The Sequel.

The Republic Day was a highlight this week. And I don’t have to tell you much about it, you all know that there is the flag hoisting and a parade in Delhi, with all the VIPs present. Schools and colleges have their own little flag hoistings(is that a word?), where everyone is requested to show up, but usually only the staff is present; the kids are at home playing the XBOX. Ah, good old Republic Days, just loved staying at home and not doing a damn thing!

While most of India was basking in nationalist feelings, the people of Jammu & Kashmir observed this day as a Black Day, taking part in anti-India protests and pro-freedom of J& K. They also urged the UN to take actions against the Indian Troopers violating the human rights of the people in J & K. On this, I’m on their side, J & K needs immediate resolving and increasing the trooper squads is not going to do it. And I’m amazed how the government is paying so much attention to the Telangana agitation, which is less crucial compared to what is happening at J & K. There are curfews almost every other day. The economy is quite poor. I’ve seen vendors selling postcard booklets that cost Rs.10 with so much energy and patience, because their daily bread and water depends on those small earnings. It’s bad.

I’ve been to Srinagar once and guess what, the people there are very friendly. At first I was panicking “Oh my god, It’s Srinagar. Will I die? Will the people there kidnap and sell me off to some human traffickers.” After a few hours, I started to like the place, the people and their language. Oh, I loved their language. It’s very delicate, soft and joyful to listen to. I would love to visit Kashmir again.

(ok I’ll stop ranting and move onto other stuff….)

Movies:

Aamir Khan’s Dhobi Ghat: Four different lives rub on each other in the Maximum City. Aamir plays a brooding painter who constantly changes houses, but never finds a home. A soul stirring story, is what people are saying. Appreciated for it’s cinematography, background score and its style. Quoting the Hindu, “ If ‘Udaan’ was your flight to a new age Bollywood, ‘Dhobi Ghat’ is your next stop.”. This is a radical movie, not like the rest of the Bollywood movies, well, not at all actually. So, there have been mixed reactions about the movie. Some say it is horrible, some say it is awesome, but if you’re the kind who likes movies with deep meaning and very good story telling, then I guess this movie is for you. I have one reaction i'd like to share, though it won't throw much light on the story and give a good 'review' but, what the hell, since when did i start doing things for a reason.

Here it is:

"Aamir khan looks like a hobbit and the 4th girl just looks undernourished" - Certain Somebody.

Also, there is 127 hours (James Franco), adventure drama i guess. Also, Tangled is getting a lot of attention, maybe because it's in 3D(!!!!!!! As if it is as important as the creation of the Light Saber. Douchebags.)

Under "Just a mention" -

Yusuf Pathan pulls off an incredible knock against SA. He scores 106 runs, but India lose by 33 runs in the end. Sad.

Special Feature:

And finally coming to the best evening i had the whole week(actually, second best.....and no, i can't tell you about my best evening, then i would get into trouble, wouldn't I?).

I spent a delightful evening( I sound so British) at Lamakaan, Hyd, being a part of the "Pecha Kucha Nights. It was simple, interesting, creative and fun. I wanted more, but i'm going to have to wait for a month or so. For those of you who don't know about it, this was first started in 2003 in Tokyo. It was devised as an event for young designers to meet, network and show their work in public. Pecha Kucha is the Japanese word for "chit chat". Pecha Kucha has spread to thousands of cities around the world. The one in hyd started last year, this was their fourth event. Pecha Kucha invites individuals who have explored different fields and have ideas that they want to share with the rest of the world.

The speakers that had come were fun, interesting and very creative. I liked that, it was a place of learning and creativity. And, according to all the speakers 'creativity' isn't something complicated, it is just what you think - your perspective. Now, is that so difficult? It isn't. It's that simple. So, if you like what i'm saying, then next time there is a Pecha Kucha Night get off your 'arses' and come to Lamakaan. I'll be there, so i'll see you there; but will i recognize you? Well, it's for you to find out.

So, i think i have run out of things to jabber about, bringing our lovely one sided chat to end. I will jabber on more the next time.

Untill then, as someone i know says:

"Ciao Ciao"

P.S. - Yes! You guessed it. It's monday tomorrow.

First Edition.

Welcome, to the first edition of Sunday Morning Chai. It is a bright sunny morning outside, and one couldn't be more grateful that the cold season is coming to an end. I guess it is true what they say - the cold recedes after the Sankranti Festival is over.

Now, it is a long wait for summer to come (and all those movies that are going to release then). It is not so bad though, we still have quite a few stuff to look forward in the next three months - Holi, Ugadi and of course.....ummm, well....i forgot. But worry not, Indian politics, Bollywood, Angelina Jolie's adoption rate and WikiLeaks will keep us busy till the summer.

Now moving on....

We have Seth Rogen starring in "The Green Hornet",(which released last friday in hyderabad) an action comedy flick that takes us through the life of Britt Reid(Seth Rogen) and his transformation into the Green Hornet. My good buddies (who went to the movies without me) said it was "Awesome!", and I believe them, because IT'S SETH ROGEN IN A SUPERHERO COSTUME KICKING ASS! I'm not gonna miss this movie this week, you shouldn't either.

There are rumors and news articles on the internet, that Mark Zuckerberg is planning on shutting down Facebook in March. Apparently, managing facebook has become very stressful and that stress is now creeping into his life, and he wants his old life back. Thus, the decision to shut down facebook even though it might upset a lot of people. Regular facebooks users are quite upset, and are wondering what they will after facebook shuts down. You want my suggestion? Get an XBOX, and sit and play till your fingers melt into the controllers. That's what i would do, well, i'm already doing it right now. But, one of the advantages of Facebook shutting down is that a shit load of the bandwidth will be freed up and my BSNL "broadband"(i wonder which genius came up with that) will die less often.

In the city, the Telangana agitation has "finally" ended. Life should go back to normal as Universities and colleges have finally come out of hiding and have decided to start doing their jobs(sniff sniff, i'm so happy). Thank you Srikrishna Committee for your intricately entangled "six options", you have saved our lives; we have another couple of years before a proper decision is made. Though, i would have like it if Hyderabad had become a Union Territory, it would have sounded cooler.

So i guess that's about it for this week. Hopefully, some new shit will crop up next week and i will have a reason to jabber again. See you next sunday.

P.S. - Good luck, its monday tomorrow.