Jojo Rabbit - The Lessons it can teach Us

What does it take to break indoctrination? How do you obliterate a hate that has been sowed in someone from when they were a baby? These are some of the questions that Taika Waititi tries to answer in this Noir Dramedy. Set in the 1940s Germany, Jojo Rabbit is about a Little Nazi Boy, his imaginary friend "Adolf" (yup, you know the one), his Mother who secretly works for the Resistance, and the Jew Girl who is hidden in the walls of his dead sister's room.

Sounds heavy, Nein? Actually no. The Story is told from the point of view of the 10-year-old Johannes Betzler who is such a Nazi fanatic that it took him three weeks to get over the fact that his grandfather was not Blond. In the first scene of the movie, we see young Johannes getting ready to join the JungVolk (Hitler Youth) in a training weekend, which according to him will be very "intense". When he has a moment of insecurity his imaginary friend steps up and gives him a pep talk.

The Weekend training camp Johannes goes to is the stuff Google vomits at us when we google Nazi Youth Training Camp, a gaggle of blond haired blue eyed "Aryan" specimens training to become the ideal Jew Hating Nazi. The boys are told they will be trained in Warfare, and the girls will be trained in how to pop out Nazi babies, thereby doing their duty to the Fatherland. It is at this point, Fraulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson) proudly announces that she popped out 18 babies for the Fatherland.

The Camp begins, and there comes a point when Johannes is asked to kill a rabbit, and when he is unable to, he is called a coward and named "Jojo Rabbit". To prove that he is not a coward, he throws a hand grenade, which explodes in his hand, and leaves him with a scar on one side of his face and a crippled leg. He is sent back home to recover, and at that time, he discovers that his mother is hiding Elsa, a Jew Girl in the walls of his dead sister, Inge's room. The rest of the movie deals with how Jojo comes to terms with the fact that Jews are not as horrible as he thinks they were, falls in love with Elsa (ultimately he realises he is too young for her, and asks her to trust him like a little brother), and lastly, throws the Swastika Arm Band at Hitler's Face. Massive turn around for someone who had previously described himself as someone who is "massively into Swastikas".

The movie starts off in a light vein with a little boy and a comic Hitler. Hitler even though is a comedic version of the original, harbors the same feelings of Antisemitism, Hate, and absolute reverence to the idea of a perfect Aryan World, and is just as insecure as we all imagined him to be. Then as the plot progresses, we see darkness, at first it is hidden here and there just like the Jew Girl hiding in darkness, and then slowly it is everywhere. There are poignant scenes like the ones where where Jojo and his mother see the bodies of the people who were hung, the time Jojo confirms that Jews like ugliness and we all know he's thinking that Elsa will like him despite the ugly scar on his face, the time where Captain Klenzendorf calls Jojo a Jew to help him escape certain death in the hands of the American soldiers, and lastly when Jojo discovers his mother’s body hanging, and then ties her shoelaces, just like she taught him to.

The movie is relevant in these times of fascism, institutionalized hatred, dangerous nationalism and fanatic indoctrination. The opening credits of the film feature the crowds of Germans in almost a Beatlemania type hysteria while attending Hitler's speeches. For all the Indians out there, looks familiar, no?

What does it take to break indoctrination? How do you obliterate a hate that has been sowed in someone from when they were a baby? Truth and coming face to face with the fact that they have been brought up with lies. Jojo could have easily grown to become the Jamia Shooter or the Shaheen Bagh Shooter, such was the intensity of his indoctrination. He was such a Nazi that even his mother thought that he was a Fanatic. I am reading similar reports about the Shaheen Bagh Shooter and his intense feelings of admiration toward the Hindi Rashtra. Sanghis who read this will probably say I am being paranoid, but their brothers on Twitter have called me worse.

Watch this movie, take your friends, you family or your significant other. Tell people to watch it because this movie deserves to be seen. Watch it for Jojo's friend Yorki, who personally does not see that the big deal about Jews is. Watch it for the obviously gay Captain Glenzendorf and his paramour Finkel, who try very hard to hide it from their homophobic Nazi Party. Watch it for that scene where the Gestapo comes to the Betzler Home. Watch it for the dark comedy. But, please watch the movie. Peace.

Rape and other associated realities

I was scrolling through my Facebook Feed after a heavy lunch when I came across a post that ruined my entire day, or rather whatever was left of it. Nestled very quietly between a Curly Tales post about a sports bar in Dubai that serves Chicken Nuggets and Fries coated with edible Gold dust, and a Bookmyshow advertisement about Cirque Du Soleil was the following post by Manupatra.

Excuse me? Does this have to be spelled out to the Indian Public in the form of a Judgement in a case? Apparently so, given the day and age we are living in. Maybe soon we will have judgments (if we don't already) laying down specifically that a woman's clothing, her hair, her makeup, her food habits, her living arrangements, or whatever else does not give a man the Right to Rape her. It seems to be the need of the day, doesn't it?

It makes me angry. Actually, just makes me sad that it has come down to this. It's just sad that in our society its a norm that girls are asked to come home early, asked to not wear 'revealing' clothes, asked to be careful, and for all of us, this is internalised behaviour. We have been taught this by our mothers and grandmothers, and maybe will also teach the same to our daughters. In the few months, news reporting Rapes have become as common as news about Cricket, Cinema and Lynching. 

I wonder what it will take people in this country to realise that NOTHING gives anyone the RIGHT to Rape anyone. Nope, their body it not yours for the taking, nor are are you entitled to touch someone without their explicit consent. Teach your boys to respect women they said. Maybe we need more people teaching their children about trying to take whats not theirs. 

I was upset for a while. Then I scrolled down, and saw a post about Kenneth Sebastian and Abish Matthew performing in Hyderabad this Saturday, followed by a post about Puppies. My eyes wandered back to the list of deadlines pinned to my cubicle wall, and the list of things to do, and I went back to my work, thinking of ways to start writing this post, and maybe how to end it. I wish there was a way to end this post in a very witty and sarcastic way, but the ending here is grim, just like the present situation around us. Maybe like I suggested in my Death Penalty project in Law School all those years ago when I was a naive 18 year old, maybe Castration is the way to go. Just laying it out there. Maybe.

Budapest, na it's Buda-best!

                    I first heard of Budapest when I was fairly young, maybe around 10 or 11. The video rental guy near my house, who knew of my mum's penchant for old black and white romances, gave us a seemingly innocuous CD called "The Shop Around the Corner". Anyone who understood which modern day romantic comedy is based on this, raise your hand. The movie was set in Budapest, and because of this, I learnt that Budapest is the capital of Hungary, which is in Europe. The movie was great, and later much much later, I was quite disappointed to learn that while the movie was set in Budapest, the movie was actually not shot in Budapest. 

Something I clicked from the Geller Hill.

As time passed, I saw a couple of music videos which where shot in Budapest, read a couple of books that mentioned Budapest fleetingly, and slowly and surely the city slipped into the back of my mind. Then of course, came the time to plan my actual trip to Eastern Europe. I did my research on Prague, and Prague and more on Prague. I looked into the fascinating history of Vienna, and the beautiful mountains of Salzburg, and Innsbruck. Somewhere along the way, my research about Budapest began with Thermal baths and ended with Goulash. 

It was like I stepped into a fairy tale. The views from the Gellert Hill were breathtaking. Budapest at night was something else. The city in the morning was stuff to write poems about. It's extremely hard to believe that this place was destroyed 33 times! Yep, this beautiful city has rebuilt itself 33 times, and is still in the process of rebuilding itself. Funfact : There is a bridge in Budapest that the Nazis destroyed by mistake, yep, it's true. The fact that both the Hungarian Parliament and the St.Stephens are the same height symbolizing the equality of State and Religion had the Legal History Geek in me fan-girling hard.

The Metro Rail transports you to 1900s Europe, you have to see it to believe it. The Trams and the Buses are a breeze to navigate, and Google Maps will become your best friend. Goulash warms up your soul, and you can spend hours wandering the Central Market. Pro Tip : Do not forget to pick up cheap souvenirs and Paprika for friends and family back home. Watch a Hungarian Dance show. Go Pub hopping, and try out a couple of ruin bars, but definitely end your night dancing away at one of the pubs on the bank of the Danube near the Chain Bridge on the Pest side. I would unflinchingly recommend this gem of a place called RAQPART.

Remember that song George Ezra wrote in 2014 called Budapest? Well after I actually visited the city, it became abundantly clear to me that Mr.Ezra did not actually visit the city prior to writing said song. It's because no one, I mean no one with all their screws in the right place, would leave this city, to chase a seemingly fleeting and unattainable notion of love. No one. 

I will not forget the views from every part of the city. I will not forget the warmth and the chaos of the Szechyni thermal baths. I will not forget the No.105 Bus. I will not forget the Bar Tender who looked like Lukas Podolski in Raqpart near the Chain Bridge. I will not forget the Long Ice Land Ice Teas he made either. I will not forget the girl who helped us get on the correct bus to the Gellert Hill. I will not forget the night I danced away, or the morning when we took pictures with the "Girl From Buda" Statue. I will not forget the Pub next to our Hotel which made the most amazing Grilled Chicken, or the other one that served Chocolate beer. I will not forget the Lemonade that made me get over my hangover, or the KFC guys who tried to reach me after I left my bag there.

 Most of all, I will not forget the city that made me say, "Buda and Pest, you have me".

The Revenant, Mr.DiCaprio and one Academy Award.

Last Monday morning (India Time) a beaming Julianne Moore put a million fans , sitting on the edge of their seats (not me obviously, cause it was Monday morning and I was in Court) , all over the world, out of their misery when she presented the Oscar to Leonardo DiCaprio. It was an epic moment which was almost 12 years in the making and it reduced the world into a sobbing proud mess, just like Leo's darling BFF, Kate Winslet. Well about time, I say, cause this "LEO DESERVES AN OSCAR" mania reached its peak this year, and we all know about the little Android (?) game that was doing the rounds in the weeks preceding the Academy Awards. 

Most girls my age in India were introduced to "Jack", a long time ago in the James Cameron epic, Titanic. From then on, I made it my mission in life to try and watch as many of his movies as possible, and I must say I was not disappointed. Whether it was Jack, or King Louis XIV, or Frank Abagnale Jr. or Howard Hughes (which earned him his first Oscar nomination), he lived and breathed every role and made it all extremely believable. I suppose with him, its always been 200% every role, and every movie. 

Then came 2006, the year DiCaprio showed everyone he can act in two very different movies and also master two extremely different accents in The Departed and Blood Diamond. Yup, let me start gushing about Blood Diamond, believe me, I cant ever stop raving about that movie. Leo played the role of Danny Archer a cut throat mercenary who in the end gets a change of heart and ultimately helps a fisherman reunite with his family. His performance left me sobbing at the end, when he says, "I am exactly where I am supposed to be". I also almost sobbed when he dint win the Oscar that following year, but I must admit Phillip Seymour Hoffman deserved it for his scintillating performance in Capote. 

 

 So when he finally won the Academy Award on Monday I resolved to go watch the Revenant and come home and write out a post dedicated to Leo. However, after the movie, I realised that writing about Leo and not writing about the movie would leave this post incomplete. The Revenant is a gripping tale of revenge, it is a tale of what happens when one man decides to brave all that nature has to throw at him and almost come back from the dead to avenge his son's death. It's intriguing, its primal, and it shows man at one with nature, and the lengths one man would go to just survive. The movie is not for everyone. It's one of those movies where you'll either love or completely hate. 

The story, the locales and the acting are brilliant. Alejandro G. Iñárritu who directed last year's Birdman gave us an epic, man vs. nature, thoroughly captivating trip. Kudos for that, and he deserved all the Awards he picked up.

Tom Hardy deserves a pat on his back for the wonderful potrayal of John Fitzgerald. He was the perfect anti-hero to Leo's bear fighting Hugh Glass. Will Poulter (that stuck up kid from the last Narnia movie) provided great support to the leading cast in his supporting yet, extremely crucial role of Bridger.

Leo deserves this year’s Academy Award not for braving the cold temperatures, not for eating raw Bison liver, not for sleeping inside an animal carcass, not for sitting through hours of make- up everyday, but for the sheer grit, determination and passion with which he became Hugh Glass. His eyes reflected the anguish a parent suffers when their child is murdered in front of their eyes while they lie helplessly unable to do anything. He, practically, rose from the dead, like a revenant, to avenge his son's death, with only his dead wife's memories hauntingly egging him on. This powerful story needed telling and I am glad it was told. Also a special Honorable Mention here goes to the Bear, my dear, you were magnificent, truly magnificent, and also DiCaprio and Hardy's Beards.

Watch this movie only if you are absolutely sure that you can stomach it. It is rated A for a reason, and the reason is not 'sexual' at all. 

I give this movie a 4/5. 

And finally, OMG OMG OMG Leo won!! 

Come on internet, next up we have one Mr.Depp (who was nominated this year for Blackmass, an amazing watch btw) and one Mr.Cruise.

Fitoor : Movie Review

                 
             I am actually happy that they warn you before the movie itself begins. Yes, for the unaware, this movie is an "adaptation of Great Expectations". For the uninitiated, this is that very same book you were made to read in Class 7, chapter by chapter, with a hope that in a class of 25 at least 5 will actually begin to "appreciate Classics". There's Pip, there's Estella and my all time favorite jilted bride turned manipulative bitch, Miss Havisham and there's Miss Havisham's wedding dress! For me atleast, after class 7 and this book, I learnt a fancy new word - bildungsroman, and discovered the magic of "To Kill a Mocking Bird", and as cliched as it may seem, became a Lawyer.

            Fast forward 14 years, and in 2016, the first thing I hear about Fitoor, is the great "55 Lakh Rupees Hair" Controversy, when I was listening to the radio in a friends car. Wait what! 55 lakhs? really? for hair dye? woah! Isse acha Godrej le ata! Well done, Kat. That's why I guess my friends and I found a bit too much of red in the movie, her red hair, red clothes, his red paint. The promos included Pashmina choreographed in a style akin to a very famous Ed Sheeran song, really? Come on, man.

             Set in a picturesque Kashmir, a weirdly artsy Delhi full of emotional, sentimental and kind people (Where, bro?) and a cliched London with black town cars and red phone booths, this movie is a visual treat. Obviously it is a visual treat, I mean when you take two pretty faces and put them in a movie with a lot of pretty scenery, that's all you will get. It's almost as if the locales were chosen hoping to take the attention away from Katrina's blank face, Kapoor's dull acting and the zero chemistry between them. Even the kissing scenes looked boring.

               Tabu, is, inevitably the saving grace of the movie. It's almost as if she has perfected the art of playing the Kashmiri begum. For the Dickens loyalists, there is no Havisham in her, nope and definitely, no unchanged wedding dress. All this and the heavy Kashmiri clothing, and bad eye makeup do not effect the sheer brilliance of her acting. Lara Dutta and Aditi Rao Hydari try to do justice to their limited roles.

               The narrative is dull and boring. The final act of the movie, as opposed to the novel, only falls flat on the audience's faces. It's almost as if everyone were looking forward to pack up and leave. The dialogues are uselessly heavy, almost as if words were used just for the sake of using fancy words. The music is sublime and suits the stunning visuals. Another example where its clearly been proven that visual aesthetics and pretty main pairing, aand Aditya Roy Kapoor's abs cannot cover a limp storyline and uselessly heavy dialogues.

             Watch this movie for Tabu, the locations and the sets, and maybe the music. I give it a 3 on 5.  

Where do they shoot these videos in India?

        What do Major Lazer's Lean On, Iggy Azalea's Bounce and Coldplay's Hymn for the Weekend have in common? Well they all have videos that are shot in India. But honestly speaking, what India were they shot in? No, really. Tell me which one of us has seen Sadhus with long Orange sashes flying behind them? or which one of us rides an Elephant to work everyday? Sorry Iggy.

Everyone one of these videos has been shot in this country, yes, but do they really have to crank up the colours so much? It hurts my eyes, really. For all the Non Indians out there reading my post, no we do not wear only bright colours, clothing choices in pastel are a thing here, do not be fooled by these videos. Another thing, we don't have Sadhus (those bearded holy men) sitting in every street corner, just staring at people passing by, nor do you find elephants on the road, well, mostly.

Dancing in front of tree temples or any temples, especially with Sadhus is strictly frowned upon, especially if you are a foreigner, the people there will either complain to the Police or just take justice into their hands and beat the shit out of you, and next thing you know there will be a mob of BJP/VHP people, and that video you shot here, and all of your music will be BANNED in India. Yeah, banning is a thing here. Our Government can ban anything. Trust me, you dont want to face our Courts, nor do you want to face one Mr.Goswami. I promise you, he'll get to you, before any authorities.

Queen Bee's cleavage would have never even made it to the screen here in India cause our friends in the Censor Board would have cut it off, definitely. Yes, the same Censor Board who are now letting Mastizaade release. Forget all of that, Mr.Martin, whatever gave you the idea that we Indians watch movies in old fashioned Cinemas anymore? Oh no, we only go to multiplexes over the weekend. I promise. And also, no Holi and Diwali are not the only festivals we celebrate here, but I guess malnourished children running around throwing colors at each other has more appeal than just random kites flying in the sky. But hey, what do I know? However, the kids in the new Coldplay video are locking and popping away to glory so I guess, they have access to some kind of TV.

Lastly, our public transport does not have colourful interiors, how much ever I want it to. I love the bus in Lean On, and the taxis in the new Coldplay video. I really wish we had public transport with colourful interiors.

Don't get me wrong, I love the songs, and to a great extent I even love the videos, but isn't it time for the Western world to actually see that India is much more than, Orange clad holy men, gold clad elephants, and dancing kids. This "partying in poverty" (nope, not my term I read it off the Internet) thing is getting boring. It could possibly be also creating a wrong motive for people to come travel to India. No, we are really not as interesting as  the videos and the movies make us out to be, we travel in Uber, we drink Coffee every morning, and we most certainly do not ride elephants to work everyday! I like that the entire world's attention is on India and all, but I only hope that the world will finally know India is more than, puppets, vibrant colours and white peacocks!

Ps : Kids in my country do not know about periscope. You can ask a few people.
P.P.S - I also LOVE Chris Martin!!

Adulthood

I know I haven't written for a while. Quite some time actually. I can say I was so busy at work that I could hardly breathe, but then, I'd be lying. Inspiration was scarce. 15 hour working days don't really bring out the hidden writer in you, nor do the many legal documents you've drafted. Excuses.Excuses. 

It is the time of the year for my end of the year, I am getting a year older post, but then again, i found no reason to go ahead and write that. Until, today morning. 

I was at work, and then an article in internet catches my eye. It says that Brett Lee is going to act in a Hindi movie. That was the point when I realised that well my childhood has officially ended. No, it was not when the end credits of Deathly Hallows rolled, or when I graduated or on the first day of my first job. It was today. Six months into my second job, a week before my 24th birthday, I realised the world I lived in as a child has turned topsy turvy.

Brett Lee, a person who I worshipped for his sheer grit and determination for a long time has suddenly decided to act in some Hindi movie! To say that I was dissapointed was an understatement, but maybe I am over reacting.

 To me the article represented a colossal change in the way I see things in this world. This heart break was different from the time when it was announced that he was marrying Liz Kemp, or maybe my brain cannot process the images of him running around trees and singing. My naive school girl view of Binga running into bowl at 150 kmph has suddenly been replaced with one where he is romancing an Indian girl in a movie. Well, that's when I realised all is not what is seems in this big wide world, and, that was my official welcome into adulthood. Maybe its accepting that its okay if my favorite cricketer decides to try and become Shahrukh Khan, maybe its thinking its okay he still has Mewsic which is a fabulous organization, maybe its realising that people should do what makes them happy, but somewhere along the way I realised I sort of maybe became an adult. 

Now the most important question is, will I watch the movie? Damn right I will! Just because I think I am an adult does not mean that I am ready to let go of one of the most important parts of my childhood. All the best, Binga!  You go rock Bollywood and I'll try to figure out this 'being an adult thing'. 

Aditi's KKHH rant

I remember back in 2000, when I was a little girl, and dreamed of knights on white chargers (wasn't I a lame kid?. tsk!), I adored Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Kajol wasn't my favourite, but she was dark and fat, much like myself, and I thought, "Hey! she got the guy of herdreams. There is hope for me!" (like I said. LAME.) So, anyway, I watched it every time they showed it on TV, and it is a proof of how dumb (or damaged?) I used to be, that I did not notice how twisted the movie was, until I was well into in my teens.

First of all, it was sort of obvious that Shahrukh Khan's character would get both girls, because:

a) it was shahrukh khan's character...um..duh.

b) there were two heroines in the movie,

c) the movie was directed by his BFF.

Also --- and I am saying this at considerable risk of inviting the wrath of SRK's unjustifiably huge fandom--- Rahul was kind of a douche. 

Friends don't let friends fall off the grid. EVER. And I say this out of personal experience. In fact, best friends threaten you with dire consequences at the merest hint of dropping off the radar. And then there was our hero, who let his "best friend" do exactly that, and couldn't be less bothered for EIGHT years! Until of course, his pretty wife dies. 

And even then, it takes Anjali a complete overhaul of her personality to attract her "best friend's" attention. The tomboy and ace basketball player, has to start wearing make up and saris AND start losing to the hero in the very game she kicked his ass at, to earn his "love". Feminism FTW, am I right!

And speaking of Anjali, what is the matter with that girl! I get the whole 'falling in love with your best friend' situation. I do, really. But hello! There is a perfectly sweet and dashing guy, head over heels in love her! Who, by the way does not snub her, does not expect her to change for him, and as we see at the end of the movie, was truly the one who loves her unconditionally without any agenda. All this, despite the cold response he normally gets from her. And lets not ignore the fact that she realises that she is in love with Rahul way before her wedding. The honourable thing to do here would be to call off the wedding and save Aman the horror of being dumped on his wedding day. But NO. Sigh.  

Honestly, the only time I feel heartbroken in the entire movie is when Aman is left at the altar.

I am going to take a moment here to grieve. Sorry. But I must. You may judge me if you wish.   

All in all, this movie is not about how true love triumphs against all odds. This movie is essentially about a superficial moron, who gets to have his cake and eat it too, thereby, disrupting the balance of the universe. Well...that's ok, I guess. The universe strikes back in Kal ho na ho. (<Evil laughter denoting satisfaction>) 

PS: Thanks Sneha for letting me rant. I feel better now. Also, I mean no disrespect to Shahrukh Khan fans. I belonged to your ilk too, once upon a time. I get it. 

Malaria and the so called death of tiki-taka(?)

 I should have written this post almost a week ago, but malaria decided to grace my life with its lovely presence. So the last week and a half was spent ditching work and recovering at home, what better way to recover than feverently follow the 'greatest show on earth'? Sleep in the morning and football in the night is a good way to rid yourself off Malaria. Thank you dear mosquito who decided that its a good time to bite me and give me Malaria; it really is the best time!

Most of my nights have been spent watching small teams give big teams a run for their money, yes, Costa Rica, I am talking about you there, kicking England out without even playing against them. Last nights Portugal - USA match was pretty enthralling, so was Germany and Ghana. 

But but the question lingering on everyone's mind right now is, is this World Cup the death of Tiki-taka? my heart was broken into a few million pieces on the fateful night when the Dutch literally anhilated the defending Champs, the Spaniards! The game raised a few questions, well I had a few questions for Mr. Del Bosque too, why on earth dint you start with Villa? Well after todays match against the Soccaroos, I hate to say it, but well, I told you so. It was heartnening to see Villa score in what could possibly be his last World Cup match. I only wish Villa played a lot more in this World Cup. Today was a glimpse of the old Spain team which tiki takaed its way to the last World Cup trophy. All the best to them for defending their Euro Cup two years from now. I am with you, Spain. May you tiki taka to glory again. 

Another thing that caught my attention thisntime around was 'Cafe Rio'. Well Sony six (and Pix) what was John Abraham doing with Crouch and Silverstre and that Gaurav Mehta? Also did I catch 'Nikhil Chinnappa' there? Whats happenning? Stranger things have not happenned in a while, I suppose. Really. As far as the Opening Ceremonies go, this times was a tad dull, and having Pitbull there did nothing to alleviate matters. The only redeeming factor that night being 'NEYMAAAAAAAAAR!'. 

Who would I predict to win this time? I'd say its a toss up between Netherland and Germany. So before ending this post which is essentially a ploy to keep me awake till the Brazil - Cameroon match, I'd like to once again offer my heartfelt thanks to the mosquito who made me sick, you are my hero, truly. Yep, this post is more successful in keeping me awaken than Cafe Rio with Sunil Chettri (good thing) or Dhoom 3 adverts on loop in Sony Six (and Pix). 

Until next time peeps! 

The sun did not want to rise. The clouds felt too comfortable and nice. He wanted to sleep longer. He also knew that most of the world also wanted to spend the day in bed, monday morning blues he called them. Blues, he thought to himself, why not reds or blacks or yellows.

He could hear the birds chirping, he wondered how they can possibly be so happy so early in the day. So then he slowly and slowly willed himself out of his feathery light bed. As he rose he saw the sparrows and the blue robins fly out hurriedly to find food to feed their little ones. Look at that squirrel, he thought, scurrying out of his little hole. And theres that little boy whose mother always drags him out of bed at half past seven.

He could hear music play from a house, he saw a bunch of excited little munchkins hurry off to school in clean green uniforms. He saw this little girl jump out of bed screaming, yay! I am finally 10! Then he smiled to himself and thought this is why I must get up everyday, so that the birds can chirp and fly and little girls can turn 10 everyday! And he continued to shine happily.

(There you go, Chinuku, yes baby, I heard you read a bit of my blog the other day. This ones all for you and how much you hate having to wake up. Have a great time turning 11 next week, but for me you ll always be my five year old baby cousin. Love you, always)

One moment. That one moment.

As I write those post I am sitting in a rickety old bus going from Ajmer to Jaipur. My friend is sleeping next to me and I see the desert vegetation outside the window. It's like the world is calling me. I want to go and explore, poke and prod to see what all the world has to offer. I have this innate need or maybe it's a want but I want to travel. I suddenly realised that thanks to my crazy family I have travelled quite a bit. I want to go to new places and learn new things and try out new food. Whether it was looking out for Portuguese food in Diu or relishing Israeli Fatut in Pushkar I realised these things make me feel at home. I felt like I can forget all my problems and just let go. Give my brain that little break which it needs.

I know company matters a lot and in both my trips I had amazing friends who made all that worthwhile. Though at some point in my life I do want to travel alone.

But there comes a moment in Every holiday, every trip, which makes the whole trip worthwhile. It does not matter how many buses you were in or how much money you spent or how much dung you stepped on. That one moment is the one that makes you forget everything and just exist, and just lose yourself. That's the moment that makes the whole trip. In Diu I found peace while floating lying down on my back on the sea water and Pushkar I lost myself looking at the Ajmer skyline from a random spot in the night from the ajmer Pushkar hilly road! Full points to Vered for that Scooty ride suggestion.

I say travel when you can, not all of us are like my grandad who at the age of 75 still takes off with his friends. Geetay is still sleeping and the old bus stopped for breakfast. As if in line with my thoughts my phone starts playing the classic'I want to break free'. I don't know what Jaipur holds for me.

But right now, at this very moment, I feel free.

SDL Party!

Parties are an integral part of law school life, as much as moots or internships or even attendance problems. When it comes to our law school, most of our crazy drunk parties happen in this little highway side dhaba just walking distance away from the campus called Sweet Dream Land, fondly referred to as SDL.

Parties are a way to let out steam and believe me, us law students, always have a lot of steam to let out. People throw parties for every possible reason from birthdays to jobs to 'oh we have nothing better to do'. Now's the time to also say there's a Party Soc in our college and they specialize in throwing SDL parties. Keep up the good work guys!

These parties bring out different sides of people. You go, get drunk, and spill out your inner most secrets to other random drunk people who may or may not remember the same the next morning. You go and dance like there's no tomorrow to songs that you sometimes wish you don't even know. There is always a 90% chance that you made a fool out of yourself at a party but there is also a higher chance that you won't remember it or no one else also does.

A few hours into the party we always get to see drunk manifestations of people, drunk crying, drunk dancing, drunk talk. People will puke and people will pass out and that's usually when the hosts realise it's time to go back. Getting people to leave, well, that's another story. That's why the short distance between college and SDL is very important. I don't claim to have been completely sane on all of my walks back to college but I can claim to have oodles of fun in every party I went to in that dhaba. Yes, I am going to miss this. Maybe I should throw one just cause I am going to miss partying.

Oh my smartphone, will you marry me?

Are phones becoming smarter or are people becoming dumber? Well, it certainly seems so. Smartphone reliance has been turning us into pseudo robots and in a few more years it might just turn us into real fleshy robots.

As an owner of one I must say that I am completely relying on my phone for everything. I only realised how much I need my phone when my phone was stolen in December. Really. Those two weeks were among the worst in my life.

I used to wake up in the mornings and did not know what to do with my time. There were times when I used to stare blankly into space. I did not have my 8 mega pixel camera to click pictures of anything from the rocking chair in my house to a bottle of coke in a restaurant. It felt like a pain to open my laptop to check my mails or use gtalk. My friends told me I was hallucinating and was displaying withdrawal symptoms. I think I was well on my way into depression.

Then ofcourse a little after Christmas a brand new phone entered my life. It wasnt really love at first sight because I was still missing my old phone but after a week I realised I am glued to this new phone as well. So much so that Ammamma had to give me phone timeouts.

So after the cold Delhi internship and the dull college fornight our little to Diu happenned. I should have seen the signs, the omens, but no my stupid thick head dint let me.

Diu was fun. Diu was awesome.Diu also killed my phone. I slipped and fell into a little water on the beach and water went in and my phone got fried. As a result I had to spend a week without a phone. After the money spending and the minor anxiety attack that followed and the earfuls I got from my loving friends and family, I realised something. I realised that I am in love with my smartphone.

I mean why not? It wakes me up every morning, it reminds me of things I have to do everyday,  I can post pictures, download music, research on projects, talk to friend, oh oh and it has WhatsApp! ! I cant live without it. I can even have an intelligent conversation with my phone. I panic if I dont see my phone for more than a few minutes. Omg! I think I am addicted. Or maybe this is love.

So heres what it is,

Dear phone,
I have loved you like no one else, I want you to be a part of me, so phone, will you marry me?.

This post is dedicated to the one we call "phonewhore". Happy Birthday man!

What goes does truly come around!

They say what goes around comes around. I dont really know who 'they' are but I must say that I agree whole heartedly with them. When something bad happens to you dont kill yourself over it, the same way dont get too complecent when everything seems to be going just right for you. Its at times when you think everythings going great that this thing called life has a habit of bringing you down to right where you belong.

I am almost reaching the end of my time in law school and I must say I think I have seen it all. One thing I have learnt is that when you give advice to someone ask yourself a thousand times if you'd follow that same advice if given to you. As I said before what goes around does come around. Oh and another lesson that I learnt the hard way ,dont judge 'cause who knows given that times the great equilizer you just might find yourself in that same exact situation, maybe a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months later.

I know I haven't blogged as often as I would have liked to, but I promise I will write more often. Life lessons learnt coupled with lots of funny incidents in the last few months will make for some interesting posts soon. Also for this post I'd like to thank a really close friend of mine, you know who you are and thanks for everything.  Yes, you and your advice inspired me to write this.

Soo cya folks! And soon.

Hyderabad not = only Banjara Hills!

The other day I was talking to another friend of mine, Vinaya, who is also currently exiled in a Law School and we both noticed a very disturbing trend. If you meet a person who's not from Hyderabad but has a relative/friend/friend's friend/someone who they know exists, who happens to live in Hyderabad, and casually ask them, "So where does your friend live?", the answer more often than not is, Banjara Hills.

Yes, agreed Banjara Hills is Hyderabad's most happening place. Agreed, the place does have some really cool places to hang-out, but that's really not the only place that is hangout worthy!

The Hyderabad I remember growing up in was so different and had so many other things to offer, this despite the fact that I was living pretty close to Banjara Hills. You could go to Anand or Skyline to watch an English Movie. You could go to Ohris, Himayat Nagar for great food and ice cream. Gone are the days when long drives meant going to Tank Bund and Necklace Road, and people used to go to Lumbini Park and Indira Park for morning walks and not KBR Park.

For most people Hyderabad is restricted to Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills and the like. The City really has a lot to offer for someone with a car and a lot of time and a little enthusiasm. Growing up, there were times when we used to go to Banjara Hills, but we used to go to a lot of other places also. The best Chinese food in the city was in Nanking, yes, the one in Secunderabad and not Mainland China. Shopper's Stop and Lifestyle were the only malls and nope they were not in Banjara Hills.

It was suddenly after the IT boom in the early 2000s, the center of the city started to shift towards Banjara Hills. Most yuppies who came into Hyderabad settled in that place and places nearby owing to their proximity to the IT Parks. And as they say, the rest just built up on that.

Banjara Hills is a really nice place to live in, but what we, people from other parts of Hyderabad would like to say is, HYDERABAD is not BANJARA HILLS!

Bye Bye Binga.

 Yesterday Brett Lee  announced that he's retiring from International cricket, for good. I was in class tweeting on my phone when I saw his tweet. For a second, I could not believe it, a part of me did not want to believe it.The idea that he will not be running in to bowl at 150 kmph seemed depressing.

This man, this brilliant bowler, a fashion designer, this musician, this Australian with stunning looks and an amazing personality has been my favorite cricketer since I was nine. When I saw his first ball in that Boxing Day test match I had, like millions of other young girls out there, to just give my heart away. I fell in love. Love with the bowler, the smile, the man and everything there is about him.

My crazy parents, who were with me in whatever I decided to do in my life, were completely on board with this Brett Lee madness also. My dad used to stay awake till odd hours of the morning watching random Test matches of Australia just so he could wake me up when Brett Lee came on to bowl. Whenever Australia had an ODI at whatever odd hours of the day I used to watch those ten overs in which he used to bowl. I ll never forget the number of tests I studied for, projects I wrote, notes I completed sitting in front of the TV, watching these random matches. His pumping fist celebration was something that I'll never forget.

I remember the agony I went through when the Australian Team came to India for a 4 test series in India in 2005, I think (the one in which Michael Clarke made his debut) when he was made to sit on the bench for all the four matches. Apoorva, my fellow Lee fan, and Pallavi, who completed the Cricket Crazy Girl trio in school, used to contemplate before every match about Lee's inclusion (or the lack of it) in the team. I miss those times, when we used to sit on the Volleyball field steps after playing after school hours and yap about Cricket.

His fitness was a source of constant entertainment to my parents, friends, and a constant worry on my mind. The pain I used to feel when he got hurt with all those knee, and ankle injuries is laughable now, but back then, it was very serious, atleast for me. My mother renamed Butter Chicken in our household "Brett Lee Chicken" after I proudly announced that he loved Butter Chicken. That song with Asha Bhonsle made laugh for ages! I was lucky enough to have met the man twice. Yes, if you hope hard enough, dreams do come true.

I think the greatest moment in my life was when I found out that he is a musician too. When he sang "When you say nothing at all" (which at that time was my favorite song) in the Simi Garewal show, and said it was his favorite song, I could have literally DIED! The Allan Border Medal after his brilliant comeback performance in the 2005 Ashes which Australia lost and the VB Series in Australia (where was given Player of the tournament) was just one of the many feathers in his cap. No one will forget that Binga was the last man standing as Australia lost the famous Edgbaston Test in 2005 by just two runs, and even more unforgettable is the Lee-Flintoff handshake. 

There are a lot of things to learn from Binga. First and foremost NEVER EVER GIVE UP. Like he said, and like what I firmly believe, for every low there is always a high, if not more. He is absolutely right! His life being the prime example. Everytime the selectors did not select him, he only came back stronger. These holiday I volunteered for a few days in the Hyderabad edition of Mewsic, the NGO he started, and it was a good experience. Spreading joy through music, not a novel concept, but a fun one never the less. 

The man is an inspiration. He taught me many things in life. I used to laugh at my mother when she used to say ,"Cricket is not the same without Imran Khan" but now I know, "Cricket will never be the same without Binga running into bowl at 150 kmph".

(All those Cricket pundits out there if any date or fact given in this post is wrong please let me know as this was written purely from my heart, and the events are as I remember them)

Brave

All princess need not have that flowing straight hair or the graceful walk or the Charming prince and Disney has showed us precisely that in its latest animated movie, Brave. 

Growing up, there was never a Disney princess I wanted to be like. Disney simply did not care to make a Princess with Wild unruly hair, a huge appetite and an innate stubbornness to do things her way, maybe Ariel was a bit like that, but Merida anyway is an antithesis of most princesses. Today while watching the movie I wished I was 10 years younger, but anyway at last I found my favorite Disney princess. As they say, it's better late than never.

Which other princess would ask a wish to 'change her mother', and ends up changing her mother into a bear, for all those who know me, it's something they all know I am very capable of doing. That is another very important aspect of the movie, it's not everyday that you get an animated movie that explores a mother daughter bond like this one does. 

The humour in the movie will well spaced and very nicely inserted. The Scottish Kilt joke is given a new 'look' in this latest Pixar flick. 

Unlike all the other Disney movies, there is no stalemate prince charming in this one. So much so that the Princess vies with the other suitors for her own hand, yes, she is just as wild an unruly as her curly red locks! The music and the accent in the movie were very original, refreshing and pleasant. A must watch if you like animated movies.

 I take Merida's words very seriously,

"If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?"

Maybe a good thing before I head off to Jodhpur to begin my final year of college!

D.E.L.H.I

I vaguely remember the first time I ever set foot in Delhi. We were on our way to Nainital and had to take a car from Delhi to Nainital. It was mid-June, and from the minute I set foot in Delhi, I hated it. It has rained the previous night and it was humid and sticky. The journey from the Airport to the Bank of India Guest House in Karol Bagh was, well, hot and sweaty. I swore I'd never come back to this place, and I remember my Old man just laughed.

Many years later, well not that many also (exaggeration is a writer's prerogative), I found myself back in Delhi. And again. And again. And another time.

Delhi to me is an enigma, the place is brilliant. The people, well, I am not a big Fan, really. I like the metro makes my life easier. Well only yesterday we crossed two states to go visit Bharatendu and experience "Zindagi ki Maze". Yes, by Metro only.

It is as called by many people the food lover's paradise. There is all kinds of food here, maybe that's what happens when many different people from many different countries come and settle in one place. I have been lucky enough to have eaten most of the delicacies Delhi has to offer, whether its Paranthewali Galli, or Big Chill or Nizams or the Myriad number of places that there are.

One thing I have noticed is Delhi people love dressing up, going out and EATING! True that. Dressing up on Saturdays to go to a Mall seems to be the 'in-thing' here. Well, that's another thing I've done this time scouted almost all the Malls that there are in Delhi/Gurgaon. I have also seen the stereotypical Punjabi Aunty, who is actually pretty sweet.

I think Delhi is beginning to grow on me now, the metro rides, the old book shopping in Daryaganj, the absolutely FANTASTIC winters, and the amount of Culture and INDIA HABITAT CENTER will surely overshadow my bad experiences here, and also the HOT summers. I will cherish forever the times I spent here with my friends, and I guess one day I ll eventually not mind living here, and maybe fall in love with this place.

Incomplete

Something's missing
I can sense it everyday,
in every passing minute
and in every painful second.

The feeling erupts
like a wave of nausea
like yellow bile
from the insides of my being

I try to ignore it
I want to move on
and leave it all behind
in the past where it belongs

Sometimes I wonder
through vacant nights
and sunny mornings,
If I move on,am I leaving
a part of me behind?

To Be or Not to Be : The Problem of Making a Choice

Sometimes in our world we face what I'd like to call a problem of making a  choice. Maybe life has always been throwing stuff at us, and till a certain point we are able to choose what we want, but that does not always happen. When we can't choose what we want that's when we know that we are in an abyss as deep as the Mariana Trench. Yep, we find ourselves staring at the seabed, just confused. And everything around us seems to be working just fine, and people around us seem to be managing their lives just fine.

We have always been choosing, from the time we were babies. What food to like, what dress to wear, what people to hang out with, what movies to watch and what books to read. As we grow older, the choices get harder, and with each choice we make we have the ability to influence not only us, but also others around us. It's not always choosing between a good thing and a bad thing, its about deciding what we want and why we want what we want.
As they say, life is a bitch, often we want things that we know are bad for us, but then again, as I just said earlier, life is a bitch. It's like every choice we ever made helped in making us who we are today, right now, at this very moment. Easiest choices are those that generally hardly have any impact on our personality, but I think it's the harder ones that contribute to making us who we are.

Bad choices. All of us have made some at some point or the other. But it's the good choices that we made that we ought to be proud of. Imagine if Sachin chose to become a Doctor, or JK Rowling decided not to write and look for a stereotype job. As we grow older the choices we need to make become more and more complex. As I said in my earlier post, growing up comes with added responsibilities.

The choices we make have to made keeping in mind not only us, but also the ones we love. Our choices may sometimes hurt the ones we love the most, but that does not mean that the choice we made becomes a bad choice.I guess sometimes in life, we have to do, what we think is the best for us. There is a whole wide world around us, it's upto us to choose if we want to go out there and make something of ourselves.

So if you make a choice today, think it through before you actually make it. You should not regret the choice you make today, when you are 80, with 9 teeth and a bald head. Why am I being all philosophical? Well I am 21, and I am almost in my final year of Law School. The choices that I will be making in the next 6 months will probably have the power to shape the next 40 years of my life. Am I scared? yes, I am petrified, but then again there is also that feeling of intense excitement which makes my back tingle, my heart skip a beat and makes me say, Life, BRING IT ON!

I promise I ll be more regular in updating my blog! Cya next time people. If this sounded like some psycho-babble nonsense, I promise my next post is going to be a funny one. :-)