Burning Night Oil

Glancing at the newspaper while gulping down a hot paratha and breaking the fruit i yell "COOOVING!!!". (i've half a mind to call this the 'Mumbai effect') The headline, predictably, brings me some more (mis?)information about the captive gunman.After reading ad nausuem about the terror attacks in Mumbai over the past several days, i have successfully resisted the urge (somewhat selfishly) to write (more than 3 sentences) on the subject. With a hope that we will see no more such dastardly incidents, let me move to another topic.

I'm currently reading the much controversial ' Freedom at Midnight' (FAM).
At the outset i wish to say that this is a book every literate Indian must read. And people of other nationalities would do well to read it too.
This is because i feel that FAM has been written with an astonishing and laudable degree of impartiality. It is not difficult to see why it was banned in India; we still have to learn to accept the existance of faults in our venerated freedom fighters that FAM does not hesitate to delineate.

At the same time, it does not strike me as a ruthless piece of literature.A genuine desire to record the minutae leading upto India's freedom and the horrors thereafter is apparent.In this effort, no one is too small to find a mention.Unlike textbooks or other lofty works, Messrs Collins and Lapierre do not limit themselves to the likes of Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah or Mountbatten. First person accounts of countless peasants, policemen, shopkeepers and British officers make the narrative real and poignant as opposed to the dry, unemotional perspective of history textbooks that we're accustomed to.

One more striking feature of this work is that it furnishes one with innumerable names, facts and anecdotes (both funny and macabre). A Nawab's obsession with his pet dogs to the extent of providing them with luxury kennels equipped with hot water, bath tubs, electricity ( in 1945, remember), and other such diversions lend light moments to a most grisly and heart rending saga.

I haven't finished with the book yet, so i have no idea how it ends.
More on this later...

The Leveller ?

For anyone who's been stopped by a red signal, it comes as no surprise to see the same maniac who overtook you at the last corner sitting equally helplessly behind his wheel, just a few paces away.
"Serves him right"- (my instinctive reaction)
There are quite a few people you meet this way, either at a traffic signal or a traffic jam.They're the same ones who think nothing of breaking the speed limit (pardonable.After all, getting to cross the 30 kmph mark in a crowded metropolis is a rare luxury, so i don't really hold that too much against anyone.), overtaking from the wrong side (now that's dangerous!)or changing lanes without so much as a blink of the lights (c'mon, it really doesn't exhaust your battery you know, to keep the signalling lights on for a coupla seconds).
But to what end?
Ultimately, they also ended up having to wait (for longer than you too).
Which leads me to think, isn't there something similar in our lives as well?
Shakespeare wrote on it; 'Death - the Leveller'.
But even without going as far as death, i've noticed that such situations occur quite often in daily life as well.
By now some of you surely must have wondered, what about the ones who got away?
Obviously, everyone isn't detained by the Exalted Supreme One (ref : S.Nagar). So in the end, we never know whether what we do, really has any effect on our destiny.
For all our efforts, we may share the fate of those who never lifted a finger in their lives. And equally (?) possibly achieve far more than those who (in human terms) actually deserve what we get.
Is this LUCK,the elusive temptress who seduces gamblers all over the globe?The same sorceress who cons the unwary into thinking that their actions matter when it is She alone, who reigns invincible?

Greener grass

Although i'm following up on my last post, i mean to digress this time.



Charisma.



A single word that has made and unmade the destinies of millions of people.It's simple - some have it, some don't subject, of course, to the same law as beauty (variation with respect to the beholder and all that).

So why is it that i find Indian political leaders (with a few noteworthy exceptions) singularly devoid of this quality?(Here, i must make a mention of Rahul Gandhi as an exception.)
It would be interesting to find out what is it about movie stars, sports personalities, and publicity-hungry socialites that makes people take an active interest in their public (and private) that our leaders lack.

Let's face it, if i were an American voter, i'd know exactly whom i'd vote for.
On the other hand, having been told repeatedly that i'm grown up now, that i should make an effort to be politically and socially aware, i must say, i find the task unappealing, to put it mildly.

Mark Twain hit the nail on the head in this respect (as he always did). I guess it boils down to the fact that we're put-off by what supposed to do precisely BECAUSE it's what we're supposed to do ! Not that other things oughtn't to be done at all, so if i end up writing my next blog on something entirely unconnected with me, don't be surpri'z'ed!

Escapism

What's the name of Hillary Clinton's autobiography?

What's the name of John McCain's Bangladeshi adopted daughter?

What cell-phone does Barrack Obama use?

What did John McCain say about his Internet use?

Which state, for that matter does Hillary Clinton represent in the Senate?

Of which Ivy League university is Barrack Obama an alumnus?





Why do i know the answers to even half of these questions?



Doesn't it seem strange that sitting thousands of "miles" away, we (that is to say, some of us)

follow the American Presidential elections so avidly?

In this day of globalization (forgive the cliche, please), you might argue, no, not at all.

But wait, my question is not drawn from a lack of awareness about the www or the free press in general (aided magnificently by cutting edge technology).

Instead, i refer to the tendency (at least) i have acquired for being attracted to the unreal.
Is it that western politics, sports, books and what have you, have simply replaced Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and their ilk?

Is this a refuge? An escape from my own real world, only masquerading as general knowledge?

More on this later...

Trying to emulate Mayank Shekhar

After much deliberation, i thought i'd write a movie review (always wanted to).

The choice of the movie wasn't very difficult, so here's my take on Shekhar Kapoor's MASOOM-

This poignant remake of Man, Woman and Child (much more poignant than the original, if truth be told) starts off with the "happily ever after" family of D.K (Naseeruddin Shah), his wife(Shabana Azmi)and 2 daughters. All is fine until a mysterious letter to D.K blotches the hitherto rosy picture.

An illegitimate son, a chain of lies on all fronts, acceptance of reality and finally, compassion and the triumph of maternal instincts bring this tale to an end.

Here, i must remind the reader that i am writing my review of the movie; it is not my objective to narrate its script in detail.

Shabana Azmi, as the quintessential affluent housewife suddenly faced with adultery and deceit is outstanding, to say the least. In fact, the other performances are scarcely less so. Jugal Hansraj is the very picture of innocence (remember the title ?). His hurt expression when his step mom refuses to tend to a wound is one that would evoke abject pity from the most stone-hearted person in the movie hall.

The artless natural camaraderie that develops between the kids surfaces openly in Lakdi ki kathi... On the other hand, a desparate family man, with the dread of a wrecked home constantly on his mind ruefully sings Tujhse naraaz nahin..., while a woman disraught by the knowledge of her husband's infidelity croons the same as she tries to find a way to keep the family together.

A decision is reached ; the boy will have to go back. The girls are sorry to lose their charming new buddy, he is miserable at the thought of losing the only semblance of a family he has left.

Scared, wanting only to be loved and wanted by the man he now knows to be his father, he tearfully departs.A typical railway station scene follows.The end, predictable.

That, however, is immaterial.I found, on reading what i've written so far, that i have not done justice to Naseeruddin Shah. His is a beautifully sketched character caught in a trap by his long forgotten past, that of a decent, sensible businessman, a doting father and husband.Aware of his family's claims but sensible that the son's need is probably greater, D.K is overcome by guilt and seemingly impossible obligations - a very complex character played with N.S's usual consummate skill.

What strikes me the most about this movie is the subtlety and maturity with which the story has been depicted.There is quite a number of films that deal with the same topic but none (among those i've watched) can match the realistic scenario that Masoon paints.The fairness shown to all the characters, the absence of the blame-game and dividing the world into black and white are some of the extremely rare and commendable features of Masoom.

So, moral of the story: Watch it!!

entre misty

Just finished reading a book called ' Shadow Life'. It was about Anne Frank, written in different perspectives (Margot, other inmates at the concentration camp,etc). (no prizes for guessing what inspired me to start this blog!)

Hoping to blog often, I take your leave. ciao!