Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Since I've been gone......
It's been a long time since I've posted, it's now a whole new year and we're well into it!
Why did I stop posting? Just because I got really busy with writing the first draft of ToT, which to cut a long story is a book I'm writing, that's been a labor of love for most of the last decade. Apart from that, the blog wasn't really going anywhere and I kinda just let it slide.
Now it's been a couple of weeks since I finished the first draft and I'm aimlessly pottering around trying to figure out where to go from here. Of course the second draft beckons, but I figure I'm still not done 'flushing the cache'.
A lot of things have happened while I was away from the blog and I really don't want to go through all of them here. Let's just ease into it, okay?
18:23 Posted in Blog , Personal | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
A new range of 'Indian' comics
that SM profiles here has me excited! Among the most important experiences of my childhood were the comics from Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle, which I enjoyed every bit as much as the universally consumed Tintin & Asterix & Obelix. I've been saddened by the lack of new titles over the years, and especially that there hasn't been a maturation of the genre, unlike Japanese anime, 
that is enjoyed as much by adults as by kids, and often features titles specifically aimed at adult audiences. This new range of comics does not go that far, but looks sufficiently sophisticated to be a good start. An interesting thing is that these comics are not Made in India, geographically at least, but then what is India in a globalised world?
18:55 Posted in Knews | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Kong Rules!
- NO SPOILERS -
Yesterday I finally got to see King Kong ('finally' as in, three days since release were almost too much of waiting!). What a truly awesome experience! I’m a huge fan of the mega blockbuster, and in my memory, the last few films that even came close to King Kong were Spiderman 2, Titanic, Independence Day and Jurassic Park. That’s like four films in ten years. And King Kong surpasses them all. Or I’m still in the glow of a great movie, and don’t mind making foolish statements about it being the best that I’ve ever seen, which I’ve been guilty of doing several times.
By far the biggest thing at the movies is redefining BIG. Every year. Not only through technology, but also through storytelling. By now, the blockbuster has expanded to mammoth proportions. How do you then make a story about a huge monkey (for that is what King Kong is after all) bigger than journeys into distant lands, historical, outer space and fantasy? Peter Jackson totally nails this with Kong.
I think King Kong is a truly great movie, for many reasons, only one of which I’d like to go into in some detail. One of the most important criteria of a great movie is how it covers multiple bases, has multiple layers without seeming to, seamlessly. There are at least three layers of audiences that King Kong specifically caters to, so well, it is business-case worthy.
- First there is the King Kong fan club: The challenge here is - How can the new King Kong satisfy this audience, while still remaining entertaining for those who don’t know Kong at all?
- Next is the special effects movie / blockbuster movie audience: The challenge here is – How can King Kong go beyond what this audience has seen before, while still keeping it about King Kong, only an overgrown ape after all?
- And finally the general movie viewership: The challenge here is – How can King Kong be relevant to an audience that is not just males and fans, but also females, kids, looking for a simple movie that is hugely entertaining without being too complex, and critics and cinephiles looking for sophisticated post-modern storytelling even in simple commercial stories?
19:03 Posted in Film | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this
Friday, December 09, 2005
Nobel Laureate lays into the U.S. in acceptance speech
Harold Pinter's extraordinarily bold criticism of the U.S. at his Nobel Prize acceptance speech is all over the net, but if you haven't seen or read it, you can do so here. Read the whole thing, it's worth it, but if you prefer excerpts, check out the NY Times story. My favorite part:
I put to you that the United States is without doubt the greatest show on the road. Brutal, indifferent, scornful and ruthless it may be but it is also very clever. As a salesman it is out on its own and its most saleable commodity is self love.
19:10 Posted in Knews , People | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
More wife swapping
According to this TOI story:
A Turkish villager who ran away with his friend's wife has offered his own wife in exchange, newspapers said on Thursday.
18:50 Posted in Knews | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Ring Match: Bill Gates vs. Narayana Murthy
Last evening NDTV managed to get two of the biggest boys in the world, Bill Gates, and Narayana Murthy together for a chat moderated by Prannoy Roy (PR) with hundreds of top corporate honchos in attendance. 90 minutes flew by as TV came into its own.
Some observations I had during the show:
- When asked for the defining moments in his life, Bill chose his first exposure to a computer at 13 and his learning of Moore’s law at 16. Only when goaded on by PR did Bill add his leaving Harvard to start Microsoft. And PR said ‘so you’re recommending that students quit school to start business?’ BG immediately clarified that he wasn’t, while I cringed thinking ‘this man did something that seemed right FOR HIM AT THAT POINT OF TIME. How it that supposed to be an universal injunction for success?’ Sheesh. Bad point if it was serious. Bad joke, even if it was meant in jest.
- When PR talked of how both BG and NM were philanthropists, BG simply spoke of the necessity of using his wealth, considering he wasn’t leaving it to his family. Simple, unassuming and matter of fact. NM on the other hand spoke of doing ‘small’ things with his wife, emphasizing the word small two or three times. False modesty, I thought.
- NM kept starting his answers with ‘As Bill said’ or ‘Like Bill said’, referencing his answers with Bill’s own, whether he agreed with them or otherwise. Bill rarely if ever did. NM’s referring to Bills response was very similar to what I’ve noticed on several Indian reality TV shows – that each judge in commenting, always references other judges’ comments – unlike what I’ve seen on ‘foreign’ reality shows. Why are we Indians so conscious of company?
- PR asked BG about America’s loss of stature/respect in the world and ‘recent foreign policy mistakes’ to much excitement in the room. BG did not agree, argued cogently and admirably in a room full of people who evidently did not share his opinion, even as he admitted there was much concern in the US regarding whether the ‘very high threshold’ of factors necessary to justify recent actions (okay we are talking about Iraq) was met. NM made an unwarranted dig at him for not being ‘open’ about criticizing his country, like he was in being critical of India, to much applause, which made BG clearly uncomfortable as he went ‘What was that?’ in his head. Just like I was doing. NM’s comment was just not on.
I know this wasn’t supposed to be a ring-match, but I couldn’t help comparing the two boys for their poise and composure and togetherness, and Bill Gates came out way ahead. Imho.
13:20 Posted in Knews , People | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
'Captivating' Indian films of 2005
is a list of fifteen Indian films by Indiatimes. A little spotty this list, going by the four Hindi films on it, of which only one is really good - Parineeta. The other three, Sarkar, Salaam Namaste and Bunty aur Babli, range from the mildly interesting to the disappointngly convenional to the downright crass, and can hardly be called 'captivating'. Haven't seen any of the other 'regional language' films, but now I know which ones to look for, if they should come by me.
Time was, when as a child, the only films I had access to regularly were the weekly regional and foreign films on state-run Doordarshan. Naturally they were all high on the art quotient, festival and award types. Really used to look forward to these films, entries into strange worlds where disenchantment ran high, but the human spirit always triumphed - the universal human story on film (Hollywood came into my life only in college). The rest of the programming on DD helped by providing a bleak backdrop for these films, authenticity standing out against mind stultifying content all the more in contrast.
09:36 Posted in Film | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Friday, December 02, 2005
Richard Dawkins' letter to his ten-year-old daughter
Just came across Richard Dawkins' letter to his ten-year-old daughter on true grounds for belief (evidence, not tradition, authority or revelation), via kottke's blog. I differ on the most substantial issues with Mr. Dawkins, but with this letter, I think he's dead on.
12:55 Posted in Miscellany , Science | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
Thursday, December 01, 2005
The Best Books and Movies
The 10 Best Books of 2005 is a list released by the New York Times.
Books vs. Movies is an interesting head to head of a half dozen movie adaptations of books at Time Magazine.
Time Magazine also has published Top 100 lists of the best movies and the best books of the twentieth century (something like that).
[Some Indian movies and books in the lists, check them out. I've seen only about 20 of the movies and read about.....hmmm.....aah......six of the books (Gone with the Wind, 1984, Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, Catch 22). Okay, so I'm a philistine.]
10:45 Posted in Books , Film | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Big B – we love you both!
Amitabh wasn’t feeling well yesterday, and wasn’t looking at all good, though it wasn’t serious. There’s been an outpouring of sympathy for the man, who India loves like no other.
Why do we love the Big B so much? Today, I’d like to share why I think we do. Mainly, I think, because in so many ways, he represents the very best of us, as humans, and as Indians, and we sense that deep within our hearts, and cherish this irreplaceable icon of our national identity and cultural and spiritual heritage.
Amitabh Bachchan is Indian in the most quintessential sense possible. Born in the heart of India, Amitabh grew up in a privileged household, the son of a cultural icon, a man who imparted to him the values of inner strength, self-esteem, grace and humility that makes of such men leaders and sometimes even saints. Even with this legacy, Amitabh did not have it easy.
Among the many, many tests that Amitabh had to weather in his life, two stand out. The first is at the start of his career, when he came to Bombay to become an actor, with virtually nothing going for him, unsightly physique and gait and baritone voice. From the ultimate underdog, he became the greatest superstar we ever knew, an entire industry and people’s entertainment calendar were punctuated by his performances for over a decade. The second of these was much later in life when his corporate initiative tanked, saddling him with almost a hundred crores in debt, a sum so frightening even his enormous stature sagged under its weight (given that his financial viability in the changed scenario was nothing like what it once was). I do not count among his greatest tests, his return from near death (for that did not challenge his spirit as much as his body) or his political difficulties, though these made of his life anything but a bed of roses.
Amitabh Bachchan, through the handling of these two tests demonstrated at the very deepest level what strength of character is. Especially his return from debt. Caused in great part by the gross miscalculation and incompetence in the entertainment domain and intellectual hubris of green-behind-the-ear professional managers, he rarely blamed others for the situation he found himself in. Nor did he lean on his family for emotional support, ever the rock, even a hundred crores down! Owning up to his situation, his return to mainstream pre-eminence as India’s biggest star (today he is considered in the same category as Shah Rukh Khan as entertainment icon, and bigger by some accounts), and repayment of the entire debt has been a story that would make a fairy tale proud for stretching credulity and demonstrating strength of spirit.
The Amitabh we loved in the seventies and eighties is not the Amitabh we love today. The first Amitabh is a completely different one – an entertainment vehicle for our dreams, where we hung on his every move, as he donned a variety of forms, as the Gambler and the Don and the Sharaabi and the Coolie and so on, each of these an excuse for us to partake of the brilliance of conviction of a man, who could make of everything absurd that he did (because of the fledgling industry he worked in), a reality utterly convincing and a joy to participate in. The second Amitabh is a man who has come back from the dead, who has come back from the debt, and who shows us what it is to be human, to be Indian, from the best place that we can be both.
And these two Amitabhs mirror in a sense two different Indias. The first Amitabh played to an India that was angry, disenchanted, victimized, and which wished it could lash out at a system that had let it down in so many ways, fantasizing its own hero-ness. The second Amitabh mirrored an India that had matured, had made peace with its own and others’ mistakes, and was willing to face its challenges head on. The second Amitabh is the real hero, the one who has lived out what he once only acted out.
About this second Amitabh, a recent article in the Bombay Times commented on the spate of commercials featuring him with children. An insightful comment by one of the makers on why these commercials were so effective to make and to sell was how comfortable Amitabh was with the children. That was only half the story. The other half, I think, was that the contrast of a man so masculine with a person so tender, made the stories of the commercials so appealing. It is this combination of his personal power along with his incredible humility that makes him so compelling to watch, and which makes KBC so vital as an experience.
I can go on and on, on a man I love and revere so much, and that a billion other Indians (cynics, count yourselves out) feel the same way about. I love both Amitabhs, the one I grew up on fantasizing about, and the one whose real life that I now look up to.
Get well soon, Big B! We love you!
12:45 Posted in Idea of India , People | Permalink | Comments (7) | Email this
Monday, November 28, 2005
Awesome pic of the 'Buddha Boy'
that I blogged in my previous post in Mumbai Mirror today. He looks really serene. And the manner in which the middle finger and thumb are kept in contact on both hands looks to me like the man knows what he's doing.
11:10 Posted in Knews | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Thursday, November 24, 2005
'Boy believed to be reincarnation of Buddha'
Read about it here:
'A teenage boy has been locked in mediation allegedly without food or water in a Nepalese jungle for six months, and thousands have flocked to see him with some believing he's the Buddha reincarnated, police and media said on Wednesday.
Many visitors believe Banjan is a reincarnation of Gautama Siddhartha, who was born not far away in southwestern Nepal around 500 B.C. and later became revered as the Buddha, which means Enlightened One. But others aren't so sure.
Mahat, the journalist, said visitors can catch a glimpse of Banjan from a roped-off area about 25 meters away from him between dawn and dusk. Followers then place a screen in front of him, blocking the view and making it impossible to know what's happening with him at night, Mahat said. We could not say what happens after dark, Mahat said. "People only saw what went on in the day, and many believed he was some kind of god.'' '
Reincarnation sure seems to be in style on the subcontinent.
10:18 Posted in Knews , Miscellany | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Hairy Pouter
You know how English films are given really weird Hindi names in India? The new Harry Potter has been saved the disgrace with a straightforward translation. But Hindi is Hindi and English is English. So if you take the Hindi Harry Potter (Hindi alphabet I mean) on the poster and translate it back into English, guess what you get? Hairy Pouter! That's right - Hairy Pouter!
For those of you that thought this post was about mature porn, you need to check your testosterone levels. Seriously.
23:20 Posted in Miscellany | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Friday, November 18, 2005
Reincarnated' murder victim gives evidence
Really bizarre story, this: 'Reincarnated' murder victim gives evidence from the TOI:
'Could a dead man, or rather his reincarnation, give evidence in his own murder case?
A six-year-old case of murder in Hathras town in western Uttar Pradesh has given rise to this million-dollar question following the deposition of a five-year-old boy, Durgesh.
Creating a sensation in the trial court Friday, he alleged that during his previous birth he was killed by his own friend Ved Prakash six years ago.
..............
While deferring the judgement, the court has asked the prosecution to produce the legal provisions relating to reincarnation if any.'
This last line disturbs me. I know that it is very possible that the boy has been 'tutored' to give false testimony, this taking place in the cow belt, where superstition runs high and the rule of law more manipulated than followed. But what if this is a genuine case phenomenologically at least, in that the boy's memories are genuine? If they are, then the lack of legal provisions regarding reincarnation would be doing his testimony an injustice, no? And here would be an epic tale of truth and justice from beyond the grave dismissed by man's sticking to narrow precedence.
17:35 Posted in Idea of India , Knews | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Godhra didn't start the fire
Just came across this totally harrowing essay by Amitav Ghosh (via Sepia Mutiny). From it:
Nowhere else in the world did the year 1984 fulfill its apocalyptic portents as it did in India. Separatist violence in the Punjab, the military attack on the great Sikh temple of Amritsar; the assassination of the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi; riots in several cities; the gas disaster in Bhopal - the events followed relentlessly on each other. There were days in 1984 when it took courage to open the New Delhi papers in the morning.
Of the year's many catastrophes, the sectarian violence following Mrs Gandhi's death had the greatest effect on my life. Looking back, I see that the experiences of that period were profoundly important to my development as a writer; so much so that I have never attempted to write about them until now.
The heartfelt expression of Amitav has opened me up to what it must have been for over 2500 people, totally innocent human beings, to have been torched in a matter of a few days, one by one, individually, by organised groups. Godhra didn't start the fire.
18:20 Posted in Idea of India | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this