People That Interest Me-Part 2

Cleopatra- The Seventh

She was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She is said to be a beautiful woman, possessing charm and wit coupled with knowledge on how to make herself agreeable to anyone. She had charmed the most powerful men of her time-Julius Ceaser and Mark Antony. There are many stories of her dare devilry- one of them being rolled up in a carpet to get past the guards to charm Ceaser. Another story was a bet she placed with Antony that she could spend ten million sesterces on a dinner. The next night she had an unspectacular meal served. He started to ridicule her when she bought in the second course- a cup of strong vinegar. She removed one of her priceless pearl earrings and popped it in, allowing it to dissolve and drinking the mixture. The calcium carbonate in pearls does dissolve in vinegar. The ancient sources, particularly the Roman ones, are in general agreement that she killed herself by inducing a cobra to bite her..



Heath Ledger
He charmed me in '10 Things I Hate About You' and 'The Prince's Tale'. There was always something endearing about his performance and he stuck, even days after you watched his movies. For his role as Joker in Dark Knight, he locked himself up in a room for a whole month and tried to make his own mad, fanatical, unafraid and dangerous joker. Christopher Nolan had given him free reign to make up his own voice and laugh which was iconic in the movie. I never guessed he was the beautiful man I had watched in the previous movies. After this role that took so much from him, he suffered from acute insomnia because his mind was constantly working but not his body. He died due to an overdose on 22nd January, 2008.

Mehrunissa

She's the second Mughal that caught my fancy.
Her father is Ghias Beg, a Persian nobleman who ran away from Persia, shame faced. She was born on the way to Hindustan. She was the twentieth wife of Prince Salim (Jahangir) who was her second husband, the only one he married for love.
She wrested the title of Padshah Begum from Princess Jagat Gosini, who was one of Salim's first wife and practically ruled the Empire. She was a smart woman who knew politics and advised Jahangir on many issues like the Portuguese and the English traders. She was the first one to build a tomb for her parents made of marble. The idea was then taken by Emperor Shah Jahan to build the Luminous Tomb, more commonly know as the Taj Mahal for his wife. Very ironical considering he was the one who banished her from the Kingdom after killing his own father and her wife.

Oprah

She's an American television host, actress, producer and philanthropist, best known for her self titled, multi-award winning talk show which has become the highest rated programme of its kind in history. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, and was for a time the world's only black billionaire. She was born to a single teenaged mother, raped at the nine and got pregnant by 14. The baby died at infancy. She started as a radio host and moved on from there. She is considered one of the most influential women in the world, her support to Barack Obama lending him a million votes in his presidential race.




Joan Of Arc

She was born in 1412 and starting at age 12 claimed to see visions of and hear the voices of St Catherine who she said told her to drive out the English and to bring Charles the Seventh to Reims, then under English control, for his coronation. The seige of Orleans in 1429, where she was wounded in the neck but miraculously returned to fight in the last charge. She led the French to many victories and was later granted nobility. She was burned on the stake in 1431 for heresay, which is a repeat offense. The offense was she wore male clothing. She repeated the offense because she was illitrate and didnt understand what she had done wrong, her fear at being molested because they had taken away all her clothes and therefore had nothing else but male clothing to wear. They rejected her arguments. In 1456, her conviction was posthumously reversed and in 1920, she was declared a Catholic Saint. There are more churches and shrines dedicated to her in England than in France.

Jahanara
She has purely caught my fancy because she was Aurangzeb's sister and he was obsessed with her. She was the oldest child of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and the Padshah Begum when Mumtaz passed away. It was a break from tradition because, normally, the next most important wife gets the title in the imperial zenana. She took on the responsibility at the age of 17 and never took a husband. Her unreasonable love and hate for Dara and Aurangzeb respectively who were her brothers led to a lot of political instability. When she refused to acknowledge Aurangzeb as Emperor, while she took care of her father, Roshannara, her younger sister was Padshah Begum. As soon as Shah Jahan died, Aurangzeb pleaded and she joined him back at court. He immediately gave her the title,Padshah Begum instead of Roshannara who had stood by him always, making his unreasonable and obsessive love for Jahanara even more evident...

People That Interest Me-Part 1

Aurangzeb

He was born on 4th November,1618- 3rd March 1707. His chosen imperial title was Alamgir-"Conquerer of the World." In effect, he was the last powerful Mughal Emperor that India had. When I learnt him in history, he was described as a cruel and an intolerant Emperor. He started the jiyaz ( a tax on non-Muslims) that Akbar had stopped due to India being pre dominantly Hindu. The author of Shadow Princess, Indu Sundaresan, managed to capture some of his complex personality but he continues to remain an enigma. He was a fanatically religious Muslim with a childhood that provides explanation for his unbending and ruthless nature. He was the third son of Shah Jahan(Khurram) and Mumtaz Mahal(Arjumand) and the least liked. He constantly sought his older sister's,Jahanara's approval which led him to being obsessed with her. Jahanara was always on her oldest brother,Dara's side, even though he wasnt as good as Aurangzeb. Roshannara who was his second sister, openly favored Aurangzeb while Jahanara despised him but when Jahangir died, he made Jahanara the Padshah Begum of his imperial zenana. He was, if I'm not mistaken, the only emperor who didnt give in to alcohol and opium. He and his story, till today, continues to intrigue me.

Diana

She will always remain the most beautiful woman in the world. She lived every woman's worst nightmare. Being trapped in a marriage that had three people in it at a young age, being seperated from her sons who were going to be born and bred in a system she despised and dying a year after her divorce, just when she was about to start living. Because of the lack of love in her life, she worked for charitable organizations with an almost superhuman strength, suffered from an eating disorder, committed half hearted suicidal attempts and was in constant fear of the paparazzi.





Marilyn Monroe

Her real name was Norma Jean Baker. She spent much of her childhood in foster homes and then went on to become a model. Her dumb blonde persona was used in movies and she is ranked the sixth greatest female star of all time. She was Jewsih, married and divorced thrice as well as on the first issue of Playboy magazine(1953) where she posed nude. The circumstances of her death,from an overdose of barbiturates, are still unknown. It could be classified as a 'probable suicide', 'accidental overdose' or a 'homicide'. She was known for her stage fright and her dependence on alcohol and pills to sleep because of insomnia."I know I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else."

Clark Gable

To me, he is the most handsome man from the early era. An era I wish I were born in, with the ball gowns and corsets on the arm of a man in tailcoats, a hat and a cane with carriages driven by horses and houses filled with vintage things..Rhett Butler, the character in Gone with the Wind, the one that won him accolades casts Mr Darcy in shadow comparitively. His character will always be the one man that woman wait all their lives for but never find..

"It's an extra dividend when you like the girl you're in love with."

Henry the Eighth

He was the King of England and later King Of Ireland.He is known for his six marriages because of his obsession to sire a son. He was an attractive and charismatic man in his prime. He was known for the English Reformation that made England a mostly Protestant nation. In later life, he became morbidly obese and his health suffered. His last words were cried out in exasperation, "Monks! Monks! Monks". His constant need to binge was blamed on stress and his public image is depicted as one of a lustful, egotistical, harsh and insecure king. The Boleyn Girls, which is now a movie, were one of his wives and mistresses. He has beheaded more English notables than any other monarch, before or since. He was the first well educated English king and was known for spending on jousting tournaments, twice a year. For those of you who do not know what jousting is, watch Prince's Tale.

You're Beautiful ! :|

We had a photoshoot yesterday, at the company..We were warned that the photographer was being paid quite a bit to make us look good so we were supposed to make his job slightly easier by making an effort ourselves.. Anyone who knows me well enough by now will know I prefer being behind the camera rather than in front of it..It was supposed to be after lunch but the tension was palpable since the start of the day..Everyone started to file in late to work, looking expectantly at others to pass a compliment so that they could get one themselves.. It was like a hornet's nest of vanity with everyone flicking their hair for the upteenth time,discreetly glacing at the mirror when they pass by it(even the glass walls werent spared) and talking about the different brands of make up, exchanging blazers, jewellery..souls..
Seriously.
When it was announced that the photographer was half an hour away, it was like some emergency fire alarm ringing and suddenly the loo was the hottest place to be. It reminded me of kids running as fast as they could when their recess bells ring. I managed to remain unnoticed for a while until Darshana swooped down on me, nattering about my hair and the lack of make up on my face. She practically kicked me into the loo and told me to do the needful. I managed to force myself to comb the knots out that I had blissfully ignored in the morning cause I prefer my mother's wrath compared to Darshana's. I thought washing my face would do the trick but it wasnt enough, apparently. I was then bodily handled into her chair and she opened her bag. Let's not talk about what was there in that bag.More like various torture instruments. She rummaged thoroughly and bought out this devious looking bottle with a lot of brown goo in it. She was like this dentist telling me it will be allright when I know it wouldnt.All I had to do was remain still. Seriously, if looking pretty was that easy...
So she applied that goo on my lips and I thought I was going to be left alone when Miti came. I think my blouse was going to be ripped by the end of the day with all the dragging around. She wanted to put black liquid stuff on my eyes. All I had to do was sit still.... again.
After applying, she told me to wait with my eyes closed for two minutes. Unfortunately, my impatient mind doesnt know how long that is and I opened them. Let's just say it was a disaster..and then they had to do some serious damage control..It was like being taken to the ER room in a hospital with the cotton swabs, the poking, the prodding and the swearing...
At last, I was ready to go and the photographer had arrived. He set up his lighting and everyone was made to go in individually and be subjected to flashing, blinding lights in his torture chamber. A blazer was put on my back and I walked in tentatively. The only good thing about this, I told myself, was that the photographer was hot. I must admit, he was. But there was, unfortunately, no enthusiasm on my part because I'm still hung up on another upturned nose guy wearing an oversized blazer. I thought it would, maybe, be better if I imagined him instead of this grungy, straight nosed, tall man.
Not a good idea. It made me feel even worse. So I took a deep breath and followed his instructions deligently, trying hard not to think of the 'other man'.
Flash.
I flinched. I wasnt ready for that. And he knew, so he said, "Smile for me!"
So I did.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
"Beautiful!"
I couldnt help grinning when he said that. He nodded, an indication that I could leave so I walked out, coming face to face with 'the other man', holding his oversized jacket and looking past me,at someone else.
I sighed and the smile slipped a little. They really were paying this photographer a lot.

M&D

One of my first real friends at the workplace turned out to be Miti.She's tall and willowy with the perfect heart shaped face and slanting eyes.She's quite and distant in the start so you think she's a safe bet but her ability to bug you comes out much later. A stickler for being worried, if you ever saw one. Where do I get these people from? Maybe it's because of my inability to worry about myself therefore I surround myself with everyone who can tell me when I need to. I am at work at the moment and she intends to see that I finish this testimonial about her. Forcing me to write has never been a good thing so if this turns out bad,it's all her fault. It has nothing to do with my lack of skill. She and I got close because of a bomb blast really. Yes, I actually have a dramatic story to tell which is ridden with tragedy and death. Bah! I travel back with her usually and she lives at Grant Road. So when we heard about the blasts, her father warned her to not come home. So she landed up at mine.

Crying.

I still have no idea why and all she does is laugh when I ask her.

She does that a lot too. But we'll get to that later.

She is twenty three but I've always had the impression that she was a kid. A kid who doesnt know what to do when there's a disaster. A pretty kid, I must add. One that I'm thankfully not envious of because she doesnt flaunt it. She has this weird urge to put some 'Gujjuness' in me. She tries to make me eat paan and coerces me into having supari. She hasnt succeeded yet. Not that she will.

There's this other thing that I eluded to before so I will mention it now.

She laughs.

When she's mad.

I dont get it.

We dont get a bus or she misses a train,I yell in frustration but she..

Laughs.

She has this weird obsession with cats, my least favorite animal and she's trying to convert me too.

I have a feeling she likes it when I'm irritated so she tweaks my chair up and down when I'm sitting on it and working.

The next thing she's obsessed about.

Her weight.

She knows about the number of calories every food item has and she has the most precise moments to let me know.

Right before I'm eating it.

I swear I've lost two kilos just being guilty.

* * *

Darshana is the second person I'd like to talk about. She's like a breath of fresh air in this office. Five minutes of talking to her gets you high on something and you're all ready to go back to work. She's the strongest woman I've met even though she wont admit it herself. She thinks she's emotional but to me, that's what makes her strong. Her ability to empathise with you. She has been strong for me when I got into trouble the first week and I've learnt the ropes, thanks to her. Funnily enough,I can see a little of myself in her.

She's not the perfect lady like women who gives in to societal sensibilities. She has her own opinions and she somehow knows what its like at my age. Her quirks include listening to these teenaged loved induced Hindi love songs-something I would listen to when I'm 15 and believed in Prince Charming. She's named her pet cat Zeus!! The same name I wanted to keep when I got a pet dog. She gives her honest opinion about human nature and has no qualms about admitting when people will be selfish. I like the fact that she knows people will be selfish most of the time. She has her own ethics that I wish everyone did. They would be so much easier to get along with. She can be my mother sometimes, advising me in exactly the way I think parents should advice their kids without being condescending.And she can be my friend too, someone I can laugh and be bitchy with. Simply put, I love her.

: D

* * *

Mitchelle, who is the Head HR of the company, met me at my second interview-the interview that I was petrified of because it was supposed to test my current affairs knowledge. Thankfully, the Big Boss was busy and my 200 country capitals didnt need to be tested. So I met her instead. There are some people you instantly like and she was one of them. However, for my mother and me to like the same person was unthinkable. But she did. I realised, in time, I liked her because she reminded me of my own mother in many ways. She was Goan , just like my mother. She was easy to talk to, always laughed and smiled,loved food and was somehow easier to relate to. She likes to live life king size, and splurges on herself and others generously.

However, with most happy people, like Darshana and Mitchelle, there's always a sense of sadness and loneliness hiding behind their strong personalities. These fiercely independent people shut down when hurt and they prefer solving problems themselves. In the end, they're taken for granted and not appreciated as much as they should be. Mitchelle is confused about what she wants but very clear about what she doesnt want..which makes her far easier to understand, to me..She may be in her 30's but she's still fun to talk to and she's mantained her child like behaviour...

.....

You might have heard people talk about this all the time but I'm going to do it anyway and bore you. Since I'm surrounded by women all day, I'm also surrounded by make up, shoes and accessories. Though I will grudgingly admit that they are necessary, I still dont understand the need, obsession and fascination.The unecessary meticulous ladylike behavior that involves combing your hair a million times, going all the way to the loo to only set your hair and the never ending frown when you're perfectly manicured nail is chipped, grates on my nerves.Women keep drinking hot water and eat ONLY fruits, starving themselves. It's disgusting.They say no to chocolate, know the exact amount of calories in each food item and have strict diet plans everyday. Fairness creams are at the top of my hate list. It's pathetic how women want to be fair and thin all the time and are complexed about their color and weight.
We are Indians.
We are brown chicks.
The white chicks are outsiders.
And our figure is supposed to be curvy,dammit!
And this stupid obsession all boils down to men. Yes,I'm going to actually go on a men-hating spree at the moment, which my female friends will applaud. However, my lovely girlfriends, you are no less stupid. Even worse, in fact for giving in.


The matrimonial columns firstly.


Wanted:


Beautiful fair woman of average height, with good educational qualification, who knows how to cook and is respectful to elders.


Translation:


I want someone who I can show off for her looks and my parents can show off for her docility.

My translation: Revolting.

Just stop and think for a moment. Nah, dont think. When you think, then you do the normal stuff. Because then you see the sense in doing it. If you dont 'fair' up soon... you're gonna be busted and you need to have that ring on your finger by 29. It's a timeline you have worked out for as long as you can remember and you cant let go of it. Why? Because then you're choices narrow down. Badly. Why again? Oh yes, you get worse looking by then. So you're man does the deed before that and you get your cradle to deal with too. Easier for him,isnt it?Quite brilliant the plan is, really.



I'm not telling men to search for inner beauty. Hell, even I'm not that deep. Neither am I telling women to stop making an effort to look good. But men need to get rid of that 'fair=virignal' stereotype and women need to stop starving themselves. They need to stop asking questions like 'Do I look good today?' or 'He'll never look at me. He prefers hot women.' I will shake those women into oblivion.


Unfortunately and fortunately, I have been on the receiving end of being overlooked for a much fairer,quiter and delicate woman. She's never run a mile in her life(being naturally thin even though she has her love handles after starving herself) and is the nice and 'sensitive' person. But the man is intelligent. Brilliant, in fact.That's what confuses me. But in the end, he chose her. It wasnt a war and it was subtle but I was bewildered, nonetheless. I know what its like to have your ego mangled up and you look at yourself in the mirror and say, "What's not good enough? What does she have that I dont?"


You probably have more and I did dammit, but he didnt see it. "'That's his loss", you say? I dont think so. He's got exactly what he wants. A perfect doll with minimal intelligence because he doesnt have to deal with it. It's a plus point really. Being dumb. Not 'blonde' dumb. I meant 'damsel in distress' dumb. She doesnt need saving all the time but atleast she looks like she would want it. She doesnt shrug off help when he offers. She doesnt frown when he opens the door for her or pulls out the chair.
Yes, I have been tempted. It's easy to be lured into being this way if you're a woman.And trust me, it's easy to be that way too. AND it works! But please..dont.
You look at the racks of shoes in a shop and realise there's a pair of high heels that will make you look soo good. But you couldnt possibly walk in them for very long and you've never been comfortable in heels. But still..they make you look so good....
Yes, I've been there. But better sense has prevailed, thankfully and I have moved on to the next row and bought the pair of flats.
This isnt a feel good post where fat women(I know all women think they're fat but these are for the OBESE women.) can say 'Hey,I dont need to feel bad anymore.I can still get a guy because I'm intelligent.' This isnt for dark women to say,'Men are idiots.'

This is for fairness cream and hot water addicts to ask themselves..

'Who are you doing this for? And when do you stop?'