Being away from India for more than a year and a half and I am beginning to miss the cultural ethos of amche Pune (jithe kay une). Ganpati is a great time in all of Maharashtra and the cultural capital Pune is the best place to enjoy it. With every nook and corner in the city having their own local ganpati mandal, and all competing with one another for putting up the best decorations the whole city is transformed into one vibrant celebration. Add to that the Pune festival with cultural programmes at Ganesh kala krida manch, the time of the year is not one to be missed.
Singapore Maharashtra Mandal has done its best this time to have a week long celebrations with daily puja aarti and prasad and a cultural programme over the weekend. The growing Maharashtrian Community in Singapore ensured a packed house for the cultural event yesterday in the Global Indian International School Auditorium. The theme was unity in diversity of India, showcasing dances from all over India, performed by School children. Noteworthy was the fusion of traditional dance with western which won the "once more" from the regaling audience.
Overall a very interesting programme.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Long Walk to Freedom
The last century the world over has been one of liberation from colonial rule. It is amazing that the small European nations ruled the entire world for more than 200 years, probably on the basis of their technological strength, which the industrial revolution brought in terms of superior arms and ammunition. One such story is of Nelson Mandela, described in his book, "Long walk to freedom". It reminds you of the story of hundreds of freedom fighters in India, who took on the route of armed fighting to achieve their goals. Majhi Janmatheph or "My imprisonment" by Savarkar is his account of solitary confinement in Andamans. In times when laws could be easily twisted to suit the colonial rules, Savarkar was caught on neutral territory in France while escaping from his captors and sentenced to life. He spent 15 years in Andaman, a place from where few returned. The hindi film on Savarkar shows the hardships he faced there.
While the world over countries became free post World War II, the Africaner white rulers of South Africa continued their policy of Apartheid, denying basic rights to the blacks in their own land. This led to a long struggle of the African National Congress (ANC) led by Mandela and others like Oliver Thombo and Walter Sisulu.
Like its title, the book is a particularly long read. Starting with his childhood in a traditional Xhosa community, his links to the Xhosa aristocracy, his relatively easy education, and his coming to Johannesburg, running away from his arranged marriage. In Johannesburg is where his political career is shaped gradually. Mandela is not too much taken in by the "moral high path" of non violence, to him the goal was to free the black man from years of injustice, and pave the way for a multiracial South Africa with equal rights for all. Convicted of treason and plotting sabotage, Mandela was sent to Robben Island prison along with other ANC top brass.
Mandela describes the pathetic conditions on Robben Island, where he spent more than twenty years. In spite of every effort by the rulers to break their morale, Mandela and team continued their struggle from within. For over twenty years they tried to keep the flame alive in their hearts. At the same they tried to keep in touch with the outside world to gauge where the struggle was going.
Mandela also highlights the pain and sacrifice suffered by his wife Winnie, in raising their children alone, at the same time being harnessed by the rulers.
In the whole book, Mandela comes out as a pragmatist and a moderate who took all the steps to achieve his dream and vision of a free South Africa. His policy of reconciliation probably also helped in the final negotiations to convince the white man that post freedom they would be safe in South Africa not be "thrown in the sea" as some people wished.
While the world over countries became free post World War II, the Africaner white rulers of South Africa continued their policy of Apartheid, denying basic rights to the blacks in their own land. This led to a long struggle of the African National Congress (ANC) led by Mandela and others like Oliver Thombo and Walter Sisulu.
Like its title, the book is a particularly long read. Starting with his childhood in a traditional Xhosa community, his links to the Xhosa aristocracy, his relatively easy education, and his coming to Johannesburg, running away from his arranged marriage. In Johannesburg is where his political career is shaped gradually. Mandela is not too much taken in by the "moral high path" of non violence, to him the goal was to free the black man from years of injustice, and pave the way for a multiracial South Africa with equal rights for all. Convicted of treason and plotting sabotage, Mandela was sent to Robben Island prison along with other ANC top brass.
Mandela describes the pathetic conditions on Robben Island, where he spent more than twenty years. In spite of every effort by the rulers to break their morale, Mandela and team continued their struggle from within. For over twenty years they tried to keep the flame alive in their hearts. At the same they tried to keep in touch with the outside world to gauge where the struggle was going.
Mandela also highlights the pain and sacrifice suffered by his wife Winnie, in raising their children alone, at the same time being harnessed by the rulers.
In the whole book, Mandela comes out as a pragmatist and a moderate who took all the steps to achieve his dream and vision of a free South Africa. His policy of reconciliation probably also helped in the final negotiations to convince the white man that post freedom they would be safe in South Africa not be "thrown in the sea" as some people wished.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tell me your dreams
What separates Hollywood from Bollywood is the breadth of subjects Hollywood can handle. The English movie industry is able to re invent itself time and again due to a continuous flow of new ideas. Especially when it comes to science fiction, it is amazing how differently they think. I remember back to the Future way back in school. Though the concept was not new, (Time Machine - HG Wells? ) it was presented in a way that was easily appreciated by the layman. The movie "Inception" is not as uncomplicated. During the movie I had a feeling , on many occasions, of getting "lost" in the fast pace of events.
Cobb (beautifully played by Leonardo di Caprio)is a thief in the world of industrial espionage. He "steals" ideas from people's minds in the state of dreams. That has left him on the run. He sees the picture of his dead wife, who he misses, appearing in his dreams as a "projection". His little children are far away. He wants to renounce all this and get back to a more normal life. Then comes a project that can be his chance of redemption. He needs to do something he has never done before..not to extract, but to plant an idea in the mind of another person.
Will he succeed ? Or will he be lost in the limbo.. a state where your mind switches the real world and the dream world, and takes the dream as reality ? Will his mind convince him to stay in the dream world in the company of his loving wife?
Inception can at times be overwhelming. The special effects created for the dream world are amazing but a bit unnerving. In the final stages you start wondering yourself whether this is real or just a dream !
Overall a very watchable movie..Like star wars .. it attempts to..Boldly go where no one has gone before!
Cobb (beautifully played by Leonardo di Caprio)is a thief in the world of industrial espionage. He "steals" ideas from people's minds in the state of dreams. That has left him on the run. He sees the picture of his dead wife, who he misses, appearing in his dreams as a "projection". His little children are far away. He wants to renounce all this and get back to a more normal life. Then comes a project that can be his chance of redemption. He needs to do something he has never done before..not to extract, but to plant an idea in the mind of another person.
Will he succeed ? Or will he be lost in the limbo.. a state where your mind switches the real world and the dream world, and takes the dream as reality ? Will his mind convince him to stay in the dream world in the company of his loving wife?
Inception can at times be overwhelming. The special effects created for the dream world are amazing but a bit unnerving. In the final stages you start wondering yourself whether this is real or just a dream !
Overall a very watchable movie..Like star wars .. it attempts to..Boldly go where no one has gone before!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Bhulenge Bhulenge
Time is the greatest healer, they say. With time, we may also forget the day we saw "milenge milenge" and almost came to "royenge royenge" for spending 30 dollars. And after the movie we were wondering if , at the late hour, taxi would be "milenge milenge" to take us home. Its all destiny, as the movie would like us to believe,(bad karma from past lives??) which brought us to watch this movie.
Priya (KK-Kareena Kapoor) and her friends chance to meet a tarot card reader (again KK - Kiran Kher) who predicts she we will meet her life partner in 7 days at 7 am and he would be wearing clothes of seven colours, in a foreign country on a sea shore. Phew. The power of seven(hum saat saat hain?)?? Priya is not scheduled to go abroad but her college decides to send her to bankgok at the last moment. So it happens with immy (Shahid kapoor- SK), son of the rich but eccentric Satish shah(SS).
Priya keeps a personal diary which she records the prediction of the tarot card reader, and her other likes and dislikes. In Bangkok, Immy gets hold of the diary, (Luck by Chance, or destiny ?) and also falls in love with her immy(diately). Love at first sight ! And then the wooing begins. Immy, a compulsive smoker and occasional drinker, pretends to be a teetotaler to impress his new found love. All is well, till Priya finds out ! Destiny again..
Priya and Immy part ways. While parting they put their telephone numbers on a Rs.50 note and a numerology book and then give both away. Priya believes that if they destined for each other, the note and book will come back to them. (Serendipity??)
And then the chase begins. Will they ever meet each other again? Watch the movie to find out even if you know the answer already!
If you like romantic comedies, you may fall in love with this one too. After all, to the logical mind, Sleepless in Seattle does not make much sense either. Besides, Kareena and shahid look great and the idyllic locations of Bangkok and other places adds glamour. The good part ends here. SS, is at his very average, Kiran Kher has not much role to play. Dialogues and direction could have been better, and with music from Himesh, you know what to expect. Oooooooooo! Picture abhi baki hain.. he reminds us from time to time..
It may take you not more than seven minutes and seven seconds to read this and change your destiny, but then as the movie tells you, you may wish to test destiny. Then destiny is bound to test you back and leave its scars.
Enjoy! All the best. Do publish your comments!
Priya (KK-Kareena Kapoor) and her friends chance to meet a tarot card reader (again KK - Kiran Kher) who predicts she we will meet her life partner in 7 days at 7 am and he would be wearing clothes of seven colours, in a foreign country on a sea shore. Phew. The power of seven(hum saat saat hain?)?? Priya is not scheduled to go abroad but her college decides to send her to bankgok at the last moment. So it happens with immy (Shahid kapoor- SK), son of the rich but eccentric Satish shah(SS).
Priya keeps a personal diary which she records the prediction of the tarot card reader, and her other likes and dislikes. In Bangkok, Immy gets hold of the diary, (Luck by Chance, or destiny ?) and also falls in love with her immy(diately). Love at first sight ! And then the wooing begins. Immy, a compulsive smoker and occasional drinker, pretends to be a teetotaler to impress his new found love. All is well, till Priya finds out ! Destiny again..
Priya and Immy part ways. While parting they put their telephone numbers on a Rs.50 note and a numerology book and then give both away. Priya believes that if they destined for each other, the note and book will come back to them. (Serendipity??)
And then the chase begins. Will they ever meet each other again? Watch the movie to find out even if you know the answer already!
If you like romantic comedies, you may fall in love with this one too. After all, to the logical mind, Sleepless in Seattle does not make much sense either. Besides, Kareena and shahid look great and the idyllic locations of Bangkok and other places adds glamour. The good part ends here. SS, is at his very average, Kiran Kher has not much role to play. Dialogues and direction could have been better, and with music from Himesh, you know what to expect. Oooooooooo! Picture abhi baki hain.. he reminds us from time to time..
It may take you not more than seven minutes and seven seconds to read this and change your destiny, but then as the movie tells you, you may wish to test destiny. Then destiny is bound to test you back and leave its scars.
Enjoy! All the best. Do publish your comments!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Marathi movies
Back the 1990s in school or college, I do not remember much going to the theatre to watch a marathi movie.Not that I am much of a movie buff, but we preferred the madhuri dixit or kajol starrer to the local stuff. Firstly marathi movies were as rare as the dodo and all seemed to have the same story.. lakhya (laxmikant berde) and ashok (ashok saraf one of the most prolic and versatile actors in marathi who later acted in many hindi films, although never in a lead role) playing the slap stick with not much of a story line..
Budgets were low, the movies did not run much (barring a few exceptions) and there was not much to remember about. Producers never made any money, the government subsidised to keep the industry alive.
Fast forward to 2009/2010, and we have a slew of releases making it big at the box office. Probably the entry of big names like Zee Talkies and UTV movies has something to do with it. The latest technology, big sets, impressive "packaging" and commendable scripts. Earlier multiplexes used to be reluctant, now we have movies running simultaneouly at many places.
I was surprised to see a hindi style "item girl song " in " Made in China" , a movie about the murky politics of SEZs being set up in the country along the lines of China. Good performances by Sandeep Kulkarni , madhura Velankar and others. It shows how the SEZ model which created jobs in China and boosted its production and exports many times, cannot be copy pasted to India. makes you think.
Another good one was "Harischandrachi factory", the story of the father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke. His made India's first cinema called Raja Harischandra. The movie shows his enterprising nature, his trip to England to learn the trade and the personal sacrifices made by him and his wife to achieve their goals. Played by Nandumadhav and Vibhavari Deshpande.
And then there was Mahesh Manjrekar's "Mi Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy". Mahesh, who has made a name in the Hindi film industry, exhorts Maharashtrians to shed their "thevile anate taishechi rahave" attitude and actively compete with others, especially in Mumbai, where Maharashtrians are falling behind in trade and industry. Through the medium of Shivaji Maharaj, who buit an empire from scratch, fighting mighty opponents like the Mughals, Manjrekar asks the marathi manoos to be bold, hard working and enterprising.
Well this is just the beginning, we are yet the see the real "Avataar" of marathi movies !
Budgets were low, the movies did not run much (barring a few exceptions) and there was not much to remember about. Producers never made any money, the government subsidised to keep the industry alive.
Fast forward to 2009/2010, and we have a slew of releases making it big at the box office. Probably the entry of big names like Zee Talkies and UTV movies has something to do with it. The latest technology, big sets, impressive "packaging" and commendable scripts. Earlier multiplexes used to be reluctant, now we have movies running simultaneouly at many places.
I was surprised to see a hindi style "item girl song " in " Made in China" , a movie about the murky politics of SEZs being set up in the country along the lines of China. Good performances by Sandeep Kulkarni , madhura Velankar and others. It shows how the SEZ model which created jobs in China and boosted its production and exports many times, cannot be copy pasted to India. makes you think.
Another good one was "Harischandrachi factory", the story of the father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke. His made India's first cinema called Raja Harischandra. The movie shows his enterprising nature, his trip to England to learn the trade and the personal sacrifices made by him and his wife to achieve their goals. Played by Nandumadhav and Vibhavari Deshpande.
And then there was Mahesh Manjrekar's "Mi Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy". Mahesh, who has made a name in the Hindi film industry, exhorts Maharashtrians to shed their "thevile anate taishechi rahave" attitude and actively compete with others, especially in Mumbai, where Maharashtrians are falling behind in trade and industry. Through the medium of Shivaji Maharaj, who buit an empire from scratch, fighting mighty opponents like the Mughals, Manjrekar asks the marathi manoos to be bold, hard working and enterprising.
Well this is just the beginning, we are yet the see the real "Avataar" of marathi movies !
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The heat is on..
The heat is on...
Its the Chinese new year and the city that never sleeps is actually closed for two full days. People are visiting each other to wish Gong Xi Fa Cai ! (Wish you a prosperous new year ahead!) and young people are happy to receive the Hong Bao (red packets containing cash) from elders. I myself received one from my boss .. and i also wished my Company well so that I receive a bigger pay packet too in the coming year! We had a lion dance in office with beating of drums.. which reminded of the ganpati celebrations back in Pune. In a way the customs are similar across Asia.. the importance of family and elders in Chinese life makes us think more of India than the more individualistic and freedom oriented values in the western world. Back in the sixties crackers were allowed to be burst in Singapore, but due to safety concerns (all of Singapore is densely populated, hence safety is paramount) they are no longer permitted, except in State sponsored shows celebrating the (Gregorian) New Year Eve and similar functions.
The heat is on.. with gambling and partying !
The twin Casinos and theme parks also had a soft launch coinciding with the new year and were flooded with visitors. The two Integrated resorts are expected to add around 4% to the Singapore GDP and offer tourists options(casino, universal studios theme park) that earlier existed probably did not exist in this part of the world.
The heat is on... for another reason .. the weather is getting really hot ! Temperatures are moderate only in Nov to Jan, and to somebody used to the pleasant climes of Pune, the hot and sultry weather is perhaps the only irritation in an otherwise fascinating country! Another reason to chill out to the places nearby .. like Bintan , Genting and Bali!
Happy new year!
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