Today's World Cancer Day and I felt like writing a little about it as I've seen the pain and anguish this disease brings to patients, their loved ones and friends.

World Cancer Day is about raising awareness, encouraging prevention and educating people about the disease.

As ambassador for the Cancer Patients Aid Association India (CPAA) for over 10 years now I have seen adorable children diagnosed with leukaemia fighting for their lives, I've seen children lose their parents to cancer, I have seen families grieve for the loss of their loved ones losing battles to cancer.

Every few minutes, one person is diagnosed with cancer and sadly, not all of them can afford the expensive treatment. There are different causes for cancer, but what saddens me is those who harm their health by picking up habits scientifically proven to cause cancer yet don't seem to think about the consequences.

Take the most common type of cancer - lung cancer for example, cancer research shows that 86% of lung cancer deaths are caused by tobacco smoking. A survey conducted in the US sadly showed that in a study of lung cancer patients, 36% continued smoking as it was too hard for them to give up their addiction. Imagine the pain their families and friends would be going through, to see their loved one not only fighting a battle with cancer, but succumbing to the cause of it.

Please show your support guys to organisations like CPAA or cancer associations in your country, there's so much we can all do to help. Please reach out and support our bright doctors and scientists with cancer research so that one day we may find a cure to this dreadful disease.

~VO

Today is a very special day for all of us at Sundial Pictures. A few weeks ago when we got the news that our first film "Dekh Indian Circus" was selected at the Busan International Film Festival, we were elated at the honor of competing at such a prestigious world class platform. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that our first film, this little dream that all of us have dreamed together, would win the best film award! To see Korean and international audiences all together in one theatre, watching our film, laughing, crying and coming out with hope in their eyes and smiles on their faces was the most rewarding experience for our team. We learned here that emotions are truly universal and language is just incidental....a smile is but a smile....whether in India, Korea or America...it is the same beautiful expression.

Today I am filled with gratitude towards the almighty for all the success he has blessed us with and I am filled with pride for our team at Sundial Pictures!

Starting with Chirag, Mahaveer and Shikha- my partners and pillars of strength, Anil bhai, whose support has been vital, Pinaki, Sonal, Sid and everyone including our peons, office boys, drivers and cleaners....we are all part of a very happy and proud sundial family today!

We thank our technical team of "Dekh Indian Circus"....our director Mangesh who weaves emotions and stories like a master, Shankar Ehsaan Loy for their lilting melodies, Prasoon bhai for his lyrical genius, Wayne Sharpe for his delicately beautiful background score, Laxman Utekar our dop, for making the film a visual delight and every technician who helped us make this dream come to life on celluloid!

We thank our brilliant cast, Tannishtha, Nawaz, Virendra, Suhani, for their incredible performances that tell our story with such great conviction. We thank them for taking characters off a page and breathing life into them!

Today is a day for celebrating the honor and glory this prestigious award has brought us, it is truly fabulous to be chosen amidst hundreds of wonderful films from all over the world! But today is also a day for us to remember the journey that has brought us here....and to look forward to the beautiful journeys that we at Sundial will make in the days to come....

A heartfelt thank you to you all from an excited, overjoyed and overwhelmed first time producer!

Vivek Oberoi

Today, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day. I encourage all those who smoke to please make the pledge to quit smoking and those who don't smoke, I encourage you all to please support your friends who smoke by helping them kick the butt!

Today I was honoured to be the face for MidDay's non-smoking campaign and visited Lintas, encouraging employees to quit smoking. My involvement in anti-tobacco campaigns started many years ago when I heard the results of a survey that put me and my role in Company as one of the top 3 reasons why youth take up smoking. I want to make it clear that actors like me who smoke on screen sometimes only do it if a role requires it and a director demands it for his script…just like I don't shoot and kill people in real life…I DON'T SMOKE!

Did you know that in India alone 5,500 children start smoking or chewing tobacco EVERY SINGLE DAY! I am the ambassador for Cancer Patients Aid Association, an amazing organization that is fighting this because we see so many young kids as early as 15-16, their faces decaying and disfigured and life wasted because of tobacco related cancer! I have even come across sick children who are victims of passive smoking.

Every time you light up, think to yourself…is it worth it? Is it worth aging faster than you should? Is it worth poisoning your body? Is it worth sacrificing your manhood? Is it worth endangering your health and those around you?

A cigarette is a cancer stick with a sucker at the end of it…if you love yourself and those around you, kick the butt! You have the power to make the smart and healthy choice…will you step up and kick the butt?

~VO

Maa Vaishno Devi Mandir is a temple very close to my heart and very special for my family. Located in the mystical hills of Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir, the mandir is actually the 2nd most visited in India after Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Mata Rani/Vaishno Devi is a manifestation of the eternal Mother Goddess, Shakti.

Maa Vaishno Devi was called Trikuta as a child and at 9 years of age prayed to Lord Ram on the seashore. In his search for his wife Sita, Ram noticed Trikuta in deep meditation. He asked her to meditate in a cave in Northern India providing her with a bow and arrows, army of monkeys and a lion for her protection. She observed Navratra for the victory of Lord Ram over the demon king Raavan. Lord Ram blessed her and promised Trikuta that she would become famous as Vaishno Devi and immortal forever.

On the way to vaishno devi...amazing to see how families travel in our country...we have so much to be thankful for, so much to appreciate that life has given us! Let's not take our little luxuries for granted.

Crazy image I wanted to share, a pic of a tourist bus whizzing past on the jammu katra highway!

The beautiful trikuta mountains...the abode of the mother goddess vaishno devi.

A shot of the helipad, nestled in the mountains, amazing flight to take!

Can u see the snow peaked mountains in the distance? These are the amazing himalayas!

The walk up is full of monkeys, they're adorable! This one actually came up to priyanka and played with her! We gave her and her baby some fruits to eat...super cute to see them so happy!

It looks like a train, but it's actually the pathway up the mountain, if u look closely u can see it zigzag sharply upwards!

My family and I sat down and enjoyed this gorgeous sunset, sipping kashmiri tea called 'kehwa'...it was blissful...

God is the most amazing artist!!! Look at the colour of the sky! Breathtakingly beautiful sunset at vaishno devi!

Blessed and blissed! What an amazing darshan, what a divine journey! Jai mata di! May her grace and love shine upon us all, saying a prayer for all of u...may u all receive love, light and laughter in ur lives!

Many of you have been asking about my experience working with Suriya anna...so I thought I'd share....I've known Suriya anna for almost 7 years now and with every year he has only grown, both as an actor and as a human being with a golden heart! He was such an absolute pleasure to work with. 13 years in the industry and his enthusiasm and commitment only gets better and better!

He has been a source of inspiration and advice and I treasure him as a brother. Recently he had a chat with me about marriage, about being a good husband and a good father...the beautiful experiences he shared, the advice he gave me...he touched my heart deeply...my respect for Suriya anna has doubled!!! He is the true 'singham' at heart :)

I love traveling and the adventure of discovering new places, cultures, people...it liberates my gypsy spirit! Loving this train ride...sitting at the window, sipping italian coffee...watching the tuscan villages go by...so beautiful...like paintings!

Little tuscan towns,hundreds of years old,most are built on top of hills &their slopes hv beautiful vineyards!

A snapshot of florence...

The sunrise from my garden in tuscany....sitting here, listening to the sounds of the birds, sipping on some fresh italian coffee...gonna go out for a walk now...loadsa loooove and big hug to u all

A walk into the sunrise....u wanna join me??? ;) lol!

Walking to the nearby village...look at the stone houses shining in the morning sun!

Breakfast al fresco...out in the open...under the tuscan sun!

This place is heavenly...went for a long walk into the vineyards this morning...saw the italians harvesting the grapes...singing, laughing...the spirit of these people is a celebration of life!!!

A beautiful little cafe in florence...lunchtime and then a little siesta ;) perrrffecto!!!

In rainy wet and dull UK now! Missing the tuscan sun already! Uk has such bad weather! :(Rain rain go away....!!!

The amazing swaminarayan temple here in the UK....absolutely beautiful!!!

Driving to Leicester now, to support and cheer a group of musicians who can't see and yet perform shows all over the world!!! They call their group BLACK and are amazingly talented performers! What an inspiration for people with disabilities! They not only earn and support their families but also donate to help other blind people! I have such great respect for such true heroes!

On Sunday I had an amazing birthday celebration with some of the adoooorable kids from CPAA (Cancer Patients Aid Association). For a few years now I've brought in a new year of my life with these incredible angels! The entire experience, celebrating with the kids was amazing!

This is my angel Sahara who's now 7 years old. When she was 2, she was suffering from cancer and fighting for her life. When I rushed to Tata Cancer Hospital to see her, her eyes were bleeding. The Yashodhara Oberoi Foundation and CPAA funded her treatment and now she's all better! It was such a joy and a touching moment to meet this little sweetheart...miracles do happen!!!

Meeting some of the most adorable and inspiring angels on the planet! Their stories of hope are incredible!!!

Cutting the cake with one of my CPAA angels! Chocolate cake...yummaaaaaaaay!!! ;)

A story that really touched my heart at the event...Akansha, a sweet baby who's birthday is on September 1. Every birthday she waits for this day, the day I spend with these adorable children to celebrate her birthday with me! She got very sick this year, but she's absolutely adorable…there she was, really excited and absolutely insisted on celebrating with me that she came in with a fever! Those are the moments that really make me feel that this kind of love is the most beautiful thing in the world!

I have seen so many of these children growing, fighting and surviving cancer. All of them have amazing stories of hope!

~VO

In Gokarna right now with the family! Gokarna is this exquisitely beautiful little village in Karnataka. Gokarna is rich in history and religion. The famous Gokarna temple for Lord Shiva is located here. A must-visit village for devotees and also for tourists! You have to see Gokarna to believe it. This beautiful little town has coconut and palm trees, beautiful blue oceans and golden sand.

As famous as it is for its magnificent temples, Gokarna is famous for it's beautiful beaches. We spent a beautiful morning at Om Beach. Do you know why it's called 'Om Beach'? The reason is because it is shaped like the auspicious Om symbol. It's the only naturally Om-shaped beach in the world…amazing isn't it?!

Om Beach in Gokarna!

Gokarna has many beautiful temples!

It's times like these that I take a moment to thank God and acknowledge how lucky and how blessed I am....this kind of unconditional love is so rare in today's world...a heartfelt thank u to all my angels out there who pray for me and make my life so beautiful!

It's so special how birthdays mean something different at each age. As kids, we'd look forward to the day that means we turn a year older, get a yummy cake, party and of course presents!!! As teens it's a year closer to independence. A little older than that and we wonder why we can't turn back time ;), mid-life we go into denial as if birthdays never existed and in old age birthdays are celebrated again as a celebration of life :)

For me, birthdays are all about celebrating life and love, celebrating with people u care about. Whilst the focus is on you, it's really about commemorating all the years of your life up until now with the people who have played a part in making you who you are and optimistically looking forward to what's in store the year to come!

This birthday is super special for me...and I am celebrating it with all of u...all of u who have loved me, prayed for me, inspired me....I celebrate this bday with my amazing fans, friends and family....who have played a special part in making me everything that I am....and my beautiful spirit priyanka...my wife to be...who will help make me everything I can be...

Your love and prayers are my greatest and most valued gift...thank u from my happy heart :)

~VO

I'm sooooo proud of my 4yo nephew Adi...he won first prize at the fancy dress competition in school! He dressed up as Gandhiji and gave a beautiful speech on independence and the sacrifice of our freedom fighters! When he said 'Jai Hind' with so much pride, all of us in the audience were so moved! I wish all of us that same genuine pride and patriotism...there's so much we can learn from kids!

May the incomparable sacrifice of our martyrs, the life and death of our freedom fighters always be a reminder to all of us that we owe our country so much, may we respect their sacrifice by doing our little bit as good citizens and proud Indians!

They are the inspiration for us to rise above the corruption and lawlessness, to not become cynical and give up...to work, to give and if need be...to fight for a better INDIA for our children! So that kids like Adi never lose that pride and patriotism I saw in his eyes today! So here's wishing all of u a proud happy independence day!

JAI HIND!

Just got back from the first look release of the theatrical trailer of RAKTHA CHARITRA…felt soooo good to see the awesome reactions of the press…fingers crossed!!!

It was a treat to watch RGV in his element…for someone who makes such powerful intense films-he has such a fantastic sense of humour! Loved listening to all his answers to the press…absolute entertainer!

Chilled with my 'anna' Suriya and had such a beautiful heartfelt chat with him…he is such a good husband and a fantastic father…I'm glad to have a friend like him. Priyamani and her mother were there too, extremely talented actress…loved her performance in RC2.

I play the role of Pratap Ravi in the film. This role, this character is truly something else!!! It's been an immense joy and privilege to be part of such an amazing film. In my 8 years of acting, I've never played a role like this. Several firsts for me…playing the role of a strong political leader, growing a moustache, learning Telugu and delivering lines live in two languages other than Hindi simultaneously! All in all, this role is one of my favourites and I hope you all will enjoy the film this October.

Here's a few shots of me as Pratap Ravi in RAKTHA CHARITRA...

~VO

After a fun-filled day with the angels from Project DEVI, Sushmita Sen and myself went back to the Sandipani Muni School on Thursday morning starting with the Sandipani Muni School assembly.

Again,just like the day before,we were showered with sooooo much love!!!

We visited a few classes, meeting girls in 8th, 9th and 10th grades as well as a couple of the younger grades. It was so inspiring to see just how much they had learned, and how keen to learn every child was. It's true, invest in a girl child and she will make a difference in this world! :)

These are our adooooorable lil bachchas from the Kindergarten class! Project DEVI supports them by providing them with food and childcare during school hours. The kindergarten class accepts toddlers and the reason is so that their older siblings can go to school and get an education. If not for the Kindergarten class, many of the girls at our school would be forced to stay at home to take care of their siblings. The bachchas love coming to school every day and the time we spent with them was so special!

This is the medical centre in Vrindavan which Project DEVI supports. Hearing their stories was so emotional, it's great that the medical centre is there for them…giving them proper treatment and hope for a better future.


We proceeded to visiting the new school…with Project DEVI we're expanding from taking care of 1200 children to 3000 children! We're building a new school to cater for our expanding family of angels! Very exciting! Here we are planting trees at the new school :)

We ended our trip in Vrindavan with a Press Conference where we discussed what Project DEVI does,what we've achieved as well as our plans for the future! :)

An inspiring, touching and fun-filled two days in Vrindavan! I truly appreciate all the support for Project DEVI and I'd like to thank everyone who has been inspired to sponsor an angel through Project DEVI and volunteer in Vrindavan. For more information on how you can contribute to Project DEVI, please email my team at: management@vivek-oberoi.com. Together we can make a difference!!!

~VO

For more pictures, log into the Vivek-Oberoi.Com gallery!

After a fun-filled day in April celebrating Holi with my adoooorable angels from Project DEVI in Vrindavan, I went back to visit, this time taking my beautiful friend Sushmita Sen with me! Sush was so excited to meet the lil kids and they were even more thrilled and excited to meet her!!! The experience, like all the others was one that I'll never forget!

The angels that Project DEVI supports come from underprivileged families….we provide them with free healthcare and education and the chance to be everything they want to be. It's so uplifting every time I visit them, to see how much they've grown, how much they've learned and importantly….the smiles on their adorable faces! The love,the energy that we received from them was truly something else!!!

As soon as we reached Vrindavan, we were greeted with so much love from the adoooorable children from our school, the Sandipani Muni School. Sushmita was overwhelmed by just how much love the angels were showering us with!

We proceeded to visiting the different classes. This included extra activities classes at  the school such as martial arts, Odissi dance, tablas, embroidery, stitching, vocal and computer classes. It was so inspiring to see the kids really embrace learning and having so much fun!!!

In the evening, it was back to the Sandipani Muni School for an amazing 2 hour concert the kids put together! Last year, for my birthday they put together a concert and this time, just for Sushmita and myself the kids put on a brilliant show! My adorable angels, dancing with so much spirit and energy!

We had so much fun cheering them on and then, the girls called Sushmita and I to the stage to shake a leg!


What an amazing day! Spending time with the angels, getting loads and loadsa cuddles and kisses…the angels have soooo much love to give and I loved seeing them again! It was so great to see Sushmita,who truly has a heart of gold, enjoy every minute of her time in Vrindavan!

~VO

Coming Soon: video footage of Vivek Oberoi and Sushmita Sen in Vrindavan!

For more pictures, log into the Vivek-Oberoi.Com gallery!

In beeee-yooooo-teeeeful sri lanka for iifa....'ayubowan' as they say here...wish u all a long and prosperous life :)

Im supaaaah excited coz im performing this year on an awesome medley of songs from Prince and ajab prem---lovin it! My maa and dad will also be here to watch me perform...makes it sooooo much more special :))

Doing a bunch of activities at iifa this year but most special of them all is launching 'PROJECT HOPE' here as a joint project with support of iifa foundation, govt of sri lanka and abunch of very special NGO's from tamil nadu and sri lanka! Makes me so happy that a little dream of mine is fast becoming a reality---a dream to build schools for the beautiful divine tamil children, where they will be educated, given food and nourishment, health care and social and psychological rehabilitation to overcome all the pain and trauma the war has left behind! If we are to make our world a better place then these beautiful tamil children must have a better future, must have a better present and be able to forget the pain of the past! I see so much pain in their eyes, they have no light anymore--no 'noor' ....just cold sad eyes.....my dream is to see them smiling again, laughing and playing, singing and dancing.....my dream is to give them what every child deserves...what is the right of every child on earth....a childhood! I need ur prayers and ur support on this very long and difficult journey....the path is full of hurdles and the mission is very big and daunting....but my heart is full of HOPE!

1500 ft in the sky, I feel like an eagle soaring over a blanket of lush green mountains with emerald rivers-stunning!

Flying off 2 'imbulpe' a location famous 4white-water rafting-in the midst of gorgeous tropical hills-awesomeness!!!

The beautiful rathganga waterfalls! This place is truly heavenly!

Went to a beautiful place for dinner last night- a 200 year old hotel called mount laviniya right on the ocean front--gorgeous! Boman Irani, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh were also there....lovely evening :)

Attended the unicef conference this morning, was great to see my friend and awesome cricketer sangakarra there! The project focuses on rehabilitation of 'child soldiers'...I met some who had been given training and a gun to fight at the age of 9 -10...they dnt know what a normal life is...sad :(. I'm glad thru this program they will be healed and given a normal happy life!

Backstage, manish malhotra is here dressing me up in an elegant sherwaani for the show! My beautiful co host Dia Mira looks absolutely stunning! It's so cool that models, actors, designers and musicians have come together for a charitable cause!

Just met the amazing anil kapoor! I'm such a fan! He's gonna do a chat show live on stage and we're calling it 'anil ka adda' ;) he's gonna chat live with my friends, the awesome threesome Boman Irani, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh it's gonna be a laugh riot I'm sure!

Wow! Jst wrapped up! What a night tweeps! Fabulous fashion, great passionate performances and a wonderful co-host Dia Mirza made it a brilliant night!

My buddies Salim and Sulaiman rocked with live music, Kailash Kher and Anushka Manchanda sang soulfully and Manish Malhotra and Vikram Phadnis 's clothes were absolutely fabulous!

May 28, 2010--

Morning! Driving to town, my beautiful golden hearted friend sush has asked me to come judge the miss universe india pageant. I'm curious..if u had one question to ask the lovely young lady who will represent India at the miss universe pageant what would it be?

Spent focused time with the contestants, am very impressed with them and the approach of the 'I am she' pageant! Celebrating individualism and encouraging them to be themselves. Love that there is no pretension--i like that they're all real and celebrate that! I guess it's sush's influence--she's all heart and has inspired these girls so much!

Done! Ushoshi from kolkatta has won the crown! She is exotic, spirited,fun and very natural with a warm personality! With the right grooming she has a very good chance at the international pageant. It's gr8 to see that out of 5 finalists 4 were dusky indian beauties! I love how the trend is changing and how being 'gori' (fair skinned) isn't the most imp thing anymore! Gr8 to see such fabulously talented and confident girls---each of them was a winner in spirit tonight! I am she was fabulous like the lady behind it-stand tall and be proud sush! God bless!

7.30 am: Shoot starts only at 2 pm today... but I have an important breakfast meeting! Showered, shaved, prayed and ready to meet my adorable nephew ADITYA VARDHAN OBEROI -- in short -- Adi :)

10 am: Looking at Adi relishing the chopped mango, catching up with his favourite chachu, telling me all about dance class, drama class and swimming with his friends -- aaah summer holidays are a magical time!

3 pm: At Film City, grooming my moochas -- still feels alien -- but gives me Telugu superpowers -- ability to mug the Telugu dialogues in no time! ;) Think it's easy? Try saying "bomb pelindhi naa meedha... mee medhadu panicheyatledhentee" now try saying that with a serious expression!!!

7 pm: Enjoying my evening break, driven up to the highest point in Film City -- the helipad -- watching the eagles soar as the setting sun bathes all of Mumbai in its deep red hues... from this distance the city looks like the poetry of peace!

11 pm: Actor VO has packed up but 'Vampire VO' is wide awake! Feeling a major bout of insomnia coming up :)
Out with my biking buddies, getting our hands greasy, fixing on spanking new carbon fibre accessories on the Yamaha V-MAX- gonna ride this stunner tonight!

3 am: Sorry my darling Ducati...but I'm in LOVE with her... the VMAX stole this biker boy's heart!!! What an amazing experience, cruising down empty roads in conversation with the VMAX... listening to her whisper and grrrrowl... one more surreal night for this insomniac... I'm wide awake and yet I feel like I'm in a dream!

6.00 am  Sir Duke and Lady Ivy (my dogs-the world's most adorable boxers) are super excited, bouncing about like they had springs in their paws, we're going to the  BEACH yayyyy! Their favourite fetch toys firmly in their mouths, running against the wind on the soft wet sand, dodging and barking at the incoming waves! I love my bachchas!


8.30 am After mucking about all over the beach, drinking nariyalpani, eating the fresh malai (all three of us love it) and playing 'bowling' with empty coconuts and getting drenched in the sea, barefoot- wet sneakers in hand, we make our way home. Maa screams "take them straight to the terrace, i dont want sand all over my house" somethings never change ;)




11.00 am After hosing down,brushing their teeth, shampooing and scrubbing them- and in the process looking like a 'foamy clown' myself...we're all chilling on the sofa, after all the pampering i've given them...they return it with purest, most adorable loving nuzzles and kisses! You really want to know what unconditional love is?....adopt a dog!



4.00 pm After a long leisurely lazy afternoon floating in the soothing sound of jazz...transported to the classic world of Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins....it's time to change gear and hit the gym again!


7.00 pm You've heard of 'Terminator' right? Well my trainer Viraj looks like him and is a motivational machine i call him ' Motivator' ;)  He can be a slave-driver when it comes to doing abs...I HATE DOING ABS!!! Universal emotion i guess ;) hahaha!




9.00 pm Dinner with maa and dad - Mr Meow- (the cat who has decided to adopt us) is harrowing us with the constant demands! Reminds of something i had read about the difference between cats and dogs "a dog looks at his master and says- he loves me, he feeds me, takes care of me...HE MUST BE GOD!!!....and a cat says....he loves me, he feeds me, takes care of me....I MUST BE GOD !!! " ;)

My babies giving kisses!!!

6.20 am Gosh don't you just hate it when your 'body clock' automatically wakes you up at 6.20 am especially if its a rare HOLIDAY!!! Lazed in bed for a bit, trying everything to fall asleep again...no luck- ufff!!!


8.30 am T.V. on, running on the treadmill...news channels can be so depressing...sometimes i wish there was a magic treadmill that could take me into a land of innocence and bliss...away from all the cynicism, sadness and cold indifference i see on the news....cmon endorphins...kick in already!


11.30 am The best thing about a day off is being able to sit with mom and dad and have the luxury of a loooong breakfast that turns into brunch! Dad talking about his golf and how much he loves the golf clubs i bought him, maa putting oil in my hair as i sit at her feet....i don't need a magic treadmill...god gave me an amazing family :)



2.00 pm Immersed in the dark world of 'Don Corleone', courtesy my amazing home theatre, dad and i are revisiting Godfather -in dad's deep baritone voice " it's the gita of films, full of philosophy and brilliance"....mom wanted to watch 'Sound of Music'...we voted...we won 2 out of 3 haha...i love democracy! ;)

5.00 pm In the gym for a solid workout, i'm feeling rested, strong and positive and today the loud clangs of the dumbbells are like music to my ears! No pain no gain....push, burn, sweat....satisfaction!


7.00 pm At my buddy bonito's house, he used to be a footloose bachelor like me, until this little angel became his anchor...my beautiful niece Tiana...I love little slices of watching her grow, hearing her babble and her laughter...real life is so much more special than digital photos on your blackberry....it's important to make the time to experience it!



9.15 pm Shhhh! My little princess Tiana is asleep....she isn't just a portrait of innocence, she isn't just a sleeping baby...she is the promise of a better world.

7.00am GOOOOOD MORNING universe!!! Treadmill,shower,shave and then into our little temple to light a diya and say a prayer,a quick pop into the kitchen to give maa a hug and I'm off to shoot!


8.30 am Driving to filmcity, sms-check, email-check, twitter-check! Mmmm...time for breakfast on wheels- a bowl of strawberries-yummy!


11.00 am Rigorous rehearsals complete-shooting an 'EXPLOSIVE' scene(literally) for Raktha Charitra- fire blasts and flying glass!


2.00 pm Lunchtime in the comfort of the van - listening to RGV talk cinema - fascinating to see the passion and insight -total treat!


6.45 pm Pack up!!! It's been a hard day at work...
sweat(water spray)
tears(glycerin)
Blood(artificial)
;) haha!
Looking like a zombie covered in blood and dust!



8.35 pm Washed up and changed into tracks and a tee...believe it or not headed straight to the gym! Was tired but 'Traffic nap' helped ;)



11.00 pm Home after a great workout! Hot shower, protein shake, a tiny chat with god and I'm taking off on the first flight to dreamland! ZZzzzzzzz...

Also featured in MidDay May 11, 2010

12.01 am Yayyyyy! Screaming, singing, dancing, jumping, friends, bonhomie, madness, fun-PARTY!!! What a great way to begin the perfect sunday ;) With the best-est-est ever friends at club valhalla partying like rockstars and loving & cherishing every moment of it! Life is beautiful...la dolce vita!

3.15 am Hungry kya??? Mass attack of the hunger pangs ;) In the kitchen(of the club+restaurant) cooking for my friends and myself, some veggie pasta in a creamy pesto sauce...some fresh basil leaves,pine nuts,extra virgin olive oil and a whole load of parmesan cheese-yummy and straight to the tummy!

5.30 am Driving home, all of us singing hindi songs at the top of our lungs like a besuraa band....bursting out laughing and loving every minute of the cacophony and chaos juxtaposed against the backdrop of the sleeping megalopolis!

6.25 am Drove past the temple, bells ringing, said good morning to god, then good morning to the milkman ;)
Played hide and seek with morning sun, drew up all my curtains, sweet dreams and sweet awakening!

1.30 pm beep beep BEEEEP!!! The reminder alarm on my phone like a bee in the ear - "don't forget VO...it's mother's day"...today is a special day for the most special lady in my life and I've decided to make it super special for her!

3.00pm 'Operation mother's day' begins! Maa is off to her bhagavad discourse with all her friends, that gives me time till 8.30pm to make all the arrangements and surprise her when she's back! First stop...FLORIST!!! Im here picking out her favourite orchids and lilies myself...its all gotta be PERFECT...she deserves nothing less!

5.00 pm House cleaned, looking spic and span! I've been commanding the house staff like a general at war, they think I've gone totally nuts haha! Flowers and candles everywhere...looks beautiful! My sister meghna will be here soon to add her artistic touch...god knows i need HELP there! ;)

6.00 pm While Meghna's cooking dinner, I'm burning a CD of maa's favourite music, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, the Beatles of course and Dean Martin. When i was little i loved watching maa and dad dancing to this music, I'd run up to them, stand on their feet,hug their legs and be a part of the dance...a favourite memory!

8.45pm Everything's ready just in time...in walks maa and the look of surprise and joy on her face is worth a million times the effort we made today! It's amazing how much joy you get from making your mother happy!

11.00 pm I read somewhere once "i could conquer the whole world with just one hand...if my mother holds the other" . A portrait of grace and dignity, an angel of goodness,wisdom, guidance and love, you are my immeasurable strength...love you maa!

My beautiful mother, Yashodhara Oberoi...love you maa! :)

Today I was at gateway of india celebrating maharashtra day in a very special way!!! 9 little kids under the age of ten roller skated 65kms all the way to the gateway where I received them, encouraged and acknowledged this brave gesture by these little angels to bring attention to 'save the girl child' as a cause!

Its truly amazing what dedication these little angels have to build a better india! To inspire us all, they have battled the intense physical stress of a task like this and that too in this intense heat of may while most of us can't deal with even an hour without the AC!

You know, sometimes kids, or little people as I like to call them, have such a strong impact on changing the mindsets of people only because of their purity and simplicity of approach!

Sometimes, little people do big things that make big people feel little! Sometimes it takes the innocence of a child to just wash away our intellectual barriers and make us think and feel with our heart again...just like when we were kids! That's why I truly believe that they are angels that show us the path....the path to truth, to simplicity, honesty and goodness....the path to our heart!

Amidst all the chaos,it ws really special 2meet the kids,wht awesme energy! Full of life even after 65kms of skating!

So proud of the kids! So inspiring! Two little ones were just 5years old-unbelievable! All this 2save the girl child!

4.00 am - woke up to the flowing songs of the divine ganga...just four hours of sleep and yet feeling so fresh and rested. Slept on the banks of the ganga at parmarth ashram last night...some places have such positive energy that you wake up smiling :)



5.45 am After half an hour of meditation(meditating on whether I should or shouldn't attempt a holy dip)  I finally summed up the courage to take a dip in the freezing cold water! For a moment, I died...and then felt more alive then ever! When u take that auspicious dip u become one with the spirit and energy of a million saints past,present and to come! So this 'wannabe saint' , yours truly, swapped his horns for a halo, and let the ganga do the rest :) It was ethereal to tap into the divine energy and beauty of maa ganga at the pinnacle of spiritual power during the mahakumbh!

6.35am Good morning sunshine! Whilst welcoming the morning sun i realized...today was easter sunday. I thought of lord jesus christ and his resurrection-the victory of good versus evil, and I closed my eyes and prayed for the victory of love over hate, for understanding,tolerance and compassion in the world of suspicion and fear we live in. This sunrise felt so symbolic of what I was feeling...it only takes one bright sun to eat away the darkness, one lord jesus christ to bring hope and love to millions and only one positive thought, one good deed to rid us of negativity and bring us into the grace of love and light.

Later that morning, with the excitement of a delirious fan, I went to the photographer who delivered me pictures of the day I spent with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I was still high on all the love and blessings I received from him the previous day. Looking at the pictures, I savoured every moment, remembering the hugs, the warmth of his pure soul, his words of wisdom and his child like innocent laughter...In this moment, I knew he would be a part of me forever.

He has the most adorable broken english, and the grace to make fun of it himself. Here I am at his feet, and enjoying him pulling my ears as I teased him a little about his english...too cute!


A juicy red apple in hand, maa n maasi in the backseat, I got behind the wheel of a rented innova and started driving on sun kissed roads, winding through the incomparably gorgeous himalyan mountains. Driving past the Aasan dam and bird sanctuary, watching the sun seemingly float on the lake, we drove into himachal pradesh, making it in time for breakfast at the divine 'langar' of 'Paonta Sahib' a stunning gurudwara on the banks of the river jamuna.


9.00am Somehow, the food at a gurudwara langar, is way more delicious than anything your mamma or your favourite restaurant can cook up. I think the secret ingredient behind the incredible taste is devotion. So after a generous helping of the daal of devotion and a couple of bowls of the kheer of compassion, I took maa n maasi to do some 'bartan seva' with me. One of the most beautiful aspects of religion is 'seva' or selfless service. Standing in front of a washing sink in all humility, washing dirty vessels of people u don't even know and yet feeling a deep sense of joy and satisfaction...a state of bliss such as this can only be achieved in the house of god!


Me outside paonta sahib gurudwara, on the border of himachal and uttarakhand in north india. Eating at the langar with maa and maasi

We drove into chandigarh airport,took the flight to jammu and drove up to the base of vaishno devi. A familiar journey for me, one that I take 6 or 7 times a year and yet it seems to thrill me and fulfill me like it was the very first time. Tens of thousands of devotees climbing up together, chanting in one voice JAI MATA DI !!!

The view on the way to vaishno devi


Walking up with maa and maasi


The sun playing hide and seek with the clouds


Taking it all in...absorbing the divine beauty that surrounds me.


Rays of blessings coming down upon me, felt divine to be in the grace and peace of matarani


The view from where I stood

On Friday April 2, I was in Nagpur to promote PRINCE at the Prince Ki Maha Rally. This event, organised by Yamaha was expected to have 5000 people maximum. However, a whopping 50,000 people came to support us! I can't even begin to describe the feeling, the excitement and the energy that was there that day! The adrenaline was pumping, felt so alive and so so so blessed to be so loved! It was madness but yet awesome!!! Love the madness! Love nagpur! Love the LOVE!!!

Yummaaayyy in the tummaayyy!!! The world famous nagpur orange barfi !!! U have to try this to believe it! CALORIESSSS

From a fan perspective, here's some of my fans waiting for us outside the Provogue Store! Thanks Rajiv for the pics!

Getting ready to meet my amazing fans in Nagpur! Can't even begin to describe the excitement and energy that was there that day!!!

Here I am waving at thousands and thousands of fans that turned up. Simply ecstatic and so touched that a whopping 50,000 people came out to support PRINCE! What an amazingggg feeling!!! :)

The rally in Nagpur ROCKED!!! We were all grooving 2 Tere Liye and other songs frm PRINCE-blasting it thru the streets!

It was awesome when thousands of young bikers joined us and started riding through all of Nagpur! I got on to an R1 and zipped it!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSui04qP8KQ">Click here</a>to view a video of the rally from my point-of-view! What an amazing crowd! Great energy, great vibes...great night!!!

Saturday March 27 marked the first day of my rehearsals for Kingdom of Dreams. And who came to wish me luck and watch me work on my first day? My adorable angels from Project 'DEVI' Development and Empowerment of Vrindavan girls Initiative (my school in Vrindavan for underprivileged and abandoned girls). Just 14 of the 1200 angels from this amazing initiative spent the day with me and we had an absolute blast!


Wanna see how you fit a grown man with 14 little angels in one car??? Hahaha!!! My adorable angels insisted on coming with me in my car!!!


Here we all are checking the picture we took to share with my fans on Twitter and Facebook! My littlest angel there was checking to make sure everyone was in the shot…so cute na?


Fitting everyone into the car on our way to rehearsals!!!

Here we all are walking to rehearsals! The kids on my shoulders forgot to wear their chapels so I was carrying them on my shoulder, didn't want them to walk on the hot ground barefoot!


Posing for a quick picture before starting rehearsals! The girls wanted to experience what my work was like--very curious-- so I decided to invite them to see!


Two of my adorable angels performed a dance to --- for us all!

Script-reading surrounded by so much love!!!


Later that evening, I decided I'd cook dinner for my little angels! Menu-Some yummy pasta,delicious corn n chard leaves with a dash of fine wine,asparagus, a lettuce salad!


Candle lit dinner to observe earth day! Dined like a Prince with my little princesses!

This year, I spent Holi in Vrindavan and celebrated it with my adorable angels through the Yashodhara Oberoi Foundation & Food for Life Vrindavan initiative, Project DEVI. For the first time in my life I played holi! It was so much fun, the kids were absolutely adorable and had the time of their lives!

I thought I'd share a few pictures and a few memories, documenting a wonderful day in Vrindavan!

Here's Sarin (9yo) & Sania (7yo) Qureshi who I met last year. Their father who's suffering from cancer is the sole earner, family of 6. When I met them it was such a sad sight to see. I could see Sarin felt the weight of the world collapsing on her, somehow knowing her father would eventually pass away.

No food, money for rent, school would've been out of the question. Little Sania was so quiet, very sensitive & would burst into tears. I decided to help this family, completely sponsoring and taking care of them. Money by itself is absolutely useless but when put into a good cause it works wonders.

6 months later, so much had changed that Sarin was actually playing holi, dancing and at night she got dressed, performed on stage so beautifully. She feels confident that whatever happens now, everything is going to be ok, that someone is looking after her and her family, she's no longer scared that she'll be abandoned. Sania, it was brilliant to see her smiling for the first time...she doesn't have her two center teeth so I was teasing her, asking her if a rat came and stole them away! What was so cute was at the evening function, Sania ran up to me and plonked herself on my lap looking very pretty in a new dress that I had sent her. She told me that even though she wasn't performing on stage that evening, she asked the teacher to do her hair and put on makeup for her because I was coming...that was the cutest, most adorable thing!

Here I am feeding cake to 7yo Sania Qureshi. We were filling up our bellies for a crazy day ahead!

These are all rescued cows that were going to the slaughterhouse. Instead of using a school bus that takes its toll on the environment, we use bull power! The bulls take the kids to and from school.
I actually landed up and surprised the kids, started riding and then they slowly realised it was me and went crazy!

How excited were we?! Here I am with my angels, we were walking towards the Jamuna River. I wore a brand new, white kurta pajama as per the girls' request!

We decided to have the boats decorated, taking them across the river jamuna. Where traditionally Krishna used to play with the gopi's (they played holi). So we played the same way!

This is called 'tel champi'. Basically it's the massaging of the head and face with oil so that the colour doesn't stay permanently.

You can run, you can hide...but you can't escape! hahaha!!!

Coloured with every colour of love :)

Here I am again with Sania after playing holi...isn't she adorable! :)

After we filled their little tummies with food, the kids wanted Vivek bhaiyya to tell them a story. Here I am telling them the story of Holi :)

This is me with 2 of my adorable angels. We all had so much fun playing holi! Coloured with every colour of love!

Here I am with 2 of my angels, we had finished playing holi. I was on my way to visit a few friends I had made in Vrindavan, including adorable baby Sreedha before heading to the Bankey Bihari temple...Vrindavan's best form of transport: WALKING!

Sreedha, my littlest fan! She was 15 days old when I met her...now a big girl, 7 months old. She always smiles when she sees me...every time she cries, her mamma puts on my songs on TV and she stops crying...cute na? Now that's what you call a loyal fan hahaha! ;)

The temple is called Bankey Bihari, a form of Krishna in a naughty, playful and loving mood. The holi of the temple is legendary and people from all over the world come visit to see the spectacular celebration.

In Hindu culture, garlands are a sign of respect and honour. They honoured me with garlands as the special guest at the Holi celebrations. It's very special because the garlands are blessed by God first, and then are used to honour someone.

All's well that end's well! What an incredible day, an incredible experience. In this picture, I had just left the temple. I was on my way to enjoy the evening event where a few of the kids performed and we also played phool (flower) holi!

Make sure you log on here at Vivek-Oberoi.Com to view a video from the day. These girls need all our help and support! If you would like to sponsor a child through Project DEVI, make a general donation or volunteer...please email: management@vivek-oberoi.com ~VO

What an awesome day!!! Spent the morning at 'sneha sadan' a home for underprivileged kids...they were adorable n soooo excited! We wonder what angels would look like, i met father fonseca today, a man who has dedicated 40 years of his life to make these kids smile!

It's so inspiring to meet such real life heroes and take their blessings!!! What a great start to a great day :) This afternoon i went to support this awesome show called -big wonders where mentally challenged kids overcame their conditions & sang &danced! Again a team of dedicated people, supporting these kids, letting them shine and giving them joy! It's so good to see so many people care!

The evening was the jewel in the crown though! I walked the ramp as the showstopper for the Cancer Patients Aid Association. The show was simply awesme! Celebrities,designers and corporates came out in full strength to support the cause of cancer patients-inspirational!

Cancer Patients Aid Association- an org i've worked with for 8 years, so proud to be their brand ambassador, so proud of the great work they do! 40 years they've been working with so much love and dedication, mr and mrs sapru and their amazing team-these are my real life heroes!!! When i was just 18, i lost my first love, my childhood sweetheart since the age of 13 died of cancer.Everytime i help CPAA, spend time with the patients going to the hospitals on rose day or celebrate my bday with terminally ill children, i feel i am honouring her memory I was devastated when i lost her but by helping save the ones who cant afford the treatment n medicines, i feel she's alive in their smiles.

My mother taught me- the best way to honour the memory of someone u've loved & lost is to reach out and ease someone else's pain and misfortune earlier i never spoke about the work i do or causes i support bcoz of some bad experiences with the press. But then now i realize that u shud not suppress ur own convictions & beliefs because of some shallow cynics. It is so easy to criticize & doubt others but so difficult to actually go out there &make a real difference to even 1 person. So now I say- to hell with the doubters- just follow ur heart!

Old b'lore airport, this is the Beechcraft premier 1, beautiful bird...can't wait 2check out the controls n avionics!

Man I'm such an aviation junkie! Looove flying planes,hopefully will get some time out soon n get my pilot's license!

The true heart n soul of INDIA is in our villages...a beautiful morning in the fields of gold! MERA BHARAT MAHAAN!!!

OMG!!!This is INSANE!At high speed on an express highway, jst shot a vid, uploading it! This happens only in INDIA :)

The road to vrindavan, basking in the early morning sun.....sighhhhh.....sooooo beautiful!

Just landed in foggy cold delhi! Aftr being delayed by 3hrs,they finally started boarding! I got on the plane n fell asleep, woke up 45mins later 2find we hadnt taken off only and 'mr mask' was sitting nxt 2me! Imagine how freaked out n pissed off I was! Lol!

So wht do u do whn ur sittng in a plane nxt 2this guy!!!OMG I ws jst waitng 4him 2pull out a gun &hijack d plane LOL!

All's well tht ends well, I'm at zest(awesme restrnt) at emporio mall in delhi,it's nice &cold & Im in d warmth of d best frnds in d world! Best time evr being totally pampered n spoilt by my amazing frnds here in delhi! Sendng all of twitterverse loadsa love frm dilli &my dil ;)

As I promised...the gorgeous goa sunset! I love this place! Sending all of u out there in the cold loadsa goa sun!

A room with a view...and what an awesome view it is!!! Can't wait to see another magical goa sunset.....sighhhhh!

Jst one day in goa is too little...I miss it already :(Back in mumbai, at my shoot now! Sighhh! I miss the goa vibesYesterday's event was awesome!Thousands of young students at the goa youth festival, amazing energy! Was there 2spk 2them about the ills of smoking and explain 2them how tobacco is such a big killer! Felt so good 2see that the youth of today is sensible and chooses health over bad habits :) They performd such amazng dances! India is such a treasure trove of cultural beauty! Felt honoured 2give them prizes &receive all that love!

Mega excited about launching my mega project 2day! It's called 'kingdom of dreams' and it's the world's biggest live musical broadway kinda show but based on bollywood! We've got the best talent from india and the US,aus,UK. All brilliantly talented people hugely successful at broadway and in the west end. So so soooooo excited to be a part of it! Wish me luck! Much love ~VO

If u guys thought that video was cool,wonder what u'd think if I told u I did the same thing later that night again but this time I was on fire as I jumped--like literally,real fire! What can I say, it was HOT! Lol! Really frickin hot haha!

One word that always makes me smile-GOAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! yesss!!! Bringing in the new year with all my frnds frm all over the world!HAPPINESS!

Hahaha!!! WILDDDD!!! Landed at goa airport and guess who was here 2receive me??? Not one but 3!!!Check out the pic ;)

At SUNBURN music festival! Roger sanchez is BURNING it!!! Awesome!!! Loving the music and the lights! LoVin IT!!!

Morning tweeps!!! Had the most amazing time last night! Went to my buddy's place called praia,bang on the beach,sound of the ocean,lamps n candles everywhere, was so relaxing! We all chilled out n talked all the way until sunrise! So amazing!!! Sending u some sunshine :)

My first breakfst of 2010,this lovely goan lady cooked 4me at 6am on d beach-a pack of maggi noodles!Haha! Was http://tweetphoto.com/8528797

The fireworks lit up the nite sky & it all seemed so surreal! I miss goa &the calm within the chaos of nw year http://tweetphoto.com/8528647

And this ws d 'moonrise' happening almst simultaneously as d sunset!Aaah!I was truly spellbound in tht hour of http://tweetphoto.com/8528509

This was the last sunset of 2009 shot in goa on 31st dec..so beautiful naa? It was magical as I said farewell http://tweetphoto.com/8528358

Just landed in delhi, my buddy surprised me and came 2pick me up in a gorgeous lamborghini! Driving 560 horses under the hood,full throttle

She sounds,moves,looks and performs like beyonce in concert! Maaa I think Im in love!!! Frm 0 to 100km in 3.6 seconds!
http://tweetphoto.com/8074271

On my way 2the auto expo in delhi! Im here 2unveil the newest creation by ace car designer dilip chhabria.Super excited 2see what he's done!

Me at d auto expo,unveiling the 'imperator' by DC!!! Will put up more pics later, looks like a spaceship on st http://tweetphoto.com/8115089

Leaving amazing delhi! Gr8 lunch at zest, shoppd at paul smith at the emporio mall, bought a sexy pair of patent leather shoes! Looove them!

Test drove the porche panamera! Amazing car! U can tell from the smile on my face haha :)

Check out the interior styling of the porche panamera! Such a gorgeous car!!! Santa are u listening? ;)

GMORNIN TWITTERVERSE!!!! Aaah! Slept well, feelin fresh as toothpaste ;) hahaha! Off for a supaah cool photoshoot-shhh! details later ;)

Finishd cover shoot 4 hair fashion mag esthetica-had so mch fun! Ws a pleasant surprise 2bump in2 my buddy Ranbir kapoor @ mehboob studio!

For all my kannada tweeps-my buddy sudeep has come 2my house 4dinner -we're eating some home made bambaiyya bhel puri-yummy! Later tweeps!

WoW!!! It's 1.20am and kichha sudeep just left! Had the best time ever hangin out n listenin 2the awesome music of just maathmaathali!

As promised-here's a pic of me shootin jan cover 4 ESTETICA-global top hair fashion mag!A 'hair raising' exper

Merry christmas tweeple!!! Hope u have a fabulous christmas eve!!! Im off 2finish some dubbing for #PRINCE and will def go out #PARTY 2nite!

Think Im sleeptweeting rite nw! At d airprt,heading 2bangalore 2b the chief guest at my buddy sudeep's music release function. I need sleep!

In namma bengaluru-sighhh-yawwn-stretch-caught a nap on flight-feel mch better now! Gotta launch sudeep's music n rush back 2mumbai 2nite!

The music launch rocked! Loved kiccha's music! Met my other buddy from tamil films simbu-was gr8 catching up with him and jagpathy babu sir

Even ambrishji the senior kannada star was there,he blessed me so sweetly! Feels so gr8 when other actors see ur work n appreciate u :)

Kiccha(sudeep) ws v touchd tht I came all d way frm mumbai specialy jst 4him. Rshng bak 2party wid my lil rockstar nephew-he's 4yrs old 2day

Rshng bak 2party wid my lil rockstar nephew-he's 4yrs old 2day

:( so upset! Flight delayed! I'm so sad, my lil nephew will be fast asleep by the time I get there :(I bought him a huge football kit and

Boxes of chocolates n a special ferrero rocher cake! I'm so disappointed :(I wanted 2see him in his new birthday clothes..air travel sucks!

Yayyyyy!!! So I made it! Adi's wide awake waitin 4his chachu! Loved his gift-we set up the goal post n he's playin soccer in the livin room!

Adi's gift stack! Check it out! One lucky birthday boy huh??? ;) okie gotta get back to playin soccer-chachu duty!

Thnx tweeple 4sending so many sweet heartfelt wishes my lil adi's way! Love u guys!It was so adorable-i cud hear him screaming as he heard

Me ringing the doorbell--I'll open the door! And he was wearing these adorable boxing gloves,came charging at his chachu- late kyu aaye???

Why r u late chachu? And then, movng so fast he kept boxing me sayng this ws my punishment! We both started laughing

This is him doing his crazy excited happy dance coz chachu's finally here! Then he gave me some of his awesome cake!

Check ths out guys- my lil adi bada hokar bahut bada naam kamayega lol! He's gonna be a 'big name' someday ;) Lv him!

I have the most adorable videos of adi, will put em up on my website www.vivek-oberoi.com very soon. Shot some really cute stuff 2nite :)

It was so emotional for me to go to my college student festival today! Thousands of students from 105 colleges were rocking it! Reminded me

Of the times I was a student having a blast with all my buddies at such festivals! It was such an honour to be the chief guest and 2meet all

My teachers, I'm so happy 2see how proud they are of me! The cheers I got frm my juniors,my batchmates, my seniors--very special feeling!

I met up with my college peons, hugged them! They were my best buddies--used 2mark my attendance on the days I bunked ;) lol!!!I realised

I realised 2day tht whn we look at a big tree, we always look up at the branches,the fruits,the flowers--we 4get 2look at the roots where it

Where it all began---we as people shud do that too--never 4get our roots--coz tht's what made us who we are! I will always cherish all that

Mithibai college gave me,5 amazng yrs ful of crazy fun,encouragemnt tht made me achieve &frnds who still make my life so beautiful everyday!

At d premier of AVATAR! Supr excitd 2see d incredible special effects in 3D! Its gonna be awesome! Wil tell u guys wht i thot bout it later!

Im truly stunnd! Speechless! Avatar is the greatest cinematic experience I've ever had! 12yrs of meticulous detail,unparalleled storytelling

And pure passion of a cinematic genius pours out of every frame! The imax experience in 3D jst overwhelmed me! Phenomenal film--a must see!

thnx sooo much everyone 4the b'day wishes for dad! I read every msg out 2him n he was sooo touched..u guys made it v special, thank you!!!

Gmornin all you amazing and awesome tweeple!!! Love u guys 4makin dad's bday sooo special! He sends his thnx,his love & blessings 2u all!

Will be posting a link soon wid pics n a little piece I wrote 2share my experience wid u guys. I think dad's gonna join twitter - awesome!

Flying 2pune 2support the legendary social worker nana chudasama &his lovely daughter shaina NC for the GIANTS initiative. Hugs n kisses ~VO

Sittng with 3over excitd &LOUD japanese businessmen on d plane! If they laugh tht loudly one more time &tht too in sync-my head wil explode!

Thx 4d advice guys bt if I ws carryng 'noise reduction headphns' I wudnt b goin CRAZY right nw!And I cnt 'bang their heads' wish I cud tho;)

Landed in pune--FINALLY!!! Jst read all ur tweets! U guys are HILARIOUS! I lovd the ideas u came up with 2handle the orchestra from hell! ;)

So here's what I did-i stared at them for 5mins non-stop &when tht also didn't wrk, as soon as they startd laughing I LAUGHED twice as loud!

Like full on evil raakshas laugh MWUAHAHA types! They stared at me like I ws psycho-bt they sat chup-chap silently thru the rest of the flt!

Ok guys! Ima off 2d GIANTS function on JM road in pune. Catch u later tweepsters! Big hug ~VO

So I'm off 2my frnd farah khan's triumph lingerie show. I'm wearing a sexy fun dior black suit with a white zegna shirt n a knit tie. Like??

the event was fun! met a whole bunch of my friends there! Farah's always fabulous with everything she does-me loves her :) The theme was a

a very moulin rouge kinda circus! With all the lingerie models walking the ramp and so many amazing dancers n trapeze artists and clowns!

For all my amazing tweeple out there-it's been awesome tweeting n sharing with u all-so i dedicate this-my 1000th tweet to u all! Love u ~VO

I'm at mumbai airprt,chaos here, unidentified baggage led 2panic! Forces hv closd the area n the bomb squad is here! Crazy times we live in!

In chennai! Heading 2park sheraton for a quick bite since all ur tweets bout south indian food hv made me hungry! Bhayangram paseegade!

Rasam,taeer saadam,poriyal with some nice crunchy aplams, moru to drink n payasam to top it off for dessert!!! Yummmmy! I am such a foodie!!

Ok tweeple! Im here at the awesome-hugely popular(crowded) karapagam mess! Anyone wants 2join me-drop in-lunch is on me ;)Ippo pore! Nandri

Here it is! The legendary foodie joint! The food is served on traditional(and eco friendly) banana leaf-love i

The food smells awesome! Yummy!

Check out mottu me pigging out on d food at karpagam mess in chennai! The other banana leaf was 4u guys-shudve

GMORNIN TWITTERVERSE!!!! Aaah! Slept well, feelin fresh as toothpaste ;) hahaha! Off for a supaah cool photoshoot-shhh! details later ;)

Wow!!! 10k!!! Thnk u tweeple! U guys are AWESOME! Me LOOOVESS you :)A big giant HUG to all of twitterverse!!!

There he stood,wearing a brand new silk mundu(a south indian traditional attire),smiling as the sunbeams caressed his peaceful face, lost in prayer- as he opened his eyes,he saw me standing there in front of him. Dad was so emotional,so touched & it was the perfect surprise that I had made it there to be with him on his birthday! Maa n megz(mehgna my lil sis) made sure dad didn't have a clue! After our family hug(a little oberoi tradition) we commenced the birthday celebrations at the divinely beautiful and ancient mookambika temple near mangalore. We were blessed with the good fortune of conducting a very big puja called the shath-chandi homam(100chandi homams being performed simultaneously over 3 days). It is believed that the mother goddess bestows peace, joy & positivity upon the entire world & all living beings upon performing this puja and dad wanted to celebrate his bday like this instead of a regular party. As a family, our gift to dad was 'annadaanam'- feeding 10,000 poor people here everyday for 3days and in turn getting their blessings for his long n healthy life. We had a good laugh when this short little 'ammaji', who appeared older than the ancient temple itself,insisted on hugging him and blessing him over and over again!

The puja ceremony was beautifully conducted with the incantation of mantras from all four vedas. It was amazingly calming and we could feel the mantric energy resonating within us.

At the end of the evening, as dad walked back into his hotel room,he found a huge gift wrapped bundle lying on the bed, it was the very golf set he'd been dreaming of for months(dad is a golf fanatic!)

It was a complete surprise for him coz we got all the info secretly from his golf buddies. He looked like a kid in a candy store! Pulled out every single club and started swinging it around the room like an excited child! Maa was laughing and teasing him saying he looked like 4year old grandson adi with his new toys!

To see that look of joy on your father's face and to know that u caused it,has got to be the most fulfilling experience of all! It felt like a role reversal from the time when I was a kid and my dad bought me gifts. I can just picture him already, on the golf course,telling everyone "my son bought me these golf clubs" beaming with pride. After all that our parents have done for us, in comparison, these little moments of joy we give them are nothing...and yet, to them, they are the best moments of life.
My phone and I were both overwhelmed with the touching calls, text messages and tweets pouring in for dad. I read every single one of them out to him and could see how moved he was. It was special to receive so much love from people--people whose lives,in some way or the other, he had touched and now they were reaching out to touch his life on his special day and make it that much more special.

On a lighter note,one such tweet read "my daughter is crazy about u vivek, but I'm crazy about ur dad! Wow! He is so good looking, even more good looking than you". So dad said (with the same devilish naughty grin that I inherited from him) "hmmm I must get on twitter, make me an account son ;)" and both maa n megz darted a look sideways! "DADDDD!!!" exclaimed his possessive daughter--haha--daughter's will always be daddy's girls!
"A few of them are asking how old u are today dad" I said. He replied with his charming smile "tell them I'm 33--coz that's how old I feel"

Today, on your birthday, my heart's only wish is -may u feel 33 forever dad!

Chatting with my new friend INDIRA who jst ate a dozen bananas off my hand in under a minute! Wow! She has a helluva an appetite and yet she maintains her figure pretty well ;) whaddaya think??? Lol!

Megz feeding INDIRA-wow this elephant is goin bananas! ;)

Dad maa n megz with our pandit. We decorated the entire temple with flowers! Beautiful naa?

Mata's 'rath' or chariot in which she's carried out in a beautiful procession with live traditional music and devotees consider it an honour to pull the rath

Mundu man VO! Me wearing typical south indian attire

About 5 years ago, upon my aunt's insistence, i found myself driving down a road outside of Bangalore, that looked like it led to absolutely nowhere. Upon arriving at this obscure gate in the village of bidadi, i wondered whether the entire exercise had been fruitless. So who was this guru, this enlightened master that my aunt was so enamoured with? And what in the world was he doing in an obscure little place like this with nothing but a giant old banyan tree and a tiny cottage to show for it?

Cynical as i was, the seeker within me, kept me interested in the chase and i secretly crossed my fingers and hoped the trip would be worth it.

As i walked towards the cottage i saw a handful of seekers just like myself, sitting on the floor and across them was this young man in his twenties(just as i was then), wrapped neatly in a bundle of saffron, looking to me as a disciple waiting with us for the guru to arrive. My aunt broke the silence and my spell " beta, this is swami nithyananda" she said, and i begrudgingly looked upon him thinking "what? this young boy, a swami?" With a knowing smile that seemed like he had read my thought, he gestured for me to sit down next to him. As i sat there, i saw this peace in his eyes and yet there was an excitement to share that peace....it was a combination i had never seen before. " i dont watch movies, but i know who you are. You did a great job during the tsunami, god bless you" he said with a smile that enveloped the entire room with warmth, like a spiritual blanket. He had broken the ice. I looked at him and said "can i be honest, well you dont look like a guru". "Why? What is a guru supposed to look like?" he asked. "Well, to begin with, a lot older-someone whose face is painted with the wrinkles and grey of experience" i replied. He smiled gently and said "well you dont look like a social worker or a spiritual seeker either, yet you are both."

That moment on, we spoke like old friends, our conversation flowed with spirituality meandering between the banks of humour and logic. He was funny, yet simplistically insightful and ever so often irreverent! Overjoyed with  the new spiritual buddy i had discovered i said to him "i cant call you swami- coz you're such a cool dude- i think i'll call you cool dude swami". Despite my aunt's obvious disapproval, he said "you're my friend,you can call me any name you want."

Over the ensuing five years, my mobile phone would often flash with the words 'cool dude swami calling' and a unique spiritual yet entertaining chat would follow. Then one october morning this year, while i was deep in meditation, he appeared in my mind's eye, smiling warmly. So i called up my aunt and asked where cool dude swami was, i was spellbound when she said "he arrives in mumbai today for a spiritual discourse"

How could this have been a mere co-incidence? Was it an SMS(spiritual messaging service) i had received from him this morning? I decided i just had to go and see him that evening. Close to a thousand people were sitting there with questions in their eyes and he regaled them all with his humour and calmed their spirits with the inner peace he radiated. No matter what your problem was, no matter what prison of pain you came from, when he hugged you,smiled and said "i am with you" - you felt a deep assurance within and you somehow knew it was all going to be alright. I saw him smiling through streams of tears, absorbing the anguish,fears and pain of a thousand hearts and leaving behind only peace and hope. After the spiritual workshop was over, i waited to meet him backstage, upon the table of the little room, i saw a stack of books called 'Living enlightenment' written by swami nithyananda and it said over a million copies sold. His organization had expanded in the last 5years to various countries setting up over a hundred centres. I was truly impressed. As soon as he entered the room, i said to him "wow! it's amazing over the last few years how much you have changed!" With his trademark smile he replied "i have always been the same, it is just the way you look at me that has changed", i smiled back, realizing i had displayed the erroneous human trait of trying to quantify everything, i had tried to measure him in statistics and the soul was beyond that.

" Cool dude swami, what is living enlightenment?" i asked. He replied " Living Enlightenment is being intense in every moment and responding intuitively to achieve your limitless potential for creativity and joy. It is a constant state of true bliss! "

"That's it?  Is that the big secret i've been seeking?" i asked, "So now i know what living enlightenment is?"

He laughed and said "No,  now you just know of it.....to know it, you have to experience it"

His words echoed within me, as i drove on that very road outside of bangalore as i had done 5years ago. The majestic banyan tree still stood there in it's magnificence, but around it had sprouted this huge centre of spirituality and learning, a complex that held and served thousands. I was awestruck with what a man's vision and belief can achieve in such a short span. On the first day of the workshop, i asked him "swami, do you think you are god? " to which he replied "I am not here to prove i am god, I am here to prove YOU are god." For four days i attended the workshop, discovering so many facets of myself-my true self. Even in the absolute simplicity of the facilities, i slept in sweet peace and woke up every morning smiling for no particular reason at all...it was divine! I had had my first slice of living enlightenment. In the impatient world of instant coffee and instant noodles i had experienced instant transformation. As he hugged me and blessed me before i was leaving for mumbai again, i said to him "you are the coolest dude i know, with the warmest heart" and he replied "you only see in me, what you yourself truly are. " I smiled...and i haven't stopped smiling since.

~ Vivek Oberoi
December 2009

As posted on Vivek-Oberoi.Com

Heyyy tweeple! In the gorgeous pink city of jaipur! Driving back from the airport, waiting for camel carts to cross the road-haha..lovin it!

I gotta share this with u guys! So with all the billions being spent on new airports n infrastructure-we landed in jaipur n then these guys came in pushing the stairs to disembark off the plane manually!!! It was hilarious-there was this poor sardarji guiding them,thoda left-now..no no right...forward, peechey!!! They tried four times b4 getting it right and this fat loaded lalahji businessman type who was standing right in front of me...hahaha...u shudve seen his face, he was soooo worried and nervous to get on it and walk down-he finally looked at me
And sheepishly smiled..saying pehle aap! I burst out laughing & then hopped onto the stairs, then suddenly I looked back n acted as though somethings wrong with it & I'm gonna fall, motu lalahji gasped like he saw a ghost or something, the cabin crew cracked up lol! Love pranks!

This is something I've always wanted to do and when I spontaneously got out of the car and started dancing with these traditional rajasthani kaalbeliyaa dancers, at first they were shocked n then super excited and very touched. They said we've seen so many VIPs but never one so humble n so much fun!

Note: To view the video of Vivek Oberoi horsing around in Jaipur, log on or register and view the video on the homepage!

Nov 21: ok guys,i've got a flight in to Bangalore...supporting an event to raise funds for flood relief victims of Karnataka ~VO

Felt great 2share & participate at the event for Karnataka flood relief victims @ my time of happiness,it doubled my happiness!

Reply to VO

Today, on the eve of 26/11, i find mumbai enveloped in an air of cynicism, everyone seems to question if mumbai really cares.

I truly believe that mumbai cares...and very deeply. It's just that we haven't really found avenues or platforms as a collective mass to translate that care into effective change. Im sure, given an apolitical path to make a concrete difference most mumbaikars would come forward in a heartbeat.

The scary part is that we will only really know if we are now safe and the government has truly taken adequate security measures, only if and when, god forbid, there is another attack on our beloved mumbai. I sincerely hope that the sacrifice of so many brave souls will not go waste and the all important issue of the security of our people rises above the realm of dirty politics and shameful opportunistic blame games even in the face of human tragedy.

Mumbai will never forget, all of india will never forget! Yes, but then the question arises 'how do we want to remember 26/11'? How do we become the change that we so eloquently spoke of?
What we need is a non political force to harness the inclination & intent of citizens to make a real tangible difference and also bring some serious accountability from our elected representatives. The media must play a pivotal role by being the catalyst in effecting change, they must plant the seed from which a better,safer and more responsible india will grow.

I hope and pray that our city, our nation, our people never have to go through such a tragedy again.

~Vivek Oberoi

Reply to VO

Nov 15: im off to shoot 'on the couch with koel'&she's warned me 2b prepared 4 her naughty questions! Shud my answers be naughty too??? Hmmmm....

had fun on the interview with koel last night...was a bit naughty,a little crazy,quite flirty & loadsa fun

flying to hyderabad (AGAIN) to promote kurbaan with rensil and a very sleepy saifu!!! Zzzzzzzzzz!!!

so saifu, ren and i are off to pvr for a press interaction to promote kurbaan. Love the excitement around the film everywhere!

Nov 16: jst landed bak in mumbai, press conference went off well. Had so much fun hanging out with ren & saifu, so many laughs! Boys will be boys

Nov 17: Im off 2radio mirchi 2do a bunch of fun stuff 2promote kurbaan! Its sooooooo good 2see how excited u guys r about the film!

jst got done with my radio mirchi intvw & tv media interaction, was a welcome change 2talk about relevant & important things!

Reply to VO

Oct 29 -- VO Tweets --

so dogs vs cats....what do you guys think...who's the better pet?

Reply to VO

Oct 30 2009 -- VO Tweets --

Supremely excited! Im shooting 2day with the legendary Shatrughan Sinha 4the very first time,RGV has written such an awesome 'takkar' scene!

Reply to VO

Oct 31 2009 -- VO Tweets --

New look for raktha charitra 2day, first time i've kept a full on mustache, didnt even know i had one Feel like im lookin at my dad lol;)

Reply to VO

Oct 31 2009: What an AWESOME match!!!! India ROCKED it!!! Dhoni ne aussies ko dho daala Wonder what excuses Ricky Ponting will give this time ~VO

November 5: MEGA excited!!! Going 2see the match in hydbd 2moro!!! Please god...make india win & tendlya score a ton!!! Viru live & explosive...YAYYY!!!

Reply to VO

Nov 6 2009 -- VO Tweets --

Nov 6: at the airport, on my way to mumbai. Getting a fabulous response 2the promos &the first look of my film PRINCE!!! Wud love ur feedback guys!

on my way 2the american consulate 4an event. Walking the ramp for provogue 2promote my film PRINCE...kinda nervous...wish me luck!!!

Reply to VO

Vegetarian...i never thought i'd ever call myself that...by virtue of being half punjabi and half sikh, tandoori chicken was a staple diet!

In fact, i remember teasing bebo during the shooting of kurbaan "bebo, you're either punjabi or vegetarian...choose one" i'd say and laugh. It's strange how much pleasure non vegetarians can derive from antagonising crusading vegetarians on a mission to convert the world to 'ghaas poos' as i would unaffectionately call it ;)

And then, there are those who are kind of fanatical about ghaas poos, the ones who will stare at you disapprovingly as you eat non-veg food and make passionate pleas to save your soul, now those ones i call the 'VEGE-TERRORISTS'

Morbid videos from slaughter houses and painfully detailed stories and images of cruelty to animals are the powerful weapons of 'vege-terrorism' invoking a deep sense of guilt for desiring the 'tandoori taang'.....and let me tell you, guilt is one serious appetite killer! I have often been a victim of vege-terrorism causing me to give the taang to the tandoori taang...because when you bite into the kebab of conscience, you begin to think "this kebab once had a name...and it wasnt tikka!" Try calling a plate of fried fish 'nemo' and see if you want to eat it anymore!

So to keep myself from going insane imagining cooked chickens and fish having conversations with me, i would just dodge the videos and emails full of horrid pictures, ignorance was bliss and i continued blissfully ordering my murgh makhanis!

But the truth has a habit of sneaking up on you...one lazy friday evening in london, it did just that! Whilst waiting for my buddies to pick me up to go partying, i decided to clean up my email account. There it was, hiding in my inbox, waiting like a ticking time-bomb, a video of a slaughterhouse and as i clicked the link...it exploded onto my conscience! It was the truth i was hiding from all this while...but why, why was i hiding and dodging this truth? I guess because somewhere deep in my heart i always knew that once i faced the truth, i would never be the same again! Paul Mcartney once famously said "if slaughter houses had windows, the world would turn vegetarian"

On my last day of shooting for kurbaan, guess who walked up sheepishly to bebo and said "ummmm....so i've turned vegetarian...and im kinda loving it"...and i'll never forget that victorious smile she burst into! I had lost...and yet i had won!

So the next time you're teasing a vegetarian, think again, coz you're probably being watched closely by a 'vege-terrorist'....and you might be the next target!

~VO

19 Sept 2009, Vrindavan, India

(As posted on Vivek-Oberoi.Com)

Reply to my topic: http://tinyurl.com/reply-vegeterrorism

Hey guys!

So looks like we finally made it ;) I know that it’s been a while since I’ve had a solid online presence but I think that when things are destined to happen, it’s always the right time. I’ve always wanted to set up a website like Vivek-Oberoi.Com…a website that’s all about you guys and my relationship with you.

A few years back there was this awesome authorized website that I had, Viveks-Angels.Com and honestly it’s a blessing in disguise that even though it’s been a long time coming, that very first set of fans turned into my own sweet little family on the internet and after several years, in the most amazing way they’ve individually told me to set up my own website and have actually helped me in putting together this website. I’ve built my official website with some fans I share a very close relationship with and they’ve helped me to make my dream of a highly interactive personal website, a reality.

This website is for all of my fans across the globe to unite with each other, interact with each other and with me. This website is an extension of who I am. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs but the one thing that is constant is the love and support that I’ve received from you guys. When I announced on facebook and twitter that I was launching my official website, the amount of encouragement I received from my fans was simply overwhelming. My fans have come from being a statistic to being my strength...I love and value each and every one of you. This is a small thank you from me to you all!

I’ve personally been involved in every little aspect of this website and actually it’s been six months in the making to convert my dream of an official website with a very personal touch, into a reality. I’d love for you all to register on the website to view the exclusive videos I will be putting up, visit the forum where you can interact with me, view the gallery for exclusive pictures, subscribe to sms’. There’s even more fun surprises along the way…wait and watch! ;)

Much Love ~VO