Singh & the Windy City

 “ Welcome Mr Singh,  I think you have come at the BEST time to visit Chicago!” , the taxi driver told me , on my way from Airport to Chicago downtown. I smiled back at him and then at myself, as the taxi vroomed into the Chicago skyline and my heart skipped a beat. I was feeling excited and amused about my amazing tryst with this  city. I had landed at Chicago Airport three times earlier (2007 – 2009) but never got a chance to go out of the confines of the terminal and explore the city.

Call it sweet co-incidence, having joined Capgemini last July, I was on-boarded into the CNA account and was part Knowledge Transition program to be conducted from CNA Office in Chicago.

“ Summers is the most celebrated time in Chicagoland ! “ I was told. Indeed, it was a celebration of life. During my twin trips within a span of 3 months, I fell in love with ‘She-Ka-Go’, the Windy City ! 

Free musical concerts at Millenium Park ; Having Coffee at the 94^th floor of Hancock Tower, award winning Broadway shows at iconic Chicago theatre ; sun , surf and sand at the North Avenue beach ; fun, frolic and splash at the interactive Crown Fountain; making friends ‘on-the-way’ home;  watching the maverick ‘Blue Man Grroup’ at the Briar Street Theatre, going back  in time to watch ‘Sue’ the largest dinosaur at the Field Musuem of Natural History, watching sea life at the Shedd Aquarium, enjoying the best view of the skyline at Adler lakeside and picturing myself as the King of Chicagoland against the backdrop of majestic and historic Buckingham Fountain...are some of the memories that are still vivid in my heart.  

I feel lucky to have experienced the most amazing things that this city had to offer, both during the my first trip in summer (July-August) and then shortly after in fall (October-November). Through this pages, I relive some of those magic moments.

Drop Zone @ Chicago Air and Water show. The Chicago Air & Water Show was the most spectacular surprise event for me. It was thrilling to see over a million people packed on to the shores of Lake Michigan to witness the free extravaganza.  The day before the show starts was the “practice day” and in downtown could hear jets roaring overhead!  And during the show, there was sun, sand and some jaw dropping aerial acrobatics. 

An evening @ John Hancock center :  Soaring at 1,000 feet above the Windy City it offered breathtaking views of the city and lake.  Having Coffee at the 94^th floor and watching the sun go down on the Chicago horizon and the lights lit up the city below was like once in a lifetime experience!

Salsa @Chicago Summer Dance Festival : Walking back home one evening , I noticed a huge crowd  swinging at the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park on S. Michigan Avenue, hardly two blocks from CNA building. As I stood there capturing the revelry, a lady approached me and asked me sweetly, ‘Shall We Dance?”.I was on cloud number nine for the next one hour as I practised Salsa with her, trying to match her grace and perfection and in the process, living my ‘dance’ dream! 

Sunday Game @ Wrigley Field :  One of the oldest  baseball stadium that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916 named after chewing gum magnate, William Wrigley, Jr. Though I never followed the game , I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere in this iconic stadium. So I booked my ticket for a Sunday game and Voila ! I was amidst the crowd ,right from the train station where I boarded to my seat inside the stadium.  It was more like a picnic for families with fun, laughter, music and food mixed with the excitement of live action baseball. That was a pure’ American ‘ experience.

Unforgettable Chicago river n lake tour : The signature’ Wandella’ boat tour provided unique perspectives of the magnificent buildings and architecture along the Chicago River before venturing out to Lake Michigan where guests are treated to a rich view of the entire skyline. Apparently, for the odd 90 minute tour, I felt ‘transported’ into a different time-zone with panoramas that would remain etched forever in my mindscape.

On Top of USA @ Willis Tower : How does it feel to stand on all-glass boxes and look through the floor to the street 1,353 feet (412 m) below? Heart-stopping! For a moment, you might feel you are walking, on air and at that height; you are literally on the top of the tallest building in USA, which in fact was the tallest in the world a few years back! And what breathtaking views of the city and beyond: matchless!

Go A Little Overboard @ Navy pier :  From spectacular firework displays that lit up the night with color and sound  to the dashing Cirque Shanghai acrobatics, to the ride up on the giant ferris wheel,Navy Pier is host to an unparalleled array of events and entertainment including jugglers, magicians, marching bands, as well as cultural groups performing music and dance. In my 3 visits to this lakefront playground, I was overwhelmed by its sheer vivacity !

Falling in Love with Fall :  Amazing how in a short interval of less than 2 months the city had got into a new look and on my return to Chicago during October –November , the trees and leaves had changed color, there was chill in the air and the wind often whipped off from Lake Michigan. All this made me fall in love all over again with this beautiful colors of life . Some of the hues near the Cloud Gate (the Bean) structure and the Lincoln Park were breathtaking !

The BA@ CNA : One of the most common questions one gets around here is, "Hey! What's that big red building in the middle of the Chicago skyline?" Well, the answer is CNA Center.
It's not a massive structure but its position on Wabash Avenue, set back just one block from Michigan Avenue and the vast greenspace of Grant Park, makes it stand out like a fire alarm in the skyline.

“Where Do yo work”?

“Over there!” I could stand anywhere in downtown and point towards the ‘Red’  building with pride.

And inside CNA , I took pride in representing Capgemini  as the team who took the challange to transition one of the toughest applications in the shortest time frames , and that too , straight from the horses mouth!

Despite the strict KT schedule and the constant pressure to ‘learn and deliver’, I think our efforts paid off and for me, those interactions with some of the leaders and the SMEs resulted in strenthening the relationship as well as the confidence needed in such client –engagement. 

Well, it turned out to be an  amazing rendezvous  with this city and its wonderful people for me during both my short trips.

 My smile never ceases as I fondly recall those memories .  

“Mr Singh, One photo please ?!“

“Sure ! , My Pleasure !”

(To Chicago, With Love).

The Last Letter !

Letters to Juliet

I think in the conventional hum-drum of typical Hollywood rom-coms, this particular story comes like a whiff of fresh air. There is a beauty in its depiction, an almost lyrical flow of events and ofcoure, no matter how many times we have might have seen a pre-ordained ending; its treatment is quite flavoured in this movie. 

The story was nicely paced, the de-tour to Italy and its various scenic panoramas coupled with an engaging background music kept the interest alive till the last frame.

All most all the characters have given a superb performance. Amanda as the fact-checker turned letter-writer turned ‘search’ assistant, Sophie, is super-cute; I could not really take my eyes off her in the entire screenplay, while Vanessa Redgrave redefines grace and glamour at her age.  The male leads have nothing much to deliver except sticking to their dialogues as demanded by the script; however Christopher Egan as Charlie does get  to play the hard as nuts yet soft as a softie tight-lipped ‘realist’ Brit boy. And no, I didn’t like his chemistry with Amanda, even as they enacted ‘miss-the-kiss’ coy. 

The message of the story, that ‘true love’ survives, almost manages to convincingly make its way into our heart, despite the cliché’s. There are some beautiful moments where it resonates and tickles, leaving memories untwined. You almost become the part of the search and revel with joy at the re-union of Claire and Lorenzo. Interestingly, Vanessa Redgrave who plays Claire and Franco Nero who plays Lorenzo are both real life couple. It feels amazing how both actors live their character on-screen with such finesse and conviction. 

However, the only glitch I found was the turn of events that happen between Sophie and Charlie. During the search for the original Lorenzo, it was clearly made evident that Sophie had a void with her boyfriend, Victor, and that she would eventually get attracted to the un-despicable boyish charm of Charlie. But whether this attraction would replace her commitment for Victor, was surely the surprise I dint wait to watch. I did not find her reason convincing enough to leave Victor and go back to Charlie. And by the way, what was that “cousin with the same girlfriend name”, Patricia, doing in that scheme of thing? It might seem romantic, this part of the ‘true’ love story, but personally I was disappointed.

Question one :, when she choose Victor as her boyfriend, presuming she was madly in love with him , despite his imperfections, even planning a honeymoon without a wedding, how can she dump him like that , saying “I have changed” ?

Question two : Now that , destiny (read marriage invitation)  brings her back to meet Charlie, how does she convince me , that he is going to be his true and ultimate love and she is not going to dump him , let’s say, unless she finds another charmer lurching around ?

I would have rated it very high, almost on the lines of ‘The Notebook’, had it retained its purity and originality. It did, almost to a certain extent, by showing us the tradition of writing letters to Juliet and waiting for fifty long years to get an answer and then, like a vagabond, searching for your love with an undying faith.

Only, yeah, if only, it didn’t do the theatrical staging of Romeo and Juliet in Juliet’s balcony in the end, in the form of Sophie and Charlie and that entire masquerade thrown around.

Till that point, I had enjoyed a beautiful romantic movie. Suddenly I realized, it was a comedy too. 

Nevertheless, the movie is a reminiscence of the last love letter.  

Please wait for a reply !

Feel Good Factor

 

It left a big wide smile on the face and gave a strange feeling of belonging . Some moments from the movie made a deep impression and few of them actually gave wings to desire. The soft , light and mellowed treatment ( The Zoya Factor) is truly relished throughout the length of the movie , giving due space to the ensemble cast , good looking people doing great things in great locations. Emotions are natural, diagoues are perfect, the song and dance is a treat and the 3'adventure' sports are mind-blowing.
Favourite scene : Katrina following on the bike all the way to kiss and tell

"mujhe afsos nahi karna aataa" . 

Falling Slowly

A beautiful Movie with lovely Music and Lyrics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice

You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing it loud

A Royal Rendezvous with the Maestro

A 200 year old royal palace renowned for its unique elegance and style reverberated with the voice of a 70 year old maestro, the ‘Ghazal King’ as the full moon night cast its magical spell. It was a breezy Sunday evening, February the 20^th that Jagjit Singh, considered to be the most successful ghazal singer and composer of all time, and who has been awarded India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan performed at the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad. The event titled “Journey of a Maestro”  was to commemorate 50 years  of his singing.  

Ever since I was a teenager, I was drawn to the voice of Jagjit Singh when I first listened to his compositions for the TV serial Mirza Ghalib (based on the life of the poet Mirza Ghalib). The exclusive element of Ghalib's poetry was sensitively and wonderfully brought out in the soulful compositions of Ghalib's ghazals by Jagjit Singh.  Besides his albums , I became literally smitten by his voice in Hindi films like Arth, Saath Saath, and Premgeet (all from 1980s) and  Dushman, Sarfarosh, Tum Bin and Tarkeeb (mid 1990s and onwards).  The surprise package was his Punjabi songs which were ebullient, effervescent, bubbly and joyous and evoked rapture.  

So being such an avid listener of this great musician, it was my eternal desire to watch him perform live in concert. Though it was a long quest, it finally ended here at the majestic ambiance of the grand palace, one that made the evening different, memorable and indeed magical. This is the palace that was the seat of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty and was once regarded as the very centre of Hyderabad.  This is the palace where the Nizams entertained their official guests and royal visitors.

As soon I entered the courtyard of the Palace, my eyes were immediately drawn to the Khilwat, the Grand Durbar Hall that was lit up in an ever changing milieu of colours. This served as a unique backdrop to the whole event and the fantastic evening that was poised to unfold. The sheer magnificence of the place was breath-taking. The Courtyard is a vast expanse of lush green lawns and picturesque water tanks and fountains. All the surrounding buildings that in their softly lit, muted beauty twinkled the night into a mirror of expectations.

       

In front of the haloed precincts of the Khilwat, against the backdrop of the vast expanse of undeniable monarchy, the stage for the musicians had been placed on a raised platform in front.

And as the singer, dressed in red satin kurta, commenced the musical sojourn with Tumney badle hamse gin gin ke liye, the gentle strains of music wafted through the air. The spray of fountains played with the colourful lights, the ambiance was just right for Kal choudivin ki raat thi  which looked even more beautiful and surreal  as he seamlessly moved on to another moon, terey agey chaand purana lagta hai, giving audiences the touch of his nuances. The world of ghazals and nazms is filled with love, longing, parting and ecstasy, and Jagjit Singh's voice evoked all those emotions as he sung Na koi dost hai na raqeeb hai, tera shehr kitna azeeb hai. 

 

To lighten the proceedings, he even interspersed his songs with jokes and cracked three about marriage: In one, the man decides to celebrate the wedding anniversary with a 2-minute silence and in another an unmarried man is told by the priest that it is his good fortune that he is not married.

The audience jestingly crackled, clapped, chuckled, and swayed to his master’s voice and its magical possibilities. And I was ecstatic to experience this symphony draped in history, heritage and harmony. Songs like Tum Itna jo Muskara rahe ho , Tum Ko Dekha toh yeh Khyal Aya, Woh Kagaz ki Kashti ,  Na chithi na koi sandesh,  brought about poignant memories of yesteryears when listening to his songs had the soothing effect  on frayed nerves.

And that evening, watching him perform live, it was like a 2 hour odd tour of the soul, ethereal, conscientious and introspective. The musicians who played the instruments along with him gave a rare ‘jugalbandi’ towards the end which made the culmination of the event  in a state of elated bliss. Truly, a majestic Rendezvous with the legend, a royal date with Maestro.

Before Time Goes By....

I am compelled to write this. no, this is not the first time that i feel like writing about a movie but i can't just let it go like that. i saw these movie titles in some  "100 best movies that people have not seen" sort of a list on IMDB...and I just made no delay in downloading them ....so glad that i did !....because now they wont ever leave my memory...inside me and inside my computer.

It is so hard to believe that "before sunrise ' was made in 1995 and "before sunset" in 2004 , exactly 9 years later....and the characters actually breath into these two movies just like they would have breathed in real life ...living exactly the same 9 years of their life....such an amazing coincidence...because i have never seen sequels made like that...where each of the actors still remain the same characters they played in a film made 9 long years ago with everything about them remaining exactly the same...their mannerisms, their style, their chemistry...c'mon gimme one example and I will bow to you...but you wont find any...because right now,...whatever i am saying feels so unreal !

Imagine ..there was no sequel and i had seen this movie way back in '95 with no hint that i would have to wait 9 long years to see what happens to these characters from the point onwards where the movie ends...it is so touching...it is so thoughful...it is so full of potential !....the viewer is left with so many options!!!!

and what if i actually saw the sequel in 2004...wow...that would have been an amazing and special feeling...to have actually watched it then.

Nevertheless, this is 2011...so having got the privelege to watch both these movies in quick succession is like watching 2 different episodes of a daily soap!

Each movie , with around one hour and half length looks like a walk in the park...the camera never leaves the two lead actors...as they sit, stand, walk, run, jump, laugh, smile, cry or lie down....the viewer is just there...with both of them..at a very close distance..hearing all their conversation, their laughter, their antics, their eyes ....what an experience...as if you actually spend that hour and half meeting those meeting like a silent spectator and feeling every bit of their actions and reactions without the melodrama, without the sound and show, without the larger than life cinematic experience ....everything is just so so real and natural...it thrills you like a joyride where you are nowhere but still there...omnipresent..surreal.


I think its a major cinematic achievement to make a film in this manner where the camera keeps rolling and rolling without shifting the frame from the central characters and actually walking with them on the street , in the park, on a bridge, inside a pub, inside a restaurant...never giving the viewer a chance to get distracted by the environment, the cinematography or the scenic beauty of the place where the characters are...wow...and the best part is that it never strikes you..it never makes you feel for something else...quite contrary you get so fixed and drawn into the conversations of the characters...that you would feel like joining them and speak your mind !

And what an amazing conversations...wow...such frantic dialogues..such natural ease..such topical discussions..such a free flowing interaction...wow...as if a it was a candid talk show and those two actors were having their own sweet time !

And that is what steals the heart...the "sweet time"...because it really is so short and sweet that you wished it just continued ..that you had just a bit more of it...wish that it would remain still...would never pass..would never go...because when it does passes by...your heart skips a thousand beats.

In "Sunrise" , the actor has to catch a plane...and we are shown the time spent before he flies....exactly nine years later in "sunset"....the situation is same but "time" is different....and the way it passes by...o lord...you are down ...deep into it...the slow sweet passage...there is an uncanny excitement and poignance...matchless...priceless...timeless.

Beyond 'I'

    HAVE you noticed the increasing use of the “I” word in conversations around us? “I did this”, “I said that…” “Ultimately, I had to resolve the situation…” When someone goes wrong, “Didn’t I warn you beforehand…?”
    When someone achieves something, “Oh, I always knew you would win this!”
    When something untoward happens, “I did have a premonition…”
    And don’t just smile and nod in agreement. You do it too! All of us have this deep-seated, all-pervasive need to make our mark on events around us. Most conversations end up being nothing but an overlap of “I-s”, where each one tries to tell his story, or tries to prove her point. A long, dissatisfying talk later, you realise all you did was exhaust yourself trying to get your words across the other’s! Why this urge to prove our worth all the time, with everyone? Why do we need to keep stressing and advertising our ideas, our thoughts, our dreams, our successes, both big and small?
    Perhaps the phrase, “pushing your boundaries” or “pushing yourself to perform better” takes on a whole new meaning for us when we try to impose our thoughts and ideas on those around us! Rather than pushing ourselves to perform better and going outside our comfort zone in pursuit of greater success, we think the more noise we make about our accomplishments, the better we become.
    But to those who listen carefully, the echo of a hollow “I” is very clear. A senior colleague enjoys quoting the instance when he interviewed a young executive who spent time convincing him how he was a single-man team at his previous job! “You know what this told me about the guy?”asks the colleague. “So much use of ‘I’ showed me he was an extremely poor team leader!”
    In a world overpopulated by celebrities perhaps the need to prove our own worth increases. And easy availability of social media encourages a self-promotional audience to indulge with impunity. Generation Y is certainly all about “I, Me, Myself ” and older generations perhaps see no harm in picking up a bit of the attitude from them. The internet news blog mashable.com quotes a recent survey of college students on attitudes, “Almost 40% (of Gen Y) agree that “being self-promoting, narcissistic, overconfident, and attention-seeking is helpful for succeeding in a competitive world!”
    There was a time not long back when after a certain age, with a good job in hand and a family around us, we would settle down to stability and comfort. The only bit of promotional indulgence would be to encourage kids to recite a nursery rhyme or sing a song to impress visiting uncles and aunts. Today however, it is not just the kid, but the dad, the mom, the dog and even the house help who all set out to prove their accomplishments. For we are all told we need to keep growing; stopping and resting on your laurels just isn’t an option anymore. And so you are subjected to stories about the supposed intellect of kids you know for sure are duffers, and incidents cooked up to prove everyone’s superiority to the person next in line.
    Where even celebrities and pseudo celebs feel the need for and use all available opportunities to promote themselves, the pressure on ordinary mortals to do likewise becomes immense. So then what happens to those amongst us who want to sit back and take it easy? Those of us who accept that we do not excel in anything to the extent of overshadowing all others! Can we not just be happy as good human beings going about our lives without having to compete with the best? After all, there can be only so many who march ahead and for that, there will have to be others who need to take a backseat. Need taking that seat necessarily mean having lost the race?
    A colleague’s young life cut short unexpectedly due to immense stress brings home like nothing else the message that we are all running around like headless chickens for nothing! Must all growth and development be outward? Some time ago The Times of India dropped the capital ‘I’ to be replaced by a smaller ‘i’ on its edit page. Would it be so tough for us to do the same in our daily lives?
    Why can we not stop “I”ing to the outer world and start “eyeing” our inner selves? For if we shine from within, the peace and contentment will be reflected to rest of the world around us as well.