Dec 31, 2007

oh..it's over :(

The vacation is over. :(

Here is a glimpse of my life during last few days.

I will update about it soon.

Dec 15, 2007

BRB

Every time I go home, there is a nagging fear of losing something behind that haunts me. They are not just a figment of my imagination. Some of them have proven to be true. A costly truth, to say the least.
Still, it can not deter me from taking a break from it all and go back to where I came from. This is one more such chance.

Yipppppeeeeeeee
I am going home.

Miss you all.

And I will be back with loads of Indori namkeens and stories. :)

Dec 14, 2007

gyarah kahaniyan

Summarizing my last two evenings in a simple mathemagical equation:
gyarah kahaniyan = dus kahaniyan + aaja nachle

Dus Kahaniyan is a brave attempt to say the least. Frankly speaking it did not live up to my expectations. I imagined it a Indian attempt of love actually or babel. Though the stories are some of the best you have heard [and watched] in recent times, no linking amongst them is bit of a uneasy factor. Box office has tagged this movie as a flop. It was bound to be. No masala to sell here. I feel this movie is a link between out-and-out commercial crap and over-the-head crossover cinema. And that makes it special. Content and execution are top notch and that surely makes it stand out in the lot.
Good work guys. Keep it up.

Aaja Nachle is another proof of Madhuri's brilliance. She rocks and she dances. And nobody can do it better than her. Watch if for Madhuri. Storyline is loose. At end of three hours you will realize that there is nothing that you did not expect. Swades meets Chak De India. There are light moments throughout the movie. Time pass assured. Laila Majnoo show is something you have never seen in your life. It's enjoyable to core. Madhuri's dance is the icing on cake. She has grace and persona that none of the current heroins in bollywood can boast of. Would love to see more of you Madhuri. Keep dancing.
And to those of you who tagged it as woman oriented movies, fish off. Just that lead actor is a girl does not make a woman oriented movie.

Dec 12, 2007

the good game has begin...

The good game has begin.

I was browsing through some of my old posts and this one caught my attention: To win all, you need to risk all.

This is what I needed at this moment. Last few days have been mixed bag in terms of experience. The pursuit gave me an indication of things to come. I second it after spending my last few days doing nothing. I have had my lows and highs. For no reason at all. Or were they indeed the reasons. I will never know. It's just impulse of the moment. And I know that I have to let it pass by.

One thing I have learnt from it all is that risk is unavoidable. If you dream, you need to dare of breaking the mould. I am doing what I think is right. I may be wrong, but I want to learn it firsthand. To cut above the rest needs risk. Mediocrity leads you nowhere.

Dec 11, 2007

programming maxims

Rob Pike offers the following "rules" in Notes on Programming in C as programming maxims, though they can be easily viewed as points of a Unix philosophy:[citation needed]

  • Rule 1: You cannot tell where a program is going to spend its time. Bottlenecks occur in surprising places, so do not try to second guess and put in a speed hack until you've proven that's where the bottleneck is.
  • Rule 2: Measure. Do not tune for speed until you have measured, and even then don't unless one part of the code overwhelms the rest.
  • Rule 3: Fancy algorithms are slow when n is small, and n is usually small. Fancy algorithms have big constants. Until you know that n is frequently going to be big, don't get fancy. (Even if n does get big, use Rule 2 first.)
  • Rule 4: Fancy algorithms are buggier than simple ones, and they are much harder to implement. Use simple algorithms as well as simple data structures.
  • Rule 5: Data dominates. If you have chosen the right data structures and organized things well, the algorithms will almost always be self-evident. Data structures, not algorithms, are central to programming.
  • Rule 6: There is no Rule 6.

Pike's rules 1 and 2 restate C. A. R. Hoare's famous maxim "Premature optimization is the root of all evil." Ken Thompson rephrased Pike's rules 3 and 4 as "When in doubt, use brute force." Rules 3 and 4 are instances of the design philosophy KISS. Rule 5 was previously stated by Fred Brooks in The Mythical Man-Month. Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls also has a chapter on the same design principle. Rule 5 is often shortened to "write stupid code that uses smart data", and is an instance of the guideline "If your datastructures are good enough, the algorithm to manipulate them should be trivial." Rule 6 is merely a humorous reference to Monty Python's Bruces sketch. In C strings, the last byte of the string is null, thus indicating the length of the string.

ps: Taken from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy

Dec 10, 2007

fri sat sun mon

Fri: Not much work as usual. Was thinking of leaving early from office and try my luck at attending any Bangalore Habba event. But as it turned out to be, I ended up being at home. This year, somehow, I did not go to even a single event in Bangalore Habba. Strange and sad, but that's the way it is. :)

Sat: Lazy morning followed by a visit to Spar. First hypermarket of it's kind in Bangalore. And it impressed me. Lot of variety and competitive prices. Not much crowded like Big Bazaars. And to top it all - nice and fresh vegetables and fruits. You should try it out at least once if you are in Bangalore. Chitchatting post lunch and then evening at a friend's place. Nice homely food enjoyed with nice homely people.

[Forgot that it is Saurabh's Bday]

Sun: Again a lazy morning. Bachche log exam ke liye chale gaye. Arpit came home and told that it was Saurabh's Bday today. shucks... Checked on orkut. Went straight to cake shop. Bought cake. Bachche came home. Wished Saurabh then had lunch. Movie with a friend. Ice-cream and pani-puri followed. Bought yoyo for Sarthak. Came home and left for Saurabh's dinner treat. China Pearl again. Hogged like anything. Reach home at 10:30, ChakDe on cable. Watched ChakDe. Had Cake cutting and Happy Bday singing program at 11:15. Ate cake and then directly off to my bed.
What a day!!!

Mon: OMG. It's lazy morning again. Got up late. Was in two minds about taking my bike. Somehow decided against it. Was late for the bus so took an auto to catch the bus. No issues. Came to work. Breakfast. Some work.
Going for lunch now...

That's all....

Dec 3, 2007

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal - Avoidable

Let me try to keep it very objective:

What works:
1. Title song. Nice catchy tune and good lyrics.
2. ManUnited dressing room and views from Old Trafford stadium.
3. N/A

What does not work:
1. Story (or the absence of it).
2. Shoddy camera work (it's slow and dull. Frames do not have continuity. Watch anyone play FIFA 2005, you will get to see better action)
3. Obsessively chauvinistic south Asian references. (Mr Chocolate man - there is more to game than racism.)
4. No characters. A football movie can not be made with just 2 players. I would like to ask the directory if he actually thought even name of the 16 players. They are just no-one.
5. Side stories. Bipasha-john romance, Arshad-wife's fights, Sardar's wife, John's mom - too many untold stories. They pop up from nowhere and just make it worse.
6. Songs - Pathetic pathetic pathetic...

It is more boring that watching a goal less draw in Durand Cup.
I really don't think this movie was made to bask on glory of Chak De India. Aug 10th to Nov 23rd is too less a time to make a movie in bollywood. But may be it is the case, the product has no quality.

Avoid yaar.

ps: My worst disappointment with this movie is the fact that AK has written dialogue for it. It's disappointing stuff AK. You certainly can do much better than this.

Nov 30, 2007

tee jee eye eff

Thank God...
It's been a dull Friday so far. No different from the week that went. It was the usual stuff throughout the week.

Post-it on my PC monitor reads thus "The trouble with a rat race is that even if you win you're still a rat." These words keep inspiring me to do things which I would not have done but for my compulsions. Giving up and giving in - they make a world of difference. I guess I would stick to give-in for now. I need my fingers. That's all I care.

Looking forward to a fun filled weekend. And hopefully a better week ahead.

FYI,
Bangalore Habba is back... Check out the schedule http://www.bengalooruhabba.com/home.html
Any of you reading it in Bangalore, contact me if you are game for the plays at Chowdiah Memorial.

Nov 26, 2007

wat u doing tonite? v need a hero for dis country.

NDTV is having an opinion poll to decide the Indian of the Year award. Votes can be casted through sms, mail or phone calls. Here is the link to the website: Indian of the Year

Now here are the nominations:

CATEGORY: LEADER
  • Mayawati (Ab Dilli Door Nahi)
  • Prakash Karat (Mr Unflappable)
  • Manmohan Singh (The Visionary)
  • LK Advani (The eternal no 2)
  • A P J Abdul Kalam (People's President)
CATEGORY: SPORTS
  • Viswanathan Anand (Tiger of Chennai)
  • Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India's T20 Glory)
  • Baichung Bhutia (Bending it like Bhutia)
  • Sania Mirza (Climbing The Tennis Ranking)
CATEGORY: CINEMA
  • Shahrukh Khan (Chak de India)
  • Rajnikanth (The Boss)
  • Shilpa Shetty (Celebrity sister)
  • CHAK DE GIRLS (Women Power)
  • Himesh Reshammiya (Rockstar Reshammiya)

CATEGORY: GLOBAL INDIAN
  • Indira Nooyi (Fizz kid)
  • Arun Sarin (Hello India)
  • R K Pachauri (Weatherwise)
  • Mira Nair (The Elementary Director)
CATEGORY: BUSINESS
  • Tulsi Tanti (Creating Wealth out of Wind)
  • Kumaramangalam Birla (Showing his Metal)
  • K P Singh (Building homes for millions)
  • Azim Premji (Putting innovation into IT)
  • Mukesh Ambani (Fuelling growth)
CATEGORY: MUSIC
  • Vishal & Shekhar (Hit pe Hit)
  • Sukhwinder Singh (Chak De India)
  • Pritam & Metro band (Metro)
  • Sunidhi Chauhan (Mindblowing Mahiya and Sajna pe vaari jao)
  • A R Rehman (Guru" of music)
CATEGORY: UNSUNG HEROES
  • Irom Sharmila (Mission Manipur)
  • Auto Raja (Bangalore's angel)
  • Indian Soldiers (Super Heroes)
I happen to attend one of their talk show in Bangalore. From the time I saw the nominations I knew it was going to be a waste of time to attend that show. I attended that nonetheless. And it turned out to be a great experience in terms of seeing how a program (specially a talk show or a discussion) is conducted.

My votes:
Leader: [This category should be called Political Leader] Manmohan Singh (For keeping the Indian economy floating.). I strongly oppose Advani's nomination in this category.

Sports: Vishy of course. If Dhoni and Baichung can make it to this list then there should be a place for Prabodh Tirkey too. And then there is Pankaj Advani too.

Cinema: None of this. You must be kidding by giving nominations to Reshamiya and Shilpa.

Global Indian: Mr Pachauri. He has got a bigger distinction anyways.

Business: I need to go and refresh my GK to find out the special contribution of all the nominees in last year. As I see Mr DLF man has built the biggest construction company in world (Indian share market sher). So for now my vote for Mr KP Singh.

Music: You must be kidding again. Music as a category. And then too all nomination from Hindi Cinema. Grow up... There is more to music than just bollywood shit... I am really happy they did not have Mika's nomination here.

Unsung Heroes: I have my reservations against nomination for Indian Soldiers. They certainly deserve this award but then there are hundreds others who need to come in limelight too. Irom Sharmila is my choice for this award.

Nov 22, 2007

OSO - it's me myself and my ego

SRK, you rock.
You really do.
You have shown that you really are the King of this film industry. A song with 30 odd of bollywood's who's who really shows that you rule this world of Hindi cinema. You spoof them but still they don't say a word. It's all taken in good spirit. Only some old mad fellow showed some guts to stand up against him. And guess what!! SRK wins over his heart too. That too in full public view. It's my way or the highway.

You cheered India coz there can not be a bigger stage than a cricket match between India and Pakistan. While corporates pay millions to showcase their logos and merchandises during those matches, you did it without even paying a single penny. And guess what!!! They termed you the lucky charm for team India. Why not? if they can wear the same (lucky) underwear in each match, they can easily afford to have you there in the stadium. They can always doubt their talent and capabilities, but luck? No... Luck always plays a bigger role.

You know how to handle, or should I say manipulate, the media. They need news, they need God and you can be both. "I am a dog," rightly you said some days back. You really are a big one. And mean too. Everything is fair in love and war.

You and your friends make lovely movies. If bollywood is about dream cinema, you provide it its character. We Indian's can not do without masala, be it our food or the films we watch. Just like the dhabewala on outskirts of every town, you know how to add masala. Thoda sa suspense, thodi comedy and lots of emotions - taiyaar hai ek perfect masala picture. Par bhaiya, khane ka asli swad to tabhi aata hai jab vo aankho ko bhi acha lage. And there comes your showmanship. Make news if there is none, generate controversy if you are not in spotlight. OSO became a super hit even before it hit the theatre. If paisa was the success criteria, this one might become the biggest hit we ever had in hindi cinema. Kudos to you.

But then...
Isn't this movie more about you than any damn thing in world? It's SRK from beginning till end. OM is lost somewhere. Same thing happened with Shanti also. Just because it was her debut in Hindi cinema does not mean she can become larger than the character. I guess in your world of larger than life cinema, this is the way things work. The audience pays from their khun pasine ki mehnat to see you enjoy your life the way you want to. It's indulgent cinema. You made what you wanted to. "Nobody tells me what to do," you seem to say every moment you come on screen. When AK makes No Smoking, he is doing it for himself. And you do the same. You all are same. Self-indulgent SOAB.

We, the people, are here just to see you indulging yourselves in your ego. That too on our experience. We pay to be mind-fished. We pay to befool. We love you coz you joke on us and make us laugh at the same time. You make us feel something. Good or Bad - does not matter.

I really loved watching OSO. Why? Coz it served me exactly the same dish that I had imagined it to be. A masala flick sans any sense. I wanted to see SRK telling me again and again - you fool, again you are here. You will always come back. Look at this bunch of jokers all around you. You all will come back...
Kyunki..
Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost...


Keeping everything aside: my ranking for OSO - 3/5
Watch it if you like Hindi Cinema.

Nov 20, 2007

the pursuit

Got this comment from Rout on my last blog day minus 1
"wish you all the best! from personal experience: although I've experienced such burdenless mornings, somehow I rue the loss of the pursuit. Because now there won't be any chasing of a goal, at least not immediately. A little vacuous and mundane life will be until you're hot in pursuit of the next thing."
I could not expected this one to come from anyone else. I always wonder how he sees these subtleties in any situation. It's the experience - one thing for sure. But then there is more than just a feeling of knowing it all. It's the keenness to look beyond the apparent. Each and every moment/event has multiple meanings. And Rout has got this brilliant ability to interpret the meaning other than the obvious.

Hats off to you dude. I am really happy that I met you and have you as my friend.

Nov 19, 2007

day minus 1

Its 6am and I am wide awake.
You may ask me - Usme naya kya hai. Ye bimari to tujhe bachpan se hi hai.
I respect your emotions.
But today I am awake coz I had a sleepless night.
na na na, don't even think on those lines of pyar-vyar. Not yet...

Just that a burden is off my shoulder. And for the first time I am feeling relaxed.
I want to sleep now. And dream for sometime.

So here I am signing off. Will try to sleep.

Nov 18, 2007

ground zero

First there was confidence...
and the spirit to conquer the world.
It's my time - I announced to the world.

And now?
There is only hope...
I don't say I have lost. I haven't.
I just hope.

Amen.

Nov 16, 2007

Two roads diverged in a wood...

94, 99, 93, 99 and now 97
Only he can tell us how does it feel to be "Almost there".


"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference."

Nov 15, 2007

Board plans to go the Aussie way

Board plans to go the Aussie way

Many Reasons Why BCCI Shouldn’t Kill The Golden Goose

TIMES NEWS NETWORK


An estimated 700 million people all over the world play chess. About 60 million play tennis and women among them constitute less than half that figure. Vishwanathan Anand is not only the reigning world champion in chess he is an all-time great, being one of only three people ever to have crossed the 2,800 ELO rating. Sania Mirza has not yet broken into the top 20 in women’s tennis. By any yardstick, Anand’s sporting achievements are way above anything Sania has done so far. Yet, there is absolutely no doubt that Sania is the bigger brand in India than Anand.
What does all this have to do with the BCCI? Everything. There is a lesson in the Sania-Anand comparison for the worthies who run cricket in India. Sania is a huge brand because the media has covered the ups and downs of her career so intensively, discussed and analysed her game threadbare, while Anand has much fewer column inches, and certainly much fewer photographs, published on him in newspapers.

The short point - and the lesson for BCCI - is that the media is crucial for adding value to sporting brands. The reams of stuff written about sporting personalities, the large pictures published, the analysis, pre-event build-ups, all go into making icons out of them.
The BCCI seems completely oblivious of this process by which sportspersons become icons and brands. It seems to believe Indian cricketers become folk heroes purely because of its patronage to them. Only such a blinkered perspective can explain its willingness to go the way of Cricket Australia and demand that media should pay for using images of cricketers, since they are the board’s property.

The board is planning to get sponsors for teams playing in the T20 Indian Premier League for crores of rupees. Would these sponsors come on board if they were not confident of their logos being splashed by the media and, in the process, reach audiences of millions? Clearly, the BCCI has not figured that the media adds value not just to the cricketers brand, but also to the amount sponsors are willing to cough up to have their logos displayed by these cricketers.
If the board did its maths it would realize that the money they hope go garner by making photo agencies and the media pay for images of cricketers would be piffling compared to the mega bucks it makes from sponsors. If the media boycotts cricket matches - as it has boycotted the Australia-Sri Lanka series - the sponsors will certainly lose their enthusiasm. It should be clear that the BCCI gains as much by providing the media free access to its cricketers as the media gains by writing on them.

Indeed, if the BCCI’s logic were to be accepted that the media gains by printing pictures of cricketers, the media too could also demand that it be paid a portion of the sponsorship money by the BCCI for providing the audience.

If the BCCI sticks to its current stance of making media pay for the images, the consequences will be bad for both the sides. Small newspapers that struggle to keep their head above water will be forced to reduce visual coverage to keep costs in check. That would reduce the popularity of the game and hurt particularly in the small towns ^ the very areas from which Indian cricket has of late been tapping talent.

The other media companies, too, would then be justified in demanding that either the BCCI shares its sponsorship revenues with them or else they would start blurring out sponsors logos from images, which would obviously mean the sponsors would be willing to pay BCCI much less than they would otherwise have done - that is, if they come forward at all to sponsor BCCI events.

All this debate can be made irrelevant if the BCCI recognises that sports associations and media have a win-win relationship that works to their mutual advantage and to the advantage of the fans.

Rather than let its greed run amok, the BCCI should stick to the earthy dictum: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

>> Taken from TOI Bangalore edn dated 15th Nov.

teen deewarein

I am getting restless now.

Nov 13, 2007

ham paanch

Read this nice article on Ram Charan yesterday. It's a long one but worth reading.

The strange existence of Ram Charam

"The trouble with a rat race is that even if you win you're still a rat."

Nov 12, 2007

the sixth sense

Movie: Dil Dosti Etc...
Apporva enters in a posh pub. A loud dance number playing in number. He enters and dances with the crowd.

Movie: No Smoking
K refers one person to Prayogshala and gets one of his finger back. He fixes it and is trying to convince another person for Prayogshala.

Two endings. So different yet so significant.

"Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's."

Nov 11, 2007

Seven Samurai

Read this poem some days back.
Ten little Injuns standin' in a line,
One toddled home and then there were nine;
Nine little Injuns swingin' on a gate,
One tumbled off and then there were eight.
One little, two little, three little, four little, five little Injun boys,
Six little, seven little, eight little, nine little, ten little Injun boys.
Eight little Injuns gayest under heav'n.
One went to sleep and then there were seven;
Seven little Injuns cuttin' up their tricks,
One broke his neck and then there were six.
Six little Injuns all alive,
One kicked the bucket and then there were five;
Five little Injuns on a cellar door,
One tumbled in and then there were four.
Four little Injuns up on a spree,
One got fuddled and then there were three;
Three little Injuns out on a canoe,
One tumbled overboard and then there were two.
Two little Injuns foolin' with a gun,
One shot t'other and then there was one;
One little Injun livin' all alone,
He got married and then there were none.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Then_There_Were_None

Nov 9, 2007

mahi ve...

Q: who the fcuk is Mahi?
A: In principle, Mahi is the nick name for Mahendra Singh Dhoni iff [if and only if]
1. India won T20 Championship in SA today.
2. India won T20 Match against the mighty Aussies in Mumbai today.
3. Dhoni got a hair cut and paid first visit to his hometown after T20 WC.
4. Dhoni was selected as captain for Indian ODI squad for any tournament.

Corollary:
Mahi is not defined when:
1. India loses any of its ODI or practice match against any team.
2. Any other day which can not be categorized in cases above.

Nov 6, 2007

Nov 5, 2007

bored to death

asfgdfdfaghsffsdfsdhghhdfggfsdfsfsd
hertercvxcvxcvgertertertdfgdfghdfh
vsdfasdfstbcxcvxcfgergerergdfsdv
astwercdvzxcvagryergfbgdasdfrtert

I'm so dead...

Nov 4, 2007

mama i can see it now...

I'm almost there.
Just few more steps...

"You've done all the hard work. It's time to be a winner now!!!"

Oct 29, 2007

You rock AK...

If you thought SRK was the most arrogant person in Bollywood, think again. Anurag Kashyap (AK) is in town. And he is there big time.

I watched No Smoking last night and have no qualm whatsoever admitting that I did not understand the movie. But then it didn't disappoint me either.

It was something altogether new for me [actually most of us] and that's what gives it its charm. From the very moment the movie was showcased on big screen, volumes have been written in support of and against the movie. While critics on all popular websites and newspapers have gone to extent of tag it "avoidable at any cost", some [specially at PFC] have come strongly in its support.

You like it or you don't like it - all up to you.

But it gave me an opportunity to try something new. punjabi kha kha kar bore ho gaye hain, kabhi to Chinese bhi try karna chahiye; nahi to kabhi pata nahi chalega ki there is life beyond chole bhature. One blog on PFC nicely compares this movie to cheese. Loving cheese is an acquired taste. One who has never tasted cheese is bound to reject it at the first try. But then it does not mean that cheese is not good or that people can not like cheese. Wine however bitter has its fan-following. And it does give an choice when you think beyong vodka.

I have not read Ayn Rand. And ,for now, I really can not relate to people who talk in her language. But I am no way entitled to form any opinion about her work as long as I have not tried cherishing it. Yadi tairna seekhna hai to pani me to utarana padega. Bahar khade hokarpani ke baare me comments keval murkh hi karte hai.

This is what compels me to thank AK. He gave me chance to get my hands on something new. For me it was something different from DDLJ/KANK/Omkara/Dor or any other movie I have watched till now. Cannot say If I will ever like it. Or dislike it for that matter. But I will give it a chance for sure.

Coming back to AK, he deserves one loud round of applause. He is doing what he wants. As he himself has mentioned in his blog at PFC that K is his own reflection. K tells "nobody tells me what to do. Nobody teaches me anything." Plain arrogance. By making No Smoking, AK tells the same. You need to have guts to do something like this and still be not fool. AK does exactly the same.
Coming out the theatre and now after thinking about it for sometime [and of course reading a lot about it] I can feel AK smiling all along.

I enjoyed watching it.

Well Done AK. Keep it up.

Oct 25, 2007

For the love of Hockey

Here is a mail from my friend Shashank. Please go through it and do the needful.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friend,

Being closely associated to Dream a Dream children who have been playing Hockey for over 4 years now, I got keenly interested in Indian Hockey.

It was a sometime back while browsing the various websites for Hockey, I realized the need of comprehensive website on Indian Hockey.

Progressing on the idea, a few of us got down to the details of the idea. At this juncture, we need your 5 minutes help to shape up this idea of ours.

Kindly follow the 2 steps below to help us understand our audience a bit better.

Step 1:
Go through the 5 questions below and jot down your answers.

1. Who is captain of Indian Hockey Men's team?
a) Dilip Tirkey b) Prabodh Tirkey c) Ignace Tirkey d) Dhanraj Pillai

2. Whom did India defeat in Asia Cup finals held in Chennai recently?
a) Japan b) China c) Korea d) Pakistan

3. Who is the Chief Coach of Indian Hockey team?
a) V Bhaskaran b) J Carvalho c) M P Singh d) Rajendra Singh Jr

4. In Doha Asiad 2006, what medal did Indian men won in hockey?
a) Gold b) Silver c) Bronze d) None

5. Who is the president of Indian Hockey Federation (IHF)?
a) J Jyotikumaran b) Pargat Singh c) KPS Gill d) Dhanraj Pillai

Step 2:
The answers to the above are:
1. b 2. c 3. b 4. d 5.c

Please check how many you got correct.

* If you got 3 or more correct, please fill the questionaire on the following link.
http://www.demographix.com/surveys/8MPL-83HH/8AH4DEVC/

* If you got 2 or less correct, please fill the questionaire on the following link.
http://www.demographix.com/surveys/8MPL-83HH/2FEBX3ZK/

Thanks a lot for your time and help! :)

Your further 1 minute, when you forward this mail to your friends, will even help us to reach a diverse audience!

In a few days time, we shall get back to you with more on this front.

Thank you.
Yours truly,
Shashank. (amitabh_bachchan_bigb@yahoo.com)

Oct 24, 2007

wear sunscreen

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

- lyrics of Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen, by Mary Schmich.

Oct 23, 2007

Broken Mirror

Just came to know about this production from my friends.
Sharing the link to their website. I am looking forward to watching their work. Will update as soon as possible.

http://www.brokenmirror.co.in/

Go Shira and Sumojee... You rock...

Go Sreeshanth Go...

Go Sreesanth Go.
You have done what no other crickter in last 15-20 years has been able to do. You have frustrated the Aussi team. You have shown them that "sometimes they will get what they give"
The fact that so many Aussi player [Ponting, Symonds, Clark, Gilchrist, and now McGrath] have come in public to talk about him and his heroics, is a clear enough proof that you have done something good.
Tumhe saap ke bil me haath dala hai. Dekhte hai kya hota hai...
Tumhara balidan waste nahi hoga....

Oct 22, 2007

tit for tat

"Vote pane ke lie hamesha Soniaji ke bare mai ulta sidha bolne wale Narendra Modi ko main bolna chahata hu ki Sonia Gandhi ka birth certificate ki humko koi zaroorat nahin hai. Janta Sonia Gandhi ko Indira Gandhi ke roop mein dekhti hai. Magar kya Gujarat ke bahar ki janta ko yeh malum hai ki woh (Narendra Modi) kaunsi naali mein paida hua hai? Usko (Narendra Modi) pata nahi hai ki uske baap ka name kya hai, jo Sonia ji ke baare mein baatein karta rehta hai. (I want to tell Narendra Modi — who always targets Sonia Gandhi for want of votes — that we do not need Sonia Gandhi's birth certificate. Indian people see her as a reincarnation of Indira Gandhi. But do the people outside Gujarat know which gutter Narendra Modi was born in? He does not even know his own father's name.)" - B K Hariprasad (Congress General Secretary in charge of Gujrat)
"Rahul-Rajiv, Rajiv-Feroz. Until there it's okay, but then what after that? These Congressmen who abuse Narendra Modi, show us your roots. You are the descendants of Muslims from Junagadh." - Purushottam Rupala (Gujarat BJP President)

We tolerate this much and Mr Symonds was crying on those monkey chants. shee shee....
BTW, all the warnings signals have been alarmed. Aussies are waiting hungrily there in OZ land.

Oct 18, 2007

Monkey Chanting continued

Four Indian fans were detained at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday for making monkey gestures at Australian player Andrew Symonds.
read full story

Was it really needed? Why was Jade Goody not immediately thrown out of big brother's house then?

Monkey Chanting

Did you ever wonder what is this monkey chant business that's so much in news these days?
Here is a brief definition of "monkey chanting" from Internet:
Indeed it's a racist "chant". It began in Spain, where the Spanish hooligans began to "chant" like monkeys(hoo hoo hoo...) every time a coloured player of the other team had possession of the ball.
It reached international status when in a friendly, England's Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole were subjected to monkey chants in Madrid, prompting a furious reaction from the Football Association.
Since last year I haven't heard any monkey chants, so I hope you shouldn't hear any more about this ugly business.
Here is what wikipedia explains as monkey chanting:
Kecak (pronounced: "KEH-chahk", alternate spellings: Ketjak, Ketjack, and Ketiak), a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where monkeys help Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.
And here is a link to video of monkey chanting.

ps: By any chance if you thought that crowd in Indian Stadiums was calling Symonds monkey then you can just forget this mistake as a side effect of going by the face value of Andrew Symonds.


Oct 17, 2007

Tum

Pehli saans
Mere din ki pehli dhoop
Chaand ki pehli kiran

Pehla geet
Baarish ki pehli boond
Tum sheeth ki pehli kampan

Usne bheja tumhe mere liye...
Soone dil ki tum dhadkan....

Saanson mein jo mere kwaabon mein jo... woh ho tum....
Raaton mein jo meri baaton mein jo....woh ho tum....

Pehli saans
Phoolon ki tum khushboo
Pehli jeet tum pehli haar..

Pehla geet
Phoolon ki pehli raat
Tum hi ho mera pehla pyaar.......

Usne bheja tumhe mere liyee...

Mere dil ki tum dulhan

Saanson mein jo mere kwaabon mein jo... woh ho tum....
Raaton mein jo meri baaton mein jo....woh ho tum....woh ho tum.......

Saanson mein jo mere kwaabon mein jo... woh ho tum....
Raaton mein jo meri baaton mein jo....woh ho tum....

"Tum" by Euphoria

Oct 15, 2007

Silent Conversations

me: Pakhi... Pakhi... Are you there?
[No Reply]
me: I know you are there. You cannot leave me for even a moment. Reply please.

pakhi: [grins] So you knew I was just playing hide-n-seek? Smart, Very smart.

me: Yes. That I am. [100W glow on face]

pakhi: So how come did you remember me today?

me: What kind of question is that? I remember you everyday. Its just that today I expressed my wishes to meet you.

pakhi: Oh really!!! I am impressed. So tell me what's up in life?

me: hmmmm...

pakhi: Ok tell me what is it. I know there is something that you wanted to share with me. Afterall you don't miss me just like that.

me: [grins] Oh well. It's you who is smart. You know everything.

pakhi: Ok don't change the topic. Tell me what is it?

me: hmmmm... Actually the problem is that there is no problem.

pakhi: [with a puzzled look on her face] What!! The problem is that there is no problem. Don't talk in riddles yaar. Tell what's going on in your mind?

me: Arre. I am telling you no!! There is no problem. Coz there is nothing happening in life. It's as monotonous as the shades on a white washed wall.

pakhi: Oh I see. So you are going through a bad patch?

me: You are right to an extent. But then how can I call it a bad patch if there is nothing wrong in life. I mean I am enjoying my work. I am having great time with friends and family. Future looks all brightened and happy.

pakhi: Then?

me: Then nothing. I mean I am getting bored of all this. Its too usual a life.

pakhi: So what do you want from life?

me: Only if one could have known that, life would have been a pleasure. Right now I don't know what do I want. I am really clueless about it. Just going with the flow.

pakhi: And that flow has been taking you to places. Then isn't it nice to just let it happen. If you are not sure what you want, why not let things come to your way if they are good.

me: oh really???

pakhi: Yes, but that does not mean that you don't think about what you want. You will have to find that answer yourself. And you will have to do it fast. Winds might change any day. You can not always rely on lady luck or gut feelings.

me: Your words make sense to me. Thanks so much.

pakhi: So here you start again with your sorry-thankyou shit... You are not going to change right?

me: [grins] No way. I am who I am. And I am happy with that. Just a bit of improvement here and there and I will be the best.

pakhi: Yea yea. Good.

ps: Thanks Vatsy.

Devil's Advocate with Kanimojhi

An interesting read on current issues.

Karan Thapar: Let’s start with your father’s comments about Lord Ram. ‘Who is this Ram? Which engineering college did he study in and become a civil engineer? When did he build this so-called bridge?’ Can you accept that to the hundreds and millions who worship Ram as God, both the tone and the content are deeply offensive?

Kanimozhi: You will have to put it in the right perspective and look at the whole issue. He was not trying to insult anybody or hurt anybody’s religious sentiments. In Tamil Nadu, we come from a culture that questions and is open to criticism, be it culture or anything else.

Kanimojhi in Devil's Advocate with Karan Thapar.

Oct 14, 2007

Blue Umbrella

I am wondering how I managed [or actually mis-managed] to keep myself from watching this movie. I really was missing a nice movie.
Watching blue umbrella just gave me one gyan- there are so many small joys of life. If we give them their due importance, life will be so good.
We all need a blue umbrella in our life. To be the child again. To live the life again.

If you have been fool enough to not watch this movie, do it the first chance you get. Its worth every moment.

Oct 12, 2007

no smoking

A quick update.
I have been listening to soundtrack of No Smoking.
Nice music by Vishal Bhardwaj. Very soft and soothing. There is a jazz composition too. Hummable. Give it a shot...

ps: It does not have any "sutta" song.

Oct 10, 2007

passionforcinema.com

Checkout www.passionforcinema.com

This is the best site I have seen on Indian Cinema. Many well known writer/directors maintain their blog here. Nice read indeed.

If you think about cinema this place is like a posh restaurant for you. Best of delicacies served fresh and hot.

Thanks Rout for sharing info about this site with me.

Chartbusters

Top five songs on my playlist these days:
1. Johnny breakbeat mera naam [from Johnny Gaddar] - Not even in your wildest dreams you would have thought of mixing our chilhood jingle "johnny johnny yes papa" with the famous dialogue by Devananad "Johnny mera naam". That's exactly what Gulraj Singh has done for soundtrack of Johnny Gaddar. The mix of electronic sounds with guitar is almost perfect. The narration in background makes it all the more interesting. One great funk song. Number one in my list.

2. Move your body [from Johnny Gaddar] - A radio in distance plays "doob jaa mere pyar me". And you listen to a blast of beats close to you. Beats get fast and some rap sequence start. All the transitions take place as natural as you can imagine. Your feet can not stop themselves from dancing to the tune. Its almost like a instinct. A perfect dance number. This song should have been publicized on a grander scale. It's a chart buster. Nice rapping done by Hard Kaur.

3. Man Moniye [from Dil Dosti Etc..] - Labh Janjua is brilliant. Punjabi funk could not have got a better definition than this. This songs come in the end of the movie and set the mood for the perfect end. It can set mood anytime. It will be played at all the parties this year. Another dance number that will make anyone to shake their legs. There is a DJ Phat mix of the song too. But I feel the original is too good to be matched by anything else.

4. Bhool Bhoolaiyaa [from Bhool Bhoolaiyaa] - This is trademark Bombay Viking. Neeraj Sreedhar does a good job. Another funky dance number. And another rap sequence. The remix version is somehow no match for the original one. Another chart buster.

5. Soni De Nakhre [ from Partner] - Labh Janjua is rocking all along. This one is from partner. Made more to suit the shadi-party scene, this one lacks the free spirit of man moniye, but is really enjoyable nonetheless. Fast beats matched nicely with some electronic sounds.

Oct 8, 2007

Johnny Gaddar - 5stars

Sriram Raghvan rocks!!!

Consider this - You know from the start that Johnny is Gaddar. And you also know that who is Johnny. But still you sit and watch the movie for 2 hours. And to your amazement, it keeps you glued to the screen. It thrills you to watch every moment of the movie. There are no stars, they are just the characters. They are characters which are needed there to be there. Moreover they just do not fall from sky but indeed have grown along with the storyline. There is a story. So is the screenplay. The screen is not larger than life but still it's of a kind that has somehow been missing from silver screen. There is music which matches with the pace of movie minute by minute. There is everything you look in a good film.

Two hours of brilliance. Pace with class.

I am not talking about some hollywood flick.

Its Johnny Gaddar for you...

Sriram Raghvan really rocks.
For those of you who still do not know who Sriram Raghvan is - he is the director of movie Johnny Gaddar [and Ek Hasina Thi, watch this one if you have not seen]

ps: This movie's soundtrack is not really publicized. Check it out. It's probably the best in recent times.

Oct 5, 2007

Dil Dosti Etc... Yes Yes Yes

The first reaction after I came out of movie hall - "what the hell!!! What crap did I see in last two hours or so!!Full of sex abuse and shit..."
The second reaction after I gave some thought to the story and screenplay of the movie - "I missed it somehow. It was not about sex. It was about the gun which Sanjay Mishra pointed to his lover's two piece clad body."
The third reaction after I gave some more thought about it - "This movie was only about meaning of one word - love. For Mishra it was so pure while for Apoorva it was just plain lust."
And it goes on...

I, and for that matter most of us, won't be able to relate to this film. I got so lost in the college-politics-sex theme of the movie that I totally missed the soul of the movie. It was about Dil and Dosti. What I saw that time was just the "etc..." part.

The soul of movie was in the thinking of two main characters Sanjay Mishra (played brilliantly by Shreyas Talpade) and Apoorva (played by charismatic and talented Imaad Shah). While Mishra could not imagine seeing his love interest posing in front to viewers in two piece suite, Apoorva could not find the difference between love and sex. For him love was sex, for he asks Mishra once "Can there be love without sex?"

Mishra runs for the post of President in his college and this is his sole dream at the moment. He wants to do something for himself and he knows exactly what he want. Apoorva on the other hand has no idea about his life. He leaves an offer from Yale to join DU. He too wants to live his life his ways. And in fact both of them are successful in their pursuit. Mishra wins the election while Apoorva gets to sleep with three girls in a day.

While Apoorva talks about Satre and Qureshi [the so called pseudo intellectual look], Mishra is an idealist. He does what he thinks is right. By hook or crook he wants to become to president in the college coz he knows if not him someone else will do anything to become the president. His character is of a person with lots of values while Apoorva just the opposite. Still they appreciate each other. This is Dosti they are talking about.

This movie has an interesting theme line - "When you are young, you believe the possibilities are endless..." Gives a lot to think about. I would say this is worth one watch. The crude depiction of reality might be shocking for many but this is the way it is.

Its about love. Love for yourself. period.

Oct 4, 2007

Hey babyy - bad badder baddest

This movie showcases the most dramatic of hruday parivartan you can imagine in you wildest imaginations.

Imagine this scene:
Three good-for-nothing mushtandes leave a cute little baby at doorstep of some church and go to some party. No remorse whatsoever. One might doubt if that party was to celebrate their achievement. It rains that night. That night it would have rained in the worst of draught affected place also. The rain was there to give flu to the kid. The kid lies helplessly in the rain. [Ms Renuka Chowdhary, are you watching it? Child abuse on cinema screen!!!]
And then our three heroes realize their mistake. They go to check if the baby is fine and find that it is not doing well. They rush to hospital. Doctor declares the kid is in critical condition. And here comes to you-have-seen-it-1000-times turn of the movie. Mr Fardeen prays to god and so do other. Thank to the hospital management for the prime location of prayer space in the hospital.
And the child recovers. Yes, God does exist. What happens after that is the hruday parivartan I am talking about. Three playboys turn into homely mans and they fall in love with the kid. Now onwards their life has only one meaning - the kid.

yukky yukky yukky...

If someone thought it was an heart touching moment full of emotions. Just plain melodrama. Full of falsity.

You really can not expect true emotions in movie directed by none other than Mr Sajid Khan. This guy will never be able to mark the difference between a joke and bad joke. His level and understanding of comedy is sick. It's just full of expletive remarks and double meaning dialogues.

Remember the kabaddi match from Pardes. A girl's future was decided by a game of Kabbadi. If that was blasphemous. Here we have something novel. A girl herself gets into a agreement whereby she would marry a guy she hates if she does not find a suitable match for herself in 7 days. How creative we can be!!! Of course it is time of collation government made on promises of power transfer midway the term, so this all can be expected.

there is no choice. One person whom I sympathise is All the character are so superficial. No trace of emotions or reality can be found even on the upper most layer of each character. Akshay never gets bored playing playboys. For fardeenRitesh Deshmukh. He showed a great potential in Bluffmaster. Vidya Balan should not even get a mention in name of actors for the film.

Heart breaking news that this film is a hugh box office success. And guess what it is also termed as a family blockbuster!!!

Kab tak hamein Sajid Khan ka dimagi kachara jhelana padega???
God save us!!!

Oct 3, 2007

Dhamaal - no dhamaal

Let me start Bollywood - Mediocrity Exemplified on a lighter note. No no. don't think that this has anything to do with movie being so called a comedy movie. A laugh riot, if I believe those film critics. Actually the term film critic does not fit most of them. They are more of file trade analysts than a critic.
So what is dhamaal all about?
Let me quote from the movie official site:
"As the name suggests it is fun filled coper about four friends Roy, Manav, Adi and Boman. This four lovable idiots live and work together. Their idea of work? Doing small time con jobs. One day something happens and they all seem to get their big break in life. But also enters in the scene is Mr Kabir Nayak. As one misadventure follows after another, the five are thrown into hilarious situations that has the audience in splits and guessing. Big Action. Big Fun. Dhamaal..."
So you must have guessed what this movie is all about. Let me try to explain it in one line: Four good for nothing guys chasing a big lottery accompanied by one more good for nothing cop.

Why do I say this movie is mediocre? Let me try to list 5 points:
1. Just by dressing up as a parsi does not make you a parsi. Neither does using "dikra" in every second sentence you speak. Asarani as Boman's father is pathetic.
2. Javed Jafari is supposed to be one of the best comedian in bollywood. But why is he trying to mimic Rohit (of Koi Mil Gaya fame) is a unanswerable questions. Just by behaving childish does not make you lovable. It just irritates most of the times.
3. Most of the jokes are stale and boring. You heard them when you were in class 3rd. If I was in class 3rd today, I would have really loved this movie.
4. Arshad Varsi disappoints again with his repetitive styles. This guy always seem to live in shadow of Circuit (of Munna Bhai fame) in this movie. No doubt he is the best performer in the movie. But still he sucks big time nonetheless.
5. Why did Sanjay Dutt do this movie? My Guess: a) For money. b)For money. c) For money. and d) For money. There is absolutely no need for him in any frame.

Then there are songs which should not have been there.
And characters like commissioner of police and land-lady which should not have been there.

This movie is a success just because we don't cherish good quality comedy now. We saw so many of them in Great India Comedy show but still we stick to age old characters for our smiles. Kids will surely love this film so do family audience as there is no double meaning dialogue. But then it does not mean that we keep making such films and try to make a genre out of it.

I wish Hrishikesh Mukharjee was alive today.

Bollywood - Mediocrity Exemplified

I don't claim to be a movie buff. I am not. Certainly not one of those who spend their weekend watching any or every movie that hits the silver screen.
I always carefully chose the movie I want to watch. And I am proud of the fact that I have never regretted my choice. Well most of the times. This way I can certainly save myself from wasting my time effort and money in the crap that is being served in name of cinema these days.

We are getting gobbled up by the mediocrity bug. Movies like Hey Babyy, Dhol and Dhamal are doing well at the box office. I watched both of them. I hated each and every moment of it. But still I do not regret doing it. Coz it minds me of the mediocrity that I want to rise above. I watched Dil Dosti Etc. too. I know this movie will not do well at box office. My first reaction after watching this movie was a feeling of heart break with my confidence in choice of movies. But then at later point of time I realized, it indeed is a nice movie. Much better than scores of shitty no-story-no-logic bollywood junk that is served in disguise of a movie.

In next few posts I would try to post my views about some movies that I recently watched.
1. Hey Babyy
2. Dhol
3. Dil Dosti Etc.
4. Dhamal

Looking forward to see some comments and views from others too...

Sep 27, 2007

the dhaga theory

Bewakoof aur chutiya mein dhaage barabar ka farak hota hai. Dhage ke henge bewakoof aur hunge, chutiya. Dhaga khench lo to kaun hai bewakoof kaun hai chutiya, carore rupiye ka prashan hai bhaiya...

-From the movie OMKARA.
Posted to salute the spirit of a great movie.

Sep 26, 2007

उत्तम क्षमा

I ask for your kind forgiveness, if knowingly or unknowingly I have hurt you (directly or inderctly) by any of my words, thoughts or actions in the past one year.

To forgive is divine.

"विगत वर्ष में मेरे द्वारा यदि मन, वचन या काय के माध्यम से आपको प्रत्यक्ष या अप्रत्यक्ष रूप से कोई भी चोट पहुची हो, तो मैं हाथ जोड़कर आपसे उसके लिए क्षमा याचना करता हूँ।"

क्षमा पर्मोधरमा

- Pritesh


Sep 19, 2007

anamika...

A pretty face attracts everyone. It has a charm of its own that makes you look for it again and again. You search for it in the crowd and somehow spot it every time. Amazing!!! Human nature is indeed amazing.

Add to it its name. It might not seem that enchanting an experience as looking at the face itself. But then think of it, don't we all have a dream girl who has a name. Be it Senorita or Maya or anything else. Lets call her Anamika. Its plain human nature to associate a name to everything. Forget pretty faces, even worst of our fears have name too. Everything has a name.

But for you the Anamika has no name as of now.

And now try to associate a name to the pretty face. This has been one of my favorite pastime in office these days. Of course I do it only during the break. There are so many pretty faces in my office and so many of them I don't know by name.
I can do two things in such scenario:
1. Find out their name.
2. Associate a name to them.

And trust me, both have been fun so far. I see this girl daily while having breakfast and somehow her face always keeps me thinking. I tried to find her name. I asked my friends in the company who I thought had some clue about it. I tried checking company intranet. I checked the bus routes and so on. Its like those little tricks we play as kids. We know there are always better way to do it. But the fun always lies in doing it rather than the result. The day I find her name, the charm might go. It's the game and not the result that gives me a kick.

And guess what!!!
There came one more girl like her. And then another. Its been so much fun all along.
Many a times I see two of them together. Its fun all along. Game is becoming interesting.
I gaze at all those faces and enjoy it every time. And I still think of new and innovative ways to find the name.

Come to the second point: associating a name. This one is also good fun and really provides a lot of food for thought. Have you ever had a dream-girl named Surpankha. No, right? Why not? Coz this name is somehow related to an image that we really can not have a dream girl. Most of the time the name is Aishwarya or Senorita. It can even be Maya but not Mayawati. It's human nature to have association between what we see and a name. Think about it sometime. It will be a great fun. I am thinking of names for these faces. For now let them be called Anamika... :)

Sep 18, 2007

PASS FAIL or REPEAT

In a recent development NCERT has suggested to do away with result system in terms of "PASS/FAIL" and switch to a grading system.

The national focus group of NCERT includes eminent educationists, directors from IITs, IIMs, and various education research institutions, so it will be blasphemous of me to challenge its findings. If they think calling a failure REPEAT is better than FAIL then it must be.

And if it saves life of a 10 year old kid I will surely support this move.

I just have one point.

No kid comes to this life knowing meaning of PASS, FAIL or REPEAT. When I was born only sound that could come out of my mouth was that of crying. It took me at least 3-4 years to properly speak meaningful sentences. And this was the time that I learnt the words PASS, FAIL and REPEAT. I went to my playschool coz all my friends went there. All those chunnu munnu billu from my neighborhood were going to playschools, so did I. I went to Kindergarten coz all the kids of my age were going there. And it went on like this.

Initially it was fun. Go there and play. There were so many like me there. All crying, playing and enjoying. But then studies came into picture. Teacher aunty said, "A for Apple", I said "A for Apple". She said, "B for Ball." And I said so. And thus I started learning. Alphabets and then numbers, words, poems, songs and it just went on.

When did I learn word FAIL or PASS, I don't remember now. But I clearly remember one thing. A PASS meant that I could continue going to school with my best friend pappu while a FAIL will result in we not going together. This was it. To be with them or not to be with them. That's all. But that meant a lot to me. And I am sure this is the same with all the kids in those age.

Its my parents, my friend's parents and teachers that were concerned with some other meaning of PASS or FAIL. They would boast to their friends that I had PASSED with some good marks or something like that. It was as if they were more concerned with PASS or FAIL. For me it was all about being with pappu. He was my best friend you know.

And then I kept studying till I came to know of importance of PASSing or FAILing. One year, pappu FAILed in exam and he was left behind. I got admission in good school. What happened with him I never came to know. They engraved it my mind that I was successful and he was a failure. And from that time, I became like my parents. PASS and FAIL changed their meaning for me.

Where did the system went wrong. Or did it actually went wrong?
Was I correct then or am I correct now?
I think with the kind of education system we have setup, PASS and FAIL will always have meaning like they have it now for everyone. Call it Repeat or Fail, nothing is going to change.
The change is required at some more basic level. Where exactly, that we all know. How exactly, that all of us have to figure out.

It will take at least two generations [my parents and mine] to finish before we can come out of this PASS/FAIL mode. But it might be worth it.

But for now, lets hope REPEAT will save some lives.

Sep 12, 2007

Go kiddo, its not for you...

News item taken from rediff.com.
Smoking, liquor has always been out of bounds for minors. But now mobile phones too will follow suit in Karnataka.

The state government has announced that mobile phones shall not be sold to children below the age of 16. This would mean that there shall be a statutory warning outside mobile shops saying that children below 16 will not be entitled to buy mobile phones.

This announcement was made by Minister of State for Education Basavaraj Horatti. He also announced that the use of mobile phones will be banned in all schools and colleges. Horatti said that mobile phones are a hindrance to a child and hence it was in their best interests that it is banned.

Horatti said that the issue would be discussed in the Cabinet and then an official order would be passed. The order will also spell out the punishment to those selling mobiles to children below the age of 16. The ban on the usage of mobile phones will also apply to professional colleges.

Now here are some very simple questions that I want to ask honorable minister.

Q1: How many kids of 16 year can afford to buy a cell phone for themselves?
In India, very rarely it happens that a child starts earning before the age of 18. In only cities like Bangalore that it is possible that kids can do odd jobs and small time internships to earn their pocket money. Its a trend that is just catching up. But again it hardly matches to salaries that will enable them to buy cell phone [specially when everyone wants the most jazzy one these days]. Coffee and movies hogs it all from their pocket.
Another group of 16 years who earn are the kids who are actually doing it for their living. Domestic helps, mechanic shop helps and other such labour work. They toil their day and night for the luxury of a so-called comfortable life. If such kid buy a cell phone from their earnings, it is their decision. Moreover they are not the ones who use the mobile day in and day out. Somehow I feel this is not the crowd Mr minister wants to address.

Q2. Is cell phone really more harmful that lets say drinking or smoking?
Drinking and smoking is banned for minors [as per Indian laws, a person is minor till he completes age of 18 years]. But how far is the government able to implement this law? Pubs and Bars in this city seem to have flooded with kids. Very rarely do the pub admins check the age proof while giving entry to someone. And this is just the organized side of business. What about those thousands of Liquor Shops and Panwala shops which make these things available for anyone anywhere. What is the logic of such laws that can not be properly implemented.

Q3. Is cell phone such a big menace after all?
There have been innumerable studies happening all around the world dealing with effects of cellphones. They have been trying to prove that cell phone can cause you so much harm - from brain cancer to impotency. Its like the universal reason for all the problems. The scope of such studies and their result can hardly be verified and applied as a general rule as this is a really vast area. The government simply comes up with this reasoning that cell phones are harmful for kids and thus they should not be allowed to use it. This is only till they are 16 years of age. On their 16th birthday, the harmfulness of cellphone goes with the tick of clock. And its all fine then.

What crap!!!

Teachers have raised objections on use of cell phones in class rooms. This is a valid point as it does affect the concentration levels in class. But a blanket ban does not serve the purpose. VTU has tried implementing a similar ban in its affiliated colleges. After the initial hoopla, everything has come back to normal. How long can they keep checking of cell phones in students' bags. After all there is one more noble and important task that they have to accomplish - to teach kids. Clearly approach to such issue has to be more novel than a blanket ban.

Government really needs to use their brain, that is if it has any.

Sep 11, 2007

nineteen eighty four

I am at loss of words. The more I read 1984, the more I felt sad. I so badly wanted it to be a happy ending. But a happy ending takes place in Utopia. We are nowhere close to it. The search will continue. Forever.

Animal Farm was my first encounter with anything political. It made me think so much. While reading it I had a feeling of satisfaction as I could relate to all the events described. Most of the times, I would think of the way story will proceed and events that will follow. And to my amazement they all happened exactly the same way. Winston thinks the same way in 1984 after reading Goldstein's book. He asks himself, "What was it that I didn't know. Or rather what was it that Goldstein tells me new through this book?" The same questions pop up again towards the end, only difference being that this time it's O'Brien whos posing them. Answer remains the same. Its all in the mind.

If Animal Farm had an allegorical theme, 1984 is more on the see-the-reality-the-way-it-is types. Literary critics and political historians have found numerous events and references in the book which are related to some real life events. Orwell never refused the possibility. And this is what makes it more interesting and necessary for everyone to read Orwell. Read about this history else you will never know "How far have we come".

I would recommend this book to everyone. At moments it might be slow and preachy. But then there are others where you sink into Winston's skin committing all the thoughtcrimes. It is simply superb reading.

Wikipedia has unlimited resources on this book. Have a read if you have time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

Sep 7, 2007

Shoeb does it again

Shoeb has done it again. Have a look at this piece of news:
Shoaib will be sent back from the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa after he was involved in a dressing room spat with Mohammad Asif.

"A decision has been taken to call back Shoaib on the basis of an initial inquiry by the touring team management in South Africa," Shafqat Nagmi, chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said on Friday.

According to reports, Shoaib and Asif were involved in a dressing-room brawl in which the latter was struck by a bat on his left thigh on Thursday, after a verbal duel.

A team source said a heated argument between the two led to Shoaib striking Asif on the thigh with a bat.

Meanwhile, Ehsan Malik, media manager of the Pakistan team, said Asif had escaped any serious injury and his x-ray reports showed no internal damage.

Malik also added that the team management held several meetings since last night to investigate the incident.

The Pakistani team arrived in South Africa on Thursday to begin preparations for their first match of the tournament against Scotland.

Shoaib is already on probation for a disciplinary breach last month. link


It was just few days back when he was threatening PCB of going to ICL. I wish he does that. And ICL, in turn, tells him to F*%# OFF. What a waste he is!!!

Sep 6, 2007

Laughter the best medicine

Readers Digest humor is the best in town. The first thing I go through as soon as I get hold of a copy of RD is go through all the jokes and funny life incidents that come under its various sections.

Here are two of the best from the latest edition:
"Two ESKIMO newlyweds spent the night together. The next morning, the bride found out she was six month pregnant."

"Got an ODD-JOB man in. He was useless. Gave him a list of eight things to do and he only did number one, three, five and seven. Had to get an even-job man in to finish off."
Get some more here: http://www.rd-india.com/newsite/humer/laughaday.asp

Sep 5, 2007

Rangashankara Sept-07

Here is the schedule for Sept 07.
Interestingly not many English plays this month too.

Click on the image to enlarge and save.

Sep 3, 2007

Godfather

There is so much to a movie than what we see during those 120 minutes in front of big screen.
I was reading about Godfather and here is an interesting excerpt from the same:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather
Film scholars and fans of the Godfather movies note what they believe is the symbolic significance of oranges in the films, suggesting that after the appearance of an orange in the film an important "death scene" follows. In the first film, Tom Hagen and Woltz negotiate Johnny's movie status at a dinner table with a plate of oranges on it, and Woltz soon discovers his dead horse's head; Don Vito Corleone is buying oranges from a fruit seller when he is attacked; Sonny drives past a billboard promoting Florida Oranges before he is attacked at the toll booth; oranges are placed on the table at the meeting of the Mafia bosses (and specifically in front of the ones who will be assassinated at the film's climax); and Don Vito Corleone dies while eating an orange, as he plays with his young grandson. Tessio is also seen peeling an orange at Connie's wedding. Carlo, who is responsible for Sonny's death, is wearing an orange suit when Sonny beats him up.
Here is one more links for the same. http://jgeoff.com/godfather/oranges.html

bookworm

What a productive saturday it was. I bought 6 books and got two more from a friend. Its going to rain books next few months. Expect to see some reviews and discussions here for the same.
Here is what just got added to my collection:
  • Animal Farm by George Orwel. [I have read this book, bought just to add to collection. Any booklover can not afford to miss it.]
  • Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwel [ After reading Animal Farm, I know I have to read more by the writer. Priyanka's recommendation. And just FYI, this books features in top 100 books list in most of the literary reviws sites.]
  • Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner [Needless to say I have been delaying reading this book. Finally bought it. Chandu is having nice time with it these days.]
  • iWoz by Steve Wozniac [This is for Saurabh. Actually after reading iCon, I knew I had to read about the other Steve too. Saurabh is sleeping with it till I am busy with 1984]
  • The End of the Affair by Graham Greene [This one is on a recommendation. My first attempt to read Graham Greene. Lets see how it goes.]
  • Love in the time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez [This is second time I bought this book. Have not read it though. Gifted to a friend last time, given to a friend this time. Hopefully I dont need to buy it a third time. Sucharita would be cursing me for not reading it still.
Few more coming soon in the collection. And yes, I am going to read them. As fast as I can. Needless to say, if you want to borrow anything, you are most welcome.
And recommendation are always appreciated.
Rout I always look forward at your suggestions. And don't think I have forgotten about "A Clockwork Orange."

Aug 31, 2007

TGIF

TGIF
ha ha ha
[Remember the scene from Bhejafry? Ranjeet Thadani invites Mr. Bharat Bhushan for dinner and on phone Mr Bharat Bhushan cracks this joke.]

Last night I again resorted to one of my favorite pastime "watching advertisements" for sometime. Idiot box is full of so much of shit. Anything good is as scarce as finding an honest and responsible leader in our country.

If you are watching cricket, one ad that you would surely watch is one from VISA. One with Shankar, Ehsan and Loy singing in a stadium. With nakali Team India [I love the sardarji who is there to look like Bhajji]. Then there are three more stooges in the same. Mr Kirmani, Mr Krish Srikanth and Mr Mohinder Amarnath. Pathetic, pathetic and really shitty. Shankar Ehsan Loy has got this distinction of doing all the bad advertisements available [ remember the tea ad with teen ki tajagi or some shit like that] And then our honorable cricketers like Kirmanis and Amarnaths will do anything for money now. How can they stay behind if a Dhoni can sell things ranging from hair gel to carbonated drink. Mein ban gaya dhoni...

Another killer one is by Indiatimes Travels. "I am going to get a haircut maan..." Feel like killing that guy. Go and check Indiatimes travels and you will find that there is no such big discount as mentioned in the ad on most of the regular sectors. I feel its our mistake that we don't have good saloons in Chikmangloor and we go to Bangalore for the same [routes like this are one which boast of such big discounts]. There is one more funny thing in the same ad. In the full ad you will see an uncle asking this dude if he is going for a rock show. The dude says No. Then this uncle raises his hand as if doing bhangara and ask him if he is going for a college fest. Saala...Khote da puttar. Koi use batao ki college fest ka matlab bhanagara party nahi hota. Saala faltu me shyana banta hai.

One good ad currently on air is of UTI/AXIS bank. My god!! Those kids are so cute. So lovable. I just can not resist myself from watching this ad again and again. Kids se yaad aaya, my niece has started speaking some words. Everytime on phone she will speak only one word and then go silent. Away from the phone and all chattar patar starts. So cute!!

Got this really nice sms about kids yesterday, felt like sharing with here:
"Love kids. They are so cute and innocent. They don't know the dirt this world is full of. To them bad person is the one who takes their red crayon and leaves the black one to use"

Aug 30, 2007

Fill in the Blanks

This post is going to do exactly as the title suggests. I have been away from the blogging world for a long time and I know "leaving away from blogging for long periods can be injurious to health." :)

Well, I have been bit busy in work. Not that I have to slog for day and nights. But at least a tight working schedule from 9am to 6pm. I cannot afford to miss my 6:15pm cab, so I have squeezed up my working life between these 9-6 time lines. Once I leave the office premise, I am no-one as far was work is concerned. Luckily till now I have been able to live life this way. Not the greatest way though.

Life other than work is mediocre. I say mediocre coz there is nothing new. Or actually I am too immunised to new things now. Whatever happens, it just seem to be a part of dull routine. The frequency of movies and plays has come down drastically. I need to really gain back all this. The music collection is getting old. [Suggestions are always welcome]

I hate this mediocrity. It takes you nowhere. I really need to find something to come out of this spell.

Aug 24, 2007

I am a kid again

I always wondered why do we adults get attracted to animation movies like Ice-Age and Cars? Why we sit and watch "Tom And Jerry" cartoons, even though they are mostly repeat telecasts? Why Malgudi Days still makes a lot of sense to us and we can read it again and again?

There is a kid inside each one of us and it is this kid that makes us what we are.

Yesterday I found the child within me to unleash once more. "The Ungrateful Man" by BLT group which is showcasing over this week (and weekend) clearly brought the kind inside me out. I laughed and enjoyed each moment of it. It was a laugh riot throughout. For the first time I saw a play for kids and trust me they seem to enjoy like anything. And of course I had my share of fun too.

Brilliant acting and narration. The production is up to the mark. Just perfect.

This is one play I would recommend to each one of you. If you have kids at your home or whom you can take to this play, please go asap. They are going to enjoy it like anything.

Not to forget this play is staged in aid of DreamADream, an NGO working for kids from underprivileged backgrounds. All the more reason to watch this play.
The play is happening at Rangashankara, show timings: 7:30pm [sharp]
There are noon show also on weekend [3:30 pm]
More info can be found at this link.