Trains , travel and terror!

Train journeys always fascinate me....the motion,the food,the view,the smell - almost everything about Samuel Homfray's invention attracts me...

I am back after a short holiday and travelled by train after almost an aeon!But I absolutely love the feeling - especially the middle berth, the "jhal muri"(for those whose taste buds have been deprived of this ethereal pleasure, this is THE snack for you),the moving scenery(alright I know my science right,but then this is poetic license),the curves it takes so that you can see the engine ---- its all in good taste!

There was experience of all kinds this time round....there was this one vendor who, perhaps is the biggest miser I've ever seen....fighting for every bit of peanut(literally!)...and there was this one railway guy who got us good food on request, simply because he agreed with our complaint on the food being tasteless...Yeah!this trip was a fulfilling one...the Big fat Indian wedding celebrations smeared with yours' truly turning a year older...a nice week I'd say!

But I'm upset today...after the attacks that rocked Mumbai, India's business capital - I fail to understand how anyone could derive pleasure out of killing innocent people who've neither caused them any harm nor done any wrong to deserve a death as painful as this...There have been attacks all over the country in the recent past - Jaipur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Bangalore....the list is frightening.........

I fear this is the beginning of dark times -- the dark times J K Rowling so vividly painted with Potter is finally haunting the Muggle world...But whatever it may be, it shakes my trust in mankind! I like to believe I'm a philanthropist....but incidents like these perturbs my morale, my very being...

We really need to do something...what?I'd perhaps never know...I do not know why, how and when innocent minds think the way it is...for that matter I never understand why we have wars....I've said that umpteen times in my blog and otherwise....But this kind of killing needs to be stopped!!

May God bless those who've lost anything or anyone over these absolutely baseless issue...May God rest the souls of all deceased for no fault of theirs...May good sense prevail among all who believe killing and terror can solve any issue! Amen!

Dreams and Ruminations Inc.

When you don’t blog regularly for a long time, you often tend to run short of topics to blog on when you resume. Perhaps that’s what happened to me these days….But today I decided, I shall blog on whatever my mind’s occupied with this very moment.

I got up this morning with a headache (caused by a disgusting nightmare)! May be I should blog about nightmares….or better still about dreams…I fail to understand why we dream…Researches say its our chain of thoughts in the subconscious minds which erupt as dreams…Parapsychologists claim its our future/past that manifests into reality in the dreams….I frankly have never analyzed them….but just that these thoughts usually stay with me the entire day and keep haunting me(Oh yes the good ones too!)…
So may be my blog friends could elaborate on these bizarre things….that they call DREAMs!

Another thing that caught my mind this morning was a picture on the front page of the newspaper…It bore profile pictures of the two most talked about men of the moment – Mr McCain and Mr Obama….But what I was most intrigued by was a teardrop rolling down Obama’s cheek…..for his personal loss!

This I thought was unfair – bringing someone’s personal moments before public eye! Whatever a person’s celebrity status is, he deserves some amount of privacy .The man has lost someone dear….why should that be brought to public notice? For publicity? For sympathy or for defamation? Definitely not fair….But that’s not how everyone thinks I guess….perhaps that’s why the media’s shrieking about every possible pro and con – private or public to get to where it matters!

I am going to sign off for the time being and get back to work! But you readers…give this a thought! Adios!

Utopia

A colleague of mine introduced me to these lines…thought I’d share it with my blog:

“Imagine there’s no country, it isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer but I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us and the world will be as one”
Imagine - JOHN LENNON

I felt these lines were lovely- utopian but beautiful! Only a dreamer could say this – someone who loves life and the world!

Wouldn’t this be great? – to be in a world that has no barriers – no military, no war , no politics and no killing…….Wouldn’t it be lovely to believe in one force that protects us and not in numerous religions?

Thankfully, I have been born in a family where I was taught to believe in goodness of a religion rather than the orthodoxy of it…but how do you blame those who weren’t? How do you blame people who think wars are a way of protesting for all the bad that ever happened to anyone? They were brought up that way….not their fault…but the world suffers for them….

We, humans, can’t fight destiny – we can’t resist natural disasters or poverty or death …..But there are some things we can …..we can dissolve class barriers , we can forgive people who mistakenly caused harm to us , we can trust people who live around us, , we can smile at the hungry child who lives by the road , we can spread love to people who need it the most….these are things in our hand…..things that will make this world a better place to live in…..a world which will be “One”……..someday………

Memoirs of days gone by........

This morning one of closest friends just mailed in…unexpectedly, I’d say (knowing her). Her mail kind of re-ignited memoirs of those days gone by in good ol’ Bangalore.

Weird-we can’t recreate those days of travelling miles to have breakfast at Koshy’s, of chain mailing over 4 days to plan a weekend of doing nothing, of booking first day first shows at Rex and forgetting tickets at home!

I miss Bangalore today- I miss those people who made it beautiful…I miss those moments of anxious longing for weekends to come. I miss those initial days of earning and those flaunting moments at Fiorano .I miss gaming around at Brew haha and gorging at Mast Kalandar. I miss it all!

So today when I read A’s mail, I could contain myself….memories are sweet but more so haunting. Manipal was like experiencing the world…but Bangalore taught me how to enjoy it! Life’s been good so far….and its going to change forever sometime soon….But I’m always going to have a very special place for Bangalore deep down !

This goes as a thank you note to all you people who made Bangalroe so special….Thanks guys for those late night sandwiches, for those petty squabbles over TV, for those walks along avenues unknown, for chats longer than Hutch could hope, for exploring Forum more than its architects did and for Brigade road window shopping more than I’d ever imagine…Thank you all!

The bus I missed

This post goes for all those times that someone has missed the bus...like I just did... its a miserable feeling...especially when you're running after it half out of breath half red with embarrassment of onlookers....and it runs past your nose...

Life's like that!!!We miss oppurtunities so many times....time and again.....
The boss comes up with a rocking project ahead of you and you have your granny wanting to spend time with you....The paper you wrote is to be read at a renowned convention and you're all set for a vacation with family....The photoshoot you've been longing for is finally here and you wake up that morning with a swollen cheek.....happened to us all sometime or the other...rite??

I believe its about prioritising one's life...you just have to know what comes first for you...very individualistic though it is....but its as important to know that as it is to know oneself...

I know I'm jabberring gibberish but trust me ,my friend, that is precisely what you do when you miss your bus and are standing on the streets stranded and utterly irritated with yourself!!!

Back with a Bong!!!

I still remember the enthusiasm with which I had begun blogging......writing down almost everything that was happening to me..every feeling that would strike a chord....incoherent and yet meaningful chain of thoughts all penned down under my blog....

And then,I guess, I grew up....and voila....I was suddenly so busy..there was work everywhere..life just got to going to work and back...exhausted and dying for sleep..

Not true!! One can never be so busy as not to find time for oneself...never so engaged so as to not notice how one's moving on in life....never so occupied to not know how we gradually grace ourselves towards senility...

I believe its just a pretence we all like to put on...a facade of the "busy" me to perhaps make oneself believe that our life's in a standstill puddle of "busy" engagements....But that's NOT true,for Christ's sake!

So may be this is my moment of realisation...a moment when I realise college memories look really distant...school memories almost minuscule..when I realise that life's soon progressing towards a phase when I might not be the same again...when I realise how I have to cling onto things that make me happy,things that excite me,things that remind me of the small joys of life.........and so I'm back to blogging....

I know this post is no where close to "Back with a bang" feel...but at least its a decent start....its a nice moonlit night in a completely mesmerising California lagoonside..and here I am blogging away to glory!!!

Its time to awaken my Sentience all over again...

The Great Indian Cricketing Circus!

Once upon a time….long long ago… I used to be a frequent blogger...the frequency being a respectable 3-4 posts a week…..

And today when I “dropped by” my own blog after aeons, it actually took me a couple of minutes to recall what my last post was all about!!! Deterioration of blogger spirit is probably the only cause of it all… ’Cos being “busy” would probably be a very very common excuse.

A lot of things have changed since I last posted in my blog…. One thing in particular that I’d like to mention: The Indian Premiere League.

IPL has become the “IT” thing now… well… here’s yours truly opining on it all (the world’s been waiting for it after all)...Some stinking rich businessmen / so called “stars” buying a whole bunch of men claiming to be the torchbearers of a Gentlemen’s game…that’s what IPL is all about. I wouldn’t really mind if they called it just another bout of entertainment mania…But no!!! Our nouveau riche insists on calling it “Cricket” – for God’s sake! This isn’t what 22 extremely talented men need for sheer publicity….

I am definitely not the most deserving person to comment on cricket – especially when I cannot not even tell an LBW in a shot ….but I surely love to watch the game …and that gives me a license to comment!

I have nothing against entertainment and sports being mingled….but then that shouldn’t be at the cost of the game…Its okay when sportsmen walk the ramp or even endorse products ….. Understandable thirst for money and fame….

All I am asking is to keep entertainment out of the field….not at least when the matches are on… with the immense number of film stars to focus on , our lens men often miss out on action replays of important shots!!! With the cheerleaders stealing the remaining bit of attention, the other day a journalist interviewed common men who didn’t even know which player belonged to which team!Please keep the game sane, so what if the videos put major film promotions to shame….

Certain things are best when kept at their sophisticated self… Perhaps cricket is just one of them….

Memoirs of an MITan

I have been a tremendously irregular blogger over the past few months….and this time there is no one else to blame….

But a thought crossed my mind the other day…..and voila!! I found myself craving to blog again….

Its been almost three years since we passed out of college….(Oh yes!! I feel old all over again….) The use of plural here is deliberate. I’m talking about my gang of friends….. Life moves on…..and “we” have moved on too….

Deeps is happily married ….. Whosoever knew she’s go in for arranged marriage. Well, she now has an investment banker to boast of and an incredibly bright academic career ahead. She’s probably long past our college days……But I’d like to thank her for waiting relentlessly with a car when we bored her with our make up comments – for making noodles for me when I needed it the most – for running up and down the corridor to watch a particular song on TV on my request ( I understand the readers wouldn’t make anything out of this jabber … but this was a so to say “tribute” to Deeps alone)

SRC is studying / working (well I have frankly never understood what this woman is ever upto) ….. She’s a Boston girl now. I’d however like to remember her as a curly haired teddy ( I know you’re on the verge of killing me now SRC!!! Achtung!!) (in)famous for her gurgling walk down the hostel corridor… I would probably never understand a lot of things that she did….and perhaps that’s what makes her so special…You could talk to her after a decade and still never feel the gap…… A woman of substance---almost literally!

Manavi , too is a working lady now….pretty and lovable as ever….someone who was a delight to meet from day one….and who always shall be…. I’ll treasure her forever…

Aishu’s someone I’d always thank Manipal for….I’m glad I found a friend in her… She’s moved on in life in all possible perspectives….but I know she’s always going to be within my reach….whenever I need a friend….She’s like a recurring thing that keeps reminding you of its presence at almost every moment of your life…She’s impacted me in ways she or I would probably never know…..and for all that…Thanks would never be enough….. Love you Aishu!!

There’s a string of people I’d like to mention as I reminisce my hostel days….days of hanging out at those small eateries around college….days of burning the midnight oil (awrite...Electricity) for those EM assignments….days of chatting all night long on an issue so trivial that even short term memory refuses to store them….. But time’s the culprit…I got to stop….and as I stop I can’t help smiling to myself…. Boy!!! What fun days those were…..

Hail Pujo!

One of my initial posts had something that I had to say about Durga Puja and how I missed it then. This Pujo (as we “Bongs” prefer calling it) I, thankfully, don’t have to mourn thus!!!! I am all here in Kolkata raving to enjoy every moment of the festival that so precisely describes the Bengali fervor

Pujo is much more than a mere festival to Bengalis( I remember reading a Vir Sanghvi article in which he defines a Bengali as one who’s ever had anything to do with Bengal)….But then each festival is special to one who celebrates it! So let me put what I personally feel about Pujo instead of a generic description of it……

I have been more of a cosmopolitan for most of my life. I would probably have spent only a handful number of Pujos in Kolkata….but even that memory is flabbergasting!! Be it the frenzy that drives people (count me among those too, readers) as if this is the first time they’ve been to a store since lightening struck all their clothes or the suffocating crowd that rushes before the pandals(read: designed arenas where the idol is worshipped…..actually it’s a lot more than I can describe) …….the Pujos have it all. It is perhaps the only festival that satiates the hysteria we Bengalis are so infamously famous for!!

I feel Pujo in the mellow fragrance of Autumn winds, in the blue of the sheath above, in the smell of new clothes, in the rumbling of the dhhak( read: Bengali version of drum) around in the anticipation of the Bengali heart within....I feel Pujo everywhere….

An ode to the Potter fan in me......

I know I have been shamefully laid-back about blogging over the last few days…..but that’s because there’s been a lot of new things happening in my life….

Awrite…I do not plan to bore you busy bloggers with tales of a 24 year old’s life. But as usual, I’d like to share my thoughts….

I’m reading (actually I’m going to complete it today, I know , that’s slow….) Harry Potter (7)…..And the avid Potter fan that I am, I keep pondering over it for quite sometime during the day…..

At the risk of being a spoiler (I assume most, interested to read, have already read it), I think I expected a lot more from this book than what it gave me. There were answers to all questions alright. But the unpredictability was somehow lost. Blame it on the (unnecessary, I daresay) hype surrounding its release or my over-estimation, I confess that this book has not lived up to my excitement.

I have always vehemently opposed Potter cynics when they said it was just another over-hyped story book. I stick by that even today. Its not!!! It is undoubtedly a well framed creation by a lady who knows exactly how to touch the chord of one and all…..But there’s absolutely no denying that Madame Rowling has tried to mix elements from (fairy) tales all over the world….and has been somewhat successful in that ,may I add….I feel, however, the essence and innocence of the initial few books has been progressively diminishing….

I am enjoying every bit of the book…..but somewhere deep down it has failed to satiate what I was looking forward to….I know that’s absolutely abstract….but that’s how it is….

For the heck of being with “the boy who lived” till the very end (I doubt that very much though)….go get yourself a copy!!!

Home again....

Finally!!!
Finally I’m posting after a hiatus….finally its raining like crazy here…finally I am home.

Today I do not have any string of thought or any opinion to express….Today it’s just a feeling I’d like to share….

I have been away from home for about 6 years now…almost felt like a guest in my own house…with delicacies being prepared every time I came, with tasks being listed down for every moment that I stayed, with relatives complaining my lack of social interaction during the few days that I graced my presence at home. Being at home was almost synonymous to holidays for me…..and somewhere deep down that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to be at home- literally and beyond.

So today that I am here….. (Touchwood) but I’m loving it. Screaming roadies, honking buses, water-logged streets, and humidity – no one in their right state of mind would call this bliss. But I do. I do because this is where I want to be….this is where I need to be…and this is where I have to be.

I doubt if I’m making much sense to readers…Pardon me for this abstract piece of writing…but as I said my “Sentience” shall only reflect my state of mind….and this is exactly how it is.

Yes, I am home.

Education or ignorance?

Long time ago when yours truly was in school (I love acting old. Don’t I??) , there existed one concept. It was mainly cultivated by those cynics who claimed that it’s difficult to score good marks in state board. Hence ICSE or CBSE (both being national level boards for secondary / higher secondary education) was “simpler” compared to the prevalent state board. I vehemently opposed to the concept that time, perhaps because I was in ICSE board myself.

But the fact remains that our education system needs to be revised. My humble opinion is that all boards should be merged into one. Probably that would be the only answer to this inconsistency existing in the nation. Marks are disbursed among students like crazy!! How does this system recognize true merit if almost 60% students from a school get +90% marks in their boards?

Another concern remains the introduction of English as a language in fifth standard in Government schools. I am not aware of the current implementation of this rule in the country. But I feel it’s absolutely horrendous to imagine a kid would waste first few years of his academic life learning sweet-nothings. However he would always expected to be as competent in the language as others who live by English since they step in schools. Generally the morale of the former is lower when he faces the world after a decade…a world where English is the lingua franca!

But I prefer being an optimist. I loved one particular line from a popular movie I watched in recent past. They say that no country is perfect; the citizens have to strive to make it so. True…..
It’s very easy to criticize and to leave the country for our own growth ….What is difficult is to stay here…to implement all the progressive ideas that breed in an educated mind. I hope someday we all realize that…Say Amen!

The fan.......

Typically I should call this post to be “inspired” by this particular write-up I read. These days I have been reading “Chicken Soup for Working Women”(Awrite there…..Don’t laugh at me)…Nice inspirational stories-yes…..But I read them for the real life ones which are everyday stories like those Readers’ digest stuff I usually like.

So there was this article about a working mother, also a single parent to a two year old. She talked about how she would strive hard to stuff the kid with toys / objects that could keep him busy and her free for other chores….till one day when she told him to watch the ceiling fan whilst she did other work… And then he pulled her to watch the fan so as to provide her with respite from those humdrum stuff…..

I could completely relate to this bit. Very often we tend to get so occupied in our daily lives that we forget to live in the present….I do not remember watching a starlit sky in years now…or observing a butterfly sitting on the wall before me…..or smelling the first rain….Though I love them all….Then what am I aiming for, in life???

Blame all these so-to-say boring posts on those philosophical pangs that occasionally trouble me nowadays. But I have reserved this blog to express my state of mind…I have to push off now. I was allowed only these ten minutes of spare time to spend on my thoughtful stances. Enough for the day. I guess?!! :)

But really…..I would love to watch the ceiling fan rotate one day….minus thoughts of the past failures or future endeavors…of meetings I goofed up….of appointments that await me….I would love to live in the present moment…one day!!!!!

BrewHaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How many times have you tried out your mommy/daddy’s clothes as a kid? How many times have you tried on those attractive looking bottles of cosmetics and perfumes (okay this one’s for the girls alone) or dad’s shaving foam (you get who this is for …don’t you?!!!)?

I just happened to revisit all those days of fascination and apprehensions for adulthood…..all those moments of secret pleasure in imagining oneself as a grown-up…..all those pangs of ire on listening the same old “After you grow up kiddy!” rebuff.
And why!??!...you may ask.

I was walking to office the other day when I saw this seven/eight year old child striving real hard to reach the foothold of his cycle. Absolutely nonchalant about the bulk of an adult sized vehicle this child kept falling and grasping onto the paddle time and again. Every time he managed to reach to the paddle a satisfied smile flashed to reveal a broken set of milk teeth!!

Life’s all about getting what we don’t have…..and then lamenting on what we lost. All through my childhood and adolescence I yearned to be an adult …..And now that I am one….. I wish I were a kid again….Probably it’s this longing mixed with boredom that predominantly engulfs our lives, I landed up indulging in some unadulterated fun this weekend.

So yesterday some of us friends went to this new hangout in Bangalore called "BrewHaHa" to (hold your breath now) play!!! And play what???....Games those were so integral of our growing up years….Lovely moments to cherish, some amazing hours with your loved ones and good food!!! BrewHaHa’s all about that and more.

I strongly recommend the place for people who are game for some serious fun. Only regret: I wish I could have spent more time there with some friends I miss every moment nowadays…Guys- I wish our college days were back!!(See there….again I wish something….Didn’t I tell you??)

Who are they????????

This thought has been bothering me from quite sometime now…….What is being a celebrity all about???

It’s sometimes so funny the way these people (I hope calling them “people” doesn’t offend them) behave. Please do not get me wrong here. I have nothing against “them”. It’s just that their “holier than thou” attitude totally irks me.

I’m sure their work demands a lot of hard work and arouses hell lot of curiosity among us lesser mortals. I’m sure they often sacrifice basic joys of life as a price for fame. I’m sure they hate (actually here I’m not that sure!! :)) being hounded by paparazzi at each moment of their lives……

But what my otherwise logical mind cannot justify is their severe attitude problem. I mean, being a celeb does not entitle them to consider themselves super-natural (oh u bet they do!!!)…..Being able to get front-seat passes at award functions when other commoners are sweating it out at the back to get a glimpse of these “stars” is no license for them to behave as if they own the world.

I do not know if this attitude prevails only among the glamour world citizens or among all famous people in general…..But this definitely needs attention. As I read in a magazine the other day, these actors are becoming more of “people” than “stars”…Probably if we compare an “Audrey Hepburn” with an “Angelina Jolie” or a “Sridevi” with a “Preity Zinta”…yes they are…..But I am certain there’s still a long way to go.

After all, the toil that a daily-wage earner invests is as much as a film actor would put in…if not more!!! So what if both eat meager meals (one out of compulsion and other out of fancy!!)……Well, inequality is all life’s all about, I guess……..

My Sentience personified.......

My mum remarked the other day that somehow the word “ma” (in whatever form/language it may be) exudes a feel of security, warmth and unconditional love. She was probably missing my grandma (her mum) a bit too much that day…..

But those words really got me thinking. ….And this post shall have all those threads of thoughts that got me pensive after ages that day….

If I may bore you readers with a small walk down my memory lane, I’d like to share this small incident here. I had once met this nun (Pardon my amnesiac head here…can’t mention her name) as a kid. She happened to say something which has somehow left a mark in my heart, probably forever.

She told me that all mothers are special-but that mine was a little more. I’m sure each one of us would like to believe so. But since this is my post I’d like to tell you why I feel so (Readers please do share your thoughts about the same).

Today, when I can proudly and humbly (whoa!!!What a paradox) call myself a career woman, I do realize the importance of being on one’s own feet...The feeling of being able to wake up each morning to know that you would have to rush to work, the feeling of buying your dear ones cute li’l things with your own salary, the feeling of knowing that you are revered at your workplace…..the feeling of creating a niche for your own self is simply ecstasy! I understand that today.

And to be able to achieve all that and then give it up just for your child is something I call grit. A lawyer of my mum’s caliber could have soared high today….To give up all that and more so as to let your child grow up as an able human being is something that sure deserves appreciation.

So this goes as a thank-you note to her this “Mothers’ Day”.

Thank you for everything Ma!!!

“For I know the plans I have for you”

Of late I have been visiting quite a few blogs…And as I discover the thoughts of fellow beings, I can’t really help thanking God for what I have!!!

True, life hasn’t been a bed of roses so far…There have been moments of pique and failures…..There have been bouts of monotony….and pangs of untoward thoughts. There have been times I’ve complained of so many things that I almost sounded like Calvin (of C&H fame of course)….

And yet when I came across this article about Nick Vujicic, I realized how kind life’s been. I remember this poem I read as a child (and I’m sure many of you readers might just have glanced over it). It was a child’s confession as to how she complained of her ugly feet or eyes till she saw a lame or blind person…I remember the poem had got me thinking with that tiny little brain of mine even then….Nick Vujicic reminded me of the same poem all over again…..May his kind continue to motivate us earthlings……He sure is an exemplary creation of God!!!!This was a quote on his website(do take time out to check out the link):

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Kudos to all those who dare to dream ….to those who achieve them and all those who don’t!!!!

The Catcher in the Rye

I just finished reading “The Catcher in the Rye” this morning. “A cult book” as one of my friends calls it…
An absolute marvel…I am so glad I read it…..So I just had to write about it in my web space!!!

There’s hardly any point writing about the story as I assume I’m one of those unfortunate few to have read this book so late in my life (Boy! !!Do I sound old??!!).But the subtlety in the book’s fascinating…if you happen to get them…. that is….

Frankly speaking, I’ve never been intrigued by the “inner meanings” of many books. But this one was an exception. How a 17 year old’s interpretation of the world and its people could actually reveal the futility of the conventional norms of society is amazing!!

The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, hardly ever misses calling people “phony” (I suppose that’s the most frequently used term in the novel).His world almost collapses as he realizes his solitude and seclusion from most people in the world (except maybe his sister Phoebe).Apparently its just a teenager talking about few days of “freaking out” .The subtle meaning however, is indicative of how our world’s so pretentious and weird.

I thought the title was absolutely apt. It’s from a Thomas Burns’ poem containing these words whereby a catcher stands all day at the cliff “catching” any child who’d fall off the gorge. It explains Holden’s state of mind where he wants to protect a child’s mind from the atrocities of adulthood….or maybe his own self.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read (and hasn’t already read it!!).I enjoyed the book and hope you do so too….

For a better world.......

Ignorant as one would call me, I have no qualms in admitting that I was unaware of the monstrous predominance of “Domestic violence”. I mean I did know it exists and that several women are subjected to it on a daily basis……But I had absolutely no clue as to how common it could be.

“Provoked” is like any other well-made movie with good performances (I confess I liked Ms Rai for the first time ever) and commendable direction. But what’s more striking is that it compels you to carry the issue along.What makes it even more touching is the fact that its based on the real-life story of the landmark case called "Regina Vs. Ahluwalia" - a case which re-defined the term "Provocation"!!!

Probably as a twenty-something I have a lot of apprehensions about life…And issues like domestic violence only adds to what I would call more of “dread” than apprehension!!!We are educated alright…..but can we really claim to be emancipated??

It’s been pretty frequent that I visited the theatre…but I’m glad I watched some real good cinema. I hope the future of the world’s as good as in the movie(I would call the ending positive if not happy)….Amen!!

Its all in a name.......

When I read “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri, I remember having identified with the characters. The feeling got re-juvenated after watching its screen version.

I have always maintained that books lose their charm once they are made into movies…But I must confess I did think otherwise this time. With powerful performances by truly talented actors, impeccable direction, and absolute technical proficiency (though I am no critic to technical aspects of movie-making, I loved certain camera shots…For eg: the Howrah station scene merging past and present)...The movie was indeed a delightful experience. I must specially mention the lead actor’s (Irfan Khan) amazing attempt at mimicking the Bengali accent. It’s commendable as to how he has brilliantly spun authenticity into it without overdoing it. (You have to trust my opinion on this one!)

One tends to identify with Nikhil ‘Gogol’ Ganguli. His character compels you to ponder on your cultural standing. You tend to question your attitude towards your family, your roots and your beliefs….I feel it provides an absolutely necessary halt to our otherwise fast paced lives…It re-emphasizes the need to live in the present…to feel the beauty of having a family and to feel how it is to be loved…Gogol is like a reality check to the hot blooded youth of today….

Not always would you come across movies which provoke you to carry the thought along once you leave the theater. I am glad I experienced this rare feeling last Saturday…This one’s definitely worth a watch(or may be more)!!!