Via TimeMachine???

It's 11:15 am. Or so my cell phone says. I however, have no proof of it. I mean, sure my cell phone and every other watch in the house says it, as does the laptop when I switch it on. Or the television for that matter. But how do we know...I mean know...that it is infact 11:15 am? How? Who first decided what the time was? Did time begin when it was discovered? Or when watches and clocks were invented? Or when the world began? It could be 83 o' clock for all we know. Who says the day gets over when the sky becomes dark? Who, indeed?
Anyway, (if we're to believe my cell phone) it's 11:15 am. There is an almost unnatural stillness in the environment. Someone in the next building is having some welding work done. I can hear the faint whirring of the machine, the very gentle 'thwack' of the heavy sparks falling onto the ground like fiery raindrops.
A lot of the disconnected randomness (isn't randomness always disconnected? or is it?) in my thought processes can be attributed to the movie I saw last night. Navin and I thought it might be good for us once in a while to catch some non-mainstream cinema. That, coupled with our inexorable faith in the acting prowess of Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor, prompted us to give 'Via Darjeeling' a shot. The movie defies time like nothing else. It moves back and forth in time like a pendulum, creating the very real feeling that time is but an illusion. The movie is about an incomplete story with a few alternate endings (alternate cinema in its true spirits?). A supposed thriller, with an insipid story line. A failed attempt at recreating the mysterious charm of some oldtime whodunnits. The glaring effect of over fertile imagination with very very limited creativity (too m uch imagination and too little creativity is always a bad combination- like McDonald Burgers with Sambhar, stone cold Sambhar at that- Did I kill any appetites there? Sorry.)
So, as we walked out of the theatre, our senses numbed with disbelief mostly (and a little with overactive airconditioning), I began challenging the existence of time. Is it there? Not there? Or what, really? Space Aliens, Please Help!!!

Randomness

Am back in Mumbai. 4 days into my trip, I am still taking it all in...the places I have been so closely associated with during different stages of my life. Feels great.Had been to Siddhivinayak today, as I have been going for many many Tuesdays in the past. For me,Siddhivinayak is as different from other temples (with due respect to all) as spirituality is from religion. I distinctly had the feeling that I had come home to an old old friend and was settling down on the sofa for a chat with a hot cup of tea in hand. There is no respect, respect born out of fear of being condemned. There is love, unconditional and unblemished, affection, if you will. And there is respect born out of this affection. I feel at peace with the world outside and within me when I'm at Siddhivinayak- the place that has seen me through some of the most troubled days in my past. Homecoming has many layers, many meanings. This then, perhaps, is one of them.

On a totally different and musical note, I recently heard this song, that had me going bonkers about it. It's the song Kabhi kabhi Aditi from Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na.I'm so in love with it. I have it on repeat on my MP3 player. I listen to it about 19 times a day. I was trying to understand why I like it so much and zeroed in on one unique reason among many not so unique ones. The inclusion of the name "Aditi" in the song appealed to me a lot. I feel that there is no greater respect you could give a person than addressing them by their given name. It's also so much more personalized. Like the song is custom-written for someone. IT rocks. Very well sung by Rashid Ali, Amazing music by ARR. So, without further ado, I present to you the lyrics

Kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mein yuhi koi apna lagta hai
kabhi kabhi Aditi wo bichad jaaye to ek sapna lagta hai
aise mein koi kaise apne aansuoonko behne se roke
aur kaise koi sochde everything's gonna be ok
kabhi kabhi tho lage zindagi mein rahi naa khushi aur naa mazaa
kabhi kabhi tho lage hardin mushkil aur harpal ek sazaa
aise mein koi kaise mushkuraaye kaise hasde khush hoke
aur kaise koi sochde everything gonna be ok

Soch zara jaaneja tujhko hum kitna chathe hai
rotein hai hum bhi agar teri ankhon mein aansu aate hai
gaane to aata nahi hai magar phir bhi hum gaate hai
hey Aditi maan kabhi kabhi saare jahan mein andhera hota hai
lekin raat ke baad hi tho savera hota hai
kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mein yuhi koi apna lagta hai
kabhi kabhi Aditi wo bichad jaaye to ek sapna lagta hai
hey Aditi hasde hasde hasde hasde hasde hasde tu zara
nahi to bus thoda thoda thoda thoda thoda thoda muskura

Tu khush hai tho lage ke jahan mein chaayi hai khushi
suraj nikle baadlon se aur baatte zindagi
sun tho jara madhosh hawa tujhse kehne lagi
ki Aditi wo jo bichhadthe hai ek na ek din phir mil jaate hai
Aditi jaane tu ya jaane na phool phir khil jaate hain
kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mein yuhi koi apna lagta hai
kabhi kabhi Aditi wo bichad jaaye tho ek sapna lagta hai
hey Aditi hasde hasde hasde hasde hasde hasde tu zara
nahi to bus thoda thoda thoda thoda thoda thoda muskura