Ayodhya and all that

Last week a prominent face of a TV news channel told me how Ayodhya was a revelation for him. His visit to the holy and currently-contentious shrine city unfolded a world of harmonious co-existence between Hindus and Muslims there. He said that it was delightful to witness instances when Hindus would attend Iftaar parties with full gusto and the Muslims would leave no stone unturned to prepare for a grand Diwali for his Hindu neighbor. Yes, it does seem unreal, if you go by the jingoism and war-mongering between the two communities, aggravated maybe by the constant ranting in our media.

But as it’s Ayodhya, we have to delve deeper. And voila, I would not censure you if you side by the same media after this. The fact is, as far as the very sensitive issues of Ram Janmabhoomi and the Babri Masjid demolition is concerned, the people of both the communities cannot keep their emotions bottled up. Both want their side to win the impending title suit and emerge victorious morally and communally. It’s emotion for them, it’s passion unbound. It’s anger and frustration seething in them for the last 50 years or so. They dismiss senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani’s version that there should be a secular hospital or educational institution on the spot which held the Babri Masjid once, as crap. Yes, it’s Utopian. How can you ever think of satisfying the age old thirst (for ‘justice’) of the Hindus and Muslims with a mere social charity? You can’t. Ayodhya is far beyond such compensation. A bereaved mother is offered monetary compensation in India and is expected to not come complaining to the government about her son’s death in an encounter. But I doubt whether you can do the same with a Ayodhya fanatic.

Yes, it’s a good thing that the level of fanaticism and jingoism has depreciated down the years. So, today’s youth have left the issue behind and want a closure of the case. A reflection of today’s youth. The Youth Congress president, who is currently on a virtual Bharat Yatra, says he does not think the Ayodhya issue as a burning or raging or even a topical one. they know there are a number of issues left to be addressed in today’s India. Be it the debate over the food security bill or the Kashmir crisis or the danger we face internally from the Naxals or our Bilateral ties with Pakistan. They have moved on. It would not be wrong in saying that even the ones who have witnessed the demolition of the babri masjid, want the case to be closed. Some say they just want the verdict to be out, whatever it may be. It’s been a long nightmare which they want to end.

But sadly, our Judicial system is not independent, contrary to its textbook definition. The same person I was talking to also confided that he had talked to many Supreme and High court Judges and they have said that almost 98% of the Indian legal personalities are corrupt and not independent. The recent deferment of the Ayodhya verdict is politically motivated, I infer. With the mess Delhi is in currently, with the CWG fiasco (worsened by the flood situation), the Centre sure does not want the situation to worsen further. And thus, the deferment. A post-verdict clash or communal tensions can ruin the entire preparation to the Games (if we can call them preparations, that is) and can also lead to further mistrust of the UPA by the people. Who can say that the independent petitioner of the deferment of the verdict Tripathi is not a congress man? The verdict on the 28^th might be postponed too. On September 30^th, one of the judges of the bench which will give the verdict, will retire. Thus the men in power will be looking forward to postpone the verdict even beyond the 28^th, to bring in the results after the completion of the CWG.

Politics has breached the independent and democratic fabric of our country. And it’s sad that such a verdict that holds so much importance to people affected gravely by the incident, is on hold. But sadly, in India, this is how the legal system works. My friend agreed with me and I am sure you would too.

Charulata- Focusing on the husband

Charulata might be one of the classiest and widely emphatized characters in Bengali literature, but spare some thought her husband (I forget his screen name). A passionate newsman whose life is entirely dedicated to his newspaper, but he is equally aware of the neglect his wife faces from him. He knows that and in the movie, we do see glimpses of him trying to compensate in the best way he can (while he still ran his business) which includes asking his brother to nurture her talent for literature. But after he gets cheated and his business comes to a halt, he realizes that now its destiny that he has to provide more time to his wife. And he does that and takes her to a holiday along the beaches. It turns out to be a boon for him as Charu lends him an idea of setting up the business again. Our man is over the moon and his love knows no bound. All this while, he is entirely unsuspecting of Charu developing a natural affinity towards his brother, played exquisitely by Soumitra, which is 'conventionally' wrong, maybe, but a natural course of action for the hapless and bored housewife. And that is exactly why the husband is crestfallen to discover the truth at the end of the movie. But he has nowhere to go. The tough and principled man on the exterior has a heart which pines for love and has a great amount of care and dependence on Charu. Moreover, his business associates have left him. He must be harbouring a hidden mistrust towards his brother. And he loves Charu too much. And thus, inspite of the tremendous pain, the tears, the agony and the shock he accepts Charu's hand at the end frame of the movie- a step which showcases his vulnerability, his dependence on Charu, his love and his helplessness. It' a classic character sketch.

Note: My observations are based on the movie 'Charulata', not the novel ' Noshthoneer'

Aisha Avoidable

It would not strike at the very beginning but Sonam kapoor fit the bill for the title role of 'Aisha' perfectly. The rich and immatured 'brat' who thinks random matchmaking is something more than a timepass. We do find such people around us who are very honest and serious about a thought which is socially unconventional and may lead them to trouble. In that way Jane Austen's character sketch stood out and at the same time was very common. Not only that it preserved the character till posterity.

Even the current and artificial Delhi life houses such characters, I am sure.

Yes, it's a 'girly' movie, I agree. With all the hankering after branded clothes (most of the girls would be drooling over the attire range, I am sure), and the pedicures and fashionable Hauz Khas village, fancy rafting, a hot bod dude (an abnormally-meaty Dhruv), cool poster beds, pyjama parties, perfect daddies, money you dont get tired of spending and a cool and rich guy proposing to you for marriage by climbing to your balcony using a ladder. It has all the ingredients to pull in females in scores at theatres.

Err...did i say 'scores'? i did. Because, The cinema is largely boring, not only as an experience, but also in terms of plot and pace. there are moments in the first half, which makes you think why the hell did you spend 250 bucks and watch this film? You could have gone for a 'Peepli Live' instead.Sequences like trying to groom the desi girl to a chic urban delite is all style, no substance. The water rafting and the beach sequence is highly non-arresting and a put-down. The Hollywood feel of the movie is marred by poor dialogue, a shoddy screenplay and a loose script and of course...no plot at all. Ir meanders aimlessly till 2 and a half hours and leaves you dry and wanting for something better to make it a fruitful day. Except for Aisha, character development is not present in other actors. Most of them are flat and show no change. Even the artificial and superficial lifestyle of Delhi could have been brought out in a more effective way.

Having said that, credit should be given to certain aspects which make you sit at the theatre and not leave the movie half-seen. Performances. Sonam Kapoor is good. She is slowly proving her mark as a promised actor. And it would not be exaggerating to say that it's her finest performance till date. cyrus Sahukar, Ira Dubey and the actor who played the desi girl are first-rate. Abhay deol's role is half-baked, could have been explored a bit more. Scenes like the wedding faux-pas and the one where Aisha and her father steal a quick chat late at night are studs in the movie. Music. Amit Trivedi's compositions are good. 'Gal mitthi mitthi' and the title track stand out. Sadly, these are the only saving graces of the otherwise poor and a worthless fare.

You should watch the movie for the performances, high class delhi life and of course, the fashion brands which are displayed themselves in the movie, every two minutes or so.

If that's not tempting enough, catch a vintage sweet 'Socha na tha' anyday.

Rating: **

To coffee or not

The office canteen coffee was initially quite an attraction as I had only heard of automatic (and free) vending machines spewing chocolaty liquid which is to be had either as a refuel agent, or as a weak and harmful substitute for food, or a gossip booster, or just to kill time. But soon, I began to lose interest in the mechanical procedure which extended to the flavor, somewhat, too. The acidic taste in my tongue was ruining the taste buds of a Bengali and I soon walked away, without any bitterness in my mind, although a fair amount somewhere else.

But nowadays, I feel drawn towards the familiar quarters of the newsroom pantry again. I am not sure for what reason. Maybe, I began missing the bitterness I was used to. Maybe I was missing a butt of ridicule. Maybe I have become busier and thus enjoy lesser breaks and thus an alternative. Or simply, maybe because I am becoming an addict.

I shall think…over a cup of coffee, maybe.

Confessions of a sinner

I can be quite obnoxious. Well, thanks to my one-track, one-dimensional, obsessed mind, many of my friends and not-quites may have such an impression. I wont accuse them. There are many things that i like in life, but there is a fewer lot that i love. And i am quite possessive about them, to the extent of being an animal. There have been so many times when my near and dear ones have said that I need psychiatric help. Yes, I do. Maybe, I do to fit the bill of the conventional guy. I am quite conventional, you see but a rare deviati0on from it spells trouble and leads to such a conclusion. It brands me. Yeah, I am impractical, unreasonable, quite selfish, jealous, possessive as earlier mentioned, immatured, uncouth, short-tempered. But that's because i love. Weird? Well that's how it is. These are infrequent occurances but as i said they are of such a degree and such is my luck that they brand me. The other aspects of me are most of the times, overlooked. I complain and then when i find there are no listeners, I gulp it in. I fail to explain to the world that I am unreasonable, impractical and the other adjectives mentioned above, only and ONLY because I love. That's a honest reason. Look, I am not justifying it nor trying to gain a consolation. Just stating facts. yes, people would write it off as a lame one. But i just cant seem to explain people. I can teach kids but cant explain people properly. A phenomenon which has been happening to me from my childhood days. A thing which used to drain me completely, initially but nowadays i am quite used to it when i see that i am not able to explain people what i intend to. Or falling short of my intentions. Partho Mukherjee once said that between your passion and performance falls a shadow, between your dreams and destiny falls a shadow. i am used to this spectre now but it still haunts me. But in conclusion, socially and conventionally speaking, I am a sinner who fails to understand and quite a bit of an immatured prick, maybe. But that is because i love. If you feel you are not able to understand this discourse, I have my reasons for it as stated a few lines above. And if you do, well, God bless poor you.

Adolf Maradona?

A gasping, gawking, charged-up Diego Maradona charging up and down the sidelines and blowing kisses to Messi, is surely a contagious sight, more so for Argentine fans. But will his extreme pride, or should I say, haughtiness, prove to be the doom for him?

Maradonaisms

"Pele should be put in a museum; I don't care about Platini"

"I have Messi. Do you?"

This, apart from cursing at scribes and making the winning side in a practice game shower footballs on the losing side, as a punishment.

Are we playing football or dodgeball?

A (really) long drive

I detested long drives and thought what kind of creatures have so much fixation for it, earlier. Then a few years back, I initiated myself along the same lines, which I loathed. Now, it was all too sweet for me. But, by the time the desire sunk in, I found odd companions during the almost 50 km ride from my place of stay to my work place in the place where I dwell (Did anybody say home? Tch tch!)

Here are some common conceptions of long drives and my take on it

Long drives and your love by your side

Well, I can't say i have too much affinity for the rash drivers and their pan-stained blabber, as an accompaniment while I cross 3 states, technically. The only love I show is when I have to reach my destination early and the driver honours my plea.

Miles after miles, some hugging some smiles

Well of course, I don't defend the 'miles' part of it. And you possibly can't hug a female colleague sitting beside you. Well, not me, at the least (Though I now seem to know a lot of people who would). And males are distasteful to hug. The scanty smiles are confined to the (sometimes fake) cordiality which i have to display in order to prove me as senile during a 1-hour of uneventful and conversation-less trip.

You stop the car and advance at her

Ah! This has happened many times. 1.30 at the night. The car breaks down. Alone, deserted on NH-4, cursing and spitting. Feel like advancing at the clueless driver and thwacking him hard

The winds, the kiss and the beautiful moonlight

The air around DND expressway emits the foulest of smell you can experience in the whole of Delhi. The stink stings you even in the apparently most beautiful of night with a distant haze(which you realise, soon, to be nothing but the over-polluted skyline of Noida)

And finally the desire to go on a drive again

No options here. You are a daily labourer in a mercenary firm