After a long time I went to see this presumably off beat movie ‘Hazaaron Khawaishen Aisi’, with literally unknown actors and hopefully a different story. The movie was definitely different, but after 4-5 days if watching it also am not sure if I liked it or not. I think I appreciated it more than I enjoyed it.
The movie revolves around three central characters, Sidhharth, Vikram and Geeta. Each of them thought they had an idea of what they wanted to do in their lives and sure they all start moving in their respective directions. But somewhere down the line there paths zigzag and meet and in the end they find themselves on someone else’s path, something some years back they could not have envisaged. There is a backdrop of early seventies, and the unrest that the youth of that time faced. Interwoven in the whole story is the story of changing relationships, and how these relationships change the whole life for these people. How a seemingly unattached materialistic guy, underneath his apparent persona is driven by his emotions for a girl, whom he could never get, but was always by her side. How a girl walks out of her marriage to be by the side of who she thinks is the love of her life. How the guy who begins as a crusader finally settles for the beaten path and a comfortable life.
I think we need to have more such movies, but may be with a dash of entertainment in them.
Saturday, 30 April 2005
Thursday, 28 April 2005
Long Weekend at Goa
Last weekend being long weekend, four of us planned to go to Goa. There has been much written about what Goa is all about so let me focus on what I saw and felt.
From Bangalore, we drove via Mangalore, as all of us had heard a lot about the drive from Mangalore to Goa being a very scenic one and the fact that you drive along the beach all the way. All this turned out to be an absolute hype. There was beach for about 100 – 150 meters and that too only at one place throughout the coastline drive, interspersed with few patches of backwaters. The road was good though. We drove back via Shimoga and Tumkur, after being lost somewhere on NH48 for about an hour at midnight. Initially the road had lots curls and curves, but because of almost no traffic at night, drive was fast enough, and less by 100 kms than the Mangalore route.
As soon as you enter Goa, you can get the feeling of ‘being relaxed’ in the air. We were just in time on the beach to see the sunset, but incidentally none of us were carrying our cameras to capture and the next two days we could not catch up the sunset. The culture of Goa you can feel has molded itself to the ‘Tourism Culture’. The waiters in the restaurants are friendly and do not carry an attitude as if they are there to serve but rather as if you are a guest at their place. Most of them displayed fair amount of wit, while making sure that you are ready to take the pun they put in their one liners.
In two days we could pack up a trip to old Goa where churches talk about the history of Portugal reign that it has seen for centuries, a river cruise displaying the modern day culture of Goa, parasailing, a long time item on my list ‘to do list’, a boat ride in the sea to watch dolphins, a stroll through the village of Mupasa. But the best part was sitting on beach shacks on a full moon night with the moon light shining through the waves. Eating on the shacks with sea waves just an arm away is something that can be experienced but not explained. Another high point was climbing the light house on Aguada fort and having a bird’s eye view of Goa. Early morning walk by the beach can really make you feel so much one with yourself and you almost feel connected to the rest of the world, and if you close your eyes, the sound of waves hitting the shores is the best music that you can ever hear. Being a vegetarian there was nothing much for me to explore but Kokam Curry at RicoRiho was amazing, and so was the sizzler at a beach shack.
No one would like to come back from such a dreamy place to the world of reality, but that is what we eventually did on Monday. No wonder I was feeling depressed for a while after coming back.
From Bangalore, we drove via Mangalore, as all of us had heard a lot about the drive from Mangalore to Goa being a very scenic one and the fact that you drive along the beach all the way. All this turned out to be an absolute hype. There was beach for about 100 – 150 meters and that too only at one place throughout the coastline drive, interspersed with few patches of backwaters. The road was good though. We drove back via Shimoga and Tumkur, after being lost somewhere on NH48 for about an hour at midnight. Initially the road had lots curls and curves, but because of almost no traffic at night, drive was fast enough, and less by 100 kms than the Mangalore route.
As soon as you enter Goa, you can get the feeling of ‘being relaxed’ in the air. We were just in time on the beach to see the sunset, but incidentally none of us were carrying our cameras to capture and the next two days we could not catch up the sunset. The culture of Goa you can feel has molded itself to the ‘Tourism Culture’. The waiters in the restaurants are friendly and do not carry an attitude as if they are there to serve but rather as if you are a guest at their place. Most of them displayed fair amount of wit, while making sure that you are ready to take the pun they put in their one liners.
In two days we could pack up a trip to old Goa where churches talk about the history of Portugal reign that it has seen for centuries, a river cruise displaying the modern day culture of Goa, parasailing, a long time item on my list ‘to do list’, a boat ride in the sea to watch dolphins, a stroll through the village of Mupasa. But the best part was sitting on beach shacks on a full moon night with the moon light shining through the waves. Eating on the shacks with sea waves just an arm away is something that can be experienced but not explained. Another high point was climbing the light house on Aguada fort and having a bird’s eye view of Goa. Early morning walk by the beach can really make you feel so much one with yourself and you almost feel connected to the rest of the world, and if you close your eyes, the sound of waves hitting the shores is the best music that you can ever hear. Being a vegetarian there was nothing much for me to explore but Kokam Curry at RicoRiho was amazing, and so was the sizzler at a beach shack.
No one would like to come back from such a dreamy place to the world of reality, but that is what we eventually did on Monday. No wonder I was feeling depressed for a while after coming back.
Thursday, 21 April 2005
Uncertainty Index
Have you ever realized that more we grow in our careers more we loose control of our own time. Everyone seems to have right on it and somehow as part of our responsibilities we feel obliged to give it away. Is it not very common for us to tell our colleagues, our customers to feel free to get in touch with us anytime? The fact that we have become a part of the global economy plays its own part in the whole availability syndrome.
Uncertainty index (UI) describes the amount of uncertainty the whole availability syndrome brings into our lives. There is little that you can do to plan anything in your life, unless it is accepted it as urgent by people around you. Look at some of the common situations and see the UI on a scale of 10, 10 being the most uncertain.
You have booked a holiday for yourself, but at the back of your mind you know that if something comes up at the last minute you will let go of the holiday. UI = 6
You are traveling to a new city where an old friend lives who shares the similar profile as you, chances that you would meet him/her for a dinner / coffee. UI = 5
An old friend is shifting to your city 3 weeks down the line and wants to check if you would come and pick him up at the airport. You want to do this for him for sake of all the good times that you have had together. UI = 7
Your parents want to visit you and they being from their generation want to know if they can visit you in June / July, assuming this is April. The chances that you would not have to travel during that time, UI = 9
You want to associate can associate yourself with a social cause that requires you to commit time at certain dates and times. UI = 8
UI for you living in the same city a year from now= 4
Like ‘Change’, I think ‘Uncertainty’ has also become a constant in our lives.
Uncertainty index (UI) describes the amount of uncertainty the whole availability syndrome brings into our lives. There is little that you can do to plan anything in your life, unless it is accepted it as urgent by people around you. Look at some of the common situations and see the UI on a scale of 10, 10 being the most uncertain.
You have booked a holiday for yourself, but at the back of your mind you know that if something comes up at the last minute you will let go of the holiday. UI = 6
You are traveling to a new city where an old friend lives who shares the similar profile as you, chances that you would meet him/her for a dinner / coffee. UI = 5
An old friend is shifting to your city 3 weeks down the line and wants to check if you would come and pick him up at the airport. You want to do this for him for sake of all the good times that you have had together. UI = 7
Your parents want to visit you and they being from their generation want to know if they can visit you in June / July, assuming this is April. The chances that you would not have to travel during that time, UI = 9
You want to associate can associate yourself with a social cause that requires you to commit time at certain dates and times. UI = 8
UI for you living in the same city a year from now= 4
Like ‘Change’, I think ‘Uncertainty’ has also become a constant in our lives.
Wednesday, 13 April 2005
Friday, 8 April 2005
Explore Bangalore Series I – Food
A few months back, after I got a little comfortable with my driving skills, I wanted to do ‘Explore Bangalore’, in my vision to ‘know the place where you live’. Discussed this with few friends, everyone said it’s good idea, but I discovered that most people were not really convinced of the idea. Just when I was thinking of ‘Aikala chalo re..’, I found that in a way I was exploring Bangalore by going to new food joints, which is essentially food joints new to me, and this website came handy to find the new joints http://indiafoodsurvey.com . So here the restaurants that I explored in recent past with my brief recommendation :
1. Café Y, Langford Town - Must Go
2. Mainland China, Church Street – Must Go if you like Chinese Food
3. Little Italy, Indira Nagar, Italian – Best Place for Italian Food
4. Bangalore Bistro, Cunninghan Road - Good Food
5. Magnolia, Koramangala – Good for quite dinners
6. Tamarind, Koramangala – Good Continental Food
7. Mast Kalandar, Bannerghatta Road – Amazing Paranthas
8. Ragoos, Jayanagar – Can Go Place
9. Chandni Chowk, Koramangala – Can go if you like exploring
10. Halli Mane, Malleshwaram – Go for the experience of Rural food
11. Three Quarter Chinese, Church Street – Avoid
Next series of ‘Explore Bangalore’, comes with my visiting 10 new places for food or otherwise.
1. Café Y, Langford Town - Must Go
2. Mainland China, Church Street – Must Go if you like Chinese Food
3. Little Italy, Indira Nagar, Italian – Best Place for Italian Food
4. Bangalore Bistro, Cunninghan Road - Good Food
5. Magnolia, Koramangala – Good for quite dinners
6. Tamarind, Koramangala – Good Continental Food
7. Mast Kalandar, Bannerghatta Road – Amazing Paranthas
8. Ragoos, Jayanagar – Can Go Place
9. Chandni Chowk, Koramangala – Can go if you like exploring
10. Halli Mane, Malleshwaram – Go for the experience of Rural food
11. Three Quarter Chinese, Church Street – Avoid
Next series of ‘Explore Bangalore’, comes with my visiting 10 new places for food or otherwise.
Saturday, 2 April 2005
Ghost Writing
We have been hearing a lot about Casting Couch recently in Bollywood and this lead me to think of another menace that has never been questioned or investigated in Bollywood and that is Ghost writing.
For last so many years there is only one name that gets noticed and nominated for all awards for lyrics writing in the Hindi film world. This often made me wonder if this one person was so capable of writing on all kinds of emotions and moods with all his thousand other commitments or is it that everything that is written goes by his name. Of late my gut feeling said that it can’t be him writing all those sensitive words, and I think the inputs to this must have been his public appearances, his mannerisms, his pompousness, for I had never met him in person. But sometime back I did get to see him in person where he was a part of a panel discussion, and that removed any doubts that I might have had. He came out to be a fundamentalist, not ready to listen to anyone and carrying an air of ‘you must listen to me, because I am so and so’. Now I am more than sure that he can not be penning down all the lyrics that he claims his own. He is just in race to get all possible awards and he is doing anything to do that. Only thing I can possibly credit him with is that his choice of lyrics is definitely good and he has the right contacts to bring them to the right platform for a larger audience to appreciate them.
Having said this, these are personal views and have no evidence what so ever to qualify the same. Hope to hear some views on this issue.
For last so many years there is only one name that gets noticed and nominated for all awards for lyrics writing in the Hindi film world. This often made me wonder if this one person was so capable of writing on all kinds of emotions and moods with all his thousand other commitments or is it that everything that is written goes by his name. Of late my gut feeling said that it can’t be him writing all those sensitive words, and I think the inputs to this must have been his public appearances, his mannerisms, his pompousness, for I had never met him in person. But sometime back I did get to see him in person where he was a part of a panel discussion, and that removed any doubts that I might have had. He came out to be a fundamentalist, not ready to listen to anyone and carrying an air of ‘you must listen to me, because I am so and so’. Now I am more than sure that he can not be penning down all the lyrics that he claims his own. He is just in race to get all possible awards and he is doing anything to do that. Only thing I can possibly credit him with is that his choice of lyrics is definitely good and he has the right contacts to bring them to the right platform for a larger audience to appreciate them.
Having said this, these are personal views and have no evidence what so ever to qualify the same. Hope to hear some views on this issue.
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