(Title from the System Of a Down song)
These days I've stopped living and have taken to quizzing full time!I'm currently preparing questions for a quiz that I'll be doing for our canteen quiz club-Su Chhe.Questions should be up on this blog in a day or two.But Wikipedia and IMDB are
the second best things to have happened to mankind since the computer!
This one for the time being-
This word originally meant "placed on the knees." In Ancient Rome, a father legally claimed his newborn child by sitting in front of his family and placing his child on his knee.Which word in English lexicon?
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
'Nobody's Fault But Mine' and 'Suicide Solution' and 'Dazed and Confused'
Nobody's Fault But Mine
I'm still clueless about two things.
1.With what face does Mr.Devegowda still plead innocence for the perfect drama orchestrated at his behest.Bang-galore?!!!
2.Why have I not suffered a nervous breakdown?.Seriously,when I look back at the traveling and the taxes that my mind has paid over the last one month, it makes me wonder as to how I'm still in one piece!All this traveling has no doubt left my frail body in a much better condition. But my mind is on the verge of a breakdown wondering how the hell could I take all this and still remain sane. Three thoughts of commiting suicide were nipped in the bud by friend dearest Bharath.Just hope that tolerating me hasn't made him develop thoughts on suicide!!
Here's the flashback
Jan 7-8 Mumbai
Jan 14-15 Mumbai
Jan 20-22 Fashion Show,Surat(I anchored it alright.Don't ever imagine me walking on
the ramp!)
Jan 27-30 IIM-A Chaos trip
Feb 3 Surat-Mindbend Quiz(2nd place)
First Suicide Thought
The quiz got over at 2.We boarded the train to Ahmedabad at 5.
Feb 4 Ahmedabad-The IMS quiz(The day we came on top!)
Feb 10-11 Ahmedabad,Delhi,Ahmedabad The IMS quiz National Finals
Second Suicide Thought
Feb 16 Ahmedabad -TATA Crucible
Third Suicide Thought
Suicide Solution
Why the three suicidal thoughts?!
1.Feb 3 Mindbend Mega Quiz
During one of the rounds in the quiz,we had to choose a particular state in India and Parnab would ask us a question about that state.Me and Harsha pride ourselves on having decent knowledge about our state and hence chose Karnataka,but were unable to answer a question on
him.
That probably cost us the first place. But more than that what led me to think about commiting suicide was that inspite of knowing everything about the person we couldnot identify it was him.(No,it wasn't a visual).Good times,Bad times.Certainly very true.
I remember writing about the elated(well,not much!) state we were in when we answered questions in this quiz.Quizzing indeed is a great leveller. And about my suicide thoughts,my belief that my knowledge about my state was 'decent' was under serious doubt.Maybe, I shouldn't take quizzing this seriously.But then, read on. The story has just begun!
2.Feb 11-IMS quiz NationalFinals
I HATE BUZZERS IN QUIZZES. I firmly believe that they go against the spirit of quizzing,where one works out the answer. Maybe I should have been born with a buzzer in my hand.Maybe then I'd have been good at buzzers in quizzes. But for my stupidity with the buzzer,we'd have finished fourth. Ultimately, we finished sixth out of eight teams.That in no way is a reflection of our performance or our abilities.Buzzers were my nemesis during University Challenge.And now they returned to haunt me during the IMS quiz. Ab Buzz,bahut ho gaya!
The Delhi trip deserves a special post, for I met some very special people there.
Handa,Karthik,Arjun and Kunal.Though I must admit I'd have loved to spend a little more 'quality time' with Kunal.But then, he was in his own world. CP was great, as were the the party and the free air trip. But what I won't forget for a long long time to come is the intellectual bakchodi I had with Handa,Kartik and Arjun following the party in the hotel room.Just wish I had some more time to spend with them.What made the whole experience of meeting all these people so special was that my percentages,my placement,my CAT score weren't the criteria on which I was judged!
3. Feb 16 TATA Crucible Ahmedabad
Damn,we didn't even qualify for the finals.And we traveled for ten hours to attend a two hour quiz.It hurts when you don't qualify.It hurts when you write three right answers,strike them off and then write the wrong answer.Getting into the finals of the TATA Crucible would have been a perfect icing on the cake for what has been a very hectic quizzing month.But then, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Made me realise that when one stays in a place like Surat you need to have that extra bit, to be able to travel for five hours starting at 5 in the morning and still be fresh enough to do well in a quiz. Surat ain't khoob-surat anymore.
Dazed and Confused
Tonight's turn of events have left me dazed,confused and more importantly,amused. Amused about life and its complications,people and their reactions.I can understand people go to a higher level when they are spirited,but I suddenly feel like a naive and ignorant child who is yet to come to terms with the realities of life. My fundas on life were somewhat shaken by people and their behaviour yesterday.Personally, I'm doing great.A caring and loving family solidly behind me,a decent career ahead of me(though not as good as I'd have wanted it to be,but my time will come). I don't have that 'girlfriend' whom I've to worry about. I actually realised today that though on the surface I might ooze oodles of sarcasm everytime I open my mouth,be unabashedly critical of things and people I don't like,but deep down I'm a very naive,unsophisticated kid. And I thought life is simple and it is left to the person living it to make it to complicated or uncomplicated to suit himself/herself. What amazes me is the extent people can make seemingly simple things so complicated things so complicated and have to go through so much trouble. And it's just not them,it also invloves a soul which has a heart(not sure about brains!) having feelings.Again,it is none of my business as to what people do with their lives,but they are people living with me and whether they know it or not,like it or not,care or don't care,they are a part of my life and my existance here. And I just can't digest when Pandit says,-'It's ok,happens'.But why put yourself through so much when I believe things can be much more simple.I might be making no sense here,I need to come down for that.Something here is not right and I'm just not able to come to terms with it.Maybe I care a bit too much for them and I hope when Jayanth said that they don't care about me anymore, he was only joking!I'm joking now,I have my support system perfectly in place.Sometimes,it's better not to 'grow up', if 'growing up' was what
happened tonight.
Checklist for further posts
1.The Delhi Trip
2.People I met-Handa,Karthik,Arjun.
3.My review of RDB.I'm closely involved with something related to RDB,hence this strong connection with RDB.Now,don't get thoughts of me working with Aamir or Rakeysh Mehra.This is something I'm doing in the college.
Carryovers from previous posts.
4. Why IITs will remain IITs and NITs NITs?(In context of Chaos and almost everything).
5. My movie plans.(Not watching, making!!!)Yes, the plans have fructified and work is on!!
P.S.And this.Will they send us home?!I hope they do!
I'm still clueless about two things.
1.With what face does Mr.Devegowda still plead innocence for the perfect drama orchestrated at his behest.Bang-galore?!!!
2.Why have I not suffered a nervous breakdown?.Seriously,when I look back at the traveling and the taxes that my mind has paid over the last one month, it makes me wonder as to how I'm still in one piece!All this traveling has no doubt left my frail body in a much better condition. But my mind is on the verge of a breakdown wondering how the hell could I take all this and still remain sane. Three thoughts of commiting suicide were nipped in the bud by friend dearest Bharath.Just hope that tolerating me hasn't made him develop thoughts on suicide!!
Here's the flashback
Jan 7-8 Mumbai
Jan 14-15 Mumbai
Jan 20-22 Fashion Show,Surat(I anchored it alright.Don't ever imagine me walking on
the ramp!)
Jan 27-30 IIM-A Chaos trip
Feb 3 Surat-Mindbend Quiz(2nd place)
First Suicide Thought
The quiz got over at 2.We boarded the train to Ahmedabad at 5.
Feb 4 Ahmedabad-The IMS quiz(The day we came on top!)
Feb 10-11 Ahmedabad,Delhi,Ahmedabad The IMS quiz National Finals
Second Suicide Thought
Feb 16 Ahmedabad -TATA Crucible
Third Suicide Thought
Suicide Solution
Why the three suicidal thoughts?!
1.Feb 3 Mindbend Mega Quiz
During one of the rounds in the quiz,we had to choose a particular state in India and Parnab would ask us a question about that state.Me and Harsha pride ourselves on having decent knowledge about our state and hence chose Karnataka,but were unable to answer a question on
him.
That probably cost us the first place. But more than that what led me to think about commiting suicide was that inspite of knowing everything about the person we couldnot identify it was him.(No,it wasn't a visual).Good times,Bad times.Certainly very true.
I remember writing about the elated(well,not much!) state we were in when we answered questions in this quiz.Quizzing indeed is a great leveller. And about my suicide thoughts,my belief that my knowledge about my state was 'decent' was under serious doubt.Maybe, I shouldn't take quizzing this seriously.But then, read on. The story has just begun!
2.Feb 11-IMS quiz NationalFinals
I HATE BUZZERS IN QUIZZES. I firmly believe that they go against the spirit of quizzing,where one works out the answer. Maybe I should have been born with a buzzer in my hand.Maybe then I'd have been good at buzzers in quizzes. But for my stupidity with the buzzer,we'd have finished fourth. Ultimately, we finished sixth out of eight teams.That in no way is a reflection of our performance or our abilities.Buzzers were my nemesis during University Challenge.And now they returned to haunt me during the IMS quiz. Ab Buzz,bahut ho gaya!
The Delhi trip deserves a special post, for I met some very special people there.
Handa,Karthik,Arjun and Kunal.Though I must admit I'd have loved to spend a little more 'quality time' with Kunal.But then, he was in his own world. CP was great, as were the the party and the free air trip. But what I won't forget for a long long time to come is the intellectual bakchodi I had with Handa,Kartik and Arjun following the party in the hotel room.Just wish I had some more time to spend with them.What made the whole experience of meeting all these people so special was that my percentages,my placement,my CAT score weren't the criteria on which I was judged!
3. Feb 16 TATA Crucible Ahmedabad
Damn,we didn't even qualify for the finals.And we traveled for ten hours to attend a two hour quiz.It hurts when you don't qualify.It hurts when you write three right answers,strike them off and then write the wrong answer.Getting into the finals of the TATA Crucible would have been a perfect icing on the cake for what has been a very hectic quizzing month.But then, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Made me realise that when one stays in a place like Surat you need to have that extra bit, to be able to travel for five hours starting at 5 in the morning and still be fresh enough to do well in a quiz. Surat ain't khoob-surat anymore.
Dazed and Confused
Tonight's turn of events have left me dazed,confused and more importantly,amused. Amused about life and its complications,people and their reactions.I can understand people go to a higher level when they are spirited,but I suddenly feel like a naive and ignorant child who is yet to come to terms with the realities of life. My fundas on life were somewhat shaken by people and their behaviour yesterday.Personally, I'm doing great.A caring and loving family solidly behind me,a decent career ahead of me(though not as good as I'd have wanted it to be,but my time will come). I don't have that 'girlfriend' whom I've to worry about. I actually realised today that though on the surface I might ooze oodles of sarcasm everytime I open my mouth,be unabashedly critical of things and people I don't like,but deep down I'm a very naive,unsophisticated kid. And I thought life is simple and it is left to the person living it to make it to complicated or uncomplicated to suit himself/herself. What amazes me is the extent people can make seemingly simple things so complicated things so complicated and have to go through so much trouble. And it's just not them,it also invloves a soul which has a heart(not sure about brains!) having feelings.Again,it is none of my business as to what people do with their lives,but they are people living with me and whether they know it or not,like it or not,care or don't care,they are a part of my life and my existance here. And I just can't digest when Pandit says,-'It's ok,happens'.But why put yourself through so much when I believe things can be much more simple.I might be making no sense here,I need to come down for that.Something here is not right and I'm just not able to come to terms with it.Maybe I care a bit too much for them and I hope when Jayanth said that they don't care about me anymore, he was only joking!I'm joking now,I have my support system perfectly in place.Sometimes,it's better not to 'grow up', if 'growing up' was what
happened tonight.
Checklist for further posts
1.The Delhi Trip
2.People I met-Handa,Karthik,Arjun.
3.My review of RDB.I'm closely involved with something related to RDB,hence this strong connection with RDB.Now,don't get thoughts of me working with Aamir or Rakeysh Mehra.This is something I'm doing in the college.
Carryovers from previous posts.
4. Why IITs will remain IITs and NITs NITs?(In context of Chaos and almost everything).
5. My movie plans.(Not watching, making!!!)Yes, the plans have fructified and work is on!!
P.S.And this.Will they send us home?!I hope they do!
Monday, February 6, 2006
Such a Rush
(An apt title from the Coldplay song with the same name)
Mindbend mega quiz,IMS quiz Ahmedabad.
How does one feel if he hasn't brushed for 48 hours,traveled for 12 hours in those 48, not shaved for 4 days?!And we are not even talking about bathing. Well, I did(didn't, in some cases!) all that was mentioned above.And how did I feel?Tired of course,satisfied and contended as well.
I'm a motorcycle right now.T(w)oo ti(y)red.Will write a longer post on how the last fortnight has been some quizzing,a little more quizzing and lot of quizzing.
This is just to inform that I along with Jitaditya and Dipankar won the Ahmedabad round of the IMS Quotient and will be flying to Delhi for the finals on 11th Feb. Man, I'll be flying for the first time in my life!! And it's for free. I have a huge responsibilty too. Have to perform better than the last time I was on TV quizzing on University Challenge.
Should see us very soon here
Checklist for further posts.
1.The second Ahmedabad trip travelogue
2.The second prize at the quiz conducted by Parnab Mukherjeein our college.
And carry-overs from the last post.
1. What happened on 28th and 29th ?! English JAM,Face painting, graffiti, Indian Ocean, Sivamani, Dumb Charades and the return journey.
2. People I met- Devadas,Sidin, Boka, Paro, Srijith, Nikhil Chinnappa.
3. Why IITs will remain IITs and NITs NITs?(In context of Chaos and almost everything).
4. My movie plans.(Not watching, making!!!)
Mindbend mega quiz,IMS quiz Ahmedabad.
How does one feel if he hasn't brushed for 48 hours,traveled for 12 hours in those 48, not shaved for 4 days?!And we are not even talking about bathing. Well, I did(didn't, in some cases!) all that was mentioned above.And how did I feel?Tired of course,satisfied and contended as well.
I'm a motorcycle right now.T(w)oo ti(y)red.Will write a longer post on how the last fortnight has been some quizzing,a little more quizzing and lot of quizzing.
This is just to inform that I along with Jitaditya and Dipankar won the Ahmedabad round of the IMS Quotient and will be flying to Delhi for the finals on 11th Feb. Man, I'll be flying for the first time in my life!! And it's for free. I have a huge responsibilty too. Have to perform better than the last time I was on TV quizzing on University Challenge.
Should see us very soon here
Checklist for further posts.
1.The second Ahmedabad trip travelogue
2.The second prize at the quiz conducted by Parnab Mukherjeein our college.
And carry-overs from the last post.
1. What happened on 28th and 29th ?! English JAM,Face painting, graffiti, Indian Ocean, Sivamani, Dumb Charades and the return journey.
2. People I met- Devadas,Sidin, Boka, Paro, Srijith, Nikhil Chinnappa.
3. Why IITs will remain IITs and NITs NITs?(In context of Chaos and almost everything).
4. My movie plans.(Not watching, making!!!)
Thursday, February 2, 2006
The IIM-A 'chaotic' trip.
RDB, India Quiz, Birthday, Hindi JAM, Jal , Strings and the dance party.
Crossposted on my travel blog
Jan 26
1. Watched ‘Rang De Basanti’ with almost the whole of final year. People had been preparing for it for weeks. Yes, all the girls were there. Nothing happened. We went, we ate pop corn, we saw the movie, we came back. Didn’t understand what the whole hoopla over ‘Movie Day’ was, when you go with your group, sit and watch the movie with them and come back. While in the hall, everyone’s veins were brimming with patriotism with cries of ‘Bolo Bharath Mata ki jai’ and ‘Inquilab Zindabad’. And all that remained in the minds of India’s future was Aamir’s dialogue on something like ‘Past this, future that and aaj pe muuthe hain’, the firang’s curves and the sudden emergence of Soha as the latest hot girl. Will probably write about the movie in my next post.
2. Won the ‘India Quiz’ held on the eve of Republic Day. 61% of the questions were repeated and we knew 29% of those which weren’t repeated. So the quiz was only 10% interesting. Bilkul Mazaa nahin aaya. Now we don’t mind not qualifying for the finals or even losing after qualifying. We need better quality quizzes now.
3. Got kicked royally in the backside midnight. I became public a day after we celebrate our Republic Day!
Jan 27(Morning and afternoon)
1. Jan 27 was my b’day. Left for Ahmedabad at 2:00 a.m. to be in time for the
general quiz prelims at Chaos. We knew we wouldn’t qualify for the finals for any of the quizzes conducted there, but as I said earlier Quality matters now. There was a lit quiz and an entertainment quiz along with the general quiz. I found myself to be in a better position than the last time. Last time, I just couldn’t make out the head or tail of some questions. But this time, there was something I knew in each question, except the answers in some cases!!!
2. Another event I eagerly look forward to in Chaos is the word games. I still vividly remember how Shashank and I were clueless for the initial ten minutes and then answers popped out like hot pop corn out of the machine. Though we didn’t qualify for the finals, it did give me a feeling that I’m not totally worthless and the countless hours on the net haven’t gone waste. This time though, the fatigue of the journey, high difficulty level of the word games and absence of Shashank took its toll and resulted in a real below par performance.
3. What followed was my first attempt at JAMming in Hindi. JAMming ranks fourth in the order of my loves. Books, movies, music and then comes JAMming. My performance there was downright pathetic, got a chance to speak only once. The JAM master got a very bitter taste of my PJs. I objected to a late start and the JAM master didn’t concur with me. Instead he said that I could’ve objected for rambling and time-wasting tactics. And then came my master piece. I said-“Isn’t starting late a waste of time as well?!!” Had it been just the two of us there, I’d have had my throat slit.
Being a South Indian, I can say that Hindi is not my language. But, when was the last time I JAMmed? Can’t remember. Was left wondering then, like I’ve always wondered for the last two years, why the hell can we not have more JAMs in the college? So that I’m not embarrassed when I’m at Chaos!! Sad, studying in a ‘technical’ college and have ‘wasteful’ interests like JAMming and quizzing.
4. Sapped of all my energy and due to lack of a ‘chutiya’ partner like Shashank, I let go of any thoughts of participating in the English Debate.
5. Thank God there was no earthquake that afternoon. Had there been one, I’d have been dead by now. That was such sound a sleep that no earthquake would’ve been able to wake me up. The six of us sleeping, someone’s legs over someone’s stomach, another’s hands on someone’s face and another one sandwiched somewhere in all this. Of course, all of us were fully clothed.
Jan 27 (evening)
Jal opened the evening’s show. After numerous sound-checks and the customary ‘We love Ahmedabad’, came the music. It was a bit disappointing. Was it because Atif was missing? Or because we’ve had an overdose of Jal? Or maybe because they just have very few songs? Don’t know the reason. But again, our group seemed to be the only ones around who knew all the songs. It’s a great feeling when you are at a concert and know the lyrics of the songs. It adds to the excitement when you jump, scream and dance mouthing the lyrics of the song. They played Woh Lamhe, Aankhon se, Jhollay Lal, Aadat and two more of their new unreleased compositions. These six songs were enough to get us charged up for what was to follow.
Great performers somehow establish an instant connection with the crowd. Strings did that very well. They got the crowd going even before they started to sing. They played Na jaane Kyon, Dhaani, Chhaaye Chhaaye, Sohniye, Anjaane, Sar ki yeh pahaar.
There were two surprises waiting for me. While playing Duur, Strings played ‘Where the streets have no name’. That is one of my favourite songs and I found people staring strangely at me while I was jumping like a monkey and singing the song. The feeling was something similar to the one when I spilled pop corn on my neighbours while watching RDB. Shantaram is the book which Aamir’s shown showing Sue during the song ‘Tu bin Bataaye’. Many wouldn’t have even noticed. But that feeling of familiarity and knowing something which others don’t is such a pleasant one. But hey, isn’t that too ‘trivial’?
Another surprise was being thrown high in the air while Strings performed. It was my b’day remember?!! That’ll be one moment I’ll treasure forever. Thanks Pong, Ankush, Koodi, Sandy, Vinzu, Hari, Joji, Amol, Anky,Kenny and Ashish.
Then there was supposed to be an all night movie screening. But that was called off. As the movie screening was called off, we went to the canteen for a coffee. My eardrums almost burst with the loud ‘Aah-sick banaaya aapne’. Oh, that was the dance party. With no female company, I didn’t want to dance with guys and lay the foundations of a gay movement starting at IIM-A. Was quietly observing ‘India’s future’ in real pain and trouble. Didn’t understand what/ whom they were calling out with ‘Ek baar aaja aaja’. Him-ass Spare-me-miah. You’ve made my life hell.
Then I saw Vandana. Had met her during the theatre workshop at last year’s Chaos. Danced with her friends from MSU. And I’m sure they won’t forget my attempts at dancing. All I did was just keep jumping initially and it was difficult to pick up a totally new dance step just when I thought I had got a grip over the previous one. But I’m sure they would’ve enjoyed dancing with me, not because I look like Aamir or because I dance like Hrithik. But because of my funny dance steps and awkward attempts at dancing.
Back in our room at the dorm, we had some discussion on the 'dilemmas' that Ankush’s facing and went to sleep, albeit this time in civilized and comfortable positions.
Checklist for further posting.
1. What happened on 28th and 29th ?! English JAM,Face painting, graffiti, Indian Ocean, Sivamani, Dumb Charades and the return journey.
2. People I met- Devadas,Sidin, Boka, Paro, Srijith, Nikhil Chinnappa.
3. Why IITs will remain IITs and NITs NITs?(In context of Chaos and almost everything).
4. My movie plans.(Not watching, making!!!)
Crossposted on my travel blog
Jan 26
1. Watched ‘Rang De Basanti’ with almost the whole of final year. People had been preparing for it for weeks. Yes, all the girls were there. Nothing happened. We went, we ate pop corn, we saw the movie, we came back. Didn’t understand what the whole hoopla over ‘Movie Day’ was, when you go with your group, sit and watch the movie with them and come back. While in the hall, everyone’s veins were brimming with patriotism with cries of ‘Bolo Bharath Mata ki jai’ and ‘Inquilab Zindabad’. And all that remained in the minds of India’s future was Aamir’s dialogue on something like ‘Past this, future that and aaj pe muuthe hain’, the firang’s curves and the sudden emergence of Soha as the latest hot girl. Will probably write about the movie in my next post.
2. Won the ‘India Quiz’ held on the eve of Republic Day. 61% of the questions were repeated and we knew 29% of those which weren’t repeated. So the quiz was only 10% interesting. Bilkul Mazaa nahin aaya. Now we don’t mind not qualifying for the finals or even losing after qualifying. We need better quality quizzes now.
3. Got kicked royally in the backside midnight. I became public a day after we celebrate our Republic Day!
Jan 27(Morning and afternoon)
1. Jan 27 was my b’day. Left for Ahmedabad at 2:00 a.m. to be in time for the
general quiz prelims at Chaos. We knew we wouldn’t qualify for the finals for any of the quizzes conducted there, but as I said earlier Quality matters now. There was a lit quiz and an entertainment quiz along with the general quiz. I found myself to be in a better position than the last time. Last time, I just couldn’t make out the head or tail of some questions. But this time, there was something I knew in each question, except the answers in some cases!!!
2. Another event I eagerly look forward to in Chaos is the word games. I still vividly remember how Shashank and I were clueless for the initial ten minutes and then answers popped out like hot pop corn out of the machine. Though we didn’t qualify for the finals, it did give me a feeling that I’m not totally worthless and the countless hours on the net haven’t gone waste. This time though, the fatigue of the journey, high difficulty level of the word games and absence of Shashank took its toll and resulted in a real below par performance.
3. What followed was my first attempt at JAMming in Hindi. JAMming ranks fourth in the order of my loves. Books, movies, music and then comes JAMming. My performance there was downright pathetic, got a chance to speak only once. The JAM master got a very bitter taste of my PJs. I objected to a late start and the JAM master didn’t concur with me. Instead he said that I could’ve objected for rambling and time-wasting tactics. And then came my master piece. I said-“Isn’t starting late a waste of time as well?!!” Had it been just the two of us there, I’d have had my throat slit.
Being a South Indian, I can say that Hindi is not my language. But, when was the last time I JAMmed? Can’t remember. Was left wondering then, like I’ve always wondered for the last two years, why the hell can we not have more JAMs in the college? So that I’m not embarrassed when I’m at Chaos!! Sad, studying in a ‘technical’ college and have ‘wasteful’ interests like JAMming and quizzing.
4. Sapped of all my energy and due to lack of a ‘chutiya’ partner like Shashank, I let go of any thoughts of participating in the English Debate.
5. Thank God there was no earthquake that afternoon. Had there been one, I’d have been dead by now. That was such sound a sleep that no earthquake would’ve been able to wake me up. The six of us sleeping, someone’s legs over someone’s stomach, another’s hands on someone’s face and another one sandwiched somewhere in all this. Of course, all of us were fully clothed.
Jan 27 (evening)
Jal opened the evening’s show. After numerous sound-checks and the customary ‘We love Ahmedabad’, came the music. It was a bit disappointing. Was it because Atif was missing? Or because we’ve had an overdose of Jal? Or maybe because they just have very few songs? Don’t know the reason. But again, our group seemed to be the only ones around who knew all the songs. It’s a great feeling when you are at a concert and know the lyrics of the songs. It adds to the excitement when you jump, scream and dance mouthing the lyrics of the song. They played Woh Lamhe, Aankhon se, Jhollay Lal, Aadat and two more of their new unreleased compositions. These six songs were enough to get us charged up for what was to follow.
Great performers somehow establish an instant connection with the crowd. Strings did that very well. They got the crowd going even before they started to sing. They played Na jaane Kyon, Dhaani, Chhaaye Chhaaye, Sohniye, Anjaane, Sar ki yeh pahaar.
There were two surprises waiting for me. While playing Duur, Strings played ‘Where the streets have no name’. That is one of my favourite songs and I found people staring strangely at me while I was jumping like a monkey and singing the song. The feeling was something similar to the one when I spilled pop corn on my neighbours while watching RDB. Shantaram is the book which Aamir’s shown showing Sue during the song ‘Tu bin Bataaye’. Many wouldn’t have even noticed. But that feeling of familiarity and knowing something which others don’t is such a pleasant one. But hey, isn’t that too ‘trivial’?
Another surprise was being thrown high in the air while Strings performed. It was my b’day remember?!! That’ll be one moment I’ll treasure forever. Thanks Pong, Ankush, Koodi, Sandy, Vinzu, Hari, Joji, Amol, Anky,Kenny and Ashish.
Then there was supposed to be an all night movie screening. But that was called off. As the movie screening was called off, we went to the canteen for a coffee. My eardrums almost burst with the loud ‘Aah-sick banaaya aapne’. Oh, that was the dance party. With no female company, I didn’t want to dance with guys and lay the foundations of a gay movement starting at IIM-A. Was quietly observing ‘India’s future’ in real pain and trouble. Didn’t understand what/ whom they were calling out with ‘Ek baar aaja aaja’. Him-ass Spare-me-miah. You’ve made my life hell.
Then I saw Vandana. Had met her during the theatre workshop at last year’s Chaos. Danced with her friends from MSU. And I’m sure they won’t forget my attempts at dancing. All I did was just keep jumping initially and it was difficult to pick up a totally new dance step just when I thought I had got a grip over the previous one. But I’m sure they would’ve enjoyed dancing with me, not because I look like Aamir or because I dance like Hrithik. But because of my funny dance steps and awkward attempts at dancing.
Back in our room at the dorm, we had some discussion on the 'dilemmas' that Ankush’s facing and went to sleep, albeit this time in civilized and comfortable positions.
Checklist for further posting.
1. What happened on 28th and 29th ?! English JAM,Face painting, graffiti, Indian Ocean, Sivamani, Dumb Charades and the return journey.
2. People I met- Devadas,Sidin, Boka, Paro, Srijith, Nikhil Chinnappa.
3. Why IITs will remain IITs and NITs NITs?(In context of Chaos and almost everything).
4. My movie plans.(Not watching, making!!!)
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Number 2
***********************************************************************
Before you start reading this, I want to let you know that I’m very sade.
1. No comments on the previous post?! Don’t Mumbai and books interest you? It’s ok if you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. But if you don’t have one, why not have Mumbai as your jaan for the time being. For my sake, please!!.
2. These days, I spend a lot of time on Orkut talking politics and books. I found that I don’t have a ‘good’ testimonial written by a female or for that matter any testimonial written by a female!!! I have a huge Malhaar complex now. (No problem, medicines from that complex will cure my inferiority complex!!!)
3. Jita tells me that the movies I’ve made with my new handy cam are ‘chu|iya’. Really sade.
Forget it, sarcasm will be in my children’s blood. Don’t know how it entered my blood. Maybe, the effect of staying for 7 years in hostels. Yes, I’ve got a handy cam and have made some really chu|iya videos. But believe me; they only lack a good platform. Ready to watch them?!
******************************************************************************
Chhee, you people are so dirty. Not that number 2. My cousin had suggested a better euphemism- five down!
” Whenever there is strong number 1, there is automatically a space for a strong number 2”- roared the CEO/MD of a leading MBA entrance training institute. His recorded ‘Life Transformation Sessions’ are quite a hit among hundreds of MBA aspirants here in Surat. He is very good and can give Sunil Pal or any of the Laughter Champions a run for their money. I’m not mocking, but it is a whole-hearted appreciation of his oratory skills and more importantly his ability to keep the crowd’s interest for close to three hours. I guess the statement he made is true in the context of Pepsi v/s Coke and few other businesses. But he made the statement as if he were the Pope and was laying down the rules of business (Again, this is an appreciation of his skills!)
This post is not about _ _ it, or business or MBA. It is about music. The rule stated by the ‘Pope’ doesn’t apply here. At least when it comes to Hindi movie/album sound tracks. A particular song overshadows other tracks and we fail to notice its beauty, melody, or tune as the case maybe. Maybe, the producers/promoters feel it is prudent to promote a particular song(s). Maybe other songs aren’t publicized because listeners are satisfied with ‘watching’ the song on the promos. Maybe, they don’t buy the album and don’t listen to all the songs. Maybe the countdown charts are just cursory and the producers of these shows don’t go beyond the normal popular fare. Maybe, the audiences aren’t discerning enough. Maybe, I’m making a grand, baseless accusation. Maybe, it’s time to move on.
1.
Forget Summer of ’69. It’s been used and overused so much that it hardly evokes any feeling of nostalgia now. Forget ‘69, even ‘96 has come and gone and it’s ’06 now. Then we have ‘Purani Jeans’. Great song. Conveys the ‘college days are best’ message perfectly. But then it also has been played so many times. Oohoon, no effect. Then come ‘Woh Lamhe’ and came with it the remix in Zeher. Changed the whole essence of the song. Emraan Kissme, aur kitne gaanon ka ghanti bajaaoge? Woh Lamhe, Aadat.What next?!
But why look that far when we have a gem closer home- ‘Gill ‘Te Guitar’ by Rabbi. The song opens with a superb guitar lick by Rabbi and tells the story of Rabbi, his two friends and his guitar. It took me sometime to understand the lyrics. Since then, it’s made a permanent place on my play list. Bulla ki Jaana was path breaking by all means. It helped Punjabi music shed its stereotype image of fully clothed men (head to toe!) dancing with half-clothed women. It gave a new feel, a new look, a new sound and added a whole new dimension to Punjabi music. It’s video no doubt doubled its popularity and indeed was one of the best videos Indi-pop or sufi-rock(whatever you call it) has seen. But I wonder how much a hit Gill ‘Te Guitar would’ve been, had it been given a little more push and a beautiful video shot on it. The college crowd would’ve lapped it up and it’d have become the new generation ‘Yeh Dosti’. The most beautiful lines from the song roughly translated- ‘he called up and said “days pass by easily, but evenings are difficult to pass”. And I find it difficult to pass time on the computer without this song.
2.
Anu Malik is a shocker. Shocker for his blatant lifting of tunes and shocker for the melodious tunes he comes up with once in a blue film, oops blue moon. No wonder he won the National Award for Refugee. But still my favourite song is
‘Panchhi nadiyan pavan ke jhokein,
Anu Malik ko copy karne se koi na roke’
So much flak this man has to face. Most of his music especially of the 90’s and in early 00’s was downright pathetic. With Rahman’s Hindi films releasing once in three blue moons, void left by Panchamda’s demise, Nadeem- Shravan getting too predictable, one had to bear not only Anu’s music but also his voice. Remember Oonchi hai building and Jaanam Samjha karo ?!
But I’m still willing to pardon Anu Malik for one really beautiful composition of his. I believe one of his better works that went relatively unnoticed was ‘Intezaar’ from Paap I asked a friend about this song and with a glint in his eyes and a naughty smile on his face, he replied- “THAT song?!”. Yes, THAT song. The same one in the promos which showed an underwater Udita Goswami’s bare back with two straps. Sadly, it became that song. And the reason is understandable I guess. It is difficult to compete with heavyweights such as ‘Mann ki Lagan’ by Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Azmat’s ‘Garaj Baras’ Let’s enjoy this song till we do ‘intezaar’ for Anu Malik to come up with a beautiful, melodious composition, for we know music is timeless and also that this wait of ours can become timeless.
3.
Me:‘Parineeta’ ke gaane sune hai kya?!
Him: Haan
M: Kaun se?
H: Piyu bole aur woh ‘train wallah gaana’
M: Music director kaun hai?
H: Koi naya hai. Utna toh pata hai. Aaj ka koi music director ka aisa ‘feel’ nahin hai.
Poor Shantanu Moitra, he gives them a different ‘feel’ and yet they don’t know him too well. No worries, a few more movies and his name will be on everybody’s lips as will his music. HKA was a fantastic debut and he followed it up with Yahaan and 7 1/2 phere. The icing on the cake was of course Parineeta, for it was more ‘mainstream’ (read publicity and media coverage) than Yahaan. I still believe Yahaan as an album is his best work. His best single composition is my all time favorite- Baanwara Mann. Simplicity and melody are the hallmarks of his music. Also to be noted is how he gets the best out of his singers. Sunidhi Chauhan and ‘Kaisi Paheli Zindagaani’?!. I didn’t believe it at the first instance. Will write more on Shantanu Moitra later.
The song in question here is ‘ Raat hamari toh’ from Parineeta. The tune is simple as are the lyrics. Swananand Kirkire’s opening haunts you forever and Chitra’s light melody will fill one’s soul. This song somehow has a very calming effect. Parineeta is a complete album in the sense that all songs are equally good, and ‘Raat Hamari Toh’s role in making this album a complete is as much as Saif’s train song or Rekha’s item dance.
4.
I still remember that day. That was the day I wanted to commit suicide. My belief that my knowledge of Hindi music is up to date was under serious doubt. Also my claim that I was a Rahman fan was under serious cloud. Only after lot of persuasion by Bharath did I drop the idea of suicide.
Till that day, I had not heard Khaamosh Raat. I was walking by the corridor of another block and heard a song sounding deceptively similar to Led Zep’s ‘Rain Song’ . (Bharath vehemently denies any connection between the two songs, but isn’t ‘Telephone dhun mein hasne waali’ reminiscent of ‘ Just beat it’?!!!). Still, Rahman is Rahman and we’ll let him get away on this one.
Here again, it was overshadowed by ‘Rang de’ and moreover Tabu and her dance. This song spawned many kindergarten, pre-primary, primary, high school, arts, commerce and law Tabus at their gatherings, school days and fests. Engineering Tabus?!! NO COMMENTS.
Infact another song from this movie was hailed in the promos as a ‘Rahman genius’ -Bheegi Bheegi. The box-office remained cold to such promotions and Thakshak was called a thaka thaka movie. The promoters relied more on Rahman’s music than Govind Nihalani’s direction. Atleast, that’s the feeling one got out of watching the promos. Is Rahman > Nihalani? Isn’t it Nihalani + Rahman = Great combo= equally great movie(atleast that was the expectation, isn’t it?!).
Let me be khaamosh now. I know how good my math is!!
Some more number 2s.
5.
Awaarapan (Jism) - Bipasha and her skin killed this song.
6.
Raat ki hatheli par(Refugee)- Abhishek and Kareena’s debut made sure this song got no airtime. It took a full month for their faces to appear in the promos. Till then it was the white sand and Abhishek’s voice. Of course, Kareena’s lower back too!.
Before you start reading this, I want to let you know that I’m very sade.
1. No comments on the previous post?! Don’t Mumbai and books interest you? It’s ok if you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. But if you don’t have one, why not have Mumbai as your jaan for the time being. For my sake, please!!.
2. These days, I spend a lot of time on Orkut talking politics and books. I found that I don’t have a ‘good’ testimonial written by a female or for that matter any testimonial written by a female!!! I have a huge Malhaar complex now. (No problem, medicines from that complex will cure my inferiority complex!!!)
3. Jita tells me that the movies I’ve made with my new handy cam are ‘chu|iya’. Really sade.
Forget it, sarcasm will be in my children’s blood. Don’t know how it entered my blood. Maybe, the effect of staying for 7 years in hostels. Yes, I’ve got a handy cam and have made some really chu|iya videos. But believe me; they only lack a good platform. Ready to watch them?!
******************************************************************************
Chhee, you people are so dirty. Not that number 2. My cousin had suggested a better euphemism- five down!
” Whenever there is strong number 1, there is automatically a space for a strong number 2”- roared the CEO/MD of a leading MBA entrance training institute. His recorded ‘Life Transformation Sessions’ are quite a hit among hundreds of MBA aspirants here in Surat. He is very good and can give Sunil Pal or any of the Laughter Champions a run for their money. I’m not mocking, but it is a whole-hearted appreciation of his oratory skills and more importantly his ability to keep the crowd’s interest for close to three hours. I guess the statement he made is true in the context of Pepsi v/s Coke and few other businesses. But he made the statement as if he were the Pope and was laying down the rules of business (Again, this is an appreciation of his skills!)
This post is not about _ _ it, or business or MBA. It is about music. The rule stated by the ‘Pope’ doesn’t apply here. At least when it comes to Hindi movie/album sound tracks. A particular song overshadows other tracks and we fail to notice its beauty, melody, or tune as the case maybe. Maybe, the producers/promoters feel it is prudent to promote a particular song(s). Maybe other songs aren’t publicized because listeners are satisfied with ‘watching’ the song on the promos. Maybe, they don’t buy the album and don’t listen to all the songs. Maybe the countdown charts are just cursory and the producers of these shows don’t go beyond the normal popular fare. Maybe, the audiences aren’t discerning enough. Maybe, I’m making a grand, baseless accusation. Maybe, it’s time to move on.
1.
Forget Summer of ’69. It’s been used and overused so much that it hardly evokes any feeling of nostalgia now. Forget ‘69, even ‘96 has come and gone and it’s ’06 now. Then we have ‘Purani Jeans’. Great song. Conveys the ‘college days are best’ message perfectly. But then it also has been played so many times. Oohoon, no effect. Then come ‘Woh Lamhe’ and came with it the remix in Zeher. Changed the whole essence of the song. Emraan Kissme, aur kitne gaanon ka ghanti bajaaoge? Woh Lamhe, Aadat.What next?!
But why look that far when we have a gem closer home- ‘Gill ‘Te Guitar’ by Rabbi. The song opens with a superb guitar lick by Rabbi and tells the story of Rabbi, his two friends and his guitar. It took me sometime to understand the lyrics. Since then, it’s made a permanent place on my play list. Bulla ki Jaana was path breaking by all means. It helped Punjabi music shed its stereotype image of fully clothed men (head to toe!) dancing with half-clothed women. It gave a new feel, a new look, a new sound and added a whole new dimension to Punjabi music. It’s video no doubt doubled its popularity and indeed was one of the best videos Indi-pop or sufi-rock(whatever you call it) has seen. But I wonder how much a hit Gill ‘Te Guitar would’ve been, had it been given a little more push and a beautiful video shot on it. The college crowd would’ve lapped it up and it’d have become the new generation ‘Yeh Dosti’. The most beautiful lines from the song roughly translated- ‘he called up and said “days pass by easily, but evenings are difficult to pass”. And I find it difficult to pass time on the computer without this song.
2.
Anu Malik is a shocker. Shocker for his blatant lifting of tunes and shocker for the melodious tunes he comes up with once in a blue film, oops blue moon. No wonder he won the National Award for Refugee. But still my favourite song is
‘Panchhi nadiyan pavan ke jhokein,
Anu Malik ko copy karne se koi na roke’
So much flak this man has to face. Most of his music especially of the 90’s and in early 00’s was downright pathetic. With Rahman’s Hindi films releasing once in three blue moons, void left by Panchamda’s demise, Nadeem- Shravan getting too predictable, one had to bear not only Anu’s music but also his voice. Remember Oonchi hai building and Jaanam Samjha karo ?!
But I’m still willing to pardon Anu Malik for one really beautiful composition of his. I believe one of his better works that went relatively unnoticed was ‘Intezaar’ from Paap I asked a friend about this song and with a glint in his eyes and a naughty smile on his face, he replied- “THAT song?!”. Yes, THAT song. The same one in the promos which showed an underwater Udita Goswami’s bare back with two straps. Sadly, it became that song. And the reason is understandable I guess. It is difficult to compete with heavyweights such as ‘Mann ki Lagan’ by Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Azmat’s ‘Garaj Baras’ Let’s enjoy this song till we do ‘intezaar’ for Anu Malik to come up with a beautiful, melodious composition, for we know music is timeless and also that this wait of ours can become timeless.
3.
Me:‘Parineeta’ ke gaane sune hai kya?!
Him: Haan
M: Kaun se?
H: Piyu bole aur woh ‘train wallah gaana’
M: Music director kaun hai?
H: Koi naya hai. Utna toh pata hai. Aaj ka koi music director ka aisa ‘feel’ nahin hai.
Poor Shantanu Moitra, he gives them a different ‘feel’ and yet they don’t know him too well. No worries, a few more movies and his name will be on everybody’s lips as will his music. HKA was a fantastic debut and he followed it up with Yahaan and 7 1/2 phere. The icing on the cake was of course Parineeta, for it was more ‘mainstream’ (read publicity and media coverage) than Yahaan. I still believe Yahaan as an album is his best work. His best single composition is my all time favorite- Baanwara Mann. Simplicity and melody are the hallmarks of his music. Also to be noted is how he gets the best out of his singers. Sunidhi Chauhan and ‘Kaisi Paheli Zindagaani’?!. I didn’t believe it at the first instance. Will write more on Shantanu Moitra later.
The song in question here is ‘ Raat hamari toh’ from Parineeta. The tune is simple as are the lyrics. Swananand Kirkire’s opening haunts you forever and Chitra’s light melody will fill one’s soul. This song somehow has a very calming effect. Parineeta is a complete album in the sense that all songs are equally good, and ‘Raat Hamari Toh’s role in making this album a complete is as much as Saif’s train song or Rekha’s item dance.
4.
I still remember that day. That was the day I wanted to commit suicide. My belief that my knowledge of Hindi music is up to date was under serious doubt. Also my claim that I was a Rahman fan was under serious cloud. Only after lot of persuasion by Bharath did I drop the idea of suicide.
Till that day, I had not heard Khaamosh Raat. I was walking by the corridor of another block and heard a song sounding deceptively similar to Led Zep’s ‘Rain Song’ . (Bharath vehemently denies any connection between the two songs, but isn’t ‘Telephone dhun mein hasne waali’ reminiscent of ‘ Just beat it’?!!!). Still, Rahman is Rahman and we’ll let him get away on this one.
Here again, it was overshadowed by ‘Rang de’ and moreover Tabu and her dance. This song spawned many kindergarten, pre-primary, primary, high school, arts, commerce and law Tabus at their gatherings, school days and fests. Engineering Tabus?!! NO COMMENTS.
Infact another song from this movie was hailed in the promos as a ‘Rahman genius’ -Bheegi Bheegi. The box-office remained cold to such promotions and Thakshak was called a thaka thaka movie. The promoters relied more on Rahman’s music than Govind Nihalani’s direction. Atleast, that’s the feeling one got out of watching the promos. Is Rahman > Nihalani? Isn’t it Nihalani + Rahman = Great combo= equally great movie(atleast that was the expectation, isn’t it?!).
Let me be khaamosh now. I know how good my math is!!
Some more number 2s.
5.
Awaarapan (Jism) - Bipasha and her skin killed this song.
6.
Raat ki hatheli par(Refugee)- Abhishek and Kareena’s debut made sure this song got no airtime. It took a full month for their faces to appear in the promos. Till then it was the white sand and Abhishek’s voice. Of course, Kareena’s lower back too!.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Mumbai Meri Jaan!!!
My travels and explorations in Mumbai have been very limited, almost zilch considering the immense expanse of the mega-city. Yet, Mumbai with all its flurry and fury continues to interest and enchant me further. With each of my visits to Mumbai, my curiosity to delve deeper into the intricacies of the mechanisms on which this city functions gets deeper. What excites or enthuses me about Mumbai is not its tourist places, not its people, not the hustle-bustle of the local trains, not Bollywood, but something which is a sum total of all this and which transcends all this- Experience!. My trysts with Mumbai have been many, albeit very short and limited. Yet there is something of each trip that is etched forever in my mind. Shall certainly write about my experiences sometime later. This post though is about movies and books which feature Mumbai as the main protagonist. Most of these corroborate the eternal truth- ‘Mumbai is a living hell and the people here enjoy living in this hell, come ‘rain’ (read floods!) or shine. Worse still, they make you fall in love with that hell.’goo
Movies or books, which one first?! Tough choice, but alphabetical order rules.
To make the presentation interesting (and appear fundoo in the process), I’m presenting the movies and books under three categories.
1. The ones which I haven’t read/watched.
2. The ones which I have read/watched.
3. The ones which no one has read/watched (because they haven’t been released as of now!)
Before I embark on this journey of prose and picture, I decide not to include Bollywood movies on the underworld. Much has been spoken, written and filmed about that. But I do know what to expect circa 2015.
F Fwd to 15th May,2015
Today, a book by the award-winning page 3 journalist Moniica Beidy on the harmonious relationship between the underworld and Bollywood was released at a grand party at The Taj hosted by the adorable Abu Salem. Among those in attendance were the dashing Dawood and a visibly moved Mandakini. The book is said to be inspired by the eternal love-story of Dawood and Mandakini. Among those who graced the occasion included the chirpy Chhota Rajan who was closeted with Chhota Shakeel. The two seemed to enjoy each others’ company. Sanjubaba and Sanjay Gupta weren’t able to make it to the party as they were busy watching English DVDs looking for ‘inspiration’ for their next White feather production movie. Mahesh Manjrekar and Vikram Bhatt made a grand entry in a rickshaw, sporting a new hairdo, a combination of pink and orange hair colours. Later, it turned out so that it was a clever marketing ploy by L’ Oreal to promote their latest men’s hair colour products.
Back to the present
Books:
Book which I haven’t read:
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta.
It is said to be the book which was waiting to be written but no one dared to write. It is said to be the book which introduced vada pav, bar –girl and b*@&*()d to the world. It was short listed for the Pulitzer prize and was in the news for this reason as much as it was for Mehta’s much publicized spat with Vinod Chopra. By now you’d heard good or bad things about the book by me but then I swapped it for another book, on Mumbai again. And that book is right up there as one of the best I’ve read in my short spanned pursuit of reading as a serious hobby. If you have Maximum City, please lend it to me!
Book which I’ve read :
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
I want to be born as Gregory David Roberts in my next birth. I like the book that much. I might not actually that long to enjoy the ‘highs’ and endure the agonizingly painful lows, but my life would be worth it even if I have a miniscule of ‘experience’ of what Roberts had. Shantaram is about an Australian fugitive who escapes to India on a forged New Zealand passport and his life on his subsequent arrival In Mumbai. He works for the mafia, sets up a health clinic in the slums, spends a horrid time behind the bars because of his rivalry with a mysterious character and later goes on to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. The characters do not move you, you become numb with their simplicity, their purity of heart, their beauty, their mystery. What runs through all the characters and makes them become etched in your mindscape for ever is their ‘spirit’. Prabhakar’s cheerfulness and ability to see the silver lining in the darkest of the clouds, Vikram’s suaveness, Prabhakar’s mother’s pure love and affection, Khaderbhai’s ‘principle’ of ‘doing the right thing for the wrong reasons and the wrong things for the right reasons’, the challwallahs’ unity in spite of all adversities. I forgot to mention Madam Zhou’s mysterious life, Karla’s reluctance to open up to Shantaram, Abdul’s friendship with Shantaram. I can go on and on. The book is a behemoth, close to 700 pages. But it is no prose-athon and the language is simple and free-flowing. It is not like an action thriller where the hero is like a supernatural being crushing all difficulties. I liked the book because it is real. The characters, the emotions, the experiences are all real. Even the landmarks, for e.g. Leopold’s in Colaba, Haji Ali are all real. It has so much about life and philosophy, death and even the Big Bang Theory that it takes some time to digest it. But once digested, it nourishes you well like any nutrient. Shantaram is one book which you won’t think much about while reading it. But you won’t stop thinking about it after you finish reading it.
There’s a movie being made based on the book with Johnny Depp playing Shantaram. I might sound too far-fetched and optimistic, but if the character of Prabhakar is treated well and given the importance is deserves, Rajpal Yadav or Vijay Raaz might just win an Oscar. Read the book, and we’ll discuss on the Indian cast for the movie. Till then I’ll continue debating on that on IMDB.
Book that no one’s read
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
And I had thought author Vikram Chandra was same as NDTV editor/anchor Vikram Chandra. Of course, they are different. The latter does look scholarly and erudite enough to be an author himself. Author Vikram Chandra is a professor of Creative Writing at University of California, Berkeley. Looks like art and literature run in his genes. His mother, Kamna Chandra was the script writer of 1942: A Love Story. His sister is more famous than him. Tanuja Chandra, the director of acclaimed movies like Dushman, Sur and Sangharsh and a dud, Yeh Zindagi ka Safar. Another sister Anupama Chopra is a journalist and recently turned author with a book on the making of Sholay. His brother-in-law is probably the most famous in his family- Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Incidentally, Suketu Mehta and Vikram Chopra together wrote the script for Mission Kashmir.
Sacred Games is in news for the huge advance Chandra has pocketed and has been in the making for almost 7 years. Hope it is worth the effort and the wait. It is a book set in Mumbai; but spreads out into a much larger canvas as the book progresses. Looks like after co-authoring the script Mission
Kashmir, Mehta and Chandra are co-authoring a ‘Mission Mumbai’. That incidentally happens to be the name of a B-grade Hindi movie.
Movies or books, which one first?! Tough choice, but alphabetical order rules.
To make the presentation interesting (and appear fundoo in the process), I’m presenting the movies and books under three categories.
1. The ones which I haven’t read/watched.
2. The ones which I have read/watched.
3. The ones which no one has read/watched (because they haven’t been released as of now!)
Before I embark on this journey of prose and picture, I decide not to include Bollywood movies on the underworld. Much has been spoken, written and filmed about that. But I do know what to expect circa 2015.
F Fwd to 15th May,2015
Today, a book by the award-winning page 3 journalist Moniica Beidy on the harmonious relationship between the underworld and Bollywood was released at a grand party at The Taj hosted by the adorable Abu Salem. Among those in attendance were the dashing Dawood and a visibly moved Mandakini. The book is said to be inspired by the eternal love-story of Dawood and Mandakini. Among those who graced the occasion included the chirpy Chhota Rajan who was closeted with Chhota Shakeel. The two seemed to enjoy each others’ company. Sanjubaba and Sanjay Gupta weren’t able to make it to the party as they were busy watching English DVDs looking for ‘inspiration’ for their next White feather production movie. Mahesh Manjrekar and Vikram Bhatt made a grand entry in a rickshaw, sporting a new hairdo, a combination of pink and orange hair colours. Later, it turned out so that it was a clever marketing ploy by L’ Oreal to promote their latest men’s hair colour products.
Back to the present
Books:
Book which I haven’t read:
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta.
It is said to be the book which was waiting to be written but no one dared to write. It is said to be the book which introduced vada pav, bar –girl and b*@&*()d to the world. It was short listed for the Pulitzer prize and was in the news for this reason as much as it was for Mehta’s much publicized spat with Vinod Chopra. By now you’d heard good or bad things about the book by me but then I swapped it for another book, on Mumbai again. And that book is right up there as one of the best I’ve read in my short spanned pursuit of reading as a serious hobby. If you have Maximum City, please lend it to me!
Book which I’ve read :
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
I want to be born as Gregory David Roberts in my next birth. I like the book that much. I might not actually that long to enjoy the ‘highs’ and endure the agonizingly painful lows, but my life would be worth it even if I have a miniscule of ‘experience’ of what Roberts had. Shantaram is about an Australian fugitive who escapes to India on a forged New Zealand passport and his life on his subsequent arrival In Mumbai. He works for the mafia, sets up a health clinic in the slums, spends a horrid time behind the bars because of his rivalry with a mysterious character and later goes on to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. The characters do not move you, you become numb with their simplicity, their purity of heart, their beauty, their mystery. What runs through all the characters and makes them become etched in your mindscape for ever is their ‘spirit’. Prabhakar’s cheerfulness and ability to see the silver lining in the darkest of the clouds, Vikram’s suaveness, Prabhakar’s mother’s pure love and affection, Khaderbhai’s ‘principle’ of ‘doing the right thing for the wrong reasons and the wrong things for the right reasons’, the challwallahs’ unity in spite of all adversities. I forgot to mention Madam Zhou’s mysterious life, Karla’s reluctance to open up to Shantaram, Abdul’s friendship with Shantaram. I can go on and on. The book is a behemoth, close to 700 pages. But it is no prose-athon and the language is simple and free-flowing. It is not like an action thriller where the hero is like a supernatural being crushing all difficulties. I liked the book because it is real. The characters, the emotions, the experiences are all real. Even the landmarks, for e.g. Leopold’s in Colaba, Haji Ali are all real. It has so much about life and philosophy, death and even the Big Bang Theory that it takes some time to digest it. But once digested, it nourishes you well like any nutrient. Shantaram is one book which you won’t think much about while reading it. But you won’t stop thinking about it after you finish reading it.
There’s a movie being made based on the book with Johnny Depp playing Shantaram. I might sound too far-fetched and optimistic, but if the character of Prabhakar is treated well and given the importance is deserves, Rajpal Yadav or Vijay Raaz might just win an Oscar. Read the book, and we’ll discuss on the Indian cast for the movie. Till then I’ll continue debating on that on IMDB.
Book that no one’s read
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
And I had thought author Vikram Chandra was same as NDTV editor/anchor Vikram Chandra. Of course, they are different. The latter does look scholarly and erudite enough to be an author himself. Author Vikram Chandra is a professor of Creative Writing at University of California, Berkeley. Looks like art and literature run in his genes. His mother, Kamna Chandra was the script writer of 1942: A Love Story. His sister is more famous than him. Tanuja Chandra, the director of acclaimed movies like Dushman, Sur and Sangharsh and a dud, Yeh Zindagi ka Safar. Another sister Anupama Chopra is a journalist and recently turned author with a book on the making of Sholay. His brother-in-law is probably the most famous in his family- Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Incidentally, Suketu Mehta and Vikram Chopra together wrote the script for Mission Kashmir.
Sacred Games is in news for the huge advance Chandra has pocketed and has been in the making for almost 7 years. Hope it is worth the effort and the wait. It is a book set in Mumbai; but spreads out into a much larger canvas as the book progresses. Looks like after co-authoring the script Mission
Kashmir, Mehta and Chandra are co-authoring a ‘Mission Mumbai’. That incidentally happens to be the name of a B-grade Hindi movie.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Daytripper!!
1. I am alive!
2. I am rushing to Mumbai. I might miss the train.
3. My travel blog - Here
4. Reasons for my absence in my next post.
5. Did my absence matter?!!(Thanks those of you who kept visiting and used to greeted
by the pothole! I know who are they all!)
6. Happy New Year!
7. Hope the train is late. No chance, it starts from Surat
2. I am rushing to Mumbai. I might miss the train.
3. My travel blog - Here
4. Reasons for my absence in my next post.
5. Did my absence matter?!!(Thanks those of you who kept visiting and used to greeted
by the pothole! I know who are they all!)
6. Happy New Year!
7. Hope the train is late. No chance, it starts from Surat
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