Tickles

The State Of Things...

2008-05-01T17:24:00.004+05:30

If this kid can get it, why can't we?

6th Pune International Film Festival

2008-01-16T12:55:00.001+05:30

Films with dialogues. Films without. Films about war and rapes. Films about love and children. Dry films. Melodramatic films. Sweet films. Silly films.

My first International Film Festival has been quite an experience. I've seen so many films that my waking and sleeping hours are filled with images from them.

For those interested, the official site is here. The fest ends tomm.

Some of my favorite were:

Cherries (Chinese): tells the tale of a retarded woman who brings up an abandoned child and the journey of this parent-child pair

Khuda Ke Liye (Pakistani): an intelligently developed and well thought out plot around a family that struggles with their Islamic identity, both in Pakistan and the US

Someone to run for (Isreali) a sweet story about the runaway teens in Jerusalem - a girl's search for her brother and a boy's search for this girl!

Some really crappy ones were: Because of Love, Hukkle, Kika and Pareethuvaliam.

Taare Zameen Par

2008-01-11T16:48:00.002+05:30

A film like Taare Zameen Par has been long due. And I should have guessed that someone like Aamir Khan would bring it to the world. One of the few (good) men around with the courage to be unconventional and question the norm. And of course no one else could've played the role of the compassionate teacher better.

Ishaan is 8 years old. In the third grade, he's a pretty good mix of your average kid that age - he creates mischief, pulls out fish from the school drain, laughs a lot, paints, plays with the street dogs, blows into his glass milk.... nothing unusual there right?

But there is. He doesn't spell well. And is in the third grade for the second year consecutively.

For the vast majority of this ignorant world, Ishaan is just stupid and insolent. What this vast majority doesn't understand is that he suffers from a disorder called dyslexia. Its not something that can't be fixed, but it needs three things to overcome it - love, patience and support.

None of which, ofcourse, were extended to Ishaan by his parents or teachers or the society in general. They didn't know what dyslexia meant. They only knew that he wasn't performing like the other children. And they knew of only one solution around that - force, humiliate, intimidate, threaten, abuse till he ... ? spells right? How?

The tale is told in a heart-wrenching manner. Darsheel Safary who plays Ishaan (Inoo for some) moves effortlessly from naughty, angry, desperate, arrogant, helpless, happy, petrified and a range of emotions that a misunderstood and lonely child might go through. He is indeed a gifted child actor and has been chosen well.

Inoo is sent away to a boarding school after his parents give up on disciplining him. At the new school, the child's sense of self goes from bad to worse. He battles with the guilt of being a punished child and the pain of being separated from his family. He recoils into himself and tumbles into a well of depression and withdrawal.

While Ishaan continues to be a 'gone case' for most, there is someone who sees through the failure and investigates. Ram Shankar Nikumbh, played by the ever reliable Mr. Khan enters the scene and breathes some fresh air into Inoo's life - recognizing his weaknesses, but more importantly, acknowledging his strengths - his genius artistic ability.

Slowly, patiently the teacher works with student, loving, supporting and helping him scrape through the other subjects, but encouraging him to develop his real talent.

The movie might have picked a topic and focussed on a particular issue. But there is a universal message in the film for all of us who interact with children - they are special. In their world, magic, laughter, dance, love - happens all the time. And we have no right to take that away from them. In fact it is we who need to learn from children - how to see miracles in the mundane, how to create, how to live in innocence and trust.

Thank you Taare Zameen Par - good lessons for us adults there.

I am Legend - Review

2008-01-05T13:36:00.000+05:30

I wonder if movie stars often claim a film to be entirely theirs?

I have no doubt they do :)

With I Am Legend, Will Smith can make that claim unhesitatingly. For one, he's pretty much the only character in the film. And two, he does a pretty neat job of being that one solitary character.

As usual, America is in trouble. The time is 2012. The place NYC. This time its an unstoppable virus that plagues humanity - infecting and annihilating the world's population. But as the film's promo says - 'The Last man on earth.. is not alone' (spoookkky trailers -check out one here and another here) there are survivors, but they aren't human anymore. Infected by the virus, they now survive only in the dark, and yes, you guessed it, scrounge for human blood to keep alive.

Robert (Smith) is immune to this virus, and as a virologist, struggles to find a cure to reverse the deadly and deathly infection. He also makes valiant (though discernibly hopeless) attempts to reach out to any human survivors in the city - broadcasting everyday on radio, keeping supplies etc. On the personal front, he tries to retain his sanity, in a place with no sign of life around him. A job he's carried out very impressively.

Oh and I almost forgot, he has a dog, who's partly immune too. One really funny moment is when Smith is scanning the calender and exclaims 'Sam, its my b'day!' and Sam the ever loving pet, cocks her head in acknowledgment - tongue out and everything.

The movie shot around a dilapidated and desolate New York, esp Brooklyn Bridge, does a tight-rope walk between thrilling and rattling - springing the viewer to anticipate what's coming next, or putting them off with wild images of the zombies who are downright ugly.

The real turn of events takes place when Smith does finally encounter real survivors - a woman and a child, the former of whom is convinced that a refuge camp exists. Robert, by now devoid of social skills, is adamant that there is no such thing and insists on staying put and figuring out a breakthrough to the virus.

Although the movie keeps you riveted and wanting more, I was less than happy with the ending. Why kill a hero when he can be saved, I ask? I don't think that would have taken anything away from the astounding flow and presentation of the film.

But then, maybe survivors don't get to be legends.

Dus Kahaniyan - Review

2008-01-05T13:01:00.000+05:30

Bold, short and rare. That would be Dus Kahaniyan in a nutshell.

Bold because it touches on some seemingly taboo issues such as (hold your breath!) sex, AIDS, extra marital affairs, death, drugs.

Its also refreshingly short and crisp. Each of the ten stories gets its due 15 minutes or so. Short enough to hold attention. Long enough to detail a story well.

Rare because a concept such as this is indeed unheard of in Indian cinema. I hear its a rip-off from an English movie titled The Ten. The Internet tells me that one's a comedy based on the ten commandments (mental note to rent and watch!)

On another note, I think such a concept augers really well for aspiring directors who are capable of making short films well. Often they have no platform to air their work. This could potentially be one such space for the lesser known, equally talented movie makers in India.

Back to the movie.. err movies - some were just plain silly, such as High on the Highway and Sex on The Beach. I forget the name of the one starring Neha Dhupia but it was pretty lame and misrepresented as well. Rise and Fall, the finale to the ten was see-able only because it had the stalwarts Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty pulling a weak script through (ok, the rain effect definitely added to the drama). The others were fairly well executed and some managed to even shock you with their ending.

In all, not a dull moment with the ten stories - even if some were feeble, they kept you guessing and glued till the end.

The Big Deal with Poker

2007-11-28T17:46:00.000+05:30

Last night, a bunch of us got together to cook, eat and play poker.

We'd planned to start by 830 and wrap up by 12 or so, given that most of us have jobs and/or early morning yoga/meditation classes.

We ultimately finished at 6am.

I'm yet to figure this out. What is it that keeps gamblers (amateurs included) hooked to the game in a way that defies all logic and sensibility? Greed appears to be the most likely candidate. Its probably also the sheer luck factor that makes one hope for a better deal with every passing game.

From a meditation POV, I feel nothing takes one farther away from staying centered than gambling. The mania that grips and takes over allows no space for watching/witnessing.

Anyway, these get togethers have been a good source of fun for us - with my friends, I constantly seek bonding on different levels/ways. Clearly this has become one more addition...

Ok, I fold for now :)

Grace and Grit

2007-10-07T18:53:00.000+05:30

I just finished reading Grace and Grit (yes, I ALWAYS read great books pretty late. I read the Da Vinci Code, Shantaram and some other huge bestsellers a good 4-5 years after they were released! but better late than never I say eh?) by Ken Wilber and I'm still reeling from the affect the book has had on me.

Treya is dying. And with her, on this journey walks Ken Wilber. The book is like a tapestry woven with the most intricate, intimate details from both Ken and Treya about what it means to have death staring you in the face. The guilt of having 'created this reality', the slow and painful deterioration of the body and its faculties, the affect of this eventuality on their marriage, the fear of dying, the hope of living....

For me the book brought so many insights. Treya writes often about the male-female duality - the male nature of doing versus the female nature of being and how often women struggle with this: living their natural truth in a male-oriented world where doing, accomplishing and achieving are important. The love between Ken and Treya - the pain, the anger of dealing with imminent death, the strain it takes on both of them as individuals and as a couple - is both awe-inspiring and heart-warming.

And then there is meditation - the preparation for death - of the mind and body. Treya's narrative has so much value for everyone on this path. Sooner or later, we all are going to die. Treya knew when. And she knew she didn't have much time. So what did she do? She dove into life and decided to experience every moment fully, with more meaning. Osho talks abouts this ALL the time, infact I feel he spent all his life trying to drive this point home. Every single day, at the Evening Meeting, he prepares us for death....guiding us through the process of dis-identifying with the body and mind... and letting the spirit and soul remain. He also urges his people to live in the moment, with a sense of urgency so we don't look back and regret not having done this or that.

After finishing the book, I felt immensely grateful towards the two writers who, through their difficult period, took the time to chronicle their processes, their feelings and experiences, for all if us to benefit from.

A good reminder that death does not mean the end :)

Partner - the movie

2007-07-24T22:16:00.000+05:30

The last David Dhawan movie I saw was when I was 18. Those days, I used to be highly opinionated and dismissive about things and people that didn't seem intelligent enough (I think it was called 'attitude' :)) . I rolled my eyes, screwed up my nose and made my displeasure known in several ways. A friend then told me 'Puja, when you grow older, you'll LOVE the lack of logic, the idiocy of these films. Its what you will want to do at the end of the day.' I promised him I definitely would not.

So when Puch (she, on her part confessed she'd leave her brains behind) booked tickets for Partner, I laughed at myself and wondered how this one would turn out. And oh! was I surprised.

Like a lot of Hindi movies, the story is not original. Infact it is oh-so-not-original that you even know what'll happen next if you've seen its English counterpart Hitch. But also like most Hindi movies, it has its own, very original dash of drama, dialogue and dance. And this is the part to be enjoyed I realize: the wild imagination, the troupe of colour-clad men and women appearing from nowhere to charm the heroine, the twists and tweaks that give it an endearing Indian flavor, the love-sickness everyone in the film suffers from, the final wedding-crashing-bride-stealing routine... you might have seen the original but this one is worth a dekko too.

Salman and Govinda don't do so many films anymore, so watching them was fun. Yes Salman takes his shirt off often enough and YES, Govinda does his silly-goose-maddening-jokery often enough too. Katrina is charming as ever and the perfect choice for the dainty heiress played by Cameron Diaz in Hitch. Lara Dutta is sexy and steady. The music is fantastic, mostly band-baaja types, no soft romantic stuff there, you have to get up and dance. That's the message.

There wasn't a huge turnout, but its also the middle of the week. I recommend the movie, if you're looking at some fun and funny entertainment.

Smack in the middle....

2007-07-18T10:42:00.000+05:30

..of the road. That's where our cows like to stand and chew the cud. Content, unperturbed, silent. Oblivious to the traffic and the noise. I like :)

Let it Rain

2007-06-20T18:46:00.000+05:30

Amanda Marshall didn't mean this to be a happy springy song.

But where I am - nestled into a sofa with a blanket, looking out at the grey sky, listening to the rain on the balcony roof, feeling the coolest, freshest breeze on my face, reading Vikram Seth, sipping chai, munching bhakar wadi, lazing it out in the middle of the week as if it was Sunday - trust me, its a song that fills me with delight. Its all I can wish from existence right now.. to just let it rain :)

Fact of the half-year

2007-06-17T17:37:00.001+05:30

I've ignored it. Wished it would go away. Stuck my tongue out. Made 'z' and 'x' sounds. Walked around like a peahen with my nose extended in the air and neck stretched. But the truth, whether I want to accept it or not, is that I'm stuck with a double chin. Thanks Papa. Got your brains, got the little spot on your face, got your deep brown eyes. Got your double-chin. Shit.

BlogCamp - Pune

2007-06-16T19:49:00.000+05:30

With a 'Plenty to blog about inside' banner greeting attendees at the SCIT gates, the trip that seemed to take us 'beyond bombay' (quote Abdul Qabiz) to Hinjewadi felt well worth it! There we were, tongues firmly in cheek and pens/laptops/smartphones firmly in toe for a real feel of the blogosphere.

Tarun and Parag were clearly at the forefront of the show (A big thumbs up to them!!) with a host of volunteers making arrangements and mixing around.

The unconference was 'interesting' :) the turnout was impressive - easily over the predicted 250. The unorganizers were a cheery, helpful lot and the energy was up. the food was fantastic! B-U-T. A poor wi-fi connection ensured some presentations could not happen smoothly. The sponsors' agenda was clear: pitch, pitch and oh god, yes, pitch. Big put-off. There was a presentation by Melody and Sakshi about the negatives of blogging. Tarun Dua blogged live from the event, miraculously typing and contributing to the discussion at the same time!

Hitesh and Pranav captured a lot on video and we should hopefully have a screencast on TechSutras up soon.

Oh and we got t-shirts which said 'I blog, therefore I am'

Therefore....

Strum a dum dum

2007-06-06T16:13:00.001+05:30

My relationship with music generally and the guitar specifically has evolved and seen some changes off late. 9 years ago, in college, I took guitar classes, bought a super-expensive guitar, tried and then failed/lost interest. Now, I've signed up for guitar classes again and bought another guitar (not so expensive though). In my former music life, I was tight, under a lot of pressure and very hard with myself for not getting it. This ensured that I didn't get it :) and eventually I quit...

Now, and I think meditation has changed many things in me, I'm more relaxed into myself, more patient and accepting... and that has allowed for a whole new world to open up for me. I'm enjoying the nuances, I'm not rushing to get anywhere and in that relaxed space, the music inside is allowing itself to be discovered... its one of the many things that can't be described but experienced.. and cherished.

I have class today. Ta da dee dee dum :)

"When you are creating something - a song, a dance - you are also creating yourself. You are discovering new dimensions of your own being" Osho

Cheeni Kum

2007-05-30T15:10:00.000+05:30

There are romantic comedies and India hasn't seen too many of them. At least not the really funny ones anyway. So when a film like Cheeni Kum comes along, it makes you sit up and take notice. And laugh.

Buddhadev is 64, grumpy and obsessive about his role as chief chef in London's exclusively authentic Indian Restaurant - Spice6. Living with his mother, his existence is devoid of both spices and cheeni. Predictably then along comes Nina, a 34-year old Indian visiting her friend in London. And amidst spicy Indian-meals and unpredictable London-showers, love blossoms.

R Balki, a veteran in the Indian advertising world, as writer and director has made love a crisp, no-nonsense recipe in the film. The repertoire shared by Buddhadev and Nina is amusing and Balki could not have picked more gifted performers to play them out. The dialogues are witty, trite, sarcastic and hilarious, defying all ideas about sweet love as we've known them, in Indian films.

Just as the first half rocks, the second half sucks. Yes the delicious rebukes between the love birds continue but when the issue of talking to Nina's father for marriage crops up, the movie rolls into melodrama that makes you want to walk out and leave. Paresh Rawal, as Nina's dad - a hardcore Gandhi-lover, has done a fantastic job given the role he's assigned but yet the movie loses its quintessential credibility as things get sillier by the second.

In all, a must-see for the different flavors it offers, but if you're hoping that Balki has broken free from the Bollywood mould and created a really realistic, unique movie, then prepare to be disappointed.

Of sneezing cats and twittering birds

2007-05-07T18:05:00.000+05:30

Found this on mashable (albeit a bit late!) It is downright hilarious. Now I almost wish I had a cat to blog/vlog/twitter about :) but hey! the pigeon in the office window that spends all day hatching her eggs might be great-muse material huh? hahaha. Hurrah for the Internet and all its funny people!

The Long trip to Long Cheng

2007-04-30T18:08:00.000+05:30

This is the beautiful thing about the guys at lonely planet: they HAVE to find that nook that as been untouched by tourists... and in that quest they managed an adventurous trip to the formidable Long Cheng. Read all about it here.

And here's a pic of southern Laos. So what if Long Cheng isn't taking visitors, atleast the rest of it is waiting to be explored and admired....

Outside In

2007-04-04T12:53:00.000+05:30

Life nudged me into another adventure last month - a trip to the south of this host-to-all-experiences-wonderful country. And without knowing I picked two places which offered very varied tastes into this country and... into myself

Thiruvanamalai has been sacred land for many years. And just the air there feels different. Its a quiet little hamlet with a strong rural influence, enjoyable for its simplicity. The first morning I woke up, I looked out the window to see a little cloud circling the tip of the Arunachala hill. Do I REALLY have to mention that instead of waking up to this marvellous sight and diving into some yoga or meditation, I happily dozed off, to wake up two hourse later?!!

Then there was Ramana Maharishi's ashram there and his samadhi was a special place to sit and enjoy our depths. The veda chantings and pranaya conducted everyday still ring into my insides as I type...

We were lucky to find out about a living master there by the name of Sivashakthi. She would give darshan for 15 minutes twice a day in the morning and evening. I'm in no position to say who is enlightened and who is not, but it was surely easy to sit with this beautiful woman and share her silence. The birds would sing in the background and other than that, there was nothing else. Just silence. I have really no words to describe this experience... (and still I write a lot huh? :))

There was also a lake there which had the smoothest, silkiest water... and its many inhabitants too! So the fish nibbled on us to check if we were food/threat and concluded we were neither and let us be! The sun would set into this lake and the only way to enjoy it was to play and splash around like children....which we did very sincerely.

Pondicherry was another experience altogether. Thiru was nourishing for the inside, and Pondy was a complete delight for all the senses! So much to see, taste and smell. Most of it is laced along the sea, a boulevard stretches along it and one can enjoy the many moods of the sea walking along with her.

And the place is really very French in many ways. The houses are so beautifully made in such lavish French style that we'd spend hours just roaming the little lanes admiring the buildings. The food is also very sumptuous and after the authentic south Indian treats in Thiru, we indulged into completely French cuisines in Pondy.

Auroville, a village/township/community situated 15 kms from Pondicherry and spread over 10 kms is an interesting concept to explore. The people living there (called Aurovillians) have created many mini-communities where they build homes, carry out organic farming, develop sustainable solutions for holistic living using technology and ancient techniques. Its the kind of place which needs many weeks to be experienced and completely understood, not a touristy place to visit and thus my ambiguity at describing it (for the true curious beavers, you might get some answers here)

There was also a beautiful untouched beach near Pondicherry which could be accessed only through a boat-ride through the lush backwaters... just white sands stretching for miles...

When I left, I felt nourished - both inside and out! And promised these lands that I would return, soon :)

Err, can I give feedback when I want to?

2007-02-21T17:10:00.000+05:30

So I can be a bitch of a customer, but mostly not. Those moments are reserved solely when life is being a bitch to me. And this post is about one of those moments:

I lost my wallet and discovered that an hour later while I was snacking on the road. Frenzied track-backs revealed that I was indeed a pauper-for-now :( After some pouting and whining, it was time for some action. Other than money and some email addresses I'd copied on tissues from my trip to Thailand, the other valuable in my wallet was my bank card. So I called the bank and asked them to freeze the account. So far so good. Now this lady on the phone asked me if I would give some feedback about her to some other lady in the bank. 'It will only take a moment ma'am'. Ok I said, I've got a moment. Clearly this is where I made a mistake. I was harried as I had to get to the bank to fill up some forms for card-replacement and shouldn't have offered to do this, but I did.

So Lady No.2 came on the line, and started asking me questions about my overall helpdesk experience. 'Did you get through the first time?' No. 'How many times did you try before you got through?' Four. 'Was the voice on the other end a)Friendly b) Curt.....' Aackk, hold it right there! I can't answer these right now, can you call me some other time?' But ma'am it will only take a few moments. 'Was this the first time you.... '

So that was it. I can't replicate my conversation with the lady but I can assure you it wasn't pretty. Why are you throwing this at me? Where were you when I had to get a coupon at your bank and wait in line for 40 minutes to get a simple question answered? Where were you when I wanted to inquire about my account and your helpline just DID not get through? HOW can you ask for my time when I'm least willing to give it? Do you really care about my experience when what you offer more often than not is mediocrity? Go away you super-inefficient-but-pretending-to-be-so-caring-concerned-jerks. Get out of my face!

Woof!

Math Wrath

2007-02-16T12:34:00.000+05:30

I can't believe I'm confessing this online, but I'm a math-dud. I just about scraped through exams in school (and yes I even cheated to get that pass mark!) and I 'dropped the subject' as soon as I had the choice, which was at the age of 16 and opted for Psychology instead. And till date the number-crunching crunches my insides. So what do I do? I avoid all things numerical. At discount stores i take friends who can do the calculation for me, so I don't end up paying 2, 550 instead of 25.50. I avoid doing that tax thing (see I'm also math-lingo illiterate) and lose far too much than I would if I DID do that tax thing, but hey! atleast I don't have to add huh? I actively avoid anything and everything that will make me smath my head against the wall.

So when I came across this blog, I was intrigued. Someone's actually having fun with this! And I spent a reasonable amount of time trying to understand these.... but my escapist self got the better of me and I decided to 'write' about it instead. I hope you can enjoy it though.

Ouch Potatoe

2007-02-14T12:57:00.000+05:30

I spent yesterday in front of the idiot-box. 6 hours of non-stop channel-flicking, watching Erin Brokovich (which HAS to be the highlight of my TV-session given that I'd even forgotten what the case was about!), receiving many messages from well-wishing companies that I need soft hair gels and better skin, that packaged soups are really healthy, that if I don't invest in the future, I will surely die a poor death, that I really have to, need to change my brand of sanitary napkins and finally that I'm a loser if I'm not watching KBC in its all new SRK avatar.

I watched some commentary about celebrities, who was dressed how at what event? Who's hooked up with whom? Who has died? Was it suicide? I also watched some serials - stories about people living by the beach, their loves and relationships, their lives of working and aspiring, laughing and crying. sob sob. ha ha

Then there was some research on the telepathic ability of twins and how scientific research is trying to figure it out with wires, monitors and all...

Yes, some of it was useful information. But honestly, I felt wasted when finally I 'pulled the trigger' on the power button. What had I achieved? Nothing. Created? Nothing. What had it done to my sense of satisfaction and fulfillment? Nothing. What could I write home about (well, ok I don't write home that much, but anyway:))? Nothing.

For 8 years now, since I moved out of home I haven't had a TV. And I now know why this has been a gift. For one minute of value-viewing, I flush 30 down the drain.

Why am I writing this you wonder? Because I feel sorry... for me. For having done this to myself. I'm sorry Puj. I really am.

Gasp! That's right, you're in Bali

2007-02-12T14:55:00.000+05:30

Bali is not a destination to be reached or a tourist-attraction to be visited. It’s a delight to be experienced. The million blue-hues of the sea and sky, the warmth of its people, the freshness of every sunrise can’t be duplicated in image or print. One has to go there. And just be.

You step out of the airport and the air that wafts into your nostrils informs you that you have arrived… ‘if there can be a heaven on earth, this is it' the air continues to tell you. You switch off and let the breeze caress your face. It’s warm and humid. ‘Perfect for a dip in the sea’ the air manages to interject. This time you’re listening :D

Although one can stay in Bali ‘forever’, for all practical purposes you need a minimum of 3 weeks to be able to accumulate all that Bali has to offer. The first week - dedicated to the wild white sands and wilder waves. Yes, just lie around on the beach all day and all night, swim into the Bali sea occasionally, walk with the waves lapping up at your feet, feel the texture of the sand between your toes, collect unbelievable washed-away shells, corals...

Week 2 - set out to sight see. And trust me, there is a lot to see, off-the beach also!. Ubud, for instance is a delight for the artistically inclined. The winding, hilly journey takes you to this homely village lined with handicraft, paintings, wood and stone carvings' galleries. Then there’s Tanah Lot, where an otherwise ordinary sunset becomes an unbelievable sight...

And just when you think that taking in the sheer beauty of the place would suffice, you discover the Balinese water sports!! From safe glass-bottomed boat-rides to para-sailing, from snorkeling to surfing, Bali allows you to reclaim your adventurous side!

Parting words? “Dive right in!”

Global warming: has it sunk in?

2007-02-06T13:22:00.000+05:30

Februarys in Pune are usually cool. But these are not usual times. There were incessant rains in '05 and the winter of '06 never really took off. Other countries witnessed strange seasons as well. An Austrian friend exclaimed "This time there was NO winter in Austria, and I mean "NO" winter". And so it is with all nooks and corners of this beautiful world. This site has aptly captured our dire straits.

How far removed we are from this situation that is staring us in the face became clear to me in a conversation with a friend (lets call him FX). Here is how it went:

Me(complaining): This is unbearably hot for Feb. I wonder what April will look like...?

FX: Yea, its horrible.. I'm surely going to get an A/C in my house this year...

The hair on my skin rose... if he gets an A/C in his house, will next year not be hotter? If everyone simply starts looking at 'What am I going to do to get comfortable this year' will that not affect and destroy whatever is left of our equilibrium next year? Is it really that difficult to care about our own, very very immediate future?

Is it not time to take personal responsibility for what is happening? Can small baby steps not help towards bringing/restoring some balance?

It is unimaginable in how much nature has given...and given... will we ever "see" that and give something in return, in gratitude...??

Menstruate or shave?

2007-01-19T17:14:00.000+05:30

Yea Yea I know one can't do both. This is my question to myself, IF I had the option, while traveling - would I rather mentruate like a woman or shave like a man?

So lets work out the options... as a woman, I'll be rendered ineffective for half a day, I will be dependably crabby and bite anything that comes in my way. I will probably postpone some trekking, drink a lot of warm liquids, sleep,wake up hungry and be ready to go wherever the traveller's path will take me.

On the other hand, as a man, its not really a 'we'll see when we get there' situation is it? I mean you "see" it everytime you look in the mirror, get crumbs off your face or reach out to get that fly out of the way. So I could either roam around like the local cave-man in full-babaji-type beard or go through the grind of setting up mirror-water-razor-foam-stable hands and work on myself for 15-30 minutes every other day.

Hmmm. For the 695th time, I'm glad I'm a woman...

Thailand Tales

2007-01-17T18:45:00.000+05:30

Oh man! Oh man!

I went, I saw and almost conquered (my urge to settle down there! by the beach in a hut) Thailand and months have passed since I wrote about it!! In between I had an eventful time working in OIMR where I encountered my creating-designing-conceptualizing-ladder-climbing-fabric-chopping-idea-hopping-
floor-scrubbing self in a maroon avatar working 7 days for 4 months, sleeping little and dancing lots.

So the question of the moment remains: where do I start from? Do I even remember how I got to that island on the far east of the wonderland-called-Thailand?

Well to start with, it could have easily been called Thigh-land. The number of beautiful, picture-perfect, peaches-and-cream complexioned, petite and pretty women you see there, in the little-est of skirts and the slick-est of outfits, is breath-taking or breath-stopping (for men I reckon). Bangkok is the East-meeting-West in a dizzying combination. Age-old temples stand next to expressways and corporate high-rises, vendors selling walking-sandals park themselves outside shopping-malls selling Lamborghinis. Bangkok is a ready reckoner of how much westernization the east has experienced in recent years.

And then there are the islands: From the loud, chaotic, polluted city of Bangkok, to head for Koh Phangan (Ah now I remember how we got there… the Train Station takes you on a bus, yes that’s right, from the ‘train’ station you board a ‘bus’ that takes you– at breakneck speed, I feel compelled to add - to Surat thani from where a ferry - playing Thai pop music and Pirates of the Caribbean at the same time- brings you to Koh Phangan, and then non-hagglable-taxis deliver you to the beach of your choice) is a treat unto itself.

Haad Thien is a lesser known, lesser frequented, lesser partied-on beach in Koh Phangan and is one BIG postcard.....Everywhere you look, you will find the perfect composition for the perfect picture!
And once you’re there, your itinerary gets decided pretty much by itself :
Sleep
Swim
Eat and
Read (not necessarily in that order)
And that’s exactly what we did there. Trekked to the neighboring islands to explore eating joints - where I learnt that mushroom shakes are not REALLY funny-tasting milk shakes with mushrooms in them!!- swam to the little floating open-air platform a few hundred feet from the beach with a hammock, plonked on it and just relaxed till hunger woke us up.

And no, you don’t get bored because every time you look up, the sky is a different composition and every time you look down, the sea is a different mood. And if you look down-er, you will also spot schools of fish that are happily going about their business, sporting snazzy colours and designs. And this I could do, I discovered, for hours.

Books into movies

2007-01-17T18:29:00.000+05:30

Ok, so firstly I refuse to understand why books are EVER made into movies. Every single person who has read a book already makes up a movie in his head. And in that, lies the director's dilemma... he can replicate the movie he saw in his head but the chances that it will resonate with a million other readers, are ... ahem, slim.

And I'm always disappointed with such productions - Bridget Jones Diary, The Bourne Identity, The Da Vinci Code and yes, recently Heidi - one of my favorite childhood reads.

Firstly, movie-Heidi has straight hair and book-Heidi has curls (ouch!). Movie-Heidi is older, more mature, book-Heidi the epitome of innocence (oucher!). The Alps were all wrong, Heidi's room up in the attic didn't come close to the romantic description of it in the book, the goats were too few. Peter's character wasn't given any time or effort. In all, it came across as a hurriedly compressed script and tackily shot picture. And though I cried in some places, it was more from the touching truth of the book than the representation of it on screen...

An experience like this just reaffirms my love for the printed word and how it should stay there!

P.S. Ok so I had a good think about this and to the director's credit, I admit it isn't an easy task. To convey and present every little detail and dialogs from a 300-1000 page book must not be a cake walk. So alright - at least they try... ;)

Guru - movie review

2007-01-17T14:47:00.000+05:30

Guru definition: (Sanskrit) "Weighty one," indicating an authority of great knowledge or skill.

So then there you have it - the entire movie in a nutshell. The man who “lived” his name and lived it well – with grit, grandiose and utter aplomb.

Maniratnam (of Anjali, Roja, Bombay, Dil Se fame) keeps up with his reputation of touching on unconventional subjects with his latest work – Guru.

Gurukant Desai played by Abhishek Bachchan is a man of humble beginnings, who works in Turkey during his formative years and begins to understand and like how businesses work. On return he begins the uphill task of setting up his own business. Investments? No problem. He simply marries the daughter of the local money-lender who has enough saved up as dowry. So Guru leaves his village – with Rs. 25,000, a wife and a brother-in-law as his partner.

Bombay is nothing his simple mind imagined it to be. The doors of opportunity are locked and need grease of a different kind to open up. Not to be discouraged, Guru effortlessly hops onto the bandwagon and steers his way up, dismantling anything that comes his way – by hook or by crook and slowly builds his empire. He revolutionizes many business practices – one on hand bringing wealth to the public and on the other achieving impossible targets by tweaking the law or bribing officials. And as his business expands, Guru finds himself in the eye of a storm

The movie takes us through his journey and the relationships that form during it. The love he and his wife (Aishwarya Rai) share, the ‘father’ figure he meets in Manik Dasgupta (Mithun Chakraborty) and the animosity that builds between them later, the reunion with his dear friend from Turkey, the journalist who wants to take Guru head-on (Raghavan)…

The performers have been hand-picked and most of them do a swell job. Yet, the man of the movie-moment remains Abhishek who dons the robe of an uneducated, shrewd businessman with ease. His sneering, determined persona is convincing and awe-inspiring. Then comes his other half, Sujatha played by Aishwarya Rai. Their off-screen connection works wonders for their chemistry on screen and the love shines through. The steadfast way in which her character supports him is remarkable and touching. Mithun Chakraborty as the voice of truth of independent India does a wonderful job and handles the intricacies of his souring relationship with Guru very well.

And then there’s the music… A.R. Rehman is dependable in that way. He ensures you walk out of the theatre humming his heart-rendering tracks. Kudos!

Guru is a craftily created movie about a brilliant mind that made it big – judgments aside. And although it swerves right into melo-dramatic mode towards the end, I wonder which Hindi movie doesn't. So for all that it offers, Guru is worth a watch...

P.S. This review is also available on MSN India

Four reasons why I love Blogger!

2007-01-12T10:34:00.000+05:30

It is absolutely idiot-proof: Yes I consider myself the ultimate idiot when it comes to all things online. But blogger makes it possible for anyone and everyone to ride this fun roller-coaster. Wheeeeeee :)
The help section rocks! Painstakingly created, the 'How To's are wonderful, articulate reckoners for bloggers. I'm perpetually lappig up some tid-bit from there. Thank you guys!
It is Google-owned: And I love Google - for its simple yet powerful and ingenuious ways of operating.
And last but not the least, its done up in my favorite font - Trebhuchet MS: Yeaaaahhhh!!!
I simply love the roundness and friendly feel that Trebhuchet MS has and I'm happy I'm not the only one who feels that way

Celebration!

2007-01-04T15:05:00.001+05:30

Vipassana's over. I step out of the Auditorium and stand atop the stairs... the warm stone under my fingers feels blissful. I look up and wonder what doesn't here.

The sky's blue is interspersed with blobs of white. The breeze fluctuates between mild and wild, the water underneath ripples, yellow-brown leaves diving into it, birds are in their regular
cacophony-mode.

Meditation inside and celebration outside? Or have I got it wrong? I shrug and head for Buddha Grove. My heart wants to dance right now. Philosophy can take a walk (or a dance!)

Music wafts into my ears and my feet break into a semi-run. I joyfully abandon my stuff on the side and plunge into the celebrations. The trees bend back and forth, the bamboos rattle, eagles sore high above... butterflies flutter and watch from a distance, maroon robes sway everywhere... I close my eyes and let my body move to the rhythm of the universe. Hands up, feet flying, spine curling and stretching. My eyes open and close, watching the beauty surrounding me and filling me up. A feeling of belongingness to the sky and the earth envelops me... I am celebrating!!

Sweating but refreshed, I'm done as the music mellows down and sit on the side.... the Grove is packed now with people dancing, enjoying their aloneness, their togetherness.. some with laughter, some silently..

Suddenly Osho's voice fills the air... ears are cocked and smiles are wide as celebrations soar to another level!

As his words fade away.. they play Alanis' Morisette's song 'Thank you'...

I get up.. my body sways, tears fall, I sing along, hands folded in gratitude...

"The whole universe is a dance. Unless you can dance, you cannot become a part of it. Meet this dancing universe in a dancing way! Go to this celebration in a celebrating mood!" - OSHO

Catching the sun...

2006-06-20T12:02:00.000+05:30

The soft pink glow of the sky ushers me out of bed. Its time to catch the sun's hesitant entry into my life (which I might add is the best motion picture in the world!)

I step on the terrace... the nip in the air catches me unawares, the fresh cool air embraces my warm, fresh-out-of-bed body. Thank you God. Sorry for the lousy attendance all these years!!

The world, I can see is preparing for the arrival of the sun. Birds are
chirping, nudging, fluttering, shying away and into each other. The trees are beginning to unfurl themselves majestically. The mist decides its time to go... I perch myself on a wall - facing the hills where His Highness shall coyly peek first and blatantly stare afterwards. The pinks get pinker, the blue, bluer..... Everyone's ready.

And then, like a curious bride looking out of her veil, you see it....brilliant, bright, ethereal. strange yet like one's own. Little by little, it allows itself into our world.... I look agape as if I'm watching a sun-rise for the first time. Maybe I am...

And you are...??

2006-06-20T11:41:00.000+05:30

Tickles will not necessarily be a funny blog. It will try to be though. But anything that has tickled the blogger's insides will be immediately put up here. This could be a travel anecdote, a movie review, a sudden pleasant/horrifying discovery about 'Who I am' or a coffee shared with a dear friend.

Osho on being asked once 'What is your message?' responded "Buddha's message was 'be a light unto yourself'; my message is 'be a joke unto yourself'". Hail thee my beautiful master - that's not going to be very difficult to do. Tickles is therefore dedicated to your funny bone(s)