Power Cut

I just survived a power shut down of humongasaurian proportions.. (If you do not know what Humongasaur is then go here.) and I've come up with a list of things you could do to survive a similar occurence. Also this might help people ranging from any part of Tamil Nadu other than Chennai as they have scheduled power cuts. Chennai of course maintains the oxymoron of being cool while hot.  So here goes..

10 things to do when power cuts and the summer gangs up on you..

1) Fluids. Make sure you are drinking a lot of water. Anticipate power cuts and make sure you have plenty of liquids in cold storage. Ginger and Lemon with honey is an awesome coolant. This might be the perfect time for you to try the new non-carbonated drinks on offer like nimbuz, lmn and tion. I recommend tiON.. especially the apple and orange flavours..

2) Sleep. This is the time to catch up for lost time and get some serious shut eye.. Try to change your body clock by sleeping an hour late at night.. (I would suggest getting up an hour early.. but that would be sacrilegious and hypocritical)

3) Movies. Now this is a great idea especially if you are like me and don't care much about what film you are going to see. Going to the theatre is preferred (and by theatre I don't mean the western interpretation but the local one) If you are in CBE I would suggest going to either KG Big Cinemas or VR Complex as all others supposedly put off their A/Cs and in some cases don't even put them on. An alternative would be to download some great movies and keep your laptop charged and ready.

4) Exercise. I know it sounds crazy but if you learn to revel in the heat you won't feel it as much. And all the extra sweating is not going to make you smell worse. If in the process you build some muscle and lose some flab, good for you.

5) Swear words. You can go about learning some new swear words so that you can be articulate and expressive when you want to criticise the power cut ministry.

6) Read. Those who already have a figure to die for, you can look at the more sedate pathway of reading. It sure is the next best thing to sleeping. If you haven't run out of excuses so far to read the book you've always meant to read the power cut will surely get rid of that.

7) Bath. Those of you who are just getting out of college, especially the hostel, there is this new invention, which came into being a few thousand years ago called bathing. 3 hours perfect for a long bath.

8) Cook. For all those planning to go abroad as a good for nothing else grad student, power cuts are perfect opportunities to learn new recipes and some experimenting.

9) Discover. Try visiting some new places, make new friends and find old ones. While making new friends, make sure that they live in an area with power cut scheduled at a different time than yours. This, remember, is the most important thing about summer friendships.

10) Ornithology. Lastly and as usual not leastly bird watching is a definite must during these times. The heat brings out all the pretty birds out of their nests making it a pleasure to the eye. The terrace is an obvious choice as a vantage point and remember binoculars are a strict no-no as they drive away birds in India.

So, that's my list. You can get inspired and write your own list. I've tastefully added some links which are interesting and/or instructive. Please go through them and increase your reading pleasure...

Tamilian goes global

On the eve of the release of the movie being touted as the greatest thing to happen in Hollywood in this decade, with special technology created wholly for its benefit, the people in the news are not James Cameron or any member of the Avatar special effects team, it is one man. But not any man, he is the one, the one with the greatest fan following in the current generation, the one whose movies are awaited with baited breath and huge expectations, Joseph Vijay.

And not just any news. The producers of Avatar had thrown the gauntlet by releasing their movie on December 18th, clashing with potential blockexploder Vettaikaran. Vijay has gracefully accepted the challenge and his movie is now being released worldwide too.

Going by current feel and vibes from the people around me, Avatar seems to be a little ahead in Coimbatore. So maybe it will win out tomorrow. But what would be a wonderful ending to this great fight?

Avatar runs amok in south India and becomes a huge hit here, but flops out in the U.S of A and Vettaikaran does the same but vice versa.

Gad! I'd go to America and see talaivar's movie then...

Mercenaries no more

English fast bowlers have a penchant for being in the news. First it was Freddie getting out of the national contract because of a clause against banjee jumping. Now Anderson and Broad have declared that they would not be part of IPL 2010. Well that should put the talk of cricketers becoming mercenaries on hold for sometime...

Thankyou Anderson and thankyou Stuart Broad (you have shown that you can contribute more to cricket than just being a bowler hit for six sixes in an over). I think though Broad may have been selfish in making this statement. Maybe he just doesn't want to face Yuvraj in a twenty twenty match...

For the full article on this great decision visit: http://www.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/439349.html

Indians are not racists

After a really boring day at home the least one expects is to watch some decent programs on the tube. But all you get is Burkha Dutt. And not just any Burkha Dutt, this is the Burkha 'are Indians racist' Dutt. Booooring.

Well to settle this issue once and for all let me present a lucid and watertight argument on why Indians are not racist. Race is predominantly considered to be a cultural divide based on country of origin, color and other physical or external attributes. For further clarification you can refer this particular link: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/race.

Thus it can now be concluded with a certain degree of (for want of a word) certainty that we Indians belong to a single race. Since the whole talk is about discrimination based on race, it is impossible in India. There can be no racism between people belonging to the same race. So from this day onwards no one can call us racist.

But to give an interesting twist to the argument let me present to you the typical conversation in an Indian household looking for a groom:

Facing the computer, specifically a matrimony website, (where else but in India), are sitting two girls. They have just finished editing their profiles:

"Female, age 23 (oh! I am so old), height 5 4" (am I too tall?), weight 53 kg, complexion : fair, working with good salary, BA., M.B.A (Overqualified, never gonna get married). "

Some days later one girl gets a reply in her inbox. And she finds that she has as many as 16 applicants or should I say suitors. So she gets her friend home and they decide they will look over the profiles before they call her mom. Following are the reactions to the various suitors:

1. No, he is Tamilian. Nope! Tamilians are too talkative. They drink too. And I bet he is ugly.
2. Hell no! Not a golti (slang for Telugu people). They never bathe.
3. What a gujju!! ( gujarati) EWE the smell.
4.A mallu (malayali) never. All they do is smoke beedis and loll around..

The conversation goes on in a similar vein.. untill..

5. Look theres a photo in this profile. But it doesnt say where he is from, or what caste he belongs to. Who cares, He is FAIR. But we dont know if he is any good. Who cares he is FAIR. But, but.. Yeah I know he is FAIR.


So the real question that we must be asking ourselves is " Is Fair and Lovely the most successful branding and advertising exercise or is India the perfect ground for any fairness cream?"
Not 'Are Indians racist?' because we are not. You can call us casteist or colourist or regionist or linguist (sorry i don't know any other word for language based divides) but one thing we are not and thats racist.

P.S Generalizations are always misleading and incorrect so injured souls please forgive me. I am tamilian and I have found the above opinion of tamilians being drunkards and ugly on the inside useful in breaking a lot of bad dates and even worse fights.....

Musings

* IITM Saarang at times, given you were at the right place at the right time and sometimes the wrong time, showed glimpses of paradise... 

*I happened to be so a couple of times and not only thoroughly enjoyed myself, but had an uplifting and once in a life time experience. Vox A capella was one, which for the illiterate(like me) means “A cappella (Italian or Latin "From the chapel/choir") music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way.” 

*Well without much ado, the event showcased some of the best college singing groups that included beauties from WCC, Mt.Carmel, Yethiraj and an all boys band which was an exception in this case performing jazz, blues, light music and songs like the lion king opening song (yes the one with the animal sounds, all intact) and “ In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Lion sleeps tonight...” And not just performing them but doing so with the ease, accomplishment and professionalism of seasoned musicians on tour and also combining it with the reckless abandon and intense enjoyment associated with amateur singers who sing just for the heck of it. That was Saarang'09 for me. Nothing else came even close.

*I just wanted to share this with you and send out a clarion call for all those uninitiated college goers, who think the world is all they see and what they see is boring; There is a whole new world out there, just waiting to expand your horizons. Go attend Saarang'10.

           Now to my musings; On my way back from Saarang I happened to notice something I had not in all those 4 mornings and 3 nights at IITM : true beauty. Seriously, please don't think that I am saying this to join the group of IIT haters; who do so because they are jealous; I totally am not on e of them. In all those wonderfully dressed or undressed (depends on how you look at it) girls I couldn't find beauty. Anyway to come back, my object of admiration (not attraction) was at the Central, on platform three wearing a pink chudi, looking pretty, but not exactly what you'd call head turning material. Which is the whole point; she wasn't head turning material, if you didn't understand the point. Here I was standing tired, not having slept the previous night, not in a state to appreciate beauty of any start, almost drifting off to sleep while still standing when I was startled from my semi-conscious state by an almighty cry. For the life of me, I was wide awake now, only to find that nobody was paying least attention to the sound. I turned to find that it was a small kid, playing with his mom, pulling at her bag and trying to run away with it. It was like watching the churning of the milky way (by the Gods, if you don't know) and was quiet interesting. But I looked up. I thank my stars, for that epiphany: that something more interesting was just a look up. I looked up to find the girl undergoing a silent transformation. It was like the pati's of cinemas saying “ You look like Goddess Maha-Lakshmi.” The ends of the previously morose, uninspiring lips which did not merit mention, were slowly curving upwards to form a smile filled with so much warmth that India's power problems could have been solved. The fact that the smile was shared by the eyes too, made it all the more enjoyable. The eyes now were full of sparkle and so expressive that I didn't need to see the kid to know what was happening any more. The face was now literally glowing and I now understood what people meant by true beauty. I was overcome by a strange emotion that wanted that moment to be frozen for eternity and that wanted me to just stand there and keep admiring her. Stranger was the fact that nobody noticed this either, not even the person next to her who seemed to be her father. Maybe it's the law of such things. I was struck by the innocence of that smile and the abandon of the emotions those eyes portrayed. Given a paper and pen a second Da Vinci would have been born. Or maybe a Shakespeare, or rather Lord Byron (who wrote better romantic poems??).. But neither happened. The train arrived...

Shoaib, Sachin and the Chepauk...

The atmosphere is tense... the crowd is agitated but silent... the last ball was a wide... the bowler waits for the batsman.. a slow murmur... gathers momentum... the bowler begins his looong run up... the cry begins... "SHOIAB SHOAIB..." becomes a high pitch as shoaib runs in at full pace and shoots the ball....... and... OUT!!!!! The crowd goes wild....!!!! Sehwag the danger guy is back in the pavillion.

I can hardly believe that hardly a year ago or somethin like that this same crowd was cheering every six of this very same Sehwag against this same Shoaib. The funnier part was when all the bowlers in the Kolkata team where calling Shoaib...-" Shoaib bhai is such a nice guy. A great honour playing with him." Shoaib bhai???? Ok I can even understand the cricketers' change in attitude, because, for them, it has always been about the game and well the money of course. And they do respect the commitments to their country and all that... Its the fans that shock me.

I gather from this that its all a matter of choice. And what with SRK playing 13th man it is alluring... Like I had to write this piece. Could have avoided it. It is all a matter of choice. But I have to tell you seeing a match live at the stadium is such an experience.Otherworldly. My first match was the one at Chepauk between our own Super kings and the Kings XI Punjab. AWESOME.. JUST AWESOME. And to top it off of course we won. The atmosphere is some other thing. The first few balls was jarring without the commentary but I soon cottoned to it and totally let my hair down shouting, dancing and all that jazz.. ( Forgive the Peter. GRE you know..) And the other great thing was to see the first hat trick of the ipl up close and personal. (I love Balaji). So whats the point?? The point is that it is a must see experience... And one you can very well do with. I have to thank Anirudh (my best friend) for this ultimate oppurtunity.

Well to finish: Tomorrow when Sachin goes to the Eden Gardens and gives the treatment to Shoaib will the crowd forget its assumed role and cheer. Or............????

I love to write with these dramatic endings and then spoil it all by doing this.... Chow guys, until next time....

Om Shanti Om

Well a "long" over due review at last... Though I wanted to watch this film ever since its release(being a fan of Shah Rukh) my actual procurement of the ticket was an accident. I had gone to book tickets for a tamil movie but could not get continuous seats, so got OSO tickets instead....
I have to admit, Farah and Shah Rukh are both thinking individuals who make a lot of sense. SRK's relentless marketing is a big reason for the movie's success.The way Farah has inserted various nuggets of sarcasm and satire is a treat to the intellectual.....
From the very opening of the movie to the time when the credits roll its one big roller coaster ride through the life and times in tinsel town and Farah manages to keep you guessing and gushing till the very end...
The aspirations and dreams of Junior artiste, Om Prakash Makhija are very easy to relate to and the scene where he meets his supposed GF the superstar, Shantipriya is simply touching. The innocence and freshness of the character is portrayed with flawless ease by SRK. The love,meeting,saving,meeting between the two leads is all very beautiful and nice. Shanti's unhappiness and apathy is understandable. ( "the best part in shooting is pack-up", she says).The film at this point moves ahead without faltering and on Om's advice, Shanti claims her happiness from her hubby Mukesh, a producer. He of course is the villain and not wanting to put an end to his blossoming career and wanting to marry another producer's daughter, very cleverly deceives Shanti and kills both her and the loving yet helpless witness to the murder, Om. The second half is pretty much vindication by the re-incarnated Om with the help of a look alike Shanti- Sandy. Its a bits and pieces story from various sources moulded into one complete effective screen play.....
In this movie the highlight is the way Farah takes a dig at every thing and everybody that is Bollywood. She spares no one eventually turning the gun on herself and SRK himself. The irony behind the name "Kapoor" is cruel as SRK himself is a self made man.The elaborate sets and the make up is a visual treat though SRK does look a little old. Coming to Deepika... where can i start?? WOW!! She is one hell of a babe and a Heroine. She looks the part of a superstar diva of the 70s. (the make up does help..) The Dhoom Tana song is one technologically proficient song which is kewl to see. The transition and the insertion of Deepika into the songs of yester years along with the sound track is fantastic. Hmmm.. One can go on..
So anyways coming back to the movie.. All the actors involved put in a clean and efficient if not great portrayal. Arjun Rampal as the villain nearly steals the show. He is very very good or is it bad (being a villain :) :))....
One more revelation. I always thought that underplaying a role is the best way to bring it out on screen, but Farah proves me completely wrong as far OSO is concerned. Here every character plays the ham, literally hogging the lime light. Over acting seems to be the key word. But of course everybody is a caricature so it works. ( and how!!) The line by SRK that its a family trait says it all.....
All together the film for the most part is a laugh riot (satirically dry/witty humor combined with some side-splitting spontaneity) touching in some parts, and pretty unbelievable and tacky in a very few places. Bottomline- a super duper hit!!!
Some Things To Look Out For : DEEPIKA, DEEPIKA, SRK's Abs in Dard-E-Disco and the song itself, The scene when SRK plays the Tamil star (Rajini I assume- totally hilarious), The Filmfare awards, MOHABAT MAN and some beautiful songs.
Things You Should Not Even Think About, Let Alone Look Out For : Logic, Underplaying, Story, Dialogues that are not corny, anything that is not 70's.
P.S.: I really appreciate Farah for the credits. She finds a way to bring everybody in and make it unique and lovable too.. And kudos to Deepika to become a real reel super star (could not resist).
So thats all folks. Ill leave you with a " Enna da rascala ?? MIND IT!!!"

INDIA DENUDED

The talk of the day i guess is nudity. I have a couple of points to make and what better outlet than a blog?? I saw this news channel yesterday having a debate on the matter at hand.. To bring those of u who are bewildered up to date.... An arts student called Chandramohan painted a couple of nude renderings of hindu gods and jesus christ. These were exhibited in a private examination hall of his institute as the paintings were part of an examination process. Anyway a mob of activists supposedly belonging to some political group entered the hall without permission and destroyed the paintings. Chandramohan was arrested following this on grounds of hurtin the religious sentiments of the general public. Later the dean of the institute who protested against this arrest was suspended by the vice chancellor and he mysteriously disappeared. Anyway in the news channel NDTV to be precise the matter on debate was not Chandramohan but on nudity. The tv channel seemed to take the view that we the people must be more broad minded and take nudity in our stride. Well i ask the anchor this: How will she feel if the painting is of her and not the gods...
will she continue to vociferously support artistic freedom?? Yes Chandramohan was treated shabbily by the Govt. The activists had no right to step into the premises of the institute without prior notice and permission. But that does not justify the student's mistake. Is this what you want your children to grow thinking?? That it is allowed to defile the sentiments of others??
The question is not of religious belief. The question is of respecting the sentiments of your neighbours. And another very funny thing happening was the list of celibrity guests who were brought to the debate who were saying "much ado about nothing" then why were they on the show?? Really.... now... Is that the level of intelligence of the average news watcher??? What do they take us for?? I think it is time the news channels realised that their job is to present the NEWS and not their take on it.....

GURU

I was thinking that maybe this film does not deserve my criticism.. but all said and done, it is "Maniratnam"....
Well getting a ticket in itself was a big challenge.. but lucky me, I got an elite seat, that too a center one. But all that hard work was not justified.... at least not completely. Starting with the disclaimer, things did not ring true. It claimed that "all characters were fictitious and any resemblance to existing persons was pure coincidence." Pure irony.Maybe the director meant it that way.....
The initial portrayal of guru as a sales boy was as "Mani" as it gets... and Abhishek Bhachan has to be commended for the seam-less transformation....
Aha! Now here comes the next false note. It has to be noticed that Aishwarya Rai is a wee bit too old to continue to dance in the rain with abandon... and none of her reactions in this part of the film are natural...Though she does get better with time...
As said before, the disclaimer is a mockery, the story,if it can be called a story,is about Dhirubai Ambani.
Abhishek gives us a good,if not the best portrayal of the character. The Shakti corporations idea,his struggle to get there,the strifes,the roadblocks,the helping hand,etc.. is believable(barely). But the film drags...around here,losing its initial pace,uncharacteristic of Maniratnam.
Then theres another infusion of pace as Madhavan is introduced. The actor deserves credit as he produces another of his superb,underplayed cameos..
Chakraborthy is a revelation. I cant imagine why the actor was in for such a long hiatus.
Vidya Balan pulls the pace down further, as her character in itself only bogs down the pace,but she is natural and honest in the portrayal of a chirpy but handicapped girl...

So these are the films plusses: Abhishek to a certain extent,Mithun Chakraborthy, Madhavan,great background score and really powerful dialogue.
and these are the minusses: Aishwarya Rai,A needless Vidya Balan(though no fault of her own), less usage of Madhavan,needless song and dance sequences,a meandering screenplay and ofcourse lack of the "Mani" stamp.

But the director does redeem himself with the last dialogue sequence,followed by the hero's address to his share holders. These two scenes coupled with Abhishek's screen presence manage to bring the movie back to a semblance of being a MANIRATNAM product.....