the fountainhead
Suparn@’s blog
The Plot Highlights of the Film
The main highlight of the movie is the performance from the lead pair. Amitabh Bachchan has done a stupendous job as Vijay. It is amazing for a big celebrity actor like him to take on portraying a character that could be unpalatable to a majority of the Indian viewers. Though the character does not have a growth, he has acted it out brilliantly by understanding the character in its totality. However, my applause goes whole-heartedly for young Khan. Hers is clearly one of the best debut performances that Bollywood has witnessed. Varma has to be thanked for his new protégé. Khan has portrayed the character so effortlessly that in most of the scenes she matches the aplomb of veteran Bachchan. The supporting cast — Revathy, Nasser and Arya — has done full justice to their roles. Technical aspects are another noteworthy highlight of the film. The cinematography is top class. The beautiful locales of Munnar have been effectively portrayed in the movie. The background score by Amar Mohile provides good support to the narrative. The leisurely pace of the movie complements its beauty. Their have already been to much criticism about this film and there has been a concerted effort to ‘kill’ this film. However, I appreciate the film because it is a welcome change from the run-of-the-mill movies, or the Hollywood-clones from Bollywood. Even though the basic plot has similarities with Lolita, Nishabd is a unique attempt. For those who love experimental movies, Nishabd is worth a watch. Finally, a big thanks to Sahara FILMY for telecasting this movie yesterday in the evening. Atleast was better than watching the repetitive and boring analysis of the commentators of how and why it rained at Bangaluru and what would have happened of the match if it had not.
Nishabd was one of the much-anticipated films in Bollywood from the day it started to be filmed. This was mainly because of its daring theme and the man behind the camera — the maverick director Ram Gopal Varma. Now, after the release of the movie, if one were to ask, "Was the movie worth the hype?" I would say, yes. The reason is simple — it is an experimental film dealing with a bold, rather unusual theme, which we cannot relate to easily in our life. Further, Varma has done utmost justice to this theme.
The film is about the relationship between Vijay (played by Amitabh Bachchan) and Jiah (played by Jiah Khan). Vijay is a happy, married man living with his wife Amrita (played by Revathy). His life takes a turn when his daughter Ritu (played by Shradha Arya) brings along her friend Jiah to spend holidays together. Jiah is a very different girl with a ‘wild’ attitude towards the life. She finds a good companion in Vijay. The relationship between them blossoms to unforeseen heights. Finally, they both realise they are in love. The rest of the movie is all about how Vijay confronts this situation.
Is the cross at the bottom of the answer in a book, and the invitation for parental reprimand. Is scraped knees, chewed pencils, Pavlov’s dog’s dripping tongue. Is a transition and life-change. Is a woman. It is difficult to let go of dolls. It is easy to get a boyfriend. Is stolen, from lips, in the last row, while watching The Graduate. Is a memory, a smudge on a white shirt collar. Both are impossible to remove. Is the glow at the end of cannabis, annus mirabilis, real bliss. Is Jimi Hendrix’s guitar. And jubilation on Max Yasgur’s farm. That was a good year. Is lust. Is rage. Is it what stops a truck? It is. Is the child in Picasso and eccentricity in Dali. Not forgetting the madness in Van Gogh. Is the gift of grapes. That was also a very good year. Is the wrath of grapes. Is Munch’s scream. Is what will consume me, when I die.
Is the treat on top of the sundae, just waiting to be scooped. A shiny pennant, a medal, a prize. Giggling with girlfriends and trying on Mom’s lipstick is a good way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The desire to build a new world provides a motivation, which creates an The desire to create a change generates hope. A coercive force now starts its play. A linear bonding among people gets diversified into groups that form a network. In due time, a magnificent web of interlinked strata is formed within a community with its members sharing a common goal, a goal that is inspired by the original vision of the change sought by all. This is the beginning of a revolution. Time dictates the effectiveness of such revolutions. Many revolutions fade in due course, depending on the character of the elements attached. No matter how noble the vision of the revolution, its members also influence its course. For example, surrogate identities can implant confusion among its disciples, which could lead to the revolution being a failure. Social movements that defy all odds and survive the test of time have the vision and values embedded in them, in each of their elements. They bring about huge changes to mankind, are recorded by intellectuals, and go down in the annals of history as revolutions.
aura around us. Such a motivation leads to associations of like-minded souls and a bonding of intellectual artistry that hypnotises the lesser beings in the society. Such associations herald the beginning of a change.
I still remember how much I enjoyed those small delights — 25 paisa from dad every day fetched me five candies and an occasional 50 paisa or Re 1 made me feel richer than anybody on earth. I had time for everything and everybody then. And here I am now with access to almost everything I dreamt of as a kid, except the time to relish the same. Life has become so very compartmentalised, so very narrow that there are hardly any days that I remember when I actually lived my life fully. What kind of life is this? Perhaps there are thousands of people who feel like I do, who feel that they were missing out on something in life, but have no clue as to what it is! The best way out is perhaps to avoid falling into any routines, to keep rediscovering oneself regularly, dreaming about one’s newfound interests and ambitions. {Images are my own, clicked on my Mobile}
Where are those days when I used to crave for the regional language films shown on the national television every Sunday? What has become of those favourites of mine — Rangoli, Chitrahaar, Mahabharata and Mowgli? What happened to those irresistible thrills of slipping into the neighbour’s house just to catch a few glimpses of life on colour television by hoodwinking mom? Where are those days when I waited eagerly for an occasion to meet my relatives and friends? The smell of burning kerosene to give me a gratifying hot water bath, the redolence of the filter coffee, and those unforgettable melodies from old classics like China Town and Abhimaan — where have those golden days vanished?
A hundred years might seem like a long time, but it might just pass within a wink of the eye if one does not realise the importance of every moment. Perhaps, one has to become more and more greedy about one’s life to enjoy every minute of one’s stint on this planet. Somebody said, "Life is like a hot bath. It feels good while you’re in it, but the longer you stay in, the more wrinkled you get."
A CLASSY YET DOWN-TO-EARTH FILM The Story Ashok Ganguli (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) are complete strangers before their arranged marriage. Ashima thus leaves India for the first time to settle with her husband Ashok, a professor in New York. As years go by, Ashima gives birth to two children, a son, Gogol, and a daughter, Sonia. The son’s name, adopted from the last name of Ashok’s favourite author, Nikolai Gogol, the famous Russian writer, gets a good deal of attention in the film, with ironies, confusion and misunderstandings becoming a part of Gogol’s life and self-identity. The death of Nikhil’s (or Gogol’s) gentle father (Ashok) shakes him badly and brings him a lot closer to his mother. He eventually marries a Bengali girl Mousumi (whose parents also happen to be immigrants, much like Gogol’s). However, their marriage doesn’t last long due to Mousumi’s love affair with a previous boyfriend. Ashima returns to India, leaving Gogol in search of his identity and with the present given on the graduation day by his father: a book written by Nikolai Gogol. Highlights of the Film The film depicts the various nuances arising out of the cultural and social differences between the two countries (India and the US). Mira Nair has done it again! After Salaam Bombay, she has again proved herself as an excellent director, with her ability to give special attention to precise details of any subject or characters in the film. The film had a good opening too in the United States (where most of the film was shot). The film has a considerable number of Bengali dialogues (with English subtitles), which make it more realistic and interesting. The cinematography is superb and all actors in the film have done justice to their characters. Tabu and Irrfan Khan as Mrs and Mr Ganguli are a treat to watch. The film also depicts good scenes that highlight various differences in lifestyles and cultures of India (especially Kolkata) and the US. A must watch film for all.
Had the opportunity to watch this movie, hence sharing my thoughts with all IBIBO friends…
Essences are one of the many ways that nature offers us to create or maintain health. They contain the energy (also called vital force, life force, chi, or prana) of the flower, gem, place, animal, etc from which they are made. Put simply, Bach Flower Essences are medicines used to balance negative mental states and emotions. Each essence treats a specific negative emotional state by encouraging the corresponding positive quality that lies dormant within us. Bach Flower Essences / Remedies is named after Edward Bach, a highly respected English doctor, homeopath, pathologist and bacteriologist. He became dissatisfied with orthodox medicine and its concentration on isolated symptoms. Dr Bach came to believe that unhappiness and fear led to ill health, and that true healing meant arresting disease at its emotional source, before the physical symptoms appeared. With this in mind he sought a direct way of treating people by way of the emotions. He derived 38 remedies from the flowering parts of plants, bushes and trees. These liquid potions can be mixed together to formulate 293 million possible combinations; there is one to treat every possible negative mental state. To use, stock solutions are diluted in water and a few drops are taken. For fear, anxiety and worryWhite Chestnut — calms repetitive, worrying thoughts. Larch — for people who fear and expect failure. Agrimony — for people who worry in secret but hide their fears by making fun of it. Other fear and worry remedies: Vervain, Chicory, Gorse, Elm, Cerato, Impatient, Centaury, Walnut. Bach flower remedies for depression and hopeGentian — for a mild sense of despondency when something goes wrong and one feels like giving up. Gorse — for a deeper form of depression, when one gives up hope and has become cynical. Sweet Chestnut — for a deep despair, when we feel that there is no way out of our difficulties. Oak — for slow, steady, reliable people who never know when they are beaten. Mustard — when unhappiness strikes and we feel gloomy and depressed but there is no reason to justify these feelings. Willow — for self-pity and resentment. Other depression remedies: Agrimony, Chicory, Crab Apple, Elm, Honeysuckle, Pine, Star Of Bethlehem Bach flowers remedies for building self-confidenceLarch — for people who fail to put sustained effort into achieving success, helps to build self-worth and self-belief. Elm — helps temporary crisis of confidence in people. Crab Apple — for contaminated or unclean feelings, and helps people who dislike the way they look and the way they are. Pine — helps to cope with guilt. Other confidence building remedies: Agrimony, Centaury, Cerato, Cherry Plum, Gentian, Honeysuckle, Red Chestnut or Chicory, Scleranthus, Vine, Wild Oat. Bach flower remedies: When something happensRescue remedy — This is a crisis and emergency remedy, and the flower remedy equivalent of a first-aid kit when there is no time to consider other remedy choices. It contains five single remedies: Rock Rose, Clematis, Impatient, Star of Bethlehem and Cherry Plum. Rescue Cream — for bruises, bumps, scratches and different external trauma. Rock Rose — for extreme fear and terror. Sweet Chestnut — for great anguish and suffering. Star of Bethlehem — helps to cope with shock, loss and grief. Olive — helps us rest and rejuvenate, when we over-extend ourselves physically, emotionally or mentally. Chestnut Bud — helps us learn from our mistakes and those of others. Walnut — helps in times of change and whenever we need protection against outside influences. Relationship remediesWater Violet — when we feel aloof and cut off from other people and for self-sufficient people who can suffer from appearing proud and unapproachable. Impatiens — for people who lack patience and are always in hurry. Beech — helps us to see good in other people and stops us from criticising others. Vervain — to curtail over-enthusiasm. Holly — drives out negative emotions like hatred, spite, envy and suspicion. Vine — this brings out the best in strong and decisive people. Chicory — helps us to love unconditionally. Heather — gives us a perspective on our own troubles, so that we can see them in relation to other people’s needs. Centaury — helps us to set limits, to be able to help without being dominated, and say no when necessary. Bach flower remedies for action and inactionWalnut — helps us to move ahead on our own path. Olive — helps us in initiating interest when we are tired and action has to be taken. Hornbeam — to overcome lethargy. Cerato — when we doubt in our judgement. Scleranthus — helps us make up our minds and decide. Wild Oak — helps us decide. Clematis — helps us to ground ourselves when we daydream instead of acting. Honeysuckle — when we live in the past and not in the present. Gorse — when we give up hope. Larch — when we give up hope. Wild Rose — helps dissolve apathy and lack of interest in life. Selecting Bach flower remedies The recommendation for every day purposes is to take not more than six or seven remedies at the same time. Rescue Remedy is counted as one remedy. You can use one of the two basic methods when you want to mix them. {With active input from my dear dear friend Mousumi whose life revolves around what else but, flowers! Image is my own, clicked on my Mobile}
Bach remedies work very gently and have no side effects. They do not cause dramatic healing crises but slowly peel off the emotional layers, one at a time. The process is called "peeling the onion". They are even considered safe for pregnant women and small babies.
If used properly, they can give us an insight into who we really are. Here’s a low-down on some of the remedies.
Bach flower remedies for fear and worry
For fearRed Chestnut — when you worry and are anxious about the welfare of the loved ones. Mimulus — for any fear with a clear and identifiable cause. Rock Rose — for extreme terror (accident, violence). Aspen — for fear without a clear cause and to counteract vague feelings of foreboding. Cherry Plum — to stay on top of our emotions when we fear of losing control.
1. Find a trained flower essence consultant who can recommend remedies based on a questionnaire you fill in.
2. Find reference books about flower essences.
Aerobic exercises are movement-based exercises, such as walking or bicycling, which increase oxygen intake and make the heart pump the blood faster. The human body is like a complex machine that gets stronger and more efficient while adapting to a regular exercise programme based on aerobics. Aerobic exercises can help you live longer and healthier. They help activate your immune system and prepare it to fight off infection. People who exercise regularly are less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu. They also help to prevent and manage chronic health conditions. Combined with a healthy diet and appropriate strength training, aerobic exercise can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight as well. Aerobic exercise can also provide relief from depression and anxiety-related stress. Doing aerobics can be fun, with a range of activities to choose from: walking, swimming, bicycling, running, jogging, dancing and stair-climbing. Walking is a popular form of aerobic exercise. You can even benefit from the time spent doing routine activities such as gardening or housework. Health benefits Some of the benefits of a regular aerobic-based exercise programme are as follows: Doing aerobics regularly brings with it many other advantages. They make us feel better and enjoy life more. They increase stamina and reduce feelings of fatigue. For the elderly, they help in staying active and independent, and help prevent falls and consequent fractures. The wheelchair-bound can also undertake exercises that focus on the arms and shoulders. Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic exercises are good for all of us.
The pleasures of meeting face to face The pleasures of writing a letter The staccato bursts of email The pleasures of seeing The pleasures of a warm handshake
make the soul rejoice;
Modern life’s increasingly fast pace
makes that a rare choice!
are now quite unknown;
The modern harried jetsetter
believes in the phone!
is what is now heard;
And SMS on the mobile
moves the human herd!
a sentence perfect and complete;
The language with all its nuance
is all but deplete!
or a loving hug;
Are more and more being replaced
by the email bug!
On the outside, this looks like a simple and easy way to find your friends online, send messages to them and stay in touch. But a deeper look at it reveals amazing realities. It is leading to a radical social change. In fact many researchers and psychologists are busy studying the mindset behind online social networks and their growing popularity. Let us look at the situation as a scientist would. Taking help from the random graph theory, we know that if we take a set of nodes, like people, for instance, and link them randomly, we end up with a complex graph where anyone can reach anyone. In fact, the theory of six degrees of separation says anyone on this earth can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. On more general terms, being on a social networking site is almost like having another set of peers altogether. It also means gaining greater acquaintance with people you barely know otherwise. Also, applying the graph theory (and common sense), it seems that people having larger number of friends can grow their networks faster because it means so many more connections from each node. The growth of the network occurs due to sparsely linked clusters of people. Studies have been done on ‘strength of weak ties’ which basically imply that your two best friends will know each other well and similar connections would lead to higher ‘cohesion’ in the group, or in other words higher chances of interlinking of people and more people knowing each other. This is the basic idea behind what are called the ‘Friend of Friend’ connections. More importantly, these click-connections would eventually have everyone on the internet connected to everyone else. This would transform the way people think of cultures different from their own; leading to a more cohesive and tolerant world: a global village. Well, that does seem a little too far away right now; but it wouldn’t be surprising if companies start giving interview calls right away on an Orkut or a Friendster!
Recent times have witnessed a deluge of ‘social sites’ on the Internet. Many of you reading this are already happy members of some of these — Orkut, Del.icio.us, Flickr, Hi5, Friendster, Gazzag, Ibibo, Bigadda…the list is endless. These community-oriented websites are helping people across the globe find new friends and stay connected. Such is their popularity that another software revolution on the Internet has occurred, that of ‘social software’. Taking it to another level are websites like ‘Second Life’ — a 3D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents where people live alternate lives.
Hi5 to that!
Right from music competitions to losing weight and even cramming up celebrities in a house for days on end, the list of these shows just goes on and on. The participants of these shows are portrayed as extremely determined to win the first place for which the prize could be an unbelievable sum of money, an apartment, and / or a high-end model car! All this seems too rosy for anyone to resist. However, the quotient of reality in these made-to-look-so-real shows leaves the viewers puzzled. The shows hardly portray the true spirit of competition. They promote vandalism and backstabbing among fellow participants. I always wonder what it is that the viewers enjoy seeing when someone uses swear words for their fellow contestants. These are sometimes the main objective of some shows. A wonderful example would the recent Big Brother show controversy. The whole concept of the show mainly revolves around the celebrities, who are obviously from different backgrounds, sometimes even from a different race, all forced to live together for a month. The participants have to endure each other’s abusive language, erratic lifestyle, and deceit, and yet be patient and calm throughout this ordeal. What good does this show promote? Let’s consider another programme aired on Star TV – Voice of India, the music competition claiming to search for the ultimate voice of India! The indifferent behaviour of the judges towards the participants is really sad. In particular, the rude remarks made by singer Alka Yagnik to amateur singers are really discouraging and insulting. Every participant who has come to a certain level in that show has done so after competing with thousands and thousands of other capable participants. Each of them is a winner in some way. Rejection is an unavoidable element of life; it can be given in two ways. If it is given in such a harsh manner it will leave a scar on people’s minds forever. There are some judges, notably the singer Chitra in Vijay TV’s Airtel Super Singer, who make the whole elimination process dignified. Most of them, at least one judge per show are boorish and unfair. Elimination is a part of any competition, but in these reality shows the contestants are eliminated in the most dramatic manner, just for the purpose of increasing the TRPs. Mutual betrayal is an important element in most of the shows, where fellow participants usually vote out one person, sometimes for an unjustifiable reason. There are tears shed, with sad background music playing; eliminated contestants are made to look like victims, arousing sympathy! Most of the eliminations in reality are well planned and well enacted. Oh, I almost forgot the SMSes! The mobile service providers are probably the ones who benefit most by these reality shows. Viewers are asked to be part of eliminations by voting for their favourites. The person who gets the least number of votes must leave. But the credibility of this voting still remains mysterious. There has been an incident in a popular dance competition "Nach Baliye" aired on Star TV, where two participants were in trouble because they had acquired a large number of phone connections and handed them over to their relatives and friends to vote for them. The rates of these SMSes can be Rs6 or more, varying from one service provider to another. Ardent fans of these shows don’t mind spending a few rupees as long as they see their favourite contestant winning the prize money! Finally, after numerous elimination rounds, training and grooming sessions, one participant gets to taste victory and gets his or her ticket to fame. But for how long? Most of the winners of these talent search shows are usually in the news for their first break onto the music scene. They might go on singing a song or two, and after that, most go into oblivion. Their road to fame might have been easier, but staying in the limelight for long in a highly competitive industry is more difficult. Eventually, most of these talented youngsters fall by the wayside in this struggle. Their victory and rise to glory is forgotten. This proves that more than rising to fame the difficult part lies in sustaining it. But as for now, reality shows are a reality in our television world. And with more and more young and talented people wanting to make it ‘big’ at any cost, these shows are here to stay for some time. But we should keep in mind that reality bites as well! {Images have been sourced from the Internet}
The ever-increasing number of reality shows on television has been providing more than just entertainment for the masses. Now the dreams of ordinary people of making it ‘big’ someday suddenly seem, oh, so easy!