Joys of Motherhood - Part 2

Few months ago my maid walked up to me and said "I have missed my date" I have never been able to come up with an appropriate response to this statement. The first time I heard it was when I was 20 and an unmarried girl friend of mine said this on phone. I panicked but had no clue what to say. Thankfully the "date" arrived a little later simplifying lives for both of us.

My maid who is probably in her mid 20s (she can't tell how old she is) has a 4 year old boy and had once told me she doesn't want to have a second child. She even had tied up her tubes to that effect. But these things are not permanent solutions apparently Every 3 years you are supposed to re-do them to avoid infections ( I am not sure of this). She got it removed and was to go back and put in a fresh "copper-T" after a few days and she got pregnant in that 10 days! She didn't want to have that child. But her entire family said that having a second child would be the best way to reign in her wayward husband who spent all his money on god knows what!

She was in two minds. I asked her if she needed any sort of help. Although I didn't really want to complicate things for her by giving her gyaan. (Although had she been pregnant for 3rd time or something I'd probably have persuaded to think about this) But what I wasn't comprehending was how having another child would make a man responsible? He didn't do that when he got married nor with the first child...I am afraid this girl will end up taking care of both the children!

She decided to keep the child. But she wouldn't do any of the things that is said to be good for mother and child. She still skipped breakfast. Hardly had any supplements and nutrition was not even considered. If I try goading here she'd say "I didn't do any of this for my first child and he's fine." But what about her health? She's one skinny thing with no flesh anywhere. She just won't lsiten. Now she's 7 months pregnant and she still comes to work and cleans my house. My heart misses a beat everytime she picks up a bucket of water for mopping or she dives to pick up something on the floor. I can ask her not come for work. But that won't change anything she'll simply find another house! So all I can do for now is keep her here, give her as less work as possible. I can't feed her because she thinks anything tasty or healthy ought to be given to her son and not her. Even if I give her plenty she'll take it all for that boy. I get angry at how little she cares about herself. She won't even let someone pamper her at this most "special" time.

I am just hoping she has a safe delivery and a healthy baby. Of course V is very very worried that she's gonna be delivering in our living room because she has no intentions of taking off till her ninth month.

Joys of Motherhood - Part 1

Motherhood "they" tell is supposed to be the most joyous of moments in a woman's life. Past few months have however made me question it. I am putting up this 3 part series explaining how. Caution: These posts have been pending for a while and hence lot of venting is coming this way.

Right from the time I got married I was under severe pressure to produce an offspring. After 2 years of relentless harping everyone around decided that I hate children. The thought that somehow we might want to spend more time with each other never made sense to anyone. Anyways then came the dreaded number 30. On my birthday people called me to wish happy birthday and promptly ended the phone calls saying "you should think about having children at least now. you are not getting younger." Thank you really!

And guess what according to "science" the best age to procreate for a girl is between 20 & 25. Really? You mean to say I had missed the train simply by getting married at 25? The offsprings produced after the "best age" may not be of "best quality" a very sweet middle aged lady once told me. (I don't know who she is. She was traveling with me on a bus and this was the conversation.)

The docs around the town don't make it easier for you either. In case you decide to do the "right" thing and get a pre-conception counselling / tests. They automatically assume you are having trouble making a baby. Your files will have the dreaded word "primary infertility suspected" if you are married for more than a year (It won't matter if you tell them that you decided to have the baby just last week. They nod their heads and write what they want to). And if you are gullible enough they send you marching off to fertility clinics where they tell you things like you are not producing eggs or that you might have more of male hormones and hence they need to treat with the best of medicines. Which, needless to say are bloody expensive. More expensive than a holiday to to Maldives where you will have such a good time that you might actually come back with the "good news."

This story is true to more than one 30-year-old woman I know! The well meaning friends and family are just worried that you are not part of the "normal" society and goad you on. And the well meaning doctors of course take advantage of this paranoia and make cart loads of money. I mean what's the point of starting a family under such severe pressure? And not that they let you live your life once you actually get pregnant!

Randomness in life

32 months since I started this blog and 201 posts are out there. Didn't think I will keep posting like this when I started. Sure the initial fervour of posting isn't there but I still want to write, which I think is a good thing.

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16 years of school calendar takes a toll on you. I crave for some new action around June every year (beginning of the academic year remember?) There is a tendency to wind down action towards April/ May, October and December thanks to the annual holidays. And Feb - Mar has a senses of anxiety attached to it (Final exams).

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My pet project Just Femme has hit a road block. Lack of participation is as much a reason as lack of funds. Still trying to figure out how to work it out. Not ready to throw in the towel yet.

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This year 7 of my friends had babies. 4 girls and 3 boys. Last year 6 of my friends had babies 5 of them were girls. I am wondering about the ratio for the year 2009 :)

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I have been out of action for almost 2 months now. I can't even read! At other times this would drive me crazy. This time around I feel no such thing. Me n V are the only ones surprised by this though. V asks me almost every other day. You are sure you are ok with this? And surprisingly I am more than ok with it. Usually I am not very comfortable with people fussing about me either. But I am slowly getting used to it.

*****

Have you seen the movie Prem Pujari (1965)? It is one convoluted plot on patriotism. Seriously!

PS: At this time of the year I am very prone to randomness. Check out this post that was put up around the same time last year.

Mumbai Horror - the media circus

For the 3 days of the Mumbai Horror I couldn't stop watching TV. Initially I was shocked beyond words to turn it off and then it was why isn't it ending...how many people will lose lives, sort of thing that kept me staring at the TV. But through it all there was just one question - why are the top television journalists acting like headless chickens?

Some of the brilliant questions the journos were asking were beyond comprehension! They asked one of the Security officers (in charge of NSG I think) "Have you ever been in a situation as grave as this?" The man blinks and says well, no...we haven't seen anything like this. And Lo behold the next minute the ticker on the channel says "NSG: Never been in a situation like this"

Barkha Dutt, the beacon of Indian television journalism and the inspiration for all young things to come into the idiot box was at her brilliant best. She couldn't stop showing off her connection to the "sources" and the insensitive questions wouldn't stop coming. At one point she announced to us that a Pakistani Minister had called her directly and said Pakistan will do whatever it can to help us. I am wondering how come she didn't ask him why he didn't call his Indian counterpart to make it official. She wouldn't stop asking the relatives of hostages "How are you feeling?" or "you must be horrified..."

Yes it takes tremendous energy to do this kind of reporting and we appreciate your energy but would it be too much trouble to be a less dramatic and a little more balanced? Or is "balance" a word that is taught to you out of compulsion at journalism schools?

Arnab Goswami was the other guy lose his head on air. He was saying things that one hears at a discussion at a dinner table with his guests. That means a lot of guessing (Intelligent guesses at times if I may add) and say things like India should've beefed up security...really you think so? And his guests were Prahlad Kakkar and Arjun Rampal. Of course they were discussing national security with no more authority than I do. But since he's the only adult employed at Times Now...We just have to make do with him.

On Headlines Today Rahul Kanwal (who other wise is quite sane but I guess the whole thing got to him) was trying to hard show the anger of the country's people by shouting questions at politicians, trying to provoke them. HT's defence expert Shiv Aroor was giving us insights on what kind of chopper was being used airdrop commandos on to the Nariman House. The details included the make, the capaicity and the kind of arms that can carry or has. Is that the kind of information you reveal while the operation is going on at that moment?

There are tons and tons of mails / sms / blogs compalining about the media hoopla. In response to it there are some emails from the journalists saying it is easier criticise and one thing to be in the middle of all the action and there are restrictions. Yes we agree but then when you are on national television and practically everyone knows how much you are paid. So the least you can deliver is common sense added to your "knowledge." Is that too much to ask?

My favourite city...

Mumbai will always be Bombay in my head. Mumbai somehow never struck me; much like the new horribly spelt and pronounced Bengalooru doesn't ring a bell in my head.

Bombay was this magical city for me while growing up. One because the only person I knew who traveled often to Mumbai was Dad's friend Bhandari uncle and he always went in an aeroplane (Flight is a new word in my vocab). So the place that one can go only in an aeroplane has to have magical qualities right? The second reason was that my family is from Dakshina Kannada and anyone in the 70s and 80s who wanted to make it big (read rich) just simply escaped to Bombay (not Bangalore) and came back with suitcase full of expensive goodies in a few years. That sealed Bombay's magical qualities.

The song "yeh hai bombay meri jaan" always played from the old radio at grandfather's house just before going to bed and conjured happy thoughts.

Later when teenage hit me and I thought of being this independent woman who lived on her own terms, I always saw myself in a well appointed Flat in Bombay living all alone with great joy. Of course the Flat would definitely be facing the sea I told myself. All this when I had not even seen anything other than Bangalore, parts of Dakshina Kannada and bits of Mysore. I hadn't even seen a train up until I was 20 let alone travel! But well imagination doesn't have any boundaries does it?

Then of course reality took over and I forgot all about living in Bombay. Also, I realised I am a hardcore Bangalorean nothing enticed me enough to stay away from here too long. Then I met G2 who was from Kerala but was a HUUUGE (believe me she was) of Bombay and after college she started work there and told me all about the glory of the magical city. I decided I should at least visit the city. Though it wasn't until 2007 I managed this. And who better to show me around than G2. The four days I spent there is something I can never forget. We stayed near Colaba and I was thrilled to bits that I could walk down and see the sea! Was awestruck by Tajmahal hotel and it's lore. Went crazy over the Colaba Causeway shopping spree. Loved all the hangouts! Most of all I loved the fact that I felt secure in that city. I walked around the city all by myself by day and never once I felt I was in a strange city. But what sealed the deal was when G2 took me on a night safari of sorts across Bombay post midnight that ended in Marine Drive. I was awestruck at how many people including lots of women were there at that time. It was an exhilarating feeling to be by the sea at midnight with no male company and none was staring at us. I wasn't the least bit scared. I decided that if anyday I decide to move out of Bangalore, Bombay would be my first choice.

But all that changed on 26th November. My security blanket was breached. My safe haven was torn open. I feel like I have no place to go. I know this is nothing compared to what people went through first hand. But I am angry, grief stricken, lost....just plain angry!

What makes people do something so unthinkably cruel for no personal reason? I thought I could talk about the anger and frustration I felt once it was over. But I can't. It hurts to think of what they did to the people in my favourite city. My fear is we will forget all this and move on...carry on with our lives doing nothing about what happened. It hurts to think about it. It physically hurts.

What the?

My house is about to be flooded anytime now...All day we've waited for it. Now it has started raining again and there's general gloom. I've packed my precious books and some clothes on to the attic and waiting...waiting to get flooded.

I am cursing all those people who have made Bangalore a living hell by cutting off trees and constructing buildings on lakes, lake beds and every where else.

I am cursing my own people because we only curse at a time like this but tomorrow when the sun shines again we forget all about it and go on living...forgetting to take action...choosing not to vote.

Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh

Hoot Hoot Hoot :)

Twice in six months. In May this year I spotted this owl staring down at me from one of the palm trees at the IIM corridors (it sure does pay to stay back after class in the name of library references :) And then today it flew right across me on my own terrace! I don't get to see many birds around here mind you. There's just miles of concrete jungle how can there be birds? But then there it was flying right across me and I followed it to the closest dome. but it sensed me and flew to the neighbour's terrace. Then we stared at each other for long time before it slid away quietly into the darkness. My otherwise boring day was made :)

This was a barn owl. Once they lived amidst luscious foliage in the outskirts of the city but with our greed for roads and buildings we've pretty much wiped out their habitat. But these fellows aren't giving up easily. They have adapted to the concrete jungles and find high rise apartments very inviting. Sadly these fellows get killed or injured when they come and nest in the buildings owing to superstition. I am not much for superstition but how about the story that Owl is the official vehicle of Goddess Lakhsmi? She'd be more pleased with you if you let her "vaahana" survive than putting up a bronze owl on your door isn't it? Apparently there is a Bangalore Barn Owl Conservation Group do check it out.

Hmmm :)

I don't make too many plans in life. But I hate it when the few plans I make don't work out. I had exactly 3.5 plans for this year and nothing even took off till September!

Last few months (to be precise 7 months) have been the craziest, weirdest and at times even hopelessly depressing phase of my recent adulthood memory. At the beginning of September I was actually hoping that I would wake up the next morning and it would be 2009. (I know that wouldn't make the problems go away but at least it would be a brand new year.)

And then I had this epiphany that I was trying too hard at everything. It is always a problem when one tries too hard. But the problem is I cannot sometimes (err not being honest I know but what the heck it is my version of the story) let go till I am all twisted and exhausted. And then the breeze from the far away Bodhi Tree hits me and there is enlightenment---tadaaa like that!

Anyways, I gave up trying too hard (for now anyway) And life was looking up a little bit. And then something happened that might just make this year very special. It was one of the many things that was driving me up the wall and down the drain depending on the time of the day. From a year that was to be the worst in my recent memory to a year to be remembered for ever, I'd say I don't mind that at all :)

Aside: I am trying very hard to complete the book "You are here" by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan. And I cannot help wonder why I can't write a book and may be win a Pulitzer if not a Nobel. Sure I don't have a cat and I am not 25. But I am past 30 and know enough about cats, dogs and even some wild animals for a good measure. Not to forget the men I've known (In what way well you just have to wait for my book.) I will do review of this book the day I finish reading the darn book. I do want to finish reading it by 25 October because there is no way I am gonna pay fine for this book! Bad enough I have to pay 19 bucks for borrowing it.

Finally JF is up!

Hi Everyone,

Just Femme is back in a new avatar! We have new writers, new segments and an all new site.

Do check it out. And of course as always let us know, if you liked it or not!

JF Team is very grateful for all those who helped us with their ideas and suggestions in the past couple of months.

Go here to love it or hate it

Err...what was that?

Pollywood mein aapka aubhagat karte hain ji or Pollywood vich aapda swagath hain ji

The first sentence is the result of word to word translation from English to Punjabi online (did you know you have to pay if you have to translate entire sentences into Punjabi?) The second sentence is the sum total of the Punjabi I have learnt from watching Bollywood movies. Here are some more sentences I know.

Sadde naal ravange tho aish karoge
God Tussi Great ho
Chakde phatte
rab mainnu maaf kare
Gali de munde and sheher di kudiyaan
alu paratha aur sarson da saag and lassi malaiwala

Except for the last sentence everything else is from Bollywood. The last one is courtesy my friendly neighboorhood punjabi dhaba run by renjit chettan. Needless to say I don't know what most of those sentences mean (excpet for the last one of course) but the opening sentence of this post is meant to say "Welcome to Pollywood." I don't know if that's what it ultimately says.

Oh wait I do know what Chak De India means. (though still have no clue about the chak de phatte deal) When the movie released I was mighty confused as to why a hockey based movie is titled "forget it India." I honestly thought chak de means forget it. I assumed they were asking us to collectively forget about hockey (which we pretty much have but that's besides the point) Anyways while the whole world and its uncle was going ga ga over the movie, I happened to discuss it with some women journos at the press club. And there was one Delhiite (who's lived long enough in Bangalore to take offence to bad Masala Dosa at a certain darshini) enlightened me that chak de didn't mean forget it but buck up! That was a big Aha moment for me! The whole movie was put to perspective in that instant.

Let me tell you one more little story before I come to my point. Do you remember that horrendous movie called "Veer Zaara?" I was in Madurai back then and we invariably watched any movie that was running in "Maappillai Vinayagar" theatre every weekend (no movie ran for more than a week in that theatre) so one friday we went there and we saw veer zaara was running. Yes, they do run hindi movies sometimes, probably the only theatre that did so. And sometimes I don't blame them. The goddamn movie was bad, no doubt but to add insult to injury half of it was in Punjabi. I didn't understand most of what Amitabh was screaming. Neither did the other 13 people in the theatre or that Gujarati family of 19. (they were passing dabbas of dokhla, everytime they got bored of the movie and there was plenty of dokhlas that day). V was so furious that for the first time ever he was screaming in the theatre. "I didn't pay to watch a Punjabi movie!"

That was ok because the highest we paid for a ticket was Rs 30/- at Maappillai Vinayagar (I must be crazy to move out of that city you say?) But when we pay 170 - 250 and go to the theatre in Bangalore and end up not understanding the film; It is mighty pissing off to say the least.

I have nothing against Punjab or Punjabis. I love their parathas, lassi ,tandoori chicken and Bhangra. But just for that I have to learn the language? That is NOT FAIR. We don't hand out "learn Kannada in 90 minutes" along with every masala dosa we dish out, do we?

I was watching Bachna...recently and the part with Kunal Kapoor (he's delectable :) is entirely in Punjabi. In a theatre full of people only a handful were laughing, while the rest were wondering why the hell they were laughing. Yes, the script demanded it, he's a punjabi she's a punjabi all that I get. Then use your friggin money and put subtitles! Even the french put subtitles when they screen here.

Why is Punjabi the rage in Bollywood? A friend of mine thinks it is because of Manmohan Singh. I doubt that very much. Is it that Punjabi population is so high that only they watch it? Then make a punjabi movie with bollywood fellows no. Oh but that won't work. Remember how when Juhi Chawla acted in some Punjabi film with Gurdaas Mann they said her career in bollywood was over?

But then however huge the punjabi population is, it can't be more than Karnataka, Andhra, Maharashtra, Bihar and MP put together is it? (I am picking these states because I have first hand information that they most certainly watch a lot of hindi movies)

Even the Ads are in Punjabi these days! Have you seen the new Amir Khan ad of Tata Sky. I only understood Tata Sky from that ad. Guess that's the point eh? The essence matters. Language doesn't.

In that case, "Mittars, punjabis and des de munde" ("Friends, romans and country men" people c'mon) please shove off Bollywood and welcome to Pollywood.

Rab mainnu maaf kare!

Of Gadgets and Gender

Yeah you'll see that the title of the post makes sense when you read my post.

I wanted to buy a camcorder; since my knowledge of cameras is restricted to professional cameras, I had trouble zeroing in on the right model. All the specs of a camcorder sounded inadequate to me till someone reminded I won't make professional movies with them. Anyways after much research I had a shortlist. Usually all my shopping happens with V (when it is not girl stuff that is) but he was too busy this time so I took off on my own. The first place I went to is Chroma (Eva mall) and boy was I pissed off with their customer service!

Firstly I had to talk 3 guys to find out who knows enough about the camcorders and then that mighty ass was refusing to even answer any of my questions. The fellow knew nothing beyond was was written on a little piece of paper in front of each model. And he was just not interested in selling it to me! But when another guy came in and asked similar questions and the sales guy was all eager to answer them. Talk about gender bias! Just because it is a woman you assume that she knows nothing about gadgets? And she's doing time pass? What the...

This is not the first time I was shopping with them. I bought a printer from them (Star Bazaar, Koramangala) earlier. That time V was with me and I would ask all the questions and the guy would answer to V only. The funny thing is between V & me I am the one who's fond of gadgets and buys most of them. But hey I am a girl and I must be buying it because it is looking pretty on my kitchen shelf or may be because it is pink.

When will things change?

Since I had to buy the camcorder I decided to try another shop, this time went to Sony world on Koramangala inner ring road. And got answers to all the queries I had and bought one.

So there you Chroma fellows you lost a customer who spent more than 20k. I know you don't care about one customer but someday there'll be lots like me and if you don't check your attitude you will feel the pinch. Aaaah who am I kidding!

Today's philosophy

It is easier to be non-judgmental when you are younger. One believes in the goodness of people much more easily. One has seen so little of injustice that it is easy take things / people at face value. Hardly any heartbreaks when one is 15 or even 20...save for one odd little (ok big :) crush that didn't work.

To cut the long story short...I have become judgmental in most situations. Something that I am unable to come to terms with.

Complications of growing up!

Just Femme Diary

Ok so we have the template and the logo and the even writers. Now for the marketing part of it. I have never been a great success at convincing anyone about an idea which was not originally theirs. So marketing is going to be a HUUUUUUGE challenge.

There are some brilliant ideas that have come my way (some my own but mostly from well meaning experts) If only I was confident of pulling them off. There is also the "M" factor. I read somewhere that DNA launch in Bangalore has a budget of 20 cr! I have about 1000th of that budget :) So this should be fun!

And oh we need a female voice to do some bit of singing for an audio piece. I have no idea where to find them. Any of you can sing? Or know someone who can sing reasonably well? (exact words were "we don't need a Sunidhi Chauhan") do let me know.

I am going back to my creative thinking seat (in front of the idiot box)

The Coonoor Flower Show

I have missed the Bangalore flower show the last few years. And this time too I did. But then I made up for it in Coonoor. That place is a riot of flowers! And the flowers we pay 10s of rupees here are growing like weeds out there! Sigh....

Here are some of the beauties...

Many things

After a looong time we took a break and had a superb holiday in Coonoor. Great view, super fresh air, misty mornings, ginger tea, pepper rasam, hours of un interrupted reading, long walks in the drizzling rain. It couldn't have been better :)

I finished reading the mega novel kaanooru heggaDithi by Kuvempu in just 2 days. A feat unimaginable back at home! Even V, who's reading speed is one page a week, finished a book there!

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V & I have become ammavan and ammaayi over the weekend. It is amazing what the birth of a baby can do to a family. It mellows down people. Make the most unemotional of people joyous to no end. What is even more amazing to me though is how everyone claims the baby looks exactly like him or her!

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There was a time...not too long ago when I despised routine. I refused to do anything that was routine (excepting things related to hygiene let me assure you) But these days I find myself, putting things on a routine.

"Lets go for walks every morning"
"Lets call Ammumma every sunday evening"
"I will call mom every evening ar around 8"
"Lets fill our fridge every weekend"
"Lets plan a trip every 3 months or so"

I even plan ahead of most events! Something I can blame V for completely. He loves to plan. I had heard that after 7 years of marraige the couple become like each other. But I find myself changing while V is pretty much intact (I am sure he will disagree). Is that strange? or is it normal?

Just Femme Diary

It has been 3 months since we shut down Just Femme for revamping. The activities have been anything but slow at the backend! We've fixed up a date for the relaunch (which I won't commit to as yet :)

We have a brand new logo and a new template. A lot of enthusiastic writers. Some new, some old. Great new ideas. I am very happily surprised to see people being so enthusiastic about it. People I never knew before and people whom I barely know are happily offering to help in terms of content and ideas. Old friends and new are pitching in every way they can to help us out.

We still have a lot of loose ends. The foremost being the M factor, the money. We are still on a very tight budget. Hopefully that should change. But I am loving this starting from the scratch experience. So many lessons learnt everyday.

My new blog

I started another blog pustakada badanekaayi (or prosepaens for those who prefer an English name :)

In there I write about the books I have read / reading (like it or not is a different matter)

Do feel free to drop in, comment, agree and disagree :)

Staying on the subject of new blogs, V has started a blog too. This time he has promised to keep it alive :) So here's premiering VarmaTalkies

Random gyan

It is essential to have something to keep you busy. That way, one doesn't get the time to mope or pout when things go downhill.

"Why should I have to work for everything? It's like saying I don't deserve it!" Calvin said that of course, but works for me.

Where the hell is Matt?

This is most brilliant video I have seen! P sent it to me and I what a joy it is :)

I wish I had made the video!

See the video here it says it took 14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands.

For more about Matt the guy behind the video (and in front of the camera) go here

More blasts - this time in Ahmedabad

I have no words to describe the anger and frustration I feel about the Ahmedabad blasts. As of this morning 46 people have been killed! What on earth is the logic behind this mindlessness?

Only sane thing I did was to stay away from the damned news channels. I cannot be angry at more than one thing at a time!

A day amidst energy, enthusiasm and efficiency

I spent one full day 8am to 8 pm watching 17 stage plays! I was the judge along with two others at the Chirst College festival "Darpan 2008" of which theatre is one category. BOY, was I impressed. These days kids get so many opportunities and they sure make use of it very well. There was class in all the performances. There was absolutely no slapstick comedy and the production quality was very good. I just did not expect PUC and under graduate students to come with such a fascinating show.

Even the themes were very interesting. None were frivolous. There were 4 comedies and the rest were all very serious topics. - rape, communal problems, seven sins, media madness, war, partition, romance, underworld...it was all there.

The underworld play was based on Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar. Like a sequel to Sarkar Raj, they did a very slick job, I tell you! RGV should get the script from these kids :) I had agreed to be the judge very reluctantly, but I think it was a day well spent.

Of course we had trouble agreeing on who wins and who doesn't. The results will be announced in August. May be I'll write a review of the prize winning plays after that.

I also watched 3 street play performances (there were totally 10). Very good performances.

The blasts and the blasted TV

13 phone calls, 32 sms and 5 emails later, I know that all the people I was worried about are safe and sound. But the fact that V is still not home (stuck in traffic jam) and I can't reach his mobile at all is freaking me out.

My heart goes out to those caught in it all...9 blasts in a couple of hours. It killed 3 and injured about 15. They can call it low intensity but it is scary, nevertheless.

And I am mad at television channels because they don't seem to get the facts right. All the English channels didn't even get the names of the places right till 3 hours after...Audugidi & Sarjipura for Audugodi & Sarjapura. Since most people in Bangalore aren't localites, I have been getting questions about these locations!

The Kannada channel TV9's anchor was worth being lynched with his inane questions. Sample this, he's questioning some eyewitness on phone and he asks "Bangaloreans are not used to such things so how was it to hear the blast?" What the????

Then he also says that the bomb doesn't look like it was made by professionals (HUH???). And goes on to spew his theories...if they were professionals he says, they wouldn't put the bomb near the naala (this is near audugodi) where no one is bound to get injured. I wonder if he worked with the bomb squad before shifting to this glamorous profession of news reading!

Then they went off to Mallya hospital to question one of the guys who got injured. The guy's obviously shaken, he hasn't been bandaged fully yet, he's pressing cotton on to his right arm and there are 3 mikes thrust in his face!

All channels without exception were quite happy to speculate as to who put the bombs there. And all the usual suspects were named. Of course by evening they said this was not an international action but someone local was involved.

I agree there is a need to get the information, but why jump the gun when you have no clear information? And really please can you not think before you speak / ask questions? There are people watching you on live TV and hoping you know your jobs for godsake!

And what's wrong with the aam junta? Minutes after the blast, one would think that they would stay put at homes / offices where it is relatively safer. But there were 100s of people out to see what happened. Curiousity has brought them out, one reporter said. I don't get it.

Then of course the clincher, someone from the centre said, the last 2 blasts (now Bangalore and Jaipur 2 months ago) have happened in BJP led states! Apparently indicating the ineptitude of the party. Nice time to take potshots and the opposition.

I AM SO MAD!

Correction: Only 1 was killed and 8 injured in yesterday's blasts!

Realisation

This is fresh, just an hour old...I am incapable of doing one thing at a time! See, I always have been doing more than one thing at a time. Like reading 2 books together (no in a very logical way don't imagine crazy), or doing my job and studying, or having a huge fight with my other and at the same time writing long love notes. I've always done things like that. But now I fiddle with my phone when I am talking to people. I browse when I am watching TV. I read when I am watching TV. I am listening to music when I am cooking. I am constantly multi-tasking. Not a good thing eh!

Across the Vindhyas

This is something that I have long wanted to write. But I was very sure that I will not be able to give a "balanced" view. But I came across Truly Indian's post and I thought he put it across really well.

He says in his post "The first thing I have observed over these years is that the people* born and brought up in Northern India have no idea about the geography or the culture of the states located to the south of the tropic of cancer. We shall exclude Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Orissa from the debate since they lie on both sides of the tropic of cancer." Does that sound familiar? Read the rest here

I don't mean to spark off ill-feelings here. But this is something that does bother me.

Jaane Tu...What a joy!

There are movies and there are movies. This is true in all parts of the country where cinema is a such a big part of our lives. But with more than 900 films a year (in all languages on an average) that is produced, it is indeed extremely difficult find new subjects and give a unique film (a well made one at that). Bollywood isn't different from this either. But once in a while comes a movie that has a very regular love story(what else) but with intelligent people behind it in every aspect. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane na is one such film.

Let me start with the cast. I have not seen such a fantastic ensemble of talent in a Hindi film in a long long time. The friends of the protagonists are all refreshingly normal. Having the option of being characters that are real as opposed to props to boost the fantastic hero & heroine, they do the job really well. Then there are the parents. They are so real that they could be people from your own lives. Nasiruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Jayant Kriplani, Anooradha Patel (What a joy to see her again) have done a fabulous job. Nasiruddin as the father of Imran Khan in a portrait is finally back what he does the best - acting. No hamming up that is required of him in every other script that has come his way in the last 10 years at least! Ratna Pathak as Imran's mother is a delight. Her timing sense in delivering the lines is just superb. Her scenes with Nasiruddin and Paresh Rawal who plays inspector Wagmare are a feast to watch. Jayant & Anuradha play Genelia's parents. There is an ease with which these actors perform, which I think rubs off on the younger actors too. Imran couldn't have chosen a better movie to debut in. He's the regular guy, just like someone you know (yes he is too cute but he doesn't over do it). Genelia does a good job of being the cute, fun girl (she's proved it before in movies like Bommarillu). Then there is Manjari who plays Imran's love interest for most of the film. Oh I almost forgot Pratiek Babbar who plays Genelia's brother. He does justice his role of this recluse, but will look out for my sister. Then there is also a fleeting performance by Raja Kapoor and Kitu Gidwani and the Khan brothers do an excellent job of being the dimwits. What a fantastic ensemble.

Now for the intelligent part of the film - the script & dialogues are the king and queen of the film people. There is nothing that we have not already seen on the silver screen before and yet it so different. The biggest clincher is that the people are very real. There are no theatrics. There is drama but no theatrics. There are no overtly sentimental situations or characters! Yes Rotlu is supposed to sentimental but he's not overdoing it. Yes, there is madness that doesn't ever happen in real life like the airport sequence in the climax or guys on horse going to discos. But isn't that what cinema is about? Take bits of life, add some fantasy into it and put it on silver screen? And Abbas Tyrewala does a superb job of it. Considering this is just his first directorial venture, we know Hindi cinema is in good hands.

My favourite parts in the film

1) Mother & son relationship. They take turns to cook, diligently. They talk about things openly. They don't hide anything from each other (well there is one secret but that's the crux of the story :D)
2) The women in the film are real. Be it the mothers or girls they are all real, from this century.
3) The men too are real. No one's bring larger than life.
4) The relationship between Genelia and her brother. Something we have never seen in Hindi cinema.
5) The dialogues were awesome. sample this

Genelia: college ke paanch saal pata nahi kaha chale gaye
Ratna Pathak: Phone pe beta phone pe

The parents in the film reminded me of the characters from Kabhie Kabhie. Rakhi and Shashi Kapoor play the parents to the young Rishi Kapoor. They were so different from the utterly sentimental morons that we get to see all the time on silver screen. This was good.

A R Rehman's music is exquisite! It lacks the usual flambouyance of Rehman. But it is exactly this quality that works in favour of the film.

And then of course an old man with the placard "Mr Godot" waiting at the airport is just the right note to end the movie with!

If you've not watched this movie, then go NOW. I am looking for rerun of it :)

KQA Open Quiz on 20 July

Praveen and Manjith ( formerly of NIT-Kozhikode) will conduct a ranking Open Quiz on Sunday 20 July 2008 at the coffee-shop BrewHaHa in Koramangala.

The quiz starts at 1100hrs sharp. Please be on time–we have to wind up by 2pm.

Rules

1. Teams of 4
2. Open to all
3. Entry Fee: Rs. 50/- per team
4. Prelims: 1100hrs sharp
5. Finals: 1145hrs sharp
6. Prizes for all finalists

The Venue: BrewHaHa is about two doors away from Jyoti Nivas College.

http://www.brewhaha.in for more details

I am on You tube!

Ok technically "I" am not but the film I worked on is. This is the first film I worked on (commercially speaking) way back in 2004. Now the producers of the film, NCF have put it up on you tube. So here I am showing off :)

This was also the first time I worked with P! This was the my first tryst with entrepreneurship (at that time I didn't think it was). We mostly shot in the rain and so was generally lots of fun and a great learning experience!

That is a lot of firsts there eh?

So ladies and gentlemen here it is Fixing Fragmented Forests

Sleepless in sillicon city

This is a good week for insomnia to strike. Usually my insomniac phase hits me when there's absolutely nothing to do or watch or even read! But this week is good :) There's Euro Cup and then there is Wimbledon. What better to way stay awake or even spend time with the idiot box?

Currently watching the match between Roddick and Tipsaravic. This Serb is good! He gave Federer a hard time at the Australian Open and now repeats the feat with Roddick. Must be hard to go up against a popular player where everyone's cheering for your opponent. But this dude's good. Add to that he's got style. Yeah yeah I am always always on the side of the supposed "under dog."



On the Euro Cup front want Spain to win today's match. Looking forward to the finals on Saturday.Honestly...I love watching the German coach Joachim Low (ok alright) jump up & down outside the court.




Update: Tipsaravic beat Roddick and is through to the third round. Yoohoo! What a match it was!

Back from a hiatus

This is the longest I have been away from my blog. Not that I didn't have enough to say but had absolutely no time. But I was peeking into other blogs, it is amazing how one gets used to checking on people through their blogs...Especially the ones you know only through blogs like Shruthi and her Puttachi (who incidentally turned 1 this May), or ILL (who's posts I love!) or Biker Dude (whom I turn to when I need that dose of humour to revive myself)

This is a good way to relieve stress when you don't have the time (or sometimes even the energy) to get in touch with real people...

April and May were absolutely crazy! June is promising to be hectic too but I am gonna take a call on that. Though the last 2 months were crazy I loved most of it :D Here's why

I spent 4 weeks in IIMB on campus, in their classrooms, listening to the brightest of professors rattle off theories that actually made sense to me. It was an absolutely fantabulously awesome experience. And I am proud to say today I am an Alumni of IIMB (so what if I didn't pay 9 lakhs :)

I met some incredibly strong, brave and fabulous women there. And I am very happy to have met these women and spent the time with them. The age group was 19 to 55 and every bit entertaining, educating and enriching all the while.

After a very long time I have made friends who's wavelength matches mine and might remain friends for good :) You will understand the excitement around this one if you've been outta college for over 3 years at least or have lost all your friends to either marriage, babies or foreign shores. It is unbelievably difficult to make friends outside of college or work place and I being out of both, had pretty much given up on making new friends EVER. So this was good. Not that I don't have friends now, I do but I am very greedy when it comes to it.

Now for the not so nice parts of the last 2 months.

The worst being the loss of M. It is a month since he left us...I still cannot believe it!

My experience with one of the doctors in the city was horrifying to say the least. Seriously economics are important I understand that but you are a bloody doctor. You are supposed to be nice to people not treat them like a scientific experiment gone wrong...the one that will pay tons of money at that!

My Ajji isn't doing well and she's been in and out of hospital all of May. I met her yesterday and her grit just amazed me. She's 98 , has gone completely blind in the last one year and all the hospital visits in the last month has left her bedridden. But her sense of humour is absolutely intact. She told me yesterday that she went for voting and has demanded 6k from the candidate (he won incidentally and has been the family's favourite MLA for as long as I can remember) She says it is about time her loyalty paid dividends :)

Alright that is a long post...how's that for a come back? I hope I've not lost those 5 readers who'd check in here once in a while.

I am back for good people :)

In memory of M

It is so hard to talk about people in past tense. I cannot bring myself to say M is no more without a quiver. A young boy, all of 23 is suddenly no more. He went on a trip to Coorg this last weekend and he never returned.

He was the sweetest of VM's friends. The one that stood the test of time for 20 years. I met him only a handful of times. But he was part of our lives. I knew what college he went to, what course he studied. What kind of friends he had. I knew it all. He came for my wedding and very thoughtfully gave me a rolling pin set. I met him 2 months ago at Amma's place. He was a part time professor, an insurance agent and a tax consultant of sorts. At close to 6 feet I told him he was growing too tall for me to look up. He promised he wouldn't grow any taller.

I always asked him if I couldn't find the right Kannada word for some English word. He never said a harsh word to any one. He once went to play cricket with VM and someone used a foul word and he said "nanagu intha maatu aaDodakke barutte soujanyakkoskara naan aaDolla. aadrinda dayaviTTu intha maatu aadbeDi" (Even I can use those words but I don't do it out of courtesy. So please refrain from using such language) That was M at 20. He was our reference point for goodness. So much so that VM and I worried how he'll survive in this harsh world.

He's on my Orkut list of friends. What do I do with it? His profile says "multi-oriented, multi-spaced, multi-tasked ,multi-chirpy, multi-faceted personalitied M. Ever welcoming multiple friends.........!"

How will his parents come to terms with their only son's death? If it hurts me so much. I can't even imagine how much pain is there in those two hearts.

He was going to take up research, do PhD, probably find a girl for himself....Death never comes at a comfortable age!

I have lots to say

But no time to blog :(

Time to make big decisions so taking a small break...BRB :)

The Bougainvillea country

Bougainvillea is the most ubiquitous feature in Hyderabad. The old Nizam's city and currently nicknamed Cyberabad is certainly more greener than bengaLooru is. Even the road to new airport is green with new saplings planted. While the road to new bengaLooru airport is a graveyard of uprooted trees (one is hoping this will change).

Here are some pictures from the pearl city.

The flowers brighten the otherwise drab coloured walls of Golkonda Fort

More at the gate of Golkonda fort


This beauty was standing at the Ramoji Film city (Only thing I marvelled at besides the sheer genius of business brain behind this venture)

At one of the many Qutb Shahi Tombs

En route to Gachibowli where the hi-tech city is growing

More posts on Hyderabad as soon as I find time.

A note to Samba

Hey I've accidentally deleted your mail id. Could you please mail it to me? Will answer all your questions soon :)

Typical TPK

Oh what an evening it was! Yesterday I was at Ranga Shankara watching TP Kailasam's Home roolu and kailasam nenapu presented by antaranga. And what a glorious evening it was :) The play opened to a full house and kept the audience in split for the entire 75 minutes!

What I liked was the little presentation they did to introduce TPK. It was a nice trip down memory lane for people like who grew up listening to his songs or reading his plays. And a good introduction to the genius of TPK for many who didn't know about him. They introduced him with snippets of his plays like sattavana santaapa and his ever so endearing songs kolike ranga, a spoof of the English song "Constantinople", namma thipparalli balu doora a spoof of the march song "It's along way to Tipparary" and the hilarious kaashig hOda nam bhaava. Saitejas, rendered these songs beautifully. You can listen to the songs here.

The play home roolu is as relevant today as it was when TPK wrote it probably in the 1930s! It was a fantastic experience. Be it the rules for corporators or the classic tug of war between daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law. None of the viciousness of the saas-bahu serials here.

Shruthi had done very nice post about him long time ago. It's an interesting read.

Wiki has quite a comprehensive bio of him here.

Aside: The title of the post is taken from a play of the same title. It was a play by CR Simha, a veteran theatre personality. You can read about it here.

Now I go singing its a long way to thipparalli (Hyderabad won't quite rhyme here will it?)

Calvinism

The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog!

What more can I say?

What is the priority???

Scarlett Keening, a 15-year-old girl, was sexually assaulted and murdered in Goa. And of course media is going crazy over it. They have enough masala coming their way what with coverups and counter coverups over who did it and who didn't.

But of course this isn't enough. They have to get personal. British media is talking about what an irresponsible mother Fiona has been. That she didn't bring up the children well. They've put the pictures of Scarlett is skimpy clothes and her room that's very untidy to prove this. Sometime back I saw a report on one of the Indian channels saying it was irresponsibility of the mother that led to the murder of this kid.

The guy(s) who drugged the kid, assaulted her and left her to die isn't in the picture anywhere. The fact that Goa which thrives on tourism is becoming unsafe for tourists is not in question. But Fiona's lifestyle is. Whether she let her daughter wear swimsuits or brought her up in a dirty single room...she just lost her little girl while she was on a holiday. How can you justify murder? And that too media?

Film Festival went off well :)))

More pictures here.

Just Femme Women's Film Festival

It's happening in Suchitra Film Society, Bangalore on March 8th 2008.

Entry is free. So those of you in Bangalore please do come!


For details go to justfemme.in

Just Femme - Here's to Health!

The "Health Issue" of Just Femme is out! Read all about a brave fight with breast cancer, how to identify depression and the importance of checking on thyroid glands. Plus a low-down on what to eat when you are pregnant.

All this in and more in the February issue

Happy Reading!

Suggestions and feedback welcome.

Baby Talk!

On the day of the my marriage I figured out that once you decide to tie the knot, your life suddenly becomes sorta public property. Everyone one from the stranger lady at the temple to the old lady who I didn't know was my dad's maternal aunt till that day, everyone tells you what to do! They had on opinion on everything on my wedding day. They thought I didn't wear enough jewelery. The flowers on my head were too little for a bride. Why didn't I do something about my tan before the wedding? "However modern one is, on the wedding day you should look traditional" one aunt told me. If I wasn't too busy being happy about getting married to V I would've probably yelled and screamed at everyone that day. I should tell you that I did get married in a "traditional" way in a super grand Kanchivaram saree (which I probably will never wear again.) The problem was that it wasn't enough!

Why am I rambling about all that happened soooo many moons ago? Well because I am into the second phase that is "you should have a baby" phase. I am not kidding when I say that I get this from practically everyone around me.

Scene 1: I am walking down the street with Amma. An acquaintance of Amma who's seeing me for the first time says "You've had enough fun in life now. Time to have some babies"

Scene 2: An old man sitting next to me on a train journey "It's ok to put off babies for first 2 years but you should have babies after that."

Scene 3: An old watchman in Madurai who's giving me company till my vehicle comes to pick me up is extremely worried about my not having babies. He gives me the address of this doctor in Vadapalani, Chennai who can help me and the address of this special temple somewhere in Madurai who's god is sure to bless me.

Scene 4: V calls a friend and tells him we are coming over to his place to give some good news. We get there and the friend is absolutely flabbergasted that the "good news" was purely professional!

Scene 5: The second question after "how are you?" is "when are you giving us a good news? we need company" from all my married friends who've had babies. And get absolutely hysterical when the answer is "we are not in a hurry"

Now in all this I am lucky that the family is yet to go crazy over this. Although Amma does try her hand at emotional blackmail. But she's always been bad at it so it doesn't matter. However Dad who's spending a lot of time these days with extended family does lose it once in while. "Everyone's asking me! You are 30 what are you waiting for?" he shouts on the phone. He gets the same answer.

And the reasons why I should be having babies (not singular mind you) RIGHT NOW is a fantastic list

1) Why did you get married if you didn't want babies?
2) You owe it your parents
3) What else are you gonna leave behind?
4) We need company
5) What will your mom do after retiring?

But seriously what's with the world? We get sooo hung up about doing everything at right time. Schooling, college, job, marriage, babies! Give me a break. I read I love lucy's post on the same subject some time back. Turns out everyone's being put under the microscope for this one!

Everyone has her own pace and will do things when they are ready! Till then STAY AWAY.

PS: When people discuss why so and so doesn't have a baby, do they realise they are actually discussing so and so's sex life? Or do they think that these two are not connected? Beats me!

Hole in the earth - part II

More details about the tree cutting here

Duh!

I have been working from home for four years now (I didn't realise it was this long till just now). I have become so spoiled that even a good salary isn't drawing me out of this house. There is travel involved and there are times when it gets hectic. But largely I get to decide when I will travel and how much of hectic work I will partake, so its been GREAT fun even if it hasn't meant great money (that's mostly because I haven't been smart about it and not because there isn't any money to make. But I am ok with that)

However there's a flip side to it. One gets lonely at times. Cable TV isn't a great option for a break. When I am not traveling it gets very difficult to have some company. Everyone else is working their 14 hour schedules Monday through Friday, plus the mandatory 2 hour road rage session a day so whom do I actually talk to in person? Just V. (That explains my phone bills)

Its a funny thing this work week and weekend division. Just about everything in your life that is not "work" gets pushed to weekend. Bill payments, shopping for home, meeting family (not just extended but also the people at home. You actually "see" them properly only on weekends. Rest of the days it is just a blur of faces saying good byes, good nights and packing lunch for you), meeting friends, catching a nap, catching a movie or a play, everything is for weekends. And then there are just two days and so somethings are forgotten. And this is mostly people because bills come with due dates and penalties...people can wait.

I have lived this life for so long that even after four years of working from home, I still haven't changed the weekend routine. It hasn't registered in my head that I can redefine my lifestlye! Now that it has occurred to me its time to do something about it.

I am not in the race anymore but I am still running

Things I learned about Americans

I happened to host 40 Americans for 3 days and the experience was educational to say the least.

1. All Americans didn't vote for Bush the second time around and some seriously want Hillary to be the President of USA (we somehow didn't touch upon Obama).
2. They all know about global warming and regret that their President, denied the phenomena at a crucial juncture.
3. They are extremely emotional people and get super senti about their country and family.
4. They are ridiculously crazy about pets.
5. They take things very literally...so Indian humour is beyond them.
6. They cannot survive without a map even on MG road which is possibly the easiest road in Bangalore to maneuver through.
7. They need clear and precise instructions for everything, even to board a train.
8. They love India. Everything about it except that the crowds overwhelm them and possibly can never drive on our streets.
9. They seem to be unaware of the American influence on the cultural aspect in this part of the world...Everything from Jeans to Mc Donalds to Steaks and the presence of HBO was a surprise to them.
10. They ask a LOT of questions (which is true of any foreigner actually)
11. They say "thank you" just WAAAAAAAAY too many times! I was exhausted by the end of day 1 saying "its alright" to all their thank yous.
12. This bunch actually asked a lot of sensible intelligent questions on "issues" and went against the stereotype of "not so bright Americans"

Its amazing how much you can learn by just meeting and talking to people.

Hole in the earth

138 trees on the St John's hospital road (Koramangala) have been marked for cutting for widening of the already wide road.

The trees that lined the Golf course on the Windsor Manor road have been chopped off for road widening.

The lovely big trees on Hosur road (between Madiwala junction and St john's road on the right) have been marked for cutting for road widening I suppose. Only a few of those Banyan trees are left now. I don't know for how long.

I saw a large hole in the earth where a tree used to be at Malleshwaram circle (for flyover this time)

I cannot explain the feeling of emptiness I feel when I see these holes. These trees have been around or were around before I was born. I have no idea how to save these trees. Bangalore, I am told needs more space to breathe. But what are we going to breathe? Oh we are going to pay so dearly for all this callousness.

I don't see a reason why I should continue to defend my decision to stay in Bangalore. Actually I do have a line of defence...a known devil is better than an unknown angel.

Maharashtrian politics over women's safety!

The fourteen accused in the Mumbai molestation case (what accused they are there in the picture grabbing those women) did a very smart thing yesterday. They put on their best maharashtrian self and went to Raj Thackeray, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief and pleaded their innocence. And Mr Thackeray who obviously saw the mileage in this hauled them off to a state minister to plead their case. Yes, he has achieved the "protector of all things maharashtrian" status with this. But isn't this incident showing badly on Maharashtra's beloved Aamchi Mumbai? How come he doesn't care about that? Doesn't this show that he doesn't care about women? Maharashtrian or not?

Read the news here

Nobody cares about the women isn't it? If they get molested, raped, burnt, beaten...they deserved it eh?

Brand new year and a brand new issue of Just Femme!

The first issue of this brand new year is out! "Career" is the theme for this issue. Login and see what the women have to say about juggling careers and homes. Also read the interview of Kasturi Chandrasekharan, a woman who has carved a place for herself, despite coming from a "disadvantaged" background.

All this and more at http://justfemme.in

Happy Reading!

BIFFES - 3rd day

Today's films

1) A documentary called Atheism by Julian Samuel. A very vast and sensitive subject - religion. It was handled well as a subject but filmmaking was all over the place and it ended up being very heavy too.
2) Dealer (2004), Hungary - Found it very depressing!
3) Zim & Co (2005), France - LOVED IT. They managed to pack in a lot of issues without making it sad. Very endearing.

I want to catch a few of the Indian docus in the coming days...lets see.

Mumbai molestation case - update

The 14 people arrested in the case were put through an identity parade today. That's all the reports say.

BIFFES - 2nd day

Today's films

1) Hukkle (2002), French
2) Woman of rumour (1954), Japan
3) When you come down from Heaven (2003),
4) City of dreams (2001), Gianfranco Norelli
5) Pane Amaro (Bitter Bread) 2007, Gianfranco Norelli

Unfortunately the number of films I can see is in a day is going to come down from tomorrow...hoTTe paaDu noDi.

BIFFES

Strange name but great movies to watch so no complains :) The second Bangalore international film festival was inaugurated yesterday and the festival started in the earnest today. There are 110 movies to watched in the next 10 days. For the first time in my life I am actually in the city when something exciting like this is happening. And so I plan to be there all day for the next one week. I have deadlines to meet almost everyday but I am gonna work at nights on them :)

Today I watched 3 films
1) Croatian film (Totally enjoyed this one) - What's a man without a moustache
2) Hungarian Film (Blew my mind with the great story telling even greater camera work) - Porcelain doll
3) A documentary (This one made me want to pick up the camera and right away ) - Taxi Dreams

I don't have time to review them :( but I am gonna put them up here so that at least I don't forget what I saw!

I am going to be there at 9 am tomorrow and hope to watch some more fantastic films tra la la la

Update on "Mumbai molestation" case

Today Mumbai police announced a prize money for anyone who gave leads on the case. Thye now have a complainant and so they can take action. They are using the pictures taken by Hindustan Times to identify those among the mob. So far 13 people have been arrested and 2 have have surrendered.

Surprising that this has not hit the headlines as much as anything else in the last 2 days. National dailies haven't covered as well (not on front page).

And most people including women's reaction to the incident - "why the hell were they out so late at night. What else did they expect?"

Well today they did at midnight if you don't check it they'll do it in broad day light is all I can say!

I am too disgusted!

"Two years in a row, New Year revelry in Mumbai has gone awry. This year, in a city which boasts of being safe for women, a mob of 70 to 80 men groped and molested two women for about 15 minutes on a busy main street in Juhu early on New Year's Day. " More details here

What's with the men? And 70-80 men going after two women just because they dared to step out after midnight? Seriously sex is the only thing on mind anytime of the day whatever the occasion huh? While going to work if a woman crosses by whistle at her. Comment on her breasts and bottoms while she's trying to get on a bus who's window seat you are sitting at. She's trying to drop her kids off at school in a car say she's too hot to be a momma. She's waiting at the bus stop to be picked up by a 20 year old son, hover around her giving her leery looks, making her nervous. You are walking along with your friend after work and a girl walks by and you have this sudden urge to push your friend on to her and laugh about it.

UGGGGGH disgusting! And anyone who dares to say that it is because of what women wear you have another thing coming!

!@#@$@!$@#$!$#$!$#@$@#!$!@ Bloody hell!