when dreams come true, or even if they don't..

... the joy is just as intense, just as pure. I had a dream for the last 5 years to see Tim Rice and Elton John's Broadway production of AIDA and yet my annual visits to the NYC somehow didn't provide this opportunity, though I did have the pleasure of the Phantom, the frolic of Mamma Mia, the romance of Beauty and the Beast, the mystery of Wicked, the simplicity of Oklahoma, the feline physicality of Cats, the innocence of Annie, the colors of Joseph and several other plays and off broadway stuff both in and outside the Big Apple. And yet, just like the craving for that which cannot be, my desire to see AIDA continued to haunt me. I had heard the sound track a long time ago when a friend played it on a midnight drive along the barren landscape of Southern Utah and the music and the lyrics remained etched in my soul.

Last night amidst the red cliffs of St George's Tuacahn Amphitheater and under the midnight blue sky that was riddled with stars, the stage no longer felt like a prop, as the waters of the Nile seemed to engulf the tears and tribulations of the Nubian princess AIDA in her choice between the love she finds in Radames and her calling towards her people.

While "enchantment passes through" and they are given "paradise but just for a day", yet the fact that love can flourish for a lifetime between the two most unlikely people with the most different of circumstances is what makes one smile. It is not improbable to guess the finality of this story which is based on Verdi's Opera, but the beauty of this masterpiece lies in the romanticism of love that is sought and the strength of character with which it is returned.

Yes just like this fictional tale may or maynot have come alive under an Egyptian sky aeons ago, last night the dream of seeing this play out in front of my eyes, led my soul to a higher plane and yet again, I was left spellbound by this simple 4 letter word.. called LOVE

The lyrics below say it all...


"Never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by
You don't have to ask me and I need not reply
Every moment of my life from now until I die

I will think or dream of you and fail to understand
How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand

Is it written in the stars
Are we paying for some crime
Is that all that we are good for
Just a stretch of mortal time

For some God's experiment
In which we have no say

In which we're given paradise
But only for a day

How noble eh? ....

Or was it ironic, to accept the Nobel for diplomacy and in the acceptance speech reaffirm that it was a "call to action" and dedicate it to all the leaders of the world?

Without getting into the political data crunching, here are a few questions that have left me puzzled?

- Does effort and vision mean more than results? In that case, if I were in the field of genetics and decided to "inspire the world" with my vision of finding a cure for cancer, would I be eligible for the Nobel, 11 days after joining a prestigious lab ?

- Did he need the extra pressure? - I have nothing against the guy at all, in fact, living in this country, I want nothing more than the Prez to succeed in his endeavors, but does this funny little feather on his cap, make the world's scrutiny of his actions any less?

- Doesn't an award get diluted when you have to explain and reinstate why it was given? - I mean what is sadder?, the fact that he accepted it or that even his own office is not sure whether exactly why he was receiving it? I do feel sorry for the guy in that context. I mean, feeling overwhelmed by an award is one thing, to feel "huh!!!, what was this for again?" .. in all honesty cannot do much for the ego in the long run...

- For peace really? - Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Aung San Suu Kyi - their work and dedication give you goosebumps... has the Nobel committee lost it, maybe they did after they started thinking they were the Oscars and rewarding "documentaries" ?? ;)

If only he had Tagore's humility and greatness to refuse this, President Barack Obama, would have truly been hailed as one of the greatest leaders that ever lived..

Thoughts, contradictions, affirmations.. anything goes on a topic like this.. :)