after an unintentionally long hiatus. A lot has been happening at my end, so let me first write about all these 'happenings':
My Trip to India
Its been 2 years since I left India. Hence obviously, I was in urgent need of a break, and the vacation couldn't have come at a better time. I opted for an Emirates flight, connecting through Dubai, since my plan was to reach Cochin directly (its barely an hour from the Cochin airport to Thrissur, where I stay). Unfortunately, my flight from Dubai was at 4:00 AM, and I was left sipping gallons of coffee at the Dubai airport for almost 6 hours. I, of course, had to lug around the bottles of liquor and sacks of chocolates that I'd purchased from the duty-free shops wherever I went, and so I wasn't too keen on roaming around inside the airport.
I hate to admit this, but our countrymen are terrible at doing something as simple as standing in line, and waiting for their turn; they almost need to be threatened to stand in line for any damn thing. Somehow, the very folks who at JFK airport had obediently scuttled into line like well-trained puppies (I figure there is something about the U.S of A that intimidates a lot of our countrymen!), created a huge commotion at the Dubai airport. I had observed many of these (expectedly, predominantly Mallu) gentlemen and their families behaving themselves at JFK, so I'd not expected the chaos that now followed. Instead of following the seat numbers being read out loud and clear by the crew, these folks chose to make a race of who would enter the damned aeroplane first. In between, a Mallu-looking and Mallu-sounding (you know what I mean) bald man in a blazer that looked as if it had been bought at least a decade ago, chose to pick a fight with a hapless flight attendant over a rather large-looking suitcase that he insisted on carrying with him into the flight, despite the attendant (by now desperate) offering to check it in for free. Thankfully, his supervisor (I think) soon arrived and put her foot down, much to baldie's chagrin.
The flight itself was, thankfully, uneventful; so was the entire Customs process.
A lot of friends had commented that the first thing I would notice in India after stepping out of the airport would be the dust. Well, they were wrong. It was the traffic that unnerved me - the vehicles zipping in and out at perilous speeds was really alarming, despite me being used to driving much in the same way for more than 6 years. Strange, but true.
The heat levels have definitely increased though; and the load-shedding scene is terrible. In fact, the weekend I came, the frequency was every half-an-hour - can you imagine? One had to shave/have dinner/whatever within half-an-hour, or one would get stuck halfway through. I really can't imagine who came up with this notion of cutting power every half-an-hour. I mean, why 30 minutes; why not 1 hour or 2? But No - from when I was a child, load-shedding has to be for exactly 30 minutes; it's almost part of our daily routine now.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Monday, March 13, 2006
Is it Plagiarism if
I steal from what I myself wrote, 3 years back? No, I'd say. Read something interesting on Rediff today - a brief slideshow on upcoming movies that are based on books. This is something I love to do - read a book, and then analyze how well it would translate to celluloid - which actors to cast in the characters, how to present a particular scene etc. Of course, I 'think' Indian, and so I naturally think of Malayalam, Tamil or Hindi actors.
Being too lazy to make up a fresh list, here I pilfer something that I'd submitted to an old Prem Panicker discussion board on books, movies 'n cricket approx 3 years ago. The article is reproduced below (please excuse the tendency to use bigger words; I was smaller then ;) !!), with some small updates:
...
1. 'Rita Hayworth: The Shawshank Redemption' by Stephen King: An awesome story about a prison escape. I know the movie has already been made, and that too with somebody as good as Morgan Freeman, but somehow, I felt something was lacking in the telling of the tale: you know how it is, the movie can never be as good as the book. Imagine the movie with Mohan Lal (or Naseeruddin Shah, I can think of nobody else) instead of Freeman and Shah Rukh Khan as the new prisoner - WOW! a must-watch, wouldn't you think ?
Update: Boman Irani as the jailor, I'd add.
I'd also love to see a movie made out of Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner', but the book is so serene and beautiful, that no actor could possibly do justice to it.
Being too lazy to make up a fresh list, here I pilfer something that I'd submitted to an old Prem Panicker discussion board on books, movies 'n cricket approx 3 years ago. The article is reproduced below (please excuse the tendency to use bigger words; I was smaller then ;) !!), with some small updates:
...
1. 'Rita Hayworth: The Shawshank Redemption' by Stephen King: An awesome story about a prison escape. I know the movie has already been made, and that too with somebody as good as Morgan Freeman, but somehow, I felt something was lacking in the telling of the tale: you know how it is, the movie can never be as good as the book. Imagine the movie with Mohan Lal (or Naseeruddin Shah, I can think of nobody else) instead of Freeman and Shah Rukh Khan as the new prisoner - WOW! a must-watch, wouldn't you think ?
Update: Boman Irani as the jailor, I'd add.
2. 'The Horse Whisperer' by Nicholas Evans: Yet another beautiful book mutilated by Robert Redford & co - with the right actors and director, what a movie it would make. From the time I have read the book, I have been thinking of who could do the character of Tom Booker (in the book) – keeps coming back to Anil Kapoor, at least for me; who else could look as good as the ole-westerner-from-town (remember him in that excuse for a movie Trimurti) ? And as the heroine, it would have to be either Madhuri Dixit (a natural choice with AK) or Tabu (for the sheer skill required). Another brilliant premise, even if I do say so myself :). If you haven't read this book, get hold of a copy immediately.
3. 'FireStarter' by Stephen King: Have heard that there is a movie on this too, but haven't seen it. Abt a man and his daughter who has the 'special' ability to light fires just by glaring at sumthin, the book is a helluva one to add to your collection. Kannathil Muthamittaal has provided a strong contender for the role of the daughter - Keerthana is one helluva actor. Another choice would be the girl who acted in Makdee - I haven't seen so many expressions in any actor after Manju Warrier. As the dad, well, I keep coming back to Mohan Lal or Aamir Khan (remember the rapport he shared with the kids in Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Akele Hum Akele Tum). And the bizzare story would defnly excite Ram Gopal Varma, I think :)
4. 'The General's Daughter' by Nelson Demille: Un-put-downable, in one word! Please go by the book and not the John Travolta movie, as the movie is nowhere near the book. Just imagine Shahrukh Khan as the irreverent investigation officer and Kareena in the title role, with Naserruddin Shah as the General. Would be one helluva movie, wouldn't it ? And judging by Chalte Chalte, Rani Mukerji would make an ideal foil for SRK's irrepressiveness.
Update: Travolta did botch this one, for sure. I still think SRK, for all his nervous twiches and quivering eyebrows, is a much more decent actor than we give him credit for. And yes, he could definitely carry off this one, provided one strictly adhered to the book (the censor be damned).
5. 'The Green Mile' by Stephen King: Oops, this is my third Stephen King book, huh. And that too, an absolutely brilliant movie to boot, enacted beyond perfection by that chameleon of actors, Tom Hanks. Who would have the guts to remake this, one might ask. Hmm, what about a Malayalam remake, with Mammootty as the prisoner and Mohan Lal as the jailor ? Would definitely be an interesting twist, wouldn't it, a story of a cop and a prisoner, starring Mammootty and Lal, and Mammootty not playing the cop ? Here is one movie I wouldn't mind copying frame by frame, dialogue by dialogue. Priyadarsan, anybody?
Update: If their chemistry in Pithaamagan is any indication, Vikram and Surya wouldn't exactly be a bad combination either. Matching Tom Hanks here would be a tough ask, though.
6. 'Wish You Well' by David Baldacci: A feel-good story about two children and their grandmother. I cannot imagine anybody but Shabana Azmi playing the strong grandmother. The kids would be more difficult to select, though. My choices would be the Makdee-girl, once again and Suraj of Asoka fame. As for the lawyer Cotton, I think Jackie Shroff would be quite a good choice. Catch the book, if you haven't yet. (I was tempted to put down the author's own 'The Winner' here instead, and Kamal Haasan for the lead role, but I thought it would be too gimmicky for Kamal to do a role that demanded disguise after disguise).
7. 'The Evening News' by Arthur Hailey: If you want a movie about two strong characters, and Kane & Abel has already been morphed (badly) into Khudgarz (ugh!) and Annaamalai (ughhhhhh!), you could not pick a better novel. But unless the second character were conceived and enacted the right way, he could come away looking like a wimp (much like Jeetendra did in Khudgarz; well, the fact that Jeetendra would come across as a wimp even if he played Attila The Hun is another matter altogether!), and my man for the role would be Aamir Khan, with of course SRK as the more flamboyant 'other guy'. Its another matter altogether whether Aamir would accept the role, especially in today's post-Lagaan times. Also, the movie also deals partly with the Stockholm syndrome, not shown very much in cinema - kidnappers are the bad guys, aren't they ?
8. 'The Godplayer' by Robin Cook: All about a doctor who plays God - Dr. Thomas Kingsley. This was the first 'adult' book that I read, and o-boy, was I hooked. This character absolutely demands either the Big B, or Kamal Haasan; no one else could possibly fulfil the complex demands of this character. This is definitely one movie I would add to the 'must-watch' category. Plus it would be the first of its kind in India, a true medical-thriller, despite pathetic claims by Armaan to the same.
Update: The Big B needs to be controlled, as he is in Viruddh, and not let loose to ham like crazy, like he did in the first 40 minutes of Black under the pretext of eccentricity.
9. 'Long Lost' by David Morell: A story about a long-lost brother, and what a brother he turns out to be !! I would want SRK and Hrithik Roshan for this one. Would be interesting for the sheer shock value that Hrithik would cause by playing such a character. And SRK because, although the other character is more well-etched, his is the more demanding role. Again, one for the Ram Gopal Varma camp. And with no songs, please.
Update: Interesting, that Hrithik is indeed playing a 'grey' character (Bollywood lingo for a villain who's villainous only 'coz his dad was alcoholic, his mom was raped (& then died of blood-cancer), and he himself was then left all alone with the big bad samaj; as opposed to someone like Amrish Puri or Shakti Kapoor, who are lechers and evil from birth) today, in the forthcoming Dhoom-2.
10. 'Outrage' by Henry Denker: A riveting courtroom drama (much before Grisham's times) about a trial involving a colored man murdering the rapists of his daughter. Would be interesting if the Indian version were set in Mumbai, immediately after the Masjid demolition, and the defendant were a Muslim, wouldn't it? With Aamir Khan as the lawyer and Nasseeruddin Shah as the grief-stricken father, would be one for Mani Ratnam among the Roja-Bombay series. Unfortunately, the plot sounds lazily like Damini, but I still think the movie would stand a good chance at the box-office :)
Update: Sounds interesting even now !!
I'd also love to see a movie made out of Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner', but the book is so serene and beautiful, that no actor could possibly do justice to it.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
This Post Has No Title
Let me be very honest here: I ogle at beautiful women. When a good-looking girl, dressed well and wearing the right accessories walks by, I do stop (metaphorically speaking) and go 'WOW !'. I believe that most men would do the same. To put it in another way, it would take conscious effort for a guy to see a beautiful woman and not at least think a 'WOW!'. IMO, any claims to the contrary by a guy would be hypocritical, to some extent. But,...the buck stops there.
A number of my friends and relatives belonging to the opposite gender have had adverse experiences in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Thrissur - everywhere, in short. All of these experiences were told to me in confidence, and I will not narrate any of them here. In any case, Annie says it all in this moving post - I can hardly add a word to it without destroying the effect.
As to the insinuation that women somehow invite sexual harassment, the very fact that not even a woman clad in a burkha is spared should be proof enough. Of course, please keep in mind that this accusation is made by our so-called custodians of Indian culture, which dictates that women are supposted be treated like goddesses. If that isn't hypocrisy, then what is ?
This is in support of the Blank Noise Project.
- I do NOT stand leeringly, mentally undressing the woman.
- I do NOT sing degrading songs like 'aati kya khandala' or other such nonsensical stuff (have a bad singing voice anyway).
- I do NOT pull down my zip and expose myself, nor do I scratch my crotch suggestively.
- I do NOT attempt to touch the other woman.
A number of my friends and relatives belonging to the opposite gender have had adverse experiences in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Thrissur - everywhere, in short. All of these experiences were told to me in confidence, and I will not narrate any of them here. In any case, Annie says it all in this moving post - I can hardly add a word to it without destroying the effect.
As to the insinuation that women somehow invite sexual harassment, the very fact that not even a woman clad in a burkha is spared should be proof enough. Of course, please keep in mind that this accusation is made by our so-called custodians of Indian culture, which dictates that women are supposted be treated like goddesses. If that isn't hypocrisy, then what is ?
This is in support of the Blank Noise Project.
Monday, March 06, 2006
A Brief History of Book-Reading
It all began with Enid Blyton - I do remember that much. The 'library' at Hari Sri School (today the much, much bigger and popular Hari Sri Vidya Nidhi School) could hardly be called one then; it was more like a couple of bookshelves, adorned with what seemed to be a dusty vestige of somebody's book-collection. Since we were all too young to choose a book for ourselves, each one of us was given a book to read - a battered Enid Blyton, in most cases. If my memory serves me right, I got a Noddy. Thus began my association with books.
Getting back from school, rushing out for a game of cricket and completing homework seemed almost monotonic when compared to the sheer pleasure of curling up with a book in one's hand. Soon enough, a book was part of my entourage wherever I went. I finished off the usual suspects - the 'Five-Findouters' and 'Famous Five' series by Enid Blyton (its incredible what a vital part of my childhood reading she was) - from my school library pretty quick, and was soon searching for more books to devour. The 'Secret Seven' series did not appeal to me much, perhaps because I started on these after the 'Famous Five' series. Rummaging through the dusty paperbacks, I discovered a 'William' book hidden at the back of a bookshelf. Unfortunately, the school library seemed not to have any more William books. Fortunately, we had a public library membership, mostly unused until now except for a couple of magazines that a tall man on a cycle delivered every now and then, which I now proceeded to make full use of.
The public library, at least to me, was like a labyrinth of hidden treasures lying in wait for me to discover. There was no catalog in place, the odds of finding two books by the same author on the same shelf was pretty much the same as lightning striking the same place twice. The memories of rummaging through the dusty books of that public library and occaisonally coming up with such unread classics as an abridged version of Peter Beagle's remarkable 'The Last Unicorn', are remarkably vivid even today. And of course, if one searched long enough (as I did), one could discover the entire William series too (now, reading them in order is too much to ask for).
In between the weekly trips to the public library, I still continued to raid the school library and discovered other Enid Blyton classics, including the 'Wishing Chair' series (which was meant for slightly younger kids, but I enjoyed it anyway!), the 'Faraway Tree' series and inevitably, the fantastic School books, including the 'St. Clares' series and the 'Malory Towers' series. There were also occaisonal stand-alone books (about farms, circuses and the like) that were enjoyable too.
After exhausting Enid Blyton and William, I moved on to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series. Now, I know these books had their fans, but to me they were boring, inane and predictable (especially the latter). The case-file versions of these books were slight improvements, but not enough to get me hooked. It was at this stage that I changed schools, and moved to a larger school (which inevitably had a larger library). Here, I discovered Asterix. My voracious reading habits had endowed upon me a vocabulary that was pretty decent for my years (especially for an average Mallu kid born and brought up in Kerala), and I had no trouble understanding most of the puns in the Asterix books. It was my first introduction to humour and sarcasm, and I liked it.
My cousins, visiting from Bombay, got me two new books - the first two books of the 'Three Investigators' series. Oh-boy, was I hooked !! The 'Three Investigator' series stood apart from the rest of the mysteries I were used to, in that they were written in a much more grown-up style, and were considerably 'darker' in intonation as well as content. Moreover, the mysteries were much more intriguing, and lead to me being introduced to the granddaddy of all mystery books - the Sherlock Holmes stories. Asterix, Jupiter Jones and Sherlock Holmes (along with Tintin, whom I met shortly) kept me engrossed almost for 2 years.
I read my first 'grown-up' book when I was in the 7th standard - it was Robin Cook's medical thriller named 'Godplayer'. The next 'grown-up' book I read is one that I have re-read umpteen times since - 'Kane and Abel' by Jeffrey Archer. Thereupon, its been quite a 'read-athon' - Sidney Sheldon, Arthur Hailey, Stephen King, J.H.Chase, A.Maclean, Dennis Lehane, Jeffrey Deaver, J.K.Rowling... I could go on forever !
Over the last 2 years, ever since I have been working at New York, I find myself experimenting a bit more. I never used to be much of a fantasy buff, but now with Tolkien's LOTR, and the 'Inheritance' series by the amazing Christopher Paolini (who wrote his first book when he was just 16, an age when most of us were secretly lusting after the neighborhood girls), I am on the verge of being a fan for life. I have also re-read many of the classics, and many of the books that I so enjoyed in my own childhood. Today, I experiment a lot more with new authors than I used to. I have also developed an interest in Bibilical stories, and this was before the advent of the 'Da Vinci Code' mania. Wonder why we do not have similar exciting/controversial stuff in our own mythologies (or am I just plain ignorant of such regional books).
This time, I fully intend to read a lot of Malayalam books - I am so ashamed that I have hardly read any, especially when I readily boast of my reading habits to all and sundry. I hope I can rectify this during this vacation (which starts next week - Hurrah !!!).
P.S: Amazingly enough, Enid Blyton, the author of so many of my favourite books as a child does not figure in the scheme of things here at all. Accusations of racism (sample: the semi-villainous golliwog character appearing in many of her toy-stories) and sexism have resulted in her books being banned here. Well, I pity the kids; they just do not know what they are missing (as somebody who has read both, let me tell you: J.K Rowling just about comes close to Enid Blyton at best, and that too, by a whisker).
Getting back from school, rushing out for a game of cricket and completing homework seemed almost monotonic when compared to the sheer pleasure of curling up with a book in one's hand. Soon enough, a book was part of my entourage wherever I went. I finished off the usual suspects - the 'Five-Findouters' and 'Famous Five' series by Enid Blyton (its incredible what a vital part of my childhood reading she was) - from my school library pretty quick, and was soon searching for more books to devour. The 'Secret Seven' series did not appeal to me much, perhaps because I started on these after the 'Famous Five' series. Rummaging through the dusty paperbacks, I discovered a 'William' book hidden at the back of a bookshelf. Unfortunately, the school library seemed not to have any more William books. Fortunately, we had a public library membership, mostly unused until now except for a couple of magazines that a tall man on a cycle delivered every now and then, which I now proceeded to make full use of.
The public library, at least to me, was like a labyrinth of hidden treasures lying in wait for me to discover. There was no catalog in place, the odds of finding two books by the same author on the same shelf was pretty much the same as lightning striking the same place twice. The memories of rummaging through the dusty books of that public library and occaisonally coming up with such unread classics as an abridged version of Peter Beagle's remarkable 'The Last Unicorn', are remarkably vivid even today. And of course, if one searched long enough (as I did), one could discover the entire William series too (now, reading them in order is too much to ask for).
In between the weekly trips to the public library, I still continued to raid the school library and discovered other Enid Blyton classics, including the 'Wishing Chair' series (which was meant for slightly younger kids, but I enjoyed it anyway!), the 'Faraway Tree' series and inevitably, the fantastic School books, including the 'St. Clares' series and the 'Malory Towers' series. There were also occaisonal stand-alone books (about farms, circuses and the like) that were enjoyable too.
After exhausting Enid Blyton and William, I moved on to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series. Now, I know these books had their fans, but to me they were boring, inane and predictable (especially the latter). The case-file versions of these books were slight improvements, but not enough to get me hooked. It was at this stage that I changed schools, and moved to a larger school (which inevitably had a larger library). Here, I discovered Asterix. My voracious reading habits had endowed upon me a vocabulary that was pretty decent for my years (especially for an average Mallu kid born and brought up in Kerala), and I had no trouble understanding most of the puns in the Asterix books. It was my first introduction to humour and sarcasm, and I liked it.
My cousins, visiting from Bombay, got me two new books - the first two books of the 'Three Investigators' series. Oh-boy, was I hooked !! The 'Three Investigator' series stood apart from the rest of the mysteries I were used to, in that they were written in a much more grown-up style, and were considerably 'darker' in intonation as well as content. Moreover, the mysteries were much more intriguing, and lead to me being introduced to the granddaddy of all mystery books - the Sherlock Holmes stories. Asterix, Jupiter Jones and Sherlock Holmes (along with Tintin, whom I met shortly) kept me engrossed almost for 2 years.
I read my first 'grown-up' book when I was in the 7th standard - it was Robin Cook's medical thriller named 'Godplayer'. The next 'grown-up' book I read is one that I have re-read umpteen times since - 'Kane and Abel' by Jeffrey Archer. Thereupon, its been quite a 'read-athon' - Sidney Sheldon, Arthur Hailey, Stephen King, J.H.Chase, A.Maclean, Dennis Lehane, Jeffrey Deaver, J.K.Rowling... I could go on forever !
Over the last 2 years, ever since I have been working at New York, I find myself experimenting a bit more. I never used to be much of a fantasy buff, but now with Tolkien's LOTR, and the 'Inheritance' series by the amazing Christopher Paolini (who wrote his first book when he was just 16, an age when most of us were secretly lusting after the neighborhood girls), I am on the verge of being a fan for life. I have also re-read many of the classics, and many of the books that I so enjoyed in my own childhood. Today, I experiment a lot more with new authors than I used to. I have also developed an interest in Bibilical stories, and this was before the advent of the 'Da Vinci Code' mania. Wonder why we do not have similar exciting/controversial stuff in our own mythologies (or am I just plain ignorant of such regional books).
This time, I fully intend to read a lot of Malayalam books - I am so ashamed that I have hardly read any, especially when I readily boast of my reading habits to all and sundry. I hope I can rectify this during this vacation (which starts next week - Hurrah !!!).
P.S: Amazingly enough, Enid Blyton, the author of so many of my favourite books as a child does not figure in the scheme of things here at all. Accusations of racism (sample: the semi-villainous golliwog character appearing in many of her toy-stories) and sexism have resulted in her books being banned here. Well, I pity the kids; they just do not know what they are missing (as somebody who has read both, let me tell you: J.K Rowling just about comes close to Enid Blyton at best, and that too, by a whisker).
Friday, February 24, 2006
Rants 'n' Raves
Thumbs Down to:
- The quasi-Nazi RSS proclaiming that 'all Muslims and Christians in India should accept that their ancestors were Hindus, and that 'by nationality' they are all Hindus'. So, hey all of you non-Hindus-whose-ancestors-were-Hindus, if you wanna 'proclaim' , my blog is all yours.
- The whole Danish-cartoons controversy. Ever heard of dignified protest, folks? You don't like the cartoon, go bloody sue the newspaper and/or the cartoonist - NOT issue so-called fatwas and chop off other folk's heads, or burn down embassies.
- Offers of Rs. 51 crores (bloody hell!) and Rs 11 lakhs for a certain M.F.Hussain's head and hands respectively. At least, he's worth something; who'd pay half an anna for your ass, losers?
- Yet another one of those bird-flu scares. With our pumped up immune systems, I bet our kick-ass antibodies would lick the unsuspecting flu viruses. Yet, self-appointed health inspectors destroy all those chickens and eggs with barely suppressed glee. I often suspect our propensity for violence is just hidden below the surface, ever-ready to surface at the drop of a hat.
- The Ganguly juggernaut rolls on. Give it a rest dada - retire and open a gym, or a restaurant, or some such thing. They should probably drop Kumble too - I mean, how long will you flog the old racehorse yaar?
- Q:Why has the US not questioned AQ Khan, whose activities intersect proliferation and terrorism?
A: Well, we were the nation that exposed the conspiracy to deal with — more than the conspiracy, the activities, let me rephrase that — we were the nation that exposed the activities of sharing technologies, sensitive technologies, nuclear weapons-related technologies. And we, of course, want to know as much about the AQ Khan network as possible. But had it not been for US intelligence, coupled with British intelligence, this network never would have been exposed. And the light of day helps understand proliferation.
Wow! What was the guy trying to say? Siddhu-paaji, buck up; you have some serious competition here. Read the full interview, it is hilarious. Can somebody please remind Mr. George Bush that oratory is not exactly one of his prime strengths?
- Judge Abhay Thipsay, in what could end up as a landmark verdict in our judicial history, pronounces the accused in the Best Bakery (Godhra) case GUILTY. Moreover, further notices have been issued to all the witness suspected of perjury. WOW - knock'em down, buster!
- Will Smith doing his thing. Now, I have always been partial to the guy. But hey Will, old chap, knock it off about Ash, will ya - much as I dislike her plastic acting, I am (like every other hot-blooded Indian male) rather partial to her looks !!
- Inzamam (of the funny run-outs fame) offers no excuses for his team's loss to India. This laconic, lazy-but-elegant master batsman turns in surprisingly articulate columns, and the latest one is no exception.
- Chatting within Gmail - cool. Google rocks.
- Rang De Basanti. Weeks after seeing it, scenes and dialogues linger in the mind. And I still haven't got over listening to the music. Despite the flaws, this film works - and how!
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Partition & Gandhi-bashing
Gandhi-bashing: rather crude, don't you think ? Something like 'maligning the Mahatma' would perhaps sound much more fancy. However, irrespective of what term be used, the fact remains that being anti-Gandhi is fashionable nowadays. I mean, the poor man, ironically enough christened the father of the nation, has been accused of undermining Muslim rights as well as bending over backwards to appease Muslims ! For chrissakes, have some sense of perspective, folks - how could he have done both?
Now, one of the biggest criticisms leveled against MKG is his inability to prevent Partition. In fact, there are some vociferous critics who insist that Gandhiji fostered and indeed, abetted Partition; but to such intentionally agnostic folks, I have nothing to say.
A brief look at the events of 1947 makes it pretty clear that, after shaping the events of the previous two decades in India almost single-handedly (note that I do say 'almost'), circumstances finally overcame Gandhiji when it most counted. A note to the uninformed: before one places the blame of Partition squarely upon the shoulders of the much-reviled Jinnah, please be aware that Veer Savarkar had proposed the two-nation theory much earlier than Jinnah. Jinnah's embrace of Partition was due to tactical and political reasons, rather than due to the religion card. He feared, rightly, that in the new scheme of things being drawn out by Viceroy Mountbatten, Nehru and Gandhiji, his own role was likely to be diminutive.
It is quite interesting to look at Nehru and Jinnah; both of them possessed eminent but essentially similar personalities and backgrounds, but found themselves on opposite sides of the table most of the time. In fact, both of them regarded each other with considerable suspicion and mistrust. The clinching factor was, perhaps, Viceroy Mountbatten's close friendship with Nehru (I am not even veering toward Edwina Mountbatten here!) - historians even suggest that Mountbatten was not favorably disposed toward Jinnah at all. Given these circumstances, it is fairly clear that Jinnah took a decision that he felt he had to, and did all he could to make sure that his demands were met, at least partially.
Was Jinnah wrong in putting his foot down, and demanding a seperate country? IMO, It's a 50-50 answer. Undoubtedly, a lot of bloodshed on both sides would have been avoided then if the two-nation concept had not been pursued so doggedly. On the other hand, given the current strain of militant, even vitriolic, Hinduvta running through the country, it is hard not to harbor at least a sneaking admiration for Jinnah, who somehow foresaw that this could happen. I mean, if I were asked the question 'Is an average Pakistani Muslim more content than her/her Indian counterpart ?', I would find it very, very difficult to give a monosyllabic answer - let's leave it at that.
However, right or wrong, I completely fail to understand how Gandhiji could be blamed for Partition. It was he, more than anybody else, who opposed Partition. The Congress, for one of the few times in its history since its association with Gandhiji, chose to ignore Gandhiji's abject wishes and accepted the two-nation proposal. Unfortunately, at this juncture, Gandhiji did not put his foot down; instead, under Sardar Patel's persuasion he grudgingly accepted that partition seemed inevitable. Indeed, that fact that while the rest of India was celebrating independence Gandhiji was in Calcutta appealing for peace, speaks volumes of how much he hated the partition-scarred independece.
The reason for this post, seemingly out of the blue ? Ever since reading the awesome 'Freedom at Midnight' and 'The Life of Mahatma Gandhi' by Louis Fischer (which is really one of the best biographies I have ever read), I have come to admire the hell out of this frail little man who managed to capture the imagination of the entire country. I mean, just think: since independence, can you tell me the name of one person the entire country blindly believed in even for a day ? However, for the last several years, there have been quite a few instances of Gandhiji's name being sullied (in particular, Gandhiji was portrayed as a wimpish, calculating politician in Raj Kumar Santhoshi's take on Bhagat Singh). I do not understand why one needs to hate/denounce Gandhiji to admire revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Bose - their philosophies co-existed and non-violence has been almost as successful a tactic against tyranny as civil war, to say the least. In fact, it is almost ironical that Bhagat Singh opted for Gandhiji's favourite weapon, the fast, to protest against the inhumane stuff meted out in the jails, as Gaurav points out here.
You may not agree with the man's policies, but you sure can stop the Gandhi-bashing, folks.
Now, one of the biggest criticisms leveled against MKG is his inability to prevent Partition. In fact, there are some vociferous critics who insist that Gandhiji fostered and indeed, abetted Partition; but to such intentionally agnostic folks, I have nothing to say.
A brief look at the events of 1947 makes it pretty clear that, after shaping the events of the previous two decades in India almost single-handedly (note that I do say 'almost'), circumstances finally overcame Gandhiji when it most counted. A note to the uninformed: before one places the blame of Partition squarely upon the shoulders of the much-reviled Jinnah, please be aware that Veer Savarkar had proposed the two-nation theory much earlier than Jinnah. Jinnah's embrace of Partition was due to tactical and political reasons, rather than due to the religion card. He feared, rightly, that in the new scheme of things being drawn out by Viceroy Mountbatten, Nehru and Gandhiji, his own role was likely to be diminutive.
It is quite interesting to look at Nehru and Jinnah; both of them possessed eminent but essentially similar personalities and backgrounds, but found themselves on opposite sides of the table most of the time. In fact, both of them regarded each other with considerable suspicion and mistrust. The clinching factor was, perhaps, Viceroy Mountbatten's close friendship with Nehru (I am not even veering toward Edwina Mountbatten here!) - historians even suggest that Mountbatten was not favorably disposed toward Jinnah at all. Given these circumstances, it is fairly clear that Jinnah took a decision that he felt he had to, and did all he could to make sure that his demands were met, at least partially.
Was Jinnah wrong in putting his foot down, and demanding a seperate country? IMO, It's a 50-50 answer. Undoubtedly, a lot of bloodshed on both sides would have been avoided then if the two-nation concept had not been pursued so doggedly. On the other hand, given the current strain of militant, even vitriolic, Hinduvta running through the country, it is hard not to harbor at least a sneaking admiration for Jinnah, who somehow foresaw that this could happen. I mean, if I were asked the question 'Is an average Pakistani Muslim more content than her/her Indian counterpart ?', I would find it very, very difficult to give a monosyllabic answer - let's leave it at that.
However, right or wrong, I completely fail to understand how Gandhiji could be blamed for Partition. It was he, more than anybody else, who opposed Partition. The Congress, for one of the few times in its history since its association with Gandhiji, chose to ignore Gandhiji's abject wishes and accepted the two-nation proposal. Unfortunately, at this juncture, Gandhiji did not put his foot down; instead, under Sardar Patel's persuasion he grudgingly accepted that partition seemed inevitable. Indeed, that fact that while the rest of India was celebrating independence Gandhiji was in Calcutta appealing for peace, speaks volumes of how much he hated the partition-scarred independece.
The reason for this post, seemingly out of the blue ? Ever since reading the awesome 'Freedom at Midnight' and 'The Life of Mahatma Gandhi' by Louis Fischer (which is really one of the best biographies I have ever read), I have come to admire the hell out of this frail little man who managed to capture the imagination of the entire country. I mean, just think: since independence, can you tell me the name of one person the entire country blindly believed in even for a day ? However, for the last several years, there have been quite a few instances of Gandhiji's name being sullied (in particular, Gandhiji was portrayed as a wimpish, calculating politician in Raj Kumar Santhoshi's take on Bhagat Singh). I do not understand why one needs to hate/denounce Gandhiji to admire revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Bose - their philosophies co-existed and non-violence has been almost as successful a tactic against tyranny as civil war, to say the least. In fact, it is almost ironical that Bhagat Singh opted for Gandhiji's favourite weapon, the fast, to protest against the inhumane stuff meted out in the jails, as Gaurav points out here.
You may not agree with the man's policies, but you sure can stop the Gandhi-bashing, folks.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Steven Spielberg's 'Munich'
Spielberg's much-awaited 'Munich', narrating a semi-fictitious account of 'Operation:Wrath of God', does not disappoint. Eric Bana, who managed to emerge from the ruins of 'Troy' with his head held high, doesn't do badly either. With deft directorial touches, Spielberg successfully manages to blur the lines between a soldier obeying orders & fighting for his country, and a terrorist fighting for idealogy - is 'collateral damage' inflicted by a soldier any more justifiable than the murder of innocents perpetrated by a fanatic terrorist?
Flaws? Well, the pace. Painstaking detail is revealed for each and every assasination, and these parts beg editing. The cliches (Bana making love to his wife while thinking of the Munich massacre, for instance) could have been avoided too - does Spielberg really need to resort to cliches? The final minutes of the movie left me with a vague sense of dissatisfaction - should have ended better, I thought.
Book that laid the seeds for the movie: 'Vengeance' by Geroge Jonas.
P.S: The future James Bond, Daniel Craig, looks massive, and completely un-Bond-like.
Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain'
What was all the hype about anyway? Was it because this was a 'gay' love-story? Execpt for some good (ok, make that pretty good) acting by Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams the movie was slower than a friggin' passenger train running upward toward a hill-station. If Ang Lee's intention was to make the audience suffer, well it sure succeeded. All of us felt the separation pangs - separation from being somewhere else.
Now, I have never liked Ledger - not even in 'Casanova'. But even then, I have to admit he is very good here. However, and this may be my bias speaking, I felt Gyllenhaal did a better job. And Erica Bana in 'Munich' was better than both of them. However, I am sure Ledger is a cinch for the Oscar, being politically correct and all that.
For a change, the ending was rather good (or was that relief). I did manage to sit through it, which is more than I can say about my cousins, who kept moaning and groaning :).
Lee's breathtaking 'Crouching Tiger...' was much, much superior, IMO. Not worth a visit to the theatre, this 'gay' story.
Priyadarshan's 'Kyon Ki'
Salman Khan has learnt one of the most important facets of method-acting: the use of body language. In 'Kyon Ki, to lend authenticity to his part of a mentally delinquent inmate, Salman invents the shuffling walk (somebody ought to have told him to just be himself). Everytime someone (Kareena, most of the time) beckons, Salman shuffles up, walking as if he has hernia and has his feet painfully chained together to boot. The travails of insanity must be painful, especially on the ankles!
I loved the ending: Jackie murders Salman. In fact, he ought to have done it sooner, to spare us the agony. Mohan Lal must be ROTFL.
P.S(J): Priyan's parents displayed great foresight in naming him; his 'priy' past-time has to be the 'darsan' of old classics (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, anybody?).
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
God's Own Brewery
A riddle for you to rack your brains: what is common between Jesus, an elephant-tranquilizer and a bride?
I guess that is a difficult one to answer - Mallus might have a better chance, especially Mallu guys.
Well, to cut the suspense short: they are all names of brands of liquors that are locally brewed in Kerala:
And then we have the kallu, the strong, pungent white liquor fermented from sap collected from coconut trees. In fact, in Kerala, you'd see a pot hanging on almost every coconut tree in sight, to collect the precious white liquid. Speaking from my own experience, kallu tastes great; but the pungent odor is so overwhelming that a mere mouthful leaves you gagging (Hat tip: hold your nose and take a gulpful!). Be forewarned: it is extremely strong, hence (notwithstanding the taste) consume in small quantities.
Of course, a post on kallu would be terribly incomplete without a tribute to our famous 'kallu shops' (toddy shops). In addition to the kallu, they serve amazing (and I do mean AMAZING) non-vegetarian food. One of the good things in Kerala is that you can eat pretty much anywhere without fearing for your life (which is not the case, in say Chennai, where the water scarcity is so bad that the water used to wash a buffalo is proably then re-used to make your tea). The 'kappa & meen-curry' (mashed tapioca and fish curry) at these 'joints' deserves special mention (mmmouth-watering stuff!) - it is inevitably good.
P.S: I have been only to 4 kallu-shops in my lifetime, and in all 4 cases I bought parcels (what in the USA is known as 'take-away'); the ambience did not quite agree with me, you see!
I reiterate, us Mallu men take our alcohol (and our 'kappa & meen-curry', but more about that in a later post) very, very seriously indeed.
I guess that is a difficult one to answer - Mallus might have a better chance, especially Mallu guys.
Well, to cut the suspense short: they are all names of brands of liquors that are locally brewed in Kerala:
- 'Jesus' (Yeshu in Malayalam) is named so because, apparently, after drinking a bottle of the 'Yeshu' brand, the 'drinker' shall 'resurrect' only after the third day.
- 'Anamayakki', named after the famous elephant-tranquiliser reportedly imported from Sri Lanka, is self-explanatory, I guess.
- As for 'the bride', well, the saying is that after a couple of sips of this potent liquid, the 'drinker' becomes as shy as a bride (meaning that he is unable to lift his chin).
And then we have the kallu, the strong, pungent white liquor fermented from sap collected from coconut trees. In fact, in Kerala, you'd see a pot hanging on almost every coconut tree in sight, to collect the precious white liquid. Speaking from my own experience, kallu tastes great; but the pungent odor is so overwhelming that a mere mouthful leaves you gagging (Hat tip: hold your nose and take a gulpful!). Be forewarned: it is extremely strong, hence (notwithstanding the taste) consume in small quantities.
Of course, a post on kallu would be terribly incomplete without a tribute to our famous 'kallu shops' (toddy shops). In addition to the kallu, they serve amazing (and I do mean AMAZING) non-vegetarian food. One of the good things in Kerala is that you can eat pretty much anywhere without fearing for your life (which is not the case, in say Chennai, where the water scarcity is so bad that the water used to wash a buffalo is proably then re-used to make your tea). The 'kappa & meen-curry' (mashed tapioca and fish curry) at these 'joints' deserves special mention (mmmouth-watering stuff!) - it is inevitably good.
P.S: I have been only to 4 kallu-shops in my lifetime, and in all 4 cases I bought parcels (what in the USA is known as 'take-away'); the ambience did not quite agree with me, you see!
I reiterate, us Mallu men take our alcohol (and our 'kappa & meen-curry', but more about that in a later post) very, very seriously indeed.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Film Review: 15th Park Avenue
I have to say this: Konkona Sen rocks. Be it her choice of movies or her impeccable performances, she just absolutely rocks. She does it yet again in Aparna Sen's (for whom she seems to reserve her best performances) '15th Park Avenue'.
The movie narrates the tale of young Meethi, who suffers from schizophrenia, and the attempts of her family (Shabana Azmi and Waheeda Rehman) to deal with her care. It is a remarkable attempt, for the term is often misused by our directors (for instance, Bachchan was supposed to be schizophrenic in Vipul Shah's otherwise rather decent 'Aankhen') - the director deserves to be lauded for the amount of research she has put into the subject, and the way it has been deftly executed. The finale' of the movie was just grand - not too many of our movies are open-ended, and this one was remarkably so.
The performances are extremely good, but then with Shabana Azmi and Konkona Sen leading the cast, one expected no less. I have felt for some time that Shabana is repeating her characters too often for comfort - I mean, too many of her recent roles have her beginning as a stern, withdrawn and misunderstood character, only to break down eventually and show us her human frailties through the course of the movie (Fire, Tehzeeb and Morning Raaga, to name but just a few). Of course, she does it remarkably well, but shouldn't an actor of her stature and ability experiment more, I wonder (like Naseer and Om Puri do to so much success). Konkona, of course, is relatively a new face, and her performance is all the more refreshing for it. Meethi comes across as vulnerable and extremely endearing. Her delusional scenes are extremely well-rendered.
Aparna Sen is in fine nick after 'Mr and Mrs Iyer' here. A couple of scenes really stood out for me - the open-ended climax was one, of course (I mean, a possible interpretation was that it was Shabana who was delusional, for chrissakes). The another scene was a tiny one, but the dynamics between the different family members spoke volumes. It was a simple family scene, where Meethi is making a spectacle of herself (as disabled family members are wont to do often) and all of her family reacts differently. The elder sister is irriated, but tried to cover it up by being condescending to Meethi (who of course senses it and is irritated). The mother is ashamed, but has a weariness about her - as if she has seen it all before. The brother, perhaps in a bid to make the best of the situation, tries to joke about the whole thing, and his kids join in ribbing Meethi (this is a scene that is a tad too close for comfort, unfortunately). There is quite a bit of tension in the air, and the actors convey it beautifully.
I recommend this movie whole-heartedly. So far, IMO, this is the best Indian movie of 2005.
The movie narrates the tale of young Meethi, who suffers from schizophrenia, and the attempts of her family (Shabana Azmi and Waheeda Rehman) to deal with her care. It is a remarkable attempt, for the term is often misused by our directors (for instance, Bachchan was supposed to be schizophrenic in Vipul Shah's otherwise rather decent 'Aankhen') - the director deserves to be lauded for the amount of research she has put into the subject, and the way it has been deftly executed. The finale' of the movie was just grand - not too many of our movies are open-ended, and this one was remarkably so.
The performances are extremely good, but then with Shabana Azmi and Konkona Sen leading the cast, one expected no less. I have felt for some time that Shabana is repeating her characters too often for comfort - I mean, too many of her recent roles have her beginning as a stern, withdrawn and misunderstood character, only to break down eventually and show us her human frailties through the course of the movie (Fire, Tehzeeb and Morning Raaga, to name but just a few). Of course, she does it remarkably well, but shouldn't an actor of her stature and ability experiment more, I wonder (like Naseer and Om Puri do to so much success). Konkona, of course, is relatively a new face, and her performance is all the more refreshing for it. Meethi comes across as vulnerable and extremely endearing. Her delusional scenes are extremely well-rendered.
Aparna Sen is in fine nick after 'Mr and Mrs Iyer' here. A couple of scenes really stood out for me - the open-ended climax was one, of course (I mean, a possible interpretation was that it was Shabana who was delusional, for chrissakes). The another scene was a tiny one, but the dynamics between the different family members spoke volumes. It was a simple family scene, where Meethi is making a spectacle of herself (as disabled family members are wont to do often) and all of her family reacts differently. The elder sister is irriated, but tried to cover it up by being condescending to Meethi (who of course senses it and is irritated). The mother is ashamed, but has a weariness about her - as if she has seen it all before. The brother, perhaps in a bid to make the best of the situation, tries to joke about the whole thing, and his kids join in ribbing Meethi (this is a scene that is a tad too close for comfort, unfortunately). There is quite a bit of tension in the air, and the actors convey it beautifully.
I recommend this movie whole-heartedly. So far, IMO, this is the best Indian movie of 2005.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
History, Patriotism etc
German philosopher Goethe once famously remarked that 'Patriotism ruins history'. Falstaff's piece on martyrdom (and on, yeah, Rang De Basanti again) pretty much makes the same point. The piece itself is a remarkably well-written one, with a lot of insights that are hard to argue with. Consider this passage, for instance:
Was their (Bhagat Singh's and his companions') desire to kill people driven by a well-thought out game plan to achieve real change in India's political situation, or was it driven by a feverish search for self-definition? Isn't it more plausible that a group of insecure and frustrated young men, burning with a sense of personal injury to which no real source could be ascribed, chose, as an identity, the role of 'martyrs', purely to escape the realities of their own impotence (this is how terrorists are recruited btw)? Were these truly idealogues of violence, or were they merely callow youths who stumbled upon a good way to both release their natural aggression and sanctify it in the name of their 'motherland'? Patriotism may or may not be the last refuge of the scoundrel, but it is certainly the last refuge of those with nothing else to pin their self on, of those who have no other claim to make upon the world. Behind all that high-sounding ideology is simply the brute aggression of those whose only contributions to the world can be reductive.
Find a fallacy in this argument? I cannot.
For, it is indeed true that history is always dictated by the victors - in this case, us. A wild analogy, to illustrate: in Osama Bin Laden's own wierd world, the 9/11 suicide bombers are probabaly hailed as great matryrs and revolutionaries. Please note that I am NOT calling Bhagat Singh a terrorist here. But as Falstaff mentions above, all jingoism and/or patriotism aside (more about that later), it is plausible (even probable) that the 24-year old Bhagat Singh was a confused, frustrated and courageous young man whom political events seized by the scruff of the neck; not, as history claims, the other way round.
Now, about the patriotic/jingoistic bit. There is a fine line that seperates the two, and many people don't realize this. Dissent is not equal to disloyalty; disagreement with India's nuclear policy is not tantamount to treason (contrary to what the government then claimed). Refusing outside help during a national disaster/calamity amounts to jingoism, IMHO (especially as thousands of people are still waiting to be rehabiliated - read a fine account of the tsunami disaster here, at Dilip's blog). I completely agree with Mark Twain when he opines that patriotism should be 'loyalty to one's country, and not to its institutions or office-holders'.
Conclusion: invite dissent and provocation - no topic should be taboo. Non-conformity invites debate, and perhaps a better solution by consensus. Instead of banning artists who seek to break the mould and make ask us questions about ourselves (Deepa Mehta being a classic example), encourage them to break free of the so-called moral shackles. And crack down on those who choose to make protests in an unruly or even violent manner - hard. To end with yet another quote, this time by Voltaire - 'I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'.
Was their (Bhagat Singh's and his companions') desire to kill people driven by a well-thought out game plan to achieve real change in India's political situation, or was it driven by a feverish search for self-definition? Isn't it more plausible that a group of insecure and frustrated young men, burning with a sense of personal injury to which no real source could be ascribed, chose, as an identity, the role of 'martyrs', purely to escape the realities of their own impotence (this is how terrorists are recruited btw)? Were these truly idealogues of violence, or were they merely callow youths who stumbled upon a good way to both release their natural aggression and sanctify it in the name of their 'motherland'? Patriotism may or may not be the last refuge of the scoundrel, but it is certainly the last refuge of those with nothing else to pin their self on, of those who have no other claim to make upon the world. Behind all that high-sounding ideology is simply the brute aggression of those whose only contributions to the world can be reductive.
Find a fallacy in this argument? I cannot.
For, it is indeed true that history is always dictated by the victors - in this case, us. A wild analogy, to illustrate: in Osama Bin Laden's own wierd world, the 9/11 suicide bombers are probabaly hailed as great matryrs and revolutionaries. Please note that I am NOT calling Bhagat Singh a terrorist here. But as Falstaff mentions above, all jingoism and/or patriotism aside (more about that later), it is plausible (even probable) that the 24-year old Bhagat Singh was a confused, frustrated and courageous young man whom political events seized by the scruff of the neck; not, as history claims, the other way round.
Now, about the patriotic/jingoistic bit. There is a fine line that seperates the two, and many people don't realize this. Dissent is not equal to disloyalty; disagreement with India's nuclear policy is not tantamount to treason (contrary to what the government then claimed). Refusing outside help during a national disaster/calamity amounts to jingoism, IMHO (especially as thousands of people are still waiting to be rehabiliated - read a fine account of the tsunami disaster here, at Dilip's blog). I completely agree with Mark Twain when he opines that patriotism should be 'loyalty to one's country, and not to its institutions or office-holders'.
Conclusion: invite dissent and provocation - no topic should be taboo. Non-conformity invites debate, and perhaps a better solution by consensus. Instead of banning artists who seek to break the mould and make ask us questions about ourselves (Deepa Mehta being a classic example), encourage them to break free of the so-called moral shackles. And crack down on those who choose to make protests in an unruly or even violent manner - hard. To end with yet another quote, this time by Voltaire - 'I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Mani Ratnam Inspired by Sanjay Gupta !
Sounds implausible? Well, Anu Malik and Deva don't quite cover the definition of 'Thief'; it takes somebody of the great foresight and wisdom of Sri Sanjay Gupta to inspire Mani Ratnam to make 'Thiruda Thiruda' (dubbed as 'Chor Chor' in Hindi).
Gupta-ji, you are no better than a common thief who steals a great black bull, whitewashes it and paints great pink udders on before selling it off as an Indian 'Jersey' cow to an unsuspecting somebody. In fact, you are worse - at least, cows sell in the market.
Great Bong and Raja Sen (of Rediff) say it better than I ever could (read here and here for the respective articles).
Gupta-ji, you are no better than a common thief who steals a great black bull, whitewashes it and paints great pink udders on before selling it off as an Indian 'Jersey' cow to an unsuspecting somebody. In fact, you are worse - at least, cows sell in the market.
Great Bong and Raja Sen (of Rediff) say it better than I ever could (read here and here for the respective articles).
Monday, February 06, 2006
The More I Hear of Him,
the more I like this chap. Frankly, I wasn't overtly impressed with Siddharth in his acting debut (Shankar's half-assed venture 'Boys'). His acting was no great shakes, and he appeared too 'weepy' to be a proper hero.
However, in 'Rang De Basanti', he rocks.
Read an interview of Siddharth on Rediff today (read the interview here), where he appears to be fairly intelligent (unlike all those star sons/daughters who go 'I owe everything I have to God Almighty, my parents and my little puppy'. If anything puts me off, its fake humility):
However, in 'Rang De Basanti', he rocks.
Read an interview of Siddharth on Rediff today (read the interview here), where he appears to be fairly intelligent (unlike all those star sons/daughters who go 'I owe everything I have to God Almighty, my parents and my little puppy'. If anything puts me off, its fake humility):
- Success is not a divine phenomenon; it rests firmly in your ability and ambition.
- I don't believe in luck. I am a self-made man. I believe in my talent and hard-work.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Anatomy of a Movie: Kaathal (Tamil)
2005 boasted of some of the biggest Tamil movies being released - Rajnikanth's 'Chandramukhi', Kamal Hassan's 'Mumbai Express', Shankar's 'Anniyan' and the usual fare from Vijay. However, it was an innocuous little film named 'Kaathal', cast and technicians replete with newcomers, that went on to become the sleeper hit of the year (it released in late 2004 though, I believe).
'Kaathal' narrates the tale of a rich schoolgirl infatuated with a young mechanic. The same old 'formula' rehashed, one might be inclined to think. But the screenplay, characterization and performances were so effective that the storyline itself was forgotten; one was too involved with the characters by then. Some of the biggest plus-points of 'Kaathal' were:
# Newcomer Sandhya was amazingly natural (she was hailed as the 'Saritha of 2006' by veteran director K.Balachander) as the exuberant schoolgirl 'Aishu' , hopelessly infatuated with the motor mechanic. Her intuition tells her to run away from the marriage her family is forcing upon her, and she succeeds in convincing her beau to 'take her away'. The consequences of her impetuousness are devastating. Her outstanding performance was the highlight of this small little movie.
# The newbie director Balaji Shaktivel (ok, he's done one movie before - but didn't 'newbie director' sound better!) displayed a great grasp over the medium (for instance, he gave a feathery, fairy-tale touch to the first half of the movie that depicted the budding romance between the protagonists while the more sombre post-interval portions were shot in harsher lights and panning camera angles).
# Bharath proved there was more to him than the pliant dancing skills he'd displayed in his earlier movies. The nuances he added to the character were just perfect - whether it be the sloppy crab-like manner in which he rode his bike (as mechanics do), or the Madhurai lingo that he adopted, they were never overdone or exagerrated. His performance in the climax - reminiscent of the classic 'Moondram Pirai' (which in itself is a huge compliment) - was especially good.
# The kid at the workshop was - for want of a better word - outstanding. I have heard that Arun Kumar was indeed a boy working at a workshop - not sure whether it is true or not. His crabby demeanor and grouchy comments were quite amusing. Deft directorial touches also displayed the kid's loyalty to his ex-guru, making the character a memorable one.
# Sukumar, the Vadivelu-lookalike, put in a subdued, un-Vadivelu-like performance as the hero's friend. His palpable anguish at his friend's discomfort was portrayed with considerable restraint and subtlety (which is not exactly a quality one associated with Tamil comedians).
The rest of the cast was more than adequate. In these days where romantic movies are overpoweringly becoming stereotyped, 'Kaathal' dared to be different (the scenes about the registrar's office were refreshingly so). One for my DVD collection.
'Kaathal' narrates the tale of a rich schoolgirl infatuated with a young mechanic. The same old 'formula' rehashed, one might be inclined to think. But the screenplay, characterization and performances were so effective that the storyline itself was forgotten; one was too involved with the characters by then. Some of the biggest plus-points of 'Kaathal' were:
# Newcomer Sandhya was amazingly natural (she was hailed as the 'Saritha of 2006' by veteran director K.Balachander) as the exuberant schoolgirl 'Aishu' , hopelessly infatuated with the motor mechanic. Her intuition tells her to run away from the marriage her family is forcing upon her, and she succeeds in convincing her beau to 'take her away'. The consequences of her impetuousness are devastating. Her outstanding performance was the highlight of this small little movie.
# The newbie director Balaji Shaktivel (ok, he's done one movie before - but didn't 'newbie director' sound better!) displayed a great grasp over the medium (for instance, he gave a feathery, fairy-tale touch to the first half of the movie that depicted the budding romance between the protagonists while the more sombre post-interval portions were shot in harsher lights and panning camera angles).
# Bharath proved there was more to him than the pliant dancing skills he'd displayed in his earlier movies. The nuances he added to the character were just perfect - whether it be the sloppy crab-like manner in which he rode his bike (as mechanics do), or the Madhurai lingo that he adopted, they were never overdone or exagerrated. His performance in the climax - reminiscent of the classic 'Moondram Pirai' (which in itself is a huge compliment) - was especially good.
# The kid at the workshop was - for want of a better word - outstanding. I have heard that Arun Kumar was indeed a boy working at a workshop - not sure whether it is true or not. His crabby demeanor and grouchy comments were quite amusing. Deft directorial touches also displayed the kid's loyalty to his ex-guru, making the character a memorable one.
# Sukumar, the Vadivelu-lookalike, put in a subdued, un-Vadivelu-like performance as the hero's friend. His palpable anguish at his friend's discomfort was portrayed with considerable restraint and subtlety (which is not exactly a quality one associated with Tamil comedians).
The rest of the cast was more than adequate. In these days where romantic movies are overpoweringly becoming stereotyped, 'Kaathal' dared to be different (the scenes about the registrar's office were refreshingly so). One for my DVD collection.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Got Tagged
by Shruthi , who is one of the many bloggers whose posts I look forward to. I looked up her blog after she commented on one of my posts, and have been checking regularly for updates ever since (btw, her post on one of my fav' books 'God of Small Things' is just awesome). Take up the tag, though my list is certain to be nowhere as verbose or comprehensive as hers (read this and this).
Things That Drive Me Mad:
# People who are not punctual. It irks me no end to wait for (or because of) somebody who doesn't care about one's time.
# People spitting on the road (especially red paan spittle).
# Somebody walking into a closed room where I am reading/sleeping/whatever to do something inconsequential, and then walking out without closing the door again - drives me up the wall every time.
# Somebody extolling the many virtues of Hinduvta while deriding other religions.
# Somebody extolling the many virtues of India while deriding other countries.
# People who insist on speaking in their mother-tongue even though it is apparent that there are people around who don't understand the language - especially in office.
# The Heat - I can't stand summer !!
# Parents who try to get their daughters married as soon as they become pubescent.
# Men who are willing, and even demand, dowry - and then proudly mention the logistics to all and sundry.
# Stupid TV serials that go on for an eternity.
# Peoples' timetables being dictated by the stupid serials mentioned above.
# The kitchen sink full to the brim with unwashed vessels, with grains of rice and splotches of curry floating around randomly (is a much more common site in us bachelors' houses).
# Small pesky kids who spit (at you, or on the ground), and their parents who just murmur a mild admonition.
# Being urged by self-righteous, self-proclaimed 'guides' to pay more to get 'a better view' of the idol at crowded pilgrimage centres.
# That last mosquito which continues to elude you and hums annoyingly in your ear as you are trying to go to sleep.
# Vegetarians urging me to give up meat, and live a healthier life. Arrey, its my frigging body yaar !
# Navjot Singh Siddhu being called a good commentator - he sucks big-time !
# And, as expected, lots more.
Things That Lift My Spirits:
# Curling up with a sensational book, with soft music on.
# Having a scrumptious meal while reading an old favourite - its so much fun anticipating a particularly well-written passage, and actually getting to it - while munching away all the time, balancing both the plate and the book, and wiggling to turn pages. I know, I know, am loony!
# Seeing a much-hyped movie, and the movie actually meeting/exceeding your expectations (now, this is exactly why I love Kamal Hassan!).
# Chatting (online) with close friends.
# When a sketch I am trying out comes across well.
# Solving an issue at work that has been perplexing everybody else - gives you a different kind of high, believe me.
# When a new recipe being tried out turns out to be wholly & unexpectedly mouth-wateringly delicious.
# Goofing around with a cute and well-behaved kid.
# A well-stocked, cataloged library/bookstore with a whole lot of unread books, and lots & lots of time to spare - with nobody to disturb you.
# A cold beer in an air-conditioned room, after coming in from the Chennai sun during April / May - manna from heaven couldn't taste better, trust me (a plate of well-grilled tandoori chicken would go along well with the beer)!
# A well-written, well-researched article on a stimulating topic.
# Compliments from an unexpected quarter (a particularly difficult customer).
# When somebody you personally trained does a great job at work.
# Ribbing somebody sporting enough to take it in a good sense until he/she (preferably a she!) begs for mercy.
# Browsing around in a music-store / card-shop.
# Getting together with old school/college friends and talking about the 'good, ole days'.
# Sachin Tendulkar creaming the opposition in an ODI.
# VVS Laxman playing yet another very, very special innings.
# Brian Lara hitting yet another exemplary century when the stakes are down.
# And many, many more !
Of course, all those of you who read this are tagged as well - so go put up your own lists, and leave a comment for me to read it too.
Things That Drive Me Mad:
# People who are not punctual. It irks me no end to wait for (or because of) somebody who doesn't care about one's time.
# People spitting on the road (especially red paan spittle).
# Somebody walking into a closed room where I am reading/sleeping/whatever to do something inconsequential, and then walking out without closing the door again - drives me up the wall every time.
# Somebody extolling the many virtues of Hinduvta while deriding other religions.
# Somebody extolling the many virtues of India while deriding other countries.
# People who insist on speaking in their mother-tongue even though it is apparent that there are people around who don't understand the language - especially in office.
# The Heat - I can't stand summer !!
# Parents who try to get their daughters married as soon as they become pubescent.
# Men who are willing, and even demand, dowry - and then proudly mention the logistics to all and sundry.
# Stupid TV serials that go on for an eternity.
# Peoples' timetables being dictated by the stupid serials mentioned above.
# The kitchen sink full to the brim with unwashed vessels, with grains of rice and splotches of curry floating around randomly (is a much more common site in us bachelors' houses).
# Small pesky kids who spit (at you, or on the ground), and their parents who just murmur a mild admonition.
# Being urged by self-righteous, self-proclaimed 'guides' to pay more to get 'a better view' of the idol at crowded pilgrimage centres.
# That last mosquito which continues to elude you and hums annoyingly in your ear as you are trying to go to sleep.
# Vegetarians urging me to give up meat, and live a healthier life. Arrey, its my frigging body yaar !
# Navjot Singh Siddhu being called a good commentator - he sucks big-time !
# And, as expected, lots more.
Things That Lift My Spirits:
# Curling up with a sensational book, with soft music on.
# Having a scrumptious meal while reading an old favourite - its so much fun anticipating a particularly well-written passage, and actually getting to it - while munching away all the time, balancing both the plate and the book, and wiggling to turn pages. I know, I know, am loony!
# Seeing a much-hyped movie, and the movie actually meeting/exceeding your expectations (now, this is exactly why I love Kamal Hassan!).
# Chatting (online) with close friends.
# When a sketch I am trying out comes across well.
# Solving an issue at work that has been perplexing everybody else - gives you a different kind of high, believe me.
# When a new recipe being tried out turns out to be wholly & unexpectedly mouth-wateringly delicious.
# Goofing around with a cute and well-behaved kid.
# A well-stocked, cataloged library/bookstore with a whole lot of unread books, and lots & lots of time to spare - with nobody to disturb you.
# A cold beer in an air-conditioned room, after coming in from the Chennai sun during April / May - manna from heaven couldn't taste better, trust me (a plate of well-grilled tandoori chicken would go along well with the beer)!
# A well-written, well-researched article on a stimulating topic.
# Compliments from an unexpected quarter (a particularly difficult customer).
# When somebody you personally trained does a great job at work.
# Ribbing somebody sporting enough to take it in a good sense until he/she (preferably a she!) begs for mercy.
# Browsing around in a music-store / card-shop.
# Getting together with old school/college friends and talking about the 'good, ole days'.
# Sachin Tendulkar creaming the opposition in an ODI.
# VVS Laxman playing yet another very, very special innings.
# Brian Lara hitting yet another exemplary century when the stakes are down.
# And many, many more !
Of course, all those of you who read this are tagged as well - so go put up your own lists, and leave a comment for me to read it too.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Rang De Basanti: Movie Review
No spoilers - read on.
Rang De Basanti, contrary to public opinion, is not the quintessential Aamir Khan movie. It stars a whole plethora of stars - from Siddharth (of Shankar's 'Boys' fame) to Atul Kulakarni. However, Aamir does succeed in stamping his authority over the movie - chiefly through two powerful scenes where he displays a gamut of emotions including introspection, ruefulness, grief, contemplation and much more. However, to his credit he hardly ever attempts to 'steal' a scene from his young companions in the movie. Though his role was a tad similar to that of Akash of DCH, Aamir succeeded in imparting shades of insecurity to the character of DJ that went a long way in ensuring that DJ was not merely a Punjabi clone of Akash.
The surprise factors in the movie - for me - were Siddharth and Kunal Kapoor. Siddharth displays a newfound maturity as an actor, and hardly falters in his portrayal of the rebellious young man who can hardly wait to get out of the country. Kunal, on the other hand, is just about outstanding as the young Muslim who is often the target of the Hinduvta hardliner Atul Kulkarni (who, as expected, turns in an exemplary performance himself). Both Siddharth and Kunal have very vulerable personas, which made them apt choices for their respective roles. Soha Ali Khan did not disappoint (boyh, does she look like Saif or what!). Madhavan appeared affable in what little screen-time he had. Sharman Joshi (the one redeeming factor of 'Style') is as goofy as ever.
A review of 'Rang De Basanti' would be incomplete without a mention of Alice Patten, who acquits herself honorably in a difficult role (remember how many foreign actors have ended up becoming cariacatures?). In fact, of late, more and more non-Indian actors have been turning in more-than-competent performances - 'Kisna', 'Lagaan' and 'Mangal Pandey', for instance. I'd be glad to see an Indian actor do the same in a Western movie (of course, Om Puri has akready done it, several times over).
A.R.Rahman is competent, as usual. I liked RDB much more than the director's previous 'Aks'. However, I have a grouse - my favourite song Lukka Chupi ended up being clipped. I especially liked the Western bgm ARR used in the opening scene, where Bhagat Singh is being hung to death.
Is RDB worth a trip to the movie theatre? You bet your ass, it is! After the disappointing 'Mangal Pandey', Aamir Khan is back - and how !
Rang De Basanti, contrary to public opinion, is not the quintessential Aamir Khan movie. It stars a whole plethora of stars - from Siddharth (of Shankar's 'Boys' fame) to Atul Kulakarni. However, Aamir does succeed in stamping his authority over the movie - chiefly through two powerful scenes where he displays a gamut of emotions including introspection, ruefulness, grief, contemplation and much more. However, to his credit he hardly ever attempts to 'steal' a scene from his young companions in the movie. Though his role was a tad similar to that of Akash of DCH, Aamir succeeded in imparting shades of insecurity to the character of DJ that went a long way in ensuring that DJ was not merely a Punjabi clone of Akash.
The surprise factors in the movie - for me - were Siddharth and Kunal Kapoor. Siddharth displays a newfound maturity as an actor, and hardly falters in his portrayal of the rebellious young man who can hardly wait to get out of the country. Kunal, on the other hand, is just about outstanding as the young Muslim who is often the target of the Hinduvta hardliner Atul Kulkarni (who, as expected, turns in an exemplary performance himself). Both Siddharth and Kunal have very vulerable personas, which made them apt choices for their respective roles. Soha Ali Khan did not disappoint (boyh, does she look like Saif or what!). Madhavan appeared affable in what little screen-time he had. Sharman Joshi (the one redeeming factor of 'Style') is as goofy as ever.
A review of 'Rang De Basanti' would be incomplete without a mention of Alice Patten, who acquits herself honorably in a difficult role (remember how many foreign actors have ended up becoming cariacatures?). In fact, of late, more and more non-Indian actors have been turning in more-than-competent performances - 'Kisna', 'Lagaan' and 'Mangal Pandey', for instance. I'd be glad to see an Indian actor do the same in a Western movie (of course, Om Puri has akready done it, several times over).
A.R.Rahman is competent, as usual. I liked RDB much more than the director's previous 'Aks'. However, I have a grouse - my favourite song Lukka Chupi ended up being clipped. I especially liked the Western bgm ARR used in the opening scene, where Bhagat Singh is being hung to death.
Is RDB worth a trip to the movie theatre? You bet your ass, it is! After the disappointing 'Mangal Pandey', Aamir Khan is back - and how !
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Write an Exam, and Get Marks - Free !
In my childhood, the Malayala Manorama daily used to come out with an annual edition of the most ingenious answers submitted by students appearing for their SSC exams. Needless to mention, some of the answers were absolute gems - to say they were merely hilarious would be a gross understatement. One of these answers has attained an almost-cult status in Kerala - part of SSC folklore, so to speak! I have tried to translate the answer below, from my memory:
Question: How does the amoeba catch its prey ?
Answer: Time slowly ticked away, and the night grew darker. In the distance, a dog - or was it a fox - howled mournfully. Still, the amoeba continued to pace up and down its tiny lair, glancing at its famished young ones with trepidation. Finally, it could bear the anguished cries of its young no longer. The predator stepped out into the jungle, determined to find hapless prey.
...
As the wind changed direction, the doe twitched its nose, somehow sensing the imminent danger. However, unable to discern anything outwardly ominous, it continued to munch the grass warily. Slowly and majestically, the mighty amoeba strode out of the scattered undergrowth. The doe stood no chance, as the amoeba roared lustily and pounced upon it. Shaking the doe by the scruff of its neck, the amoeba dragged the by-now dead doe all the way to its lair, back to its hungry young ones.
This is how the amoeba catches its prey.
Its not a patch on the original, which was simply mindblowing.
You know what is not so funny about the whole thing? The student probably passed. To an incredulous 'how', I have a one-word answer: moderation. This term in this context basically means that a large percentage of students are given 'free' marks to boost the already sagging pass-percentage of the state. And after the so-called 'moderation', the average pass-percentage of Kerala - of the 100% literacy fame - over the last 15 years is less than 50%.
Appalling? Disgraceful?
Then consider this: to 'pass' the SSC exam, you need 210 marks out of 600. To 'help' students scale this mountain, liberal correction techniques are recommended to the paper-correction committee (I am not sure what exactly 'liberal' means; me-thinks it probably implies that somebody who says a cow has 2 legs instead of 4 would get half-marks). And to 'help' out those students who fail despite this 'liberal' approach, up to 60 marks can be awarded free of cost - muft mein.
I do not have the facts and figures to articulate on the merits or demerits of this system. However, if despite the 'liberal' techniques and the 'moderation less than 50% of our students fail to make the grade every year, we have a serious fallacy in the system. It seems to me that a student who secures a pass in this manner is bound to fail in college (where there are no 'moderation' techniques applied, surprisingly - somebody must have put his/her foot down) - no good done anyhow. But then, a lot of jobs are open to people once they secure a mere SSC pass - a government bus-driver job, for instance. But does that justify the award of undeserving marks?
Another one of my posts which has no definite conclusion!
Question: How does the amoeba catch its prey ?
Answer: Time slowly ticked away, and the night grew darker. In the distance, a dog - or was it a fox - howled mournfully. Still, the amoeba continued to pace up and down its tiny lair, glancing at its famished young ones with trepidation. Finally, it could bear the anguished cries of its young no longer. The predator stepped out into the jungle, determined to find hapless prey.
...
As the wind changed direction, the doe twitched its nose, somehow sensing the imminent danger. However, unable to discern anything outwardly ominous, it continued to munch the grass warily. Slowly and majestically, the mighty amoeba strode out of the scattered undergrowth. The doe stood no chance, as the amoeba roared lustily and pounced upon it. Shaking the doe by the scruff of its neck, the amoeba dragged the by-now dead doe all the way to its lair, back to its hungry young ones.
This is how the amoeba catches its prey.
Its not a patch on the original, which was simply mindblowing.
You know what is not so funny about the whole thing? The student probably passed. To an incredulous 'how', I have a one-word answer: moderation. This term in this context basically means that a large percentage of students are given 'free' marks to boost the already sagging pass-percentage of the state. And after the so-called 'moderation', the average pass-percentage of Kerala - of the 100% literacy fame - over the last 15 years is less than 50%.
Appalling? Disgraceful?
Then consider this: to 'pass' the SSC exam, you need 210 marks out of 600. To 'help' students scale this mountain, liberal correction techniques are recommended to the paper-correction committee (I am not sure what exactly 'liberal' means; me-thinks it probably implies that somebody who says a cow has 2 legs instead of 4 would get half-marks). And to 'help' out those students who fail despite this 'liberal' approach, up to 60 marks can be awarded free of cost - muft mein.
I do not have the facts and figures to articulate on the merits or demerits of this system. However, if despite the 'liberal' techniques and the 'moderation less than 50% of our students fail to make the grade every year, we have a serious fallacy in the system. It seems to me that a student who secures a pass in this manner is bound to fail in college (where there are no 'moderation' techniques applied, surprisingly - somebody must have put his/her foot down) - no good done anyhow. But then, a lot of jobs are open to people once they secure a mere SSC pass - a government bus-driver job, for instance. But does that justify the award of undeserving marks?
Another one of my posts which has no definite conclusion!
Friday, January 20, 2006
With Your Holy Permission
This relates to to the posts here, here and here by Uma (Indianwriting), Anand (Locana) and Aishwarya (Kaleidoglide) respectively.
To put it very briefly, the point all of them raise is this: are temples justified in raising a hue and cry about who they allow in, and who they do not?
Simple logic suggests that it is not a fundamental tenet of Hinduism itself that debars non-Hindus from entering places of worship. I say this merely because many temples (albeit 'inconsequential' ones, if I may venture to call them so - those temples that are not the sort of 'popular' places to attract pligrims from outside cities and states) do permit entry to non-Hindus. Thus, as far as I can infer, it is the concerned temple that has sole jurisdiction over its ingression laws.
Consequently, IMHO we have here what is known in IT-parlance as a paradigm-shift. The question is not whether Hinduism is justified or not in preventing entry to its places of worship - the religion never did debar them in the first place (notwithstanding the shadow of the reprehensible caste-system hovering over this veneer of tolerance - a discussion on that would take a whole new post !). Instead, the question is whether such denominational entry policies imposed by certain temples make sense or not.
My opinion is a firm 'NO'. Notwithstanding the likes of Thakeray and his ilk, I am of the firm belief that Hinduism is an 'open' religion that did, does and should encompass all cultures & religions. Denying somebody access to a temple based only on his / her religion is as distasteful as refusing to share the same table with somebody because of the color of his / her skin. A common counter-argument here seems to be that our temples would be somehow 'defiled' if 'sceptical' people of other faiths entered 'our' temples merely to gawk. Several flaws here though:
(a) Are all people of other faiths automatically sceptics? If not, is it ok if we let the 'believers' in?
(b) Are all Hindus automatically non-sceptical, or does being born a Hindu automatically compensate for being a sceptic / a practising atheist, and
(c) Can places of worship be defiled that easily?
I could go on, but you get the drift.
A related issue here is that of dress-code for temples. For instance, in Kerala a man can enter a temple only if he removes his shirt. Now, being bare-chested has nothing to do with Hinduism or devotion - it is just a vestige of the times when everybody entering a temple had to be bare-chested so that non-Brahmins found inside a temple could be instantly identified (and presumably, flogged). To 'honor' this 'tradition' even today is deplorable, to say the least. I have similar thoughts regarding the compulsory mundu (dhoti) too, but that is admittedly also because of the 'discomfort' involved while wearing one (I never know when the bloody thing is gonna fall off!). However I really am curious to know the precedent behind the mundu becoming the obligatory garment for most temples in Kerala.
Personally, I am not all that enamored with popular temples in general. I like to associate a certain sense of tranquility with places of worship. Queuing up for 3 hours, with somebody's armpit (smelling of sweat-tinged 'Rexona' deodorant) at your face while somebody else is busy sniffing at (or rather, because of) your armpits, is not exactly my idea of serenity - what little peace of mind I have is lost by the time I see a corner of the idol. And when its your chance at a one-to-one with the deity, you always have a grumbling priest ready to shoo you away within the first 5 seconds. Sorry your Holiness, give me the 'inconsequential' ones any day!
There are exceptions, of course - for instance, the Padmanabhaswamy temple at Trivandrum. The main deity here is Lord Vishnu, depicted in the mythological Ananthasayanam posture where he reclines royally on the giant snake Anantha. The complete idol can be viewed only through three different doors. This temple, which overlooks a famous tank (too lazy to look it up - think its the Padmatheertham tank), is incredibly beautiful and serene. Of course, I believe it does have the usual trappings of dress-codes, DoS (IT term for denial of service - sorry, couldn't resist) to non-Hindus etc, but at least it looks like a place of worship. Also, there's a rather interesting story behind the idol of Vishnu in the temple. It was recently discovered that the whole idol was made of pure gold, but seemed to have been coated with charcoal, carbon and other such material due to which the idol appeared to have the usual black 'n' greasy look. Legend goes that this camouflage was done to protect the idol from the imminent threat of an attack from Tipu Sultan - dunno how far that is true, though. But now, the gold idol as well as the gem-studded room enclosing the idol look spectacular .
But I digress. Slowly, more and more temples are being forced to relax some of their more senseless rules. Hopefully, within the next decade or so, we will not have to dress up for a visit to the temple ! And I might just be able to take along my Christian / Muslim friends (not that I haven't already, despite awe-inspiring glares from family friends at the temple who knew that my friends were 'non-Hindus'). Hallelujah to that !
To put it very briefly, the point all of them raise is this: are temples justified in raising a hue and cry about who they allow in, and who they do not?
Simple logic suggests that it is not a fundamental tenet of Hinduism itself that debars non-Hindus from entering places of worship. I say this merely because many temples (albeit 'inconsequential' ones, if I may venture to call them so - those temples that are not the sort of 'popular' places to attract pligrims from outside cities and states) do permit entry to non-Hindus. Thus, as far as I can infer, it is the concerned temple that has sole jurisdiction over its ingression laws.
Consequently, IMHO we have here what is known in IT-parlance as a paradigm-shift. The question is not whether Hinduism is justified or not in preventing entry to its places of worship - the religion never did debar them in the first place (notwithstanding the shadow of the reprehensible caste-system hovering over this veneer of tolerance - a discussion on that would take a whole new post !). Instead, the question is whether such denominational entry policies imposed by certain temples make sense or not.
My opinion is a firm 'NO'. Notwithstanding the likes of Thakeray and his ilk, I am of the firm belief that Hinduism is an 'open' religion that did, does and should encompass all cultures & religions. Denying somebody access to a temple based only on his / her religion is as distasteful as refusing to share the same table with somebody because of the color of his / her skin. A common counter-argument here seems to be that our temples would be somehow 'defiled' if 'sceptical' people of other faiths entered 'our' temples merely to gawk. Several flaws here though:
(a) Are all people of other faiths automatically sceptics? If not, is it ok if we let the 'believers' in?
(b) Are all Hindus automatically non-sceptical, or does being born a Hindu automatically compensate for being a sceptic / a practising atheist, and
(c) Can places of worship be defiled that easily?
I could go on, but you get the drift.
A related issue here is that of dress-code for temples. For instance, in Kerala a man can enter a temple only if he removes his shirt. Now, being bare-chested has nothing to do with Hinduism or devotion - it is just a vestige of the times when everybody entering a temple had to be bare-chested so that non-Brahmins found inside a temple could be instantly identified (and presumably, flogged). To 'honor' this 'tradition' even today is deplorable, to say the least. I have similar thoughts regarding the compulsory mundu (dhoti) too, but that is admittedly also because of the 'discomfort' involved while wearing one (I never know when the bloody thing is gonna fall off!). However I really am curious to know the precedent behind the mundu becoming the obligatory garment for most temples in Kerala.
Personally, I am not all that enamored with popular temples in general. I like to associate a certain sense of tranquility with places of worship. Queuing up for 3 hours, with somebody's armpit (smelling of sweat-tinged 'Rexona' deodorant) at your face while somebody else is busy sniffing at (or rather, because of) your armpits, is not exactly my idea of serenity - what little peace of mind I have is lost by the time I see a corner of the idol. And when its your chance at a one-to-one with the deity, you always have a grumbling priest ready to shoo you away within the first 5 seconds. Sorry your Holiness, give me the 'inconsequential' ones any day!
There are exceptions, of course - for instance, the Padmanabhaswamy temple at Trivandrum. The main deity here is Lord Vishnu, depicted in the mythological Ananthasayanam posture where he reclines royally on the giant snake Anantha. The complete idol can be viewed only through three different doors. This temple, which overlooks a famous tank (too lazy to look it up - think its the Padmatheertham tank), is incredibly beautiful and serene. Of course, I believe it does have the usual trappings of dress-codes, DoS (IT term for denial of service - sorry, couldn't resist) to non-Hindus etc, but at least it looks like a place of worship. Also, there's a rather interesting story behind the idol of Vishnu in the temple. It was recently discovered that the whole idol was made of pure gold, but seemed to have been coated with charcoal, carbon and other such material due to which the idol appeared to have the usual black 'n' greasy look. Legend goes that this camouflage was done to protect the idol from the imminent threat of an attack from Tipu Sultan - dunno how far that is true, though. But now, the gold idol as well as the gem-studded room enclosing the idol look spectacular .
But I digress. Slowly, more and more temples are being forced to relax some of their more senseless rules. Hopefully, within the next decade or so, we will not have to dress up for a visit to the temple ! And I might just be able to take along my Christian / Muslim friends (not that I haven't already, despite awe-inspiring glares from family friends at the temple who knew that my friends were 'non-Hindus'). Hallelujah to that !
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
The Case of The Missing Husband
No, this is not one of those Agatha Christie-ishtyle mysteries where the suspicious wife murders and buries the philandering husband - not this time. The husband is (just) missing, or rather, he deserted her - with all her jewellery. And, of course, a vast sum of dowry.
The beginning was all hunky-dory, though.
The girl was doing her post-graduation, and her fiance - handpicked by her parents, of course - was well-placed (purportedly, he was a professor at IIT-Delhi). The girl was all misty-eyed after a couple of conversations with the chap, typing away furiously into her mobile phone (which, by the way, was forbidden within college campus) all day and geared up to take the sacred pheras. With the support of her fiance, she quit her course midway and joined LIC (which was what she had wanted to do anyway). All the girls in her class were green with envy.
She got married. A lot of of her classmates attended the marriage. She looked radiantly in love, and blissfully content.
Four months later, the husband went missing. Along with a sizeable chunk of jewellery, and a vast amount of cash. She was distraught, and frantic with worry. Until she came to know that he had done it before - thrice. Absconded, that is. The third time, IIT-Delhi had booted him out of their teaching program. The first time he'd decided to go missing was when he was in college (at some other IIT), and he returned a full 6 months later.
My point? His parents knew about this peculiar characteristic of thier beloved son. The bride obviously didn't. More importantly, nor did her parents. And I am sure, with some discreet enquiries, they could (should) have found out. They, like many other middle-class parents of their ilk, were lured by the prospect of an IIT-suffixed son-in-law, I presume - despite the dowry and other demands.
The tale above is not a figment of my imagination; it actually happened to a friend of mine. To her credit, she picked up the threads of her life, filed a lawsuit against the parents of the bridegroom (and got her bloody dowry back), got a divorce and is now coping up well - hopefully. Hopefully - because, if I know her correctly, she must have grown weary of all the brutal sympathy that must have been directed at her (and the unsaid accusations, of course - anything bad has to be the bride's fault). Perhaps that is why she is now in Calcutta, not much in contact with any of us. Hope fervently that she is alright.
Why this rant all of a sudden, you might be tempted to ask. Nothing in particular, was just amazed at the sheer nonchalance with which something as important as marriage is decided. I should know; 'processes' are going on in my household too.
Take my case, for instance. I am in this remote corner of NY, where it'd be pretty difficult to investigate my character/drug habits/drinking habits or whatever it is that'd be investigated as a matter of course (of course, knowing the proliferation of Indians, and esp Mallus, all over the world, it's certainly possible that the gal's second cousin's aunt's younger brother could be my roommate). I could be a drug-pushing, wife-beating deranged alcoholic, for all somebody in India knows (Gals reading this, I am not any of these ! Nor am I a habitual absconder, btw). And an unsuspecting girl could well end up getting married to the hypothetical me. Sad, but true.
There have been a couple of articles about this, and how to be careful and protect your daughters, and stuff like that (read one here). But the truth is, there is no infallible plan against this sort of thing - a terrible thing to say, but true neverthless (Why am I in a particularly pessimistic frame of mind, I wonder !!).
The beginning was all hunky-dory, though.
The girl was doing her post-graduation, and her fiance - handpicked by her parents, of course - was well-placed (purportedly, he was a professor at IIT-Delhi). The girl was all misty-eyed after a couple of conversations with the chap, typing away furiously into her mobile phone (which, by the way, was forbidden within college campus) all day and geared up to take the sacred pheras. With the support of her fiance, she quit her course midway and joined LIC (which was what she had wanted to do anyway). All the girls in her class were green with envy.
She got married. A lot of of her classmates attended the marriage. She looked radiantly in love, and blissfully content.
Four months later, the husband went missing. Along with a sizeable chunk of jewellery, and a vast amount of cash. She was distraught, and frantic with worry. Until she came to know that he had done it before - thrice. Absconded, that is. The third time, IIT-Delhi had booted him out of their teaching program. The first time he'd decided to go missing was when he was in college (at some other IIT), and he returned a full 6 months later.
My point? His parents knew about this peculiar characteristic of thier beloved son. The bride obviously didn't. More importantly, nor did her parents. And I am sure, with some discreet enquiries, they could (should) have found out. They, like many other middle-class parents of their ilk, were lured by the prospect of an IIT-suffixed son-in-law, I presume - despite the dowry and other demands.
The tale above is not a figment of my imagination; it actually happened to a friend of mine. To her credit, she picked up the threads of her life, filed a lawsuit against the parents of the bridegroom (and got her bloody dowry back), got a divorce and is now coping up well - hopefully. Hopefully - because, if I know her correctly, she must have grown weary of all the brutal sympathy that must have been directed at her (and the unsaid accusations, of course - anything bad has to be the bride's fault). Perhaps that is why she is now in Calcutta, not much in contact with any of us. Hope fervently that she is alright.
Why this rant all of a sudden, you might be tempted to ask. Nothing in particular, was just amazed at the sheer nonchalance with which something as important as marriage is decided. I should know; 'processes' are going on in my household too.
Take my case, for instance. I am in this remote corner of NY, where it'd be pretty difficult to investigate my character/drug habits/drinking habits or whatever it is that'd be investigated as a matter of course (of course, knowing the proliferation of Indians, and esp Mallus, all over the world, it's certainly possible that the gal's second cousin's aunt's younger brother could be my roommate). I could be a drug-pushing, wife-beating deranged alcoholic, for all somebody in India knows (Gals reading this, I am not any of these ! Nor am I a habitual absconder, btw). And an unsuspecting girl could well end up getting married to the hypothetical me. Sad, but true.
There have been a couple of articles about this, and how to be careful and protect your daughters, and stuff like that (read one here). But the truth is, there is no infallible plan against this sort of thing - a terrible thing to say, but true neverthless (Why am I in a particularly pessimistic frame of mind, I wonder !!).
Sunday, January 15, 2006
SightScreen has moved
to a new location (on rediff instead of blogspot). To the uninitiated, the site offers great coverage of cricket by Prem Panicker, Worma and others. But somehow, I feel that the old site seemed easier to navigate (or am I merely feeling queasy about yet another change to a favourite blog) ? Let me give it some time !!
There's a great article on Sehwag on the site (full article here), by Prem Panicker (a writer whose stuff I follow ardently; he writes brilliantly about movies, cricket and politics). As mentioned in Prem's article, 'irresponsible' is a word I often associate with Sehwag. He plays pretty much in the same audacious manner, whether he's batting with the tail to save a match, facing McGrath in a particularly fiery spell or giving Bangladesh a fearsome pounding. When he carries it off, it looks spectacular; but on the other hand, his failures look pretty dumb as well (especially when he falls prey to wily ploys by the 'thinking' bowlers time and time again). Gawd, give him sense !!
P.S: Has anybody else felt that Dileep has a writing style very similar to that of Prem ?
There's a great article on Sehwag on the site (full article here), by Prem Panicker (a writer whose stuff I follow ardently; he writes brilliantly about movies, cricket and politics). As mentioned in Prem's article, 'irresponsible' is a word I often associate with Sehwag. He plays pretty much in the same audacious manner, whether he's batting with the tail to save a match, facing McGrath in a particularly fiery spell or giving Bangladesh a fearsome pounding. When he carries it off, it looks spectacular; but on the other hand, his failures look pretty dumb as well (especially when he falls prey to wily ploys by the 'thinking' bowlers time and time again). Gawd, give him sense !!
P.S: Has anybody else felt that Dileep has a writing style very similar to that of Prem ?
Thursday, January 12, 2006
A Tumultuous Decision
had to be made. After days & months of careful cultivation and refinement, I finally had to succumb to all the pressure. Yes! I have finally decided to shorn myself of my silky, long tresses :( !!
Why, you might well ask.
Well, the entreaties and the speculation did their part in wearing me down, of course. But the clinching factor - the absolute last nail in the coffin - was this:
I have now become adept at handling the inane comments and questions; I can also turn a deaf ear to frantic pleas. But there is no way in the world that I can withstand comparisons to a monstrosity like this (Mallu-Mallu comparisons, you know) !!
So, off with the locks !
P.S: Mabbe now my mom will become a Mammootty (approach this site at your own peril) fan !!
Why, you might well ask.
Well, the entreaties and the speculation did their part in wearing me down, of course. But the clinching factor - the absolute last nail in the coffin - was this:
I have now become adept at handling the inane comments and questions; I can also turn a deaf ear to frantic pleas. But there is no way in the world that I can withstand comparisons to a monstrosity like this (Mallu-Mallu comparisons, you know) !!
So, off with the locks !
P.S: Mabbe now my mom will become a Mammootty (approach this site at your own peril) fan !!
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