"Sound of Love" - my entry to the GetPublished contest"

I fell in love umpteen times, from a kindergarten girl, had teenage crush on my class teacher to the hottest girl in my college and at my work place.

I always believed that love is expressed and communicated through words. However, extremely shy of expressing my love, I never proposed to any of them.

The Idea Description:

10th March 2012, Bakers Street, Pondicherry

I was sitting with my wife having my breakfast and was staring at the road just outside the café.
Hey, I think you are lost somewhere…. you seem to be tired too; Puja asked me?
Yeah,and we stood up and went to the counter to pay the bill.
Puja handed me a card that was kept at the bill counter, which read Merlyn Ayurvedic Massage Centre, MG road, Pondicherry.

I reached the address and was greeted by a 5 ft 8 inches tall, dark muscular guy.
He took me upstairs and gave me one of the best massage, I ever had. After the massage, I met a tall and beautiful lady at his house.

Hi! would you like to have some tea…she asked, to which I happily agreed.

At that time, I never knew that I am going to spend 9 hours with them listening to one of the most touching love story, which made me weep after ages.

24th Feb 2005, Anna International Airport, Chennai

A group of volunteers from an International NGO comes out of the airport and boards a Toyota Innova which was headed to Pondicherry.
Merlyn Flangiano, a girl in her late 20’s is sitting and listening to music on her ipod.
The car reached Pondicherry and after getting fresh, they split in groups and move towards the fisherman villages along the coast.

Its 2 months, since Tsunami had strike the Indian Ocean.

Merlyn was a social scientist and was working for rehabilitation of Tsunami victims.
The group met the head of the fisherman village to understand the Tsunami damage.
Some fisherman were watching the meeting and among them was a guy who was concentrating on Merlyn.

Merlyn smiled at him and waived her hand to say hello. The guy smiled too.
After the meeting, she went and asked his name.
He took out a piece of paper from his shorts and handed over to her.
She was surprised, but then another guy who was watching all this, came over to them.
Autograph Madam…Autograph… He tried explaining her in his broken English.
Ahh....I understand; she said and signed the blank paper in her beautiful writing.
But, what’s his name, she asked again.
Aaa…..Aaaaaa..…and she could understand now that he can’t speak.
Madam….he can’t speak and listen.
Oh...I am sorry. She said and went away.

What happened between the French girl and the fisherman in all these years is a tale of breaking many myths about love; we see everyday in our lives.
Why this story inspires me till today and I live with it everyday?

This is my entry for the HarperCollins-IndiBlogger Get Published Contest, which is run with inputs from Yashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.

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Talaash....Answer to Different Cinema lies in this

I am writing this review after 15 days of the movie being released, but I have still not been able to get over this movie; even though I have watched it twice.
Many readers would think me crazy that why Talaash has impressed me so much?

I would not have been able to answer this question correctly; if had I not seen this movie for the second time.

Talaash starts with the dirty yet beautiful screenplay showing the underbelly of Mumbai. The scene where a man is shown walking with a guitar in the night, pimp, customers and prostitutes are standing outside the neon lit shady bars and an old lady sitting on the footpath and just staring are mixed together to show the dark side of Mumbai in the night.
The story is good and the screenplay is such that this can be used as an example to teach the students of cinema.

All the actors in Talaash have played their role close to reality. Aamir Khan is a normal cop who is as puzzled with the case as all the other cops is the beauty of his character. I doubt that any other current star could have done justice to this role. Rani Mukherjee as the Aamir Khan's wife and Kareena Kapoor as a prostitute are other examples of perfect casting in the movie.

I would love to make Special mention for the two other actors - Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rajkumar Yadav. They are the new breed of class actors and they both leave their mark even in a small role.

Talaash is not an out and out suspense thriller, in fact it’s a Suspense and Emotional drama with paranormal angle attached to the whole film.
Can you think of any other Bollywood cinema where emotional scenes are as strong as the suspense of the movie?

Aamir Khan is a grief stricken father who has lost his 8 year old kid and is a restless human being. He is investigating the accidental death of a young Film star and is in the search of the answers to his death. He meets a prostitute named Rosy, played by Kareena Kapoor who not only provides him information about the case but also soothes his grief and pain.

Rani Mukherjee plays the role of the disturbed wife of Aamir Khan and they as a couple are not able to bring joy to their life because of their child's death in an accident. The emotional scenes between the couple take you to another level in the film.

However, when the film ends, you will find that the answer to the death of the Film star is not as important as the answers to Aamir Khan's grief and guilt.
That's where the story scores points; also I feel that the pace of the movie has been deliberately kept a bit slow, as increasing the pace of the movie could have confused the audience.

All the characters in the movie have been carefully moulded and there is a very line between them being an evil and good. The simple love and friendship story between the pimp Nawazuddin and an age past prostitute looks real and keeps you thinking even after you have walked out of the theater.

The music is good and I have started respecting Ram Sampath even more after Satyamev Jayate music. I love the background scores especially Muskanein jhoothi hai and Jiya lage Na; though all the other songs are good too. The best parts of these songs are that they are not forced upon you, but they help you to get in the rhythm of the movie.
Talaash is not a perfect movie and I would also not say it’s a cult movie.
I would say that this movie should be watched because of the story, screenplay, background music by Ram Sampath, class acting by all the actors and a bringing in a perfect mix of mainstream and art treatment.

I didn’t like the suspense of Talaash in the end and I wished that Reema Kagti and Zoya Akthar could have written a slightly different climax. But No movie is perfect and you can ignore this deficiency to watch a good cinema.
However, if you are bogged down by the climax, than I doubt that you will like the movie. Also, don’t hope for an edge of the seat thriller; as I guess it was never meant to be made like that.
So go and watch Talaash; enjoy the cinema which is set in the dark but will show light to the different kind of cinema.
My rating is 3.5 out of 5

Student of the year - movie review "Entertainment Entertainment and Entertainment"

Finally we all get to see a Karan Johar's movie after a gap of 3 long years. His last directed movie was My Name is Khan in the year 2009. Student of the year is slightly different from all his previous movies as the movie is neither over melodramatic nor does this make you cry or is too intense. This is more fun and more entertainment. So how does the movie look like. Well , there is a school called ST Teresa in Dehradun which has a combination of super rich teens as well as middle class folks. No, the movie is not about the melting pot of the rich and the poor but is more about the friendship , infatuation, affection, love , jealousy and competitiveness. The school is managed by Rishi Kapoor who is a dean and is a gay. He has really evolved as an actor in all his last movies and he plays the role perfectly as he drools over the hunk sports coach played by Ronit Roy. The school is funded by a mean business man played by Ram Kapoor whose son , Rohan Nanda played by dubutant Varun Dhawan also studies there and comes to school in a Ferrari. He is a rich brat who wants to be a Rockstar than run business like his his father and brother. He has an equally rich designer girlfriend Shanaya Singhania, the role essayed by Alia Bhatt. A young guy Abhimanyu Singh played by Sidharth Malhotra from a middle class enters the college on a sports quota and dreams of becoming even bigger than the businessman Ram Kapoor. The film has lots of fun quotient as these young teens play around prank with each other , become friends and share the happiness and sadness together. They go to the parties , have drink, share a smoke and visit hospitals, go to each other homes for meals etc.

What gets the fim running till the end is to win the coveted trophy of " Student of The Year" award which offers an all expense paid scholarships in an IVY league university in the United States of America. Every teen in the school aspires for this trophy and the competitiveness sneaks in the minds of friends as gradually all the friends become enemy of each other. In between there is love confusion drama between the three main stars of the movie - Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt. So , the trophy becomes the bone of contention. Who wins the "Student of the year" award is a kind of guess work but for me the best part of this competition was the speech given by one of the fat Parsi student , Kaizad popularly called as Sudoow in the film after drinking an Old Monk Rum quarter. He challenges the whole concept of the trophy and forces the Dean to face the truth of his life. The direction is gala with opulence and one can understand the film making style of the ususal Karan Johar. However , the film often reminds of the mixing of many hit movies in the Karan Johar's production lab. The story telling is copied from Jaane Tu Ya Janne Na, the competition is lifted from Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander and the 40 min weeding drama is a modern day sexy avtaar of the entertaining shadi of last decade, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun . The film also has remixes of old Hindi movie hit songs like Disco Deewane and Gulabi Aankhen jo teri dekhi. But one can forget these similarities and can enjoy the movie as its full of fun and entertainment. The songs and dances are good ( Kajol steals the dance show for 2 minutes ) and one doesnt feel boared even though the movie is slightly longer by 15-20 minutes. Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra have a good body and justify their role , though Sidharth Malhotra doesnt actually look like a teen age guy. Alia Bhatt looks cute and even dons a Bikni in her first movie and also gives a smooch scene with one of the actors. Rishi Kapoor is excellent as a dean , Farida Jalal as the grand mother of Sidharth Malohtra leaves her impact in a small role. However, I wished Boman Irani as a Sardar and the dean of a rival school had a slightly larger role. This movie is not a must watch but a fun watch , as in the words of the Dirty picture " Cinema is all about Entertainment Entertainment and Entertainment !!! My Rating - 3/5

Gangs of Wasseypur to Gangs of Bollywood

Its never too late when you want to pour your heart out to write a review for a good movie and also about one of your favorite film director who is the torchbearer of the change for the way bollywood movies are made.This one is for the fire ball "Gangs of Wasseypur" which lies close to my heart because I have always loved Anurag Kashyap's movies and I am always excited to understand his filmmaking style . The movie starts with a voice over by talented Piyush Mishra , who writes some of the most interesting and unorthodox lyrics ( check out lyrics of the songs of the movie Gulal) decribing the pre independence era of coal mining in the Dhanbad district of than undivided Bengal and now in Jharkhand. The movie makes you fall in love with the cinematography and the way sets have been created. The film takes time to pick up the pace initially, especially till the time the central character of Sardar Khan played by talented Manoj Bajpayee enters . He doesnt shine as the hero of the movie but he is an ordinary man with enough guts to take up the mighty dhoti clad politician cum businessman Ramadhar Singh played by the ace director Tigmanshu Dhulia. The initial 30-45 minutes are more about building the plot of the story than jumping directly into the theme. This is the beauty of story telling art which Anurag Kashyap knows very well. Initially the audience might feel that the movie is about coal mining issues , but than it smoothly transits into the traditional story of a son taking vow to revenge his father's murder by the dominating local politician. The son revenge over his father's murder has never been a revelation in the bollywood mainstream but the tight script laden with many one liners makes you feel that this movie is so close to reality and that is where the film scores an advantage. The chemistry between the central character Sardar Khan and his wife Nagma, played by the tall punjabi girl from Delhi, Richa Chaddha is blunt. They love , they hate , they abuse and they need each other. Thats the reality of many young couples in everyday life, isnt it. The film makes you think hard on drawing the line of morality as every character in this movie has shades of grey. Whether it's the another dominant muslim faction of the butchers , or the Khan clans of Sardar Khan or the corrupt politician and his son, they all are opportunistic and are hungry to reign their supremacy. The film literally travels with time and Sardar Khan moves from Dhanbad to Wasseypur , a small town near the coal district and forms his mighty gang which is more powerful than the butchers and the politician. The violence strikes many times but it never makes you close your eyes , instead it makes you think that many bloodbaths happen with a cool and calm mind and not in fit or sheer anger. Sardar Khan's character is serious about the revenge of his father's murder but is also equally serious about his responsibilities towards his mistress, played by the Bengali beauty Reema Sen. One is left hard to understand if Sardar Khan is using the lady to satisfy his lust or the lady is using him to satisfy her lust and greed. Nagma, the beautiful wife of Sardar Khan is a strong and outspoken woman who doesnt bow to go against her husband even when her husband doesnt live with her anymore. Howver , at the same time she doesnt spare him either and hurls abuses at him on his greed for sex and womanising. The film binds the audience with fast storytelling in the middle and doesnt give time to predict the next scene. One style of filmmaking is that you should never give enough time to audience to think what will come next and you have won the hearts of the audience. The two young sons of Sardar Khan are like poles apart in their living but the traces of their father's mentality is preserved. While one is more crazy , smoking ciggartes and pots ; the other is slightly peace maker who proposes to marry the girl from the leader of the butcher family in order to get united. The script is good , the dialogs are sharp with lots of Bihari lingo , story telling is structured , movement of scenes is fast , songs and lyrics are unorthodox of any typical bollywood fillum but what works the most in the movie is the way characters have been developed. The characters, I would say are the heart of the movie; whether its a cameo by the guy who dances on the old hindi movie hit "Kasam paida karne wale ki" , the guy who is singing "salame ishe meri jaan" in both the male and female voice during the Nikah of Sardar Khan's son or the Ray Ban girl who preaches in chaste bihari accent to Sardar Khan's son to catch hold of a girl's hand only after taking her permisson. All the songs have become a rage by now whether its Hunter, womaniya or jiya ho Bihar ke lala. Infact , I have heard these songs as caller tunes of many people whom I call, which reflecs the mass acceptance of the songs with a difference.

The lead actress or the "Womaniya" of the film played by Richa Chaddha ( if you remember , she played the role of a spoiled girl who is after Abhay Deol in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye) is terrific as Nagma . Its not easy to fit under a role of a woman which demands boldness not in terms of skin exposure but in terms of the skin of the character and she has done it a perfect 10. Piyush Mishra always comes good and here also, he is no exception. Nawazuddin Shaikh who plays as one of the son of Sardar Khan is also good and in the next part "Gangs of Wasseypur II" he will be seen in a more crazy and meaty character. Not to forget to mention the last scene of the movie, where Sardar Khan is attacked by his enemies in his car. I dont want to mention any spoiler hence would not go beyond this on the film's story line. The movie is simply binding,amazing as the violence and murder makes you not only shiver but also laugh at times. The characters act violently as if its like any other daily work for them. The movie is inspired by bits and pieces of some real stories from the small place called Wasseypur , but still you cant take credit away from a tight script writing. I think that "Gangs of Wasseypur " is going to open gates to for many such reality struck movies. To name some , Anurag Kashyap , Dibakar Banerjee, Shoojit Sircar, Tigmanshu Dhulia are the new age directors who have come up with many unorthodox and entertaining movies. we will get to see some really good movies from these talented filmmakers who would define the new "Gangs of Bollywood" Coming Soon... Gangs of Wasseypur 2...

Agneepath – Good but far from the Cult Agneepath

How do I review this movie? This question popped to me as I sit on my Laptop and try to type the thoughts post my 3 hours of Agneepath.
This movie unlike any other remakes will have two set of audience. One is who are the all time fans of the Cult Agneepath (Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan) and the latest one. The fan following of the old Agneepath is much stronger than the other classics of which remake have been made like Don.
The movie opens with a tribute to the Late Director Mukul S Anand who had directed the cult, original Agneepath and was a highly talented director, unfortunately died in his 40’s.
The original Agneepath was more intense with less of humor but high on emotions whereas the latest Agneepath intensity is diluted. The old one was a flop whereas the new one is more commercially viable as it has bit of humor, romance and drama as well.
Speaking of characters, can anyone fit Vijay Dinanath Chauhan other than Amitabh Bachchan in the whole of bollywood, probably not but yes, Hrithik Roshan does deliver a good performance. I understand he doesn’t have the strong, hoarse baritone like of Amitabh, but I wished that the director could have experimented with his voice a bit, as it seems to be softer in the movie.
The old or, I would say the real Vijay was cold blooded, intense, no nonsense criminal or Robin Hood whereas the reincarnated one is slightly softer, bit of humorous and seems to be low on confidence.
Did the director underplay his character deliberately or he was not able to live the immortal again on the screen?
Either the debutant director Karan Malhotra or Hrithik knows better about this.
Let’s get into the skin of supporting characters – the father of Vijay, the mother, Police Officer Gaitonde and the same characters in the latest Agneepath ; the characters are much better played in the old movie than the latest one without any doubt.
I also missed the character of Krishnan Iyer M.A played by Mithun Chakraborty in the old one which has been eliminated in the latest one.
Add to it the leading lady of Vijay played by Madhavi, in the old one was a supporting cast whereas the leading lady played by Priyanka Chopra in the latest is a distraction.
How can we end the character discussion with the infamous Kancha Cheena played by Danny in the original and Sanjay Dutt in the remake? While Danny was stylish, Sanjay Dutt is menacing with his looks, a complete contrast to the character. Danny was subtle in his dialogue delivery where Sanjay Dutt is bit loud.
Well, the latest one does score over the older one in the item song Chikni Chameli by Katrina Kaif against the one done by Archana Puran Singh and Shakti Kapoor in the old one.
Another missing feather in the latest Agneepath is the lack of popular one liners or bunch of dialogues from the old Agneepath. Though, they have kept the most popular ones like “ Naam – Vijay Chauhan pura naam – Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Gaon- Mandwa but the types of unnoticed yet classy one liners like – “Hawa Tez hai Dinkar Rao, Topi Sambhalo Ud Jayega” are missing.
Overall if I sum up the comparison I can say that the latest Agneepath is like the Cult Jack Daniel’s Scotch which has been diluted with water – Real fan of Jack Daniels would vouch that they love it neat and hard and so am I as the ardent , never fail to watch type fan of the original Agneepath.
Retake
I try to erase my memories of the original Agneepath and take a fresh perspective. The movie is well shot with good cinematography and some strong performances by Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and not to forget Rishi Kapoor. Infact, Rishi Kapoor for the first time played a completely negative character and he has done it perfectly. The Mumbai slum goon who is a flesh and drug trader gives patronage to Vijay, the hero against another goon Kancha Cheena. The battle is between Rishi Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt as they both want the control of Mumbai’s drug business whereas Vijay wants the village Mandwa where his innocent father was not only brutally killed but his character assassinated as well by Sanjay Dutt.
Add to it, there is childhood love interest of Vijay played by Priyanka Chopra as she tries to bring in some humor and romance in the movie to subdue the violence. After all, it’s a Karan Johar production and the movie has to appeal to the whole family than a specific set of audience.
There are few strong emotional scenes which have been beautifully shot like the one where Vijay goes to his estranged mother’s place for having dinner and the conflict of opinion happens between the mother and the son. Then, there is another one; the violent killing of a henchman by Vijay during the Ganpati visarjan.
I also liked the climax scene where Sanjay Dutt is killed; it’s violent but you want the hero to win over the evil by then.
Overall, the movie good and I am sure it will be commercially hit unlike the old one. The opening on Day 1 is surely going to break the earlier opening records as there is news coming of house full in every theater across India.
My Rating – 3/5

Love with Goa - Sun , Sea and Sand ( A travel story)

This was my first holiday in Goa and indeed a special one as it was our honeymoon in Goa. Though, I have been to many Indian holiday destinations before , but I can vouch that the love that happened with Goa will always remain so and will always be the best holiday place for us.
After, taking a flight from Delhi to Goa, I checked in the resort" The Goan Heritage" in Goa. This resort is in the range of Rs. 4000 plus during the season and is one of the most accessible resort as it is right at the Calangute beach in North Goa. North Goa is more happening and lively whereas South Goa is more scenic and historical.

Staying at the beach resort makes life easier for you as one can keep their valuables and extra clothes in the room and enjoy the beach with your mind completely cut off from any concern.
I loved the resort, its ambience, food and the buzz happening in the resort near the pool, garden and the beach. So, if you want to stay at the beach in North Goa, I will recommend "The Goan Heritage" as an ideal resort for families and couples.
In Goa, the first shopping that I did was to buy tees, shorts, slippers, a cheap sun glass as I tend to forget it at the beach and a Goan hat. Also, we had rented a bike which cost us Rs. 300/day and is much cheaper compared to self drive car which cost 900Rs/day and with narrow roads and beach galis parking would be a nuisance.
This made life simpler for us as we zoomed across the city's different parts. I remember doing Pub hopping during my college days in Delhi and here we were doing Beach Hopping from Calangute to Baga to Anjuna to Candolim and also coupled with Shacks hopping from Pedro's cafe at Calangute to St. Anthony's, Brittos, Lucky Star at Baga to St. Lucia at Candolim.

I would highly recommend St. Lucia for its Italian Pasta and Lucky star beach shack at Baga for its Shark Sizzler with lemon rice.
I had heard a lot about Britto's and St. Anthony that they are great; in my opinion they are good but slightly over stated and one needs to explore beyond these famous beach shacks.
Some of the shacks like Lucky Star also play live music which is mostly rock music and you could see firangs and Indians dancing away on those songs with bottles in their hand.
The overall atmosphere becomes so much exhilarating that you feel just immersed in the trance of life.
If you are in Goa, try doing a lot of water sports. Like we did, Jet Ski, boat ride and para sailing. These sports are fun and adventure and also we were fortunate enough to do it as the rough sea makes it difficult some times.

Goa is infamous as a drinking and drug paradise. Well, I didn’t explore the latter but yes, there is only one law on drinking in Goa, that is "No Law". People are seen drinking in the streets at day, night and alcohol of all sort is sold at the cheapest rate at every corner and at any time of the day.
I was almost on staple diet of wine, beer and sea food everyday with lots of beach activities to burn the excess calories gained.

The food is excellent especially if you love sea foods like shark, lobster, crab, calamari, fish, mussels and prawns. I tasted all of them and really liked the shark and lobster among all of them.
The people in Goa are generally friendly and also expect the same from you. Transport is slightly expensive if you dont rent a bike, but if you can drive a bike than dont give a second thought and rent it from day 1 in Goa.
All, I can say about Goa is that its a different world altogether in India and you feel completely liberated and just chill and enjoy in the sun, sea and sand with liters of alcohal and best of sea foods with great lively music and lovely ambience.
Its not only a must visit destination but a place where you want to visit every year for your holidays.
Love you Goa !
Cheers..Hic..hic..
Amit

Mumbai Diary II - Pictures Along the Arabian Sea

If there is a nature's gift to Mumbai which makes it really beautiful is the presence of Arabian Sea. The coast along the Arabian sea in Maximum Mumbai is surrounded by skyscrapers and boulders that’s gives a contrast to Mumbai's landscape which is depth and height.
I am not an ace photographer and not even a photographer but yes I did try to be one with my mobile camera Nokia E5 and let the pictures speak about this city.
The first set of Photographs which is here is taken from the window of cafe seaside restaurant at Bandra Band street. To to add to the beauty of the sea was a beautiful rainy day.
I love going to this restaurant often, not really for the food but to get a good view of the sea and the crowd from the restaurant's window.
So it was a beautiful day not raining initially and I was sipping a coffee in the cafe, when I saw a group of 3 young girls walk in the cafe with a middle aged dark and fat man.
One of the girl was I suppose in her late teens whereas other 2 girls seemed to be in their late twenties.
They were sitting just across my table and were talking to each other and the man was continuosly on the phone while they were also eating slices of chocolate cake.
They seemed to be waiting for someone when it suddenly started raining heavily. All my attention shifted to the rain when suddenly I got a call from one of my friend. I kept talking to him for around 10 mins or so and the call ended. I saw the table across and saw them missing from the table. I didnt gave a second thought about them and started looking at the rains falling in the sea. While moving my neck to get a complete view of the sea I suddenly saw these girls going to the bank of the sea in the rain.
It struck to me watch how they enjoyed the rain along the sea and look at the lively inhibitions less life of Mumbai.
Now let the pictures speak-





The second set of pictures were taken on the eve of Independence Day night in Marine Drive. Needless to say that beauty of Marine Drive in night with lights and tall skycrapers is simply mesmerising. There have been many photos taken of this unique Queen's Necklace in India.
I took these Marine Drive pictures while strolling after a good heavy dinner at the Bagdadi restaurant and some chilled beer at Leopold cafe.
All I can say, after a good dinner and drink a walk at Marine Drive is a deadly combination.

Mumbai Diary I - Life at Mumbai Local

It’s been more than 6 months of stay in this most bustling city of India though have been here many times. But these 6 months have been a new experience altogether as I have seen this city closely ranging from strange experiences while traveling on trains, pub hopping, tasting food at different restaurants to going through the trauma of being in a city which has been a frequent and soft target of bomb blasts.
I intend to write a Mumbai diary, don’t know for how long I will be able to write on this but let me start at least.
If I break the time spent per day in Mumbai, I would say that I spend a minimum of 20% i.e. 2-3 hrs per day of my day in traveling by trains to reach to my office and other places in Mumbai. The scarcity of wide roads and affordability makes most of the Mumbaikars to travel by local trains to their work place on a daily basis.
People make friends on trains, even some become couples in love and share joy and crib about the government. It’s really surprising to see that people who take the same trains daily meet each other, talk among themselves but they don’t even remember each other’s name. That’s what is Mumbai‘s life; it is about being together but still maintaining each others privacy.
I am sharing few anecdotes from my travel by Mumbai local which would give a glimpse into the life and culture of Mumbai.
Anecdote 1
It was a tough evening for me as I reached Andheri station late and had to catch up an evening train going to Panvel, as I stay in Vashi. I boarded the train’s 1st class compartment just seconds before the train started and was sad to not to get a place to sit in the train.
Poor me, I have to travel one hour long journey by standing in the train. All, I could do was crib within myself. I stood just near to a sitting gentleman who seemed to be in his late forty’s and by looks, bag and clothing looked like a government servant. To drift my attention from the pain of standing in the train, I started to read his messages on his mobile phone screen. The man totally unaware of his invasion of privacy was busy in reading the messages and writing message to a recipient called “Kiran Vashi Train”.
By the name of the recipient, I could guess that the recipient seems to be a lady and this person must have met her on the vashi train.
What amused me later was they this person send an adult joke to the this lady on which the lady replied by the following message “ hahha..its good , but tu marwayega mere ko aazkal bacche bhi maa ka mobile dekhthe rehate hai” .
Well, the message meant that the lady said that the joke was good, but you will get me screwed as my kids also check my mobile”.
All, I could do was to smile and forget the pain of standing for long in the train.
Anecdote 2
I took a late morning train from Vashi to CST station and was sitting in a seat near to a gate. There were lots of people in the trains, but there was one couple who boarded the train from Vashi who seemed to be different.
The female was a young lady in her mid twenties with a healthy figure and the male was a middle aged guy in his early forties who was frail , had long curly hair , dark in complexion and truly unattractive though was wearing branded shirt and pants with no watches.
At first instance anyone would think them as may be father and daughter or may be two colleagues. Well, the cat didn’t hide for long as they soon started talking in frequent English and I could hear that she really had a great time at his house.
The lady soon took out a chocolate and gave it to the guy. The guy bit the chocolate by his lips, fed to the lady and then fed to himself.
The train was crossing the Vashi creek and it really becomes windy and romantic while passing the creek. The couple suddenly got themselves very cozy against each other with the guy touching her hair and holding her shoulders.
Yes, they were a couple in love who despite their age difference were very frank to flaunt their affection and love in full public view without thinking of what the on lookers would say about them.
And to the typical Mumbai style, no one really cared for what they were doing. This is the most liberal city, I could ever be in India; I thought.
Anecdote 3
Well this is the shortest of them, though I have so many to share but may be in the part II. I was crossing the foot over bridge to get on the other side of the platform at Dadar station when I had to suddenly cut my pace for few seconds.
I saw a young college going couple who seemed to be boarding different trains stopped on the foot bridge and kissed each other passionately for few seconds in the middle of the way.
It seemed really amazing, as from back I could see people passing by their sides and this couple standing in middle and kissing in full public view. I don’t know should I term it as obscenity or may be the free and liberal culture ; but all I can say is that after staying in so many cities in India, the culture and life in Mumbai is very unique compared to the all other cities.
Hoping to come out with more parts!

Singham – Bollywood masala that will taste good if you have a taste for it

Though, bit late in writing the review for Singham but it’s not that bad if you do a right thing a bit late, but you do it. So here, I go…
Bajirao Singham played by Ajay Devgan is a police inspector in a small village on the Goa Maharashtra border which accidentally is his own village where has grown with people and lived his life. He is tough cookie with large biceps, robust moustache and strong voice. But at the same time, he is nice, humble, emotional, and romantic and loves his people, country and job. All in all, Singham is an idealist cop and a perfect human being.
Jaykant Shirke played by Prakash Raj is a goon cum politician who is the king of Goa and has power, police and money to influence things and even lead to an honest police office do suicide.
The movie set in the backdrop of rural Maharashtra and Goa with many popular Marathi one liner used in the movie revolves around just these 2 characters and rest all of them are only supporting cast. Though Kajal Agarwal as the leading lady of the film looks good and acts reasonably well too.
Rohit Shetty, after his series of Golmaal comes out with a cat out of bag by bringing in action movie, but that doesn’t mean he is going to compromise on his dialogue style and the car blowing scenes. These are copyrights for Rohit shetty and not restricted to Golmaal.
The ill fate of Prakash Raj brings him in contact with Ajay Devgan and this starts the series of bull fight between the hero and the villain. What makes it exciting is that they both get chances to win over each other though the end as usual is won by the hero of the movie. This also makes it different from the hit movie Dabang where one character ruled the whole of movie and this makes Singham interesting too.
The verbal volleys, fight scenes between the two makes the movie exciting and doesn’t let you move away from the movie.The weak point of the movie are the songs which are not good enough to make you hear it and also extends the movie length by few meters. Also, the climax is a bit extended as the director tries to bring in some comedy into the climax scene which makes the movie spicy but it’s a bit long.
Overall, I liked the movie more because of excellent acting by the Villain Prakash Raj and Ajay Devgan and yes the dialogues are good though some time these sound senseless by literary terms. At the end, if you love bollywood masala flavored by some really good acting then go and watch Singham and you will like it.Not to forget to mention that I do like the end credit style by Rohit Shetty.

Shaitan Movie Review – It’s a Dark chocolate which is bitter but tastes real good

Ohh.. What a day yesterday, I had few tight sales meetings with the customers and was running between locals, auto and taxis across Mumbai. Also, it was raining heavily and I regretted not carrying an umbrella as I got drenched in rain and reached home by 9.30 pm.
Back home , I badly wanted to refresh my mind from the day’s events and decided to go for Shaitan, night 10.15 show and it turned out to be a perfect decision to wind myself from work and enjoy the time.
Well, Shaitan opens up with Kalki Koechlin as Amy meeting Gulshan Devaiya as KC in a party. KC is a rich industrialist son and have 3 other friends – a struggling actress played by Kirti Kulhari , a sex obsessed computer geek Parsi played by Neil Bhopalam and a restaurant waiter cum drug peddler played by Shiv Pandit.
Amy who had a tough childhood and has traits of mental disturbance becomes friends with these four characters and here starts the event of being naughty, being evil, being wrong but right in their own terms
Their adventures and mischief’s finally lands them in a trouble one fine Mumbai night when they accidentally run their Hummer over two scooter riders while flying high on speed and drugs.
They try to forget it when a corrupt cop approaches them and asks them for 25 Lacs bribe to shut the case. These young kids don’t want to go to their parents for certain reasons and plans the fake kidnapping of Amy.
This brings in the entry of an honest but a very aggressive police officer Rajeev Khandelwal who is given the charge to solve this high profile kidnapping case.
The direction by debutant Bejoy Nambiar is really good. The way the events are created in the movie matching with real life incidents are the some of the best moments of the movie.
There is one shot of gun fight battle between the cop and underworld agents in a chawl amidst the attempted rape of one of the friends and a dead body of a German tourist with “Khoya Khoya Chand” remixed version being played in the background. This scene is so well crafted and the screen play is mind boggling and is one the finest shots in the recent Hindi cinema.
The song “Fareeda” which often plays in the background after the second half gives the pace to the movie and keeps you on your seats, if ever you feel too much violence and dark events. The only time the movie makes you feel boring is few sequences when Amy remembers her mother quite often.
Rajeev Khandelwal as a tough cop makes his statement that he is such a fine actor and his talent is still unutilized by the industry. All the other actors have also played their role well.
I can say that this is an out and out a Director’s cut and kudos the debutant Bejoy Nambiar , who had assisted Maniratnam in Guru as he lives up to the expectations from an Anurag Kashyap’s production.
Go and watch Shaitan because it’s dark and bitter but yet gripping and you will like it if you are not only an emotional drama lover and like watching different genre.
Rating – 3.5/5

Spring of Life - A short story

I am delighted to write and publish my 100th blog post as a short story titled "Spring of Life".
I have written this story for "ARTREE" Scribble e1 2011 contest which encourages people who love arts in any form to come and share the platform.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fartreelounge.in%2Fpage%2Fscribble-e1-2011&h=74114
So here it goes....


“Few steps below, I could feel the restlessness in the wind and long wait for midnight stars….” There is a complete blackout in Mumbai today owing to some crunch power shortage by the terror sabotage a day back that has crippled the city’s lifeline that is power. Mumbai runs on power and no power means no running trains, no work and just restlessness in all the Mumbaikars.
Manu and Meera the two kids whose abode is the Pali Hill street and for them lamppost is their lifeline as they study in night under the lamp post. Manu works as a delivery boy who delivers newspapers to houses, milks and food items to the restaurants and Meera is a girl who was brought from Nepal to be sold in Mumbai but than destiny saved her as she was quick to realize her relative’s intention and ran away from their clutches.
Manu gave Meera a shelter to live in and currently she is working as a maid in a ladies beauty parlor.
Both Manu and Meera have enrolled themselves for an open school run by an NGO and want to study further. While Manu wants to become an engineer, Meera wants to become a beauty expert. They both compliment each other as Manu protects Meera from bad eyes and Meera cooks for Manu.
Manu and Meera are just walking on the streets under the dim light of the stars and discussing about the life they want, the dreams they are chasing when suddenly a big white BMW car stops near them.
Hey Kids, come inside; we will drop you says a man with red eyes and a beard. Manu looks inside and sees 3 persons including the driver sitting inside the car. In the back, a Man in his forty’s and is probably the owner of the car. He is wearing thick gold bracelet and gold chains which are shining more than the headlight of the car.
No, thank you Uncle, we are ok answers Manu.
The man with the red eyes suddenly gets down and is staring at Meera. Meera gets scared and so is Manu. The time it seems have just stopped. The man sitting in the behind takes out a bundle of Rs.100 notes and hands it over to Meera.
Meera hands starts trembling with fear of what these men really wants. Meera tries to cover her torn top with her hands. Manu’s face becomes red with anger and takes the money from Meera’s hands and gives it back to the man.
The Man not getting angry at this says to Manu “Son, don’t take me wrong I am just trying to help you out. “It’s dangerous to stroll late in a dark Mumbai night like this hence I asked my driver to stop the car. I am giving you the money because I saw books in your hand when we stopped the car.
The man added, “Son I used to study on the same street 30 years ago and I made my life on this street. I am an engineer, I worked abroad and I have my own company. I see my glimpse in you.
Manu and Meera seemed totally surprised by his words and feel happy. They smile and suddenly the harsh wind that was blowing has slowed down and also the stars are slowly coming in the stars to mark their presence.
Thank you uncle, but we can’t keep this money with us. We will work hard and will make our destiny bright like you.
All the three strangers in the car smiled and the driver started the car. The owner of the car said to his men, “God Bless them”! And the car moved on the streets.

What Does Real Beauty Mean To You ?

“Real Beauty” to me is a form of life which is expressive, qualitative and quantitative. We all came to this world as a form of life and this makes all of us beautiful, hence making the world a beautiful place to stay.
For me, I believe nothing is ugly, its just less beautiful, beautiful or the most beautiful.
I have read this line many times that beauty lies in the beholder of the eyes and it’s true to the innermost core of one’s heart. Suppose everyone in the world starts looking at each other with affection, love and friendship, then the world will be the most beautiful place to stay in. The evils like hatred, enmity will be taken over by the “real beauty” of the universe which is expressive, can grow by leaps and bound and bear no boundaries to its qualitative limits.
Have we ever thought , that why a small child looks very beautiful to us irrespective of his lineage whether he belongs to a rich or a poor or its breed if the child is of a human being or an animal.


Just, yesterday I was driving on the roads of Mumbai and I saw a family , mostly women and kids who had made their home under a flyover and were sewing lemons and green chilli into a thread for selling it on roads to save people from bad vibes. I was quick to notice a young lady of the family holding a month or two months old baby in her lap and cuddling her. The baby was wearing old clothes, but to me he looked the most beautiful baby at that moment. The reason is very simple as this baby is innocent and is unaware of any social division like gender, ethnicity, social and economic hierarchy and is like raw clay which can be molded as per the way the world wants. The child amuses us , is very expressive who smiles at even the slightest fun he gets, cries at being minimal uncomforting situations and loves everyone who wants to get associated with him. This is the real beauty which is expressive to the highest level and everyone wants to get associated with him.
I also believe that real beauty is qualitative and without quality it would cease to exist. If we don’t make real beauty as a qualitative parameter , then how we will transform this world from a less beautiful place to the most beautiful place to stay in. We all should look at perfection to our best possible level we can, thus bringing in the real beauty in our life. Constraints and problems are part of our every day’s life and it’s up to us to hug those constraints and problems in life and make them an advantage or a source of strength for us rather than only shrugging of the negativity.
Last but not the least, for me real beauty is also quantitative which we can always measure. The world is a perfect example of this form of real beauty as we have traveled so many years from the dark ages to the modern era where in we have grown in technology, innovation and have transformed our way of social living. Look at an embryo which transforms into a one second old child, then to a thirteen year old kid and again to a youth who is capable of bringing the form of life again and finally an old age person who slowly recedes to his exit. This is the growth which everyone goes in his/her life making this a real beauty.
Hence, we should always strive for growth in our life but not compromising on the quality and also be positively expressive to everyone in this world and we all would be able to understand the true meaning of real beauty and make this world the most beautiful place to stay ever.
Few Lines from my heart on real beauty, I believe in
When I look in your eyes,
I see my eyes,
When I listen to your heartbeat,
I can feel my heart beating,
When I see you happy,
Tears of joy flow from my eyes,
When I see you grow,
I become taller,
This is real beauty,
Lying in the beholder of one’s eyes,
Expressive, Qualitative and Quantitative,
Filled with purity, love and affection,
Though disguised and yet visible,
Ready to exhibit itself every moment,
Bringing more joy and peace
To the world we live in
And celebrate the true joy of
Real Beauty we believe in!
This is my entry for Yahoo Real Beauty contest on Indiblogger and if you like my post , do visit the link of Indiblogger and promote my post.
http://www.indiblogger.in/indipost.php?post=60156
Thanks

Poonam , Poonam ki Jawani , I am from Venus , Main Tere Haath Nahin Aani !!!

It’s been a great World Cup for all of us, a memorable year for all the Indians. Celebrations are on and on with celebrities on the road basking in the new found glory after a gap of almost 3 decades.
Lately, I always want to practice writing humour, sarcasm and try to tickle the funny bones of myself. Sometimes I succeed and many times I fail, but who cares till the time I enjoy experimenting it.
And, I think the 20 something model from Mumbai enjoyed it too. After all she is young, sexy and bit of crazy too.
So, who the hell is Poonam Pandey, where does she hail from and what are her missions and objectives. I gathered some information about her with the aid of CBI which I would love to share with the readers.
I can assure you guys that CBI really worked this time 
She is an alien from the neighboring planet Venus and is on long term leisure cum business trip to the Earth. She was supposed to land in Antarctica but her space ship fuel had got finished and she had to land in India a year back.
She quickly realized that in spite of her awkward style, no one was noticing her. She had this feeling that she is more beautiful than any other women on earth but still people aren’t noticing her.
She was fond of Indian Cinema and actors and was also researching on the topic “Who is hotter – Munni or Sheila?
Since she had already done some modeling with Queen Fisher, now she was keen to meet the Indian stars and work with them. She started going around studios, Bandra Band Stand and Juhu every morning and evening looking for an opportunity to catch with the stars. Once a funny incident, she was chased away by Salman Khan’s dogs as she was star gazing in the night at Bandra.
One day, she was having her dinner at a local dhaba and she was watching the TV program “The Big Toss” on India Tv. She really enjoyed watching Rakhi Aatank and Veena Mallika playing the big toss like finding the bat and ball and analyzing the game of cricket.
She had heard so much about Rakhi , that she was her idol. She thought that why not I become a Rakhi Aatank. Well, but I don’t understand even “C” of the Cricket so what can I do now.
Then there is also this 6 Pack Women “Madira Bedi” shouting and yelling on Times Now every time the Indian team wins the cricket match. So, she thought that there is a lot of scope for females like her to do well in cricket and World Cup is a big platform.
She was thinking hard, but still her brain was not working, well for obvious reasons that she doesn’t have it. One day, while she was taking a stroll on the Alibaug beach, she met a thin guy who looked like a monkey and was acting like a monkey too, jumping and showing his yellow teeth.
She realized that he was none other than her friend from Pluto whom she had met during one of the Intra planetary Film festival in Jupiter.
Ohh...No Tinku, how are you, it’s so long...Remember last time we had met, but where the hell is your tail, dear?
They exchanged pleasantries and the monkey, sorry the actor told her that he is a big star now in the film industry and now people now him as Tinku Pandey. He also informed her that a song has been very popular on his name “Na Mane re Tinku jia” from the movie “Yamla Pagla Dewaana”.
She told him about her concern that she wants to get popular and is not finding any ways to do so.
Bhakti Kappor who was also shooting with Tinku Pandey over heard their conversation and chirped in with his idea. Well, you don’t need to do anything to become popular, it’s so damn easy!
Just make an announcement that you are going to do a full bare show for the Indian Cricket team, if they go on winning the world cup.
We will have two benefits out of this, you will not only become popular but will also help Dhoni and Team does well in the tournament. You will become the darling of whole nation. Just imagine, you are there on every TV channels, every movie director is queuing to sign you for their movies, AAOOO.
Even Rakhi Aatank will fear you, you will become the next Big Boss, you can also even replace the most irritating anchor Manchali Puri Singh whose teeth weighs more than your weight from “The Comedy Circus”, added Tinku.
Poonam Pandey acted on this idea and suddenly she became the most searched girl on the internet. She was there on every TV channels sharing her noble idea of doing ‘the in thing”.
India finally went on to win the World Cup, but Poonam Pandey was not seen anywhere, not traced to where she was hiding. But our very own CBI finally tracked her whereabouts and came to know that she was airlifted from her house on 2nd of April by the aliens.
She was engaged to an angry man from Neptune, who is also now a flop actor in the TV reality shows and is popularly known as none other than Rahul Gajanan.
Rahul though now married couldn’t accept her doing the bare act in front of the Indian team and this jealousy led to her being taken away by the aliens and finally deported to her own planet “Venus”.
Those who all missed her adventures in the Indian team are now heard singing “Poonam Poonam ki Jawani , I am from Venus , Main Tere Haath Nahin Aani!!
Apologies, if I hurt any one’s sentiments through this mindless piece of humor and thanks for bearing it with your patience.

IPL -4 Auction – Ganda hai par dhanda hai yeh…

Disclaimer – I love watching IPL and this article is just trying to make a humor out of the whole IPL hoopla…nothing personal against anyone and no sentiments attached. Your feedback is welcome whether it’s a dash of sweet or is a pinch of salt. I love them both!

There was a lot of excitement to watch the IPL-4 Auction live on TV, courtesy SET MAX. I was getting restless to watch the whole thing and to get myself prepared to watch the whole bidding process live, I got a can of diet coke (sorry,oh-la-la-lu-le-loo..argh..), masala peanuts and a friend who has an amazing knowledge about cricket statistics.
However, my excitement soon fused out after watching the expressionless face of the host who was facilitating the bidding process. His pronunciation of Indian names like Mur-a-lli Kart-ick was good enough to make one’s head bang. With due respect to his credentials as I am sure he must have been a good qualified host and would have done many bidding processes in past but I just found him a bit boring.
I wonder why they didn’t hired Mandira Barbadi for handling the auction process as she might have created some waves in the bidding with her “Top” comments.
In between the chit chat, there was our very own Desi Paaji passing his expert comments and analysis on the cricketers bid and at the same time thinking of “I wish I would have played IPL”.
But we all know that once the “pulp is squeezed from mango” there is no fun in buying that mango. One of the prominent disciple of this fundamental adage is “Tees maar Khan” not the Punjabi Munda but the very own KKKK….Kolkata Badshah who didn’t retained Dada in his team.
Effigies burnt, my Bengal friend got emotional on FB, sports journalists treating this as “shocking” and what not. Lately, it is also doing round that CBI is going to conduct an enquiry as why the fiery Dada was not taken by KKR…
I just hope that rising onion prices is at least not linked to this :)
My friends suggested that Kochi ka Ghochi should bid for fiery Dada and appoint him as the captain but they seemed to be busier with acquiring wicket keepers and bowlers in their team than Batsman. Anyways, it’s their money and their mind and we are just spectators watching the mega event.
To keep the strong tie between Bollywood and Criket going there was this yogini Shilpa with her business associate cum hubby, Raj, and Priety with Ness looking at print outs and staring at laptops as analyzing spread sheets or they might have been looking at some interesting screen saver running there. With all these bollywood tadka, I regret why the sultry nagin “Hissss” is not part of any IPL team ; may be next season we might get to see her revealing her cricket brains if we get a Haryanavi team...Ke hon lag raha Tau…
After the auction ended, I became really happy that the drama is over and I will not be forced to discuss who is going to which team and so on and finally I would get to hear and read some good cricket news other than the IPL auction. Unfortunately this happiness remained really short as tug of war for poaching uncapped players has started now. These players who were performers in IPL but didn’t get a chance to be in the national side seemed to be loosing on the money front and are heard singing this song to their franchisee-
Auction to gaya , Millions chala gaya,
Ek baar to ab humein khelne do…
Give me more money,
Give me more perks,
I want to play up once again...
Let’s see what unfolds of this IPL saga this year…minus the Modi and lovable Dada…and now all of us including our cricketers get out of this IPL bug and focus on the World Cup solely.
Read another sattire on IPL - http://amitsinha69.blogspot.com/2010/04/indian-female-league-new-venture-by.html

The Year has Come Calling

A December morning looking misty and foggy
I look back, at what I achieved and what not
As I measure statistically the gains and loss
not only the sum of the paper with the golden line
but also the trading of tears and smiles
People, the year has come calling!
A December night, chilling and windy,
I am glued to the Plasma on the wall,
As I am drinking Whiskey and having a ball
I look back; to how many miles I traveled
And how many ages I went past
Folks, the year has come calling!
Numbers and parameters reveal only half the story
As it sets the base for the other half
When priorities are set and objectives are planned
To better my report card and achieve what I want
And I know it’s not going to be a cake walk as usual
Guys, the year has come calling!
Waiting for the sunshine on a fresh new January day
Out of the hangover and nightmares of the past
But guided by the beautiful memories
Enticed with fresh found optimism
And heavy doses of enthusiasm
I look ahead to better days and a better year
Friends, the year has come calling!



Wishing All my friends, bloggers and readers "A great 2011"
Amit

Kalpanao ke khel mein-Commonwealth games 2010

Kalpanao ke khel mein

Rajnetao ki panah mein, afsaro ke vesh mein
Aam aadmi ke aah ko , aayojan ke race mein
Jhok diya rakshon ne , kadodo ko khel mein
Aur Jab wealth ho gaya common se bahut dur
To lag gay ek doosre par lipapoti ki ralem pel mein,
Yeh hai kahani aaz ki game ki, jab aason pochne
Ke liye bhi karne padte hai
4000 rupeye ke tissue paper kharch
Aason phir bhi rukte nahin is Rashtra ke
Kyon ki use maloom hai ki
Yeh kahani hai nahin aaz ki
Sadion purani hai yeh daastan
Jisme sirf plot badal jaata hai
Aur patra naye hote hai ,
Par script wahi rehta hai,
Jaise ki purani Botal mein nayi sharab
Jise pilyai jaati hai janta ko
Isliye Janta soti rahe pee kar tull
Aur bhrashtachar hoti rahe full
Jai Ho hamare neta gano ke guno ki
Jo sangeet baza de bina dhuno ki
Aur phir bole – Aall is well
Kyonki yeh chitra katha
Ya bole to media gatha
Poornatah kalpanik hai
Aur iska uske charitra se
Kadodo milon ka faasla hai
Par koi kitna bhi nakare
Humlog jaan chuke hai ki
Its not Aall is well par it’s All in well
Jo itni gehri aur kaali hai
Ki kitni bhi roshni karo
Aur neeche rassian daalo
Phir bhi na pahunch paoge
Uski tah tak , kyonki
Tum bhul gaye ho ki
Yeh kalpana hai,
Aur kalpana jeevit rehti hai ,
Uska aanth nahin hota….

Five Things I cannot live Without – Facebook Twitter Linkedin Blogs and Google

This post came as a result of, when I logged on Orkut after months and saw a scrap from one of my lost friend after 11 years. I was happy to find him and I updated my Facebook profile with a message – Orkut still works…
Today’s internet users are hooked to social networking sites and I really liked writing a piece on it with a consumptive perspective. So here it goes… This was one of the profile question asked in Orkut while making your online profile and the common answers to these were family, friends, cell phone, TV, bed, air, water and things of other utilities. When I also made my list, it consisted of similar things, though few profile had different needs like sports, cricket and others. But today when I compare my time spent on things I do and things I like to do and a platform where I can share is my online social networking.
A year back, like any other youngster, I was hooked to one of the most famous social networking site called “Orkut” and loved connecting back with old friends through scraps and updating pictures . The love saga with Orkut was there for few years in my life, but then as it says that every business should have a Creative Destruction in order to evolve themselves with better utility and better value for its users and it didn’t live up to that benchmark with time.
Facebook offered to its users much more than scraps and pictures with utility like community gaming such as Farmville. I remember watching renowned Prof. Jagdish Seth on CNBC TV quite a few months ago when he was suggesting to a small scale Auto components Entrepreneur to create an online community like Farmville as an innovative idea. Today FB is no more limited to youngsters but it’s a medium which is loved across age, gender, nationalities, and in my opinion it is the most egalitarian community.
Twitter is another of my favorite communication medium which I like because it is the best way to reach maximum no. of users at a given time and also it is one of the most convenient ways to share your views through short messages. Its convenience and its reach are the two reasons which make it very popular with the celebrities as they are short of time and they want a greater reach to their fans.
Another favorite with most of the writers and not professionally trained journalist is to share their detailed views on the topics they love is through blog. This is a platform where one can reach the target segments through detailed communication available on a click of mouse button. It is a medium which is loved for its reviews, personal diaries, travel experiences and knowledge on the rarest of the subjects in the world.
In addition to all these social networking platforms, there is something different in this web world which is fast gaining popularity among the business users, www.linkedin.com. This is a hit among the working professionals and students where they can scout for work opportunities in their interest areas, share expert knowledge and ideas on the fast changing business dynamics and help expand their business know how and an extended business network across the globe. I personally like this website because of its seriousness on pure business networking.
Last, but not the least the most utility search engine of this world – Google which has made our life beautiful and convenient much more than what a Roti Maker or Rice Cooker did for a housewife. Google is the most preferred companion when you are struggling to find some statistics, searching right pictures for your presentation or researching on any of your favorite topics. Just like Ocean covers 3/4th of earth, Google covers the whole web space and life without it in 21st century can never be imagined.
As a Marketer, I feel that I like these websites not only because they help me in connecting with old and lost friends or sharing our views or gaining our knowledge , but it helps to market many products, features and one’s own personality. I cannot predict till how long will they sustain, but the commercial utilization of these websites have just been started by the business community and definitely these platforms have a lot to offer for few more coming years. Also, with coming of 3G in India, these websites will be easier to access by mobile users and the traffic is bound to grow.
To summarize its fast and continued growth in the coming years, I would like to share learning from one of my favorite book “Creative Destruction” by Richard N. Foster and Sarah Kaplan which would definitely be required to keep all these websites performing and keeping its users interest alive. “It is no longer good enough simply to operate well. Corporations have to operate and manage creative destruction at the pace and scale of the market, without losing control or they will falter and fade.
I leave the opinion to my readers whether these five elements found in the web space with undefined chemical composition have replaced the original Panchtatva with some startling Facts gathered from Google.
•As per Nielsen online Facebook has more than 87 million users who spend an average of more than 4 hours /day
•There are more than 75 million users on twitter and still growing day by day
•The web space has more than 100 million blogs on different topics –Source Technocrati , a leading blog statistics site
•There are more than 40 million Linkedin users across the globe connecting business

Circus-The Show Must Go On

Prabha,a Circus artist from Nepal
Russian Circus Artists
Well, do you remember the last time you had watched a Circus? I am sure majority of us will not be able to remember. Some of us will try to make guesses like it was 10 years back or may be 15 years back. This would be the case with lots of people who are above the age of 25 years as of now. The reason is very clear; entertainment has changed a lot in last 15 years with advent of satellite channels and penetration of new age communication medium like internet.
My reason for choosing a topic like Circus is not to debate on the fall and rise of this beautiful acrobatic entertainment, but would like to share my experience reloaded.
Its 7 pm and I am eagerly awaiting my friend to go and watch the Rambo Circus today. We get to the gate of the Circus and buy the highest priced ticket of Rs.120 which we can very happily afford today. People say quite true that a movie is best watched from last row, whereas Circus is best watched from the first row.
I get an immediate feeling of nostalgia as soon as I enter the Circus arena with a tall conical tent at the center place and lots of swings attached at the top of the tent for the show by trapezium artists. We both discuss, on the animals we would get to see though knowing that we would not get to see Tiger here, as all the endangered species have been banned from being used in the Circus. After 5 minutes of patient wait, the show finally takes off with the introduction of Circus artists, who seem to be mostly from North East part of India and Nepal and few artists from the former Soviet Union.
While watching a host of different shows, I realize that there are few things about Circus in India which has not changed at all, like the starting show of stunt on swings by trapezium artists, cycling on one wheel, dog show, parrot show and the jokers. They are still the same, though I definitely feel that the quality of comedy by jokers has declined heavily. The great filmmaker Raj Kapoor had idolized the image of joker as the most essential part of a Circus, but today they seemed to more of nuisance and just a fill up gap between the shows. This was a pure disappointment for both of us.
There were definitely some new shows which made our spend quite worth like the dance show by beautiful Uzbek artist, where she dances while lying down with 4 trays of burning candles over her body. Another show which was really exciting was a show by a Naga lady in which she throws the cups and plates with her feet to land exactly on her head and she is able to do so while balancing 3-4 pairs of cups and plates. There were regular shows like the fire show by the guys and a show by elephant where the animal uses his trunk to pull up the stunts and a lady rides on him like the good old Maharani days.
Another good item to be discussed is the acrobatic dance mix with Salsa steps on a song “Tere Haath mein mera haath ho,” from the movie “Fanaa” by a couple. The song was well rehearsed and showed the same passion that is seen in Reality shows like Dance India Dance, Aaja nach le etc. There is no doubt that India is full of such talents, and it’s just that lots of artists don’t get the right platform to showcase their talents.
I wanted to go to the back of the circus stage, where the artists wait for their turn and have a chat with them to understand on how they live, how do they perceive life, do they really love their job, what brought them to work in the circus, how much money they make, what support they get once their career is over in circus etc. etc., but that didn’t really worked out. Also, I miss that I was not able to take the snaps of the Circus as photography of any sort was prohibited inside the circus area. I am putting some photographs which I was able to gather from other websites. I also tried to do some secondary research on the Circus and am come out with some information which gives an idea about their life in the Circus. The Indian Circus artists on an average earn Rs.5000-6000 per month whereas a foreign artiste earns around Rs.1000/day. This earning is very low compared to what the people in other entertainment sector receive, but still you will always see the smile on the artists face and their dedication to their work. They live in tents for the period till the time Circus is being played in the city and the living conditions are clean and have washing and cooking facilities. I also heard that many young artists marry within themselves as its hard to find a match outside, quoted by Prabha, an artist from Nepal. The foreign artists are mostly from former Soviet Union countries that come here on short term work visa or on a cultural exchange. They seem to have helped in reviving the Circus business in India as they add distinct flavor to acrobatic performances. Also, now since there is a ban on the use of wild animals in the show, they have to depend major on the human performances and the variety they would offer.
The show has ended and we both are about to leave the arena, but yes with lots of beautiful memories reloaded and a burning desire to learn about them , sit with them and bring insightful stories on them to this world. Well, my answer to the question in the beginning is now very different, “the last time when I watched Circus was around a week back” and my suggestion to my friends and readers is to go and watch this traditional method of entertainment whenever they get an opportunity and help in reviving our very old Circus.
At Last, the show must go on…..
You Tube Videos links of Rambo Circus-

Rambo Circus Video in Mumbai

Rambo Circus Video in Solapur

Rambo Circus Video