Missing India

Feeling little homesick today, so thought of sharing these two amazing videos with you. Turn your speakers volume way up!!

Book Review : Family Planning by Karan Mahajan

I got tired of reading non-fiction books. In last couple of years I read several books about personality development, leadership and personal finance. I finished reading some and gave up on others. So finally I decided to take a break from those books and read something different. So yesterday after doing 15 minutes of research in our small town library, I found Family Planning by a young author, Karan Mahajan.

I am glad this was my first fictional novel ( in my adult life). This short book is about a big, middle-class Indian family living in Delhi. The main character, Mr Ahuja is into politics ( ministry of urban development to be specific). Yet, the book is more about his personal life than his work life. Mr and Mrs Ahuja have 13 kids. The eldest is sixteen some years old. Mainly the story revolves around Mr Ahuja and his son. These are the main characters in the book. The book is bold and witty. Its content includes everything from sex-lives of Indian couples to the lives of urban Indian teenagers who start a rock band. There are several good laughs. It was very good and refreshing break to read this novel. The only thing I didn’t like was the ending. It was sort of abrupt or may be it sneaked up on me because I read the entire book in less than 24 hours!

My rating : 4 out of 5.

Coffee Party

Last Friday, all the HYD cousins met up for a late night coffee party at my place. it was fun. We missed sarvesh bhayya n bhabhi as they were in Jaipur then. There were varieties of coffee we made- hot, cold, cold with ice cream, hot with ice cream served with brownies and pineapple cake which Abhi had baked especially for deepajiji. then we also had a round of yummy hot brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce...it was cheer joy to have met all so relaxed. There was a constant chatter for 3 hrs or so that we were together. The baccha party were busy with their discussions, so were the men.. the baby team- Diva n Siddhi were very busy pulling each others cheeks and pinching ..hehehe...

Its was a very happy meeting.. we got to catch up with each other. I guess we had taken a few pics.. shall upload them soon.

We should plan for such short meetings in a couple of months...
so the next time most of the cousins are in HYD..lets plan another coffee party at the GUPTA's

Stanly Kubric's Movies

Been some time since a post by anyone .. thought that i need to make the post to keep the blog running.

Its not a new post .. something i had written some time ago (has some edits to update the content) , anyways reproducing it here

I have seen Spartacus, Full Metal Jacket, 2001 a Space Odyssey, Lolita, Eyes wide shut, Dr Strange Love, A Clockwork Orange.

Something that i noticed in all the above movies and i guess is also part of the few movies that i have not seen  is the method of the director. All the movies have a theme that is portrays one or more character in a deeply dark  form; as much is possible (as compared from a normal human perspective)  within the boundaries of the story.

The use of the camera is unique when compared to other movies of similar periods, the director makes use of the camera to zoom into the main character to show emotions that would be difficult to catch from a normal angle or view. Most of the zoom in and zoom out is part of a longer sequence that moves the story forward, unlike a cut in the action that is employed by a lot of directors. The movie flows….

Am almost a fan of the format of presentation that he employed.. 

There is not much more to  see

1. The Shining
2. Barry Lyndon
   

And a couple more.. I think he did 10 or 12 films and was supposed to do AI. Something Steven Spielberg did and was dedicated to his memory.

All in all a great director who did the most controversial films of his time

C

ps: wont recommend seeing any of the movies with kids around. (the only one you can see with the kids is 2001 space ...)

Salutation to the Dawn

Hi All

I am curently reading a book in which I have found this interesting poem. Just thought of sharing it with you all.

Title : Saluation to the Dawn

Look to this day
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course,
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendour of achievement
Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;
Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

Read it over and over again, take some time to digest it and think over it. It is the essence of solution to all our worries. I would never have guessed it was written by a great Indian poet.
Any takers? It was Kalidas. He wrote this masterpiece several hundred years ago and yet till today, we fail to live by it.

Food for thought.