"Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" (MSMT) has been relaunched as "Phir Mile Sur" (PMS). It definitely brings back the old days and makes you feel nostalgic but I have to say that it is mediocre. The photography and the presentation is good but it does not have the flavor of India which was in MSMT. As with any other thing, we get to see only our movie stars in PMS. We just do not want to venture into any other Indian achievements.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Is bollywood all we got ?
Bollywood has infested every aspect of Indian television including primetime news. Media is obsessed with movies and the lives of movie personalities. 15-20 years back we used to have nice T.V shows be it serials, quizzes, songs, art, science programs, mushiara/kavi sammelan etc etc. Everyone used to wait for those programs.
Monday, January 25, 2010
That time of the year again: Padma Awards
This would be my last blog posting about padma awards, I am done with it. I had written about my resentment towards these awards in the past. The unfair treatment (or a preferential treatment towards some) meted out by the Indian Government still remains in effect. This year I saw Ilayaraja's name among the list of other padma bhushan awardees like AR Rehman and Aamir Khan. I am happy for all of them but I feel this award has come too late for Ilayaraja.
If Aamir Khan could get it, then there are much more deserving people in the film industry like Kamal Hassan, S.P.Balasubramaniam, Om Puri, Mani Ratnam (he has not even received Padma Shri yet, I guess) etc just to name a few, who should have got it much before. Rekha gets Padma Shri now, after so many years, and after so many other actors (much younger) who received these awards much before her and who have hardly achieved anything in Indian cinema. It is clear now that it is all about how you position yourself in the awards market.
This is just an example from our film industry. Imagine what would be happening in the other fields. I hope the Indian government wakes up to it, otherwise very soon these awards would cease to have any value at all (or may be it is already so).
If Aamir Khan could get it, then there are much more deserving people in the film industry like Kamal Hassan, S.P.Balasubramaniam, Om Puri, Mani Ratnam (he has not even received Padma Shri yet, I guess) etc just to name a few, who should have got it much before. Rekha gets Padma Shri now, after so many years, and after so many other actors (much younger) who received these awards much before her and who have hardly achieved anything in Indian cinema. It is clear now that it is all about how you position yourself in the awards market.
This is just an example from our film industry. Imagine what would be happening in the other fields. I hope the Indian government wakes up to it, otherwise very soon these awards would cease to have any value at all (or may be it is already so).
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
African American Quaterbacks - Lack of talent or discrimination
I am still a novice when it comes to football. I just started watching football very recently, just this season and have probably watched 6-7 games totally. I could not help but ask myself about the number of African-American quarterbacks in all the teams put together. As far as I understand the game, quarterback is the most important and strategic position of all. They are the highest paid position in the game.
Currently the African-American quarterbacks constitute only 16% of all the quarterbacks put together (127 total quarterbacks). I did some research through the NFL.com website on the player profile. I find it very odd that the game which is almost 70% (websites quote that number, which seems plausible) dominated by African-Americans has such a low percentage of quarterbacks.
What is the reason, if any ? Is it lack of talent ? Or Is it discrimination ? I do not want to pick either. On one hand, I find it very hard to believe that there is any lack of talent, hard work, enthusiasm or skills that is required to become a quarterback. On the other hand I sincerely hope that there is no discrimination. I am still waiting for the answer.
Currently the African-American quarterbacks constitute only 16% of all the quarterbacks put together (127 total quarterbacks). I did some research through the NFL.com website on the player profile. I find it very odd that the game which is almost 70% (websites quote that number, which seems plausible) dominated by African-Americans has such a low percentage of quarterbacks.
What is the reason, if any ? Is it lack of talent ? Or Is it discrimination ? I do not want to pick either. On one hand, I find it very hard to believe that there is any lack of talent, hard work, enthusiasm or skills that is required to become a quarterback. On the other hand I sincerely hope that there is no discrimination. I am still waiting for the answer.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Organ Donation
I do not know much about Mr. Jyoti Basu or his politics, except that he was the longest serving chief minister of West Bengal (for that matter any Indian state), one of the eastern states of India. He had been the beacon for West Bengal politics and had been a mentor for many of his comrades, including the current chief minister. He breathed his last on Jan 17th, 2010. When I first heard the news of his death I thought it was good that he did not struggle for his death, which was good for him and the state. States usually would spend tons and tons of money on their politicians, just to keep them "alive". But he went one step ahead, in his death he has shown us all a path towards immortality. He decided to donate his body for a very noble cause - medical research.
This reminds me of a story that Prof. Barry Shwartz had once mentioned in one of his articles. He said that it was seen that British donate their organs more often than Americans. It was not as if Americans were less inclined to donate, rather it turned out that the driver's license in America had a default opt-out of organ donation whereas Britain had a default opt-in. So, it was just the difference in how the policy was framed.
It is in human nature that we want to take the path of least resistance, therefore we do not take active steps towards addressing these issues. I am sure if it is made easier where in every country adopts this automatic opt-in policy for organ donation, people would agree to it and would come forward to do so. In that sense Jyoti Basu has been a true leader.
This reminds me of a story that Prof. Barry Shwartz had once mentioned in one of his articles. He said that it was seen that British donate their organs more often than Americans. It was not as if Americans were less inclined to donate, rather it turned out that the driver's license in America had a default opt-out of organ donation whereas Britain had a default opt-in. So, it was just the difference in how the policy was framed.
It is in human nature that we want to take the path of least resistance, therefore we do not take active steps towards addressing these issues. I am sure if it is made easier where in every country adopts this automatic opt-in policy for organ donation, people would agree to it and would come forward to do so. In that sense Jyoti Basu has been a true leader.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
3 Cheers for 2 Directors
One is basking in the glory of his most recent success-3 Idiots and the other quietly showing his prowess without any fuss. I am talking about the well known Rajkumar Hirani and the not so well known Shimit Amin. Both of them have given three back to back hits . Raju Hirani - Munnabhai M.B.B.S, Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots. Shimit Amin - Ab Tak Chappan, Chak De India and Rocket Singh: Best Salesman of the Year (not sure if it is a hit yet).
I liked each one of these movies. Each one had a message which was served in a very engrossing and entertaining way. Although, I have to say that I liked Shimit Amin's movies slightly better because of his subject choice. In fact, my favorite Shah Rukh Khan movie to date is Chak De India (mentioned in one of my other blog postings earlier). Shimit Amin breaks a lot of stereotypes and the protagonist of the movie is the story and narration itself. There was not much publicity about his most recent movie, Rocket Singh. It is a very well made movie and it definitely deserves a look.
Both these directors have been able to get stellar performances from their cast. Both of them are humble and do not hog the limelight. Their work talks on their behalf. Indian movie industry is changing and I guess changing for the good. Having said that, the ratio of bad or pathetic movies to good movies is still huge. The Indian movie industry needs such new breed of directors who can bridge this gap. Directors and film makers always hide behind the excuse for making bad movies (repetitive theme), that the audience is not mature enough to accept different types of movies. I think the contrary is true, audience is always eagerly waiting for these directors to give them fun and meaningful cinema.
We need stories which resonates with people and touches a chord in them. Movies, if used properly, could become a medium which could bring about revolution or which could dumb down people. That is not to say that every movie should have a social message. Tell stories and the movies would get made by themselves. Let us make India the biggest movie maker in the world in terms of quantity (which it already is) and quality.
I liked each one of these movies. Each one had a message which was served in a very engrossing and entertaining way. Although, I have to say that I liked Shimit Amin's movies slightly better because of his subject choice. In fact, my favorite Shah Rukh Khan movie to date is Chak De India (mentioned in one of my other blog postings earlier). Shimit Amin breaks a lot of stereotypes and the protagonist of the movie is the story and narration itself. There was not much publicity about his most recent movie, Rocket Singh. It is a very well made movie and it definitely deserves a look.
Both these directors have been able to get stellar performances from their cast. Both of them are humble and do not hog the limelight. Their work talks on their behalf. Indian movie industry is changing and I guess changing for the good. Having said that, the ratio of bad or pathetic movies to good movies is still huge. The Indian movie industry needs such new breed of directors who can bridge this gap. Directors and film makers always hide behind the excuse for making bad movies (repetitive theme), that the audience is not mature enough to accept different types of movies. I think the contrary is true, audience is always eagerly waiting for these directors to give them fun and meaningful cinema.
We need stories which resonates with people and touches a chord in them. Movies, if used properly, could become a medium which could bring about revolution or which could dumb down people. That is not to say that every movie should have a social message. Tell stories and the movies would get made by themselves. Let us make India the biggest movie maker in the world in terms of quantity (which it already is) and quality.
Platform of Success
A few days back I read a news article which talked about a few villagers in Taj Nagar, India, who built their own railway platform. Taj Nagar is just outside of the national capital Delhi. It now has two platforms and some trains would make a scheduled stop there. This would help the residents of Taj Nagar to have a better commute to work and in turn to have a better quality of life. For this project to materialize, each resident contributed Rs. 3,000.
Indian Railways had, in the past, declined to construct the platform because of budgetary reasons and the insignificance of the place. The one good thing about this whole project was, that at least the railways did not create any hindrance in the people's effort and rather agreed for some trains to make a stop, if the residents built their own platform.
It is a great example of team work, will power and perseverance. This just goes on to show that if we decide we could achieve anything. Think about a bunch of villagers taking over a giant, the "Indian Railways". I sometimes feel that the city dwellers lack the enthusiasm and drive to change the society, that the people from small towns and villages have. Urban people want the system to change but they do not want to take any steps to change that. I include myself in this group. The only meaning we, as citizens of India, have understood of democracy (people power), is to destroy the state machinery in the name of protest.
I hope this platform becomes a launching pad for many more such successes for India. I also hope to be a part of at least one such success story in the future.
Indian Railways had, in the past, declined to construct the platform because of budgetary reasons and the insignificance of the place. The one good thing about this whole project was, that at least the railways did not create any hindrance in the people's effort and rather agreed for some trains to make a stop, if the residents built their own platform.
It is a great example of team work, will power and perseverance. This just goes on to show that if we decide we could achieve anything. Think about a bunch of villagers taking over a giant, the "Indian Railways". I sometimes feel that the city dwellers lack the enthusiasm and drive to change the society, that the people from small towns and villages have. Urban people want the system to change but they do not want to take any steps to change that. I include myself in this group. The only meaning we, as citizens of India, have understood of democracy (people power), is to destroy the state machinery in the name of protest.
I hope this platform becomes a launching pad for many more such successes for India. I also hope to be a part of at least one such success story in the future.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
The Delhiwalla - Blog on Delhi
Hindustan times started a new section online called the "Blogs". Here the Hindustan Times reporters write their views about a certain topic on a regular basis. I was a regular reader of Vir Sanghvi and Khushwant Singh's articles in the past. Vir Sanghvi's "Counter Point" has been replaced by his blog called the " Medium Term". One blog in particular really caught my eye, "The Delhiwalla" by Mayank Austen Soofi. He writes about the soul of Delhi.
We always take, the place where we live, for granted. I never really appreciated or rather gave it a thought to the place where I was born and grew up, Delhi, for its beauty and historical significance. Now, when I read about Delhi, it brings lots of nostalgic feelings and also I learn about so many aspects about Delhi which I never knew about.
The other day I was reading the "Delhiwalla" and learnt about a canteen tucked inside the teen murti bhavan. Immediately it brought back the days when I used to take the bus which used to go past teen murti. It was as if I was transported back to Delhi. Obsession to know more about Delhi came up (keeps coming back now and then) last time when I visited India in 2008. I bought a book "The Last Mughal" which gives the description of Delhi, specifically old Delhi, during the 1700-1800 A.D. Ever since, I was looking for a nice book about Delhi, not a guide book but more on the lines of Mayank's blog. I found one (I hope it is a nice read) and have saved under my Google books selection, I intend to read it some day.
One more posting, that I remember, of his was about the old Delhi and the surrounding area of Ballimaran. I felt so proud to have been born in the Ghalib's playground. I had gone to Nai Sarak (neighborhood of Ballimaran where Ghalib lived and breathed his last) without realizing that one of the world's greatest poet lived there. Nai Sarak is new only by name otherwise it is pretty old and congested. So many different types of business like books stores, garment shops, eateries, handicrafts etc, all coexist. Hindu-Muslims have lived and worked side by side with out any problems for so many years. It is a great example of communal harmony for the whole country.
I remember during one of my outings in 2004, when I went to Nai Sarak to buy a Urdu to Hindi dictionary, so that I could better understand Ghazals (form of poetry) and ended up buying 6-7 books on poetry including "Madhushala" by Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Shopkeepers may not be learned in the typical sense but they know so much about their books that they can put Borders and Barnes & Noble to shame. Nai Sarak is a congested little booketeria.
There are many such things about Delhi. Book Fair at Pragati Maidan, used book market at Daryaganj . "Delhiwalla" also had a posting about the Daryaganj book market which the municipality is thinking of dismantling because of "public nuisance". Dilli (native name of Delhi) is the heart (Dil in Hindi) of India, literally. It is the capital in every sense of the word. I hope the essence of Delhi lives for years to come.
We always take, the place where we live, for granted. I never really appreciated or rather gave it a thought to the place where I was born and grew up, Delhi, for its beauty and historical significance. Now, when I read about Delhi, it brings lots of nostalgic feelings and also I learn about so many aspects about Delhi which I never knew about.
The other day I was reading the "Delhiwalla" and learnt about a canteen tucked inside the teen murti bhavan. Immediately it brought back the days when I used to take the bus which used to go past teen murti. It was as if I was transported back to Delhi. Obsession to know more about Delhi came up (keeps coming back now and then) last time when I visited India in 2008. I bought a book "The Last Mughal" which gives the description of Delhi, specifically old Delhi, during the 1700-1800 A.D. Ever since, I was looking for a nice book about Delhi, not a guide book but more on the lines of Mayank's blog. I found one (I hope it is a nice read) and have saved under my Google books selection, I intend to read it some day.
One more posting, that I remember, of his was about the old Delhi and the surrounding area of Ballimaran. I felt so proud to have been born in the Ghalib's playground. I had gone to Nai Sarak (neighborhood of Ballimaran where Ghalib lived and breathed his last) without realizing that one of the world's greatest poet lived there. Nai Sarak is new only by name otherwise it is pretty old and congested. So many different types of business like books stores, garment shops, eateries, handicrafts etc, all coexist. Hindu-Muslims have lived and worked side by side with out any problems for so many years. It is a great example of communal harmony for the whole country.
I remember during one of my outings in 2004, when I went to Nai Sarak to buy a Urdu to Hindi dictionary, so that I could better understand Ghazals (form of poetry) and ended up buying 6-7 books on poetry including "Madhushala" by Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Shopkeepers may not be learned in the typical sense but they know so much about their books that they can put Borders and Barnes & Noble to shame. Nai Sarak is a congested little booketeria.
There are many such things about Delhi. Book Fair at Pragati Maidan, used book market at Daryaganj . "Delhiwalla" also had a posting about the Daryaganj book market which the municipality is thinking of dismantling because of "public nuisance". Dilli (native name of Delhi) is the heart (Dil in Hindi) of India, literally. It is the capital in every sense of the word. I hope the essence of Delhi lives for years to come.
Gay and Happy
I applaud the historic judgment given out a few days back by the supreme court of India on same sex relationships (I am not sure if that judgment also allowed the same sex marriage). All this while, we have been in a denial mode. It is a giant step in making India a liberal society. It might take a while for people to change their attitude and be open towards homosexuals and to accept them as equals. Some of them may never change, but for those we can only feel sorry, who think they are the privileged lot.
I do not understand why homosexuality should be something to be ashamed of or shunned. First of all, people are wired to be a certain way and second of all, even if it is not true, it is no one's business to interfere in anyone's private and personal matters. I have heard arguments from people, saying that it is against the very nature of life. Every species is supposed to procreate and homosexuality works just against that very principle (and by the way they are the same people who do not believe in evolution and natural selection).
But who said that homosexual people could not have babies. Moreover aren't there heterosexual people who choose not to have babies and those who cannot have for medical reasons. So, what is so wrong about not having babies. It would only do good, at least for a country like India, to be cutting down on our population. But if someone really wants a baby in the conditions mentioned above they have many ways to do it, adoption, artificial insemination and surrogacy.
I have also heard the extreme argument that what if everyone turns homosexual. In that case the human race would come to an end. First of all I do not think we are anywhere close to that and secondly, sexual liking and wanting to have babies are two different things. People could still have kids using the methods mentioned above. If the species has to survive then it would find ways to do so if not, we will become extinct but that cannot be a reason to prevent homosexuals from leading a dignified, normal and free life.
This decision would certainly kick off discussions in the society. This would definitely give the homosexuals a legal recourse. Where countries like US are still grappling with this issue of same sex marriage and equal rights for gays, a conservative country like India, ruling in favor of the gays was really commendable.
I do not understand why homosexuality should be something to be ashamed of or shunned. First of all, people are wired to be a certain way and second of all, even if it is not true, it is no one's business to interfere in anyone's private and personal matters. I have heard arguments from people, saying that it is against the very nature of life. Every species is supposed to procreate and homosexuality works just against that very principle (and by the way they are the same people who do not believe in evolution and natural selection).
But who said that homosexual people could not have babies. Moreover aren't there heterosexual people who choose not to have babies and those who cannot have for medical reasons. So, what is so wrong about not having babies. It would only do good, at least for a country like India, to be cutting down on our population. But if someone really wants a baby in the conditions mentioned above they have many ways to do it, adoption, artificial insemination and surrogacy.
I have also heard the extreme argument that what if everyone turns homosexual. In that case the human race would come to an end. First of all I do not think we are anywhere close to that and secondly, sexual liking and wanting to have babies are two different things. People could still have kids using the methods mentioned above. If the species has to survive then it would find ways to do so if not, we will become extinct but that cannot be a reason to prevent homosexuals from leading a dignified, normal and free life.
This decision would certainly kick off discussions in the society. This would definitely give the homosexuals a legal recourse. Where countries like US are still grappling with this issue of same sex marriage and equal rights for gays, a conservative country like India, ruling in favor of the gays was really commendable.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Senseless Killing and Destruction of Public Property
When would people who do senseless killings and destroy the public property be brought to justice? How long are people supposed to suffer for someone else's misdeeds? Punjab is burning, why, because a sikh break away faction guru has been killed in Vienna. Now, what has that got to do with the people of Punjab ? Perpetrators who killed the guru should be brought to justice in India or in Austria.
Why should the common man suffer for some ideological clash between the religious groups? This is not the first time this has happened in India. We will find plenty of such examples in the not very distant past, if we turn our history pages. How is it possible that the police is unable to do anything in such matters? It is all because of the political support and the power behind these anti social elements.
Government of India should intervene in such matters swiftly and should have severe punishments for such people. There should be zero tolerance for such anti-social activities. Nobody has the right to kill anybody or to destroy any public property. For every step we take towards prosperity we slip down two steps because of such activities. It is a sorry state of affairs that we never learn from our past mistakes.
Why should the common man suffer for some ideological clash between the religious groups? This is not the first time this has happened in India. We will find plenty of such examples in the not very distant past, if we turn our history pages. How is it possible that the police is unable to do anything in such matters? It is all because of the political support and the power behind these anti social elements.
Government of India should intervene in such matters swiftly and should have severe punishments for such people. There should be zero tolerance for such anti-social activities. Nobody has the right to kill anybody or to destroy any public property. For every step we take towards prosperity we slip down two steps because of such activities. It is a sorry state of affairs that we never learn from our past mistakes.
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