Apolitically Speaking......

Due to the truckloads of time that I have at my disposal these days for wasting in useless pursuits,I have been noticing a lot of things.For a start,the weather Gods don't seem too pleased this year and have blessed even my happy hilly hometown with soaring mercury levels and temperatures virtually unheard of,in this region.There is no respite from the heat,and so,even a quintessentially free bird like me has to spend(or while away)his time indoors.With nothing happening in my life and infinite events burning newsprint these days,I thought I'd take a jibe at one or two of those.

Firstly,I'm writing this as India awaits her fate for the next five years.Will it be the voice behind BJP's advertisements(AD-VAANI) or the blue turban guy who'll be at the helm of affairs.The exit polls have been predicting nothing this time,having taken lessons from last time's absolute shocker of a result.Talking of shockers,I sincerely hope that India doesn't choose that motor-mouthed lady with the none too impressive baritone or even the no-no guys(they've said no to everything all their lives-from bpo's to car factories to nuclear deals).
Honestly speaking,with the advent of coalition politics,the indian political kabaddi has become even more dirtier,with more mud and dung involved.Ideologies will go for a toss and mp's will be bought and sold like toothpaste once the results start coming in.People who have no vision for the country are dreaming of sitting at its highest civilian post.Throughout campaigning,none of our oh so capable leaders have even mentioned the ground-root problems that our country faces,let alone figuring them out.Dynasties,Religional and linguistic barriers,foul mouthedness nothwithstanding,the opposing parties have convincingly proved,that both the PM's in waiting are weak leaders.
I don't really give a damn about who comes to power.It simply won't make a difference to the common man.There will still be powercuts.water shortage,rising prices and netas would still be busy,either filling their own pockets,or throwing mud at each other.However,I'd like to see how the silver-spooned chocolate boy performs if and when he does become a minister.He has got that lineage,that charisma that his father had and from the little that I've seen of him,I believe he does talk sense.He's treaded the length of the entire country,from Kerala to Jammu & Kashmir.May his efforts pay off as I'm all for young blood in the muck that our political scene is.
Speaking of youth,I'm really impressed and influenced by the involvement of the youth brigade in it.The intense "Jaago"campaign,aiming at getting people to vote,to bring about that much desired change,did make a huge difference.Kudos to the man behind this campaign and also to our Indian public,for coming out and voting,despite the galactic May heat.One day.this will certainly make a difference.

And yes Mr Bachchan and family,What the heck were you thinking when you posed for the above photograph.Yes,I know that Indian politics does suck at the moment,but so do your movies.One unintentional gesture from Bollywood's first family-It completely echoes my sentiments towards these dreary old netas.

F_ _ _ U

Happy Homecoming

After a rather tiresome and comatose month full of mugging notes and solving tutorials,finally I'm done with my endsems.Feeling more relieved than relaxed at the moment.To say that I screwed up my papers really badly would just be an understatement.Infact,I performed just like the Rajasthan Royals did against Bangalore the other day.(Excuse that but IPL fever has really caught on.)

Now that the dark clouds of academics have slipped into oblivion and springtime beckons,I use this time to think of the year gone by..

My first year at IITB..God it was special.Had a lot of fun and now wanna do something constructive in the next year.The hostel rivalry(H3 ki @#@@$@...can't help it guyzz,being an H4ian forever),the gaali-fights which brought out all the passion and innovation from within us(via remixing of gaalis ofcourse),the water fights which ensured that we did have a bath once in a while,those birthday bumps(something still hurts),mafia-nights,those gobi paranthas at 2 in the night at H-13,snoring away in class,unaware of the professor glaring at you,those insights into each other's lives,sitting on the water tank up the hostel terrace..oh yes it really was great fun..

Having got back home now,for three long months,there's lots more to come..Please keep visiting this space for more........

Cheers.......

A Tale of Hope....

Promises are made to be broken...A really cliched line,but I guess nothing else explains my disappearance better.I had"promised"to be back soon but alas,the bane of lethargia caught up with me.With sincere apologies to my readers(if there are any),I again"PROMISE"to be more regular.

Well,I happened to see a movie lately.Being a fan of movies that are thought provoking and that deal with the various intricacies of the human pysche,this one immediately struck a chord with me."Shawshank Redemption",begins with the conviction of Andy Defrain,an Investment banker,for the brutal double murder of his wife and her alleged lover.He is awarded a life sentence,despite the weapon of assault never being recovered.Andy pleads innocent but the motive is too strong for the judge to ignore.

Andy is then moved to Shawshank Prison,a notorious and depressing prison where brutality is commonplace.The world woven inside the four walls of that jail is what fascinated me initially.The first night is deemed to be the most difficult.All alone,in the shit-hole sized prison cell,and with no one to talk to,nothing left but all the time in the world to pass.I simply shudder to think of a prisoner's state of mind then.Andy braved the first night.He didn't break down.He had a quiet demeanour and was at peace with himself at first.Slowly but surely,he was getting used to the'Shawshank' way of life.

He befriends REDS-a man known to smuggle things into jail and acquires a rock-hammer from him..He becomes assistant librarian and revamps the library by his persistent efforts.By helping prisoners,guards and even the Warden in accounts and tax related stuff,he earns respect among the staff and the prisoners.In all this time,deep down,he hopes for freedom in the future - a hope he tries to pass on to the other prisoners. He never stops believing in life's possibilities, but to make the most of them he needs to be free.He cherishes a dream of going to Mexico one day.I just love the theme-line of this movie"Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free".

In due course he helps the Warden in his tax frauds,plotting for revenge and his own escape all the way.

The narratives by Reds,that run throughout the movie,are touching to say the least.Life's simple truths and things about jail that we have never thought of,have been said with such normalcy and honesty that it immediately appeals,straight to the heart.Also,the interaction between Reds and Andy serve as one of the several high points in this movie.

But this is not a "fancy" film.A very quiet storyline with minimum of drama is what sets it apart.It sticks to the story it is telling without resorting to flashy tricks to grab the audience's attention.The gutsy and astonishing escape of Defrain keeps the viewer hooked and waiting with bated breath.Its captivating subplots,superb acting,poignant narratives makes it a must watch despite the story being a simple one.The main theme is hope, not despair, and the violence serves only as a backdrop to that message.It affected me deeply,filling me with lots of hope and will to fight adversity.Unashamedly a feelgood movie, By the end one is wishing only that it would continue for a few more moments.

A touching tale of hope and courage,graced with great depth and commitment- An uplifting must-see movie.Arguably the best movie ever not to have won an oscar,it is ranked first on the list of IMDB'S top 250 movies of all time.Please watch it...Take my word..U'll love it.