The Year That Was!

Every time I sit on the last or the second last day of the year to recollect and pen down how the year was which is about to be over now, I once again realize how fast time flies. If physics says it travels at the speed of light, but in a more layperson's term like mine, it travels faster than my thoughts. The whole year was like any other previous years because I am still living in the same city, working for the same employer and lived alone, solo for almost 9 months of the year. Ofcourse "solo by choice". I always loved it and will keep loving it.

However, in my own way of putting it down, the year was professionally far better than most of the previous years. It was enriching, working on newer and contemporary stuffs, if not anything ground breaking. I could get a publication in one of the IEEE's conference along with my colleagues. Hope to get more in the upcoming years and wish to have it on one of the tier - 1 conferences. People says change is vital for anyone to come out of the carapace and experience new things and I could see how true it is indeed! I felt relieved to come out of the monotonic work which I was doing for past many years, disassociate myself from some people inflicted with extreme illusory superiority attitudes, and some others who have been bestowing just "fundaes" in their whole professional lives and ironically they are still flourishing! Sad but true. Definitely not my type of people with whom I wanna spend 40hrs a week. Wish to experience more changes in the upcoming year.

On the personal front, life did not change much. I have been the same old person, may be little more matured or its just the reflection of my age! We welcomed a new member to our family, my nephew! I read more number of books in the whole year than any of the past many years and letting other people know it here. I think, I also increased my presence in Twitter and Quora. I was totally fascinated by Quora when I started using it and using it more and more. If Wikipedia is about facts, Quora is probably about human thoughts. Many a times its difficult to question our own opinions and viewpoints about something until we know what others think about it from a different perspective. Quora is the right platform for that to happen. Judge things from many angels and increasing our own thinking corpus. I watched 96 movies of different languages in the whole year. 1 movie every 4 days! Not Bad... hmmm? I am very good in housekeeping and I have recorded the name  of the movies I watched in here. I did not go out holidaying or vacation much in the year. Been to a place called Tarkarli in Konkan Maharashtra with my friends. It was a good as well as a disastrous trip. Had written about it before. In search for a greener pasture or a livelihood, been living far from my native place for more than a decade now and in all these years, I have not met many of the close family relatives due to one reason or the others (excuses?). It was very tragic and shocking at the departure of a few of my such close relatives in this year. I should have met them in person atleast once in all these years. An ill feeling which will probably be with me for the many years to come. Most of the whole year was spent just  in the viscous circle of home -> work -> home and even though I/we crib about it, that's what is life, I guess.

2013? As always, no resolution at all. I have a wishlist though; hope to see atleast some of it seeing the light of accomplishments. Above all, I just hope and wish the coming year to be a normal year, if not anything extraordinary! 

Wishing all a very happy, joyous and peaceful New Year  - 2013!

bravery award winner to daily wage earner

This story appeared in television series Crime Patrol, telecasted in Sony Entertainment Television.

The content has been compiled from various sources given at the end of the post.

It was the start of a seemingly normal working day on May 10, 2004. Two unknown men entered the campus of a local school in Assam's (its a state in the North Eastern part of India) Kamrup district, fired on a teacher at point blank range and fled. Teachers and students of the school chased the miscreants – who were later identified as ULFA (United Liberation From of Assam, a terrorist organization fighting for Assam's sovereignty for 3 decades) members – but the pistols in their hands (and also a potential grenade threat) soon scared them off. However, Ratul Chandra Rabha and Rituparna Boro, then students of Class VIII and X respectively, were not that easily scared. They chased the militants for almost three kilometers and eventually helped nab one of the men who had killed their teacher. The act of courage was acknowledged by the nation and the two had made the headlines by winning the India's National Bravery Awards in 2005.

Today, the youngsters are fighting a grim battle for survival, forgotten by the very government which had turned the two into role-models of people’s fight against terrorism. After being forced to give up their studies due to abject poverty, both are now eking out a living by working as manual workers. “Our financial condition forced us to give up our studies. Now we are daily wage earners,” Ratul said. Ritupurna rued that he could not appear in higher secondary examinations for failing to procure Rs1000 to pay the examination fees. Both youths — now in their 20s — proudly displayed their Bravery Award certificates given to them in 2005 by the then President APJ Abdul Kalam.

All the political heavyweights of the country like then Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh and Shivraj Patil had patted them on their backs for their exemplary courage and bravery in the face of grave personal risk. Even chief minister Tarun Gogoi is said to have assured them of jobs. But nothing came their way. After achieving the feat, the two tribal youths have been running from pillar to post for the past many years for a job but to no avail. Both Ritupurna and Ratul still remember the day it all happened and wonder if courage has no value in this country. Strange though may it seem, the fact is that the nationally acclaimed bravehearts now have to toil to feed their poverty-stricken families. “To serve in the Indian Army is our heart’s desire and to make it a reality we are still working hard,” said Rituparna. The two had even made a written plea to prime minister Manmohan Singh to help them.

The duo had been honored by the SOS Children’s Village of India in 2006, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi, in 2005. Despite being selected for scholarship by the Indian Council for Child Welfare, Ratul has not got any benefits. Also a prominent sports personality, Ratul had clinched the first prize in All Assam Martial Arts Championship in 2008, won the 2nd National Chinese Traditional Martial Arts Championship in 2009. But despite all these feats under his belt, Ratul roams villages to earn a living. Same is the case with Ritupurana who toils in rural areas. For Ritupurna Boro and Ratul Chandra Rabha, the two certificates of National Bravery Award have become a mockery of the system which rewards surrendered militant with either jobs or economic packages but has nothing to offer to those who stand up against militants. And that too bare hand.

With the intervention of print media and Crime Patrol, The Assam wing of ICCW (Indian Council for Child Welfare) admitted lapses on their part and has given assurances that both the dare devils will get all their deserved remuneration. A terribly sad but true story, a tight slap on the rotting administration of the country.

Compiled from:

http://crimepatroldastak.blogspot.in/2012/09/From-President-Award-for-bravery-to-Daily-Wages.html

http://thrill-suspense.blogspot.in/2012/09/crime-patrol-two-daredevils-turn-daily.html

http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/two-daredevils-turn-daily-wagers/7/38986/

http://sevensisterspost.com/bravehearts-living-under-scourge-of-poverty/

The plight of The Elephant (God)

Ganesha Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday (re-birth) of Lord Ganesha. A very famous and lavishly celebrated festival in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

The widespread celebration of Ganesha Festival can be attributed to Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Tilak. He recognized the wide appeal of the deity Ganesha as "the god for everybody" and popularized Ganesh Chaturthi as a national festival in order "to bridge the gap between Brahmins and 'non-Brahmins' and find a context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them", and generate nationalistic fervor among people in Maharashtra against the British colonial rule. Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesh in pavilions, and also established the practice of submerging in rivers, sea, or other pools of water all public images of the deity on the tenth day after Ganesh Chaturthi.

    Under Tilak's encouragement, the festival facilitated community participation and involvement in the form of intellectual discourses, poetry recitals, performances of plays, musical concerts, and folk dances. It served as a meeting ground for people of all castes and communities in times when, in order to exercise control over the population, the British discouraged social and political gatherings. From then on, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal.

History apart, but the 10 day long festival celebrated is a great period of joy and enjoyment. The "Modak", a specially prepared sweet to offer Lord Ganesha and playing of drums called dhol-tasha are other attractions of the festival. Added to it is the high decibel Bollywood music.

While doing all these, it appears that Lord Ganesha is lost somewhere in the clay idols and people forgot the real animal, the elephant, which our Lord signifies. This is the story of Sunder, the 13yr old elephant which was kept captive for seven long years in Kolhapur's Jyotiba Temple. As per reports of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, Sunder spent seven years in chains in a dark shed. Sunder, who had been kept chained by temple authorities since 2005, has a hole in his ear due to an ankus (an iron rod with a hook at the end), in addition to scars all over his body and a severely injured eye probably due to a beating. In August 2012, Sunder became violent and uncontrollable in response to the ill-treatment meted out by his mahout (handler) and temple authorities, tore down a pillar and tried to flee his captors. He was subdued and brought back. The abuse of Sunder highlights the way elephants used in Indian temples are being housed and mistreated.The utter hypocrisy of Indians. PETA led a three-month campaign under which 13,000 people across India signed PETA's online petition calling for Sunder's release. It caught the attention international personalities as well. Sir Paul McCartney, former Beatle member, had taken time off from his rehearsals at the recent London Olympics to appeal to the state government to free Sunder. Apart from McCartney, Hollywood actor Pamela Anderson also lent support to the campaign by writing letters to government officials. Finally, the dark days were over for Sunder. He is being moved from the temple and rehabilitated in a wildlife rescue-and-rehabilitation center near Bangalore. 

The PETA link showing the plight and sufferings of Sunder is here.

Its a kind of hypocrisy on my part as well that being a non-vegetarian I am blogging about animal rights. However, the story of Sunder is far beyond just cruelty to animals, it shows the drastic sinking of morals in us.

Tarkarli Fun

Last week, I along with a bunch of my friends went for a 3 days trip to Tarkarli. Tarkarli (Marathi: तारकर्ली) is a village in the Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, India. The place is famous for its beautiful beaches and the famous naval fort Sindhudurg built by Shivaji Maharaj. The beaches are probably less frequented by people and so looked virgin and clean. The place is around 450KM from Pune and it took us around 7Hrs. to reach via Kolhapur and Ganapawda Ghats. Thanks to a long stretch of pothole ridden roads. The journey was otherwise nice through the serene roads of Konkan Maharashtra. We checked in to the MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) resort. The resort was nice except it was expensive as per the maintenance of the rooms are concerned. However, the best part was that the rooms were sea view ones and the resort had its own private beach. The restaurant in the resort was horrible, with worst quality food served in sky high prices. The first day we had lot of fun in the MTDC beach itself. The next day went to a backwater stretch, which had a small island called "Tsunami Island" :-). Another attraction of the place was that it had the lower course of a small river, where it meets the Arabian Sea. The shallow water body near the island was ideal to have a sun bath and just float and relax. There were options of many water sports as well which every one of us enjoyed. This was followed by a stupendous lunch in a place called "Atithi Bamboo". Yeah, funny name as it sounds. But the food was extremely good and priced at reasonable rates. This is the best place to fulfill ones' craving for sea food and Malwani dishes in Tarkarli. Another place of attraction is "Rock Garden" just near to Malwan town. A nice garden near the sea. However, one need to be very careful about the rough sea there and should avoid going into the water. A few other beaches, almost empty during our visits were other attractions. It was some nice relaxing days spent for all of us there. The return journey was nice as well which we did via Amboli Ghat, the same route for Pune - Goa. In fact Tarkarli is just 2 Hrs. or so from Goa. So, someone planning for a longer vacation can plan a few days in Tarkarli followed by fun in Goa. Somehow we felt the sun to be harsh in Tarkarli with probably more UV content. So, a statutory warning is to use sunscreen for sure before going out in the sun. I got exposed to severe sun burns and the wounds are still healing even after 1 week of return. Although it diluted my overall fun experience to some extent, but in all the visit to Tarkarli was a great break after a long time.

The Minority Ultimatum

Somebody realizes it or not, but something horribly went wrong for India in the last 2 weeks. The recent exodus of people of North East India in an alarming rate from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Mumbai fearing Muslim atrocities was something 21st Century India should have never faced. Statistics say around 35000 people left Bangalore and Hyderabad on 14th and 15th of August alone! Happy Independence Day, my dear fellow North-Easterners. Muslims or the minority community of India, out of their love and care for the illegal Bangladeshi migrants, gave ultimatum to N.E people in these cities to face dire consequences once Ramadan is over. Students, working professionals from the region left, leaving everything behind for fear of life. Government termed these ultimatums as rumors and the exodus as a move out of panic; because for them the minority people can never do such wrong things (WTF!). After all they are just a minority community. As a damage control or as a show off of "we care" signal, bulk SMS, MMS are banned in India for 15 days. This exodus of its own citizens from mainland India is a rape of the democracy and in India its common for rapists to walk free. It was hilarious to read the headlines in the newspaper today, that Indian Government has credible evidence of Pakistan being behind this rumor mongering, which led to the massive exodus of N.E people. History says that any problem in India which originates from Pakistan has no solution and Indians have to live with it. That's the easiest way the incompetent Indian government washes its hand with. N.E Exodus Case Closed!

The liberalization of Indian economy in the 90's generated massive employment opportunities in mainland India. In far lying N.E India, the terrorists (freedom fighters?), who were fighting sovereignty from India for decades, started losing local peoples' support;  citizens realized that a decent life is more important than bloodshed and a never to be won battle for sovereignty. India saw an influx of people from these remote region in search of livelihood, better education and a better life altogether. When you are in school, it's a common notion that you come out of N.E after your 12th standard for building a career of your choice, getting a good job and supporting your families thereafter. N.E Indians started caring more about opportunities the other parts of the country is offering and gradually the doctrine of sovereignty which was ruling their minds for so many years faded away. N.E was no longer seen as a land of "liberation fronts". But, the recent happenings, which kind of shattered the confidence of North-Easterners, is a big blow to these positive developments of past two decades. If Indian Government reports are to be believed,  then Pakistan with the help of "Pakistani Muslims Settled in India" are pretty successful in doing what even many attacks on Taj or Oberoi can't do. Yes, I won't call them Indian Muslims because if they are Indian in their heart and mind, they wont be involved in such a treachery. Pakistan played really well in this effort. A quick and successful plot. Our eunuch government just kept watching, busying themselves in arranging special trains to Guwahati. Once Pakistan tried to disintegrate the N.E India from the mainland by supporting the cause of the terrorists with money, arms and ammunition and making Bangladesh a safe haven for their trainings and settlement. While they were not so successful in that attempt, in 2012 they hit the rod when it was hot. They took local help; the locals who stays in India but whose heart beats for Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

But, its OK. Everything is "Chalta-Hain" in India.

It's no longer "their" problem !!!

Yesterday, Mumbai saw an aftermath of riots in Assam in the form of mob vandalism and public property destruction. Thousands of Muslim people gathered in Azad Maiden in South Mumbai to protest for the "Muslim" victims of riots in Assam and Myanmar. The protest went out of control which held Mumbai streets in hostage for hours, killing 2 people, injuring many - mostly cops. Media vans, police vans, and like always BEST buses were torched and damaged. In my opinion, most of the protesters didn't even know or care where Myanmar is, or for a matter of fact are not even aware much about Assam. Whatever, public property destruction and mob vandalism is one of the way of reaching orgasm for people in this country. The protest was anyway not meant for Indian Muslims. It was for Muslim victims of riots in Myanmar. The Muslim victims of Assam riots were not Indians. Violence is never justified even if the victims are not citizen of the country. This is something I like about Muslim Brotherhood; having a heart for the community irrespective of citizenship status. I wish the people in mainstream India cared about the Bodo victims of Assam riots. Bodo population is just a meager 5% of Assam's population and as per history, they were one of the earliest inhibitor in Assam. If their rights are not protected now, it'll be quite late. Its quite ironical that the Government calls the others as "minority", even when they don't belong to Assam in particular and India in general. And excuse me, these people are no "minorities", they dominate 11 out of 27 districts in Assam and counting. 

These illegally migrated people from the nearby famine ridden Bangladesh, where their own country could not provide them with the basic necessities of life are becoming  an utter threat to the identity of indigenous people, their property and security. But, who cares? The ruling government don't care, as no other people can give such strong vote banks. The illegal migration problem is not new, the balloon is being blown since Indira Gandhi's regime dated back to 1983 when the IM-DT Act was specially imposed on Assam; until Supreme Court of India made in null and void in 2005. However, 22 years is a long time and the damage was already done. Added to it are the porous border, where a few corrupt security personnel allowed people to cross the border and corrupt officials are selling ration-cards, voter-id cards in a mass scale. The illegal migration is continuing in unchecked scale. Assam riot of July - 2012 is a threatening signal to India's sovereignty. If no strong and aggressive steps are taken, its not hard to foresee Assam being another branch of East Pakistan.  

The mainstream India usually don't give a damn for Assam or the other six states of North Eastern region. But, its high time that they start doing it now. 11th August violence in Mumbai is just an indication that problems in far lying Assam or North East India is no longer confined to the region. It quite saddening that a portion of people is showing sympathy to the outsiders / illegal immigrants just on their religious status and giving the problem a communal tone. The riot in Assam was not a religious riot, it was fight for their rights by the indigenous people, and was challenged by the outsiders because for them it is do or die, a war for survival. They have nothing to lose, because they illegally entered India when they lost everything back home. But, their struggle for survival can change the political and geographical identity of India forever, if not checked now.

Hello Indians, its no longer Assam's or NE-India's problem. If things are not checked and stopped now, the next attack in Mumbai wont get plotted from Karachi, but from inside the country.

I wish people in this country really cared for their homeland. Just "homeland", and not thinking in terms of religion, caste and creed. If it was done, damages to the tone of millions of rupees would not have happened in Mumbai  yesterday. Politicians are busy looting public money like a huge bunch of pigs plunging themselves into pile of shits. Look at me, I have taken the easier path of showing my concern by writing blogs from my cozy living room.

Life

Life is like a box of chocolates... You never know what you're gonna get.

This story appeared in the newspapers on 3rd August, 2012.

I used to hate running. I was running back home to save my life 

South Sudan marathon runner Guor Marial will officially compete under the Olympic flag at the London 2012 Games but deep down he will represent his new nation and its long-suffering refugees. No coach, no sponsors, no country to represent, Former child slave Guor Marial bids for marathon gold.  Olympic marathon athlete Guor Marial knows what it’s like to keep running for mile after gruelling mile. The 28-year-old long-distance runner spent most of his childhood being chased through savage battles in his native South Sudan.

Running through the desert with hardly any water or shelter, his was a training regime like no other. A tough survivor of a 20-year civil war that left two million dead – including eight of his 10 brothers and sisters – he ran from Sudanese soldiers who attacked and burnt his village, an army officer who kept him as a slave and Arab nomads. Now Guor will line up in the London 2012 marathon on Sunday. He will represent no national team because South Sudan, the world’s newest country which won independence in July last year, has no Olympic committee.

He has no coach, sponsors or training facilities and just one well-worn pair of running shoes. He works all night to earn a living in Flagstaff, Arizona, and trains by day. But remarkably Guor has secured a place alongside the world’s greatest long-distance runners on merit.

It makes his story one of the most inspiring of London 2012, so much so that the US, British and Olympic authorities have gone out of their way to help him.

When he ran from his crisis-hit East African nation to become a refugee, Guor completed the most important race of his life so far.

He went first to Egypt before arriving in the US state of New Hampshire with an uncle in 2001.

He said: “I used to hate running. I was running back home to save my life.” However, he won the state cross-country championship and was given an athletics scholarship by Iowa State University. In June last year, he entered his first marathon, in Minneapolis, and finished it in two hours and 14 minutes – just inside the Olympic qualifying time. But he was a runner without a country. As a refugee he could not represent the US. The Sudanese government invited him to join Sudan’s team, but Marial refused. “If I ran for Sudan, I would be betraying my people,” he said. “I would be dishonouring the two million people who died for our freedom.” After a second quick marathon time, a lawyer took up his case, lobbying influential people to get Guor a place at the Olympics. Just 12 days ago, the International Olympic Committee agreed that he could run as an independent athlete under the Olympic flag.

Last Thursday, the US and British authorities granted him a visa and travel documents in record time – though they arrived too late for the opening ceremony. He said: “South Sudan has finally got a spot in the world community. Even though I will not carry their flag in this Olympic Games, the country itself is there.The dream has come true.”

The Accidental Writer

Someone truly quoted that from the day you were born your fate is decided. How you go about that fate varies but no matter what the results are the same. This is very true and can be related to many contemporary successful and famous persons. Whenever I see the great fan following of Chetan Bhagat of Five Point Someone fame (in case someone don't know him), my belief on that quote gets stronger and stronger. I myself read Five Point Someone, mostly on peer pressure though, kinda found it okay, nice. However, all the other books which came later were a big disaster. I don't know how people can find such mediocre and loathful writing so compelling that Chetan Bhagat has such a huge clan of buffs. Or, may be reading Chetan Bhagat is just a "I am cool because I read Chetan Bhagat" factor among teenagers and young adults.  Whatever, he is a famous writer in India and a widely read The Sunday Times of India columnist.

Today, I happen to read his article called "Home Truths of Career Wives" [http://bit.ly/PZDqTV]. I really appreciate the crux of the article.  I myself is a strong believer in women's social and economic independence in India and has a deep sense of respect for the working women. But, I strongly denounce the way the article has been stereotyped and written. It has been written based on a recently released ga-ga-ga Bollywood movie called Cocktail, where the hero chooses the homely kind of girl to that of an (so-called) independent girl for marriage. Then he compares how Indian men prefers traditional phulka making girl as wives and gives his moral advises on benefits of choosing a career oriented woman. He says how Marissa Mayer instead of being 6 month pregnant is going to lead a Fortune 500 company and is a role model for all. In all these, although the spirit of womanhood seems to be celebrated, but for me it smelt something that of a male chauvinistic dictation for what men should choose !!!

I believe, what a woman really wants to do in her life is really a choice of the woman and no one else. Whether she wants to make phulkas for her family or lead a Fortune 500 company, its her choice and a woman should not be pigeonholed into categories of women depending on the work she does as it seem to be done in the article. The word phulka-making women itself sound so distasteful.  How can someone say that the work of making food, looking after the kids and managing a home be a small task. God! It's far more tougher than a 9 to 6 corporate job and when you don't even get a paycheck for your work. I personally see Marrisa Mayer not as a woman who is 6 month pregnant and is going to lead Yahoo, but mostly as a great mind who is behind most of the UI design in software Google developed, software which everyone of us uses daily. Choosing a life partner should be based on whether you love that woman and on the feeling that you can spend the rest of your life with her. Rest follows automatically, where she wants to make phulkas or want to take/continue on a job, it should be her choice. Whether a woman has a educational pedigree of IIT and IIM or has a 7 digit paycheck can't be a primary criteria of marriage. Again, a few will be so lucky to have a choice as Saif Ali Khan had in the movie Cocktail. If I were him, I would have gone for Meera as well, not because she is traditional, but I found Diana Penty more hot and lovely than Deepika Padukone. [Disclaimer: I did not watch Cocktail, nor would I watch.]

It's terrible that even after 65 yrs. of our so-called independence, women in our country are subjected to social crimes like dowry, rape, atrocities of never ending erection of Indian men, moral policing by protector of Indian culture.

Everytime I read Chetan Bhagat, I feel good about my writing. Someone rightly christened him as the Rakhi Sawant of Indian Literature.

What the F**K!

The recent incident of the molestation of a teenage girl in full public view by a mob of more than 15 animals for 30 minutes in Guwahati city's busy G.S Road outraged the whole country. #Guwahati became the trending topic in Twitter. TRPs of news channels went up like anything. While a group of news channels displayed the footage in a loop, a few others tried to show (so called) maturity by not showing the footage but opening up a telephone/SMS discussion forum. I, like most others expressed my anger by tweeting in Twitter. The whole incident was extremely disturbing and I really felt embarrassed today for being an Assamese, or belonging to the community. I always used to compare the safety and state of women in this part of the country to that in Delhi, Gurgaon or Noida and express pride in it, which got shattered today. Assam or North-East India was devoid of these heinous social crimes. But, I believe good old days are gone. While we will go back to our lives with our "chalta hain" attitude, the poor little girl has to move on with the trauma forever in life. I pray to God that she gets the strength and will power to go back to life and I hope (a hopeless hope though) the perpetrators will be punished accordingly.

If you've ever seen a one-legged man...

A continuation to my earlier post on the movie "The Wrestler". The movie ends with a nice.. but kinda depressing song..  A soothing acoustic one by Bruce Springsteen, fits the mood when you want to resonate yourself with that sadness prevailing over you...

Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free?
If you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me
Have you ever seen a one-legged dog making its way down the street?
If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me

Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door
Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before
Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
Tell me can you ask for anything more?

Have you ever seen a scarecrow filled with nothing but dust and wheat?
If you've ever seen that scarecrow then you've seen me
Have you ever seen a one-armed man punching at nothing but the breeze?
If you've ever seen a one-armed man then you've seen me

Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door
Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before
Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
Tell me can you ask for anything more?

These things that have comforted me, I drive away
This place that is my home I cannot stay
My only faith's in the broken bones and bruises I display

Have you ever seen a one-legged man trying to dance his way free?
If you've ever seen a one-legged man then you've seen me

The Wrestler

A few days back, I watched a movie named "The Wrestler". Another master piece from director Darren Aronofsky, known for Requiem for a Dream, The Black Swan. The Wrestler is about the life of professional wrestler - Randy "The Ram" Robinson (played Mickey Rourke), his dejecting quest for a life outside the ring. Amazing acting by Mickey and ofcourse the direction. The movie plunged me into a state of deep thoughts for sometime, and I remember I felt the same thing when I watched Requiem for a Dream. I ain't no movie critic, but this a must watch for any serious movie watcher. Randy, who is on the verge of retirement for aging and ill health due to the use of steroids, tries to find the same love and affection out side his professional life, which he gets from people associated with the ring. But, as the character was portrayed, he was too much f**ked up in his personal life, disassociating himself from his daughter long back. Although, he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter again, but it was all in vain. Next, was his failed convincing attempt on a stripper, for whom he had romantic feelings, to settle down with him. Doing all odd jobs like working in a grocery store for survival, Randy was striving for the same name and fame which he enjoyed jamming in the ring. The movie ends with an iconic wrestling re-match between him and one of his long time nemesis, where Randy outweighed his mortality for his love for the ring, his profession and his identity. The movie also portrays the utter truth of the back-stage in the world of wrestling, in midst of all the roar and joy of the crowd. How wrestlers sheds their blood for name, fame and money! In one of the frames in the movie, the dismayed look in the face of the stripper, a mother raising a nine year old son, for her sodding need for a lap dance from the customers was very touchy.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/
Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_wrestler/
Meta Critic: http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-wrestler

Oops.. 4 months already passed....

1st official post in 2012. 4 months have passed without even realizing it. Am I am too busy with the elephant now? Or, may be its just an excuse for a stale blog. Life is going okay-dokay type. Too much imbibed into work to think about anything else. Again, my productivity in this time of the year really goes down due to the heat and I am too much reluctant and unwilling to increase my carbon foot print by buying devices to resist the summer. On an another note, over the last one month, I have adopted a new hobby (really?) to do gardening in whatever space I have in the balcony of my apartment. I have all together 7 - 8 varieties of plant now. One hibiscus shrub, a jasmine plant, an infant mango tree, a toddler lemon tree,  an aloe-vera, one tulsi and I don't know the name of other two plants. I am taking utmost care of all of them, watering it every morning and evening, putting all raw kitchen wastes so as to give them some organic manure. A few of them have started blooming too, and it feels nice. I always loved gardening when I was a kid, but the interest was buried in some dark corner inside me for last 12 years or so. Although a  majority of these inactivity can be attributed to one reason or the other, some being genuinely valid. Anyways, better late than never. Its fun to see the plants growing in front of you. I am looking out for getting organic fertilizers to over-clock the plant's growth, but alas! eBay, flipkart, infibeam ... none sell fertilizers :-( I am planning to grow some green chili plants to cater my miniature need.

Can you spot the lemon?

Sweet Child O' Mine !!

In Bloom

A Violet By A Mossy Stone?