Anmol Sagar
Myriad thoughts on a million things
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
013 nominations at the Oscars and only two wins. The fact that the movie didn’t really get the awards didn’t stop us from checking it out. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be………… ‘Curious’!
A story about a baby being born old and then growing younger with each passing day… it’s an interesting concept. But you know… a whole lifetime to project… it can be a little dull. So the movie was loooong and sometime frankly quite boring. But that said, the Oscar nominations are still well received.
The movie leaves an impression… makes one wonder about life and the transience of time and youth. The scene wherein both Daisy and Benjamin are almost the same age (as if meeting in the middle) and Benjamin wants hold on to the picture of them together, can make ones heart break. Or the scene of old Daisy and toddler Benjamin sharing an innocent kiss…. It’s bizarre, but it’s heartwarming.
The one thing that one cannot help but notice is the amazing job the makeup artists have done in this movie. Depicting the different ages for Benjamin and Daisy left me in awe of their skill with the brush. One does miss the handsome Brad Pitt during most of the movie (I think he’s his current hot age only for about 20 mins of the movie), but he’s done a good job of his acting.
The movie is definitely worth one watch… but make sure you have the patience and some comfort food to get you through it.
The Tales from Beedle the Bard
0I had been waiting for this book… even booked it at crosswords hoping to be the first few to buy it when it hit the stands. 110 pages and retailing for Rs 625. Ok I thought…This is the creator of Harry Porter… she can only write the finest of books….so it’ll be worth it.
And boy was I wrong…! This book was not even worth the Rs 100 photo copy that one can get at the traffic signals in the suburbs. 110 pages… even a quick reader like me had to labour through them and each page had me asking myself, what the whole point of the damn book was.
I know JKR writes for kids… so this book (about fairy tales for Magical children) would be aimed at the kids. Well, so was Harry Porter and it made excellent adult reading. But Tales from Beedle, the Booooooring Bard, had me wondering if JKR had really written this. I think even a ghost writer would have done a better job ( I read the online ghost written version of Deathly Hallows before the real book came out and totally enjoyed it. It was such a brilliant reflection of JKR’s style that I couldn’t have figured that it wasn’t written by her!)
Anyways, after I labored through the book and Professor Dumbledore’s pointless remarks, I came across the real purpose of the book. Hey, it was for a good cause. There was a note at the end by Baronness Nicholson, the chair person of the Children High level Group (a group dedicated to representing the rights of children). It thanked the reader for buying this book and that said that all proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the CHLG. Well, atleast some good will come out of this pain inflicted on JKRs fans.
The White Tiger – A ‘Dig’ at the Darkness within the Light
4Arvind Adiga’s Booker award winning debutant novel is a whiff of fresh air. I have found that some Indian authors have an inclination to wrap the real story in a mesh of imagery, similes and complex characterization in an effort to project that they can also write pompous prose. (It could be attributed to some kind effort to prove to the world that we’re educated and can write too!)
But Adiga…he’s got the skill of telling an interesting story, from a hitherto unheard from source and telling it with the simplicity and homour that can only come from the most talented craftsman.
Balram Halwai, an unlikely entrepreneur, tells his story from the depth of the darkness of rural India to the chandelier lit brightness of Bangalore. An unlikely recipient of the story, the Chinese premier, Mr. Jinbao is offered the narrative as a letter in a simple and aimlessly unwinding sort of way.
From the darkness of rural India, the cruel reality of generations of servitude, to the lives of Dilli drivers and their entertainments, to the internal dark struggles of Balram and finally his break from the roosters coop.. Adiga unfolds the story beautifully. One is left waiting with bated breath page after page and wondering how finally the break from the coop is going to happen. Along the way, Adiga also manages to make some entertaining and yet pertinent digs at Indian Politics, Religion, Police, Indo – Chinese rivalry and the declining influence of the white man. (And how the next century is going to belong to the yellow and brown man.)
The only thing I was left wondering about at the end was moral behind it all… was the story about breaking the coop and treading the unchartered path or one of selfishness and crime rewarded?
The Simple Life @ Hideout
3I was looking for a quick weekend getaway and thanks to Kits, discovered the Hideout. I was really excited about the place and it proved to be all that its website promised and lots more!
Hideout (www.hideout.co.in) is an eco farm set up by Hemant Chabbra (yes, the one of the bicycle project fame!) in vikramgarh, some 2 ½ hours out of Mumbai. Set among hills, the hideout is a quaint little place done up beautifully, offering an experience of the simple farm life.
The first thing that struck me was the open air non permanent structure of the farm. Thatched roof, lanterns, cow dung leveled floors, earthenware pots and pans, wood fire stoves, fresh flower decorations, beds on swings and no walls… the place was beautifully rustic.
Gramma Chabbra was there to welcome us with some fresh carrot juice and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. Gramma Chabbra, definitely over 75, was as energetic as ever. She definitely knew how to welcome people to her home with warmth & absolutely awesome food! J
Hemant joined us later in the day and took us around the farm. The farm is spread over 5 acres and has different varieties of banana (he has 21 varieties at his farm!), various salad leaves (I even got to pick some fresh rocket leaves for a salad), mangoes, maize, fresh herbs, lemons, pineapples, chillies, brinjal and a host of other veggies. We got some much needed exercise and an interesting download on organic farming.
Our room, an extension of the theme of no barriers between nature and man, had no walls. To offer some privacy, there were curtains that one can pull around the four corners of the room. Tastefully done up, the room was comfortable and cool. The bathroom was a permanent structure and had all the modern amenities one would need. Well, it would have been nice to have something that would repel frogs… but I don’t think such a device has been invented yet. The frogs, not very threatening, looked scared themselves. And so after we had given in to the fact that there was no getting rid of them, Abhi and I would contest on how many frogs one can pee amongst!
The early evenings were spent in interesting conversations, drinking lemon grass flavored chai, eating freshly made banana chips (thanks to young Aditya Chabbra, who btw is a gifted chef) and listening to the natural passing of the day into twilight.
Mosquitoes were a little bit of a challenge and the ancient way of smoking them out by burning dried coconut shells had our eyes watering. Being a village, it also had its set of electricity cuts, but as long as the electricity stayed the afternoon (it got really hot and sweaty between 2:30 – 4:30), we were ok.
The next day, we decided to go check to local dam and waterfall out. A little bit of the disappointment (the pic on the website looked a lot more happening- apparently that is natural waterfall and on only till December), but we had fun none the less. And we finally wrapped up the day with a nice bon fire.
Hemant, who is one of the cofounders of the bicycle project (read about this interesting idea on Hemant blog – http://thebicycleproject.blogspot.com), made a wonderful host. We had a really great time at the hideout and would recommend it to everyone who wants to take a nice relaxing break, experience the simple life and meet the interesting and warm Chabbra family. J
A GOOD DAY – My first original short story!
23Sheila Rao
Wednesday, 10th December
Sheila started the day on a happy note. Getting special tea in bed can do that to someone. Arguing with your husband the night before did seem to have atleast one benefit. Ankush, her husband, had probably felt guilty about their argument and had decided to get up early and make up with a cup of his special tea. Well, made up they definitely were! Dressing for work, Sheila hummed to herself. It was going to be a good day.
Catching an Auto rickshaw to get to work was always such a pain. Sheila dreaded standing at the side of the road, in the dust, heat and noise trying to yell others down and hail an auto. But today was not one of those days. A second after stepping into her usual spot, an auto came to a gliding stop in front of her. The driver gave her a warm smile and asked ‘Kidar Jaingi Madam?’(Where to Madam?) ‘Wow’, thought Sheila happily, ‘this is definitely a good day!’
As the Auto stopped near her office compound, Sheila looked at the auto meter. ‘3.90’, it read. Handing a 50 Rupee note to the driver, Sheila waited for the change. It was always a nice feeling to be the first passenger for the day. The drivers had this nice custom of touching the money to their meter in a symbolic thanks to the Gods for their income. But it had its down sides. At the start of the day many drivers did not have change to return. As did this Auto Driver. After going through all this 10 pockets (even the hidden ones in his underpants), he said ‘Sorry madam, Koi bhi change nahi hai, sacchi!’ (Don’t have any change. Really!) and then gave Sheila his 1000 watt smile. ‘Well, what’s 11 Rs?’ thought Sheila, and said ‘Rakh leejiye. (Keep it) No problem’ and smiled back to the driver.
Walking into her office compound, still thinking about the auto driver’s amazing smile, Sheila smiled at the usually grumpy security guard. His expression still said ‘Hrruuummphh’, so Sheila just hurried on. She definitely didn’t want to get on his bad side. He had found Sheila without her security card twice and had made her go back home to get it!
Office was going to be hectic today. Meetings to do, mails to send, monitoring, tracking, follow up with people to get closures… being an IT Project Manager was not a cakewalk. Every day it was getting more and more hectic and Sheila had been looking for someone to help out with the project management and tracking activities. She had interviewed quite a few people and shortlisted two – Nina and Radha. Nina was a young girl, who had just done her MBA and was energetic, capable and full of ideas, though she had absolutely no experience in the role. She would bring in new energy and perspective, but handholding her in the beginning would take some effort. Radha was older, had done a similar role for over 5 years and seemed like the solid, albeit slow, but hardworking sorts. ‘Better stable than new’, thought Sheila. She had had a long think through and finally decided on Radha as her choice. She needed to sign the offer and get the process going today.
As she walked past her boss’s cabin, Sheila was called in by Tanya, her boss’s assistant. ‘Hi Sheila!’ grinned Tanya. ‘There might be some good news headed your way!’ and as she bent forward to spill the beans, Arjun, Sheila’s boss, walked in and led Sheila into his cabin. ‘Morning Sheila, good to see you! The good news is that we are definitely shortlisted for the MKG bid. And I want you to fly down to Paris Immediately and make the final pitch’. ‘Wow! That is indeed great news!’ said Sheila. It was great that her work in the bid was being recognized, but to be picked to fly to Paris for the final pitch? That was indeed great news! She had never been to Paris and this would be a great opportunity to add value to her resume. ‘You better be off asap! Kavita can fix your visa under the emergency quota and you can fly by day after’ Arjun added.
As Sheila hurried out, she had a million things on her mind. Responsibilities to be delegated, meetings to be cancelled, phone calls to be made, visa documents to be collected….
Friday, 19th December
It had been one hectic week in Paris, but a really good one. The Bid pitch went off perfectly and the company stood a very real chance of winning. Getting back to her project pressures was going to be tough after the energizing week in Paris.
As Sheila’s Auto drew close to her office compound, she was shaken by a sudden realization. She had forgotten her security pass! The grumpy guard was never going to let her through without it! And to top it all, she had a very important debriefing meeting with all the vertical bigwigs in 10 mins. She could not afford to go back home to pick her pass and be late for this meeting! She quickly got off her auto and tried to work out a reasonable line of argument in order to convince the guard to let her in. As she drew close, she saw that the guard was wearing a bright new shirt, clean and creaseless. It was casual Friday at work, but did that extend to the Guards also? But more than the shirt, the expression on the guard’s face was amazing. He looked like he had found a hidden treasure! He beamed at Sheila and said in his broken English ‘Why Madam, no card today? Usually I not allow… but today is ok. Accha (ok) tell, how the shirt make me look? Like one of your office wallas (people) no? My daughter husband gave. I not had a new shirt like this for very long. Good no?’ Sheila was pleasantly shocked. Awesome what a new shirt could do to a grumpy old guard. Sheila smiled back and after the appropriate gratitude and compliments hurriedly made her way to her office.
After the meeting, as Sheila sat at her desk, catching up with all the pending work, she spotted the unsigned offer letter for Radha. In all the flurry of activity, she had completely forgotten about the letter. Now, as she mulled over Radha and Nina, she was struck by the picture of the guard and his new shirt. She was amazed at the fact that something as small as a new shirt could bring such a change to someone like the guard. Could it be that having fresh ideas and new thinking Nina on the team might mean a more energized and effective team? Isn’t new & capable, even if inexperienced, better than slow and stable? Smiling and with a mental picture of the happy guard with his new shirt, Sheila picked up the phone and asked for the HR department.
In 10 minutes the new letter was at her desk. She read through the letter and signed it. The address caught her eye. 602, Shantidham. That was close to her place. Maybe it’ll be good having a colleague live close by. They could hitch Auto rides together.
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Kumari Jyoti
Wednesday, 10th December
Jyoti had spent the day thinking about her maternal uncle’s birthday the next day. She loved her Mamu and wanted to give him something to make his special day memorable. But she had no money to give him anything. Her dad barely ever gave her any money and she knew there would be no use asking him. She had tried putting some cloth scraps from her old dress together to make a cloth flower, just like her friend had taught her, but the flower looked floppy and dirty. She crouched in the corner of her small shabby hut to start up their wood fire cooking stove. As she blew into the steel pipe to start the fire, she heard her father coming back from work. He sounded happy. Quickly putting on a kettle for tea she waited for him to come in.
Thursday, 11th December
As Jyoti ran along the thin winding pathways between the shanties, she only had one thought in her mind. ‘Mamu is going to be so happy!’ She couldn’t believe her luck! Ganpati Bappa (Indian God) must have been listening to this side of the city last night. Papa had had a good day, and even without her asking, had given her some money! She’d gotten up early in the morning and run down to the nearby railway station and bought a beautiful yellow rose.
Jyoti found her Mamu packing up bundles of clothes and just about to leave for his day’s work. As she burst into his shanty, she almost fell over all the neatly stacked clothes. ‘Mamu! Mamu! Janam Din Mubarak Ho!’ (Uncle! Happy Birthday!) she said excitedly and held out her little gift. Her Mamu was overwhelmed…He hadn’t got a birthday gift in a very long time. A beautiful yellow rose and sweet little Jyoti with her 1000 watt smile. He hugged Jyoti and thanked her for her lovely gift.
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Balram Jha
Wednesday, 10th December
As Balram drove his auto off, he was grinning. A tip of Rs 11!! That was indeed good boney (as drivers like to call their first fare of the day). This was going to be a good day!
Still smiling his 1000 watt smile, Balram stopped at the hailing of a well dressed man at the crossing. The man returned the happy smile and gave his destination. Balram, being in a good mood after the tip, chatted away happily with his new passenger. Ramesh was grumpy when he hailed the auto, but something about this auto driver was infectiously happy. Chatting with Balram, Ramesh’s dark mood turned and he found he was having a good time. While getting off, Ramesh handed over a Rs 100 note and asked Balram to keep the rest. Balram was amazed! This had never happened to him twice in a day! More tips? ‘Today must be my lucky day’, he thought.
As he drove around the city during the day, Balram gave everyone of his passengers his sunny smile treatment. He had a surprisingly good day with many of the passengers leaving tips. Balram was a happy man when he headed towards his slum at the end of a long successful day. As he entered his small shack, he was smiling and humming. His daughter was squatting in the corner waiting for him. He walked in and gave her a warm hug. He was always happy to see her after a long day’s work. ‘Beti, Dekh tere liya kya hai’ (Daughter, see what I have for you) and he held a 5 rupee note. He never had any extra money to give to the poor girl. Since today had been a good day, Balram wanted to give her something so that she could buy herself that earring she had been wanting.
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Dhobi Ramubhai (Laundry Man)
Thursday, 11th December
As Ramubhai loaded his cycle with all the clothes, he was smiling. It seemed like it was going to be a good day.
Halfway, through his morning circuit, he rang the doorbell for Shantidham Society, house number 602. As usual a young girl of about 23 opened the door. He did not know her name, but remembered her because she always smiled at him and gave him a bright happy Namaste. ‘Arre Ramubhai! That is such a pretty flower. Kuch special hai aaj?’ (anything special today?) She asked. He beamed at her and told her.
‘Wah, that is great’ she remarked and then suddenly looked thoughtful. ‘Ek minute wait karenge?’ (Will you wait for a minute?) she asked and ran inside the house. She emerged a few seconds later, beaming and holding out a beautiful new shirt. ‘Ramubhai, yeah shirt maine apne dad ke liye kareedi thi. Par unke liye bahut badi hai and mera bill bhi gum ho gaya hai. Maine socha ki aap ke special din per, yeah apke liye gift so sakta hai. Achcha Laga?’ (I bought this shirt for my dad, but it’s too big for him and I have lost the receipt also. On your special day, I thought it will be a nice gift for you. Like it?)
Like it? Ramubhai loved it! He usually never got gifts and to have someone give him a brand new shirt was a real surprise. He took the shirt and thanked her profusely. ‘Thank you madam, thank you!’ he kept repeating, till she had nudged him towards the door.
As the day drew to a close, Ramubhai hurried home. He rubbed his hands with glee at the thought of his wife’s reaction on seeing the brand new shirt. He walked into his little shanty and yelled ‘Kanta! Dekh!’ (see!) and held out his gift. He quickly took off his shirt and tried the new one. But alas! The shirt was just too big for him. ‘Ha ha…Ek dum hero lag rahe ho!’ (You’re looking like a hero!) joked Kanta. But Ramu’s spirit was not to be dampened. He took off the shirt and folded it neatly. Maybe one day soon he will put on some weight and then he’ll fit nicely into the beautiful shirt.
Thursday, 18th December
Ramubhai rushed home quickly. Important guests were expected this evening. Having a Father in law who always thought that his daughter could have married better was not a pleasant thing. The old man seemed to think he was some kind of a police man and thus above the blue collar laborers like Ramu. Being a security guard at an upscale corporate place is really not that big a deal, reasoned Ramu. But he was determined to not let anything get in his way of impressing the old man. He had cleaned the shanty and saved up over the last week to have some special food and drink organized for this important visit.
As he walked around the shanty eyeing everything for perfectness, his eye caught the new shirt he had carefully put away for more prosperous days. He picked it up and gave it some serious thought. Maybe this is the right tool to make that big impression on the old man. He quickly wrapped it in a newspaper and waited for his guests.
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Luck By Chance – A lucky break!
3Well I didn’t expect to eat my words so soon…After ranting about the inexplicable ability of Bollywood to churn out crappy movies and still make money, I wasn’t expecting to see a movie that would re- assert my faith in Indian movie makers.
Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Luck by Chance’ really took me by surprise. Funny, entertaining and insightful, the movie had me laughing and wondering about life at the same time. Zoya of course has had an insiders view on the machinations of the movie world for some time and she uses the movie to poke fun, albeit politely, at the A to Zs of Bollywood… Stars of yesteryears and their gullibility to flattery from yore, Star daughters and mamma hens who watch protectively over every little detail of their launch, poor ole’ producers running after stars the age of their sons to beg for dates, Stars and their excuses for dodging movies, struggling actors and their lives, people paying their dues and still not seeing stardom and others getting lucky through the weirdest twists of fate.
Farhan Akhtar and Konkana Sen have done a brilliant job of their acting and the script is well written (Even I couldn’t find a loop hole!). I especially loved the realistic ending. Not a stereo type bollywood ending of happily ever after. J
Kala Ghoda Art Festival – A kaleidoscope of colour!
1I’ve been in Bombay for over 5 years and have always heard of the magnificence of the Kala Ghodha Art festival, but never found the time and energy to go all the way downtown to catch it. This year, I decided to finally go see it. Giving up a nice relaxing Sunday nap, is a huge sacrifice as far as I’m concerned, so I was hoping that it’ll be worth all the effort.
Driving past the Kala Ghoda festival venue, looking for parking, the one thing that caught my eye was this huge mountain of colored buckets, stacked one upon the other, for a good 15-20 feet. I remember thinking, the buckets better be worth my Sunday nap…and boy was it!
A predominant theme of the festival was saving the environment. An enterprising artist had thought of the bucket pyramid in an effort to highlight the need to save water. Buckets, mugs, plastic taps, plastic bottles hung from the huge pyramid and I thought it was an interesting piece.
The festival also had all kinds of art forms up for display. As we walked past the pavements, artists from all over the world showcased their unique art. From paintings made of train and bus tickets, to exquisitely painted armoires/ boxes, (even an innovative bar chest!) painting on leaves, charcoal drawings, canvas paintings, the festival had everything.
Sculptures made of all kinds of mediums – wire, hay, meshes, clay, metal – were interesting and the thoughts behind making them a mystery for you to unravel. There was this sculpture made of wire meshing that looked like a rocket… and it had pigeons stuck in it all over. I’d like to think the piece was trying to portray the problem of the large pigeon population in Mumbai… something to say that a rocket cannot break through the skies of Mumbai without running into a flock of pigeons (okay I know that’s mean, but pigeons really bug me with their guttur guttur when I’m trying to have my aforementioned very precious Sunday afternoon nap!)
The organizers had put up a stage at the center and various artists were performing throughout the day. The one performance we saw was by a percussionist group called FAD. Not much of a fan of this kind of music, to me it really sounded just like synchronized noise making… but many others seem to have enjoyed it!
The festival had a lot to offer to all – Painting, Photography, Sculptures, Street Food, Music, book readings, workshops, street magic, puppet shows, heritage walks, shopping etc (check out their official website for all the details). We couldn’t do all the things, but the time we spent there was absolutely awesome!
What’s with the Indian Movie Scene?
8
Sometime I wonder that Indian movie makers must think that the Indian Audience are really dumb and that’s why they think that anything will go with them. And surprisingly, sometimes, the audience proves them right.
Take for example the case of Ghajini. This was from the stables of the great actor/director and the usually sensible movie maker – Aamir. So I had to give it a fair chance… but OMG! How can someone make a movie with so many loop holes? A 15 min short term memory loss problem or a complete loss of common sense problem? Given how the hero has to rip off his shirt every time he wakes up and how he yells and screams for his loss, one would guess that the whole movie would be just one series of ripping off shirt, trying to remember what the tattoos are supposed to remind him of, yelling and screaming in anger and poof… 15 mins are up! Time to start the whole process of remembering again. Jeez… they could have atleast given him memory span of ½ a day to make the story credible. And hey…this is not to miss… in this age of internet and superfast information flow, here is a Cell Phone Company Tycoon and no one knows what he looks like?? Rrrreeeaaalllyyy? You expect us to believe something that stupid? Or hows this for thinking the Audience are a bunch of Neanderthals… Mr. Cell phone company tycoon with memory loss is going crazy looking for a Mr. Ghajini. And he can figure out a solution to the complex problem of how to remember people, but no… he can’t sit on the net and google Mr. Ghajini? Come on…he’s the supposed CEO of a Pharma company… anyone should be able to find him… even memory loss suffering Psycho Cell Tycoon.
Ok… let’s try and let go of the obvious omissions in the story line of Ghaniji and focus on the much touted Rab ne bana di Jodi… Love story of the common man or story of a wife cheating on Husband with Husband’s atler ego? I mean it’s ok…you don’t explain to me why she forced to marry Mr. Simpleton in the first place or why she feels so indebted to him… atleast explain to me how she cannot know her husband from crazy color riot of a Mr. Hep alter ego? Or maybe how she can possibly stand being near the irritating Mr. Hep?
Fine… I accept, I am a difficult person to please in terms of movies. Everyone who bothered to hear my nit picking issues out, said one thing to me… ‘When you go see Hindi Movies, you need to leave your brains outside and just have fun’. Maybe the movie makers are cashin in on the trend and are therefore making dumber and dumber movies.