Glorious Sixty Year Olds

Beethoven and Friends: By Kishore Chatterjee Those who are familiar with Western Classical Music in India, will also be familiar with Kishore Chatterjee's  radio talks about them. He has also anchored various shows on this subject and has also taken part in talks about it at Calcutta University and Jadavpur University, among other places. His book, Beethoven and Friends , is all about the history of Western Classical history, through the unusual format of stories about those who were a part of it. I have enjoyed the book as much as I have enjoyed listening to Western Classical music, which is a lot. Music for me has meant peace and relaxation, it has meant a transcendence into a world of joy and blissful sounds. I have never really attempted to understand the nuances of symphonies nor of operas, Mozart and Beethoven were just my lifelong friends who gave me some amazing music. However, after reading this book, I have begun to pay more attention to what I am listening to, it ha...

" During my childhood, I was afraid of my parents. As I grew older my teachers bossed me. Once I got married, I was afraid of my in-laws and my husband. Then my children took over and again I was the subdued one. Now my daughter-in-law has arrived and even though she is a lovely person, I am afraid to say anything to her because she might get offended." Does this refrain sound familiar? Does it touch a chord somewhere - or do you mock it and wonder which spineless woman is talking in this fashion? You will be surprised at how many women feel that life has somehow passed them by. Somewhere their individuality has been submerged in the sea of family and obligations. This is the generation of women who we have termed as "the sandwiched generation." Most of these women were born between 1945 and 1960. They were children when Freedom was achieved and were among the first few who were a part of the education system of Free India. They grew up in the heady da...

What concerns and bothers me : 1. Is there really no alternative to crooks as politicians - surely there are some good ones out there? 2. Why are people so unconcerned about the elections - our vote affects only our area but surely we can raise awareness about the importance of these votes 3. How do we get the politicians to listen to us and stop fighting among themselves - this is definitely a hypothetical question - I must be foolish to expect an answer to it !! 4. Is our future going to be determined by the power of our votes or by the power of which party is able to buy the most members of parliament ? Every newspaper seems to have nothing but election news as part of their coverage. This is to be expected and basically because elections are an important part of our system of governance. Then why is it that most of the educated people do not seem to be concerned about it? Is there a sense of dejavu in this, or is it because they feel that their votes do not really matter. Or would ...

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born A Death Certificate shows that we died Pictures show that we lived! Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly.. I Believe... That just because two people argue, It doesn't mean they don't love each oth...

All of us have our own definitions of what define us as grandparents - but here is one from the viewpoint of 8 year olds - amusing, touching and very true. Where do we get the patience to do all this - and where was this patience when our own children were growing up? WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT? (Taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-old American kids) Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of their own. They like other people's. A grandfather is a man, & a grandmother is a lady! Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money. When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They show us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on 'cracks.' They don't say, 'Hurry up.' Usually grandmot...

Why did this happen ? Why is it that we cannot teach people how not to hate so much, how not to kill innocent bystanders, how not to go around shooting people just because they happened to be in a certain place at a certain time. I have no answers, I only have questions. I am seeking some words which will make me understand the carnage. I have watched the videos of the dead people at the station, their only fault - they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Surely life cannot be measured by the bullets of a young man in Versace T-shirt, who does not even bother to hide his face as he goes around with an AK-47 - or whatever it was. I asked a friend of mine as to why and how do people develop so much hatred for others this is what she said : People who can kill like those who did so in Mumbai lack empathy for those not "in my family/tribe". Dehumanize people who are outside your group enough, and get permission from an authority (Bush, scripture, Guru, Imam etc) and belie...

After watching the film " Bucket List " with two great actors - Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in it - I figured it was time I built a 'bucket list' for myself. It is unlikely that I am going to achieve even 10% of what I am writing - but it is good to get it down on paper.It is good to have something to look at and say - maybe I should do this - or maybe I should help someone to do this - or maybe Pran and myself should really try to do this. Most of these will just end up being words on paper, but then as in the BeeGees song - "words are all I have" 1. Open a school for children of construction workers. Most of them just play by the wayside while their parents work at the sites. They are not there for very long and the logistics involved in this are way too many. But maybe someday when I have enough money, I may be able to do this or maybe I can help someone who already does this. 2. Cut my hair short and let it go grey. Too much effort is involved to d...