NH 44

The drive from Guwahati to Shillong, judging from my memories, has been quite pleasant. The ascent from the hot, humid plains to the hills through winding roads, the scent of cold misty air gushing in through the pulled down glass of the speeding vehicle, is an experience to behold. The leaves of trees keep growing smaller and smaller till spiky pine trees decorate the facade of the hills like green rippling curtains. One does come across human habitations, mainly small Khasi villages by the roadside, making a living out of business the commuting vehicles generate. The short statured, shawl clad, red-lipped betel leaf chewing inhabitants going about their daily business is a pleasant sight.Communicating has never been a problem. They speak their own unique dialect of Hindi, bearing the tone of their mother tongue; quite intelligible though.
About ten kilometers before entering Shillong, one drives along the most scenic stretch of the entire journey, along the Barapani reservoir. The placid waters, with the rays of the sun enmeshed, as if dancing with the ripples. Small islans jut out of the water here and there. One of the most picturesque spots one could encounter.
Sadly, things have changed now, as an aftermath of progress perhaps-the thrust towards development.Unknowingly, we are destroying the natural heritages that have lived on for ages. The four laning of the highway has led to excavations of the slopes running along the road. The amount of deforestation is simply heart rendering for anyone who has grown up plying these roads, admiring the beauty of the trees lining the driveway. The tiny hamlets that existed earlier have now been transformed into caverns of concrete. The carpet road which though a narrow one, was a pleasure to drive on, is replete with potholes.It has become nothing less than a nightmare. Adding to the woes are the traffic blockades being caused by the construction work. All in all, another jungle of concrete and malba is being created. Indeed, this is modernisation as some would call it, but i still prefer the same old drive that lingers on as a faint,fading memory.

Stained

Stained pieces of glass:
Red;
Remnants of the shattered past,
Lay scattered in my tainted memory.

Blood trickles out of torn veins,
As the pain hazes out
In doses of morphine
Soon, they wouldn't suffice.

The stench of old scum
Undulating heaps,
Never disintegrated in time.
They now choke the lungs.

Vision blurs in clouds of smoke;
My soul burning,
With all that remains:
As my human self succumbs.

The 2MP canvas...

The Slumdog Revolution!

A lot is being said and discussed about the latest Danny Boyle movie. In India we have discovered every rational reason to call it an Indian movie. Now the question that I bring up out here is whether this movie can really be called Indian?
If I say Yes my justification would be :
a.It is based on a novel by an Indian
b.It is based on Indian reality
c.All the actors and technicians are Indians
Well... reason enought to call it Indian.

But, I personally would say No, and I have good reason for that too. A movie is as good as its director. Actually, a movie is a canvas on which the director paints his ideas. This is a Danny Boyle movie and Danny Boyle definitely has portrayed the movie from a Bristish/Irish perspective. If a Madhur Bhandarkar or (better still) a Karan Johar were to make this movie, would it have been the same or would it have had the same impact? I seriously doubt. For example, in the movie, Danny builds the character of Jamaal as the movie progresses, which helps in making some of the little nuances more pronounce. In typical Bollywood movies, the movie begins with the characters/heroes, who end up stealing the limelight. The movies end up being all about the characters and nothing else. One would hardly find any subtle layer. Indian Bollywood movies stimulate emotions but not the grey cells, and that, I would say is what makes Slumdog Millionaire a Non-Indian film.
Slumdog is already there, and deep down inside I am sure the big guns of Bollywood would be saying, "Shit! We never looked at it this way." Now what? Now, I would expect a cinematic revolution of some sorts in Bollywood. The generation of movie watchers has changed. It is a new generation which can identify and appreciate sensible cinema, be it from anywhere. So, for a change, I would expect to see more movies being made, with the movie being the priority and not the moolah it rakes in. We can already see a beginning with so many art house(read small budget) movies coming out. Many of these small-budget movie actors are quite celebrated today-Rahul Bose, Konkona Sen Sharma, and many others. The revolution has already started; now it will gain pace. As for movie buffs like me, we'll get to watch good cinema :)

Making a Jodi with the Junta

There is a lot that I have been wanting to pen down in my month long stint at Mumabi but for now I shall restrict my self to the most recent experience here.

Time: Late Sunday evening(maybe night, if thats what 9:45 pm is for you)
Venue: Juhu PVR

And considering the date, you would have probably guessed it already. Rab ne Banaa di Jodi was quite different from all the SRK movies that we have witnessed so far. This time, for a change it was a lot closer to the Indian reality. There were lot of instances which looked like pages straight out of the life of a middle class man. There are so many people who could do whatever it takes to make someone else happy. A Surinder Sahni exists in every gully. I have not been following the reviews, but SRK according to me has evolved tremendously. He has managed to come out of his DDLJ/DTPH/KKHH template to bring out a Chak De and now this. I happened to watch one of his TV interviews before the release of the film and he seems to be be a lot more mature than he was during yester years and the thought that he puts into his filams these days clearly shows. After Rab Ne, SRK would have surely pulled many out of the AB club to his. Though Rab Ne was pretty much all about SRK, another person has managed to make his mark yet again. Vinay Pathak has always been one of the art-house bests and now, finally he has managed to find his deserving place in commercial cinema as well. Taani's role did not have much to it and so I don't think Anoushka Sharma deserves any special credit. Having said all that, the movie undoubtedly had the signature larger than life, mushy essence. But we can't expect an SRK art film, can we? We Indians are hopeless romantics and can easily relate to all the mush, and that is exactly why SRK is what he is. So, on the whole, the movie gets a thumbs up from me.
And as for the box-office, I'm sure it will do wonders.

The Clay Monster

He stepped out, triumphant having felled a Serbian giant, but a Swiss one and a bigger one at that waited for ambush. This is no alluring beginning to another middle earth story. But Roland Garros 2008 was no less. The women’s singles saw the emergence of two stars; Safina who was unseeded at the beginning of the tournament and went on to becoming the runners-up, brushing aside Maria Sharapova in the process, and Anna Ivanovic who topple quite a few greats to win the title and top the ATP rankings. Personally however, I do not find women’s tennis as attractive as the players themselves. Tennis for me has always been the men’s singles.
This year’s Roland Garros had Nadal as the pre tournament favorite, after he had won the ATP Masters. However, Federer enjoyed everyone’s support. Nadal, the king of clay was the only hurdle between the all time great and the coveted French Open title. And the hurdle had not been moved an inch for the past three years. If all went well, there would be a Nadal-Djokovic clash in the semis with Federer waiting for the victor in the finals. It takes little intelligence to guess whom Federer wanted to avoid. The Nadal-Djokovic semi final clash was luke warm as a contest. Nadal cruised through the first couple of sets, but Djokovic showed great nerve in the third, almost winning it. In the end, it was a Nadal- Federer finals yet again. Federer had not really cruised through the tournament if one looks at the score cards, but all those games were a preparation for the finals. He was trying it all out to see what worked for him. He would need all that experience.
The Finals: Nadal and Federer walk out, the audience support clearly in favor of Federer. Surprisingly, sitting on my couch I felt that the commentators too supported Federer. I just hoped Federer lived up to their expectations and made up an interesting finale. It was Nadal all through. Despite playing an aggressive game, just as what the doctor had prescribed, Federer was ousted by an unplayable Nadal. Federer committed far too many errors, probably reeling under pressure and ultimately, the final scores of 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 meant that the clay monster had crushed the Swiss giant.