The A.D. KAAL

De-Spirit of Mumbai?

2011-07-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Bombay was bombed in 1993. I was three then. That set up the tone in which I would hear of the place for years to come. People talk of the so called Maximum City with a measured excitement and a palpable sense of fear.

Being a person on the otherside of the glass, I've always viewed Mumbai as a place of extreme possibilities and adventures, with constant fear for life thrown-in in good measure.

I've always wanted to go there, still do.

And nothing will change that.

Over the years, I have seen many a blasts, attacks on the city, and everytime, the politicos express their grief for families of the affected, and hail the Mumbai Spirit.

Mumbai Spirit....

I see the faces of people, children- crying, parents-shattered.

Is that what you call spirit?

I see people dragging themselves to work, affording a loose smile when they see the camera. It seems they come out in the open not because they want to, but because they have to.

I see people who seem to have realised that only they can help themselves and their families. I see people who have lost faith on people at helm.

Is this the spirit of Mumbai?

I dont think so. Perhaps it is the spirit of humanity slowly draining away from the hearts and faces of the people of the Maximum City....

Citizen Bane

2011-06-19T01:26:00.000-07:00

These are times when everything happening in India is happening in Indian politics. A new wave of awakening has swept across the nation and the general public has decided to stand up against the slack and red tape that over the years have become the hallmark of Indian politics.

Come to think of it, the public outcry is to an extent justified. The government at every instance of the short history of free India, has tried to cut corners, muddled in vote-bank politics, and duly indulged itself in corrupt practices. So the angst had to spill over at some time or the other. Its UPA's plain bad luck, that it has happened in their tenure.

The pubic outcry brings us to the protagonists, Anna Hazare- the ever-smiling, gentle, Nehru -topi clad leader, whose only weapon is non-violence; and Baba Ramdev- the jet-setting Baba, who showed his cards too early and went down as quickly as he had risen up, and that to at midnight.

While Baba Ramdev showed evident lack in leadership qualities, and a past that is riddled with questionable events, he was an easy prey for the government to shoot down.

But Anna Hazare is different, his life is as simple and as devoted to his motherland as his illustrious idol- M.K. Gandhi. As much as the UPA has tried to pin down Anna, he and his civil society brigade have risen from the ashes every single time. And the growing popularity and the authority he commands amongst the masses, make it even more difficult for the current government to resist change.

For its part, the goverment, unfortunately is trying its best to be the bad guy.

Beating up women and children in the middle of the night- this kind of stuff is hand to describe in the context of democracy. CDs claiming civil society members of the lokpal bill to be corrupt and so on...- UPA's reactions appear to be of the knee-jerk kind. They fail to realize that its not a political party they are up against. It is the face of the aam aadmi, that has finally decided to stand up and be counted.

Now its like people look at every movement , listen to every word uttered by a politician with ample amount of suspicion and infinite amount of disgust.

Its seems that people are now determined to remind this government what democracy actually is-of the people, by the people, for the people.

Like I said, exciting times in Indian politics. What do you think?

Bridging The Deficit

2010-07-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

India and Pakistan are bad neighbours is mild way of putting the tension between the countries since their birth. And the relationship has never looked to be heading for the good.

Well, people concerned do use the right words to describe it- "trust deficit", but what they do to bridge this deficit doesn't speak much for their vocabulary. Throwing dossiers and accusing each other for attacks in respective countries doesn't exactly bridge a trust-deficit.

Day in and day out, you see news channels on both sides of the border spitting venom on the other side, accusing each other of things that could be.

Infact, today I saw this news channel, running a program about strengthening ties through cricket. The visuals showed either Pak bowlers getting a thorough bashing from Indian bastmen or Pakistan batsmen loosing their wickets.

Art and sports can only take us this far.Lazing around one fine evening and talking about the similarities in both countries will never help bring a change .The people at the helm have to understand that all they have to do is believe. Someone has to bend. It is painful to see a region that could be an economic and cultural powerhouse, torn apart due to vested interests.

Even if some people do agree to the above, they expect thier counterpart to bend first.

Both parties are at fault and nobody's helping the cause, neither the government nor the people.

Lets not walk into the hole the bad dudes want us to fall into. Let us listen to each other for a change. Lets believe in each other for once.

GODS

2010-03-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Aman was a 12th std. student in Delhi. He led a normal life, except for the fact that he could lift a truck with his right pinky.

Yes, Aman was a superhero. He saved women, banks, kittens, the president and did his chemistry projects.

That day had been particularly taxing on him. He usually sprains his wrist when he lifts a dozen cars at a time. Aman dragged himself to his room and dozed off instantly.

That night, he had a dream. Not one of the horrible ones, in which you are a mute spectator, but the rare ones, which you feel are under your control. Aman flew past cities, past the Himalayas, and into a, dark, deep tunnel, leading into a cave.

There he saw, an old, frail, breaded man stooped, and chained so heavily that he could hardly see a patch of skin, except for his head. The man looked up and Aman saw a face so featureless, yet screaming out for something, help, maybe, Aman thought. His eyes were sea blue, swollen and very dry.

With a weak, but probing voice, the man spoke, "So, finally, you've come."

Aman was confused, "You know me? How come...But I don't.Who are you?."

"You see Aman, this world, this universe is all about balance. Everything you see is always at balancing its negative self. "

"Mountains are there to balance the craters and trenches, air to counter water, hatred for love, good for bad. So when you earned those amazing powers, you terribly shook the balance of the creators great work."

All this was over-whelming for Aman, "Wait. I save the day and I'm blamed for it? What balance is this now, eh?"

"You used your power to help mankind and not otherwise, those are your values and your good nature. But you are a superhuman and there needed to be a counter-force for you too. And that force, is me."

"Yes, I'm weak, frail, these chains are the burdens of hopes and aspirations of all man and animal kind. I take their misfortunes, their pain and suffering."

Aman,"But I thought I do that."

"You wipe off their tears, I keep them. All the pain and suffering don't vanish, they come to me."

Aman, "So, why call me here?"

"Because the time has come. We must switch places. It is your turn to be the hope-keeper now." And the man raises his hand towards Aman.

Aman reluctantly puts his hand forward,"But who are you? And how do you know me?"

"I..., We, are the creator's two most trusted men. Commonly known as GODS."

As both touch each others' hands. A SNAP.

Adam wakes up with a start. He gingerly walks up to his balcony and flies out into the Manhattan skyline for his early morning vigil.

A Comic Situation

2010-03-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

I flip through the pages of my old Champaks and Chacha Chaudharys. The pages are still crisp and the yellow tinge adds a hint of value to them, as time does to wine. I can't help but wonder, where those days of halcyon went?

Comics meant everything to me as a kid. And not the Marvels and DCs mind you. What fascinated me were the Billloo, Pinki, Raman, Sabu, the affable Chacha C and not to forget the Nagrajs and Dogas. Our very own Diamond and Raj comics were dearest to me.

But with each passing year, the quality of content deteriorated and so did my (and probably others') interest. Diamond is as good as non-exist ant and Raj comics have lost the art of story-telling.

It puzzles me, when I get hold of one of these 'modern' Chacha Chaudharys- should I cry at the lame and stale one-liners or should I laugh at the alarming frequency at which the colour of Chachaji's turban changes every 5 pages. Sometimes, I hardly ever get through 5 pages!

Comics in India is AILING. We need more Prans. We need sharper minds and willing people going into this floundering industry. Comics are a significant part of our history, and they ought be preserved.

Brain Games

2010-03-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Sub-conscious brain is perhaps the most powerful tool that man has been gifted with. The problem is that its like a double-edged sword. And most of us do not know how powerful it is and upon mastering its control, how much more fulfilling one's life can be.

For better understanding, let us take the example of 'Bhool Bhulaiya' and 'Karthik calling Karthik' . For the uninitiated, these are B' wood films deal with the adverse effect of sub-conscious brain, or mental disorder, in short. However, what both the films portray, is how strong a person's inner will can be. It can create a completely new person out a man/woman and it can adversely affect our conscious self.

Although both the films show sub-conscious brain in a bad light, what is undeniable is the fact that sub-conscious brain has surprising, almost super-human powers.

Controlling our sub-conscious brain is the ultimate self-realization of a human being. And the only way this can be achieved, is by developing a strong-willed conscious brain. When we truly and consciously believe in our abilities and wishes, a connection between both the mind-sets is snapped closed. And then our sub-conscious brain unleashes its effectiveness.

But the belief has to be unabashed, true and pure.

Take for example walking- You never fall on solid ground because you are supremely and truly confident about your walking-credentials (I know, I'm overrating the art of walking.). But the second you are blind-folded, you stumble. That's not because of the blindfold, it's because your conscious mind red flags the thought of falling and the sub-conscious mind doesn't waste time in realizing it.

So, try to believe in your goals and aspirations. Act as if they have been achieved. If you want to be happy, BE HAPPY. Or at least act as if you are. The results will surprise you.

Addicted to Blame

2010-02-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

Lets not mince words here, cause this thing really pisses me off.

How many of you think that Twitter is an addiction?

I mean, gimme a break! When was the last time you (or anyone, for that matter) thought that sharing doodles with your friends was an addiction?

To those few who are giving a thought to the above question(if you are, c'mon get a life... or a Twitter account.) Socializing may have been harmful in caveman days when people used club each others' heads in the name of inter-personal communication.

Mainstream media here in India is hell-bent on proving Twitter an addiction. The only (and perhaps the decisive) arguement against this conclusion is that socializing is a human need, it completes a person. It defines the human race and binds us togather. Existence is impossible without interaction. Even war and crisis need socialization.

And about the addiction thing, lets see an example-

"Oh my dad's dead, (laconic smile) Why not tweet this....."

To those few who do not think this scenario as naive and funny and think that there is a serious possibility that such a thing could happen, you might as well stop reading this post now.

And you know what's really crappy about all this? To hear all that s**t about twitter-addiction and in the end- "What did you think about todays show? Tweet us at @hitmeIamanas**le"

The Fact About Fiction

2010-02-24T00:33:00.000-08:00

The world has seen a lot of talented fiction writers. Their ideas were new, appealing and gave a new meaning to their (and others') lives. But what was that one thing that made them so special?

There are hundreds of 'writers' guide' that keep incessantly gloating about doing things 'differently'. In fact, if something is stale, it is these rhetoric. But then, (I hate to sound repetitive) what was the thing that clicked for these brilliant minds?

We are born and brought up by our parents, and by the time we are capable of brewing intelligent thoughts, we develop what I like to call a 'cast'. The ideas that come into our mind must fit into this cast, lest it displease a section of our society. It is like writing for others, we are more interested to make our ideas and writings sound sensible rather then making them sound interesting. Sample this: You won't ask your neighbour if he or she likes beige or metallic interiors when you are painting your house, would you?

Of course, sounding somewhat logical is called for but your fantasy should follow your logic not the world's norms.

That's what these fiction writers did, they could shake off the constraints of trying to justify their writings and write for themselves, ending up with classics and bestsellers.

But, its easier said than done (as every cool and awesome thing on self-help blogs and books is). Even the best writers can never completely uproot what they go by in the real world. At a certain level it will influence one's writing. But such a touch is involuntary and is either unpalpable or pleasing.

You can go "Oh that's easy," but you'll know exactly how tough it can get, when you write. At the end of every line, you'll be asking yourself, "Oh, what will people say to that?". These kinds of thoughts are very hard to ignore. But, once the self-realization sets in you'll find such questions melting away. You'll want to know how YOU will react to a line, and that's when your imagination will really take over.

It's not Mr President's G8 speech, its your world that we are talking about, your playground. So go, play God.

Its all about realizing that only YOU can write a book that you will love to read.

Social Networking- Where from Here?

2009-06-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

“I am afraid it is a non-starter. I cannot even use a bicycle pump.”
• When asked whether she uses e-mail.
Judi Dench : in Times, 13 Feb 1999

Social Networking is ‘The Buzz’ on the Web these days. And everybody seems to smitten by this e-bug. Twitter, Facebook, FreindFeed and a host of other websites are the places to be these days.

As dynamic as it's growth is, social networking mushrooms on one simple idea- bringing people closer to each other. The keynote storm started about two and a half years ago, a period when social networking sites were literally multiplying by the day. Now that we have so many of these websites, do we really need more?

I think the way forward would be exploring ways of linking the present socio-net sites to provide a user with richer experience of social-networking and give a new meaning to the phrase ‘being on-line’. The point I want to stress is that, every possible contour of web-based socializing has been explored (well, under the restraint of the present technological know-how.), so it would naïve to pile on content on a single web-page. Instead, clever tie-ups with other sites would make the user-experience better, redefine ease of use and set bench-marks for future.

Here, I would like to point out the striking resemblance of the growth of social-networking with the growth of internet itself. During its early stages, organizations and groups developed computer networks exclusively for their firms (Arpanet et all). But soon enough it was realized that the strength of a network lies in the number of workstations it syncs. That small realization back then is the main reason why internet is the big monster that it is, today. And the same goes for social-networking. The techies should dig deep and ensure that socio-net’s future is bright.

These are early days for socio-net. There maybe divided opinions about its future, some different than mine. What’s your perception? Drop in a line.

India's crystal ball

2009-04-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

In the race of development, it is a well known fact that the U.S. is lapping quite a few countries.

India used to be one of them, but now, with global economical meltdown the American juggernaut has slowed down. India cannot catch up with the U.S., but the current scenario has thrown up some interesting possibilities.

India won it's independence from the British rule about 200 years after the U.S. won theirs. This effectively puts Bharat 200 years behind America. Globalisation, significant economic decisions and healthy development have helped us shorten the divide.

All these factors stack up and put an interesting picture, where the U.S. has become a model economy for India. Look carefully and you will find that India as a nation is going through a lot of things that the U.S. has already experienced. The Great Depression, the bouts of moral policing are some of the redflags in the comparison.

Here, I would like to clarify that I am not indicating that India is an U.S. re-breed, but the point I want to drive home is we could America as a scale for our development and skillfully avoid the roadblocks that they have stumbled upon.

Who knows, we may be setting the pace someday?

Game for Life

2009-01-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

Gaming is in its best phases. Stunning graphics and stupendous sounds make for an amazing experience. But as we tap away on our PSs and Wiis and not to forget PCs, we forgot what joy and thrill of gaming is. The joy and thrill only a video-game could provide. Yes, the very humble predecessors of today’s gaming monsters. Nothing beats the simplicity of game-play and sheer satisfaction that these 2-D games provide. Here is a list of things that form a collection I fondly call ‘Hall of Game’:

Oh Mario!- First he walked into video-games, then into our hearts and now he also comes in 3-D. Mario and his brother Luiggi have become the face of the gaming industry and the Mario Bros. game has become an all-time classic. Easily the best game I have ever played, it is the boundless possibilities of the title and the surprise-element it offers that makes it a memorable game. (Try cracking the 7th level....)

What to do? - No directions here! Unlike today’s games which come fully equipped with directions and tutorials, games of the yesteryear were mysteries until you actually played them. I still remember frantically tapping all the keys on the game-pad on my first brush with Contra. Which reminds me....

Contra Craze- While the Mario brothers were hogging the limelight another twosome were making ripples. These gun wielding, bare-bodied cousins of Salman Khan were on a rampage, literally. Contra caught our imagination with its flair, awesome action and never before seen sequences. And the game-play was captivating to say the least. The double-player mode was a revelation as well. Subsequent titles kept the flag flying.

Para4 9999999- Have you ever seen a name ‘Super Mario 9999999’? Well, this is one of the numerous crazy titles that you find on a game-cartridge. We kids used get really excited on seeing such names, only to find the same old game, what a dud!

Green Chaos- As we grew familiar with video-game consoles, to break open the cartridge cover came naturally to us. The little, green circuit boards were easier to carry, hide, and share sans the bulky cover. I still find it hard to believe that I could recognize exactly which game-cassette (the local name) has which game, when I was young.
These memories are hard to forget.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot the honorable mentions. These did not make it to the list but are worth a mention:
-Islander game series (Beautiful game environment and brilliant colours)

-Plug-pins (12 pin and 36 pin plugs were more common to us than the table-fan plug)

-Gunman (I still don’t know how those game-guns work....)

-Jumbo-Combos (Go ahead and press any and every key and brace yourself for a move never seen before)

Do you have any fond memories of your halcyon gaming days?

Drop a line then!

Picture Perfect

2009-01-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

Animation and visual effects are the toast of the moment. And the rush is to make them more real. But this is what bugs me. Crazy? Wait until you get around my way of thinking.

For years, directors have been banging their heads on getting the visuals perfect and mind you, some of them are stunning (the visuals that is….) and producers have been spending the moolah. But is it worth the trouble? I had to do a lot of soul-searching before finally deciding to write, because I know this piece will open a Pandora’s Box. What I think is- you can’t perfect what you don’t know. Everybody knows that Super-Man flies, but nobody has SEEN him flying.

SO, should we stop visual-effects? Of course not. These guys do a great job and totally rock. I am a big fan of such movies as well. I know many would fancy kicking me at the moment but they have two reasons to do otherwise- (a) They should give the idea a second (and thorough) thought and (b) The internet shall not house physical-touch (or kick) technology until the second dot com revolution.

Coming back to point, it is neither the quantity nor the quality, but the entity that brings forth the true brilliance and vividness. So it is not the humongous force-fields or giant alien tin-nutcrackers kicking human butt, but little tweaks here and there that are etched in the memory forever. The 3-D Dumbledore card in first of the Harry Potter movie series is one of my personal favorites.

I would love to see a director make a movie which is full of such tweaks instead of larger than life sequences. It’s all about being within you and still trying to outdo yourself. It’s about stitching together a beautiful picture instead of buying one. I am sure it would be a huge hit.

It’s easier said than done, but it is surely worth a try. Isn’t it?

I would love to know what you think. (The ones who wish to kick may consider reading the piece again.)

Mapped-Writer's Brain

2009-01-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

Recently I realized how much I banged my head on what I should write. I also realized how much our writing is influenced by our presumption of readers’ perception. I believe that a writer’s mind has what I call scopes (well I tried ADize the theory ;-), one that urges the writer to write what the readers want to read, one that urges him to pen down whatever his inner thoughts and feelings suggest and one which is a bit of both.

The first one is the safe mode. It tells you to write was the audience wants and is generally associated with rookies. I have to admit that even I was in sync with this scope, and its vestiges continue to exist in me. More often than not, it ensures that you are loyal to your readers, but the success depends heavily on grasp of the language and muses. Good way to start off, given that you don’t get the knack of it.

The second scope is the hard to hit and few have such a mind-frame. Can’t write much about it, I have never been in that mode. What I can tell is that it is comparable to subconscious brain, very powerful but equally hard to connect. Your work may not have many takers but it does manage a cult following.

Third and final scope is the purple patch and what I mean by ‘a bit of both’ is a mix of both styles of writing. THIS is hardest to achieve. Why? Because you have to volley between to mindsets with poles-like contrast. Having said that, most writers, (well, at least the ones who have gone through the grind) are in this frame of mind. Strange, but it is a fact.

Initially I had thought of ending it here, but later I had conflicting thoughts on the idea.
It came to me that a writers mind is too complicated to map and that there is a fine line between the second and third scope. In fact it is so fine that can’t be considered a line. Hmm.... food for thought. What do you think? Drop in a line.

Last Annual Day

2009-01-01T00:46:00.000-08:00

It was my last Annual Day in the Middle School and I was excited to be a part of it. But all forces of nature seemed to be against this. I was feeling full, and that was obvious as I had gorged myself on any and every thing that was edible. By 5pm, my head was feeling wobbly.

I and my friends were discussing the taekwondo formation that we were part of. And suddenly,
A blue rabbit jumps out of thin air with a grey carrot in its mouth, glowing butterflies, psychedelic patterns, monkeys playing banjos, nana na na nah nana na nah........

I wake up leaning against the backstage wall. “We are due in 3hrs....” one of my friends mumbles to me. “Don’t worry.” I said. I tried my best to keep up, but I wasn’t feeling good. My stomach was odd and bouncy (bouncy??). I tried talking to my friends, trying not to think about my tummy. But it was useless. I was wishing my friend luck for his next act when
Four white crows flew in and perched on my head, crackers, blue rabbit’s back, goblins, turtles running fast. Why? Seagulls, pink fishes, Daffy Duck, Justin Timberlake, goofy, oh shit......
Pretty face..... I’m on the lap of the girl I had crush on....in seventh heaven, ma’am talking to me....asking to quit.....yeah.....WHAT?! I can’t quit. Oh great I back to my senses.
After a long argument with my teacher (well not exactly an argument but something a shade milder than that) I went in for my performance. We were good. Nobody messed up his or her moves and the act went smoothly. After the usual indifferent clap for the bored audience we came back, and I was the man of the moment. My friends and teachers congratulated me for being able to carry myself well on stage. After the event was over, I rushed to parents and the very next second I was in their arms.
While returning home in our car I sat at the back soaking in all the praise for my courage. But why is Dad wearing a sky blue Santa hat. Oh shit....

Eyes that never opened

2008-11-25T16:05:00.001-08:00

I can’t. I simply can’t carry on writing if each finger tap feels so heavy. But I will continue....
It was a rainy night when Kiki came into our lives. And we were in awe.

I mean, the kitten was an infant! Jet black fur coat and a white belly, Kiki was so adorable, you could cuddle it the whole day. How she played with the small fur-ball, with her even smaller paws....

Feeding her was the best part of me and my sister’s day. Kiki would move her head this way and that ways as dad fed her milk with an eye-dropper. The sound she made when she made when she meowed while gulping the milk was so funny that one could not stop laughing! Kiki was the light of our lives. But good times were short lived....

With time Kiki developed a sort of raspiness in her meows. Dad said it was nothing. But deep down, even he knew that Kiki wasn’t well.

I was the first one to wake up that day. I always had the habit of checking her belly if it was breathing. That day she was breathing heavier than usual. I rubbed her coat and called softly (I choked), hoping that she would turn a blind eye to heavens gate and return to us, her family.
Kiki died. My sister was inconsolable, dad was gloomy, I secretly cried to myself. Even my mother, who was always a bit edgy about pets, wasn’t upbeat. She had left a large void, impossible to fill. But not before she taught us many things. She taught us to sleep soundly on a rag, she taught us to enjoy stale milk as if it were the grandest of feasts. Kiki taught us to be more humane than we can ever be, to enjoy the little joys of life. TO LIVE.

By the time I am writing this sentence I am almost in tears. I had promised to myself and to Kiki that I would write about her. And now that I have fulfilled my promise, my heart feels lighter. Kiki is and will always be the closest to my heat. I will never ever forget her. NEVER.
Goodbye, Kiki!

20-20-20 and T20

2008-11-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

Lights, camera aaand, T20 is born.

Cricket’s newest baby is here to stay. Such has been its flamboyance; no one’s escaped from it. Even the U.S., a nation that scoffed at the gentleman’s game till about a decade ago, is giving a serious thought to it!

Twenty-20, a brainchild of the English, is a rage and is spreading like wildfire. Short game, shorter ground and cheerleaders with even shorter skirts, T20 has got people sit up and take notice of cricket.

But what stings me is the pessimistic reaction of the purists and players (which, to me was a bit surprising…). They state that T20 is all fun and no work, where the basic values of the glorious game are demeaned. In short it’s hardly cricket.

I beg to differ. Here I would like to state that in no way am I trying to disrespect any former greats or current players or The Game for that matter. I for one, will be the first to drool over the prospect of an Indo-Oz test bash, and yet...

For starters, cricket’s hardly a global sport. So, why stop something which is taking cricket places? Countries which were alien to the game are now willing to cash in on its newfound vigour. Imagine the French locking horns with the Chinese in WC2027 semis? The prospect is soul-bathing.

And all the three forms of the game CAN co-exist. I believe that all of them can be the part of the landscape. So, it would be naïve to smell conspiracy.

Let’s not kill the golden-goose. The onus is on us whether we want to play dillydally in our halcyon with a handful of nations or help cricket spread its wings and soar.

Of course there will be setbacks, but we can surely take them. Let’s give the I.O.C something to pain their heads on. What say?