Jaane kahan gaye wo din......

i really wanted to listen to something soothing last night. Switched on the radio and heard the latest hits being churned out for the umpteenth time. So i went online and started playing oldies...ummm...and that’s literally music to the ears. Golden hits from Anand, Abhimaan, Anupama....

It just set me thinking... These songs still retain their charm and pristine innocence that pulls at our heart strings even decades after they were first heard. Almost everything that belongs to those times has become obsolete...but not the music! Their appeal is just the same, their melody as sweet. Hummable at all times, in all moods. Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha, Bhonsle, Manna De, Mohd Rafi and others of their era are the true legends living through generations. The fibre of their work has the tenacity to last for ages - from our grandparents, parents down to us and who knows...to our children as well!

Simply great is also the simplicity with which they are shot. No flashy costumes, no glaring make-up and had anyone heard of size zero?? Naah! And yet the leading Ladies look so alluring and lovely in their big hairdos, kohl adorned eyes and beautifully draped sarees. Plump by our current standards yet truly gorgeous! Just the cliché running around the trees or looking into each others eyes but truly romantic and a feast to the eyes.

Today, we have hit songs and superhit ones produced out of electronic instruments (or something of that sort). We have one set of hits played day in and day out only to be replaced by another set in due course. Yes, this is contemporary music and we possibly couldn’t live without the music of our times like other things. These songs define present taste and the popular demand. They are a reflection of our times, our comfort zone.

But can never match up to the ones from the yesteryears. When we need some comforting and go looking for something different from the jang...jang...jang we listen to on our way to work and back, there’s always the tranquil and calming masterpieces to turn to. So let the music play on.....

Obsessed with Size Zero!!

i know i have dealt with something similar recently but this seems to be all over the place. We are undoubtedly a generation obsessed with weight loss and acquiring that perfect figure. We talk about the goodness of diet food at dinner tables, have switched to low fat and sugar free options and hang on to any and every advice we hear that can help us reach our goal. We are ready to take on any form of physical activity to beat us back into shape. Aerobics, Power Yoga, Gym, Yoga, Sports or simply hour-long walks. Anything at all. 

Like i said it is everywhere and try as much as you like, you cannot escape the truth staring in your face - you don't have that perfect figure. Switch on the television and you are likely to find fitness programs on every third channel. Pick up the newspaper and you will more often than not run into articles related to health and slimming tips. How many glasses of water, helpings of fruits and vegetables, minutes/hours of physical activity- it's all there for you to follow. Even aunties will tell you how they try to beat those extra inches (only 'try'). Chatting up with Mrs. Sharma while waiting for the school bus to arrive, in kitty parties, at Yoga classes, at all-women family get- togethers or simply while sweating it out in the local park in saree and sneakers! There is no dearth of information we are inundated with. 

You decide to turn away from all that and catch up with a quite movie to make you feel better. But you are sure to be haunted by the size zero figures and six-pack abs on screen to add to your torment. And your thoughts move back to the dream of achieving slim thighs and a slender waist someday! And every woman who aspires to make it to size zero dreams of flaunting a John Abraham as her man. And every man who yearns for the six-pack body fantasises of Kareena Kapoor for a spouse. (no wonder matrimonial columns even today demand 'slim and beautiful' girl) We might not reach our ideal situation but over the years the desire remains buried somewhere deep down in our hearts. 

i wonder if this craze of losing weight and looking better is not because of cosmetic reasons. The way lifestyle related diseases threaten us, it's not easy to ignore our health. It's worth the time and effort to look good and also be able to keep diseases at bay. On the flip side we might choose to accept that Indian figures are not meant to be as slender as they are in the West. We are broad and we look beautiful that way. Eating in moderation and enjoying the life we've been given could be such a better approach to being happy and healthy! 

As for me i promise not to make my blog a commentary of health obsessions of people!