NDTV Imagine needs a makeover

When NDTV Imagine was launched a little over an year back I had high expectations from it,after all you expect nothing but the best from Pronoy roy. I hoped that this new channel would provide wholesome entertainment without compromising on the quality of contents unlike other channels which ,in order to boost their TRP ratings, were dishing out mindless fare,and for I while, I must say, it did maintain a good standard of programmes. Shows like Junoon… kuch kar dikhane ka and radha ki betiyan kuch kar dikhayengi(there were other good shows but these two were my favourites) were entertaining as well as realistic. I would like to write a little about junoon kuch kar dikhane ka; it was a music show with a difference, sufi and folk music, genres which are not given much importance in other music competitions, were an integral part of it.

But somewhere in the middle NDTV Imagine lost it’s distinctive identity,the lure of earning mega bucks was perhaps too tempting to resist, it was the time when reality shows were becoming increasingly popular,it launched it’s much publicized reality show Rakhi ka suvayamvar, in which rakhi sawant had to choose a boy as her future husband from 16 contestants and the show was very successful and boosted the TRP ratings of the channel. But in the eyes of the discerning audience channel’s image took a beating because they could not stomach the fact that the channel would dilute the quality of it’s programmes so much so that it had to rope in rakhi sawant for the sake of money and trp. Now buoyed by the success of rakhi ka savayamvar the channel is all set to launch Rahul dulhaniya le jayenge in which Rahul Mahanjan, whose only claim to fame is that he happens to be the son of slain bjp leader pramod mahajan,will be choosing his wife from ,I think 16 contestants but I am not sure about it, but one thing I am sure of is that the latest offering from ndtv imagine will be a flop for Rahul is not even remotely funny while rakhi’s tantrums are sometimes entertaining.

After the failure of Rahul dulhaniya le jayenge the channel,hopefully ,will go back to airing programmes which are entertaing realistic ,original and are of good standard/

ANNOYING HABIT OF MR AMITABH BACHCHAN

I am a big fan of Amitabh bachchan, most of us are. His acting and oratorical skills are well known but i am not going to bore you by talking about them. Here, ,instead ,i am going to write about one of his habits which i find extremely annoying; his reciting of MADHUSHALA, a poem penned by his poet father Harivansh Rai Bachchan whom he respects a lot and regards as a great hindi poet, at the drop of a hat. Granted it's a very famous Hindi poem but does he have to recite it every now and then? I am not alone there are a number of people who share my opinion. In my view he is taking undue advantage of his celebrity status, like so many others of his ilk,and subjecting us ,his audience, to listen to his baritone voice reciting Madhushala accompanied by a very boring music.

Though i don't expect mr Bchchan to read my blog but i do hope someone close to him does and conveys to him the feelings of countless of his fans to discontinue his annoying habit. We will be very grateful.

FEAR OF LIGHTNING

Oxford dictionary defines phobia as an extreme and irrational fear of something..Each one of us suffers from at least one phobia . I AM A HOPELESS ASTRAPOPHOBIC .Whenever I see lightning flashes at the horizon even if they are far away I want to hide myself in a place where I would’nt have to see and hear the terrifying lightning flashes and deafening thunder sounds, but it’s not possible so i sit curled up normally on a chair,tension writ large on my face, reciting the Quranic ayats that come to my mind at that dreadful time and fearing to be hit any moment by the lightning. My dad who regards lightning as a natural phenomenon , a thing to be admired not feared, is highly irritated by my behavior and gives me a severe dressing down but his scolding can not take away my fear. He has to deal with two astrapophobics; me and my brother.

When i was a child my astrapophobia was at it’s peak I used to stuff my ears with cotton , close my eyes tightly and snuggle into my mom’s arms , over the years the intensity has lessened, but only slightly.. Hopefully in the distant future I would be able to overcome my astrapophobia and enjoy this so called phenomenon, I am calling it SO CALLED because in the present I can not bring myself to view it that way,like my dad.

For the last couple of months i have been suffering from a sore throat and to get relief from this ailment i went to a homeopathic doctor(i avoid allopathic drugs ) who gave me medicines for five days along with strict instructions that i was not to eat anything sour , oily and cold and this during Ramadan when such delectable delicacies are served with most of them sour if not oily, so you can understand my disappointment , nonetheless I tried to follow the good doctor’s advice for four days; I use to sit on the table at the time of iftar and would half heartedly pick up ,say, a lowly matar while others feasted on phulkis, pyaze kebabs allo tikki lemon juice fruit chat chaumien samosas burgers and what not. It was too much to bear because I just love eating ,so on the fifth day I decided not to pay heed to doctor’s instructions and instead listen to my heart which was asking me to enjoy the dishes I was depriving myself of . I listened to my heart and I am still paying the price but it’s ok. You may call me foolish or indisciplined but what to do I just can not keep myself away from tasty food for long even if it is harmful for my health.Although my throat is not well last night I had pyaze with a lavish smattering of tomato ketchup followed by a spoonful of cough syrup.. FUNNY NA

Miser's tale

Misers are no fun to live with but they make great ancestors” how apt this quote is. I wish I. too, had one such ancestor. Although none of my close relatives falls in this category I, for sure , know a person who is famous for his legendary kangoosi.

In his 60’s and unmarried he draws a good pension and has substantial amount of money in his various bank accounts (you may be wondering how do I have so much information about his wealth the answer is that i know him quite well) still when you meet him you may be forgiven for taking him to be very poor because he dresses shabbily, lives in a dilapidated house and spends ridiculously small amount of money on food and has been caught many times for travelling on bus without ticket. When well meaning friends advise him to loosen his purse strings and live life properly his token reply is ‘’ I am enjoying my life fully”.

Sometimes I wonder how does stinginess becomes such an integral part of some people’s personality, may be they had a hard childhood when money was scarce and they grew up believing that when they earned money they would spend it wisely so that they would’nt fall back on hard times And even after earning well they end up spending a little too wisely.

I wish I had atleast one such ancestor kitni rich hoti main

Hakimullah Mehsud, the newly appointed chief of Taliban after the assassination of Baithullah mehsud in a drone attack,is known as rash and ruthless in the intelligence circles and has ambitions in both Pakistan and Afghanistan unlike his predecessor whose focus was limited to Pakistan only.Under his leadership Taliban are reasserting themselves by carrying out a wave of suicide attacks in north west frontierand Islamabad. In a daring attack a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up inside Food and agriculture organisation’s headquarters in Islamabad killing four people including two women and a foreign national. The FAO building was situated only a few metres away from president Zardari’s private residence. By carrying out this attack Taliban want to send out a strong message to Pakistani army and it’s American counterpart that they have the capacity to strike at will anywhere in the country even in heavily fortified areas. The situation is really explosive in Pakistan. Taliban are deeply entrenched and defeating them is going to be very difficult.

Hello friends i am back (as if anyone has been waiting for my blog entry but i am sure in the near future they will be) after a long time. TODAY the weather has turned quite pleasant and there is a slight chill in the air and it seems winter is knocking at the door, but i may be wrong as the weather has the habit of turning predictions about it upside down..The sky is cloudy and the sun which had been tormenting us with it's heat is able to peep out of clouds occasionally and i am loving it.I fervently hope this pleasant weather continues.