Little that he knew

Someone knows something about my future that I don't know

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Paint It Yellow

Just back from watching "Rang De Basanti". Was curious to know how many movies did I watch in Indore in a Theatre. Well this is my 4th. It will surprise most others in my institute. The 1st one was "Gayab", then came "Parineeta", somewhere in between lied "Maine Ghandhi ko nahi mara".
An evolution is definately on the road ahead. Good scripts, good directors, relevant songs, lyrics supplementing the theme. I accept most of you who have spend a whole lot of time watching classics. Western, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian etc will comment on the quality of these movies. You will complain that experimentation is good but............they are slow at times, at times the movie losses its grip and many more.
But think 10 years ago this genre was a prerogatitive of a select few. Yes prerogative......people who were rebels. Directors who who accepted poor box office response, worked sans recognition. Movie lovers who stopped going to the theatre. Only these few directors motivated them to travel to the theatres.

But haven't times changed. We are definately getting bolder themes to see. I am not talking of Mallika Sherawat....thats not revolution. Thats chawanni chap. We are seeing directors with guts to move away from what called mainstream movies( read love stories). Talking about life, India, individuals. Not a HAHK. And surprisingly we are watching them. Travelling all the way to a theatres.

I am looking forward to the days to come. I feel I will get to see more surprises. Our directors need a bit more freedom. Allow them to weave their tale. If like an honest listener we keep mum and let them do their work we will find that they will come out with creation that can startle us.

To end it a few lines from Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagores

Gardner

If you would have it so,
I will end my singing.

If it sets your heart aflutter,
I will take away my eyes from your face.

If it suddenly startles you in your walk,
I will step aside and take another path.

If it confuses you in your flower-weaving,
I will shun your lonely garden.

If it makes the water wanton and wild,
I will not row my boat by your bank.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Its 5-1 for India in the Australian Open



How many of them can you can you recognise.




The one in blue t-shirt is Rohan Bopanna, the one with black wrist band in KaranRastogi the most promising youngster of India. The 3rd and final one is Harsh Mankad, the current no. 1 of Indian tennis. You will hear more about the trio this year. Add to it Prakash Amritrage ( Better known as P$) and Sunil Kumar and you see a burgeoning Indian tennis populace in the world of professional tennis. Now yesterday can be said the most happening day in Indian tennis for long. We were 5-1. lets have a look

[R2 Boys Singles] (3) Sanam Singh (IND) bt Todd Ley (AUS) 57 60 64

[QF Mens Doubles] (7) Leander Paes/ Martin Damm bt (2) Jonas Bjorkman/ Max Mirnyi 36 63 64

[R1 Boys Doubles] (1)Jeevan Neduncherhiyan (IND)/Sanam Singh (IND) bt Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)/Frederick De Fays (BEL) 61 75

[PQF Mixed Doubles] Leander Paes (IND)/Nathalie Dechy (FRA) bt Simon Aspelin (SWE)/Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 63 76(4)

[R1 Girls Doubles] Sanaa Bhambri (IND)/Sandhya Nagaraj (IND) lost to Michaela Johansson (SWE)/Johanna Larsson (SWE) 46 36

[PQF Mixed Doubles] Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)/Martina Hingis (SUI) bt (2) Jonas Bjorkman (SWE)[2]/Lisa Raymond (USA) 75 67(8) 76 (10-7)

Now none of the better known guys of our tennis are in fray. There is no Sania Mirza. Yet we see a long list of Indian Players in a grand slam and that too in Week 2.

Pessimissts will say we still don't have a Federer.......atleast I can say for sure the probability is far better than it was before. Gone are those days when we used have one Leander or Vijay Amritrage....we have Sania and many will follow.



Saturday, January 21, 2006

In the US, liberty is a statue


" In Singapore it's very difficult to imagine a person sitting on a roadside bench or in a park writing poetry. In Kolkata its normal."

Well these were the openning remarks of an article comparing Singapore and Kolkata. Some of you might not know but Singapore was built and initially controlled from Kolkata. The writer was just comparing the cities in the present day. There are many theories put forward for the so called demise of Kolkata. Some say locational hazards. Compared to a Mumbai I say it is. Others say the Left Fronts 30 year rule. True again.

Of late there has been some startling changes. 7 flyovers constructed in 2 years. Name an IT major and its there in Kolkata. Shopping malls filling the city. Transport system improving. Frankly speaking I was surprised. So to take a walk in the yesteryears, me and a friend of mine decided to go to our favourite movie theatre "Nandan". Built on a lake, this double screen multiplex is maintained by the Government of West Bengal. Since early 80's it has been a connoisseurs delight, lovers paradise. For a change, it paid host to movies of all genre excepting the Bollywood/Hollywood/Tollywood .......masala types. Perhaps one of its own kinds it slowly became the hall mark of bengali/kolktan pride........"You won't find a city culturally progressive like us".

Whether its true or not is not the matter of discussion. Every region, religion, state has something or the other to say about themselves. This is also not about Nandan.

The day we visited this place we saw a small stage being erected in the open space around the theatre. The space encompassed could hardly seat 100 odd people. The occassion.......well its not a dharna or a political meeting or a pre-strike meet......its a "Kavi Sammelan". It was only then that the small yellow posters started making sense. Phrases from every day life. Just to give a hint of what might happen in some time.

We decided to wait. The organisers came, so did the poets. And the gathering was unexpected. The 100 odd chairs were filled by people who looked like digniteries ( as they were cordially directed to their seats by the organisers). Finally it started. After a couple of poets presented their work we decided to take a walk. Not that we were bored but frankly we don't have an ear to it. And they were not like the ones we read in our schools. No poetic rhythm....just a flow of words. If you listen carefully it made sense... a lot of sense but you need to listen carefully.

After a small walk around the theatre we decided to move on. We had plans for Forum, the new shopping mall in Kolkata. We had plans for a movie and dinner. On our way out I had one last look at the sammelan. The crowd had swelled. There was some noise after each prose got delivered. And I must say I liked it a lot. It was so satisfying. Have you ever felt like that. Satisfied for something which doesn't go in sync with you. Satisfied that the world may say Kolkata is progressing. Withfly overs, malls and better roads it is. But surely cult of Kolkata has not whithered away.

I am a bengali but frankly know very little about it. Its language its food.......But this is a small prose written by one of finest poets of bengal...Sukanta. I leave you with his words

"No more of this poetry.
Bring on the hard, harsh prose instead.
Let the jingle of verse disappear
And the strong hammer of prose strike.
No need for the serenity of a poem;
Poetry, I give you a break today.
In the regime of hunger, the earth belongs to prose,
The full moon burns like a loaf of bread."