Love marriages...are they okay...??

I really wonder why divorces are less in arranged marriages ? I think, arranged marriages may the best thing to be done, if you are not already in love with someone. But in case, you are in love, arranged marriage may not be the right thing for you. The chances of failure in love marriage is very high and the divorce rate is also equally high. On the contrary, arranged marriages are more stable and the families involved make sure the couple stay together. In love marriages, you are left alone, you may have to take responsibility of the outcome and it could be great fun, because you are experimenting and you are modern and urban. Arranged marriages are passe'...it is now time to experiment with your life and own the responsibility too...!!

Learning Languages...

I always wanted to learn all the languages of India since childhood. I had a flair for languages like my cousin Kusumakka. As a child, I saw her speaking Bengali and Tamil and I was totally enamoured by her flair for languages. But nobody taught me any language, so I decided to learn with self help books viz. Learn Tamil in 30 days, Learn Gujarati in 30 days etc. Later I learnt almost all the languages of India by listening to All India Radio everyday from 7 a.m to 8-30 a.m. when the same news used to be broadcasted in different languages. Later, Satellite TV was huge help in my quest of learning all the languages of India. I started watching different channels in various languages, that really helped. And last but not least , Indian movies were my best tutor in learning languages; I used to watch all languages movies including Bhojpuri, Punjabi and Tamil and could follow every dialogue by listening to it carefully. Today, I can speak almost all the languages of India, including Nepali. And yes, I do sing in nine languages.

Shoot-out at Wadaala

Just saw the movie, Shoot-out at Wadala. Full of blood and gore, but extremely engaging. This must be John Abraham's best movie. Everything about the movie is entertaining. I wonder, why should they need 3 item songs in such a lovely movie. Manoj Bajpai and Sonu Sood were impressive, Anil Kapoor was okay. Swear words are liberally used in this movie like never before and censor Board passed it without any cuts, that's amazing...!!

Become a hero overnight...

I always wanted to share the secret of becoming a Hero in two days. Believe me, it is very easy to make impressions. Well, shall I spill the beans ?
Okay, here we go. Buy some good clothes matching to your height, weight and complexion. I always prefer well dressed casual clothes over formal dress 'cos they are cheap and you can change them everyday. Formal occasions do come, but rarely. Buy some affordable and stylish party wear for those seldom occasions. I fully agree with the idiom, clothes maketh the man.
Now, we need to change our grooming, pay attention to your skin, face and hair. Your personal style which is attractive to look at, do matter.
Now we come to changing our body language. Learn to smile at almost every occasion. Learn to walk with confidence, whether you are actually confident or not, hardly matters. You should look and sound confident, that's all.
Now, the last but the most important secret to become a Hero overnight. You need to learn etiquette and good language. You should know how to dine, how to eat, how to speak softly but firmly. And yes, pay attention to your vocabulary and grammar. Now, you are a gentleman and a hero, Congratulations...!!

Young & Restless...

People have wrong notion that only young people can be called "Young & Restless." I know many, who are not so young but they can be categorized in the category of Y & R ! I hate people who say, I have past my age for doing this or learning this. If you are greatly interested to learn something new, there's no age limit. People who give excuses for learning something new, were actually old for learning that at any age. To keep your mind young, we must learn something new always at any age. That may keep your senses and mind sharp. Read a new book, watch a new movie, listen to a new song, you may feel better. Lifelong learning is the secret of happiness at any age, trust me...!!

Aashiqui 2...

Just saw the movie Aashiqui 2. If you love music, you would love this movie, three music composers and more than ten songs in one movie; all the songs, just excellent. The new pair of Aditya Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor is really good and they make a nice pair. Both are equally talented. Shraddha's eyes are exactly like Padmini Kolhapuri of yore, and yes, she's her niece. The title song is really good and I have already mastered it, but I fail to understand why Arjit Singh should copy Atif Asam ? The hero is shown to be alcohol dependent ex-super star, but the movie never explained, why should he become alcoholic in the first place. The movie reminds you of Abhimaan but has a different story. Although, I liked the movie very much, I could not appreciate the defeatist ending, it could have been different.

why do I write...??

I asked myself today, why do I write ? Writing is a great fun, it is just intoxicating, ask any writer. Turning your imagination into a story can be great fun, trust me. I am not a good writer, but I do get new ideas, almost every minute. If you are a dreamer, you are bound to write. By writing, we get answers to many questions in our mind, which were never answered properly earlier. Sharing your imagination, and your dreams with the world could be cathartic, great fun and of course, could be beneficial to the reader as well as you...!!

Buddhism...

Buddhism teaches us to live an incorruptible, moral life and of course, a compassionate, peaceful, caring, virtuous and responsible life. No war was ever fought in the name Buddhism because they believe in peace and tolerance.
I wish, today's world adopt Buddhism and know the importance of forgiveness, gentleness and compassion.
People in today's world live with lot of stress and anger. They need to practice meditation and know the real meaning of happiness. Meditation is the only thing which can bring both mental and physical health !!
HAPPY BUDDHA POORNIMA...!!

Passion....Junoon...??

I can still recall vividly, I was seated in the audience during a speech of a well known author and orator. There were more than 500 people in the audience. The speaker was excellent and was weaving magic with his oratory skills, all were mesmerized with his talk. And then, suddenly he asked the audience to interact with him while he speaks. He asked everyone, what is the meaning of the word Passion in Hindi. Nobody replied him. I was enjoying the proceedings. The speaker told the audience that Passion means Junoon in Hindi. He asked, any questions ? I raised my hand and said, the right word for Passion is not Junoon. The correct word for passion would be Jazba, not junoon ! There was pin drop silence in the audience. The speaker looked at me with piercing eyes and asked me, how can I explain that ? I told him calmly that Junoon has slight element of madness in it, which could be construed as negative feature, whereas, Jazba is the right word for passion, which has a positive feature. The orator, didn't say a word on the stage.
Later, we had tea session after the speech. He called me while having tea and said, you're right Pradeep...!!

Why this...??

You may not deny the fact that God has bestowed a few, a beautiful face and a few, a beautiful body. God has also given a few, a beautiful mind. God has also given a few a rare combination of beautiful mind with beautiful face. And a rarest few, has been blessed with all the three.
That's fine. But some have been given by God, a normal face, a normal average look but with a beautiful and a loving and caring heart and mind. That's the thing, that really matters the most. We need to have a beautiful mind with equally beautiful heart !!
Now, I have also come across people with bad looks but with a caring, loving mind. I think, God tries to compensate for the things, they don't have by giving them, extra beautiful mind and an extra caring heart.
And here comes the last category, they have not been given good looks by God and they also have unsightly hearts and minds. They speak most vitriolic, venomous words with an equally acerbic tongue, most of the time. They remind us of the " Bad Saas " or a Lalitha Pawaar of yore...!!

Rage...

Anger, dear anger
why are you destructive ?
so powerful,
so unpredictable.
Anger, dear anger
you kill relations
you kill every work
everyone knows you
everyone felt you
you are so natural
part of any emotion
but you can change
in seconds
and become a rage...!!

My Dictionary...

My English has really improved now. Thanks to friends like Ampat Koshy, Archna Pant, Bina Biswas, Madhumita Ghosh and Gupta Sayantan. Yes, I started using my Oxford Dictionary more often. It has improved my semantics, syntax, vocabulary and of course, pronunciation.
I find it easier to spend more time with my dictionary than a classic book or a historical novel. Deciphering profound word or phrase has become second nature to me and a passion.
Frankly, I must admit that Ampat Koshy sir, Archna Pant, Bina Biswas, Madhumita Ghosh ,Gupta Sayantan and of course, my Oxford Dictionary have given a new meaning to words and my life !!

Nautanki Saala...

Just saw the movie Nautanki Saala. It is extremely boring, slow and complicated movie. All the actors have tried earnestly to perform. Comedy is clean, different and absolutely new for Bollywood audience, but the pace of the movie is extremely slow and you lose patience to enjoy the best scenes of the movie. Music is good, but again, late in the movie, Romance is good but it is shown only in the last part of the movie and by that time, most of the audience had already left the hall, excepting few like me !!

English language...

English is a beautiful language and good English does matter !!
I do cringe at wrong grammar, wrong spellings, abbreviated words often used by our friends on Facebook. I am dismayed at people preferring American English over British English, especially during conversation. I can never forgive wrong pronunciation and diction. The lexicon of English really matters to me. I must admit, I do get irritated by people using catch phrases ( takiya-kalaam in Hindi ) in their conversation. And yes, usage of F word as a fashion statement always baffles me. I wonder, why can't we learn grammatically correct language...??

Singing...

I was never trained in singing or playing instruments. I self-taught myself in singing and playing instruments and that too very late in life. I always loved the Indian light music and classical songs sung by Jesudas and of course Gazals by Jagjit Singh. There was a time when I had only 56 rupees as my savings, and I had spent the entire amount in buying an LP of Jesudas from seconds sales at Book Store of Vizag, those days, located on main Road of Vishakhapatnam. I do sing in almost all the languages and can mimic most of the actors of Bollywood. Well, I hate to listen to anyone, who sings off key or on wrong pitch. I also prefer people singing in the same tone as the original singers. I don't mean here that everybody should only copy other singers, you should also have your own style and your own voice. But, you should be able to sing exactly like the original song. It takes extra bit of practice and of course, your mimicry skill, which can be mastered by concentrating on the tone, scale, pitch of one's voice...!!

Change people's perception about you...

There's fun in changing people's perception about you. I always loved the song of yore, " Nafrat karne walon ke, seene pyaar bhar dun. " Are you aware, Amitabh Bachchan was rejected by many producers initially, due to his voice quality ? I hate, if someone writes or says negative things about me and I make sure, he/she changes their opinion about me within no time. If they ever say, I am usually late for all occasions, I make sure, I arrive first in the next occasion. If they say, I don't have dress sense, I become very careful in choosing my next party wear. If anybody tells me that I am basically a serious guy, I make sure, I make them laugh with my many jokes. Well, I don't mean here, to change your personality for somebody. But yes, there's real fun in making people change their perception about you...!!

Know your talent...

We all have some talent within ourselves. Whatever we do with love, enthusiasm and without feeling bored, becomes our talent in the long run. If you love writing, if you love reading for long hours, without laziness and feeling tired, sometimes even without food, it must be your strong point, hone it, you'll be known with this very talent, in days to come, trust me. Some are gifted with special endowments and talents, but mostly, it has to be discovered, and practiced for long hours to reach perfection in our respective talents. In days to come, people would love to pay you for the things, you love the most and practice the most. Whatever, you do effortlessly and enjoy doing it, is your talent, know it, hone it, get great results...!!

Meethi Vaani...

Aisee Vani Boliye, Man ka aapa khoye,
Apna tan sheetal kare, auron ko sukh hoye....Kabeer.
Everybody has personal problems, but if you involve in healthy sweet talk, it can lighten your mood and also everyone around. We start hurling abuses at the slightest provocation. Have you ever thought of talking nicely and sweetly to people ? Do it once, you can see the magic ! Vituperative, vitriolic, venomous talk, acerbic wit and repartee can destroy you, your family, friends and the society, trust me. On the contrary, you can win this world with your sweetness, your soft words and of course, your sweetness which is genuine and the words that come to you from your heart, not lips...!!

Two hundredth blog...on career planning...

I love networking although I am an Anaesthesiologist. I have thousands of friends and I do keep in touch with them. My friends do consult me with their medical problems and other worries and I never miss to give them my suggestions. Well, today I want to talk about career planning. And yes, I want to encourage young people to make better choices in life and do the things which their heart believes in. Choosing a wrong career means choosing a life of confused and boring existence. Before choosing a career, one should know their mind, likings and forte. If you love to be recognized by showing your charm and showmanship; entertainment world is most suitable for you. But if you enjoy in helping others, you can become a wedding planner ! If you are very knowledgeable, choose education or management as your career. If you love to control people around you, become a politico......

A mysterious pigeon...

A pigeon lives in my balcony. I discovered it recently, when I was moving and clearing few of my discarded cartons, left in my balcony for sometime. Initially, I thought, it must be building a nest there. But, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that it lives there alone. I always thought Pigeons live in flocks. And I had the notion that they live mostly with their mate, especially during and just before laying eggs and building a nest for the same purpose. I see it often perching on my windowsill, outside my building and staring at me. It flies away during the day time and God only knows, where it lives throughout the day. But yes, I always find it coming out energetically, each day out of my cartons in the wee hours of the morning. Wonder, how happy and energetic it always looks, although he/she lives alone...!!

Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster Returns...

Just saw the movie, " Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns ". It is the sequel of the same movie which I saw last year. Extremely gripping, romantic movie which is full of adult scenes and adult thrills. The director Tigmanshu has done a wonderful job in making this movie. Jimmy Shergill and Irfan were equally good in their respective roles. Mahi Gill was superb and Soha's role was quite okay. Mugda Godse's item song was the worst part of the movie and the politico's interview, while he was watching a porn on his laptop was the best part of the movie.

Tennis & your personality...

I don't believe, zodiac can tell many things about your personality. But, I definitely believe, your style of playing tennis can speak volumes about your personality. An aggressive player, who plays a strong serve and who can attack from the base line are the people who take many risks in life and would love to be in control of any situation and have little patience. A person who plays simple returns with many lobs and calculated game to gain points has the same personality, off the court. I have seen players having different tactics for different players and some really plan their strategy before starting the game after knowing their opponents, they are exactly the same in real life too !!

YouTube...

I rarely watch TV these days, I prefer internet or a YouTube, for better control over content and better interaction. I consider YouTube to be my best friend and my best teacher. I have learnt too many things by watching YouTube...be it mimicry, singing or playing musical instruments and of course learning swimming and Tennis.
Recently, I started watching old Telugu movies on YouTube and the experience was really pleasant. I watch most of the popular news items too on YouTube and I get better picture of the content in much lesser time.
I have uploaded some of video clippings on YouTube which had made me almost a celebrity. They were mostly recorded during my live performances with ordinary camera. My videos have been watched by more 9,000 viewers. I had one very popular YouTube site by name Pradeep 815 which had 27 video clippings and was viewed by more than 6,000 people but unfortunately, I had to delete all the videos and start from scratch. Presently, my video clippings are available at Pradeep Pendyala - YouTube
www.youtube.com/user/pradeep815

Pradeep Pendyala

www.youtube.com

I do love reading, writing, singing, mimicry and of course giving Anaesthesia. More than 75 letters of mine were published in Hindustan Times and Deccan Chro...

Mittee ki sondhee ki khushboo...

Ek Ajnabee ke yaadon ki khushboo
Ek anjaan pyar ki khushboo
Ek intazaar ki khushboo
Ek khobsoorat mulaqat ki khushboo
Ek phoolon ke guchhon ki khushboo
Ek meethi Gazal ki Khushboo
Ek unki jhalak ki khushboo
Ek unke muskrahat ki khushboo
Ek achhe kitaab ki khushboo
Ek unki meethee baton ki khushboo
Aur ek mittee ki sondhee ki khushboo...!!

Ek khayaal...

Zehan mein kashmakash
har saans mein usee ka khayal
har dard mein usee ki yaad
har lamhe usee ka sawaal
har karwat usee ke sapne
har angdhayee usee ke liye
har daulat usee ke naam
Umar bhar ek hee khayaal
zehan mein kashmakash
ek khayal...

Beautiful Life...

The best medicine for brain is learning something new. Join a class which always fascinated you, don't worry about your age, just join. Volunteer for some cause, you'll feel better. Don't forget to spend some time in the evening playing some outdoor game. Spend some time on Facebook and talking to friends and relatives on your phone. Sit in your balcony or in your garden for sometime. Read a magazine or read something online. And yes, watch some good movies in a theater or online, your life will become just beautiful, as you wanted it to be...!!

Weird world...

You don't talk to strangers but strangely you talk to total strangers on Facebook. Let me warn you, majority of the accounts are fake and there are people out there, only to destroy you by getting your information.Most of them have multiple accounts for reasons best known to them. Their profile pictures are mostly fake and their profile information and " about " is equally unreal. My female friends tell me about strange inbox messages they keep getting about six ( read sex ) talk by these " genuine " friends. I would request you to read the profile carefully before accepting any friend request !!

Weird Designers...

I must admit that I do watch Fashion TV occasionally. The models are mostly svelte, smart and elegant. But many female models are mostly undernourished and anorexic. But what appals me most, is the apparels of the tall and beautiful models. The designers are of international standard and their sartorial sense seems to be weird and funny. Most of the clothes worn can never be worn by any sensible person ever at any platform or occasion. I am amazed at these dress designers about their intellectual concepts. Are they normal ? Do they need some psychiatric help ??

Going abroad...

It is widely believed that Indians going abroad for higher studies eventually come back to India. But I have rarely seen such phenomenon, unless there was a financial crisis or else Visa had expired or due to stricter immigration policies. Majority of them go abroad leaving their parents back home in India and they occasionally visit India, may be once in two years. I know many old parents who crave to meet their children and can chat with their children only online or over the phone but they rarely visit them. I know many a times, the children fail to return back to India even during their parents' funeral. I feel all this to be a strange phenomena which is beyond my understandings !!

Wrong 50 % ??

Angelina Jolie had underwent a preventable double mastectomy this year. Now she is planning to have her both ovaries removed because she is carrying a defective gene with a possibility of 50% developing ovarian cancer. She is only 37 and her mother died in 2007 due to ovarian cancer when she was 56. The news has definitely disturbed me and million others. Yes, I do agree if you get such surgery done, you have a better survival rate, but do you feel she would lead a normal life of a woman after this kind of surgery. I have rarely come across such surgeries being done as preventive care, just because somebody has 50% chance of getting it. We all live with 50 % chance of getting many diseases, but we live with a hope that we don't belong to the "wrong " 50 %.

Your views are requested...

I need my Friends' opinion about one famous actor from South, Mohan Rao alias Kokila Mohan, who had acted in Telugu movies Mouna Raagam and Thoorpu Velle Railu...and many more. I always felt, he tries to copy Kamal Hassan. Is it true...? I tried to get this answer from reliable sources, but failed.

Online reading...

I was a poor reader, but my introduction to internet made me a voracious reader. I must have read countless books online and my first book was Bhagvad Gita with English translation, which I read online. As a child, I must have asked many elders to explain me Gita, but none could do it to my satisfaction. The online English translation of Gita was simple and easy to understand. There's no point if you start reading a book and could never complete it due to its vastness. I find reading online is much easier and faster and I assure you, you needn't leave reading midway. Today, I have started reading Vedas and Upanishads, I have already finished the entire concise version and intend to spend few days on it. Wish me Good Luck !!

Beauty Pageant

Diction and pronunciation is very essential for any language. I had been to a beauty pageant rehearsals last night, the girls were great, ramp walk was quite okay and the brief introduction was also impressive but I was not happy with the diction and pronunciation of many contestants. Few had that Hindi accent, and some had Telugu accent and few had American way of pronunciation. Nothing wrong, but I feel strongly that in such contests, diction, pronunciation are paramount. Moreover, I feel British way of pronunciation is preferable over American way in such competitions. Some contestants were very formal with little expressions on their faces and some were very casual. Some were repeating their sentences in a rote manner and some were highlighting their negative points of their personality. Yes, you need to be casual, while answering but the gesture of casualness need to be deliberate. This was the contestants preliminary rehearsals, I am sure, they would be perfect on the D-day !!

Iron Man 3

Just saw the movie Iron Man 3. The feeling of déjà vu was very natural after watching many similar movies. But it provides loads of high flying fun. The combination of action, humor and dazzling effects make the entire movie. A superhero movie, which may appeal to the young generation and children. I was entertained watching this movie but I am not sure about you being entertained by this movie....

My special Friends...

I have lost both my parents and consider all elderly people to be my parents. I never miss an opportunity to talk to the elderly and know their problems, if time permits. My best interactions with them occur in my pre-anaesthetic check-up room, where the elderly patients are made to visit me before being taking up for surgery. I always find some resemblance of my parents in them and that makes my interactions with them much easier. With breakdown of traditional support system in present nuclear families, there's a possibility of neglect of the elderly in their homes and the society. I strongly feel, old age homes are not the answer to this category of citizens, they need personal care in their own homes, where they can watch their children and grandchildren grow. These days, people are living longer and they need nursing care in their ripe age, when they can't look after themselves. I wish, Government levies a special tax on us for this category of citizens for their better future !!

Praise !!

Who wouldn't like a word of praise ? In fact, most of us on Facebook are on it for a word of praise for our work, appearance, attitude, mind....etc. But can you understand the subtle difference between a praise and a flattery ? Flattery is falsely praising someone. A good compliment and a praise can do wonders, encourage you, motivate you to do still better but a flattery can destroy you, if you actually start believing the false praise heaped on you. Now, I have noticed, people who can really express well resorting to monosyllables viz. nice, as the only comment. I wonder why they opt to become a taciturn when it comes to giving their valuable opinion. They can certainly write more than a single word "nice" to make some difference in the lives of their friends. And yes, a word of praise comes from deep inside you, a sensible person can easily make out whether you are flattering him or praising him !!

Indian weddings...

Indian weddings are funny and strange these days. I am talking about the wastefulness, vulgar display of wealth, mostly false. Crores are being spent for one such wedding, sometimes ending in big financial crunch. There seems to be some sort of competition among the family members and society to prove one-upmanship. Weddings are mostly loud and gaudy. Food. mandap and venue are extremely expensive, even the invitation card is costly. I do agree that marriage is not just between two individuals, it is between two families and their friends and relatives, but is this kind of splurge warranted ??

Human relations

Strangely, relationship is kept at low priority in our present lifestyle. Social contacts and relationships are most important thing at any stage of life. Our whole life can be modified and shaped by our relationships. Life can become empty and boring without good relationship, still we neglect human relationships. Good relationship takes time to develop, but do we have patience for that ? Relationships may give us few extra headaches, few extra responsibilities, but it is fulfilling, rewarding and life becomes full of fun and blessed !!

Magic of Words...

Unless we have a large vocabulary,
even the best grammar may not work for us.
English is a rich language with over one million words,
but how many words do we know ?
In addition to our good appearance,
we need to have good vocabulary for success.
Everyday, new words are invented
and the words change their meaning.
Learning a language may be good for us,
but learning the vocabulary may be best for us...!!

Success in Bollywood...

I never used to miss any episode of "A mouthful of sky" the first serial in English produced in India, those days. I had great expectations from Milind Soman, but Milind is yet to make it big in Bollywood. Luck and hard work both have a great role in success in Bollywood. Arjun Rampal and John Abraham are doing well, but Rahul Dev, Dino Morea, Milind Soman, Marc Robinson and many more successful models couldn't be successful in Bollywood. Besides luck and hard work, you need to have good voice and good acting for success in Bollywood !!

Why....

Do you know, why people get separated ?
it is not the infidelity in the marriage,
it is not the domestic violence,
it is not the inequality,
it is not the great expectations,
it is not the unpreparedness,
it is the incessant argument !!

Maa kaha karti thee...

Maa kaha karti thee
har kisi se milne ka waqt hota hai
kis ke saath kitne kadam chalna hai
woh tai hota hai
Maa se mujhe itna hee poochhna tha
kisi ko milne se aisa kyon lagta hai
hum pehle kyon nahee mile
Maa kaha karti thee
yahan logon ko
sahee ki pehchan nahee
Maa se mujhe itna hee poochhna tha
yahan logon ke paas waqt kyon nahee
zindagee se dil judhi hai
ya dil se zindagee...??

Bengali girls...

I always wonder, why Bengali girls are so beautiful ?
Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
but I had been to every corner of India.
Bengali girls are the best.
they have that flawless complexion,
they are innocent, yet smart,
with the genes of Aryans, Mongols,
great figures and positive looks,
they speak like their "mishty "
if you ask me the medical reason:
could be the great amount of Omega - 3 fatty acids
consumed by them as Pheesh ( please read Fish ) !!

élan

I often hear people say," do well ".
I tell people to do everything with elan.
There's a difference between doing something well
and doing the same thing with panache.
Doing with confidence and energetically makes the difference.
Go for panache, go for style,
Go for flair and elan...
But this may require "extra " training...!!