Trouble for Twittertharoor

Holy cow, what a row! (couldn't resist plagiarizing this retort from the Times of India editorial)

Well, have you ever wondered why so many Bollywood movies seem to associate so much “romanticism” with train travel whereas there is none associated with “flying.” (At least as far as I can recall) I recall this rather old movie called “Pyaar to Hona Hi tha” were Kajol who was the protagonist settled in America had to fly to India to meet her philandering partner but dreaded taking a flight but somehow managed to bear the journey .

My point here is pretty simple…Traveling by flight is indeed the fastest means of transport but traveling economy is rather uncomfortable, with its claustrophobic seating. It’s almost like we’re just thrust in all together, doesn’t that resonate with Tharoor’s “in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!” which has caused so much uproar.”

Shashi Tharoor sadly definitely seems to have realized the trouble of figurative language...

He has clarified further in his subsequent tweet, “it's a silly expression but means no disrespect to economy travelers, only to airlines for herding us in like cattle. Many have misunderstood”

I have been following Shashi Tharoor for a long time on my twitter account now. I enjoy reading his witty repertoire which in twitter terminology called tweets are characteristically layered with humor and pun.

The entire episode makes me wonder, is faking austerity over comfort now a new popular way to authenticate simplicity? Are politicians disallowed individuality? Is a politician connecting with his audience and his discretion in light punning deserve so much attention?

ShashiTharoor in his later post added “i now realize i shldnt assume people will appreciate humor. &u shouldn't give those who wld wilfully distort yr words an opportunity to do so” Do we really want to stay disconnected from our politicians?

In the end, his son Ishaan tharoor, seems to have sarcastically summarized the hullabaloo over a non issue pretty well in his post “: nice to see the uproar over the uproar #holycow, though i doubt those who ought to feel chastened by their pettiness will be”

Indeed, very apparent is the disconnect between the virtual and the world at large with his own party condemning his “deviant” ways.

Krap aaj kal

I am actually a big fan of Imityaz Ali’s previous movies… Jab we met was a delightfully witty romantic affair and Socha Na Tha had its delicate moments too both which were seriously lacking in Love aaj Kal. Notably, since he belongs to the young thinking breed of directors.

The storyline seemed more apt to fit a blog post particularly due to the lackluster script with its no brainer dialogues. DevD in comparison which loosely explored the concept love in Gen Y scored way over for several reasons: fantastic and apt music, wonderful acting and innovative camera work and editing.

To conclude, as a friend mentioned it seemed like yet another movie churned out from the Yashaj industry and yet it is not. The movie also surprisingly received rave reviews in the press, something amiss here?

400 blows

I cannot but help love Francois Truffaut’s French film 400 blows. It’s the first time that I’ve seen the period of adolescence depicted so sensitively.

“Adolescent is a specific condition that is recognized as such by educators and sociologists but that was for a long time, ignored by immediate family… During this stage, a simple disturbance or upset, can sparkle a revolt and this crisis is called adolescent rebellion” Truffaut

It makes me recall my own childhood memories, more often that, all I wanted was to be free, to make my own decisions, be independent and live in a word filled with love. Yet, I found myself unable to grapple with so much back then. The constant need to belong somewhere was much stronger than anything else, to conform, to please and yet rebel.

“When I was thirteen I was so desperately anxious to grow up quickly so that I might misbehave with impunity.” Truffaut

At 21, I find my battles which were huge then , absolutely insignificant now. But then again I can’t help but symphatise.

Do watch 400 blows, a beautiful film on a relatively unusual subject, unexplored period of adolescence in a child’s life.

Couching politcs with Miss glam sham

While browsing through News channels, i caught something interesting. A glamorous, fairly familiar face interviewing Sachin Pilot. A closer look revealed that it was Koel Purie in coversation with Sachin Pilot in a setting that looked like an odd set, a red couch in a rural set with villagers and cows hovering around .









That roused my curiosity, dressed way too glamorously to be taken seriously, I mentally dismissed the entire interview ( the ensemble was almost a replica of Koffee with Karan) and wondered what she would actually ask the young verbose politician. I tuned in probably mid-way through the show, where she was asking him some personal question about the nuances of his marriage to Sara Abdullah, where he blushed and mumbled something about how though Faroque Abdullah might not be close enough to be the father figure the love they share is unanimously linked to their love for Sara. Before, the commercial break she did reveal that they were in the hot and humid natural setting of Pilot's ancestral village.
Again, Koel moved on to play in true Karan Johar style I'll spout rapid questions that the guest must answer (rapid fire question round). They were actually more interesting than I predicted as it gave one a peek into the personality of the man, the humility of the man . He confessed that a bad quality that he believed he possessed was his inabiliy to say a straight No and described himself as a sort of this sort of wishy washy person. Also, to her credit she did manage to elicit very personal responses about his own personal ambitions where Pilot did admit that he did have a long way to go and that he really hasnt been able to achieve anything substantial as yet.
Also, later the recent norm of comparing any idealistic young leader to be the next Barack Obama was made. Koel Purie as the interviewer didnt taclke his political ideologies as say Karan Thapar might in Devil's Advocate but she did manage to give us a glimpse into the personal charecteritics that shape the decisions of the engigmatic leader.But, Sachin Pilot's comfort with the surroundings inspite of the heat and the buzzing flies coupled with his responses did reveal a striving modest young leader.

Bewildering BMC

I confess I’ve tried really hard to understand the developmental measures of the BMC.
And now I’ve frankly given up. Their new campaign is fairly interesting. The move to make Mumbai wi-fi enabled. Personally, it benefits me immensely. I would love to kill further time with my laptop in our wonderful coffee shops sprung all over the city.
However even with various security concerns, the BMC still seems to be pushing the “cause”. And one hears them perpetually complaining about lack of funds and time. Ignoring various civic and security concerns that the city of Mumbai faces their attention seems to be to get free wireless connection available to all its inhabitants.

limericking~

Our beloved P.M,Manmohan Singh
Open horsetrading, could he be the Sin-king?
India shining
Inflation sky rocketing
Possible Dalit woman P.M , fantastic development
With disproportionate assets, an ethical lament?
Former Chief Justice, accused of corruption
Surely a case of pure moral erosion

musing

I just managed to finally catch 15 Park Avenue. It’s definitely one of the most touching movies I’ve ever seen. Konkana Sen Sharma and the rest of the cast were fantastic. . It’s more than just a noir movie.
That brings me back to some thoughts. What exactly is madness? Can It be defined? Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die had an interesting tale.
A powerful wizard, who wanted to destroy an entire kingdom, placed a magic potion in the well from which all the inhabitants drank. Whoever drinks that water would go mad.
"The following morning, the whole population drank from the well and they all went mad, apart from the king and his family, who had a well set aside for them alone, which the magician had not managed to poison. The king was worried and tried to control the population by issuing a series of edicts governing security and public health. The policemen and inspectors, however, had also drunk the poisoned water, and they thought the king's decisions were absurd and resolved to take no notice of them.
"When the inhabitants of the kingdom heard these decrees, they became convinced that the king had gone mad and was now giving nonsensical orders. They marched on the castle and called for his abdication.
"In despair the king prepared to step down from the throne, but the queen stopped him, saying 'Let us go and drink from the communal well. Then we will be the same as them.'
"And that was what they did: The king and the queen drank the water of madness and immediately began talking nonsense. Their subjects repented at once; now that the king was displaying such wisdom, why not allow him to continue ruling the country?
"The country continued to live in peace, although its inhabitants behaved very differently from those of its neighbors. And the king was able to govern until the end of his days."
It's as simple as what is reality? if your reality is not what the world understands then does it make it less real? Aerent we all creating atleast to some extent deluding ourselves? Duplicity somehow seems to be an integral part of human life.