Idiot Box : part 6

21. Comedy circus : It comes as a gentle breeze in an otherwise chaotic and dry life. I thoroughly enjoy each and every episode of comedy circus and am amazed each time to see the amount of talent. The show is simply hilarious. Mubin and Sidharth are my favorites.


22. Comedy nights with Kapil - Some do think they have a sense of humor but it is so easy to get carried away- leave the land of humor and enter the territory of insulting others. Two most important things required to be a great comedian are timing and knowing where to stop.

Kapil has an impeccable comedy timing and knows where to stop. Sunil Grover who featured on the show earlier is one of the finest comedians, he has a class. After Sunil left the show it got boring for me. I enjoy celebrity interviews on the show rest of it is way too loud for my taste.

23. Satyamev Jayate: Amir Khan discusses social issues in India. I do not know if any shows can bring about social reforms but I feel Aamir Khan might bring about a revolution in small parts of the country. The amount of research Aamir and his team has put into the show was clearly visible with the facts and figures presented. Every aspect of the issue was covered with great diligence.

Awaiting to watch the second season (starts in March 2014).

24. Khupte tithe gupte : I do not know half of the people coming on the show but half of them are the ones I have watched all my growing years. It feels great to see the interviews of Marathi actors/ musicians/ politicians/ poets and social workers.


25. Koffee with Karan : I do not wait for any other show as much as I wait for Koffee with Karan. The show is success simply because of Karan Johar's effervescent personality. The juicy gossip is a dollop on top.

Idiot Box: part 5

17. Dexter: A serial killer who kills other serial killers, I loved the concept but I could watch just one season of this show. I thought I will get numb to watching all these killings after few episodes but that did not happen. Of course I will recommend this show to everyone who is not as fainthearted as me.


18. The returned: Many religions promise reunion with our departed loved ones in an afterlife or the bodily resurrection of the dead themselves, what will happen if it comes true? Zombies are in fashion today but this show is different and definitely worth watching.

19.  Elementary: I adore Sherlock Holmes, a character that was created in 1887 by Doyle is still as much (or may be more) mesmerizing and fascinating. With changing times Sherlock's character has grown too.. he uses gadgets, internet and what not. I loved this show and all the actors in it.


20. The Blacklist: I do find Megan Boone a little irritating at times mostly because of her hair style which keeps poking her eyes and second because of her make up and dressing style which doesn't match the character she plays. She is slow and acts dull, hard to believe she is a FBI agent. I watch the show for James Spader, he is stunning. A good crime drama.

Once there lived a Rain

Before his arrival the sky looks angelic like a dome of plasma blue. Flowers, trees, leaves dance with the soft gentle breeze, birds chirp and then the expected drizzle comes our way. I hold my palms out to feel its gentle touch.

The company of this delightful rain feels like a newborn's aroma, soft touch and joyful presence. He keeps drizzling playfully, then commences the clamorous thunderstorms. He starts dashing as if he has conquered the whole world. Where does his cheerfulness and innocence vanish? He acts like a reckless teenager.

He erupts, floods and reaches cliff of a mountain. He is dazzled to see the radiant landscape in front of him, halcyon skies above and a deep valley underneath. Everything is suddenly crystal clear, he regrets for all the disruption and damage that he did on his way to the cliff. He sees many alike falling in the valley and the ones that follow him would end the same.

Did he unite with a river, meet the sea or was absorbed by the soil? Who knows! No one could find a trace as if he never existed... But before leaving he fulfilled his dream, even though just for a few seconds he did leave a ravishing rainbow...

Believer

I was born and brought up in a religious family and surrounding. I love the aroma and mellifluous bells in temples, I feel peaceful in temples with old architecture built on the banks of lake/river but I also feel a surge of vacuum in me when I see the devotees and their immense faith in deities, when I look at their boundless belief that they are in company of the creator and when get a glimpse at the magnitude of their emotions for the idols. I am sure it must be wonderful to experience this intense feeling called faith (in God); unfortunately I haven't experienced even an iota.

I feel out of place in temples.

It is not easy to say you don't believe in God in India. You could be a social outcast if you express it. I thought twice before publishing this post as well. One is emotionally blackmailed to be a part of prayers. 'Atrocious things will happen to you if you don't believe in God'. Can one develop or learn the beautiful feeling called faith by these scare tactics? It is extremely tough for a non believer to fake this pure emotion, it feels like disrespecting an angelic, sacred belief of someone.

Nobody knows who created the stars, planets, earth or life. Some claim that they know, good for them. If some entity created all this then who created that entity? What is the meaning and purpose of life on any planet? Many such questions perplex my mind and I am sure most of the atheists think about it. I disagree when people say atheists are egoists. Atheists do consider all possibilities, they are readers/thinkers too, they might have been believers themselves once.

One can try to find the answers through prayers, reading, visiting temples or meditation. Or someone might say I have this life and I am going to enjoy its beauty, neither do I have any question nor am I waiting for any answer. What is wrong with that?

Faith in this world is perfectly possible without having faith any other world. Do not force your thoughts on other people and specially your children, everyone is smart enough to think and decide, give them freedom to express their opinions. Consider their decision as much beautiful and pure as yours. Life is as much divine as a believer of nature. I hope people stop forcing their faith or skepticism onto others.

Idiot Box: part 4

11. Big Bang Theory : This show is based on four geeks. Even if they hold PHDs their is something off about them be it public speaking, common sense or the obsessive compulsive disorder. This also stars the hottest female on planet Earth - Kaley Cuoco. Sheldon Cooper is my favorite character, I see a lot of his traits in me and people around me. I like my tea of a certain temperature, anything else pisses me off. Of course Sheldon is an extreme but the awareness that we all have a mini Sheldon in all of us makes the show more interesting.

12. Everybody Loves Raymond : Fun riot. Story about Raymond who lives with wife and kids right across his interfering parents. Families are same everywhere!

13. Friends : This show needs no introduction. I must have seen each episode at least thrice.

14. 8 Simple Rules (for dating my teenage daughter) : This stars the lovely Kaley Cuoco. First three seasons (until one of the main character passed away) were hilarious.

15. Sex and the city : I was totally addicted to sex and the city (I mean the show). As the name suggests it is about sex, city (New York) and also about shoes, fashion, relationships. I loved the way they have portrayed the friendship among four main characters. They share everything from positive, beautiful to negative and ugly. I liked the writer character the most. She is a quiet observer of everything from those intense passionate moments to the lulls. The way she writes her column is thought provoking. Try it you might get addicted too.

16. Desperate Housewives: How did I ever get to watch a show with that name? Simply because it was available on Netflix instant watch. I watched just the first season and loved it. There is a difference in how a family or individual is viewed by people and how they are inside those closed doors of their house or minds. Every single person in this world has a secret that they have not shared with anyone. It can be as small as they broke a cup to may be killed someone. The show revolves around these secrets, the exterior and the interior of people and families.

links to tv show reviews:  part 1 - http://rasikam.blogspot.com/2013/07/idiot-box-part-1.html

part 2 - http://rasikam.blogspot.com/2013/07/idiot-box-part-2.html

part 3 - http://rasikam.blogspot.com/2013/09/idiot-box-part-3.html

One liner book reviews

1. The Sari shop widow: Shobhan Bantwal

Slipshod story, don’t read it even if you get it for free.

2. Bangarwadi (Marathi book): Vyanktesh Madgulkar

Simply loved it, looking forward to read more books by Vyanktesh Madgulkar

3. Allegiant: Veronica Roth

Read just half, couldn’t take her writing style, even after reading first 2 books in the series I didn’t care about the end anymore.

4. 7 Spiritual Laws of Success: Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra’s books always make me feel positive.

5. Ekam (Marathi book): Milind Bokil

I liked all the books by Milind Bokil that I read - Shaala, Udakaichya arti and Ekam

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.