Its been more than 60 hours now and the siege over the Taj seems to have ended. I did not want to blog about anything but this certainly made me change my mind. To say that it did not affect me would be an outright lie. But to also claim that I can understand what an ordinary Mumbaikar is going through, would again be a lie.
For most of us outside Mumbai, it was three days of television drama which even the perverse show like Big Boss cannot match. I'm talking about my friends and many of the people I know here. Everybody condemned it and made some politically correct statements. But none admitted that it did not make any difference to their lives. Which for a fact, is true.
The conversation was something like this..
Me: "Did you hear about the attacks??"
Friend: "Haan..In Mumbai."
Me: "I was shocked!!"
Friend: "Yeah, me too( makes a sad face)."
Another Friend: "What attacks?"
Me:(flabbergasted) "You don't know!?"
AF: " No, I did not watch the news, nor did I read the paper."
Me:(trying to control my anger-I don't know why I was angry) " There were terror attacks in Mumbai"
Af:(Totally aghast)" Omg! Really?!"
By this time the lecturer had entered and the conversation could not proceed any further. The lecturer came in and went on with the lecture like a zombie and we just sat and stared. All the while I was thinking about the latest developments in Mumbai but my friends did not share the same anxiety. After a while I forgot about it too. We went about making fun of the lecturers, smsing funny msgs, singing and pulling each others legs.
It was so easy to forget about it.
"How do you motivate people to agitate when they have no personal connection to the atrocity?" Another question which I asked myself after letting go a bit of the anger, " Who am I to question people's ability to move on despite such heinous acts of terror?" I'll share a bit of the mail that my project guide wrote to me from Mumbai
"you are dot right, about indifference and "spirit". most of us are complete cowards (myself included). there is no dignity in such deaths; the only commendable thing people do is not abstain from their work but forge right ahead the very next day. whether out of necessity or defiance, the motives can be different."
Somewhere, deep down, I know that this doesn't affect me much. But I refuse to accept it. I remember feeling like an idiot when I was walking down the streets of Hyderabad with a placard in my hands condemning the blasts, a year ago. I was constantly experiencing mixed emotions, emotions of pride, foolishness and hopelessness of it all. People had gathered there for different motives. Some were like me, others wanted to come on TV and claim their 15 minutes of fame. Some others had come because their friends were there and they did not want to look bad in front of them by their absence.
Yes,people are different and each has his or her own agenda. But what the situation demands, is to forge those differences and find a common platform.
Mumbai will bounce back for sure. But this time it has to make sure that this never ever happens again. The true spirit of any city does not lie in being able to get back to normalcy, it lies in being able to move on and annihilate those sources which caused so much agony.
A brave NSG commando said," Hamare liye kuch mushkil nahi hai.." with a smile on his face. It brought a tear to my eye. I salute all those bravehearts and I sing a silent prayer for Mumbai.
"Whether or not a terrorist should be forgiven, should be left to God but fixing their appointment with God is our responsiblity." -Indian Army. AMEN.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
"Gray-Fashion"
I never liked the colour gray as a kid. I was crazy about painting and drawing but I seldom used that colour. It was a very dull colour, lifeless and boring, unlike the lively yellow, vibrant orange,soothing blue or a bashful red. But today, my respect for this colour has grown bountifully.
Why? Well the answer is pretty simple. As a kid your world is either black or white, wrong or right. Simple and sweet. But this myth gets shattered as you grow older and the childhood innocence begins to wane away until its totally gone. This is when you realize that life in reality is Gray.
I watched the movie Fashion today,first day first show. It was totally worth it. Its not in the league of Dark Knight but then again, movies like DK aren't made every other day. What this movie essentially depicts is the dark truth behind the razzmatazz of the glitzy world of fashion. The movie talks about everything from the hassles of a struggling model, casting couch, gay designers, ego maniacal super models, plagiarism, wardrobe malfunctions, drugs, alcohol, rehabs, promiscuity etc. Basically anything which you would associate with the fashion or the glamour industry has been dealt with, in the movie.
Without giving much away, what I'd like to add is that this movie will make u think. In this industry, one can reach dizzying heights but the fall is equally abysmal. The lead role of Meghna Mathur, essayed by Priyanka Chopra, experiences tremendous highs and lows in her career. How she ultimately gets on with her life and career is the main focus of the film. The character of Shonali enacted by Kangana Ranaut is another highlight of the movie.It is based on the life of the doomed model Geetanjali Nagpal (though the makers vehemently deny it!!) There are many more well written characters in the movie, but I don't want this to be a spoiler.
What I appreciated was the level of maturity and sensiblity shown by the director when he depicted the issue of "closet-gays". Not everyone has the courage to accept the truth and publicly come out in the open. Do we condemn such people? Or do we blame ourselves for being so narrow minded as a society? Its an open question which arose in my mind while watching the movie.
This movie has many high points and one can see the amount of effort and research gone into the making of the movie,like the instance of plagiarism where clothes from some cheap stall in downtown Bangkok are passed of as original designer wear by a smart designer. The dialogues are good too, the movie shows you why models are treated like "hangers". It does get a tad bit filmy here and there, but that can be ignored overall.In this fashion world, you can become a star over night if you are ready to relinquish certain morals and principles. There are exceptions in reality but this is the sad truth in general.
What I took away from the movie is that its important to get your priorities in life, right. It is important to get up and move on when you fall. It is very important to exorcise your inner demons and forgive yourself. Most important of them all, was to face to your fears. It is a very hard thing to do.
In the fashion world, the show will go on despite the "showstoppers". Didn't get it?? Go watch the movie.
Why? Well the answer is pretty simple. As a kid your world is either black or white, wrong or right. Simple and sweet. But this myth gets shattered as you grow older and the childhood innocence begins to wane away until its totally gone. This is when you realize that life in reality is Gray.
I watched the movie Fashion today,first day first show. It was totally worth it. Its not in the league of Dark Knight but then again, movies like DK aren't made every other day. What this movie essentially depicts is the dark truth behind the razzmatazz of the glitzy world of fashion. The movie talks about everything from the hassles of a struggling model, casting couch, gay designers, ego maniacal super models, plagiarism, wardrobe malfunctions, drugs, alcohol, rehabs, promiscuity etc. Basically anything which you would associate with the fashion or the glamour industry has been dealt with, in the movie.
Without giving much away, what I'd like to add is that this movie will make u think. In this industry, one can reach dizzying heights but the fall is equally abysmal. The lead role of Meghna Mathur, essayed by Priyanka Chopra, experiences tremendous highs and lows in her career. How she ultimately gets on with her life and career is the main focus of the film. The character of Shonali enacted by Kangana Ranaut is another highlight of the movie.It is based on the life of the doomed model Geetanjali Nagpal (though the makers vehemently deny it!!) There are many more well written characters in the movie, but I don't want this to be a spoiler.
What I appreciated was the level of maturity and sensiblity shown by the director when he depicted the issue of "closet-gays". Not everyone has the courage to accept the truth and publicly come out in the open. Do we condemn such people? Or do we blame ourselves for being so narrow minded as a society? Its an open question which arose in my mind while watching the movie.
This movie has many high points and one can see the amount of effort and research gone into the making of the movie,like the instance of plagiarism where clothes from some cheap stall in downtown Bangkok are passed of as original designer wear by a smart designer. The dialogues are good too, the movie shows you why models are treated like "hangers". It does get a tad bit filmy here and there, but that can be ignored overall.In this fashion world, you can become a star over night if you are ready to relinquish certain morals and principles. There are exceptions in reality but this is the sad truth in general.
What I took away from the movie is that its important to get your priorities in life, right. It is important to get up and move on when you fall. It is very important to exorcise your inner demons and forgive yourself. Most important of them all, was to face to your fears. It is a very hard thing to do.
In the fashion world, the show will go on despite the "showstoppers". Didn't get it?? Go watch the movie.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Great Indian Terror Tamasha-"The Unforgettable Tour"
RATING SCALE:
Excellent:*****
Good:****
Above average:***
Tolerable:**
Useless:*
CAST:The members of the newly formed IM(Indian Mujahideen).
DIRECTOR(S): SIMI-Students of Islamic Movement of India.
PRODUCER(S): 1)Hizb ul Mujahideen(HM)
2)Inter Services Intelligence(ISI)
3)Lashkar-e-Taiba/Lashkar-e-Toiba/Lashkar-e-Tayyaba/Lashkar-e-Tayyiba/
Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT)
4)Al-Qaeda/al-Qaida/al-Qa`ida/al-Qa`idah.
(If there are any other possible combinations known to the above mentioned names of the organisations,the readers are most welcome to enlighten us.)
If the name of any other terrorist organisation has been left out,then the error is seriously regretted as there is severe constraint of space to mention all.A note of apology will be sent to those organisations whose names could not specified here.
PRESENT VENUE: New Delhi
Connaught Place,Greater Kailash M Block market,Ghaffar market in Karol Bagh.
TIME: Began at 6pm as usual on weekends.
The hugely popular theatre play "Great Indian Terror Tamasha" began its much anticipated Delhi-leg of the performance on September 13 after gaining immense notoriety in Hyderabad,Jaipur,Bangalore,Ahmedabad and Surat.They give a stellar performance,leaving you in awe over their power to strike in the one of the most secure cities of the country,the capital!
The play starts as usual like the other cities previously witnessed,at around 6 in the evening on weekends,ensuring a good audience for the play.The play begins with various men going around in the city and planting numerous "low intensity" bombs(a cocktail of ammonium nitrate,gun powder,ball bearings and nails,with timer devices) covered in plastic bags invariably placed in a garbage dump or behind a hoarding.The expertise of making these bombs has only shown that repeated practice leads to better execution and this teaches us that important lesson in life!The USP of the play is the practice of sending the "terror email" either a few minutes before or after the blasts to the local media,teasing the officials to try and stop them which showcases their attempt at black humour.The brouhaha over Kenneth Haywood's unceremonious exit from the country and his eventual return provided a much needed dimension and depth to the play in its previous performance in Ahmedabad, bringing about a touch of technological advancement,which shows that they make sure that they give us their best performance every single time by constantly improving themselves.
This time around the twist in the play came in the form a 11 year old boy who claims to have seen the terrorists.The investigation as usual will reach a dead end but this new development has brought about a much needed sense of suspense though the ending eventually will be the same,that being the terrorists running around scot-free enabling them to prepare to enthrall us once again next time.We sure seem to love them! The Govt as a follow up to their act tightens the security in other cities across the country declaring 'red-alerts' for a few days and then the "SPIRIT" of the affected city is appreciated for living their lives as if absolutely nothing has happened!
Looking at the immense popularity gained by this,certain television productions are toying with the idea of adapting it into the small screen.The possible names for the shows could be "Kyunki Terrorism Bhi Kabhi Shocking Tha" "Kahani Tere Mere Bomb Blast Ki" Some reality TV shows are coming up with the idea of educating the youth about the uses of WiFi.Many new books have arrived on the market on this issue,the recent best seller being "How to Diffuse a Bomb on Your Own-A simple and effective way to diffuse the bombs without the need of the over worked bomb diffusal squad" This book was a instant hit in Surat!
After this recent performance,many big companies are contemplating with the idea of coming up with "Terror" memorabilia which includes various action figures of Osama bin laden,Al Zawahiri etc and guidebooks on how to adjust to various bandhs and curfews.
This shows how terrorism has touched our lives and become an integral part of it.Lets wait and watch for their next mode of action as this "Unforgettable Tour" doesnt seem to be in a hurry to end soon.
RATING:****(there is always scope for further improvement)
Readers can send their comment to apathetic_assholes@socalledtruespirit.com
This article was brought to you by your favourite "Twiddling Thumbs of India(TTI)"
Excellent:*****
Good:****
Above average:***
Tolerable:**
Useless:*
CAST:The members of the newly formed IM(Indian Mujahideen).
DIRECTOR(S): SIMI-Students of Islamic Movement of India.
PRODUCER(S): 1)Hizb ul Mujahideen(HM)
2)Inter Services Intelligence(ISI)
3)Lashkar-e-Taiba/Lashkar-e-Toiba/Lashkar-e-Tayyaba/Lashkar-e-Tayyiba/
Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT)
4)Al-Qaeda/al-Qaida/al-Qa`ida/al-Qa`idah.
(If there are any other possible combinations known to the above mentioned names of the organisations,the readers are most welcome to enlighten us.)
If the name of any other terrorist organisation has been left out,then the error is seriously regretted as there is severe constraint of space to mention all.A note of apology will be sent to those organisations whose names could not specified here.
PRESENT VENUE: New Delhi
Connaught Place,Greater Kailash M Block market,Ghaffar market in Karol Bagh.
TIME: Began at 6pm as usual on weekends.
The hugely popular theatre play "Great Indian Terror Tamasha" began its much anticipated Delhi-leg of the performance on September 13 after gaining immense notoriety in Hyderabad,Jaipur,Bangalore,Ahmedabad and Surat.They give a stellar performance,leaving you in awe over their power to strike in the one of the most secure cities of the country,the capital!
The play starts as usual like the other cities previously witnessed,at around 6 in the evening on weekends,ensuring a good audience for the play.The play begins with various men going around in the city and planting numerous "low intensity" bombs(a cocktail of ammonium nitrate,gun powder,ball bearings and nails,with timer devices) covered in plastic bags invariably placed in a garbage dump or behind a hoarding.The expertise of making these bombs has only shown that repeated practice leads to better execution and this teaches us that important lesson in life!The USP of the play is the practice of sending the "terror email" either a few minutes before or after the blasts to the local media,teasing the officials to try and stop them which showcases their attempt at black humour.The brouhaha over Kenneth Haywood's unceremonious exit from the country and his eventual return provided a much needed dimension and depth to the play in its previous performance in Ahmedabad, bringing about a touch of technological advancement,which shows that they make sure that they give us their best performance every single time by constantly improving themselves.
This time around the twist in the play came in the form a 11 year old boy who claims to have seen the terrorists.The investigation as usual will reach a dead end but this new development has brought about a much needed sense of suspense though the ending eventually will be the same,that being the terrorists running around scot-free enabling them to prepare to enthrall us once again next time.We sure seem to love them! The Govt as a follow up to their act tightens the security in other cities across the country declaring 'red-alerts' for a few days and then the "SPIRIT" of the affected city is appreciated for living their lives as if absolutely nothing has happened!
Looking at the immense popularity gained by this,certain television productions are toying with the idea of adapting it into the small screen.The possible names for the shows could be "Kyunki Terrorism Bhi Kabhi Shocking Tha" "Kahani Tere Mere Bomb Blast Ki" Some reality TV shows are coming up with the idea of educating the youth about the uses of WiFi.Many new books have arrived on the market on this issue,the recent best seller being "How to Diffuse a Bomb on Your Own-A simple and effective way to diffuse the bombs without the need of the over worked bomb diffusal squad" This book was a instant hit in Surat!
After this recent performance,many big companies are contemplating with the idea of coming up with "Terror" memorabilia which includes various action figures of Osama bin laden,Al Zawahiri etc and guidebooks on how to adjust to various bandhs and curfews.
This shows how terrorism has touched our lives and become an integral part of it.Lets wait and watch for their next mode of action as this "Unforgettable Tour" doesnt seem to be in a hurry to end soon.
RATING:****(there is always scope for further improvement)
Readers can send their comment to apathetic_assholes@socalledtruespirit.com
This article was brought to you by your favourite "Twiddling Thumbs of India(TTI)"
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Who Am I? Or Rather..What Am I?
I was asked this very interesting question yesterday which required me to identify myself with a particular object..it could be anything from the clear blue sky,the sea,a diary to a humble pani puri..It was a very innocent question but unfortunately I dint have an easy answer at that time..
It opened up a gamut of possibilities in my mind,a very enjoyable experience,as I had to find something analogous to my personality..Trying to achieve this is a little tough as you are required to find similitude between something palpable from the physical world and something as intangible as someone's persona.But I think I fairly succeeded when the answer dawned upon me this evening..
What I identify with is the "Rain forest".Well technically its not a single thing but I shall take that liberty as I've considered the entire forest as a single entity.
Now I shall attempt at drawing parallels between the rainforest and myself:
When you take a bird's-eye view of the rain forest what do you see? You'll see a vast expanse of land covered with lush green trees spread over thousands of miles..there is only one dominant colour-Green.But only when you take the pain of exploring it,you realise that there are many more things hidden inside that vast green facade..there are many exotic animals,,rivers flowing,,insects and birds thriving etc etc.There are many undiscovered species too.
Its very much the same with me..if you dont know me personally,you will draw your own conclusions about me based on which facet of my personality you've seen,conveniently labelling me as "aloof,sombre or snobbish." I get that a lot.Probe a little more and you'll realise there are more things to me than just that,a fact most of my friends will vouch for..
But everything is not always hunky-dory with rainforests.There are instances when they were totally devasted with forest fires or subjected to massive deforestation.But even after a devasting forest fire which might have wiped out the whole forest,with time the entire forest resurrects itself.Only this time there might be new trees and new species as well,a sign of evolution.
I have faced situations in life akin to forest fires but that has only made me a better person,someone who changes with time but at the same time retains her identity.
My answer might change from rainforest to something else if posed with same question 10 years from now in the future as the adage goes"Only thing constant in this world is change" and I couldnt agree more.
It opened up a gamut of possibilities in my mind,a very enjoyable experience,as I had to find something analogous to my personality..Trying to achieve this is a little tough as you are required to find similitude between something palpable from the physical world and something as intangible as someone's persona.But I think I fairly succeeded when the answer dawned upon me this evening..
What I identify with is the "Rain forest".Well technically its not a single thing but I shall take that liberty as I've considered the entire forest as a single entity.
Now I shall attempt at drawing parallels between the rainforest and myself:
When you take a bird's-eye view of the rain forest what do you see? You'll see a vast expanse of land covered with lush green trees spread over thousands of miles..there is only one dominant colour-Green.But only when you take the pain of exploring it,you realise that there are many more things hidden inside that vast green facade..there are many exotic animals,,rivers flowing,,insects and birds thriving etc etc.There are many undiscovered species too.
Its very much the same with me..if you dont know me personally,you will draw your own conclusions about me based on which facet of my personality you've seen,conveniently labelling me as "aloof,sombre or snobbish." I get that a lot.Probe a little more and you'll realise there are more things to me than just that,a fact most of my friends will vouch for..
But everything is not always hunky-dory with rainforests.There are instances when they were totally devasted with forest fires or subjected to massive deforestation.But even after a devasting forest fire which might have wiped out the whole forest,with time the entire forest resurrects itself.Only this time there might be new trees and new species as well,a sign of evolution.
I have faced situations in life akin to forest fires but that has only made me a better person,someone who changes with time but at the same time retains her identity.
My answer might change from rainforest to something else if posed with same question 10 years from now in the future as the adage goes"Only thing constant in this world is change" and I couldnt agree more.
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