23rd January 2007. 7:15 A.M and where am I? In a god forsaken place called Chennai and my abode is the office. Phew. In case you are wondering what am I doing in the office at this hour, just for your information I'm working with Reliance Retail and we are rolling stores at a breakneck speed.
Welcome to Chennai: The moment I landed in Chennai yesterday it brought back the memories of my previous visits to this city (3 Months in 2002 and 2 Days of hell in May 2003). Come out of the aircraft and hits you like an inferno. Hot, hotter and hottest is what they say are the seasons of Chennai, while you can add a few more additives like humidity. And then the eternal sunshine of a baseless mind of the Autowallahs here. No matter what one says, the crown of most notorious autowallahs would surely go to Chennai, followed by Delhi maybe? I mean you just can't get through them. You can only be saved if you have a Tamil shouting (not speaking alone) friend with you. Else, the latest I hear is that they have even become the costliest affair officially. Though a drive would be started on 26th to make them follow the meter, I wonder how much success authorities will achieve. Anyways, in some cases, like this one, life's like that. Take it or leave it. So much for being a metro, this city is facing a crisis in terms of availability of rooms in hotels. Apparently 3-4 major events happening simultaneously has put the infrastructure to test.
Memoirs of Chennai: Despite all that it is, some memories of Chennai are indeed sweet. As a total stranger I landed up at my friend's place here in 2002 to join a firm. And from there on the moments were like beads of pearls coming together in the string of life like a necklace. From the first experience of bathing with hot water (unwillingly coz apparently all people in Chennai prefer bathing with hot water and my friend's mom had made similar arrangement for me) to the marriage that I attended in May 2003 which made me realise how powerful can the sun be in company of humidity while the agony is compounded in absence of power and water. To avoid going into loops I'd like to highlight a few points about this city (esp if you are a North Indian)
1) It will be tough for you to find a house here. You will be bombarded with questions like
a) Are you a Brahmin?
b) Are you a non-vegetarian?
c) Do you smoke/drink? etc etc
2) Then if you pass the test you may be unlucky enough to land up in a house where the landlord will be so psyched about his daughter and her "security" from North Indian bachelors (read : "rascals") that he'll come up to you with stubs of Wills while all this while your friends may just have been having Gold Flake
3) At places you may find the Naan to be cheaper then rotis (which may be as big as a disk if not larger)
4) Very few places will have eating joints open after 10:30 so you may be well advised to eat in time, sleep in time and be ready to be woken up early in time by the music of some or the other temple (there would surely be at least 5 in each square km here). So whether you wish or not early to rise will happen ensuring that you have no option of late to bed also
5) Autowallahs
a) Whatever the auto-wallah quotes as the amount, jus half it to start the negotiation
b) Be precise about the location else if you differ even by a few degrees the amount charged would be much higher despite the fact that you may have travelled less distance
c) Their gesture of Yes would be right-left-right movement of neck while that of no would be up-down-up
6) If you want to have some respite from the heat, Beasant Nagar beach is the place to be. Awesome place to have the company of sea. Don't try Marina, its the largest open-air toilet in the world
Having come to Chennai I realised how some of my friends were and you also realise the value of the local attire. Else you may just end up scratching all over.
Just like everything else even this city has a lot to offer. A lot of good as well. If you know the people here and they get to trust you, they are so warm that you will be overwhelmed. They are so hard working that you would be inspired. Sincerity and the thrust on education is visible. And its more of an education here than just literacy. So it gave a lot to me as well. Some of the warmest moments with my friend's family. Will always be indebted to them. God only knows how i'd have survived here without them. The awesome rasam and dosas at aunty's place are yet to be dethroned as the best one's that i've had.
The Landmark book store, more so the Nungambakkam one. The ownership has passed to Emami I heard. Spencer's where you could just while away in AC to avoid heat. Some great rock scene and the passion of quizzing. How can I not mention good old "The Hindu" that still remains a newspaper amidst the transformations to tabloid culture. That reminds me of the culture. Though it may look like orthodoxy, but religion is a part of the culture here. Its a way of life and brings peace. Whatever you may call it but it does impact this city, and for the good perhaps.
For all the goodness in this city, i found some of my very good friends here. Thanks to i-flex, I had some great colleagues and friends who are still very much a part of my life. And just as I value any place which gives me such wealth, Chennai also ranks high (though I do wonder how much of it is got to do with the city itself).
So this is the story of Chennai in my life. Lets see how the next few days pass by.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Nostalgia
I dedicate this post to all the people who touched my life at IIM-Lucknow and are an integral part of my life now.
I came back from a visit to campus. And just as I had expected it the two days on campus turned out to be memorable ones. Though Sahara Airlines turned a spoil sport, stealing a night from us, we managed to have the fun.
We landed on campus at around 12 on 20th and from thereon it was a party all the way. Hitting the nescafe straight we started our usual timepass there. It seemed that time had stood still. Just yesterday we were here, we all felt. Nothing had changed much, except for Guptaji graduating from a cigarette vendor to a juice vendor as well. Change for the good.
As I had expected it turned out, more than Manfest it was a pgp20 alumni meet. Meeting so many batchmates obviously was a treat. Soon enough like our true masti style we were travelling in a transport vehicle to go to Cellars (our fav eating joint in the City). The open air ride was too much to enjoy. However Cellars itself was a bit of a let down with food quality having gone down. But what hasn't changed is the 20% discount that you can avail as IIM-L students (even if you carry an ID card that expired 9 months back).
Soon we were back on campus, in anticipation of Indian Ocean who were supposed to perform at pro-nite and the party that we intended to have on our own. Manfest let us down by not having a party on saturday on a silly pretext of participation on Sunday so we had to manage on our own. Bull Shit. Pgp21 is just hopeless when it comes to partying. I just hope pgp22s are better. Anyways, the evening turned out to be great. First, courtsey Indian Ocean. They were as usual brilliant. This being my third concert of theirs, it just seemed as good as ever. Rahul, Sushmit and Amit were mind-blowing. The whole crowd enjoyed it but it ended too soon at 11. It was followed by ThemClones who disappointed in comparison to their reputation. The rendition of Roadhouse Blues and Yellow was too bad to even think. Thankfully we made ourselves scarce and headed for our party at Titanic. Soon we were in the groove, besides the bonfire enjoying ourselves to the hilt. Once in a mood we sang songs, chatted non-sense, reminisced about the old days, bitched about the profs and well, simply enjoyed. Even before we realised it was 4 when I headed back, thanks to my ill health and then everyone crashed at around 5.
To enjoy the morning sun I was soon up (sooner then others) and back to my Yapping at Nescafe while eating Maggi. That used to be our usual routine. After everyone woke up we whiled away the time at Fauji dhaba idling in the sun and shifting our chairs along with sun travelling in the sky. Towards the evening I ended up judging an event for Prism (the marketing cell of which I was a part and to which I owe a lot of my learning apart from some very good friends). It was funny to be on the other side of the table. Thankfully the decision making wasn't tough. And prismiites have indeed done a good job with PRiSMag and Drishtant (marketing journal). Kudos people. Keep it up.
Before we realised it was time to head back but as usual not without a bit of a drama when instead of a Van an Indica turned up as cab. 6 of us ended up travelling in Indica. The journey back in flight was more silent. Maybe we all just wanted to absorb the brief moments of joy we had had. Missing the campus is indeed nothing strange and yet it is special in every possible way that it can be. Missing friends is even more so.
It just reminded me of my very first days on campus when I used to debate with a few close friends of mine who weren't liking IIM-L for various reasons. I was sure I was going to miss it after two years and they differed. But times have changed and they do miss it as much as I do. I'm not scoring a point here. All i'm trying to highlight is the special place that IIM-Lucknow is. For what it is and for what friends we became there. Each person taught something, learned something and ended up missing quite a few things. That's the beauty of it. And I hope IIM-L preserves it.
Ever hopeful... Campus my lovely campus ..
I came back from a visit to campus. And just as I had expected it the two days on campus turned out to be memorable ones. Though Sahara Airlines turned a spoil sport, stealing a night from us, we managed to have the fun.
We landed on campus at around 12 on 20th and from thereon it was a party all the way. Hitting the nescafe straight we started our usual timepass there. It seemed that time had stood still. Just yesterday we were here, we all felt. Nothing had changed much, except for Guptaji graduating from a cigarette vendor to a juice vendor as well. Change for the good.
As I had expected it turned out, more than Manfest it was a pgp20 alumni meet. Meeting so many batchmates obviously was a treat. Soon enough like our true masti style we were travelling in a transport vehicle to go to Cellars (our fav eating joint in the City). The open air ride was too much to enjoy. However Cellars itself was a bit of a let down with food quality having gone down. But what hasn't changed is the 20% discount that you can avail as IIM-L students (even if you carry an ID card that expired 9 months back).
Soon we were back on campus, in anticipation of Indian Ocean who were supposed to perform at pro-nite and the party that we intended to have on our own. Manfest let us down by not having a party on saturday on a silly pretext of participation on Sunday so we had to manage on our own. Bull Shit. Pgp21 is just hopeless when it comes to partying. I just hope pgp22s are better. Anyways, the evening turned out to be great. First, courtsey Indian Ocean. They were as usual brilliant. This being my third concert of theirs, it just seemed as good as ever. Rahul, Sushmit and Amit were mind-blowing. The whole crowd enjoyed it but it ended too soon at 11. It was followed by ThemClones who disappointed in comparison to their reputation. The rendition of Roadhouse Blues and Yellow was too bad to even think. Thankfully we made ourselves scarce and headed for our party at Titanic. Soon we were in the groove, besides the bonfire enjoying ourselves to the hilt. Once in a mood we sang songs, chatted non-sense, reminisced about the old days, bitched about the profs and well, simply enjoyed. Even before we realised it was 4 when I headed back, thanks to my ill health and then everyone crashed at around 5.
To enjoy the morning sun I was soon up (sooner then others) and back to my Yapping at Nescafe while eating Maggi. That used to be our usual routine. After everyone woke up we whiled away the time at Fauji dhaba idling in the sun and shifting our chairs along with sun travelling in the sky. Towards the evening I ended up judging an event for Prism (the marketing cell of which I was a part and to which I owe a lot of my learning apart from some very good friends). It was funny to be on the other side of the table. Thankfully the decision making wasn't tough. And prismiites have indeed done a good job with PRiSMag and Drishtant (marketing journal). Kudos people. Keep it up.
Before we realised it was time to head back but as usual not without a bit of a drama when instead of a Van an Indica turned up as cab. 6 of us ended up travelling in Indica. The journey back in flight was more silent. Maybe we all just wanted to absorb the brief moments of joy we had had. Missing the campus is indeed nothing strange and yet it is special in every possible way that it can be. Missing friends is even more so.
It just reminded me of my very first days on campus when I used to debate with a few close friends of mine who weren't liking IIM-L for various reasons. I was sure I was going to miss it after two years and they differed. But times have changed and they do miss it as much as I do. I'm not scoring a point here. All i'm trying to highlight is the special place that IIM-Lucknow is. For what it is and for what friends we became there. Each person taught something, learned something and ended up missing quite a few things. That's the beauty of it. And I hope IIM-L preserves it.
Ever hopeful... Campus my lovely campus ..
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The rise and fall of Media
NEWS: North East West South, that was the acronym my father used to tell me. An assortment of details relating to events happening around the world. But the more I watch television today the more confused, angry and dejected I get.
Consider a few examples :
i) A kid falls in a well and we get live coverage for next 48 hours non-stop. A family's misery becomes a pop-corn saga.
ii) Nithari killings. Apathy of administration and the potential masala element create another phenomenon.
iii) A non-singer Mika, kisses an item number girl and we get live telecast of their "negotiations" to make up
iv) Priyadarshini Mattoo/Jessica Lal case. Justice is delivered and media pressure is appreciable.
v) Nitish Katara, a non-entity and justice denied, no media to follow vigorously.
I could go on but I hope I'm illustrating the point. Come to think of it, there were days when the likes of Prannoy Roy would be waited for in the program like World This Week. While DD news was a matter of fact- take it or leave it types, Aaj Tak emerged on the horizon; first as a classic program, then as a good channel.
However the good times were short lived. The explosion of cable news channels saw a downfall so rapid that even NDTV, which was highly regarded initially also falling to the whims and fancies. The "buyable" (as i call it) media became a true commodity. What alarms me more is the speed of this decline. Some people may argue that the fourth estate or the pillar of democracy has come to wield a power that few envisaged. The others may argue that like other developed markets even India is witnessing an evolution in media though at a rapid pace. But while first one is like witnessing only one side of the coin the second one is a lame one on account of the fact that who as asked us to emulate the model that west followed?
What is it exactly? Was it the advent of Star News that triggered it? Is it globalization again? Is it us? Reason why I can't figure out one cause could be the fact that it may be a combination of all these. But when we look closely we see a few things that I would like to mention specifically
English Media Vs Hindi/Vernacular Media: If we look at the two we see a marked difference. The vernacular print entities are trying to go local with area specific non-events being their star "items" in programming. The hindi news channels are trying to reap in on the spent up emotions of stressed individuals esp of the middle class and the emerging burgeoise which is coming out of the shadows. The exposure to this "consumption" driven economic world is making the media a part of the shopping basket. The English media on the other hand is trying to take the stance of being on a higher ground. Catering to niche but increasing English speaking, well healed upper middle class. The merchants of dreams are making the aspirations realistic enough to spin a hypnotic web around the audience.
News Vs Non-News content: Not everything is bad after all. And it shows in the non-news programming content. More in-depth, critical and insightful. The quality of such programmes has surely improved and knowledge is indeed being disseminated. The influence/charm of Discovery/History and NGC is spreading and the Indianisation of the same is also adding thrust.
Us and Them : Its always easy to blame someone else for something. Maybe I'm committing the same mistake? Am I not? Increasingly I also get a feeling that we as a nation are a "news" starved one. So if there isn't any, just like a demand supply equation the news needs to be "created". Consider the example when some media people offered the matchstick to someone attempting self-immolation. Think of that person who was covering the event. After all he was covering an "event". So how could the script be changed? So we come to the script. Why I call it a script? Simply because this Bollywood fed society is looking for the same in media. The merging of reality with dreams is creating a cheap entertainment proposition. Why else would channels flash "Breaking News: Abhishek and Aishwarya get engaged". I mean fuck man, you asked for it that is why you are getting it. If you don't want to see it shut it off. But no. Ask yourself, how many times you catch yourself unawares when you are left wondering what the hell am I watching? Surely once everytime you switch on the TV or reading a newspaper. The number of Economic Times readers in Mumbai locals is slowly but surely being replaced by Mumbai Mirror and Mid-Day readers. All because our hunger in all its legitimate and perverse forms is now being catered to. Catered to well after all. So "We the nation" are as much responsible as anyone else would be.
So while the new channels wait with bated breath for the announcement of marriage of Abhishek and Ash, I would sit and hope of another dawn. In the meanwhile maybe we can redefine NEWS as Neo-liberal Entertainment Without Substance ?
Consider a few examples :
i) A kid falls in a well and we get live coverage for next 48 hours non-stop. A family's misery becomes a pop-corn saga.
ii) Nithari killings. Apathy of administration and the potential masala element create another phenomenon.
iii) A non-singer Mika, kisses an item number girl and we get live telecast of their "negotiations" to make up
iv) Priyadarshini Mattoo/Jessica Lal case. Justice is delivered and media pressure is appreciable.
v) Nitish Katara, a non-entity and justice denied, no media to follow vigorously.
I could go on but I hope I'm illustrating the point. Come to think of it, there were days when the likes of Prannoy Roy would be waited for in the program like World This Week. While DD news was a matter of fact- take it or leave it types, Aaj Tak emerged on the horizon; first as a classic program, then as a good channel.
However the good times were short lived. The explosion of cable news channels saw a downfall so rapid that even NDTV, which was highly regarded initially also falling to the whims and fancies. The "buyable" (as i call it) media became a true commodity. What alarms me more is the speed of this decline. Some people may argue that the fourth estate or the pillar of democracy has come to wield a power that few envisaged. The others may argue that like other developed markets even India is witnessing an evolution in media though at a rapid pace. But while first one is like witnessing only one side of the coin the second one is a lame one on account of the fact that who as asked us to emulate the model that west followed?
What is it exactly? Was it the advent of Star News that triggered it? Is it globalization again? Is it us? Reason why I can't figure out one cause could be the fact that it may be a combination of all these. But when we look closely we see a few things that I would like to mention specifically
English Media Vs Hindi/Vernacular Media: If we look at the two we see a marked difference. The vernacular print entities are trying to go local with area specific non-events being their star "items" in programming. The hindi news channels are trying to reap in on the spent up emotions of stressed individuals esp of the middle class and the emerging burgeoise which is coming out of the shadows. The exposure to this "consumption" driven economic world is making the media a part of the shopping basket. The English media on the other hand is trying to take the stance of being on a higher ground. Catering to niche but increasing English speaking, well healed upper middle class. The merchants of dreams are making the aspirations realistic enough to spin a hypnotic web around the audience.
News Vs Non-News content: Not everything is bad after all. And it shows in the non-news programming content. More in-depth, critical and insightful. The quality of such programmes has surely improved and knowledge is indeed being disseminated. The influence/charm of Discovery/History and NGC is spreading and the Indianisation of the same is also adding thrust.
Us and Them : Its always easy to blame someone else for something. Maybe I'm committing the same mistake? Am I not? Increasingly I also get a feeling that we as a nation are a "news" starved one. So if there isn't any, just like a demand supply equation the news needs to be "created". Consider the example when some media people offered the matchstick to someone attempting self-immolation. Think of that person who was covering the event. After all he was covering an "event". So how could the script be changed? So we come to the script. Why I call it a script? Simply because this Bollywood fed society is looking for the same in media. The merging of reality with dreams is creating a cheap entertainment proposition. Why else would channels flash "Breaking News: Abhishek and Aishwarya get engaged". I mean fuck man, you asked for it that is why you are getting it. If you don't want to see it shut it off. But no. Ask yourself, how many times you catch yourself unawares when you are left wondering what the hell am I watching? Surely once everytime you switch on the TV or reading a newspaper. The number of Economic Times readers in Mumbai locals is slowly but surely being replaced by Mumbai Mirror and Mid-Day readers. All because our hunger in all its legitimate and perverse forms is now being catered to. Catered to well after all. So "We the nation" are as much responsible as anyone else would be.
So while the new channels wait with bated breath for the announcement of marriage of Abhishek and Ash, I would sit and hope of another dawn. In the meanwhile maybe we can redefine NEWS as Neo-liberal Entertainment Without Substance ?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The year that was
The year that was ...
Year 2006 was a memorable one for me. For various reasons ranging from my wonderful trips to the start of second leg of my career to what I gained and what I lost. Its start was marked by the lightest of terms in IIM Lucknow - Term VI. With the fact that exams were round the corner and the placement preparation in full flow I surprised myself by not worrying about either of the two and focusing on pushing PRiSM - The Marketing Cell to a higher level in Manfest. And I was happy that at the end of the day, we made a mark. Thanks to all fellow prismiites and the enthusiasm shown we came up trumps. The successful co-ordination made me learn a lot. Soon the events took a turn for the better. Being eligible for the HEPP (Higher entry placement program) I had put in the CV for a few firms (barring the IT sector with the exception of IBM). Soon I had the offer from IBM with a question about the profile. The profile not being to my liking I had to leave the offer. And then came the cakewalk called Reliance retail, which in the hind sight looks like the right decision I made.
But this was all academic and professional which went on fine. More happier were the personal moments. The moments that added to me as a person and the moments that showed me the various colours of life. From the touching moment of attending Convo in front of my dad and watching his expressions of joy to the happy times during HP trip. In between I made so many new friends at the workplace. Strengthened the old ties. Failed. Failed again. Failed yet again. And continue to fail.. Still going on. Going on strong hopefully.
Travelling got onto another high. Starting with Mukteshwar on new year, to Rishikesh, to Lakshadweep and capping it with snow in Fagu. Health as usual went through the ups and downs. The parties took a different colour altogether. Landed in the city of Mumbai, the city of excesses as I call it. Have been travelling in the locals. Life has become a frenzy of activities. I miss the campus. I miss the "weekends" coz its six days a week working for me. Two of my cousins got married. Three of my friends got married and the rest also took the plunge in the process.
So if I look back, its been one of the most enriching of the years of my life. I think IIM Lucknow deserves special mention for that and then my closest friends. They know who they are so I need not take names. I just want to thank them though I know I can't thank them enough. Off course my family has also stood behind me as always. I can't even think of thanking them coz I know I can't ever do that enough.
So that was 2006 in short .. Lets see how 2007 turns up ..
Year 2006 was a memorable one for me. For various reasons ranging from my wonderful trips to the start of second leg of my career to what I gained and what I lost. Its start was marked by the lightest of terms in IIM Lucknow - Term VI. With the fact that exams were round the corner and the placement preparation in full flow I surprised myself by not worrying about either of the two and focusing on pushing PRiSM - The Marketing Cell to a higher level in Manfest. And I was happy that at the end of the day, we made a mark. Thanks to all fellow prismiites and the enthusiasm shown we came up trumps. The successful co-ordination made me learn a lot. Soon the events took a turn for the better. Being eligible for the HEPP (Higher entry placement program) I had put in the CV for a few firms (barring the IT sector with the exception of IBM). Soon I had the offer from IBM with a question about the profile. The profile not being to my liking I had to leave the offer. And then came the cakewalk called Reliance retail, which in the hind sight looks like the right decision I made.
But this was all academic and professional which went on fine. More happier were the personal moments. The moments that added to me as a person and the moments that showed me the various colours of life. From the touching moment of attending Convo in front of my dad and watching his expressions of joy to the happy times during HP trip. In between I made so many new friends at the workplace. Strengthened the old ties. Failed. Failed again. Failed yet again. And continue to fail.. Still going on. Going on strong hopefully.
Travelling got onto another high. Starting with Mukteshwar on new year, to Rishikesh, to Lakshadweep and capping it with snow in Fagu. Health as usual went through the ups and downs. The parties took a different colour altogether. Landed in the city of Mumbai, the city of excesses as I call it. Have been travelling in the locals. Life has become a frenzy of activities. I miss the campus. I miss the "weekends" coz its six days a week working for me. Two of my cousins got married. Three of my friends got married and the rest also took the plunge in the process.
So if I look back, its been one of the most enriching of the years of my life. I think IIM Lucknow deserves special mention for that and then my closest friends. They know who they are so I need not take names. I just want to thank them though I know I can't thank them enough. Off course my family has also stood behind me as always. I can't even think of thanking them coz I know I can't ever do that enough.
So that was 2006 in short .. Lets see how 2007 turns up ..
Blah Blah Blah
This is an ode to all the people who have influenced/intrigued me by their creativity.
Illusion is the first of all pleasures. Use your illusion. Hazaron Khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dum nikle. Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle. Shaam se aankh main nami se hai. Kya karen kya na karen yeh kaisi mushkil haaye. Madiralaya jaane ko ghar se chalta hai peene vala. Alag alag path dikhlaate sab, asamanjas main hai bhola bhala. And I have become comfortably numb. I walk a lonely road the only road that i've ever known. I'm a Highway Star. This is the end my only friend the end. Show me how to live. Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahi milta. Kabhi zameen toh kabhi aasmaan nahi milta.
Illusion is the first of all pleasures. Use your illusion. Hazaron Khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dum nikle. Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle. Shaam se aankh main nami se hai. Kya karen kya na karen yeh kaisi mushkil haaye. Madiralaya jaane ko ghar se chalta hai peene vala. Alag alag path dikhlaate sab, asamanjas main hai bhola bhala. And I have become comfortably numb. I walk a lonely road the only road that i've ever known. I'm a Highway Star. This is the end my only friend the end. Show me how to live. Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahi milta. Kabhi zameen toh kabhi aasmaan nahi milta.
Another "business" trip
Another trip, another day, another experience. My friend said that I seem to be regaining my flair for writing that I possessed in the past. I don't know about the flair but if I continue to travel like this I have no reason to not have the content to write on. I came for a whirlwind official trip to Hyderabad again. Stayed with my cousin today. Had not been able to attend his marriage and met after a gap of around 2 years at least. We have been best friend sorts more than anything else. And he hasn't changed too much since the time I met him last. And it felt good that he hadn't. Somethings are more valuable if they don't change. Being crystallised in time they teach us and remind us. Human values are one such domain. He met me with so much of warmth that I just forgot all my tiredness or illness. Meeting bhabhi for the first time was also great and it just told me that in times to come I'll enjoy this constancy in this relationship. Besides home food was such a pleasant experience for a change.
The day in the office was regular business. One of my first high level meeting went smoother than I had expected with me fielding all the questions with ease.
The funniest moment of the day however came in at the airport yet again : Courtsey a Telugu movie trailer being shown. Imagine the Hero facing a villain with another villain standing around ten feet behind the hero. The villain behind the hero throws a spear at the hero. And hero with seemingly eyes behind his head catches it with ease. But that just ain't enough, more to come yet. In a split second reaction he rotates the spear and "reverse" throws it back (without actually looking back!!). And viola, like a villain seeking missile the spear follows a flat trajectory (did we learn Physics enough or did we miss some gravity defying laws??) before hitting the villain. Nevertheless movies take the liberty in defying science so no comments on that. But this scene had me in splits. Hats off to such kind of cinema.
(In the next scene by the way the hero was soon gyrating in hillarious PT cum Shocked steps.)
Am on the flight back now and the flight attendents are at work as usual, labouriously. Their crew captain is trying to make some "noises". Ya am calling that noise coz I couldn't get half of what she's trying to say. Would someone please teach them the basic of saying things slowly and clearly instead of trying to match the speed of plane in speaking as well. And for god sake the more of this anglicised/stylised version of Hindi accent the more I would feel sorry for Hindi.
Ok .. Enough of criticism. The cold has just got to my head perhaps. So i'll try to switch off.
The day in the office was regular business. One of my first high level meeting went smoother than I had expected with me fielding all the questions with ease.
The funniest moment of the day however came in at the airport yet again : Courtsey a Telugu movie trailer being shown. Imagine the Hero facing a villain with another villain standing around ten feet behind the hero. The villain behind the hero throws a spear at the hero. And hero with seemingly eyes behind his head catches it with ease. But that just ain't enough, more to come yet. In a split second reaction he rotates the spear and "reverse" throws it back (without actually looking back!!). And viola, like a villain seeking missile the spear follows a flat trajectory (did we learn Physics enough or did we miss some gravity defying laws??) before hitting the villain. Nevertheless movies take the liberty in defying science so no comments on that. But this scene had me in splits. Hats off to such kind of cinema.
(In the next scene by the way the hero was soon gyrating in hillarious PT cum Shocked steps.)
Am on the flight back now and the flight attendents are at work as usual, labouriously. Their crew captain is trying to make some "noises". Ya am calling that noise coz I couldn't get half of what she's trying to say. Would someone please teach them the basic of saying things slowly and clearly instead of trying to match the speed of plane in speaking as well. And for god sake the more of this anglicised/stylised version of Hindi accent the more I would feel sorry for Hindi.
Ok .. Enough of criticism. The cold has just got to my head perhaps. So i'll try to switch off.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Getting back ...
Its been long since my last post came in. In fact it was last year :). That doesn't mean I havn't been writing. Its just that I havn't got a chance to post them. Sometimes due to unavailability of net and sometimes just the lack of time. But the last month has been full of activities. It started with my movement to this team. Within a week I was in Jaipur. Back in Mumbai for a day and I was off to Himachal (more details on the trip as a separate post). While in HP, I was asked to come to Hyderabad soon after. Back from Hyd on 30th, I spent much of 31st arranging for a party that I decided to have at my place. And so the times have been fun and hectic. But most importantly the times have been happy. The only thing unusual is the backlog of movies that has developed. I am yet to see kabul express, happy feet, The Prestige and Babel. So the first task in this new year is to catch up on these. In the meanwhile, time to publish the posts that have been waiting in the corridors.
Flight Back to Mumbai - 21st Dec 2006
One of the comments on my post said that Airports are perhaps one of the best places to reflect upon. How true it is indeed. Today I'm flying back from Jaipur. But its been an interesting experience. And I would think about them as colours. Reason being they just seem to show the vivid colours of life that make it so beautiful along with its darker shades as well.
The Colours: As I proceed to security check there is a bunch of 4 people ahead of me. Two "original" foreigners and two "wannabe" foreigners (ladies). They giggle into the security bay. One of them (lets call her A) first raises her pitch into a funny frequency and says "ooh you would want to see our laptops right .. here it is". And then she promptly heads towards the guys' side. Uh oh ... she realises and again giggles to the right side. Her friend follows (lets call her B), "no no please the bag should go like this". The two, between them, are carrying as much luggage as can be allowed perhaps. And then as we go ahead watching the drama. The scanner detects something so the lady A is politely asked to show her suitcase. She first grabs hold of her laptop (covered in a velvet bag by the way) and then promptly heads off. And poor security people have to shout to get her attention to show her suitcase. If I had thought I had seen enough of their weird behaviour more was to come.
The lady sits in the lounge and promptly lights up a cigarette. For a moment I was left wondering that have I visited enough airports in this country or not coz none allows smoking in the lounges. I look around and much to my relief even this doesn't because there are smoke detectors around. So it is indeed a non-smoking zone after all. So the next question I ask myself is that has this lady travelled much by air? And incidentally I forgot to give you one piece of the detail that apart from their accentuated speech there clothes are as much accentuated as they can get. Anyways who am I to interfere. My only option is just to wonder.. While I'm thinking about all these things a lady with her kid comes upto her and requests the lady that please don't smoke as her kid gets uncomfortable and this place is anyways not a smoking zone. Prompt comes a reply can you please take your kid to the gate as I can't go back to the security area !! Poor lady goes away.
I suddenly get into thinking about a certain kind of people who always want attention and can't live without it. Just as I am trying to figure out how she fits the bill in this profile, a gentleman shouts from the other seat "Can't you listen if someone is requesting you not to smoke. That too in a non-smoking zone!!". Just as I tried to gauge what would be her response she shouts back to her friends- "who the hell is he to talk to me like that? Noone talks to me like that. I don't give a fuck. If you wanna fight come and fight." I couldn't help smiling. After all it was a perfect example of a response of highly insecure person who knows she's wrong and yet she wants all the attention. And so the cigarette continued to emit the smoke. Soon after she got up to board her flight and left the cup she was using as an ashtray where she was sitting. I called up her friend and requested for the cup to be thrown away. Prompt came the reply "Jaane dijiye na (let it go)". I got up to throw away the cup myself. With 20 eyes following me and two ashamed ones I felt satisfied doing that. I don't know what prompted that action of mine but I felt happy doing it. I don't care what the world does but I knew I was right. Her friend ashamed by now started thanking me and I chose to ignore. Small incidence but a significant one for me. To know myself and to know others surrounding me. How happy I felt to know that I was perhaps not as good as the world claims to be. I'm happy being what I am.
The rest of the flight passed uneventfully. Mumbai as usual was a pain as soon as I landed thanks to the taxi guys. Beware : Never take a blue "pre-paid" cab at Mumbai airport and check the charts of yellow taxis before getting in.
The Colours: As I proceed to security check there is a bunch of 4 people ahead of me. Two "original" foreigners and two "wannabe" foreigners (ladies). They giggle into the security bay. One of them (lets call her A) first raises her pitch into a funny frequency and says "ooh you would want to see our laptops right .. here it is". And then she promptly heads towards the guys' side. Uh oh ... she realises and again giggles to the right side. Her friend follows (lets call her B), "no no please the bag should go like this". The two, between them, are carrying as much luggage as can be allowed perhaps. And then as we go ahead watching the drama. The scanner detects something so the lady A is politely asked to show her suitcase. She first grabs hold of her laptop (covered in a velvet bag by the way) and then promptly heads off. And poor security people have to shout to get her attention to show her suitcase. If I had thought I had seen enough of their weird behaviour more was to come.
The lady sits in the lounge and promptly lights up a cigarette. For a moment I was left wondering that have I visited enough airports in this country or not coz none allows smoking in the lounges. I look around and much to my relief even this doesn't because there are smoke detectors around. So it is indeed a non-smoking zone after all. So the next question I ask myself is that has this lady travelled much by air? And incidentally I forgot to give you one piece of the detail that apart from their accentuated speech there clothes are as much accentuated as they can get. Anyways who am I to interfere. My only option is just to wonder.. While I'm thinking about all these things a lady with her kid comes upto her and requests the lady that please don't smoke as her kid gets uncomfortable and this place is anyways not a smoking zone. Prompt comes a reply can you please take your kid to the gate as I can't go back to the security area !! Poor lady goes away.
I suddenly get into thinking about a certain kind of people who always want attention and can't live without it. Just as I am trying to figure out how she fits the bill in this profile, a gentleman shouts from the other seat "Can't you listen if someone is requesting you not to smoke. That too in a non-smoking zone!!". Just as I tried to gauge what would be her response she shouts back to her friends- "who the hell is he to talk to me like that? Noone talks to me like that. I don't give a fuck. If you wanna fight come and fight." I couldn't help smiling. After all it was a perfect example of a response of highly insecure person who knows she's wrong and yet she wants all the attention. And so the cigarette continued to emit the smoke. Soon after she got up to board her flight and left the cup she was using as an ashtray where she was sitting. I called up her friend and requested for the cup to be thrown away. Prompt came the reply "Jaane dijiye na (let it go)". I got up to throw away the cup myself. With 20 eyes following me and two ashamed ones I felt satisfied doing that. I don't know what prompted that action of mine but I felt happy doing it. I don't care what the world does but I knew I was right. Her friend ashamed by now started thanking me and I chose to ignore. Small incidence but a significant one for me. To know myself and to know others surrounding me. How happy I felt to know that I was perhaps not as good as the world claims to be. I'm happy being what I am.
The rest of the flight passed uneventfully. Mumbai as usual was a pain as soon as I landed thanks to the taxi guys. Beware : Never take a blue "pre-paid" cab at Mumbai airport and check the charts of yellow taxis before getting in.
Mathrubhoomi - A nation without women
Mathrubhoomi - A nation without woman.
I saw this movie a few days back. Had been looking around for it since quite some time and finally laid hands on it. Its been hailed as one amongst the top 10 movies of the year by Time. Much to its credit its indeed a hard hitting movie.
Backdrop: Set in a futuristic (not by the development angle but just a passage in time) village, it shows a situation where because of the practice of female infanticide, there are no women left in the village. There is a family of a father with his five sons. The sons are all eligible bachelors but the father can't find a bride for his sons in or around the village. The village is a wreck psychologically and the only vent for the sexual desires of men being pornographic material. The same is depicted in a chilling manner.
The story takes a turn, when suddenly the priest who's been entrusted with the responsibility of finding a bride for the guys, comes across a girl who has been kept in hiding by her father. The father of the five sons comes to meet the girl's father along with his youngest son. As it turns out the father of the girls ends up "selling" his daughter and "marries" her off to all the five sons. Here on the story takes the morbid turn depicting the suffering of the girl at the hands of four of the sons and their father, while the fifth son gets killed at the hands of his own brothers out of jealousy. The film then hurries into a shattering climax taking a caste angle as well. The girl having been raped by so many men and tortured, gives birth to a girl while half of the village kills eachother speculating on who is the father of the "boy".
The film to say the least is chilling. It hits you in the face with no qualms. Its an issue which deserves no mercy in treatment and hence doesn't get any either. Come to think of it, a world without women would indeed be bereft of any emotions, love or sanity. The most beautiful creation of god after all has a meaning to herself. The dignity of women, if hurt, can only lead to breakdown of unimaginable scale and a complete destruction of the social fabric that we live in.
It also delves into the issues of sexuality and its expression. The female lead lives with 5 husbands and yet the only time she derives pleasure is when she's with one guy. The other four and the father in law themselves end up feeling no pleasure. Thus the role of sexuality in love is shown in a very subtle manner and yet true to its importance. The importance of it being just as a beautiful expression of love. If there is no underlying love it is just a commodity of consumption which you can only enjoy till as much time you don't get bored of it. Beyond that, the desire just kills you from within and the person ceases to be a man.
Another aspect that is highlighted is how raping a woman is used as an instrument of taking revenge. It just shows both, the cowardice of a man as well as the respect that we have for women in the patriarchal feudal society still prevelant.
Towards the end the movie weaves, magically, all these issues into one fabric and depicts the potential anarchy that we could actually be heading to. With new statistics flowing in everyday about the male to female ratio falling in the most affluent (mind it, affluent and not educated) states of our country, the movie just runs a chill into your spine.
Technically its a very well shot movie with taut editing. The metaphoric depictions and the what is there is what you see kind of hard hitting scenes in a right mix, its a cinema lover's delight. However it surely is not for the weak hearted. It leaves you numb with some of its scenes. So much so that you can't perhaps think of anything else after the movie is over. You search for a light movie in your library to get over it.
All in all, its a must watch for those who like quality cinema.
I saw this movie a few days back. Had been looking around for it since quite some time and finally laid hands on it. Its been hailed as one amongst the top 10 movies of the year by Time. Much to its credit its indeed a hard hitting movie.
Backdrop: Set in a futuristic (not by the development angle but just a passage in time) village, it shows a situation where because of the practice of female infanticide, there are no women left in the village. There is a family of a father with his five sons. The sons are all eligible bachelors but the father can't find a bride for his sons in or around the village. The village is a wreck psychologically and the only vent for the sexual desires of men being pornographic material. The same is depicted in a chilling manner.
The story takes a turn, when suddenly the priest who's been entrusted with the responsibility of finding a bride for the guys, comes across a girl who has been kept in hiding by her father. The father of the five sons comes to meet the girl's father along with his youngest son. As it turns out the father of the girls ends up "selling" his daughter and "marries" her off to all the five sons. Here on the story takes the morbid turn depicting the suffering of the girl at the hands of four of the sons and their father, while the fifth son gets killed at the hands of his own brothers out of jealousy. The film then hurries into a shattering climax taking a caste angle as well. The girl having been raped by so many men and tortured, gives birth to a girl while half of the village kills eachother speculating on who is the father of the "boy".
The film to say the least is chilling. It hits you in the face with no qualms. Its an issue which deserves no mercy in treatment and hence doesn't get any either. Come to think of it, a world without women would indeed be bereft of any emotions, love or sanity. The most beautiful creation of god after all has a meaning to herself. The dignity of women, if hurt, can only lead to breakdown of unimaginable scale and a complete destruction of the social fabric that we live in.
It also delves into the issues of sexuality and its expression. The female lead lives with 5 husbands and yet the only time she derives pleasure is when she's with one guy. The other four and the father in law themselves end up feeling no pleasure. Thus the role of sexuality in love is shown in a very subtle manner and yet true to its importance. The importance of it being just as a beautiful expression of love. If there is no underlying love it is just a commodity of consumption which you can only enjoy till as much time you don't get bored of it. Beyond that, the desire just kills you from within and the person ceases to be a man.
Another aspect that is highlighted is how raping a woman is used as an instrument of taking revenge. It just shows both, the cowardice of a man as well as the respect that we have for women in the patriarchal feudal society still prevelant.
Towards the end the movie weaves, magically, all these issues into one fabric and depicts the potential anarchy that we could actually be heading to. With new statistics flowing in everyday about the male to female ratio falling in the most affluent (mind it, affluent and not educated) states of our country, the movie just runs a chill into your spine.
Technically its a very well shot movie with taut editing. The metaphoric depictions and the what is there is what you see kind of hard hitting scenes in a right mix, its a cinema lover's delight. However it surely is not for the weak hearted. It leaves you numb with some of its scenes. So much so that you can't perhaps think of anything else after the movie is over. You search for a light movie in your library to get over it.
All in all, its a must watch for those who like quality cinema.
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