Wednesday, December 31, 2008

LIFE IS JUST A MOMENT... WELCOME 2009

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"never loose an opportunity off seeing and smiling back at anything thats beautiful. For beauty is god's hand writing wayside sacrament"

"welcome life in every fair face, in every fair flower, and thank god for every day as a cup of blessings"


I look to heavens' resounding grace-
Renewed appreciation of life and my place.
Knowing as each newborn child opens their eyes-
The miracle continues, no one really dies.


Just move on... no matter what goes by, tomorrow is still to come!

Life is worth living, don't just exist, but live and live the way you want... will never get this moment back again and before you will notice it, it will be gone!

BE A DREAMER! Happy 2009!


Thursday, December 25, 2008

US ECONOMIC CRISIS , ITS LONG TERM IMPACT ON INDIA

STAY OPTIMISTIC, NO MATTER WHAT GOES BY!

Inspired by the situation of friends around me who are not getting their expected joining dates after getting placed in popular multi national companies, I have analyzed the current economic recession in terms of the economics that i understand. As a true patriot, i visualize, long term national stronghold of my country in the soon to be emerged scenario and i am positive about the impact that this period of suffering will proved us later. Lets start with when and how this current recession came into our knowledge.


This fall of American economy was clearly visible and accepted when three of world's biggest investment banks Merrill Lynch, Lehman brothers and Washington mutual have disappeared. Merrill into the arms of banking behemoth bank of America, Lehman into bankruptcy and as if that wasn't bas enough, the US reeled under the news of the biggest bank failure in its history, as federal regulators on September 25th seized the largest American savings and loan institution Washington mutual (WaMu) and brokered the emergency sale of its assets to JP Morgan chase for $1.9 billion. With assets worth $307 billion, marked the biggest failure ever, the previous one being that of continental Illinois in 1984. to make the matter worse, American international group(AIG) once America's largest insurer has been virtually nationalized. As expected, this has sent shock waves through the world's stock markets, after all for the better part of a little over 150 years, these have been some of the most celebrated names of wall street.


It seems to me that the root of the market collapse is the fear that banks and other institutions still hold too many “toxic assets”, which are based on mortgages that are now going bad. The decade of 2000s saw a commodities boom, in which prices of primary commodities rose again after great dull period of 1980-2000. but in 2008, prices of some commodities like food and oil rose so high that they caused a reversal of globalization. In January 2008, oil prices surpassed $100 a barrel, the first time ever and most shockingly it has reached $147 by July. I consider this as the start of this tough period.


There was a constant decline in value of dollar right from start of the year, in February alone 63,000 jobs were lost, a 5 year record. The year 2008 as of September 17 records has seen 81 public corporations bankrupt in US alone, already higher than 78 in 2007. Lehman brothers being the largest bankruptcy in the US history with assets of $691 billion.


INDIAN ASPECT

I think that the American crisis may be India's chance. The global economy will no longer be driven by two or three trading blocks. East Asia is the real place of action now and India will be one of the major engines of growth. I expect that the country will continue grow at the rate of 8%. Even though the stock market will suffer but The Indian financial market will not be affected by the US crisis much or we can say it will be less affected as compared to other national markets as it is not mortgage driven and has low exposure to real estate. Recovery from the global financial crisis will be slow process, this we all know, but India will weather the storm through domestic capital markets in India and the high saving rates will take us forward. Inflation which is our major concern in all this will probably come down in the future. I expect that Domestic savings will rise to compensate the decrease in foreign investment. The biggest risk is for Indian software which has thrived largely for decades on finances from outsourcing US firms. The delay in joining and resilience to new intake is actually a result of this TCS will suffer most as it has 42% revenues in this segment while Wipro and Satyam too have 25%-35%. I also predict the rupee to touch the low of Rs 50 against dollar soon.


But saying all this, i would like more of our youth to focus on the larger long term gains and the improved domestic situation that they might face in the years to come, one should always think positively, thats my theory!

Constantly i also see our Indian citizen's shouting against government for not utilizing their taxes properly, a similar event was seen in America in the end of 2007 and bush government suffered the set back of this anger in the elections. I would like to tell those American citizen's who were debating the waste of tax payer's money money in waging wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, a total of $900 billion of taxpayer's money is expected to be used to bail out financial giants, five times of $ 182.2 billion (estimated expenditure for war on terror in 2008). So please fellow citizens of India never ever hesitate to pay your taxes, thats an advice from my end to everyone for their benefits in the crisis situations like the one currently visible in America. Stay optimistic and always remember “to win a boxing match, your ability to bear the punch hit on you is equally important as your strength of hitting a punch on your opponent, face the economic crisis with the positive approach that this will also pass”.




Friday, December 19, 2008

THE GODFATHER THEME - SPEAK SOFTLY LOVE

There are certain tunes which, no matter how old they become they dwell deep within your hearts and stay there forever and ever. One such instrumental music piece which resides in my heart and along with me in the hearts of millions others who have heard it is “speak softly love”, popularly known as the love theme of the classic all time loved movie The Godfather.



Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)" is a song written for The Godfather(1972), the first film in the Godfather' trilogy. While its instrumental version is simply known as "The Godfather theme", "Speak Softly Love" is the vocal version. The words and music are by Larry Kusik and Nico Rota. It was originally sung by Andy Williams and there had been many other artists, such as Bobby Winton have also recorded the song. An Italian version appears in The Godfather part III. It appears on the music compilation Mob Hits: the Best Songs of Mafia Movies. There are many other film themes Composed by Nino Rota (1911-1979). For solo piano. From the Paramount picture, "Romeo and Juliet”, being another loved one. Also lifted up in a famous Hindi movie score of “Akele hum Akele tum”, in the tune of the track called “Raja ko Rani se pyaar ho gaya”.




The lyrics by Andy Williams are as follows :

Speak softly, love and hold me warm against your heart
I feel your words, the tender trembling moments start
Were in a world, our very own
Sharing a love that only few have ever known

Wine-colored days warmed by the sun
Deep velvet nights when we are one

Speak softly, love so no one hears us but the sky
The vows of love we make will live until we die
My life is yours and all becau-au-se
You came into my world with love so softly love

(instrumental interlude>

Wine-colored days warmed by the sun
Deep velvet nights when we are one

Speak softly, love so no one hears us but the sky
The vows of love we make will live until we die
My life is yours and all becau-au-se
You came into my world with love so softly love

-andy williams

[Words & Music by Larry Kusic & Nino Rota
Recorded by Andy Williams, 1972* (top 40)]





Not just its a music theme for me but personally I sincerely feel like ending my tough days with this, hearing it on my mobile ear phones. The haunt in it! The passion! The stillness! Everything with it has made me fell in love with this every time I hear this. I salute the art of this composer and as far as my all time favorite movie “the godfather” is concerned then there is a lot more to talk on that master piece, will share it with you in some other posts, some other time! An embedded video of the music piece is attached with this post, hear it if you haven't yet and you will exactly as I do!

One of the most instantly recognizable film themes, Nino Rota's classic Godfather theme oozes Sicilian passion, charm, and just a hint of menace.


Saturday, December 13, 2008

AMAZING POETIC EXPRESSION TO DEFINE LOVE



This is surely one of the closest and most apt hindi musical attempt to define love, an utmost and par excellence creativity of a lyricist. This came in the year 1969 in a movie called “Khamoshi”, starring Rajesh Khanna and Waheeda Rehman in the lead. I am an honest believer that more than 50% of the hindi music is and had always been inspired from the west. But some of our poets are truly gifted and have emerged up with some great creative expressions right from the past. One of them and my all time favorite is Gulzar sahab. This post of mine is a dedication to his one of my personal favorite work. This is a golden oldie song, which i don't expect many of my readers to have come across prior to the read. So for all the die hard romantic music lovers, here is a track worth listening. Two geniuses working alongside Gulzar sahab here are legandary playback queen Lata Mangeshkar and extremely talented composer Hemant kumar.


The lyrics of the song, which inspired and incited me to write this post goes like this...


हमने देखि हैं उन आंखों की महकती खुशबू
हाथ से छु के इससे रिश्तों का इल्जाम न दो
सिर्फ़ एहसास हैं यह, रूह से महसूस करो
प्यार को प्यार ही रहने दो, कोई नाम न दो
हमने देखि हैं उन आंखों की महकती खुशबू
हाथ से छु के इससे रिश्तों का इल्जाम न दो
हमने देखि हैं…

प्यार कोई बोल नहीं, प्यार आवाज़ नहीं
एक खामोशी हैं, सुनती हैं कहा करती हैं
न यह बुझती हैं, न रूकती हैं, न ठहरी हैं कहीं
नूर की बूँद हैं सदियों से बहा करती हैं
सिर्फ़ एहसास हैं यह, रूह से महसूस करो
प्यार को प्यार ही रहने दो, कोई नाम न दो
हमने देखि हैं…

मुस्कराहट से खिली रहती हिया आंखों में कहीं
और पलकों पे उजाले से रुके रहते हैं
होंठ कुछ कहते नहीं, कांपते होंठों पे मगेर
कितने खामोश से अफसाने रुके रहते हैं
सिर्फ़ एहसास हैं यह, रूह से महसूस करो
प्यार को प्यार ही रहने दो, कोई नाम न दो

हमने देखि हैं उन आंखों की महकती खुशबू
हाथ से छु के इससे रिश्तों का इल्जाम न दो
हमने देखि हैं…


If you are a true good music and meaningful lyrics combination fan like me, then this one is for you.

This one is an old classic with extreme depth in it, something very rare.

This one is worth hearing and understanding, not just listening. An amazing poetic expression of a great poet.