Wake up Sid!

After watching the disastrous What's your rashee? last week, I was very doubtful about watching this one. Especially since it was from a new director, a 24 year old one for that. Well, but I convinced S because wanted to check out Ranbir Kapoor and the presence of Konkona in the movie somehow re-assured me. Well, I am glad I decided to watch the movie.

Its very hard not to like the movie. Its a young coming-of-age movie of a young guy, Sid and the movie is all heart. Not witty or intense like Dil Chahta hai, but the movie has a young fresh innocence about it and it will definitely appeal to all urban youth. I am sure everybody will identify with some part of Sid and Aisha. The star of the movie is Ranbir Kapoor. Not only does he look great - but his portrayal of Sid makes you fall in love with this character, it is hard to remain indifferent to Sid in the movie. It is a slow, refreshing movie - no twists or turns, no intense drama, maybe that's why it seems realistic. Ranbir Kapoor more than delivers - I was really smitten by him at the end of the movie. And a pat on the back to the casting director of the movie - he chose the cast well, they were perfect for each role.

Watch it for Ranbir and Ayaan (the director). I am surprised that a 24 year old can really make a movie like this. If you notice closely, the director has paid attention to details - and that's one of the reasons why the movie works.

-Moi

Song of the day: Iktara
Mood of the day: tired.

Kaminey

Vishal Bharadwaj has done it again! Given a movie that is so different from the mindless crap that directors keep dishing out week after week. I have to say that it does not live up to all the hype created – nevertheless, in Charlie’s words it is a muft watch!

It is a dark, funny movie that addresses so many socio-political issues in India today. From AIDS awareness to Raj Thakarey’s Marathi Manoos – to corruption, he shows it all in the movie. It is an ‘A’ rated movie – and I think rightly so. Well, let’s talk about the good stuff. Vishal Bharadwaj – he is the strength of the movie. Direction, music, lyrics, dialogues and photography are flawless in the movie. Acting wise – each and every character in the movie has acted brilliantly. Shahid Kapoor is brilliant as the twins – Charlie and Guddu, both with speech disorders. Even the narration of the movie is done with a lifp J. Priyanka Chopra is a surprise treat to watch as Sweety, a feisty Maharashtrian gal – she is so endearing as this high – strung confused yet absolutely relatable character. She packs a punch in every scene that she is in and her chemistry with Guddu is just great. Mikhail, Amole Gupte as Bhope are all memorable characters. The background music of the movie in the first half is just fabulous. Every time Dhan Te Nan plays in the background – the heart beats faster and the movie races further. The pace of the movie is what is different about it. By the time the first half is over – you are exhausted in a good way ‘cos you have been at the edge of your seat in every scene. The dialogues are witty and great – humorous when they are not meant to be. And there is no spoon-feeding, the audience is compelled to pay attention and has to make out the twists and turns on their own.

After almost a perfect first half, the pace of the movie falls a bit flat in the second one. After the action packed first half, you end up expecting better from the second half – but here I think the movie falters a bit. It becomes slow and all the bits and pieces come together and culminate to a climax which is crazy, unexpected and funny in a way. The second half lets you a down a little bit. That’s what I felt. The flashback scenes between Charlie and Guddu were half-baked and hardly convincing.

But all being said, I wish this movie does well. I wish it for Vishal Bharadwaj’s sake and also to prove that Indian audiences are ready for a different film, a different genre than just a hero and heroine falling in love. It is an original movie – and a few scenes in the movie just stand out as brilliant. The scene where Sweety is trying to convince Guddu to marry her. The scene between Bhope bhau and Tope Bhau – it is just brilliant – reminding you of characters from movies like Pulp Fiction. The scene where Charlie realizes that he has stolen a police car no less to get away. These brilliant moments are what make the movie interesting and funny. Kudos to Vishal Bharadwaj to not falling prey to the Bollywood bandwagon of commercialism and being true to himself and taking the simple concept of comedy of errors and make it into a fast paced – high strung cinema.

- Moi

Mood of the day: Gloomy

Song of the day: Fatak!

Move over Omkara... Kaminey is here!

The only songs that I am listening to since the last two weeks at work – gym – car … the new album Kaminey. After Beedi and Namak Ishq ka (two of my fav songs) – I thought that Vishal Bharadwaj had reached his musical crescendo – and then he comes out with Kaminey! It was love at first hearing :). It’s a great album – and he has Gulzar saab penning down the lyrics, well expect better than the best!

The first song in the album “Dhan Te Nan” – well like I said in my last post – it is addictive – the song starts full force. There is no time for the listener to get used to the beat and force of the music – you tumble into the song headlong. Aaja aaja dil nichode, raat ki matki todein, koi good luck nikale, aaj gullak to phodein. Who else but Gulzar can come up with such lines about squeezing the heart to find some stroke of good luck? Many times I wonder how he mixes English and Hindi words in such a meaningful manner. Take this - aaja ki one way hai yeh zindagi ki gali ek hi chance hai, aage hava hi hava hai agar saans hai to yeh romance hai. If James Bond was an Indian character and it was to be made in Hindi – Dhan te Nan would be its signature music. It reminds me of the 80’s movies, especially the Bacchan movies, where this music would be played in the background when a good cop is chasing a bad guy! Totally riveting. Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani – great job!

The next song is a sweet romantic number by Mohit Chauhan (of Masakalli fame): Pehli Baar Mohabbat – the lyrics somehow remind me of Gulzar’s Mera Kuch Saaman. It is a lovely song – with beautiful lyrics khwab ke bojh se, kap kapati hui, halki palkain teri, yaad aata hai sab tujhe gudgudana, satana, yun hi sote hue, gaal pe teepna, meechna bewajah besabab. yaad hai peepal ke jiske ghane saaye the, hunme gilhari ke jhoote matar khaaye the and makes you fall in love with Pehli baar mohabbat ki hai, aakhri baar mohabbat ki hai.

The first time I listened to the next song “Fatak”, I did not pay too much attention to the lyrics as I was still recovering from “Dhan te Nan” – but then slowly realized the brilliance of the song. Ke Bhavra bhavra aaaya re… fatak ...ke gun gun karta aaye re…fatak! But as you approach to the end of the song – you realize that the ‘bhavra’ in the song is a metaphor for AIDS – and it is a song dedicated to AIDS awareness. Gulzar has used Khusro in Ye ishq nahi aasan, aji aids ka khatra hai, patwaar pehan jaana, yeh aag ka dariya hai. It all made sense after listening to this. And the message is unmistakable and clear. Very aptly put - ye chipku hamesha satayega, yeh jaayega, phir laut aayega, khoon ke maile katre mein jaan ke saare khatar ke aaaya, ke aaaya. And darwazon mein kunde ko dafaa karo ye gunde, ye shaitaan ka saaya re.

Then comes the title song in the form of Kaminey. Vishal Bharadwaj himself does the honors of singing and boy, he does good! The song starts with kya kare zindagi isko hum jo miley iski jaan kha gaye raat din ke giley with a little music. It’s a song of introspection and deep meaning – it has great lyrics and you really have to hunt for the meaning. It talks of desires and deceptions, friendships and betrayals. And the beauty of the song is that it still gives hope in spite of sounding a dark song. Kabhi zindagi se maanga pinjare mein chand la do, kabhi lalten de ke kaha aasma pe taango does just that. It is not a cynical song – but it just reflects, vintage Gulzar.

Raat Ke Dhai Baje, I think is an apt ending to the album. It has a host of singers - Rekha Bhardwaj, Sunidhi Chauhan, Suresh Wadkar and Kunal Ganjawala. This song at the end of it leaves you with wanting for more of it. This album is a male singer dominated one unlike Omkara which gave Sunidhi and Rekha Bharadwaj their best songs. This is also a faster and less serious version of Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki Hai. Surprisingly there is Suresh Wadkar singing here. When I first heard it – I had no clue what that guy was doing in the song. But then it grew on me as did the lyrics. Now, I think his piece kind of binds the whole song together. Raat kuch aisa hua jaisa hota toh nahi, thaam ke rakha mujhe main bhi khota toh nahi and then my fav part of the song - ek hi lat suljhane mein saari raat guzaari hai jaan ki gathri sar pe le li aapne kaisi zehmat dee hai.

- Moi

Mood of the day: Happy - (yay! its Friday)

Song of the day: Raat ke dhai baje (actually any of the above)

Earth Day!

Just a gentle reminder to be kind to the environment and to the earth at least for one day! Take the extra steps to turn off the lights when not in the room today, try not to use plastic at least for one day today! Do the little you can for a day!

P.S: Its ironical, the client where I am working at have posters and flyers all over the place about going green and all that jazz. But - they don't have recycle bins at every cube. One of the first places I have worked at that don't have recycle baskets. Let alone every cube, there isn't a recycle bin per printer (shared by about 10 people) - so every time I have to trash some paper - I have to walk across the hall to the recycle bin!!

- Moi

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga.

This is a debut novel by Aravind Adiga and it also won him the Man Booker prize.

The White tiger is a very interesting and an entertaining read. But it’s hard for me to believe that there was no better writing this year anywhere in the world.

The small villages in India, rampant with illiteracy – where people are blinded with superstition and where people die of diseases like TB are rightfully termed as the Darkness. Balram Halwai, the hero of the book if you may, is from one such place called Laxmangarh which is the Darkness. It is his tale, narrated by him. It is his journey from the Darkness to the light – from Laxmangarh to Bangalore. A white tiger is the rarest creature in the jungle, only coming along once in every generation. Balram Halwai is the white tiger. Morality can sometimes be the cage that the rich use to keep the poor from making that essential leap. Balram is in the cage and it is the story of how he escapes from the cage fighting the rooster coop.

The book is quite fast paced, gripping and very witty. The protagonist’s character is very well-sketched. He is cocky, arrogant, quick-witted, half-baked, disrespectful and supremely quick to seize an advantage. His disrespect for his elders and betters is shocking -- even Mahatma Gandhi gets the lash of his scornful tongue.

This book has added to my sense that morality is a luxury of our situation - and that for all the feel-good factor of being a democracy, for the vast majority of people, there really isn't much difference between us and China except that they have ten ring roads.

-Moi

Gandhi!

One of my friends asked me that in the light of the current events – i.e the 26/11 Mumbai attack – would Gandhigiri work now?
I don't know – I don't know if Gandhigiri is the way to go in the age of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.

When Mumbai was under attack I was enraged - it was impotent rage I think - I wanted action, I wanted to see some results - I was arguing with the Mister that it is not the age of Gandhi anymore and we have to fight back and kick ass.

What exactly is the Gandhian philosophy? I think it is the opposite of dadagiri in the sense that this philosophy also uses force - but the force that it uses is a moral one to assert its point of view. Also, I personally think that Gandhiji stood for action in the face of oppression and definitely not passive contemplation.

If someone slapped one cheek, would you turn in the other one? – Is that what Gandhiji really expected of India? Is this really what he preached? If hundreds of people get killed, should we just sit back and contemplate and wait for when and where would the next attack be? I am not saying we need to go to war – but surely there must be some pre-emptive action that could be taken?

Gandhiji must surely be turning in his grave today. There are a lot of people who are dead against this man – who got us our independence. Everytime the country faces a crisis, Gandhi's name is brought up – Is this how Gandhi envisioned independent India to be? And we don't even think twice before we start blaming our fore fathers to have left us with words like non-violence, satyagraha et al as a legacy. We Indians are very very adept at passing the buck. Who better qualified to blame than the father of the nation. A lot of people are of the opinion that we are shackled by the pre-independence philosophies and that is in some way hampering our growth.

Well, I don't think so. Actually now that I think about it – I think Gandhian philosophy would work – actually maybe that's the only recourse for India.
Because the corner stones of the Gandhian philosophy are life, truth and morality.

We Indians take only the principle of non-violence as being Gandhi's principle and we attribute our regressive philosophies to that man. Everybody of us forget that he preached life, truth and above all morality in addition to ahimsa. We forget that if every Indian would lead a truthful and moral life - we would have been better equipped to handle the Mumbai attack. Yes, every problem in India is inter-related. It all comes back to wide-spread corruption - which is in itself rampant because of a struggle for existence - well, I think it comes a full circle.

Though their interpretations will or rather should change with age and time, I think that Gandhian principles will always be relevant and applicable in any age. It all depends on how ones uses them. Perspective is important.

- Moi

Why ??

Shell shocked I was - when I first read the news on Wednesday morning at work. Since the past 3 days we have been watching the live news over the internet. It was like watching a movie or something - it was too mind numbing to see the terrorist kill the top Indian officials, hijack their cars. shoot at random and take the hotels under siege. It felt horrible to watch it live - it was spine chilling to see twenty something youth firing away at innocent people unflinchingly. I am just numb and speechless and hardly know what to say or feel.

My emotions range from sadness to depression to anger to hatred to pride. There is a nagging sense of loss. I think that we as a country are doing something really wrong. I don't know what - but this should not have happened. It was heart wrenching to see the saga go on and on for more than 60 hours now. I feel really sorry for the people who were a part of the gory attack that happened and all we can say is it will end soon!! Will it - really? Yes, Mumbai will be brought under control soon - but has this really ended? Again, India will adopt a holier than thou attitude and I don't know if that's what it should be doing. We cannot sit waiting for some divine intervention to happen and end this madness. I think it is high time that India takes matters in its own hands.

May all the terrorists who were behind this be killed and I wish they rot in hell. I don't think that I have ever felt so strongly about anything or anyone. But I really pray their end. Watching the Indian security forces fight relentlessly, tirelessly for such a long time fills me up with a sense of pride and also gratefulness. Hats off to all the police force, the army, NSGs, the fire fighters and all the security forces of India who put their lives in the line of fire and did such a great job in cleaning up the whole mess and finishing off the terrorists - also a tribute and salute to all the people who lost their lives in this gory mess. May their souls rest in peace! My condolences to the victims and their families who have been traumatized by this attack.

I don't want to get into what mistakes were made by India in the handling of this terror situation. And sitting here far away from the ground realities, its incredibly unfair to pass judgements. Even as I type these words rescue operations are still on at the Taj where the NSG and the Army is battling it out in Mumbai.

When I started to write this post, I intended it to be a long one - because I felt I had so much to say about the past three days - but somehow the words are eluding me - something of such big magnitude cannot be contained in a mere post. I just hope that justice will be brought!!

-Moi

P.S: Where is Mr. Raj Thakarey - does he realize that the commandos brought in from different parts of the country - they were North Indians and South Indians who are fighting it out for Mumbai - who are ready to lay down their lives so that people in Mumbai can feel safe. I am just tired - I am tired because I have been so angry and my mood has been so volatile for the past 3 days.

Rant!....

Warning: This is a rant post – waited a long time to put this one out!

I am a Maharashtrian gal – and proud of it, brought up in Hyderabad – again proud of it.

I consider myself to be a Hyderabadi as I lived there my whole life before I came to Chicago. I speak fluent Marathi – ok not as great as any Puneri would speak – but I do speak Marathi at home with everybody. I am tired of answering a favorite question from people – Oh you are from Hyd? Do you speak Telegu at home then? (this question is invariably from a marathi speaking person; also notice the tel-e-gu – a maharashtrian can never pronounce it as telugu) In my head I start screaming No! NO! NO! – I speak in Marathi not Telugu – but in reality I politely reply saying that we converse in Marathi at home.

I have been brought up in a land where there were very few marathi families around and I did not have any marathi friends. So in school, I invariably spoke in English. Also, apart from home, I never spoke in Marathi to anybody else as there was no chance to do so. So anybody who was new or a stranger or not family the immediate impulse was to speak in Hindi or English. And this frame of mind has stuck with me. Even as of today I cannot speak in Marathi to a person whom I am meeting for the first time even though I know that person to be a Maharashtrian. I cannot speak in Marathi to people who I am not comfortable with. There are very few people outside of my family with who I converse in Marathi – and I want to tell the world – its not because I have an attitude problem – its not because I am a SNOB – its circumstantial. It’s because of the place I grew up in – it's not because I don’t like speaking in Marathi – I love the language. I have to be comfortable with a person to hit it off in Marathi. I know it does'nt sound too logical, and I agree I am a bit weird, but it takes all kinds to make this world, no?

So next time if a Marathi speaking person finds me replying back in English its because I don’t consider you dear enough or close enough to start speaking in Marathi with. It's not that I am not comfortable speaking Marathi - I am not comfortable speaking it with you!! So stop judging me!

There, I said it and now I am at peace with the world!! :)

-Moi

Mood of the Day: Peaceful
Song of the Day: Padosan teri murgi ko rakhna sambhal – (don’t even ask me which movie!)

10 Fav Literary Characters!

These are a few of my favorite literary characters – not necessarily in any order.

Howard Roark – He is the quintessential hero of the literary world for me. I am a huge Ayn Rand fan and her books have influenced me a great deal. Howard Roark, who is Rand's image of the perfect man, is portrayed as "as man should be", who lives for himself and his own creativity, indifferent to the opinions of others.

Albus Dumbledore – The greatest wizard of all times from the series Harry Potter. This half-moon spectacled wizard is my favorite character from the Harry Potter series and I was devastated when he was killed in the sixth book.

Atticus Finch – This righteous, idealist man influenced me a great deal in my teens when I read To Kill a Mocking Bird

Dominique Francon – When anyone thinks of The Fountainhead they only think of Roark but I think Dominique was an intriguing character and a perfect match for Howard Roark – I adore her character.

Frederick Troterville – “Fatty” from Enid Blyton’s Mystery series – he is the head of the five find outers and is one of my all time favorite Enid Blyton characters

Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth, Viscount Bosham or Lord Emsworth – This P.G Wodehouse character of Blandings Castle is as adorable as can be. Longing for nothing more than to potter peacefully in the idyllic gardens of Blandings Castle, he frequently faces the unpleasant reality of his domineering sisters and familial duties.

Calvin – Calvin of “Calvin and Hobbes” – one of my favorite comic characters – it is not just a comic strip but I think that Calvin and Hobbes often get pretty philosophical and deep.

Dennis the Menace – I just adore him

Scarlett O’ Hara- She is one of the most richly developed female characters of the time in literature - Selfish, shrewd and vain, Scarlett gets her strong will from her Irish father. Her character is so beautifully etched in the book; she remains one of my favorite literary characters

Sherlock Holmes – I am sure he will make everybody’s list of favorite literary characters. He is someone I grew up reading and remains one of my favorite detectives.

-Moi

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag...!

SPOILER ALERT!! – Plot of the movie might be given away so if you have not watched the movie stop reading the blog right now!

I watched this movie yesterday evening… in the morning I read the reviews on rediff and ibnlive (I never do read reviews but I was just very curious and wanted to read how the critics had applauded the movie) and to my extreme surprise read the movie being trashed by every major newspaper. So we went to the movie with zero expectations, and just becos we had already booked the tickets online and could not cancel them…. And boy was I glad I went!!

The movie starts with Benares in the backdrop and it is the story of a family with moderate means. Rani Mukherji and Konkana Sen Sharma are the two sisters who sing away their blues, their relationship in the movie has been shown very realistically and sensitively. Being a big loather of stereotypes, I found this movie to be free of clichés and stereotypes. I expected the movie would be an emotional, melodramatic, tear jerking saga of Vibhavari Sahay from Benares who goes on to become a call girl, (an ‘escort’ as they have called her in the movie) Natasha in the big bad city of Mumbai. Emotional – yes it was, but what it was not was melodramatic and crude… it was a very sensitive and sensible depiction of the journey of the woman and her transformation was shown very sensibly and it was very subtle. Rani Mukherji has given a stellar performance again, and she looks gorgeous throughout the movie. Konkona Sen Sharma looks refreshing and has complemented Rani’s performance. She needs a special mention, ‘cos she has proved that she can be the quintessential Yashraj heroine and carry off the glamour effortlessly. Kunal Kapoor – I have said in my earlier blog that he is one hunk of a guy – he looks amazing … he rocks. Abhishek Bacchan double rocks. He does not have too much of a role, you can almost call it a cameo (just 2 songs and 2-3 scenes) but this man has got amazing screen presence and great style and panache. He has the grace of his father and can sweep anyone away with just his eyes. He shares great chemistry with Rani (I still think he shouldn’t have married Ash, he makes a better pair with Rani) and he is simply lovable in the movie.

But the star of the movie is definitely Pradeep Sarkar, the direction being simply immaculate. The movie has been directed very elegantly and has crisp editing. The director knew what he wanted to show in the movie, did not unnecessarily prolong scenes, did not extend anybody’s characters in the movie. Even big names like Abhishek Bacchan and Anupam Kher were given short but apt screen times and did not kill the movie with stereotypes, confrontations and melodrama. The movie has a great look, colorful yet not pompous; it is a technical treat. Pradeep Sarkar has proved yet again that he is a proficient story teller. A story that has been told a number of times before – inspite of that the director manages to offer something different. And this movie is a definite must watch.

-Moi

Song of the day: Kacchi kaliyan mat todo

Best short story ever!!

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
-Hemingway

I wish it were a world of Superheroes !!

As is clear by the title, I have been subjected to the torture of watching the latest “Superman” movies, the sloppy English version “The Superman Returns” and the sloppier still desi version “Krish”. It is not an exaggeration when I say it was torture. I thought when I saw “The Superman Returns”, I hit rock bottom, but “Krish” outdid the effect the “The Superman Returns” had on me. Well, I am neway not a very big fan of superheroes per se …. except for having enjoyed runs of Spiderman on TV as a kid, and I also enjoyed the movie “The Incredibles”. But as I think about it, the concept of a super hero, a savior being out there to fight all evil, injustice in the world probably brings a feeling of security.

After watching these movies, a couple of weeks later, the 7-11 incident in Mumbai was the matter of discussion. A lot of investigation and work has gone in, still is going in trying to find the culprit. Accusations were hurled in every direction, a lot of people were arrested, so many terrorist groups came into light, it was as if it was their day of limelight and publicity. People from almost every part of the world were accused, and speculations were made that probably they were responsible. I don’t think there is any terrorist outfit left, who has not been within the boundary of doubt.
Well, personally I was surprised to get to know of so many people who were willing to give up their lives to create terror, and unrest in the world. I was amazed by the amount of time and dedication that they put in their “pursuits” or “endeavors”. So much of planning had to be done, so as to evade being caught. I was amazed at how anybody could hatch out so much of evil. I am scared that there are so many such people out there, free, capable of many such masaccres. I am scared, that Indian government and security forces are still unable to trace the people responsible. I am scared so many other countries also have been unsuccessful in tracing them and have been victims of their terror. It suddenly doesn't seem a safe enough world.
I then got to thinking that there is so much of “evil” out there in this world. There is so much of “bad” and “injustice” that needs to be fought against. Shouldn’t there be an equal amount of “good” or “heroism” in the world to fight against it?

I wish there was a superhero out there who could foil all plans of these “bad” people. I wish there was a “Superman” or a “Krish” in reality who could bring peace and security to the people in this world.

And looking at the situation right now, I get to thinking, …. maybe only a superhero can save the day. Jaise Ravan ko maarne ke liye Ram ka janm hua tha, I hope and wish a “Krish” comes to start a crusade against the evil and rescue the world from the existing turmoil.

Chicago – The Windy City

I arrived to Chicago on the 9th of August 2002. It was the first time I ever traveled so far from home, alone.

It’s been 3 and half years now, and I cannot seem to get enough of this city. It did not take me too long to fall in love with Chicago – The Windy City. I live in an apartment on the Michigan Ave, towards the South side of Chicago. It is very much close to the dreaded and widely unpopular 35th Street in Chicago.

During my 2 years at the Illinois Institute of Technology at Chicago, I have heard of people being mugged, heard of gang fights, stabbings, gunshots, marijuana…. Oh the works… I have learnt to accept it as a part and parcel of Chicago. This is the darker side of Chicago.

Well it is hard for me to decide what is it that I like the most about Chicago…. Is it the vast Lake Michigan or the wonderfully built Chicago Downtown? The Lake Michigan is soooo huge; according to me it should at least be a sea. It is beautiful, to say the least. One thing I have noticed about the Lake is that it changes its color everyday, it is brown and angry at times, it is grey and fierce sometimes, it is blue and calm or maybe green and serene or sometimes just colorless and playful. It is a beautiful sight as you drive along with the lake on Lakeshore Drive.
Another sight that is breathtaking while driving on Lakeshore Drive is of course the Chicago downtown. Tall skyscrapers, with admirable architecture adorn the Chicago downtown. The skyline of Chicago is really awesome to look at.
Chicago is the one of the world’s first planned city. That’s why it is difficult to find flaws with the architecture of the downtown. The view of the city from the sky deck of Sears tower and the Jon Hancock is indescribable. The view from the sky deck during the evening when the whole downtown is lit, all the buildings of the downtown become alive and look like glittering jewels adorning the city.

Another amazing thing about Chicago is its weather… too unpredictable. It totally justifies its nickname of a “Windy City”. It is deadly cold in winter… not so much with the snow but with the wind. The weather is so unpredictable that it can rain, snow, and turn sunny and then cloudy and windy all in a matter of a couple of hours.

I have been here for 3 years now and have a lot of wonderful memories attached to this city. I have watched the fireworks display from Navy Pier on New Year’s Eve, visited the downtown to see the Christmas trees and Santa Claus, the display of dolls and puppets on the display windows of Marshall Fields, which is a tradition every year, been to Devon Ave and gorged on Chicken Biryani from Ghareeb Nawaz, rambled on the Magnificent Mile window shopping, eaten Giordano’s pizza (Chicago’s very own home style stuffed pizza), ice skated on the Michigan Ave, … oh and so much more.

Well, I love Chicago….. in spite of all these reasons, because of all these reasons!!

-Moi

Rang De Basanti

I have been long since wanting to write a blog about "Rang De Basanti". Its been a long time that I saw a hindi movie that got me as excited as this one did.

Well frankly speaking, I could not really find any flaws in the movie. Wonderfully casted, and awesome direction. Rakeysh Mehra has done a brilliant job bringing out the spirit of youth in India. The first half of the movie is hilarious. Aamir Khan still has it in him. Looks really old, but acted very well. Siddharth and Sharman Joshi were really the surprise packets in the movie. Siddharth played the role of the silent and intense guy and he gave a great performance. But the best of them all, personally I feel was Kunal Kapoor, Aslam. He is the light hearted, Muslim guy who is a poet. Tall, dark, with deep eyes, he is my favorite. He is a looker, and a keeper.

A.R Rahman's music rocks. Both the versions of the songs "Pathshaala" are totally addictive. It brought back memories from my college days. It reminded me of my friends, Pink Floyd and bike races. "Roobaroo" is easily the best song in the movie.

This movie without being preachy, definitely is thought provoking. I am sure every Indian who came out of the theater gave a thought as to he/she fit into which character in the movie.

It is a great movie to watch!!

-Moi

How important is "I" ?

Whoever has read or even heard of Ayn Rand's philosophy, which she called "Objectivism" must have definitely pondered over this question. How important is "I" ?

I have read "The Fountainhead" a couple of times. Honestly speaking, the book leaves you shattered. The end of the book left a feeling of exhilaration within me. It felt as if it was my own victory as opposed to Howard Roark's and Dominique's.
Howard Roark will remain to be a super-hero for me for the rest of my life. I am still attempting to finish "Atlas Shrugged" so cannot really talk about John Galt or Hank Rearden or Francisco D'Anconia.

All these men in Ayn Rand's books are super heroes. I sometimes wonder can a Howard Roark exist in the realistic world? He was a strong individual in the true sense of it .... he was an individual... he stood alone ... he was not living for somebody nor did he want anybody to live for him. That is what I feel is the main essence of Ayn Rand's philosophy - Man exists only for his own sake-neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. In Ayn Rand's own words: The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.

Getting back to the title of the blog: How important is "I" ? Its too difficult to answer. How important is the acceptance of "oneself" in this world? Acceptance of anything you do in daily life... by peers, friends, family, loved ones. If it is important then "I" is fading away and being replaced by "we".
Howard Roark says "To say 'I love you' one must know first how to say the 'I.'"

There are many Ellsworth Tooheys and Peter Keatings in this world. But the "I" would neither hate them nor resent them. They would just not exist for the "I". "I" would be totally indifferent to them. This is a quote from the book for Roark "Were he to be told that this was the best or the ugliest house in the world, he would agree with either."

Well all said and thought... Kudos to Ayn Rand for believing in her philosophy and presenting us with great books and also definitely some food for thought.

P.S: "I am, and therefore I will think." - Atlas Shrugged.


-Moi