CHAMPS ELYSEES

Every city has a special shopping place viz...linking road @ Mumbai, law garden in ahmd, karol bagh in delhi....even Paris has a shopping avenue in the VIII Arrondisement. Posting a sweet song on this avenue in paris along with lyrics and the video ...........

Je m'baladais sur l'Avenue
le coeur ouvert à l'inconnu.
J'avais envie de dire bonjour
à n'importe qui,
n'importe qui ce fut toi,
je t'ai dit n'importe quoi.
Il suffisait de te parler,
pour t'apprivoiser.

Aux Champs-Élysées,
aux Champs-Élysées
au soleil, sous la pluie,
à midi ou à minuit
il y a tout ce que vous voulez
aux Champs-Élysées.

Tu m'as dit : J'ai rendez-vous
dans un sous-sol avec des fous
qui vivent la guitare à la main
du soir au matin
Alors, je t'ai accompagnée,
on a chanté, on a dansé,
et l'on n'a même pas pensé
à s'embrasser.

Aux Champs-Élysées...
Hier soir deux inconnus,
et ce matin sur l'Avenue,
deux amoureux tout étourdis
par la longue nuit.

Et de l'Étoile á la Concorde
un orchestre à mille cordes :
tous les oiseaux du point du jour
chantent l'amour.
Aux Champs-Élysées ...

url for the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAMuNfs89yE

PRICE TAGS of LOVE !!!

Phew!!! One more shop and I thought I was going to collapse under the heap of the very shopping bags I was carrying. I didn't know before this day that there was a limit to even women...when it comes to shopping!
Well...as guests to our French hosts, it was our moral duty to carry a 'few'(???) presents with us to France, so here we were hammering our heads, walking down the streets of Ahmedabad to buy something truly Indian. We needed such gifts that would bring about the essence of India and an aroma of our culture. The presents were not only meant to be a token of our appreciation, but they would express our gratitude and create a bond of love and amity, too.
My mother, my sister and I were scanning the shops for a variety of handicraft items and Law Garden is 'the place to be'!

Bedcovers, kurtis, wall pieces hung on the ropes flashed bright hues like yellow, red, green and blue; while the mirrors winked at us.

We stopped at a shop and asked the vendor for ethnic art work. Now, the best thing about Gujarati shopkeepers is that they are complete enthusiasts...and their favourite phrase is: "See everything till your heart's content. There is no charge for seeing things." So, we came…we saw...and we saw and we saw and we saw...and finally (No! we hadn't conquered yet! Things had just begun, you see.) So, now we were ready for the fun to start. And here, you know when the game starts. The cue for you is, when the price is quoted. Haggling is something that peps me up instantly! They begin with 2000; we make the deal in 200. (I’m just giving an example, so don’t really go for it. The vendors on this street are smart enough now. Street smart! lol) We were totally confused about what to buy, where to buy, how much to buy but subsequently, we bought quite a lot of stuff and there was a reflection of Gujarat in each of the things, I believe. Shopping in my city was a fab experience! I felt as if I was exploring the city from a new angle.
At the end of it all, we had spent quite some moolah for the French, but we knew that the smiles we would see on their faces would be...PRICELESS!! And as I carried all those goodie bags, I felt like Mr. Claus, though with a slight difference…I had no reindeers to cart my baggage!

So folks…thank you for listening to the ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’!!(Courtesy: Sophie Kinsella)

Sing-Along French Anthem

As promised, I am posting the link to the French National Anthem. It includes sing-along lyrics...of course, in french...but at least we will get the hang of its tune and rhythm!

So let's try to sing-along! Allez...Chantez...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1q9Ntcr5g

Singing the Glory!

Songs of patriotism and pride...National Anthems

Here are the national anthems of India and France. Let's understand the spirit of the songs through every word...

The Constituent Assembly adopted the Indian national anthem from a song writtenand composed by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on January 24, 1950.

Only the first of the five stanzas was designated as the anthem.

The English rendition of the songs are :

"Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,Dispenser of India's destiny.Thy name rouses the hearts of the Punjab,Sind, Gujarat, and Maratha,Of the Dravid, and Orissa and Bengal.It echoes in the hills of Vindhyas and,Himalayas, mingles in the music of theJamuna and the Ganges and is chanted bythe waves of the Indian sea.The pray for the blessings,and sing by the praise,The saving of all peoplewaits in thy hand.Thou dispenser of India's destiny,Victory, victory, victory to thee."

La Marseillaise was composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792 and was declared the French national anthem in 1795.

"Let's go children of the fatherland,The day of glory has arrived!Against us tyranny'sBloody flag is raised! (repeat)In the countryside, do you hearThe roaring of these fierce soldiers?They come right to our armsTo slit the throats of our sons, our friends!
Refrain
Grab your weapons, citizens!Form your batallions!Let us march! Let us march!May impure bloodWater our fields!

Sacred love of France,Lead, support our avenging arms! Liberty, beloved Liberty, Fight with your defenders! (repeat) Under our flags, let victory Hasten to your manly tones! May your dying enemies See your triumph and our glory!
Refrain
We will enter the pit When our elders are no longer there; There, we will find their dust And the traces of their virtues. (repeat) Much less eager to outlive them Than to share their casket, We will have the sublime pride Of avenging them or following them!"
Refrain

The Hindi and French versions will be posted soon!

Beginning to explore the French Flavours...

"Chai..chai...garama garam chai! " The words with the jangling of the saucers, reverberate in our minds. For most Indians, a day without a piping hot cup of tea is unthinkable. A visit to the kitli beside your office is a must! A refreshing drink to wash down all the worries of the day...

Likewise, its no wonder that Vincent Van Gogh's "The Cafe' Terrace in the Place du Forum at Night, Arles" (now known as Cafe' Van Gogh) painted in Arles, France, 1888 tells us about Coffee's popularity among the French!

But its amusing to know how we adapt to different tastes in a short time. So while the French relish our Adrak chai, we sip Le Café au lait...the coffee in milk! This cultural exchange programme of 2009 is going to be a memorable experience for each one of us.

I can say this because, it was a wonderful experience for me when I got the opportunity to be a host to a group of French guests for a few days. I was one of the volunteers to accompany them to the Calico Museum and a few Jain Temples in Ahmedabad. Interacting with the French group was great and conversing with them in French was my privilege! The group mostly consisted of senior ladies and gentlemen. Most of them were retired school teachers. They were curious to know about the temples and the gods and it was a bolt from the blue when I came to know that a few of them knew more about the temples and the carvings than I did!

Besides this what I enjoyed the most was the French Evening. It was so much fun and the group had put in a lot of efforts. When I entered the hall where the event was organised, I felt as if there was a little part of France there. In one corner, the walls were decorated with maps of France where little flags were pinned up to identify which part of the country each of the French visitors came from. In another corner a table was stacked with juices, soft drinks, a tray of chocolates and the famous French cheese. They made it sure that everyone present got a piece of it! Later, they performed school poems, french waltz dance, with music et al! One of the ladies called Nicole also played 'Mera Juta hai Japani and Jana Gana Mana' on the keyboard and made us feel proud and grateful. And to bring that all to an end, not to forget...the French Food! They served us with delicacies like Couscous( similar to our upama), pastas, salads, steamed veggies, and french deserts like the apple pie and cake. It was quite yummy unlike what we have been hearing about the french food!

Well, now the buck has been passed to us! It's our turn to show what Indian culture is all about. The talents that we possess, the skills that we have, the food that has a hint of our diversity and our hospitable nature that stands for our unity!

So lets bring all that together and work towards a grand Indian Evening in France! Cheers to this journey from India to France which will not only create new ties and bonds but which will also give us a chance to explore the person within us!!! :)