Adieu to bachelorhood

Its been a long hiatus and only i am to blame. I got busy in my new life after years of solitude. I got married last month on 27th Nov. It was a sort of life time experience and was a good one too. It was a wonderful feeling when i saw Fubu, Durgi, Nimish, Manu and Nitin joining me in my Baraat. Thanks a lot to all of you for making such an arduous journey in a completely different civilization.
I could feel the exuberance of my little kids from village. I believe that they were as happy as anyone. And finally i got married to the most lovely girl in the universe. The pics can be seen here.

Last month seems like an epoch with so many good memories. As they say one can not get it all and the absence of my father was momentously felt. I dont know what marriage this would have been if he was alive.

Last weekend we visited Mysore. The focal point was a piligrimage to the abode of Goddess Chamudeshwari. She decimated Mahishasur and also known as Mahishasurmardini. Mysore got its name from this demon itself. Mysore palace was the same as i visited it in the winters of 2003. That time i was a student and this time a complete man (no hand of Raymonds in it ;). The pics can be seen here.

On other front COP 15 was a major failure and world has to pay the price of the arrogance and betrayal of US and BASIC countries. Adieu till i write again.

Last 14 days

I have not posted any post because of the unavailability of internet at my home. I shifted recently from my two years old haven to a new house about 300-400 metres from the old one. Past 15 days have been rollicking from the start decorated with some highs like Sachin's 175 and marred with some lows like Vande Mataram issue. I saw 5 action-packed awesome movies in this duration.

1. Die Hard series (1988-1995)
I saw all the movies except the last one. All the movies are fast action packed one but my personal favourite is the third one i.e Die Hard with a Vengeance. Bruce Willis acted brilliantly in this series. 8/10.

2. Dirty Harry: The Enforcer (1976)
I did not enjoy this movie as it lacks the evergreen sheen of Callahan. 5/10

3. Hidalgo (2004)
A brilliant movie based on a horse race in the hottest desert on earth (Arabian desert). It’s a fine mixture of Indiana Jones and Clint Eastwood's westerns. A must watch for any movie goer. There are some great scenes of desert storms and sand dunes. 8/10

Commit your sins when Sachin is playing as even Gods will be watching him. Sachin produced one of the greatest ODI innings his career (it definitely ranks among one of the greatest ODI innings of all time) and when the victory was within our grasp, we choked. We are genius par excellence in choking at the crucial stage. Sachin's inningof 175 runs was the result of most effortless display of his exemplary batsmenship unfortunately he had to experience the Déjà vu of Chennai.

Guys, I will be heading for my home for my marriage with my fiancee Pratiksha so I wont be around for 3 weeks or so. See you all in December.

Vande Mataram!

Amazing Grace

Steven Spielberg has a knack of producing movies on historical sagas. Schindler List, Munich, Amistad are few gems in that list. Amistad (1997) is a movie based on a story of few slaves who changed the way the West lives now. Eventually it led to the American Civil War and finally to the abolition of slavery. Mr. Obama is the final result of that court case that was fought in the supreme court in 1839-1840 by James Quincy Adams (6th President of USA) for the freedom of few slaves captured by the US marines when they tried to escape their masters "The Spaniards" from their home in Siera Leone. Its a great movie and i can say that few steps ahead of Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace is based on the crusade for the abolition of slavery in British Colonies. I will give this 8 points out of 10. Must watch movie. The scene when slaves were chained and drowned with rocks were truly shocking. Once can break down in tears, it is such a scene.

Yesterday my brother left for Pune after having a grand shopping assisted superbly by Anumeha. Lastly i am reproducing the poem Amazing Grace by John Newton. This peom has inspired a lot of people in their anti-slavery struggle.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound!)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

This earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be for ever mine.

Diwali at Chinnaswami

Folks, got a rare chance to watch few CLT 20 matches at Chinnaswami, Bangalore on Diwali and RCB justified that by caging the Delhi Daredevils. It was an awesome crowd and i, joined by my brother and colleague Zakir and Nagakiran enjoyed it fully. The first match got delayed and it was a match between non-Indians but its catalytic fervor could only be felt in the match of the day. Dravid, Kumble, Merwe, Sehwag and above all Taylor played superbly. Delhi was undone by the duo of Merwe and Kumble and they catipulated after a terrific start by Sehwag. Delhi had its only chance when it knocked out the RCB's openers by Mr. Dependable and Mr. Cracker were there to see bangalore home. This endeth the scene.

This week i also started shopping for my soon to be wedded life and spent a princely sum of 23 K on bare minimum necessity of a married life. Here starts the lesson. My brother Tinku is with me and i am enjoying each and every bit of his stay.
Happy belated Diwali to all of you and wish you a very happy Bhaiya Dooj :). My little sister is few thousand kms away from me and i am looking forward to meer her on 15 Nov. Amen.

Book Review [26] : Dragon Fire - a seminal book

I started reading Dragon Fire by Humphrey Hawksley at around 0:10 AM and by 05:05 AM it was over. Its a quite enthralling and thrilling account of a fictious nuclear war between Pakistan-China collaboration and India. It all started when exiled Tibetan soldiers some how managed to attack Lhasa to free their political and religious leader. China blames India for the attack and then starts 5 days of terrible killings. Pakistan political establishment was ousted by a military coup and their General invades India with much ferocity. India manages to hold out and ultimately Pakistan becomes a defunct state.

Indo-China war ends with the nuclear bombing of New Delhi and Bombay killing millions of Indians. Indian PM and his cabinet were also killed but Indian PM refused to nuke the population centers in China. he only nukes the military establishment there. In the end China becomes a superpower and India a nation with no worry of Pakistan.

Its a great book written almost 7 years back but it gives a good account of possible war in the subcontinent. Indians are shown as heroes in this book and Indian leadership with a lot of political will. We definitely need both. 

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Movies this week

Another weekend well spent in reading, talking and watching movies. Did not sleep well, just had 8 hours sleep in last 48 hours.

1. Rio Bravo (1959)
I was not a fan of John Wayne but have become one after this movie. Nice story well directed and very well acted. 7/10.
2. El Dorado (1966)
Another very good John Wayne movie. 7/10.
3. The Hangover (2009)
This a high speed comedy thriller. I was laughing like hell throughout this movie, Tiger in bathroom was such a good scene. This movie is as fresh as sunday morning. 8/10.
4. High Plains Drifter (1973)
A stranger with no name comes to a ghost town, kills few guys, rapes the prettiest lady and then get rid of the bad guys for the town's sake. Clint Eastwood did again like all his western flicks. 7/10.

Movies this week

Hell of a week, started with gloom and ending in procrastination. Few movies, a nice summit with old friends and the champions trophy encounters.

1. Remember the Titans (2000)
Its in my hall of fame. Its about building of a mixed race team in a highly race sensitive town in highly race sensitive times. Denzel Washington did this with all the grace. A precursor of The Great Debaters. Must watch movie. 8/10.

2. Malcolm X (1992)
A biographical account of the Afro-American leader Malcolm X (played by Denzel Washington) . Malcolm X was the extreme of Martin Luther King, while King's methods were non violent, the method of Malcolm X were very close to violent. The so called civilized and modern White Europeans have done gravest and unwholesome crime during this slave trade from the east coast of Atlantic to the west coast, Malcolm was just trying to show them a mirror. A long movie, the first one hour is unbearable and can force anybody to lose interest. 6/10.

3. Seven (1995)
Its a investigative story of unusual crimes committed by a Psychopath. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt were a nice company in this movie. 6.5/10.

4. Magnum Force (1973)
Second part of Dirty Harry series. In this movie Harry Callahan's role was very closely aligned with the book. In some ways this is better than the first word. Clint Eastwood always rocks one way or the other. 7/10.

5. Amazing Grace (2006)
Its a story of British Nobleman William Wilberforce, who abolished the deadly sin of Slave trade in the entire British Empire of the early 19th Century, by his personal crusade. It was a fight to the finish and after loosing many battles, He won the war. 8/10.

The world this week (14th - 20th September)

Happy Eid to all of you.
Had a long weekend but went down with fever and cold, i have a knack of finding new methods of wasting my weekends. Watched few good movies.

1. Das Boot (1981)
Its story of a German U-Boat in the later half of the 2nd World War. The intensity level is pretty high and the climax is bit ironical. Very few movies are made on World wars with a positive outlook of the Germans. 8/10
2. The Untouchables (1987)
A good movie with great actors and a thrilling plot on Al Capone. Robert De Niro, Sean Connery, Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia all were brilliant in this act. 8/10.
3. Training Day (2001)
This is a story of a bad cop and a rookie. Denzel Washington all over. Yet i feel that Oscar was too much for this role. 7/10.
4. The Bounty (1984)
Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson starred movie is good in patches and average in long haul. Still worth watching for Tahitian girls. 7/10.

Sachin Tendulkar winning hearts and matches since 1989

When beggars die there are no comets seen, heavens blazeforth themselves at the centuries of the master. Adverse situations call for adverse actions or as they say when going gets tough then tough gets going. Sachin's 44th ODI century against SRL was a stroke of genius. This is one of the best innings of Sachin. After a humiliating defeat last Sunday, it was only Sachin that would have redeemed India and he did it with sheer perfection. He did what he does best.

It was a sound batting display by Indian team although i still feel that we were slow in 8-10 overs between 35-45 period. Anyways it was brutal onslaught by stylish Yuvi that propelled us to 319.

Srilanka started fiercely and that reminded me of Anwar and Sohail's start in World Cup QF in 1996. I am greatly impressed by Dilshan, he is a next big find of Sri Lanka after Sangakkara. Harbhajan's ball to bold Dilshan was a real gem, his wicket of Mahela literally sealed the game for India. Although Kandamy tried hard but he too was silenced by Harbhajan. It was a great bowling show from the mercurial Harbhajan. Sangakkara did find a new way to get himself out and in the end 319 runs were too many for Srilankans. I have read so many times in news papers that "Sachin scores century, India wins". This was yet one of those days.
Thanks Sachin and Harbhajan for the superb display of the highest level of cricket.

The world this week (7th - 13th September)

Three glorious movies this weekend, a nice way to waste time.

1. Cry Freedom (1987)
A master piece from Richard Attenborough with some great performances Denzel Washington and Kevine Kline. Its based on the biographical details of great anti-apartheid South African leader "Steve Biko". A great leader murdered by racist white police in custody. 8/10.

2. Courage under Fire (1996)
Yet another Denzel Washington movie. Worth watching movie. 7/10.

3. The Thing (1982)
Its a sci-fi movie based on extra terrestrial encounter in Antarctica. A good flick specially when the "The Thing" transformed into a human spider. 7/10.

From Kaminee to The Siege

This week has been a movie week for me, was bit ill this Friday only to regain full vigor by today.

1.Kaminey (2009)
Another good movie from the makers of Omkara and Maqbool, Vishal Bhardwaj still has a magical touch. The first half is bit boring while the second half is action packed thriller. Aviral and Saugara helped me out to watch this movie, my 3rd movie in Bangalore in last two years. Shahid Kapoor acted brilliantly and so did Priyanka Chopra. 8/10.
2.Deja vu (2006)
Yet another Denzel Washington movie albeit not so good. Usual time paradox. 6/10.
3.The Siege (1998)
This movie was made in 1998 but it depicts the post 9-11 scene with almost a holistic view. Denzel Washington yet another gave terrorists their dues. Nice time pass. 7/10.
4.Casino (1995)
Goodfellas Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci did it again, this time in Los Vegas. I am really impressed by Nick played by Joe Pesci. It was a great role played to perfection. Robert De Niro was as good as he is always. Worth watching. 8/10.
5.North by Northwest (1959)
One of the finest works from Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant. It has a cult status and the theme has been chronically copied across the globe. To be very honest this film does not deserve to be at rank 29 of IMDB top 100 movies. Its definitely a good movie but somewhere some thing is missing. 7/10.

The world this week (17th August- 23rd August)

Yet another Majid Hussain's book finished, yet another Denzel Washington movie watched, yet another Ashes lost by Kangaroos in Old Blighty and yet another ghost of partition revisited in free
India.
Evolution of Geographical Thought by Majid Hussain is actually a history of geography from the Early Egyptians, Phoenicians, Indians, Chinese, Greeks, Romans to the modern Kant, Humboldt, Ritter and Karl Marx. Quite an informative book and it suits perfectly to my aspirations. 7/10.

Man on Fire (2004)
I am becoming an addict to the Denzel Washington's movies day by day. I rate this movie second only to The Great Debaters. A Bollywood movie named Ek Ajnabee was made on the same story acted by Amitabh Bachchan and just like all other Bollywood movies Amitabh Bachchan stays alive while Denzel Washington had to die. 7.5/10.

England is able to regain the Ashes after 2 years. Last time when it lost the difference was 0-5 to mighty Australians. This time Australia is no Goliath and England is no David. This was the series between the equals and as they say who dare wins. Congratulations England and best of luck Andrew Flintoff to you future endeavours. You have been a great entertainer :) a terrific player produced by England in the average lot.

The ghost of Jinnah is living again and this time Jaswant woke him up. I simply don't understand the logic behind writing this book. Last time when he wrote his "Call to honour", he created a hullabaloo by saying that "there is a mole in Prime Minister Office". This time he is saying that Jinnah was secular. Even if Jinnah was secular, what difference he makes now? He is sleeping in his grave after dying from TB why wake him up. Do you want another partition? ;). On a serious note, Jinnah was a great Indian and it was the fault of Congress to lose Jinnah to the Muslim fundamentalist party known as Muslim League those days.

Signing off till i write again.

The world this week (10th August- 16th August)

Books:
Guys, this week i finished my bete noire Majid Hussain's Human Geography. This book has been my nemesis for quite some time but some how i managed to finish this off. Its a survey of the human civilization from a bird's point of view. Interesting read for anyone interested in Human settlements and evolution. 7/10 points.

Movies:
1. Satya (1998)
India's real underworld movie and the cult of RGV is born. It has a cult following and the songs are perfectly perfect. Sapnon main milti hai and Goli Maro Bheje main have become eternal songs of Bollywood and of young Turks. 8/10.
2. LOC Kargil (2003)
To be honest i dont know why this movie failed to win accolades. Its a great movie and a tribute to the heroes of Kargil war. Its a mother of all multi starrer and i dont believe that the sheer intensity of war fare can ever be surprassed. Manoj Bajpayi, Ajay Devgan, Ashutosh Rana and Sudesh Beri acted brilliantly. Ek Sathi aur bhi tha and Tu jahan bhi rahe are good numbers. I have seen this movie 6 times. 7/10.
3. New York (2009)
A good concept, good looking actors, nice dresses but film a real loser. I was expecting a better show from Kabir Khan after his Chak De India but now he seems to me as a One film wonder. Irfan Khan is the only positive point. 5/10.
4. Waqt (1965)
A typical pre 1991 bollywood movie. 3 brothers lost in their childhood by a calamity and joined by another calamity. A good time pass if you like Rajkumar's one liner. 7/10.

The world this week (3rd August- 9th August)

This week was an academic week for me and i learned few things about Human settlements. I am in the last leg of Majid Hussain's Human Geography. I saw quite a few movies and ended my Saturday with a get together with the old Amigos.

Movies
1. Garam Hawa (1973)
One of the last movies of legendary Balraj Sahni. A great actor who epitomized farmers and working class and glorified Indian cinema by giving Kabuliwala and Do Bigha Jamin. This story is about a middle class Muslim family caught up on the wromg side of the history after 1947 ghastly partition. The second half is bit boring but the legend of Kaifi Azmi still rules. 8/10.

2. Sehar (2005)
A young police officer fights against the organized crime in Uttar Pradesh. He leads a team of committed police officers to seek and destroy the criminals. Rajendra Gupta acted brilliantly. 7.5/10.

3. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
A multi starrer sci-fi thriller about human civilization living inside earth when the entire human civilization above it was destroyed by a dangerous virus. Bruce Willis was sent from future to seek and destroy the virus so that earth can be saved. Brat Pitt is in surprise package and some times he is strong enough to beat Johny Depp of "Pirates ....." fame hands down. 7/10.

4. In the heat of night (1967)
A common plot exploited beautifully. An African-American investigates a murder of a millionaire in a race sensitive town. Sydney Poitier acted brilliantly. Race does not define you, its you who define race. 8/10.

Signing off till i write again.

The world this week (27July- 2 August)

Yet another feather in my cap and yet another step towards my 2011 goal. I passed this week reading approaches of Human geography, race and population theories.

Movies:
1. Machinist (2004)
Yet another Christian Bale flick but this time its about psychological thriller. Bale was extremely thin and insomniac in this movie. "If he was more thinner, he would not exist". Good movie with lot of darkness. 7/10
2. Children of Men (2006)
IMBD rating rates it in all time top 250 movies but for me its an extremely over hyped movie. Clive Owen and Michael Caine acted brilliantly but the movie is less than their sum. 5/10.

News:
Manmohan singh defended his Sharm -el Sheikh statement with Pakistan in Lok Sabha without any logic. It was a lecture on all the past failures of Indian government's inalienable right of the appeasement of Pakistan. Unfortunately those terrorists don't kill MPs or ministers, they kill the common man.
England is giving a commendable thrashing to the haughty Australian team and i am loving every bit of it. God saves the queen.
Happy friendship day to all of you. God bless you.

The world this week (20 - 26 July)

Movies:
1. Terminator salvation (2009)
Being a Christian Bale film, i was expecting a lot from this movie. This movie is a combination of all the cliches found in almost all the sci-fic movies. Judgment Day still rules and this latest sequel is not even a smallest temple of the cult. This is Neeraj Jadaun and if you are reading this then don't be a part of the Resistance ;). 6/10.
2. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Yet another film of the legends, this time Christian Bale meets Russel Crowe in a western flick. Worth watching to see Crowe and Bale reviving the magic of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. 8/10.

3. The office (2001)
Its the original BBC series and quite funny as well. But i will still prefer Michael Scott over David Brent and Jim over Tim. Anyways a funny time pass. 7/10.

This week also got a rare chance to meet the cast of Abhimanyu movie (it was shot at Kormangala and M.G. Road in Bangalore) courtesy my childhood friend Amar Kaushik who has now become Asistant Director and working with the likes of Anurag Kashyap and Onirab. I found Sanjay Suri a very humble, polite and friendly person and we discussed few things about Indian IT industry and the weather of Bangalore. On the other hand Onir was bit reserved during that meet. Anyways a good rendezvous with Bollywood and my old friend.

News:
We are celebrating the 10th year of our "victory" in the Kargil war against the Pakistan and Mujaheddin. They died for strangers and we are those strangers. I have few words of advice from John Buchan to Dr. Manmohan Singh "The hasty reformer who forgets the past is condemned to repeat it".
We are now nuclear submarine capable nation. Its a proud achievment of DRDO and BARC combined together. Time will tell how INS Arihant fare against the odds.
Signing off for now. See you next week or may be in between. Stay healthy, stay hungry and stay foolish.

The world this week (13 - 19 July)

This has been quite a week and has some thing different it. This is the first week after so many weeks that went without watching a single movie and so the quest for an unknown is on with full vigor. Aviral came to Bangalore after his term break only to leave today to his "divinely" inspired mission and Meha gave me a brilliant shirt and hopefully i will try that tomorrow. My relationship with Pratiksha is going at a very steep slope and i am enjoying every passing moment with her.

On the international front, India again sold her self out to the dangerous Pakistan (at Sharm-el-Sheikh resort close to Red sea on the sidelines of 15th NAM summit) and i dont know how many times we will try to broke a deal with "nonbeliever" Pakistan. I have seen myself so many times we tried only to be attacked on a higher pane. There are two issues between Pakistan and India:
1. Issue of Kashmir
I think the only solution for the issue of Kashmir is to hold a plebiscite in each and every district of Jammu and Kashmir (including the so called POK) with three options: to accede to India, Pakistan or to remain Independent. The fate of each district should then be decided on this plebiscite. In order to make continuous boundary, population should be transferred without repeating mistakes of genocidal partition of 1947.
2. Issue of Afghanistan
India's every increasing presence on the border of Pakistan (i.e. in Afghanistan) is making things precarious of Pakistan and no defence strategist can deny this. Pakistan should understand that India has every right to make any relation with Afghanistan and before blaming India on security concerns Pakistan should try to think about her relationship with China on top of Kashmir. India is just give a fitting reply to the grand and ominous relation of Pak and China this time.

On the cricket front, Australia is trying hard to lose this Ashes and no one will be more happier than me.

.

The world this week (6 - 12 July)

Guys, I have toned down my movies marathon as well the reading of books by a byte. I have become worldly man these days :).
This week has been a phenomenal week and all sorts of things happened, started with the ban of ENR items by the G-8 to Non NPT countries including Madar-e-Vatan and ended with a bang from Monty Paneshar, Anderson and Collingwood. The Ashes is back.

Movies
1. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008)
I rarely watch new Hindi movie by my own unless recommended by my friends. This movie was recommended by Saugi and Meha. I did enjoy the movie but some times i felt bored and the story was too sluggish at times. Anyways a nice flick. 6/10.
2. American Gangster (2007)
The quality of Denzel Washington in carrying any role with perfection is now becoming a legend in itself. He carries role so comfortably that it looks that he is that guy in his real life as well. This movie is about Heroine trade in New York and its breakdown by Russel Crowe and his anti Narcotics team . I was expecting some retaliation from Gangster Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington) when he was robbed. Anyways an enthralling flick. My Man. 7.5/10.

Ashes 2009
The last day of the first match of Ashes 2009 ended with tight finish and it was the genius of Paul Collingwood and the perseverance of Monty Paneshar and James Anderson that saved England from the blushes.

Homosexualism: Is it against nature?

Well, in first place i do not have any strong opinion about gay, lesbian sexual preferences but still i feel that the Delhi high court judgment was quite appropriate and its conforming to the founding principles of our modern country. On the other hand i dont like the way homosexuals are waging their battle against the so called "tyranny of majority community". By doing this they are alienating a majority community against themselves. There has to be gradual process to understand the "social", "emotional" and "sexual preference based discrimination" they face in our society. As far as i am concerned for me that type of relationship is a dirty relationship and its against the natural law of reproduction and if adopted by all it may practically extinct the human race as we know. On the other hand if we talk about absolute freedom then we can say that this type of relationship should be legalized but as they say for the greater good of mankind if minority has to die then so b it.

I have read in many placed and mostly in the "campaign" by Times of India et al that Indian culture has some inclination towards this relationship and to prove that they take very immature and trivial examples. Forget our "elite" that lives in big metros if you in villages you will be amazed to see that this type of relationship is not known there. Now lets talk about history a bit, so far as i have read and known i dont remember any single historical figure who was homosexual. Homosexuality in India came from the Turks. Allauddin Khilji is the most celebrated homosexual in our entire history. His relationship with his Commander in Chief Malik Kafur was very well documented. He may have followed by few other kings but in a general sense this type was condemned by all the sections of Indian society.

Now i will talk about my personal experience with that type of guy. I was returning from my summer training in IIT Kharagpur with my friend Manu Sharma in a train. This guy from "Times of India" was sitting next to me in sleeper class compartment. He made few moves towards me and he tried to seduce me. I was caught off-guard and i was scared like anything and i changed my place to Manu's compartment. I was very very scared at that moment. If we legalize this type of relationship then sexual anarchy (apart from the rape of woman) wont be a distant idea.

Book Review [25] : Dreams From My Father

Barrack Obama's Dreams from my father is a beautiful autobiographical work and it encompasses his life till his political career starts. He was born as an African-American and spent his childhood in Hawaii as well as in Indonesia and by doing this he came to know about various faiths. The real quality of this work is non-superficiality and for this Obama should be commended. At many a times while reading this book, my thoughts were moving through my village. In a way this story is also a story of my village, the black suburb of Chicago and black people now look so close to me. A must read book for those who wants to know Obama's inheritance a real audacity of hope. I feel too nostalgic about my Papa. 

Recommended (7/10)

P.S. Amir Khan after marrying Kiran Rao famously stated "Love can happen innumerable times". Now i feel that he had stolen my words.

The world this week (22 - 28 June)

Back to the office reality and a lot of work, some times i think to shed all this stuff and move around like a roaming gypsy, anyways these are my wildest dreams subject to random spirit of mine.

Movies
1. Inside Man (2006)
Yet another Denzel Washington flick although not as good as The great debaters or Glory or Crimson Tide but still a good plot unearthed by him. Clive Owen (King Arthur fame) acted brilliantly. 7/10.
2. Serpico (1973)
Al Pacino portrays the real life of Officer Serpico who exposes the corruption in NYPD. A nice flick overall. 7/10.
3. Robinhood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
My favorite Kevin Costner literally has immortalized the legend of Robinhood. He acted in way that truly justifies Robinhood in flesh and blood. Legendary Morgan Freeman plays a Moor who helped his Christian rival after the battle of Jerusalem. 6.5/10.

Memorable week (15-21)

Last week, i entered in one of the most profound inventions of the entire human civilization. Finally i got engaged to a girl from Bundelkhand and from a Rajput family on 18th June. Her name is Prateeksha and she justified it fully by punctuating my Prateeksha. Lets see how this relationship develops. I miss my Papa badly, He was terribly excited about my marriage and engagement and now i am engaged but in his absence. I have some faith left in Gods and i wish they will allow my father to give me blessings and love.

Few good movies and a nice little break

For quite some time i have not seen any pseudo sci fic movie, Equilibrium comes as a cool breeze to past few weeks of sand dunes, loess and moraines.

Equilibrium (2002)
I have become a huge fan of Christian Bale after Prestige, Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Similar to Gotham city this movie is also about a dystopian city. In this city (Libria) emotions were rewarded with death sentence in order to save humanity from the final 4th World War. Cleric Christian Bale saves the "humanity" from such "Talibanised" society. 7/10.

Rescue Dawn (2006)
Yet another Christian Bale flick, this time he is in American Waterloo (Laos, Vietnam) saving his life and the "just cause" of America from the "Red Star". 5/10.

Vivah (2006)
One of the slowest and quietest movies, Its about the lost family values of Indians. I did not enjoy this movie to be very honest. 6/10.

I am going off this friday to my home so there will be a small hiatus in my blogs. England has failed to save her queen in todays match against RSA. I believe Dhoni and Co will be able to relive the magic of 1983 at Lords. Amen.

Book Review [24] : Interventions by Noam Chomsky

Just finished Interventions by Noam Chomsky, a series of articles on UN foreign policy post 9/11. He exposes brilliantly the double standards followed by US with respect to UN charter, NPT, or even an age old problem of Palestine and Israel. This is a must read book for anyone who wants to know the real picture of the world instead of the "reel" picture created by so called democratic west. He describes how US used forces to destroy democracies in Latin America and other places just to control their energy resources. Now Latin America is fostering its relations with China and Asia (Hugo Chavez leading from the front) giving US a cold shoulder, even Canada is tilting towards China. Coming generations will decide who was the greater terrorist George Bush or Osama bin Laden. 

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [23] : The Argumentative Indian and The world this week (1 - 7 June)

Quite a happening week has gone with the pre-monsoon showers. Finished Amartya Sen's The Agrumentative Indian in less than a day, watched one hell of a movie and bought a diamond ring of my would be other half with the help of a few good humanoids (Aviral et al).

Movie

Glomaal Returns (2008)

One of the worst movies seen by me in recent past. A huge wastage of talented actors like Ajay Devgan and Arshad Warsi. 3/10.

ICC T-20 World CupIndia has started her world cup campaign with a bang (thanks to a great cameo by Yuvraj and beautiful bowling by Ojha). I wish i can see Tricolor flying high at Lords. Amen.

The Argumentative Indian by Nobel Laureate Amarya Sen is a thought provoking book about various issues confronting the secular republic of India. Just like many others Intellectuals Sen has also condemned and vilified the idea of a Hindu nation or the ideology of Hindutva Brigade. Mr. Sen still lives in the world of Akbar and according to him there were only two Muslim kings the great Akbar (and he was great, I doo agree) and the bad Aurganzeb (I do agree). He simply forgets the wide broad geographical meaning of Hindu and i bet he knows it. "The hasty reformer who forgets the past is sure condemned to repeat it". Overall a good read. The essays on Indo-China ancient relations and on Ravindra Nath Tagore are very informative. But Dr. Sen suffers from a problem that is peculiar with a certain class - A person who is good in one thing starts believing that he is good in everything.
Recommended (7/10)

P.S. Aviral, Angel and Meha helped me a lot in buying a diamond ring for my would be fiancee Miss Pratiksha. Thanks a lot guys.

Book Review [22] : The Ultimate Hitchhiker's guide to galaxy

Douglas Adam's The Ultimate Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is an outrageous book magnifying or rather realizing the place earth occupies in f*king cosmos. Starts with a bang but finishes with a whimper. One sunny day Arthur Dent realizes that his house has to be demolished in order to make a bypass, same time some Bogons (read crap) destroys the earth in order to make a bypass in universe and thus starts an interesting trail circumscribed by the boundaries of infinite probability and nonsense logic.

To be honest i did not enjoy this book, its just a time pass not more than that. 

Time Pass (5/10)

The world this week (25 -31 May)

Yet another week has elapsed, universe continues to expand and i continue to make a giant waste out of my life. This is my 27th summer and today is my birthday. Truly engrossed in office work so did not get a chance to finish the current book (Hitchhiker guide to the galaxy). They say time flies, it was never so true.
Movies:
1. The Notebook (2004)
This movie comes with an air of rarity. Slow at times but the chemistry Ryan and Rachel is awesome. To be honest i don't have a knack of appreciating love stories. I have started watching them because of few very good suggestions from my friend Meha. The tryst continues. 7/10.
2. The Prestige (2006)
After Dark Knight and Batman Begins, i became an ardent fan of Christian Bale. Many people in my team call me Bruce Wayne ;). This movie has an awesome ensemble, with Michael Caine, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman. The story is so enthralling that you will get your breathe away. "are you watching closely?". 9/10.
3. The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
Inspector Clouseau has become very intelligent and thus it destroys the cult created by Peter Sellers. Aishwarya Rai did a horrendous job with her role. I was expecting some good act but it was just lip reading. 6/10.

Racist attacks on Indian students in Australia
I am appalled after reading a lot about various attacks on Indian students in Australia. Indian students go there not on Australian money but of their own so by giving education Australia is not giving any favour. Its just giving service for money. I don't know why after Sydney 2008, i have started hating Australians.

Talk Instead
Its a venture on the lines of ted talk (if some one refutes then i may possibly agree) by my friend Shobhit (MBA from IIM Bangalore after B. Tech in Computer Science from ITBHU). It had its first event on 30th May. It was quite a successful event but i reckon its going to have a tough times ahead as we Indians have yet not developed the habit of spending money on talks. Let see how Shobhit changes it.

The world this week (18-24 May)

What a week it was and what a team Deccan Chargers and what an IPL final? It was a great showdown of the giants of world cricket and finally it was the cool of R. P. Singh who sealed the match for Chargers. My favourite team finally won (although my other team Mumbai Indians lost). You can not win a big match without significant contribution from Rahul Dravid or Kallis. Utthapa and Kohli are just kids. Kumble has been a phenomenon this IPL and its a fitting reply from the aging warlord to Dr. "Kingfisher" Mallya.
Congratulations Deccan chargers for the superb show this IPL. Well played Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan.

Movies:
1. The Ten Commandments (1956)
Its the story of Prophet Moses and one of the most important icons of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Charlton heston acted superbly but i was scared by the portrayal of the unforgiving God of Moses. 7.5/10.
2. The last Legion (2007)
Its movie about the dying spirit of the Roman empire and its a precursor of the legend of Arthur and Excalibur. Aishwarya Rai plays a great role of an Indian soldier and it was heartening to see an Indian woman fighting and killing German Goths quite convincingly. It was a great titillating scene to watch Aish rising from the sea. The only difference between Bond Girl of Dr. No and Aish was bikini. 6/10.
3. To kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Its a great movie. The first half shows childish adventures while the second half is really a Gregory Peck show. Fighting for the right of Nigger in the first half of the 20th century was indeed a task comparable only to the Moses parting of Red sea. 8/10.
4. The Great Debaters (2007)
I became a big fan of Denzel Washington after watching his Crimson Tide and Glory. This movie is another feather to his glittering career. Set in 1930's this movie is a tribute to the precarious condition of Negroes in USA. The last debate on Gandhi's method of civil disobedience is simply too good. 9/10.
5. Delhi 6 (2009)
Best Bollywood movie of this year. Climax could have been better. Abhishek Bacchan acted briliantly and Sonam Kapoor was refreshing like the cool sunday breezer on Koalum beach. 8/10.

Super Sunday is over, over to the Monday blues now.

Book Review [21] : From Romulus to Romulus Augustus - The Rise and fall of an Empire

Just finished the epic 1000 years old story of Roman Empire from its legendary foundation by Aeneas, Romulus and finally its dissolution by Germanic tribes in 476 AD. Ancient Rome by Simon Baker is a great insight in the hearts of the ancient Roman Empire. Roman Empire had seen many heroes from the very beginning, Trojan Aeneas followed by fratricide committer Romulus, followed by the foundation of Roman Republic in early 6th Century BC, Scipio, Tiberius Gracchus, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Mark Antonius, Octavian, Vespasian, Titius, Nero, Trajan, Hadrian and finally Christian Constantine.

The age of Julius Caesar saw the great personalities sharing the senate at the same time, although immortalized by Shakespeare nonetheless they were simply great. No one can forget the great Republicans in Cicero, Cato and Brutus, ferocious leaders in Pompey, Caesar and Antony and intelligent politician in Octavian. The politician in Octavian wins the final battle of the republic and thus he converts the republic into a monarchy with Himself as the first emperor. His reign coincided with the birth of great Saint of Nazareth. Romans, who took great pride in calling themselves civilized destroyed the civilization of Carthage and Romania to dust, sacked the temple of Jerusalem, massacred the Gauls and Germans just for the elusive concept of "Pax Romana".

In few words "Rome was the greatest civilization in terms of military power. They were ruthless and almost monomaniac in their approach. Entire world lives with the Roman legacy. We follow the same calendar, same terminology, same architecture (at least in western countries), although India lost her huge cotton textile market in the form of Roman "Toga"."

Highly Recommended (8/10)

P.S. I am playing Cricinfo fantasy cricket IPL and my rank is 2348 out of almost 60 or 70 thousand teams. Its a very interesting game. Play it to kill some time. Enjoy the final stage of IPL. Gilchrist was too good today for both Sehwag and Gambhir. I started the IPL with two favourites Deccan and Mumbai. Its good to see one in final.

The week rounds up (11-17 May)

From today onwards i will try to post a report of the crimes committed my me per week. Lets start now:

Movies
This week i was mostly engrossed with the movies based on Roam empire. From Hannibal to commodus via Caesar.
1. Gladiator (2000)
Epic drama depicting the beginning of the fall of great Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius wanted to restore the Roam Republic via ousting the encumber heir Commodus (his son) through Spanish-Roman general Maximum Decimus (played by Russel Crowe). He was undone by his son. Maximus was condemned. He came from almost no where to murder Commodus in gladiator arena and to restore the republic. He had to pay the price with his family including his life. 8/10.

2. The fall of the Roman empire (1964)
A mutli starrer movie involving Christopher Pummel, Sofia Loren, Omar Sharif, Alec Guiness etc. The story goes almost parallel to the Gladiator movie. This movie renders how the corruption has started to corrupt the life of the Roman Senate after Marcus Aurelius. Its a must watch for acting, dialogues and battle scenes. 8/10.

3. Hannibal (2006)
Its a low profile movie based on the life of the greatest General of Carthage, Hannibal. He was the first to cross the Alps and to attack Roma from the east. He defeated advanced Romans thrice on their soils killing almost all the Senators and ruling elite. He was distracted by the internal politics of Carthage and was thus not able to exterminate Rome. After getting the much needed breathing space, Romans annhilated the Carthagians in the 2nd Punic war at the battle of Zama in 202 BC. Hannibal died in peace 19 years later. Academically its a good movie but war scenes are modest. 5/10.

4. Julius Caesar (2002)
Its a biography of the greatest General of Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar. They say power corrupts slowly and absolute power corrupts absolutely, it was never true than in the case of Julius Caesar who destroyed the 500 years old "Roman Republic" by defeating Roman senate led by Cato and Pompey the Great in 48 BC. Brutus (my personal favourite) tried to save the republic and in doing so he gifted it to the likes of Marcus Antonius and Octavius Caesar. Its worth watching. 8/10.

Politics


IPL
This week has been a thunderous week as far as IPL is concerned. Almost every match was as thrilling as it can be. I have become a huge fan of Rohit Sharma. He played two glorious innings.

Book Review [20] : Warrior of Rome: Fire in the East

Warrior of Rome: Fire in the East by Harry Sidebottom is an interesting saga of a German "barbarian" and a Roman General "Ballista" in the middle east. He was appointed by the Roman Emperor to defend Arete, an eastern most city of the reign against the "barbaric' hordes of Arabs, Indians, Shakas and Aryans led by Shapur, Sassanid King of Persia in the middle of 3rd century AD.

He brilliantly defends the city of Arete against all the heavy siege machines and mine works despite of the fact that he had roughly 1000 men under his command against the 50,000 odd strong Persian forces. Finally, he was undone by the treacherous Christians who opened the gates for the Persians. He had to flee the battlefield with his entourage in melancholy and grief.

Harry Sidebottom thinks that Romans were the only civilized people in the world while the entire Asia and northern Europe was Barbaric. Romans fought for the freedom while Asians fought for the plunder. What a joke Mr. Sidebottom? It was Rome that destroyed and eliminated the great Carthage, the great Romania and the great Jerusalem.

Its a great work of fiction and every penny worth (I destroyed 7.99 Pounds for this book). I bought few more books from England including the biography of Barrack Obama.  

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Clash of old warlords: Indians lost to the Royals

Stage was set for the two greatest players of last 20 years or so and they did not disappoint by any means. They painted on the IPL screen, one of the most memorable matches so far. Pendulum was swinging from one side to another and finally it was the reckless adventure of Mumbai's tailenders that gave the match to Royals on the platter.
Rajasthan dominated almost entire 3/4 th of the match save few overs when Sachin and Nayar were smashing the balls like anything and when Jayasurya and Indians halted the Rajasthan's progress in their slog overs. I did not want to see Mumbai Indians losing to Rajasthan but as they say who dare wins. Mumbai team panicked under the weigtht of mountainous team spirit of the royals. Royals have won me over too.

15 days of solitude in United Kingdom Part 2

And the last part goes:

1. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Yet another Clint Eastwood movie but this time the theme is prison break. A good time pass but it lacks the charisma of The Great Escape and The Shawshank Redemption. 6/10.

2.Kellys Heroes (1970)
Its a treasure hunt movie but the hunters are not the cowboys but the Allied soldiers in the 2nd world war. Acted in by Clint Eastwood and my favourite Donald Sutherland, this movie has everything to make it a great flick. "Dont hit me with the negative waves" is simply an awesome one liner by Donald Sutherland. 8.5/10.

3. King Arthur (2004)
I first saw this movie in college in 2004 and then numerous times at numerous places. But to watch this movie after seeing the infamous Hadrian walls and the legendary table of Arthur knights placed in Winchester, UK is simply glorious. The fight between the Artorius and the Saxons on shaky ice sheet is simple indescribable. 8/10.

4. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
One of the greatest movie inspired from the cold war. Its interesting to see an American hero created by Communists to wipe out the anti communists forces in US. 9/10.

5. Wanted (2008)
8/10 points for action.

6. 300 (2006)
A movie inspired by white race supremacy theory in the garb of freedom and rationalism. Asians were shown as barbarians compare to freedom loving and "all powerful" Spartans. I dont see any difference between the Xerces and Alexander of Macedon and yet Alexander is called "The Great" while Xerces is shown in the movie as a pervert and tyrrant. This is supreme Racism. When Greeks fight for their independence they are called greats and when they conquer foreign lands they are again called greats while Asians are called people without any culture.
If you want to check Indian Thermopylae check out this link, battle of saragarhi. Not many Indians know this. 7/10.