Life in The Chronic Pain Lane

Chronic pain.

What exactly is chronic pain?

It is living your life in near constant pain, 24/7, 365 days a year.

There are good days. Good days meaning, the pain is bearable and you can live a semblance of a normal life.

And then there are bad days. Where the 1-10 scale of the pain score, probably reads at a 20/10. When all you can do, is wait the pain out the best one can.

There is an entire category of illness called the invisible illnesses, called thus, because the sufferer may look perfectly normal to the untamed eye, but the person is in excruciating pain and discomfort.

And no, such illnesses aren’t limited to old people. There are plenty of young people, even from their early teens, suffering from such illnesses.

The medicines to treat them, come at huge cost in some cases, and with an entire truckload of side effects.

There is just too much to be written and said about chronic illnesses. If this post even makes you look up the definition and plethora of illnesses in that basket, my aim to educate more people about chronic invisible illnesses would have borne some fruit.

I haven’t written in close to 3 YEARS, so if I sound kinda boring, I do apologise.

Painfully signing off now.

CREATIVITY JUST FLEW AWAY!

There was a time when many of us watched Indian / Desi serials ardently.

Oh, that doesn't mean people don't watch today. It just means now most of the viewers are just creatures of habit. What else would explain the sustained viewership ratings?

Creativity no longer exists. Every show is a carbon copy of the other or rehash of another serial by the same producer.

All serials on their launch day proclaim like the Maggi Chilli Sauce ad - "It's different" but within weeks, they are exactly the same as the other 2 you watched before this one.

Almost all have one villain haunting the show start to end. Plots are exactly the same. If one starts with a rain dance, you can be sure, the remaining will follow suit within the next couple of weeks. And the latest is adding the supernatural and the bizarre. Black magic is such an over used themed, that there are priests / actors who excel in the role and seem to be "haunting" every show.

I wish channels had the guts to look at producing quality products rather than trying to hit 7 years of non stop telecast.

One show that outdoes the gestation period of even elephants is Kumkum Bhagya. The illegitimate bun (child) being used as a bargaining chip has been in the oven for well over a year. Still uncooked. Thank god at least in this serial, the pregnancy became "visible" in the 7th month.....unlike others where one thinks the expectant Mother is probably going to lay an egg, the size of a hen's!

The show has severe paucity of creativity wherein in full 2 years, only one villain reigns supreme and the heroine fails on a daily basis at exposing her. As for the hero, he is a disgrace to the very word. A more spineless character has yet to be written. Grown up in terms of height, but the brains are stuck somewhere in the pre-KG stage. Tom and Jerry scenes and an eyelock a week, amazingly has kept the TRPs going. Though it truly defies the logic of any sensible human being.

It's sad that this flawed ratings method has perpetuated the need for dragging shows endlessly for years rather than introduce seasons. And sadder that the shows trying to buck that trend ,don't get the TRPs. Unless it's about a snake........

Meanwhile, do watch Indian television reach an all time new low......where the heroine is reduced to a fly!!!

Sit back and watch.....while creativity literally flies away!

ADIEU REPORTERS - JAANE SE PEHLE

And finally today the last episode airs.

Reporters is one of the Once-In-A Lifetime shows.

I wouldn't be alone in saying Reporters has shown us what a show with brilliant writing, excellent production and direction , and the best cast ensemble cast can look like. It has left very big shoes for other shows to fill and I firmly believe if ever any show DOES fill the shoes, then it would be Reporters Season 2. I hope kaayanaat conspires to fulfill that desire of its ardent fans.

What is an adieu without a mention to the 130 Jaane Se Pehle?

Each JSP not only conveyed the story but also a moral and a life lesson. Life lessons that will live beyond a story. Life lessons adopted by all in their daily living.

Rajeev will eternally be known as Kabir Sharma, his Jaane Se Pehle equally legendary.
Kritika will remain Ms Kashyap for us.
Ronnie will be the Friend we all want and
Sunny the loyal dost.

But Jaane Se Pehle,

THANK YOU TO THE ENTIRE CAST AND CREW FOR A SHOW THAT WILL SET STANDARDS FOR THOSE THAT FOLLOW.

Thank you #SrishtiAryaBehl #GoldieBehl #RajeevKhandelwal #KritikaKamra #SammeerArora ,all the actors ,Tripathiji , Palak. Samir and every single person involved in making the show.

REPORTERS WILL BE TRULY MISSED.

ADIEU REPORTERS - ROMANCH BHI

The curtain finally drops on Reporters today.

The thought has saddened me for days but facing the reality is a different ball game.

The last episode will be aired in a few hours and thereafter there will be a huge void not just in my life, but in the lives of all its ardent viewers.

Yes we all knew it was a finite show, but we didn't know then, that the show will end up meaning so much to us. There wasn't a single episode that wasn't chocoblock with content. Missing a single episode was blasphemy and led to requests of live updates on various social media platforms.

The concept of the life and happenings of a news channel were never before explored on TV. We saw how dedicated Ananya was to her principles even while following a variety of leads. We saw Kabir go from a power hungry channel honcho to a man with feelings, all along covering relevant topics of the day.

We saw a Nidhi Rane wrongly incarcerated, a Mahi Malhotra recover from drug addiction, a Bhavna Shroff manipulating an entire channel for her purposes to an arms deal thanks to Ananya and her Fida  Bhadresh Kutty. We saw the Sudhir Kashyap murder being solved at last....albeit at great cost.

After seeing such finesse, how does one move on?? I certainly can't. So come tomorrow, I start rewatching from Episode 1. And I know for a fact, many are following suit.

ADIEU REPORTERS - ROMANCE BHI

As we bid farewell to the show of a lifetime, I sit reminiscing on the episodes passed.

The confession, the sitting near the table, the date, the I LOVE YOU in numerous languages........

But the episode that to me will forever represent KaYa's love is the Green Room Hug episode. Such joy, such happiness, such love. An episode that I can watch umpteen number of times and then some.

Kaash like for the show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, someone had compiled all the KaYa love scenes. It would be a keepsake.

And by now, you must have understood I am a die hard romantic.

So since I can't edit Nor make VMs, I will slowly, hopefully, compile all the JSPs together (Hope I succeed) and also, make a compilation of my reviews from Episode 1 onwards. It will take time I know......but time hi time hoga....coz after Reporters, I won't be able to watch any other show.

A big HUGE THANK YOU to #SrishtiAryaBehl #GoldieBehl #SammeerArora # Rajeev Khandelwal #KritikaKamra and the all the cast and crew of #Reporters for a Once-In-A-Lifetime show.

AN ODE TO A MASTER - SAMMEER ARORA

Being a voracious reader who has read books on all sorts of subjects, I never once thought that a TV serial would bring me into the presence of someone I will admire for the rest of my life.

I can honestly say that I have never ever in my life admired someone more. Just talking to him has changed me in ways I never thought possible. This man's pen is mightier than the sword. His writing leaves me stumped for words and looking high and low for a thesaurus so that I can find enough words of praise.

The man ? Sammeer Arora.

His work of art I am currently watching?  #Reporters

How much more can I praise him?

Here's just one little piece I wrote for him :

MY ODE TO A MASTER.

If I say that was one of the most brilliant pieces I have ever seen, it would be a huge lie.

The fact is, I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING SO STUPENDOUSLY BRILLIANT IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!

While kudos will be doled out to the actors as is the case everywhere, I think if this came to being,it purely because of the spectacular way YOU wrote it. This Sammeerji, will ever be the scene most people associate with you. Words fail me as I am far too busy crying at what I have been so lucky to witness. You Sir are a Master.

Credit is due also to #SatyamTripathi Ji, #GoldieBehl #RajeevKhandelwal &  #KritikaKamra. Along with the rest of the cast who helped keep the poignancy and regrets of each opposer to this match....a JODI TRULY MADE IN HEAVEN. 

And a wonderful message at the end. It isn't the duty of only law enforcers to protect our country. It's you,me and everybody who has to do it together.Thinking beyond  ourselves.

Thank you Sammeerji. If you were in front of me,I would do charansparsh.

Episode 102 - September 07, 2015.

FAITH.

This is yet one more post of mine,written for my favourite show #Reporters



Faith.

Faith in your writing.
Faith in love.
Faith in acting.
Faith at the time of crisis.
F A I T H.

What a fantastic episode. But for your writing it, this episode wouldn't have had this impact.

Shaken by what I saw.
Shaken by a human bomb.
Shaken in fear.
Shaken by the love KaYa have for each other.
Shaken by a failing battery.
Shaken by no precap and a weekend on the horizon.

Kudos to you most of all. Followed by #SatyamTripathi 's dialogues, Rajeev and Kritika's outstanding acting and last but not the least, Goldie sir's direction.

I don't want to write more and dull the brilliance of this episode.

Episode 101 will remain one of my all time favourite episodes.

Thank you Sammeerji.