Sunday, May 15, 2011

MAKEOVER

MAKEOVER

MAKEOVER

The Beauty Trap
Cosmetic Engineering
Food for Thought and Implementation
By
VIKRAM KARVE

Are you happy with yourself as you are?

Think about it - close your eyes, reflect, and think about all aspects of your entire self - your body, your personality, your physical appearance, your mental faculties, your social graces, your talent and your soft skills.

Are you jealous of others? Especially, do you envy those who you think are "better" or "smarter" than you?

Do you crave to be like them and yearn to acquire all their qualities?

Are you obsessed with the quest for perfection?

Are you desperate for a "makeover" and trying all sorts of things in order to "improve" yourself - beauty parlours, gyms, personality "development", finishing schools, dance classes - anything and everything to change your personality in the desperate quest to become someone else.

Why are you not happy with yourself as you are?

If you are not happy with yourself as you are, then you must read this story:

Once there lived a Goat – an ordinary looking goat - who lived wild and free in the mountains.

One day while grazing in the forest, the goat saw a Giraffe, and the goat said to himself, “I wish my neck was as long as the giraffe.”

Lo and Behold!

The goat’s neck suddenly became as long as the giraffe’s.

Delighted, that he could now see far and wide, the goat saw an eagle flying high in the sky.

“I wish I had wings like that eagle,” wished the goat... and instantaneously, wings appeared on the goat’s body.

Thrilled, the goat flapped its newly acquired wings, when he suddenly he spotted a tortoise.

The goat admired the beautiful hard shell of the tortoise, and said to himself, “I wish I had a strong hard invincible body like the shell of the tortoise,” and instantly his wish was granted – the goat’s back turned into the shell of a tortoise.

The goat felt ecstatic and impregnable, till he suddenly saw a Cheetah speeding across the horizon running at high speed.

“I wish I had legs like the Cheetah,” the goat wished, and miracle of miracles, the goat’s legs immediately became like the Cheetah.

Now the goat was truly overjoyed, on cloud nine, till he saw the enchanting sight of a beautiful peacock with majestic feathers dancing magnificently.

“I wish I had gorgeous feathers like the peacock,” he wished, and in a jiffy the goat’s wish was granted, and the goat now had dazzling copious plume of colourful feathers.

Adorned with the neck of the giraffe, the wings of the eagle, the shell of the tortoise, the legs of the Cheetah and the feathers of the peacock, the Goat felt jubilant, supreme, regal, on top of the world, and strutted around grandiosely in majestic pride.

A Hunter passing by suddenly saw this unique stunning creature and he marvelled for a moment as he couldn’t believe his eyes.

The hunter stared in fascination and gawked enthralled and was mesmerized at the bizarre and fascinating creature he had never seen before.

After looking spellbound at the fantastic “Goat” for some time, the hunter recovered his wits and decided to capture this exotic priceless gem.

So the hunter cast his net, caught the “Goat” and sold this amazing “never-seen-before” and “one-of-its-kind” exclusive creature at an astronomical price to the zoo.

Large crowds gathered at the zoo, and everyone gaped in awe at this astonishingly exotic creature, fascinated by the awesome sight.

The exotic “Goat” spent the rest of its life in captivity locked up in a cage, weeping and crying, and he wondered why even those other ordinary goats, his erstwhile fellow brethren, who were wandering about freely and unnoticed in the zoo gardens, did not recognize him.


This apocryphal story, a parable, highlights the dangers of trying to be everything and exemplifies the ramifications of ensnaring yourself into the Beauty Trap of your own making.

Dear Reader, tell me, isn’t it better to accept ourselves as we are rather than chase elusive dreams of “perfect beauty”?

Why is it that we are not happy with ourselves as we are?

These days everybody wants to be “perfect” in all aspects, physically and intellectually.

Everyone wants to have a “picture perfect” body, a shapely figure “perfectly sculpted” in all dimensions, and look “perfectly beautiful”, and have a flawless complexion, and be absolutely “perfect”, and to achieve this goal some are ready to do all sorts of things, exoteric, even esoteric, maybe even go under the scalpel.

Even spiritually, you are constantly chasing elusive dreams of happiness and enlightenment, becoming a "seeker", trying to "improve" yourself, when the key to self enlightenment is inside you, waiting for you to look inwards and discover for yourself.

Why are we are not satisfied with ourselves as we are?

Why do we want to have all possible qualities and attributes, intellectual and physical?

Why do we try to "fake it" and try to wear a mask of pretence and develop "social graces" that are in conflict with our inner nature and basic personality?

Why are we obsessed with the quest for perfection?

Whenever you don't feel happy about yourself, as you are, and get obsessed with "improving" yourself, remember the story of the Goat who tried to be everything and lost his own identity and, most importantly, lost his freedom.
It is always best to be happy with your own unique identity, albeit not so perfect, rather than try to be everything and in the quest for perfection lose your own identity.


VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2011
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Did you like this story?
I am sure you will like the 27 stories in COCKTAIL
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures(2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Fiction Short Stories Book

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: BIBWEWADI Value For Money Living in Pune

Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: BIBWEWADI Value For Money Living in Pune: "BIBWEWADI VALUE FOR MONEY LIVING in PUNE By VIKRAM KARVE I have just had a full glass of delicious refreshing invigorating sugar c..."

BIBWEWADI Value For Money Living in Pune


BIBWEWADI
VALUE FOR MONEY LIVING in PUNE
By
VIKRAM KARVE

I have just had a full glass of delicious refreshing invigorating sugar cane juice for five rupees. You don’t believe me? Okay, just head for Vrushali Rasvanti Gruha opposite Bibwewadi Village.

Well, Bibwewadi is very much a part of Pune City and no longer a village as are Aundh, Baner, Pashan, Sus, Kondhwa, Warje, Wakad and so many other erstwhile “villages” which were merged with Pune a few years ago.

Talking of Wakad, where I live now, I was astonished the other day to read in the property supplement of a leading newspaper that the property rates of Wakad are the same as Bibwewadi.

Of course, you will realise when you try to buy a house in Pune that these published property rates are to be taken with a pinch of salt. But just imagine comparing Bibwewadi, which in my opinion is, at present, probably the best place in Pune to live in, to Wakad, which has a zero quality of life.

It’s all hype. From first hand experience I can tell you that the quality of living in Bibwewadi is much better than the much hyped localities like Aundh, Baner, Kondhwa, Pashan, Kalyaninagar which may have snob appeal and pseudo elite status. In contrast, here in Bibwewadi you can enjoy true Value-For-Money living. You can take my word for it for I have lived in Bibwewadi for more than 25 years. Yes, I have lived in Aundh too in recent years, and I can say for sure that as on today the quality of life and standard of value-for-money living in Bibwewadi is much better than Aundh.

Today Bibwewadi has got everything you want for a decent life. You’ve got excellent malls, a multiplex, good hospitals, branches of all major banks, plenty of ATMs, all kinds of shops, automobile agencies and garages, all kinds of services you normally want, schools, colleges, a deemed university and professional educational institutions nearby, and most importantly, decent affordable restaurants and delicious street food.

Connectivity is good, with both Pune Camp and most parts of Pune City easily accessible. You have wide good quality roads, the traffic is much better than most parts of Pune, there is plenty of parking space. You’ve got the BRTS route on Satara Road (NH4), the bus service is much better than most parts of Pune and you can get a rickshaw very easily (also I have never found a rickshaw driver unwilling to come to Bibwewadi whereas getting a rickshaw for Aundh, Baner, Wakad etc is a Herculean task and you are fleeced most of the time. If you want to go to Mumbai, just take the wide Satara Road and meet up with the Katraj Dehu Bypass on the Banagalore Mumbai National Highway 4 and then onto the Expressway. And if you love animals, the Zoo and Katraj snake park are just a stone’s throw away.

The footpaths all over Bibwewadi are good, especially on the Bibwewadi Main Road (Swami Vivekananda Road) and the Bibwewadi Kondhwa Road and you can walk relatively easily compared to the rest of Pune as the encroachments are much less. After incorporation of the BRTS, the main Satara Road is a boon for walkers and cyclists, with dedicated tracks on both sides for pedestrians and cyclists. I can easily take my pet dog Sherry for a long walk right from City Pride to the Dhankavadi signal after which the tracks disappear.

Compared to most of Pune which is densely populated, Bibwewadi is comparatively less crowded comprising mostly bungalow and row house societies with just a few high rises. Here it is greener than the concrete jungles of Pune and the air is quite pure, especially early in the morning when you can enjoy your morning walk in spacious surroundings – the roads are clear, there are plenty of parks nearby, including the new one in Sahakarnagar, and, like I did earlier, you can always go up Taljai Hills into the verdant forest there. (Of course, the beautiful Bibwewadi hill with its Seminary where we used to go earlier is now covered with buildings). Another place in Pune I always liked was Salisbury Park which even today is green and relatively less crowded.

Are you are thinking of buying a home in Pune (a home for your family to live in and not a house to rent out or for investment). Then remember one thing – ONE LOOK IS BETTER THAN A THOUSAND REPORTS.

So don’t go by the hype and alluring advertisements and the seductive names of some of those new townships which may give you an impression that you are in some exotic foreign locale, an exclusive island in the pacific or the Caribbean, or a tourist destination high up in the hills or a beach resort – just go out there and see for yourself.

One more thing – beware of the word “ANNEXE” frequently used in housing advertisements, the word annexe is just used to exploit the snob appeal of the so called high-falutin localities. For example, Aundh annexe is nowhere near Aundh (places like Pimple Saudagar, Pimple Gurav, Pimple Nilakh and Navi Sangvi are touted as Aundh Annexe whereas they are across the river in PCMC and not PMC) and I saw a complex in Thergaon being touted as Wakad Annexe. (It seems Wakad is also acquiring status value!).

Well, I don’t know what’s so great about the name Aundh. In the 1960s, when we were small, Aundh was associated with the famous Chest Hospital and TB. Of course there was a genuinely elite Aundh, a princely state somewhere in the interiors of Maharashtra, but this princely state of Aundh was not the overcrowded suffocating concrete jungle called Aundh that you see in Pune today.

Hey, I have digressed. This piece was supposed to be about Sugar Cane Juice. Let me tell you one thing – you get the best sugarcane juice in Pune – no doubt about it. I have had sugarcane juice all over, but nothing can beat the sheer quality and lovely heavenly taste of the sugarcane juice that you get all over Pune in Rasvanti Gruhas. You know the secret? Maybe it’s got to do with the quality of sugarcane, maybe it’s those generous pieces of tangy ginger and juicy lemon they add to the sugarcane while crushing out the juice that do the trick. (My favourite raswanti gruha – well it is Murlidhar Rasvanti Gruha [Established 1947] near Shanipar in the heart of Pune.

Well the “smart” youngsters of today may consider it infra dig to drink fresh sugarcane juice and prefer artificial bottled colas, but for me – I love fresh tangy refreshing sugarcane juice anytime.

They say sugarcane juice is healthy, strengthens your organs like your brain, heart, stomach, kidneys, eyes and sex organs, has plenty of protein and iron, prevents sore throat, cold and flu, and is a panacea for many ills, but I don’t know all that – I just love a tall cool restorative glass of sugarcane juice on a hot dry afternoon to quench my thirst and beat the heat.

Cheers.

VIKRAM KARVE


© vikram karve., all rights reserved.


Do you like a glass of fresh cool soothing refreshing sugar cane juice? How about trying out this delicious heady exciting COCKTAIL (just click the links below to order your Cocktail)

Cheers
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures(2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Fiction Short Stories Book


© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: CINEMATIC HERITAGE OF PUNE - A Punekar Movie Buff Walks Down Memory Lane

Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: CINEMATIC HERITAGE OF PUNE - A Punekar Movie Buff Walks Down Memory Lane

CINEMATIC HERITAGE OF PUNE - A Punekar Movie Buff Walks Down Memory Lane

CINEMATIC HERITAGE OF PUNE
A Punekar Movie Buff Walks Down Memory Lane
By
VIKRAM KARVE

In the 1960s and 1970s, Pune (or Poona the anglicized name by which it was known earlier, rightfully changed to Pune in the 1960s, I think) was a lovely place to live in.

Pune is known as The Queen of the Deccan and was truly a beautiful city with a salubrious climate, academic ambience and a laid-back relaxed lifestyle and that is why it was considered a “pensioners’ paradise” and the Oxford of the East.

Pune was the birthplace of the Indian Film Industry at Prabhat Studio (where The Film and Television Institute or FTII are located now), and it is probably due to Pune’s Cinematic Heritage that The National Film Archives of India or NFAI is located here) and maybe that is why Pune had a large number of cinema theatres to cater to the finer appetites of Punekars who loved theatre and cinema and the fine arts.

They say, that at one time, in India, only Mumbai had more cinema theatres than Pune. Most of these “single-screen” movie halls (as they are derisively called now) have disappeared, or are in quite a dilapidated condition, struggling to make ends meet, and some are on the verge of shutting down.

Now, with the proliferation of multiplexes, Pune is like any other faceless metropolis, and, probably, most of today’s young and restless avid moviegoers, who throng the multiplexes for a movie and a good time, hardly know anything about the cinematic heritage of Pune. By the way, I too love the multiplex experience but I also cherish nostalgic memories of those “good old days” so let me walk you down memory lane and tell you about it.

The first film I probably saw was The Guns of Navarone (1961) and I think I saw it at ALAKA which exhibited English Movies. WEST END in Pune Camp, famous for its Soda Fountain and reclining chairs in the balcony, also exclusively showed English Movies, and so did the nearby NEW EMPIRE and HINDVIJAY at Deccan Gymkhana, and in Alaka, West End, New Empire and Hindvijay we saw a lot of those ageless action-packed Westerns like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966), Mackenna's Gold (1969) and numerous John Wayne movies, of which I like Hatari (1962) the best and, of course, classics like MY FAIR LADY (1964) and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965).

Later, ALAKA would show inimitable Dada Kondke movies which celebrated golden jubilees and HINDVIJAY would have a 70 MM screen showing the latest Hollywood blockbusters. But, I remember seeing Pakeezah (1972) there too. Opposite the Bus Depot, next to Poona Coffee House, where KFC is now, was DECCAN where I saw many films, including Jewel Thief (1967) wearing a “jewel thief cap” which was a rage then.

Another film I clearly remember seeing was Dosti (1964) at MINERVA near Mandai. I was in the 4th standard, and there was a special show for our school, then I saw it again with my grandmother. Dosti ran for 25 weeks in Pune (maybe a Golden jubilee of 50 weeks in Mumbai) and the silver jubilee was celebrated with a band playing the film’s popular songs outside Minerva Theatre.

Near Minerva was ARYAN. Aryan was the oldest cinema in Pune (maybe in India too) and I remember seeing morning shows of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy comedies, though Aryan exhibited Marathi films in its regular shows. Also near Mandai towards Budhwar Peth was Globe (later renovated, air-conditioned and renamed Shreenath) and further down was VIJAYANAND which showed English movies at the 1 o’clock afternoon matinee show and Marathi films in regular shows.

Most of the cinemas were located either on (or slightly off) Laxmi Road. If you walked down from Alaka Chowk towards camp, you first had VIJAY on your left, then BHANUVILAS in the next lane to your left, some more distance ahead if you turned towards Appa Balwant Chowk side you had PRABHAT, PARAMOUNT (RATAN) and VASANT. Though PRABHAT used to screen Marathi films, I remember seeing Aradhana (1969), since I had to run all the way to our place on Tilak Road to get my granny’s specs which she had forgotten (Yes, as a young boy I was physically fit. And, by the way, we cycled all over Pune, including for movies, and all the cinema theatres had robust cycle stands where we would park our cycles safely).

Ahead, opposite City Post Office, there was SRIKRISHNA (and the already mentioned GLOBE and VIJAYANAND a bit inside on the other side). Then there was APOLLO (the first air-conditioned cinema in Pune) towards KEM Hospital in Rasta Peth and ALPANA on the right as you walked on Laxmi Road towards Quarter Gate.

In Pune Camp there were CAPITOL (now called VICTORY), NISHAT and LIBERTY. There was JAIHIND at Khadki (then called Kirkee) and across the Bund Garden bridge towards Yerawada, famous for its Jail, was GUNJAN, but then we never ventured that far, as hardly anyone lived across the river on Nagar Road.

Then came the advent of 70 MM and we had ALANKAR (near Pune Railway Station), RAHUL (in Shivajinagar), NATRAJ (in place of HINDVIJAY), SONMARG (Timber Market), APSARA (Gultekdi) , MANGALA (opposite PMC), NILAYAM (behind Peshwe Park) and LAXMINARAYAN (near Swargate). I remember seeing PATTON (1970) with my grandfather in glorious 70 MM at Rahul, where I now go to eat seafood at the restaurant rather than see a movie.

Now the multiplexes have taken over and you forget a movie the moment you finish seeing it. In fact, “multiplex movies” are designed to make their money over the weekend – it seems that the sole aim is to make money and not to produce memorable films which create a lasting impression in the viewers’ minds. But let me tell you, I too love the multiplex experience – the atmosphere, the food, the everything. One has to change with times.

I don’t like to live in the past and brood over “the good old days” – but there is no harm in harking back once in a while and reminisce to evoke delightful memories of the “good old days”. That is why I have written this.

I enjoyed writing this – I hope you enjoyed reading it too.

PS – In case I have missed out something, do comment and let us know.

VIKRAM KARVE
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Liked reading this? I am sure you will like the stories in my recent collcetion of 27 short stories COCKTAIL.
So, how about trying out this delicious heady exciting COCKTAIL (just click the links below to order online on flipkart, indiaplaza or from the publisher)

Cheers
About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures(2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm


Fiction Short Stories Book


© vikram karve., all rights reserved.