bodyguard and many more to come. It's high time our talented film makers like Shyam Benegal, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Madhur Bandarkar in particular and all the others in general put on their thinking hat and come out with something authentic lest all we would get to hear is ENNA RASCALLA...MIND IT!! . 

WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY?

I say it’s simple

I and my instinct did fumble

I chose to go the wrong way

But still they ask “what happened that day?”

The day it rained black

Made me think “am I so slack?”

I just kept my safety at bay

And they ask “what happened that day?”

It caused hurt and pain

An act without a thought wasn't sane

With a hopeless heart I lay

All they cared was “what happened that day?’

The truth is bitter

But still I utter

It was a blunder I say

And still they ask “what happened that day?”

The fault is mine

And it imposed a heavy fine

With my blood all I pay

But still they doubt “what happened that day?”

Time has healed

Every skin that was peeled

But I still can’t let the memories away

Coz’ they keep asking me “what happened that day?”

GOA NEEDS YOU!!

Its election time once again. The fate of our politicians now lies in our hands. No wonder, they have started their gimmicks to woo the voters. Its the time when they are at their best and can go to any extent to get your vote in their kitty!

Off-late money and booze has been flowing like water in Goa. They have once again started coming to our doorsteps. The same old promises, the same old talks and the same old tactics. That's because they know, we are the same old people who once voted them to power in spite of their bad record and poor performance. But the biggest question that faces us today is "Are we so foolish that we fall prey to these bluffs every time?

How can a criminal, a corrupt and selfish politician even dream of winning the elections. Well, the mantra is quite simple......wine and dine them or warm their pockets or promise them something big! when a scam or a crime was exposed involving a politician, we swore by the Gods that we would not bring them to power again, but sadly, we don't remember all that during the elections.

people are at their wits end to make politics their family profession. Is it that only one family in Goa understands politics? or is it that, the future of Goa is entrusted only in their hands? But people will still vote for them.

My heart cries when I see the plight of my beautiful Goa. Its ruined and they still want to ruin it further.....their greed is just endless! I am quite certain that, by now many writings like this have already started making rounds in the local dailies, blogs and Facebook groups. But until someone ponders on it and acts rationally, this blog post is a mere waste of time.

Its your Goa, its my Goa. We have had enough. We have been let down too many times. Let us join hands to save our "Goem". Spread the word. say NO to corrupt candidates. Say NO to criminals and a big NO to dynasty politics!

Let us understand that we have a responsibility towards our state. Voting is our right and voting is our medium to fight back. Wake up the Goan inside you. Vote for a change, Vote for a better future and above all Vote for a BETTER GOA. Its the time to act!

UTT GOENKARA ZAAGO ZA

TUJEM MOT TUJEM HATIAR

TUM KORINAKAI TACHO VYAPAAR

TUJEM GOEM TUM SAMBHALL

MAAR XIKKO KORUN NIALL

FOTKIREA MONXANK TUM BULONAKA

TUJEM GOENKARPONN TUM VISRONAKA!!!

AN YEAR INTO MY SECOND LIFE!

Life, they say is a gift. But how many of us actually realize it? I never understood its worth, until last year, when i very nearly lost it.

4th of december 2010, the day i would never forget, for it thought me the truth about life...the hard way. My ship was on the way to Turkey and as we were transiting the picturesque bosphour straits. A tragedy struck me. I had an accident onboard. My face and my upper body smeared with boiling heavy oil with a temperature more then 125 degrees!

I winced in pain as the oil spread over my face including my eyes. 40 percent of my body covered with dreaded second degree burns!! The pain was unbearable. My mind filled with a myriad thoughts. will I ever recover? will I get my old face back? will I be able to see again? and the most important....will I come out of this alive?

After a night of excruciating pain on board, I was admitted to a hospital in Turkey. Ten days on the hospital bed, and I got an opportunity to picture my life. Things I've done and things I always wanted to do. There was so much to be done. I wanted a few more days. It was too early to close my eyes for eternity. But then God had different plans. He blessed me with a second life. it was nothing less than a miracle. It was he who healed me and gave me a second chance to live my life to the fullest!

Its been a year now, but the memories still haunt me. The pain, the trauma has left a deep scar in my mind. But there are a few soothing memories as well, like the stunningly beautiful Turkish nurses who treated me and the delicious kebab meal I relished on the day I was discharged. When I reached home, my face looked pretty messed up. there were a few stubborn wounds which refused to heal after so many days. But then there was a hope in my mind that kept me going and helped me to recover to this extent!

Life is too short. And living it with remorse, grudge and anger is like shortening it even further. It's important we live our life in a way it is to be lived. Do not worry about the future or be sorry about your past, Because you don't know what the next moment has in store for you.

Today, by God grace I have recovered fully. I want to thank each and every person who stood by me during my bad times.

And finally, not everyone is lucky to get a second life. Live the one you have to the fullest. So that, the day it ends, you are overwhelmed with a feeling of joy and fulfillment rather then regrets!

GOA SPEAKS

I am a Goan
and proud to be one
I love my Goa
the land of sea, sand and sun!

But now, they've ruined it all
To satisfy their greed
They are a bunch of thieves
The most selfish and corrupt breed.

I've had enough!
no more I can take
I no longer need promises and vows
Which are like them, empty and fake.

Elections are near,
people's power they fear.
with wine and wealth they will try to woo,
But i want 40 NEW FACES AND NO RELATIVES TOO!!

Friends-a precious gift!!

We all love making friends. Some of these just get lost in time, but then some remain and become a part of our lives. I am very fortunate to be blessed with a few good friends in my life. Friends who have stood by me in times of tests and who have supported me all the way. No doubt, I am always on a lookout for an opportunity to hangout with them, and I got one recently. Yes, that's right! I am talking about the friendship day!! It was a perfect reunion with my buddies that brought back memories which were so special and irreplaceable.

As decided, we met in Margao, and as usual, i reached a bit too late. "You know the traffic and the bad roads. Its so difficult to drive"! I tried to justify myself. But in vain. I had given this same excuse too many times now and my friends were expecting it this time. What followed was a series of 'special compliments" which I always used to receive whenever I would keep them waiting. Some new and some the same old and familiar ones. But they did improvise on their "special compliments" over the years.

After a short session of gossip and pulling each others legs, we decided to head for north. The drive was amazing. I must say, Goa surely looks more picturesque and beautiful when you are with your friends. Now we were in Goa's capital city to celebrate friendship day....but without any plan! While we were figuring what to do, all eyes were focused on me being the geek of the group. I thought hard and luckily i remembered INOX. Thats it....we had a plan. We would watch the movie zindagi na milegi dobara. The movie was awesome and it lived up to the hype. More than anything I just loved the music.

The movie was over and we decided to go for a quick bite. The decision was unanimous. All fingers pointed towards the Caculo Mall. KFC!!!!! My mouth watered even before reaching there and my friends were no different. We ordered for a bucket and pounced on it like a hungry lion attacking its prey. As we munched through the tasty chicken, my mind wandered down that memory lane, where we would enjoy a similar meal during our college days. Only difference being there was a simple rice plate and the complimentary sweet lime juice. Time has passed but my friends remain the same and their company still remains priceless. It's been a giant leap from college to company, from fun to work and pocket money to salary, but this bond of friendship still remains unchanged!

The finger licking KFC chicken was followed by a session of gossiping about things ranging from tedious work, nagging bosses and off-course, blind dates! The celebration ended with a game of pool. The friendship day was over, but not until we promised to celebrate it in a similar manner in the coming years.

They say "life is only as good as the people you have in it"! Our friends are an important part of our lives. Their influence plays a major role in molding and shaping our lives. Friendship day is over, but the scent of friendship still lingers around and will continue to do so till i live. This post is dedicated to all my friends who were my strength, my support and my guiding light. Today I thank God for making you all a part of my life. May he strengthen our friendship every coming day and help it overcome the test of time!! love you all...May God bless you.