in defense

i write this today in defense of a movie that's faced a lot of flak from all quarters for being a piece of insanity. it's taken me over a year to get my hand onto this one...not that it was unavailable, just that no one i knew had it, or would ever let me be convinced or motivated enough to watch it. i remember when it released along side the head-ache grosser called om shanti om, people were initially divided and most ended up watching both. i, on the other hand watched neither. i barely watch movies in the theatre coz my friends n i can never agree on movies to watch, where to watch and what time. so sad it may sound...'m a clg student who barely bunks clg to watch movies.

om shanti om made people laugh because of it's sheer senselessness. it made me hold my head and doubt my sanity when i did around to watch it. people around me were going gaga over SRK, in love with the line "ek chutki sindoor ki keemat aap kya jano something babu?", it made people hum and laugh. those who watched saawariya hated it...it's all blue they said, it's a chitrahaar they called it, it's eewww! when i declared recently that i watched saawariya n liked it...i was declared crazy!

i stand by what i feel. saawariya is beautiful. I'm no movie buff, I'm no avant-garde expert...but i haven't seen such a spectacle. the moon...with the intricate patterns to show the darkness; the streets...unlit to show privacy; the river...to show the eternal divide between the lover and the loved; the bridge...our catalyst in the union; the umbrella...sakina's preparedness to face hardship; music...the universal language; shades of blue all through the movie...couldn't have been replaced; the flowers lining the pot holed road...beauty with the beast; the prostitute...friendship in unlikely quarters.
i can go on and on about what where and how it appeals. the camera moves ever so slightly to show the amused fear, the jilted lover and the sole tear on a smile. the lights are there, somewhere...they don't glare ontot he face to show u layers of make-up. they play with the emotion. it's garish, it's subtle, it's loud, it's soothing...it's a wonderful love story, where not everyone gets their love.

Mind over Body

i am not a feminist, as some people consider me. i do find myself at odds with people when treatment of females is considered. i don't like the downtrodden way women are treated at each step of the way, getting the raw deal in life. elaborate l8r, or just ask me when u meet me. i don't also ask for favours, as most people consider women liberation to be all about. i just ask for equality. you be you, let me be me!
this one's about how my self made principles gave me a bumpy ride. buses in Delhi are a nightmare. men in those buses, nine cases out of ten, are horny bastards. if i could shoot them, they'd be in line before the auto wallahs who consider it their right to over charge. at least they only rob me of my money, and that too at face value, not my innocence and dignity in "oops! madam jagah nahi hai kya karun?" style. those are the times i wish i could just slap, kick, castrate and dump the entire male population of Delhi. i just can't...i know good men too, and i thank the lord for them!
today i had an exceptionally long journey to make into a part of delhi I've never been to. i insisted to travel on my own n learn n declare myself a big girl...no more mamma's li'l baby(though I'll always be one :)). standing in that over crowded bus, i saw the ladies seats had been promptly occupied by guys. three of them, pretty young. i kept standing. it was long ago that I'd decided I'll never ask for a seat. the guy sitting on it could be just as exhausted as i! so i kept standing. the three guys, young blokes, couldn't spell chivalry if they wanted to, n how i missed chivalry!
women came in l8r, who managed to get a few seats my ordering the men sitting to stand. not even requesting...more like whacking their heads n looking down their noses. i kept hanging. those guys had some nerve to remain seated even after those aunties(can't call them anything else) had done everything but call the police.
i was so tempted to join them. i was already tired, hanging onto the rod for sacred space to rest my feet on and keeping my bag on my shoulders. but i couldn't. i wouldn't. to join them would be against my battle for equality. my self appointed battle in every sphere of life. i was losing.
finally a guy's stop came. he first tapped on my knee...that's all he could get to i guess. he then asked me to take his seat when he vacated it. the world made sense again! i wouldn't shower him for praises for telling me his seat would be available for a micro second, but i do thank him. never did i expect any one to offer me his seat, i would've declined anyway! but for whatever reason, i did manage a seat a little beyond the halfway.
i finally got to my no man's land. or better, no woman's land

Of Tonga rides...

Last saturday was supposed to be my day out with my parents and indeed it was, albeit a little out of the ordinary, but none the less a lot fun. It was decided we’ll head for Sadar Bazaar for some deal hunting and exploration of our own. This is our hobby…go exploring a part of the city that’s absolutely unknown to us after having done our basic homework as to what’s available and how much to pay for it.

Once at Paharganj, we had to choose our mode of transport to get to our destination. Our car was safely parked away at the metro station close by. Mom of course picked a rickshaw, but I had a better idea…a tonga! I so wanted to get on one, just for fun, though I’d never imagined I’d manage to do so in the heart of Delhi. So it was, the three of us atop a tonga and hardly able to keep our teeth in! My mother was laughing all the way, dad was holding on tight and completely avoiding the horse’s tail and I was trying to keep my feet in so I don’t hit a cycle or an auto that stops behind us. Good God I had so much fun…I’d happily do it again J

The rest of the escapade was the typical exploration filled with ooos and aaahhs. Each of these places remind me how protected a life I’ve led. Standing in the middle of Asia’s biggest wholesale market I had this feeling that I know where to get whatever there is to be bought. There is talk of life in the fast lane…I saw people busy with their work and sprinting away with loads more than just what’s on their shoulders in lanes as wide as my dad n me side by side, even narrower. But no one stopped for anyone, people didn’t offer us water when we got in and they especially didn’t seem very happy to see a bunch of giggling adults just picking a piece or two of random things. This place was hardcore trading and a business hub and I doubt a classy, clean, air conditioned, marble floored skyscraping centre would make the same amount of money as these people here.

I wish I had better skills and more patience to relate to you what I saw today and what each of those narrow lanes brought out of me. It may sound weird but each place I go to I make my own rapport with it, and I feel the place the place respond. Today’s was not a picturesque journey but nonetheless it was worth capturing the sheer madness of the critical equilibrium that place runs on