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									<title>EITHER I WILL FIND A WAY, OR MAKE ONE</title>
									<link>http://www.fropper.com/ezBlog/MARKIV14</link>
									<description>If you can take care of your ATTITUDE, everything else in life becomes much easier.</description>
									<language>en-us</language>
									<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:12:33 +0000</pubDate>
									<lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:42:54 +0000</lastBuildDate>
				
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						<title>IT JUST HAPPENS</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/24891</link>
						<description><![CDATA[Sometimes,  It just happens&hellip;&hellip;..   I see the ring around the moon and wait for the rain to come  &hellip;&hellip;.because I know, she loves the rain.  I see the beautiful pink hue of the sunset and sun touching the horizon  &hellip;&hellip;.because I know, she loves the pink colour.   Sometimes,  It just happens&hellip;&hellip;.   I see those beautiful flowers in the morning mist and admire the beauty of nature  &hellip;&hellip;.because I know, she loves flowers.  I see the river flow by and the boats painted with bright colours in the river  &hellip;&hellip;.because I know she loves to make ripples by her soft touch in still waters sitting in the boat.   Sometimes,  It just happens&hellip;&hellip;   I see the twinkling stars in the dark summer night  &hellip;&hellip;because I know she loves to see glow-worms in the starlit night  I see the pine trees hugging those Blue Mountains  &hellip;&hellip;because I know she loves to stand at the window and see the mountains   Sometimes,  It just happens&hellip;..   I saw her beautiful brown eyes and made a wish  &hellip;&hellip;because I know she always makes a wish seeing a shooting star  I see those dark clouds with lightening and thunder  &hellip;&hellip;because I know she always feels secure when I am there   Sometimes,  It just happens   I see her sitting besides and me forgetting the world&hellip;&hellip;  I remember those endless talks and all the rains and long nights&hellip;&hellip;  I remember eating pizza with fork and knife and she telling me how to eat pizza with hands&hellip;&hellip;  Walking together amongst the crowd and forgetting there is someone&hellip;.  I remember her washing hands again n again just to remove the colour of mehndi because she did not like the design&hellip;&hellip;  Sitting across the table in thoughts and she laughing when I told her that I am thinking about her&hellip;&hellip;  With all her choice getting that chocolate ice-cream and then giving me the biggest share&hellip;.  I remember when I am sad and she makes me laugh and tells me &ldquo;aap haste hue kitne achche lagte ho&rdquo;  I remember when I tell her how much you mean to me and she saying &rdquo;bolne sey pahle kuch soch liya karo&rdquo;    Sometimes,  It happens&hellip;.TIME JUST FLIES&hellip;&hellip;    ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:12:33 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>RELIGIOUS PROCESSION AND THE OLD MAN WITH ARTIFICIAL LEG</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/23490</link>
						<description><![CDATA[19th of Oct, It was a wonderful day so we decided to go out. Shopping was one of the agenda. So we decided to go to a famous market. While approaching the main street of the market I noticed a lot of police and these worthy policemen were diverting the traffic. On a Sunday when markets are full, diversions are painful. I am used to staying in green areas with clean and broad roads so felt a bit uncomfortable with the diversion. This diversion was because one religious procession was heading towards the famous religious place on the same street. One side of the road was blocked and was purely allocated to procession.   Traffic jam was obvious, with snail pace I drove the car and was apprehensive whether we will reach in time or not. Suddenly the snail also stopped. 15 minutes and nothing would move. I tried to peep out and check what is stopping this traffic with all those policemen and pointsmen on the road. Another 10 minutes nothing moved. On the other half of road the procession was in full swing, holy chants alongwith everyone munching something and most of them talking on cellphones. I decided to have a look on the chaos which was stopping this snail pace to a halt. Just 4 cars ahead of mine I saw an old man who was trying to cross the road from the procession side to other side there was no place to cross so he tried to make use of small space which was created due to broken railings. Due to rush of procession and in hurry to cross the road his artificial leg got entangled in the broken railing.   More than 3000 people crossed from the procession chanting Holy verses, 100 cars crossed taking a slight detour saving the old man, the traffic stopped because one car while taking a small detour hit another car on the left. They were busy fighting and the old man was busy trying to take out his leg. My car reached the spot. I stopped came out(much against the wishes of my better half) and helped the old man. It took precisely 3 minutes but in these three minutes there were more than 10 people in cars who were abusing me for stopping my car, there were more than 30 who were honking(abusing in fact with continuous honking) there were all these religious people who were chanting holy verses as if no one can see or hear anything else. The old man thanked and went, A police inspector came and thanked and said &ldquo;Saab, it is daring to do such a thing when sentiments flowing so high&rdquo;   Sentiments flowing high??? What rubbish&hellip; No one could come and help an old man&hellip;.everyone was happy waiting for 30 minutes but could not spare 3 minutes&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;many questions came to my mind.   What if use of chanting Holy verses if we can not help an old man?   It wasn&rsquo;t wrong to stop to help an old man, why was everyone abusing?   I don&rsquo;t think I will ever get answers to some questions&hellip;&hellip;  ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:44:53 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>EID, NAVRATRAS AND LITTLE RUBINA'S INNOCENT EYES</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/22339</link>
						<description><![CDATA[ 
I come from orthodox Brahmin background, such an environment where people don&rsquo;t even eat onions. Even in my generation maximum are pure vegetarians. Fasting during Navratras is routine ritual. Being in service that I am, it is not always possible to fast for all nine days, moreover, my Ma has excused me from all these rituals because she understands the conditions I serve in.  
 
A week before my ma called up and said if possible keep fast for one day (atleast). So, being Mama&rsquo;s boy I decided that I will fast on 2nd Oct. It would be easy for me as it is a national holiday. Being in remote area it was not possible for me to get &ldquo;Kuttu ka Atta&rdquo; (a non-grain flour) but&nbsp;I managed it somehow.  
 
Being a closed holiday, I was cleaning my cupboard and found two small gift-packs. During last medal round of Golf, I received these two prizes for &ldquo;longest drive&rdquo; and &ldquo;nearest to pin&rdquo;. I thought of opening them but something inside me said not to open.  
 
Today I was fasting&hellip;&hellip;  
 
Being Eid, I called up one of my juniors Kifaitullah to wish him and his family. His 4 year old daughter Rubina picked up the phone. She did not recognize me, I told her &ldquo;I am same uncle who gave you that Mauve colouerd sketch pen from my desk when you came to my office with your dad&rdquo; her voice changed and she shouted OH YOU ARE THAT LAMBU MAMU, I am coming to you with Dad&hellip;&hellip; Kifait with great difficulty took phone and I wished him. After exchanging pleasantries He said, sir, I am bringing biryani and seviyan for you&hellip; and kept the phone down.  
 
Kifaitullah and little angle Rubina came with a hot-case&hellip;&hellip; she jumped in my lap and started off ( I call her non-stop disco)  
 
&ldquo;Ammi has asked me to tell you that navratras are going on and she has made pure vegetarian biryani for her bahijaan and she has prepared all food early morning before cooking anything else and has asked me to make sure that her bhaijaan eats&rdquo; oh she says everything in one breath..... 
 
Kifait kept quiet, Rubina was in my lap and hanging to my neck, she said looking in my eyes &ldquo;You will eat na lambu mamu?, Ammi has not allowed anyone to touch this hot-case, food inside this is pure&rdquo; I promised her that I will eat what she brought for me. You know how kids are, she kept saying &ldquo;you eat biryani later, but atleast taste seviyan with me right now, Ammi did not allow me to taste saying not before Bhaijaan does because it has to be pure....huh !! Ammi&rsquo;s bhaijaan&ldquo;.  
 
I thought, whether the food was pure or impure did not matter anymore, fasting had no meaning right now, Goddess Durga was there right in front of my eyes. I took out seviyan and gave one spoon to Rubina and I took one spoon. The smile on her face and twinkle in her eyes is impossible for me to express and explain here in words&hellip;&hellip;I Took those two gifts what I saw in morning and gave to her. I think Goddess made me take out those for Rubina.  
 
I do not know whether I did it right or wrong. Mahatma Gandhi said once&hellip;WE MUST BECOME THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE&hellip;  
 
I called up Ma and told her everything and told her that I could not fast&hellip;&hellip;my Ma just said one thing&hellip;&hellip; &quot;Whatever you did,&nbsp;I am proud of you&quot; 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;HAPPY EID AND NAVRATRAS TO YOU ALL&quot; 
 
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						 <pubDate>Thu,  2 Oct 2008 17:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>MY CUCKOO IS BACK....</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/22178</link>
						<description><![CDATA[Sometimes one wants to change the daily dose of routine exercises &amp; workouts and decide to limber down. So I went for a stroll today instead of the routine run &amp; workout. I did not go towards the lake but&nbsp;took a detour&nbsp;to go through the lush green tea gardens.   Generally I used to go by the lake and listen to the sweet voice of Cuckoo, I had not seen Cuckoo for almost one week now, I was wondering where did she go, many questions, many apprehensions, strange feelings were crossing thoughts. My thoughts were not able to accept in any way that Cuckoo would leave this tree ever. In fact I had asked the tree quietly &ldquo;Did you in any way hurt the sweet Cuckoo?&rdquo; the tree replied &ldquo;how could I? I could never find someone who makes each day the best, each laugh the longest, each smile the widest, and a life, my life, worthwhile. All this was happening for last one week, everyday looking for the sweet Cuckoo and not finding it was heartbreaking&hellip;&hellip;I was sad, I was shattered&hellip;.and that was the reason I decided I will go towards the tea gardens and not the lake. I was missing Cuckoo, my sweet chirpy Cuckoo&hellip;   I had started calling Cuckoo my lifeline, because she was my LIFELINE, she always laughed it out whenever I told her&hellip;but I knew myself for sure.. she is my lifeline the thoughts somewhere deep down were not ready to accept that lifeline could ever go&hellip;&hellip;   I stopped and wanted to leave every thing else&hellip;just wanted to be with the Cuckoo&hellip;I started walking towards the willow tree besides the serene lake&hellip;.. the dusk was far away, I was almost running to reach the tree, looking for my sweet Cuckoo, something deep inside me was telling me to call for her, to call her and tell her how much I loved her, I could not do without her anymore, I would go back to shell if she leaves&hellip;   As rushing towards the lake, I was gazing towards the beautiful evening sky, Instead of thinking; I was daydreaming of her...And wondering if while she were in her own world, she would be thinking of me too. I was totally lost in her thoughts&hellip;was not expecting her to be there&hellip;&hellip;hoping against hopes&hellip;&hellip;somewhere in my thoughts I knew how much I loved her and also knew how much she loved me&hellip;I reached at the spot where we used to meet, I had heard many times her sweet voice and conversations were always silent, but we understood each word spoken in that silence, in the willow tree I did not see her&hellip;   I reached by the lake&hellip;&hellip;wow I heard the voice again&hellip;Cuckoo was there, she had not left me, she was there&hellip;&hellip;LIFELINE was back&hellip;today I could clearly see her&hellip; as soon as I looked into her eyes each breath became a thousand sighs. My heart pounded like a drummers beat. I was glowing with joy from head to feet. The sight of love had touched my soul, and the bell of destiny began to toll. The tide of emotions of love began to rise; my world was now really filled with beautiful blue skies. A brilliant rainbow arched across in the beautiful sky, as waves of love began to toss. I was there right in front of her, spellbound&hellip;&hellip;speechless&hellip;overawed in her presence&hellip;I had no words to praise her beauty&hellip;exactly same as I had dreamt&hellip;exactly same as I saw her in my early morning dreams&hellip;   My sweet Cuckoo, I decided to tell you today, how much I love you&hellip;the feelings of togetherness, the wonderful moments of joy and being in trance would be difficult to describe in words&hellip;but I know u understand my silence, I will always hold you close and make you feel safe, sheltered in from the dark clouds thunder and rain, from any of the storms. Today, when I take your hand and look into your eyes I see a heart made of gold and soul so pure. I know you must have come from heaven, because you have pretty angel eyes. When you gaze at me with them, my heart begins to fly. Your sweet voice, continuously rings in my ears. I am in your thoughts even when you are right in front of me....that is the magic you have...  With you by my side, I see us happy. Both of us are connected in a way that goes beyond romance, beyond friendship, beyond companionship, beyond what we've ever had before. It has defied time, distance, and changes in ourselves and in our lives. It has defied every elucidation. Except one just the one, Pure and plainly, we're soul mates. No one can explain we can just feel it. It's there in the way our spirits lift whenever we talk. It's in the delight we feel, when we laugh at exactly the same things. When we are together, it's like a tiny piece of the universe shifts into place. A place it's supposed to be, and all is right in this beautiful world&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip; yeah my Cuckoo is back...I wont let her go again.....    ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:50:37 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>SILENT THOUGHTS</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/21637</link>
						<description><![CDATA[Love is silent but it is bright,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even when it is past twilight.  As the Sun of joy will never set,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Those lovely moments we can&rsquo;t forget.   Breathing deeply to life&rsquo;s song,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Can we forget each other for long?  With you every moment I spent,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All memories are strangely bent.   I missed for a while, your voice n the space,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Still everyday I did a place.  Right at the table meant for two,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just for one and that is you.&nbsp;  I shall be the light and not the spark,  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You brought me back from the scary dark.&nbsp; Rivers are flowing in the ocean deep,  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I can&rsquo;t be the dew-drop that leaves can&rsquo;t keep.&nbsp;  Melodies many a times remain inside,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Today there is nothing to hide,  From our feelings deep within,  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For those times let the song begin. ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:22:33 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>CUCKOO CALLED IT “SWEET SEPTEMBER”</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/21204</link>
						<description><![CDATA[After a long hectic schedule of activities I got a break today, as always I planned to go to that 9.75 m by 7.62 m court and sweat it out with a double yellow dot. After seeing all the water for days from the space, it was so refreshing coming back to lush green surroundings. While on my way to the squash court I heard the voice of &ldquo;Koyal&rdquo; (some call it Indian Nightingale and some Cuckoo), yes, it was surprising because this is not the season you often hear Cuckoo. The voice was very sweet and I was mesmerized, saw the Cuckoo in flight and followed her. She stopped at every tree when she saw me failing to catch up with her voice and then sat in that beautiful willow tree; from across the lovely lake I could see the shadow of lush green willow in crystal clear water.   I tried my best to look for the Cuckoo; she was somewhere there in that willow. Sometimes the voices and sounds of such beautiful creatures give you strength and grow beyond you - to bolster your thoughts. Lovely thoughts flourish and seek to meet us at the point of origination.   Cuckoo was still not seen; I could hear her but could not see. She asked me in same sweet voice &ldquo;what are you thinking?&rdquo; I replied &quot;Your flight in open skies and sweet voice set me thinking, I wish, I could go where night begins and frozen sunlight sings. I do not know you well, but what I know enchants me, like a song sung far away. At times I cannot perceive sound of the words you say, but what you say hangs softly and slowly I begin to understand the essence.&quot;   Cuckoo smiled and said, &ldquo;I see you furtively and note your dreamy eyes, your spirit is half elsewhere. My friend, this is what I call disaster&hellip;&hellip;&rdquo; It was my turn to ask Cuckoo &ldquo;why do you call it a disaster? And why do you say so?   She again smiled and replied &ldquo;It is up to us to choose the option of calling it &lsquo;disaster&rsquo; or anything else. What we must understand is that when some emotion or expression does not seek to control or dictate where the spirit is going to flow I call it a disaster.&rdquo; Yes, even she calls it as disaster, I mumbled. Cuckoo heard my inarticulate words and asked, &ldquo;Who is she?&rdquo;   Oh SHE&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;In this beautiful clear water of lake, just as though the sea has stopped needing rainbows, She appeared in my dawn-sharpened sky with unabashed affection. Her faded picture looks so clear to me in the crystal water drops, the sound of perfect harmony are in the background and sweet emotions melting around. Her thoughts bring sweet rustic smell of raindrops in my soul like the rainbows that contain all colors of the feelings; beautiful sweet feelings adding the charm and the magic. Even her thoughts uncoil the rough twine making this journey so beautiful&hellip;&hellip;when she asks me about the plant of fortune and how is it growing, subtle movement or gentle breeze rekindles my thoughts&hellip;&hellip; The familiar fragrance brings a wistful smile and the occasional blast of fireworks always takes my breath away.   Cuckoo said &ldquo;I know, I know, A fire of thoughts that is carefully stoked and tended will not burn out. Blaze of bright sunshine and its warmth will always linger in your heart. It will beckon your soul and embrace you in its radiance. This is SWEET SEPTEMBER and the spark that has ignited long ago will remain an eternal flame&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;&rdquo;     ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:05:54 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>HER GOLDEN-BLACK HAIR AND HAZEL-GREEN EYES....</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/18701</link>
						<description><![CDATA[HER GOLDEN-BLACK HAIR&hellip;..    It was three years back when I met her for the first time on the way to Amarnath Shrine, they called her D&hellip;&hellip;. forget it. What is in the name? Monsoon had not set in, snow had not yet started melting and afternoon breeze and her presence next to me was catalyst enough for me to think &ldquo;Was it better for me to be a cliff than a smooth mountain, or it would have been better if I were a sand dune rather than the verdant garden?&rdquo; THOUGHTS&hellip;.they were something like a cave in which our torches show just the circumference of our minds&hellip;thoughts sometimes start flowing on undulating paths of vision and even if one tries, they go beyond imagination&hellip;   Her golden-black hair fluttering in that breeze were actually nothing in front of the calm ocean deep eyes, yeah she was the beauty which one would have only imagined. When she was walking on those multiangular rocks covered with snow, with poise and grace, was worth capturing in a time capsule. Her eyes were speaking more than she did. Each emotion was crystal clear. I know that love is WILL far more than it is PASSION but passion does sustain the will and one chooses love the way one chooses faith. I also knew very well that chance of happiness equals the risk of pain but still those hazel green eyes were like woods on a warm spring day&hellip;and I think I was slowly falling in love. She kept quiet all the way&hellip;all the staging camps where we had our halts; we did have some interaction but with all the people around and those tough conditions did not give me a chance to express what I had in my mind.   Many a times circumstances are more powerful than human being&hellip;She had to leave much before I did. I kept thinking of those hazel green eyes&hellip;. In daylight she was a haunting melody and in dark she was like symphony&hellip;.I kept gazing those sunlit doorways, the timeless world of sun n&rsquo; breezes and kept remembering those days of dappled love.   She had gone&hellip;.I was not sure if I will ever get a chance to meet her again&hellip;.   About three months back I had to move to Sikkim on a very short notice. Being tourist season I could not arrange accommodation prior to my move. On my way to Gnagtok, I called up an old buddy of mine Anand who is stationed at Gangtok and requested him to arrange some place for me to stay. He was furious. &ldquo;Me asking him to arrange accommodation?&rdquo; He told me to straight away reach his home and plan to stay with him. Anand had organized a get-together of some friends and when I reached his home I saw few more buddies. After initial jhappis and exchange of &ldquo;nice words&rdquo; with those blokes, Anand told me that he is also going along with me for the same purpose and he explained the plan of move for the next day. We all started moving inside.   As soon as I entered&hellip;&hellip;I stood speechless&hellip; whom do I see here&hellip;impossible to believe my eyes&hellip;Anand noticed those expressions on my face and whispered in my ear&hellip;bloody chap.. Don&rsquo;t look at her as if you know her&hellip;I said, of course I have met her and spent many days with her. Next Obvious question was How come she is here? Anand said, oh, she is with me for some time now, will tell you later&hellip;it&rsquo;s a long story but to cut the long story short she loves me a lot.   Her Golden- Black hair and eyes I never forgot since the time we had met 3 years back. Love does allow the rivers to flow freely and the tides to turn without regret. Love redeems the passions of the moment underneath the qualms that quell the sea. Her eyes again started to speak and&nbsp; sure enough those beautiful eyes started turning every moment into forever.   The evening passed and I went to my room. I was thinking of her and closed my eyes...I was asleep soon. I felt the warm breath on my hand and her head on my shoulder&hellip;oh was it a dream? I was suddenly awake and saw her next to me&hellip;those dreamy eyes were so close to me&hellip;I switched on the light and saw Anand standing there too, he clearly gave those expressions of being heartbroken. I tried to explain my position&hellip;. Since Anand is one of my best buddies he knew that it was not me who could do this&hellip;and even she was there with me for old time&rsquo;s sake&hellip;..   Best part was that she was not at all afraid of cockroaches, lizards, heights, snowstorms or blizzards&hellip;she was mentally robust&hellip;She was fond of playing with small pebbles which clearly represented the child in her. We all spent almost a week together, long walks on those beautiful mountains were like paradise and the emotions flew high so so many times&hellip;In her presence the beauty of night sky lit with diamonds made those stars so beautiful and romantic&hellip;love looks for the grace of its reflection and that is why love becomes the cause of love itself. I felt Love was more richer than the loveliness of the coral seas&hellip;This was the best time of my life.   This time it was me who had to come back&hellip;the time spent with her I will always cherish. Before I was winding up for coming back, I requested Anand if I could click a few pictures of her/with her&hellip;he agreed reluctantly. While transferring those pictures to my computer somehow I managed to delete them. I called up Anand to send me one picture (at least). I would have definitely shared her picture with you all, but being public domain I feel it would be incorrect. I will surely and certainly show you all those beautiful eyes by putting some portion of the picture by updating this post as soon as I receive it&hellip;that is a promise. I shall also tell you her name.                                I do not know why most of the readers called it anti-climax...yeah most of you were correct...her name as registered in Kennel Club is &quot;Golden Sunshine&quot; but everyone called her Dolly....DOLLY THE DOLL...The best rescue canine i ever worked with...I recieved the pic 10 minutes back and as promised I am posting it here...You can see still she is sitting with a pebble..so shy she is that as soon as you try to click a photograph she looks the other way. I am sure you all will also fall in love with her.....had anyone seen her doing her job..you would have written much more than what i wrote..Her love and dedication was UNCONDITIONAL....Thanks a lot everyone to have read my blog.... ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:56:23 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>10 All Time Favorite Literary Figures</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/18408</link>
						<description><![CDATA[My list of my 10 All Time Favorite Literary Figures&nbsp;..here I go.......IN RANDOM ORDER.... 
 
#1 DORIAN GRAY (&ldquo;The Picture of Dorian Gray&rdquo; By Oscar Wilde)  
 
This is not a new topic, selling your soul to the devil for success, eternal beauty and youth. But I think &quot;the picture of Dorian gray&quot; is even more topical nowadays than it was perhaps at the end of the 19 th century when Wilde wrote the novel. In the person of Dorian gray he describes a phenomenon that is typical for our society everything gets reduced to the outer appearance (beauty, youth, success etc.). Relations to other people remain on a very superficial level. It&rsquo;s all about having fun, the result is a total emptiness inside. The soul, the heart of a person doesn&rsquo;t matter anymore. That&rsquo;s the way Dorian leads his life. He hasn&rsquo;t got a conscience. He harms and hurts people continually and he just doesn&rsquo;t care. he still gets admired because of his beauty (a person that is as beautiful as him cannot do anything bad. only his painting shows his true self, the ugliness of his soul, but no one can see it).so for many years everything seems to be perfect. But than at a certain point his own emptiness inside, his &quot;soullessness&quot; starts to break him. he recognizes that he had only done harm to the people that once loved him and that now no one is left that would care about the person Dorian gray and his beauty, his eternal youth ,the admiration of his outer appearance cannot compensate the loss of his soul. That&rsquo;s exactly what happens in our society. We also live in &quot;soulless&quot; times and the superficiality of our beauty, youth and success admiring fun society starts to break people inside. That&rsquo;s why nowadays more and more people get into depression. Dorian would have probably been a happier and more fulfilled person at the end of his life if he had become fat, old and ugly but if he had kept his soul instead. Dorian gray and all he embodies fascinating from learning point of view......I think I&rsquo;ve written too much for one character itself. Ok, I&rsquo;m going to put the rest in a nutshell.  
 
#2 CLAUDIUS ( &ldquo;I, Claudius and Claudius the God&rdquo; By Robert Graves)  
 
Underdog to the extreme! Born a cripple, treated like an idiot by nearly all his relatives, shunned by his mother, loses everyone who cares for him...and he becomes Emperor of Rome. Ha ha ha&hellip;. the real Emperor Claudius was nothing like this Claudius, so do not get confused in case you have not read the book.  
 
#3 SAM GAMGEE ( &ldquo;The Lord of the Rings&rdquo; By J. R. R. Tolkien)  
 
He is simple but smart, loyal and funny &ndash; he has got plenty of &quot;good hobbit common sense&quot; but enough imagination to make him different. By the end, the &quot;working boy makes good&quot;.  
 
#4 SEVERUS SNAPE (J.K. Rowling's &quot;Harry Potter&quot; series)  
 
You all will agree with me that Snape is fascinating because he's so ambiguous. He is actually good guy despite his reputedly foul humor. As it looks he is a complete ass&nbsp;to Harry and others, and he has a dark past, but he still does things to help Harry. So, it's always a puzzle trying to figure out &quot;where his loyalties lie,&quot; I also have a feeling that Snape was a bit of an unpopular dork when he was a student at Hogwarts, which is another reason why he seems to hate Harry.  
 
#5 ATTICUS FINCH (&ldquo;To Kill a Mockingbird&rdquo; By Harper Lee)  
 
The man. Smart, caring, bold, stands up for what he thinks is right, and a great father. I read that book as a young school boy and it fascinated me since then. I was horrified by the injustice in the book, not just the trial and death of an innocent man but also the injustice of Boo's life. Atticus was great, calm but passionate and a brilliant as a father. I was also amazed and excited when I realised the narrator was a young girl and not a boy as in most books. Had I not read the book then I would have missed this jewel of a novel as a child. I think, he is the best character of all times.  
 
#6 SCHMEDRICK THE MAGICIAN (&quot;The Last Unicorn&quot; By Peter Borough)&nbsp; 
Schmendrick is so very cool because although he isn't a great wizard, he knows this quite well and he still tries to use his magic to help people.&nbsp;Moreover, he is clever and has a sense of humor.  
 
#7 SHERLOCK HOLMES (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)&nbsp; 
 
The most real of modern characters, the Baker Street detective receives thousands of letters a year from fans worldwide seeking his services. Conan Doyle couldn&rsquo;t kill him, when he sent Holmes tumbling to the bottom of the Reichenbach Falls, readers demanded that Sherlock be resurrected to pursue further adventures. Mind and ego to match makes him unmistakable.&nbsp; 
 
#8 CHIA PAO-YU (&ldquo;Dream of the Red Chamber&rdquo; By Cao Xueqin)  
 
This book is also known as &quot;The Story of the Stone&quot;. Chia pao Yu is Hero of China&rsquo;s greatest novel, An effeminate youth, he is pampered by his wealthy Chia family, whose machinations place him at the apex of a tragic love triangle. His character focuses the complex symbolism, encapsulated in its alternative titles, making him both the earthly Dreamer, who suffers from the poignant illusions of life, and a misplaced Stone of Heaven, or Precious Jade (Pao-yu), who must finally reclaim his spiritual destiny. Great character &hellip;you have to read the book to actually understand this young man.  
 
#9 RHETT BUTLER (&ldquo;Gone with the Wind&rdquo; By Margaret Mitchell) &ndash;&nbsp; 
 
Ha ha ha, he is surely a wicked person, he is dashing, he is smart and most of all he totally enjoys his life &lsquo;without any qualms&rsquo;.&nbsp; 
 
 
#10 ANGUA (&ldquo;Discworld&rdquo; By Terry Pratchett)&nbsp; 
 
Werewolf-woman and constable in the Discworld novels set in Ankh Morpork. Smart, sassy, dogged, beautiful. Kickass lady that summarises Angua.&nbsp; 
 
It would be easy to write TEN more characters THAN tagging someone&hellip;lol The blog will be so long if I keep writing so&nbsp;I will list without giving the mandatory WHY&hellip;..all of you who have read will truely understand &ldquo;why&rdquo;? 
 
so here are 10 more  
 
#11 Hana, The English Patient By Michael Ondaatje.  
 
#12 Mr. Biswas, A House for Mr. Biswas By V.S. Naipaul.  
 
#13 Yuri Zhivago, Dr. Zhivago By Boris Pasternak.  
 
#14 Celie, The Color Purple By Alice Walker.  
 
#15 Lennie Small, Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck.  
 
#16 Santiago, The Old Man and the Sea By Ernest Hemingway.  
 
#17 Eugene Henderson, Henderson the Rain King By Saul Bellow  
 
#18 Marcel, Remembrance of Things Past By Marcel Proust.  
 
#19 Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon By Dashiell Hammett.  
 
#20 Humbert Humbert, Lolita By Vladimir Nabokov.  
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						 <pubDate>Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:47:51 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>SHAMEFUL AND UNBECOMING CONDUCT</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/17790</link>
						<description><![CDATA[SHAMEFUL AND UNBECOMING CONDUCT   &quot;If you have to die, do so around Delhi or Mumbai&quot;&nbsp;  (Excerpts&nbsp;taken&nbsp;from article&nbsp;written by Krishna Prasad, former editor, Vijay Times and one of India's finest young journalists)   The passing away of the only Indian to be appointed Field Marshal when in active service has been remarkable for the warmth of the ordinary men and women, who queued up to say meebeenamet to the adorable dikra who put his life on the line for them......&nbsp;  Born in 1914 in Amritsar, he joined the Indian Military Academy in 1933 and was commissioned into the Army in 1934. During the Burma campaign in the Second World War, he was hit in his stomach by machine-gun fire. Spotting the wounded Sam and recognising his courage in the line of fire, Maj. Gen. David Tennent &quot;Punch&quot; Cowan took off his Military Cross ribbon and pinned it on his chest, saying: &quot;A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross.&quot;   His professionalism and values earned him deep regard not only from India but even from Pakistan. Shortly after his retirement, he was invited to Pakistan. In Lahore, where he had grown up, as he was departing after being hosted by the governor of Punjab province, one of his employees placed his turban at Manekshaw's feet. In chaste Punjabi, when Sam told him &quot;...this turban should be on your head, not at my feet...&quot;, the man emotionally replied that it was there to thank him for the well-being of five of his sons serving in the Pakistan Army and all being held as prisoners of war in India, in humane conditions with prisoners' pay, beds to sleep on, even when Indian Army personnel were facing a shortage of the same, and the provision to write letters home, which he was receiving from all of them. His parting words, much to the embarrassment of the governor and officials were: &quot;...we will never again say that Indians are bad....&quot;  It has also been remarkable for the complete lack of grace and gratitude, civility and courtesy, decency and decorum on the part of the bold-faced names rapaciously grazing the lawns of power in Delhi and elsewhere, for the brain behind India's only decisive military victory.&nbsp;  Sam, the Bahadur, had been unwell for a while now. From about 1000 hours on June 26, reports of his being &quot;critically ill&quot; had appeared in the media. Yet, when the &quot;expected tocsin&quot; sounded at 0030 hours till the guns were fired in salute around 1500 hours on June 27, &quot;civil society&quot; chose to show its incivility.........   Pratibha Patil: the commander-in- chief of the armed forces with all the time in the world: Absent  Hamid Ansari: Vice-president releasing books and writing reviews of books by fellow-travellers: Absent  Manmohan Singh: the prime minister who could do with a bit of the field marshal's charisma and heroism: Absent  Sonia Gandhi: daughter-in- law of the woman the field marshal called &quot;sweetie&quot;: Absent  L K Advani: prime minister in waiting of the party which would like to do to Pakistan what Manekshaw did: Absent  M Karunanidhi and Surjit Singh Barnala: chief minister and governor of the state which Manekshaw had made his home for 35 years: Absent&nbsp;  There were no wreaths placed on Field Marshal Manekshaw's bier, on President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's behalf.   Politicians may have their reasons. They always do. Maybe, there are issues like protocol. Maybe, this is one way in which 'civil India' shows the armed forces its place. Maybe, this is why we are not as militaristic as Pakistan. Maybe, the knees are just too old to climb the hills.  But what about the armed forces itself?   A K Antony: the defence minister 'now behaving like the chairman of the confederation of the armed forces' trade unions: absent 'due to prior political engagements' .  The chief of army staff: absent (away in Russia )  The chief of navy staff: absent  The chief of air staff: absent  The fact that the defence minister was represented by his deputy Pallam Raju, the fact that the navy and air staff sent two-star general rank officers, shows that however high or mighty, however rich or powerful, civilian or military, if you should die as you must, you should do so somewhere in the vicinity of New Delhi -- or Bombay.  Or else, they must have some use for you. Or else, too bad.&nbsp;  As&nbsp; Field Marshal rightly surmised once: &quot;I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla -- although a great many of them in the past have resembled the latter.&quot;   The contrast couldn't be starker:   When Amitabh Bachchan was ill after being socked in the stomach during the shooting of Coolie, Indira Gandhi flew down to Bombay to show her concern.  When Dhirubhai Ambani died, L K Advani cut short his Gujarat tour to pay his respects to an 'embodiment of initiative, enterprise and determination' .  When Pramod Mahajan was shot dead by his brother, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekawat had the time to attend the funeral.&nbsp;  Our VIPs and VVIPs have time for dead and dying celebrities, charlatans, fixers. Not for a field marshal?&nbsp;  In his biography, K M Cariappa, the only other field marshal India has had (and who too died at age 94), writes of his father's cremation in May 1993:&nbsp;  &quot;Honouring him in death as they did in life were Field Marshal Manekshaw, the three service chiefs all of whom belonged to the same course and at whose passing out parade from the joint services wing father had presided, the gracious chief minister M Veerappa Moily and C K Jaffer Sharief, Minister for Railways representing the President as the supreme commander of the armed forces.&quot;&nbsp;  Somebody should have told the geniuses in Delhi that Sam, the Bahadur, passed away in Wellington, Ooty, not Wellington, New Zealand . The nearest civil airport is Coimbatore, just 80 km away.&nbsp;  If this is how we say goodbye to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, any wonder why Rang de Basanti could successfully tap into the angst of an entire generation?   ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
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						<title>Mother's Day - ties that bind and tag...</title>
						<link>http://www.fropper.com/post/15230</link>
						<description><![CDATA[Mother's Day - ties that bind and tag...  (I was tagged by Dhaval to write)  MOTHERS DAY HER-STORY (HISTORY)   Celebrating motherhood is a historical tradition dating back almost as far as mothers themselves. A number of ancient cultures paid tribute to mothers as goddesses, including the ancient Greeks, who celebrated Rhea, the mother of all gods. The ancient Romans also honored their mother goddess, Cybele, in a notoriously rowdy springtime celebration and the Celtic Pagans marked the coming of spring with a fertility celebration linking their goddess Brigid together with the first milk of the ewes.   During the 17th century, those living on the British isles initiated a religious celebration of motherhood, called Mothering Sunday, which was held on the forth Sunday during the Lenten season. This holiday featured the reunification of mothers and their children, separated when working class families had to send off their young children to be employed as house servants. On Mothering Sunday, the child servants were allowed to return home for the day to visit with their parents. The holiday's popularity faded in the 19th century, only to be reincarnated during World War II when U.S. servicemen reintroduced the sentimental (and commercial) aspects of the celebration American counterpart.     MOMMY TRIVIA   The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of my mom&hellip;  STRENGTH. If you see my Mom you will understand the true meaning of &ldquo;STILL WATERS RUNS DEEP&rdquo;. Calm, Quiet still so strong. That&rsquo;s how she could raise her four boys who are doing excellent in their professions and life in entirety.   My mom affectionately calls me&hellip;  Chhotu, Mera Sher(My lion), Shaitan (mischievous), so many other names that i can not write here..Ha ha ha ha. She calls me chhotu because I am the shortest amongst brothers (6&rsquo;2&rdquo; tall chhotu)   The worst beating / scolding I ever got from my mom...  NEVER.. My Ma never even raised voice. Gods don&rsquo;t scold or beat.   One thing I have hidden from my mom...  Oh so so many things&hellip;. Most of the times when I was injured etc etc..But I did that so.... to save her tears&hellip;..   My mom&rsquo;s catchphrases or takia kalaam&hellip;  Kab Bada hoga (When will you grow up). Apne sare medals apne paas rakh le mai kab tak chaukidari karungi (Take back all your medals, till when will I look after them). Kab Sudhrega(when will you improve)   Some funny incident(s) with my mom...  My ma is pure vegetarian (her food is onion/garlic free) so I keep joking with her to taste non-veg dishes and she will run away from the situation. Since I am fond of cooking one day I was cooking some thing and she happen to ask me what I was upto. I told her I am cooking good vegetarian chicken for her who was grown up on veg diet with not even onion and garlic Oh boy&hellip;. you should have seen the reaction on her face, she immediately covered her nose with her sari and literally ran towards her room. My wife kept calling her but she did not come to kitchen saying &ldquo;Pahle us rakshas ko kitchen se bahar nikalo&rdquo;( first ask that demon to leave the kitchen then only I will come)   Forgetting glasses is very very common, the glases will be on her head and she would be searching them all over, and if someone tells her that the glasses she is looking everywhere are on her head she would say she is looking for something else not the glasses.   The last time mom got angry with me&hellip;  I don&rsquo;t remember my Ma getting angry on me ever.   My mom's the best because...  She is always Cool and Calm, understands the latest trends and never imposes her ideas on anyone. Very very strong in conviction.   The most cherished gift I have from mom&hellip;  Cool headed nature. No jumping on conclusions&hellip;&hellip;The night suits she makes for me every time I visit her.   What else?  I think her handwriting resembles with Mahatma Gandhi&rsquo;s, which after sometime she also can not read.   What would I be doing for Mother's Day?  I gave her a call and told her how much I love her and miss her. I left home at very young age to join Academy so she still gives me all the GYAN(wisdom) thinking I&rsquo;m still that young and I got a big lecture when I called her up. I again offered to cook non-veg (Veggie Chicken)&nbsp;for her.......she was quiet for a while and when I asked her, was she crying, she replied &quot;no the signal is weak&quot; and told me how much she missed all the pranks I did as a kid and still keep doing&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;.(yea she was crying....!!!! ) ]]></description>
						 <pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 14:42:32 +0000</pubDate>
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