Friday, May 30, 2008

published!!!

Click on the pic for a larger view
Link: http://desicritics.org/2008/05/30/154057.php

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

the untold feminine

[ah, women. they make the highs higher and the lows more frequent…- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche]

It's an odd sensation, watching your feelings slowly change over time, seeing your strong positions erode as events batter down on them. My conversation with one of my aunts recently made me think parallel on something that’s been nibbling at my mind.

She was the one who initiated me into the wonderful world of Malayalam literature populated with authors who seduces the reader into a world where they play around by shifting your preconceived ideas and notions. One of the best works I had ever read was Randamoozham by MT Vasudevan Nair. It showed the Mahabharata or some events from it from the eyes of Bheema. The title literally translates as “The Second Turn” and it explores the events from the angst ridden view point of Bhima who has to wait for the second turn always. Be it for the love of his parents, conjugation with Draupadi, the throne. He is sometimes literally reduced to a pawn in the hands of wily politicians like Krishna, Vidura and Shakuni.

Ah…I diverted and dwelled into what might be a separate post. So we ended up on the topic of Draupadi, who was forced to divide everything between her five husbands and slowly to the topic of strong women in literature, mythology, history, politics or even art.

What appeared as a lurking shadow at that moment at the back of my mind slowly crystallized into a solid realization: “where have all the strong women gone?”

Where have the Margaret Thatchers, Magdalene Marys, Anna Kareninas, Drupadis et al…

Is it because that there are no more devotees to put them in their pedestal? The strong feminine evolved and was envisaged by equally fervent admirers, mainly male. Tolstoys, Heaths, Vyasas…

Why don’t men project women in that light anymore? Why have women in print and media diminished in size or being constantly chipped at?

I believe that it has got to do nothing with women being smaller. The problem is that men have shrunk-withered by complexity-and men are so busy trying to grow up with women that they no longer have time to sing of them.

ephiphany


"Cause all this time

I've just been too blind to understand
What should matter to me
My friend,
This life we live is not what we have
It's what we believe in "

-It's Not My Time, by 3 Doors Down

Saturday, May 24, 2008

the one you feed


One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a "battle" that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Chacha Chaudhary and Gabbar Singh

Dusting up my old book collection is one of my favorite past times when I’m home. For two reasons, One, Mom’s constant complaint that I don’t keep my stuff organized kinda tones down and most importantly..it throws up some of the gems and dregs that used to occupy my collective readingscape.

One such gem (?) that I stumbled upon today was an old issue of … (hold your breath) Chacha Chaudhary!!!

If you don’t know it by now, Chacha Chaudhary is the absolute king of shitty comics. But this is no regular, everyday shittyness... Chacha Chaudhary is so shitty that it is actually fun to read! How many other comics do you know that are the centre of their own cosmic paradox?

Its not easy to say what makes Chacha Chaudhary a classic: Bad Grammar, Plots with more holes than a slice of cheddar cheese, Crappiest drawings, illogical stories….the list goes on! I could try to explain more but it would make it much easier if you saw it for yourself.

The strip here is one of the classics and has none other than the quintessential villain of bollywood India, Gabbar Singh featuring in it. Yeah, the flights of fancy the comic took were unfathomable!

So if you've ever asked yourself, "Who would win in a fight - Chacha Chaudhary or Gabbar Singh?" you're about to find out. Come on; don't say you've never thought about it.

Chacha Chaudhary and Gabbar Singh


What strikes you immediately is the incredible amount of story they've compressed into one page. In five frames, they've gone from Chacha Chaudhary aimlessly leading a horse around town to Gabbar Singh sitting astride said horse, trying to get it to move. But that's short-lived, as he gets pissed off again because the horse doesn't move.

Whoa!!! Hasn't he heard of the SPCA? I guess he gets his kicks tying crackers to horses' tails! "Now it will run". Is that how he starts his horse up every morning? I don't know how many years after Sholay this story is set, but obviously Gabbar Singh is no longer the cunning murderous dacoit we know and love. Just look at how foolishly he sits there while Chacha Chaudhary ties crackers - crackers! - to the horse's butt.

Did you get it now? Did you? Did you?

The horse was trained by Chacha Chaudhary! Do you realize what that means?

The sick fuck actually trained the horse to gallop to the police station every time he set firecrackers to his tail. He could have trained him to do exactly the same thing after just a pat on the back. But no, the senile bastard has to go with the bloody firecrackers.

And in case you haven't figured out why Chacha Chaudhary was suddenly walking around with a horse, why he went though all the trouble orchestrating this weird twisted plan, it's spelled out for you right there:

For an old man with basically just one set of clothes, he's frighteningly greedy.

This story has everything you need to enjoy a Chacha Chaudhary comic - weird translations, screwed up drawings, and a form of logic that could fry any child's mental faculties. Plus... it has Gabbar Singh. Yes, this story had everything... except Sabu. This world would be a better place if all stories had more Sabu in them. In fact, even Sholay could have been made better by simply including Sabu in it. Can't you just see it?

I’ll try to get a clip featuring Sabu. In case you don’t know him, hes from Jupiter, is 60 Feet Tall and every time he gets angry a volcano erupts somewhere in the universe. Do I hear you barfing??

Monday, May 05, 2008

fever, heat, lazy, cold/rockin', trippin', partayy, bored

[a vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort and remembered with nostalgia]

its been a month in gods own country and things have been peaceful so far. Unless you count the countless bandhs and hartals dotting the collective calends of an average mallu. Well, we have got used to it and online sites and local hallmark cards have started to come out with cards to wish people on the occassion.

See it went like this. Monday the BJP called a bandh because of inflation. Tuesday early morning one of the students got roughed up in a bus, so the Communist students wing went on immediate strike. Wednesday the private bus operators went on strike state-wide over rising petrol prices. Thursday was actually peaceful, but by 11 in the morning the govt staff went on strike over alleged retirement age changes. Friday “Kuruvi” was released at Priya Theatre, so noone turned up for work/study.

Have been tasting the wonderful cuisine back home for a month now so much that the novelty has kind of worn off. Nothing compared to the day when I landed bleary eyed at 9:00 AM at home and proceeded to demolish an entire casserole of Appams and a basin filled with stew like LokSabha MPs voting on the Women's Reservation Bill.

Thank god for providence (is that redundant?) which made sure Sujay and Ajay were here for the last whole month and I was never deprived of company (or beer, for that matter!) Also, Sandy, Dillon and Rohit dropped in and so did a slew of other school friends.

Got sick too. Last few days, what started of as a sore throat developed into a cold and fever. The upside? lot of my friends (mainly of the feminine gender) seem to think i sound a really sexy. Hmmm...researching on google to keep the voice and chase the cold away...

The heat has started to drive me crazy though. The mercury constantly touches 40 and the humidity is too much to bear. Have taken more cold showers than a prison inmate in for life.

My dreams of staying at home peacefully in the company of friends, beer, PSP and Internet were shattered by mom. She had planned a plethora of visits...grand mom's, relatives, temples...phew...along with that, managed quite a no: of trips with friends too. Keep watching this space for more updates.

To come to the last part...well...bored is what the general feeling is. I am not a workaholic but when your mind starts to think nostalgically about that period in 3rd semester when I was planning CIP, Getting the Forecast designed, Compeering for the Seminar and Creating the Grandmasters quiz at the same time (Ah! h ever so humble me!)...I seriously doubt if I am turning into one

Friday, May 02, 2008

Sum it up to Eight!

Pavi! Tagged me with this….and well, like everything else with her, I didn’t have an option of refusing to do it. So, here it goes…

8 Things I’m Passionate About

  • Infusing fun in whatever I do!
  • Reading
  • Daydreaming
  • Food
  • Gaming
  • Cricket
  • Designing
  • The Net

8 Things I want to do before I die

  • Skydiving
  • Lick the Liberty Bell
  • Rafting at Mpumalanga, SA (Supposedly the toughest rapids in the world)
  • Work as a volunteer for Peace Corps (or WHO)
  • Write a bestseller
  • Have a space vacation
  • Direct a movie
  • Own a Ford Mustang

8 Words I say often

  • F**K
  • Seriously!
  • What the F***k
  • Whateva!
  • “Aliyo!!”
  • “Haan Bhai!”
  • One More ;-)

8 Songs I could listen to over n over again

  • Wake Me Up – Greenday
  • Wonderwall – Oasis
  • Paved Paradise – Counting Crows
  • Somewhere I Belong – Linkin Park
  • Clocks – Coldplay
  • Human Clay – Creed
  • Highway To Hell – ACDC
  • Hotel California - Eagles

8 Books I’ve Read recently

  • Lord of the Flies – William Golding
  • Eye of the Needle – Ken Follett
  • World is Flat
  • Sacred Games
  • Shantaram
  • Thud!
  • The Night Watch
  • Sandman

8 Things that attract me to my Dear Friends

  • Ready to do the wildest things possible, drunk or sober
  • Stay by me like a rock
  • Laugh uproariously at the silliest of things
  • Be the brunt of my sarcasm and still love me
  • Supporting me with whatever I need at my darkest hour
  • Get caught for me and never give me up
  • The rib-tickling, brain-bombing fun we have
  • Loving me in spite of my unreliability