I Love My Desi Girl

I suppose the title of the post gives away the main content. I've just returned from a screening of Dostana. The film earns a respectable 3 out of 5. It's an enjoyable watch, and would've probably been a better movie had the last 30 mins been different. The first half is incredibly funny, and the second half is good in parts, but senseless at times. Two songs, namely "Desi Girl" and "Jaane Kyun" are quite catchy, while the rest are simply average. In terms of acting, John Abraham and Bobby Deol are no better in terms of their expressions than what we've seen in the past. John looks impressively sculpted, but could make do with a more facial expressions to juggle with. Abhishek Bachchan, surprisingly, acts quite naturally, and gives full credibility to his role. Boman Irani and Kirron Kher play out their cameos superbly. The film is enjoyable due to the witty and slightly risque humour ( featuring mostly in the first half and used only sparingly in the second), and the good chemistry that the lead actors seem to share. The main selling point of this film for most people, inspite of surprise package Abhishek, would be Priyanka.

The last time an actress took my breath away in this manner was probably when I watched Jodha Akbar, featuring Aishwarya Rai wearing close to no make-up at all. Priyanka Chopra is simply breathtaking in Dostana. Her acting is fairly good, but her role, to be honest, is less challenging than that of the male leads. The movie made more physical demands of her than thespian ones. Still, there's no escaping the fact that she looks amazing. Captivating eyes, gorgeous hair and a breathtaking face : I don't bother to elaborate on her figure because it's probably the main selling point of the film, judging by the trailers and promos. She takes my breath away in every sequence of the film, especially her gentle smile during the brief crying scene. Simply put, this desi girl has no equal at the moment!

Sights and Sounds of MEC

While I admit that I'm still not too upbeat about my college, there have been a handful of colourful characters and a smattering of small incidents that have made these past 1 and a half months an interesting period.

Firstly, my fellow 1st year hostelers are a group I have come to really appreciate. Contrary to my expectations, not one of them has given me the sort of bad vibes that I'd imagined I would encounter. After all, no matter how friendly or nice you try to be, not everyone in the crowd can communicate with you on the same wavelength. There are a few, above others, who I've taken a liking to. Firstly, my roommates, Sebin and Nikhil, are probably the best I could've hoped for. They're neither ultra-padipist nor brainless twits, which gives me the freedom to stay loose while at the same time keeping track of my academic goals. Admittedly, our study schedules aren't as jam-packed as those of some of the other hostelers, but then I feel we'll make it through when the series tests come along. The other 1st-yr hostelers are all decent folk, but a few of them, most notably the guys of the infamous room no. 104, seem destined to raise the roof post-Freshers' Day in February. This gives me hope that irrespective of the atmosphere in the college, hostel life will be truly worth cherishing.

On the college front, a number of my classmates have made an impression on me already. In those terms, I'm blessed, for it appears our CS-B batch has possibly the most potential for fun among all the 1st-year batches this year, besides EC-B. Joel, Rony, Sreeram, Sachin, Shafath, Toby, Sidharth and Sooraj and a few others have become fair friends of mine over the past few weeks. Classes haven't been all that interesting, but a few good jokes in between a thousand bad ones generally tend to lift my spirits. Our faculty isn't all that impressive, but a few characters are so unique that I feel I might truly miss them once I pass out from under their tutorship. Most notable among them, is our Chemistry Ma'am, who has arguably the thickest accent I've ever heard, making her words sometimes purely incomprehensible. Our Mechanics and Maths Sirs are probably the best teachers among the lot, and hence, those two subjects remain the prime focus of my very limited study routine.

To some, these mite be the faintest of silver linings among dark clouds too ominous to ignore, but to me, they still auger well for the future. College is meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, never replicated, never understood, never explained.....it should be unlike the times gone by, and the times that lie ahead, and what it means to each and every one of us depends on how we perceive it. To that extent, I hope, an optimistic and ever-hopeful view of an at-times gray and confusing time will help make the experience far more memorable.

Back Home Again

With homesickness commanding an early, unplanned return to Trivandrum once again, I find myself stationed behind my familiar desktop PC with a plethora of thoughts on my mind, and few words to express them in. Firstly, although I still have a lot more of Ernakulam to explore, my appreciation for the relatively quiet and peaceful atmosphere of Trivandrum has grown over the past few months. Ernakulam simply seems like a city in a tearing hurry to reach heights it can only aspire to, and the pollution, the maddening crowds and the heat add to the woe. Coming back home gives me respite in some ways, from the rush of the world I'll have to grow used to in the coming years.

Travelling has become less of a pain in that regard, and the 3.5 hours I spend on the Janshatabdi listening to music, taking pictures or reading magazines no longer seem as unbearable as in the past. Stepping onto the platform and smelling the fresher air of this city yet to be touched by the curses of rapid development gives me peace and a sense of tranquility. Until mid-december, I realise that no more such opportunities shall swing my way, so I hope to enjoy this little taste of freedom that I flavour over the next 1 and a half days. The burden of incomplete assignments and records does dampen the mood a bit, but the relief is no less satisfactory. With the series tests coming up, I'll need every bit of mental fortitude I can muster to tide me by these tough times.

The Search Continues

It seems like an endless pursuit : the quest to make peace with the choices I've made in my life! The moment hasn't yet arrived when I can discard all the baggage of the past and start to move on. I've tried several times, but the circumstances and recent events just fail to give me any leeway to do so. Let's face it : I'm not enjoying college to the extent I thought I would be. There are a myriad of reasons why that is, and not all of them can be discussed. I've tried to deny it all along, hoping within my heart of hearts, that smiling in the darkness would usher in the light, but it hasn't yielded any results.

It's quite obvious that among the foremost reasons I haven't been enjoying college to the extent I should be is the fact that I miss my family and friends back home. Yes, I realize that I sound like a wimp when I say this, but I do. The college, in itself, hasn't helped. The overtly school-like atmosphere that prevails over the campus during the first year is truly irritating. At a time when I felt I would be celebrating the greatest degree of freedom I would ever truly experience, I've been tied down to moulds of the past. The spoon-feeding (and I mean SPOON-FEEDING) by the faculty has left a bad taste in my mouth. Though some seniors have assured me that much of this negativity in the minds of most freshers changes or disappears completely in the second year and beyond, I'm not entirely convinced. This acute difficulty in accepting what others say stems from the very knowledge that different people view scenarios differently : a fact that I've learnt the hard way.

For the time being, my sole focus remains to solidify bases from which to grow friendships with classmates, and to fare respectably well in my academics. All other thoughts have been blown away due to the sense of boredom and inactivity that plagues my mind at the moment. I feel boxed in at times, wanting to scream out at the first sight of gap in the walls of my imaginary prison! My sole comfort at this time remain the few friends I've made among my fellow hostelers and my classmates. They've brought a smile to my face every now and then to dissipate the grouchy moods that I tend to slip into now and again. It's a paradox I've never encountered before, and hopefully, one I won't have to for much longer.

To the concerned few who may read my rare ramblings in this blog now and again, I'd like to re-assure them that much of what I say reflects a temporary state of mind, and that looking at the broader picture is often, but not always my mantra. During the Christmas holidays, I hope to publish a few pending posts, including pics and events of the recent past, which I can do only from the comfort of home. Yet, for having read this insane post, I thank you for showing that concern, and bid adieu till I next get the liberty to speak at such length about life @ MEC!

An Iron Hand is the Need of the Hour

It's deja vu for the city of Mumbai. Decades after the rhetoric machine named Balasaheb Thackeray first erupted onto the scene issung a doctrine of hate to incite violence and carnage across the state of Maharashtra, beta Raj is winding the clock back. The assault and persecution of outsiders has been a long-time favourite among the Shiv Sena's vote-gathering tactics. With the Shri Balasaheb's age catching up and the frail leadership of Udhdhav weakening the Sena's grasp on the state, Raj has begun to stoke the fires once again, hoping to draw away some of the votes that have helped the Shiv Sena form governments in the past. Taking on from where the "Me Mumbaikar" and Marathi sign-board campaigns left off, Raj's clarion call has already induced a few vicious attacks on north Indian workers, with more seemingly planned. This violence disturbs me greatly because the city in which I was born, and for which I still share great affection, is being led to the brink of chaos by a stark-raving lunatic.

Mumbai has always been a city that people in the nation look up to and aspire to be a part of. It is one of the few cities in the world that ensure that your dreams can come true if you persist with them. It is a cosmopolitan city, with an ethnically diverse population, unlike a few centuries ago when only Marathi-speaking people populated the land.Though the basis of Raj's argument : that people from outside Maharashtra should try to adapt to and learn from their surrounding Marathi culture rather than stay reserved to their own communities, is legitimate, his actions leave much to be desired. Outsiders do need to attempt to fit in as they move to the maximum city, by absorbing the local culture and learning the local tongue, and they should be encouraged to do so. However, this "encouragement" should never infringe on the fundamental rights of any Indian citizen, North,South, East or West Indian......

What are merely the deranged, remorseless rants of a vile despicable human being seeking only personal and party gain, are being seen by some loose sections of the populace as a call of identity. The same form of divisive and separatist dialogue have been heard from different corners of the country, Kashmir, the North-East, Telangana, and now, after the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka, even Tamil Nadu. The survival of the Indian democracy is at stake. Even though the present UPA govt has done well to implement legislations such as RTI, NREGA and pushing through the Nuke Deal, it has been SHOCKINGLY poor on issues of internal harmony and security. The need of the hour is a strong central government that stands by the faith of the majority of the populace of a strong, free, united India. Separatism in any part of the country cannot be tolerated, as it will lead to a chain reaction in other states as well. India is a nation of diverse cultures, combining together in harmony to form a single identity. This diversity should be a cause for pride, not a cause for dissent, resentment and separatist tendencies.

Governments of the past as well as the current one have been reluctant to deal with such blatantly shameless vote-bank gathering by state parties. The concern of the Tamils for their cousins in Sri Lanka is justified, but under no circumstances should a state government place pressure on the Centre to alter its foreign policy. Extortion cannot be tolerated, and bluffs such as these should be called as soon as they erupt. The criminal named Raj Thackeray should be dealt with in the manner that Bala Saheb Thackeray should have been treated decades ago : lock up the cell door and throw away the key. There is no place in the world for mongrels who spew doctrines of hate from their foul mouths. Kashmir, being a long-standing debate, must be handled with care, but under no circumstances should the government allow the separatists to dictate terms to the Centre on the peace process. Separatists thrive on regionalism and communalism, and empty rhetoric is their most potent weapon. Unless India elects a Central Government that can dare to challenge their rhetoric and stand up for the idea of a unified India, the future one of the world's greatest democracies will remain shrouded in doubt.