Books: The Tradition

What is the definition of a good book? One that is grammatically correct, witty, meaningful? My definition – A good book is one you enjoy reading. Irrespective of the genre, the purpose of a book is to entertain. Reading a book frees you. The few hours that you spend immersed in the book takes you to a world unbound by worry. When I was in school, I enjoyed reading my Zoology text-book. The scientific names of plants, the arrangement of leaves on the stem (Phyllotaxy, I think), the classifications of flowers and trees everything was fascinating to me. I enjoyed the book so much that I kept it with me for 10 years. Every book offers a new experience.

Boring books can be interesting. Interesting books can be slow. Best-selling authors can write bad books. And an average writer can dish out an extraordinary book. Books are the basis for 3/4th of the movies. From “Gangs of New York” to “Slumdog Millionaire”, the source has always been a book. But don’t judge a book by its movie. The end result is never good.

Today, books do not stand on shelves. They are stored in drives. The traditional book-reading practice is fading fast. Kindles and iPads or any other tablets, though green and cheap, do not provide the same feeling while turning the pages of a book. I hate having to read a book online. It does not put me in a good mood and bores me after sometime. Holding the book in your hand and flipping through the pages is a much better way to read than just downloading and skimming through. Electronic media is perishable. They need battery life, warranty, protection from water, wind etc. Books are infinite.

Picture – Microsoft clip art.

The End Of Pain

With the release of Breaking Dawn:Part II there comes a new ray of sunshine. No more Twilight movies (hopefully). I haven’t seen the new one but my guess is there’s a lot of empty staring, breathing and long pauses with nothing relevant happening. Looking back at the movies here’s a summary of what these movies are all about. Here’s to celebrating the end of Twilight. Cheers.

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Movie Review: I Love You, Man (2009)

Movie: I Love You, Man

Year of Release: 2009

Language: English

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segal and Rashida Jones

Genre: Comedy

We all need a friend. That’s the message of this movie. When Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) proposes to his girlfriend Zooey Rice (Rashida Jones) he has no idea what’s in store for him. He’s a friendless guy who finds solace in watching HBO with Zooey. After he overhears Zooey and her friends discuss his friendless status he begins his search for a best man for his wedding and probably a best friend. After several unsuccessful meetings with different men (and some dates) he meets Sydney (Jason Segal) and he’s found his friend.

Simple and straightforward is the best way to describe the movie. It’s a pleasant relief from regular romantic comedies. This is a bromantic one. They are awkward, they share interests, they get angry at each other, they embarrass themselves and they still look out for each other. This movie never gets boring for me. So watch it because it’s all about that special friend you can always count on.

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Religion: An Advocate. A Victim

This past week two news stories caught my attention. Two deaths. What unites them? Religion. One fought for it and another died because of it. One could not be saved, another was refused survival. Here is their story.

Bal Thackeray (1926 – 2012):

Bal Thackeray was a cartoonist and politician who founded the “Shiv Sena” organization in India. The objective of the Shiv Sena is:

1. Ensure job priority to Marathis.
2. Deny jobs to anyone not Marathi-speaking.
3. Stop playing cricket with Pakistan.
4. Don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. 

Anyone who breaks these rules is either attacked or banned or labelled a traitor. Bal Thackeray was a Hindu leader. His conflicting views on Islam made him a Muslim-hater. Bollywood (*cough* Amitabh Bachchan) praised him. His followers worshipped him. His detractors criticized him and I ignored him. His views were not just controversial but were sewn with contradictions. He wanted India to unite under Hinduism but advocated for a separate Marathi state.

Today he is no more. The city of Mumbai is in mourning. It has shut down for the man who died in it’s arms. His funeral is conducted with State Honours. His funeral procession is huge. My suspicion; it’s probably the Shiv Sainiks and not the general Mumbai public. My association with him is limited to the newspaper and T.V. And I do not endorse any of his values. Advocating Hinduism is fine, but the means with which he chose to do it—by inducing hatred—is wrong. Hatred is never a medium to unite people. But he was one thing others are not. He was powerful and thus will be hailed as a fighter, a son of the country, a martyr.

Savita Halappanavar (1981 – 2012):

Thousands of people in Ireland have gathered in mourning for a woman who was unknown a few days ago. Why? Because she died. So what? She died because of negligence and ignorance.

Savita Halappanavar was a daughter, a wife and would-be mother. Fate intervened and she miscarried. Termination of the fetus was the only way to save Savita’s life. Unfortunately, her doctors did not share the same feeling. Her request to save her life was denied because the doctors were busy trying to uphold laws to save the fetus that was long dead.

They informed her that it’s a Catholic country and they cannot abort as long as the fetus was alive. In the end, neither the fetus nor Savita lived. She died at the hands of a law that respects the book rather than a human being.

In wake of her death, people came together to support her family and decried such laws that don’t uphold the right to live. Her death opened up the hearts of the few thousand who believed that she could have been saved. They were not Hindus or Christians or Jews or Jains or anything, they were people who mourned the loss of an innocent human being. They stand united to bring peace to her soul.

Religion as a standalone is meaningful and divine. Religion in the wrong hands, especially ignorant ones, is disaster. Where Bal Thackery united people with hatred, Savita united them with humanity.

Pictures: Bal Thackeray | Savita Halappanavar

The Average Life

This is how most of us live and Chris Guillebeau shows it to us. 

 

Artwork Zenpencils.com

The Downfall Of The “Actor”

Hindi cinema is evolving. But not necessarily for the better. Here actors are not actors; they aren’t even people. They are the manifestations of our dreams. They live the life we want. Their problems are our problems. Their failure is our failure. Today a movie is not about talent or acclaim, it is about creating a spectacle and earn money.

Indian movies are made for the masses. Not for the classes. The more stupid the movie is chances are it has the potential to become a success. And by success I mean it will make a lot of money. A sensible movie is categorized into “Parallel Cinema”. A mindless movie is termed “Blockbuster”. Movies are made to relieve stress not to honour talent. Movies are either remakes of South Indian films (Wanted, Rowdy Rathore, Bodyguard, Singham) or are sequels (Golmaal 2/3, Dabangg 2, Housefull 2). Originality has long been bid adieu.

Cinema employees are broadly classified into two:
Actors:

• They are knowledgeable about the art of acting.
• They take on projects that are challenging and different.
• They wear their characters’ mask and become them.
• They receive critical acclaim but are denied commercial success.

Stars:

• They know the producers, directors, distributors etc.
• They know that the camera thingamajiggy is the one that is pointed at them.
• They have makeup artists, vanity vans, a person to hold the umbrella during rains, a chair carrier, a person to fan them when their makeup starts drying, 2 assistants, 1 manager etc.
• They earn a bucket-load of cash for just showing up anywhere.
• They look the same in 90% of their movies.

What Hindi cinema needs is a makeover, for the better. Movies with a good plot, solid characters and sensible direction need to be encouraged rather than Stars and their brood.