On Watching Agneepath

...the new Agneepath, starring Hrithik Roshan.

It affected me in many different ways. We were around 10-12 minutes late for the movie. We missed the start. But I don't think that mattered much. I have not seen Amitabh Bachchan's movie and so this version was totally new for me.

The first thing that stuck me was the tremendous violence in the movie. It is downright nerve-wracking. I was on the edge of my seat and was not sure I had done the right thing by coming to watch the movie. The movie starts with violence where Vijay's father is murdered by Kancha, the main antagonist. It is an incident that drives the movie. It drives each and every move that Vijay makes. It sets a grim tone to the whole movie. There are almost no light moments; emotional, yes; but lighter moments...I really cannot remember.

Vijay's father, a school master had tried to oppose Kancha's dream of turning the village in a drug center by renting the lands of all villagers. Kancha successfully removes the thorn (Vijay's father) from his way, while the whole village celebrates that they can now freely help Kancha. Kancha lures them that their lands would be used for a salt factory and they would get money out of it. This grim victory is actually the downfall of the villagers. They win the battle of doing away with the schoolmaster and in turn lose the war of having a happy and prosperous village. They literally walk towards their downfall.

When Vijay's father is murdered, his heavily pregnant mother is shown being trampled at the feet of the angry village people. I was hoping that they wouldn't show her bleeding to death, and thank God, they didn't! Eventually, the mother and son escape to the big city and arrive in a basti. The mother goes into labour pains and a daughter is born.

Soon enough, Vijay-a boy of 12 years, witnesses a murder by Rauf Lala, and lies to the police about the murderer. Vijay  also murders the police officer who tries to get him tell the truth. His mother severs all her ties with the son and moves out of his life to lead a life of her own with her daughter. We now see a Vijay that's all grown up handsome and all with a girlfriend, who works as a mafia leader for Rauf Lala. Rauf is not just a drug mafia, but also a human trafficker.

As Hrithik Roshan entered as the older Vijay, I found it very similar to Fiza, a movie directed by Khalid Mohammed. Fiza is the story of how a sister seeks out to find her brother-a troubled boy who goes on to become a terrorist. Vijay in Agneepath too has had a disturbed childhood that has made him a violent mafia leader. I think I made that comparison more because Hrithik Roshan has played the troubled boy in both the movies.

I won't give away the whole story here. But what with songs in between, more murders, mass killings, double dealings, we are finally led to a climax, that's again a replication of what we saw in the beginning.

The once happy and prosperous village that Vijay and Kancha hailed from, has now turned into a barren land. Death, disease, poverty, unhappiness, and distress is what you see and it makes you feel all the more horrified and hollow.

At every violent, illegal, unhealthy event in the film, I was more and more engrossed with feelings of futility, hopelessness, dread, and loss.

What also aided these feelings was the tremendous background music given by Ajay-Atul, the Marathi composers, who have done a fantastic job. The tension, the evilness, the futility, the murderous villains, the dark atmosphere is all enhanced by the background score. It increases your heartbeats, it gives you the chills, it makes you all nervous. Salute to the two.

The duo have also provided the music to the songs in the movie. One particular song affected me in a totally different way. The song is "Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin" and shows how Vijay enjoys his time with his sister and girlfriend together. The lyrics are really nice and the song made me cry. The emotions of Vijay meeting his sister after 15 years, and how he had lived each unhappy day to enjoy this one happy day in his life resonated with me and brought out completely different feelings. I don't know why that happened. But I cried remembering my parents, how sometimes I miss them very much, how they miss me, how we are unable to be with each other in our moments of distress and happiness too. I thought how each day I hope to have them with me and meet them. I cannot describe all that I felt as I cried dearly. It was a very, very distressful moment for me. I miss my parents a lot. A lot.

My life has been so very different since my marriage. The song brought it all out. I was quite disturbed for that evening and night. The violence and this song of the movie have made a major impact on me.

Agneepath has really been a different experience for me. Unforgettable!

Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography - Language

This is awesome!!! Do listen to it!

Tribute To Babuji

29th July 2002 was when we lost this great man: Sudhir Phadke. His heavenly voice, his music, his compositions are incomparable. I am too small a midget to describe or comment on his music. Here's my tribute to Babuji: listing some of my favourite songs by Babuji.

अशी पाखरे येती
तुझे गीत गाण्यासाठी
स्वयंवर झाले सीतेचे
तोच चंद्रमा नभात
का रे दुरावा
मज सांग लक्ष्मणा जाऊ कुठे
राजहंस सांगतो प्रीतीच्या तुझ्या खुणा
आज कुणीतरी यावे
एकाच या जन्मी जणू
बोलले इतुके मज श्रीराम
चंद्र आहे साक्षीला
फिटे अंधाराचे जाळे
जीवलगा कधी रे येशील तू
पराधीन आहे जगती
स्वये श्री रामप्रभू ऐकती
लाडकी शकुंतला
एक वार पंखावरूनी
स्वर आले दुरुनी
सखी मंद झाल्या तारका
शेवटचा करी विचार फिरून एकदा

The list is endless!

Morning Ride

A soft, rainy, Sunday morning...a nice chilled atmosphere...the perfect setting for a good exercise. And nothing better than a twenty-minutes cycle ride.

Sunday morning started with getting up late. But the rains in the night made sure that it was a wet morning. No sun burning down the neck. Awesome!

I started late, but being a Sunday, the traffic was low. So even when I went right on the high-traffic roads, I could ride easily without much hassle. And it was fun, absolute fun. The wind rushing past me as I rode faster, the cold morning, the strain I felt on my body as I rode...it was all exhilarating.

The only catch is, that I should not get back to my earlier lazy self, but continue this regime!

Mala jamel?

Krishna-maya!

To Dear Papa

Happy Birthday!

It's my dad's birthday today according to the Hindu calendar. Interestingly, no one, not even he himself knows his real birthdate. No one knows neither his birthdate, nor the year. We just know his birthday according to the Hindu calender. It's the last day of the first Hindu month of Chaitra, and this year, it is today.

But we know one thing certainly, and that is that he was born. Because he is.

Today, I wish him many more such wonderful birthdays. I wish him health and happiness. I wish him peace of mind.

On this day, I want to salute the person that he is. His wealth of knowledge, his calm and quiet nature, his adherence to values, his punctuality, his constant and quiet support to what he feels is correct and right, and yet his stubbornness, his at-times whimsical nature, all make him what he is.

He is an English professor primarily. But he is also proficient in Sanskrit and Marathi. He has taught Sanskrit to junior college students. He has taught Marathi to German, American, and Indian students. It's amazing to see him literally play with these languages.

You will notice his mastery over all these languages when you hear him play with words as if juggling knives. He is apt to make you laugh with a few words spoken with a very straight face and a plain tone. His repartee is just unconquerable.

Obviously, if he is angry with you, the way he will show his displeasure is unique too. He'll seldom raise his voice. But what he will say will be such that you won't understand what has hit you until it's too late. And then too, he will have made you speechless. Beware, it could at times be quite nasty and possibly a below-the-belt attack. But you probably earned it.

Very recently, he did the MS-CIT course. His tremendous will power to learn about the world of computers is very admirable. And he passed that exam in flying colours. Hats off to you, Baba!

Moreover, like all men of his age, he is so much aware of his surroundings. He is up-to-date with the latest political happenings. He is also aware of the latest Bollywood gupshup. It's amazing how he finds time to know all that!

But there is one thing that he doesn't like much. He generally doesn't like watching movies. Especially if it is at home. If I make him go for a movie in a theatre, he will do that. But if you ask him to watch a movie at home, he will make some excuses. In fact, he will suggest a good movie that's on TV. He will watch it till the first advertisement break and then quietly slip off to read his books.

Yet, he has a few favourite movies: Sarfarosh, A Wednesday, Hum Aapke Hain Koun! And he never misses a single episode of the daily Marathi soap Agnihotra. He generally never stays up late after 11 in the night, but if he misses watching Agnihotra at prime time, he stays up to watch it at 11 p.m. That's his solidarity for his only favourite serial.

There's one another thing that he is amazing at. Baba loves to search for books on the footpath. He loves visiting the footpath-vendors who sell books; I call them that for a better name. His favourite one is the one who sells books on the Lakdi Pul. He has bought a wonderful collection of Perry Mason books, religious books, P. G. Wodehouse books, and other interesting books from him. And he will buy them at a meagre Rs. 20-30. It's such excitement when he comes home with a new Perry Mason book!

Baba loves listening to classical music. He is a fan of Pt. Vasantarao Deshpande, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. But he also appreciates film songs-Hindi and Marathi as well as newer songs that are really worth it. His favourite song from the new generation music is the Kajra Re song. He simply loves it!

Today, on his birthday, I wish him lots of love! Love you, Papa!

310 Tick Tock

That's the new song Nanu has composed.

You are supposed to sing it with the right rhythm and correct hand gestures. Your left hand should be high above your head in the air. The thumb and index fingers should be closed as if you are holding a pinch of salt. You should say aloud the song in the rhythm "310, Tick, Tock." 310 must be said in Marathi. And "Tick" "Tock" are sounds that you must make like that of a clock ticking. The song is incomplete if you do not sing it while you go round and round looking at your left hand in air. You have the freedom to move your right hand as you want.

If you are bored with this song, here's the first song that Nanu composed: "Digbun, digbun, aulay!" You have full freedom to use whatever actions that suit you. But the rhythm should be "Dig-a-bun dig-a-bun, au-lay."

When you sing these songs, don't forget to tell everyone that they have been composed by Nanu.

Three cheers to Nanu!

Washing Powder Nirma

Washing powder Nirma
Doodh si safedi
Nirma se aayi
Rangeen kapde bhi
Khil-khil jaye
Sabki pasand Nirma
Washing powder Nirma

The very old and famous Nirma detergent powder advertisement has now a new face. But no one can ever forget the song that has made the advertisement famous.

Nanu loves this advertisement. He loves listening to the song on radio, loves to hear the "washing powder" words again and again. And believe me, he actually gets unhappy and bawls out if it the advertisement gets over. What kids will like!!

Old is gold, I suppose!

Zoobi Doobi

I just love this beautiful song...it's cute!

 

...paagal stupid man!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebmxoxlQXQc

Celebrating "Chaitanya"

Here's a beautiful song that celebrates चैतन्य in nature:

Life is good!

Be An Idiot!

Warning: If you haven't seen 3 Idiots, and want to watch it, know that this post contains spoilers. Read it at your own risk.

Don't miss the start. Especially the credits and the photography used for that song. It's simply beautiful. You start on the journey rightaway. I don't know if you have travelled to Konkan. But if you have, especially long hours, you will get the exact feeling of travelling on winding roads for long hours when you are watching the credits. That's because you turn as the camera turns, as the car turns. It's simple, and that's why brilliant camera work. The mood sets in. As the story unravels, you are on a journey to find Rancho.

The story goes on about how the three main protagonists meet, become friends, love each other for what they are, and hate each other too. We get to know how they learn new things, study, chill out with friends and make fun of them too. We see how people and situations affect them, how they react to it, and what the consequences are.

I would rather not tell the story here but tell how the film affected me and what I liked in it. The film is a wonderful combination of flashback and present. When you are dealing with the present, you are suddenly thrown back into the past. And when dwelling in the past, you are suddenly pulled back to the present. These jerks are awesome, a wonderful back and forth of circumstances.

Raju's family is shown as if existing from a 1950s-1960s movies, entirely in black and white. That's maintained throughout in the movie. The moment you step in their house, it's all black and white. It's beautiful. On the other hand, Farhan's camera plays an important role. It is almost through Farhan's camera that we see the past. It's his narration that takes the story ahead.

The only love song in the movie is, I have to admit, cute. Really cute. Very nicely done. I loved it. The whole time I was watching that song, I had a smile on my lips. Both Aamir and Kareena look awesome in it, especially when they are dancing against the big white moon.

I am not saying the movie is flawless. It has its melodramatic scenes, exaggerated scenes, and completely unbelievable scenes. But you are led into a suspension of your disbelief. I watched the movie twice and believe me, the pregnancy scene, which is so much exaggerated brought out a completely different reaction from the audience. The first time I watched it, the theatre was silent, completely silent. After the baby was born, there was a kind of sigh of relief. The second time I watched it, once the baby was out and kicking (not literally), there were whistles in the audience. It was amazing to be there at that moment to experience that.

After a long time, I actually heard people going crazy over a hero's or heroine's entry on screen. There were whistles and shouts on Aamir Khan's entries. Superb!

I loved the movie not for the message it spreads. I loved it for the sheer cinematic experience it provides.

I highly recommend this movie for everyone. Not to be missed for worlds!

Clicking Away!

Some of my favourite pictures that I clicked...

This one I clicked in the University of Pune. This is a lamp post and I loved framing it with the green background.

I clicked this one on "Tripuri Pournima, " a sacred full-moon night on November 2, 2009.

Taken at Karla. After I saw this photo on a bigger screen did I notice the cobweb. That made it an interesting picture.

 I liked the red and green colours. Nice contrast! And the sharpness of the flower is beautiful.

 This one I liked for the positions of the two trees. Just two trees at either end diagonally in the picture make the frame interesting and characteristic.

 "Terda" Those are the flowers. I don't know the English name for these flowers. But we use them especially in Navratra, so I liked taking their picture.

 I liked this one for the combination of red, blue, and green.

 Loved this one for the little birdie and the timing.

 Liked it for the perspective it offers because of the fence, the playground, and the building.

 Taken from a film camera two years back, I think. I like this one for the vastness of the landscape and the lone farmer in the middle toiling. The arid landscape bring out his efforts in a stark reality.

 I love this one for the inky blue colour of the sky. It is awesome.

 One nice doggy at my place basking in the sun.

 One small lamp in the darkness. I liked this picture that places the lamp so strategically.

That's all that I could find. I think these are enough pics at the moment.

The Sound Of Night

On a silent winter night, when you are all curled up in your bed, reading a nice book, have you ever heard the night sounds?

The crickets noisy presence is felt and you wonder what is happening on the other side of the world. The other half of the world is enjoying the day and you are about to tuck it in. As you mark the page and keep aside the book, you will hear the night musician at work.

You will hear the night watchmen whistling and keeping the otherwise silent night lively. You will also hear them making a characteristic "thok, thok, thok" sound with their sticks. Then you will hear some rash ruffians driving their stupid, noisy bikes at full speed. Sometimes, you will hear the siren of an ambulance and you will hope that the sick get medical help as soon as possible. You will hear some dogs howling happily into the night and also hear some other dogs replying back. If you stay near a cowshed (as I do, right in the heart of the city,) you will hear the tinkering of the bells and wonder how long the cows will stay awake. You will wonder if they ever stop chewing cud at least while sleeping.

As you get cosier in your bed, you finally realise that you have got to go to work next day and try to sleep. Just as you are about to sleep, you are awoken by the sudden, violent grunt of your old refrigerator. Cursing the icebox, you drift off to sleep again.

Gugus And Dildas

This is my favourite subject: my Ananas! My dearest nephew, Anay! A beautiful child of two years, who has changed our lives forever.

When Anay came in our life, it was not immediately that we could hold him. He was born in Seattle, USA. My sister and brother-in-law were overjoyed. And so were we all. It was only after some time that we realised that we now had a foreigner in our midst.

We all saw him through the webcam and he was such a rolu-polu kid. Big cheeks, big eyes, and fantastic hair. He was blessed with a shock of hair that stuck out on all sides. My sister used to call him a porcupine! He was famous in the hospital in which he was born for his porcupine-ish hair! That's when I nicknamed him Ananas. Ananas in Marathi means pineapple. His hair stuck out just like the leaves of a pineapple. He is such a cutie pie!

So, as we say in Marathi, Anay disa-masa vadhat hota. He made his first plane trip to Atlanta with his mum when he was just two months old. He visited his Kaka-Kaku in Atlanta and celebrated his first Diwali there. We all were eager to see him, hold him, play with him. Our chance came when my sister, Jijaji, and Anay visited India in March 2008. By that time, he could sit. Of course, he could never sit still when we held him. He was up and jumping all the time. He loved doing that.

With a bizarre can't-understand-how-it-passed-so-quickly month, they were back in Seattle. And we were left to our routines.

But as fate would have it, I got a chance to visit my sister in Seattle for eight days. Those were beautiful days. Lovely weather and a lovely place to be in. Seattle is really beautiful. I liked it better than California.

There I played with Anay, had nice talks with my sister, went sight-seeing, and had an awesome time. All days in Seattle, the time I spent with my sister, as well as a beautiful evening with a friend are etched in my mind forever. But what comes to my mind foremost is the beautiful, angelic face of Anay that I saw everyday first in the morning. The moment my eyes opened, I would see him crawling towards me, with a face as fresh as a daisy, ready to take on the world, with the sweetest smile on his face. Even now as I close my eyes, I can see that cute face in my mind's eye. That's the best start-of-the-day energy booster I have ever had!

I was sad to leave Seattle after 8 blissful days. But with a heart full of my nephew, I came back.

And then, my sister and her family moved back to India this year in March. By the time we saw him again, he had already started talking and walking, ohh actually running! But now, we were to have him with us always. He wouldn't be going back in a month again. And that was a wonderful thing.

He got used to the life in India surprisingly quickly. It was a relief for us that he got adjusted so well. His two grandpas, grandmas, aatya, and mavshi (that's me) were all eager to be around him and play with him. We have been damn lucky to have him around.

And as he grows, everyday we get to hear something new about him. He now speaks almost all words that we ask him to. His pronounciation isn't correct all the time. But it sounds so cute and sweet to hear it from him. He has a nice sing-song way of saying things and we have all started using that. He has developed his own words that have no connection to any language. That's his own language, a trademark. In fact, if he had copyrighted it, we would have had to pay him a heavy cost. Because we all use those words now.

Some of his own words are "dilda," "gugu," and "bajaja." A "dilda" is any writing instrument, be it a crayon, pen, pencil, sketch pen. "Gugu" is anything that moves in a circular motion. It could be a fan, a wheel, or a spinning top. "Bajaja" is his word for "Ajoba," which means Gandpa in Marathi.

My sister told that one fine day he woke up and started saying "Dilda, Dilda." That's how he came up with Dilda. He now knows the words pen, pencil. But he still uses Dilda. And we too use Dilda. Anay's grandpa taught him "gar-gar-gar" - the sound that comes from a fan, and he changed it to "Gugu." We have inherited his words in our vocabulary too when we say, "Someone please switch on the Gugu." or "Pass me that Dilda."

Anay's greatest passions are Gugus and Dildas, in that order. He is always searching for Gugus around him. When he comes with us for shopping, he will look at a building and find a ceiling fan on in someone's house visible through the window. He will see the wheels in motion and keeps on repeating "Gugu, Gugu, Gugu." The other day, we were passing by a flour mill. Just the sound of the mill made him turn around and say "Tikde Gugu." Here's Anay's favourite thing: a car. And it has got Gugus.

Similarly, he has an eye for Dildas. He is overjoyed when he gets to use his grandpa's Dildas. We generally try and not hand him a pen. If he is lucky and finds one, his eyes shine and he grabs it saying, "Aaaaah, Dilda!" Then he needs his diary in which he will draw flowers, trees, balls, and what not. Ohh, and by the way, even a ball does Gugu according to him!

I guess, He whispered to Anay, "Son, let Gugus and Dildas be the mantra of your life!" And of course, you can't disobey His orders!

With his inquisitive nature, he is always up to something. His curiosity and independence have given him a personality of his own. He has his whims and fancies. Yet, he is not a naughty child. In fact, when told not to do a certain thing, he says it aloud, "He karu nahi!" and doesn't do it. He really is a sweet child.

Today is his second birthday and I dedicate this post to him! Happy Birthday Anay! May you get everything that you wish for in life! Bless You!

Not Bad!

So, the weekend was...good! Not bad, I can say. I couldn't complete all my chores on Saturday. But I did cook, and it turned out well. I made vegetable biryani. Apart from being a bit dry, it was quite edible. It could have done with some more salt. But otherwise, it was good.

I also went for a nice car drive to Lonavla. It was fun. We (my friend, her husband, and I) went to Lonavla by the old Mumbai-Pune highway (NH-4). The road is good. Despite a weekend, it was not much crowded. It was raining on the way and we had a really smooth drive. Rain pattering on the windows, and we in the car listening to some beautiful Marathi songs! Aah! That really was great fun!

As planned I couldn't stay at home Sunday evening. I had to go out and do some work. But that was necessary! And I got to meet Nanu. All the more fun!

So, in all, it was not a bad weekend! At least, we had no guests invading our house!

In Vain I Have Written!

"What are your hobbies?" Has anyone asked you that question? How truthfully do you answer? Can you always point out your hobby?

I can't. My standard answer is "I read books, watch movies, listen to music." I am sure this is the answer that everyone has given at least once without exception. I mean, c'mon, you don't go on telling people that what you like best is doing twisted things like ringing someone's bell on a quiet Sunday afternoon and running off, throwing water balloons from behind walls, or even throwing stones at stray dogs.

I always wonder, should hobby be something that you like to do always, or when you find time out of your usual routine? Let's say your hobby is watching movies. Of course, you can't watch movies because you have got to work. But if tomorrow your boss tells you that you don't need to worry about your job and pay and you can continue watching movies, you will do it without a backward glance. Naturally, you will wonder if your boss has gone temporarily mad but will make haste to take advantage of his madness. Unless you hate movies, you will certainly grab this opportunity. So my question pops up again, would watching movies really be your hobby?

So what really is a hobby? Dictionary.com defines 'hobby' as "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary has a similar definition: a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.

How many of us do something in particular everyday when our work is over for the day? Do you go back home after a very tiring day and take up your hobby? Inspite of being dead tired, do you make it a point to read a few pages, write some lines, or paint, or draw? After having a troublesome day at work, do you look forward to taking out time to go cycling, or playing the piano, or anything that helps you not only relax but also gives you immense satisfaction?

I say this so many times that I love cycling. But do I take out some time for that? Not at all. And what are my reasons? That I come home late, sleep late, and eventually get up late. And why do I come home late? Because I have late night meetings. But do I take efforts to work out a schedule that will give me some time to pursue my "hobby"? Nope! Shame on me!

I guess your hobby is not just a means to provide you relaxation. It is a way to rediscover yourself. To be with yourself and to know yourself better.

And despite writing all this, I won't budge and do something about my hobby! "In vain I have struggled!" Or rather, "In vain I have written!"