THE Toilet Seat Rodin's Blog

I saw only the first of the Captain Jack Sparrow movies and to me, Capt. Sparrow is the ultimate epitome of guile, cunning, self centre-ism and opportunism. In short, all of the qualities that sometimes i wish i possesed but do not. As the lines from the famous Raj Kapoor starring song go," Sab kuch seekha humne, na seekhi hoshiari, ye sach hai duniya walo ki hum hain anaari"! Yes, sometimes, when i have the misfortune to be taken in by smooth talking hustlers(like the time when a supposed old, old friend conned me out of  a lion's share of my savings- hear hear Mr. Allan Cheema- con artist ) or by pushy sales persons, i do wish i was a hustler myself. As science has demonstrated, opposites attract and i guess there is a part of me at a subconscious level, who wants to be a modern day Captain Jack Sparrow- the ultimate hustler, the supreme opportunist without an ounce of scruples, the  rascal we all love and adore. Everything about Jack Sparrow is so larger-tha...

Mandira Wirk is a very well know Fashion Designer who just held an exhibition in the Jalandhar Gymkhana Club. In an informal conversation with her, we try to sneak a peek into her life, her work, her passion and her philosophy. The first thing that you notice when you meet Mandira Wirk is that she is drop dead gorgeous, though she probably thinks of her looks more as an impediment than an asset as far as her work is concerned. She has worked extremely hard to reach where she is today and she continues to fuel the flames with increasing fervour every day. Mandira is a fashion designer with experience from all over the world and her roots in Jalandhar. Born in an Air Force family in Jalandhar, Mandira did her schooling from Delhi. While she was in first year college, she started designing her own clothes and very soon to the horror of her mother, she had three tailors at home, cutting and making dresses for her friends and relatives. Buoyed by the success and the encouragement tha...

In an event hosted by SPIC MACAY, the renowned sitar player, Pandit Prateek Chaudhuri was in our city last week. He, along with Ustad Rashid Zafar Khan were on a whirlwind tour of the city and performed at a few schools to introduce young children to the magic of Indian classical music. Pt. Prateek Chaudhuri needs no introduction; he is one of the brightest lights on Indian classical music's horizons and also one of the most prominent exponents of the 'Senia' tradition of sitar music.  The 'Senia' gharana of classical Indian music traces its roots to the legendary "Tansen' from emperor Akbar's court. Prateek  has performed for two Presidents of India, the Prime Minister of  Norway and also for Bill Clinton- the erstwhile President of the U.S.A. He has also performed in many foreign countries and has also represented India at The Six Nation Music Festival at Greece.  He is also the only Indian musician who has Swarovsky Music Wattens Orchestra in Austri...

    A very common scene at our traffic lights is of small street urchins surrounding the cars, wiping windscreens and asking for money in return for doing so. It is begging in a slightly different manner, by wiping the windscreen, the act is given the appearance of asking for payment for a service rendered. Many of us roll up our windows to shut out their entreaties, some among us give them some loose change and yet most of us drive away without giving them anything and yet wishing we could do something that really means something. Clearly, ignoring the problem is not going to make it go away and giving them money is really aggravating the problem. By giving alms, we are actually adding fuel to the fire, encouraging the spread of the malaise. The importance of giving alms is so much a part of our religions, religious ceremonies and our psyche that we tend to give alms as a part of our Karma. Hence what happens is that we, by giving to these street children are making su...

In an event hosted by SPIC MACAY, the renowned sitar player, Pandit Prateek Chaudhuri was in our city last week. He, along with Ustad Rashid Zafar Khan were on a whirlwind tour of the city and performed at a few schools and other educational institutions to introduce young children and young adults to the magic of Indian classical music. Pt. Prateek Chaudhuri needs no introduction; he is one of the brightest lights on Indian classical music's horizons and also one of the most prominent exponents of the 'Senia' tradition of sitar music.  The 'Senia' gharana of classical Indian music traces its roots to the legendary "Tansen' from emperor Akbar's court. Prateek  has performed for two Presidents of India, the Prime Minister of  Norway and also for Bill Clinton- the erstwhile President of the U.S.A. He has also performed in many foreign countries and has also represented India at The Six Nation Music Festival at Greece.  He is also the only Indian musici...